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"Inspiration" is what our little rescue Annie brought to our senior dog, Boo. Her effervescence brought out the puppy in our old girl and she learned how to really play with a doggie friend for the first time in her life. Boo is 14 and can still run like the wind, and although she might pull a few tricks out of her natural herding bag like cutting corners, she can keep up with her little youngster friend (who's a fast little bullet herself for being so low to the ground!). Thanks, Annie!! You've changed all our lives for the better.
Inspiration texture by temari09
phoebe texture by kim klassen
all that glitters by thebline.amy bethune
glitter II brushes by obsidiandawn
This is the Americana at Brand, L.A.'s newest beacon of American consumerism that opened on May 2, 2008 in Glendale. On the surface, it may look like just another mall, but with more than 75 stores and restaurants—plus a state-of-the-art movie theater and a park with a water fountain, it's definitely bigger than anything Los Angelenos have ever seen before.
Two years in the making and cost $400 million, Americana is the new shopping center and residential center in Glendale made possible by Grove developer Rick Caruso.
Caruso, who spent millions fighting Glendale Galleria owner General Growth Properties while planning the project, has built an empire by creating stylized retail centers that encourage shoppers to kick back and hang out. You either love the idea of shopping in a fantasy land -- where shiny trolleys cruise mini-streets and uniformed elevator men ask "Which floor? "-- or you cringe over its Disney-esque surrealness.
But only the terminally cynical will be blind to the Americana's charms. Yes, architectural purists will bemoan the hodgepodge of design styles -- Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Mediterranean, Classical and many more. But walking down the paved pathways, you almost feel as if you're strolling Boston's Newbury Street or Georgetown in Washington D.C. Or the main drag in Vegas. A 2-acre grassy knoll features an 80-foot "dancing" fountain, the centerpiece of the project, with stores and a playground curving around all sides.
Unlike at the Grove, there are no department store anchors, only a multilevel Barnes & Noble and an 18-screen Pacific movie theater. And though the outdoor space is triple what it is at the Grove, there's actually less retail.
But the lineup is aimed straight at younger shoppers: Calvin Klein, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Lacoste, Martin + Osa, Free People, H&M, Juicy Couture, Custo Barcelona and XXI from Forever 21.
Abercrombie & Fitch opened its first store in California for its Australia-based line Gilly Hicks, which features hip lingerie and lounge wear for twentysomethings. Paperchase, a British stationery store, will debut its first West Coast shop.
Tiffany & Co. launched its lower-priced "concept store," geared toward the trendy jewelry shopper.
And you won't go hungry -- though you might leave with a touch of indigestion. Restaurants and eateries include Cheesecake Factory, Beard Papa (cream puffs), Caffe Primo (salads and paninis), Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, CrepeMaker (handmade crepes), Jamba Juice and Richie's Neighborhood Pizzeria. On the higher end, there's Katsuya, the Japanese restaurant from sushi chef Kaysuya Uechi and designer Phillippe Starck.
The Americana takes its customer service seriously. The concierge desk offers -- for fees -- valet service, on-site oil changes, rental car and taxi reservation assistance, wardrobe consultation and styling, dry cleaning, tailoring, a notary public and even a yoga instructor. That's just for shoppers.
There are even more perks for those planning to move into Caruso's Neverland. Stacked above the center's shops and restaurants are 100 condos and 238 apartments, with condos ranging from the low $700,000s to $2 million and rents from $2,000 to $5,500 a month. The list of services for residents reads like Mariah Carey's backstage rider: piano tuning, baby-sitting (kids, pets and plants), movie tickets, personal shopping, art appraisal and food delivery.
Day shoppers who won't be rolling out of bed and into Urban Outfitters -- and don't want to valet -- will be subjected to a fascimile of the Grove's creeping, merry-go-round of a parking garage. But then passage to strange lands has always been tricky.
Info from www.latimes.com/features/lifestyle/la-ig-americana27apr27... (with minor changes and additions)
en Pemisera a Salou, gaudint dels darrers instants d'estiu ... tot s'acaba, les tempestes de tardor ja amenacen per l'horitzó, i el segon llibre del Larsson també arriba a la seva fi, ... una vegada el va acabar, es va aixecar i va fer aquesta fotografia www.flickr.com/photos/pemisera/3916336463/ .... minuts després tots corriem per les primeres gotellades, que es van acabar en això, en quatre gotes ...
Sunlite Tulips 21st-Feb-12 some more tulips - these are so pretty and only last a little while - so need to get some photographs of them :-)
View On White looks best on white :-)
Wishing you all a great week to come :-)
The Monastery of Sant Benet de Bages is a former Benedictine monastery, in the Catalan comarca of Bages. The Romanesque monastery was thoroughly restored at the beginning of the twentieth century by the Catalan architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch. The monastery was founded about 950 by the noble Salla and his consort Ricarda, of the house of the viscounts of Osona . According to the founding legend, Salla traveled to Rome to have his institution authorized, and to have it depend directly on the Holy See, the usual method for preserving the community from interference from the bishop— in this case of Vic— in whose diocese it lay. The abbey church was consecrated 3 December 972, witnessed by a gathering of notables: Borrell II, Count of Barcelona, the bishops Frugifer of Vic, Guisad of Urgell and Pere of Barcelona, the viscount Guadald of Osona, and three of the four offspring of the recently deceased founder, his son Isarn and the sisters Quíxol and Ego, at the head of witnesses both laymen and priests, in a grand ceremonial recorded in the surviving act of consecration. The community was dedicated to the Holy Trinity and to Benedict of Nursia (Sant Benét in Catalan) founder of the order, and Peter and Andrew, all guarantors of its future orthodoxy. The founder secured dispensations that the future abbots would be chosen from among their descendents, making the abbey a form of proprietary church, an agreement that would soon lead to disputes among the various branches of their lineage as to choice of abbots.
From 965, the abbey church held the supposed relics of Saint Valentine, enclosed in a wooden reliquary with plates of silver depicting miracles of Saint Valentine, which was rediscovered in 1863 in the church of Navarcles. At the beginning of the eleventh century the monastery passed under the direction of the Abbey of Saint Peter of Tomeras at Narbonne, from which the community freed itself in 1108. In 1125 Sant Benet de Bages suffered from an attack by Moors that required a rebuilding, financed by local nobles who required in return the right to be buried in its consecrated ground. The most splendid age of Sant Benet de Bages was in the fourteenth century, until the Black Death left the community with only two survivors, in a period that witnessed the beginning of its decline. On 9 November 1593, by order of Pope Clement VIII the community passed under the direction of the Abbey of Montserrat, and remained so until it was suppressed in 1820, serving as a place of retirement for Montserrat's community of monks. By the "law of desamortización" of 1835, all religious orders in Spain were required to render upo their possessions. The crumbling ancient structure attracted the interest of intellectuals who organised visits to it in the late nineteenth century. The architect Puig i Cadafalch and the painter Ramon Casas encouraged the mother of Casas to buy the property in 1907; in 1910 it passed into the hands of Casas, who commissioned Puig i Cadafalch to restore it. Since 2000, when it was purchased from Casas' heirs it has belonged to the Caixa de Manresa, a financial institution that has undertaken its maintenance.
The feeder by the window must have the best food! At times, there where up to 6 Blue Jays there at the same time! Unfortunately, it didn't make a good photo.
Taken at Metro Beach Metropark [?], Michigan, U.S.A. (IMG07625)
"I've never been so pleased to see a ceiling," he said.
Virtually the first words out of his mouth when my step-mum and I went in to see him after his operation late on Thursday evening.
After the relative high of leaving hospital and getting home for his birthday last week, this week was all about the build up to his carotid endarterectomy. And as the week drifted by, dad drifted a little further within himself; the risks and understandable fears of what was quickly galloping towards him looming large.
The morning of the operation began early, the hospital taxi duly arrived. My step-mum apparently offered to carry his bag. He politely declined, picked it up himself, strode off down the path, into the waiting car and away. My step-mum, slightly shocked, waved at the back of his head. He didn't say goodbye. He didn't look back. It's astonishing to think that could've been their last moment together.
Later he shrugged the moment off, "I don't like goodbyes. Besides, I was being positive. I had every intention of coming back." He's an unusual character all right, my dad.
The scar and associated bruising, as you can see, make him look the victim of a particularly brutal werewolf attack. However, given the relative invasiveness and delicacy of the operation, his recovery, again, is quietly remarkable; also a wonderful testament to the skills of the surgeon, Mr Neary. [Who, the day before, was so calm before the operation, he sat on the edge of the desk talking to my parents swinging his legs back and forth like a small boy.] You've got a special place in the hearts of this family, Mr Neary. Now, pull your socks up, tuck your shirt in and go tidy your room!
Twitter: Anatomy Of A Stroke
I don't usually do people shots, or portraits for that matter. I take and post pictures here in my stream primarily to my own liking. If I think the shot makes me happy, then that's all that matters (not that your wonderful comments and faves don't send me to flickr heaven. Oh, they do. And I always, always appreciate every single one of them. (",) you guys rock!).
Portraits are different. The idea of somebody else's --- the subject's --- opinion weighing in on the shot is too much pressure for me. What may look good in my eyes may not necessarily be so for the subject. I can be a people pleaser at times, so taking shots of others and them actually appreciating it, means so much to me.
And when they display my shots of them as profile pics on facebook, multiply or friendster, my heart dances a lil bit inside.
***
by the way, this is Em, a new travel buddy I met on my last trip. She takes pretty pictures too with a camera that has way too many buttons. :D
Thank you for all of the views, awards, comments and faves. They are greatly appreciated.
This is a Douglas DC-3 (C-47 military version) used by the Israeli Airforce (IAF) for training paratroopers. The DC 3 was manufactured in Santa Monica, California, Long Beach, Califonia and Oklahoma City. This aircraft is currently being reconstructed by the current owner.Although it is on the apron adjacent to the Camarillo Museum the aircraft is not one that is owned by the C.A.F.
This is the only image in this set on which I did not use textured overlays. There is, however, also a textured version. If you like you can compare this original (a single RAW processed with PS CS-5 and Dynamic Photo HDR software and saved as a jpeg) with the earlier overlaid image. This is my favorite image in the series.
For those wanting the technical data as follows: The shot was hand held and taken with a Nikon d90, Tamron 18-270 lens at 32mm. Manual mode, manual focus. Exposure 1/640 of a second at f13, ISO 200 -4/3 E.V. No filters on the lens.
© Lawrence Goldman 2011, All Rights Reserved
This work may not be copied, reproduced, republished, edited, downloaded, displayed, modified, transmitted, licensed, transferred, sold, distributed or uploaded in any way without my prior written permission.
--> Best viewed Large on black.
UPDATE: best ranked #411 on Flickr Explore (rank history). Wohooo! Thank you guys and gals for your responses!
Shot from 6 october bridge during 3rd day of Eid @sunrise.
I hope you like it.
"All Sizes" (including original resolution 2296 x 3579) are available to my
Contact Friends exclusively.
Check out my other most interesting photos
Lighting Info:
SB800 in Shoot Thru Brolly Camera Left
Sun Behind Camera Right as Rim
Nikon D300
Nikkor 50mm 1.4
Pocket Wizard Plus II
This is probably my favorite portrait that I have taken, it is not a great photo or some kind of masterpiece, but it speaks volumes to me. I have a younger brother that is my best friend, I have always felt this need to really watch over him. You see, my parents did not speak English when they first came to this country. The culture and country was completely new to them, me and my brother felt lost sometimes. Me and Steve saw these young brothers walking home from school, they had just gotten off the bus. The youngest one, Dee, had his ice cream cone and it was melting and running down his hands. His older brother, Darrell, took the ice cream cone and fixed it up for him and then handed his brother a napkin to clean his hands off. He then put his arm around him and they began walking. I watched all this and was reminded of the many times I did the same for my younger brother. It was a very endearing and awesome scene to watch unfold.
Enjoy,
Hector
-...ma che cos'è questo lampo di felicità, che mi fa tremare, che mi ridà forza, vita?
Vi domando scusa, dolcissime creature, non avevo capito, non sapevo...
Com'è giusto accettarvi, amarvi,
E com'è semplice, Luisa...
Mi sento come liberato, tutto mi sembra buono, tutto ha un senso, tutto è vero...
Ah come vorrei sapermi spiegare ma non so dire... ecco.
Tutto ritorna come prima, tutto di nuovo confuso.
Ma questa confusione sono io, io come sono, non come vorrei essere, e non mi fa più paura dire la verità, quello che non so , quello che cerco, quello che non ho trovato.
Solo così mi sento vivo, e posso guardare i tuoi occhi fedeli senza vergogna.
E' una festa la vita, viviamola insieme!
Non so dirti altro Luisa, nè a te, nè agli altri.
Accettami così se puoi, è l'unico modo per cercare di trovarci.
-Non so se quello che hai detto è giusto, ma posso provare, se mi aiuti.
-What's this sudden happiness that makes me tremble, giving me strenght, life?
Forgive me, sweet creatures, I hadn't understood. I don't know.
It's so natural acceoting you, loving you. And so simple.
Luisa, I feel like I've been freed.
Everything seems so good, so meaningful.Everything is true.
I wish I could explain, but I don't know how to.
So, everything is confused again, as it was before.
But this confusion... it's me.
Not as I like to be, but as I am. I'm not afraid anymore of telling the truth, of the things I don't know, what I'm looking for and have not found.
This is the only way I can feel myself alive, and I can loo into your faithful eyes without shame.
Life is a celebration. Let's live it together.
This is all I can say Luisa, to you or the others.
Accept me for what I am, if you want me.
It's the only waywe might be able to find each other
I don't know if what you said it's right, but I can try, if you help me.
Light show in Beaubourg by Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist, called "A la belle étoile". The 10mn show will be projected every night from 7pm to 8am until Feb. 26. Tip: pretend you're going to the restaurant on the 6th floor and stop at the 5th floor, which is opened and from where you can see the show from above without any glasses interfering :-) The previous link is also offering a webcam of the show.
Part of A la belle étoile
Dear Friends,
This is an image I took last December while out with Joel Tjintjelaar and Kees Smans in Rotterdam.
I don't think my photographic life will ever be the same; Joel introducted me to architecture and I have been extremely impressed by how beautiful is shooting buldings.
After finishing the project I'm working on now, I will devote myself to architecture: many ideas about that!
By the way, this is my first ever attempt at architecture.
Details
- CANON 5d Mark II ir, TS-E 24, f/7.1, 183 s, ISO 100
- Mirror Lockup, Remote Shutter
- Lee Big Stopper (10 stops ND filter)
- Tripod
The shot
Rotterdam, Netherlands
The Processing
Photoshop:
- Added many soft light layers to adjust light;
- Added a few curves to improve contrasts;
- Applied Noise Reduction
- Resized for the Web (1200px);
- Applied an Unsharp Mask to slightly improve contrast;
- Smart Sharpen + More accurate (On luminosity 'blending mode', at low opacity, building only);
- Framing and Signature.
Take a look at it, LARGE on Black :
@ You all
Comments and faves are always welcome!
Hope your 2012 started great!!!
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[...] The sky is eternity. And "sun, moon and five stars" are "the manifestation of the time, which imitate eternity and a number of law following turn, are the moving images of eternal being who is" alone and not the will obey. What we see with our senses, is not heaven, not the original eternal being itself, solely by God's Spirit West. If we "want to live in the light of eternity," therefore, we need to get into the spirit of God.
"Is that possible?" You might ask. But, it's not about the possibility of achieving this goal - but the need.
Otherwise we would not even be able to only this to our time-bound and living in days and nights, months and years, measured life.
What is needed, however, which must be possible.
If the eternal, refuses to manifest in the "Forms of Time", then left it to the forms of time but not helpless themselves
If the Eternal is the moving, changing, sentient forms of the time denied it burrow yet in them. [...]
.
.
[…] Der Himmel ist die Ewigkeit. Und „Sonne, Mond und die fünf Sterne“ sind „die Erscheinungsformen der Zeit, welche die Ewigkeit nachahmen und einem Zahlengesetz folgend sich drehen“, sind die sich bewegende Abbilder des ewigen Wesens, das allein „ist“ und nicht dem Werden gehorchend. Was wir mit unseren Sinnen sehen, ist nicht der Himmel, nicht das ursprüngliche ewigen Wesens selbst, das allein Gottes Geist durchwest. Wenn wir daher „ im Licht der Ewigkeit leben wollen“, müssen wir in Gottes Geist eindringen.
„Ist das möglich?“ könnte man fragen. Allein, es geht nicht um die Möglichkeit, dieses Ziel zu erreichen – sondern um die Notwendigkeit.
Andernfalls wären wir nicht einmal in der Lage, auch nur dieses unser an die Zeit gebundenes und nach Tagen und Nächten, Monaten und Jahren gemessenes Leben zu leben.
Was aber notwendig ist, das muss möglich sein.
Wenn das Ewige, sich weigert, sich in den „Formen der Zeit“ zu manifestieren, dann überließe es die Formen der Zeit dennoch nicht hilflos sich selbst.
Wenn sich das Ewige sich den bewegten, wechselnden, fühlenden Formen der Zeit verweigert, so verbärge es sich dennoch in ihnen. […]
___________________________________________________________________________
Source: D.T. Suzuki, „Der westliche und der östliche Weg“ (The Western and Eastern Weg),
Chapter: „Leben im Licht der Ewigkeit“ (Living in the Light of Eternity)
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|| Wikipedia: D. T. Suzuki || Plato ||
Questions, questions, questions - as long as you feel you are the luckiest girl on Earth... For you, My Love
I don’t put a smile upon your face no more
I can’t make your heart shine like it did before
You don’t listen to my stories anymore
You can’t comfort me the way you did before
Was I too loud, was I too bad
Was I too open
Was I too high, was I too fast
Was I too close
I don’t feel your lips like the first kiss
I’d rather run away than sit to face the truth
Was I too proud, was I too hopeful
Was I too needing
Was I too crazy, was I too long
Was I too giving
No matter how far, no matter how long
I will be there
Cádiz (Spain).
ENGLISH
The expression “to have elf” (tener duende) is used mainly in the Community of Andalusia to designate to the person whom has a special enchantment (synonymous, also of the lexicon Andalusian, to have angel) or whom is enabled for the art in some of its manifestations. The inspiration has often been compared with “elf” hidden that lives in some place of the soul of the artist, to whom it puts in grace state, and that is the one that activates the creative process.
The expression “to have elf” became very popular after its use by the poet Federico Garcia Lorca in a famous speech that had like subject “'duende' in the flamenco art” and in that it praised the artistic virtues and almost magicians of the famous flamenco singer Niña de los Peines.
-------------------------
CASTELLANO
La expresión "tener duende" se utiliza sobre todo en la Comunidad de Andalucía para designar a la persona que tiene un encanto especial (sinónimo, también del léxico andaluz, de tener ángel) o que está capacitado para el arte en alguna de sus manifestaciones. La inspiración se ha comparado muchas veces con un “duende” escondido que habita en algún lugar del alma del artista, al que pone en estado de gracia, y que es el que activa el proceso creativo.
La expresión “tener duende” se hizo muy popular tras su utilización por parte del poeta Federico García Lorca en un célebre discurso que tenía como tema “El duende en el arte flamenco” y en el que alababa las virtudes artísticas y casi mágicas de la famosa cantaora Niña de los Peines.
Fuente: www.elpelao.com/letras/1240.html
Best Viewed Large - 'Winter Straight Ahead' On Black
Goodbye to you, my trusted friend.
We've known each other since we're nine or ten.
Together we climbed hills or trees.
Learned of love and ABC's,
skinned our hearts and skinned our knees.
Goodbye my friend, it's hard to die,
when all the birds are singing in the sky,
Now that the spring is in the air.
Pretty girls are everywhere.
When you see them I'll be there.
We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the hills that we climbed
were just seasons out of time.
Goodbye, Papa, please pray for me,
I was the black sheep of the family.
You tried to teach me right from wrong.
Too much wine and too much song,
wonder how I get along.
Goodbye, Papa, it's hard to die
when all the birds are singing in the sky,
Now that the spring is in the air.
Little children everywhere.
When you see them I'll be there.
We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the wine and the song,
like the seasons, all have gone.
Goodbye, Michelle, my little one.
You gave me love and helped me find the sun.
And every time that I was down
you would always come around
and get my feet back on the ground.
Goodbye, Michelle, it's hard to die
when all the bird are singing in the sky,
Now that the spring is in the air.
With the flowers ev'rywhere.
I whish that we could both be there.
We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the stars we could reach
were just starfishs on the beach
Terry Jacks
The Porta Nigra is a magnificent 2nd-century Roman city gate in Trier, Germany. It was given its name (which means "black gate") in the Middle Ages because of its weathered color.
History
The oldest defensive structure in Germany, the Porta Nigra was erected in about 180 AD when the Roman city was surrounded by walls. Trier was a Roman colony from the 1st century AD and then a great trading centre beginning in the second century. It became one of the imperial capitals under the Tetrarchy at the end of the 3rd century, and became known as the "second Rome."
The Porta Nigra is the only one of four Roman gates that still stands in Trier; the others were gradually pillaged for their stone and iron. The Porta Nigra survived because it was used as the humble residence of a hermit monk named Simeon for seven years (1028-35). After his death he was buried in the gate and the structure was transformed into the two-story Church of St. Simeon (lay church on the bottom, monastery church on top).
Napoleon destroyed the church in 1803, but the 12th-century Romanesque apse survived and the entire structure has been restored to its medieval appearance.
What to See
1,700 years after its construction, the Porta Nigra is still impressive at 118 feet long, 70.5 feet wide and 90 feet high. The entire structure is made without mortar - the sandstone blocks are connected only by iron rods. The stone blocks weigh as much as six metric tons each.
Two gateways lead into a small inner courtyard, where unfortunate intruders would be trapped and covered in tar. Above are two tiers of defense galleries with large open windows. It is flanked by two towers, a four-story western tower and the three-story unfinished eastern tower.
Inside, an empty apse at the east end and carvings of church fathers like Irenaeus, Ambrose and Jerome recall the Porta Nigra's use as a church.
another ispiration of a photo that didnt think was that well......so I brought it back into raw mode and tweeked as per my mentor and then had to throw a teture on here from Lenabem www.flickr.com/photos/42396059@N07/4782619856/ (thanks for the use of your texture) and here is the result.....thanks for your looks and thoughts.........
My entry for The Rogue Olympics, Round 2. It contains exactly 101 pieces.
The inverted wheel used as a cauldron is NOT my original idea, it actually comes from two wonderful MOCs: "Brickscalibur 2023 Trophy: The Witch" and "101 Bricks: Magical Misfortune" both built by
Markus Rollbühler. I've just slightly modified and improving it.
No ducks that time... He wanted to stay solid and not become liquid ;)
First attempt for this weeks Twitter Photo Challenge #TwPhCh063
Theme : Splash / Full sprut
What's the first thing photo enthusiast (or maybe it's called a maniac:)) does when he comes to New York? I went directly to B&H Superstore and thought that I had come to heaven, but I managed to buy just the things that I had decided before I came there :)
I had to try the new equipment and this is from the first walk with my new Pentax K-7.
New York has been extremely hot for a while and it's still somewhere between 30-35 °C.
It's very warm and people have to find a way to cool down.
This photo is from a playground in Central Park where the kids had lots of fun and
the grown ups wanted to be kids again :)
MONTREALERS: DON'T FORGET TO DROP BY... AND SAY HI! ;D
Happy Friday Everyone!
No, I am not celebrating a week's end by having cupcakes for my breaky.
This is to call attention to Cupcake Camp Montreal being held this Sunday at the Bitoque Restaurant in Montreal.
For a $10 donation at the door, you get to indulge in 3 mouthwatering cupcakes and coffee. And, 100% of the proceeds go to "Kids Help Phone", a very worthy cause.
Kids Help Phone is Canada’s only toll-free, national, bilingual, phone and web counselling, referral and information service for children and youth. Whatever the problem, from abuse to the death of a parent, Kids Help Phone is there with professional phone and web-based counselling services, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Cupcake Camps have been held around the world to resounding success. With many talented pro bakers in Montreal, like my friend Clever Cupcakes donating their cupcakes for the event, I am sure Montreal's will be a not-to-be-missed event, too.
I volunteered to take photos at this charitable event... so expect more sweet pics! =D
If you're in Montreal this Sunday, why not drop by and join us, for the cause, the fun and the yummies. Bring the whole family to this kid-friendly event... make a date to meet your friends there, or make some new ones.
To find out more about Cupcake Camp Montreal, go to www.cupcakecampmtl.org
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In other news, I am racing to get things done, in order to hopefully attend a lighting seminar given by Gary Fong in Old Montreal today... will catch up with your streams, later! Have a great one and as always, thanks so much for stopping by my stream! xx
The Château de Chambord in the Loire Valley is a impressive sight and the largest château in the region. Originally built as a hunting lodge the Chateau has only been lived in for a handful of years throughout its history. It is particularly famous for its double helix staircase in the centre of the keep (you can just see it at the top in the centre).
Taken with a 10x stop ND (3.0) and GND filters, giving an exposure time of ~48 secs. Minor editing (levels, sharpening, etc) in Capture NX.
© Scott Thistlethwaite 2009. All rights reserved.
Absolument View On Black
... atteindre le sommet du " Géant de Provence ", le mythique mont Ventoux!
Du haut de ses 1912 mètres, il règne en maître. De son sommet, il fait découvrir l’un des plus vaste panorama d’Europe, dominant la Vallée du Rhône, les Baronnies et le plateau du Vaucluse. Son sommet, aux pentes dénudées et caillouteuses est couronné d'un observatoire, ce qui le rend reconnaissable à plus de 100 km à la ronde.
Paysage aux milles facettes, le Ventoux est surtout un lieu de légende pour les cyclistes que l'on rencontre, le souffle court dans la montée, et le visage marqué, mais épanoui par le défi relevé dans la descente.
En faire l'ascension à pied, lorsque le soleil baisse à l'horizon, à la fin d'une journée lumineuse mais froide d'un début de mois d'avril, c'est à celui qui sera le plus fort....
'after sleeping through a hundred million centuries we have finally opened our eyes on a sumptuous planet, sparkling with color, bountiful with life. within decades we must close our eyes again. isn’t it a noble, an enlightened way of spending our brief time in the sun, to work at understanding the universe and how we have come to wake up in it? this is how i answer when i am asked—as i am surprisingly often—why i bother to get up in the mornings.' - richard dawkins, unweaving the rainbow: science, delusion and the appetite for wonder
(about the book, dawkins says: my title is from keats, who believed that newton had destroyed all the poetry of the rainbow by reducing it to the prismatic colors. keats could hardly have been more wrong, and my aim is to guide all who are tempted by a similar view, towards the opposite conclusion. science is, or ought to be, the inspiration for great poetry.)
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it pays for people to know your personal obsessions. i woke up late yesterday morning and started puttering around the house, internet and flickr, minding my own (and the world's) business, when i got an urgent call to rush outside with the camera to capture an ice crystal halo, specifically a circumscibed halo!
i spent about an hour outside from about noon to just past 1:00, trying to find spots to see the halo entirely and a decent post to hide the sun itself... but in vain. i resorted to using my lens cap.
i've sent these over to les cowley at atmospheric optics, a website which analyzises rainbows, halos, glories, coronas, rays and shadows -- anything to do with light in the atmosphere -- to get an idea of the structure of the halo. i also had a chat with my friend, jonathan shock, who believes this halo includes a infralateral arc and a parhelic circle.
EDIT: i just got word from les that he's going to feature these this week on atmospheric optics' picture of the day! :-))
EDIT again: it's up on opod (atmospheric optics of the day)! (opod permalink)
hit it while it's hot! woohoo!
i had captured another halo in beijing in january 2008. its set on flickr is here and its 'anatomy' is here.
jonathan has some wonderful captures himself: two over santiago and one thrilling specimen over the eiffel tower!
cross-posted on the blog: toomanytribbles.blogspot.com/2009/05/unweaving-ice-crysta...
"Dances With Birds" www.flickr.com/photos/printmaker_1/
The Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
is a passerine bird of the family Icteridae found in most of North and much of Central America. It breeds from Alaska and Newfoundland south to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico and Guatemala, with isolated populations in western El Salvador, northwestern Honduras and northwestern Costa Rica. It may winter as far north as Pennsylvania and British Columbia, but northern populations are generally migratory, moving south to Mexico and the southern United States. The Red-winged Blackbird is sexually dimorphic; the male is all black with a red shoulder and yellow wing bar, while the female is a nondescript dark brown. Seeds and insects make up the bulk of the Red-winged Blackbird's diet.
The Red-winged Blackbird nests in loose colonies. The nest is built in cattails, rushes, grasses, sedge, or in alder or willow bushes. The nest is constructed entirely by the female over the course of three to six days. It is a basket of grasses, sedge, and mosses, lined with mud, and bound to surrounding grasses, or branches.[7] It is located 7.6 cm (3 in) to 4.3 m (14 ft) above water.[13]
A clutch consists of three or four, rarely five, eggs. Eggs are oval, smooth and slightly glossy, and measure 24.8 x 17.55 mm (1 x .7 in)[13]. They are pale bluish green, marked with brown, purple, and/or black, with most markings around the larger end of the egg. These are incubated by the female alone, and hatch in 11 to 12 days. Red-winged Blackbirds are hatched blind and naked, but are ready to leave the nest 11-14 days after hatching.[6]
Red-winged Blackbirds are polygynous, with territorial males defending up to 10 females. However, females frequently copulate with males other than their social mate and often lay clutches of mixed paternity. Pairs raise two or three clutches per season, in a new nest for each clutch.[6]
Predation of eggs and nestlings is quite common. Nest predators include snakes, mink, raccoons, and other birds, even as small as marsh wrens. The Red-winged Blackbird is occasionally a victim of brood parasites, particularly Brown-headed Cowbirds.[9] Since nest predation is common, several adaptations have evolved in this species. Group nesting is one such trait which reduces the risk of individual predation by increasing the number of alert parents. Nesting over water reduces the likelihood of predation, as do alarm calls. Nests, in particular, offer a strategic advantage over predators in that they are often well concealed in thick, waterside reeds and positioned at a height of one to two meters. Males often act as sentinels, employing a variety of calls to denote the kind and severity of danger. Mobbing, especially by males, is also used to scare off unwanted predators, although mobbing often targets large animals and man-made devices by mistake. The brownish coloration of the female may also serve as an anti-predator trait in that it may provide camouflage for her and her nest (while she is incubating).[14] Owls and diurnal raptors are both regular predators of adults.
...
Pasen los que quieran ver el circo alucinante de un amor que va
tentado por el precipio a punto de tirarse
patinando, confundiendome.
Dejaste tus palabras sobre la mermelada
de un un desayuno tibio que volvía a darse contra la pared
yo te ví caer... Yo te ví caer...
Sabrás comprender mi vicio tengo viejo el cuerpo ya de excesos
porque tanto duele... Tanto...
Tiene que haber un lugar distinto en donde el tiempo no quiera golpear
donde exista el fruto quitapenas que brote del sauce...
♫ Toxi - Juan Rosasco en Banda ♫
Buen Sábado!!!!
No usar esta imagen en páginas web, blogs u otros soportes sin mi autorización, © Todos los derechos reservados.
Don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved
i'm feeling a bit ill today and don't have the energy to process a whole lot of my more recent images -- the best i can offer today is this image of a tavern that's hidden away at the windmills area in chios (tolis has a beautiful gallery). i couldn't see it from the road -- i spotted it only when i was walking around the windmills themselves.
i don't know how, but my train of thought led me to imagine a huge party for flickr friends and contacts, with everyone holding a camera, shooting each other and looking for something interesting.
i'll try to get around to your streams today -- (it cheers me up!) -- but i hope you forgive me if i don't succeed.
on the blog: toomanytribbles.blogspot.com/2009/09/friends-of-gold.html
EDIT: hey, look where my moon candy landed! www.focus.it/natura/gallery/10092009-1252-113-astronomi-p...
Get to know radioactive man. ∆
In the Simpsons episode "Radioactive Man," Bart encounters a lonely man in an abandoned Spirograph factory while looking for Milhouse. The man says to Bart: "Wait! Did you know that there's a direct correlation between the decline of Spirograph and the rise in gang activity? Think about it."
..dal blog di Beppe Grillo, condivido ogni singola sillaba:
"Il quartiere San Paolo oltrestazione, un tempo area verde, e tranquilla, verrà circondato da 3/4 tangenzialine, un Iper, una Esselunga (già operativa), un nuovo ospedale, un nuovo centro polifunzionale commerciale e residenziale (ex area Pensotti) e un nuovo complesso di 18 unità nell'ultilmo polmone verde rimasto in mezzo a tutto questo!
Insomma saremmo circondati da rotonde, rotatorie, sopraelevate, centri commerciali, piccoli supermercati (OGGI= ve ne sono 5 nel raggio di pochissimi mq2)
Non piu un albero, un pezzo di verde per gli anziani e i bambini, con 4 scuole (asilo, elementari, e due medie una pubblica e una privata) in mezzo a tutto questo!!!"
Looks best: Large on Black
Thanks all! For you, here are the most Popular Pictures you dig from my stream. Thanks again!
All Photos copyright Trey Ratcliff. All rights reserved. Photography blog at www.StuckInCustoms.com
After driving around and around and around the volcano on roads that barely qualify as roads and after hopping over barbed wire fence after barbed wire fence, I finally managed to find a nice shot of the volcano. It was not easy to get that horse to cooperate with me. I had to figure out how to say, "I am not a glue-man" in Spanish.
This is the most active volcano in Costa Rica and one of the most active in the world. Later days would take me up higher into the danger zone to get some rather ill-advised shots. Those will be coming in a few days...
Assignment for the photography school; to promote a local jazz festival, from the photoshoot with Kim, BW-vintage post-processed, inspired during bodies
In my soul, I am still that small child who did not care about anything else but the beautiful colors of a rainbow. ~Papiha Ghosh
La estatua ecuestre de Carlos III, considerado popularmente como el mejor alcalde de Madrid, está situada en la Puerta del Sol. Es una reproducción en bronce de Miguel Ángel Rodríguez y Eduardo Zancada de una obra de Juan Pascual de Mena conservada en la Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando.
La marca Tío Pepe fue registrada por vez primera en 1888, aunque ya por entonces era conocida y respetada por los exportadores, sobre todo del Reino Unido.
El prestigio del fino “Tío Pepe” fue creciendo hasta que en la tercera década del siglo XX tuvo una expansión inusitada, contribuyendo a ello el ingenio creativo de Luis Pérez Solero, quien en 1935 vistió la botella con chaquetilla roja y sombrero, creando el icono publicitario que hoy es el símbolo de la empresa.
En el año 1935 se solicita el anuncio luminoso de La Puerta del Sol. En un principio no se utiliza el logotipo del Tío Pepe, sino una copa apoyada en la letra G de González Byass y el lema “Vinos Jerez Coñac”. Años después se repara el anuncio y se cambia su diseño por el que podemos ver hoy en día. Desde 1975 se han sucedido diversos intentos de regular la publicidad en la Puerta del Sol quitando los anuncios luminosos que alojaba.
Por unas razones u otras el anuncio de González Byass, el Tío Pepe, ha sobrevivido a estos intentos, por ser considerado parte importante del paisaje de la Puerta del Sol.
En 2009, se declara por el ayuntamiento como patrimonio histórico de los madrileños.
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Epithemia es una diatomea de casco primoroso. En su silueta de galeón de cristal se marcan y transparentan mil cuadernas labradas como en un trabajo de arquitectura minuciosa y casi imposible, escultura y orfebrería a la vez. Quizá por eso Epithemia no navega como lo hacen otras diatomeas y prefiere reposar sobre la superficie de otras algas, algas verdes para recibir la luz del sol.
Las dos piezas del cascarón de Epithemia encajan como la tapa y la base de un estuche que encierra una vida muy especial, la línea de ese encaje es el rafe y en Epithemia es muy característico pues en el centro de esa línea de unión se dibuja de manera nítida el signo de una V, es el sello que llevan todas las hermanas, no muchas, apenas diecisiete especies, todas ellas delicadamente talladas y todas ellas barcos en reposo al abrigo de otras algas mayores que hacen de puerto.
La especie de hoy es una de las mayores de este género singular, se trata de Epithemia turgida , puede superar las cien micras de longitud y suele aparecer en manantiales y riachuelos próximos al mar. Nuestra Epithemia procede también de una muestra recolectada por África en el Barranc Fondo en el Coll D’Alforja en Tarragona y gracias a ella la vemos hoy aquí fotografiada a 400 aumentos con la técnica de contraste de interferencia.
Con nuestra gratitud para Pilar Gil por la publicación en Qúo, a Antonio Martínez Ron ...y también Paul/
Puedes tener otra infomación en la exposición LA VIDA OCULTA DEL AGUA
Y en este catálogo
También en la galería de Fotolog
Y nuestro granito de arena por la Paz
por Lavínia Trebbi
Técnica: aquarela
Dimensões: 32x50 cm
“Consciente da seriedade de seu ofício, o de acessar e representar a arte, Lavínia Rodrigues Trebbi canaliza sua habilidade, talento e vocação para a pesquisa e o registro de componentes da fauna e da flora brasileiras, dando especial atenção aos ameaçados de extinção e aos já praticamente extintos, com a maestria incomparável de verdadeira artista. Com percepção e sensibilidade admiráveis, a artista reproduz em aquarela, tucanos, araras, felinos, bromélias, orquídeas e outras espécies brasileiras, em toda a sua exuberância. Este trabalho é parte de um amplo projeto, que tem por objetivo retratar animais e plantas desconhecidos do grande público. Os resultados obtidos até agora devem vir à luz por tudo o que foi dito. A fase atual da artista premiada em vários concusos denota temática, apuração técnica e consciência profissional ímpares”.
Wlademir Saburi Júnior
mestre em Biologia Comparada
Fotografia: www.flickr.com/franciswiermann/
www.lokomotivy.net/adm/zobraz2.php?rada=r751sk&loko=3604
S ucelenou soupravou nově vyrobených vozů je zachycena dvojice lokomotiv 751.036 a 740.529. Toho času se jednalo o přesun od výrobce k deponii do Březnice, kde vozy čekaly na své další využití. Parného, ještě letního dne je vlak o délce přesahující 500 metrů, čítající rovných čtyřicet vozů, zachycen v táhlém stoupání mezi stanicemi Příbram–Milín a jako Pn 53725 se bezmála dvaceti kilometrovou rychlostí představují poblíž "hald".