“It is the mystery of the unknown

That fascinates us; we are children still

Wayward and wistful; with one hand we cling

To the familiar things we call our own,

And with the other, resolute of will,

Grope in the dark for what the day will bring”

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

Húsavík, Iceland

 

As we were driving into Húsavík, in search of a tasty dinner, the sky began to glow. We quickly postponed our search for food, prioritizing stunning views instead (obviously), and headed toward a lighthouse we could see on a hill in the distance. We soon found this quiet beacon and watched the sun set over the arctic as small boats found their way from the unknown and into harbor.

And all of a sudden, it's the in-between photos I'm interested in, again.

 

As during lockdown, I'm in a period where I'm not doing many photo sessions, so I'm going back through the archives a lot...and what I see now is I could've presented myself online in so many different ways, depending on which photos I prioritized when posting.

 

I've got loads of photos like this, less rigidly composed, less "perfect", but brimming with an energy I find very visually appealing.

 

Comes down to choices and preferences, like so much of life.

 

And reminds me that one photo alone does not tell the story of a day.

National parks preserve irreplaceable landscapes that represent the enduring natural heritage of Indigenous lands and waters. From the peaks of Glacier to the canyons of Zion, our national parks preserve wonders that must be protected. Help ensure future generations can experience these sacred places and contact your elected officials to have your voices heard.

 

Photographers all over Flickr visit and document these stunning locations every day. If we want to maintain their beauty as well as protect the biodiversity that these spaces sustain, make sure to let your elected officials know that you want them to prioritize funding and protection for our national park system and preserve these spaces for generations to come.

 

For a reminder of the spaces we want to preserve, check out these gorgeous landscapes captured and shared in the Flickr for the Planet group.

 

Check out our National Park inspired gallery today!

  

photo credit: jokin.lacalle

 

Canadians are often known for several positive characteristics, including:

1.Politeness and Courtesy – They have a reputation for being polite, saying “sorry” often, and treating others with respect.

2.Friendliness – Canadians are generally warm and welcoming to both locals and visitors.

3.Diversity and Inclusivity – Canada is multicultural, and its people embrace diversity in ethnicity, culture, and perspectives.

4.Tolerance and Open-Mindedness – Canadians tend to value human rights, equality, and progressive social policies.

5.Community-Oriented – Many Canadians are involved in their communities and prioritize social well-being.

6.Love for Nature and the Outdoors – With stunning landscapes, Canadians often appreciate and respect nature, engaging in outdoor activities like hiking, camping, and skiing.

7.Sense of Humor – They have a dry, self-deprecating, and sometimes quirky sense of humor.

8.Humble and Modest – Canadians tend to downplay achievements and avoid arrogance.

9.Hardworking and Resourceful – Whether in cities or remote regions, Canadians have a strong work ethic.

10.Peacefulness – They are generally non-confrontational and support diplomacy over aggression.

 

Thanks ChatGPT (prompt: tell me about Canadians)!

" Steer your thoughts towards a better direction. It's your time to refresh and elevate." ✨

 

Meva: M&M Gillian Blouse / Exclusive @ 13th Stree Event (Sept)

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Springgate/179/161/24

 

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5 Signs Your Aura Attracts the Wrong Crowd 🚫

www.flickr.com/photos/161478161@N05/53217283562

 

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After you change some personalities

 

1. You prioritize the quality of their hearts.

2. You don't love animals.

3. You choose yourself.

4. You have your boundaries.

5. You stand up for yourself.

 

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1. You prioritize the quality of their hearts.

 

☑ You're not afraid to assess their sincerity early on.

☑ You don't believe matters of the good heart require extended time.

 

You'd not give them 3-6 months or 1-2 years to change and demonstrate sincerity and a good heart so, you'll check at that point. Because you recognize that sincerity and a good heart don't need time, they should be assessed here and now, whether someone possesses them or not.

 

2. You don't love animals.

 

☑ You don't tolerate inhumanity. Anything deserving of a unique love, time, and attention must inherently possess a sense of humanity.

 

☑ You'll establish boundaries for your pet's demands, ensuring it doesn't expect more than its status permits.

 

For instance, you won't find yourself constantly changing your pet's food. Take the scenario where you initially bought liver-flavored kibble. When your pet refused it, the next day, you switched to lamb-flavored kibble, giving up on the liver flavor. After consuming only a 1/3 of the box, your pet became bored and started eating less. So, you purchased chicken-flavored kibble. Even after consuming of the half of chicken box, your pet still didn't eat much, leading you to try chicken and rice flavor, then chicken and spinach, and even chicken mixed with pumpkin. You kept changing the food out of fear that your pet wasn't eating enough, wasn't staying healthy, and you were concerned about its well-being, all without considering the cost and what you should reasonably expect in return.

 

You may eventually give up on pellet food altogether, choosing wet food instead. If that didn't work, you switched to raw meat. You even upgraded to premium raw meat, fueled by concerns that your pet might not enjoy it or that it wouldn't provide enough nutrition.

 

" Love and kindness should always be balanced with reasonableness, and it's important to set limits and boundaries to prevent them from becoming uncontrollable."

 

Establish boundaries. If the animal doesn't respond positively to your care, expresses dissatisfaction, or fails to appreciate your efforts, consider releasing it back into its natural habitat. Don't worry about how it will survive without your assistance. In this world, there are always people who cherish and care for animals, they will soon find themselves in a new place. Instead of feeling sorry and pitying them for letting go, prioritize your compassion and empathy toward yourself first.

 

3. You choose yourself.

☑ Respect yourself and your own needs before others.

 

4. You have your boundaries.

☑ Set boundaries and be strict about them.

☑ Don't let anyone cross the line.

☑ Don't give space to things that are unfair.

 

" Always remember that people may take advantage of you or treat you poorly only if you allow them to. Bad people engage in harmful and unfair behavior because good people appear weak and discouraged. Therefore, strive to remain strong and maintain firm boundaries."

 

5. You stand up for yourself.

☑ You have to be fearless and have the ability to deal with conflict, dislike, and hate from people who disagree with you or won't let you stand up for yourself.

 

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" What might you lose in this process to embrace these five personas?

 

You'll find yourself surrounded by positive influences because those with negative intentions will be less likely to be drawn to you and exploit you unfairly. Gradually, they will fade from your life, and you won't encounter new ones with similar intentions.

 

While you may initially perceive this as a significant loss, remember that there are still good and kind-hearted people in the world waiting to be discovered ."

 

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Maple Ridge, BC Canada

 

A Harbour Authority (HA) is a non-profit, locally controlled organization which operates under a head lease with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to operate and maintain a DFO-owned public commercial fishing harbour in the best interests of the commercial fishing fleet.

 

The harbour facility consists entirely of the property and water lots under the ownership of DFO – Small Craft Harbours (SCH).

 

An HA must operate the harbour as a public facility in accordance with the terms of the head lease and must at all times prioritize the needs of the commercial fishing industry above all else

 

Image best viewed in large screen.

 

Thank-you for your visit, and any comments or faves are always very much appreciated! ~Sonja.

♦ Instructions available at Rebrickable ♦

 

"This is where the fun begins!"

 

My latest ship from the Prequel Trilogy has arrived, and it surely was a lot of fun to make: here's Obi Wan's Eta-2 Actis Interceptor from Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and The Clone Wars.

 

This small unit consists of 281 pieces (stand included), and has one major feature: true Minifig scale!

 

There's a handful of beautiful MOCs of this ship out there already, but most of them are based on the huge cockpit piece from the playsets, so they're drastically oversized. So here I am with a, dare I say, more accurately scaled version.

 

It does come with a drawback, you guessed it: you can't put a fig inside. A bit ironic I know, but I chose to go for a brick-built cockpit in order to get as close to the original design as I could, prioritizing accuracy over playability, as usual.

 

The wings were pretty challenging given the ridiculously small scale, and my goal was to have them as thin as possible without compromising the SNOT look.

 

I'm quite happy with the result and I think this makes a nice little display piece. It's also very swooshable despite the intricate wing design.

 

I'm usually not a fan of stickers, but I thought this one deserved some sweet markings. I used the sticker sheet from the playset - it is included in the parts list. The color scheme can be changed to red with only a few part swaps (see last page in the instructions).

 

► Instructions for the Eta-2 Actis Interceptor are available at Rebrickable!

Hungry for Victory

 

" Beware the dangers of those relentless in their pursuit of triumph."

 

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. . . Femdom Tale . . .

 

Chaper: Level Rules & The Chaos of Poly Life

 

Your Miss leaves you for a man or a new sub who is at a higher level than you. Is there any way to get her back?

 

1. Prioritize self-respect, let her go and move on with a woman who is at her level or higher. (she may pursue you to win your new girl.) or...

 

2. Improve yourself to surpass her new boyfriend. Then, make an effort to win her back.

 

3. If you don't want to take the first or second steps, if you refuse to move on, if self-improvement isn't your priority, and if you're hesitant to compete directly knowing you might lose to her new partner, then consider these options: winning her back without necessarily surpassing her new partner through self-improvement.

 

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A: Dear, I need your help. This guy, he's way more awesome than me, and he stole my Miss! No way I'm letting that happen. Gotta get her back.... but she's crazy about him.

 

B: Hold up, my man. Is your Miss into the whole "one person at a time" thing, or is she more open-minded? (Mono or poly?)

 

A: Nah, she's totally poly. Just like you are.

 

B: Okay, trying to break up a poly relationship...not ideal. Listen, if you're not throwing cash around (sugar baby situation?), you gotta seriously up your game, you know? Is she more into guys who pay (Findom) or guys she just clicks with (Femdom)?

 

A: More like a domme, actually.

 

B: Alright, that changes things! There's still some luck, then. Don't lose hope!

 

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The triumph of a low-level loser

 

☑ Lazy folks who don't want to level up themselves.

☑ Not flirting with a new girl to make his ex chase after him.

☑ Not interested in investing more in himself

 

But he wants to win over her new partner, who's of a higher level than him and her, and ultimately get her back.

 

This is how it went down: There was an ex who managed to mess up her poly relationship really badly until it fell apart. I can share his tactics with you, if that could be helpful.

 

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" When a woman leaves her ex for a new, better man, it's seen as fair and in line with nature's laws. But some folks want to go against this and try to break this rule."

 

To break this rule, you must know the basic nature of Polys.

 

Her inventory is easily divided into 3 groups:

1. Main dishes 2. Desserts 3. Trash bins.

 

1. Main dishes

☑ Official Boyfriend (with status)

☑ Lovers (no status)

** For giving her Best, sharing passion and romance

 

2. Desserts

☑ Sex Toys, FWB, Bad Boys (sex only)

** For Variety

 

3. Trash bin, Toilet

☑ Nice Guys (supporters)

** To support her Negativity

These low-level guys are there for her bad emotions, to absorb all her negative, rotten feelings that she wants people to listen to. They must endure all her uncomfortable issues, problems with her partners, the place where she wants to vent all the issues of her life, and they must pay attention, cheer her up, and provide comfort. They are where she goes to release her boring, complaining, weak, negative sides, ones that she doesn't want her main course and desserts to know.

** Endure all negativity for 100-200 days in exchange for having sex with her just 2-5 times a year. (at her mercy)

** This group of men plays a crucial role. They take care of her, helping her wash away her negative emotions until she feels better. They encourage her until she's positive and in a wonderful, beautiful state. They, like important tools, take care of her so well, just to send the wonderful woman to the Alphas' hands (main dishes).

 

Main Games:

☑ What she likes to do when she already has official partner is to find lower-level men to keep in stock.

☑ Things you need to be careful of - Don't let her perceive you as low-status. 'AVOID' being categorized as her Dessert or Trash bin.

 

" Remember, your goal is to become her boyfriend again. Always maintain a high level to position yourself as the main dish. "

 

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1. At first, she may be infatuated with her new boyfriend. Let it be. Avoid contacting her at all. Wait until they reach the settling-down stage, where boredom sets in between them. This typically happens around 3-4 months. If the new boyfriend is attractive and holds a very high status, you may need to wait for 7 months or even a year. Use this time to gather new experiences, engage in self-discovery, and enjoy trying new things while you wait.

 

Stay patient and stick to the 'no contact rule' firmly. If she keeps reaching out, consider blocking her. Trying to reconnect while she's all into her new boyfriend will make you seem low-status. She'll still see you the same way she did before.

 

2. When she enters the settling-down period with her partner (where they're starting to get bored and the passion begins to fade between them) That's when you should say 'Hello'

 

Just have a general conversation, avoid flirting. Talk and ask about stories. Ask how her relationship is going. She might complain. Listen like a good friend, without flirting or encouraging negative thoughts to make her break up with him. Always maintain a positive and upbeat attitude.

 

Talk about new things you discovered. Show off your new qualities. Share new stories from your life. Don't tell bad stories about yourself. Avoid mentioning that other women have treated you poorly or that you've been dumped by anyone. Instead, focus on positive things. Talk about how kind other people are to you, how well they treat you, and how happy you've been.

 

3. Make an appointment to meet and talk openly with her. Don't focus on sex, flirting, or showing neediness. Avoid allowing her to perceive you as a desperate beggar seeking sex from her. Present yourself as desirable. She shouldn't view sex as a means to satisfy a craving, but rather as an experience with someone who is fulfilled and confident.

 

Before the appointment, prepare to introduce her to a special menu she has never tasted from you before. Offer a delicious new menu that surpasses anything you've presented previously. Ensure it's not the same dull fare she's accustomed to.

 

During the meeting, focus on being attentive and engaging in meaningful conversation. When the time feels right, smoothly transition to intimacy (sex), ensuring it's 'a well-planned' and thoughtful experience that 'showcases your newfound' confidence and allure.

 

4. If it's really good, it clicks, it's impressive. Poly's first bad idea was wanting to lock you into her new sex toy stock. This is where the game gets tough because she will TRY TO KEEP you at a lower status than her boyfriend. What you have to do is not allow it to happen. Remember that women are hypergamous. They will only be paired with superior - men of higher status. (so don't be her toy.)

 

During this time, she will chase you, flirt with you, and be nice to you. Be careful not to have sex with her, instead, avoid it during this period. However, you can playfully tease her, give her hope, and make her invest in you as much as possible, causing her to feel a sunk cost.

 

Make her invest a lot of time, care, love, or anything she offers into you. Accept all she offers and encourage her to offer more. Avoid engaging in sex, refrain from providing it to her.

 

After investing heavily with high hopes and pursuing you relentlessly, she may ask to confirm your status as her sex partner or FWB. At this stage, be firm and clearly DENY her request. Do not allow her to keep you as her backup plan or dessert.

 

Your refusal will make her feel that you're on a Higher Level than her. You're not cheap, you're not someone who can be easily persuaded with sweet words, sex, care, and concern.

 

5. Engage with her as a good friend, always ready to listen. However, don't always be available for her when she seeks sex, as you're not just her sex toy. She can have sex with you at the right time that you've planned, as you control the game.

 

When she sees you as superior, she will ask you to be her lover, her main course.

 

Agree to be her lover, but withhold the status — no announcements, no revelations, and keep her boyfriend unaware. Don't settle for being beneath her boyfriend, maintain secrecy and avoid displaying neediness or pursuing a relationship with her.

 

Don't move into her house. Don't join the family to be under her boyfriend. Do not let her succeed in doing it.

 

6. Remember..........

 

☑ People don't easily break up due to boredom, monotony, or dullness.

 

People break up because of:

1. Fights. 2. Serious problem that can't be solved.

 

☑ Time is their relationship

 

Time is Relationship.

Time is Togetherness

Time is Creation.

Time is Growth.

Time is Life.

 

Take His Time:

Starting to always be unavailable, only available when he had to be with her.

 

Share His Time:

The main reason why you shouldn't lower your level is because it's about the right to share.

 

Her boyfriend is of a higher level. She avoids risks and doesn't share her time with a high-level boyfriend to spend it with lower-level men. However, if she sees that you are of a high level, she will be willing to share the time she spends with her superior with you.

 

Shared time is kept secret. She may use a different account to share his time with you, then claim to her boyfriend that she was busy, so she needs to be online less with him.

 

Pick a time before she meets him. Our hormones are limited. When they're gone, it's too late to create new ones.

 

She'll try to keep things this way forever. She might invest heavily in her alt account to lock you down. Don't let that happen. Don't grant her any status. Don't allow her to use that account to secure you as her partner. Keep your position elevated and independent.

 

7. As she spends less time with her boyfriend, her energy fades, hormones drop, and sometimes her words don't make sense and fall out of reality. They avoid each other often. Her boyfriend begins to ignore her more. They get frustrated and bored, and he might start cheating. Being of a higher level, he may grow to dislike her. He talks without caring, they argue, and she feels sad. The passion and love between them fade away.

 

Before their fading passion revives and ignites again, make other beautiful women your close friends. Make it seem like these other women are starting to become her competitors. Make her afraid of losing you. She will feel stressed from both sides - his and yours. Eventually, she will break up with someone of high level like him and choose you, who never needed to improve your level at all.

 

8. People who cheat with you will cheat on you, you stole her from others, and others can steal her from you. At this stage, enjoy the moment together to the fullest, knowing it's a time-bomb relationship that could end anytime. Finally, you will face your settled moment, get bored with each other, face higher-level competitors, and drift apart like the cycle you've ever seen. So take it as much as you can, enjoy everything to the fullest, knowing things are impermanent.

 

How long or short it lasts depends on the choices you make and how you utilize this period:

 

Choice 1

Embrace it fully, make it beautiful, enjoyable, and memorable, recognizing that it will eventually come to an end.

 

Choice 2

Enhance your skills and level up yourself to diminish competition. (although there will always be competitors.)

 

Choice 3

☑ Consider manipulating, hypnosis, brainwash, dominating, controlling, enslaving or even drugging her mind to ensure she becomes reliant on you, you alone, no one can take your place.

☑ Change, modify her sexuality and taste till those must depend on you alone.

 

" Ugh, this isn't what I wanted to do at all, but... well, let's just say you're making things pretty tough. I didn't want to go down this route, but who you are is leaving me with no other choice. I've invested too much to give up. I've put in a lot to get this far, and giving up was never really an option for me. I need to come out on top. Honestly, having you on my side would be the real win. If I couldn't be the best at everything and win over all men, then I just had to win you over to win it all. "

 

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The Big Lesson

 

" In the Race to Win, Learn from the chaos, but beware the dangers of blind ambition. "

 

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Close quarters expert Harper Barron has manifested symptoms of belligerent behavior, perhaps due to an error in her programming or a faulty Hero Core. Reports from her teammates state that her enjoyment of fighting has lead to failures in completing missions, as she prioritizes violence over successfully capturing villains and protecting citizens.

 

Her current location is unknown, but anonymous witnesses have reported seeing her in the Gladiator Arena of planet Bolawoo III.

 

Further psychological examinations are necessary in order to accurately estimate how dangerous she is. She is equipped with a lightweight body armor and a Quaza-Powered Ram Gauntlet, engaging at a distance is strongly advised.

 

Great Mask of Intangibility by @galva_nize_

Gauntlet weapon inspired by @ems_mocs ' Tony Stone and Arcane's Atlas Gauntlets

But I'll come back to you, someday.

  

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Another one from my shoot this afternoon. God, it feels so good to be taking pictures again. I will prioritize this semester: grades are important, but there are things so much more valuable.

 

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Facebook page. I just put some extras from this shoot up there. :)

Bus with Christmas Lights in São José dos Campos - SP.

Some buses in this city are decorated with lights especially for the Christmas season. In this photo, I prioritized the lights and left the background black, thus focusing on the lights that outline the bus.

 

Ônibus com luzes de Natal em São José dos Campos - SP.

Alguns ônibus nessa cidade são enfeitadas com luzes especialmente para a época Natalina. Nessa foto, priorizei as luzes e deixei o fundo preto, focando assim nas luzes que contornam o ônibus.

 

The color version of my 2nd most faved image on Flickr.

 

Full set of new old with Marie-Pier

 

new old: from unused, unexploited, forgotten RAW files from a shoot. Back then I was prioritizing film shots, so I didn't feel like processing extra similar digital versions. However with time it's fun to go back in the vault and look at your unused work from a different eye and go in there with a mindset and mood you feel right now.

10 years prior the seeds of this monster were sown when the first orders for a "heavy tank" of 35 tons was ordered under the first stage of Project Hund. This was a huge undertaking for the economically rising nation which had been relatively isolationist for years. When word of the daily atrocities that the nation committed became public knowledge in foreign lands the pressure became great for a change in moral policies. Obviously the threats, and jeering meant nothing to our eldritch overlords who had no intention of ceasing the human sacrifices, dark rituals, cannibalism, and manspreading common in the nation. Lord Nyarlethotep demanded that the development of heavy tanks should commence so Mertha didn't fall behind all the filthy human rivals. However the tanks under project Hund were kept top secret even from the head of the army for matters of security.

 

The Schwerekriegshund-1 (also known post KH-3 as the Kriegswelpe-1) first entered service in 1935 but was obsolete soon after. The Kriegswelpe-2 was much better but wasn't much more effective in combat then the newer Mittel-4 series, or Schläger tanks. This tank was more of a medium tank, and was made by a nation friendly to Mertha instead of being domestically designed. The designers of the tank were commissioned by the Merthan government with permission from the Belkaustan Confederation to help design a new tank of over 50 tons in cooperation with Mertha's lead scientists under Yog-Sothoth, and the army under Hastur.

 

In 1941 the third variant of the tank went into development to replace the existing tanks, and was much more expensive. The tank suffered from a bad case of over engineering, and transmission problems. The production was slow, and the nation needed to build a lot of new factories, complexes, and depots to service/store the new vehicles. The tank was armed with an extremely deadly, and accurate 88mm main gun, and could engage targets from up to five kilometers away. The vehicle was mobile, but if pushed too far would usually end up breaking down quickly.

Despite this the tank was much loved by elite crewmen, and feared by it's enemies. For a time the KH-3 could knock out any other known tanks, and it's armor could guard against 75 mm guns. Later most nations began building tanks with long 76mm guns, and better ammunition which could penetrate the KH-3's frontal armor from most angles, however the optics, and 88 made able to cope in terms of offensive capabilities. Very few KH series tanks were made compared to Licht, Mittel, and other series so any loss in resources were less then what the could have been had they been prioritized.

  

Not as happy with this one (compared to the Mittel-4) but I guess I can't always make a tank perfectly how I want it. Really I think the main issue is just POV-Ray. It looks better in LDD with less shadows. I'm rendering it from other angles, and will post more pictures next, and maybe another Dio like the Mittel-4.

Using the cannon as a barrel was inspired by this, although done differently. www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2E2v51VSMQ

Ju-87 is still just sitting half done in my LDD, but I really get overwhelmed by making airplanes so sorry.

 

Perspective gives us the ability to accurately contrast the large with the small, and the important with the less important. Without it we are lost in a world where all ideas, news and information look the same. We cannot differentiate, we cannot prioritize as we cannot make good choices without perspective.

stop deterioration of perceptions of the other

accommodate differences in style

avoid unnecessary economic dilemmas

manage the relationship with minimal emotionalism

prioritize short-term and long-term goals carefully

The gardens of Eutin Castle in the district town of Eutin, with the Monopteros – a classical Greek-style rotunda – in the background, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

 

Some background information:

 

The origins of the gardens of Eutin Castle date back to around the year 1500. By 1716, in line with the spirit of the time, luxurious French Baroque gardens were created. They were redesigned in the French style, becoming one of the largest Baroque gardens in the region alongside the gardens of Gottorf Castle. It was in this park in 1739 that Sophie Auguste Friederike of Anhalt-Zerbst, the niece of Friedrich August I and the future Russian czarina Catherine the Great, first met her unloved husband Karl Peter Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorf, the later Russian short-term czar Peter III.

 

However, just 60 years later, a major transformation and expansion began, turning it into an English landscape garden, which was becoming fashionable at the time – with numerous special trees from all over the world, winding paths, small temples, a waterfall, a Chinese bridge, and romantic vistas of the lake. The gardens have remained almost unchanged to this day, with the trees now having grown into magnificent giants. In a separate area, there is also a kitchen garden with an orangery. Today, the garden is a protected monument, recognized as one of the most significant garden art works in northern Germany.

 

Eutin Castle is a palace in the town of Eutin in the north German district of Eastern Holstein. It is both Eutin‘s cultural centre and nucleus. Taken together, this castle, Gottorf Castle and Glücksburg Castle form the most important group of courtly secular buildings in the Northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein.

 

Eutin Castle traces its origins to the bishop's manor of Gerold of Oldenburg. In 1156, he received these lands as a gift from the Adolf II, Count of Schauenburg and Holstein, who was also the founder of the city of Lübeck. The estate was expanded under Bishop Johannes of Tralau between 1260 and 1275, receiving a larger stone structure that now forms the core of the castle’s east wing. In 1293, the first castle chapel was built.

 

Little is known about the original design of the castle. It was likely a simple fortification of the time, surrounded by walls, with separate buildings that prioritized functionality over appearance. From 1277 to 1283 and again between 1299 and 1317, Bishop Burkhard of Serkem faced renewed disputes with Lübeck. As a result, the castle was expanded into a small fortress and was reinforced with a moat under his successors around 1350. From 1439 to 1486, additional structures were built in phases, including the core of the present gate tower. By the 16th century, the individual buildings had been joined together to form a modest Renaissance castle, giving rise to today’s irregular floor plan, particularly on the city-facing front side.

 

With the Reformation, the dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf gained control of Eutin in 1586 and provided the Prince-Bishops. During the Thirty Years’ War, the bishopric faced the threat of secularization, but Johann X, at that time prince-bishop of Lübeck, managed to prevent this by securing the prince-bishopric’s connection to the House of Gottorf. This alliance, however, caused ongoing conflicts with the Danish monarchy, culminating in 1705 with a Danish occupation and partial destruction of the castle. However, in 1689, both castle and town had already suffered significant damage due to a fire.

 

The palace reached its peak in the 18th and 19th centuries. Between the reigns of Christian August and Friedrich August I, it transformed into a Baroque princely court, and Eutin became a social center in the region. During this time, significant extensions were made to the castle, its interiors, and the gardens. Eutin became one of the few grand Baroque residences in Schleswig and Holstein. These works were overseen by the Swedish-Pomeranian court architect Rudolph Matthias Dallin from 1717 to 1727. Plans for an extensive reconstruction of the castle were considered but never realized due to financial constraints.

 

In 1773, the Lübeck Prince-Bishops gained the rank and title of Duke of Oldenburg due to the unification of their territory with Oldenburg and Delmenhorst under the Treaty of Zarskoje Selo. Friedrich August ruled from Eutin until his death in 1785. Following the secularization of the Bishopric of Lübeck in 1803, his successors moved their residence to Oldenburg Castle. Eutin, now part of an Oldenburg exclave, was used only as a summer residence but retained its prominence. During this time, the outdated Baroque garden was transformed into a modern landscape park.

 

In the early 19th century, Eutin earned the reputation of being the "Weimar of the North," thanks to the influence of artists like Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein, Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock, and Franz Anton von Weber, supported by the patronage of Duke Peter I. Around 1820, plans were made to redesign the outer castle courtyard in a Neoclassical style. The old courtyard was demolished, and an open palace square was created in 1828. But also the castle itself was given a Neoclassical interior makeover and an additional floor by 1845.

 

Until the abdication of Friedrich August II in 1918, Eutin remained a regular summer residence for the ducal family. After the abdication, the castle was no longer inhabited, and a museum was established within its walls. Both the city and the castle survived both World Wars unscathed. Toward the end of World War II, a wave of refugees from the eastern territories of Germany arrived, and the empty castle was repurposed as a refugee camp. At times, hundreds of people lived in the castle under dire conditions, with only four toilets in the entire building.

 

After extensive restoration, the castle was partially reopened to the public in 1957. It was also used as a filming location for parts of the 1972 movie "Cabaret" starring Liza Minnelli. Further renovations became necessary in the 1980s, with financial support from the state and federal government. In 1992, the ducal family transferred the castle and gardens to the newly established Eutin Castle Foundation. With the mission to preserve, open, and present the castle and its gardens, funded by state grants and self-generated income, the foundation also promotes education, research, and documentation.

 

Eutin is the capital of the Northern German district of Eastern Holstein in thd German state of Schleswig-Holstein. The town has about 17,300 inhabitants, is located about 40 km (25 miles) north of the city of Lübeck and nestles between three lakes: the Great Eutiner Lake, the Small Eutiner Lake and the Sibbersdorfer Lake. Eutin is the birthplace of the famous composer and pianist Carl Maria von Weber, who was born there in 1786.

 

In the 7th century, a settlement was founded by the Slavic Obotrites tribe that built a wooden castle on Pheasant Island in the Great Eutiner Lake. The Obotrites named their new village "Utin". In the 12th century, the settlement was populated by Dutch settlers and already in 1156, Eutin became a market town. Eutin’s further history is closely related to the one of its castle.

 

Every year, Eutin hosts two festivals: the Eutiner Festspiele in summer, where operas are performed in an open-air theatre in the gardens of Eutin Castle, and the Blues Fesitival in spring, which takes place in the town centre. Due to its proximity to the Baltic Sea resorts along the Bay of Lübeck, which have seen increased demand partly due to the trend toward domestic tourism, Eutin has also come into focus for the tourism industry in recent years.

Hope you're all well rested and ready for another exciting week!

 

I always try to remember the following quotes as my weekend is about to end:

 

- give your best and be passionate in everything you do but don't over do and keep your limits.

 

- however good or bad the situation is, it will change

 

- spend time with your family and keep in touch with your friends. Your job will not take care of you when you are sick, your family and friends will.

 

- prioritize and maximize the use of your time and learn the art of saying no

 

- be happy and believe the best is yet to come.

 

- be thankful to God when you're awake alive every morning.

 

- create peace and do something good each day

 

- dream more while you're awake

 

Have a wonderful and productive week everyone!! :)

14.03.16

 

So at this point I have to admit my 52 project has turned from "creating bigger and better pieces" into "just staying active". Which isn't bad at all. I still have the potential to create something awesome. I just have to make sure I'm prioritizing school this semester. The last few weeks I've just been scraping by. Today I just caught the last glimpse of any light on a foggy evening. And you know what, I'm still learning new ways to edit. Which is why I like doing projects like this. So what if the quality isn't as good as the last, or conceptual as the first. I'm doing it to improve.

 

Also I've been listing to a lot of Hasley recently. Thought I'd share.

 

thanks.

East wing of Eutin Castle in the district town of Eutin, seen from the building’s inner courtyard, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

 

Some background information:

 

Eutin Castle is a palace in the town of Eutin in the north German district of Eastern Holstein. It is both Eutin‘s cultural centre and nucleus. Taken together, this castle, Gottorf Castle and Glücksburg Castle form the most important group of courtly secular buildings in the Northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein.

 

Eutin Castle traces its origins to the bishop's manor of Gerold of Oldenburg. In 1156, he received these lands as a gift from the Adolf II, Count of Schauenburg and Holstein, who was also the founder of the city of Lübeck. The estate was expanded under Bishop Johannes of Tralau between 1260 and 1275, receiving a larger stone structure that now forms the core of the castle’s east wing. In 1293, the first castle chapel was built.

 

Little is known about the original design of the castle. It was likely a simple fortification of the time, surrounded by walls, with separate buildings that prioritized functionality over appearance. From 1277 to 1283 and again between 1299 and 1317, Bishop Burkhard of Serkem faced renewed disputes with Lübeck. As a result, the castle was expanded into a small fortress and was reinforced with a moat under his successors around 1350. From 1439 to 1486, additional structures were built in phases, including the core of the present gate tower. By the 16th century, the individual buildings had been joined together to form a modest Renaissance castle, giving rise to today’s irregular floor plan, particularly on the city-facing front side.

 

With the Reformation, the dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf gained control of Eutin in 1586 and provided the Prince-Bishops. During the Thirty Years’ War, the bishopric faced the threat of secularization, but Johann X, at that time prince-bishop of Lübeck, managed to prevent this by securing the prince-bishopric’s connection to the House of Gottorf. This alliance, however, caused ongoing conflicts with the Danish monarchy, culminating in 1705 with a Danish occupation and partial destruction of the castle. However, in 1689, both castle and town had already suffered significant damage due to a fire.

 

The palace reached its peak in the 18th and 19th centuries. Between the reigns of Christian August and Friedrich August I, it transformed into a Baroque princely court, and Eutin became a social center in the region. During this time, significant extensions were made to the castle, its interiors, and the gardens. Eutin became one of the few grand Baroque residences in Schleswig and Holstein. These works were overseen by the Swedish-Pomeranian court architect Rudolph Matthias Dallin from 1717 to 1727. Plans for an extensive reconstruction of the castle were considered but never realized due to financial constraints.

 

The castle park was redesigned in the French style, becoming one of the largest Baroque gardens in the region alongside the gardens of Gottorf Castle. It was in this park in 1739 that Sophie Auguste Friederike of Anhalt-Zerbst, the niece of Friedrich August I and the future Russian czarina Catherine the Great, first met her unloved husband Karl Peter Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorf, the later Russian short-term czar Peter III.

 

In 1773, the Lübeck Prince-Bishops gained the rank and title of Duke of Oldenburg due to the unification of their territory with Oldenburg and Delmenhorst under the Treaty of Zarskoje Selo. Friedrich August ruled from Eutin until his death in 1785. Following the secularization of the Bishopric of Lübeck in 1803, his successors moved their residence to Oldenburg Castle. Eutin, now part of an Oldenburg exclave, was used only as a summer residence but retained its prominence. During this time, the outdated Baroque garden was transformed into a modern landscape park.

 

In the early 19th century, Eutin earned the reputation of being the "Weimar of the North," thanks to the influence of artists like Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein, Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock, and Franz Anton von Weber, supported by the patronage of Duke Peter I. Around 1820, plans were made to redesign the outer castle courtyard in a Neoclassical style. The old courtyard was demolished, and an open palace square was created in 1828. But also the castle itself was given a Neoclassical interior makeover and an additional floor by 1845.

 

Until the abdication of Friedrich August II in 1918, Eutin remained a regular summer residence for the ducal family. After the abdication, the castle was no longer inhabited, and a museum was established within its walls. Both the city and the castle survived both World Wars unscathed. Toward the end of World War II, a wave of refugees from the eastern territories of Germany arrived, and the empty castle was repurposed as a refugee camp. At times, hundreds of people lived in the castle under dire conditions, with only four toilets in the entire building.

 

After extensive restoration, the castle was partially reopened to the public in 1957. It was also used as a filming location for parts of the 1972 movie "Cabaret" starring Liza Minnelli. Further renovations became necessary in the 1980s, with financial support from the state and federal government. In 1992, the ducal family transferred the castle and gardens to the newly established Eutin Castle Foundation. With the mission to preserve, open, and present the castle and its gardens, funded by state grants and self-generated income, the foundation also promotes education, research, and documentation.

 

Eutin is the capital of the Northern German district of Eastern Holstein in thd German state of Schleswig-Holstein. The town has about 17,300 inhabitants, is located about 40 km (25 miles) north of the city of Lübeck and nestles between three lakes: the Great Eutiner Lake, the Small Eutiner Lake and the Sibbersdorfer Lake. Eutin is the birthplace of the famous composer and pianist Carl Maria von Weber, who was born there in 1786.

 

In the 7th century, a settlement was founded by the Slavic Obotrites tribe that built a wooden castle on Pheasant Island in the Great Eutiner Lake. The Obotrites named their new village "Utin". In the 12th century, the settlement was populated by Dutch settlers and already in 1156, Eutin became a market town. Eutin’s further history is closely related to the one of its castle.

 

Every year, Eutin hosts two festivals: the Eutiner Festspiele in summer, where operas are performed in an open-air theatre in the gardens of Eutin Castle, and the Blues Fesitival in spring, which takes place in the town centre. Due to its proximity to the Baltic Sea resorts along the Bay of Lübeck, which have seen increased demand partly due to the trend toward domestic tourism, Eutin has also come into focus for the tourism industry in recent years.

33428 Harbour Ave.

Mission, BC Canada

 

This fishing vessel is sitting in frozen ice on the Fraser River.

 

A Harbour Authority (HA) is a non-profit, locally controlled organization which operates under a head lease with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to operate and maintain a DFO-owned public commercial fishing harbour in the best interests of the commercial fishing fleet.

 

The harbour facility consists entirely of the property and water lots under the ownership of DFO – Small Craft Harbours (SCH).

 

An HA must operate the harbour as a public facility in accordance with the terms of the head lease and must at all times prioritize the needs of the commercial fishing industry above all else

 

Image best viewed in large screen.

 

Thank-you for your visit, and any comments or faves are always very much appreciated! ~Sonja.

 

Parámetros :: Parameters :: Paramètres: Canon EOS 7D; ISO 100; 0 ev; f 5; 1/160 s; 70 mm Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS.

 

Título :: Title :: Titre ::: Fecha (Date): Priorizando :: Prioritizing :: Prioriser ::: 2015/03/15 12:07

 

(Es). Historia: San Juan de la Arena. Asturias. España. La playa es la de San Juan de la Arena - Bayas. La marea está comenzando a bajar. El día está nublado. Aquello de la derecha es una Canon EOS 7D en un trípode, con un objetivo Canon, donde todo ello viene a sumar unos 2.500 € a fecha de hoy. Miguel se entusiasma con una toma concreta de rocas y espuma, así que aprovecha la retirada de la ola para entrar lo máximo posible hacia el agua; confiaba en que la siguiente ola tardaría en volver. Pero al mar hay que respetarlo incluso más allá de los límites que creemos que tiene… y ese día estaba juguetón. Hacía una media hora que habíamos pasado por una zona donde apenas había espacio en la arena para pasar y sólo quedaba un paso estrecho por las rocas; más allá estaba una pared muy inclinada y plagada de arbustos bajos con abundantes espinas de unos 2 o 3 cm; una zona poco recomendable en la que introducirse. Yo pasaba por las rocas y Fray iba tranquilamente con sus pensamiento por la poca arena que había entre el agua y esas rocas. De pronto vino esa séptima ola y Fray se encontró súbitamente entre las rocas y la ola que se le acercaba muy deprisa. Corrió hacia atrás y le perdí de vista. Subió el agua hasta más allá de las primeras rocas y Yo ya estaba dejando la mochila en lugar seguro esperando a la retirada del agua. Sospechaba que Fray aparecería arrastrado por el retorno de las olas y que tendría que salir corriendo a por Él; pero las olas volvieron solas. Luego apreció Fray, pero ahora nada de paso tranquilo, volvía corriendo por el mismo estrecho margen de arena buscando la zona segura, a unos 20 metros más adelante. Cuando me acerqué a Él estaba lleno de arena por la espalda y cabeza. Estuvo sacudiéndose un largo rato… creo que le entró agua hasta por las orejas. Pues eso, que el Mar es el Mar… con su macabro carácter juguetón.

 

Toma: Yo estaba alejado unos metros, y Fray, después del susto que se llevó, por supuesto que también. De pronto veo a Miguel totalmente decidido comportarse como Alfonsina, directo hacia el mar y a paso ligero. Observa las olas, se detiene, fija el trípode y mira por el visor hacia las rocas del fondo. Enfoca, encuadra y de pronto, dejando la cámara sola, sale corriendo hacia el interior de la playa. Mientras se alejaba miraba más al agua que a la cámara. Luego, ya en zona segura, su vista no se quitaba del trípode. Yo no podía dejar de sonreír mientras hacía las fotos pensando en: ¿se caerá?, ¿no se caerá?, y si comienza a caerse ¿irá a por ella?, ¿por que no la cogió cuando se retiró hacia la playa?, ¿lo está haciendo intencionadamente?… ¿necesitaba Miguel una subida de adrenalina?. Luego vi las fotos; muy bonitas (y un tanto arriesgadas si sabes cómo se hicieron)

 

Tratamiento: Con Aperture. Original en RAW. Aplico una subida de contraste y definición. Luego recorte en los extremos del histograma para dejar detalle de lo que creo importante: el rostro y las estelas de agua en los apoyos del trípode; el resto lo dejo como accesorio. La vibración de color la reduzco ligeramente.

 

¡Eso es todo amigos!

 

(En). The History: San Juan de la Arena. Asturias. Spain. The beach is San Juan de la Arena - Bayas. The tide begins to go down. The day is cloudy. That one of the right is a Canon EOS 7D in a tripod, with an objective Canon, where all this comes to add approximately 2.500 € to date of today. Michael gets enthusiastic with a concrete capture of rocks and foam, so he takes advantage of the retreat of the wave to enter the possible maximum area towards the water; he was trusting that the following wave would be late in returning. But to the sea it is necessary to respect it even beyond the limits that we think that it has … and this day it was playful. It was doing a half hour that we had spent for a zone where scarcely there was space in the sand to walk and only a narrow step along the rocks was staying; beyond there was a wall very sloping and riddled with low shrubs with abundant thorns of approximately 2 or 3 cm; a slightly advisable zone in which to get. I was happening for the rocks and Fray was going calmly with his thought for small sand that existed between the water and these rocks. Suddenly this seventh wave came and Fray was suddenly between the rocks and the wave that was approaching him very fast. It ran backward and I lost him of sight. It raised the water up to beyond the first rocks and I already was leaving the rucksack in sure place waiting to the retreat of the water. He was suspecting that Fray would turn out to be dragged by the return of the waves and that it would have to go out running for Him; but the waves returned alone. Then Fray appears, but now nothing of calm step, it was returning running for the same narrow margin of sand looking for the sure zone, to approximately 20 meters hereinafter. When I approached Him it was full of sand for the back and head. A long moment was shaken … I think that it entered water up to for the ears. So it, that the Sea is the Sea … with his macabre playful character.

 

Taking up: I was removed a few meters, and Fray, after the fright that removed, certainly that also. Suddenly I see totally determined Michael to behave as Alfonsina, directly towards the sea and light step. It observes the waves, stops, fixes the tripod and gun-sight for the visor towards the rocks of the bottom. It focuses, fits and suddenly, leaving the alone camera, goes out running towards the interior of the beach. While it was moving away was looking more at the water than at the camera. Then, already in sure zone, his sight was not removing itself of the tripod. I could not stop smiling while I was doing the photos thinking in: will it fall?, will not it fall?, and if it begins to fall: will it go for her?, for that it did not take her when he moved back towards the beach?, is it doing it meaningfully? … did Michael needed a raise of adrenaline?. Then I saw the photos; very nice (and rather risky if you know how they were done)

 

Treatment: With Aperture. Original RAW. I apply a raise of contrast and definition. Then cut away in the ends of the histogram to leave detail of what I believe importantly: the face and the water stelas in the supports of the tripod; the rest I leave it as accessory. I reduce the vibration of color lightly.

 

That's all folks !!

 

(Fr). Histoire: San Juan de la Arena. Asturias. L'Espagne. La plage est celle-là du San Juan de la Arena - Bayas. La marée commence à baisser. Le jour est nuageux. Cela de la droite est un Canon EOS 7D dans un trépied, avec un Canon objectif, où tout cela vient à additionner environ 2.500 € à une date d'aujourd'hui. Miguel s'enthousiasme pour une prise concrète de roches et écume, ainsi que la retirée de la vague met à profit pour entrer le maximal possible vers l'eau; il espérait que la vague suivante tarderait à revenir. Mais à la mer il faut le respecter même au-delà des limites que nous croyons qu'il a … et ce jour il était joueur. Il faisait une demi-heure que j'avais passé pour une zone où à peine il y avait un espace dans le sable pour marcher et seulement un pas étroit restait par les roches; plus loin un mur très incliné et était, couvert de bas arbustes avec épines abondantes d'environ 2 ou 3 cm; une zone peu recommandable à laquelle s'introduire. Je passais pour les roches et Fray allait tranquillement avec son une pensée par le peu de sable qui existait entre l'eau et ces roches. D'un vin prompt cette septième vague et Fray s'est subitement trouvé entre les roches et la vague qui le s'approchait très vite. Il a couru en arrière et je l'ai perdu d'une vue. Il a monté l'eau même au-delà des premières roches et Je laissais déjà le sac à dos dans un lieu sûr en attendant la retirée de l'eau. Il soupçonnait que Fray apparaîtrait traîné par le retour des vagues et qu'il aurait à sortir en courant par Lui; mais les vagues sont revenues seules. Tout de suite Fray a apprécié, mais maintenant rien d'un pas tranquille, il revenait en courant par la même marge étroite en sable en cherchant la zone sûre, à environ 20 mètres plus loin. Quand je me suis approché j'étais plein d'un sable par le dos et la tête. Un long moment se secoua … je crois qu'il a entré de l'eau même par les oreilles. Puisque cela, que la Mer est la Mer … avec son caractère macabre joueur.

 

Prendre: J'étais éloigné quelques mètres, et Fray, après la frayeur qu'il a emportée, bien entendu qu'aussi. De tôt je vois Miguel totalement décidé se comporter comme Alphonsin, direct vers la mer et un léger pas. Il observe les vagues, s'arrête, fixe le trépied et regarde par le viseur vers les roches du fond. Il met au point, encadre et de tôt, en laissant la chambre seule, il sort en courant vers l'intérieur de la plage. En attendant il s'éloignait regardait plus à l'eau qu'à la chambre. Tout de suite, déjà dans une zone sûre, sa vue ne retirait pas du trépied. Je ne pouvais pas cesser de sourire tandis que je faisais les photos en pensant dans : tombera-t-il ?: ne tombera-t-il {elle} pas ?, et s'il commence à tomber : ira-t-il par elle ?: pourquoi ne l'a-t-il pas prise quand il s'est retiré vers la plage ?: il le fait intentionnellement ? … : Miguel avait-il besoin d'une montée d'adrénaline ?. Tout de suite j'ai vu les photos; très jolies (et un peu á risque si tu sais comment ils ont été faits)

 

Traitement: Avec Aperture. Origine RAW. J'applique une montée de contraste et de définition. Tout de suite découpez dans les extrémités de l'histogramme pour laisser un détail de ce que je crois important: le visage et les sillages d'eau dans les appuis du trépied; le reste l'a laissé comme accessoire. Je réduis légèrement la vibration de couleur.

 

Voilà, c'est tout!

 

Raging Grannies International

raginggrannies.org/

 

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Enough is Enough!"

Anti-UCP Rally

Edmonton, AB

 

From the event organizers:

"We're here to unite concerned citizens of Alberta in a movement against the current government, the United Conservative Party (UCP), because Enough is Enough.

We believe the UCP has let us down across various fronts, failing to prioritize the needs of everyday Albertans. Whether it's healthcare, electricity pricing, forest management, climate change, education, housing, the cost of living, renewables, or any other issue affecting our province, we share a common frustration: our government isn't working for us.

It's time for change. It's time for a government that truly represents the interests of all Albertans, present, and future. Join us as we mobilize and demand accountability. This is democracy in action.

Enough is Enough! Together, let's make our voices heard and build a better future for Alberta."

This as close to “unobtainium” as I have found on Earth.

 

An exceptionally unusual shiny black meteorite find was recovered in 2011 in Morocco by Aziz Habibi (I bought it from him). Officially named NWA 7034, it was nicknamed “Black Beauty” by Dr. Carl Agee, Director of the Institute of Meteoritics. A team of scientists led by Agee found a number of marvels in this oldest and rarest of Martian meteorites: it contains the oldest Martian minerals ever dated (formed 4.48 billion years ago), it contains ~ 20x more water than any other Martian samples previously encountered (perhaps formed under an early Martian ocean), it is among the very few martian basalts that do not contain maskelynite (impact-melted plagioclase glass), and it is the only brecciated Martian (i.e., they are composed of angular fragments of different rock types fused together). Carl Agee did an hour-long talk on NWA 7034 here, with a short summary here: "this is a once in a career discovery."

 

These rocks were so novel they were provided a new subtype "Martian (polymict breccia)" in the Met Bull. Moreover, in July 2022, it was determined that Black Beauty most likely originated from the Karratha Crater in Mars’s southern hemisphere; approximately 10 million years ago, the asteroid impact which formed the crater also ejected a large volume of Mars rock into space, some of which perturbed into an Earth-crossing orbit — and it took the long route, a journey of ~15,000 orbits around the Sun before penetrating Earth’s atmosphere.

 

Black Beauty contains relatively large crystals of plagioclase (a calcium-aluminum silicate) and pyroxene (a calcium-magnesium-iron silicate). These large mineral grains are surrounded by fine-grained material that formed from rapidly cooling lava, most likely following a volcanic eruption. Rock and mineral fragments were incorporated into the flow during the eruption, giving the rock its brecciated appearance. Accessory minerals include chlorapatite, chromite, goethite, ilmenite, magnetite, maghemite, alkali feldspar and pyrite.

 

A lay summary of the location news from Physical Org:

"Scientists announced Tuesday they had found the crater from which the oldest known Martian meteorite was originally blasted towards Earth, a discovery that could provide clues into how our own planet was formed. The meteorite NWA 7034, nicknamed Black Beauty, has fascinated geologists since it was discovered in the Sahara Desert in 2011.

 

It contains a mix of materials including zircons, which date back nearly 4.5 billion years. "That makes it one of the oldest rocks studied in the history of geology," Sylvain Bouley, a planetary scientist at France's Paris-Saclay University, told AFP.

 

Its journey dates back to the solar system's infancy, "about 80 million years after the planets began forming", said Bouley, who co-authored a new study on the meteorite. Tectonic plates long ago covered up Earth's ancient crust, meaning that "we have lost this primitive history of our planet", Bouley said.

 

But Black Beauty could offer "an open book on a planet's first moments", he added. By measuring Black Beauty's exposure to cosmic rays, they knew it was dislodged from its first home around five million years ago.

 

"So, we were looking for a crater that was very young and large," Lagain said. Another clue was that its composition showed it had suddenly heated up around 1.5 million years ago—likely by the impact of a second asteroid.

 

The team then created an algorithm and used a supercomputer to trawl through images of 90 million craters taken by a NASA satellite. That narrowed it down to 19 craters, allowing the researchers to rule out the remaining suspects.

 

They found that Black Beauty was dug up from its first home by an asteroid that struck around 1.5 billion years ago, forming the 40-kilometer Khujirt crater.

 

Then a few million years ago, another asteroid hit not far away, creating the 10-kilometer Karratha crater and shooting the Black Beauty towards Earth.

 

The region in Mars' southern hemisphere is rich in the elements potassium and thorium, just like Black Beauty. Another factor was that Black Beauty is the only Martian meteorite that is highly magnetized. "The region where Karratha was found is the most magnetized on Mars," Lagain said.

 

Known as the Terra Cimmeria—Sirenum province, it is "a relic of the early crustal processes on Mars, and thus, a region of high interest for future missions," the study said."

 

and Space,com summarized how the findings can prioritize the destination for future Mars landings:

 

"The origin of Martian meteorites was an old enigma," Lagain said. Discovering the birthplace of one "is pretty much equivalent to a free sample-return mission," he noted.

 

"Now we know that the rock comes from the Terra Cimmeria-Sirenum province," Lagain said. "This region hosts the clues to understand[ing] the first stage of evolution and differentiation of the planet. If one wants to understand how Mars formed and evolved, then we need to analyze this province much more than we do right now."

 

The findings suggest that sending a rover or drone to this region "would help us understand what happened 4.5 billion years ago on Mars," soon after the Red Planet, Earth and the solar system's other rocky worlds were born, Lagain said. This information, in turn, may help "fill the gap in knowledge for the same period of time on Earth."

 

This black beauty is 61 x 33 x 19mm and 55 grams.

I think that the modern obsession with pets is a sign of a lonely generation of men and women, desperate to nurture a creature that gives them the love that is not forthcoming from more traditional sources. I often ask the most obsessive pet owners why they are so attached to their pets. I usually hear the same response. The pet gives them more love than any person. More than a spouse, a sibling, or even parents. The dog loves you just the way you are. But the boyfriend tells you that your butt looks fat and you should go to the gym. As my friend Roger explained, “When I come home after a long day’s work, my wife is usually on the phone and the kids are watching TV. Almost no one even notices that I walked through the door. But Laraby, my golden retriever, goes nuts. He runs up to me and almost knocks me down. He wags his tail. It’s like he’s been the waiting the whole day for me. And it makes me feel incredibly special.”

We can never make ourselves feel special. Someone else has to do it for us. And that’s what human love is all about. It’s about someone prioritizing you, focusing on you, pampering you all because you’re special. But in an age that is as self-absorbed and as narcissistic as ours, we’re finding it incredibly difficult to make others feel special. We don’t love ourselves enough to love others.

Each year, the Tonle Sap lake, fed by monsoon rains and the Mekong River system, spills onto a vast floodplain, that covers a number of provinces in Cambodia. Some of the villages close to the lake are permanently flooded, and are literally floating villages. Others further away from the lake's edge are flooded only seasonally, and houses are linked to the ground, but raised on stilts by as much as 5 meters, as is the case in this image. Here people are more fortunate than those who have been pushed off the land, since both fishing and dry season agriculture are possible. Yet, with diminishing fish stocks and small farm sizes (about half a hectare per family), most families survive on little more than a few dollars a day. The floods are both a blessing and an added problem. While it brings the fish closer to the villages, the declining fish stocks have halved the quantity of fish a household is able to catch if they do not use fishing methods prohibited by the government. Consequently, the amount of nutrition and income a family can get from the floods has declined by as mush as 50%, with no option to engage in agriculture as their fields lie under 4-5 meters of water. The water also transforms simple day to day activities. Something as simple as visiting one's neighbor involves getting into and out of a boat, even though the destination is only across what was the village road. On our first night in one of these villages, my colleague was woken in the night by a boatman from another village in search of a midwife, as his wife was giving birth on the boat. Hardly any services are available to these communities, as many government departments are understaffed in the first place, and in any case do not prioritize these villages. Despite this myriad of hardships and inconveniences that are the hallmarks of marginalization, these people have not forgotten that some joys need nothing but each other.

I am not sure how I’ll proceed with my Flickr account. Not being able to add photos for friends/family anymore is an enormous limitation, and super annoying. I understand the limit on uploads for free accounts, but not this.

 

I was a Pro user for *many* years, but this makes me salty as to become one again. Most of my friends moved on from Flickr, so unless I’m part of a community again, I’m not sure if I should prioritize Flickr for my photos. I miss the sense of community and interaction I had here (so many comments and discussions lost when we had to delete older photos!).

This large canvas is signed by one Addie Diefenbach in the lower and has a partially visible date in the 1880s.

 

It is one of several marine paintings that complement the nautical decor at a newly reopened and redecorated restaurant in the seaside community of Long Beach, Washington.

 

I'd say whoever selected them prioritized genre and availability over quality.

 

The only online reference to an artist named Addie Diefenbach I was able to find was the auction listing for this very piece. It said it was the first of Ms. Diefenbach's works to come up for auction. www.mutualart.com/Artist/Addie-Diefenbach/B25C1C959DD2ADA9

 

Some time between when the painting was photographed for the auction catalogue and when I saw it hanging on the wall of the restaurant earlier this week several holes, two of which were fairly large, were punched into the canvas. I healed them with Photo Shop.

  

23250 McKay Avenue

Maple Ridge, BC Canada

 

A Harbour Authority (HA) is a non-profit, locally controlled organization which operates under a head lease with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to operate and maintain a DFO-owned public commercial fishing harbour in the best interests of the commercial fishing fleet.

 

The harbour facility consists entirely of the property and water lots under the ownership of DFO – Small Craft Harbours (SCH).

 

An HA must operate the harbour as a public facility in accordance with the terms of the head lease and must at all times prioritize the needs of the commercial fishing industry above all else.

 

This image is best viewed in Large screen.

 

Thank-you for your visit, and any faves or comments are always greatly appreciated.

Sonja

My first visit to MRL in 2015 I remembered seeing a flame cut whistle post on the mainline somewhere east of Garrison. We (Welch and I) had places to be seeing as we were racing towards Helena to get the local with an SD45 leader and I didn't remember seeing another one. I didn't prioritize it but I didn't forget it. So, since my experience on MRL's branch lines was nonexistent until this spring I had assumed that was a one-off. Imagine my surprise as I arrived at Sappington and saw this beauty!

Entry 1 of 2 today, one of my beloved, overcomposed, secondary composition element riddled shortline wedges.

 

Although a trip to the G&U had been on my to-do list for years it never got prioritized due to a glut of great paint schemes to shoot elsewhere. Shortly before the spring trip began I saw a nice clean Blazejewski wedge of G&U using a rock wall as a leading element and I was sold!

 

I just so happened to be visiting Blaze this trip so on a mostly beautiful morning following a night of drinking we went up to North Grafton. The scanner was crackling as we got to town (Dave's, not mine. I run deaf) and after a couple hours of switch the train went south. We decided to forego the iconic church shot at Grafton to leave enough time to set up in this field a couple miles south. Satisfied after combing through the field for angles (there are many to choose from) I settled in to wait, and wait we did! What in the fuck! It's hot, there are gnats and we're pretty clearly standing somewhere that we're obviously not supposed to be. Now there's clouds moving in from the northeast and I'm holding it together but I'm starting to freak out a little because this is the only real nice wedge LOCATION on the railroad and we're gonna lose it because they stop and switch for an hour everywh....HORN! Fucking finally a fucking horn and everything is beautiful and it's sunny and I have puffy little clouds in the sky and Erie is happy and I'm standing in a beautiful New England hay field strewn with rock walls and everything is fuckin perfect!

 

I'm definitely coming back here again.

 

Thanks Blaze!

The year 1936 brought forth an automotive gem, the Ford Model 68, a vehicle that not only captured the essence of its era but also pushed the boundaries of design and innovation. Born from the storied assembly lines of the Ford Motor Company, this classic car emerged during a time when America was finding its footing after the Great Depression. As a testament to resilience and forward-thinking, the Model 68 showcased Henry Ford's commitment to affordable yet stylish transportation for the masses. One particularly intriguing fact about this model is that it was among the first to offer a glimpse into streamlined design, which would dominate the automotive industry in the years to come.

 

Design and Innovation: A Blend of Style and Substance

The exterior of the 1936 Ford Model 68 exuded elegance with its teardrop-shaped headlamps and a bold, v-shaped grille that commanded attention. The car's sleek lines and rounded fenders were a departure from the boxy shapes of earlier models, hinting at the aerodynamic future of automobile design. Inside, owners were greeted with an interior that prioritized simplicity and functionality without compromising on quality. Luxurious touches like mohair upholstery and wood-grain accents spoke volumes about the craftsmanship of the era. Technologically, the Model 68 stood out with its flathead V8 engine, a marvel that offered unprecedented power and reliability to everyday drivers. Color options ranged from Washington Blue to Cordoba Tan, with many buyers favoring darker hues that accentuated the car's sophisticated silhouette. Available in various body styles including coupes, sedans, convertibles, and even wood-paneled station wagons known as "Woodies," it was the Deluxe Roadster that often stole hearts with its irresistible blend of performance and panache.

 

Performance-wise, the 1936 Ford Model 68 was no slouch. Its V8 engine could propel it to top speeds that were impressive for its time, while acceleration from 0-60 mph was achieved in a manner that could best be described as spirited for a pre-war car. On various driving conditions, from bumpy rural roads to newly paved highways, the Model 68 handled with poise and assurance. Drivers often reveled in the throaty rumble of the flathead V8 as they navigated through their journeys, enjoying a tactile connection with their machine that modern vehicles struggle to replicate.

 

The 1936 Ford Model 68 stands as more than just another vintage vehicle; it is a symbol of innovation during times of adversity and a precursor to modern automotive design philosophies. Its legacy is etched into history books and continues to be celebrated by enthusiasts around the globe who are captivated by its story and enamored by its character.

New Year’s Eve-2024

Ninety-nine percent of good railroad photography is just getting out the door with your camera. Once that’s accomplished, you still have one percent to work with. That was my thought when a FB private message from DC Hammon popped up on my phone. DC allowed that a westbound CSX empty hopper train was enroute from Kingsport to Loyall, with the Clinchfield heritage unit on the point. It was gloomy and misting rain, but after about ten seconds of pondering, I elected to engage the ninety nine percent part of the mission.

I haven’t been on FB much lately. Even though I had a flu vaccine a few weeks ago, on Saturday I was in the Ballad urgent care facility in Norton. I was coughing, congested, chilling, and with all the characteristics of something nasty. It wasn’t COVID, but a strain of flue that must have been a variant not included into blend of vaccines I had received earlier. That’s not unusual, of course, but it doesn’t often happen to me.

Wilma has also been sick, and Walnut has really been having a tough go of it (although in her case I think it’s just her declining age). We haven’t been much, if at all (except for a few runs to pick up essentials). At last, I was feeling more like myself, so this would be a good way to change the afternoon routine. I thought the experience of doing some train photography would be worth the effort, even if I wouldn’t come back home with some masterpiece of imagery worthy of a CRPA award (like that’s ever gonna happen!).

I encountered CSX 1902 West sooner than I had anticipated, at Duffield. I had left the house half thinking of going to Natural Tunnel, but I gave up on that when I realized I had left my wide angle lens at home. I wheeled through a crossover on US 23 and backtracked (no pun intended) until I could crank off a couple of “poke and hope” pacing shots in a short stretch where the highway paralleled the track without major obstructions. I mostly was trying to avoid veering into another lane in front of a semi---but traffic was very light.

Pushing ahead, the unexpected growth of lineside vegetation had erased some earlier “honey hole” spots, but I pulled up to a small clearing and got the train as it passed my spot at the passing track at Jasper. What next?

Photo locations on lines where you’ve photographed trains for decades are like a mental Rolodex, prioritized by train direction, lighting, foreground clutter, backgrounds, and on and on. I decided to drive in to “furnace dip” to get him dropping downgrade from East Stone Gap and across the short South Fork of Powell River Bridge. The weather was going from crummy to extra crummy.

After getting that shot, I drove out and headed home. As I was crossing the East 19th Street crossing, I reflexively looked right to see if the EOT was clear of the distant junction. Instead, I saw the head and ditch lights of an eastbound NS run. Instead of going over the hill toward the house, I drove to the old depot site to get a shot of my buddy Brian Richardson handling an eastbound coal train with three big NS units.

Happy New Year, Brian, and thanks for the tip, DC!

In fact, Happy New Year to everyone!

Whence and whither... one of those is easier to define than the other. I'll give the short(er) version of it.

 

I think I am going to de-prioritize social media a tad for a little bit. I have been doing some thoughtful consideration behind the scenes for a bit. There is much I love about being on here and writing my posts but in the brutal mathematics that is daily life, it feels like this has reached the point where it is taking up an inordinate amount of time, even though the actual measure of that time really isn't that much. But I want divert even that relatively small amount to a couple of other projects for a bit, photo projects mind you.

 

And no, I will not leave completely. I will still post, it will just likely be less frequent. Who knows, maybe it will still be almost once a day but probably not. If I feel incredibly motivated this will likely be the first place that I turn to.

 

I admit though that I think about the mass amount of thought and writing I have put into Flickr over the past 10 years and while I never considered Flickr to be a permanent repository for all that effort I have still sunk an ungodly amount of time and words into this site and in the end I will have essentially no say in the continued existence of all that work. When one day Yahoo (or Verizon I guess now) shutters this, all that will be gone in a puff and a poof. I both accept that and don't. And so it is time for me to create something based off that work or maybe to transition to something that is more under my control. What will this be? Shrugging. It could be a few things. A blog on my own site seems the obvious answer. A book would be a better one. I like books.... I like tangibles. I still want to spend time and invest passion into Flickr probably for as long as it lives, but I also want to seriously think about putting more of that effort into something I own... I think... mostly.

 

Anyway, I will still be here. New photos will still show up. I still plan on using Instagram too, and that will likely continue close to a daily pace as I have to be on there for my work anyway. But if absences come up, I am still working away and when those other efforts bear fruit I will be sure to let you all know.

 

As far as this image goes, my old friend the Hasselblad helped me make this one up on the Olympic Peninsula.

23250 McKay Avenue

Maple Ridge, BC Canada

 

A Harbour Authority (HA) is a non-profit, locally controlled organization which operates under a head lease with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to operate and maintain a DFO-owned public commercial fishing harbour in the best interests of the commercial fishing fleet.

 

The harbour facility consists entirely of the property and water lots under the ownership of DFO – Small Craft Harbours (SCH).

 

An HA must operate the harbour as a public facility in accordance with the terms of the head lease and must at all times prioritize the needs of the commercial fishing industry above all else

 

Image best viewed in large screen.

 

Thank-you for your visit, and any comments or faves are always very much appreciated! ~Sonja.

July 18, 2023 The Hill Live brings together caregivers, patients, clinical experts, and lawmakers to answer these questions and more as we discuss the fight against Alzheimer’s and breakthroughs in providing relief to those who suffer from agitation and aggression.

Alzheimer’s disease affects about 55 million people worldwide, including 6.5 million Americans, and has no cure. Some patients with Alzheimer’s sometimes show signs of extreme aggression or become restless and anxious as their brains lose the ability to negotiate with new stimulus.

 

Agitation is a common neuropsychiatric symptom in Alzheimer’s dementia and one of the most complex and stressful aspects of caring for people living with the condition. It is reported in approximately half of people with Alzheimer’s dementia and is associated with earlier alternative living placement.

 

What do patients, caregivers and families navigating the complexities of agitation associated with Alzheimer’s need to know? How are researchers and doctors better understanding risk factors and diagnoses? What policy actions can prioritize research, detection and treatment? And what are the access considerations for patients and their caregivers as they navigate this difficult symptom?

LOCATION

National Press Club Holeman Lounge, 529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor, Washington, DC 20045

Ahhhh! I'm so busy today, tomorrow, this whole month!! 😱

Cousins sleeping over tonight so burger and pizza party (and tons of preparation before that).

 

Anywayss~

New week, new series!

 

Since it's Holy Week and it'll be Easter this Sunday...a hunt for the eggs?

 

I don't know how this will turn out.

I'm prioritizing work right now and things at home.

But my idea for this is hunting for eggs with the guide of "magical" beings. e.g. birds, hands...illustrated (cause magical?)

 

I've always been fascinated with mixed media stuff and somehow after my first try , I've been wanting to try it again.

 

Talk to you later.

May your week be wonderful and full of magical blessings too! <3

In June 2020, after experiencing a devastating spring due to COVID, New York State announced that certain businesses could begin partially opening again. New York City’s response included a program called Open Restaurants, which allowed restaurants to use sidewalks and parking spaces for outdoor, socially distant dining. Owners quickly built temporary enclosures in the streets in front of their businesses to try and recover from months of shutdown. Small stretches of Brooklyn in early 2021 display the variety and feel of these enclosures. Hopefully, the Open Restaurants initiative will help these businesses to survive and may even lead to a more permanent reorienting of streets to prioritize people over cars.

Lake Tekapo, Tekapo, South Island, New Zealand

 

One of my shooting protocols after the trip is to scan through every shot that I have and picked the potential one to do post-processing by giving the tagging in my entire album.

 

This particular shot has already been tagged but for some reason, I've missed out terribly, nearly 3 years buried in my storage. Luckily was doing some scanning photos in my album and suddenly saw this, quickly dig out and straight into editing mode.

 

I still remember this was the first place in our itinerary; the legendary The Church of The Good Shepherd. While we have our vehicle parked few kilometers away from the actual location, so we gotta walk and right before the church, we have to cross the bridge first.

 

Spotted a couple (I suppose) standing there right at the center of the bridge. Find it a fascinating angle with the natural lights on them and overall blended in perfectly. Without hesitation pressed the shuttle where my cameras were already on my shoulders.

 

Wanted to do our wefie photography, because we were too excited to rush towards the church and also too many crowds upcoming over the bridge so end up ditch the idea and move on to what we have been prioritizing first.

 

#d80

#nikon

#nztravel

#laketekapo

#nikoncontest

#nikkor10_20mm

#nikonphotography

I'm still alive.... :) This is a vertorama of the Puyallup, WA fairgrounds. I took it early in the morning, and was hoping for some crazy colors. That didn't happen, but I still thought it was a cool shot so I decided to process and post it. The final product is a manually blended DRI using three different exposures (One for the sky, one for the roller coaster, and one for the foreground).

 

I've been out and about taking photos lately, so hopefully it won't be 1-2 months before I post another shot. Kudos to those of you that are able to take and process so many shots in such a short period of time. I suppose it's just a matter of prioritizing...

Don’t scoff at the humble wheelbarrow because even Lamborghini had its roots in industrial tractors!

 

This colorful and whimsical display is a lovely touch using common field tools, really caught my eye!

 

Recent interesting gear launches that caught my eye, in particular the Panasonic S 20-60mm f3.5-5.6 and the Fujifilm X-S10;

 

1) Panasonic S5 (714gms) and S 20-60mm f3.5-5.6 (350gms) launched 2 Sept 2020, in kit the lens is a mere $300 extra. The S5 uses the same 24mp sensor on the S1 which appears to perform a bit better (⅓ stop) at base ISO compared to the 24mp BSI sensor on the Nikon Z6. The S 20-60mm lens is probably the only FF standard zoom lens that extends into the ultra-wide angle range (wider than 24mm) and it also appears to be optimized at the wide end. This should be a great match with Panasonic’s upcoming S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6, just add a Sigma 85mm f1.4 DN for a 3 lens kit and perhaps the excellent Sigma 14-24mm f2.8 Art DN if one needs a UWA lens. Sigma DN lenses are 1st party since Sigma is part of the L mount consortium and their lens mount should also be changeable to Sony E mount if one decides to switch.

 

2) The newly launched Nikon Z5 however used the old 24mp non-BSI chip similar to the 8 years old Nikon D600. The Nikon Z5 is sold with a new kit lens Z 24-50mm f4-6.3 which seems to prioritize compactness over useful range and it’s also priced as an extra $300 even though it’s both slower and shorter at either ends of the focal length compared to Panasonic above. Nikon essentially re-released a mirrorless D750 in the Z5 and a DSLR Z6 in the D780 (sans IBIS).

[Update: the Z5 appears to be plagued by sluggish AF from early adopters’ experience, as usual the so called professional reviews made no mention of this issue.]

 

3) Nikon Z 50mm f1.2 S is a lens I’ve been looking out for since the announcement of the Z system but it’s significantly bigger (39% longer at 150cm vs 108mm) and heavier than Canon's version (1,090gms vs 950gms), even bigger and heavier than my old Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f2.8 G! Bigger than the Sigma 35mm f1.2 DN Art as well! It’s not difficult to make high resolving lenses if size is not a constraint as evidenced by Sigma’s massive “Art” lenses but even Sigma has started to turn the page with their most recent 85mm f1.4 DN Art lens. “The Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art pairs large-aperture, professional-caliber optical performance with a lightweight, sturdy, and compact body, a combination which has long been difficult to achieve”, per Sigma.

 

4) Sony a7C, this is probably for those who prioritize form over function, kinda pointless personally. While smaller, it’s nowhere small enough to be pocketable like a Ricoh GR which is a truly go anywhere camera, albeit APS-C instead of FF.

 

5) I’ve never used Fuji cameras but the new X-S10 appears to be a heck of a camera for just $1,000 with IBIS rated at 6EV and uses the same new sensor, same processor and same AF as the 8 months older flagship Fuji X-T4 ($1,700), plus it even has a built-in flash which is a rarity these days! The Fuji X-S10 has arguably the best APS-C sensor (26mp) currently with ½ a stop better DR than the one in Nikon’s new mirrorless APS-C Z50 (20mp). The main weakness of the X-S10 is its buffer, while it’s capable of 20fps, its buffer is only 11 frames with RAW+JPEG, cripple hammer at work since it used the same processor as X-T4. Something has to give at this price but it’s not an issue for stills shooters. Comparatively the E-M1 Mk3 is $1,400 (down from $1,800) and the X-S10 is even lighter at a mere 465gms! For completeness, Z50 is $860, has no IBIS and used a similar BSI sensor (20mp) as the D500, it is however weather-sealed while the X-S10 is not. For proper context the Sony a6400 (sans IBIS) is $900 while the a6600 is $1,400, a $500 premium mainly just for IBIS. X-T4=>X-S10 release is similar to the Panasonic S1=>S5, both quite apt in the era of the pandemic, offer a slightly lower specced camera at a really attractive price to draw new users to the system, the X-S10 looks to be a winner.

Effective Range: Medium

Classification: Intelligence / Recon

Armaments: (1) SMG-UZ01A, (1) HR-HIBMSU01

 

One reason why the New Earth Strategic Trust faction is such a dominant force in the Quorus Wars is due to their supreme tactics and efficient strategies and have outfitted specific units like the Eagle EWAC to prioritize recon and intelligence gathering.

 

The Eagle EWAC is actually based on the NESF-M05E Eagle, a standard combat type reFrame that is deployed in heavy combat areas and serve as a main unit in NEST Special Forces ranks. The EWAC (Early Warning And Control) unit allows for efficient intelligence gathering that is sent to NEST's tactical HQ as data to create up-to-date battle strategies. Extra thrusters were equipped on the Eagle EWAC to give it better mobility in order to move faster to key locations for data scanning as well as avoid enemy units. It is equipped with a light submachine gun (SMG-UZ01A) and a hand cannon mounted on its left arm for emergency combat purposes.

 

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Build notes:

You can find more about the build in my blog article :D

 

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More info, WIP details, and other LEGO mechs over at my blog:

messymaru.wordpress.com/

 

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For those interested in LEGO mech building, I put out an eBook over at Amazon Kindle a while back called Mech Wars Instructional Primer. If you’re looking for a resource that could help you start or even improve your mech building skills, you might find this eBook useful :D

Polygamy can be categorized into two main types:

 

1. Polygamy : Expressive and Transparent (Verified)

2. Concealed Polygamy, where one pretends to be monogamous to their lovers. (Unable to verify)

 

Type #1 Polygamy

www.flickr.com/photos/161478161@N05/53215091071

 

ღ.-:**★**:-.ღ.-:**★**:-.ღ.-:**★**:-.ღ

 

Type #2 Concealed Polygamy

 

☑ Multiple Secret Lovers,

☑ Multiple Avatars, Multiple Accounts

☑ Created new avatars with the intention of forming Meaningful Relationships, rather than seeking casual encounters or "friends with benefits."

☑ Get married and pretend to be faithful (Monogamous) to their partners.

 

" They have many secret lovers, many secret girlfriends/boyfriends, many secret wives/husbands, and many children in separate accounts (avatars).

 

If you thought the first type of poly was bad, the second type is the worst (truly bad). I would like to call people like this impostors; there are many of them in SL."

 

☑ Most of them don't really know they are polygamous, don't accept it, and consider themselves as womanizers, badasses, or playboys, without viewing themselves realistically as cheaters, liars, unfaithful lovers, and the worst type of all a**holes.

 

☑ They deceive others by pretending to be faithful partners without feeling any guilt or shame for their actions at all.

 

ღ.-:**★**:-.ღ.-:**★**:-.ღ.-:**★**:-.ღ

 

☑ They all agree that Poly isn't good and lacks three things.(heart, truth, happiness). They don't follow a Poly lifestyle; instead, they believe they are better than Poly. They feel superior to Poly because they prioritize loyalty, marriage, deep commitment, peaceful family, much respect, and treat their loved ones more kindly as a one-hearted lover.

 

They believe they possess larger hearts, are more truthful, and experience greater happiness due to their numerous monogamous relationships, which surpass the satisfaction of typical couples who engage in only one relationship at a time.

 

Most of them are so narcissistic, talented, charming, and exceedingly confident that they believe they are the smartest and happiest people.

 

ღ.-:**★**:-.ღ.-:**★**:-.ღ.-:**★**:-.ღ

 

☑ Most of them firmly believe that they have a heart bigger than everyone else's.

 

Do you believe people who do this kind of polyamory lack genuine hearts?

 

The person who claims to love someone the most, tells another person that they are the only one they love, that they are the most important, and that they miss them the most. The person who also makes numerous promises and vows to all their secret lovers.

 

Do you believe people like them truly possess the big-heartedness they claim to have?

 

ღ.-:**★**:-.ღ.-:**★**:-.ღ.-:**★**:-.ღ

 

☑ Most of them firmly believe that they possess truth and happiness.

 

They have the kind of truth their partner wants to hear. They said everything and believed it to be true.

 

They believe they are happier because they have more partners than those in pure monogamy.

 

Do you think that genuinely happy people could behave and lie like this without shame? Is this really the behavior of happy people?

 

ღ.-:**★**:-.ღ.-:**★**:-.ღ.-:**★**:-.ღ

 

☑ They lack, just like all polys, but they can't even accept a truth about themselves. Most of them are too weak and narcissistic to dare to confront the truth about themselves. They believe they have bigger hearts than other good people and possess both truthfulness and happiness much better than polyamorous people.

 

☑ They live their lives pretending to be something they are not and think it is happiness.

 

☑ Many of them may see it as a rewarding way of life, yielding the greatest benefits. They were certainly convinced that they received more advantages than the first type of polyamory.

 

" Is it genuinely worth living as someone other than yourself just to maintain multiple lovers? Nevertheless, each day demands that you feign monogamy, playing the role of a faithful lover to keep your partners content. This charade incurs an immeasurable cost, gradually leading you to lose your true self and the authentic happiness of being who you truly are. "

 

ღ.-:**★**:-.ღ.-:**★**:-.ღ.-:**★**:-.ღ

 

" Your loved ones don't truly love you! If they knew the truth about you, they wouldn't be able to accept who you are. It's not the real you they love; they love the character you've fooled them with, and it's not truly you, not even for a day. That means YOU're not genuinely loved, not even for a day.

 

Every day, you live as someone other than yourself, convinced that there's only gain and no loss. Unaware of the immeasurable cost of both losing and living your true self, you become the ultimate fool. "

 

Scarlett Saphira

 

ღ.-:**★**:-.ღ.-:**★**:-.ღ.-:**★**:-.ღ

 

" Who genuinely gains and experiences true happiness from your pretense— you or your lovers?

 

Have you grasped the concept? Who attains greater genuine happiness? Your lover possesses a wonderful, faithful partner. However, you hold onto the confidence that you profit without any losses; is that truly the case? You work hard for your lover's happiness without realizing what you're sacrificing! "

 

I hope this helps!

 

ღ.-:**★**:-.ღ.-:**★**:-.ღ.-:**★**:-.ღ

note: rl is kicking my butt.. if you are part of my inner circle, you already know what is happening... if you do not, don't take offense. i will still be able to blog but, it will only be between certain hours, when i have access to the wifi. and, i am going to prioritize rl for this week. if you need me, find me on discord. thank.

 

sohawtsl.wordpress.com/2025/07/17/stop-the-tape-and-rewind/

Watercolour on 140 lb. Arches cold press.

 

This is a wee experimental piece using rectangles within rectangles and varying the treatment of the plant. I had a lot of fun with it and plan to try a larger piece at some point. The trouble is I have so many things I want to try, and I need to prioritize, or nothing gets done.

In June 2020, after experiencing a devastating spring due to COVID, New York State announced that certain businesses could begin partially opening again. New York City’s response included a program called Open Restaurants, which allowed restaurants to use sidewalks and parking spaces for outdoor, socially distant dining. Owners quickly built temporary enclosures in the streets in front of their businesses to try and recover from months of shutdown. Small stretches of Brooklyn in early 2021 display the variety and feel of these enclosures. Hopefully, the Open Restaurants initiative will help these businesses to survive and may even lead to a more permanent reorienting of streets to prioritize people over cars.

Re-arranged and prioritized Star Wars IKEA Billy Bookcases

Kenner - Return of the Jedi and Hasbro - non-Original Trilogy Black Series re-arranged and prioritized

The RG Menzies Building 2 at the Australian National University (ANU) is a striking example of modernist architecture, designed with an emphasis on functionality and openness. Completed in the early 1970s, the building features brutalist-inspired elements, including exposed concrete surfaces, bold geometric forms, and large windows that allow natural light to permeate the interior. Its design prioritizes flexibility, with spacious, adaptable workspaces and an overall layout that fosters a collaborative academic environment. It was sesigned by architects John FD Scarborough and Partners in association with Collard Clarke and Jackson, 1963.

♦ Instructions available at Rebrickable ♦

 

"This is where the fun begins!"

 

My latest ship from the Prequel Trilogy has arrived, and it surely was a lot of fun to make: here's Obi Wan's Eta-2 Actis Interceptor from Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and The Clone Wars.

 

This small unit consists of 281 pieces (stand included), and has one major feature: true Minifig scale!

 

There's a handful of beautiful MOCs of this ship out there already, but most of them are based on the huge cockpit piece from the playsets, so they're drastically oversized. So here I am with a, dare I say, more accurately scaled version.

 

It does come with a drawback, you guessed it: you can't put a fig inside. A bit ironic I know, but I chose to go for a brick-built cockpit in order to get as close to the original design as I could, prioritizing accuracy over playability, as usual.

 

The wings were pretty challenging given the ridiculously small scale, and my goal was to have them as thin as possible without compromising the SNOT look.

 

I'm quite happy with the result and I think this makes a nice little display piece. It's also very swooshable despite the intricate wing design.

 

I'm usually not a fan of stickers, but I thought this one deserved some sweet markings. I used the sticker sheet from the playset - it is included in the parts list. The color scheme can be changed to red with only a few part swaps (see last page in the instructions).

 

► Instructions for the Eta-2 Actis Interceptor are available at Rebrickable!

In June 2020, after experiencing a devastating spring due to COVID, New York State announced that certain businesses could begin partially opening again. New York City’s response included a program called Open Restaurants, which allowed restaurants to use sidewalks and parking spaces for outdoor, socially distant dining. Owners quickly built temporary enclosures in the streets in front of their businesses to try and recover from months of shutdown. A small stretch of Brooklyn in February 2021 showed the variety and feel of these enclosures. Hopefully, the Open Restaurants initiative will help these businesses to survive and may even lead to a more permanent reorienting of streets to prioritize people over cars.

Last year I had the absolute pleasure to participate in the Dutch-Belgian LEGO Masters, with my best buddy Jaap Bijl (jaapxaap). Here's a compilation of our builds, from episode 1 all the way to the finale!

 

Descriptions left to right.

Top row:

Episode 4, Fashion. "Purple Reign". (episode winner!)

Episode 1, Parade wagon. "de Bijenkomst Bijeenkomst".

Episode 2, Underwater build. "het Vistival".

Episode 3, Guess the song title. "When the Lady Smiles - Golden Earring".

 

Middle row:

Behind the scenes. Me and Jaap in the 'quote room'

Episode 9, Finale. "Panorama Arabica". (3rd place winner!)

Episode 4, Fashion. Pre-build.

 

Bottom row:

Episode 5, Cut in Half. "a Safe Space".

Episode 6, Windmill. "Storm at Sea".

Episode 7, Movies. "Fast & the Food Chase". (episode winner!)

Episode 8, Above and below the clouds. "de Weertempel".

 

It's hard to put in words what our LEGO Masters journey has meant to us. We had tremendous fun, building fantastic pieces together while making terrible puns. ;) The times spent with our colleague builders, the production crew, and others that we've come to meet because of LM are truly precious. I'm incredibly thankful that I've got to experience all of it, as a builder, a friend and as a human!

 

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Btw, it annoys me to post this so late, but I have reasons. Firstly, I really needed to focus on my graduation thesis. Secondly, gathering images from the episodes (not just the ones above) was a chore, particularly because I wanted to get them right. I prioritized building new stuff, but wanted to post chronologically on Flickr. More to come soon!