One of the new clubs my husband got at Dimmock Hill. I just may have to rethink my reasoning for not playing golf and give this baby a test drive. Wow........clubs have come a long way since my last new set.

One of the things that always bothered me back when Daisy was "maiding" for me on a regular basis a few years ago, was that I was obliged to keep her status and activities quiet. But now that everybody knows about her, there's no reason at all not to send her to the store if I discover we need something...right? I mean yeah, they don't know she wears this cute little maid outfit....but is it really such a radical departure from what they see nearly every day??

Hmm....It doesn't appear that Daisy is too fond of my reasoning, does it? 😉

just as the trees on the bank of a lake are reflected in the water so also all these varied objects are reflected in the vast mirror of our consciousness.

This creation which is a mere play of consciousness, rises up like the delusion of a snake in a rope and comes to an end when there is right knowledge.

Even though bondage does not really exists it becomes strong through desire for worldly enjoyments. When this desire subsides, bondage becomes weak.

Like waves rising up from the ocean, the unstable mind rises up from the vast and stable expanse of the supreme Self.

It is because of that, which always of its own, accord which imagines everything quickly and freely that this magical show of the world is projected in the waking state.

This world, though unreal, appears to exist and is the course of live long suffering to an ignorant person just as the non existent ghost is the course of fear to a child.

...

If you separate yourself from the body and abide at ease in consciousness you will become One, the sole reality.

Everything else appears insignificant, ....

After knowing that by which you know this, the world, turn the mind inward and then you will see clearly the effulgence of the Self.

That by which you recognize sound, taste, form and smell, - know that as yourself, the supreme Brahman, the Lord of Lords.

That in which beings vibrate, that which creates them, - know that Self to be your real Self.

After rejecting, through reasoning, all that can be known as non- truth, what remains as pure consciousness, regard that as your real Self.

Knowledge is not separate from you, and that which is known is not separate from knowledge, hence there is nothing other than the Self, nothing separate from it.

...

from Yoga Vashishta Sara

A snapshot of a woman taking a photograph using a TLR camera (top view finder). I suspect the reasoning behind the photograph is to document the corn crop in the background. Found MN.

digital art

A carrion crow from a walk today. I like the coal black of the feathers and the steel of that powerful, dagger-like bill.

The November issue of my Question Mark asks, "Can we bring thinking (and tolerance) back into vogue?"

Sometimes it seems as if thinking is no longer fashionable here in the USA, as political discourse often shows little sign of reasoning, logic or the consideration of evidence. Many citizens on the Left and the Right are all too willing to embrace staunch positions on complex issues without considering the merits of these stances.

Continued at questioning.org/Nov2023/vogue.html

Left to Right

Joe Chill: I gave him my BrickWarrios hobo hat which I think looks better than the hair he had, but I gave him Dastan's head which I do not like as much as Filch's head. The reasoning for the head is I want to make some of my Harry Potter figs back

Fig Formula- Brickwarriors hat, Dastan head, City torso, Ideas legs

Phantom Stranger: With my 3rd Batman bricktober pack, I decided to give the wizard batman cape and collar to Phantom Stranger. I also gave him Robin's head. Do not fear, I have 2 Lucius Malfoy torsos.

Fig Formula- Robin head, Wizard Batman collar/cape, Lucius torso

Zsasz: Decided to make this guy back. I will eventually get him a mutant leader torso

Fig Formula- StarWars head, TLBM torso and legs

Judge- Dylan's judge was phenomenal so I copied it

Fig Formula- CMF 9 wig, black figure parts

Tell me your thoughts

Cumberland Mine SD38-2 #1 brings up the west end of 38 cars of loaded coal. Standing prominently just a stones throw away from Bridge #4 on the railroad is the White Covered Bridge. The bridge, which was not built, but was erected (specifics here people) in the year 1900 over a small tributary of water called Whiteley Creek. Here we are 117 years later it's still standing, and for the nearly last 40 years so has the Cumberland Mine Railroad.

That's the simple run down mention above. If you feel like reading a damn novel, then keep reading below because here's a history lesson for you:

The Cumberland Mine railroad was a creation of the United States Steel company in the mid 1970's to haul coal from company owned mines. The railroad is 17 miles in total length, with no public grade crossings along the entire length of it.

To save myself a lot of writing and drawnout explaination of the reasoning behind this railroad in the first place, I'll instead use this small excerpt from Trains Magazine's online article "Five more weird coal moves":

"The intended customer was Ontario Hydro; under the plan, coal was shipped by rail to the transloading terminal, then by barge downriver to the (USS-owned) Union Railroad's coal dock at Duquesne, Pa. Reloaded into railcars, the coal went north to Conneaut, Ohio, via the Union and fellow Steel road Bessemer & Lake Erie. At Conneaut, the coal was transferred to lake boats for the last leg to Ontario. As it turned out, the Ontario Hydro contract never really came to fruition. The mine and railroad passed through several owners, and it's now operated by Alpha Resources.

In 1976, EMD delivered a single SD38-2, USS No. 1, painted in corporate colors. A number of years later, No. 1 was joined by ex-Yankeetown Dock SD38-2 No. 22, which retained its number when painted to match No. 1. The single train set is usually 30 coal hoppers, bracketed by the SD38-2s in a "pull-pull." - Lee Gregory"

A few critical things the article fails to mention is that the railroad runs at a trackspeed of 30mph, and with little to no communication on the radio. (when they do, it's likely on CB.) The trains are run with a 1 man crew handling everything from the running of the train, to the loading of the train and the dumping of the train. When the engineer is not in the engine, it is controlled by remote control.

Anyhow, since the writing of that 2010 article by Trains Magazine, the Cumberland Mine had taken delivery of MVPX SD40-2 #3098 and 10 OFOX rapid discharge coal hoppers. Upon delivery of the 3098 in February of 2014, it was eventually repainted from it's "white ghost" CITX leaser paint to match the #1 and #22. This unit (CMYX 3098) is tasked with handling a 2nd train set that runs with 27 cars, while the SD38 pairing also now run with 38 cars, instead of 30 like quoted in the article excerpt above.

The reasoning for the addition of a 3rd locomotive to the roster and the 10 more additional coal hoppers was done in order to compensate for the increased production at Cumberland Mine. This in turn was a direct result of Alpha Resource's closure of the nearby Emerald Mine in Waynesburg, PA in late 2015.

Since Emerald Mine's closure, most of the coal today has shipped by barge downriver to Labelle, PA. From there it is reloaded into train cars for trips to various customers, both domestically and internationally.

(en) : an algobug in the reasoning . . is not it?

__________________________________________________

Outlining a Theory of General Creativity . .

. . on a 'Pataphysical projectory

Entropy ≥ Memory ● Creativity ²

__________________________________________________

Etude du jour:

1 - Zero is a number.

2 - The immediate successor of a number is a number.

3 - Zero is not the immediate successor of a number.

1 - Zéro est un nombre.

2 - Le successeur immédiat d'un nombre est un nombre.

3 - Zéro n'est pas le successeur immédiat d'un nombre.

( Giuseppe Peano )

__________________________________________________

rectO-persO | E ≥ m.C² | co~errAnce | TiLt

Midjourney, Photoshop

Inspired by my film 'Delirium'

youtu.be/7lVKLTtNeR0?si=rbCDK8dWkGDoXRU5

I jitterbugged into jungle city

a shimmering delirium

of clustering geometries

splicing clouds in a black light sky

I was lost on my way to Indooroopilly

to catch a pied Butcherbird

or catch a pied Currawong’s

silvery cry

I was babbling in Babylon

foaming in the firmament

tentatively teetering

on bridges made of fire

I was frozen in motion

muttering in monotones

shuddering and shaken

on an ice-grass pyre

I was deafened by an opera

of caterwauling cockatoo

sirens of apocalypse

splintering the dusk

I was dangled like a bat

from my outermost extremities

hung drawn and quartered

by the sorcerer’s musk

I was a rain spattered poltergeist

a dislocated entity

swollen in a heat haze

of blood hungry flies

I was swerving into vertigo

oblivious to reasoning

vanishing at knife point

in a mirage made of lies

I jitterbugged in to jungle city

a shimmering delirium

of clustering geometries

splicing clouds into black light skies

This is a REAL instance of ice and not the Trump ICE lockup for migrants and kids in Denver. A while back, I grabbed more Clover Basin ditch shots down at Willow Farm so I hauled my D700 back down even though the sky was blank blue. I therefore had no choice but to point the camera downward for captures and keep the sky from the shots. Just like today and tomorrow and tomorrow! I decided that I needed some better originals to edit! I liked this view as well as the other. I got few real duds in my "action" takes of the ditch but I do have several NORMAL shots of the ditch now (they call it Willow Brook) but I call it a ditch. It's not much of one either. Let's face it, most of the St. Vrain stream flows have been ripped by the city to water blue grass instead of agriculture.

I can't figure why anyone would cut a ditch this darn squirrely. When I first saw it, It was nearly impossible to follow the reasoning for this ditch but it does seem that the floods scoured this ditch somewhat. I think I noticed the colors of the reflections and contrasts and decided to take advantage. They seemed to over-saturate in this case but that's about everything posted on Flickr. The water course was a bit torn up but there must have been no serious flooding here.

We hit the end of autumn then and the chills came through but we hit the 60s then after Christmas - so no coat. I won't go down to shoot ice today - it hit the 67 degrees in early December. No Coats, no Clarks either. I've still got a lot of captures in the temp directory in this stretch of no skies. I found Willow Farm on Google maps when searching for a barn I glimpsed and made some trips down there and added some more weird captures to temp stash. This is a shot of Willow Creek, another ditch, IMHO. I went back down with my D70 to see if I could capture some shot of the barn. I may go out tomorrow if we can retrieve some skies and clouds at all. I am pulling for a good sky with the front tomorrow.

Here is a normal, if not fairly slow hand held exposure. I already posted other shots that were "action" shots and they were the better shots. I burned up the Christmas lights this season. I grabbed a couple of slices in Lightroom and dropped them into Photoshop to see what might appear.

.....the square.

The last of the butterflies...***REALLY NEEDS TO BE SEEN ON BLACK TO SEE THE SQUARE...***

Squares, with a touch of something extra. This is a composition that - to me - demands the square. That the original was rotated into this configuration is irrelevant - it makes for a stronger play on the squareness, providing symmetry in gravity's effect. the ratios between all the square elements are all golden, and the position of the butterfly's eye likewise. What could have been a dull play on geometry is then made artistic through the touch of texture spilling across the boundaries....

IMG_5026

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Shared third place winner in the LCE 'Square Crop' competition!

MOLVA, la fleche

The dark eye that beholdeth ruin in every dawn is oft not guided by reason, but by the passing weather of the soul. When grief sitteth heavy upon the breast, when Fortune turneth her wheel against us, the world appeareth clothed in shadows, and every path seemeth to lead unto despair. Such is pessimism: a child of temperament, born of melancholy and nourished by fear.

Yet optimism springeth from another source. It is no blind merriment, nor a foolish denial of sorrow's presence. Rather, it is the sovereign act of the spirit. It beholdeth the storm and nameth it storm; it seeth the wound and knoweth it wound. Yet still it resolveth to advance. It saith, "Though the heavens rage and the earth tremble beneath my feet, I shall not yield my purpose."

For the pessimist asketh, "What if all should fail?" and, fearing the answer, remaineth still. The optimist asketh the selfsame question, yet answereth, "Then let me strive nevertheless." Thus is optimism not the gift of happy circumstance, but the courage of deliberate choice.

The nightingale singeth not because the night is free of darkness, but because song is its nature. So too doth the hopeful soul persist, not because suffering is absent, but because it willeth to answer suffering with action.

Therefore may it be said: pessimism descendeth upon a man as mist upon the field, unbidden and untamed; but optimism is a torch borne in the hand, kindled by resolve, and carried forward against the wind. For moods are the subjects of Fortune, yet the will remaineth the kingdom of man.

The Sociology of “Nature is Free”: Fragmentation, Modernity, Migration, and the Myth of the Liberated Entrepreneur in Early 20th-Century Iconography

The image Nature is Free offers a compelling visual allegory of the Statue of Liberty in profound transformation. Executed in a dynamic, woodcut-inspired graphic style echoing early 20th-century American propaganda and Art Deco vitality, the composition depicts Miss Liberty as simultaneously intact and shattered. One half of her face retains the serene, neoclassical composure of Enlightenment republicanism; the other erupts into raw crystalline formations, cascading waters, and geological forces. Explosive Sol Invictus-style sun rays, red-white-blue lightning bolts, and thrusting skyscrapers frame the scene, symbolizing both industrial triumph and cosmic rupture. The caption “Nature is Free” grounds the work in a vitalist declaration. This artwork functions as a potent sociological artifact, crystallizing the cultural, economic, political, and migratory upheavals of the late 19th and early 20th centuries — the passage from entrenched monarchical orders to a new world of individual enterprise, industrial capitalism, and mass migration.

Historical Context: The Dawn of the Free Entrepreneur and the Transatlantic Promise

The era around 1900, known as the Gilded Age in the United States and the Belle Époque in Europe, marked an explosive acceleration of modernization. In Europe, centuries of incessant warfare between kingdoms, principalities, and empires — from the Hundred Years’ War through the Napoleonic conflicts and the fragmented struggles of the 19th century — had produced profound structural poverty, demographic instability, and social rigidity. Feudal remnants, guild restrictions, aristocratic privileges, and monarchical absolutism (or its unstable successors) trapped large segments of the population in cycles of subsistence agriculture, conscription, and economic stagnation. The cumulative toll of over a millennium of dynastic and religious wars had devastated landscapes, depleted treasuries, and entrenched hierarchies that stifled broad-based opportunity.

In sharp contrast, the United States — and particularly its rapidly industrializing cities — represented an unprecedented opening. Here, the ideal of the self-made individual, the free entrepreneur unbound by hereditary status or royal charter, took root with dramatic force. This was the age of Carnegie, Rockefeller, Edison, and Ford; of railroads, steel mills, and electric grids. Sociologically, this transition aligns with Émile Durkheim’s shift from mechanical to organic solidarity, but it also generated anomie as traditional anchors dissolved. The fragmented Liberty in the image captures this precisely: the old European-derived symbol of republican enlightenment is cracking open, revealing primal, natural energies beneath.

Central to this narrative is mass migration. Between the 1880s and 1920s, millions of Europeans — Italians, Irish, Poles, Germans, Jews from the Russian Pale, Scandinavians, and others — crossed the Atlantic. For these migrants, often fleeing poverty exacerbated by war-torn histories, overpopulation, land scarcity, and political instability, the Statue of Liberty embodied a tangible promise of freedom. Freedom, in this context, was not merely abstract philosophical liberty or political rights; it was the concrete possibility of social mobility, economic self-determination, and escape from inherited misery. The “huddled masses yearning to breathe free” (Emma Lazarus) encountered a society where, despite harsh realities of tenement life and exploitation, the structural barriers of European feudalism and monarchical patronage were far weaker. A peasant’s son could become a factory owner, an immigrant peddler a department store magnate. This migratory dimension deepens the sociological meaning of “Nature is Free”: human nature, freed from the artificial constraints of Europe’s war-ravaged old order, could express its creative, acquisitive, and adaptive potential more fully on American soil.

Max Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1905) illuminates the cultural fuel behind this movement. The disciplined, worldly asceticism of Protestant (and often Jewish) migrant communities provided the motivational engine for entrepreneurial success. Yet the image’s syncretic symbolism — the crown evoking both Christ’s Crown of Thorns and Mithraic/Sol Invictus solar radiance — suggests a broader, secularized sacralization of this migratory enterprise. The entrepreneur, and by extension the ambitious migrant, becomes a modern hero bearing the flame of progress, much like the ancient Colossus of Rhodes that inspired Bartholdi’s statue. Migration thus emerges as the lived embodiment of creative destruction: old European forms shatter so that new American possibilities can crystallize.

Symbolic Fragmentation and the Dialectics of Liberation through Migration

The visual fracturing of Miss Freedom carries layered significance when viewed through the lens of migration. The intact classical side represents the imported European Enlightenment ideal — rational, universal, feminine. The shattered, mineral-and-aqueous side symbolizes the raw vitality unleashed by crossing the Atlantic: geological wealth (coal, iron, oil) fueling industry, fluid human movement (rivers of migrants), and the chaotic energy of reinvention. This duality echoes Georg Simmel’s analysis of metropolitan life: migrants experienced both overstimulation and liberation, shedding the “blasé” constraints of stratified European villages for the intense, individualistic stimulations of American cities.

From a Marxist perspective, while capitalism generates alienation, the migratory act itself represented a partial negation of feudal alienation. European peasants and workers, trapped by centuries of warfare-induced scarcity and rigid class structures, could sell their labor power in a more fluid market and, for some, accumulate capital. The image’s “Nature is Free” thus celebrates a vitalistic overcoming: human nature, long suppressed by the “ancient world” of kings, wars, and idols, asserts itself through the act of departure and reinvention. Nietzschean undertones are evident — the will to power finds expression not in aristocratic conquest but in the entrepreneurial conquest of the frontier and the factory floor.

This migratory freedom was profoundly selective and unequal. Not all succeeded; many endured exploitation, nativist backlash, and urban squalor. Yet the statistical reality remains striking: millions improved their material conditions and those of their descendants relative to what Europe’s war-scarred economies could offer. The Statue thus functioned as a powerful “boundary object” (in Star and Griesemer’s terms), uniting diverse ethnic groups under a shared myth of opportunity while legitimating the new industrial order.

Social Implications: Class, Ethnicity, Gender, and the Costs of Freedom

The cult of the free entrepreneur, symbolized here, reinforced ideologies of meritocracy and American exceptionalism, but it also masked deepening inequalities. Thorstein Veblen critiqued the conspicuous consumption of the new elite, yet the image romanticizes the productive forces — including migrant labor — that built it. European poverty, rooted in centuries of inter-kingdom warfare, created a vast reservoir of mobile labor that American capital eagerly absorbed. This influx accelerated industrialization but also generated social tensions: ethnic enclaves, labor conflicts, and debates over assimilation versus pluralism.Meliorism (Latin melior, better) is the idea that progress is a real concept and that humans can interfere with natural processes in order to improve the world.

Meliorism, as a conception of the person and society, is at the foundation of contemporary liberal democracy and human rights and is a basic component of liberalism.[1]

Another important understanding of the meliorist tradition comes from the American Pragmatic tradition, which can be found in the works of Lester Frank Ward, William James, and John Dewey. In James' works, however, meliorism does not point to progressivism and/or optimism. For James,[2] meliorism stands in the middle between optimism and pessimism and treats the salvation of the world as a probability rather than a certainty or impossibility. In the case of a meliorist praxis, the activist contemporary of the Pragmatists Jane Addams stripped progressive ideals of any elitist privilege, calling for a "lateral progress" whose concern was squarely with the common people.[3]

Meliorism has also been used by Arthur Caplan to describe positions in bioethics that are in favor of ameliorating conditions that cause suffering, even if the conditions have long existed (e.g., being in favor of cures for common diseases, being in favor of serious anti-aging therapies as they are developed).[citation needed]

A closely related concept, discussed by Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Marquis de Condorcet, is that of perfectibility of humans. Condorcet's statement, "Such is the object of the work I have undertaken; the result of which will be to show, from reasoning and from facts, that no bounds have been fixed to the improvement of the human faculties; that the perfectibility of man is absolutely indefinite; that the progress of this perfectibility, henceforth above the control of every power that would impede it, has no other limit than the duration of the globe upon which nature has placed us."[4] anticipates James' meliorism. Rousseau's treatment is somewhat weaker.[5]

Modern thinkers in this tradition are Hans Rosling and Max Roser. Roser expressed a melioristic position in the mission statement for Our World in Data.[6] He said that all three statements are true at the same time: "The world is much better. The world is awful. The world can be much better."[7] Like William James before him, Rosling held a halfway position between optimism and pessimism that emphasized humanity's capacity to improve the world.[8] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meliorism

Gendered dimensions intersect with migration. The feminine Liberty, partially dismantled, yields to more primal forces, mirroring how migrant women often entered wage labor (garment factories, domestic service) while challenging traditional European patriarchal structures. The flowing waters on the fragmented side evoke both fertility (new family lines in America) and the turbulence of displacement.

Durkheimian collective representations are at work: the image serves as a modern totem for an emergent industrial-mercantile society. Lightning symbolizes electricity — the lifeblood of the Second Industrial Revolution — while the American color palette nationalizes a universal migratory promise. The religious syncretism (Christian suffering + pagan solar renewal) provides transcendent legitimation for what was, at root, a massive demographic and economic transfer from a war-weary continent to a resource-rich republic.

Contemporary Resonance

Though anchored in the 1900s, Nature is Free speaks to enduring themes. In today’s debates over immigration, globalization, and economic liberty, the tension between ordered regulation and raw entrepreneurial nature persists. The image reminds us that freedom, for millions, has historically meant the chance to escape inherited poverty and violence for the possibility — however imperfect — of self-made improvement. It underscores capitalism’s dual character: simultaneously disruptive and generative, fracturing old worlds while birthing new ones.

In conclusion, Nature is Free documents the birth pangs of modern individualism through the prism of migration. It narrates the exodus from Europe’s millennium-long cycle of monarchical warfare, poverty, and constraint toward a horizon where human nature — creative, resilient, and promethean — could more freely unfold. The Statue’s fragmentation is not mere destruction but alchemical transformation: the shards of the old world fertilize the skyscrapers of the new. By sacralizing this process through syncretic myth and explosive aesthetics, the artwork legitimates the entrepreneur and the migrant as co-creators of modernity. Freedom, in this era, was above all the statistical and existential chance for thousands to trade the certainties of European hardship for the volatile opportunities of American reinvention. This myth, with its inherent fractures and promises, continues to shape how societies understand progress, human potential, and the perennial tension between rooted tradition and mobile nature.

Photo taken in the West Norway Museum of Decorative Art park, Bergen, Norway.

Throughout history, no other flower has been mentioned more than the rose, and for good reasoning. The rose has been mentioned in music, mythological stories, as an icon in movies, transformed into perfumes, and been sought as the go-to flower of love. Roses grow wild from the mountains of Norway, to as far south as Mexico. Roses were in such high demand during the 17th century, that royalty considered roses or rose water as legal tender, and were often used as barter and for payments. Today, now raised agriculturally for profit, the rose is the most popular selling flower nationally, and possibly globally.

www.roseshire.com/blogs/outsidethebox/15331185-ill-trade-...

I believe in a long, prolonged derangement of the senses to attain the unknown. Our pale reasoning hides the infinite from us. ~ Jim Morrison

Imagoism Thursday (IT) Dedicated to our friend imago2007

Dusit Zoo, Bangkok TH

Edgar Allen Poe House

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Raven

Poe chose a raven as the central symbol in the story because he wanted a "non-reasoning" creature capable of speech. Because of its black plumage, croaking call, and diet of carrion, the raven has long been considered a bird of ill omen and of interest to creators of myths and legends.

Poe said the raven is meant to symbolize "Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance". "The Raven" made Edgar Allan Poe a household name almost immediately, and turned Poe into a national celebrity. Hence the National Park Service runs this site in Philly.

The Free Library of Philadelphia has on display a taxidermied raven that is reputed to be the very one that Dickens owned and that helped inspire Poe's poem.

Explore #161

One song can spark a moment

One flower can wake the dream

One tree can start a forest

One bird can herald spring

One smile begins a friendship

One handclasp lifts a soul

One star can guide a ship at sea

One word can frame the goal

One vote can change a nation

One sunbeam lights a room

One candle wipes out darkness

One laugh will conquer gloom

One step must start each journey

One word must start each prayer

One hope will raise our spirits

One touch can show you care

One voice can speak with wisdom

One heart can know what's true

One life can make the difference

You see, it's up to you!!

Take care and let us be as one ;) Car xx

Today's Carsounds- Bob Marley - One Love

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8onbDZmAwhE

So here's another shot from yesterday!!

Intuitive- Using or based on what one feels to be true even without conscious reasoning; instinctive

I am very good at seeing people for what they really are.... even if it's only talking to them for a few minutes (I don't even need to see them to be able to read them). This is what makes me so good in Human Resources. When I interview people, I can quickly pick up on what type of person they are. Within 5 minutes of talking to someone I can tell if they are going to be a successful employee or if I'm wasting my time.

Sadly, with a few people, I tried to not listen to my intuitive side. I tried to give them the extra chances to prove their true motives, feeling and/or intentions. It ended up being pointless and true colors were shown. Shame on me for doubting myself. Lesson Learned =)

*** I am so excited for today. After breakfast I am going to explore the county and enjoy the weather. Keep your eye out. Should be pics coming soon ***

Today's We're Here! theme is Hot Stuff. I had planned on doing a nudie-selfie type thing, keeping the more delicate areas slightly out of view however, sound reasoning and a good dose of reality prevailed and I quickly realized that I would have to save this idea for the Old Farts in the Buff day. Just so happened though that saganaki was on the menu tonight... opa!

201/365 2019

Beauty has often overpowered the resolutions of the firm, and the reasonings of the wise, roused the old to sensibility, and subdued the rigorous to softness ~ Samuel Johnson

Wishing everyone a fabulous week...snow forecast here for tomorrow, whatever happened to Spring? Pah! :-(

The reasoning behind the seemingly perpetual 40km/h speed restriction on the goods line seems obvious as C505,506,507 & 509 ease through the curves of the goods line past Canterbury station with 4190 Sandgate - Botany Goods.

Since ancient times, the islands and coastal areas of Greece had boatyards where wooden ships were built. Wooden ships, also known in Greek as *kaikia* (aka caïque), played an important role in the economy.

These boats had unique technical, typological and cultural features, some of which dated back to the Byzantine-medieval era.

In 2013, the kaikia was added to Greece’s National Index of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Sadly, however, these works of art are today being destroyed after the European Union decided in 1983 to subsidize fishermen to scrap their boats. The initial reasoning behind this questionable decision was to tackle overfishing.

Besides the EU’s irrational decision which failed to consider the importance of the kaikia tradition for Greece, decades of inactivity on the part of Greek officials led to the destruction of thousands of handmade wooden boats.

Shasta daisy from my garden.

Way back in June I was mucking about on the iPaddle (as one does) playing with the distortion filters in Affinity. I probably should have been doing something more constructive but, hey-ho, life is too short.

So this is a set based around a flower pic. I chose it as a starting point because it’s a high-contrast image with oodles of radial symmetry, and I thought it would show up the distortion effects. (A slippery deceit of course as I conveniently invented the reasoning for my chaotic creative meandering after the fact - I suggest you never believe the fallacy that I really know what I am doing! :) ).

I’ll cover the processing notes for all the variants and replicate the commentary so you only need read it once (if at all, lol).

I’ll post a link to the in-camera original in the first comment.

Edit 1 - Colour

A plain colour version, then given a harsh gritty feel by duplicating the image and blending back probably with hard light (though I am not entirely sure).

Edit 2 - Plain B&W

The colour version converted to B&W. Bilateral blur (an edge-preserving blur which effectively smoothes out the petals. Glow filter … for a bit of glow (though te be honest I think it’s a bit of a misnomer) :)

Edit 3 - Twirl

Starting with the plain B&W added twirl in the centre and also a radial blur. Blended the original back to the twirly version with Soft Light.

Edit 4 - Shasttered

This used the Diffuse distortion filter (not the Diffuse Light filter) to create the diffusion look. Tweaked that a bit and then took the original B&W version and blended it back with the Subtract mode. This overprinted the diffuse look with an inverted version of the original.

I really like this effect - it reminded me of splatter painting in my young days (back in the caves in France ;) ). Or perhaps printing with a flower using black paper and white ink…

For Sliders Sunday. I’ll also put the three B&W versions into the 100x challenge as I am rather behind (as life around me doesn’t seem to pause for long enough).

Thank you for taking the time to look. I hope you enjoy the images. Happy Sliders Sunday and 100x!

[Handheld in daylight.

Raw development and all the subsequent processing done in Affinity Photo.]

Far from it's original home of Montreal, AMT 330 charges a rush-hour train over the Charles River drawbridge in north Boston. The Leonard P Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge, and the Amtrak Downeaster loom in the background. If anyone has any additional information about the reasoning for AMT on MBTA, feel free to drop a comment.

.. for the first time in my life as a photographer, I do not own a Nikon. I still own 2 Canons and now 1 Sony.. but it's very, very hard to give up an old friend.. aaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhh!

REASONING: I had 11 camera bags full of equipment (some 30 years old) and decided to cut back to maybe 3 bags. I knew that the biggest number of lenses I had were Canon so I decided to cut back to just Canon. I sent equipment to B&H Photo in NYC.. and I took a Canon 60D in trade (I wanted the articulated viewing screen)..Yes, they sent me a check for the balance.. While on their website I read about the Sony A57.. then looked up some reviews on it.. it also has an articulated back.. yeah, I bought one.. so ok.. 4 camera bags!.. I thank B&H for their patience with me and for helping me through the trauma.

~ Have a Joyous Weekend!

-- author unknown

not that i would agree, but i think the reasoning is funny.

.

Abused & Abandoned Jungle Dogs.

Back Story .........................................

Guilt has been eating at me even though I know everything

at the monkey temple is running smoothly.

Still it was getting to me. So late last night, like around midnight, I started packing all the necessary gear. Checked it, double checked it, then made a short list.

My eyes opened up and the clock said 4:20AM, ggggeeerrrrr.

Second time they opened it was 5:30AM. Time to go ...............

Lit the gas stove, placed a pan of chopped chicken over the flame and proceeded to fix breakfast for The Worm, Boney Boy and Mr WeeNee the Pig Man. Also there's an extra helping for Mamas breakfast. On the counter behind me is separate bags for Tuff Guy, Honey and the two extra puppies that live on The Leroy Crews Turf.

For all the other monkey temple dogs there's a big stash of dry kibble in the bingo room.

By 6AM I'm on the road heading in an Easterly direction, a sliver of light had just crested the horizon.

The cold snap we've been experiencing was biting at my flesh even though I have on two t-shirts, a cotton shirt and windbreaker. Felt like my right ear was starting an earache so I pulled over, cut a piece from my paper face mask and stuffed it into my ear, and it worked .

First thing I notice when pulling into The Dog Palace is 5 or 6 painters were gathered around a small fire made from leaves and twigs. Dismounted the scooter, squatted down and laid my cold hands on the mufflers heat shield. One of the painters came over and also placed his hands on the shield.

We just looked at each other, smiled and had a big laugh .. ;-)

Soon Mama was at my side and full of big excitement ...........

After feeding Mama we took off up the stairs towards the roof.

I realized right then and there that this wasn't going to be an easy walk. Right foot was screaming and the weight from the camera on my right wrist made for the same situation.

Picked up a piece of bamboo that was discarded by the painters and used it for a cane. Put the camera back into the blue cotton bag relieving the pain in my wrist.

Once we were on the roof I sent out a sharp whistle across the swamp towards The Nuns Place. Rocky instantly appeared and I started waving my arms while yelling out his name.

As you can see in this photo he was really happy to see me .. ;-)

Mama and Rocky went nuts chasing and crashing and doing what happy dogs do.

Plan A was cancelled and plan B was formulated due to the condition my condition was in. Made my way back to the bingo room and sat in a chair for a spell.

Caught my second wind, gathered up the dog food bags and took off for The Leroy Crews Turf, stopping periodically along the way.

Fed Honey, TG and the 2 puppies while in my best Ting/Lish explained to the head monk and his crew what all the gauze was wrapped around my wrist and foot. Handed him the rabies vaccine card, which is written in Thai and they immediately understood what had happened. Plus I think the nuns had already told them the situation.

Head monk raised his arm and flexed his muscle indicating in Thai, "you tough man" ! I guess that's one way to look at it.

Next photo shows a set of cement steps with 3 dogs on them.

I'll explain that one with the photo.

Ended up back at the bingo room with Mama where I took a much needed break. While doing so the dog brush came out and Mama received a good brushing, she loves this a lot.

By 11AM the gear was packed and I said my good byes .........

Stopped at a pharmacy on the way home and purchased a supply of 6 inch wide gauze bandage and 3 inch gauze pads.

There's a good reason for this. I knew upon my return from the monkey temple the bandages would be dirty and the only way to correct this is to replace them with new gauze.Simple as that.

Lets back up a little bit here.

Monday I was back at the hospital for more rabies shots and a bandage replacement.... The nurses were not happy with me !

The night before I had pulled the gauze bandages down and ripped the butterfly bandages off. Why you ask ? Simple ....

I had refused to let them stitch the wounds up and told them to only use butterfly bandages, then wrap gauze around the wounds.

Before you ask I'll explain my reasoning for the refusal on the stitches.

This local government hospital is famous for making extremely bad mistakes when treating any and all medical problems.

There's a reason why it is so cheep, so I had to make decisions for them.

If, and I say If they stitched the lacerations up and there was any contaminant still in the wounds infection would be eminent. In other words blood infection would show up with a long red stripe going up your arm, not good ! Been there done that !

By using butterfly bandages to pull the lacerations together and if infection started it would surface at the openings and any blood infection could be dealt with much easier.

Alright, getting back the new gauze recently purchased at the pharmacy. Once I've showered new gauze will be applied so when I go back to the hospital for more rabies shots tomorrow the nurses won't be in such a sour mood. There's a means to my madness ..... ;-)~

Tomorrow being Thursday and a visit to the local hospital usually takes up a big chunk of the day so there won't be another run out to care fore the dogs.

But, Friday I will do another run to feed Mama and all the monkey temple dogs. Once that task is completed I will continue on towards the Cambodian border to see no# 1 wife.

Thanks goes out to all of you who continue to send your support. And also for taking the time to leave your comments.

Thank You.

Jon&Crew.

Please help with your temple dog donations here.

www.gofundme.com/f/help-for-abandoned-thai-temple-dogs

Please,

No Political Statements, Awards,

Invites Large Logos or Copy/Pastes.

© All rights reserved.

.

It's that time of the year when it can be difficult to keep those pesky election banners from intruding into your autumn photos, but this one was different. In October of 1995 while visiting the Canadian Pacific lines in Quebec, a rare referendum vote to separate Quebec from the rest of Canada to become their own country was fast approaching. Being from the United States almost everyone we came across either wanted our opinion or was more than willing to express theirs! Just a glance at the New York registration could easily draw a crowd of locals that would normally completely ignore us! News in Canada rarely ever makes it south of the border, so we unknowingly stumble upon this battle of locals. I heard more reasoning of why "yes" and why, "no" for the vote that you could possibly imagine. Even the railroaders. Not once was hockey spoke of during the whole visit! At St. Pie I included one of thousands of "no/yes" banners that I'd see. Polling was on October, 30th. I'm sure you all know the outcome, because Quebec is still a province of Canada in 2018 however, it was one of the closest votes in democracy history with the "No" vote winning by a mere 54, 288 votes out of 5,087,009 caste with a 93.52% turnout. Now those are some crazy numbers!

"My cat never laughs or complains, is always reasoning." Miguel de Unamuno

(Mi gato nunca se ríe o se lamenta, siempre está razonando)

"A new command I give you: Love one another… " — New Testament, John 13:34

The original artwork was placed in the 21C Museum Hotel in Lexington, Kentucky. When I saw this piece I thought how amazing that even a religion of love can be perverted with logical reasoning, if we aren't careful, to support hatred to the detriment of ourselves and our children.

Artist: Gehard Demetz (Italian)

Title: How You Reacted was Right, 2011

Bronze

Caption next to the statue: "Children are often saddled with the sadness and sins of cultural, social, and familial history... The boy—a child soldier—carries a crucifix like a gun."

The photo of this statue, the caption and the interpretation are mine.

I feel I live in a space all to myself. If ever, one day, I become a butterfly, where I live might be seen as a cocoon. I love my house. I find many joy living in it. If I didn't, I would have moved out a long time ago: there is no point reasoning with me! I'm EVERYTHING but reasonable. Actually, I have the passion of what I'm doing, and I hope it shows. That's all that matters to me.

One of these well behaved and lovely brides will be the winner of "Best Sindy Wedding Gown" ever!!

Her prize will be a date with this young gentleman, who's anxiously been waiting to be let out of his box... What was that? .... He'd like to stay in there? .. Nonsense!

Anyway, to vote you simply write the year you think should win down below. You can add your jurys reasoning if you like. I will in a few days time count the votes and notify the winner..... and let Paul out. Hooray!!

I will then also reveal my own favorite.

_____________________________________

To you who just clicked on this photo. If you go to my stream you'll see all the 15 brides to choose from. Yeah I know, it's a lot, and you can only pick ONE.

"Break those under pressure."

---

The Astraea Type A, developed around ~2032 AD, is an assault rifle based off the now abandoned AR-15 and SCAR platforms. Designed to be as adaptable and reliable as possible, Kurai developed a plethora of accessories to compliment the rifle, some of which can be seen in the current display model, such as the red dot sight and the foregrip.

Seeing as how the AR-15 platform was reliable in its time, KTD developed a rifle that would possess that same reliability yet enhance it with the usual skilled craftsmanship that the armaments group possessed.

On paper, the Astraea Type A is merely an AR-15 based rifle but the rifle itself is much different, contrary to belief. The internals do not function in any sort of way similarly to that of the AR-15 rifle but instead utilizes a bolt system akin to that of the SCAR. Although not exact to FN's design, there were still some striking similarities.

The rifle is internally suppressed, yet still possesses phenomenal range in its class as if the suppressor never existed. There is a gas block but it is never exposed; the block is moved back significantly and is concealed by the RIS. Why this is the case is unknown as no design schematics ever comment on the placement or the reasoning behind this placement.

In order to enhance its reliability and effectiveness, the Astraea Type A was designed to be ambidextrous and offered basic implementations in its design to sustain reliability. One such feature is the recoil mitigation system, which works by countering the force of a shot by traveling in the opposite direction. The bolt moves back enough to operate smoothly, but the system absorbs the shock and movement created by the recoil as a result of a transfer of kinetic energy. The energy becomes transferred towards the recoil mitigation system rather than the whole weapon itself.

The Astraea Type A has seen use in the battlefield and in urban environments, especially in regions and countries that are facing internal conflict. It has been used in roles outside of its assault rifle configuration; the Astraea can be reconfigured to be a DMR or a CQC viable weapon at any time. The amount of accessories developed for the Astraea made this possible and thus, it is difficult to determine what the weapon actually is.

Regardless of its configuration, the Astraea completes its job with high efficiency in the least amount of time possible and it is this result that has made the weapon so well known on the field. The weapon is an example of excellent craftsmanship, as always expected by the Kurai Tactical Division.

*Display model is the right handed model. Left handed and ambidextrous receivers are also available

Rahmen und Bezugsrahmen ...

does this work together ... ?

color-key but no fake, life is more surprising than all your fantasies ...

red curls like blazing flames ...

she's on fire ... she is burning ...

See waht Wiki says ...

Passion (emotion)

"Heat of the moment" redirects here. For other uses, see Heat of the Moment (disambiguation).

Frederick Goodall's Passionate Encounter

Part of a series on

Emotions

AcceptanceAffectionAmusementAngerAngstAnguishAnnoyanceAnticipationAnxietyApathyArousalAweBoredomConfidenceContemptContentmentCourageCuriosityDepressionDesireDisappointmentDisgustDistrustDoubtEcstasyEmbarrassmentEmpathyEnthusiasmEnvyEuphoriaFaithFearFrustrationGratificationGratitudeGreedGriefGuiltHappinessHatredHopeHorrorHostilityHumiliationInterestJealousyJoyKindnessLonelinessLoveLustNostalgiaOutragePanicPassionPityPleasurePrideRageRegretRejectionRemorseResentmentSadnessSelf-pityShameShockShynessSocial connectionSorrowSufferingSurpriseTrustWonderWorry

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Together.png

Relationships

(Outline)

Types

Activities

Endings

Emotions and feelings

AffinityAttachmentIntimacyJealousyLimerenceLove PlatonicunconditionalPassionSexuality

Practices

Abuse

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Passion (Greek πάσχω "to suffer, to be acted on" and Late Latin (chiefly Christian) passio "passion; suffering" (from Latin pati "to suffer"; participle: passus)) is a feeling of intense enthusiasm towards or compelling desire for someone or something. Passion can range from eager interest in or admiration for an idea, proposal, or cause; to enthusiastic enjoyment of an interest or activity; to strong attraction, excitement, or emotion towards a person. It is particularly used in the context of romance or sexual desire, though it generally implies a deeper or more encompassing emotion than that implied by the term lust.

Denis Diderot (1713-1784) describes passions as

"penchants, inclinations, desires and aversions carried to a certain degree of intensity, combined with an indistinct sensation of pleasure or pain, occasioned or accompanied by some irregular movement of the blood and animal spirits, are what we call passions. They can be so strong as to inhibit all practice of personal freedom, a state in which the soul is in some sense rendered passive; whence the name passions. This inclination or so-called disposition of the soul, is born of the opinion we hold that a great good or a great evil is contained in an object which in and of itself arouses passion".

Diderot further breaks down pleasure and pain, which he sees as the guiding principles of passion, into four major categories:

Pleasures and pains of the senses

Pleasures of the mind or of the imagination

Our perfection or our imperfection of virtues or vices

Pleasures and pains in the happiness or misfortunes of others

Modern pop-psychologies and employers tend to favor and even encourage the expression of a "passion"; previous generations sometimes expressed more nuanced viewpoints.[

Emotion

The standard definition for emotion is a "Natural instinctive state of mind deriving from one's circumstances, mood, or relationships with others".

Emotion, William James describes emotions as "corporeal reverberations such as surprise, curiosity, rapture, fear, anger, lust, greed and the like." These are all feelings that affect our mental perception. Our body is placed into this latter state, which is caused by one's mental affection. This state gives signals to our body which cause bodily expressions.

The philosopher Robert Solomon developed his own theory and definition of emotion. His view is that emotion is not a bodily state, but instead a type of judge. "It is necessary that we choose our emotions, in much the same way that we choose our actions" With regard to the relationship between emotion and our rational will, Solomon believes that people are responsible for their emotions. Emotions are rational and purposive, just as actions are. "We choose an emotion much as we choose a course of action."

Recent studies, also traditional studies have placed emotions to be a physiological disturbance. William James takes such consciousness of emotion to be not a choice but a physical occurrence rather than a disturbance. It is an occurrence that happens outside of our control, and our bodies are just affected by these emotions. We produce these actions based on the instinctive state that these feelings lead us towards.

This concept of emotion was derived from passion. Emotions were created as a category within passion.

Reason

Strong Desire for something: In whatever context, if someone desires for something and that desire has some strong feeling or emotion is defined in terms of passion. Passion has no boundary, being passionate about something which is boundless can be sometimes dangerous, In which person forget about everything and is fully determined towards the particular thing-(Sanyukta)

In his wake, Stoics like Epictetus emphasized that "the most important and especially pressing field of study is that which has to do with the stronger emotions...sorrows, lamentations, envies...passions which make it impossible for us even to listen to reason".

The Stoic tradition still lay behind Hamlet's plea to "Give me that man That is not passion's slave, and I will wear him In my heart's core", or Erasmus's lament that "Jupiter has bestowed far more passion than reason – you could calculate the ratio as 24 to one". It was only with the Romantic movement that a valorisation of passion over reason took hold in the Western tradition: "the more Passion there is, the better the Poetry".

The recent concerns of emotional intelligence have been to find a synthesis of the two forces—something that "turns the old understanding of the tension between reason and feeling on its head: it is not that we want to do away with emotion and put reason in its place, as Erasmus had it, but instead find the intelligent balance of the two".

"Descartes' Error"

Antonio Damasio studied what ensued when something "severed ties between the lower centres of the emotional brain...and the thinking abilities of the neocortex". He found that while "emotions and feelings can cause havoc in the processes of reasoning...the absence of emotion and feeling is no less damaging"; and was led to "the counter-intuitive position that feelings are typically indispensable for rational decisions".

The passions, he concluded, "have a say on how the rest of the brain and cognition go about their business. Their influence is immense...[providing] a frame of reference – as opposed to Descartes' error...the Cartesian idea of a disembodied mind".

In marriage

A tension or dialectic between marriage and passion can be traced back in Western society at least as far as the Middle Ages, and the emergence of the cult of courtly love. Denis de Rougemont has argued that 'since its origins in the twelfth century, passionate love was constituted in opposition to marriage'.

Stacey Oliker writes that while "Puritanism prepared the ground for a marital love ideology by prescribing love in marriage", only from the eighteenth century has "romantic love ideology resolved the Puritan antagonism between passion and reason" in a marital context. (Note though that Saint Paul spoke of loving one's wife in Ephesians 5.)

Intellectual passions

George Bernard Shaw "insists that there are passions far more exciting than the physical ones...'intellectual passion, mathematical passion, passion for discovery and exploration: the mightiest of all passions'". His contemporary, Sigmund Freud, argued for a continuity (not a contrast) between the two, physical and intellectual, and commended the way "Leonardo had energetically sublimated his sexual passions into the passion for independent scientific research".

As a motivation in an occupation

There are different reasons individuals are motivated in an occupation. These may include a passion for the occupation, for a firm, or for an activity. When Canadian managers or professionals score as passionate about their occupation they tend to be less obsessive about their behavior while on their job, resulting in more work being done and more work satisfaction. These same individuals have higher levels of psychological well-being. When people genuinely enjoy their profession and are motivated by their passion, they tend to be more satisfied with their work and more psychologically healthy.[citation needed] When managers or professionals are unsatisfied with their profession they tend to also be dissatisfied with their family relationships and to experience psychological distress.

Other reasons people are more satisfied when they are motivated by their passion for their occupation include the effects of intrinsic and external motivations. When Canadian managers or professionals do a job to satisfy others, they tend to have lower levels of satisfaction and psychological health. Also, these same individuals have shown they are motivated by several beliefs and fears concerning other people.

Thirdly, though some individuals believe one should not work extreme hours, many prefer it because of how passionate they are about the occupation. On the other hand, this may also put a strain on family relationships and friendships.

The balance of the two is something that is hard to achieve and it is always hard to satisfy both parties.

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This is not actually a military cemetery ... It is family owned and operated ...

Last year on Memorial Day, I featured my father in law, that had served in war time ... This year I thought I would talk a bit about my own father ..

He was drafted, into the service in 1959, to Fort Bragg NC ..

and served to 1965..

He was in the Army, shortly after he and mother married ..

This is a week end, to remember those, that did not make it home, as well as those ,that have gone on ..

and for those that served, and are still here, to tell about it ..

I so appreciate you every one ...

No matter the branch of service, every service man/ woman was in there for the same reasoning .. FREEDOM

and that does not come , Free at all .. or to cheap either ...

God's blessings on all those that have served, serving, and may go onto to serve ... You are the UNSUNG Heroes at times,

but in my eyes you are the Heroes, that paved the way ..

I so appreciate you everyone,

Several here on Flickr, have been in the service, and when tick comes to tack, it does not matter the branch, all of you were there for the same reason ... and I appreciate you everyone .. God's blessings to all !

In the south, usually before Memorial Day, We here in Tennessee have " Decoration Sunday" the Sunday before Memorial Day ..

When I was smaller, I have known, my family to have this all day, and gather, with kin folks, for a time of fellowshipping, and even dinner on the grounds ....

This grave yard is beautifully adorned, we have had a HUGE storm come thru, minutes ago, I hope all the beautiful flowers are not blown to smithereens!

Have A blessed filled Sunday My Friends ... Cindy 2017...

During the chase of BNSF 4986 E along the Hi-Line Subdivision, the eastbound grain train would meet a westbound grain train that was in the hole at NYACK waiting for clearance down the pass. It was 13:35 by the time both trains met, and I figured it would make sense to break off the eastbound and chase the westbound back down the pass towards Columbia Falls and grab lunch afterwards. I had no clue was on the head end for power either; who knew what it was, it could’ve been something good, which only added to my reasoning. Dispatch wasted no time giving the westbound a light towards Whitefish, kicking off a brief 20-somethin-minute long chase through the Flathead Range.

An opening in the foliage along U.S. Route 2 at Bad Rock Canyon along the Flathead River proved to be a suitable spot to set up at, although by all means not a unique angle [the geotags at this location on RailfanAtlas say so]. At 14:07, the westbound would come into sight weaving it’s way along the northern banks of the River downgrade approaching CONKELLEY. #BNSF5828 [ES44AC] and #BNSF1018 [Dash 9-44CW] lead the company grain train through the Canyon trodding over a heavily graffitied retaining wall. The two lead units sport distinguishable paint scheme, neither of which are widely used on the roster.

5828 has the distinction of being the first of ten “25th Anniversary”GEVO’s painted in Mid-America Car in 2020 for BNSF. The units sport the decals of eight predecessor railroads: The CB&Q, Great Northern, Northern Pacific, Burlington Northern, ATSF, Frisco, Colorado & Southern, and the Spokane, Portland & Seattle. The trailing 1018 sports the railroad’s “Heritage 1” paint, the company’s first official paint scheme introduced in 1996. Two other BNSF motors would bring up the rear in DP position; a 2x2 grain train.

•

Columbia Falls, MT

BNSF Hi-Line Subdivision

Date: 07/30/2022 | 14:07

ID: [unknown]

Type: Grain

Direction: Westbound

Car Count: 115

1. BNSF ES44AC #5828 [25th Anniversary]

2. BNSF C44-9W #1018

3. BNSF C44-9W #5044 [DPU]

4. BNSF ES44C4 #6599 [DPU]

•

© Vicente Alonso 2022

This is not a new MOC. I mean, just take a look at the dust on it.

This ship started out as one of two identical ships. I forget the exact reasoning now, but at some point I decided to make this one all rusty and decrepit. I had planned on using it for my FEZ webcomic, but that has kinda stalled.....

Little Dragon - Feather (Live)

Right click link. Select "Open in New Window

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO0STeO149Y

View Large:

www.flickr.com/photos/manuelbranco/39836270362/sizes/o/

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Witch House Mix VI

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyqeIyL7mOs&t=210s

As I pulled up in front of this truck to take it's picture, a security guard got off his folding chair and waved me along before I could even put the car in park, "Noooooooope, move it on outta here buddy." I tried to explain that I was only going to be a second but he wasn't having it and even though I knew I could park, shoot and be gone in less than a minute, he insisted, "That there's teamster shit and they'll have my ass if you park there." Sometimes you can just tell that no amount of reasoning is gonna let you convince someone when their mind's made up. He had no problem letting me park in the red zone ten feet in front of where I was though since, "that's outta my jurisdiction, you can do whatever you want over there." Ok, thanks. Luckily there wasn't a repeat of what happened the last time I shot one of these while parked in a red zone. Westlake neighborhood. Los Angeles, California.

Four years of college were spent learning 35mm film photography. I didn't fully embrace the medium as I preferred pixels over silver-halides at the time. Because the subject matter and working-series that I pursued had a more conceptual nature to it I needed the resolution to doctor the files as much as I could to achieve the vision. However so, being in a darkroom setting developing film and creating water-based prints left a lasting-impression. Now with a much clearer understanding of the self and the world around I see a balance of purity, activity and inertia. Analog photography is experiencing a great return which compels many too slow down and drop into the field of pure awareness. After reasoning with a few like-minded shooters and reviewing their work I realized that there is something about film that renders uniquely compared to digital imagery. Feeling into the realization I decided to call-in the Leica M6 Re-Issue before returning to the East. The Leica M6 is an analog rangefinder camera with an integrated light meter. Its predecessor was introduced in 1984. Almost 175,000 units were built in different versions until 2003. Like no other Leica M camera, the Leica M6 is a tool that keeps evoking admiration from photographers around the world.

www.Chancenkosigomez.com

www.Instagram.com/nkosiart

Nkosi.artiste@gmail.com

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Chance Nkosi Gomez known initiated by H.H Swami Jyotirmayanda as Sri Govinda walks an integral yogic path in which photography is the primary creative field of expression. The medium was introduced during sophomore year of high school by educator Dr. Devin Marsh of Robert Morgan Educational Center. Coming into alignment with light, its nature and articulating the camera was the focus during that time. Thereafter while completing a Photographic Technology Degree, the realization of what made an image “striking” came to the foreground of the inner dialogue. These college years brought forth major absorption and reflection as an apprentice to photographer and educator Tony A. Chirinos of Miami Dade College. The process of working towards a singular idea of interest and thus building a series became the heading from here on while the camera aided in cultivating an adherence to the present moment. The viewfinder resembles a doorway to the unified field of consciousness in which line, shape, form, color, value, texture all dissolve. It is here that the yogi is reminded of sat-chit-ananda (the supreme reality as all-pervading; pure consciousness). As of May 2024 Govinda has completed his 300hr yoga teacher training program at Sattva Yoga Academy studying from Master Yogi Anand Mehrotra in Rishikesh, India, Himalayas. This has strengthened his personal Sadhana and allows one to carry and share ancient Vedic Technology leading others in ultimately directing their intellect to bloom into intuition. As awareness and self-realization grows so does the imagery that is all at once divine in the mastery of capturing and controlling light. Over the last seven years he has self-published six photographic books, Follow me i’ll be right behind you (2017), Sonata - Minimal Study (2018), Birds Singing Lies (2018), Rwanda (2019), Where does the body begin? (2019) & Swayam Jyotis (2023). Currently, Govinda is employed at the Leica Store Miami as a camera specialist and starting his journey as a practitioner of yoga ॐ

[...] Damit sind nur zwei Schlussfolgerungen möglich. Entweder, der Riss ist ein rein räumliches Phänomen, ihm fehlt also die Zeit-Dimension. Oder man muss ihn unabhängig von unserem Raum-Zeit-Gefüge betrachten. Beide Fälle lassen sich mit der M6 zur Verfügung stehenden Physik weder berechnen noch simulieren. Aber es gibt zumindest ein Experiment, mit dem er herausfinden kann, um welche der beiden Alternativen es sich handelt. Im ersten Fall passiert nichts, im zweiten kann alles Mögliche passieren, außer dass nichts passiert. Oder hat er dabei irgendeinen Denkfehler begangen? Etwas Unveränderliches ohne Zeitdimension kann auch ihn nicht verändern, ganz egal, was er tut. Fall eins scheint klar zu sein. Aber der zweite Fall? Was geschieht, wenn er sich außerhalb von Raum und Zeit begibt? Verschwindet er aus diesem Universum? Das hätte schreckliche Konsequenzen, denn es würde Ursache und Wirkung durcheinanderbringen. Oder bleibt eine Kopie von ihm zurück, um die Geschichte nicht durcheinanderzubringen? Das wäre besonderes Pech. Dann würde er glauben, dass nichts passiert ist, also Fall eins eingetreten ist, aber in Wirklichkeit handelte es sich doch um den zweiten Fall. Das ist doch zum Haareraufen! Und welcher seiner Programmierer hat ihm bitte diese Wendung beigebracht! M6 spürt, dass er in die gefährlichen Gefilde der Quanten-Unsicherheiten abzurutschen droht. Er will, in den Begriffen der Quantenphysik, ein Experiment durchführen, dessen Ausgang davon abhängt, ob es einen neutralen Beobachter gibt. Ein Beobachter steht ihm aber nicht zur Verfügung. Jedenfalls noch nicht [...]

(Brandon Q. Morris, "Der Riss" - {Sonnensystem 3})

***

[...] Only two conclusions can be drawn from this. Either, the rift is a purely spatial phenomenon, so it lacks the time dimension. Or you have to look at it independently of our space-time structure. Both cases can neither be calculated nor simulated with the physics available to M6. But there is at least one experiment that he can use to find out which of the two alternatives it is. In the first case nothing happens, in the second anything can happen except nothing happens. Or did he make some mistake in reasoning? Something immutable without a dimension of time cannot change him either, no matter what he does. Case one seems clear. But the second case? What happens when he goes outside of space and time? Does he disappear from this universe? This would have dire consequences, for it would confuse cause and effect. Or does a copy of him stay behind so as not to mess up the story? That would be particularly bad luck. Then he would think that nothing had happened, that case one had occurred, but in fact it was the second case. That's hair-raising! And which of his programmers please taught him this turn! M6 senses he is slipping into the dangerous realms of quantum uncertainty. He wants, in terms of quantum physics, to conduct an experiment whose outcome depends on whether there is a neutral observer. However, an observer is not available to him. At least not yet [...]

(Brandon Q. Morris, "The Rift" {Solar System 3})

This is just kind of for fun....I'm rather interested right now when I think what could have caused this circular hole in solid rock. This is up at Glacier National Park out in the middle of rugged outdoors along a lovely, fast moving creek...McDonald Creek. I mean it's so round!! Guess forces of nature can do this but it seems so odd!!! LOL...any and all guesses, theories, reasonings are welcome! LOL...just funning with you all this weekend!! :)

Thank you for the info Sheila Hill :)

I read somewhere, can't remember now, that Paul Klee once said something to the effect of: Painting is just knowing where to put the color. By that reasoning, I suppose photography is just knowing where to point the camera.

Day Whatever:

I'm Starting To Hate Showing Anything I Create To People.

They Don't Get It.

They Worry About Me.

And When I Try To Explain My Reasoning, They Suspect A Cover-Up.

Well Fine.

Think What You Like About My Art.

I Like My Art That Makes You Think.

29.03.15

So as it has been pretty apparent I have not been happy with a lot of my photos lately. And this is no exception. I'm still in a slump, but only because it's caused by myself. The easiest way to put it is that my work feels so weak from where I want it to be. but I know that by pushing myself so hard I know I'll get there. I've gotten to know myself pretty well and what I need to do to get where I want to be.

Now the reasoning behind this photo. This is one of my original ideas for this months Concept Collaboration theme "The World of the Others". As soon as this theme was released I immediately thought of it as not the work of the others, but the parts of ourselves that we don't share with others, or even ourselves to some degree. At some point we break, wear down, and it never a good ending when we break.

Another thing I do with my photos is have a billion variations. Pushing each on till they break, then bring it back just before the breaking point. One of the variations for this shot was have a little bit of smoke come out of the broken window panes to represent the fact that I'm still working really hard on this project, even if it's not coming out just the way I want it to. But it was still a little to much to I took it out. I really like the amount of blank space, it's simple enough as it is, and tells a full story.

p.s. I've become really good at b.s. meanings for photos if you even need help justifying something.

How were your weekends, do anything cool, exciting, notable? Give me the details. (this is a chance to live vicariously live a weekend thought you as I no longer have free time)

The Iron Aged Verraco, probably from the important hill fort 'Castro of Las Merchanas' is currently situated on the main square of the charming town of Lumbrales in Spain. It does not look ancient. It is called a 'donkey' (Burro de la Barrera), yet looks like a striding bear with flat snout, small ears and the dangling tail of Spanish brown bear size, and not thin or curling as a boar or frilled as a donkey. It has a frown and heavy shoulders. Contrast this stride with the lowered playful front legs of the potential dog pictured below. The verraco is described as a 'pig' in a specialist catalogue and their reasoning will be wise, so watch with an open mind and a hat against the sun. The sculpture is 120 cm and 84 cm high, and from around 2500 years old - maybe less (as far as 2200 ybp), with the granite sculpted using the then new iron tools. From an important Spanish mosaic of Celtic peoples known as the Vettóns.

Apocalypse series recap:

The world will never be the same again. America was destroyed by God’s judgment. Indeed, earth-shattering calamity befell America. It was so terrifying that we all trembled.

The economy collapsed and violence erupted. Rioting and looting broke out across America. Fires consumed America’s cities; armoured vehicles rolled through the streets. The world was shocked by the violence in New York City. Thousands of fires burned throughout the city, and the National Guard lined its streets.

Eventually things calmed down for a short time. Then all of a sudden, from the middle of the country, groups took up arms against the government. While the government was distracted, the Russians attacked. They made their move when America was weak and vulnerable. They launched nuclear missiles and the U.S. went up in flames. Unexpectedly, in one hour, a nuclear holocaust engulfed them. California, New York, and Florida were destroyed in seconds—like Sodom and Gomorrah.

The Russians crossed over to Alaska. They came down through Canada—where I am from. They headed south, toward the city of Seattle and toward the eastern United States. They also landed on the beaches. I even heard rumours that Chinese troops were on the ground.

The battle in America was fierce. They were fighting for their lives. There was no hope for them. Yet, in the end, they cried out to the God of their fathers. God had compassion on them, and they were able to drive their enemies from the land. America, however, was left in utter ruins. Now, they are weak and impoverished; their cities are heaps of rubble. America is nothing; it is no longer of any significance.

Vladimir Putin turned away from America. He then set his face toward Israel for the Battle of Gog and Magog—just as the Bible says: I will turn you around; I will put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army. Yes indeed, Russia advanced like a storm, like a cloud covering the land. Along with them were Turkey, Iran, Sudan, Libya, and many others. But God sent a great earthquake to shake the land of Israel. He threw them into a panic, and they turned and kill one another. They fell dead on the mountains of Israel, because God executed judgment on Gog and all his hordes with pestilence and bloodshed.

The First Seal; a Rider on a White Horse; a great peacemaker; a charismatic politician from Europe stepped onto the scene, saying, “Peace and security.” This man accomplished what his predecessors could not: he negotiated a peace treaty in the Middle East between Israel and the Arabs—just as it is written: he will confirm a covenant with many for one week. So Israel signed the seven year peace deal and started building the Temple. Remember what Jesus said, “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.”

Bloodshed, calamity, and death—oh what fun. Wars, famines, and plagues—God’s judgment has come. Then I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and because of the testimony which they had given. Heaven and earth shakes: falling stars and earthquakes—every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the officials and generals, the wealthy and powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. “Fall on us!” they yelled to the mountains and to the rocks. “Hide us from the face of the One who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

One-third of the earth was burned up, one-third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. One-third of the sea turned into blood. One-third of all the sea creatures died, and one-third of the ships were destroyed. One-third of the rivers and springs turned into wormwood, and many people died from drinking the water. One-third of the sun, one-third of the moon, and one-third of the stars were struck so that one-third of them turned dark. One-third of the day was without light, and also one-third of the night. Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, for the worst is yet to come.

The Kings of the East marching out for war; China and its allies causing terror and horror; A two hundred million man army trained for battle; One-third of mankind killed—slaughtered like cattle.

Remember that charismatic politician, the one who brokered the peace treaty with Israel three and a half years ago? Well, as you can see, he is the Antichrist. It is true! With one mind they gave their power and authority to the Beast. He was given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation. Every kind of satanic power, sign, and false wonder was performed to deceive the people, because they had rejected the truth that would save them. Indeed, the Beast was mortally wounded but came back to life, and the whole world was amazed and followed him. They set up an image in honor of the Beast, and life was given to the image. The image was able to talk, and it killed all who did not worship it. And all people were forced to receive a Mark on their right hand or forehead, because no one could buy or sell without the Mark of the Beast. They worshiped the Dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—because he had given authority to the Beast. Remember what Jesus said, “When you see the Abomination that causes Desolation (the image of the Beast) standing in the Temple, then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains!”

Horrible, painful sores broke out on those who had the Mark of the Beast and who worshiped his image. Their wickedness caused them even greater calamity. The sea, rivers, and springs became like the blood of a corpse, and everything in them died. “For they have shed the blood of the saints and prophets, and You God have given them blood to drink as they deserve.” The sun scorched people with fire, searing them with intense heat. They blasphemed the name of God, who had power over these plagues, and they did not repent and give Him glory. Darkness fell upon the Beast’s Kingdom, and people gnawed their tongues in agony, yet they still refused to repent of their deeds. Then the great Euphrates River dried up to prepare the way for the Kings of the East, who were marching towards God’s judgment.

The nations of the earth prepared for war; world supremacy was on their minds. Flashes of lightning, roars of thunder, and hundred pound hailstones fell from the sky. The worst earthquake in human history shook the world to its core. Every island sunk, every mountain crumbled, and every city collapsed. Then the Beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies marched out for the Battle of Armageddon. Fire burned before them, and blood, fire, and billows of smoke followed behind them. They surrounded Jerusalem, and the city was captured. The light of the sun and the moon were darkened, and the stars did not shine. When the next day came, the daylight remained darkened. It was a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. It was a unique day, with no difference between day and night. But mark my words, when evening comes, there will be light!

Behold, the Day of the Lord is here! The Great Day of His wrath has come, and who can endure it? Heaven opened, and there came a Rider on a white horse. He is called Faithful and True—the King of kings and Lord of lords. The Beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies waged war against the Rider on the white horse. But a great panic from the Lord came upon them, and they turned and killed one another. Then a sword came from the mouth of the Rider, and the flesh of His enemies rotted while they stood on their feet—their eyes rotted in their sockets, and their tongues rotted in their mouths. Outside Jerusalem blood flowed for one hundred and eighty miles. As for the Beast, he and his cohort were thrown alive into the Lake of Fire. Now the Lord Jesus Christ rules and reigns on earth. Amen and Amen!