Busier times at Rook Yard on the former P&WV.

The frac sand boom has since died off at Rook, and so has the gas trans loading that took place in the yard as well. This picture, taken in August of 2014 shows when the Wheeling was finally pouring some of the money they were making back into their own infrastructure. As a direct result, new ties, brand new CWR and tons of new ballast were laid to replace the older materials. The yard tracks were also slightly lengthened as well.

Basically, the yard was completely rebuilt from the ties up. Although rebuilt, this proved to be a constant challenge during the first year of the rehabilitation. This resulted in more ballast being needed than originally thought.

For some reasoning this day, the 610 Rook crew was unable to use the Wheeling power sitting on the west end of the yard for switching duties. This left 2 AVR unit's as the only power in the yard left that could be used.

A call was made from the Wheeling dispatcher to Carload Express to seek permission, which was later granted. During the earlier years of the natural gas boom on the Wheeling, yards consistently found themselves short on power throughout the system. As a direct result an order of 20+ SD40-2's were purchased off of various leasing companies to help shore things up.

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.

B.L.M. = Black Labs Matter - All the rest is bullshit

Flickr should be about PHOTOGRAPHY and not political correctness.

Before I was an Army helicopter Pilot, I served all races, religions, and creeds as an Army Medic. Trust me on this, we all bleed the same color. Beneath the epidermis, we are all the same color.

Mr. George Floyd was needlessly killed by a white Minneapolis Police Officer.

Ms. Justine Ruszczyk was needlessly killed by a black Minneapolis Police Officer. She is white (Caucasian). Oddly, racism was claimed when he was prosecuted for her death. How does that work?

Did anyone riot, loot, torch cars in the streets, burn shops, and tear down statues, in memory of her?

Or, doesn't her life matter as much?

Flickr, if you do not like my reasoning or if it represents too much truth and logic, then do not send me SPAM!

All you are doing is perpetuating anarchy, like facebook, twitter, and media pretending to be fair and unbiased.

Not your every day occurrence but from time to time the dispatcher will route Amtrak 5 down the uphill track 2 instead of the downhill track 1 to the right. The reasoning behind this decision on this afternoon was likely due to a few things. One being that 5 was almost an hour late and by using the short, faster track 2, it would help make up for lost time. The other being, while 5 was at its station stop on track 2 in Colfax, an eastbound stack train was climbing the grade below on track 1 because of not having tunnel clearance for its double stacks on track 2 through Applegate. The dispatcher decided to keep 5 on track 2 for the rest of the way down to Roseville. Here it is seen approaching the double tracked tunnel 18 at Newcastle, CA in late afternoon light. September 2017

Uno de los encuentros que más me han emocionado desde que vengo haciendo fotografía de naturaleza. Me he enamorado de estas flores después de una charla que nos dio Eladio Fernández en ADFONA sobre estas maravillas tan discretas y sensuales.

Llevo 3 especies vistas, 2 fotografiadas.

Aristolochia adiastola (hoja )

Texto por @pedrogenaro publicado en pedrogenaro.blogspot.com/ con toda la historia detrás de esta fotografía y especie.

===+ENGLISH+===

One of the encounters that has excited me the most since I began nature photography. I fell in love with these flowers after a talk Eladio Fernández gave us at ADFONA about these discreet and sensual wonders.

I have seen 3 species so far, 2 of which I’ve photographed.

Aristolochia adiastola (leaf)

Text by @pedrogenaro, published at pedrogenaro.blogspot.com with the full story behind this photograph and species.

Yesterday, while my friends José Miguel Pantaleón, Carlos Gómez (Gogolac), and I were doing macro photography at the Río Higuamo Wildlife Refuge, Carlos found some Aristolochia sp. leaves. After searching insistently, he first found the capsule and later the first flower (he found five in total). His joy was truly contagious. I knew I had photographed the species before, but I couldn't remember the name, even though Eladio Fernández had told me its story just two years ago—first in a phone call and later during a talk at ADFONA.

To provide some context, I first learned about these fascinating flowers through Dr. Luis Marión Heredia (who passed away far too soon), whose home I visited with my friend Adolfo Gottschalk. Dr. Marión’s interests found fertile ground in my brother, Eladio Fernández, a conservation photographer, who has taken up and expanded the study of Aristolochias on Hispaniola. He has approached this not only as a photographic project but also with scientific rigour, advised by the research department at Harvard University (Irina Ferreras, Brian Farrell, Bruno De Medeiros, and Gustavo Romero) and the National Botanical Garden. You can find the full story of these marvellous plants in a special chapter of 'Naturalista isleño', featuring Eladio himself.

Returning to the flower found at the Río Higuamo Wildlife Refuge, Eladio confirmed to us that it was Aristolochia adiastola. Dr. José Miguel Pantaleón (Cimarron Mayor) and I have a habit of looking into the reasoning behind species names, whether through etymology or dedication to a person. The anecdotes hidden behind these names are sometimes fascinating. In this case, I found the etymology: ἁδιαστολή, adiastolos, meaning 'not separated, confused.' This refers to the fact that this flower was thought to be another called Aristolochia bilobata. Thanks in part to Eladio's photographs, it was determined that its floral morphology was distinct. In fact, two more species related to A. bilobata appeared and were named A. bonettiana and A. marioniana in honour of Mrs. Rosa Margarita (Pirigua) Bonetti and Dr. Luis Marión Heredia for their environmental conservation efforts."

================DESCRIPCION===============

Aristolochia adiastola es una especie de planta trepadora (bejuco) endémica de la isla de La Española (República Dominicana y Haití). Fue descrita formalmente como una especie nueva en 2019, ya que durante mucho tiempo se confundió con la Aristolochia bilobata.

Características Físicas

Flores: Son la clave para identificarla. A diferencia de otras especies similares:

Color: El limbo (la parte expandida de la flor) es de color púrpura oscuro a marrón con manchas blancas, lo que contrasta con el amarillo verdoso de la A. bilobata.

Forma: La flor tiene forma de "pipa", pero no presenta una constricción (un estrechamiento) marcada entre el tubo y el limbo.

Hojas: Son bilobadas (divididas en dos lóbulos profundos), lo que le da una apariencia de "alas de mariposa" o corazón partido, muy común en las aristoloquias de la isla.

Frutos: Produce una cápsula seca que se abre al madurar para liberar las semillas.

Distribución y Hábitat

Ubicación: Se encuentra en diversas regiones de la República Dominicana, incluyendo Peravia (cerca de Baní), el Jardín Botánico Nacional en Santo Domingo y la vertiente sur de la Sierra de Neiba.

Hábitat: Suele crecer en matorrales y bosques secos o semicaducos a bajas elevaciones.

Distribución Alopátrica: Esto significa que generalmente no crece en los mismos lugares que la A. bilobata; se han separado geográficamente a través del tiempo.

Etimología

El nombre adiastola proviene del griego adiastolos, que significa "no separado" o "confundido". Los botánicos eligieron este nombre porque la planta estuvo "confundida" y no se separó taxonómicamente de otras especies similares durante décadas hasta los estudios recientes.

Importancia Ecológica

Como otras plantas de su género, la Aristolochia adiastola es la planta hospedera exclusiva para las orugas de ciertas mariposas, como las del género Battus (mariposas cola de golondrina), que se alimentan de sus hojas para obtener toxinas que las protegen de los depredadores.

===+ENGLISH+===

Aristolochia adiastola is a species of pipevine endemic to the island of Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti).

Formally described as a new species in 2019, it was previously often misidentified as Aristolochia bilobata due to its similar bilobed leaves.

Physical Characteristics

Flowers: The flowers are the primary way to distinguish this species from its close relatives.

Color: The flower's limb is purple to brown with white spots, contrasting with the greenish-yellow and purple-veined flowers of A. bilobata.

Structure: It lacks a constriction between the limb (the expanded distal part) and the tube.

Orientation: The flowers have a distinct orientation compared to related species on the island.

Leaves: It features bilobate leaves, which are deeply divided into two lobes, a trait common to several pipevines on Hispaniola.

Fruit: It produces a dehiscent capsule typical of the Aristolochia genus.

Habitat and Distribution

Location: Native to the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Specific Sites: Specimens have been documented in several Dominican provinces, including Peravia (near Baní), Santo Domingo (at the National Botanical Garden), and along the southern slope of Sierra de Neiba.

Range: It has an allopatric distribution, meaning it generally grows in different geographical areas than its close relative A. bilobata.

The name adiastola comes from the Greek word adiastolos, meaning "not separated" or "confused". This refers to the long history of botanists confusing this plant with A. bilobata before it was recognized as a distinct species.

Sources: Etymology, Species New to Science

Aristoloquia_Iguamo-1036

Aristoloquia_Iguamo-1067

how is everyone? :)

my photostream has been a bit dead, but for good reasoning, i assure you.

from this day forward, i will really only update my flickr when my photos are worth sharing. i'm certain you don't want to a bunch of crap that i, myself, will end up deleting eventually.

stay classy.

#341: my favorite character in "the outsiders" is dally winston.

Эфемерные облака и неподвижные камни.

Было утро , но палящий степной зной стремительно набирал силу. Все замерло в ожидании ливня . Все кроме вездесущих ящериц и меня , устало бредущего к своей палатке. На земле штиль , а над головой

кордебалет быстро движущихся облаков, напоминающий пляски половцев .

Проходя мимо очередной группы валунов моя камера щелкала в такт хаотичным мыслям . В этот

момент понял глубокую связь между эфемерными облаками и неподвижными валунами. Оба созданы силами времени и природы, воплощая постоянно меняющуюся суть существования. Облака, отражают быстротечность жизни, отбрасывая тени, которые изменяются в такт капризам ветра и времени . И наоборот, стойкие валуны символизируют устойчивость перед лицом невзгод, отражая неизменную сущность каждого из нас.

В это знойное утро сделал для себя открытие - одно из проявлений красоты заключается в тонком балансе между движением и неизменностью.

Возможно такие рассуждения возникают после перегрева под палящим степным солнцем , а может виновата просто ФОТОГРАФИЯ.

А. Суховский

Украина. Николаевская область. с Актово.

Ephemeral clouds and motionless stones.

It was morning, but the scorching heat of the steppe was rapidly gaining strength. Everything froze in anticipation of the rain. Everyone except the ubiquitous lizards and me, wearily wandering towards my tent. There is calm on the ground, but overhead

a corps de ballet of rapidly moving clouds, reminiscent of the Polovtsian dances.

Passing by another group of boulders, my camera clicked in time with my chaotic thoughts. In that

moment I realized the deep connection between ephemeral clouds and motionless boulders. Both are created by the forces of time and nature, embodying the ever-changing essence of existence. Clouds reflect the transience of life, casting shadows that change in time with the vagaries of the wind and time. Conversely, resilient boulders symbolize resilience in the face of adversity, reflecting the unchanging essence of each of us.

On this sultry morning, make a discovery for yourself - one of the manifestations of beauty lies in the delicate balance between movement and immutability.

Perhaps such reasoning arises after overheating under the scorching steppe sun, or maybe the PHOTOGRAPHY is simply to blame.

A. Sukhovsky

Ukraine. Mykolayiv region. v Aktovo

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.

riversea supporting the reasoning , robin, bilston, 19oct08

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

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-...

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

Explore #40; November 24, 2009

Sorry I've been gone for a while... Work has been keeping me very busy...

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.

Season of Tilt

Week 18, Saturday

In nature life has no moral. There is no good or bad, and in every moment countless beings give birth, languish and die without reason. Sometimes the possibilities of life are eaten by others even before they get a change to take their first steps. The cycle of life is very much characterized by the suffering. If you are a religious type you probably think suffering is some way sanctified by moral order given from God - and everything goes towards good no matter how contradictory it might seem. If your reasoning follows scientific discourse you probably believe in 'order of nature' or increasing diversity catalyzed by the natural selection as explained by modern evolutionary synthesis. Either way, the tragic thing is that the suffering has no demonstrable meaning. With God, meaning of suffering lies whatever one happens to believe at the time and within evolution theory suffering has no function either - even if dying has a fundamental meaning for natural selection to work. It seems that in intellectual and spiritual way it is very difficult to accept that suffering doesn't have any meaning and it cannot be morally explained by either religion or science. But it can have an aesthetic meanings for us: it's only when we find ourselves suffering we touch the essence of life as it is and has been millions of years for most of beings in nature. Only then can we come to understand what it means to be one of them - suffering is the only shared experience for all living things and therefore it forms the essence of existence from which the respect for life can be build. To be alive is to suffer.

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Using Lensbaby optics has definitely been a very interesting adventure. Being manual focus, having an option to tilt the lens and having several optics with different distinctive characteristics has surely been a trail off the beaten path. What I like to say is that Lensbaby consciously offers something different from 'industry standard' of photography today: readymade program modes, autofocus, sharp lenses, intelligent metering, digital sensor and other 'taken for granted things' which makes it possible to take better and better pictures. In short, it's a bit of a different philosophy and breaking conventions is always a somewhat controversial move. It would be tempting to describe these differences between Lensbaby and other conventional approaches in a hierarchical manner, placing Lensbaby above and for experienced users only. But I don't want to do that, because it would intellectually a dishonest move. Instead I would like to say that Lensbaby is a different approach to photography and a tool for different job. Sometimes best tool for the job is the DSLT with fast AF-lenses. Sometimes it's Lensbaby. Sometimes it's a pinhole camera. Sometimes it's camera in your mobile phone. There is no best or worst because of diversity, but I have to give credit to Lensbaby that after using their optics I've come to realize that there is loads of possibilities beyond 'the industry standard'. There are aesthetic possibilities beyond 'the standard look' and there are different philosophies of photography at play. This has got to be one my best realization with Lensbaby optics and I'm glad that I have had actually a chance to realize it.

Year of the Alpha – 52 Weeks of Sony Alpha Photography: www.yearofthealpha.com

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.

-- author unknown

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

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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.

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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!

"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."

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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

vte

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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YES; this is all I truly want from the gift set “Fame & Fortune” Vanessa Perrin & this is the reasoning behind me pre-ordering her. Knowing me her body will be a donor body and I’ll add her clothes to another doll. I’m thinking “Second Skin” Vanessa or “Buxom” Veronique Perrin.

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

The Byzantine gold glowed hot when I got inside, a divine signal to me that God was mad because I brought my camera inside. However, I reasoned with God, the sign read "No Cameras" in a Cyrillic lettering, a lettering style I do not recognize since the Jesuits trained me in the Romance languages and not these Slavic uncials.

Besides, I was inside Saint Michael's Cathedral, and I was holding a camera, and, as the saying goes, when in Rome, shoot interiors of churches in Rome , and when in Kiev, break Eastern Orthodox Ecumenical Councils.

While God was busy figuring out my flawless reasoning, I spotted a cloaked HeiroMonk in is post-Matins chanting, moving in a pattern indecipherable by my camera, thus the ghostly visage in this seeming partial transcendence.

from my daily photo blog at www.stuckincustoms.com

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/

+

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