the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License

 

...and it would be nice if you would come back for another visit and post a link here to how you used one of my textures ... for my curiosity, of course ... but it also allows me to enjoy your creativity as well AND refine the types of textures I shoot ... so it's all good!

 

In 1900, prospectors discovered magnificent green cliffs of exposed copper in the Wrangell Mountains northeast of Valdez, Alaska. Their discovery, the “Bonanza Mine Outcrop,” proved to be one of the richest copper deposits ever found. From 1911 to 1938, the Kennecott Copper Corporation extracted nearly $200 million worth of copper from nearby mines. At the peak of operation, approximately 300 people worked in the mill town and 200-300 in the mines. The Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark preserves some of the buildings remaining from the ore refining operation, including the Concentration Mill seen in the background here. Today’s visitor can get a guided tour of the entire inside of this huge building as it clings to a steep mountainside.

 

Over its brief history, Kennecott Corporation, with support from J.P. Morgan, Guggenheim and other New York financiers, produced $200-300 million worth of copper and silver.

(Source: National Park Service website)

 

Double-click image to enlarge.

 

In Explore 6 Nov 2023. Best position: #447

Rothiemurchus, Aviemore, Scotland.

  

trying to refine my colour processing.

Colonial Sugar Refining Co (CSR) 0-4-0ST No.19 is working the passenger service at Statfold Barn approaching Statfold Junction station, 5th April 2025.

 

Locomotive History

No.19 is a two foot gauge 0-4-0ST locomotive built in 1914 by Hudswell Clarke, Leeds (Works No. 1056} and supplied to the Colonial Sugar Refining Co (CSR) of Fiji. It was withdrawn in 1960 and put on static display at the mill apart from a brief return to steam in 1978 for the mill's 75th anniversary celebrations. It arrived at Statfold in May 2012 and was back in steam in the spring of 2013.

  

12.6.2021.

Statfold Barn Railway.

 

Hudswell Clarke (Leeds) 0-6-0 No 972 'Fiji' climbs to Statfold Junction with an afternoon passenger train.

 

Built in 1911 specifically to work in the sugar cane fields on the 2'- 0" gauge rail system of the Colonial Sugar Refining (CSR) Company Ltd in Fiji.

Expo Azzedine Alaïa, Thierry Mugler - 1980-1990 deux décennies de connivences artistiques | Fondation Azzedine Alaïa, Paris

------------

Installé à Paris dès 1956, Azzedine Alaïa doit sa formation aux femmes, amies et clientes plus qu’à aucune école d’apprentissage. Dans leurs vœux d’une garde-robe exigeante et discrète, il les accompagne (...et) a acquis la réputation de grand coupeur héritier d’une tradition académique qui le situe en ligne directe de Cristóbal Balenciaga ou Madeleine Vionnet.

 

Son expertise et sa virtuosité technique ne sont pas seulement convoitées par les élégantes du moment. Des couturiers et des créateurs de mode savent qu’ils peuvent éventuellement compter sur lui pour préciser certains modèles complexes ou prêter main forte sur une collection à terminer. C’est le cas ponctuel de Yves Saint Laurent. Ce fut aussi celui de Thierry Mugler, qu’Alaïa rencontre en 1979 et avec lequel il noue de véritables liens d’amitiés.

 

Pour sa collection automne-hiver 1979-80, Mugler invite Alaïa à réaliser la série de smokings de son défilé. (...) Cette collaboration incite Alaïa à devenir créateur lui-même. Thierry Mugler l’encourage vivement et témoigne envers lui d’un soutien qui se révèlera capital autant qu’indéfectible. (...) En 1982, à la demande du grand magasin américain Bergdorf Goodman, Alaïa présente un défilé à New York. C’est Mugler qui l’en persuade. (...)

 

Compagnons de route d’une décennie qu’ils ont préemptée stylistiquement, Alaïa et Mugler ont librement laissé les influences agir sur leurs créations mutuelles. Dans les années 1980, tous deux ont divinisé la femme, proclamant le retour du glamour en gloire et Hollywood pour inspiration à mille lieux des modes folkloriques des années 1970. Ils partagent une silhouette commune où les épaules en majesté contrastent avec les tailles étranglées et les hanches épanouies, souvenirs et fantasmes des modes des années 1930 et 1950 et des couturiers Adrian, Jacques Fath, Christian Dior et Cristóbal Balenciaga en tête.

 

Si Mugler a le sens du show (...) , Alaïa a le goût de l’intime et de la perfection. Mais c’est avec communauté d’esprit que leurs collections se répondent. (...)

 

Contemporains, amis (...), les deux créateurs ont tout au long de leur vie manifesté un profond respect pour leurs carrières respectives. Leurs vêtements, du jour comme ceux du soir se répondent dictant une mode à quatre mains, paraphe des modes contemporaines.

 

Couturier et collectionneur à l’origine d’un patrimoine de mode immense et reconnu, Azzedine Alaïa a préservé plus de 200 créations griffées Thierry Mugler dont une quarantaine sont ici exposées en dialogue avec ses propres archives.

Source: fondationazzedinealaia.org/expositions/30826/

 

--------------------------

 

Having settled in Paris since 1956, Azzedine Alaïa owes his training to women, friends, and clients more than to any school of apprenticeship. In their desire for a sophisticated and discreet wardrobe, he supported them (...and) earned a reputation as a master tailor, heir to an academic tradition that places him in direct lineage to Cristóbal Balenciaga and Madeleine Vionnet.

 

His expertise and technical virtuosity are not only coveted by the elegant women of the moment. Couturiers and fashion designers know they can count on him to refine certain complex designs or lend a hand with a collection that needs to be completed. This was the case for Yves Saint Laurent. It was also the case for Thierry Mugler, whom Alaïa met in 1979 and with whom he formed a close friendship.

 

For his fall-winter 1979-80 collection, Mugler invited Alaïa to create the series of tuxedos for his show. (...) This collaboration encouraged Alaïa to become a designer himself. Thierry Mugler strongly encouraged him and showed him support that would prove to be both crucial and unwavering. (...) In 1982, at the request of the American department store Bergdorf Goodman, Alaïa presented a show in New York. It was Mugler who persuaded him to do so. (...)

 

Fellow travelers for a decade they stylistically preempted, Alaïa and Mugler freely allowed their influences to influence each other's creations. In the 1980s, both deified women, proclaiming the return of glamour, with Hollywood as their inspiration, a world away from the folkloric fashions of the 1970s. They share a common silhouette where majestic shoulders contrast with narrowed waists and full hips, memories and fantasies of the fashions of the 1930s and 1950s, and of couturiers Adrian, Jacques Fath, Christian Dior, and Cristóbal Balenciaga at the forefront.

 

If Mugler has a sense of showmanship (...), Alaïa has a taste for intimacy and perfection. But it is with a shared spirit that their collections echo one another. (...)

 

Contemporaries, friends (...), the two designers have throughout their lives demonstrated a profound respect for each other's careers. Their daytime and evening wear echo each other, dictating a four-handed fashion, a hallmark of contemporary fashion.

 

A couturier and collector with a vast and renowned fashion heritage, Azzedine Alaïa has preserved more than 200 Thierry Mugler creations, some forty of which are exhibited here in dialogue with his own archives.

 

People will forget what you said,

people will forget what you did,

but people will never forget

how you made them feel.

- Maya Angelou

This painting was made on an iPad Pro, with an Apple Pencil, using iColorama and Procreate. I moved back and forth, between these two apps, layering, compositing, masking, painting and refining color relationships. I saved versions as PNGs, to maintain image quality, and I tried to utilize the strengths of each app. Eventually, I arrived at at a moment of peace, when I feel harmony in what I have done. In this, it took several days, and several temporary conclusions, before I reached the end.

 

What I love about working in digital media, is that I can test ideas, change my mind, move in different directions, with so many choices. It is so nimble! It is, also, compelling, and exhausting. I miss the mandatory reflection time in having to weigh and imagine visual choices, and in literally having to wait for paint to dry, with natural media.

 

I had been working on a portrait for Claude Panneton, which took much longer than usual, and was relieved, satisfied, and happy to think it was finished. He is a mobile art friend, whose work I respect completely. I used several of his images, some of my own elements, and found images – an old Japanese print of fishes, textures, a butterfly etc. The first version, had a full portrait of Claude on the right side, and as often happens, I later realized that I liked the depth and magic of the background, on the left side, better than the fully realized foreground focus of the "subject".

 

I was selecting images for a competition, which a friend talked me into entering. Having asked Claude's permission, I was preparing to submit the piece. Out of the blue, I remembered a 2nd century A.D. doll, found in a sarcophagus of an 8 year old girl, in Rome. The doll was ivory. I had saved the image to a "someday" folder, a while ago, because she drew me – the sweetness and the sadness. Then, it is as if she had to be seen, urgently. After more hours of painting, masking and layering, she arrived, large, in color, renewed, clothed, and striding as if from her own vision, somber, thoughtful, and about to free herself from the puppeteer's strings. The articulated 2nd century doll came to life, becoming real, to me, as our dolls do, when we are children.

 

This one rare doll, survived, loved by a child who died more than 2000 years ago, and whose family had the grace to put her to rest, with love, with her toy. I felt respect for the maker of the doll, also, for the care and craftsmanship in her. The doll emerges, in this image, from fragments of dreams – doll becoming puppet-spirit – dwarfing the puppeteer. I felt a bridge of love.

 

I submitted the piece, in that state, to the competition, then, went on to work with it, for another full day. I was completely unaware of time, tweaking texture and tone until it arrived here. I had no good reason for doing this, other than being curious about where it would take me. I am as surprised as anyone.

 

What do these elements have in common –

Claude Panneton's eyes, puppeteers, Japanese prints of fish, a 2nd century A.D. ivory doll, a piece of a musical score, a butterfly, abstract space, textures, and colors?

For me, it is about connecting to love and beauty, pausing to reflect and appreciate the very non-linear ways our imaginations can bring the humanity of past into the present moment. It is humbling, challenging, and elevating, I stand in awe of the possibilities.

   

"Masterpiece"

 

Spending so much time at the Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum, one will really begin to appreciate everything in their collection, not to mention the facility itself. Everything from the extraordinary to mundane will find its way into your mind and heart. I must admit that in my years of steam locomotive research and enjoyment, the Nickel Plate 700's did not strike me. For whatever reason, they just didn't click with me. I'm not sure what it was, but obviously, that's changed now.

 

Cale and I modeled 765 way back in 2017 when we were still figuring out Brick Model Railroader. It took some convincing, but we eventually decided that Nickel Plate Road 765 would be our first collaborative steam locomotive model. We had a running model that needed some adjustment, but quickly became disinterested in the project due to external factors. We were never quite happy with where we left this project, and vowed to each other that we would return to the model some day to do it again, properly.

 

Several years later, in late October 2021, and on a whim, I laid out a scaled wheelbase in stud.io, just to see what it would look like. I left the file alone for a couple more months until the Holiday season of 2021. I began thinking about a Nickel Plate Berkshire running around a Christmas tree, inspired by the amazing "Travel Refreshed" speculative project:

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2mU6jVcv4w&ab_channel=FortWa...

 

This set my mind racing with thoughts of the late 1940's when large mainline superpower led "hotshot manifest" trains through the heart of America. If there was ever a perfect depiction of postwar steam railroading, it was this, and the Nickel Plate Road was the poster child.

 

The Nickel Plate Road connected the farms of the Midwest in St. Louis and Chicago to Buffalo in the east. The road took a fast, level route along the southern edge of the great lakes. A direct competitor to the New York Central, it was purchased by the Vanderbilts in an effort to remove competition. As such, the line was never optimized and operated with older and slower equipment. The Nickel Plate was purchased by Oris and Mantis Van Sweringen, brothers from Cleveland who had controlling interests of several other roads including the Chesapeake & Ohio, Wheeling & Lake Erie, Pere Marquette, Erie, and more. The "Vans" would lead efforts to completely transform the Nickel Plate into the powerhouse bridge road it is remembered as today.

 

One of those efforts included the creation of the Advisory Mechanical Committee (AMC), which served as a design bureau for the roads under control of the Vans. One of the first projects for the AMC was the design of the C&O T-1 class 2-10-4 engines, the largest two cylinder steam locomotives when built. Continuing in efforts to rejuvenate the Nickel Plate, president John Bernet assigned AMC officer William Black the task of designing a super-power locomotive. The result was the Nickel Plate S class of 2-8-4, built by ALCO Schenectady in 1934. The AMC, capitalizing on their winning formula for the T-1, maintained the factor of adhesion just above 4 while scaling down the rest of the locomotive: eliminating the fifth pair of 69" drivers and creating a locomotive with 70% of the tractive effort and 70% of the weight. Unbeknownst to Bernet, Black, and the AMC, they had just captured lightning in a bottle.

 

To truly appreciate why the 700's were such good locomotives, the operating mentality of the Nickel Plate must be understood. The road was a masterpiece of engineering, maintaining a very flat right of way along the mainline, running shorter but faster trains handling bridge traffic over the line. Operating conditions like these coupled with the high-horsepower 700s, there has hardly been a more perfect match of locomotive and railroad. The Berkshires were so effective and loved, the Nickel Plate laughed away EMD diesel demonstrators multiple times until the end of steam in 1958. Even still, several of these locomotives were stored serviceable in anticipation of a traffic spike that never occurred.

 

763, part of the third batch of Berkshires in total (S-2 class) and second batch from Lima (Works #8671), was one of these locomotives. Officially retired a few years after the end of steam, it stayed in Conneaut, Ohio until 1966 when it was purchased by the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, Virginia. 763 remained in Roanoke for several years until it was towed to New Jersey for inspection to pull the American Freedom Train, but other locomotives were selected., and 763 returned to Roanoke. Ohio Central and Age of Steam founder Jerry Jacobson purchased the locomotive from the museum in 2007, returning the engine home to Ohio. It is currently stored inside the Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum in stall 4, a regular favorite part of any regular public tour.

 

All that to say: I never expected to have such a deep, genuine understanding and appreciation for these engines. It says a lot when someone can connect with a piece of machinery in such a way, and gain understanding of its purpose and reason for existing. The 700s were truly magnificent machines.

 

So, in deciding that I was going to model one of these amazing locomotives, I began working in stud.io, and over the course of several months, I came up with what must have been at least a dozen iterations of the rough shape of the engine solely to achieve "the look." With 765 currently operating and with countless fans of the locomotives, the 700's are well recognized and people are going to be able to pick out the details, so any model of one has to be done properly. Once I had the correct shape and proportions, I filled in gaps and rebuilt section after section until I had a completed digital model in June of this year. By then, I had just seen 765 operate in person for the second time and was feeling inspired, so work on the custom wheels and connecting rods progressed alongside. Refining, trial, failure, adjustment, and testing continued until December 2022 when I completed the physical model. Naturally, I had to model 763 specifically, being the preserved example at Age of Steam.

 

Under the hood this model is identical to my Mohawk: a pair of Power Functions L motors geared 1:1 driving the third axle, each operating from its own Power Functions IR receiver, and powered by a Tenergy 7.4v 2200 mAh battery. 763 operates smoothly and without issue thanks to the drive train design and high-quality printing of the wheels, rods, and valve gear. Drivers and trailing wheels designed by me and printed by Rob Hendrix, all rods and valve gear designed by me and printed through Shapeways. All artwork was faithfully recreated by Cale Leiphart. Decals printed by OKBrickWorks and UV printed number boards and bearing caps are from Richard Glatter. Thank you all for your help with this project.

 

Having completed and published Buffalo Creek & Gauley 13, Morehead & North Fork 12, and now Nickel Plate Road 763, my Age of Steam collection grows. Those who know me personally understand that I'm not one to brag about my work. However, I feel I must say that I think I've outdone myself with this model. I would say this is the most new, ground-up design of locomotive I have built in a while. I've achieved detail and accuracy that I haven't seen on even some traditional scale models, and it all works together to make 763 perhaps my best model yet. A masterpiece of a masterpiece, if you will.

 

As 2022 winds down, I'm elated to publish this locomotive and check it off the list. As I mentioned earlier this year, I've had a lot in progress recently so wrapping something up feels fantastic. There's a bit more in store for the immediate future, but we'll get to that later.

 

As always, thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone for their support of my work through comments, questions, and compliments. It is always sincerely appreciated and I am thankful to be a part of such a fun community.

 

Video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6utq-QdMlnk&ab_channel=GlennH...

 

Glenn

Cindy's refining magic! x

Chimneys, smokestacks, and flues huddled together at the Montana Refining Company refinery in Great Falls, Montana.

 

▪ my blog

▪ my facebook

▪ my twitter

▪ my website

▪ my youtube

▪ my e-mail

 

© 2015 Todd Klassy. All Rights Reserved.

Tried to refine a similar photo I did by making each post spin fit inside the one before it. Guess there weren't enough steps in between to make this work.

 

Spin by Lo. 4 spins (though the fourth is barely visible).

 

**Due to complications, I will have to stop my 365. I'm going to start over again this summer.**

Work in progress, lots of refining todo

Yokuts Park, Bakersfield, California 2008

refining a previously-discarded capture with ON1 FX

Still refining my design aesthetic -- water color, hand lettering with images that evoke wanderlust for art and travel. This time the color palette is mint + pink/coral with pops of blue and yellow.

A Mobile Refining Vessel, built by Civilian Engineering Corporation. It carries a myriad of refining equipment, the main of which is a collider-reactor (the green structure protruding at the rear of the ship) designed to collide isogen and puzzleium, resulting in awesomium condensates.

 

-----------------------------------------

 

This was a rush build of a few hours, but lots of fun, especially considering I hadn't built anything significant in a while. It includes quite a few tablescraps, most noticeable being the collider-reactor itself.

Instructions available from www.brickvault.toys

 

The Raider Class Imperial Corvette from Star Wars Battlefront has finally launched!

 

Shortly after the release of my Rebel Alliance Corvus last year, Bruxxy (www.flickr.com/photos/185061854@N06/) and I started a collaborative build of the Imperial version, so this has been a long time in the making!.

 

Bruxxy took on the formidable role of re-designing the exterior over the frame of my rebel Corus, and he did an absolutely incredible job of it, staying true to the style of the Rebel version but expertly creating it’s Imperial counterpart. I then built and troubleshot the model to within an inch of it’s life over the course of 3 months, refining and re-making dozens of areas, internally and externally.

 

The end result is this behemoth. 84cm long, 48cm wide and coming in at a whopping 5484 pieces. Head over to Brickvaults YouTube channel to watch a video review of the build: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1Otge5ZABk

The site was formerly an oil re-refinery operated by Canadian Oil that was a fully owned subsidiary of Shell Oil Company. Re-refining services ceased operations several years ago and the site was taken over and revamped in the spring of 1999 by Quantex. It is currently operates as a waste treatment facility.

 

When Quantex assumed operations at the site there were approximately ten million litres of liquid waste that had been abandoned by the previous operators.

I will tweak this style a little but have been wanting to use this fabric for something like this for a while :)

MUSIC

 

Double exposure

Rollei Retro 400S

Refinal (stock) 12 min

 

TUMBLR

The Sado Gold Mine was an important financial resource for the Edo Shogunate.

The Meiji government also took over it and operated until 1989.

The gold refining remains are aiming to become a World Heritage Site.

Ruins of an abandoned mill in Toulon, Nevada. The abandoned mill buildings in Toulon date from 1892. The main building housed a ball mill used to process tungsten as well as precious metals. The tungsten was processed from scheelite ore from the nearby Ragged Top Mining District. In 1918, the mill was turned in to an arsenic mill that processed ore from near Battle Mountain. The mill was acquired in 1929, but remained idle until 1936, when it was refurbished. The mill played an important role refining tungsten ore from Nevada and California during WWII, including a 1943 addition of a flotation plant.

Like a Kagerou, but with more AA. I'm very happy with the torpedo boxes and gun turrets, I'm not so happy with the bow. Torpedo launchers are unfortunately mostly hidden, I crammed four tubes into a three stud space and I am satisfied with that. You can see the galley exhaust pipe coming out of the forecastle and linking up with the first funnel, a detail very obvious on later-generation IJN destroyers. I did my best to replicate it, and I have no doubt (like the bow) I will refine it as time goes on.

 

Other members of the Terrible Torpedo Trifecta:

Noa's destroyer

Seabass's destroyer

Some photoshop playing around this morning. Fairly easy to do but my technique needs some refining (and patience).

 

Northern Kruger

Limpopo

South Africa

Trying to refine the wings a bit for Angel. The rubber band on the inside makes these more discrete. Getting the hands into the arm sockets was a pain though.

**Ohio-Colorado Smelting and Refining Company Smokestack** - National Register of Historic Places Ref # 76000548, date listed 1976-01-11

 

NE of Salida at jct. of SR 150 and 152

 

Salida, CO (Chaffee County)

 

The Smeltertown Smokestack was built for the Ohio-Colorado Smelting and Refining Company. Commenced in 1916 and finished in 1917, this majestic brick and tile structure stands 365 feet into the air, 35 feet taller than the famous Daniels and Fisher Tower in Denver, twice as high as the 179 foot Leaning Tower of Pisa. The concrete foundation, 40 feet wide, extends downward 30 feet into the ground to solid granite.

 

The octagonal base rises approximately 70 feet above ground and is of pressed, glazed brick; the walls here are six feet thick. Above this base rises the circular upper part of the stack; it is constructed of a special tile. Here the walls taper in thickness from six feet, to three and one-half feet at the top. The top, with its flat steel collar, measures seventeen feet in diameter. Two hundred sixty four standard gauge carloads of brick and tile went into the structure. Construction cost was $43,000. It is estimated that at today's construction costs, a similar stack would cost over a million dollars. (1)

 

References (1) NRHP Nomination Form npgallery.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Text/76000548.pdf

Out this evening for a drive and swung by this old church hoping the lights would be on inside, but no luck tonight. But still a pretty place to sit and sip a Honey Oat Latte while contemplating the universe and its ways. Was playing with the new ON1 B&W filters this evening for fun. I’m really liking the way they are refining that program.

Colonial Sugar Refining Co (CSR) 0-4-0ST No.19 is working the passenger service at Statfold Barn arriving at Oak Tree Halt, 5th April 2025.

 

Locomotive History

No.19 is a two foot gauge 0-4-0ST locomotive built in 1914 by Hudswell Clarke, Leeds (Works No. 1056} and supplied to the Colonial Sugar Refining Co (CSR) of Fiji. It was withdrawn in 1960 and put on static display at the mill apart from a brief return to steam in 1978 for the mill's 75th anniversary celebrations. It arrived at Statfold in May 2012 and was back in steam in the spring of 2013.

  

Spitzenleistungen kommen nicht von ungefähr

Du möchtest dein Handicap verbessern?

Repitio est mater studiorum - Übung macht den Meister

Die Wiederholung ist die Mutter aller Bemühungen

„Wiederholung ist die Mutter der Studien.“

Wiederholung ist die Mutter des Studierens.

studere - (lat.)

studieren - im Sinne von sich intensiv beschäftigen mit, danach streben

- bekannt ist vom STUDENTEN:

studere litteris - sich wissenschaftlich betätigen

 

aber: Neutralitäts-Prinzip

 

sine ira et studio - ohne Hass und Parteilichkeit

ohne Ansehen der Person, gegen Vetterleswirtschaft, gegen Bestechung, keine Vorteil gewähren.

 

Sine ira et studio wird vielfach als Aufforderung an eine wertfreie Geschichtsschreibung – oder an die Wissenschaft allgemein – zitiert.

 

##

 

define: Handicapping - Handicap sportif

Handicapping, the various methods of leveling the outcome in a competitive sport or game

ein Handicap bestimmen - verschiedene Methoden anwenden, um das zu erwartende Ergebnis im Sport oder Spiel von vornherein ausgleichen zu gestalten.

 

Pädagogisches Prinzip: Gewinnen ist nicht alles

 

So dürfen auch mal alle guten Sportler gegen die Schlechteren antreten, wenn ihnen vom neutralen Spielgestalter eine Erschwernis auferlegt wird.

 

Handicap - eine Hand hinter dem Rücken ( Hand + capere) verstecken, aus

Fairniss Gründen zum Beispiel beim Rennen oder Fangen.

oder beim Spiel die schwächere Hand nehmen.

 

Das Handicap ist in Sport und Spiel ein in der Regel berechneter Faktor, der unterschiedliche Leistungsstärken nivellieren soll, um auch in einem heterogenen Feld einen spannenden Wettbewerb zu ermöglichen.

 

Beispiele:

- Die Pferderennen - nur bei Trab-, nicht bei Galopprennen - gibt es Wettbewerbe, in denen stärkere Teilnehmer längere Distanzen zurücklegen müssen.

-

- Im Golfsport wird aus den Eigenschaften des bespielten Golfplatzes (Course Rating und Slope) und aus der Stammvorgabe (Handicap) jedes Amateurspielers die Spielvorgabe berechnet, die er als sogenannte Vorgabeschläge erhält. Ein besserer Spieler auf einem einfacheren Platz muss die Runde also mit entsprechend weniger Schlägen absolvieren, um ein vergleichbares Ergebnis zu erzielen.

I could not help but notice this pleasant scene of 3 blossoms....Gorse, Hawthorn and Rapeseed. To get the 3 together was awesome.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulex

  

Ulex (gorse, furze or whin) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The genus comprises about 20 plant species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. The species are native to parts of western Europe and northwest Africa, with the majority of species in Iberia.

Gorse is closely related to the brooms, and like them, has green stems and very small leaves and is adapted to dry growing conditions. However it differs in its extreme thorniness, the shoots being modified into branched thorns 1–4 centimetres (0.39–1.6 in) long, which almost wholly replace the leaves as the plant's functioning photosynthetic organs. The leaves of young plants are trifoliate, but in mature plants they are reduced to scales or small spines.[1] All the species have yellow flowers, generally showy, some with a very long flowering season.

  

Species

 

The most widely familiar species is common gorse (Ulex europaeus), the only species native to much of western Europe, where it grows in sunny sites, usually on dry, sandy soils. It is also the largest species, reaching 2–3 metres (7–10 ft) in height; this compares with typically 20–40 centimetres (7.9–16 in) for Western Gorse (Ulex gallii). This latter species is characteristic of highly exposed Atlantic coastal heathland and montane habitats. In the eastern part of Great Britain, dwarf furze (Ulex minor) replaces western gorse. Ulex minor grows only about 30 centimetres (12 in) tall, a habit characteristic of sandy lowland heathland.

 

Common gorse flowers a little in late autumn and through the winter, coming into flower most strongly in spring. Western Gorse and Dwarf Furze flower in late summer (August-September in Ireland and Great Britain|Britain). Between the different species, some gorse is almost always in flower, hence the old country phrase: "When gorse is out of blossom, kissing's out of fashion". Gorse flowers have a distinctive coconut scent, experienced very strongly by some individuals, but weakly by others.[2

  

Ecology

Gorse may grow as a fire-climax plant, well adapted to encourage and withstand fires, being highly flammable,[4] and having seed pods that are to a large extent opened by fire, thus allowing rapid regeneration after fire. The burnt stumps also readily sprout new growth from the roots. Where fire is excluded, gorse soon tends to be shaded out by taller-growing trees, unless other factors like exposure also apply. Typical fire recurrence periods in gorse stands are 5–20 years.

Gorse thrives in poor growing areas and conditions including drought;[5] it is sometimes found on very rocky soils,[6] where many species cannot thrive. Moreover, it is widely used for land reclamation (e.g., mine tailings), where its nitrogen-fixing capacity helps other plants establish better.

Gorse is a valuable plant for wildlife, providing dense thorny cover ideal for protecting bird nests. In Britain, France and Ireland, it is particularly noted for supporting Dartford Warblers (Sylvia undata) and European Stonechats (Saxicola rubicola); the common name of the Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra) attests to its close association with gorse. The flowers are sometimes eaten by the caterpillars of the Double-striped Pug moth (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata), while those of the case-bearer moth Coleophora albicosta feed exclusively on gorse. The dry wood of dead gorse stems provides food for the caterpillars of the concealer moth Batia lambdella.

 

Invasive Species

 

In many areas of North America (notably California and Oregon), southern South America, Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii, the common gorse, introduced as an ornamental plant or hedge, has become an invasive species due to its aggressive seed dispersal; it has proved very difficult to eradicate and detrimental in native habitats. Common gorse is also an invasive species in the montane grasslands of Horton Plains National Park in Sri Lanka.[7]

 

Management

 

Gorse readily becomes dominant in suitable conditions, and where this is undesirable for agricultural or ecological reasons control is required, either to remove gorse completely, or to limit its extent. Gorse stands are often managed by regular burning or flailing, allowing them to regrow from stumps or seed. Denser areas of gorse may be bulldozed.

for cattle.

Uses

 

Foods

 

Gorse flowers are edible and can be used in salads, tea and to make a non-grape-based fruit wine.

As fodder, gorse is high in protein[citation needed] and may be used as feed for livestock, particularly in winter when other greenstuff is not available. Traditionally it was used as fodder for cattle, being made palatable either by "bruising" (crushing) with hand-held mallets, or grinding to a moss-like consistency with hand- or water-driven mills, or being finely chopped and mixed with straw chaff.[citation needed] Gorse is also eaten as forage by some livestock, such as feral ponies, which may eat little else in winter. Ponies may also eat the thinner stems of burnt gorse.

 

Fuel

 

Gorse bushes are highly flammable, and in many areas bundles of gorse were used to fire traditional bread ovens.[8]

 

Wood

 

Gorse wood has been used to make small objects; being non-toxic, it is especially suited for cutlery. In spite of its durability it is not used for construction because the plant is too small and the wood is unstable, being prone to warping. Gorse is useful for garden ornaments because it is resistant to weather and rot.

 

Gorse-based symbols

 

The furze is the badge of the Sinclair and MacLennan clans of Scotland. Compare this with the broom (Planta genista) as the emblem and basis of the name of the Plantagenet kings of England.

The flower, known as chorima in the Galician language, is considered the national flower of Galicia in NW Spain.

 

Gorse in popular culture

 

In Thomas Hardy's classic novel The Return of the Native, when Clym is partially blinded through excessive reading, he becomes a furze-cutter on Egdon Heath, to the dismay of his wife, Eustacia. In the book, the timeless, gorse-covered heath is described in each season of the novel's year-and-a-day timeline and becomes symbolic of the greater nature of mankind.

Its flammability rendered gorse symbolic as quickly flammable and quickly burning out; for example, Doyle, in his book "Sir Nigel" has Sir John Chandos say: "...They flare up like a furzebush in the flames, but if for a short space you may abide the heat of it, then there is a chance that it may be cooler... If the Welsh be like the furze fire, then, pardieu! the Scotch are the peat, for they will smolder and you will never come to the end of them."[9]

Winnie-the-Pooh fell into a gorse bush while trying to get honey in the first chapter of the book of the same name.[10]

In The second book of Tolkien's "Lord of the rings" trilogy, "The Two Towers", Frodo and Sam led by Gollum walked underneath very old and tall thickets of gorse on their way to pass by Minas Morgul. [11]

In "[[Red Doc>]]", Anne Carson's 2013 sequel to her 1998 novel-in-verse entitled "Autobiography of Red", the protagonist, G, owns a herd of musk oxen who like to feed on gorse; one ox in particular, Io, eats gorse flowers and hallucinates that she can fly.

  

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_hawthorn

   

Crataegus monogyna, known as common hawthorn or single-seeded hawthorn, is a species of hawthorn native to Europe, northwest Africa and western Asia. It has been introduced in many other parts of the world where it is an invasive weed. Other common names include may, mayblossom, maythorn, quickthorn, whitethorn, motherdie, and haw. This species is one of several that have been referred to as Crataegus oxyacantha, a name that has been rejected by the botanical community as too ambiguous.

   

Description

 

The Common Hawthorn is a shrub or small tree 5–14 m tall, with a dense crown. The bark is dull brown with vertical orange cracks. The younger stems bear sharp thorns, 1 to 1.5 cm long. The leaves are 2–4 cm long, obovate and deeply lobed, sometimes almost to the midrib, with the lobes spreading at a wide angle. The upper surface is dark green above and paler underneath.

The hermaphrodite flowers are produced in late spring (May to early June in its native area) in corymbs of 5-25 together; each flower is about 1 cm diameter, and has five white petals, numerous red stamens, and a single style; they are moderately fragrant. They are pollinated by midges, bees and other insects and later in the year bear numerous haws. The haw is a small, oval dark red fruit about 1 cm long, berry-like, but structurally a pome containing a single seed. Haws are important for wildlife in winter, particularly thrushes and waxwings; these birds eat the haws and disperse the seeds in their droppings.

It is distinguished from the related but less widespread Midland Hawthorn (C. laevigata) by its more upright growth, the leaves being deeply lobed, with spreading lobes, and in the flowers having just one style, not two or three. However they are inter-fertile and hybrids occur frequently; they are only entirely distinct in their more typical forms.

   

Uses

  

Medicinal use

Crataegus monogyna is one of the most common species used as the "hawthorn" of traditional herbalism, which is of considerable interest for treating cardiac insufficiency by evidence-based medicine. The plant parts used medicinally are usually sprigs with both leaves and flowers, or alternatively the fruit. Several species of Crataegus have both traditional and modern medicinal uses. It is a good source of antioxidant phytochemicals,especially extracts of hawthorn leaves with flowers.

  

In gardening and agriculture

 

Common Hawthorn is extensively planted as a hedge plant, especially for agricultural use. Its spines and close branching habit render it effectively stock and human proof with some basic maintenance. The traditional practice of hedge laying is most commonly practised with this species. It is a good fire wood which burns with a good heat and little smoke.[3]

Numerous hybrids exist, some of which are used as garden shrubs. The most widely used hybrid is C. × media (C. monogyna × C. laevigata), of which several cultivars are known, including the very popular 'Paul's Scarlet' with dark pink double flowers. Other garden shrubs that have sometimes been suggested as possible hybrids involving the Common Hawthorn[citation needed], include the Various-leaved Hawthorn of the Caucasus, which is only very occasionally found in parks and gardens.

  

Edible "berries", petals, and leaves

 

The fruit of hawthorn, called haws, are edible raw but are commonly made into jellies, jams, and syrups, used to make wine, or to add flavour to brandy. Botanically they are pomes, but they look similar to berries. A haw is small and oblong, similar in size and shape to a small olive or grape, and red when ripe. Haws develop in groups of 2-3 along smaller branches. They are pulpy and delicate in taste. In this species (C. monogyna) they have only one seed, but in other species of hawthorn there may be up to 5 seeds.

Petals are also edible,[4] as are the leaves, which if picked in spring when still young are tender enough to be used in salads.

 

Notable trees

 

An ancient specimen, and reputedly the oldest tree of any species in France, is to be found alongside the church at Saint Mars sur la Futaie, Mayenne [1]. The tree has a height of 9 m, and a girth of 2.65 m (2009). The inscription on the plaque beneath reads: "This hawthorn is probably the oldest tree in France. Its origin goes back to St Julien (3rd century)", but such claims are impossible to verify.

  

A famous specimen in England was the Glastonbury or Holy Thorn which, according to legend, sprouted from the staff of Joseph of Arimathea after he thrust it into the ground whilst visiting Glastonbury in the 1st century AD. The tree was noteworthy because it flowered twice in a year, once in the late spring which is normal, but also once after the harshness of midwinter has passed. The original tree at Glastonbury Abbey, felled in 1640s during the English Civil War,[2] has been propagated as the cultivar 'Biflora'.[6] A replacement was planted by the local council in 1951, but was cut down by vandals in 2010. [3]

The oldest known living specimen in East Anglia, and possibly in the United Kingdom, is known as "The Hethel Old Thorn",[7] and is located in the churchyard in the small village of Hethel, south of Norwich, in Norfolk. It is reputed to be more than 700 years old, having been planted in the 13th century.

   

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapeseed

  

Rapeseed (Brassica napus), also known as rape, oilseed rape, rapa, rappi, rapaseed (and, in the case of one particular group of cultivars, canola), is a bright yellow flowering member of the family Brassicaceae (mustard or cabbage family). The name derives from the Latin for turnip, rāpa or rāpum, and is first recorded in English at the end of the 14th century. Older writers usually distinguished the turnip and rape by the adjectives round and long (-rooted), respectively.[2] See also Brassica napobrassica, which may be considered a variety of Brassica napus. Some botanists include the closely related Brassica campestris within B. napus. (See Triangle of U).

Brassica napus is cultivated mainly for its oil-rich seed, the third largest source of vegetable oil in the world.[

  

Cultivation and uses

 

Rapeseed oil was produced in the 19th century as a source of a lubricant for steam engines. It was less useful as food for animals or humans because it has a bitter taste due to high levels of glucosinolates. Varieties have now, however, been bred to reduce the content of glucosinolates, yielding a more palatable oil. This has had the side effect that the oil contains much less erucic acid.[citation needed]

Rapeseed is grown for the production of animal feed, vegetable oil for human consumption, and biodiesel; leading producers include the European Union, Canada, the United States, Australia, China and India. In India, it is grown on 13% of cropped land.[citation needed] According to the United States Department of Agriculture, rapeseed was the third leading source of vegetable oil in the world in 2000, after soybean and oil palm, and also the world's second leading source of protein meal, although only one-fifth of the production of the leading soybean meal.[citation needed]

World production is growing rapidly, with FAO reporting 36 million tons of rapeseed were produced in the 2003-2004 season, and estimating 58.4 million tons in the 2010-2011 season.[4] In Europe, rapeseed is primarily cultivated for animal feed,[citation needed] owing to its very high lipid and medium protein content.[citation needed]

 

Natural rapeseed oil contains 50% erucic acid. Wild type seeds also contain high levels of glucosinolates (mustard oil glucosindes), chemical compounds that significantly lowered the nutritional value of rapeseed press cakes for animal feed. In North America, the term "canola", originally a syncopated form of the abbreviation "Can.O., L-A." (Canadian Oilseed, Low-Acid) that was used by the Manitoba government to label the seed during its experimental stages, is widely used to refer to rapeseed, and is now a tradename for "double low" (low erucic acid and low glucosinolate) rapeseed.[5]

The rapeseed is the valuable, harvested component of the crop. The crop is also grown as a winter-cover crop. It provides good coverage of the soil in winter, and limits nitrogen run-off. The plant is ploughed back in the soil or used as bedding. On some organic operations, livestock such as sheep or cattle are allowed to graze on the plants.

Processing of rapeseed for oil production produces rapeseed meal as a byproduct. The byproduct is a high-protein animal feed, competitive with soya.[citation needed] The feed is mostly employed for cattle feeding, but also for pigs and chickens (though less valuable for these). The meal has a very low content of the glucosinolates responsible for metabolism disruption in cattle and pigs.[6] Neither canola nor soy is recommended as feed for organic animal products, as both are predominantly GMO (some estimates are now at 90%), which is prohibited by organic standards.[citation needed]

Rapeseed "oil cake" is also used as a fertilizer in China, and may be used for ornamentals, such as bonsai, as well.[citation needed]

Rapeseed leaves and stems are also edible, similar to those of the related bok choy or kale. Some varieties of rapeseed (called 油菜, yóu cài, lit. "oil vegetable" in Chinese; yau choy in Cantonese; cải dầu in Vietnamese; phak kat kan khao [ผักกาดก้านขาว] in Thai; and nanohana [菜の花]/nabana [菜花] in Japanese) are sold as greens, primarily in Asian groceries, including those in California, where it is known as yao choy or tender greens. They are eaten as sag (spinach) in Indian and Nepalese cuisine, usually stir-fried with salt, garlic and spices.

Rapeseed produces great quantities of nectar, and honeybees produce a light-colored, but peppery honey from it. It must be extracted immediately after processing is finished, as it will quickly granulate in the honeycomb and will be impossible to extract. The honey is usually blended with milder honeys, if used for table use or sold as bakery grade. Rapeseed growers contract with beekeepers for the pollination of the crop.

"Total loss" chain and bar oil for chainsaws have been developed which are typically 70% or more canola/rapeseed oil. These lubricants are claimed to be less harmful to the environment and less hazardous to users than traditional mineral oil products,[7] although they are currently typically two to five times more expensive, leading some to use inexpensive cooking oil instead. Some countries, such as Austria, have banned the use of petroleum-based chainsaw oil.[8] These "biolubricants" are generally reported to be functionally comparable to traditional mineral oil products, with some reports claiming one or other is superior,[8] but with no overall consensus yet evident.

Rapeseed has also been researched as means of containing radionuclides that contaminated the soil after the Chernobyl disaster.[9][10][11] It was discovered by researchers at the Belarusian Research Institute for Soil Science and Agrochemistry that rapeseed has a rate of uptake up to three times more efficient than other grains, and only about 3 to 6% of the radionuclides goes into the parts of the plant that could potentially enter the food chain. As oil repels radionuclides, it could be produced canola oil free from contaminants being concentrated in other parts of the plant – the straw, the roots, the seed pods, etc., which then can be ploughed back into the soil and create a recycling process.[9]

 

Biodiesel

 

Rapeseed oil is used as diesel fuel, either as biodiesel, straight in heated fuel systems, or blended with petroleum distillates for powering motor vehicles. Biodiesel may be used in pure form in newer engines without engine damage and is frequently combined with fossil-fuel diesel in ratios varying from 2% to 20% biodiesel. Owing to the costs of growing, crushing, and refining rapeseed biodiesel, rapeseed-derived biodiesel from new oil costs more to produce than standard diesel fuel, so diesel fuels are commonly made from the used oil. Rapeseed oil is the preferred oil stock for biodiesel production in most of Europe, accounting for about 80% of the feedstock,[12] partly because rapeseed produces more oil per unit of land area compared to other oil sources, such as soybeans, but primarily because canola oil has a significantly lower Gel point (petroleum) than most other vegetable oils. An estimated 66% of total rapeseed oil supply in the European Union is expected to be used for biodiesel production in the 2010-2011 year.[12]

Rapeseed is currently grown with a high level of nitrogen-containing fertilisers, and the manufacture of these generates N2O, a potent greenhouse gas with 296 times the global warming potential of CO2. An estimated 3-5% of nitrogen provided as fertilizer for rapeseed is converted to N2O.[13]

 

Cultivars

 

Canola was originally a trademark, but is now a generic term in North America for edible varieties of rapeseed oil. In Canada, an official definition of canola is codified in Canadian law.

Rapeseed oil had a distinctive taste and a greenish colour due to the presence of chlorophyll. It also contained a high concentration[specify] of erucic acid.

A variety of rapeseed developed in 1998 is considered to be the most disease- and drought-resistant canola. This and other recent varieties have been produced by using genetic engineering. In 2009, 90% of the rapeseed crops planted in Canada were GM (genetically modified), herbicide-tolerant canola varieties.[14]

 

Health effects

 

Rapeseed oil is one of the oldest vegetable oils, but historically was used in limited quantities due to high levels of erucic acid, which is damaging to cardiac muscle, and glucosinolates, which made it less nutritious in animal feed.[15] Unmodified rapeseed oil can contain up to 45% erucic acid.[16] Food-grade canola oil derived from rapeseed cultivars, also known as rapeseed 00 oil, low erucic acid rapeseed oil, LEAR oil, and rapeseed canola-equivalent oil, has been generally recognized as safe by the United States Food and Drug Administration.[17] Canola oil is limited by government regulation to a maximum of 2% erucic acid by weight in the USA[17] and 5% in the EU,[18] with special regulations for infant food. These low levels of erucic acid are not believed to cause harm in human neonates.[17][18]

In 1981, a deadly outbreak of disease in Spain, known as toxic oil syndrome,[19] was caused by the consumption of rapeseed oil for industrial use that was fraudulently sold as cooking oil.

Rapeseed pollen contains known allergens.[20][21] Whether rape pollen causes hay fever has not been well established, because rape is an insect-pollinated (entomophilous) crop, whereas hay fever is usually caused by wind-pollinated plants. The inhalation of oilseed rape dust may cause asthma in agricultural workers.[22]

 

Production

 

Worldwide production of rapeseed (including canola) has increased sixfold between 1975 and 2007. The production of canola and rapeseed 00 since 1975 has opened up the edible oil market for rapeseed oil. Since 2002, production of biodiesel has been steadily increasing in EU and USA to 6 million metric tons in 2006. Rapeseed oil is positioned to supply a good portion of the vegetable oils needed to produce that fuel. World production is thus expected to trend further upward between 2005 and 2015 as biodiesel content requirements in Europe go into effect.[23] Every ton of rapeseed yields about 400 kg of oil.

 

Top rapeseed producers

(million metric ton)

Country19651975198519952000200520072009

China

1.11.55.69.811.313.010.513.5

Canada

0.51.83.56.47.29.49.611.8

India

1.52.33.15.85.87.67.47.2

Germany

0.30.61.23.13.65.05.36.3

France

0.30.51.42.83.54.54.75.6

Poland

0.50.71.11.41.01.42.12.5

United Kingdom

<0.0070.060.91.21.21.92.12.0

Australia

<0.007<0.060.10.61.81.41.11.9

Ukraine

<0.007<0.06<0.03<0.10.10.31.01.9

Czech Republic

0.070.10.30.70.80.71.01.1

United States

<0.007<0.06<0.030.20.90.70.70.7

Russia

N/AN/AN/A0.10.10.30.60.7

Denmark

0.050.10.50.30.30.30.60.6

Belarus

N/AN/AN/A0.030.070.10.20.6

Hungary

0.0080.10.10.10.20.30.50.6

Romania

0.010.020.040.040.10.10.40.6

European Union

-------19.3

World Total5.28.819.234.239.546.450.561.6

Source:

UN Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO)[24]

  

Pests and diseases

 

Animal pests

 

•Bertha armyworms (Mamestra configurata)

•Bronzed field beetle (Adelium brevicorne) larvae

•Cyst nematode (Heterodera schachtii)

•Diamondback moths (Plutella xylostella)

•Flea beetles (Phyllotreta sp.)

•Grasshoppers (order Orthoptera)

•Harlequin bug (Murgantia histrionica)

•Lygus bugs (Lygus spp.)

•Pollen beetle (Meligethes aeneus)

•Root maggots (Delia spp.)

•Snails and slugs

 

Diseases

 

•Beet western yellows virus (Luteoviridae family)

•Blackleg (caused by the fungus species Leptosphaeria maculans)

•Clubroot (caused by the protist Plasmodiophora brassicae)

•Sclerotinia white stem rot (caused by the fungus genus Sclerotinia)

•White rust disease (caused by the fungus species Albugo candida)

 

Genome sequencing and genetics

 

Bayer Cropscience (in collaboration with BGI-Shenzhen, China, Keygene N.V., the Netherlands and the University of Queensland, Australia) announced it had sequenced the entire genome of Brassica napus and its constituent genomes present in Brassica rapa and Brassica oleracea in 2009. The "A" genome component of the amphidiploid rapeseed species B. napus is currently being sequenced by the Multinational Brassica Genome Project.[25][dated info]

 

GMO (genetically modified organism) controversy[edit]

 

The Monsanto Company has genetically engineered new cultivars of rapeseed to be resistant to the effects of its herbicide, Roundup. They have sought compensation from farmers found to have the Roundup Ready gene in canola in their fields without paying a license fee. These farmers have claimed the Roundup Ready gene was blown into their fields and crossed with unaltered canola. Other farmers claim that after spraying Roundup in non-canola fields to kill weeds before planting, Roundup Ready volunteers are left behind, causing extra expense to rid their fields of the weeds.

In a closely followed legal battle, the Supreme Court of Canada found in favor of Monsanto's patent infringement claim for unlicensed growing of Roundup Ready in its 2004 ruling on Monsanto Canada Inc. v. Schmeiser. The case garnered international controversy, as a court-sanctioned legitimation for the global patent protection of genetically modified crops. However, Schmeiser was not required to pay damages, as he did not benefit financially from the GMO crop in his field.[citation needed]

In March 2008, an out-of-court settlement between Monsanto and Schmeiser has an agreement for Monsanto to clean up the entire GMO-canola crop on Schmeiser's farm at a cost of $660.

 

MerfBruch20210517a

 

Nikon F601s, Vivitar 2,8/28mm, Rollei Retro 400s, Refinal 12min.

Against an inky black backdrop, the blue swirls of spiral galaxy NGC 6956 stand out radiantly. NGC 6956 is a barred spiral galaxy, a common type of spiral galaxy with a bar-shaped structure of stars in its center. This galaxy exists 214 million light-years away in the constellation Delphinus.

 

Scientists used the Hubble Space Telescope to image NGC 6956 to study its Cepheid variable stars, which are stars that brighten and dim at regular periods. Since the period of Cepheid variable stars is a function of their brightness, scientists can measure how bright these stars appear from Earth and compare it to their actual brightness to calculate their distance. As a result, these stars are extremely useful in determining the distance of cosmic objects, which is one of the hardest pieces of information to measure for extragalactic objects.

 

This galaxy also contains a Type Ia supernova, which is the explosion of a white dwarf star that was gradually accreting matter from a companion star. Like Cepheid variable stars, the brightness of these types of supernovae and how fast they dim over time enables scientists to calculate their distance. Scientists can use the measurements gleaned from Cepheid variable stars and Type Ia supernovae to refine our understanding of the rate of expansion of the universe, also known as the Hubble Constant.

 

Credit: NASA, ESA, and D. Jones (University of California – Santa Cruz); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)

 

For more information, visit: www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2022/hubble-captures-m...

 

Find us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube

Still refining how I edit using old photoshoots.

United Refining Company, Warren, Pennsylvania

History

 

After an apprenticeship to a Lancaster confectioner in 1873, Milton S. Hershey opened a candy shop in Philadelphia.

The venture failed, and so did a subsequent one in Chicago.

 

After a third failed business attempt in New York City, Hershey returned to Pennsylvania, where he founded the Lancaster Caramel Company in 1883.

The Hershey Chocolate Company was founded in 1894 as a subsidiary of Lancaster Caramel Company.

 

In 1896, Hershey built a milk-processing plant so he could create and refine a recipe for his milk chocolate candies.

In 1899, he developed the Hershey process, which is less sensitive to milk quality than traditional methods. In 1900, he began manufacturing the Hershey's Milk Chocolate bar.

 

20th century

 

The use of fresh milk in caramels proved successful,[and in 1900, after seeing chocolate-making machines for the first time at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Hershey sold his caramel company for $1,000,000(equal to $36,624,000 today), and concentrated on chocolate.

To people who questioned him, he said, "Caramels are just a fad, but chocolate is a permanent thing."

 

In 1903, Hershey began construction of a chocolate plant in his hometown of Derry Church, Pennsylvania, later known as Hershey, Pennsylvania.

 

The town was an inexpensive place for the workers and their families to live, though the factory was built without windows, so that employees would not be distracted.

 

To increase employee morale, Hershey provided leisure activities and created what would later become Hersheypark. The milk chocolate bars from this plant proved popular, and the company grew rapidly.

 

In 1907, he introduced a new candy: bite-sized, flat-bottomed, conical pieces of chocolate that he named Hershey's Kiss.

At first, each was wrapped by hand in a square of aluminum foil. The introduction of machine wrapping in 1921 sped up the process and added a small paper ribbon to the top of the package, indicating that it was a genuine Hershey product. Today, over 70 million candies are produced daily.

 

Other products introduced included Mr. Goodbar (peanuts in milk chocolate) in 1925, Hershey's Syrup in 1926, semi-sweet chocolate chips (a mixture of milk and dark chocolate) in 1928, and the Krackel bar with crisped rice in 1938.

  

Fallow Deer Buck giving those branches a good thrashing. Presumably to get the antlers in condition for the coming Rut. You can see how much bark has been rubbed off

Refine your vision !

Jasa photo produk + editing !

Photography Service 📷

___

Photo by @refinephoto.id

Product : Ultra Boost 3.0

NO NOTES PLEASE.

 

This is the official Sweetwater series of Duracoat weapon finishes. These are THE ONLY approved colors of the next generations of Sweetwater weapons.

 

The goal was to gather all of the existing SPW colors, refine them into a flowing, uniform palette, and develop a comprehensive shade list. Sweetwater asks its gunsmiths not to deviate from these colors unless absolutely necessary when building guns for the group.

 

This is not to discourage creativity. Instead, it is to encourage a unity and a consistency that will bring all of our creations together into a unique, flexible style.

 

A style that will, once again, be instantly recognizable.

 

---------------------------------

 

The biggest key to making the style work is going to be the blacks. The main black color, Charcoal Black (2d2d2d), should probably be the most used color here. It should replace 333333, 444444 or any other shade of grey/black that builders are currently using for their main "black" finishes. All of the colors are important, but this one is vital for the style to flow. This WILL BE ENFORCED IN THE POOL.

 

Inluded in this set are retooled versions of the iconic SPW red and blue finishes, as well as desert, woodland, jungle, and arctic mixes. The bright red is for tritium sights, selector switches and other details- not for whole guns.

 

----------------------------------

 

Guide: Each color is noted with its official name and all of the codes, from the highlights to the extreme lowlights at the bottom.

 

The largest rectangle is the truest form of each color (third code from the top.) This is the code used when making a flat surface. This should be the most commonly used color.

 

The two slightly smaller rectangles surrounding each main color are the basic shades. Used to make things appear 3 dimensional. Can also be used as accents, when appropriate.

 

The two smaller rectangles surrounding the basic shades are the highlights and lowlights. These should be used sparingly, and mainly just when doing lightsource-type shading on extreme angles or for advanced 3D effects. Sometimes they will work as accents, but be sparing.

 

*NOTE*- DO NOT USE ANY BRIGHTER SHADES THAN THE ONES LISTED, EVEN FOR LIGHTSOURCING - anything brighter than these will give the weapons a shiny look to them which is strongly discouraged in Sweetwater. (Exceptions made for some types of silencers and barrels.)

 

The final and darkest shade of each color should be used for making things like body seams and other details if you find that you need it. Jet black often works better for whole part outlines, but use your judgment.

 

---------------------------------

 

Code Guide:

 

(Color Name)

Highlight

Lighter

MAIN COLOR

Darker

Lowlight

Detailer/Outline

 

---------------------------------

 

If you are an official Sweetwater builder, than these colors were mixed by me, for you. No credit is needed when used by official SPW gunsmiths.

 

If you do not belong to the official Sweetwater group and still choose to use the colors, please credit me and SPW in the description- particularly with the colors. I spent a good deal of time working out these colors and getting the shades correct, and it's nice to be recognized for my work. Thanks in advance~

I managed to cut down the number of dolls I actually acquired this year to nearly half my acquisition rate in 2017 and reduced significantly on last year’s new arrivals. I’m hoping to further refine things this year but I’m not sure there will be many leavers.

 

I had a GREAT year with some truly spectacular and special dolls joining my crew! Such highlights! I have to mention my two dolls of the year of course - London Show Nadja and Zephyr, my OOAK Fairytale Tate created by superstar doll creator Patrizia Sine ❤️Voce! They both rock my world, as you will by now have grown tired of hearing! Lol! The doll I feel has been most neglected is poor Sergio! It is shameful that I haven’t taken any photos of him since his box shots. But I have an excuse - I have these elaborate diorama plans for him and they are on my ‘make list’. The trouble is my ‘make list’ is so incredibly long... but plans for him are ‘in the pipeline’! I also feel like Cabot and Milo have been neglected and a few others too! Some dolls have just monopolised my attention and what with sewing and diorama creating my time has been spread rather thinly. Sigh! This is why I want to get fewer dolls this year and concentrate on really enjoying my collection.

 

So a few stats:

 

This year’s leavers:

 

Elyse Key Pieces - I couldn’t bond with her and decided in fact that I can’t bond with the Elyse sculpt. I have felt better since making this discovery and it’s a good thing for my wallet too since we have been offered a rather large number of Elyse dolls again this year.

 

Adele Paparazzi Darling - although she was beautiful I felt like I didn’t need her in my collection as well as the faces of Adele, so I decided to let her go where she will be more appreciated.

 

Agnes Aristocratic - a lovely Agnes but not one I had much feeling for. I let her go too.

 

Jordan Coquette - I tried really hard with Jordan but I’m beginning to think that this is also a sculpt I don’t bond with. I even decided in the end not to enter the lottery for the new one. I hope I don’t regret it...

 

Eugenia Ruffles & Blooms - Eugenia is another sculpt I have decided I just don’t bond with. She is somehow too cold and imperious to me. I do have one Eugenia still in my collection who I think will be a keeper - As Dusk Falls on a Nu Face body (she is my ‘Young Eugenia’)

 

14 new arrivals and 5 leavers.

 

2015 -

2016 -

2017 - 29 joiners 10 leavers (net additions 19)

2018 - 25 joiners 8 leavers (net additions 17)

2019 - 14 joiners 5 leavers (net additions 9)

 

Of the 14 new joiners six were guys. I would have got more but the Monarchs don’t appeal to me and they are too expensive. Apart from the Love is Love set we had no Industry guys, who are my fave. I miss them and hope they come back this year (with a K Pop inspired Tate, please, please! 🙏). Thankfully we had TWO Lukas dolls which was SUCH a treat since I really really wanted more Lukii in my collection!

 

This year I am really looking forward to receiving the FOUR dolls I have on pre-order (Ocean Drive Agnes, Like No Other Nadja, Mademoiselle Eden and It Girl Girl Magic Colette). I hope I manage to keep my other additions low!

 

So over to you! If you haven’t played this game yet, please join in and share with us a recap of your collecting year! Thanks to everyone who has tagged me and I will try to tag as many as I can!

These little guys are so predictable, that it seems you have unlimited opportunities to improve and refine. Here I just moved the feeder in relation to the same background pine branches.

I'm not spending a lot of time a this...I'm just popping in between farm/ranch chores.

Another building for today with a unique design for a bank.

 

While we haven't been able to refine the date range significantly, there's a suggestion that the lady tending the window boxes (yes - there she is over the door on the flat roof) is a member of the household of William Charles Smith, who was manager of the branch in the early 20th century. We also learn that the building's Art Nouveau architecture was possibly designed by W.H. Byrne or Godfrey William Ferguson, and dates to c.1905 (plus or minus a few years)...

  

Photographer: Unknown

 

Collection: Eason Photographic Collection

 

Date: between ca. 1900-1939

 

NLI Ref: EAS_4038

 

You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at catalogue.nli.ie

 

Against an inky black backdrop, the blue swirls of spiral galaxy NGC 6956 stand out radiantly. NGC 6956 is a barred spiral galaxy, a common type of spiral galaxy with a bar-shaped structure of stars in its center. This galaxy exists 214 million light-years away in the constellation Delphinus.

 

Scientists used NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope to image NGC 6956 to study its Cepheid variable stars, which are stars that brighten and dim at regular periods. Since the period of Cepheid variable stars is a function of their brightness, scientists can measure how bright these stars appear from Earth and compare it to their actual brightness to calculate their distance. As a result, these stars are extremely useful in determining the distance of cosmic objects, which is one of the hardest pieces of information to measure for extragalactic objects.

 

This galaxy also contains a Type Ia supernova, which is the explosion of a white dwarf star that was gradually accreting matter from a companion star. Like Cepheid variable stars, the brightness of these types of supernovae and how fast they dim over time enables scientists to calculate their distance. Scientists can use the measurements gleaned from Cepheid variable stars and Type Ia supernovae to refine our understanding of the rate of expansion of the universe, also known as the Hubble Constant.

 

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and D. Jones (University of California – Santa Cruz); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)

 

For more information: www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2022/hubble-captures-m...

The Ineos operated Grangemouth refinery was the largest industrial plant by volume in Scotland and supplied much of the oil based fuels used in Scotland and the North of England. Crude oil refining ended in April 2025 and the site is now transitioning to an import facilty for fuels.

As I continue to learn and refine my photographic skills I find myself turning back to my archives and there within lives a treasure trove.

 

Shots I once didn't know how to use I have ideas for, problems I couldn't solve are now solvable. Scenes I couldn't do justice to I can now present in their full glory. Case in point this scene of the Arc De Triomphe which for all my trying two years ago when I took this photo I could never get to look anything but flat and lifeless but now feels vibrant and energetic.

 

An important reminder, I think, never to discard photos hastily I think. Even so you must keep moving forward and so this week I head to Melbourne to explore my own back yard further.

 

Cheers, Chris