1998 Ford Explorer auto.

4008cc V6.

Last MoT test expired in July 2019.

It failed a test in October 2019 -

Supplementary restraint system warning lamp indicates a fault (7.1.6 (a)) - Major

Nearside front integral body structure or chassis has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of a body mounting outrigger (6.2.2 (d) (i)) - Major

Offside front integral body structure or chassis has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of a body mounting outrigger (6.2.2 (d) (i)) - Major

Offside rear integral body structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced inner sill (6.1.1 (c) (i)) - Major

Suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength offside rear spring shackle (5.3.6 (a) (i)) - Major

Suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength nearside rear spring shackle (5.3.6 (a) (i)) - Major

Human Spaceflight image of the week:

The Christmas elves worked hard to have the chassis of the Orion service module ready before the end of the year. Engineers at Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy, have spent recent months assembling elements of the second European Service Module for NASA’s Orion vehicle – which will carry up to four astronauts on a voyage beyond the Moon.

As with building toys, the structure requires carefully piecing together panels, brackets and joints. But this is not toy: lives will depend on it and utmost accuracy is key in Orion’s choreographed assembly across borders.

In Europe, the assembly started with the module’s primary structure. The dark panels are lightweight composite material known as carbon-fibre reinforced-plastic. The honeycomb structure provides rigidity and will absorb the forces of launch.

Inside the four panels, two helium tanks will push propellant to Orion’s engines. The large holes keep the weight down but also allow engineers to reach the mass of meticulously laid cables – more than 11 km in total.

The silver circles are mounting points for equipment and cables. Most of these will be installed in Bremen, Germany, at the Airbus integration hall where the complete service module is assembled.

More on the Orion blog.

Credit: NASA–R. Sinyak

Aguttes

Autoworld - Auction & Motion

Estimated : € 110.000 - 150.000

Not sold

Autoworld

www.autoworld.be

Brussels - Belgium

October 2025

Rightly considered one of Ferrari’s most beautiful berlinetta models, the F355 was unveiled to the press in May 1994 and was an instant hit. Resolutely modern, its lines are taut and racy, without forgetting the aesthetic codes that have been part of Maranello’s DNA thanks to Pininfarina’s designs. Technically, the 380 hp V8 engine with five valves per cylinder, derived from Formula 1, and the rigidity of its chassis enabled it to outperform the competition and eclipse its predecessor thanks to improved running gear that gave it unrivalled precision. Today on the collectors’ market, the F355 is rightly recognised, along with the 550 Maranello, as the symbolic link between a bygone era and the dawn of the modern era for Ferrari. Considered a ‘must-have’ by early collectors and the new generation of buyers alike, the F355 is a pillar of the brand.

Our F355 Spider was delivered in June 1995 to Ferrari Francorchamps in this very elegant combination of Blu Le Mans exterior and navy blue leather interior. In 2015, it joined the garage of a major Ferrari collector in the East of France, who kept it until 2022, when the current owner took possession.

Today, the car has less than 62,000 km on the odometer and is in very good overall condition. The bodywork has no noticeable defects, and the upholstery and soft top are very well preserved. The current owner invested nearly €30,000 between 2023 and 2024 to restore it to perfect mechanical condition. This included a complete engine overhaul, timing belt replacement, clutch replacement, and replacement of the catalytic converters and exhaust (invoices available on request). The car now runs perfectly: the V8 engine is a delight, especially when coupled with the legendary manual gearbox. Of course, its service log (duplicate), manuals and tool kit are still present. The F355 is a potential collector’s item that the biggest enthusiasts are beginning to take an interest in. This example truly ticks all the boxes and is offered at a very reasonable estimate!

Armfield Slip and Boatshed Goolwa

Wooden Boat Restoration

Naval Cutter Interpretive board transcription:-

Armfield is undertaking the major restoration of this rare craft on behalf of Alexandrina Council.

The work on the craft will occupy teams of Armfield members for the next three years.

The restoration will require replacement of a substantial proportion of the planking and other timbers.

It will also be necessary to make various fittings, including floor grating, to original royal Navy specifications.

The cutter was built in Portsmouth in the United Kingdom in 1941, one of many of this type which saw service as ships' boats on many naval craft. Our example was part of the original equipment of the aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney.

A unique feature of these craft is a "Kitchen Rudder System" which employs a pair of baffles to direct the propellor thrust, to steer the craft rather than using a conventional rudder. The baffles or "shells" also provide forward and reverse movement in much the same manner as reverse thrust in jet aircraft.

The Perkins diesel motor has been removed and stored for later refurbishment and re-installation. New engine mount timbers have been constructed to provide greater hull rigidity and will be fitted once the planking is complete.

Following an earlier restoration after the boat was found derelict on land in Milang, the Royal Australian Navy presented Armfield with a pair of HMAS Sydney boat badges.

An early stage of restoration is the steam bending of new ribs which will enable us to re-plank the boat to its original shape. This stage requires bending and splicing 52 rib halves and fixing them to the replaced keelson timber.

Les œuvres d'art monumentales illustrent la montée dans les années 90 d'une nouvelle architecture influencée par de nouvelles méthodes de conception et de processus de production numérisés. En permettant la variation de forme, qui est caractérisée par le flux d’informations qui la traverse, ces méthodes ont stimulé la création d’une architecture animée, vivante et dynamique dans laquelle se croisent les processus biologiques et la dynamique des fluides. Cette tendance, dite numérique, arithmétique et numérique, remet en question une architecture qui serait immuable et définitive au profit d'une "architecture liquide" (Marcos Novak), aux formes libres et évolutives, dans laquelle des cercles organiques et des surfaces continues se mélangent. Cela correspond au style de cette autre architecture qui, dans les années 1960 et 1970, est revenue aux styles plus anciens (gothique, baroque, expressionnisme) en évoquant la courbe, l'organique et le mouvement par rapport à la rigidité de l'angle droit.

The monumental works of art illustrate the rise in the 1990s of a new architecture influenced by new methods of digitized design and production processes. By allowing shape variation, which is characterized by the flow of information passing through it, these methods have stimulated the creation of an animated, dynamic and dynamic architecture in which biological processes and fluid dynamics intersect. This trend, known as numerical, arithmetical and numerical, calls into question an architecture that would be immutable and definitive in favor of a "liquid architecture" (Marcos Novak), with free and evolving forms, in which organic circles and continuous surfaces take place. mix. This corresponds to the style of this other architecture which, in the 1960s and 1970s, returned to older styles (Gothic, Baroque, Expressionism) evoking the curve, the organic and the movement in relation to the rigidity of the angle law.

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Francisco Aragão © 2012. All Rights Reserved.

Use without permission is illegal.

Attention please !

If you are interested in my photos, they are available for sale. Please contact me by email: aragaofrancisco@gmail.com. Do not use without permission.

Many images are available for license on Getty Images

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Portuguese

A ponte Hercílio Luz (Ex-governador de Santa Catarina) está localizada no estado brasileiro de Santa Catarina, foi construída para ligar o continente à ilha de Santa Catarina (ligando a parte continental da capital, Florianópolis, à parte insular).

A ponte Hercílio Luz é uma das maiores pontes pênseis do mundo e a maior do Brasil. Teve sua construção iniciada em 14 de novembro de 1922 e foi inaugurada a 13 de maio de 1926. O comprimento total é de 819,471 metros, com 259 metros de viaduto insular, 339,471 metros de vão central e 221 metros de viaduto continental.

A estrutura de aço tem o peso aproximado de cinco mil toneladas, e os alicerces e pilares consumiram 14.250m³ de concreto. As duas torres medem 75 metros, a partir do nível do mar, e o vão central tem altura de 43 metros.

English

Located in Florianopolis, the capital city of Santa Catarina State in southern Brazil, the Hercilio Luz Bridge is the first bridge constructed to link the Island of Santa Catarina to the mainland.

It is the longest suspension bridge in Brazil. The central span was considered quite long (but not the longest, at 340 meters) at the time of its opening and is still one of the 100 largest suspension bridges.

The bridge was designed by the firm of Robinson & Steinman, and completed in 1926 and took ten times its original budget to build. It was named in honour of Hercilio Luz, a former governor of the state of Santa Catarina. The bridge has been closed since 1991.

It has the fairly unusual feature that the truss carrying the roadway (a continuous stiffening component) is above the roadway itself and meets up with the cables making it non uniform in height. A similar bridge, the Walter Taylor Bridge, was built over the Brisbane River in Brisbane, Australia in 1936.

The bridge was built by American Bridge Company, which, perhaps more than any other company in the world, was best qualified to work on a bridge with a continuous stiffening component. The Florianopolis Bridge when built from 1922 to 1926 was the longest eyebar suspension span in existence at that time. The 1,113’ long design features towers with rocker bearings. The company brought to that project its own experimental heat-treated eyebars, and as project contractor pioneered stiffening techniques that saved materials and money while providing greater rigidity.

Another bridge of similar design, the Silver Bridge over the Ohio River in the USA, collapsed in 1967 due to a failure in one of the eyebars.

The Ferrari 360 (Type F131) is a two-seater, mid-engine, rear wheel drive sports car manufactured by Italian automotive manufacturer Ferrari from 1999 to 2005. It succeeded the Ferrari F355 and was replaced by the Ferrari F430 in 2005.

Ferrari partnered with Alcoa to produce an entirely new all-aluminium space-frame chassis that was 40% stiffer than its predecessor's which had utilized steel. The design was 28% lighter despite a 10% increase in overall dimensions. Along with a lightweight frame the new Pininfarina body styling deviated from traditions of the previous decade's sharp angles and flip-up headlights. The new V8 engine utilises a 3.6-litre capacity, a flat-plane crankshaft, and titanium connecting rods. The engine generates a power output of 400 PS (294 kW; 395 hp). According to Ferrari, weight was reduced by 60 kg (130 lb) and the 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration time improved from 4.7 to 4.5 seconds.

The Ferrari 360 Spider was unveiled at the 2000 Geneva Motor Show.

The 360 was designed with a convertible variant in mind; since removing the roof of a coupe reduces the torsional rigidity, the 360 was built for strength in other areas. Ferrari designers strengthened the sills, stiffened the front of the floorpan and redesigned the windscreen frame. The rear bulkhead had to be stiffened to cut out engine noise from the cabin. The convertible's necessary dynamic rigidity is provided by additional side reinforcements and a cross brace in front of the engine. Passenger safety is ensured by a strengthened windscreen frame and roll bars.

The 360 Spider displays a curvilinear waistline. The fairings imply the start of a roof, and stable roll bars are embedded in these elevations. Due to use of light aluminium construction throughout, the Spider weighs in only 60 kg (130 lb) heavier than the coupé.

Manufacturer: Triumph Motor Company / British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd. (BLMC), Coventry - UK

Type: Stag Mk II

Engine: 2997cc V-8

Power: 147 bhp / 5.500 rpm

Speed: 185 km/h

Production time: 1970 - 1977

Production time Mk II: 1973 - 1977

Production outlet: 25,877 (total)

Curb weight: 1275 kg

Special:

- The Stag is styled by Giovanni Michelotti and chief engineer Harry Webster helped with the mechanical aspects of this 2 +2 coupe.

- It was designed to compete directly with the Mercedes-Benz SL class models.

- These luxury sports cars were four-seater convertible coupés, but for structural rigidity – and to meet new American rollover standards of the time – they required a B-pillar "roll bar" hoop connected to the windscreen frame by a T-bar.

- Because comfort came before sportiness, most Stags were delivered with a Borg-Warner 3-speed automatic transmission, i.s.o. a four-speed manual gearbox (with an optional A-type Laycock overdrive unit or a J-type Laycock unit for the later models).

- To meet emission standards in the USA, the American Stags had dual Zenith-Stromberg 175 CDSE carburettors (i.s.o. fuel injection) and had only 127 bhp.

- It has fully independent suspension (MacPherson struts in front, semi-trailing arms at the rear), power-assisted rack and pinion steering, rear wheel drive, front powered disc brakes and rear powered drum brakes.

- The electric windows were standard but optional were a luggage rack, fog lamps, floor mats, and Koni shock absorbers.

- Standard it has steel wheels with Rostyle "tin-plate" trims, but five-spoke alloy wheels or traditional steel spoke wheels with "knock-off"' hubcaps were options.

- The addition of twin coachlines is an indication of a Mk II variant.

- A major problem remained the engine: overheating, water pump (mounted above the engine), choice of materials (an iron block with heads from aluminium), electrolytic corrosion, the use of long, simplex roller link chains witch only lasted fewer than 25,000 miles (40,200 km), and more.

- The detachable hard top was at first an option, but became later standard.

- About 19,000 were sold in the UK, 2,871 to the United States.

- The Stag was only exported to America from 1971 till 1973, making the left hand drive Stag a very rare car.

This group of statues portrays the family of Neferherenptah, a Wah priest who supervised the funerary cult of the two great kings of the Fourth Dynasty, Khufu and Menkaure.

Neferherenptah, also known as Fifi, the head of the family is represented as a characteristic pose for male statuary. His statue rests on a base that rises at the back to form a wide dorsal pillar. Both pillar and base are painted black although areas of this colour are now faded.

Fifi wears a medium-length curly black wig that covers his ears completely. A white and blue usekh necklace hangs around his neck. He is dressed in a short white kilt with a belt in relief at the waist. Fifi's plump face has large painted eyes with blue irises topped by long raised eyebrows that follow the shape of his eyes slanting gently down at the outer ends. His calm gaze appears to be directed heavenwards. His nose is fairly large and broad and a narrow moustache above his small, fleshy mouth provides a decorative touch.

Fifi's body is well proportioned and with visible if not prominent muscles. Regardless of its relatively small size and a certain rigidity of form, this statuette is an appealing example of the sculpture produced at the end of the Fifth Dynasty. Inside the serdab Fifi's tomb his statuette was placed in the centre, between his daughter (on the left) and his wife (right), while the couple's son was on the far side of his sister.

The statuette of Satmeret, Fifi's wife, stands on a low base with a dorsal pillar. Her rather stiff pose contrasts with the bright colours that are a striking feature of the statuette. Smaller in size than her husband, Satmeret is portrayed standing with her arms held rigidly against her body, hands on her thighs. She is wearing a medium-length black wig, its curls created with tiny grooves. On her forehead, her real hair can just be seen beneath the edge of the wig. The rigidity of her body is also reflected in her facial features: her wide-open eyes have dilated pupils, painted black. Her nose is short and her mouth appears to be firmly closed. Around her neck, she wears a multicoloured collar and a wide usekh necklace comprised of rows painted blue, white and red. Hanging from the necklace is another adornment: a wide rectangular band formed of rows of variously coloured beads, adding a colourful note to her white robe. The robe is tight-fitting and long, reaching to her calves. The fabric is meant to be flimsy and elegant, revealing the form of her body underneath. Her well-rounded breasts, stomach muscles and shapely legs - barely concealed - offer a striking, perhaps even deliberate contrast with the conventional posture and rigidity of the rest of the sculpture.

Although the statuette of Itisen, the couple's son, is smaller in size he is depicted as an adult rather than a child. He is sitting on a cube-shaped seat with a plinth but no back. His clenched right hand is placed vertically on his knee, his left hand is palm down. He is wearing a curly black wig, shorter than his father's, that follows the lines of his face. Around his neck is the white outline (not painted) of a broad necklace. He is clothed in a short white kilt with a pleated border, held up by a belt with a small piece of material projecting from it.

Itisen has a rather round face and large eyes with black-painted pupils surmounted by painted eyebrows in relief. His nose is neatly shaped, and his slightly protruding mouth is not wide but has fleshy lips. His slender neck is set on broad shoulders that contrast with his lean torso, divided vertically by a median groove that narrows noticeably towards the waist. Although thin his knees and legs are meticulously carved; their shape makes it possible to visualize the bone structure beneath. His skin is painted dark ochre. Like the statuettes of his parents, Itisen is also characterized by a marked rigidity of form, only partly relieved and brightened by the strong colours.

Of the four statuettes found in the serdab of Neferherenptah's mastaba, that of Meretites, sister of Itisen, is the most expressive. Admittedly it lacks much of the colour that in some way gives life and luminosity to the others, but the almost ecstatic look of Meretite's face and the soft lines of her body confer a particular elegance and hieratic grace. Slightly larger than her brother he is represented in the classic seated pose with her hands open, palms down on her knees. She is wearing an ankle-length robe and as a note of adornment, a broad, unpainted necklace. Covering her head is a rather voluminous, medium-length wig with tiny braids that start from a central parting. On her forehead, her real hair can just be seen beneath the edge of the wig. She is leaning her head very slightly backwards with the result that her rather wide face seems to be turned upwards. Her eyes too appear to be raised towards some unknown point and have an almost inspired look. Her nose is regular and her mouth, carved with soft, precise lines, has pronounced lips. Meretites has a straight back, less prominent breasts than her mother and more rounded torso and hips. She appears to have been fashioned in keeping with older aesthetic canons dating back to between the end of the Third and the beginning of the Fourth Dynasties.

(Egyptian Treasures from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, ed. Tiraditti)

From priest's mastaba tomb,

Giza cemetery

JE 87804, JE 87805, JE 87806, JE 87807

Egyptian Museum, Cairo

1999 Ford Fiesta Finesse 5-door.

1299cc.

Supplied by A W & D Hammond of Halesworth (Ford).

Scrapped (last MoT test expired on 17th May 2022).

It failed a test on 23rd May 2022 -

Rear tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm both (5.2.3 (e)) - Dangerous

Offside front tyre has ply or cords exposed plys (5.2.3 (d) (ii)) - Dangerous

Nearside outer vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced sill (6.1.1 (c) (i)) - Major

Offside front direction indicator incorrect colour (4.4.3 (a)) - Major

Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (3.4 (b) (ii)) - Major

Front exhaust has a major leak of exhaust gases flex (6.1.2 (a)) - Major

Front brake disc significantly and obviously worn (1.1.14 (a) (i)) - Major

Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (3.5 (a)) - Major

Before moving any further with the round gazebo that I'm currently working on I decided that I should start messing around with the roof. Mostly to check if the outer diameter of 24 studs will be sufficient for the roof design that was planning for this thing. It will be a little more steeper than I was originally planning but it looks it will fit :)

The concept here is the same as in the dome design: 8 main rafters with studs facing outwards provide structure support while the other 8 rafters with studs facing inwards are connected alternately by the mixel ball joints the main support rafters and have bumpers at the top (the dark bluish grey 1x1 technic liftarms). The latter rafters not only provide the rigidity for the whole roof but also provide connection points for the panels.

Yesterday I posted some images of almost the same thing but when I was writing the description it struck me that the central part that connects all the rafters was too big. The lengths of the rafters are 7 studs for the lower part and 6 studs for the upper part connected at 22,5* degrees which for both gives 7,25 studs in horizontal distance that they occupy. This means that rafters from the opposing sides occupy 14,5 studs total which leaves us with 6,5 studs for the centre. This was the tricky part because we need to hide 2mm offset at each side and be able to connect all the rafters. The solution was to angle 1x1 plates with clips at the a funky angle (a little more than 28 degrees from what I have calculated) so that they would occupy 6,5 studs.

Now it's time to figure out the panels :)

To the shoulders go all the incompletions. Unfinished conversations, suppressed emotion, unacknowledged fear, personal insecurities left unexplored. They gather on your back, out of eyesight, sly.

Deep inhale, long exhale, and the dropping of shoulder rigidity was until recently, a simple movement I performed whenever needed with little mental action required.

Breathe is present so therefore, opportunity is also.

Ecdysis is the molting of the cuticula in arthropods and related groups (Ecdysozoa). Since the cuticula of these animals is also the skeletal support (the exoskeleton) of the body and is inelastic, it is shed during growth and a new, larger covering is formed. The old, empty exoskeleton is called an exuvia (or "exuvium").

After molting, an arthropod is described as teneral; it is "fresh", pale and soft-bodied. Within one or two hours, the cuticle hardens and darkens following a tanning process similar to that of the tanning of leather. It is during this short phase that the animal grows, since growth is otherwise constrained by the rigidity of the exoskeleton.

Ecdysis may also enable damaged tissue and missing limbs to be regenerated or substantially re-formed, although this may only be complete over a series of molts, the stump being a little larger with each molt until it is of normal, or near normal size again.

Exuvia (alternative spelling exuvium, plural: exuviae) is a term used in biology to describe the remains of an exoskeleton that is left after an arthropod (insect, crustacean or arachnid) has moulted. The exuvia of an animal can be important to biologists as it can often be used identify the species of the animal and even its sex.

As it is not always practical to study insects, crustaceans or arachnids directly and because exuviae can be collected fairly easily, exuviae can play an important part in helping to determine some general aspects of a species overall life cycle such as distribution, sex ratio, production and proof of breeding in a habitat.

best viewed LARGE:

www.flickr.com/photos/rundstedt/3674910624/sizes/l/

The Swat Valley is known as the Switzerland of the East. I first visited it in August 1998 and have been back many times since. Swat was a tranquil area, serene but ruined by militancy in the last 3 years. It was a popular tourist destination for the summer. Its beauty attracted people from the other side of Pakistan. Swat had always been one of the most peaceful areas within the North-West of Pakistan but the Afghan war changed that.

Swat rises from over 900 metres above sea level to its highest peak of over 6000 metres. It is a green and fertile district which is heavily forested in some regions, specially Upper Swat and the side valleys. Sadly lower Swat has lost so much of it's tree cover making it look like the drier regions further to the south. Swat is green because of good rainfall and the river. Black Bear, Leopard, Wolves, Goral, Markhor, Ibex, Musk Deer, Pheasants, partridges, Redstarts, Wagtails, Flying Squirrel are some of the species found here. Sadly the 6 larger species mentionned are very rare thanks to over-hunting and habitat loss.

Lets pray for peace and normalcy to come back to Swat. So far the military operation has been very successful but the militants are never to be under-estimated!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swat,_Pakistan

Swat (Pakhto: سوات) is a valley and an administrative district in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan located 160 km/100 miles from Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. It is the upper valley of the Swat River, which rises in the Hindu Kush range. The capital of Swat is Saidu Sharif, but the main town in the Swat valley is Mingora.[1] It was a princely state (see Swat (princely state)) in the NWFP until it was dissolved in 1969. With high mountains, green meadows, and clear lakes, it is a place of great natural beauty that used to be popular with tourists as "the Switzerland of Pakistan".[2].

In December 2008 most of the area was captured by the Taliban insurgency and it is now considered dangerous for tourism. The Islamist militant leader Maulana Fazlullah and his group Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi have banned education for girls and have bombed or torched "more than 170 schools ... along with other government-owned buildings."[3] The Pakistani government in late May 2009 began a military offensive to regain control of the region.

History

See also History of Swat (princely state)

The Swat River is mentioned in the Rig Veda 8.19.37 as the Suvastu river.[4] The first historical mention of the valley goes back to a hymn of the Rigveda(Stein, 1929:viii).[5] Swat has been inhabited for over two thousand years and was known in ancient times as the Udyana. The independent monarchs of this region came under Achaemenid influence, before reverting back to local control in the 4th century BC.[citation needed] In 327 BC, Alexander the Great fought his way to Udegram and Barikot. In Greek accounts these towns have been identified as Ora and Bazira. By 305 BC, the region became a part of the Mauryan Empire.[citation needed]

Buddhist heritage of Swat

Padmasambhava (flourished eighth century AD), also called Guru Rimpoche, Tibetan Slob-dpon (teacher), or Padma ‘byung-gnas (lotus born) legendary Indian Buddhistic Mystic who introduced Tantric Buddhism to Tibet and is credited with establishing the first buddhist monastery there.

According to tradition, Padmasambhava was native to Udyana (now Swat in Pakistan).[6] Padmasambhava was the son of Indrabhuti, king of Swat in the early eighth century AD. One of the original Siddhas, Indrabhuti flourished in the early eighth century AD and was the king of Uddiyana in north western India (identified with the Kabul valley). His son Padmasambhava is revered as the second Buddha in Tibet. Indrabhuti's sister, Lakshminkaradevi, was also an accomplished siddha of the 9th century AD.[7]

Ancient Gandhara, the valley of Pekhawar, with the adjacent hilly regions of Swat and Buner, Dir and Bajaur was one of the earliest centers of Buddhist religion and culture following the reign of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka, in the third century BC. The name Gandhara first occurs in the Rigveda which is usually identified with the region [8]

The secular Swat museum has acquired footprints of the Buddha, which were originally placed for devotion in the sacred Swat valley. When the Buddha ascended, relics (personal items, body parts, ashes etc.) were distributed to seven kings, who built stupas over them for veneration.

The Harmarajika stupa (Taxila) and Butkarha (Swat) stupa at Jamal Garha were among the earliest Gandhara stupas. These were erected on the orders of King Ashoka and contained the genuine relics of the historic Buddha.[citation needed]

The Gandhara school is credited with the first representations of the Buddha in human form, rather symbolically as the wheel of the law, the tree, etc.[citation needed]

As Buddhist art developed and spread outside India, Indian styles were imitated. In China the Gandhara style was imitated in bronze images, with gradual changes in the features of these images over the passage of time. Swat, the land of romance and beauty, is celebrated throughout the Buddhist world as the holy land of Buddhist learning and piety. Swat was a popular destination for Buddhist pilgrims. Buddhist tradition holds that Buddha himself came to Swat during his incarnation as Gautama Buddha and preached to the people here.

It is said[by whom?] that the Swat valley was filled with fourteen hundred imposing and beautiful stupas and monasteries, which housed as many as 6,000 gold images of the Buddhist pantheon for worship and education. Archaeologists now know of more than 400 Buddhist sites covering an area of 160 km in Swat valley alone. Among the important excavations of Buddhist sites in Swat an important one is Butkarha-I, containing original relics of the Buddha. A stone statue of Buddha, is still there in the village Ghalegay.[citation needed] There is also a big stupa in Mohallah Singardar Ghalegay.[citation needed]

Hindu Shahi Rulers and Sanskrit

Swat was ruled by the Hindu Shahi dynasty who have built an extensive array of temples and other architectural buildings now in ruins. Sanskrit was the language of the Swatis.[9]

Hindu Shahi rulers built fortresses to guard and tax the commerce through this area. Their ruins can be seen in the hills of Swat: at Malakand pass at Swat’s southern entrance.[10]

Advent of Islam by Mahmud of Ghazni

Scenery from a restaurant near Mingora, Swat ValleyAt the end of the Mauryan period (324-185 BC) Buddhism spread in the whole Swat valley, which became a very famous center of Buddhist religion .[11]

After a Buddhist phase the Hindu religion reasserted itself, so that at the time of the Muslim invasions (AD1000) the population was solidly Hindu (ibid,ix)[12]

In 1023 Mahmood of Ghazni attacked Swat and crushed the last Buddhist King, Raja Gira in battle. The invasion of Mahmood of Ghazni is of special importance because of the introduction of Islam as well as changing the Chronology.[13]

These invasions caused no break in local traditions: the place–names given in the early Greek sources may be recognized in the names of major villages of modern Swat.(ibid,47,60), Conversion to Islam was thus something imposed by a small group of warrior lords, with the bulk of the population maintaining its secular Indian traditions. The main body of the modern agricultural tenants in Swat are probably descended from this formerly Hindu population.

The first Muslim masters of Swat were non–Pakhtun Dilzak tribes from south-east Afghanistan. These were later ousted by Swati Pakhtuns, who were succeeded in the sixteenth century by Yisufzai Pakhtuns. Both groups of Pakhtuns came from the Kabul valley [14]

Later, when the King of Kabul Mirza Ulagh Beg attempted to assassinate the dominant chiefs of the Yousafzais they took refuge under the umbrella of the Swati Kings of Swat and Bajour. The whole area was dominated by the Swati/Jahangiri Sultans of Swat for centuries. According to H. G. Raverty, the Jahangiri Kings of Swat had ruled from Jalalabad to Jhelum. After more than two decades of guerrilla warfare, they were dispossessed by the Yousafzais.

Demographics

The population at the 1981 Census was 715,938, which had risen to 1,257,602 at the next Census in 1998. The main language of the area is Pakhto. The people of Swat are mainly Pakhtuns, Yousafzai's, Kohistanis and Gujars. Some have very distinctive features[neutrality disputed]. Most probably they are originated from the same tribe who are roamed around the great trans-Himalayan mountain ranges thousands of years before, and now remained in some isolated but extremely beautiful pockets of Himalayan mountain ranges.

The Dardic people of the Kalam region in northern Swat are known as Kohistanis and speak the Torwali and Kalami languages. There are also some Khowar speakers in the Kalam region. This is because before Kalam came under the rule of Swat it was a region tributary to Chitral the Kalamis paid a tribute of mountain ponies to the Mehtar of Chitral every year.

Tourist attractions

PTDC Motel at Malam Jabba Ski Resort.There is a popular ski resort in Swat at Malam Jabba, 40 km north east of Saidu Sharif, closed in 2007 due to the decreasing ability of the Pakistani government to maintain security in the region. In June 2008, the ski resort was burned down by militants.[15]

Administration

The region has gone through considerable changes over the last few years since the dissolution of the Swat (princely state) in 1969. Members of the former Royal family have been elected to represent the area in the Provincial Assemby and National Assembly on occasion since then.

The district is represented in the provincial assembly by seven elected MPAs who represent the following constituencies:[16]

Taliban insurgency

Main article: Battle of Swat

By January 2003, there was a notable increase in violence as militant groups in the Swat valley, led by radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah, began attacking and killing civilians as well as police checkposts in Swat.[18] In 59 villages, the militants set up a "parallel government" with Islamic courts imposing sharia law. By 2009 the region was largely under effective militant control, despite the presence of 20,000 Pakistani troops.[19] Local opponents of the militants have been harshly critical of Pakistani civil society for its lack of concern for their plight as well as critical of the military and provincial government for their ineffective measures for controlling the tide of militancy.[20]

Late 2007

After a four-month truce ended in late September 2007, fighting resumed.[21] The paramilitary Frontier Constabulary was deployed to the area, but initially were reported to be ineffective. On November 16, 2007 Militants were reported to have captured Alpuri district headquarters in neighbouring Shangla. The local police fled without resisting the advancing militant force which, in addition to local militants, also included Uzbek, Tajik and Chechen volunteers.[22]

In late November 2007, Pakistani regular forces threw out Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi militants from its stronghold in the Kabal District of north-western Swat. About 250 militants died in two weeks of fighting according to Pakistani authorities and the militants retreated into the mountains.[1] By December 2007, the militants were on the run, with the valley "largely cleared".[23] Pakistani officials stated at that time that it would take four months to re-establish functioning institutions in the area, in the wake of Islamist ruin.[23]

Developments in 2009

A January 21, 2009 issue of the Pakistan daily newspaper The News, reports Taliban enforcement of a complete ban on female education in the Swat district. Some 400 private schools enrolling 40,000 girls have been shut down. At least 10 girls' schools that tried to open after the January 15, 2009 deadline by the Taliban were blown up by the militants in the town of Mingora, the headquarters of the Swat district.[27] "More than 170 schools have been bombed or torched, along with other government-owned buildings."[3]

In a stated attempt at bringing peace to this region, the Pakistani Government on 16 February 2009, signed a peace accord with the Taliban and agreed to the imposition of Sharia law in Swat and suspension of military offensives against the Taliban. This agreement invoked mixed reactions from the locals: some are relieved on the prospect of relative peace, while others are more skeptical about the Talibanisation of this scenic paradise and the push that this accord would give to the spread of Taliban's movement in Pakistan.[28] International concern primarily stems from the rigidity with which the Taliban is seen to be imposing Sharia. Others point to the impact such an accord will have in empowering radical Islamists and the jihadi movement in Pakistan and elsewhere.[29]

February 2009 ceasefire

Main article: Nizam-e-Adl Regulation 2009

The Pakistani government announced on February 16, 2009 that it would allow Sharia law in the Malakand region. In return, Fazlullah's followers agreed to observe a ceasefire negotiated by Sufi Muhammad.[30][31][32]

Reactions to Ceasefire

NATO feared that the agreement would only serve to allow militants to regroup and to create a safe haven for cross-border attacks into Afghanistan.[33]

Amnesty International expressed concern that the agreement would legitimize human rights abuses in the region.[30]

The people of Swat have welcomed this peace-agreement as welcome respite from the fighting that had brought their lives to a standstill.[who?] However, reports from the area suggest that this agreement has been accepted by them out of fear of continuous fighting that has destroyed the once scenic tourist haven.[citation needed] With the imposition of Nizam-e-Adl, some colleges and schools, including those for women, have reopened.[citation needed] However, women have to conceal themselves from head to toe as per the Islamic law or Shariah.[citation needed] Furthermore, Pakistanis are now scared that this deal may only serve to embolden militants to spread their influence into more settled parts of Pakistan.[citation needed]

Despite the reported ceasefire, the Taliban have refused to lay down their arms[34]. Various international political and security analysts are opining that this deal and refusal to lay down arms may have devastating effects on the stability of Pakistan.[35][36][37]

April-May 2009 Pakistani offensive

Through a media broadcast, the Pakistani government announced in late April that it would fight the Taliban in the Swat Valley, this war is called swat operation. This led to a humanitarian crisis. The United Nations Commissioner for Refugees announced that between 150,000 to 200,000 civilians had fled the war zone.[citation needed] The Pakistani military took back multiple Taliban strongholds, such as Rama Kandhao ridge in Matta and a Taliban headquarters in Loenamal. On the 8th of May, the Pakistani military announced that around 80 Taliban fighters had been killed and two Pakistani soldiers had been injured. Air strikes, artillery bombardment and rocket attacks by helicopter gunships are being undertaken extensively. As of 11 May, the military spokesperson of the ISPR report that as many as 200 militants had been killed in the fighting with Pakistan Army troops, also that Pakistan helibourne commandos had been inserted in the area which is the main stronghold of these militants.[38] By early June 2009, most of Swat was freed from Taliban and Mingora, the main town of Swat, was in complete government control and then pakistan government started focusing army on South Waziristan.[citation needed]

Rocaille: in Western architecture and decorative arts, 18th-century style featuring elaborately stylized shell-like, rocklike, and scroll motifs. Rocaille is one of the more prominent aspects of the Rococo style of architecture and decoration that developed in France during the reign of King Louis XV (1715–74). The Rocaille style has been defined as a reaction both to the classic rigidity of the waning Baroque style and to the new interest in nature and the natural sciences. In French, rocaille means “rubble,” or “pebbles,” and style rocaille is synonymous with Rococo

I am pleased to announce you the creation of a new project for Tina who wanted something around a tutu dress set... So I plan to make a real pancake tutu with a gradient in different tulle overlays, inspired by the romantic ballet, where the spirit of Giselle, dancing with her lover, comes to save him from the death.

This set include seven pieces...

- A blouse, fully lined, sewn in a cotton batiste dyed with bright pink color, edged with lace on the bottom sleeves and with pale pink rayon cord around de neckline. Embroidered roses adorn this piece witch closes in the back with beads and loops.

- A pancake tutu sewn with a gradient in different tulle overlays: gold at the top, on dotted cream, on pale pink, and ending below with mauve pink. I used the traditional technique, that is to say, with lots of layers fixed together and with a metal circle inside to maintain a certain rigidity.

- A corseted over-skirt sew in a lovely yellow-cream jacquard silk satin, fully embroidered and edged with lace and burgundy rayon cord. A fake lacing, a knotted rose on the front panel and a real lacing on the back...

- A cream pantyhose, hand painted with acrylic painting, decorated with tiny flowers and leaves rising from the ankle to the knee.

- A short cape, sewn with lace on satin with tiny embroidered roses, edged with fur and closed with a cordon ended with small pompoms. Because I couldn't make up my mind about the color, I I decide to make it reversible: pink or green depending on the mood of the day.

- Hair accessory: some millinery flowers... mounted on hair clips.

- A pair of ballerina shoes.

This set is worn by my "Nijinska" blythe doll customized by me.

I used a real factory Blythe that looks like Matryoshka Maiden and bought especially to become this ballet girl, tribute to Nijinski.

Work done:

· Carving of her nose, lips and philtrum

· New full makeup made with artist Extra Soft Pastels "à l'écu" from Sennelier and sealed with several layers of MSC

· Sleepy eyes

· Gaze corrected

· New lashes

· Eyelids painted with artist Extra Soft Pastels "à l'écu" from Sennelier

· Four new pairs of eye chips hand painted by me using professional Golden iridescent fluid acrylics. Baby pink (right), Pale lavender (center), Royal blue (left), Olive green (center)

Thank you very much for your visiting!

The reading room originally had 38 desks in the centre, arranged in two rows, to which the valuable codices were chained according to subject matter.[note 34] Between the windows were imaginary portraits of great men of Antiquity, the 'philosophers', each originally accompanied by an identifying inscription.[136] Similar portraits were located in the vestibule. Over time, however, these paintings were moved to various locations within the library and eventually, in 1763, to the Doge's Palace in order to create the wall space necessary for more bookshelves.[137] As a result, some were lost along with all of the identifying inscriptions. The ten that survive were returned to the library in the early nineteenth century and integrated with other paintings in 1929.[124] Of the 'philosophers', only Diogenes by Tintoretto has been credibly identified.[138][note 35]

circular painting in set in gilded ceiling

Battista Franco, Actaeon and Diana and grotesques

The ceiling of the reading room is decorated with 21 roundels, circular oil paintings, by Giovanni de Mio, Giuseppe Salviati, Battista Franco, Giulio Licinio, Bernardo Strozzi, Giambattista Zelotti, Alessandro Varotari, Paolo Veronese, and Andrea Schiavone. They are inserted into a gilded and painted wooden framework along with 52 grotesques by Battista Franco.[139] The roundels by Bernardo Strozzi and Alessandro Varotari are replacements from 1635 of earlier roundels, respectively by Giulio Licinio and Giambattista Zelotti, which were irreparably damaged by water infiltrations.[140] The original roundels were commissioned in 1556.[note 36]

Although the original seven artists were formally chosen by Sansovino and Titian,[122] their selection for an official and prestigious commission such as the library was indicative of the ascendancy of the Grimani and of those other families within the aristocracy who maintained close ties with the papal court and whose artistic preferences consequently tended towards Mannerism as it was developing in Tuscany, Emilia, and Rome.[141][142] The artists were mostly young and innovative. They were primarily foreign-trained and substantially outside the Venetian tradition in their artistic styles, having been influenced by the trends in Florence, Rome, Mantua, and Parma, particularly by the work of Michelangelo, Giulio Romano, and Parmigianino. To varying degrees, the roundels that they produced for the ceiling of the reading room are consequently characterized by the emphasis on line drawing, the greater sculptural rigidity and artificial poses of the figures, and the overall dramatic compositions. They nevertheless show the influence of the Venetian painting tradition in both the colouring and brushwork. ( Wikipedia ) --- --- --- It is rare to find the room this empty as it is usually filled with special temporay exhibits.

Outstanding features of the myth of the Indian rope trick include a scarcity of active practitioners and the absence of reliable witnesses to its ever having been successfully performed, or indeed attempted. This is not completely surprising when its gravity defying claims are considered. For a piece of conjuring which has never actually been seen, there are a surprising number of variations. However they coalesce around the unlikely prospect of a piece of rope being flung in to the air whereupon it achieves sufficient properties of rigidity and stability to enable it to be ascended by the performer. If this were not sufficiently miraculous, the audience's credulity is tested by Scotland proceeding to win the World Cup on three consecutive occassions, having won every match contested by a margin of five goals to nil and conceding no corner kicks in the process.

1978 Lancia Beta 1600 coupe.

Last MoT test expired in September 2008 (SORN, now MoT exempt).

It failed a test spectacularly in September 2019 -

Stop lamp(s) all not working (4.3.1 (a) (iii)) - Dangerous

Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value (1.4.2 (a) (ii)) - Dangerous

Offside headlamp not working on dipped beam (4.1.1 (a) (ii)) - Major

Offside front direction indicator not working (4.4.1 (a) (ii)) - Major

Offside front position lamp adversely affected by the operation of another lamp affected when indicator switched on (4.2.3 (c)) - Major

Horn not working (7.7 (a) (ii)) - Major

Nearside rear position lamp not working (4.2.1 (a) (ii)) - Major

Offside rear position lamp adversely affected by the operation of another lamp affected by the indicator (4.2.3 (c)) - Major

Nearside rear direction indicator light intensity significantly reduced (4.4.3 (a)) - Major

Offside rear direction indicator light intensity significantly reduced (4.4.3 (a)) - Major

Windscreen wiper not working (3.4 (a)) - Major

Windscreen washer not working (3.5 (a)) - Major

Nearside steering rack gaiter missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (2.1.3 (g) (ii)) - Major

Offside steering rack gaiter missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (2.1.3 (g) (ii)) - Major

Offside front integral body structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced inner sill (6.1.1 (c) (i)) - Major

Offside front integral body structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced floor pan not attached to sill (6.1.1 (c) (i)) - Major

Offside rear integral body structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced inner sill (6.1.1 (c) (i)) - Major

Nearside front integral body structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced inner sill (6.1.1 (c) (i)) - Major

Nearside rear integral body structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced inner sill (6.1.1 (c) (i)) - Major

Offside front suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength forward subframe mounting in front cross member (5.3.6 (a) (i)) - Major

Offside front suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength rearward subframe mounting (5.3.6 (a) (i)) - Major

Front registration plate missing (0.1 (a)) - Major

Nearside front upper suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength shock mount (5.3.6 (a) (i)) - Major

Offside front upper suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively damaged significantly reducing structural strength shock mount (5.3.6 (a) (i)) - Major

Nearside front service brake excessively binding (1.2.1 (f)) - Major

Emissions not tested due to overheating (8.2.1.2 (d)) - Major

G885 YWC was a 1990 Volvo 740 GL S/R estate (last taxed in November 2005).

1997 Ford Escort 16v Masquerade auto 4-door.

1597cc.

Scrapped.

Last MoT test expired in August 2018.

It failed a test that month -

Nearside front windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (3.4 (b) (ii)) - Major

Front windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (3.5 (a)) - Major

Offside rear vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced above rear axle (6.1.1 (c) (i)) - Major

Nearside rear inner seat belt anchorage prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced sill (7.1.1 (a) (i)) - Major

Offside rear outer seat belt anchorage prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced sill (7.1.1 (a) (i)) - Major

Offside inner seat belt anchorage prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced sill (7.1.1 (a) (i)) - Major

Offside front lower suspension arm ball joint excessively worn (5.3.4 (a) (i)) - Major

Offside front lower suspension arm pin or bush excessively worn (5.3.4 (a) (i)) - Major

Offside rear parking brake inoperative on one side (1.4.1 (a)) - Major

Offside front brake pipe excessively corroded to flex hose (1.1.11 (c)) - Major

Brake lever has insufficient reserve travel (1.1.2 (a)) - Major

Offside rear brake pipe excessively corroded to flex hose (1.1.11 (c)) - Major

Parking brake efficiency below requirements (1.4.2 (a) (i)) - Major

Rear brakes imbalanced across an axle axle 2 (1.2.1 (b) (i)) - Major

Ferrari F90 Stradale (2019-on) Engine 3990cc F154 FA twin-turbocharged V8 plus 3 electric motors (one mounted on the transmission and one on each front wheel) 987hp

Registration Number 49 GO (Cherished number)

FERRARI ALBUM

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623665054999...

The Ferrari SF90 Stradale (Type F173) is a mid-engine PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) sports car, designed at Ferrari Styling Centre under the direction of Flavio Manzoni. The SF90 takes its name from the SF90 Formula One car with 90 standing for the 90th anniversary of the Scuderia Ferrari racing team, with Stradale being an Italian word meaning - made for the road.

The manufacturer claims that the SF90 Stradale can generate 390 kg (860 lb) of downforce at 155mph as a result of new findings in aero and thermal dynamics, the main feature being the design is the twin-part rear wing which is an application of the drag reduction system (DRS) used in Formula One. The mobile parts of the wing integrate into the body by using electric actuators in order to maximise downforce. The SF90 Stradale uses an evolution of Ferrari's vortex generators mounted at the front of the car.

The SF90 Stradale is equipped with three electric motors, adding a combined output of 217hp to a twin-turbocharged V8 engine rated at a power output of 769hp for a total output of 986hp

The car's all-new chassis combines aluminium and carbon fibre to improve structural rigidity and provide a suitable platform for the car's hybrid system. The car has a total dry weight of 1,570 kg (3,461 lb) after combining the 270 kg (595 lb) weight of the electric system.

Diolch am 92,524,596 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mae pob un yn cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr.

Thanks for 92,524,596 amazing views, every one is greatly appreciated.

Shot 23.04.2022 at the Bicester Spring Scramble, Bicester, Oxfordshire 158-153

Lotus Esprit Turbo (4th Gen) (1987-93) Engine 2174cc S4 Lotus type 910/910S Turbo

Production 2735

Registration Number G 516 NKL (Kent)

LOTUS ALBUM

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623671671113...

In 1987 the fourth generation of the Esprit was unveiled, redesigned by Trevor Stevans. A new Lotus patented process was introduced to create the new body, called the VARI (Vacuum Assisted Resin Injection) process, which offered more advantages than the previous hand laid process. Kevlar reinforcement was added to the roof and sides for roll-over protection,] resulting in an increase of the Esprit's torsional rigidity by 22 percent

The S4 Turbo engined car produced 228bhp giving a top speed of 163mph and a 0-60mph time of 4.7 seconds.

In 1989, the Esprit was again improved with the GM multi-port, electronic fuel injection system and the addition of a water to air intercooler, which Lotus has named the Chargecooler, producing the SE (Special Equipment). This inline-four engine was known as the Type 910S. Horsepower was pushed up to 264 with 280 available on overboost and zero to sixty miles per hour times reduced to 4.7 seconds with a top speed of over 160 mph (260 km/h). Several modifications were made to the body kit as well, like side skirts which are parallel to the body, five air ducts in the front air dam, wing mirrors from the Citroën CX and the addition of a rear wing.

Along with the SE, Lotus produced the little seen Esprit S, a midrange turbocharged car offering fewer appointments and 228 hp (170 kW), as well as the standard turbo still offering 215 hp (160 kW). The N/A and lower-powered turbo were cancelled after 1990, and the S in 1991.

Diolch am 82,531,390 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mae pob un yn cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr.

Thanks for 82,531,390 amazing views, every one is greatly appreciated.

Shot 05.06.2021. at Bicester Heritage Centre, Bicester, Oxon. 146-377

НИКОЛАЙ ФЕШИН - Портрет мадемуазель Подбельской

☆

Location: Cyril & Yulia Naumov collection, Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Christie's London, Important Russian Art, November 2012.

Sources: www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5630186

www.theartnewspaper.ru/posts/6863/

en.rusmuseum.ru/benois-wing/exhibitions/three-petersburg-...

Auction's catalogue entry by Dr Galina Tuluzakova

Nicolai Ivanovich Fechin is widely regarded as one of the most distinguished artists of the first half of the 20th century whose oeuvre is marked with the interlacing of traditional values of both European and Russian schools of art. Being a versatile artist, Fechin was, first and foremost, an outstanding master of portraiture. As a result of forced emigration in 1923, the artist's legacy equally belongs to Russia and the United States of America. A number of significant works were created in America and yet his 'Russian period', especially those last years spent at the Imperial Academy of Art (1901-1909) and the 'Kazan period' (1910-1923) are rightfully considered to be the most significant periods of the artist's career.

The art of Nicolai Fechin belongs to the modernist style, with its openly expressed duality of the real and the perceived in which the artist's vision of nature plays on the available resources, fusing into one single organic whole elements of diverse stylistic systems (from Academism and Realism to Impressionism and Expressionism), the absolutism of Beauty (the understanding of which has become extraordinarily complicated) and exceptional technical mastery.

Fechin's return to his native Kazan to teach at the Kazan Art School in 1910, launched his 'Kazan period', during which his maturity as an artist was revealed in genre scenes as well as in portraits. The vast majority of portraits from that time are characterized by their sketch-like quality. In his portraiture, Fechin tried to preserve the freshness and spontaneity of an impression by his deliberate use of fluid strokes and seemingly unfinished appearance of his works. Such a technique was aimed at recreating a time when everyday life seems joyful, the senses are prevailing and everything is full of vitality and beauty. The artist's standpoint at that period is best revealed in his depictions of women. For Fechin, amiable and intelligent women embody all the best and most graceful of what life has to offer. Women are tranquil and cheerful creatures made of flesh and blood, not fragile ethereal beings. Even their poses and gestures do not interfere with the feeling of their vibrant youth. In his depictions, he was not looking for psychological depth, but rather their inner essence was essential in his choice of models, most of whom during that period were students of the Kazan Art School. A frequent desire to reveal the nature of the individual in greater detail, and at the same time to solve a variety of plastic problems, led to several representations of the same model (portraits of A. N. Belkovich, N. M. Sapozhnikova, E. F. Oshustovich, T. A. Popova). Within the framework of his artistic concept, Fechin's works are exceptionally various. In each work the artist sets a new compositional, coloristic or textural dilemma and then resolves it masterfully.

Natalia Alexandrovna Podbelskaya (?-1921; a student of the Kazan Art School, circa 1910-1916) was a sitter for four of Fechin's paintings. The artist completed two plein-air studies of her (in the collections of the Bashkir Art Museum named after M. V. Nesterov and the State Russian Museum in St Petersburg) and a 1912 portrait called Lady in Pink considered by many to be a masterpiece.

Portrait of Mademoiselle Podbelskaya (1912) is the fourth known work featuring the young model. It brilliantly exemplifies all the signature features of Fechin's body of work, employing a wide range of techniques, combining smooth painting with rapid brush strokes and heavy impasto. He often used a palette knife with wet paint to unify colours and create texture. This technique enabled him to create a contrast between such elaborate elements as a face or a hand and the spontaneous interplay of a charcoal under-drawing, with coloured areas and rhymes and textures of garments in the background. As a result, the portrait is devoid of static rigidity and the dynamic ripple of the paint layer conveys the flow of a vital energy and the impulsive emotional state. This effect is compounded by the diagonal structure of the portrait's composition. The seemingly random groups of lines and splashes of colour are strictly organized; there is a precisely defined internal structure behind the chaos of colour and all the anatomical and spatial relationships are accurately maintained. The three-dimensional figure and flat background do not contradict each other as pictorial and decorative elements co-exist with ease. Ranging from ochre-grey to deep black, the painting's overall palette reveals exquisite restraint with accents of bright red, pink, and blue. The sitter's dress features a particularly complex array of colour combinations. Technically, the execution of Mademoiselle Podbelskaya's portrait refers back to earlier portraits of N. M. Sapozhnikova (fig. 2) and is amongst other examples of the artist's masterpieces such as Young woman (1912, Frye Art Museum, Seattle, Washington) and a portrait of Mademoiselle Zhirmont, (1917, private collection, USA).

In 1913 the portrait was exhibited at the XI Internationale Kunstausstellung in Munich. The portrait was apparently acquired by a private collector from the exhibition and to this date its existence was only known from publications of the 1920s and 1930s. This portrait of Mademoiselle Podbelskaya, is not only a rather distinctive work by Fechin, but also an outstanding piece of art of museum quality. It bears testimony to the bright and exceptional artistic talent of Fechin, who naturally combined his academic skills with the cutting-edge ideas of the early 20th century. It demonstrates spontaneity of emotion, exploding into rapid, energetic, and free art with a rigid internal logic of composition, superlative draftsmanship with subtleties and colourist constructions. This work is one of the striking examples of Art Nouveau portraiture and one of Fechin's undeniable masterpieces.

It's the second LaFerrari Aperta I have ever seen and the first I have ever seen is right behiind it.

"Because the car does not have a roof, Ferrari’s technicians had to focus all their ingenuity on the lower section which had to be reinforced because it is subject to different stresses caused by force lines which, in the coupé, converge in the upper part.

Thanks to a series of targeted modifications designed to reinforce that area to cope with the new stresses, allow the LaFerrari Aperta deliver the same torsional rigidity figure as the LaFerrari, thus putting the Aperta at the top of supercar category in terms of dynamic performance..."

Source: Ferrari Official

Photographed at Ferrari 70th Anniversary Event in Belfast, Northern Ireland organized by Charles Hurst. Event where fans were able to see this exclusive car as part of an exciting display of Ferrari cars which were showcase the incredible heritage, design and racing history of 70 years of the world’s most powerful and recognisable automotive brand.

________________________________________________

Marcin Wojciechowski Photography

This gaze is a breach. A subtle fracture where an abyss of consciousness is revealed. It does not merely capture light; it transforms it, sculpting it into reflections of unreachable thoughts.

The skin, grainy, traversed by vanishing veins, seems to bear the imprint of time, the silent tension of a world seeping into every crease. Here, softness meets rigidity, flesh becomes texture, a surface transmitting a memory frozen in the moment.

Stray strands of hair merge with the surrounding space, oscillating between presence and disappearance. A sense of ephemerality settles in, as if this image exists on the threshold between reality and memory, between the tangible and the elusive.

The lips, slightly parted, hold an unspoken word, a thought lingering just beneath the surface, ready to emerge but remaining withheld, wrapped in the shadows of silence.

Here, everything is about the gaze. A gaze that does not merely observe but demands to be seen in return.

(more in comments)

An everyday daydreamer

A foreign and unintentional loss of focus

A lack of determination, passion, desire

Blinded by the blizzard’s turbulent snow

I am lost.

Lost and tormented by my own being

Trapped and heartbroken within myself

I cannot save me, at least not now

I must wait a little longer

But I am anxious.

Anxious to get out

Eager to escape this box

This loathed path of suffocation

A world without creativity

I am in anguish.

Anguish inflicted by my own mistakes

Why had I listened to anyone but myself?

This is my life, not theirs

Oh, the pressure and restrictions

I have been stupid.

Stupid to be so naïve

To have believed everything they said as the only truth

Adhering to rigidity when born to run free

The misfortune of discovering oneself too late

I am afraid.

-Jessica Marie Matteazzi

...

Listen to my favourite song at the moment.

After about two years of design, my third prototype of the TRAXX AC3 is finally complete. I built my first version in 2015 which was my first Lego train I had ever attempted to model. I wasn’t aware of any technical drawings as I had just begun the hobby, so I just eyeballed it and did my best. It was powered by two lego train motors and the technic AA battery box. After about a year, I slowly began to notice it wasn’t quite as proportional as I had wanted it to be, so I redesigned it in 2016. Since I had designed my first version entirely in LDD I had used the battery box as as structural member, which made it very difficult to replace. I was also disappointed with the performance of the train motor, so I used 2 XL motors in my second version; however, this meant that I could not accurately model the ribbing on the side that I had modeled in my first version. I made a couple of visual improvements to the cab of the locomotive including the addition of the footplates below the front lights and rescaled the windscreen. To my surprise, the XL motors did not significantly improve the locomotive’s performance; Lego battery boxes just wouldn’t cut it. I also improved the battery box accessibility and overall rigidity of the model. Although I was pleased with the improvements in my second revision, I still wanted to improve the aesthetics without compromising the performance. Up until now, I had used the standard lego PF train wheels, but after a suggestion from @jtlan, I considered using a larger and more realistic wheel. To me, the large wheels were one of the defining features of the TRAXX, so I knew that I had to include them in my third version. I also wanted to improve the sloping on either side of the windscreen to more accurately represent the curves. I replaced the 4x1 curved slopes with angled 1x2 cheese slopes connected to a 1x1 tile with clip in conjunction with part #25893. The livery was also changed from the rather bland Railpool livery to the eye-catching SwissRail livery. Regarding the motorization, I downgraded from the XL motors to the L motors and replaced the standard lego battery box with a BuWizz. When I tested it on the rails, it was able to pull my nine 8-wide wagons with ease. The video will have to wait because my ME models track came apart due to the unevenly distributed load combined with lateral forces on the rails.

Photos of older versions:

bricksafe.com/pages/Beck/train_mocs

Imagine my shock when the road in front of my house lost its rigidity and started swallowing my truck. And me...

Palacio del Marqués de Santa Cruz, Viso del Marqués, Ciudad Real, Castilla-La Mancha, España.

El palacio del Marqués de Santa Cruz es un edificio situado en el municipio de Viso del Marqués (Ciudad Real), en la Comunidad autónoma de Castilla-La Mancha, en España. Fue construido a finales del siglo XVI por Álvaro de Bazán, primer marqués de Santa Cruz. Actualmente es la sede del Archivo General de la Marina.

Fue construido entre 1564 y 1586 con modificaciones posteriores, y se trata de un edificio de planta cuadrada y estilo renacentista articulado en torno a un atrio renacentista con una tumba yacente. Los muros y techos se hallan cubiertos de frescos de doble temática: por un lado, escenas mitológicas y, por otro, batallas navales y ciudades italianas relacionadas con la trayectoria militar del marqués y de sus familiares. Los frescos se deben a unos pintores manieristas italianos, los Péroli. Al verlos, Felipe II les encargaría trabajos para El Escorial y el Alcázar de Toledo.

Para levantarlo, el marqués contrató a un equipo de arquitectos, pintores y decoradores que trabajaron en la obra desde 1564 hasta 1586. Para algunos, el diseño del edificio se debió al italiano Giovanni Battista Castello, conocido como el Bergamasco, que más tarde trabajó en El Escorial; para otros lo trazó, al menos en su plan original, Enrique Egas el Mozo.

La arquitectura se percibe como típica española, sin las arquerías italianas, con paramentos lisos y torres cuadradas en las esquinas, influidos por la austeridad de El Escorial y el Alcázar de Toledo, dentro de las relaciones armónicas características del Renacimiento. El espacio central está ocupado por un patio porticado que junto con la escalera forma un conjunto típicamente manierista entendido como estilo elegante y cortesano que desborda el marco meramente arquitectónico. Contaba con cuatro torres que, al parecer, se derrumbaron a consecuencia del Terremoto de Lisboa de 1755.

Las paredes están decoradas con 8.000 metros cuadrados de frescos manieristas elaborados por Giovanni Battista Peroli con Esteban Peroli y César de Bellis. Todos trabajaron para crear un espacio erigido a la mayor gloria de su dueño: por un lado, había que exaltar sus virtudes militares, y por el otro, enaltecer su linaje. Para lo primero, se pintaron en las paredes, las bóvedas y los techos del palacio vistas de ciudades y de puertos, así como los baluartes y las batallas en los que había conquistado su inmenso prestigio. A ambos lados de la escalera se ubicaron dos estatuas en las que aparecía representado como Neptuno (dios de los mares, con su tridente) y como Marte (dios de la guerra), y sobre las puertas del piso superior se colocaron los fanales de popa de las naves capitanas vencidas en las batallas, que eran los trofeos de los marinos. Para elogiar su linaje, y siguiendo la misma tradición renacentista de representar a hombres como dioses o semidioses de la antigüedad, se pintó a los antepasados del marqués y a sus esposas (tuvo dos) e hijos.

Estos dos grupos de representaciones se aderezaron con trampantojos, pinturas que simulaban puertas, columnas y otros elementos decorativos y arquitectónicos; y también con motivos grutescos que incluían animales mitológicos, sabandijas y follajes. Conforme una temática muy variada que se puede interpretar como defensa del catolicismo defendido en Trento.

Las estatuas sepulcrales de Alonso de Bazán (hermano de don Álvaro) y su esposa María de Figueroa, son el único ejemplo de escultura funeraria perteneciente al primer tercio del siglo XVII. Fueron ejecutados para el Monasterio de la Concepción que ocupaba la Comunidad de Religiosas Franciscas de El Viso del Marqués, ubicándose a día de hoy en el muro del Palacio más cercano a los jardines. Su creador fue Antonio de Riera, escultor relacionado con la corte de origen catalán. En ellas, aparecen los marqueses en actitud de orante, arrodillados en un reclinatorio, todo ello en mármol blanco que resalta sobre el mármol negro de los nichos. Se advierte en ellos cierta similitud con la elegancia y el clasicismo de los Leoni, a pesar de cierta rigidez formal, siendo de especial relevancia la forma en la que están ejecutadas las telas y el detalle de los vestidos.

The Palace of the Marquis of Santa Cruz is a building located in the municipality of Viso del Marqués (Ciudad Real), in the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. It was built in the late 16th century by Álvaro de Bazán, the first Marquis of Santa Cruz. It currently houses the General Archive of the Navy.

Built between 1564 and 1586, with subsequent modifications, it is a square, Renaissance-style building centered around a Renaissance atrium with a recumbent tomb. The walls and ceilings are covered with frescoes depicting two themes: mythological scenes, and naval battles and Italian cities related to the military career of the Marquis and his family. The frescoes are by Italian Mannerist painters, the Pérolis. Upon seeing them, Philip II commissioned works from them for El Escorial and the Alcázar of Toledo.

To build it, the Marquis hired a team of architects, painters, and decorators who worked on the project from 1564 to 1586. Some believe the building was designed by the Italian Giovanni Battista Castello, known as El Bergamasco, who later worked at El Escorial; others believe it was designed, at least in its original plan, by Enrique Egas the Younger.

The architecture is perceived as typically Spanish, lacking the Italian arches, with smooth walls and square towers at the corners, influenced by the austerity of El Escorial and the Alcázar of Toledo, within the harmonious relationships characteristic of the Renaissance. The central space is occupied by a porticoed courtyard that, together with the staircase, forms a typically Mannerist ensemble, understood as an elegant and courtly style that transcends the purely architectural framework. It had four towers that apparently collapsed as a result of the Lisbon Earthquake of 1755.

The walls are decorated with 8,000 square meters of Mannerist frescoes created by Giovanni Battista Peroli with Esteban Peroli and César de Bellis. They all worked to create a space built to the greatest glory of its owner: on the one hand, to exalt his military virtues, and on the other, to honor his lineage. To this end, views of cities and ports, as well as the bastions and battles in which he had earned his immense prestige, were painted on the walls, vaults, and ceilings of the palace. On either side of the staircase were two statues depicting him as Neptune (god of the seas, with his trident) and Mars (god of war). Above the doors on the upper floor were the stern lanterns of defeated flagships, trophies of the sailors. To praise his lineage, and following the same Renaissance tradition of depicting men as gods or demigods of antiquity, the marquis's ancestors, his wives (he had two) and children were painted.

These two groups of representations were embellished with trompe l'oeil paintings simulating doors, columns, and other decorative and architectural elements; as well as grotesque motifs that included mythological animals, vermin, and foliage. This varied theme can be interpreted as a defense of the Catholicism championed in Trent.

The sepulchral statues of Alonso de Bazán (Don Álvaro's brother) and his wife María de Figueroa are the only examples of funerary sculpture dating from the first third of the 17th century. They were executed for the Monastery of the Concepción, which was occupied by the Community of Franciscan Nuns of El Viso del Marqués, and are now located on the wall of the Palace closest to the gardens. Their creator was Antonio de Riera, a sculptor of Catalan origin associated with the court. They depict the marquises in a prayerful attitude, kneeling on a prie-dieu. All in white marble, which stands out against the black marble of the niches. There is a certain similarity to the elegance and classicism of the Leoni family, despite their formal rigidity, with the execution of the fabrics and the detail of the dresses being particularly noteworthy.

Ferrari F12 Berlinetta (2012-17) Engine 6262cc V12

Registration Number SK 13 DVO (Edinburgh)

FERRARI SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623665054999...

Designed by the Ferrari Styling and Pininfarina, the F12 is a front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive grand tourer, unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show as a replacement for the 599 series.

Powered by a naturally aspirated V12 engine of 6262cc of the Ferrari F140 engine range and is the most powerful Ferrari road car to date, producing 730bhp. Transmission is by the way of a seven speed dual clutch automated semi-automatic gearbox operated by the driver using paddle shifters behind the steering wheel.

The chassis is developed around an aluminium space frame co-developed with Scaglietti made up of 12 different aluminium alloys with a 20 per cent improvement in rigidity over the outgoing 599, with a 70kg reduction in weight.

Aerodynamics have also improved with the aid of input from the Ferrari 599XX and Formula One programmes and downforce improved by 70 per cent over the 599 GTB

Diolch am olygfa anhygoel, 64,401,915

oblogaeth y Lloegr honno dros y Mynyddoedd

Thanks for a stonking 64,401,915, views

Shot 05.05.2018 at Donington Historic Festival, Donington Park, Leic Ref 133-107

Australian lace wood, made by the late Patrick Alt (1950- 2013), a superb woodworker and mammoth plate (20x24) photographer. I believe Patrick delivered this to me in 1999; it has been in use ever since. The two most used lenses are this one, the Computar f/9 210mm, and the Nikkor f/9 300 M.

In 2003. he described it on a forum: " I made parts for 26 4 X 10 cameras. I also made 5 8 X 10s, which have all been sold. The camera is made from Australian lacewood and African wenge fabricated from 48 individual pieces of wood. The finish is 10-12 coats of hand rubbed furniture lacquer, the finest finish on any camera ever built. It weighs 4 pounds and will take 90mm to 300mm lenses (360mm with an accessory lens box extension). It has front tilt and front rise with a side mounted tripod mount for vertical images. It has a bellows, leather handle, with black metal fittings with brass knobs and screws. I designed this to be one of the most physically beautiful cameras ever made with the added feature of extreme rigidity and ease of use... The camera was reviewed in View Camera Magazine [Sep/Oct 1997] which has a picture. However, this was from the first prototype. The final version was completely re-engineered in black with vastly improved movements."

There was also a detailed review in the April, 1998, issue of PANORAMA, The Magazine of Panoramic Imaging. digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc2273617/

His obituary is here: www.legacy.com/obituaries/latimes/obituary.aspx?pid=16579....

Chassis : Alfa-Rome 8C Spider

Designed by Belgian designer Louis de Fabribeckers

Launched in 1952, Alfa's first effort in this new venture was the Tipo C52 'Disco Volante' (Flying Saucer) so called because of its aerodynamic bodywork that featured prominent overhangs. This striking design was the work of Touring, the great Milanese carrozzeria, which had begun collaborating with Alfa-Romeo in the late 1920s and would be responsible for Alfa's first all-new design of the post-war period : the 1900. The latter contributed its independent front suspension and live rear axle to the Disco Volante, though the rest of the design was completely new.

Representing a considerable advance on the ladder frames used hitherto, the chassis was a state-of-the-art tubular space frame that offered superior rigidity without the penalty of increased weight.

This concept car is designed by our Belgian designer, Louis de Fabribeckers, on the idea of the well-known Alfa-Romeo 8C for the Italian Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera to honor the original iconic 'Disco Volante' from 1952. In 2016 the Alfa-Romeo Disco Volante Spyder was born. A two seater fuoriserie based on the Alfa-Romeo 8C Competizione Spider Chassis. After its unveiling at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, the car won the Villa d'Este "Design Award for Concept Cars and Prototypes" and the Windsor Castle Concours "Spirit of Motoring Award".

Max. 7 ex.

Zoute Concours d'Elegance

The Royal Zoute Golf Club

Zoute Grand Prix 2016

Knokke - Belgium

Oktober 2016

"Because the car does not have a roof, Ferrari’s technicians had to focus all their ingenuity on the lower section which had to be reinforced because it is subject to different stresses caused by force lines which, in the coupé, converge in the upper part.

Thanks to a series of targeted modifications designed to reinforce that area to cope with the new stresses, allow the LaFerrari Aperta deliver the same torsional rigidity figure as the LaFerrari, thus putting the Aperta at the top of supercar category in terms of dynamic performance..."

Source: Ferrari

Photographed at Horsepower Hill Paddock at Heveningham Hall during Heveningham Concours 2019.

____________________________________________________

Marcin Wojciechowski Photography

Marcinek_55 Instagram

Mies Van der Rohe's collection of 3 Buildings-

and a Calder Sculpture, developed by the

legendary Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.

The Mies Van der Rohe designed United States Post Office in Downtown Chicago's Loop.

MIES PROVES “GOD IS IN THE DETAILS”

"Modernism is the style that changed our visual world

in the 20th century, and Chicago’s Federal Center is among the world’s most important modernist sites.

These structures display the features that make great works of modernism so compelling: dramatic profiles, spatial energy, and striking visual contrasts and harmonies.

In his design process, Mies developed three different schemes for the site, playing with various combinations of government offices, a courthouse and a post office.

In his final design, he separated those functions into 3 distinct buildings all situated on an open plaza.

Today, The Plaza hosts festivals, farmers markets AND protests—activities that signify the vibrant relationships between citizens, business and government.

The glass + steel buildings are constructed on a rigid grid system.

Every element of the 3-building complex—

every column, light fixture, bench, door and paver—

lines up on the grid.

From the center of The Plaza,

you could spend hours finding all the places where the architectural elements align perfectly.

In fact, we dare you

to find one spot where they don’t.

Mies’ meticulous design illustrates another of his famous maxims, “God is in the details.”

Despite this rigidity, the Federal Center’s design

produces what architecture critic Franz Schulze

calls, “a monumental urban presence.”

Eliminating the usual pomp & circumstance of civic buildings, the Federal Center has become a beacon of the International Style and a Chicago icon."

TIME, 6 Oct 1967

This is the third of four advertisements about Cycolac …

Cycolac was a brand name for an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) engineering thermoplastic resin invented by Marbon Chemical in the 1950s. Known for its toughness, rigidity, attractive finish, and resistance to scratches, Cycolac was a popular choice for a wide range of applications, including automotive parts, appliance housings, and electronics. The brand is now owned by SABIC, a global leader in thermoplastic materials.

Triumph Stag (1970-77) Engine 2997cc V8 OC Total Production 25,877 (of which 6780 were exported to the USA)

Registration Number JBD 294 W (Northampton)

TRIUMPH ALBUM

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623847263736...

Envisioned as a luxury sports car, the Stag was designed by Giovanni Michelotti as a 2 door 2+2, convertible or hardtop. Originally conceived as a short chassis open top version of the Triumph 2000, but ended with a monocoque and a V8 engine of 145bhp not shared with any other Triumph. Overdrive at first optional, becoming standard in 1972, and many with Automatics. All Stags were four-seater convertible coupés, but for structural rigidity – and to meet proposed American rollover standards of the time – the Stag required a B-pillar roll over bar. hoop connected to the windscreen frame by a T-bar. A body-colour removable hard top with defrost wires on the rear window, full headliner and lever operated quarter windows was a popular factory option. The initial Stag design used the saloon's 2.0-litre six cylinder engine which was intended to be uprated to 2.5-litres for production cars, but Webster intended the Stag, large saloons and estate cars to use a new Triumph-designed overhead cam (OHC) 2.5-litre fuel injected (PI) V8. In 1968, under the direction of Engineering Director Harry Webster and his successor as Chief Engineer, Spen King, the new 2.5 PI V8 was enlarged to 2,997 cc to increase power output.

As the car was aimed at US market sales, which eventually proved disappointing, Triumph adapted the model year method of altering specifications. or the 1973 model year a number of engineering changes were also made and, although Triumph only ever referred to Stag as one model, since production ceased, enthusiasts have introduced the terms Mark 1 and Mark 2. When introduced in 1973, the most notable differentiating feature between Mark 1 and Mark 2 Stags was the addition of twin coachlines to the body. At this time the sills and tail panel colour was also altered from body colour to low-gloss black but as the tail panel was altered back again for the 1976 model year, it is not an ideal indicator of the difference between Mk 1 / Mk 2 cars. Inside, Mk 2 cars had a slightly different warning light cluster. Very early production cars had a three-quarter window in the soft top, which was deleted during the 1972 model year as it tended to become trapped and then split when stowed. A higher-pressure cooling system was introduced during the 1972 model year. For the 1976 model year the cars returned to having body-colour sills and tail panel, but a stainless steel sill cover, as fitted to all US Stags, was fitted over the sills for all 1976 and 1977 cars. Late Stags fitted with the slightly longer BW65 automatic transmission had a correspondingly shorter propshaft to compensate.

Diolch am 86,172,252 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mae pob un yn 90cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr.

Thanks for 86,172,252 amazing views, every one is greatly 7appreciated.

Shot 01.08-2021 exiting the Silverstone Festival 01.08.2021 Ref 150-335

The passage of time was both an eternity and a rapid blur for Sarah. She felt as though she had been fighting to survive, fighting to get answers, or just fighting against something for so long. She was exhausted. She could not remember the last time she had slept well, since she fell asleep the night after. She had awoken with a start aboard the dropship, the auto-pilot maintaining orbit above Kohara after completing the takeoff sequence. How long she had been drifting there she did not know, but the urge to vomit came over her swiftly as the events of the previous day came rushing back. Maxwell was gone. Michael was gone. Everyone she had come to Kohara with was dead. Sarah was alone… except for whatever it was that she had encountered in Kohara’s black jungle.

The hours were difficult to track aboard the dropship, as Sarah worked to pull herself together and trouble shoot the small craft’s communication equipment. In many ways it was not too dissimilar from the comm array of the research base, and she was able to open a long-range communication channel to broadcast an automated distress signal. Days, maybe even weeks passed before rescue came, as Sarah ate sparingly from the ship’s survival rations. Strangely, she could not remember if the rations tasted good, or bad. She remembered little at all from those dark moments. When the rescuers arrived, it was like the coming of dawn after a long, cold night of bad dreams. The official reports mentioned that Sarah was lethargic, muttering about strange figures, green lights, as well as rambling off a list of names. There was a brief flurry of activity as news spread about the event. An entire science team lost to some mysterious threat in the jungle. A strange planet made all the stranger by the tragic loss of life. For a brief moment, Sarah felt hope that one day she would get answers and be free of her grief. But then the red tape began. Investigative bodies needed more evidence. Planetary governments wanted more information. Press began to poke and prod at Sarah’s story. Some people claimed it a hoax, suggesting that Sarah had abandoned the mission after sabotaging the communications equipment, leaving her team stranded. Others suggested that the team never existed at all, and that Sarah was some runaway from Earth trying to get attention far from home.

All this struck Sarah as absurd. Why would people doubt her? Real people, people with friends and family, died down in the darkness of Kohara. Yet these families never surfaced. Minerva, the xeno-biology university she attended, claimed to have no record of her or the team she mentioned. The news clips of her story, the interviews with the rescue team, even the recorded accounts from Sarah herself, disappeared from the net. It was like she was being washed away. What was worse was that with each passing day, as she fought to be heard and to find answers, she began to wonder if she really was crazy. Had she dreamed it all? The only thing that kept her holding on was the burning image of Professor Maxwell disintegrating before her very eyes, too vivid to forget or unsee. This memory, and the strange sense that the wall crept in too quickly. It was all too convenient. Everything disappeared just as she needed it. Doors shut just as she reached them, paths closed up behind her. She felt like a wild insect caught in a predator’s web. The red tape closed in about her. Perhaps this is why Sarah was not surprised when she was contacted.

It was late in the evening. Sarah was in the nearly deserted waiting room of a small Homefront embassy belonging to the small backwater capital of a tiny Centauri system. She could not remember which one anymore. Her weeks had become a weary blur of waiting lines, forms, credentials, and the drone of bureaucratic employees. Was presenting her request for an interview from yet another Homefront political representative to an equally tired embassy intern. The poor intern was caught between genuine sympathy for the frantic woman and her own fatigue from being kept up at such a late hour working through a giant stack of paperwork. Sarah knew from experience that she was beginning to get stuck in the circle of tape which would lead to a dead end. She would need to book transport tickets to yet another system to try again. The funds she had been given from her family at home, funds that were supposed to be used to come home to visit so they could try again to persuade her to become a pilot instead of a scientist, were nearly dried up from hopping between embassies. Deep inside, Sarah was nearly ready to give up her hunt. Whoever it was that wanted to bury her had done so effectively. There was nothing left for her to chase, nothing left for her to find. Perhaps the time had come to let go, to surrender and allow herself to be buried and forgotten.

“You aren’t one to let something go, are you?” A voice said, as if answering her thought.

Sarah started. She had, in her weariness, mentally checked out. The intern was gone. The lights had been dimmed in the lobby. She glanced around, thinking that she had finally cracked and was hallucinating voices.

“Sorry, did I startle you?” The voice continued from behind her, “I was going to wait until you finished, but I got the sense that you weren’t on the planet anymore.”

Standing behind her, casually leaning against one of the eight decorative pillars that formed two lines across the large embassy lobby, was a main in a dark suit. “Physically, maybe, but your mind was in space. Wasn’t it?” He said, a wry smile lifting one side of his face. Dark shades hid his eyes from view, but something about him projected a warmth. Perhaps it was the low, smooth tones of his voice, tinged as it was with a faint accent, or perhaps it was the simple fact that this was the first time in a long time that Sarah spoke with someone other than a poor attendant behind a desk.

“I… I’m sorry, yes. It’s been a long day,” Sarah stammered, desperately trying to gather her scattered wits and rummage together a sentence, “I’m afraid the hour got the better of me and I was beginning to fall asleep on two feet.” Please don’t think I am a crazy person, she thought.

“No need to apologize, I’m the one who spoke without warning. I was just hoping we could have a conversation, you and I.” His tone was sympathetic, even though his expression remained stoic behind his shades, save for the ghost of a smile. Sarah felt simultaneously put at ease by his comforting demeanor and put on edge by a natural danger sense.

“I don’t understand. What would we have to talk about?” Sarah’s expression became guarded, her voice taking on a note of cold steel, “I don’t even know you, sir…?”

The man stood straight, as if shocked. “Right, of course. The name is Jack. Jack Grey, at your service. And as for what to talk about, I get the distinct impression that you have been trying to talk to someone for a very long time about something. Is that correct?”

“I don’t see how that is your business, Mr. Grey.”

He smiled, “Well, I think it is my business, Ms. Wallace, because I am the person you’ve been looking for.”

Sarah stared at the man long and hard. On one hand, he was right. She had been looking for an ear to speak to. She had never been very clear with herself what she expected to have happen. She was just pushing forward desperately trying to break through whatever was trying to bury her. Find something, someone, on the other side to help her. But she never took much care to think what it would look like if she finally did get through. Was this her opportunity? However, on the other hand, this felt like another too perfect coincidence. Much like how the videos disappeared, how opportunities kept closing on her. She realized, with horrifying clarity, that she had no other choice. Like it or not, trust him or not, Jack Grey was the only option she was left with. Sarah doubted that this was accidental. Sarah let out a heavy sigh and shouldered her bag.

“Okay then, Mr. Grey. Am I right in thinking you already know my story?”

“I do, yes. And please, call me Jack.” He stepped to one side, gesturing for her to walk past.

Sarah did not budge. “Am I also right in thinking you are the reason that all of the evidence of what happened has mysteriously vanished? The reason no one will talk to or listen to me?” Her voice became pointed, rising slowly in volume. Jack appeared unaffected by the outburst.

“Me specifically? No. But I am associated with those responsible. May we discuss this somewhere less... public? I promise to answer every question you have.”

“Every question?”

“Every question.”

“What is the catch?” Sarah was raised well enough to know nothing was free.

“No catch. Nothing serious. I will answer your every question, and in return you will hear me out for what I have to say. Fair trade, Ms. Wallace?”

Jack’s hand was poised on the door handle, waiting for her answer to either leave or open the door for her. Sarah glanced around the lobby of the Homefront embassy, as if she were leaving home. It was a cold, bleak room in the dim late-night lighting. Little bits of trash lay in the corners waiting for some janitorial staff to sweep up in the early morning hours. There was still no sign of the drowsy intern, most likely they had crept off while Sarah was lost in thought, grateful for an escape to sleep and be free of her crazed ramblings. There was no future for her here, no answers. Like it or not, Jack was the only link she had to getting answers. Right now, answers were all she wanted.

“Sounds fair enough to me. Lead the way, Jack.”

The night was colder than Sarah expected. She clutched her jacket tightly around her, bag tucked under one arm. The streetlights of the small, sleepy colonial capital flickered and droned, as if quietly complaining about needing better upkeep. Despite the lights, the sky was glowing with stars, evidence of the relatively low population density of this planet’s colony. She barely remembered how she had gotten here. Her life had fallen into such a mess, such a state of fuddled despair that it felt like she had been dreaming. Jack, the tempting offer of answers, and the comfort of finally knowing she was truly sane, had all served as a splash of cold water upon her mind. For the first time since she left Kohara, Sarah felt a little bit more like her old self. Except the nagging feeling, the guilty feeling, was still there. Like a heavy stone at the bottom of her gut. A voice quietly screaming on the inside: Why are you alive when they all died?

They walked in silence through the sleeping city streets. The soundscape was devoid of the normal hum and clatter which Sarah was accustomed to back on Earth, or in the cities of more populated planets. Jack did not appear to expect conversation, his expression was still the slightly smiling stoicism that Sarah was beginning to suspect was his default. Rather than attempt small talk, she decided to take the opportunity to size up her benefactor. He was of slightly taller than average height. Muscular, but not unusually so. Sarah suspected he was probably more fit than he appeared. He moved with an easy confidence, with little uncertainty or wariness about his movements. His hair was short and light, like sandy grass, and trimmed very neatly. Despite his relaxed demeanor, there was a rigidity to his manner that made Sarah wonder at a military background. He reminded her of her family members who had served.

Sarah’s inspection of Mr. Grey ended when they arrived at their destination. A small restaurant beside the humble spaceport, a diner and bar for the pilots who frequented this backwater. The lights were on and a holo-display blinked an “open” message across the door. Stepping inside, the place was not entirely empty. Even in this sleepy town, there was always someone coming or going through the spaceport. An attendant, conversing quietly with a regular at the counter, raised her eyes to meet Sarah and Jack, giving them a nod and a gesture to know she would be right with them. The seating booths were arranged along a central corridor for the waitress to walk, in the time hollowed traditional layout for such places where the coffee was always hot, usually serviceable, rarely good, and never empty. Two gentlemen were hunched over plates at the far end, at this distance Sarah could not tell if they were awake or simply absorbed in their food. Midway down the other side a large, grizzled man was leaned back in a booth, his feet kicked up on the table while he smoked a cigar, awake but eyes closed. No one seemed to take particular interest in the two people who just stepped in, not even the attendant who had now vanished into the back room.

Jack arbitrarily picked an empty booth, a few down from the door, and motioned for Sarah to take a seat.

“Alright. As promised, ask away. I will answer everything to the best of my ability.” Jack removed his shades, revealing piercing blue eyes. Aside from an unnerving sensation of seeing through her soul, Sarah was displeased to find that Jack’s expression was just as unreadable without his sunglasses. Clearing her throat, she settled into her side of the booth and reached for the first question she could think of.

“Why.”

“Why what?” Jack arched an eyebrow.

“Why make it all vanish? You said you were associated with the ones who have being trying to bury what happened to me.”

“Well, ‘trying’ to bury you is a bit unfair. They’re doing quite well at it. And it is not personal, they aren’t trying to bury you. They’re simply trying to suppress how many people hear about what you’ve encountered.”

“Well why!?” Sarah’s voice rose in frustration.

Jack gave her a warning glance, motioning with his eyes to the other occupants. The cigar smoking man cracked an eye open. The waitress, who had finally found her way out of the back and had begun to meander their way had stopped in her tracks, suddenly becoming distracted with a small tear in a booth seat.

“Sorry. Why suppress it?” Sarah asked, softly this time.

“A few years ago, some of the intelligence community within the Homefront began to suspect that someone was infiltrating their defenses. They didn’t like it, and in investigating it they discovered the culprits to be a group of previously unknown Aelves.”

“I don’t understand-“

“A moment, Sarah. There is a point to this. Somehow, in the midst of concerns about security breaches and trying to discover the nature of the unknown, supposed threat, the Homefront military found themselves entangled in a skirmish with these strange Aelves. Eventually, it was decided that they were not a threat, and the Homefront military withdrew. But soldiers and Aelves alike lost their lives needlessly. And this negative interaction could have cost most than the Homefront knew. The people I associate with now have connection with these mystery Aelves, no thanks to the Homefront’s bumbling. The lesson here is that some things, new and dangerous things, are best observed before rash decisions are made. It wouldn’t do to have all Centauri trying to invade Kohara, not if we want to know what is going on.”

“So you just intend to hide it,” Sarah’s voice could not hide her disdain, “And what about the people who lost their lives there? What about their families? Don’t they deserve to know.”

Jack leaned forward, “But they do know, Sarah. We’ve made sure they know. We’ve compensated them generously to keep the news within the family, within those who have a right to grieve. And I mean very generously compensated. We aren’t monsters, Sarah. That is precisely why we are working so hard to keep the situation a secret. To save lives.”

“And what about my life?” Sarah spoke accusingly, narrowing her eyes at Jack, “What am I supposed to do? I can’t go back to Minerva. It is hard to finish a degree at a school that claims I never attended. I can’t go back to the family farm after what I’ve seen,” Sarah grabbed a napkin and gestured violently at Jack with it, “No one ever compensated me for what happened. No one paid me to grieve quietly over my friends who died in front of me!”

“And why do you think I am here, Sarah?” Jack answered calmly.

“I don’t want your damn money!” She snapped. Jack chuckled.

“No, I didn’t think so. So, I didn’t come to offer you money. I came to offer you a job.”

“A job? Are you serious?”

“Yes, a job. You want to move on with your life? You said it yourself. You can’t.” Jack’s ghost of a smile began to appear at both corners of his mouth, and Sarah began to realize that he had anticipated the direction of the conversation from the beginning, “The only way that you, Sarah Wallace, can move on is to get answers. The only way to get answers, real answers, is to join my team.”

Sarah was caught flatfooted, speechless.

“Join us,” Jack continued, “And we’ll find the answers together.”

“Join you? Who even are you? I don’t even think your name is really Jack Grey.”

Jack chuckled again, “No, no it isn’t. And if you come with me, your name won’t be Sarah Wallace anymore. It is in the nature of what we do. But I can tell you who we are.”

Jack paused as the waitress, sensing that the heated moment of conversation was past, had approached. They both ordered coffee, and politely waited until she had left before continuing.

“We’re called the Initiative. ‘The Supra Stellas Initiative’ if you are being proper. We like to call it ‘S.S.I.’ for short. We investigate anomalies across the known universe. To try and understand what we currently do not. In particular, we’re interested in things that defy known modern science.”

Jack paused again as the waitress set down two coffees. Before he could begin, Sarah cut in.

“You were interested in Kohara. You, ah… I mean the Initiative was the mystery sponsor that Maxwell kept talking about, weren’t you?”

A full smile broke out across Jack’s face, “Very good. Yes, Sarah. We sponsored your expedition. Maxwell was one of us. We had hoped to get more answers on the Perseus question.”

Sarah nodded, “You wanted to know how it got there, where there was a connection between it and the Perseus system even though it is so far away.”

“Yes. Kohara is not the only planet. We’ve catalogued many. Maxwell hoped to visit all of them eventually. Kohara was the first. After what happened, we are only barely closer to answers and yet down one incredible xeno-biologist.” Jack looked directly at Sarah, “Will you help us finish what Maxwell started?”

Sarah stared into her cup of coffee. Things were moving so fast, and yet it all made sense to her. Jack was right, what she wanted most was answers. She didn’t want money; she didn’t want to go back to the farm. She wanted to know. All the questions she had from her research only got louder after the deaths of her team. The only thing that could make those deaths mean something would be to find answers to those questions. Sarah took a large swig of her coffee. A bit too large, it burned her mouth, but she did her best not to show. Setting it back down firmly, with a loud ceramic clack of emphasis, she fixed a determined face at Jack.

“I’m in.”

A curious eyebrow arched from Jack, “Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

“Good. How do you feel like piloting? I’ve read you scored high in simulations.”

“It runs in the family. It was not my main passion, obviously, but it is what they wanted of me. Give me time, and I can fly it.”

“Even better. Because I was also hoping to recruit a pilot. I’ve already got my muscle.” He waved a hand vaguely in the direction of the smoking patron. In response, the man sat upright, put out his cigar, and started to make ready to go. “He isn’t much for words. His name is Uther. Tough as nails, and one hell of a good shot with that Fenris Carbine of his. The hope is to prevent a repeat of what happened to your team.”

“I would appreciate that. I’m… still working on forgetting the last time.”

Jack simply nodded an affirmative, “Our next stop is to pick up our chief technical officer. You can tag along with me on the recruitment, or you can rest on the ship. Whatever suits your fancy.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that. Welcome aboard Sarah.”

The work of art, just like any fragment of human life considered in its deepest meaning, seems to me devoid of value if it does not offer the hardness, the rigidity, the regularity, the luster on every interior and exterior facet, of the crystal.

[Andre Breton... French Poet, Critic, and co-Founder of surrealism, 1896-1966]

Murano glass: millefiori hand-blown paperweight

On 10 April 2018, Ford unveiled the European- and Asian-market versions of the fourth-generation Focus, to mark the nameplate's 20th anniversary. It is underpinned by the Ford C2 platform, an evolution of the C1 platform used on previous iterations of the car and 20 percent stiffer in torsional rigidity. The Mk4 Focus also features a weight reduction of up to 88 kg (194 lb) compared with the Mk3. As the wheelbase is extended by 53 mm (2.1 in), Ford designers managed to position the wheels higher up into the sheet metal, reducing the perception of overall length and mass.

Focus ST

In February 2019, Ford announced the fourth-generation Focus ST for the European market. It was launched in mid-2019.

The Focus ST is offered with a choice of either a 2.3-litre EcoBoost turbocharged petrol engine with a 280 PS (276 hp; 206 kW) power output or a 2.0-litre EcoBlue diesel engine with a 190 PS power output.

The EcoBoost variant of the new Focus ST is the first front-wheel-drive Ford model to feature an electronic limited-slip differential (eLSD). An anti-lag system is also implemented to aid with power delivery.

Like the Fiesta ST, an optional "Performance Pack" is available. The package includes launch control and rev-matching for the manual EcoBoost variant, "Track" driving mode, and red-painted brake callipers.

This 3D rendering was a concept for a mobile artillery piece designed by SC-77

He claims it was more of a "doodle" than a design but others point to the details in the design indicating the controversial design might have come further than that.

Designed as a long-range mobile artillery vehicle, this concept has some very unorthodox designs incorporated into it. Mainly, the absurd amount of rocketry emplacements.

There are 6 main missile pods for a total of 146 missile tubes, as well as a combined 10 rocket mounts.

The notes indicate SC-77 planned on using an experimental missile system, Honey-Comb-6 theoretically giving it a higher fire rate and much improved coordination between the missiles themselves.

The main cannon is a 25cm artillery gun, designed to take out alien walkers in one hit, around this are various smaller guns ranging from machineguns to unknown prototypes

This version is equipped with four high powered legs, the servos and legs are to be designed with rigidity and durability to provide more stability for firing and allowing it to walk over barricades and debris.

the un-godly amounts of firepower and pure explosives that have been placed in every conceivable location on this machine have lead most to say it is entirely unsafe and should never be constructed. while yet others claim it would be there dream vehicle of choice.

NOTES: the "real" story of this design stems from a conversation me and 3rdeye88 had right after I posted the landslide. amongst other things he brought up my apparent obsession with large guns and missiles then he (I believe jokingly) said I should make a "joke much" that would be the embodiment of guns and missiles. I took this literally and the above mech is the result!!!

After I designed the M1ATB and gave it the same treads as the artillery concept #4 I decided to build new legs for the artillery piece

nrhp # 99001193- The Ryefield Bridge is a historic bridge connecting Ryefield Bridge Road in Harrison, Maine, to West Andrew Hill Road in Otisfield, Maine, across the Crooked River. Built in 1912, it is one of the oldest surviving Warren truss bridges in the state, and is a rare example with double-intersection diagonals, added for increased rigidity. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

from Wikipedia

The Grade II* Listed Gatehouse to the Bishop's Palace (also known as Episcopal Palace), in Hereford, Herefordshire.

The Palace at Hereford was once a very grand hall, and as it was built in 1180, offers a rare glimpse at the constructional techniques of the period.

One of St. Fagans’ latest building projects is the reconstruction of a medieval Royal hall from Rhosyr, near Newborough in Anglesey. This hall was significant because it was one of 22 in Gwynedd owned by Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (Llywelyn ‘the Great’) during the beginning of the 13th century.

At the time Princes were peripatetic and would visit each hall in turn, in order to attend to the administrative needs of that region. As this hall now only stands as a ruin, very little evidence survived of its timber-framed roof, and a considerable amount of research has been undertaken in order to provide a representative design for the reconstruction. One potential ‘post-pad’, and areas of differential stone paving was enough evidence to suggest the existence of two rows of timber posts within the great hall at Rhosyr. These divided the space along its length, forming a central ‘knave’ and an ‘aisle’ on either side. Rows of tall timber posts like these need to be braced together to ensure their rigidity, and hence the reason for our visit to Hereford. The curved arch is almost as impressive today as it must have been when it was built.

Information source:

museum.wales/blog/2015-11-09/The-Bishops-Palace-Hereford/

This is a very reliable and accurate roller locked delayed blowback SMG, it uses standard MP5 style mags and stocks, the entire body is made out of a plastic exterior with a steel-alloy skeleton for more rigidity and strength.

Cost: 800$ USD

“LUNAR IGLOO

NEW YORK: An artist’s conception shows astronauts building a lunar “igloo” with equipment described October 9th to members of the American Rocket Society. One astronaut is operating a machine that mixes lunar dust and rock with binder to form a semi-liquid, quick-hardening material. The second astronaut (left) is carrying part of an airlock which will be fitted over the side of the building. Germano Di Leonardo, of General Electric’s Missile and Space Vehicles Department, said in a technical paper presented to the A.R.S. that the system would offer easy, rapid construction and require a minimum of material transported from Earth.”

And, per “Advances in Space Sciences and Technology, Volume 7, 1965”, edited by Frederick I. Ordway, III:

“B. Use of Local Materials

A rigid lunar shelter could be built up from lunar material by sintering process. The vast amount of dust and porous rock estimated to exist on the surface of the Moon makes available great quantities of raw material suitable for the construction of surface structures. Rapid and simple constructional methods would dictate a castable material that exists in semifluid state (like concrete) while it is being handled. This is especially necessary for essentially automatic methods.

It is desirable, therefore, to employ binding agents to solidify the granular material into usable forms. These forms could be, for instance, building blocks, or the entire structure itself. Once suitable binding processes are available, the material must be formed into the desired structural configuration.

Figure 5 illustrates a schematic method of automatically forming structural shells of revolution, which utilizes material in a viscous state having the property of being able to solidify in a very short time. The container moves along the horizontal arm which pivots spirally around the center post. All the motions are preprogrammed in order to get the desired structure.

The mechanism for building a lunar “igloo” using automated equipment could consist of a mixer which sinters lunar dust with a binder to form a semifluid, quick hardening material. This material is forced through a hose to the automatic building rig seen extending through the top of the nearly-completed “igloo”. The building material enters the base of the horizontal arm, which is hollow; and, as the arm pivots spirally around the center post, the material flows out through a dispenser at the end, building up the structure in layers. The only material transported from the Earth to construct the structure may be an alkali to sinter the pumiceous dust covering the outer skirt of the crust. [1] An air-tight membrane can be inflated inside the shell so that the atmosphere will not be lost.

Sintering is a process widely used by the ceramic and metallurgical industries to fabricate oxide, nitride, carbide, silicate, and metal powders into various shapes. The process is equally applicable to either simple or complex shapes, and final rigidity of the mass is reached upon application of thermal energy for a given time.

The forming or shaping process on the Moon may present serious problems as opposed to terrestrial techniques. Controlled solar radiation, nuclear power, or solar thermal energy, should be able to provide the heat source for sintering. The energy necessary to produce the desired thermochemical changes during sintering should thus be readily available, and it appears quite reasonable to consider “modified conventional” ceramic fabrication techniques for building lunar structures.

Pumice is a finely divided siliceous material of volcanic origin and may be closely akin to the “lunar dust” reported by many observers. Samples of pumice taken from different locations throughout the United States exhibit a range in melting temperatures from 1050 to 1225°C. Although this reflects compositional variability, the wide melting range and siliceous nature of material coupled with its similarity to the lunar crust qualifies pumice as a good choice for experimental purposes.

[1]: Drawing upon the current estimates of the composition of the lunar crust, a considerable amount of material should be available on the Moon for construction purposes.”

Note the vertigo-inducing length/height of the lunar lander’s ladder.

7” x 9”. I’m nearly certain by Roy Scarfo.

In color:

pin.it/2uYSM9HdC

Credit: Rudolf Ža/Pinterest

Screenshots from some videos I found on an old hard drive.

About 20 years ago, I chatted regularly over a couple of years with someone in the Staylace Place chatroom who described themselves as this girl. The person was either this girl, or a fantacist who had seen the videos, probably the latter. They called themselves Gina.

This gold collar hinges down one side, and is closed by a pin passing through the two halves on the other side. It is quite a struggle for her to put on due to its tightness around her neck.

The absolute rigidity must make this tough to wear.

1992 Volvo 940 GL estate.

Last taxed in November 2018 and last Mot test expired in October 2018.

It failed a test in October 2018 -

Speedometer clearly inoperative (7.8 (b) (ii)) - Major

Nearside front inner integral body structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced (6.1.1 (c) (i)) - Major

Offside front inner integral body structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced (6.1.1 (c) (i)) - Major

Offside rear outer seat belt anchorage prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced sill (7.1.1 (a) (i)) - Major

Nearside front suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (5.3.6 (a) (i)) - Major

Offside front suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (5.3.6 (a) (i)) - Major

Power steering malfunctioning (2.1.5 (a)) - Major

Nearside rear registration plate lamp inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps (4.7.1 (b) (ii)) - Major

Nearside front headlamp aim too low (4.1.2 (a)) - Major

Offside front headlamp aim too low (4.1.2 (a)) - Major

Prop shaft flexible coupling excessively deteriorated (6.1.7 (d) (i)) - Major

Offside rear inner suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (5.3.6 (a) (i)) - Major

Parking brake efficiency below requirements (1.4.2 (a) (i)) - Major

Work on assembling the second version of the railcar has begun. The design philosophy is very different compared to the original, using some more conventional techniques. Strength and rigidity comes from a "bath-tub" chassis design. The Technic plates are there to provide attachment points for the studs-down mid-section.