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Today was the last day of pills specific to the first course of my 6 course chemo regimen. Now I'm back to taking my "normal" regimen of pills (I'm fat middle-aged guy—you do the math) plus a daily antiviral and antibiotic before bed.

It sure feels nice to not be George Jetson at the breakfast table anymore.

For the record: I don't glow like that. Not yet, anyhow.

Specific answer by Dave Arnold Photo

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Hug Point State Park. Cannon Beach, Oregon USA

Dunnock with his lunch of.. by Roland Bogush

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....erm, probably better not to be too specific.

The Resurrection Service of Holy Saturday Night - April 2025 (56) by Polis Poliviou

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In specific, Holy Week is the week just before Easter that extends from Palm Sunday until Holy Saturday and marks the last week of Lent. It has earned the name 'Holy', according to the Orthodox Church, due to the significant events that take place for Christianity in regard to the sufferings of Jesus Christ.

Saturday evening is filled with the anticipation of celebrating Easter Sunday. In some areas, people begin to gather in the churches and squares in cities, towns and villages by 11pm for the Easter liturgies. A few minutes before midnight, all the lights are turned off and the priest exits the altar holding candles lit by the Holy Light, which is distributed to everyone inside and outside the church. At midnight, the priest exits the church and announces the resurrection of Jesus. Many people carry large white candles called lambada, and the church bells toll as the priests announce “Christ is Risen!” at midnight. Each person in the crowd replies with a similarly joyous response.

The capital of the Republic of Cyprus is also its cultural heartbeat.

Nicosia is the capital and largest city on the island of Cyprus, as well as its main business centre.

There is one thing the photograph must contain, the humanity of the moment.

We are making photographs to understand what our lives mean to us.

The best thing about a picture is that it never changes, even when the people in it do.

The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.

I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn’t photograph them.

Forbidden colours by fernandoprats

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Ryuichi Sakamoto & David Sylvian - Forbidden colours

[One for each

other / specific images made for specific songs]

Part of Songfots series.

Sleepy Little Bat by Mike Lee

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I visited an old talc mine in northern Nevada for the specific purpose of attempting to photograph one of the bats that sleep there during the day. It is quite challenging to get a photo of them as they rest face down along the walls in a passage that I can barely stand in, about chest-high off the floor. Plus, while some light does get in the relatively shallow dig, it is pretty dark for getting a camera to focus and I certainly wouldn’t want to disturb the little critters while they rest up for a night of hunting insects. I took a couple light stands and some little LED panel lights I generally use for nightscape shooting. These lights can be dimmed WAY down so as not to disturb the bats. I also borrowed my wife’s 100mm f2.8 macro lens to for the task. This lens is absolutely tack sharp and purpose built for close-up work and that big aperture lets in lots of light. The downside is that depth of field is almost nil at that focal length and aperture when you’re shooting something from a foot away. Therefore, a single frame may only have the face of a mouse-sized creature in focus and nothing else. By placing the camera on a tripod very low and pretty much leaning the camera to the wall of the passage, I was able to shoot some longish exposures to gather enough light to expose this bat. I also used my mirrorless (Canon R7)camera’s automatic focus stacking feature to shoot 32 separate frames to ensure I’d have sharp sections of the bat from front to back to later merge in Photoshop (the camera also composites them automatically but only in JPEG and I wasn’t super happy with that one). Avid macro shooters actually use a "slider" that physically moves the camera a tiny bit with each shot which produces better results as it eliminates the "breathing" that can occur by changing the focus point each time as it is done here. My result isn’t perfect but, given the challenges and not wanting to spend too much time and disturb the animals, I’m fairly pleased.

As to the animals themselves, I believe they are myotis lucifugus or the not-so-imaginatively named Little Brown Bat, a species of “mouse eared” bats that is, interestingly enough, not related to eptesicus fuscus, the BIG brown bat. They are fascinating little animals that I enjoy watching flit around and chase bugs above my patio on summer evenings. They can eat more than half their body weight in insects in a single night (lactating females can actually consume MORE than their body weight in a night at peak lactation). As I read up on them a bit I also found it quite interesting that females only birth one baby per year. That’s definitely not what I’d expect from such a tiny and delicate creature. They can form colonies number in the tens of thousands but this little spot probably only had a dozen or so roosting in it that I saw.

Second Life Acting League by Lucidity Perile

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The Disconcerting

Part 1

Midnight Shadows

Maybe is because of the specific role-play games my twin and I grew up playing. Maybe it’s also because of My love of dressing up in elegant attire and the wearing of jewellery. Or just maybe I am one of those mystic magnets of a soul that attracts this sort of thing to happen?

I had actually written this one out a year after it happened because someone suggested to me to do so, but wish now I had done so right after it happened so I would have a more descriptive memory of it.

It’s brief because the actual incident as it played out, happened so fast that it all was such a blur, there are no real recollections as far as detailed descriptions go.

Not even sure if it fits in with this collection of stories based on role play and similar games from youth and young adulthood.

For it may have been a game, but it certainly was not one of ours.

££££££££££

This rather harrowing experience occurred on the evening of a fancy dress Girl’s only party I attended some years ago.

My twin brother I were 22 years old at the time, as was my best friend Ginny.

The party mentioned was a BAFTA themed get together held in the nearby city.

Ginny and I were both attired for the party as though we were attending the real thing, which was the idea. And we were not alone in dressing up like that.

For at this annual party held by a university chum’s older sister, everyone attending was mandated to dress up like an actress attending the awards ceremony.

Ginny, as always when she does fancy proper, was drop-dead gorgeous.

She looked smashing, poured into her shimmering, off one shoulder gown of thin silk, silver with copper threads woven in. The gown really had a nice sexy fluid flow as she moved. Long elbow-length gloves of a dark copper satin, finished the effect.

She was wearing her good earrings. A pierced ear style set with real diamonds(1/2 Carat diamond with a dangling a pear-shaped 1 1/2 carat diamond), a diamond rhinestone choker, a matching rhinestone bracelet, and two cocktail rings. The 2 carat earrings and one of her rings were real, the rest good quality antique rhinestones.

Her silky hair, a darker natural red than mine, was worn up with an elegant bun held with a long silver clip on one side. Several strands purposely fell alongside her freckled face, adding a rather far too cute effect.

Myself, I was wearing a pretty party dress of Mum’s. One that I (and Papa) felt she looked breathtakingly beautiful wearing it on a night out.

It was a solid coloured sky blue taffeta dress that shone with a tight sleekness down along my figure. Maybe a bit too tight for it outlined my every curve, making me look sexier than I knew I was. The skirt was higher in front( touching just below my knees) than in the back where it swished a few inches above my ankles and my deep blue silk stiletto heels. The neckline of the dress was of a long open scoop and had wavy ruffles running along with its opening, the sleeves went to my elbows, ending in ruffles. With it, I was also wearing deep blue 3/4 length satin gloves.

For jewellery, I wore mum’s full set of enticingly sparkling rhinestones. The pricey imitation diamonds that Papa teased he needed sunglasses to look at her whenever Mum wore them out, which was a lot.

The centerpiece of the set was undoubtedly the long glittery necklace that looked like an upside-down,loosely attached, elongated pyramid filled with blazing diamond-like stones.

This eye-catcher hung down low along the open neck of the dress, swaying a few inches up from my (small)cleavage.

The set also had a matching bracelet, long earrings, and a ring. I added two more of my real gemstone rings for effect.

My own freshly washed long, naturally red hair was pulled back in a plait and I had a thin diamond chip encrusted silver Tiara to hold it all in place.

Please get a good mental picture of how Ginny and I were dressed up for the affair before reading on( and I hope you will read on) it should add a little clarity to the story.

Part 2

Midnight Ball (Faux)

To fit in with the party theme my twin brother actually was able to again borrow papa’s friend’s elegant antique car. An old dark purple Rolls Royce.

My brother dressed the part as a chauffeur( at Ginny and my puppy-eyed request), wearing a suit, formal shirt, and bow tie. He refused to wear the white gloves or hat though.

He thoroughly was into playing his role, opening the door for each of us as we were helped into the back, with him sitting alone upfront.

The party was at a house 30 minutes away in the city, with about 25 guests expected to attend.

All of whom had gone wild with their fancy dress ideas.

Gowns and formal dresses, many of which were old bridesmaids affairs, flowed, shined, and shimmered along with our fellow guest's youthful female figures.

Copious amounts of Gemstones, mostly rhinestone with more than a few real ones, were glittering with amazing brilliance from their mistresses.

As you can imagine, I was really into that atmosphere and it was really for me, a quite enjoyable and engaging experience.

The party itself was a lot of fun and very enjoyable for all in attendance. This was the pre-cell phone era, so we all were quite focused on the party.

On and off we watched the awards show, but the main attraction was the drinking and guessing games we played.

We also had a fashion show with a makeshift red carpet that everyone did a catwalk along.

My mum’s rhinestone attracted a lot of notice, they sparkled so much.

And yes, once when mum was wearing them out a lady actually asked if they were real. We all had a good laugh over that.

My brother and even Ginny commented on how they would sparkle in the city street lamps as we drove under them on the way in.

By the time the party was winding down we all

were feeling pretty well lit, and very huggy.

All too soon it was time to go.

After my twin brother had dropped us off, he waiting for us at the riverside pub named Poet and the Peasant.

He told us to call at the pub and then wait inside the house for him to arrive. The neighborhood was nice enough, but still, it was the city, so he felt more comfortable if we were to not be out wandering.

He would honk the Roll’s horn at the curb to let us know when he was there.

We called from the house after midnight when ready and he told us he’d be there in about 15 minutes after leaving the pub where he was playing darts with a few lads.

We had told others about the Rolls Royce, and some had asked to see it. So, ignoring my brother’s request, we all gathered outside to wait.

Twenty minutes later my brother drove up, spying our group he honked the horn as he pulled up curbside.

Playing the part in front of so many well-dressed ladies, my brother was in his glory as helped each of us slip into the back seat of the rolls Royce, closing our doors like a gentleman, before hopping back in the driver's seat to take us home. Honking the horn again to the few remaining jealous admirers who waved us on.

We felt like real movie stars at that.

And like real movie stars, we soon had a following.

Part 3

Midnight Followers

It was after my brother turned off the street where the party house was located, that he first noticed the red auto behind us.

He was not sure where it had come from, but, something he could never put a finger on, made him think that it was a deliberate appearance

The red auto, keeping about two car lengths behind, began to match my brother’s turns as he began to take his usual way home. The car never signaled its turns he noticed.

Not saying anything to us chattering away in the back leather seats, he turned off into a side street at random to see what would happen. The auto turned down the same street following, again no turn signal.

My brother then turned down another street and pulled the Rolls over midway along it, stopping at the curb directly in front of a house, so the auto could pass if he also turned In behind.

It did come around the same corner, but instead of passing the parked Rolls, the red auto ominously pulled to the curb about three houses behind us, leaving its lights on.

Ginny and I had been chatting happily in the back seat, my brother stopping the Rolls Royce first drew our attention that something was up.

When asked what’s going on, he said that he thinks someone in an automobile is following us.

We laughed at him, thinking he was trying to play games with us.

On the way to the party, he kept teasing us on how sparkly our jewels were in the rearview mirror when illuminated by street lights.

I had snickered saying

“it’s a good thing your here to protect us then Luv.”

He had looked back at me with a wicked smile in his eyes. “Ah, true lass, but what if I was a thief in disguise?”

So now we both thought he was just trying to put a scare into us playing off on those remarks.

Not smiling at our taunts, he sternly told us to just turn around and watch the auto parked down the road with the headlights on.

Part 4

Midnight Apprehension

We both turned in our seats, surprised to see that he was right.

“Who do you think it is?” Ginny asked reasonably.

“Really don’t know, Luv?” He answered putting the Rolls in gear.

He pulled away, and after a few seconds so did the auto with the headlights on.

My brother then took two more random turns down roads and we realized he was really telling the bloody truth.

We knew then it wasn’t something my brother had dreamed up as role-play with his lads. He would not stoop this low and besides, to tell the truth, he was not all that good of an actor to pull it off.

The auto kept pace, matching

us turn for turn.

I would think by then whoever was in the red Auto knew that we realized they were tailing us. But they still kept following.

I remember as we watched from the back, Ginny and I turning to look at each other, both of us not really knowing what to do if even there was anything we could have done?

I can also clearly recollect how Ginny’s diamond earrings were glimmering as I looked into her concerned face. But bit my tongue.

I did not want to alarm her with my thoughts. Knowing how expensive her earrings were. That, plus the fact most of the jewellery I was wearing belonged to Mum, really gave me worries. Still, I knew Ginny was also harboring similar unsaid concerns.

Neither of us daring to give voice to those worries, lest it became a reality.

But two elegantly clad young ladies being driven around inside a Rolls Royce with a chauffeur at the wheel could say the least, easily attract notice. Something we had not given any thought to as we planned out this evening.

Inviting attention, both when arriving in the city, and as well as when they were leaving it.

Both of us turned back to look out the window.

Again watching the bright headlights, I shuddered at another thought that popped into my head.

What if the occupants of the red auto had followed us in, and while we were enjoying the party, had been waiting patiently for us to leave it?

That really creeped me out and I shivered.

My brother, silent with unspoken worries of his own, was keeping to the well lit, residential streets while trying to think of how to get out of this if he needed to.

It could be just two joyriders doing this on a lark after all.

A second issue was that the big Rolls Royce was a lumbering beast not made to outspeed pursuit.

Then there was a third issue: He also did not want to lead our shadowers near to where Ginny or we both lived.

We still lived in a rambling country cottage with my parents. Ginny lived a few houses over in the old stone house that had once been a summer home for a large, prewar, estate owner.

Not voicing any of these concerns to his passengers, my brother stayed in the city, which he knew quite well.

Turning up a boulevard he saw a traffic light ahead.

We pulled up to it and the Red Auto stopped about a car length back.

We could make out the shadowy figures of two unmistakable males, talking to each other as they were pointing fingers.

They were not just pointing at us, but past us. That gave me the creeps as I told my brother what the occupants were doing.

The light turned green, and without signaling, he turned the Rolls to the right, entering a Main Street.

The red auto did the same, not signaling either.

Approaching another light as it was turning red, my brother ran it, cutting off a lurching double-decker just coming into the intersection.

As we received a blast of horns for our transgression, my brother shifted into a higher gear and forced the whining old Rolls into its top speed.

All I remember at that point, was thinking we were not going fast enough at all.

But this maneuver held up the red auto only long enough for us to turn down an alley between two businesses about 3/4 of a block past the red light. I was watching our rear and I knew the red auto, just leaving the intersection, had seen us turn.

My brother knew that the alleys on this street all let out onto a road that ran along the grounds of a rugby stadium.

There were street lamps on the opposite side of the road from the stadium. There were no lights on at all on the stadium side, making the area darker at night than India ink.

We pulled out of the alleyway without seeing any following headlights yet coming in behind us.

“There is usually a patrol car parked along the stadium at night, “my brother said.

“Keep an eye out”

But of course, tonight was the exception, no cars were parked there.

I was looking back at the alleyway we had left and I saw headlights casting along the brick walls.

I gave warning, but it came out as a girlish shriek.

“I see it.” My brother said, he had killed the headlights and was already turning into the exit end of the stadium’s long parking lot

My twin pulled the Rolls under the shadows of some trees that lined the inner side of the parking lot, facing the way we had come.

We all scrunched down and waited.

Part 5

Midnight Escape

A few very long seconds later, the red auto, driving slowly, appeared at the end of the alley and stopped.

Then, without signal,

it slowly turned off onto the street and started going in the opposite direction, at a crawl.

Looking For our Rolls Royce we probably rightly suspected.

Our hearts were pounding and I believe we were all holding our breaths with disquieting

trepidation.

The red auto went down past that end of the stadium.

My heart leaped into my throat as I put a hand to my beating breasts, watching it turn up the next street leading back to the intersection with the red light we had blown through.

My brother put in the clutch, keeping the headlamps off, he slowly turned the auto around.

Ginny and I sat up and watched behind us.

We turned off the parking lot went back the opposite of where our pursuers had gone.

Once in the street my brother turned on the headlamps and gave the old engine some gas. We turned up the next street and then some side streets.

Nervously we watched the streets behind us. But only saw a few headlights coming on the road, and they were all false alarms.

Finally circling around we made it back to the Main Street that led to the highway turnoff.

Nervously all three of us scanned the cars parked along both sides of the streets. But no one pulled out behind us that seemingly going on forever stretch of road.

Apparently, we had lost our shadower’s in the red auto.

We made it to the turnoff without further mischief befalling us and went onto the highway and headed back home.

We never saw the red auto again.

Ginny and I were spending the rest of the weekend in her basemen bedroom at her house, her parents bring out of town.

Neither of us was ashamed to admit we accepted my brother’s offer to spend the night upstairs.

When we got to her place, Ginny helped us raid Uncle’s small bar in the basement. We sat up for the rest of the early morning, still fully dressed, talking it over.

We all believed was no lark, hoax, or a joke being played on us. The occupants of that red auto seemed all too intent on something.

To this very day, none of us have any real idea of what that intent may have been, just only our speculation.

I do remember that we had come up with a whole gauntlet of theories before turning in.

But we are all quite ok with not finding out which theory was the correct one that night.

And Like me, I’m sure we all finally drifted off to sleep considering what may have played out if...?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Would love to hear thoughts on this in the comments below. Especially if anyone has ever had a similar experience.

Great-tailed Grackle by pamfromcalgary

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On May 16th I headed to two destinations with specific targets.

My first stop was Elliston Park where a Great Tailed Grackle had been seen. This was such an rare sighting for our city. This poor lost bird was not welcomed by the Common Grackles. They had picked on it to the point of it losing many of it's feathers. When I arrived it was sitting on the pathway as if that offered protection from being bullied. Eventually a Common Grackle came along to harass it. It had great difficulty getting airborne. I left the area to explore an adjacent wetland. When I returned I learned that a hawk had come along and put the Great-tailed Grackle out of it's misery. Such is the cycle of life :(

Thanks all for your visits and comments! They are all greatly appreciated!

by Гоголь FEST

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Site-specific перформанс Ірини Плотнікової "IceDora" на фестивалі сучасного мистецтва Гогольфест 2016, Київ, Україна © repor.to/popenko

East Yorkshire 776 - YX59 FHC by Hullian OneEleven

Ah, finally, I have it. I've been hankering to get this specific one for a while, and after so long, it's finally in the bag in a hurried grab shot. It's the last G2 left to get at Withernsea depot, and besides a neccesary retake of one I took last October, that means this, for the first time, marks a complete East Yorkshire depot taken! Withernsea depot is done! And I'm sure by at least the middle of next year, Hull depot will be, too! And that's where it's bound to get difficult... not to mention the new 'EastRider' scheme coming to Withernsea next year...

Finally found after a long deal of waiting, East Yorkshire's 776, a 2009 Volvo B9TL Wright Gemini 2, the last Withernsea bus I needed to get, is seen here having just turned onto Witham on the 76 to Hull Interchange.

Hitchcock presents The Night of the Flower by John Russell

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Love Hibiscus? Me too! Enjoy more in my newly created set of my Hibiscus flowers:

www.flickr.com/photos/motorpsiclist/sets/72157634426592235/

You might enjoy viewing it as a slideshow:

www.flickr.com//photos/motorpsiclist/sets/721576344265922...

Copyright © notice: My photographs and videos and any of my derivative works are my private property and are copyright © by me, John Russell (aka "Zoom Lens") and ALL my rights, including my exclusive rights, are reserved and protected by United States Copyright Laws and by the Berne Convention and the Universal Copyright Convention.

Do not rip these photos off; they do not belong to you!

ANY use without my permission in writing is forbidden by law, including use on blogs; pin boards such as Pinterest; Tumblr; Facebook; or any other use without my specific written permission.

Street scene | Kolkata | India by dynamo.photography

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++++++++++ FROM WKIPEDIA +++++++++

Kolkata /koʊlˈkɑːtə/ ([kolkata] (About this soundlisten), also known as Calcutta /kælˈkʌtə/, the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River approximately 75 kilometres (47 mi) west of the border with Bangladesh, it is the principal commercial, cultural, and educational centre of East India, while the Port of Kolkata is India's oldest operating port and its sole major riverine port. The city is widely regarded as the "cultural capital" of India, and is also nicknamed the "City of Joy".[1][2][3].According to the 2011 Indian census, it is the seventh most populous city. the city had a population of 4.5 million, while the population of the city and its suburbs was 14.1 million, making it the third-most populous metropolitan area in India. Recent estimates of Kolkata Metropolitan Area's economy have ranged from $60 to $150 billion (GDP adjusted for purchasing power parity) making it third most-productive metropolitan area in India, after Mumbai and Delhi.[11][12][13]

In the late 17th century, the three villages that predated Calcutta were ruled by the Nawab of Bengal under Mughal suzerainty. After the Nawab granted the East India Company a trading licence in 1690,[15] the area was developed by the Company into an increasingly fortified trading post. Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah occupied Calcutta in 1756, and the East India Company retook it the following year. In 1793 the East India company was strong enough to abolish Nizamat (local rule), and assumed full sovereignty of the region. Under the company rule, and later under the British Raj, Calcutta served as the capital of British-held territories in India until 1911, when its perceived geographical disadvantages, combined with growing nationalism in Bengal, led to a shift of the capital to New Delhi. Calcutta was the centre for the Indian independence movement; it remains a hotbed of contemporary state politics. Following Indian independence in 1947, Kolkata, which was once the centre of modern Indian education, science, culture, and politics, suffered several decades of economic stagnation.

As a nucleus of the 19th- and early 20th-century Bengal Renaissance and a religiously and ethnically diverse centre of culture in Bengal and India, Kolkata has local traditions in drama, art, film, theatre, and literature. Many people from Kolkata—among them several Nobel laureates—have contributed to the arts, the sciences, and other areas. Kolkata culture features idiosyncrasies that include distinctively close-knit neighbourhoods (paras) and freestyle intellectual exchanges (adda). West Bengal's share of the Bengali film industry is based in the city, which also hosts venerable cultural institutions of national importance, such as the Academy of Fine Arts, the Victoria Memorial, the Asiatic Society, the Indian Museum and the National Library of India. Among professional scientific institutions, Kolkata hosts the Agri Horticultural Society of India, the Geological Survey of India, the Botanical Survey of India, the Calcutta Mathematical Society, the Indian Science Congress Association, the Zoological Survey of India, the Institution of Engineers, the Anthropological Survey of India and the Indian Public Health Association. Though home to major cricketing venues and franchises, Kolkata differs from other Indian cities by giving importance to association football and other sports.

Etymology

The word Kolkata derives from the Bengali term Kôlikata (Bengali: কলিকাতা) [ˈkɔlikat̪a], the name of one of three villages that predated the arrival of the British, in the area where the city eventually was to be established; the other two villages were Sutanuti and Govindapur.[16]

There are several explanations about the etymology of this name:

The term Kolikata is thought to be a variation of Kalikkhetrô [ˈkalikʰːet̪rɔ] (Bengali: কালীক্ষেত্র), meaning "Field of [the goddess] Kali". Similarly, it can be a variation of 'Kalikshetra' (Sanskrit: कालीक्षेत्र, lit. "area of Goddess Kali").

Another theory is that the name derives from Kalighat.[17]

Alternatively, the name may have been derived from the Bengali term kilkila (Bengali: কিলকিলা), or "flat area".[18]

The name may have its origin in the words khal [ˈkʰal] (Bengali: খাল) meaning "canal", followed by kaṭa [ˈkata] (Bengali: কাটা), which may mean "dug".[19]

According to another theory, the area specialised in the production of quicklime or koli chun [ˈkɔlitɕun] (Bengali: কলি চুন) and coir or kata [ˈkat̪a] (Bengali: কাতা); hence, it was called Kolikata [ˈkɔlikat̪a] (Bengali: কলিকাতা).[18]

Although the city's name has always been pronounced Kolkata [ˈkolkat̪a] (Bengali: কলকাতা) or Kôlikata [ˈkɔlikat̪a] (Bengali: কলিকাতা) in Bengali, the anglicised form Calcutta was the official name until 2001, when it was changed to Kolkata in order to match Bengali pronunciation.[20] (It should be noted that "Calcutt" is an etymologically unrelated place name found at several locations in England.)

History

The discovery and archaeological study of Chandraketugarh, 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Kolkata, provide evidence that the region in which the city stands has been inhabited for over two millennia.[21][22] Kolkata's recorded history began in 1690 with the arrival of the English East India Company, which was consolidating its trade business in Bengal. Job Charnock, an administrator who worked for the company, was formerly credited as the founder of the city;[23] In response to a public petition,[24] the Calcutta High Court ruled in 2003 that the city does not have a founder.[25] The area occupied by the present-day city encompassed three villages: Kalikata, Gobindapur, and Sutanuti. Kalikata was a fishing village; Sutanuti was a riverside weavers' village. They were part of an estate belonging to the Mughal emperor; the jagirdari (a land grant bestowed by a king on his noblemen) taxation rights to the villages were held by the Sabarna Roy Choudhury family of landowners, or zamindars. These rights were transferred to the East India Company in 1698.[26]:1

In 1712, the British completed the construction of Fort William, located on the east bank of the Hooghly River to protect their trading factory.[27] Facing frequent skirmishes with French forces, the British began to upgrade their fortifications in 1756. The Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, condemned the militarisation and tax evasion by the company. His warning went unheeded, and the Nawab attacked; he captured Fort William which led to the killings of several East India company officials in the Black Hole of Calcutta.[28] A force of Company soldiers (sepoys) and British troops led by Robert Clive recaptured the city the following year.[28] Per the 1765 Treaty of Allahabad following the battle of Buxar, East India company was appointed imperial tax collector of the Mughal emperor in the province of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, while Mughal-appointed Nawabs continued to rule the province.[29] Declared a presidency city, Calcutta became the headquarters of the East India Company by 1773.[30] In 1793, ruling power of the Nawabs were abolished and East India company took complete control of the city and the province. In the early 19th century, the marshes surrounding the city were drained; the government area was laid out along the banks of the Hooghly River. Richard Wellesley, Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William between 1797 and 1805, was largely responsible for the development of the city and its public architecture.[31] Throughout the late 18th and 19th century, the city was a centre of the East India Company's opium trade.[32]

By the 1850s, Calcutta had two areas: White Town, which was primarily British and centred on Chowringhee and Dalhousie Square; and Black Town, mainly Indian and centred on North Calcutta.[33] The city underwent rapid industrial growth starting in the early 1850s, especially in the textile and jute industries; this encouraged British companies to massively invest in infrastructure projects, which included telegraph connections and Howrah railway station. The coalescence of British and Indian culture resulted in the emergence of a new babu class of urbane Indians, whose members were often bureaucrats, professionals, newspaper readers, and Anglophiles; they usually belonged to upper-caste Hindu communities.[34] In the 19th century, the Bengal Renaissance brought about an increased sociocultural sophistication among city denizens. In 1883, Calcutta was host to the first national conference of the Indian National Association, the first avowed nationalist organisation in India.[35]

Bengali billboards on Harrison Street. Calcutta was the largest commercial centre in British India.

The partition of Bengal in 1905 along religious lines led to mass protests, making Calcutta a less hospitable place for the British.[36][37] The capital was moved to New Delhi in 1911.[38] Calcutta continued to be a centre for revolutionary organisations associated with the Indian independence movement. The city and its port were bombed several times by the Japanese between 1942 and 1944, during World War II.[39][40] Coinciding with the war, millions starved to death during the Bengal famine of 1943 due to a combination of military, administrative, and natural factors.[41] Demands for the creation of a Muslim state led in 1946 to an episode of communal violence that killed over 4,000.[42][43][44] The partition of India led to further clashes and a demographic shift—many Muslims left for East Pakistan (present day Bangladesh), while hundreds of thousands of Hindus fled into the city.[45]

During the 1960s and 1970s, severe power shortages, strikes, and a violent Marxist–Maoist movement by groups known as the Naxalites damaged much of the city's infrastructure, resulting in economic stagnation.[46] The Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 led to a massive influx of thousands of refugees, many of them penniless, that strained Kolkata's infrastructure.[47] During the mid-1980s, Mumbai (then called Bombay) overtook Kolkata as India's most populous city. In 1985, prime minister Rajiv Gandhi dubbed Kolkata a "dying city" in light of its socio-political woes.[48] In the period 1977–2011, West Bengal was governed from Kolkata by the Left Front, which was dominated by the Communist Party of India (CPM). It was the world's longest-serving democratically elected communist government, during which Kolkata was a key base for Indian communism.[49][50][51] In the West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, 2011, Left Front was defeated by the Trinamool Congress. The city's economic recovery gathered momentum after the 1990s, when India began to institute pro-market reforms. Since 2000, the information technology (IT) services sector has revitalised Kolkata's stagnant economy. The city is also experiencing marked growth in its manufacturing base.[52]

Geography

Spread roughly north–south along the east bank of the Hooghly River, Kolkata sits within the lower Ganges Delta of eastern India approximately 75 km (47 mi) west of the international border with Bangladesh; the city's elevation is 1.5–9 m (5–30 ft).[53] Much of the city was originally a wetland that was reclaimed over the decades to accommodate a burgeoning population.[54] The remaining undeveloped areas, known as the East Kolkata Wetlands, were designated a "wetland of international importance" by the Ramsar Convention (1975).[55] As with most of the Indo-Gangetic Plain, the soil and water are predominantly alluvial in origin. Kolkata is located over the "Bengal basin", a pericratonic tertiary basin.[56] Bengal basin comprises three structural units: shelf or platform in the west; central hinge or shelf/slope break; and deep basinal part in the east and southeast. Kolkata is located atop the western part of the hinge zone which is about 25 km (16 mi) wide at a depth of about 45,000 m (148,000 ft) below the surface.[56] The shelf and hinge zones have many faults, among them some are active. Total thickness of sediment below Kolkata is nearly 7,500 m (24,600 ft) above the crystalline basement; of these the top 350–450 m (1,150–1,480 ft) is Quaternary, followed by 4,500–5,500 m (14,760–18,040 ft) of Tertiary sediments, 500–700 m (1,640–2,300 ft) trap wash of Cretaceous trap and 600–800 m (1,970–2,620 ft) Permian-Carboniferous Gondwana rocks.[56] The quaternary sediments consist of clay, silt, and several grades of sand and gravel. These sediments are sandwiched between two clay beds: the lower one at a depth of 250–650 m (820–2,130 ft); the upper one 10–40 m (30–130 ft) in thickness.[57] According to the Bureau of Indian Standards, on a scale ranging from I to V in order of increasing susceptibility to earthquakes, the city lies inside seismic zone III.[58]

Urban structure

Howrah Bridge from the western bank of the Ganges

The Kolkata metropolitan area is spread over 1,886.67 km2 (728.45 sq mi)[59]:7 and comprises 3 municipal corporations (including Kolkata Municipal Corporation), 39 local municipalities and 24 panchayat samitis, as of 2011.[59]:7 The urban agglomeration encompassed 72 cities and 527 towns and villages, as of 2006.[60] Suburban areas in the Kolkata metropolitan area incorporate parts of the following districts: North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, and Nadia.[61]:15 Kolkata, which is under the jurisdiction of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), has an area of 185 km2 (71 sq mi).[60] The east–west dimension of the city is comparatively narrow, stretching from the Hooghly River in the west to roughly the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass in the east—a span of 9–10 km (5.6–6.2 mi).[62] The north–south distance is greater, and its axis is used to section the city into North, Central, and South Kolkata. East Kolkata is also a section.

North Kolkata is the oldest part of the city. Characterised by 19th-century architecture, dilapidated buildings, overpopulated slums, crowded bazaars, and narrow alleyways, it includes areas such as Shyambazar, Hatibagan, Maniktala, Kankurgachi, Rajabazar, Shobhabazar, Shyampukur, Sonagachi, Kumortuli, Bagbazar, Jorasanko, Chitpur, Pathuriaghata, Cossipore, Kestopur, Sinthee, Belgachia, Jorabagan, and Dum Dum.[63]:65–66 The northern suburban areas like Baranagar, Durganagar, Noapara, Dunlop, Dakshineswar, Nagerbazar, Belghoria, Agarpara, Sodepur, Madhyamgram, Barasat, Birati, Khardah up to Barrackpur are also within the city of Kolkata (as a metropolitan structure).

Central Kolkata

Central Kolkata hosts the central business district. It contains B. B. D. Bagh, formerly known as Dalhousie Square, and the Esplanade on its east; Strand Road is on its west.[64] The West Bengal Secretariat, General Post Office, Reserve Bank of India, High Court, Lalbazar Police Headquarters, and several other government and private offices are located there. Another business hub is the area south of Park Street, which comprises thoroughfares such as Chowringhee, Camac Street, Wood Street, Loudon Street, Shakespeare Sarani, and A. J. C. Bose Road.[65] The Maidan is a large open field in the heart of the city that has been called the "lungs of Kolkata"[66] and accommodates sporting events and public meetings.[67] The Victoria Memorial and Kolkata Race Course are located at the southern end of the Maidan. Other important areas of Central Kolkata are Park Circus, Burrabazar, College Street, Sealdah, Taltala, Janbazar, Bowbazar, Entally, Chandni Chowk, Lalbazar, Chowringhee, Dharmatala, Tiretta Bazar, Bow Barracks, Mullick Bazar, Park Circus, Babughat etc. Among the other parks are Central Park in Bidhannagar and Millennium Park on Strand Road, along the Hooghly River.

South Kolkata

South Kolkata developed after India gained independence in 1947; it includes upscale neighbourhoods such as Ballygunge, Alipore, New Alipore, Lansdowne, Bhowanipore, Kalighat, Dhakuria, Gariahat, Tollygunge, Naktala, Jodhpur Park, Lake Gardens, Golf Green, Jadavpur, Garfa, Kalikapur, Haltu, Nandi Bagan, Santoshpur, Baghajatin, Garia, Ramgarh, Raipur, Kanungo Park, Ranikuthi, Bikramgarh, Bijoygarh, Bansdroni and Kudghat.[16] Outlying areas of South Kolkata include Garden Reach, Khidirpur, Metiabruz, Taratala, Majerhat, Budge Budge, Behala, Sarsuna, Barisha, Parnasree Pally, Thakurpukur, Maheshtala and Joka. The southern suburban neighbourhoods like Mahamayatala, Pratapgarh, Kamalgazi, Narendrapur, Sonarpur, Subhashgram and Baruipur are also within the city of Kolkata (as metropolitan, urban agglomeration area). Fort William, on the western part of the city, houses the headquarters of the Eastern Command of the Indian Army;[68] its premises are under the jurisdiction of the army.

East Kolkata

East Kolkata is largely composed of newly developed areas and neighbourhoods of Saltlake, Rajarhat, Tangra, Topsia, Kasba, Anandapur, Mukundapur, Picnic Garden, Beleghata, Ultadanga, Phoolbagan, Kaikhali, Lake Town, etc. Two planned townships in the greater Kolkata region are Bidhannagar, also known as Salt Lake City and located north-east of the city; and Rajarhat, also called New Town and sited east of Bidhannagar.[16][69] In the 2000s, Sector V in Bidhannagar developed into a business hub for information technology and telecommunication companies.[70][71] Both Bidhannagar and New Town are situated outside the Kolkata Municipal Corporation limits, in their own municipalities.[69]

Climate

Kolkata is subject to a tropical wet-and-dry climate that is designated Aw under the Köppen climate classification. According to a United Nations Development Programme report, its wind and cyclone zone is "very high damage risk".[58]

Temperature

The annual mean temperature is 26.8 °C (80.2 °F); monthly mean temperatures are 19–30 °C (66–86 °F). Summers (March–June) are hot and humid, with temperatures in the low 30s Celsius; during dry spells, maximum temperatures often exceed 40 °C (104 °F) in May and June.[72] Winter lasts for roughly two-and-a-half months, with seasonal lows dipping to 9–11 °C (48–52 °F) in December and January. May is the hottest month, with daily temperatures ranging from 27–37 °C (81–99 °F); January, the coldest month, has temperatures varying from 12–23 °C (54–73 °F). The highest recorded temperature is 43.9 °C (111.0 °F), and the lowest is 5 °C (41 °F).[72] The winter is mild and very comfortable weather pertains over the city throughout this season. Often, in April–June, the city is struck by heavy rains or dusty squalls that are followed by thunderstorms or hailstorms, bringing cooling relief from the prevailing humidity. These thunderstorms are convective in nature, and are known locally as kal bôishakhi (কালবৈশাখী), or "Nor'westers" in English.[73]

Rains brought by the Bay of Bengal branch of the south-west summer monsoon[74] lash Kolkata between June and September, supplying it with most of its annual rainfall of about 1,850 mm (73 in). The highest monthly rainfall total occurs in July and August. In these months often incessant rain for days brings live to a stall for the city dwellers. The city receives 2,528 hours of sunshine per year, with maximum sunlight exposure occurring in March.[75] Kolkata has been hit by several cyclones; these include systems occurring in 1737 and 1864 that killed thousands.[76][77]

Environmental issues

Pollution is a major concern in Kolkata. As of 2008, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide annual concentration were within the national ambient air quality standards of India, but respirable suspended particulate matter levels were high, and on an increasing trend for five consecutive years, causing smog and haze.[80][81] Severe air pollution in the city has caused a rise in pollution-related respiratory ailments, such as lung cancer.[82]

Economy

Kolkata is the main commercial and financial hub of East and North-East India[61] and home to the Calcutta Stock Exchange.[83][84] It is a major commercial and military port, and is the only city in eastern India, apart from Bhubaneswar to have an international airport. Once India's leading city, Kolkata experienced a steady economic decline in the decades following India's independence due to steep population increases and a rise in militant trade-unionism, which included frequent strikes that were backed by left-wing parties.[52] From the 1960s to the late 1990s, several factories were closed and businesses relocated.[52] The lack of capital and resources added to the depressed state of the city's economy and gave rise to an unwelcome sobriquet: the "dying city".[85] The city's fortunes improved after the Indian economy was liberalised in the 1990s and changes in economic policy were enacted by the West Bengal state government.[52]

Flexible production has been the norm in Kolkata, which has an informal sector that employs more than 40% of the labour force.[16] One unorganised group, roadside hawkers, generated business worth ₹ 8,772 crore (US$ 2 billion) in 2005.[86] As of 2001, around 0.81% of the city's workforce was employed in the primary sector (agriculture, forestry, mining, etc.); 15.49% worked in the secondary sector (industrial and manufacturing); and 83.69% worked in the tertiary sector (service industries).[61]:19 As of 2003, the majority of households in slums were engaged in occupations belonging to the informal sector; 36.5% were involved in servicing the urban middle class (as maids, drivers, etc.), and 22.2% were casual labourers.[87]:11 About 34% of the available labour force in Kolkata slums were unemployed.[87]:11 According to one estimate, almost a quarter of the population live on less than 27 rupees (equivalent to 45 US cents) per day.[88] As of 2010, Kolkata, with an estimated gross domestic product (GDP) by purchasing power parity of 150 billion dollars, ranked third among South Asian cities, after Mumbai and Delhi.[89] Kolkata's GDP in 2014 was Rs 1.84 trillion, according to a collaborative assessment by multiple universities and climate agencies.[90] As in many other Indian cities, information technology became a high-growth sector in Kolkata starting in the late 1990s; the city's IT sector grew at 70% per annum—a rate that was twice the national average.[52] The 2000s saw a surge of investments in the real estate, infrastructure, retail, and hospitality sectors; several large shopping malls and hotels were launched.[91][92][93][94][95] Companies such as ITC Limited, CESC Limited, Exide Industries, Emami, Eveready Industries India, Lux Industries, Rupa Company, Berger Paints, Birla Corporation and Britannia Industries are headquartered in the city. Philips India, PricewaterhouseCoopers India, Tata Global Beverages, Tata Steel have their registered office and zonal headquarters in Kolkata. Kolkata hosts the headquarters of three major public-sector banks: Allahabad Bank, UCO Bank, and the United Bank of India; and a private bank Bandhan Bank. Reserve Bank of India has its eastern zonal office in Kolkata, and India Government Mint, Kolkata is one of the four mints in India.

Panoramic view of the Down town Sector V one of the major IT hubs of Kolkata as seen from the lakes surrounding Bidhannagar. Major Buildings such as Technopolis, Godrej Waterside, TCS Lords, Eden and Wanderers Park, Gobsyn Crystal, South City Pinnacle, RDB Boulevard, West Bengal Electronics Industry Development Corporation (WEBEL) Bhawan can be seen.

Demographics

See also: Health care in Kolkata

A big building in cream colour with many columns and a portico

Calcutta Medical College, the second institution in Asia to teach modern medicine(after 'Ecole de Médicine de Pondichéry')

IPGMER and SSKM Hospital, Kolkata is the largest hospital in West Bengal and one of the oldest in Kolkata.

As of 2011, the health care system in Kolkata consists of 48 government hospitals, mostly under the Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of West Bengal, and 366 private medical establishments;[177] these establishments provide the city with 27,687 hospital beds.[177] For every 10,000 people in the city, there are 61.7 hospital beds,[178] which is higher than the national average of 9 hospital beds per 10,000.[179] Ten medical and dental colleges are located in the Kolkata metropolitan area which act as tertiary referral hospitals in the state.[180][181] The Calcutta Medical College, founded in 1835, was the first institution in Asia to teach modern medicine.[182] However, These facilities are inadequate to meet the healthcare needs of the city.[183][184][185] More than 78% in Kolkata prefer the private medical sector over the public medical sector,[117]:109 due to the poor quality of care, the lack of a nearby facility, and excessive waiting times at government facilities.[117]:61

According to the Indian 2005 National Family Health Survey, only a small proportion of Kolkata households were covered under any health scheme or health insurance.[117]:41 The total fertility rate in Kolkata was 1.4, The lowest among the eight cities surveyed.[117]:45 In Kolkata, 77% of the married women used contraceptives, which was the highest among the cities surveyed, but use of modern contraceptive methods was the lowest (46%).[117]:47 The infant mortality rate in Kolkata was 41 per 1,000 live births, and the mortality rate for children under five was 49 per 1,000 live births.[117]:48

Among the surveyed cities, Kolkata stood second (5%) for children who had not had any vaccinations under the Universal Immunization Programme as of 2005.[117]:48 Kolkata ranked second with access to an anganwadi centre under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme for 57% of the children between 0 and 71 months.[117]:51 The proportion of malnourished, anaemic and underweight children in Kolkata was less in comparison to other surveyed cities.[117]:54–55

About 18% of the men and 30% of the women in Kolkata are obese—the majority of them belonging to the non-poor strata of society.[117]:105 In 2005, Kolkata had the highest percentage (55%) among the surveyed cities of anaemic women, while 20% of the men in Kolkata were anaemic.[117]:56–57 Diseases like diabetes, asthma, goitre and other thyroid disorders were found in large numbers of people.[117]:57–59 Tropical diseases like malaria, dengue and chikungunya are prevalent in Kolkata, though their incidence is decreasing.[186][187] Kolkata is one of the districts in India with a high number of people with AIDS; it has been designated a district prone to high risk.[188][189]

As of 2014, because of higher air pollution, the life expectancy of a person born in the city is four years fewer than in the suburbs.[190]

Education

Kolkata's schools are run by the state government or private organisations, many of which are religious. Bengali and English are the primary languages of instruction; Urdu and Hindi are also used, particularly in central Kolkata.[191][192] Schools in Kolkata follow the "10+2+3" plan. After completing their secondary education, students typically enroll in schools that have a higher secondary facility and are affiliated with the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education, the ICSE, or the CBSE.[191] They usually choose a focus on liberal arts, business, or science. Vocational programs are also available.[191] Some Kolkata schools, for example La Martiniere Calcutta, Calcutta Boys' School, St. James' School (Kolkata), St. Xavier's Collegiate School, and Loreto House, have been ranked amongst the best schools in the country.[193]

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade

As of 2010, the Kolkata urban agglomeration is home to 14 universities run by the state government.[194] The colleges are each affiliated with a university or institution based either in Kolkata or elsewhere in India. Aliah University which was founded in 1780 as Mohammedan College of Calcutta is the oldest post-secondary educational institution of the city.[195] The University of Calcutta, founded in 1857, is the first modern university in South Asia.[196] Presidency College, Kolkata (formerly Hindu College between 1817 and 1855), founded in 1855, was one of the oldest and most eminent colleges in India. It was affiliated with the University of Calcutta until 2010 when it was converted to Presidency University, Kolkata in 2010. Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU) is the second oldest engineering institution of the country located in Howrah.[197] An Institute of National Importance, BESU was converted to India's first IIEST. Jadavpur University is known for its arts, science, and engineering faculties.[198] The Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, which was the first of the Indian Institutes of Management, was established in 1961 at Joka, a locality in the south-western suburbs. Kolkata also houses the prestigious Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, which was started here in the year 2006.[199] The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences is one of India's autonomous law schools,[200][201] and the Indian Statistical Institute is a public research institute and university. State owned Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, West Bengal (MAKAUT, WB), formerly West Bengal University of Technology (WBUT) is the largest Technological University in terms of student enrollment and number of Institutions affiliated by it. Private institutions include the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute and University of Engineering & Management (UEM).

Notable scholars who were born, worked or studied in Kolkata include physicists Satyendra Nath Bose, Meghnad Saha,[202] and Jagadish Chandra Bose;[203] chemist Prafulla Chandra Roy;[202] statisticians Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis and Anil Kumar Gain;[202] physician Upendranath Brahmachari;[202] educator Ashutosh Mukherjee;[204] and Nobel laureates Rabindranath Tagore,[205] C. V. Raman,[203] and Amartya Sen.[206]

Kolkata houses many premier research institutes like Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Bose Institute, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP), All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute (CGCRI), S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences (SNBNCBS), Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management (IISWBM), National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Kolkata, Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC) and Indian Centre for Space Physics. Nobel laureate Sir C. V. Raman did his groundbreaking work in Raman effect in IACS.

Culture

Kolkata is known for its literary, artistic, and revolutionary heritage; as the former capital of India, it was the birthplace of modern Indian literary and artistic thought.[207] Kolkata has been called the "City of Furious, Creative Energy"[208] as well as the "cultural [or literary] capital of India".[209][210] The presence of paras, which are neighbourhoods that possess a strong sense of community, is characteristic of the city.[211] Typically, each para has its own community club and, on occasion, a playing field.[211] Residents engage in addas, or leisurely chats, that often take the form of freestyle intellectual conversation.[212][213] The city has a tradition of political graffiti depicting everything from outrageous slander to witty banter and limericks, caricatures, and propaganda.[214][215]

Kolkata has many buildings adorned with Indo-Islamic and Indo-Saracenic architectural motifs. Several well-maintained major buildings from the colonial period have been declared "heritage structures";[216] others are in various stages of decay.[217][218] Established in 1814 as the nation's oldest museum, the Indian Museum houses large collections that showcase Indian natural history and Indian art.[219] Marble Palace is a classic example of a European mansion that was built in the city. The Victoria Memorial, a place of interest in Kolkata, has a museum documenting the city's history. The National Library of India is the leading public library in the country while Science City is the largest science centre in the Indian subcontinent.[220]

The popularity of commercial theatres in the city has declined since the 1980s.[221]:99[222] Group theatres of Kolkata, a cultural movement that started in the 1940s contrasting with the then-popular commercial theatres, are theatres that are not professional or commercial, and are centres of various experiments in theme, content, and production;[223] group theatres use the proscenium stage to highlight socially relevant messages.[221]:99[224] Chitpur locality of the city houses multiple production companies of jatra, a tradition of folk drama popular in rural Bengal.[225][226] Kolkata is the home of the Bengali cinema industry, dubbed "Tollywood" for Tollygunj, where most of the state's film studios are located.[227] Its long tradition of art films includes globally acclaimed film directors such as Academy Award-winning director Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinha, and contemporary directors such as Aparna Sen, Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Goutam Ghose and Rituparno Ghosh.[228]

During the 19th and 20th centuries, Bengali literature was modernised through the works of authors such as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, and Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.[229] Coupled with social reforms led by Ram Mohan Roy, Swami Vivekananda, and others, this constituted a major part of the Bengal Renaissance.[230] The middle and latter parts of the 20th century witnessed the arrival of post-modernism, as well as literary movements such as those espoused by the Kallol movement, hungryalists and the little magazines.[231] Large majority of publishers of the city is concentrated in and around College Street, "... a half-mile of bookshops and bookstalls spilling over onto the pavement", selling new and used books.[232]

Kalighat painting originated in 19th century Kolkata as a local style that reflected a variety of themes including mythology and quotidian life.[233] The Government College of Art and Craft, founded in 1864, has been the cradle as well as workplace of eminent artists including Abanindranath Tagore, Jamini Roy, and Nandalal Bose.[234] The art college was the birthplace of the Bengal school of art that arose as an avant garde and nationalist movement reacting against the prevalent academic art styles in the early 20th century.[235][236] The Academy of Fine Arts and other art galleries hold regular art exhibitions. The city is recognised for its appreciation of Rabindra sangeet (songs written by Rabindranath Tagore) and Indian classical music, with important concerts and recitals, such as Dover Lane Music Conference, being held throughout the year; Bengali popular music, including baul folk ballads, kirtans, and Gajan festival music; and modern music, including Bengali-language adhunik songs.[237][238] Since the early 1990s, new genres have emerged, including one comprising alternative folk–rock Bengali bands.[237] Another new style, jibonmukhi gaan ("songs about life"), is based on realism.[221]:105 Key elements of Kolkata's cuisine include rice and a fish curry known as machher jhol,[239] which can be accompanied by desserts such as roshogolla, sandesh, and a sweet yoghurt known as mishti dohi. Bengal's large repertoire of seafood dishes includes various preparations of ilish, a fish that is a favourite among Calcuttans. Street foods such as beguni (fried battered eggplant slices), kati roll (flatbread roll with vegetable or chicken, mutton, or egg stuffing), phuchka (a deep-fried crêpe with tamarind sauce) and Indian Chinese cuisine from Chinatown are popular.[240][241][242][243]

Though Bengali women traditionally wear the sari, the shalwar kameez and Western attire is gaining acceptance among younger women.[244] Western-style dress has greater acceptance among men, although the traditional dhoti and kurta are seen during festivals. Durga Puja, held in September–October, is Kolkata's most important and largest festival; it is an occasion for glamorous celebrations and artistic decorations.[245][246] The Bengali New Year, known as Poila Boishak, as well as the harvest festival of Poush Parbon are among the city's other festivals; also celebrated are Kali Puja, Diwali, Holi, Jagaddhatri Puja, Saraswati Puja, Rathayatra, Janmashtami, Maha Shivratri, Vishwakarma Puja, Lakshmi Puja, Ganesh Chathurthi, Makar Sankranti, Gajan, Kalpataru Day, Bhai Phonta, Maghotsab, Eid, Muharram, Christmas, Buddha Purnima and Mahavir Jayanti. Cultural events include the Rabindra Jayanti, Independence Day(15 August), Republic Day(26 January), Kolkata Book Fair, the Dover Lane Music Festival, the Kolkata Film Festival, Nandikar's National Theatre Festival, Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally and Gandhi Jayanti.

Media

See also: Kolkata in the media and List of Bengali-language television channels

A five storied building in cream colour with multiple columns in front

Akashvani Bhawan, the head office of state-owned All India Radio, Kolkata

The first newspaper in India, the Bengal Gazette started publishing from the city in 1780.[247] Among Kolkata's widely circulated Bengali-language newspapers are Anandabazar Patrika, Bartaman, Sangbad Pratidin, Aajkaal, Dainik Statesman and Ganashakti.[248] The Statesman and The Telegraph are two major English-language newspapers that are produced and published from Kolkata. Other popular English-language newspapers published and sold in Kolkata include The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Hindu, The Indian Express, and the Asian Age.[248] As the largest trading centre in East India, Kolkata has several high-circulation financial dailies, including The Economic Times, The Financial Express, Business Line, and Business Standard.[248][249] Vernacular newspapers, such as those in the Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati, Odia, Punjabi, and Chinese languages, are read by minorities.[248][103] Major periodicals based in Kolkata include Desh, Sananda, Saptahik Bartaman, Unish-Kuri, Anandalok, and Anandamela.[248] Historically, Kolkata has been the centre of the Bengali little magazine movement.[250][251]

All India Radio, the national state-owned radio broadcaster, airs several AM radio stations in the city.[252] Kolkata has 12 local radio stations broadcasting on FM, including two from AIR.[253] India's state-owned television broadcaster, Doordarshan, provides two free-to-air terrestrial channels,[254] while a mix of Bengali, Hindi, English, and other regional channels are accessible via cable subscription, direct-broadcast satellite services, or internet-based television.[255][256][257] Bengali-language 24-hour television news channels include ABP Ananda, Tara Newz, Kolkata TV, 24 Ghanta, News Time and Channel 10.[258]

Sports

See also: Football in Kolkata, Kolkata Marathon, and Kolkata derby

Salt Lake Stadium during Indian Super League opening ceremony

The most popular sports in Kolkata are football and cricket. Unlike most parts of India, the residents show significant passion for football.[259] The city is home to top national football clubs such as Mohun Bagan A.C., East Bengal F.C., Prayag United S.C., and the Mohammedan Sporting Club.[260][261] Calcutta Football League, which was started in 1898, is the oldest football league in Asia.[262] Mohun Bagan A.C., one of the oldest football clubs in Asia, is the only organisation to be dubbed a "National Club of India".[263][264] Football matches between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, dubbed as the Kolkata derby, witness large audience attendance and rivalry between patrons.[265]

A Twenty20 cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Pune Warriors during Indian Premier League at the Eden Gardens

As in the rest of India, cricket is popular in Kolkata and is played on grounds and in streets throughout the city.[266][267] Kolkata has the Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders; the Cricket Association of Bengal, which regulates cricket in West Bengal, is also based in the city. Kolkata also has an Indian Super League franchise known as Atlético de Kolkata. Tournaments, especially those involving cricket, football, badminton, and carrom, are regularly organised on an inter-locality or inter-club basis.[211] The Maidan, a vast field that serves as the city's largest park, hosts several minor football and cricket clubs and coaching institutes.[268]

Eden Gardens, which has a capacity of 68,000 as of 2017,[269] hosted the final match of the 1987 Cricket World Cup. It is home to the Bengal cricket team and the Kolkata Knight Riders.

The multi-use Salt Lake Stadium, also known as Yuva Bharati Krirangan, is India's largest stadium by seating capacity. Most matches of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup were played in the Salt Lake Stadium including both Semi-Final matches and the Final match. Kolkata also accounted for 45% of total attendance in 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup with an average of 55,345 spectators.[270] The Calcutta Cricket and Football Club is the second-oldest cricket club in the world.[271][272]

Kolkata's Netaji Indoor Stadium served as host of the 1981 Asian Basketball Championship, where India's national basketball team finished 5th, ahead of teams that belong to Asia's basketball elite, such as Iran. The city has three 18-hole golf courses. The oldest is at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club, the first golf club built outside the United Kingdom.[273][274] The other two are located at the Tollygunge Club and at Fort William. The Royal Calcutta Turf Club hosts horse racing and polo matches.[275] The Calcutta Polo Club is considered the oldest extant polo club in the world.[276][277][278] The Calcutta Racket Club is a squash and racquet club in Kolkata. It was founded in 1793, making it one of the oldest rackets clubs in the world, and the first in the Indian subcontinent.[279][280] The Calcutta South Club is a venue for national and international tennis tournaments; it held the first grass-court national championship in 1946.[281][282] In the period 2005–2007, Sunfeast Open, a tier-III tournament on the Women's Tennis Association circuit, was held in the Netaji Indoor Stadium; it has since been discontinued.[283][284]

The Calcutta Rowing Club hosts rowing heats and training events. Kolkata, considered the leading centre of rugby union in India, gives its name to the oldest international tournament in rugby union, the Calcutta Cup.[285][286][287] The Automobile Association of Eastern India, established in 1904,[288][289] and the Bengal Motor Sports Club are involved in promoting motor sports and car rallies in Kolkata and West Bengal.[290][291] The Beighton Cup, an event organised by the Bengal Hockey Association and first played in 1895, is India's oldest field hockey tournament; it is usually held on the Mohun Bagan Ground of the Maidan.[292][293] Athletes from Kolkata include Sourav Ganguly and Pankaj Roy, who are former captains of the Indian national cricket team; Olympic tennis bronze medallist Leander Paes, golfer Arjun Atwal, and former footballers Sailen Manna, Chuni Goswami, P. K. Banerjee, and Subrata Bhattacharya.

A Consequence of Infinitely Discursive Vision Technologies (2014) by Phil Stearns

A Site Specific Installation

Installed @ Fridman Gallery NYC

Materials: Neon, 3 channel Video w/ Audio, Projectors, Flatscreen TV, Media Players, Wire, Audio Amplifier, Speakers

Canada Geese in Lancashire, England - April 2009 by Saffy H

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The Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) is a goose belonging to the genus Branta, which is native to North America. It is quite often called the Canadian Goose, but that name is not strictly correct, according to the American Ornithologists' Union.[2]

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first citation for the 'Canada Goose' dates back to 1772.

The Canada Goose was one of the many species described by Linnaeus in his 18th-century work Systema Naturae.[3] It belongs to the Branta genus of geese, which contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey species of the Anser genus. The specific epithet canadensis is a New Latin word meaning "of Canada".

A recent proposed revision by Harold Hanson suggests splitting Canada Goose into six species and 200 subspecies. This radical nature of this proposal has provoked surprise in some quarters, such as Rochard Banks of the AOU, who urges caution before any of Hanson's proposals are accepted.[4]

The black head and neck with white "chinstrap" distinguish the Canada Goose from all, except the Barnacle Goose, but the latter has a black breast, and grey, rather than brownish, body plumage.[5] There are seven subspecies of this bird, of varying sizes and plumage details, but all are recognizable as Canada Geese. Some of the smaller races can be hard to distinguish from the newly-separated Cackling Goose.

This species is 76-110 cm (30-43 in) long with a 127-180 cm (50-71 in) wingspan.[6] The male usually weighs 3.2–6.5 kg, (7–14 pounds), and can be very aggressive in defending territory. The female looks virtually identical but is slightly lighter at 2.5–5.5 kg (5.5–12 pounds), generally 10% smaller than its male counterpart, and has a different honk. An exceptionally large male of the race B. c. maxima, the "giant Canada goose" (which rarely exceed 8 kg/18 lb), weighed 10.9 kg (24 pounds) and had a wingspan of 2.24 m (88 inches). This specimen is the largest wild goose ever recorded of any species. The life span in the wild is 10–24 years.[6]

This species is native to North America. It breeds in Canada and the northern United States in a variety of habitats. Its nest is usually located in an elevated area near water such as streams, lakes, ponds and sometimes on a beaver lodge. Its eggs are laid in a shallow depression lined with plant material and down. The Great Lakes region maintains a very large population of Canada Geese.

By the early 20th century, over-hunting and loss of habitat in the late 1800s and early 1900s had resulted in a serious decline in the numbers of this bird in its native range. The Giant Canada Goose subspecies was believed to be extinct in the 1950s until, in 1962, a small flock was discovered wintering in Rochester, Minnesota by Harold Hanson of the Illinois Natural History Survey. With improved game laws and habitat recreation and preservation programs, their populations have recovered in most of their range, although some local populations, especially of the subspecies occidentalis, may still be declining.

In recent years, Canada Geese populations in some areas have grown substantially, so much so that many consider them pests (for their droppings, the bacteria in their droppings, noise and confrontational behavior). This problem is partially due to the removal of natural predators and an abundance of safe, man-made bodies of water (such as on golf courses, public parks and beaches, and in planned communities).

Contrary to its normal migration routine, large flocks of Canada Geese have established permanent residence in the Chesapeake Bay and in Virginia's James River regions. The parks and golf courses of Scottsdale, Arizona have an unusually high concentration of permanent Canada geese.

Canada Geese have reached northern Europe naturally, as has been proved by ringing recoveries. The birds are of at least the subspecies parvipes, and possibly others. Canada Geese are also found naturally on the Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Siberia, eastern China, and throughout Japan.

Greater Canada Geese have also been introduced in Europe, and have established populations in Great Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Scandinavia. Semi-tame feral birds are common in parks, and have become a pest in some areas. The geese were first introduced in Britain in the late 17th century as an addition to King James II's waterfowl collection in St. James's Park.

Canada Geese were introduced as a game bird into New Zealand and have also become a problem in some areas.

Like most geese, the Canada Goose is naturally migratory with the wintering range being most of the United States. The calls overhead from large groups of Canada Geese flying in V-shaped formation signal the transitions into spring and autumn. In some areas, migration routes have changed due to changes in habitat and food sources. In mild climates, such as the Pacific Northwest, due to a lack of former predators, some of the population has become non-migratory.

Canada Geese are herbivores although they sometimes eat small insects and fish. Their diet includes green vegetation and grains. The Canada Goose eats a variety of grasses when on land. It feeds by grasping a blade of grass with the bill, then tearing it with a jerk of the head. The Canada Goose also eats grains such as wheat, beans, rice, and corn when they are available. In the water, it feeds from silt at the bottom of the body of water. It also feeds on aquatic plants, such as seaweeds.[6]

During the second year of their lives, Canada Geese find a mate. They are monogamous, and most couples stay together all of their lives.[6] If one is killed, the other may find a new mate. The female lays 3–8 eggs and both parents protect the nest while the eggs incubate, but the female spends more time at the nest than the male. Known egg predators include Arctic Foxes, Northern Raccoons, Red Foxes, large gulls, Common Raven, American Crows and bears. During this incubation period, the adults lose their flight feathers, so they cannot fly until their eggs hatch after 25–28 days.

A crèche

Adult geese are often seen leading their goslings in a line, usually with one parent at the front, and the other at the back. While protecting their goslings, parents often violently chase away nearby creatures, from small blackbirds to humans that approach, after warning them by giving off a hissing sound. Most of the species that prey on eggs will also take a gosling. Although parents are hostile to unfamiliar geese, they may form groups of a number of goslings and a few adults, called crèches. The offspring enter the fledging stage any time from 6 to 9 weeks of age. They do not leave their parents until after the spring migration, when they return to their birthplace. Once they reach adulthood, Canada Geese are rarely preyed on, but (beyond humans) can be taken by Coyotes, Red Foxes, Gray Wolves, Snowy Owls, Great Horned Owls, Golden Eagles and, most often, Bald Eagles. Canada Goose populations inhabiting areas also inhabited by domesticated geese can and will interbreed with them, producing offspring that often resemble Canada Geese in shape, but with a white or gray body, dark grey head and neck, and off-white chin, with pink feet.[citation needed]

The young are learning to find the food, the water, the shalter by watching their parents. They also learn about the predators, and are thought to fly and to swim.[7]

The Cackling Goose was originally considered to be the same species or a subspecies of the Canada Goose, but in July 2004 the American Ornithologists' Union's Committee on Classification and Nomenclature split the two into two species, making Cackling Goose into a full species with the scientific name Branta hutchinsii. The British Ornithologists' Union followed suit in June 2005.[8]

The AOU has divided the many subspecies between the two animals. To the present species were assigned:

* Atlantic Canada Goose, Branta canadensis canadensis

* Interior Canada Goose, Branta canadensis interior

* Giant Canada Goose, Branta canadensis maxima

* Moffitt's Canada Goose, Branta canadensis moffitti

* Vancouver Canada Goose, Branta canadensis fulva

* Dusky Canada Goose, Branta canadensis occidentalis

* part of "Lesser complex", Branta canadensis parvipes

The distinctions between the two geese have led to confusion and debate among ornithologists. This has been aggravated by the overlap between the small types of Canada Goose and larger types of Cackling Goose. The old "Lesser Canada Goose" was believed to be a partly hybrid population, with the birds named taverneri considered a mixture of minima, occidentalis and parvipes. In addition, it has been determined that the Barnacle Goose is a derivative of the Cackling Goose lineage, whereas the Hawaiian Goose is an insular representative of the Canada Goose.

In North America, non-migratory Canada Goose populations have been on the rise. The species is frequently found on golf courses, parking lots and urban parks, which would have previously hosted only migratory geese on rare occasions. Owing to its adaptability to human-altered areas, it has become the most common waterfowl species in North America. In many areas, non-migratory Canada Geese are now regarded as pests. They are suspected of being a cause of an increase in high fecal coliforms at beaches.[9] An extended hunting season and the use of noise makers have been used in an attempt to disrupt suspect flocks.

Since 1999, The United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services agency has been engaged in lethal culls of Canada Geese primarily in urban or densely populated areas. The agency responds to municipalities or private land owners, such as golf courses, who find the geese obtrusive or object to their waste.[10] The more humane method of addling eggs and destroying nests also are promoted as population control methods.

In 1995, a US Air Force E-3 Sentry aircraft at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska struck a flock of Canada Geese on takeoff and crashed, killing all 24 crew. The accident sparked efforts to avoid such events, including habitat modification, aversion tactics, herding and relocation, and culling of flocks.[11] A collision with a flock of Canada geese[12] was at fault for US Airways Flight 1549 suffering a total power loss after takeoff from New York LaGuardia Airport on 15 January 2009. The plane landed in the Hudson River causing no fatal injuries to the 155 passengers and crew.[13]

Geese have a tendency to attack humans when they feel themselves or their goslings to be threatened. First the geese will stand erect, spread their wings and produce a "hissing" sound. Next, the geese will charge. They may then bite or attack with their wings. [14]

Canada geese are known for their seasonal migrations. Most Canada geese have staging or resting areas where they join up with others. Their fall migration can be seen from September through the beginning of November. The early migrants have a tendency to spend less time at rest stops and go through the migration a lot faster. The later birds usually spend more time at rest stops. These geese are also renowned for their V-shaped flight formation. The front position is rotated since flying in front consumes the most energy. Canada Geese leave the winter grounds more quickly than the summer grounds.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Goose

das_uboot_module_3_render by Ciamosław Ciamek

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U-BOOT TYP VII C - 1/38 (minifig) scale with full interior.

~ 177 CM (~70 INCH) LONG

~ 15.000 PARTS

~ 4.5 YEARS OF WORK

GOALS

The model was supposed to represent a ship from the initial period of the war.

It does not show a specific copy, but it should resemble uboots such as U-69 or U-96 (known from the classic Das Boot movie).

I wanted to get a fairly good representation of both the curves of the hull and as many pieces of internal equipment as possible.

MODEL CHARACTERISTICS

It consists of 6 modules that naturally represent the 6 sections of a real ship:

1. The forward torpedo room and crew compartment [Bow: ~ 3600 parts]

2. Officers', radio and listening room [Front mess: ~ 2000 parts]

3. Control room with conning tower [Control room: ~ 2700 parts]

4. Petty Officers' romm and galley [Rear mess: ~ 1700 parts]

5. Diesel engines room [Diesels: ~ 2400 parts]

6. Electric engines and aft torpedo room [Stern: ~ 2800 parts]

In each module, the port and / or starboard can be removed.

So the entire model can represent the ship from the outside or with an open interior.

The target configuration is with the starboard closed and the port open.

I finally made two photo sessions of the entire model - in a fully closed configuration and with a closed starboard and open port side.

Adittionally I have prepared presentation of individual modules separately.

[CONSTRUCTION]

The construction was planned to be made in sections and I started from the control room.

Each module was first designed in LDD (first the hull, then the interior) and then built in reality.

The modules were created in this order:

3. Control room

2. Front mess

1. Bow

4. Rear mess

5. Diesels

6. Stern

Designing started on 26.12.2017.

[PHOTOS]

I invite you to view photos.

I'm sorry that there are so many, but I couldn't resist.

(it took me about 3 months to photograph and post-process them)

Flickr albums (part of the photos):

0. Overall: www.flickr.com/photos/pigletciamek/albums/72177720300082599

1. Bow: www.flickr.com/photos/pigletciamek/albums/72177720300077412

2. Front mess: www.flickr.com/photos/pigletciamek/albums/72177720300086873

3. Control room: www.flickr.com/photos/pigletciamek/albums/72177720300082694

4. Rear mess: www.flickr.com/photos/pigletciamek/albums/72177720300082699

5. Diesels: www.flickr.com/photos/pigletciamek/albums/72177720300086878

6. Stern: www.flickr.com/photos/pigletciamek/albums/72177720300077462

0-6. Alltogether: www.flickr.com/photos/pigletciamek/albums/72177720300076411

BS (all photos):

0. Overall: brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=584704

1. Bow: brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=584706

2. Front mess: brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=584707

3. Control room: brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=584708

4. Rear mess: brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=584709

5. Diesels: brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=584710

6. Stern: brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=584711

Pink Blossom 9 by Roan Fourie

This tree is overtaken by its own beautiful pink blooms. How beautiful!

I only wished I could have made better photos of it.

These shots were quickly captured at home in limited time.

Also I am not sure what the name of this tree is, any help in this regard will be appreciated.

EDIT:

[ I have found the specific species of this beautiful plant. It is a "Calliandra Brevipes also known as Pink Powderpuff" the Mimosa is more of a tree and this one is more of a shrub. The leaves also differs considerably in size. ]

All camera and lens information available in the EXIF data.

Critique is welcomed.

Thank you all very much for your visits, favs and comments.

Ordinary Love... by Solstizio Project

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Site-specific by Giuseppe Stampone | The Invisible Dog Art Center a Brooklyn, New York

Ordinary Love is the title of the new single of U2 composed for the soundtrack to the biography Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom, a film directed by Justin Chadwick.

The music video for Ordinary Love, directed by Mac Premo and Oliver Jeffers, has as its location the installation "Caronte" by Giuseppe Stampone which is located in the spaces of The Invisible Dog Art Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Ordinary Love è il titolo del nuovo singolo degli U2 composto per la colonna sonora del film biografico Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom, pellicola diretta da Justin Chadwick.

Il video musicale di Ordinary Love, diretto da Mac Premo e Oliver Jeffers, ha come location l'installazione site specific "Caronte" di Giuseppe Stampone che si trova negli spazi di The Invisible Dog Art Center a Brooklyn, New York.

Ye Olde Convent by westernthunderer

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This old building, once a Convent and now the James Cook Museum in Cooktown has two histories really. If in Cooktown, it should not be missed as it is one of the better regional museums and best dedicated to a specific subject (mostly anyway) that I have seen. Do not miss out. I have a couple of shots from inside coming tomorrow.

I can do no better than hand over the whole story to Wikipedia....

James Cook Historical Museum is a heritage-listed former convent and school and now museum at Furneaux Street, Cooktown, Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Francis Drummond Greville Stanley and built from 1888 to 1889 Hobbs & Carter. It was formerly known as St Mary's Convent and School. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

This substantial, two-storeyed brick building was erected in 1888-1889 as St Mary's Convent and School. It was the inspiration of the first Vicar Apostolic of Cooktown, Bishop John Hutchinson; designed by former colonial architect Francis Drummond Greville Stanley, of Brisbane; and staffed initially by Sisters of Mercy from Dunvargan in Ireland.

Bishop Hutchinson was one of three Irish Augustinian Fathers who arrived in Cooktown in 1884 to take charge of the Pro-Vicariate of North Queensland, established in 1876 and extending from Cardwell to Cape York Peninsula. In the mid-1880s it was appropriate that the Augustinians were based at Cooktown, rather than Cairns, as the former was emerging as the principal town and port of far North Queensland. Such was the rapid progress of Cooktown during the second half of the 1880s that the Pro-Vicariate of North Queensland was constituted the Vicariate Apostolic of Cooktown in 1887. Father Hutchinson was appointed the first Vicar Apostolic and was consecrated a Bishop in August the same year. In late 1887 Bishop Hutchinson returned to Ireland to recruit more priests and to encourage an order of sisters to establish a convent school at Cooktown. There was an existing primary school, staffed by lay teachers, attached to St Mary's Pro-Cathedral in Cooktown, but Bishop Hutchinson envisaged a grander establishment which could offer a superior education, both religious and academic, to the girls (future wives and mothers) of Far North Queensland. It was to operate as both a day school and a boarding school for girls.

St Mary's Convent and School was designed by former colonial architect FDG Stanley, one of Queensland's most prolific late 19th century architects. In the 1880s he designed a number of other Catholic churches and institutional buildings, including St Patrick's Church at Gympie (1883–88), additions to St Mary's Church at Maryborough (1884–85), dormitories at St Vincent's Orphanage, Nudgee (1886–87), Holy Cross Church at Bundaberg (1886–88), the Magdalene Asylum at Wooloowin, Brisbane (1888–89), and the Sisters of Mercy Convent at South Brisbane (1889).

The tender for St Mary's Convent and School at Cooktown was let about May 1888 to Brisbane contractors Hobbs & Carter, who had erected the much admired Cook Monument at Cooktown in 1887. When Bishop Hutchinson returned from Ireland in June 1888 with five Sisters of Mercy to staff the school, the convent building was far from complete, but work continued rapidly and the building was occupied by May 1889.

Stanley's original design was for a two-storeyed brick core with two transverse wings, but when officially opened by Bishop Hutchinson on 12 May 1889, only the core and north wing had been completed, at a cost of nearly £5,000. The intention was to complete the second wing as funds permitted, but this did not eventuate. The substantial brick building was the most imposing structure in Cooktown, pre-dating the Queensland National Bank building in Charlotte Street by about two years. The footings were of concrete and the plinth was constructed of Cooktown granite. Most of the bricks were obtained from Campbell & Sons' brickworks in Brisbane, and shipped to Cooktown. Much of the skilled labour required for the construction also came from Brisbane.

Internally, the ground floor comprised a central entrance hall, off which opened a large dining room (also used as the school chapel) to the right and a large reception room for visitors to the left. Behind these rooms were two classrooms, each divided by folding doors. Beyond the reception room was the school hall, a large room 44 by 18 feet (13.4 by 5.5 m), which occupied most of the ground floor of the north wing. Beyond the eastern end of the hall were the lavatories. A central staircase led from the entrance hall to the upper floor, which contained boarders' dormitories at the north end and dormitories for the sisters at the south end. Upper floor lavatories and bathrooms were located above the ground floor lavatories at the east end of the north wing. Boarders used a second staircase on the rear verandah, rather than the grand central stair. At the rear, the kitchen, scullery and servant's room formed a detached wing, connected to the main building via a covered way. Stanley had taken account of the Cooktown climate: the rooms were large, light and airy, and there were deep verandahs front and back. The rear verandahs were enclosed with "curtain boards", and the front verandahs were decorated with cast iron.

The site selected was on the crest of the ridge running south from Grassy Hill, above the main street of Cooktown, with a spectacular view over the Endeavour River estuary. By the 1890s the imposing building had become a Cooktown landmark, regularly featured in visiting journalists' descriptions of the town.

Bishop Hutchinson had made the establishment of the convent school at Cooktown a personal project, donating much of his own money and borrowing from his relatives in Ireland, but substantial funds were raised locally as well. The community clearly recognised the need for an educational institution for girls in far North Queensland which offered a superior education to that available in small local state schools, and St Mary's was patronised by families of all denominations. It was the first girls' high school in the area and gained a strong reputation for the quality of its music curriculum. World-acclaimed Queensland singer Gladys Moncrieff was educated there.

The significance of Cooktown as a port deteriorated in the 1890s, as production from the alluvial diggings on the Palmer Goldfields declined. Bishop Hutchinson died in 1897, and his successor, Bishop James Murray, is understood to have paid off the debt on the convent building by conducting a lecture tour in the United States. In 1906 Bishop Murray moved his residence to Cairns, which had eclipsed Cooktown as the principal port of far North Queensland.

Despite the decline of Cooktown - both in population and significance - St Mary's Convent and School remained an important educational facility for girls in far North Queensland until the 1930s. The building suffered substantial damage during the cyclone of January 1907, which demolished the Catholic Church behind the convent and removed part of the convent roof, but was repaired immediately. However, many of the businesses destroyed in the 1907 cyclone were not re-established, and an entire block of shops and offices in the main street of Cooktown, destroyed by fire in 1919, were never re-built. St Mary's boarding school closed in the 1930s but co-educational day classes were continued until 1941, when the building is understood to have been commandeered by United States military authorities.

Although the building was returned to the Church in 1945, the school was not re-opened and the Sisters never returned. Another cyclone damaged the building in 1949 and by 1969 it was considered to be in such a ruinous state that tenders for its demolition were called. Following public protest the building was donated to the National Trust of Queensland on condition that it be restored to house the collection of the James Cook Historical Museum at Cooktown. The new Museum was opened on 22 April 1970 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, during her visit to Australia to celebrate the bi-centenary of Cook's charting of the east coast. The former St Mary's Convent and School continues to be maintained by the National Trust, and is one of the principal tourist attractions in Cooktown. In the early 1970s, extensions were made to the rear of the building to house the museum collection. The grounds have been landscaped as the Joseph Banks Memorial Garden, planted with about 40 of the 186 plants catalogued by Joseph Banks and Dr Daniel Solander during their 7-week stay at the Endeavour River in 1770. Each of these 40 plants is peculiar to the Cooktown area.

Pink and Rust by John Russell

15 38

These Magnolia flowers have a potent citrus aroma that is delightful, and also beyond my ability to describe. (The flowers are also described as emitting a lemon/citronella scent.)

In addition to their surreal beauty they attract a couple of different kinds of honey bees as an added bonus.

Join me as I peer into "The Magnolia Universe:"

www.flickr.com/photos/motorpsiclist/sets/72157632021058807/

My photographs and videos and any derivative works are my private property and are copyright © by me, John Russell (aka "Zoom Lens") and ALL my rights, including my exclusive rights, are reserved and protected by United States Copyright Laws and International Copyright Laws.

This photo is NOT authorized for use on blogs; pin boards such as Pinterest; Tumblr; Facebook; or any other use without my specific written permission.

ANY use without my permission in writing is forbidden by law.

In specific park found a beautiful ruined house on Prospect Engels 28a. I advise you to watch it. by KOMAP

21 4

2018: Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance: 1935 Rolls Royce Phantom II Continental Gurney Nutting Streamline Coupé by Beetlebomb Pohutukawa

18 1

The art deco schwoops and colors caught my attention. I created cropped views of specific details.

2018: Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance: 1935 Rolls Royce Phantom II Continental Gurney Nutting Streamline Coupé

Kathy Freeland's 4th BD party - Denver, summer 1948 by Ed Yourdon

94 7

Mom's note on this album page says, "Kathy Freeland's 4th Birthday Party - summer 1948. Kathy, Ed, unidentified boy & Donna Bowman."

With no specific date, I've arbitrarily chosen June 1st of that year.

**********************************

All of the photos in this album are “originals” from the 3-month period that my family spent in Denver from 1947-50 — i.e., the period before I lived in Omaha, Riverside, Roswell, Ft. Worth and a separate stay in Denver in 1951-53 (which you may have seen already in my Flickr archives).

Before I get into the details, let me make a strong request — if you’re looking at these photos, and if you are getting any enjoyment at all of this brief look at some mundane Americana from 65+ years ago: find a similar episode in your own life, and write it down. Gather the pictures, clean them up, and upload them somewhere on the Internet where they can be found. Trust me: there will come a day when the only person on the planet who actually experienced those events is you. Your own memories may be fuzzy and incomplete; but they will be invaluable to your friends and family members, and to many generations of your descendants. (Actually, I should listen to my own advice: unlike my subsequent visits to Roswell, Riverside, and Omaha I did not even track this early home down, let alone take any photos.)

So, what do I remember about the 3 early-childhood years that I spent in Denver? Since I was only 3 years old when we first moved there, the simple answer is: hardly anything. Here are the few random memories that I can dredge up:

1. I don’t think my Dad had even seen the ocean as a boy, but that didn’t stop him from enlisting in the Navy a while after he graduated from high school (there weren’t many other jobs on the Utah-Colorado border in those Depression-era days). He got sent out to the Pacific on some kind of naval vessel … and as it turned out, his ship was behind schedule getting back to home port in Hawaii on the evening of December 6, 1941. The submarine nets into Oahu harbor had been drawn closed, and his ship had to anchor outside … which helps explain why his ship didn’t end up at the bottom of the harbor the next morning.

2. Fifty years later, on December 7, 1991, I happened to be in a big park in downtown Tokyo, surrounded by thousands of young Japanese citizens, cheering as they waved their red-and-white national flags back and forth — waiting for a glimpse of the new Japanese empress, who was being presented to the public for the first time after her wedding. I heard someone near me speaking in English, so I asked him if he thought there was anything special about the 50th anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day. He was polite, but he was also puzzled and confused: he had never heard the phrase before.

3. But I digress … Dad eventually got back to the U.S. and left the Navy in 1947 while stationed in Washington, DC. Like so many of his generation, he decided to go to college, with most expenses paid for by the G.I. Bill. He managed to get into Denver University, and he went on ahead of my mother and me. I vaguely remember that we took the train all the way out there. (I probably don’t remember it at all; but my mother repeatedly told me about some strange man grabbing me out of her arms, and dashing off to the restroom on the train … all I know is that we arrived in Denver safely.)

4. We lived in an old form of military housing, known as Quonset Huts, at the edge of the D.U. campus, and I had a tiny bedroom to myself. I have only a few memories of the place: during the brutally-cold winters, Dad would use a garden hose to fill the tiny patch of grass outside the front door with a sheet of water … which froze, and provided the neighborhood kids with a place to ice-skate.

5. Though it wasn’t a hardship, I do remember that we had relatively little money for food. My grandparents still lived out near the Utah-Colorado border (just south of the small town of Vernal), and once a week they would send a dozen fresh eggs to us, packed in a carefully padded wooden box. We also made our own ice cream, and I’ll never forget the time Dad used some food-coloring to make blue ice-cream. I had no idea that ice cream could be any color other than brown (chocolate) or white (vanilla).

6. During our last year in Denver, I attended kindergarten. I was allowed to walk to school, which felt like it was miles away, across several interstate highways. But there were no Interstates at the time, and it was probably just a two-lane street a few blocks away…

7. At Christmas and a few other times of the year, we drove from Denver to spend the holidays with my grandparents. Not only were there no Interstate highways in those days, but there were also no ski resorts: no Vail, no Aspen. I think we drove on the old highway U.S. 40, and we went through a mountain pass (Rabbit Ear pass?) that was always snow-filled, bitter-cold, and dangerous in the winter. Invariably, Dad had to stop to put tire-chains on the car, a process that entailed much cursing and yelling. But we always got there.

8. Dad went to school 12 months of each year, and got a B.S. in Electrical Engineering after just 3 years, in June of 1950. I was allowed to wear his graduation cape and gown for a few minutes, and I snuck a paper airplane into the huge gymnasium where friends and families gathered to watch the graduation ceremony. We were way in the back, way up high; and I was convinced that my airplane would sail all the way across the gym, if only I could throw it. If only, if only … but I didn’t.

9. Dad must have gotten a job (back in Glen Oaks, NY) right away, and their lease/rental of the Quonset Hut must have ended at about the same time. I mention that only because he drove back East alone, leaving me and my very pregnant mother behind. We lived in a tiny apartment at an old Air Force base at the edge of Denver (Buckley Field?) until July, when it was time for my mother to head to the hospital and deliver my sister, Patrice. Meanwhile, I was picked up by Dad’s older brother, and driven all the way out to Utah to spend a week with my grandparents … before everyone reconnected in Denver, and we took an airplane flight back East.

10. There is probably more … but that’s all I can remember at this point...

The specific gravity of the blue by shin5963

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Woodstock. Cape Town. South Africa. by jose romeu de abreu

8 3

LAUREN YS.

multi-media artist with specific focus in murals and illustration. I also do design work (apparel, prints, graphic design, etc), tattoos and installation art, as seen in my room at Meow Wolf Santa Fe.

Dodger from Fort Smith by Christian Schrader

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This specific KCS local, or as they call them dodgers, starts their day off in Heavener, OK in the early morning. The job makes it to Fort Smith around 07:00 and switches about 2 1/2 - 3 hours then calls to return from Fort Smith. On average timing, from what locals and our findings, they make it back to the main KCS line at about 12:30-13:00. They ask for promotion to open the switch to the main line and proceed. They make it back to Heavener about an hour later.

by Гоголь FEST

Site-specific перформанс Ірини Плотнікової "IceDora" на фестивалі сучасного мистецтва Гогольфест 2016, Київ, Україна © repor.to/

Hardware small trade (Ouagadougou/Burkina Faso) by Antequerra

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In Burkina Faso, most commercial activities fall within the informal sector, particularly concerning retail sales. However, specific sectors are relatively well organized, with concentration centres in certain city districts. This is particularly the case of the “Théâtre Populaire” market, which specializes in everything relating to two wheels. This place contains wholesalers, semi-wholesalers, and retailers who sell motorcycles, scooters, and bicycles, as well as an impressive quantity of spare parts, accessories, and tools for mechanics. The photo shows the promiscuity of semi-ambulant sellers with carts to move their goods. The market and its surroundings also contain a whole sector of resale of used two-wheelers and recycling at the end of their life.

Au Burkina Faso, la majorité des activités commerciales relèvent du secteur informel tout particulièrement en ce qui concerne la vente au détail. Certaines filières sont toutefois relativement bien organisées avec des pôles de concentration dans certains quartiers de la ville. C'est notamment le cas du Marché du "Théâtre Populaire" spécialisé dans tout ce qui concerne les deux roues. Ce lieu renferme grossistes, demi-grossistes et détaillants qui vendent à la fois des motos, scooters et vélos et une quantité impressionnante de pièces détachées, accessoires et outils pour la mécanique. La photo donne une idée de la promiscuité de vendeurs semi ambulants dotés de charrettes pour déplacer leurs marchandises. Le marché et ses environs renferme également toute une filière de revente de deux-roues d'occasion et de recyclages de ceux-ci en fin de vie.

Shopping Spree 2016 Part 27 by Beau

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Because the theme for this year’s Convention was Supermodel, I did have a few expectations and one specific wish that I have was to see Adele with the 2.0 sculpt. It was such a relief to find out that Glamazon Adele is (almost) everything that I hoped for. There are other characters that could channel Naomi Campbell but it’s really a no-brainer Adele is that one doll who should, but for some reason I can’t see her represent Naomi with the 3.0 sculpt. Sure that sculpt is very close to Naomi’s facial features but l’m gonna call it like it is. 2.0 is a much better sculpt… for many reasons. One of those reasons is that 2.0 has a much relaxed expression. There’s a certain ease and effortlessness to the sculpt which is a contrast to 3.0’s stern expression. I also find 2.0’s face balanced and much more symmetrical. Of course 2.0 have those sultry lips that I can’t get enough of. She is just mesmerizing in every angle I can’t even stop from staring. She is modeling 360 degrees! As fabulous as the OOAK Obsession Adele was with the 3.0 sculpt which may have been considered for Adele, I’m so glad that we got 2.0 mass produced.

One of the things I was worried about was for the Convention dolls to have the same face designs as the main collection and true enough they do. But the designers proved me wrong. It didn’t matter. For almost three years now I find the face designs for Fashion Royalty to be lackluster. It was the “almost there but not quite” faces that didn’t impress me. In 2013 the "Classic" look seemed out-dated. In 2014 we had great eye designs but the eyebrows were not on point. In 2015 the vintage style which was a departure from the usual designs turned out to be unimpressive. This year Fashion Royalty put their best face forward. Something we haven’t seen in ages. We have the sass, the haughty expressions, and the arched eyebrows back. Each of the dolls’ faces, particularly for the Convention, were designed flawlessly. I love that the entire FR collection is consistent and cohesive with the face design as that does not happen all the time like in some of the past collections. Half of the dolls look great and half are so-so.

While Glamazon is flawless in my eyes, she was that one doll I wanted side glancing. It’s like everyone else was side glancing except for her. Integrity why are you doing this to me?! LOL. Why am I obsessed with side glancing eyes and why does it matter you ask? For Adele in particular, the last time she had the best side glance was The Muse, Paparazzi Bait, Something Sexy and Bodacious. It’s the squint and the side eye that I want perfected with Adele. To me side glancing eyes gives the dolls’ personality as opposed to the stoic look that they give when they’re looking straight forward. Although I’m not holding my breath, I’m hoping to see Adele with the 2.0 sculpt as the W Club Exclusive and hopefully they give her a variant of the face design that has side glancing eyes like what they did to Love, Life and Lace and Sister Moguls Agnes this year. Vanessa 1.0 showed up as the Exclusive last year, so it’s not impossible to see Adele 2.0 as the Exclusive this time.

For Glamazon to have the lowest edition size of 350 in the collection is somehow frustrating. Integrity lowered her edition size as last year’s table centerpiece Time and Again Adele is still in stock up to this day and they don’t want that to happen again. In my opinion, dolls of color do not sell not because of their skin tone but for me the design is a huge factor on that. I mean, looking at those two versions of the same character and I think it’s safe to say they are miles apart. Time and Again is matronly while Glamazon is sexy. Obviously with Glamazon selling out at the Convention only means they’ve done something right with the character and we want our sexy and sultry Adele back and hopefully this won’t be the last.

Mountain Bluebird male - such a welcome sight! by Anne Elliott

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In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays."

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id

www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i...

Two days ago, on 27 July 2021, I found out that I was going to have to spend 1-3 days at home, waiting for a gift basket to be delivered. So, I decided that I would go for a short drive. There were three barns/sheds that I thought I could find, and I also wanted to find some Police Car Moths, which I love. I always forget how small they are.

First, though, I called in at a pond and, though the bird I would have like to see wasn't to be seen, I spent some time watching what I think were three families of possibly Lesser Scaup females with all their babies. The mothers were so patient with their ducklings, swimming all over the pond, keeping a close watch over their precious babies. The youngsters tended to get a bit mixed up with which group they were supposed to belong to, but I'm sure they all got sorted out in the end.

There were quite a few Police Car Moths where I had seen them several other years. There was also a tiny orange Fritillary species of butterfly flitting about.

As for the old barns, I was unable to find any of them. The last one I looked for was a big mistake, as I ended up on a road where a new surface was being laid. No tar, just wet, pale coloured 'mud'. Traffic crawled along so slowly but, despite being as careful as possible, I ended up with a car that was, I think, dirtier than it had ever been before, partly due to three back road day trips in the last 10 days. As a result, I had to spend part of the afternoon at the carwash, getting it sparkling clean (at least, on the outside). The rewarding feeling lasts only for so long, till I go on my next drive, ha.

A Mountain Bluebird gave me such a surprise at the end of my drive, just before I turned on to the highway to come home from my trip. I actually drove past it, as it barely looked blue, but on reversing, I found such a beautiful sight. This male was so gorgeous and looked beautiful in contrast with the bright yellow sign on which it was perched. I have seen so few Bluebirds this spring/summer, so this one, with its beak full of insects for its babies, was a very welcome sight

By the way, the gift basket arrived today and its contents were delightful! Several bottles of different Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars that all sound so good, along with a beautifully produced book of Greek recipes to go with them. How lucky I am!

Lionesses by KHUSHBOO & RAHUL SHARMA

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Most lionesses reproduce by the time they are four years of age. Lions do not mate at a specific time of year and the females are polyestrous. Like those of other cats, the male lion's penis has spines that point backward. During withdrawal of the penis, the spines rake the walls of the female's vagina, which may cause ovulation. A lioness may mate with more than one male when she is in heat. Generation length of the lion is about seven years. The average gestation period is around 110 days; the female gives birth to a litter of between one and four cubs in a secluded den, which may be a thicket, a reed-bed, a cave, or some other sheltered area, usually away from the pride. She will often hunt alone while the cubs are still helpless, staying relatively close to the den. Lion cubs are born blind; their eyes open around seven days after birth. They weigh 1.2–2.1 kg (2.6–4.6 lb) at birth and are almost helpless, beginning to crawl a day or two after birth and walking around three weeks of age. To avoid a buildup of scent attracting the attention of predators, the lioness moves her cubs to a new den site several times a month, carrying them one-by-one by the nape of the neck.

Usually, the mother does not integrate herself and her cubs back into the pride until the cubs are six to eight weeks old. Sometimes the introduction to pride life occurs earlier, particularly if other lionesses have given birth at about the same time. When first introduced to the rest of the pride, lion cubs lack confidence when confronted with adults other than their mother. They soon begin to immerse themselves in the pride life, however, playing among themselves or attempting to initiate play with the adults. Lionesses with cubs of their own are more likely to be tolerant of another lioness's cubs than lionesses without cubs. Male tolerance of the cubs varies—one male could patiently let the cubs play with his tail or his mane, while another may snarl and bat the cubs away.

File:Lion Cubs Phinda 2011.ogv

Video of a lioness and her cubs in Phinda Reserve

Pride lionesses often synchronise their reproductive cycles and communal rearing and suckling of the young, which suckle indiscriminately from any or all of the nursing females in the pride. The synchronisation of births is advantageous because the cubs grow to being roughly the same size and have an equal chance of survival, and sucklings are not dominated by older cubs.Weaning occurs after six or seven months. Male lions reach maturity at about three years of age and at four to five years are capable of challenging and displacing adult males associated with another pride. They begin to age and weaken at between 10 and 15 years of age at the latest.

When one or more new males oust the previous males associated with a pride, the victors often kill any existing young cubs, perhaps because females do not become fertile and receptive until their cubs mature or die. Females often fiercely defend their cubs from a usurping male but are rarely successful unless a group of three or four mothers within a pride join forces against the male. Cubs also die from starvation and abandonment, and predation by leopards, hyenas and wild dogs.Up to 80% of lion cubs will die before the age of two. Both male and female lions may be ousted from prides to become nomads, although most females usually remain with their birth pride. When a pride becomes too large, however, the youngest generation of female cubs may be forced to leave to find their own territory. When a new male lion takes over a pride, adolescents both male and female may be evicted. Lions of both sexes may be involved in group homosexual and courtship activities; males will also head-rub and roll around with each other before simulating sex together.

Laowa 25 mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro on Sony a7iii review by Matthieu Berroneau

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Review of the very specific Laowa 25 mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro on my Sony a7iii on www.matthieu-berroneau.fr.

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Audi RS4 Avant by PleaseYesPlease

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This RS4 Avant uses a long-roof variation on my DTM sedan chassis. I’ve wanted to build a wagon for some time, and just keep ending up somewhere else. Finally I made myself stick to it :)

As with my Alfa and Merc builds, this has a 7-stud section between the wheel wells and uses a 1 plate vertical offset at the rear wheels to produce a slight downward rake towards the front.

I wasn’t sure the front clip was possible considering the rather specific geometry of Audi faces, but after some iteration I found a way to make it work. This solution for the grille face requires two black triangle stickers to be placed on the lower 1x1 white tiles (I used the extra black from a left over SC sticker sheet) to get the basic shape right since the angles of these details are sub-pixel for Lego, for lack of a better term. The DRL’s are achieved with more intricate shapes cut from the white area on an SC sticker sheet. They are so key to the look there is no way around it :) The basic layout of the front ended up being rather straight-forward and without stickers looks quite a lot like a current gen Charger sedan. The offset achieved by layering the 1x3 grille tile over part of both trans-black headlights helps to produce the right proportions for the grille and gives more dimension to the headlights.

Out back is a place where instead of stickers I have employed printed graphic inserts for the tail lights. In Illustrator I created black and white LED shapes for the tail lights and cut them to fit inside the 1x1 trans red tile and the 1x1 trans red slope. It has a nice, subtle scale detail effect that gets the car’s look much closer than the trans tiles were getting on their own. As with my GT350 build, I again used some left-over black sticker area to black out the interior/inset area of the white 1x1 panel tiles, which helps to visually unify the rear diffuser.

I ultimately built about 5 different roof racks (all too tall or too wide) and ended up back at this simple solution. The racks will be interesting for something later, but it kept looking more like a safari adventure than a rack for a sporty weekend outing so I took the clean and simple route.

I wanted this car to have a bit of a story, being a wagon/estate, so this also gave me a good reason to build a little picnic cooler, pick up an azure city bike and throw in a boombox. Hello local parks, here come some all-wheel burnouts!!

31353 by Ben Abel

Swanholme Nature Reserve, Lincoln, Lincolnshire.

Swanholme Nature Reserve was formed from a series of flooded sand and gravel pits and has a mosaic of habitat types. The species found within them are important features both nationally and locally in terms of biodiversity.

It is an important wildlife site for Lincoln and was designated a Site of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 1985, and a Local Nature Reserve status was granted in 1991. The site was formally a gravel quarry, and now the 63-hectare site consists of dry heath, wet heath, sphagnum bog and open water habitats.

Vaguely specific uncertainty by Tom Cruger

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the implied absence of explicit specificity

Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i Nei by Ross Togashi

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Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i Nei - translated: The islands of our beloved Hawai‘i.

A couple of years ago I was driving along the Windward coast in search of loko (ancient Hawaiian fishponds). I was hopeful that I could make some interesting images during a bit of inclement weather.

I came across this collection of rocks just offshore in Ka‘a‘awa. Although I didn't think this was an ancient fishpond, I saw the potential for making a compelling photograph. I liked how the waves were washing over the exposed wall of stones. The stationary black volcanic rocks stood in strong contrast to the turbulent white water and cloud-filled skies.

I took a number of different exposures from different angles, and with varying wave action, confident that the location and subject matter were good, but unsure if I was "getting" a worthwhile image.

It was only after I had the film developed that I saw something meaningful (to me) and which I hadn't pre-visualized at the time of exposure. It dawned on me as I gazed at the contact sheet how much the rocks appeared as a chain of islands rising above a primordial soup.

Had my pinhole camera somehow gone back in time to photograph the moment the god Maui pulled up the islands from the bottom of the sea with his magical hook?

The image also immediately reminded me of early maps of the Hawaiian Islands, with their rough island shapes surrounded by a stained deep sea. In fact, the image evoked a distinct memory I have of a specific map from a few years prior.

In 2005, I had the opportunity to visit the Library of Congress (LoC) in Washington DC. As a guest of a friend who was a LoC map librarian, I got a personal tour of the world's greatest map collection.

My friend showed me a number of early and significant maps of Hawai‘i, but the one that really stood out and made an impression on me was dated 1837 and attributed to Simona Kalama. This rare map, one of less than a handful known to exist, is noted as the most detailed map of the Hawaiian Islands up to that time, and the first map of the Islands drawn by a Hawaiian.

My pinhole photograph borrows the title of Kalama's map for its own.

ross t.

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I am honored and pleased that this photograph was selected to appear in the Contemporary Photography in Hawai‘i 2012 - a juried exhibit in Honolulu.

Exhibit details: outreach.hawaii.edu/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/...

Photograph details: Archival inkjet print on 100% cotton rag paper.

Camera/film: Hand-made bamboo pinhole camera. Kodak 160 Portra NC film.

Location: Ka‘a‘awa, O‘ahu.

Nature's gifts - Always for you... by J.R. McMellen

17 1

Natural Flora - Natural Medicine

Today, marijuana is being reevaluated on a cultural and legal level after being considered an illegal substance for decades.

Recent research reports a majority of Americans support legalizing marijuana for medical or recreational use. As such, many states have legalized marijuana for either medical and recreational purposes, or both.

Still, some researchers and lawmakers want to see more scientific evidence supporting specific benefits of marijuana. Aside from more research, there are concerns that marijuana’s potential risks could outweigh its benefits in some cases.

Curious about whether the benefits behind this substance are all they’re talked up to be? We break down some of the most researched benefits as well as a few considerations.

What are the benefits vs. risks of marijuana?

Just as synthetic drugs can help some conditions and not others, marijuana isn’t a one-size-fits-all line of treatment. It’s thought that marijuana’s benefits come from some of its compounds called cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol (CBD).

CBD is one of the most widely studied cannabinoids in marijuana. CBD is also found in another related plant called hemp.

One major difference between CBD and marijuana is that the former only contains a trace amount of the cannabinoid tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This compound is best known for its hallucinogenic effects on the brain.

Cannabis plants may contain up to 40 percent CBD. CBD is thought to have anti-inflammatory effects on the central nervous system. This can translate to multiple benefits in the body.

Still, there remains concern over the effects of THC in traditional marijuana. This is due to the fact that it can have stimulating or depressant effects in some people, which may lead to other side effects.

Thus, when considering marijuana for any medical condition, your doctor will likely assess whether the anti-inflammatory benefits outweigh any psychological risks.

What are the benefits of marijuana?

Currently, there are two synthetic versions of marijuanaTrusted Source. Doctors prescribe them for the treatment of severe epilepsy and chemotherapy side effects.

The following list of marijuana benefits are some of the most commonly discussed in scientific research, as well as anecdotally.

Pain management

The cannabinoids in marijuana may reduce pain by altering pain perception pathways in the brain. This may be helpful to treat conditions that cause chronic pain, such as:

arthritis

fibromyalgia

endometriosis

migraine

It may also minimize cancer treatment side effects, like loss of appetite.

In some instances, medical marijuana is reported to help replace the long-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen, which can have negative side effects.

Reduced inflammation

CBD in marijuana is thought to help reduce inflammation. In theory, this may benefit inflammatory conditions, such as:

Crohn’s disease

irritable bowel syndrome

rheumatoid arthritis

Decreasing inflammation in the body can also improve overall health.

Neurological and mental disorders

Due to its effects on the limbic system, doctors sometimes prescribe marijuana to treat the following neurological and mental health conditions:

anxiety

epilepsy

multiple sclerosis

Parkinson’s disease

post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Tourette syndrome

Sleep management

The relaxing effects of marijuana may help improve sleep disorders, such as insomnia. And improved sleep may also occur when pain is reduced from marijuana usage.

What are the risks of marijuana?

Marijuana is said to have opioid-like effects on the central nervous system. However, it poses much fewer risks than synthetic opioids. It’s also not considered as addictive as other substances.

Those are two reasons why many advocates are pushing for marijuana legalization, so patients can have safer options for pain management. In fact, some people use marijuana as a way to treat opioid addiction.

Still, the potential risks of marijuana need to be considered in equal measure. Below are some of the side effects you should discuss with your doctor:

Hallucinogenic effects. Marijuana may cause mild hallucinations, poor motor skills, or altered perceptions of reality. For these reasons, certain activities may be unsafe after using marijuana, such as operating heavy machinery. Do not drive after using marijuana. Not only is it unsafe, but it is illegal in every state to drive after using marijuana – even in states in which marijuana use is legal.

Depressant-like effects. Marijuana may cause depressant effects, similar to those seen with alcohol use. You may feel calm and relaxed but also have issues with coordination and concentration. Some people may also feel depressive symptoms as a side effect.

Stimulating effects. Marijuana may boost mood, but it may also cause hyperactivity, rapid breathing, and increases in both blood pressure and heart rate. These effects aren’t as common in marijuana compared to depressant effects.

Other side effects. These may include bloodshot eyes, dry mouth, and increased appetite.

It’s important to know that the side effects of marijuana can vary between people. You may not know your exact experiences until after you’ve used it.

The legal issues

As of January 2020, 11 states as well as Washington, D.C., have legalized recreational marijuana, and 33 states have legalized it for medical use. However, marijuana itself is still considered illegal under federal law.

So, what does this mean if you’re interested in using marijuana for medical purposes?

First, talk to your doctor about the pros and cons of marijuana for your condition.

Next, look up the laws in your state. Even if marijuana is legal in your state, you could be prosecuted for using it if you travel to a different state where it’s not legal. Plan accordingly to avoid any legal issues.

It’s also important to distinguish the difference between marijuana and CBD.

Hemp-derived CBD products (with less than 0.3 percent THC) are legal on the federal level but are still illegal under some state laws.

Marijuana-derived CBD products are illegal on the federal level but are legal under some state laws.

Check your state’s laws and those of anywhere you travel. Keep in mind that nonprescription CBD products aren’t approved by the Food and Drug Administration and may be inaccurately labeled.

The takeaway

Marijuana is perhaps one of the most contentious topics today, both from a legal and health perspective.

More research on the benefits of marijuana for your health is needed for both sides of the debate to come to an agreement on its use in medical and recreational settings.

In the meantime, if you’re interested in the potential benefits of marijuana for your own health, it’s important to reach out to a doctor first. They can help guide you through the benefits versus any potential risks, as well as the legalities behind obtaining a medical marijuana card, depending on where you live.

Never try any drug or substance to treat a medical condition on your own. This includes plant-based sources like marijuana.

www.healthline.com/health/medical-marijuana/benefits-of-m...

Abandoned Futuro House Royse City,TX by Charles Hathaway

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Abandoned Futuro House located at 9573 TX-276 in Royse City,TX. There are only 57 (known) Futuro houses of the 100+ constructed standing around the world. How this specific home ended up in its current spot and where it was originally located has been highly debated.

Here is a great write-up on the house...

www.thefuturohouse.com/Futuro-Royse-City-Texas-USA.html

Consolation Prize by David Blazejewski

As I'd mentioned on my Steam Sunday post this whole Duluth trip was planned and booked months ago for this specific weekend with the goal of photographing the Lake Superior Railroad Museum's 2-8-0 steam locomotive DMIR 332 on a series of weekend trips to Two Harbors. Alas a couple weeks before my trip it was announced that she was sidelined with a serious and expensive issue that would take time to repair. I was disappointed but hoped to at least get one of their classic diesels in its place on their Two Harbors excursions that were scheduled for Fro-Sun. Later my disappointment would really turn to dismay when they announced at the last minute ALL all the Two Harbors runs were canceled in their entirety due to an unrelated mechanical issue with one or more of their coaches on their second train set.

If it were not for what you see here there would not have been a single move on the Lakefront main outside of the immediate Duluth area where the short Duluth Zephyr trains run. However, I almost have to say that as far as consolation prizes go this is hard to top and may honestly be a fair trade!

A blast from the past finds a real live Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range ore train on historic home rails in 2024! The North Shore Scenic Railroad, the operating arm of the Lake Superior Railroad museum, secured a contract to move taconite pellet chips and fines from Two Harbors to Duluth and interchange to the BNSF. These cars are being loaded intermittently at the north end of the Lakefront Line just above CN's Two Harbors yard at a place the NSSR refers to as Marbles and then travel the entire length of the 26 mile normally passenger only route. On Wednesday September 11, 2024 DMIR 193 has 11 loads in tow as they start south seen at about MP 25.6 on the Lake Division as they pass beneath CN's Two Harbors Sub which is the route all empty ore trains take departing the yard back north to rejoin the Iron Range Sub at Waldo to go on back to the mines.

This historic route along the shore was built by the Duluth and Iron Range Railway in 1886 and was shuttered by the DMIR in 1982 and slated for abandoned. Fortunately it was saved in 1988 when St. Louis and Lake Counties jointly purchased the line for preservation and excursion passenger service.

Very much on home rails, DMIR 193 was built by EMD in Apr. 1960 as an SD18, one of nineteen the Missabe purchased, and was later rebuilt and chop nosed at Proctor Shop in 1992 and reclassified as an SD-M. Retired and donated to the museum in 1998, it received this paint job at Proctor in 2002 and is regularly used on the NSSR's assorted passenger trains, but for a moment has returned to its ore hauling roots!

Near Two Harbors

Lake County, Minnesota

Wednesday September 11, 2024

Aspens in Transition by G Dan Mitchell

A large Eastern Sierra Nevada aspen grove partway though the fall color transition

This photograph comes from one of the few specific locations for Eastern Sierra aspen color that I'll typically name and locate without reservations. It is impossible to miss, as it is right next to US 395 between the towns of Bridgeport and Lee Vining, at the high point of this section of the roadway where it crosses Conway Summit. You can pull over to the side of the road — and if you pass by on the best days you won't be able to resist — and take in a panoramic view up toward the Sierra crest that includes many beautiful aspen groves. (I'm reticent about sending too many people to less-known, fragile, and quiet locations... especially since there are so many great places where you can find aspen color on your own.)

On this afternoon I passed by this spot as I traveled between a couple of other places where I looked for and photographed autumn color. I, too, was unable to resist (another) stop here. You may notice the soft light in this scene. It was overcast and there was light rain falling closer to the crest. On the scene such light can seem drab and dull, but the softer light also fills in the shadows and can provide you with an exposure that allows you to reveal a lot of detail and color in the post-processing phase. Notice also that the color is far from uniform in this large grove, ranging from peak color (and beyond, in a few cases) to very green trees in the distance. It is rare to find an entire large grove producing uniform brilliant color, since the aspens here tend to change color in phases. I've come to like and even prefer this less uniform color change pattern, and sometimes I think that the presence of green trees enhances to intensity of the more colorful trees.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, "California's Fall Color: A Photographer's Guide to Autumn in the Sierra" is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.

"Fracturing Half Moon" by Amir Harrari #2 by Anne Marie Clarke

Site-specific pieces made of building materials by Amir Harrari after visiting the Wave Hill site and researching its history and architecture.

www.wavehill.org/arts/artists/amir-hariri/

Sunroom Space at Glyndor Gallery, Wave Hill, Riverdale, the Bronx, NYC -- July 13, 2019

LEGO Green Lantern - Issue 5 by [Stubbs]

44 9

PLEASE BE CONSIDERATE AND COMMENT IF YOU FAVORITE

(2PJL) Coast City -

My name is Kyle Rayner...and I'm afraid that I might kill a man tonight. Dr. Arthur Light, to be specific. Just hours ago, he kidnapped my girlfriend Alex, and is now using her as bait to lure me to him. He claims that he will kill her if I don't give him the 'light' which I still am not sure what he means by that.

My ring located Dr. Light in an abandoned warehouse near the docks, which is only 50 meters away. Before landing, I scan the warehouse for both Dr. Light and Alex. My ring detects them both in the middle of the building. I'm actually a bit surprised that Alex is indeed here, like he promised.

I make myself an opening in the building's wall via a rocket launcher from my ring. As I enter the warehouse, I outstretch the hand that my ring is placed on and use it as if it were a flash light. I wander aimlessly through the dark building until I finally see Alex.

Once noticing me, she beings to struggle in her restraints as a way to single me to cut her loose. I nearly begin to assure her that it's alright, and even almost say her name, but then I remember that she doesn't know that it is me. To her, I'm just the man that they call Green Lantern on T.V.

Suddenly, out of the shadows, comes Dr. Light. I brace myself as his hands and eyes begin to glow, almost as if he is planning to attack.

"Kyle Rayner?" asks Dr. Light.

I realize now that my identity will be revealed to Alex if I assure him that I am indeed who he believes. I take a moment to ponder my options, yet decide that my only choice is to reveal my secret.

"Yes...I am Kyle Rayner." I respond.

Alex muffles something through the tape over her mouth and begins to struggle even more.

"Good...good! Now...give me the light! Give it to me!" orders Dr. Light.

"I don't know what you're talking about, what is the 'light'?" I reply.

"Don't play games with me boy...give me it...give me the power!"

"Hey, you've gotta understand, I don't know what you're talking about! Please, just let her go, leave her out of this. I'm here now, you don't need her anymore."

"No...no...no, no that won't work at all! You won't give me the light! Give it to me...give me the light...or she dies...I'll kill her!"

Alex begins to sob. I begin to understand that Dr. Light won't take no for an answer. The only way to get Alex out now is a with a fight. I'm sure that I can buy her enough time to escape, I just don't know if I can make it out as well.

"I'm not going to let that happen...you are not going to touch Alex." I demand.

I send a blast from my ring in his direction yet he deflects it by constructing a shield made of pure light. Next I fashion a large baseball bat, while he assembles a sword like light structure. As I engage in a duel with Dr. Light, I construct a pair of scissors and have them begin cutting through the tape around Alex.

I get about halfway done, before my focus is stopped due to a blow to my stomach from Dr. Light. Luckily, it was enough to free Alex's arms, which allows her to continue removing the tape. Knowing this, I focus my attention on defeating Dr. Light.

I assumed a giant mech-suit and charge at Dr. Light. I grab him using my suit's claw and begin to fly up towards the ceiling. I slam my other claw through the roof and continue to rise higher up and out of the warhouse. I planned on taking the fight away from the city, to avoid any unnecessary losses, yet I was rendered unable to do so as Dr. Light caused some sort of light explosion, causing me to loose my grip around him.

He flies back into the city, I assume to use it's large buildings as cover. I dismantle the mech-suit as a means to increase my speed, although Dr. Light is too fast. I hit him with a blast from my ring, causing him to drop down into the middle of Coast City Park. The civilians there quickly run as they see us enter the park grounds. Good, less things to worry about.

Dr. Light gets up and tries to regain flight, though I manage to construct a pair of strong ankle cuffs around him before he can do so. He blasts the cuffs off of his legs and stands up. I assemble a shield and slam into him sending him through the large, metal statue of the other Green Lantern located in the middle of the park.

I rush towards him though I'm knocked onto the floor as he fires a blast at my feet. He continues to fire more projectiles at me, though luckily I manage to assemble a brick wall between us to counter the attacks. Eventually, he stops shooting, noticing that he cannot break through the construct, and takes flight. He moves over the wall and then drops right above me, hoping to crush me when he lands.

Still on the ground, I roll backwards, just as he slams into the ground creating a large crater. I leap at Dr. Light and tackle him. We struggle to our feet, each grabbing the others knuckles, trying gain the advantage.

"The light! Give me the light!" Dr. Light pleads.

"I can't do that, I don't even know how to do that! And I won't let you hurt Alex!" I reply.

"I just need the light! Give me the light, Kyle Rayner! Give it to me!"

"You have to understand! I don't know what you mean!"

"Lies! AHHHH!"

Dr. Light fires a blast from his hands straight into mine. I drop down into the grass, my hands burning and covered in flames. Dr. Light stands over me with his arms outstretched in front of him, ready to deliver the final blow.

"Give it to me...please!" Dr. Light begs.

Surprisingly, he falls to his knees and his eyes fill with tears. It was at this moment that I notice that Dr. Light wasn't the bad man that I thought he was. Something else was going on here, and I'm going to find out...

Next - Love

Really sorry for the long read, I just didn't want to rush through this issue, as it is a quite important point in the volume. I hope that you all enjoyed it anyway. Thanks for reading! -Michael

Circumscribe Specificity by wilson hurst

14 1

Innerworldly

Things at hand

In the labyrinth

Harris Pond panorama, 2015.10.11 by Knoxville Photo

5 1

Made a specific visit here to photograph the colorful foliage reflecting into the pond.

Miki H. (An Inspiration Station) and I photographed the foliage here last year; think I'm going to make it a yearly tradition.

Along Main Road

Sweet Valley, Pennsylvania

Sunday, October 11th, 2015

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Bark lice or book lice - Psocoptera by Supratim Laha

Gathering of adults and nymphs. Specific ID will be appreciated.

DCU: Zatanna Volume 1 Issue 3, "Mleh fo Emalf" by Cherry Candy

26 7

DISCLAIMER: THIS ISSUE CONTAINS GRAPHICALLY DEPICTED VIOLENCE. PROCEED WITH CAUTION

Klarion the Witch Boy had teleported himself to the headquarters of the illegal smuggling organization “The Otherkind”, in hopes of purchasing an item he’d had his eyes on for quite a while. “The Helm of Flame”. An ancient weapon, myths say that the mask can transform your body into that of a demon, if you read a specific ancient script. There is no known proof of this, however. On opposite sides of the room stood several members of the group, working in different ways, like stocking shelves or chopping up wood to make more shelves. Waiting to purchase this item, Klarion had stood silent in the dark, cold, damp cement building, unnoticed.

Klarion: …Ahem?

A bearded man was sitting on the floor, who now looked up from his can of tomato soup to look into Klarion’s demonic eyes.

Bearded man: Eh? Oh, uh… Is this the guy?

The bearded man spoke with a raspy Russian accent, before looking up to The Rip, who was the organization’s leader. The Rip’s appearance was an odd one. A silhouette, entirely blacked out, standing at roughly 6’7”.

The Rip: Indeed it is. Klarion. It is an honour to meet you.

The Rip spoke in a very smooth but deep voice. It wasn’t loud, but when he spoke, it felt as if it was the only thing you could hear. It grabbed your attention instantly.

Klarion: Why, thank you. You know what I came for, yes?

The Rip: I do remember, yes. The Helm of Flame.

Klarion: Mhm! Now shall your servant fetch it for me, along with the script?

The Rip: I’d prefer if you weren’t to degrade my coworkers, but yes, Alec shall grant it to you. Alec?

He turned to the bearded man… Or at least Klarion assumed he did. With a man who appears physically as a mass of darkness it’s hard to tell.

Alec: Alrighty… Just a second…

He took one last spoonful from the tin can, a small portion of it spilling on his bright blue overcoat before he stood up. He set the can and spoon on the filthy stone floor before he waddled to the Helm of Flame on the shelf, before handing it to Klarion.

Alec: Here ya’ go.

Klarion: …There’s chowder on the script. It’s filthy, and that’s unacceptable..! Fetch me another.

Alec: Uh… Y’know there’s only one of ‘em, right?

The Rip walked over to Klarion, and tapped his fingers against the corner of the script.

The Rip: Ghålli-shï.

Suddenly, the script was cleaned.

Klarion: Thank you, that is much more adequate… Now, how much for each?

Klarion rummaged through a leather wallet, while holding the helm and script under his arm.

The Rip: 1.5 million in total-

Klarion: 5 million, you say? Alrighty…

Klarion handed The Rip the 5 million dollars.

The Rip: Ötałlo-kå.

With a poof of purple smoke, the money vanished.

Klarion: Pleasure doing business with you.

The Rip: The pleasure is mine, Klarion.

Klarion: Shalån-Greėm.

Klarion vanished. A moment after, a worker in an orange sweater walked from the shadows. He hadn’t been doing anything to help the organization, unlike the others.

Man in orange: What a brat.

Both Alec and The Rip turned to the man in orange…

The Rip: …What did you just say, Walter?

Alec: Sh#t, dude…

The two other members of The Otherkind stopped working and turned to “Walter”. One was a man in a black coat and orange scarf, the other a young woman in a purple sweater.

Man in scarf: Oh, dear lord…

The woman in purple simply put her hands over her mouth in shock.

Walter: I’m just sayin’. What? You all thought it, be real.

The Rip: You understand in the 2 months of being here you’ve done nothing but stand around, correct? Watching your coworkers work painfully hard while all you have to do is stock shelves, and yet you can’t even do that right? The others have been doing their jobs correctly for years, and after being here for 2 months, you can’t even manage to be kind to my client.

Walter: I really don’t see what the big deal is.

Alec: Shut up! Dude, seriously!

The Rip: I hadn’t had to speak to you about your laziness, as much as it had frustrated me. But this? Mocking a client? You think you have the right to do that?This is where I draw the line.

The Rip walked slowly and ominously towards Walter while speaking…

Walter: He was just a kid, who cares?

The Rip: You’re not listening to me, are you? You never listen to me. You don’t deserve to be part of this organization. You have such little respect that probably didn’t even attempt to remember my name.

Walter: “Rip”, right?

The Rip stood in place…

The Rip: Yes. Surprisingly, you got that right… But do you know why that is?

Walter: Uh… No.

The Rip: Well… Let me show you.

The Rip’s chest and stomach spread open like a vertical mouth, pointed with jagged fang-like spikes. From the gaping void in his torso appeared long, reddish tendrils. The first latched around Walter’s right arm. Then the left. And then his legs. This was the first time The Rip had seen Walter express genuine fear.

Walter: Agh, Christ..! I-… I can’t move!

The rest of The Otherkind were silent, watching what was happening. The tentacles seemed to grow even longer, pulling Walter high into the air as his eyes opened wider, his forehead shining with sweat. More tendrils appeared, rubbing their pointed tips against Walter’s freakishly warm skin. The man in the scarf ran to help Walter, only to be knocked back by one of the tentacles, causing him to be bashed against a stone wall.

Man in scarf: *uff*!

The Rip: Stay back, Malcolm. This is necessary.

Suddenly, one of the tentacles tore the left leg straight off of Walter, it dropped to the floor, blood spilling out from the gaping wound and onto the limb in puddles. Walter tried to scream, but his mouth was being filled by the tentacles. Tears ran down both his and most of the other members’ faces.

Alec: What the hell!?

Malcolm: Jesus…

The woman in purple was silent, her pupils microscopic, her whole body was shaking. This horrific sight had seemed to effect her the most out of the members. Through the gaps between the hands covering her eyes she noticed the tentacles tugging even harder on each of the limbs, the sound of cracking bones echoed through the room. Eventually all three remaining limbs split apart, leaving a pile of broken pieces on the floor. Walter was nothing but broken bones, torn skin, muscle, and large masses of blood. Walter’s head was still fully intact when it hit the floor, however, his eyes were still wide open and his jaw fully extended, staring into the souls of the remaining members.

Woman in purple: No… No no no…

She fell to her knees, her hands dropping to the floor, her tears breaking through like a waterfall. Malcolm stood beside her, putting his hand on her shoulder to comfort them. Meanwhile all the tentacles sucked themselves quickly back into The Rip, before he reached his hand down to Walter’s mutilated corpse.

The Rip: Ötałlo-kå.

What was rest of Walter disappeared. The Rip turned to the other members.

The Rip: I am deeply sorry if you found the visuals of Walter’s deserved punishment a tad graphic.

Malcolm: “A tad”? You slaughtered the poor guy. Look at Cindy here, look what you did.

“Cindy” looked up at The Rip, a hint of rage behind her tears.

Cindy: You monster!!!

She got up and lunged at The Rip, only for him to put his hand forward in a shielding position.

The Rip: Hīdoth-pöl.

She teleported back where she was before.

The Rip: Your anger is justified, though please, take this experience as a lesson. I love you all deeply, you’re like family to me. I’d rather not be forced to punish one of you like I did today. So stay in line. Thank you. Now, back to work.

~Madam Web

Church & Fishtail Palm Tree, Talnique, El Salvador by Sebastiao Pereira-Nunes

18 4

SN/NC: Caryota Urens, Arecaceae Family

Caryota speciesare the only palms with bipinnate leaves (meaning they are divided into leaflets that divide a second time). The ultimate leaflets have a characteristic shape, somewhat like the tail of a fish, leading to the popular English name of fishtail palm. The specific epithet urens is Latin for'stinging’ or ‘burning', alluding to the oxalic acid crystals in the fruits, which are skin and membrane irritants. Solitary fishtail palm is used in several ways: the sap is fermented into an alcoholic drink or boiled down to make syrup or sugar, the inner tissue is used as sago (food starch), and the leaves produce strong fibres that are made into ropes, brushes and baskets. This specimen was found in the Oxygen Resort in Paramaribo, Suriname.

Caryota-soorten zijn de enige palmen met geveerde bladeren (wat betekent dat ze zijn verdeeld in folders die een tweede keer delen). De ultieme blaadjes hebben een karakteristieke vorm, een beetje zoals de staart van een vis, wat leidt tot de populaire Engelse naam fishtail palm. De specifieke benaming urens is Latijn voor 'prikken' of 'branden', verwijzend naar de oxaalzuurkristallen in de vruchten, die huid- en membraanirriterende stoffen zijn. Solitaire vissenstaartpalm wordt op verschillende manieren gebruikt: het sap wordt gefermenteerd tot een alcoholische drank of ingekookt om siroop of suiker te maken, het binnenste weefsel wordt gebruikt als sago (voedselzetmeel) en de bladeren produceren sterke vezels die worden verwerkt tot touwen, borstels en manden.

Caryota urens é uma palmeira ornamental, da família das arecaceaes, nativa da Índia, Malásia, Sri Lanca e arredores, conhecida pelo nome popular de palmeira-rabo-de-peixe. Ela constitui papel importante na dieta do povo do arquipélago leste da Índia é a única palmeira cujas folhas são bipinadas, característica que a torna inconfundível. A etimologia de "urens" é do latim e significa picante, ardente, que queima, em alusão à irritação nas mucosas e na pele causada pelos cristais de ácidos de oxalato presentes nas suas frutas. A espécie foi descrita pela primeira vez pelo botânico sueco Carl Nilsson Linnæus no ano de 1753. A árvore é comumente utilizada como planta ornamental. As fibras de suas folhas são utilizadas na confecção de cordas, cestos, pinceis e outros artefatos. Na alimentação ela é quase base alimentar do povo no arquipélago leste e é a principal fonte de matéria prima para a produção de sagu da Índia. Esse sagu é feito a partir do seu tecido interno. O ápice do caule (seu palmito) pode ser comido quando cozido. A semente pode ser mastigada como as nozes de areca (Areca catechu). Ela é utilizada no preparo de uma bebida alcoólica, fermentada, típica da Índia. Essa bebida é feita a partir da seiva extraída de sua inflorescência. Também dessa seiva se faz xarope e açúcar.

Caryota urens llamada vulgarmente cola de pescado por la forma de sus hojas es una palmera con tronco rectilíneo con anillos muy marcados de 15 a 20 m de altura y en torno a 40 cm de diámetro. Hojas de color verde brillante bipinnadas, con folíolos en forma de cuña,rasgados en su borde, lo que les da el aspecto de colas de pescado. Inflorescencias largas, pendientes y muy ramificadas. Frutos globulares primero verdes y luego amarillos, rojos y negros. Caryota urens fue descrito por Carlos Linneo y publicado en Species Plantarum 2: 1189. 1753.2 3. Etimología -- Caryota: nombre genérico que deriva de la palabra griega: karyon que significa nuez. Urens: epíteto latino que significa "urticante" por causar irritación en contacto con la piel.

Les espèces de Caryota sont les seuls palmiers à feuilles bipennées (ce qui signifie qu'ils sont divisés en folioles qui se divisent une seconde fois). Les feuillets ultimes ont une forme caractéristique, un peu comme la queue d'un poisson, conduisant au nom anglais populaire de palmier à queue de poisson. L'épithète spécifique urens est le latin pour «piquer» ou «brûler», faisant allusion aux cristaux d'acide oxalique dans les fruits, qui sont des irritants pour la peau et les membranes. Le palmier à queue de poisson solitaire est utilisé de plusieurs façons: la sève est fermentée en une boisson alcoolisée ou bouillie pour faire du sirop ou du sucre, le tissu interne est utilisé comme sagou (amidon alimentaire) et les feuilles produisent des fibres solides qui sont transformées en cordes, brosses et paniers.

Le specie Caryota sono le uniche palme con foglie bipennate (nel senso che sono divise in foglioline che si dividono una seconda volta). Gli ultimi volantini hanno una forma caratteristica, un po 'come la coda di un pesce, che porta al popolare nome inglese di palma a coda di pesce. L'epiteto specifico urens è latino per "pungente" o "bruciore", alludendo ai cristalli di acido ossalico nei frutti, che sono irritanti per la pelle e le membrane. La palma solitaria a coda di pesce viene utilizzata in diversi modi: la linfa viene fermentata in una bevanda alcolica o bollita per produrre sciroppo o zucchero, il tessuto interno viene utilizzato come sago (amido alimentare) e le foglie producono fibre forti che vengono trasformate in corde, spazzole e cestini.

Caryota-Arten sind die einzigen Palmen mit doppelt gefiederten Blättern (dh sie sind in Blättchen unterteilt, die sich ein zweites Mal teilen). Die ultimativen Blättchen haben eine charakteristische Form, ähnlich dem Schwanz eines Fisches, was zum beliebten englischen Namen Fischschwanzpalme führt. Das spezifische Epitheton urens ist lateinisch für "Stechen" oder "Brennen" und spielt auf die Oxalsäurekristalle in den Früchten an, die Haut- und Membranreizstoffe sind. Einzelne Fischschwanzpalmen werden auf verschiedene Arten verwendet: Der Saft wird zu einem alkoholischen Getränk fermentiert oder zu Sirup oder Zucker eingekocht, das innere Gewebe wird als Sago (Lebensmittelstärke) verwendet und die Blätter produzieren starke Fasern, die zu Seilen verarbeitet werden. Bürsten und Körbe.

Caryota 属のヤシは、二回羽状の葉（つまり、二度目に分裂する小葉に分かれている）を持つ唯一のヤシです。最後の小葉は特徴的な形をしており、魚の尾に少し似ていることから、英語ではフィッシュテールパームと呼ばれています。種小名の urens はラテン語で「刺すような」または「燃えるような」という意味で、果実に含まれるシュウ酸結晶が皮膚や粘膜を刺激することをほのめかしています。単独のフィッシュテールパームは、いくつかの方法で使用されます。樹液は発酵させてアルコール飲料にしたり、煮詰めてシロップや砂糖を作ったりします。内部組織はサゴ（食品用デンプン）として使用され、葉からはロープ、ブラシ、バスケットに加工される強力な繊維が作られます。

أنواع Caryota هي أشجار النخيل الوحيدة ذات الأوراق ثنائية الطور (بمعنى أنها مقسمة إلى منشورات تقسم مرة ثانية). المنشورات النهائية لها شكل مميز ، يشبه إلى حد ما ذيل السمكة ، مما يؤدي إلى الاسم الإنجليزي الشهير لنخيل ذيل السمكة. والسمات النوعية للبول هي كلمة لاتينية تعني "اللدغة" أو "الحرق" ، في إشارة إلى بلورات حمض الأكساليك في الثمار ، وهي مهيجات للجلد والأغشية. يتم استخدام نخيل ذيل السمكة المنفرد بعدة طرق: يتم تخمير العصارة في مشروب كحولي أو غليها لصنع شراب أو سكر ، ويتم استخدام النسيج الداخلي كساغو (نشا غذائي) ، وتنتج الأوراق أليافًا قوية يتم تصنيعها في الحبال ، فرش وسلال.

Faced by Kristbjorg

18 36

Having a specific kind of face or number of faces.

One person / many faces

(4/8) taken from dark make-up series.

A foggy dusk by adoel488

19 2

Specific Perfection ENB ------- it is hidden at the moment

CH Zuerich "DEUS IN MACHINA" Gasometer Schlieren, Site-Specific Installation von Lukas Sander & Christian Berkes-93.jpg by geigerwe

I'm not kidding by Captain Tenneal

46 21

This was a huge (14" x 6") polished slab of something Mexican. I've been trying to get to shoot this for five years. Sorry I can't be more specific on exactly what this is. I thought I heard Agua Nueva but if there is such a thing as Mexican psychedelic lace this would be a great candidate. Rainbow rivers flowing through tube islands surrounded by crystal reefs.

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