Freightliner 70001 passes Hanwell with the diverted (due to stability issues with Nuneham viaduct closing the line between Didcot and Oxford) 4O14 0536 Garston F.L.T. to Southampton M.C.T.

20 April 2023.

Three wheels give stability to this Motrox Tri Glide

A good friend has this wee beauty parked in his garage awaiting some restoration work , I have hoped to capture it many times in the past however on this occasion the light was right and he had her parked in his drive , this photo is one of a few I took .

Vehicle details

Vehicle make: VOLKSWAGEN

Date of first registration: January 1973

Year of manufacture: 1972

Cylinder capacity (cc): 1584 cc

CO₂Emissions: Not available

Fuel type: PETROL

Export marker: No

Vehicle status: SORN in place

Vehicle colour: ORANGE

Wheelplan: 2-AXLE-RIGID BODY

The Volkswagen Beetle—officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in German the Käfer (literally "beetle"), in parts of the English-speaking world the Bug, and known by many other nicknames in other languages—is a two-door, rear-engine economy car, intended for five passengers, that was manufactured and marketed by German automaker Volkswagen (VW) from 1938 until 2003.

History of the Volkswagen T1 Beetle

Introduction

The VW Beetle has become an iconic vehicle worldwide, and has built a huge loyal following. It is known by numerous names, for example, in Germany it’s a Kafer, in the USA a Bug or salon, England a Beetle etc. As the floor pan and running gear can be used without the body being attached, they became a firm favourite of the kit car builders. They were turned into Porsche 356 replicas, beach buggies, and Nova kit cars to mention just a few. When production stopped in 2003 in Mexico over 21 million air-cooled Volkswagen Beetles had been produced. During eight decades of manufacturing came a whole variety of models, ranging from 25Hp through to the 1303S or Super Beetle with its Independent Rear Suspension (also known as IRS). Salons, sunroof models, cabrios and even specialist versions as police cars, German post office delivery vehicles and in Mexico City, the green and white Beetle taxi, with its missing passengers seat, was a common sight until recently.

Personalisation and the custom scene

Fashions change and over the years the VW Beetle or Bug has seen styles come and go. The 1950’s saw shiny and standard Beetles as the common style. But by the 1960’s the trend to ‘soup them up’ and build street legal drag racers was taking hold in the USA, especially on the West Coast. This was the time of legends such as Gene Berg and cars such as the Empi Inch Pincher. In the UK, smaller tuning companies such as Speedwell developed carb tuning kits and alloy wheels. By the mid 1970’s the Bug was being used for time trials and autocross racing.

This was also the start of a ‘dark’ time for the Beetle customising scene, as the fat whale tailed body kits were fitted, so if you saw it on a dark foggy night, it could look a little like a Porsche 911! However as the whale tail was strapped on, in California they developed what has come to be known as ‘Calook’ or Californian Look. Lowered, smoothed out, de-chromed, alloys, neat interiors and performance engines were the main features of the Calook scene. Luckily by the mid 1980s in the UK, the body kits were out of fashion and the Calook scene took hold, initially from Essex. Since then there have been a variety of fashions, with the VW drag racing scene now in its fourth decade. We’ve seen ‘Old School’ lowered, lots of chrome and accessories, neat and tidy. ‘Rat look’ is almost the polar opposite, with flat mat paint, original and lived in interiors but shares the passion for vintage accessories! Calook in various rebirths has been a steady influence. However, today there seems to be strong move back to ‘stock’.

Please Note: When trying to identify a Beetle, bear in mind that on all models (except 1302/1303) most body panels are interchangeable, so if a Beetle has sloping headlights, don’t assume that it is a 1957>1967 model. Many late Beetles have early wings, lights, bonnet, engine lid and front and rear valances, making them, at first glance identical to a 1964 to 1967 model, but generally if it has an external fuel filler cap it is likely to be built between 1968 and 2003.

Production history and technical changes

Here are the main changes that took place to the Volkswagen Beetle during its eight decades of production.

1936 > 1952 ‘Splitscreen Beetle’ The Beetle story started in the early 1930’s, but production started officially in 1936. The Second World War all but stopped production until the British army rebuilt the factory and production commenced of the ‘Splitscreen’ Beetles (named after the shape of the small ‘split’ rear window). These were very basic cars with engines from 985cc (24bhp) to 1131cc (25bhp) but are rare and very desirable.

1953 > 1956 ‘Oval Beetle’ Very similar to the Splitscreen, but with the split removed from the rear window making it an oval. Small developments aimed at improving driver comfort and making the Beetle appeal to foreign markets, including a new 1192cc (30bhp) engine.

1957 > 67 Little difference in appearance from the Oval Beetle, the biggest being the rear window, which was enlarged in August 1957 to the large rectangular shape that would remain for the remainder of production. The windscreen and side glass were also enlarged in August 1964. These Beetles still retained the sloping headlights, long bonnet, link and king pin torsion bar front suspension and swing axle torsion bar suspension at the rear and 5 bolt wheels as previous models, but in Aug 1966 the link pins were replaced with ball joints and the wheels used four bolts instead of five. Engine options were now 1192cc (34bhp), 1285cc (40bhp) and in Aug 1966 the 1493cc engine with (44bhp).

1968 > 2003 August 1967 saw the first major styling change with upright headlights, a shorter bonnet and engine lid, plus an exterior mounted fuel filler cap. These models retained the torsion bar front suspension and swing axle rear suspension, which remained until the end of Brazilian production in 2003. The only exceptions were the semi-automatic Beetle which came with I.R.S rear suspension and the 1302 and 1303 models which used front coil springs... (see below). Engine options for these were 1192cc (34bhp), 1285cc (44bhp), 1493cc engine with (44bhp) and 1584cc (50bhp).

1971 > 72 ‘The 1302 Beetle’ In an effort to make the Beetle more practical and improve sales, VW offered a restyled version alongside the regular Beetle which was badged the 1302 (1285cc) and the 1302S (1584cc). This had a more bulbous front bodywork but retained the flat windscreen and the torsion bar front suspension was replaced with MacPherson struts with coil springs, similar to the VW Golf. The rear suspension was also the much improved I.R.S torsion bar system similar to the Porsche 911 of the same era. These changes improved the handling, ride comfort and stability, plus the front luggage area increased from 5 cu ft to over 9 cu ft, however, the styling proved unpopular and it was replaced after 2 years by the 1303 model.

1973 > 80 ‘The 1303 Beetle’ This was a revision of the 1302 Beetle and was available as the 1303A (1192cc) 1303 (1283cc) and the 1303S (1584cc). The only major change was that the flat windscreen was replaced with a more modern curved windscreen, which improved aerodynamics and interior space. This was also sold alongside the regular, torsion bar; flat windscreen Beetle, with the last 1303 was built in 1980.

The classic styling of the torsion bar Beetles helped them outlive the improved design of the 1302/1302 ‘Super Beetles’ and production was ended in 2003 to free up factory space for the front engined, water-cooled ‘New Beetle.’

German Beetle production chassis numbers

The chassis number is very useful when ordering parts for your Beetle as it gives the date of manufacture, model type. These can be found in two places. Firstly, in the front luggage compartment, by the bonnet lock and secondly, under the rear seat on the central tunnel.

SOUTH CHINA SEA (Sept. 6, 2020) Sailors assigned to the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) refuel an AH-1Z Viper helicopter assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 262 (Reinforced) during a visit, board, search and seizure exercise. America, flagship of the America Amphibious Ready Group, assigned to Amphibious Squadron Eleven, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Vincent E. Zline)

PHILIPPINE SEA (Aug. 6, 2020) A CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft attached to the Air Force 21st Special Operations Squadron lands on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6). America, flagship of the America Expeditionary Strike Group, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to maintain security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Walter Estrada)

PACIFIC OCEAN (Aug. 19, 2020) Landing Craft, Utility 1666, from Navy Beach Unit (NBU) 7 enters the well deck of the amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18). New Orleans, part of the America Expeditionary Strike Group, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners, and serves as a ready response force to defend security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kelby Sanders)

They are amazingly fast. It took about a week for the boys to figure out how to catch them. Then it was a dozen in one morning once they found the plant that traps drinking water, and evasive geckos.

They can hang from perfectly smooth glass, wet or dry, and support their body weight with one toe touching. But the toes are not sticky. They can also climb those surfaces at a meter per second.

The nanostructured split-end hairs at the tip of the gecko’s toes exploit weak Van der Waals bonds at the molecular scale, conforming to any surface.

The gecko is a simply amazing animal, and it’s not just the nano-adhesive toes. High-speed video studies also shed light on the use of their tail for dynamic stability and flight, inspiring the robo-gecko experiments of Robert Full (see below).

SOUTH CHINA SEA (Sept. 6, 2020) Force Reconnaissance Marines with Command Element, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) fast rope from an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter from the “Archangels” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25, Detachment 6, during a visit, board, search and seizure exercise aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42). Germantown, part of the America Amphibious Ready Group assigned to Amphibious Squadron 11, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners, and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Taylor DiMartino)

PHILIPPINE SEA (Sept. 1, 2020) The forward-deployed amphibious transport dock USS New Orleans (LPD 18), front right, the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) and the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) sail in formation. New Orleans, America and Germantown, part of the America Amphibious Ready Group assigned to Amphibious Squadron 11, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, are operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Walter Estrada)

Crackin up at the moles and pimples copied over

Morphing pics revisited from the early 2000 phenom, with ai its soooo much neater and easier "Facial Interpolation"

Barclays Global Investors, San Francisco

PHILIPPINE SEA (Sept. 10, 2020) Sailors conducting a visit, board, search and seizure exercise in a rigid-hull inflatable boat from the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42), right, board Landing Craft, Utility 1666, assigned to Naval Beach Unit 7, which simulates a vessel of interest. Germantown, part of the America Amphibious Ready Group assigned to Amphibious Squadron 11, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners, and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Taylor DiMartino)

SOUTH CHINA SEA (Sept. 6, 2020) Force Reconnaissance Marines with Command Element, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) board a CH-53 E Super Stallion helicopter with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 262, for extraction during a visit, board, search and seizure exercise aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42). Germantown, part of the America Amphibious Ready Group assigned to Amphibious Squadron 11, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners, and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Taylor DiMartino)

EAST CHINA SEA (July 31, 2020) Sailors connect fueling lines to the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67) from the dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE-3) during a replenishment-at-sea. Shiloh is forward-deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Isaac Maxwell)

River Dart Dittisham South Hams Devon.

Up there as one of the my most memorable mornings besides the River Dart.

Feeling quite blessed and privileged witnessing such a beautiful spring morning unfold.

Machine and objective: Canon EOS 450D, Sigma 18-200mm DC OS, Canon Speedlite 430EX II

Locale: España, Sevilla, (en mi terraza).

Photographer: todoUNtipo

Velocidad: 1/200s

ISO: 400

Apertura: f8,0

Focal: 96mm

Please View On Black Por favor

Cuando la vida te presente razones para llorar, demuéstrale que tienes mil y una razones para reír.

When life hands you this reason to mourn, show him you have a thousand and one reasons to laugh.

…Cuando en la vida nos sale algo doblado, torcido o simplemente no nos sale, tenemos que serenarnos, calmarnos y ver las posibles soluciones, si no está en nuestras manos solo tenemos que tener paciencia y ver las soluciones desde otro ángulo, si lo está, solo tenemos que saber como y cuando lo podemos solucionar, es cuestión de paciencia y calma.

(F. Martínez Ledesma).

Como lo único que veo últimamente por todos los lados son gotas, pues apunto otra en la lista, y espero el buen tiempo ansioso.

Dedicada a todos vosotros por seguir ahí, hoy me sumo a la dedicatoria ya que estoy “mu” feliz porque mis pruebas médicas han salido de arte ;)

Coldplay - Clocks

…Nunca me han interesado ni el poder ni la fortuna lo que admiro son las flores que crecen en la basura…

Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved.

*Copyright © 2012 Lélia Valduga, all rights reserved.

Who else who least know who is going to the beach charity, even if it is only for the pleasure of hanging routine that drowns us every day. This psychological factor is one of the main virtues of the sun and the beach, to which you attach to these benefits going to the beach to health.

We firstly produces the benefits of the sun and on the other benefits of seawater, which together are combined to one infuse stability in the body, so it is a source benefit to health. The sun brings us joy and promotes the synthesis of vitamin D, while the sea water, which is loaded with minerals and trace elements, is a stimulant to our muscles.

Source: www.dicasagora.com

Stability

Stability while riding is fair, but event weight distribution is key between the bike and panniers, particularly as all the weight is behind the rear axle.. If one side is heavier than the other, it can induce some wobble in the bars when hitting bumps. When it's dead even, there is little affect on handling

58/365

Shot some cool stuff today. My Facebook page celebrates its first birthday tomorrow, you should go visit. I'm thinking about doing a give away or something.

Facebook | Instagram | Tumblr

desert; stone; nature; relax; background; zen; sky; balance; way; tranquil; group; rock; pebble; concept; sun; stability; focus; color; selective; hot; rough; infinity; perspective; objects; natural; meditative; travel; weather; relaxation; peaceful; peace; symbol; sunny; spirituality; tradition; beautiful; mountains; canary; islans; surface; blocks; texture; backgrounds; park; landscape; adventure; high; terrain; outdoors; granite; geology; trail; silent; route;

160811-N-XM324-095 EAST CHINA SEA (Aug. 11, 2016) Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Jorge Monarez, from Oklahoma City, Okla., fires an M16 rifle during a small arms qualification on the flight deck of the amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay (LPD 20). Green Bay, part of the Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Patrick Dionne/Released)

Must attribute with link to: www.ptpioneer.com

Image of a girl working out Outside In a park doing dumbbell military presses while sitting on a stability ball.

EAST CHINA SEA (Aug. 5, 2020) An MH-60S Seahawk helicopter assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 conducts underway replenishment training with the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6). America, flagship of the America Expeditionary Strike Group, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to maintain security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Matthew Cavenaile)

A mother Common Merganser and her six ducklings came swimming toward me as I stood knee deep in the Merced River in Yosemite. Luckily, I had my camera already in hand as an Osprey was spotted over head - but had moved on. As the excitement built as this group was quickly approaching, I tried to stabilize myself in the flowing river - it wasn't moving very fast, but still required trying to find firm footing. Crouching to get as low as I could didn't help with the stability attempt. Such a wonderful moment in the already amazing Yosemite Valley I won't soon forget.

Must attribute with link to: www.ptpioneer.com

Image of a girl working out Outside doing stability ball dumbbell chest press In a sunny park.

PHILIPPINE SEA (Oct 19, 2022) Chief Gunner’s Mate David Stevens, from Westerville, Ohio, gives training on an M2HB .50-caliber machine gun during a crew-served weapons qualification aboard amphibious assault carrier USS Tripoli (LHA 7). Tripoli is operating in U.S. 7th Fleet to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and maintain stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Austyn Riley)

Olivier Blanchard, Economic Counsellor and Director of the Research Department of the IMF and Robert Zoellick, Senior Fellow at the John F. Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and former World Bank Group President speak during the luncheon conversation at the High Level Conference on Latin America - Rising Challenges to Growth and Stability in a Shifting Global Environment on Monday, June 1 at IMF Headquarters in Washington, D.C. IMF Photo/Ryan Rayburn

When defenses against the most immediate forms of mental disturbance have been raised, the assimilation of the principles of "right conduct" arouses in the mind an "intimate, unalloyed joy" joined with the stability and sureness of one who feels himself in a state of "justice." For which we are given the simile of a lawfully crowned king who knows that his enemies are routed and that there is no threat of any kind to his sovereignty. We have also acquired the strengthened "neutrality" or "sidereality" of the mind that, thanks to the fourfold contemplation, has further freed itself and is now at the center of all its experience, both internal and external. At this point we undertake the really cathartic action whose aim is to neutralize, by degrees, any possibility of "combustion" and of self-abandonment to the multiple variety of "contacts."

Contacts wound; contacts consume by exciting the fire that burns the body and the mind, which nourishes the samsaric stem and prostrates the higher principle. "The fool, struck by force, perishes; the wise man, when struck, does not tremble," he remains intact, remains unshakable, remains elusive; we must become like the wise man. It is a question, then, of dealing a blow at the transcendental "desire" that lurks in the visual and other senses, in the khandha (the groups of the personality), in the elements, and which is corruption, disease, suppuration. All this must naturally take place, not on the psychological or moral plane, but on the existential and metaphysical one. The beginning of the process of alteration lies in the senses, which are likened to so many "wounds." (…) In order to "bandage the wounds" and neutralize the infection provoked by contacts, we must ensure that "the internal sight, the internal smelling, the internal hearing, the internal tasting, the internal touching, the internal thinking are not distracted," that is to say, that we are present in the sixfold seat of the senses in such a way that we can immediately prevent any self-relaxation, self-attachment, self-intoxication, any luring of ourselves by enjoyment. There will be, then, no further building of combinations, at first in the fundamental stem of the will, and then in the five stems of the personality." This is the essence of the new work of catharsis.

This work is based on what is known as the "watch over the doors of the senses," for which the canonical formula is: "Upon perceiving a form with the eye, the ascetic conceives no inclination, no interest. Since craving and aversion and damaging and harmful thoughts soon overcome the man who lives with the eye unguarded, he remains vigilant, he guards the eye, he remains vigilant over the eye." Upon hearing a sound with the ear, upon smelling an odor with the nose, upon tasting a flavor with the tongue, upon touching a contact with the body, upon representing to himself a mental state with the mind, he conceives no inclination, he conceives no interest. Since craving and aversion and damaging and harmful thoughts soon overcome the man who lives with his mind unguarded, he remains vigilant, he guards the mind, he remains vigilant over the mind." To fail in this vigilance at some point is to suffer the fate of the tortoise: when the tortoise unthinkingly put out one of its limbs a jackal seized it by that limb and carried it off to its ruin.

In this matter then, we have to come to grips with the samsaric entity with which we are associated and that constitutes our double, composed of thirst. A continually tightening circle closes round it. It is effectively likened to an enemy who, knowing that he cannot openly defeat his adversary, gets himself employed by him as a servant and gains his confidence so that he may then defeat him by treachery: this is the part that the illusory "I," created by identification, plays in us until the time of initiation into the doctrine of the Ariya.

That the discipline of the watch over the senses or binding the wounds leads to a higher liberation is shown by the simile of the man who has at a crossroads a thoroughbred team and can guide them wherever he pleases. The man who does not know or who forgets this practice is dominated by forms, sounds, smells, tastes, contacts, and thoughts, instead of being their master.

In another way this discipline can also he summed up by the word silentium: "to gird oneself with silence," silence in the technical and initiatory sense. Impressions are arrested at the periphery, at the limit of the senses. Between them and the "I" there is now a distance, a zone of "silence." We thus become endowed with that form of silence that consists of not pronouncing either the exterior word or the interior word, and this in turn implies not hearing, not seeing, not imagining. This theme has also been expressed in a popular form. It is, in fact, the deeper, hidden significance of the well-known statuette of the three sacred monkeys, one with the ears closed, one with the mouth closed, and one with the eyes closed: speak not, hear not, see not. And we may here also recall the curious hermetical formula: "Who has ears, let him open them [in the sense of a close watch on every impression], who has a mouth, let him keep it shut [in the sense of the aforesaid silence, of calm, intangible 'neutrality']."

It is thus that the conditions for further liberation and then for awakening the extrasamsāric principle are consolidated.

As the natural counterpart of the watch on the doors of the senses, a world of disintoxication is carried out within the zone that is now isolated, in order to eliminate or reduce those internal smoldering embers of agitation and self-identification that may be made to burst into life by external contacts. This is what is known as the removal of the five nīvarana, a term that means a "dross," a "hindrance," or an "impediment." The five nīvarana are: desire (kāmacchanda); hate or anger (vyāpāda); slothful idleness (thīna-middha); pride and impatience (uddhacca- kukkucca); doubtful uncertainty (vicikicchā).

The action of these five hindrances is clearly indicated by the following similes: it is like trying to look at one's reflection in water wherein all kinds of colors are mixed (desire), or in boiling water (hate and anger), or in water full of mud and moss (slothful idleness), or in water agitated by the wind (pride and impatience), or finally, in dark and murky water (doubt). Removal is effected by direct action of the mind on the mind, together with accurate and calm self-examination. The discipline is described in the texts in the following manner.

The ascetic finds a solitary place and begins to meditate. A well-known yoga position is counseled: sit with legs crossed and body straight upright. This traditional Indo-Aryan position is, however, only suitable if one is so accustomed to it that it is quite natural and requires no special effort and does not produce fatigue. In general, the position recommended for this, as for other contemplations, must be one of equilibrium, which does not have to be changed; it must have a kind of symbolical meaning of self-awareness and it must not demand efforts that would distract the mind.

It is fundamentally a more advanced development of the states already induced by sīla or "right conduct." The aim here is obviously to bring us to a deeper zone by means of the strengthened power of internal vision that we have gained through the preceding disciplines. It is a matter of attacking, to some degree, the sankhara, that is to say, the innate and congenital tendencies that come, in part, from the extra-individual heredity that we have assumed.

Here, too, the purity achieved at certain moments comes to be developed until it has almost attained a state of permanency. This is how we must understand what is known as the "threefold watch": "by day, walking and sitting, turn the mind away from disturbing things; in the first watch of the night, walking and sitting, turn the mind away from disturbing things; in the middle watch of the night, lie down on the right side, like the lion, one foot on the other, bringing to mind the hour of waking; in the last watch of the night, after arising, walking or sitting, turn the mind away from disturbing things."

This is a kind of continuous examination of consciousness. The yama, the watches of the night that are recognized in this discipline consist, according to the Buddhist tradition, of four hours each; the first runs from six until ten in the evening, the second from ten until two in the morning, the third from two to six in the morning. Thus, strictly speaking, the period of true sleep or of the state that in the common man would correspond to sleep is restricted to four hours only, from ten in the evening until two in the morning. In this we must not see an "ascetic" discipline in the Western sense of mortification: on the contrary, it is natural that in advancing along the road of illumination the need for sleep is considerably reduced, and this reduction produces no ill effect. Here, too, a unilateral "authoritarian" intervention would only serve to create states of fatigue and inattention unfavorable for spiritual life by day.

With attentive care of the "wounds" and with action taken against the hindrances or impediments, the zone of "silence" is strengthened, and a gradual interior increase of the extrasamsāric quality takes place therein; this increase should he aided by illuminated effort and it is related to the aforesaid "seven awakenings". These "awakenings" are the positive counterpart of the cathartic or prophylactic action, that is to say, they are a "defence against intoxication produced by action." The canonical formula is: "[The ascetic] rightly causes the awakening of mindfulness derived from detachment, derived from dispassion, derived from cessation [of the flux], ending in renunciation, he causes the awakening of investigation -of inflexible energy- of enthusiasm -of calm- of concentration -of equanimity, of these awakenings derived from detachment, derived from dispassion, derived from cessation, ending in renunciation."

Various interpretations of the place of these awakenings in the whole development are, nevertheless, possible. Their sense as a whole, indeed, reflects that of the four jhānas, of the contemplation that is to be performed in complete detachment from external experience. Here, however, we may understand them on a more relative plane, as a kind of transfiguration and liberation of faculties that are already pervaded by the element of bodhi, whence the expression bojjhanga. It must be realized that we are not dealing with a simple schematic enu¬meration, but rather with a series in which the meditation whereby they are appre¬hended should pursue an intimate causal linking of the single terms so that we are naturally led on from one to the next, and so that in the one we see the integration and resolution of its predecessors. Thus, we must first achieve nondistracted medita¬tion: then we must awaken the state of "mindfulness," fix it in the mind, develop it, master it, and see how this state leads to the second awakening and passes into "investigation," which may find support in some element of the doctrine; this inves¬tigation, when developed, fixed, extended, and mastered must lead on to the awak¬ening of "inflexible energy," whose perfect conquest should herald a state of spe¬cial, purified "enthusiasm," of purified joy. By further developing the meditation, we should realize that this enthusiasm, this joy, awakened and perfectly developed in a body that is becoming calm, in a mind that is becoming calm, will become resolved and liberated in the next awakening, which is that of "calm." When calm has been developed, extended, fixed, and mastered, "concentration" awakens; this, in its turn, when completely developed, becomes established and shines forth in the "equanimity" that is the seventh awakening.

These form a series of landmarks in meditation that is concerned with realization and they are connected by an inherent continuity. Through these, one is led in another way to the confirmation of what was already becoming established in the satipatthāna, the fourfold contemplation of detachment, that is to say, one is led to that impassibility that is qualified as "pure, clear, ductile, flexible, resplendent," but which has nothing to do-it should be noted-with the indifference of a blunt mind, with the indifference "of a fool, of an ignorant man, of an inexpert common man." For our part, we think it opportune to add that the state in question must on no account be confused with apathy, and that it develops together with a feeling of purified intellectualized and heroic joy, although this may at first seem difficult to understand. The Bhagavadgītā says: "When the mind, lamed by ascesis, becomes quiet; when [the ascetic], seeing the self in the self, rejoices in himself, knows that boundless joy which, transcending the senses, can only be ap¬prehended by the intellect and, when fixed in it, does not stir from the truth ... he knows that this detachment from union with pain is called yoga." At the same time, Buddhism speaks of a pleasure that is "like dung" when compared to that based on detachment, calm, and illumination (thus two kinds of joy are considered and contrasted. the one bound to life in the world, to mania, to enjoyment, the other to ascesis or to ultramundane states of detachment and of freedom from mania; and it is said that the second is the higher joy. "Extinction is the greatest joy.")

Furthermore, such sequences as these are frequent: "In the ascetic joy arises; this joy makes him blissful; being blissful, his body becomes calm: with the body calmed, serenity arises; in this serenity the mind comes to rest, becomes concentrated"; this is a preparation for the four jhāna. This is another sequence that has the character of a connected series, developing in an upward sense, not unlike that which, through the twelve nidana, led us downward to samsāric existence. The point of departure of this new series is, in fact, the state of suffering, of agitation, of contingency, which corresponds to the last nidāna of the descending path. Beyond it, there is the state of confidence; this leads to purified joy; then follows serenity, which gives place to bliss, passing on to equanimity - the term used here literally means also to vanish, to cease being in a place: it is a question of detached equilibrium. In this text the supreme realization has behind it a linked series in which special states of liberated joy play a particular part: a kind of joy that Plato contrasted with all mixed and conditioned forms of joy or of pleasure.

Let us quote another text that represents the state at which we may reckon to have arrived at this point of our exposition: „Concentration which knows neither increase nor decrease, which is not based on wearisome subjugation, which, because of its detached nature is constant, because of its constancy is full of bliss, because of its bliss cannot be destroyed — such concentration has suprene wisdom as its result.”

This should destroy the idea that the path of awakening is arid and desolate, that it kills all joy, that it offers only renunciation and destruction. That everyone whose furthest horizon is still within the effective, samsarically conditioned world should have this idea is quite natural but is of very little account.

A text reminds us that only an Awakened One can comprehend the Awakened One. An expressive simile demonstrates this: two companions leave a city together and reach a rock that one of them climbs. He says to the other: "I see from up here a wonderful view of gardens, woods, fields, and lakes," but the other retorts: "It is impossible, it is inadmissible, friend, that from up there you can see all that." Then the companion standing on the rock comes down, takes the other by the arm, makes him climb up on the rock and. after he has recovered his breath, asks him: "What do you then see, friend, standing on the rock?" The other replies: "I see a wonderful view of gardens, woods, fields, and lakes." "And your previous opinion?" "While I was obstructed by this great rock, I could not see what is now visible." It concludes: it is impossible that what is knowable, discernible, capable of achievement, capable of realization through detachment can be known, discerned, achieved, realized by one who lives among desires and who is consumed by desires." Quite apart from the higher "sidereal" principle. the Buddhist also knows the kind of joy that is contentedness, rejoicing, jubilation, enthusiasm, exultation, transport of the spirit and that, among others, is considered as "a factor of the great awakening”.

[Countering those who believe that the Buddhist road is one of desolation and aridity, Louis de La Vallée-Poussin most opportunely writes: “We must, rather, recognise that India is difficult when it comes to being and bliss; that as she puts being beyond existence, so she puts bliss beyond sensation.”]

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Julius Evola: The Doctrine of Awakening - Part II., Chapter 4. - Sidereal Awareness: The Wounds Close (excerpt)

Body & Head

Kalhene - ANYA BENTO fitted mesh Body + Head Updated v2.2 Demo is available

Skin: 7 Deadly s[K]ins - BOM - CHILE marshmellow

Izzie's Free BOM Updates III - LeLutka - Cheek Freckles (light) 70% past gift

Eyes: Le Forme Natural green Mesh Eyes Access GIFT

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Clothing

Jeans: Scandalize Nessiha Jeans Nude (pack of 2) JEANS.JEAN. MAITREYA 15L current hunt prize

Sweater: :: No Cabide :: Lis Sweater - HUD 20 Models MP Gift

Shoes: Ingenue :: Haru Flats [LARA] :: Cotton Candy [SL17B] past gift

Accessories

Earrings: Bears Gone Wild SL17B - Stud bEarRing Left - by Randy Firebrand past gift

Ring: Chop Zuey Gift - Bling Ring - TxChnge

Pets

Forest Fashion Friends - Baby Fox (RARE) by JIAN Gacha 50L a go

Pose

an lar [poses] The Walled Series - Five MP Gift

Location

Breath of Nature, Serena Falls

PHILIPPINE SEA (Sept. 19, 2020) Seaman Hau Tran, from Killeen, Texas, walks the well deck of the amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18) searching for foreign object debris before the ship conducts amphibious operations. New Orleans, part of Expeditionary Strike Group Seven (ESG 7), along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kelby Sanders)

L2.05W0.82H1.14M120 • Cₓ0.2 • 0.5MW, 3,156Nm @12kHz, η>99%

EVBM18kg Li₂O₂ 40M୧ 720MJ • 679kph • 0-100kph→0.5s 5.665g₀

If you rode the rest of your life and really became the best that you could be, you would never ride like l ride.

S.S. LaBeouf in W.O. Stone 2010: WS: Money never sleeps.

Cfr. notes (1-18) over the above image.

NOTES

1. Windscreen-integrated MR-HUD + 3D holographic dashboard. 2. C-ABS, AWTVS, s-ϑ-v sensors on front & rear wheels. 3. Öhlins FGR300 Carbon ⌀60×S130 mm AS front fork. 4. 355mm T5 CCTi front brake vented discs. 5. Brembo GP5 front brake 4-piston fixed calipers. 6. 220mm T5 CCTi rear brake vented disc @ dx side. 7. Brembo GP5 rear brake 2-piston fixed caliper @ dx side. 8. BST GP Tek front + rear wheels (1.7+2.4 Kg). 9. 120/60ZR17 front tire. 10. 200/55ZR17 rear tire. 11. 525 17/46 drive chain. 12. 66.4° steering head angle. 13. 200° front/rear cameras. 14. Öhlins Carbon BDB50 S117mm AS rear shock absorber. 15. AWARHD. 16. M winglets provide 160N @300kph. 17. ϑ°ₘₐₓ 70°. 18. Lateral battery packs with the additional function of gyroscopic stabilizers.

Pₘₐₓ = Fₓ v = 2⁻¹ Cₓ A ρ vₘₐₓ³ → vₘₐₓ = ∛(2Pₘₐₓ Cₓ⁻¹ A⁻¹ ρ⁻¹) ≅ 678.6 km/h (A, frontal area ≅ 0.5 m²). Actual performance would depend on various factors, including aerodynamics, traction, and mechanical limitations. In this simplified model, v primarily depends on P and Cₓ rather than on M, and vₘₐₓ remains the same even with a slightly higher OAM.

REFERENCES

D.A. Vincenzi & al. 2024: Human factors in simulation & training.

M. Ghafarian & al. 2023: Dynamic Vehicular Motion Simulators.

B. González-Arcos & P.J. Gamez-Montero 2023: MotoGP airflow redirectors.

K. Wiński & A. Piechna 2022: Sport motorcycle CFD.

E. Frœse & al. 1985: Le parc (Street Hawk OST).

D. Byrne & al. 1983: This must be the place.

K. Gamble & al. 1973: For the love of money.

ÆM · EGP 2019 · 無限 神電八 2019 TT0 · LS218 2013 · ZM DSR-BF

BMW ÆM 2017 · DUCATI V21L · MOTOROiD 2017 · I/MI-B · TF · SA

Stark Varg SM 2025

OKINAWA, Japan (Aug. 27, 2020) Landing Craft, Air Cushion 10, center, assigned to Naval Beach Unit 7, arrives at White Beach from the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42). Germantown, part of America Expeditionary Strike Group, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit team, is operating in the 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners, and serves as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Taylor DiMartino)

“Greater safety and stability and steep turns at high speed, without skidding or capsizing, are hoped for in a hydroplane designed by Thomas A. Edison Lake. The boat is really three small hydroplanes, joined by a framework. There is three-point contact with the water, to help keep the craft on an even keel. Steering is done with the rear hull and, on quick turns, the two forward pontoons can be banked at an angle, in order to counteract any tendency to skidding.” [Text from the accompanying article]

As I wasn't really happy with my first version, I took it apart and this is what came out after the redesign. No more ugly gaps and stretched by 2 studs. Overall stability improved. I hope you guys like it.

DAVOS/SWITZERLAND, 24JAN14 - Philipp M. Hildebrand (L), Vice-Chairman, BlackRock, United Kingdom and Mario Draghi (R), President, European Central Bank, Frankfurt discuss during the session 'The Path from Crisis to Stability' at the Annual Meeting 2014 of the World Economic Forum at the congress centre in Davos, January 24, 2014.

WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM/swiss-image.ch/Photo Remy Steinegger

.

ON APRIL 10 1978, at the age of twenty-four Judy Cameron became the first female Air Canada pilot.

Gosh, it was a risky move. The only other “big player” airline to consider the similar venture of a female pilot, was American Airlines. Quietly, Air Canada had reviewed NASA’s conclusions with regard to “emotional stability” and female astronauts.

NASA had discovered and documented their results. Women were just as calm, just as logical, and just as disciplined as men at the helm. The ancient Canadian airline was sold—they would go with Judy.

But this IS the alternate universe we live in, the one, you know, where Air Canada Flight 621 crashed in Castlemore, ON on this day, July 5, 1970, killing all 109 passengers and crew.

One of those Air Canada stewardesses that perished that awful day was a Denise Goulet and had she NOT died, I believe Denise—not Judy—would have been Air Canada’s first female pilot.

Judy Cameron decidedly took to flying even after a joker-pilot took her up on her first flight, did some spins, stalled his airplane (a Cessna 150) and then pretended he had to do a forced landing…because well, the airplane was now in trouble (component failure or he faked an inability to restart his engine) and to save their lives—they must land immediately!

Judy was scared as hell during the whole flight!

However, when the traumatic flight was over and she was safely on the ground Judy immediately knew…she just had to get her pilot’s license.

Judy took five years to rack up the necessary flying hours and flight experience…on various aircraft (including multi-engine ones) to even be considered as a pilot for any airline. By 1978 she had accumulated the flying experience that Air Canada couldn’t overlook—so she was indeed hired, and history was made. Air Canada had its first female pilot.

In contrast, Air Canada stewardess, Denise Goulet, by age twenty-two already had many parachute jumps under her belt. Her first jump was at age seventeen. And while she had been a stewardess for just shy of three years, she had disclosed to family and friends that she too had committed to getting her pilot’s licence. And fam and friends knew once Denise set her sights on a goal—she would achieve it.

That said, Denise had one huge advantage over Judy.

Denise’s father, Henri-Paul Goulet, was already a commercial pilot! Qualified not just on airplanes, but helos (helicopters) as well. Not many pilots had this dual certification then, or now.

You can bet that once Denise had gotten her private pilot’s licence, her pilot dad would have pulled out all the stops. Commercial pilot's license next…then her multi-engine rating and experience on multiple aircraft. Certainly, on jets. Maybe even helicopters.

Assuming the same career timeline—Denise would have been qualified and been commercial pilot status ready—early, by 1975. Three years before Judy.

By 1978, Denice would have been twenty-nine with far greater flight experience, and the chronologically more mature pilot.

Also, again, it cannot be understated how much attention, flying experience, and extra help Denise would have received through her father. A huge advantage…over and above any advantage Judy actually got.

Think of Walter and Wayne Gretzky, and you’ll start to understand the Henri-Paul and Denise Goulet connection.

Alas, it was not to be.

On July 5th, 1970 that fateful day, a call from Air Canada came into the Goulet residence at around 10 am.

That call would be answered by Denise’s eleven-year-old sister, Louise Goulet who was there at home, alone with her mother, Pauline (nee Roux). And, moments after Louise handed the phone over to her mother…their world came crashing in.

Simultaneously, Denise’s brother Andre who had borrowed Luke Gruninger’s Mustang to pick up Denise at the Los Angeles airport (LAX) waited for her flight to arrive. The trio was going to spend time together visiting California, seeing the younger generation sites. In August, Pauline and Denise were going to tour California together.

As Andre waited at the airport, it was finally announced that Flight 621 had crashed in Canada—with no survivors.

What most folks don’t really get about Air Canada’s Flight 621 crash IS that it was the Canadian parallel or equivalent newsworthy event to the JFK assassination in America!

That’s right.

Ask anyone in the USA what they were doing when they got the news that their much-loved president, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, had been assassinated.

They’ll tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing—and then they'll recall their immediate grief from that very news!

Well, I’ve talked with many, many, folks about the Air Canada DC-8 “stretch” crash in Woodbridge then (Brampton now).

The first recollections these people comment on is usually that it was a Sunday morning. Or, that it was such a beautiful day outside. Next, they'll recall exactly what they were doing at the moment they learned the shocking news of the Toronto area air disaster.

Usually, that news came over the radio, since everyone listened to the radio back then, at least in the background. And then there was a personal sorrow and a realization of their inability to help in any way. But their hearts and prayers were with the victim's families.

So many lives lost and no survivors! And so close to Toronto. And then the inevitable question—how did this crash happen?

That’s what this Air Canada plane crash meant to Canadians at the time. It was a sad and riveting moment for the entire nation.

From Patricia Harding,

“Denise and I trained together as Air Canada Flight Attendants in Montreal. She was a lovely person. I was in Vancouver on a stopover when we heard the news of the crash. We were grief-stricken and so traumatized that we were unable to work our flight back home. We had to stay in Vancouver and were flown home a couple of days later. The flight crew were all known to us and were like family. We were young and had so many dreams for the future. I have never forgotten and I will carry her memory with me always.”

From Nancy Holloway Gunson,

"I was working a C. P. Air flight that fateful day from Vancouver to Montreal. Before take off, we didn't receive any newspapers to hand out to passengers (these were the days when newspapers published 3 times a day and Vancouver was also 3 hours behind Toronto's time) and I remember asking a ground crew member why, and he told that there weren't any. I thought that that was very odd. Little did I realize that the crash was front page news.

My heart aches for those who perished. Denise Goulet was a beautiful young woman."

Look at the picture above of Denise Goulet.

If ever there was someone full of hope and promise it was Denise.

Her Air Canada stewardess picture is courtesy of Denise’s younger sister, Louise who answered the fateful call from Air Canada on that day.

And sadly, but truly, Denise is standing in front of an Air Canada DC-8 just like the one she perished in.

From the Walsingham poem,

“But true love is a durable fire,

In the mind ever burning.

Never sick, never old, never dead,

From itself never turning.”

Sir Walter Ralegh

Check here, on July 5, 2020, after 7 pm:

www.flickr.com/photos/78215847@N00/albums/721576246894922...

ADD A CONDOLENCE to the FLIGHT 621 FAMILIES, or a LOVED ONE from FLIGHT 621, or a MEMORY of a PERSONAL EVENT related to the crash…at the City of Brampton's permanent Flight 621 site…SEE: www.brampton.ca/EN/City-Hall/Protocol-Office/Brampton-Rem...

REST IN PEACE passengers and crew of Flight 621:

Adams, Celine Fradette

Adams, Pierre J

Beaudin, Gaetan

Belanger, Mrs.

Belanger, Jacques

Belanger, Jean

Belanger, Roland

Belanger, Rosanne

Benson, Helen

Benson, Leonard

Benson, Mary

Benson, Richard

Bertrand, Ginette

Boosamra, Lynn

Boulanger, Guy

Bradshaw, Dollie

Cedilot, Robert J

Chapdeleine, Jeannine

Chapdeleine, Joanne

Chapdeleine, Mario

Charent, Jean Maurice

Clarke, Devona Olivia

Cote, Francine

Daoust, Yolande

Desmarais, Brigitte

Desmarais, G

Dicaire, Alice (Marie)

Dicaire, Gilles

Dicaire, Linda

Dicaire, Luke

Dicaire, Mark

Dion, Suzanne

Dore, Jacqueline

Earle, Lewella

Earle, Linda

Filippone, Francesco

Filippone, Linda

Filippone, Marie

Gee, Bernard

Goulet, Denise M

Grenier, Madeleine

Growse, Diana Cicely

Growse, Jane

Growse, Roger

Hamilton, Karen E

Hamilton, Peter Cameron

Herrmann, Ronald Alvin

Hill, Harry Gordon

Holiday, Claude

Houston, Irene Margaret

Houston, Wesley

Jakobsen, Vagn Aage

Labonte, Gilles

Leclaire, Marie Rose

Leclaire, Oscar

Leduc, Henri W

Lepage, Claudette

Mailhiot, Claire Gagnon

Mailhiot, Gerald Bernard

Maitz, Gustave

Maitz, Karoline

McKettrick, Winnifred

McTague, John

Medizza, Carla

Mohammed, Dolly

Molino, Antonio

Molino, Michael (Michel)

Moore, Frederick T

Partridge, Andrea

Partridge, Carnie (Carnis) Ann

Partridge, Cyril Wayne

Phillips, Kenneth William

Poirier, Rita

Raymond, Gilles

Raymond, Martial

Robert, Aline

Robert, Georges E

Robidoux, Lionel

Rowland, Donald

Silverberg, Marci

Silverberg, Merle

Silverberg, Steven

Simon, Istvan

Simon, Mark

Smith, Dwight Lee

St. Laurent, Blanche

Stepping, Glenn Thomas

Sultan, Celia

Sultan, Jerald. M

Sultan, Robert. L

Szpakowicz, Borys

Szpakowicz, Serge

Tielens, Carmen

Tielens, Frederick

Tournovits, George

Tournovits, Soula (Athanasia)

Weinberg, Carla

Weinberg, Rita

Weinberg, Wendy

Whittingham, Jennifer

Whittingham, John

Whittingham, Reginald

Whybro, Mary Baker

Wieczorek, Hildegund

Witmer, Edgar

Wong, Ngar-Quon

Wong, Suzie

Wong, Wong (Mansing)

Woodward, Dallas J

© 2019 Paul Cardin - Friends of Flight 621

(to be refined further at a later date)

PACIFIC OCEAN (Aug. 19, 2020) Seaman Yawo Afodagni, from Silver Spring, Md., directs the approach of Landing Craft, Utility 1666, from Navy Beach Unit (NBU) 7 into the well deck of the amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18). New Orleans, part of the America Expeditionary Strike Group, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners, and serves as a ready response force to defend security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kelby Sanders)

"no to Iranian occupation in East Kurdistan"

Today, the middle east summit has begun in Warsaw. The Summit focuses on " Stability, peace, freedom and security in the middle east ". an important part of ensuring that Iran is " not a destabilizing influence ".

On the occasion of this summit, Kurds, Baloch, azéris and Arabs (minorities of Iran) have gathered together at a rally in Warsaw to protest against Iran's anti-Iranian policy and to express their demand for self-determination and freedom.

Kurds urge unity in the course against the Iranian regime

The East Kurdish parties, not invited to the middle east summit in Warsaw, say that the world must cooperate with the opposition forces in Iran if it wants to contain the destabilising activities of the Islamic Republic.

"the different international views and approaches to the Islamic Republic have helped the regime", says it in a statement by the political parties of the east kurdistan political parties on Monday.

The parties make it clear that the Iranian regime has survived years of wars, protests and sanctions, because it is 'at NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVEL'.

The Centre was founded by five Kurdish parties in Iran to better coordinate their activities. Members include the democratic party of Kurdistan (Kdp-I), the democratic party of Kurdistan Iran (Pdki) and komala.

They condemned the fact that they were not invited to the Warsaw conference on 13. And 14. February, but said they would welcome a single international voice against Tehran.

There was no ABS, no traction control, no electro-hydraulic paddle shifting, and no stability control. With a 201 mph top speed and 0 to 60 mph in less than four seconds, no one was disappointed with the F40. Ferrari proposed only a limited run of 400 or so F40s, but the model's reception was overwhelming and the run kept growing until 1,315 were built by the time production ended in 1991.

The F40 was a simple machine that, like the greatest Ferraris of the past, relied upon its engine for its performance. Suspension and layout were conventional, and there were no serious attempts to employ cutting-edge technology. The F40 was good, sound, basic design, with a superb twin-turbocharged engine, aerodynamics heavily weighted toward downforce and stability, and generous use of lightweight composite materials. The chassis was - like the 125 built 40 years before - based on two large-diameter steel tubes. They were joined and stiffened by light, compound structures, to be sure, but the basic form was as rudimentary as the ones welded together in the Gilberto shops a generation before.

Competition was not in Ferrari's original plan for the F40, but Daniel Marin, managing director of French Ferrari importer Charles Pozzi SA, took the initiative and authorized Michelotto, the famed Padova Ferrari service centre, to construct a series of F40 LMs for racing under IMSA rules in the U.S. Just 19 were built.

These were followed by five official F40 GT's, also built by Michelotto to regulations for the Italian Supercar Championship and, as F50 GTE's, in the mid-'90s BPR GT series. The BPR Organization adopted air-restrictor regulations to handicap engine output and overall performance, but the lessons learned in the earlier competition F40s were applied to the limits of the rules in building the F40 GT's for these series. These few F40 GT's were much more highly developed race cars that were lighter, had better aerodynamics and sophisticated flat-floor ground effects, full ball-jointed suspensions, quick-fill fuel systems, wider wheels and tires, lower ride heights and other improvements that made them the most sophisticated of all the F40-based race cars, and potentially the fastest when relieved of their air-restrictor trumpets.

The GT programme was adopted by many owners independently and as a result a number of cars were privately converted (from a standard road car) over the years and successfully raced in various championships throughout the world. Such was the effectiveness of the basic design of the F40 that cars were seen out racing at a competitive level right through until the late 90's, when the cars were by then some ten years old! A remarkable feat.

This F40 was supplied new to Italy, being manufactured in 1989 and delivered in 1990 as a standard Non Cat & Non Adjust example. Some years later the car found its way to Japan where it was uprated and it is believed it raced in the Japanese GT series. More recently the car found its way back to Europe and has been subjected to a beautiful restoration at which time the car was repainted, had all four corners stripped and rebuilt, a full engine inspection and service, and an interior retrim.

As such, today the car is UK road registered and presented in superb concours condition throughout but importantly in its "GT" specification. This includes, lightweight clam shells front & rear, lightweight lower rear valence, "LM" style headlights & front clam shell with added radiator extraction ducts, "LM style sill Nasa duct, fully adjustable waste gate, revised engine management, big brakes & wheels, digital race dash, electric passenger window, fully adjustable suspension and "LM" venturi ducts & rear wing.

The car represents a fabulous potential track day assault weapon or even an F40 for the road with a bit more flare! For Enzo Ferrari's 40th anniversary as a constructor under his own name, he gave his design team a very simple instruction: 'Build a car to be the best in the world.' Time has shown that they complied. [DK Engineering web site]

DK Engineering Showcase Day 2015

It's the first shot I post here from my vacation with my darling in Karlovy Vary [Carlsbad] , it's a spa city situated in western Bohemia, Czech Republic, on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá, approximately 130 km (80.78 miles) west of Prague. It is named after King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in 1370. It is historically famous for its hot springs (13 main springs, about 300 smaller springs, and the warm-water Teplá River).

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

Canon 50D

Canon 50mm f1.8II

Me on Facebook

Playing with collage and architecture.

SEA OF JAPAN (Aug. 3, 2020) An MH-53 Sea Dragon helicopter from Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 14 (HM-14) takes off from the flight deck of the amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18). New Orleans, part of the America Expeditionary Strike Group, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners, and serves as a ready response force to defend security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kelby Sanders)

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the model, the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

A monitor is a class of relatively small warship that is lightly armoured, often provided with disproportionately large guns, and originally designed for coastal warfare. The term "monitor" grew to include breastwork monitors, the largest class of riverine warcraft known as river monitors and was sometimes used as a generic term for any turreted ship. In the early 20th century, the term "monitor" included shallow-draft armoured shore bombardment vessels, particularly those of the Royal Navy: the Lord Clive-class monitors carried guns that fired the heaviest shells ever used at sea and saw action against German targets during World War I.

Two small Royal Navy monitors from the First World War, Erebus and Terror survived to fight in the Second World War. When the requirement for shore support and strong shallow-water coastal defence returned, new monitors and variants such as coastal defence ships were built. Allied monitors saw service in the Mediterranean in support of the British Eighth Army's desert and Italian campaigns, and they were part of the offshore bombardment for the Invasion of Normandy in 1944.

On 12 June she returned to Portsmouth to rearm, but her guns were worn out again, so she was ordered to sail to Rosyth via the Straits of Dover. She evaded German coastal batteries, partly due to effective radar jamming, but hit a mine 28 miles off Harwich early on 13 June. The explosion ripped her bow apart, leaving a gaping leak, and she sank within just a couple of minutes. Only 57 men of Ludgar’s crew survived.

General characteristics:

Displacement: 9,090 long tons (9,185 t)

Length: 436 ft (133.1 m) overall

Beam: 97 ft (29.6 m)

Draught: 11 ft 8 in (3.6 m)

Complement: 224

Propulsion:

4× Babcock & Wilcox water-tube boilers, generating a combined 6,000 ihp (4,500 kW) via

triple-expansion steam engines with two shafts

Performance:

Top speed: 16.5 knots (30 km/h; 19 mph)

Range: 2,480 nmi (4,590 km; 2,850 mi)

Armament:

2× twin BL 15-inch L42 Mk I naval guns

8 × single QF 4-inch Mk V naval guns

2 × triple two-pounder (40 mm) anti-aircraft guns

10x single Oerlikon 20mm (0.787 in) anti-aircraft machine cannon

The kit and its assembly:

This was another submission for the "Gunships" group build at whatifmodellers.com in late 2021 - and what would such a competition be without a literal "gunship" in the form of a monitor ship? I had wanted to scratch such a vehicle for a while, and the GB was a good motivation to tackle this messy project.

The idea was to build a post-WWI monitor for the Royal Navy. From WWI, several such ships had survived and they were kept in reserve and service into WWII, some even survived this war after extensive use. However, the layout of a typical monitor ship, with low draft, a relatively wide hull and heavy armament for land bombardments, is rather special and finding a suitable basis for this project was not easy - and I also did not want to spend a fortune just in donor parts.

Then I recently came across Hobby Boss 1:700 kit of the USS Arizona (in its 1941 guise, w/o the hull barbettes), and after some comparison with real British monitors I found my starting point - and it was dirty cheap. Righteously, though, because the model is rather primitive, comparable with the simple Matchbox 1:700 waterline ships. There are also some dubious if not cringeworthy solutions. For instance, in order to provide the superstructures with open windows, the seams between the single levels run right through the windows! WTF? These seams can hardly be hidden, it's really an awkward solution. Another freak detail: the portholes on the lower hull protrude like pockmarks, in real life they'd the 1 1/2 ft (50 cm) deep?! Some details like the cranes on the upper deck are also very "robust", it is, in the end, IMHO not a good model. But it was just the starting for me for "something else"...

Modifications started with shortening the hull. Effectively, I cut out more then 3 1/2 in from the body, which is an integral part with side walls and main deck, basically any straight hull section disappeared, leaving only the bow and stern section. My hope was that these could be simple glued together for a new, wide hull - but this did not work without problems, because the rear section turned out to be a bit wider than the front. What to do...? I eventually solved this problem through wedge-shaped cuts inside of the integral railings. With some force, lots of glue and a stiffening structure inside the new hull could be completed.

Next the original turret bases had to disappear. as well as two of the four anchors and their respective chains on the foredeck. I retained as much of the original superstructure as possible, as it looked quite plausible even for a shorter ship, but since the complete hull basis for it had been gone, some adaptations had to be made. The main level was shortened a little and I had to scratch the substruction from styrene sheet, so that it would match with the stepped new hull.

At the same time I had to defined where the main turret(s) would be placed - and I settled for two, because the deck space was sufficient and the ship's size would make them appear plausible. A huge problem were the turret mounts, though - since a monitor has only little draught, the hull is not very deep. Major gun turrets are quite tall things, on battleships only the turret itself with the guns can be normally seen. But on a monitor they stand really tall above the waterline, and their foundation needs a cover. I eventually found a very nice solution in the form of 1:72 jet engine exhausts from Intech F-16s - I has a pair of these featureless parts in the spares box, and with some trimming and the transplantation of the original turtret mounts the result looks really good.

In the meantime the hull-mounted gun barbettes of USS Arizona had to disappear, together with the pockmarks on the hull. A messy affair with several PSR rounds. Furthermore, I added a bottom to the waterline hull, cut from 0.5 mm styrene sheet, and added plaster and lead beads as ballast.

Most of the superstructure, up to the conning tower, were mostly taken OOB. I just gave the ship a more delicate crane and re-arranged the lifeboats, and added two small superstructures to the rear deck as AA-stations, behind the rear tower - the space had been empty, because USS Arizona carried aircraft catapults there.

For the armament I used the OOB main turrets, but only used two of the three barrels (blanking of the opening in the middle). The 4 in guns were taken OOB to their original positions, the lighter 20 mm AA guns were partly placed in the original positions, too, and four of them went to a small platform at stern. For even more firepower I added two small turrets with three two-pounder AA guns, one on the rear deck and another right in front of the bridge.

Painting and markings:

The ship might look odd in its fragmented multi-colored camouflage - but this scheme was inspired by the real HMS Terror, an monitor that operated in early 1941 on the coast of North Africa and carried a similar makeshift camouflage. This consisted of a multitude of sand and brown tones, applied over an overall light grey base. I mimicked this design, initially giving the ship at first a uniform livery in 507b (Humbrol 64), together with an unpainted but weathered wooden deck (Humbrol 187 plus a washing with sepia ink) and horizontal metal surfaces either in a dark grey (507a, Humbrol 106) or covered with a red-brown coat of Corticene (Humbrol 62). As a personal detail I gave the ship false bow and stern waves on the hull in white. Another personal mod is the light grey (507c, Humbrol 147) conning tower - as mentioned in the background, I found that this light grey would be most useful when the ship itself was hidden behind the horizon from view, and only the conning tower would be directly visible in front of a hazy naval background.

On top of the grey hull I added several other paints, including khaki drab (FS 34087 from Modelmaster), red brown (FS 30118, Humbrol 118), khaki drill (Humbrol 72), mid stone (Humbrol 225) and light stone (Humbrol 121).

The model received an overall washing with dark grey and some rust stains with various brown and red shades of simple watercolors. The waterline was created with long and thin black 1.5 mm decal stripes, a very convenient and tidy solution. Finally, all parts were sealed with matt acrylic varnish, and after the final assembly I also added some rigging to the main mast with heated black sprue material.

Phew, this was quite a challenge, the result looks good overall, but I am not happy with the finish. Ships are not my strength and you see the Hobby Boss kit's flaws and weaknesses everywhere. Then add massive bodywork, and thing look even more shaggy (*sigh*). Nevertheless, the model looks like a typical monitor ship, and when I take the rather crappy USS Arizona kit as basis/benchmark, the "new" HMS Ludgar is not a bad achievement. It's surely not a crisp model, but the impression is good and this is what counts most to me.

STABILITY , Peace & Development , with His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapakse , is what Sri Lanka needs !

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