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In the documents it said that Hammond was in the dinning district, he was on a date with Vicky Vale tonight. I headed into center Gotham. Back to the once burning city, now trying rebuild itself while the war is over, but soon a new one will come. When the war does come, I will have to be ready. I had no time to think of the war now though, I had a job to do. I launched a rope to the top of high rise apartments, the veiw from the top should give me a clear sight of Hammond. My sniper was loaded and strapped to my back, I began to scale the building. I took each step carefully but quickly, assuming his date would only last half an hour. It was dark so nobody would see me, but it meant I couldn't see what I was doing. Just a regular day for me.
Hope you like it :D
The International Space Station passes over the Washington National Cathedral on the evening of a Blue Moon.
Kids crossing the Niger river in Mopti in Mali, West Africa.
Photo used as cover and spine photo on Mark Jenkins book "To Timbuktu, a journey down the Niger", published by Rodale Inc.
First off thanks to Thorpeland for his testimonial! Too sweet of him =)
Back to work tonight. Not sure about this photo, I've been seeing it in my head for a while and it didn't turn out quite like I expected? I love doing clone shots though, there's so much to learn in Photoshop! My original thought process just wrapped around settling in "love" when you aren't really happy. I know I've compromised my own happiness bunch of times just hoping for that quick fix. I'll always be a hopeless romantic and deep down want every relationship to work. But, I think right now I've actually made smart choices (for once). I haven't just jumped in to cure that loneliness. That's a good thing. Let's hope I can keep it up. I guess that means I'm growing up or something??
...Although, my clone IS looking pretty tempting ;) Loosly based on Meagan Burges photo found here: www.flickr.com/photos/shadesofjadephotography/3663164622/
No correspondence.
Military-men were able to purchase equipment and uniforms privately. These items were superior in quality than the issue type and were very popular with the officer class. I would encourage you to view this image in "original size" and view the merchandise on display in the windows.
It is difficult to envisage a scenario whereby the troublesome Class 17s would have survived into the shadow-privatisation era. Some form of rebuilding would have been necessary, most probably involving the fitting of more reliable power units. One option would have been to convert to dual mode, with a single higher-powered diesel engine plus the batteries and ancillary equipment needed to enable battery operation. Such hybrid locomotives would have been useful for infrastructure work, particularly in tunnels. This fictional example in BR General grey livery has been re-numbered into the departmental 97 xxx series (20-Feb-21).
All rights reserved. Not to be posted on Facebook or anywhere else without my prior written permission. Please follow the link below for additional information about my Flickr images:
www.flickr.com/photos/northernblue109/6046035749/in/set-7...
Amtrak 303, the second train of the day from Chicago, rolls off the MacArthur Bridge at Gratiot St and makes its jaunt through the switches that will take it to the St Louis Amtrak Station.
AMT303 02 (SB Lincoln Service)
IDTX SC-44 #4620
St Louis, MO
February 2nd, 2020
Oi gente!!
To com uma mani do Brasil, mas não fotografei ainda, vcs ainda aguentam essas temáticas da copa por aqui? Posso postar na próxima? rs. Então, esse rosa lindo da Cora eu encontrei na capital (Aracaju), já que aqui na minha cidade não vende, e tava com um preço tão amigo, vcs imaginam e sabem bem como é essa alegria né!
Eu usei no meu primeiro dia de trabalho, pq queria algo que não fosse muito "chamativo", mas ao mesmo tempo deixasse claro que eu gosto de esmalte e vou continuar usando cores, muitas cores, hahaha (sou doida) :P
Eu amei e vcs me contem o que acharam. Foram duas camadas e por baixo o Casco de cavalo da Ludurana, que é muito bom por sinal.
Bjos e ótima semana ;**
New to CASAL (Companhia de Autocarros de Santo António, Lda), and originaly had a Salvador Caetano Alpha body, then moved to Horários Do Funchal where they build this body. This bus, was, unfortunately scrapped a few months ago, it was parked for years. The last of these working in AFAVIAS (PO-96-49) was scrapped a few weeks ago, it's a shame, always loved these buses...
Calgary must have drawn the short straw when it came to the date for their Pride Parade... the September Labour Day Weekend is more a signal for winter's begin than the ending of summer... Nonetheless, the coolish weather did not deter Calgarians who love our amazing diversity from turning out to enjoy a wonderful parade. It was deeply touching to see so many individuals, families, parents and children, all decked out to say YAY! to diversity. Even after the parade, walking back to the car, I saw hundreds of flags, socks, etc magically spreading out into the city, as if driven like snow in a blizzard by an awesome fairy queen! Although it is essentially our LGBTQ Parade, many other groups and even businesses have joined in to really accentuate what diversity truly means. Along with our community march a lot of other communities who realize that love, joy, and celebrating who you actually are is so much more important than religious or political dogma. Kudos go our stunning Filipino Community which shares this day to celebrate our mutual fabulousness and it was great to see so many in the parade! As a fundamentally shy person myself, and Larry even more so, I find this parade such a unique opportunity to highlight truly beautiful faces - I hope you spend some time exploring the wonderful diversity of faces I was able to capture in almost every image. Celebrating diversity (as opposed to grudgingly tolerating it) is a highly political act. Our current government in Alberta, with its increasingly cruel policies and initiatives, seems to be attacking our hard-won acceptance of diversity, and wouldn't dare showing its face here...
VP607 was to be my penultimate bus today, and I was intending to intercept VP471 coming the other way to finish on. However I found out via Twitter that there had been an accident at Northolt, and it became obvious that '471 was stuck in it! Cue an East Lancs flavoured fill in move, which still got me back to South Harrow in time for the 03 plated VP, which eventually turned up 45' late. Unlike this morning when I was robbed of it (and VP329 at one stage) due to curtailments, this journey was thankfully allowed to run through. All's well that ends well I guess....
11/2/16.
VP613 Brent Town Hall-NP Hosp 182
VP329 Northwick P Hos-Sudbury 182
VP617 Sudbury-Harrow BS 182
VP345 Harrow BS-HD garage 140
6031 HD garage-Bushey Heath 258
6101 Bushey Heath-HD garage 258
VP607 HD garage-South Harrow 140
VLE35 South Harrow-Harrow 114
VE3 Harrow-South Harrow 114
VP471 South Harrow-Harrow BS 140
To get from Nice to London, I opted to fly on British Airways. A decade earlier, I was a BA Gold Card member. I booked this NCE-LHR without much enthusiasm, aware that the cheeseparing regime of former CEO Alex Cruz had imposed draconian cuts to the airline’s standards of comfort and service. The Economy Class seat-pitch had been tightened to an unacceptable 29 inches (Ryanair offers better) and food was strictly buy-on-board. So I forked out $672 for a 1-way Club Class ticket for a 31-inch seat pitch and free scoff. This was the food offering - OK, but nothing to excite the palate. The service was OK, but ditto: BA cabin staff can be friendly or totally aloof and even perfunctory. The flight was punctual and I had no issues with checked-in luggage. I give it a 7/10 rating, but I won’t rushing back to BA anytime soon.
Last year I set out to make a self portrait every day for 365 days. After April, I stopped making self portraits. I failed.
After I lost my grandmother, while I was with family, I let myself slip a few days. For a while, I decided fuck it, it’s my project, I’ll make up those days and all will be well. But I went too long in between, got too far behind, and by May, I had officially given up.
Fuck failing. Welcome to the start of my 2016 365 project.
Looking back, I can see in many ways why I wasn’t able to succeed, and why, in some ways, the project wasn’t really my own. I was inspired by one of my favorite photographer’s completed 365 to undertake my own, and in a lot of ways, I was too influenced by her work. It wasn’t my vision, it was me emulating hers, and because of that, I was rarely happy with the work I was producing.
When I started the project, I had literally never used controlled artificial lighting. Due largely to the three winter months I spent on the project, I developed a more in-depth understanding of using both artificial and natural light, as well as the process behind self portraiture.
I’m a much stronger photographer right now than I was exactly one year ago, and so much more of my identity comes through in my photos. This project will be mine. There will be no theme. Each photo will be unique unto itself, but each image will be uniquely me.
To those of you who followed along closely last year, thank you so much for your love and support. It means more than I can say to have my friends and family appreciate, critique, and follow my work, so thank you from the bottom of my heart.
A lot of changes are brimming in my life right now, but to start this project, I decided to give an unfiltered look at my life as it is. This is me exactly as I awoke this morning. No makeup, no hair-brushing, no retouching, no pants, no bra, no shame. Just me.
Looking forward to seeing what 2016 holds, and I’m elated to GET THROUGH THIS PROJECT. 365 days. 365 self portraits. Go.
(End of the world’s longest caption.)
The Ars Electronica Center’s FabLab is an interactive exhibition and workshop space. It is all about design, production processes and tools, reaching from different design software via a laser cutter which cuts and engraves, to a 3-D printer which realizes digital models as physical objects. Visitors can use most of the equipment in the FabLab as part of your next visit to the museum – or visit one of the versatile workshops.
Ars Electronica Center
Ars-Electronica-Straße 1
4040 Linz
Austria
Credit: Ars Electronica / Christopher Sonnleitner
In the alleys of Jalalabad, Afganhistan...
Ace: Here's the deal, we have been staying in the alley ways to avoid the attention of the locals, but if I am right we are going to have to go out into the open. The alley we just came from opens up to the back this cargo depot. Right outside of this building are the slums and beyond the slums the open desert awaits. If we can make it past the slums, we should be in the clear and eventually we will reach the forward operating base. But we are not safe until we reach the desert. To pass through the slums we will have to walk in the open. On top of that Scimitar will have the advantage because of the cover that the various buildings provide for them. Be on the look out: if you see or hear anything let everyone know. I know that if we are careful and stick together we will make it through.We have to move quickly!
Saber-tooth: Let's roll!
Another build for The Epic Conflict, I hope you guys like it. Tell me what you think.
The quote to the left, from Abraham Lincoln, shows the iconic words, "We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation under god shall have a new birth of
freedom." To the right is the depiction of a naval battleship and a teak deck. The Memorial Auditorium, originally conceived as a memorial to the first World War was finally completed at the dawn of the Second World War.
Photographers journey to the State of Qatar, enjoyable tour with photographers from various countries , I want to thank Qatar society for photography , for organizing this beautiful journey.
from my journey to Doha Jan 21-25 -2009.
رحلة المصورين الى قطر الحبيبة , رحلة ممتعة ومفيدة التقينا بها مع مجموعة من المصورين من مختلف دول العالم , أود أن أشكر الجمعية القطرية للتصوير الضوئي لتنظيم هذه الرحلة الجميلة.
من رحلتي الى قطر 21-25-2009.
This is very close to the other seascapes I have done but still something a little different. I thought I would try shooting 3 different compositions and here are the results.
This is the first image I took which I was happy with right out of camera and didn't have to touch up much.
A third image can be found in the full post on my website :D
Walking the dog today through Donmouth Nature Reserve I was lucky enough to capture this fellow enjoying his Sunday evening along with a few others on his paddle board , made me want to check out Scot Surf who organise these meetings and maybe participate myself .
I regularly walk along the magnificent coastline that runs along this reserve, cliff erosion is still very evident, the new wind farm across the bay was clearly visible and I am sure the path of the River Don where she meets the North Sea has twisted in to another direction that is alien to that I recorded during my initial visits many years ago, check out some of my earlier videos and photos I have posted here on Flickr in my dedicated album to this beautiful site.
Many visitors to our city miss its glorious offerings, thinking all we have to offer is the beach front at the main boulevard , its a pity as this reserve is a short drive from the main tourist area and has its own charm, attraction and wealth of nature on offer, I love it .
Donmouth Local Nature Reserve is a beach site in the historic Old Aberdeen part of the City where the River Don meets the sea.
A great place to see seals and a range of interesting birds. The beach area has changed over time as the river has changed its course. There are lots of interesting plants in the dunes and beach area. Bird hide is an excellent shelter from which to watch the wildlife. The paths run across King Street to the Brig 'o Balgownie., the original bridge in to the City from the North, then down the other side of the river to the sea.
The site was designated a Local Nature Reserve in 1992
Paths are good although wheelchair access to the beach would be difficult as the boardwalk can get covered with sand.
There is plenty of free car parking on the Beach Esplanade and at the car park in Donmouth Road. There are cycle racks on Beach Esplanade
Bridge Of Don has five spans of dressed granite, and rounded cutwaters that carry up to road level to form pedestrian refuges. The spans are 75 feet (23 m), with a rise of 25 feet (7.6 m).
It was widened in 1958-59, from 24 feet (7.3 m), to 66 feet (20 m) by the construction of a new concrete bridge adjacent to the old one.
It now carries four lanes of the A956 road, and is the last bridge on the River Don before it meets the sea. The bridge is just downstream from a substantial island in the river. Around the area of the bridge is the Donmouth Local Nature Reserve, designated as a LNR in 1992.
Near to the bridge are a number of World War II era coastal defences, including a pill box.
Mudflats
Mudflats are formed when fine particles carried downstream by the river are deposited as it slows down before entering the sea, and to a lesser extent by fine particles washed in by the tide. The sand spit at the mouth of the Don provides shelter from the wind and waves allowing this material to build up. The mud flats are a very rich and fertile environment. Despite their rather barren appearance they support a surprisingly diverse invertebrate fauna which includes; worms, molluscs and crustacea. These invertebrates are vitally important to wildfowl and wading birds within the estuary.
Salt marsh
Along the upper shore of the south bank saltmarsh has developed. This habitat would once have been much more extensive prior to the tipping of domestic and other refuse in the area and the formation in 1727 of an artificial embankment to prevent flooding of the river into the Links. This habitat is now reduced to a narrow strip of vegetation along the river margins upstream from the Powis Burn.
The species composition of the salt marsh varies according to the salinity of the water i.e. the proximity to the sea. Close to the Powis Burn this habitat is dominated by reed sweet-grass (Glyceria maxima) with reed canary-grass (Phalaris arundinacea), sea club-rush (Scirpus maritimus), spike-rush (Eleocharis palustris), hemlock water-dropwort (Oenanthe crocata) and common scurvygrass (Chochlearia officinalis).
Further inland reed sweet-grass continues to dominate but hemlock water-dropwort is more abundant with meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) and valarian (Valariana officinalis),
Sand dunes
Sand dunes are found in the more exposed parts of the estuary at the river mouth. Again, this habitat was once much more extensive in this locality with dune grasslands stretching from Aberdeen Beach inland as far as King Street, southwards from the estuary of the Dee, northwards to the Sands of Forvie and beyond. Many of the dunes formed part of Seaton Tip, and following tipping the area was grassed over. Other areas have been formally landscaped to form golf courses or planted with native trees in 2010 to create a new woodland area.
Some remnants of the natural dune flora can be seen in the 'roughs' on the Kings Links golf course and near the mouth of the river.
Above the high water mark, fore dunes with thick clumps of the pioneer grass species including sea lyme grass (Elymus arenarius) and marram grass (Ammophila arenaria) occur. Few other species are able to cope with the shifting sand. The largest area of these young dunes is to the north and west of the headland. Further inland where the dunes are sheltered from the actions of the wind and waves, and soils are more developed, more stable dunes are present supporting a more diverse grassland habitat.
Strand line plants which are able to tolerate occasional coverage by sea water include sea rocket (Cakile maritima), frosted orache (Atriplex laciniata), sea sandwort (Honkenya peploides) and knotgrass (Polygonum aviculare). Bur-reed (Sparganium sp.) has been recorded; presumably washed down by the river.
Marram grass (Ammophila arenaria) and sea lyme grass (Elymus arenarius) dominate the fore dunes. The latter species is not native to this area but appeared in 1802. It is thought to have been unintentionally introduced into the area by fishing boats. For a number of years it remained uncommon but from 1870 onwards it spread rapidly along the coastline (Marren, 1982).
In the more stable dunes red fescue (Festuca rubra), sand sedge (Carex arenaria), yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor), wild pansy (Viola tricolour), harebell (Campanula rotundifolia), bird's-foot-trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) and lesser meadow-rue (Thalictrum minus) are abundant. Small amounts of kidney vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria), valerian (Valeriana officinalis) and spring vetch (Vicia lathyroides) are present.
Scattered willows (Salix sp.) and sycamore (Acer pseudoplantanus) have seeded into this area. Gorse (Ulex europaeus) scrub has colonised the dunes in some areas and appears to be spreading.
Scrub
This habitat is almost entirely artificial with only the gorse scrub on the inner dunes being a semi-natural habitat. Alder and willow were planted along the south bank of the river in about 1970 and these shrubs are now generally well established. Further shrub planting on the south bank was carried out in 1990.
Willow (Salix sp.) and alder (Alnus glutinosa) were planted in the 1970's along the south bank of the River Don eastwards of the Bridge of Don. The trees to the west of this strip are doing considerably better than those to the east. More recent planting was carried out in 1990 with hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) elder (Sambucus nigra), goat willow (Salix caprea) and alder.
Underneath the scrub neutral grassland is present with cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata), false oat-grass (Arrhenatherum elatius), cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris), sweet cicely (Myrrhis odorata), hedge woundwort (Stachys sylvatica) and hedge bindweed (Calystegia sepium).
Grassland
Much of the grassland within the reserve is formed on imported soil and is intensively managed. This includes grassland on the north and south sides of the Esplanade. Daffodils are present in the grassland on the north side of the road. On the north bank to the east of the Bridge of Don is rank grassland on a steep south-facing slope. This is unmanaged and contains some patches of scrub.
Rough grassland is present on the headland. This area has been modified by tipping, with rubble to the east and with grass cuttings to the west. The grassland contains a mixture of neutral grassland, dune grassland, ruderal, and introduced garden species. This area attracts flocks of seed eating birds in late summer and autumn.
Improved grassland is present on the headland and along the south bank of the estuary downstream from the bridge of Don. Much of this vegetation has developed on imported soil and contains a high proportion of ruderal species and garden escapes. On the headland, broadleaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius), nettle (Urtica dioica), coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara), spear thistle (Cirsium vulgare), cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris), hemlock (Conium maculatum) and hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) are abundant. Sweet cicely (Chaerophyllum bulbosum) is widespread and in late summer fills the air with the scent of aniseed.
To the south of the Esplanade the grassland is managed with an annual cut.. The grassland does flood to form pools. Early in the year cuckoo flower (Cardamine pratensis) is common, meadow foxtail (Alopecuris pratensis)is known to occur around the margins of these pools.
Woodland
Semi-mature woodland is present on the steep sided south bank of the river upstream from the Bridge of Don. Most of this woodland has been planted in the mid 1930's though some older oak and elm trees are present. These may be relicts of former woodland cover. The woodland in the reserve is part of a strip of woodland along the River Don corridor which continues upstream from the Brig 'o' Balgownie.
Woodland is present on the south bank upstream from the Bridge of Don.
Much of the woodland consists of even aged stands with willow (Salix sp.), sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus), ash (Fraxinus excelsior), beech (Fagus sylvatica) and alder (AInus glutinosa). At the top of the slope mature oak (Quercus sp.) and elm (Ulmus glabra) are present. The ground flora contains tufted hair-grass (Deschampsia caespitosa), red campion (Silene dioica), ramsons (Allium ursinum) and lady fern (Athyrium felix-femina) .In a few areas dense shading is caused by the trees and in these areas the ground flora is poor.
On the north bank scattered trees are present, mainly willow and sycamore with some scrub.
NASA's Johnson Space Center’s "Chamber A" in Houston is an enormous thermal vacuum testing chamber and now appears to be opening it's "mouth" to take in NASA's James Webb Space Telescope for testing.
The telescope and the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) are two of the three major elements that comprise the Webb telescope Observatory flight system and are being lifted into the chamber in this photo. The other is the Spacecraft Element (spacecraft bus and sunshield), which is currently under construction at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems (NGAS) in Redondo Beach, California.
The James Webb Space Telescope is the scientific successor to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. It will be the most powerful space telescope ever built. Webb is an international project led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency.
For more information about the Webb telescope visit: www.jwst.nasa.gov or www.nasa.gov/webb
To view the feature story about "Chamber A" visit: www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/nasas-apollo-era-test-c...
Image credit: NASA/Chris Gunn / Text credit: NASA/Rob Gutro
Image Description: The Webb telescope enters the giant Chamber A thermal vacuum chamber at NASA Johnson. At this point, Webb consists of mirrors and instruments but has not yet been mated with the sunshield or spacecraft bus. Webb is on its back, golden hexagonal mirrors face up. The secondary mirror support structure is extended like a tripod above the primary mirrors. The telescope lies on black and silver support equipment. It is approaching the giant mouth of the cavernous test chamber. The chamber is filled with test equipment and people in cleanroom suits. One of them stands on top of a red lift at left.
1. HORSES AND BIRD..., 2. Papagaio Charão, 3. Cardellinio vs Verdone, 4. DSC_3028, 5. Webbed Partners, 6. Untitled, 7. Labradors, 8. DSC00755 La belleza es efímera, 9. As vezes me pego sonhando..., 10. Scone Palace Poppies, 11. quando tudo caminha, 12. AugustHotSpell 076, 13. PRETTY...
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you want your photo to be part of a collage
important criterion: You've got to allow me to use the link to your photo!
collect 4 awards of the group beTWO than post it here:
beTWO ADMIN AWARD meeting stream
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~~~The COLLAGE-COLLECTION: ELITE-photos of my different groups: Collage-Collection
By the way: I am looking forward to feedback on my work with those fantastic images, Florette
***Interested in my stream?: please klick here , Florette***
~Time To Eat~
Wikipedia...
The California ground squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi), is a common and easily observed ground squirrel of the western United States and the Baja California Peninsula; it is common in Oregon and California and its range has relatively recently extended into Washington and northwestern Nevada.
The squirrel's upper parts are mottled, the fur containing a mixture of gray, light brown and dusky hairs; the underside is lighter, buff or grayish yellow. The fur around the eyes is whitish, while that around the ears is black. Head and body are about 30 cm (12 in) long and the tail an additional 15 cm (5.9 in). They can weigh from 280-738 g(9.87-26.01 oz).[6] The tail is relatively bushy for a ground squirrel, and at a quick glance the squirrel might be mistaken for a fox squirrel.
As is typical for ground squirrels, California ground squirrels live in burrows which they excavate themselves. Some burrows are occupied communally but each individual squirrel has its own entrance. Although they readily become tame in areas used by humans, and quickly learn to take food left or offered by picnickers, they spend most of their time within 25 m (82 ft) of their burrow, and rarely go further than 50 m (160 ft) from it.
In the colder parts of their range, California ground squirrels hibernate for several months, but in areas where winters have no snow, most squirrels are active year-round. In those parts where the summers are hot they may also festivate for periods of a few days.
California ground squirrels are often regarded as a pest in gardens and parks, since they will eat ornamental plants and trees. They commonly feed on seeds, such as oats, but also eat insects such as crickets and grasshoppers as well as various fruits.
California ground squirrels are frequently preyed on by rattlesnakes. They are also preyed on by eagles, raccoons, foxes, badgers, and weasels. Interdisciplinary research at the University of California, Davis, since the 1970s has shown that the squirrels use a variety of techniques to reduce rattlesnake predation. Some populations of California ground squirrels have varying levels of resistance to rattlesnake venom as adults. Female squirrels with pups also chew on the skins shed by rattlesnakes and then lick themselves and their pups (who are never resistant to venom before one month of age) to disguise their scent. Sand-kicking and other forms of harassment provoke the snake to rattle its tail, which allows a squirrel to assess the size and activity level (dependent on blood temperature) of the snake.
Another strategy is for a squirrel to super-heat and swish around its tail. When hunting, rattlesnakes primarily rely on their pit organ, which detects infrared radiation. The hot-tail-swishing appears to convey the message "I am not a threat, but I am too big and swift-moving for it to be worth trying to hunt me." These two confrontational techniques also distract the snake from any nearby squirrel burrows containing pups.
The swishing of the tail from side to side is called tail-waving. This tail-waving helps the squirrel to deter a snake attack. It was shown that the snakes attacked the squirrels that exhibited the tail-waving at a shorter distance than those that did not and majority of those tail-waving squirrels successfully dodged these attacks. This successful dodging, along with the fact that the adult squirrels are larger than the young ones, helps to deter the predators, as studies have found that the rattlesnakes are 1.6 times more likely to be deterred from attacking an area after an encounter with an adult squirrel. In 30 out of 45 interactions with snakes, the tail-waving behavior of the squirrels stopped the snake in its tracks and the snake attempted to wait for the squirrel to leave before it would consider attacking again, showing that the behavior does deter predatory attacks by the rattlesnakes. This is due to the adult squirrels being vigilant and looking more threatening and also that they are able to more successfully dodge attacks. They also can use their tail-waving to signal to other ground squirrels in the area that a rattlesnake or other predator has recently been spotted. Though the ground squirrels have been found to also exhibit this tail-waving behavior when there is no predator present, they wave their tail faster and for a longer amount of time when they spot a predator or in an area where a predator has recently been spotted.
Vigilant behavior in squirrels is also a defense mechanism to avoid predation. In addition to the tail-waving, the squirrels have been found to be more vigilant and on alert if there had recently been a predator in the area than they were if there had been no predator detected. If the ground squirrels are aware that they are in an area where the rattlesnakes have recently been, the ground squirrels devote more time to being alert and searching for the predators than to hunting and foraging than in an environment where they do not believe there are predators.[9] These vigilant squirrels were found to have a faster reaction time to a stimuli from a predator and jump higher and further away than a squirrel who was not as vigilant. In a simulated environment study, 60% of squirrels that were in an environment with a recent snake encounter exhibited an evasive leap behavior, which propels them father away from their attackers. 20% of squirrels exhibited this behavior in a primary encounter with a snake and roughly 5% of squirrels exhibited this behavior when there was no snake present and no threat detected. This shows that the squirrels are more alert, vigilant, and ready for an attacker after one has been recently seen.
Down below to the left, out of view in this photo, is Circular Pool. Now I'm not sure who named it circular because I reckon it is more of a square, although the end of the gorge in which it is located is certainly circular. Perhaps geometry wasn't my strongest point at school, or perhaps the gorge has changed shape!
Not in a few million years, I dare say! As delightful as Circular Pool was, I remembered the way the gorge walls seemed to light up after the sun has gone down. It was a perfect evening (hard to believe it is only a week or so ago), so I headed back up the track and wandered along the escarpment. The climb out of Dales for some reason doesn't seem to take as long as the descent, but my heart and lungs no doubt thought differently.
There's so much to shoot on this walk that it's hard to know what to point your camera at. I was sidetracked a couple of times, photographing the trees that somehow managed to cling to the sides of the gorge, but as the light dropped, I made a beeline back to the lookout and set up my camera.
To the eye, it was pretty dark all around, the exception being the sky and the rich, red glow of the rock reflecting the setting sun. It is a magical sight and the only danger are the huge mosquitoes that also enjoy this time of day - I was worried they might pick me and drop me off the edge.
Okay, so I'm exaggerating about how big the mossies are, but the red in that wall is no lie. It was a beautiful rich glow!
Photographed on the Phase One IQ180 with a 23mm Digaron, 30 seconds, f5.6, ISO 200, and then cropped a little top and bottom. Processing has been quick and cheerful, with a little more care needed if I take the photograph further.
Now, the question is, will this be one of the photos that makes it into the Momento book we're producing. Stay tuned and we'll walk you through the production process. At present, the 18 photographers from the recent workshop (including the instructors) are putting together their best four images, from which two will be selected for the 2013 Karijini Photography Workshop photobook!
View to W from Spanish Point, (Pembroke Parish, Bermuda).
Taken from the front door porch of my in-laws family house.
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Photo
Brian Roy Rosen
Uploaded to Flickr November 12th, 2015
© Darkroom Daze Creative Commons.
If you would like to use or refer to this image, please link or attribute.
ID: DSC_0034 - Version 2
Richmond Castle in Richmond, North Yorkshire, England, stands in a commanding position above the River Swale, close to the centre of the town of Richmond. It was originally called Riche Mount, 'the strong hill'. The castle was constructed by Alan Rufus from 1071 onwards following the Norman Conquest of England, and the Domesday Book of 1086 refers to 'a castlery' at Richmond.
In the 12th century, his great-nephew Conan expanded the castle and built the keep. Although it was derelict by 1540, it was restored centuries later. The property is the best-preserved early Norman castle in England and an important tourist attraction.
Richmond Castle consists of four main parts: a triangular main enclosure, an outer enclosure to the east, a keep at the northern corner of the main enclosure, and a small enclosure around the keep.
In 1069 William the Conqueror had put down a rebellion at York which was followed by his "harrying of the North" – an act of ethnic cleansing which depopulated large areas for a generation or more. As a further punishment, he divided up the lands of North Yorkshire among his most loyal followers. Alan Rufus, of Brittany, received the borough of Richmond and began constructing the castle to defend against further rebellions and to establish a personal power base. His holdings, called the Honour of Richmond, covered parts of eight counties and amounted to one of the most extensive Norman estates in England.
A 100-foot (30 m)-high keep of honey-coloured sandstone was constructed at the end of the 12th century by Duke Conan IV of Brittany. The Earldom of Richmond was seized in 1158 by Henry II of England. It was King Henry II who probably completed the keep which had 11-foot (3.4 m)-thick walls. Modern visitors can climb to the top of the keep for magnificent views of the town of Richmond. At the same time that the keep was probably completed, Henry II considerably strengthened the castle by adding towers and a barbican. Henry III and King Edward I spent more money on the site including Edward's improvements to the keep interior.
In addition to the main circuit of the wall, there was the barbican in front of the main gate which functioned as a sealed entry space, allowing visitors and wagons to be checked before they gained entry to the castle itself. On the other side of the castle, overlooking the river, was another enclosure or bailey called the Cockpit, which may have functioned as a garden and was overlooked by a balcony. A drawing of 1674 suggests there was another longer balcony overlooking the river side of Scolland's Hall, the great hall.
Richmond Castle had fallen out of use as a fortress by the end of the 14th century and it did not receive major improvements after that date. A survey of 1538 shows it was partly in ruins, but paintings by Turner and others, together with the rise of tourism and an interest in antiquities, led to repairs to the keep in the early 19th century.
In 1855 the castle became the headquarters of the North Yorkshire Militia, and a military barracks block was constructed in the great courtyard. For two years, from 1908 to 1910, the castle was the home of Robert Baden-Powell, later founder of the Boy Scouts, while he commanded the Northern Territorial Army but the barracks building was demolished in 1931.
The castle was used during the First World War as the base of the Non-Combatant Corps made up of conscientious objectors – conscripts who refused to fight. It was also used to imprison some conscientious objectors who refused to accept army discipline and participate in the war in any way. These included the "Richmond Sixteen" who were taken to France from the castle, charged under Field Regulations, and then sentenced to death, but their death sentences were commuted to ten years' hard labour.
The original 11th-century main gate arch is now in the basement of the later 12th century keep which was built in front of it; the original arch was unblocked in the 19th century.
The castle is a scheduled monument, a "nationally important" historic building and archaeological site which has been given protection against unauthorised change. It is also a Grade I listed building.
According to legend, King Arthur and his knights are sleeping in a cave underneath the castle. It is said that they were once discovered by a potter named Thompson, who ran away when they began to awake. Another legend tells that a drummer boy was lost while investigating a tunnel, and that his ghostly drumming is sometimes heard around the castle.
The cell block at the castle contains 2,300 examples of graffiti left by those imprisoned there, from the mid-nineteenth century to the 1970s. Perhaps the most significant of the mark makers were the Richmond Sixteen, who were conscientious objectors imprisoned there during the First World War.
Alan Rufus, alternatively Alanus Rufus (Latin), Alan ar Rouz (Breton), Alain le Roux (French) or Alan the Red (c. 1040 – 1093), 1st Lord of Richmond, was a Breton nobleman, kinsman and companion of William the Conqueror (Duke William II of Normandy) during the Norman Conquest of England. He was the second son of Eozen Penteur (also known as Eudon, Eudo or Odo, Count of Penthièvre) by Orguen Kernev (also known as Agnes of Cornouaille).[b] William the Conqueror granted Alan Rufus a significant English fief, later known as the Honour of Richmond, in about 1071.
Biography
Alan Rufus is first mentioned as a witness (along with his mother Orguen and brothers Gausfridus, Willelmus, Rotbertus, Ricardus) to a charter dated to 1056/1060, issued by his father Eozen to the Abbey of Saint-Aubin in Angers (q.v. Albinus of Angers).
Alan already held some property in Rouen, the capital of Normandy, and was lord of Richemont in Upper Normandy before September 1066. In 1066 or 1067, William of Normandy assented to the gift by Alan Comes (i.e. Alan Rufus) to St-Ouen de Rouen of the church of Saint-Sauveur without Rouen, and of the nearby church of Sainte Croix des Pelletiers, which had been his gift to Alan.
Alan was probably present at the Battle of Hastings in October 1066. On the journey to the battle site near Hastings, the Breton forces formed the vanguard, arriving a good half-hour before the rest of William's army. In the battle formation, Bretons are mentioned variously as in the left-wing or in the rear-guard of the army. Geoffrey Gaimar's L'Estoire des Engles and Wace's Roman de Rou both assert Alan Rufus's presence as Breton commander in the battle,[c] and praise his contribution: Gaimar says "Alan and his men struck well" and Wace states that they did the English "great damage".
A column of Norman cavalry swept into the Cambridge area in late 1066 and built a castle on the hill just north of the river crossing. Alan's first possessions in England were in Cambridgeshire, so he may have obtained them about this time. The Cambridgeshire town of Bourn, west of Cambridge and due north of London, along with several other towns in the area were according to the Domesday Book held in 1066 by the royal thane Almer of Bourn as a tenant of Edith the Fair. Alan's early acquisitions in England included many land titles that had been in the possession of King Harold's wife Edith the Fair, including all but one of her holdings in Cambridgeshire) Alan later favored Almer by giving him two additional manors.
In 1067, Alan witnessed a charter of King William to the monks of St Peter's at Westminster.
In January 1069, Earl Edwin in Yorkshire and his brother Earl Morcar in Northumberland rebelled. In late 1069, the King brought an army north to combat the rebels and recover York. According to the Register of Richmond, it was at the instigation of Queen Matilda, during the Siege of York, that King William conceded to Alan the Honour of Richmond (the Hundred of the "Land of Count Alan" in Yorkshire) in North Yorkshire. Unusually, within the land of Count Alan, King William himself and his half-brother Robert, Count of Mortain received only one manor each: William sharing one with Alan at Ainderby Steeple, on the eastern fringe of the Land, while Robert held one on its southern edge. The wording of the proclamation is:
Ego Wil(el)mus cognomine Bastardus Rex Anglie do et concedo tibi Nepoti meo Alano Britannie Comiti et heredibus tuis imperpetuum omnes uillas et terras que nuper fuerunt Comitis Edwyni in Eboraschira cum feodis Militum et ecclesiis et aliis libertat(ibus) et consuetudinibus ita libere et honorifice sicut idem Edwinus ea tenuit. Dat(um) in obsidione coram Ciuitate Ebor(aci).
Philemon Holland's English translation of William Camden's "Brittania" (1607) renders the proclamation:
I William surnamed Bastard, King of England, doe give and grant unto thee my Nephew[d] Alane Earle of Britaine, and to thine heires for ever, all and every the manour houses and lands which late belonged to Earle Eadwine in Yorkeshire, with the knights fees and other liberties and customes, as freely and in as honorable wise as the said Eadwin held the same. Given at our leaguer before the City of Yorke.
Alan Rufus began construction on Richmond Castle in 1071, to be the principal manor and center of his honour. As the first constable of his new castle, Alan chose Enisant Musard, the husband of one of his half-sisters. Richmond Castle overlooks the old Roman fort at Catterick, North Yorkshire. Alan's properties extended over the entire length of Earningas Street, the old Roman road from London to the North, heading to Edinburgh; this road was renamed Ermine Street.
In folklore, Alan has an association with King Arthur: in the tale of Potter Thompson, Arthur and his knights are said to lie at rest under Richmond Castle.
In Richmondshire, the Domesday Book's "Land of Count Alan", many of the Anglo-Dane lords, or their heirs, were retained in their pre-1066 positions of authority. The locations where this was done were complementary to those owned by the deceased Edwin, Earl of Mercia, whereas many of those where Edwin had been Overlord were given to Alan's Breton relatives: his half-brothers Ribald, Lord of Middleham, Bodin, Lord of Bedale, and Bardolf, Lord of Ravensworth, and their wet-nurse, Orwen. Other tenants of Alan in Yorkshire were English lords from East Anglia.
In the 1080s, Alan witnessed several documents of King William in England and Ghent, and one of Queen Matilda in England.
For the period from about 1083-1086 (the exact dates are uncertain) the formidable Sainte-Suzanne Castle was besieged by the king's army. King William I established a fortified camp at Beugy, about 800 metres north of the castle, manned by William's best household knights under the command of Alan Rufus. The siege did not go well, the castle proving to be well-defended. Wealthy Norman and English lords were frequently captured. After a year, Alan handed command to another Breton, who was later slain, along with many of the king's knights, aggrieving William sufficiently to come to terms with the commander of the castle.
It is likely that Alan was with King William I and the other members of the King's Council at Gloucester in Christmas 1085 when they discussed preparations for the extensive survey of England, later known as the Domesday Survey. On this survey was based the Domesday Book, which comprises two volumes, Little Domesday and Great Domesday.
Through 1086, Alan and Robert of Mortain attended on King William, e.g. at Fécamp in Normandy and in Wiltshire in south-west England.
By 1086 Alan had become one of the richest and most powerful men of England. Alan is mentioned as a lord or tenant-in-chief in 1,017 entries of the Domesday Book, behind only King William I and Robert, Count of Mortain in the number of holdings. The most powerful magnate in East Anglia and Yorkshire, he also possessed property in London, in Normandy (e.g. in Rouen and Richemont), and in Brittany. Alan Rufus is third (not including the King and his immediate family) among the barons in terms of annual income, which was about £1,200. His income in the year of his death, 1093, was £1,100.
Alan donated large sums to a number of religious houses, but most famously founded, with King William II, the Benedictine St Mary's Abbey in York in early 1088.
Alan was among the first four magnates to support William II of England against the Rebellion of 1088 in favour of the Duke of Normandy, Robert Curthose. The uprising was led by the recently freed Odo, Earl of Kent, Bishop of Bayeux, and joined by several major magnates. Beginning in March 1088, Alan was granted additional territory by King William from the confiscated lands of his neighbours who had rebelled. In or before 1089, Alan Rufus issued a charter at Rochester, Kent, Bishop Odo's former principal manor.
William de St-Calais had been in the army led by the king against Bishop Odo, but suddenly fled north to his castle at Durham. After the rebellion was defeated, Roger of Poitou, Alan Rufus, Odo of Champagne, and Walter d'Aincourt were sent to persuade St-Calais to surrender. After a lengthy parley during which they waited outside the castle, St-Calais agreed to surrender his person and stand trial, but only once they signed a complex document promising safe conduct before, during, and after the trial. Alan Rufus played a significant role in the subsequent trial of St-Calais, which commenced on 2 November 1088 at Salisbury in Wiltshire.
Wilmart's interpretation is that in exchange for St-Calais agreeing to submit to the King's judgement, Alan and the other royal officers signed a document guaranteeing St-Calais's safety before and after the trial. When St-Calais cited this in court, there was uproar, but Alan calmly confirmed St-Calais's statement and then said that if there were any fault here, it was his (Alan's). Alan concluded by begging the king not to attempt to coerce him into committing perjury; otherwise, he (Alan) would believe himself obliged to refuse to serve the king.
St-Calais was held in custody at Wilton Abbey until 14 November. Alan escorted St-Calais to Southampton to await passage to Normandy and exile.
According to Christopher Clarkson, in 1089 Count Alan persuaded King William II to convene ("assemble") England's very first "High Court of Parliament" ("under that name") at York.
Saint Anselm, in two letters addressed (perhaps in 1093–1094) to Gunnhild the youngest daughter of King Harold II and Edith the Fair, reprimanded her for abandoning her vocation as a nun at Wilton Abbey to live with Alan Rufus, intending to marry him, and after his death living with his brother Alan Niger ("the Black"). The historian Richard Sharpe has theorised that Matilda d'Aincourt, wife of Walter d'Aincourt, was the natural daughter of Alan Rufus and Gunnhild. In the same article, Sharpe also cited Trevor Foulds's suggestion that Matilda may have been a daughter of King William I and Queen Matilda; although Orderic Vitalis does not mention her name in his list of their daughters, Domesday does name a "Matilda, the King's daughter".
Wilmart thought Alan Rufus's death was sudden and unexpected. There are conflicting sources for the year of its occurrence. Two medieval sources (the 12th century Margam Annals and Stephen of Whitby's brief history of St Mary's, York) indicate that he died in 1089 or shortly thereafter, but scholars have concluded that 1093, perhaps on 4 August, is more likely. His body was transported to the abbey at Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk where he was buried in the cemetery outside the south door. Subsequently, his family and the monks of the Abbey of St Mary in York succeeded in their petition to have him reburied inside Bury Abbey.
Alan Rufus died childless. As Lord of Richmond, Alan Rufus was succeeded by his younger brothers: Alan Niger who also died without issue, followed by Stephen, Count of Tréguier.
Other activities of Count Alan Rufus
Beneath Richmond Castle, Alan founded the town of Richmond, North Yorkshire. He also built the original manor house of Costessey Hall, Alan's caput at Costessey in Norfolk, on the north side of the River Tud in Costessey Park.
Other media
In 2019 Magneto dayo Released a song titled "Alan Rufus" referencing the Count.
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that it uses these properties to "bring the story of England to life for over 10 million people each year". Within its portfolio are Stonehenge, Dover Castle, Tintagel Castle and the best preserved parts of Hadrian's Wall. English Heritage also manages the London blue plaque scheme, which links influential historical figures to particular buildings.
When originally formed in 1983, English Heritage was the operating name of an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government, officially titled the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England, that ran the national system of heritage protection and managed a range of historic properties. It was created to combine the roles of existing bodies that had emerged from a long period of state involvement in heritage protection. In 1999, the organisation merged with the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England and the National Monuments Record, bringing together resources for the identification and survey of England's historic environment.
On 1 April 2015, English Heritage was divided into two parts: Historic England, which inherited the statutory and protection functions of the old organisation, and the new English Heritage Trust, a charity that would operate the historic properties, and which took on the English Heritage operating name and logo. The British government gave the new charity an £80 million grant to help establish it as an independent trust, although the historic properties remain in the ownership of the state.
History
Non-departmental public body
Over the centuries, what is now called "heritage" has been the responsibility of a series of state departments. There was the "Kings Works" after the Norman Conquest, the Office of Works (1378–1832), the Office of Woods, Forests, Land Revenues and Works (1832–1851), and the Ministry of Works (1851–1962). Responsibility subsequently transferred to the Ministry of Public Building and Works (1962–1970), then to the Department of the Environment (1970–1997), and it is now with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The state's legal responsibility for the historic environment goes back to the Ancient Monuments Protection Act 1882. The central government subsequently developed several systems of heritage protection for different types of assets, introducing listing for buildings after World War II, and for conservation areas in the 1960s.
In 1983, Secretary of State for the Environment Michael Heseltine gave national responsibility for the historic environment to a semi‑autonomous agency (or "quango") to operate under ministerial guidelines and to government policy. The Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission was formed under the terms of the National Heritage Act 1983 on 1 April 1984. The 1983 Act also dissolved the bodies that had previously provided independent advice – the Ancient Monuments Board for England and the Historic Buildings Council for England – and incorporated those functions into the new body. Soon after, the commission was given the operating name of English Heritage by its first chairman, Lord Montagu of Beaulieu.
A national register of historic parks and gardens, (e.g. Rangers House, Greenwich) was set up in 1984, and a register for historic battlefields (e.g. the Battle of Tewkesbury) was created in March 1995. 'Registration' is a material consideration in the planning process. In April 1999 English Heritage merged with the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (RCHME) and the National Monuments Record (NMR), bringing together resources for the identification and survey of England's historic environment. By adoption, that included responsibility for the national record of archaeological sites from the Ordnance Survey, the National Library of Aerial Photographs, and two million RAF and Ordnance Survey aerial photographs. Those, together with other nationally important external acquisitions, meant that English Heritage was one of the largest publicly accessible archives in the UK: 2.53 million records are available online, including more than 426,000 images. In 2010–11, it recorded 4.3 million unique online user sessions and over 110,000 people visited NMR exhibitions held around the country in 2009–10. In 2012, the section responsible for archive collections was renamed the English Heritage Archive.
As a result of the National Heritage Act 2002, English Heritage acquired administrative responsibility for historic wrecks and submerged landscapes within 12 miles (19 km) of the English coast. The administration of the listed building system was transferred from DCMS to English Heritage in 2006. However, actual listing decisions still remained the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, who was required by the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 to approve a list of buildings of special architectural or historic interest.
Following the Public Bodies Reform in 2010, English Heritage was confirmed as the government's statutory adviser on the historic environment, and the largest source of non-lottery grant funding for heritage assets. It was retained on grounds of "performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government". However, the department also suffered from budget cuts during the recession of the 2010s, resulting in a repairs deficit of £100 million
I want to take the time to talk about a video game. This is Legacy of the Wizard, which was called Dragon Slayer IV in Japan and was part of the Dragon Slayer series.
This particular game also happens to be my favorite NES game.
Legacy of the Wizard was one of the earlier NES games, and surely many households have played it. It was on of the earlier NES games I have played with was really little along with Mario and TMNT, and for that it always bring nostalgia back for me.
The game happens to be the literal definition of the dungeon crawler genre, and for good reasons. You can easily get lost in this dungeon and you have to back track many times because you have to make use of all the characters and items to progress. Obviously I was never able to beat this game when I was kid because I had no fucking clue of what I was doing, but I did manage to beat it couple years ago by watching walkthroughs online.
But what I really enjoy about the game is the music. Every time I listen to it, I always think to the old days. Just listen.
Anyways yeah, this is my favorite NES game.
“Gotham is at war with itself again. However this time the south is plagued with filthy crazies. I need to secure my position on the map, and with the south docks under my control, I’ll be able to do so. While all the other costume freaks…the few…very few smart ones, like me, can sit back and watch, gaining control from the sidelines…soon I’ll make my move…when the fools weaken each other…come along men, we have work to do…”
The Penguin moves from his Iceberg Lounge (#96) to takeover the neutral zone of the Southern Docks (#98).
This is my friend Nik Voon who I have been speaking to on Flickr and Tumblr for at least a year now.
On my way back from my KL trip, I finally got to meet him during my stopover in Singapore. Nik was kind enough to come all the way to the airport to meet my girlfriend and I :D
I've got to watch Nik improve over time and in no time, he'll probably be better than me with how dedicated he is to his photography!
Hopefully I get to come back to Singapore soon so we can meet again (and I won't be so drowsy next time)!!!
Inspiration came from just randomly observing photos on 'Camera Finder'.
Book: The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien
- "Face to Face" is a Punk-Rock-Band from California and also a title of a Kinks-Album and just a title of a song by Gary Barlow. -
Today I have for presenting selected two s/w images from my current series.
For more information about this two new photos please read the text to the image:
Series 1 "Happy Mother's Day".
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