This was the first locomotive to be built by the Festiniog Railway Company in its own workshops at Boston Lodge; the Works had been extended by the building of an Erecting Shop specifically to enable the work to be done and some of the costs were set against the account for Merddin. Built to the design of G. P. Spooner and incorporating Fairlie's Patent articulation, leading to the type being commonly known as as a double engine or Double Fairlie, Merddin was the third such locomotive to operate on the Festiniog Railway and, like all the others it had an 0-4-4-0 wheel arrangement. The FR had proved the suitability of the Fairle type for its particular circumstances during internationally observed trials in 1870. The success of those trials led to Fairlie articulated locomotives being adopted in several other countries and, as a token of appreciation, Robert Fairlie had granted the FR free use of his patent.

The decision to proceed with construction was taken in 1877, with the frame plates supplied by the Farnley Iron Co of Leeds. The frame plates were flattened, planed and set out by Adamsons of Hyde in Cheshire, who also supplied the boiler. It left Boston Lodge on 21 July 1879 as number 10, having cost £2,235 7s 8d. It had two half-cabs, with the gap in the roof between able to be filled in to make the now familiar FR double engine cab profile.

In February 1881, the splashers (which were only fitted to Merddin) were put on. Also at this time the experimental thermic syphon was removed from the firebox. In January 1882 Salter safety valves were fitted and petticoat pipes were fitted inside the smokeboxes.In August 1882 the cab side sheets were shortened and a canvas cover in two parts was provided for the gap between the two halves of the cab. It had a major overhaul in 1885 with the boiler being retubed and new centres for the bogies. In 1886 the square sandboxes provided when the locomotive was built were replaced with the cast cylindrical pattern eventualy fitted to all FR locomotives. The 4 brass handrails on the sides of the smokeboxes were also fitted and two Wilsons Patent lubricators put on. In 1888 the fire doors on the drivers side were removed and all the tube ferrules were replaced in stages that autumn. In January 1889 the reversing rod broke through the effect of heavy strain from want of proper lubricant. Vacuum brakes were fitted in October 1892 - the first FR locomotive to be fitted. Through the early 90s, much work was done to patch the firebox and keep the tubes expanded, finally, in 1896, the engine was rebuilt and fitted with a new mild steel boiler from the Vulcan Foundry, Newton-le-Willows, with Everetts red metal tubes. Two new smokeboxes were fitted with the brass handrails in the pattern seen today. The work took from January to August to complete. In March 1899 a trial fitting of two piston rings instead of 3 was tried - this was subsequently successful and applied to other engines. In 1901 the balance pipe between the tanks was enlarged for quick filling. From 1904 onwards firebox and boiler repairs become more often, but the tubes were never recorded as being replaced.The boiler lasted until 1915 when Merddin had to be taken out of service. It was not until October 1919 that the tender of £1905 was accepted from the Vulcan Foundry on condition that the new boiler was delivered in 6 months. The new boiler was delivered in December 1920! The engine re-entered service in 1921 with the bogies from Livingston Thompson. After a surprisingly short time Merddin was taken out of service again in 1930 because of the state of the boiler. It was 1934 before heavy repairs were carried out. A new boiler was needed but as an alternative, major work on the existing boiler and firebox was carried out by the Avonside Engine Co in Bristol.

Merddin was the only double engine in service when the railway closed and had been run into the ground as a result. Because closure came so abruptly, literally overnight, the loco had been put into the shed with water in the boiler and tanks and coal in the bunkers, ready for its next turn of duty. The unfortunate results were inevitable and Merddin was rendered completely unfit for use during the eight years when the railway was closed.

We had to take off our coats

Art Space Auckland NZ

Boulder Mountain

From the August 2016 return trip to Siem Reap and the Angkor complex:

I love the Angkor complex, Siem Reap, and the Cambodian people so much that I returned again for about a week to photograph as much of the “non-major” sites as I could. Some of them are slightly far from Angkor Wat (by that, I mean to say more than 10 kilometers away), and usually require a little more money to get to. Also, some of the sites (Beng Mealea, Phnom Kulen) are not included in the Angkor ticket price and have an additional admission fee.

I don’t know if there’s a set number of how many sites belong in the Angkor complex, though I’m sure it would vary. (Do you only count the major sites like Angkor Wat, Bayon, Ta Prohm? Do you add the sites that aren’t included in the standard “Angkor Pass,” but are clearly of the same era? Do you include sites that aren’t even named (as are one of the sites in this series)? All in all, I’ll put a very rough number at…50 sites in the Siem Reap area, and that includes the sites that are about 100 km away. Of those, I would say I’ve been to all but 5-10 now. All are included here with the exception, obviously, of the sites that I didn’t visit. (Off the top of my head, I can say they include Koh Ker & that respective group, which is about 120 km ENE of Siem Reap; Phnom Krom, one of the three “mountains” with temples; Ta Prohm Kel; and Mangalartha.)

In practical terms, I’m afraid that with the volume of shooting (about 1,500 frames in the past 7 days), photos will start to look redundant to those who don’t have the same interest in ancient/historical architecture or Angkor as I do. That being said, there are a few things besides temples here. The Old Market area (now Night Market/Pub Street) is represented – a little – and Phnom Kulen has a pretty nice waterfall which is also in this series. Also, I tried to catch a few people in here, though didn’t get as many as I would’ve liked.

I had my friend Mao (tuktuk driver) take me around for 5 of these 7 days this time around. As I mentioned last time, he may cost a little more than what you can arrange through a hotel/guesthouse, but he’s well worth the money (and, in the grand scheme of things, not too expensive; I paid less than $200 for the five days, two of which were “long” trips). He loves his country and heritage, he knows what he’s showing you, he’s flexible, he gives you enough ice water to keep you hydrated, and he’s just a good guy. (He even bought me a birthday cake for cryin’ out loud…) Anyway, I highly recommend Mao. You can find him here: www.facebook.com/mao.khvan (or on Trip Advisor: www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g297390-d10726821-R... )

Now that shameless plugs and other assorted rhetoric are out of the way, it’s time to get on to the temples, ruins, and other miscellany.

Today is really the excuse that I used to come back to Siem Reap for a week. Mao was nice enough not to schedule any other customers for today since it’s my 43rd birthday, and also for Saturday. (Another reason, I think, is that I wanted to see all of the non-major sites and most everyone else is only interested in the major ones. So…thanks to Mao for giving up a few bucks from others just to make sure I got to see all that I wanted these two days.)

Mao came to pick me up around 10:00 in the morning with his wife and adorable daughter. Today, we pretty much followed the small loop tour that we did yesterday (and that most tourists do). However, we skipped every spot from yesterday (Banteay Kdei, Ta Prohm’s main temple, Ta Keo, Thommanon, Chao Say Tevoda, Bayon) and opted for the others along the same route.

The first stop of the morning was Prasat Kravan. This is a particularly interesting – and small – temple that consists mainly of one building with a central tower, but five chambers lined up in a row. Prasat Kravan was built in the early 10th century (consecrated in 921) and is built of brick. It was built during the short reign of Harshavarman I. The name is the modern name (though I don’t know the original name) and means “cardamom sanctuary,” for a tree that once stood here. From an architectural standpoint, what is most interesting – and what caught my attention – is the brick bas-reliefs here. They are the only known representation of these in Khmer art and are reason alone to visit here. The central tower has a statue of Vishnu and the northernmost has a statue of his consort, Lakshmi.

After 15-20 minutes at Prasat Kravan, Mao took me to Bat Chum, which was quite near. (It wasn’t on my list, so kudos to Mao for adding a few stops that I otherwise wouldn’t have seen; as I said, the man knows the territory, and I highly recommend him to anyone who comes here.) Bat Chum is a very, very small site (under restoration, though it looks like even the restoration has been forgotten) a few hundred meters due south of Sra Srang, and a few hundred meters east of the road from Angkor Wat to Banteay Kdei. When Bat Chum was built in 960, there were houses and a Buddhist monastery nearby, which have long since vanished. This temple was built by the lone Khmer architect whose name we know: Kavindrarimathana. He also built the palace of the East Mebon and Sra Srang. This is a temple with three brick towers. There are stone lions and interesting inscriptions here as well.

From Bat Chum, we returned to the main road, skirted along the eastern and northern sides of Banteay Kdei’s outer wall, then along the southern and western sides of Ta Prohm’s outer wall. Most people enter Ta Prohm from the western gate (as evidenced by the massive throng of tuktuks here) or the eastern gate (where you will find a slew of souvenir vendors). As far as I can tell, there is no southern gate – as I imagine you’d see it flying by on the road. (Banteay Kdei does have a northern gate, though people don’t seem to stop here.) Ta Prohm does have a rather charming and rarely visited northern gate that I was unaware of. Again…thanks, Mao. Just stop on the road at the northwest corner of Ta Prohm’s outer wall and walk east along the north wall for about five minutes to find the northern gate, surrounded by jungle.

Next up on today’s tour is a very small site that, from what I know, doesn’t even have a name. (Mao didn’t even know the name of the place, so it’s just titled ‘Unnamed Site’ here.) It’s very small, almost an afterthought, but still worth a look. It’s on the road heading due north from Ta Prohm’s west gate about 100-200 meters south of where it heads to the west to Ta Keo. It’s barely 50 meters off the road, so is very easy to visit in 10 minutes or so.

Right at the point where the road takes a 90 degree turn to head west to Ta Keo, you have the option of going straight (down a fairly bumpy dirt road) to Ta Nei. This is actually a larger temple, but unlike the others nearby, it hasn’t gone under extensive restoration yet, so it isn’t visited very often. It’s 800 meters north of Ta Keo, set back in the woods, and is 200 meters west of the Eastern Baray’s western border. It was built by Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century. The highlights of coming here are simply the setting, the pediments, and the overall lack of visitors.

After half an hour or so at Ta Nei, Mao and I hopped back in the tuktuk and returned to the main road, heading west past Ta Keo before veering north and making a very quick stop at the Hospital Chapel that is 150 meters due west of Ta Keo (slightly north). This is a very quick – 5 minute – stop that interested me simply because it was/is part of a hospital that’s close to a thousand years old now. It was built by Jayavarman VII (like so many of the Angkor sites) in the late 12th century. This sandstone monument is one of four that were on site here (and, from what I’m reading, one of 102 that were found throughout the empire). Honestly, seeing this just makes me wonder about 12th century medicine. What would a Khmer hospital at the turn of the 13th century have been like?

Moving north from the Hospital Chapel, the road takes another 90 degree turn to the west. Before entering the Victory Gate of Angkor Thom, you pass Thommanon and Chao Say Tevoda (bypassed, as already mentioned), and then Spean Thma, near a bridge that crosses the Siem Reap River. (The Siem Reap River, today, is more like a gentle stream, though it was used to transport the quarried rock from Phnom Kulen to Angkor to build these massive temples a thousand years ago.) That aside, I decided to bypass Spean Thma for now.

Once inside the Victory Gate, which I mistakenly called the East Gate in May (it is on the eastern wall), we turned south on a dirt path about 100-200 meters inside Angkor Thom and traveled south, parallel to the wall. After less than 5 minutes, you arrive at the road that runs directly east from Bayon to the East Gate, otherwise known as the Slaves’ Gate or Gate of the Dead. (From the names, obviously, if anyone who didn’t belong to the royal family saw this gate…bad news for them.) According to Mao, the slaves were marched out this gate on the way to their execution. Grim history aside, it’s a rather nice gate, well-restored, with some good angles for shooting. It’s certainly worth a visit, especially since it’s so easily accessible – and there are rarely many people around.

After this quick stop, we took the road due west to the heart of Angkor Thom – Bayon – then headed up the road towards the North Gate, where the majority of Angkor Thom sites are located (just north of Bayon). Passing by Baphuon, Phimeanakas, the Elephant Terrace, Terrace of the Leper Kings (all on the west side of the main road), and the Kleangs and Suor Prat Towers (east side of the main road, with the towers being bisected by the road heading east through the Victory Gate), we turned off just north of the Terrace of the Leper Kings to the west to see Tep Pranam – very briefly – and Preah Pilalay.

Tep Pranam is simply a statue of a giant seated sandstone Buddha, still in use for worship today, that was built around the 16th century. If this were in an out-of-the-way place, it may not be worth the time. However, it’s in the heart of Angkor Thom and it’s impossible to go to Preah Pilalay without seeing it if you come by tuktuk. (This isn’t a complaint by any means; it’s rather nice.) Preah Pilalay is in the northwest section of Angkor Thom and is fairly remote (given the amount of tourists that the other nearby sites see). Its main features are a tall chimney-like structure, a few nagas, and its setting in the forest. It was built in either the 13th or 14th century, possibly by Jayavarman VIII or, perhaps, by Jayavarman VII. It’s about 200 meters north of the royal enclosure (Phimeanakas). Some of the larger trees that used to tower over the temple have been hewn resulting in a very different feel. However, it was a pleasant side trip.

Hopping back in the tuktuk and going directly across the road, the last stop for the day inside Angkor Thom was the Preah Pithu group. This is a collection of five temples/ruins in the northeastern section of Angkor Thom that is in a delightful wooded setting. If you can see them in early morning or late afternoon, you should get some wonderful lighting. You can spend as little as 15 minutes here or as much as an hour or two. They probably weren’t designed to be one cohesive group, though it’s not possible to say with certainty. They were built in the 13th century. (Though I mention this as the last stop, I’ve also included the North Kleang and Northern Suor Prat Towers here. Though I didn’t explore those in depth, I am giving them their own set here – Kleangs and Suor Prat Towers.)

On the way out of Angkor Thom, via the South Gate, we stopped outside the moat for a few pictures. Directly south of Angkor Thom are a few temples that I wanted to see: Thma Bay Kaek, Prasat Bei, and Baksei Chamkrong.

We visited them in that order. Thma Bay Kaek is nearest the road about 50 meters southwest of the bridge over the southern moat. All that remains here are the ruins of a square brick tower. It’s probably the remains of one of many temples that were here in the Bakheng area. It was built in the 10th century by Yasovarman I.

About a five minute walk - -if that – due west of Thma Bay Kaek is Prasat Bei (“Three Towers”). Unlike Thma Bay Kaek, these towers are still standing, so obviously, slightly more photogenic. They would probably be best photographed in early morning. The trees block it from the west in late afternoon. It, too, was built by Yasovarman I in the 10th century.

The last of the three temples in this area, Baksei Chamkrong, is the most impressive of the three. It’s from the early and middle 10th century (rededicated in 948) and was built by Harshavarman. This is a pyramid temple at the foot of Phnom Bakheng. The name means “the bird with sheltering wings,” though – like most temples here – this is a modern appellation that the builders wouldn’t have recognized. This tower is a single brick tower on a pyramidal base.

Finally, to finish up the day, Mao dropped me at Phnom Bakheng. It’s about a 20 minute walk up the hill around a winding path. This is considered to be one of the best places to watch sunset over Angkor Wat because of its panoramic view from the peak of the hill. However, everyone knows this, and this is the only place all day that was too crowded for my liking. In addition to its being under restoration to the point of making it a bit of an eyesore (for the time being), it was easily my least favorite place of the entire day. After waiting in line for 20 minutes and barely moving an inch, I decided to call it a day, taking 1-2 pictures (that you see here), and heading back down the hill.

Mao had disappeared into the throngs of people eating at restaurants. Fortunately for me, he spotted me. On the way back to the guesthouse, he stopped and picked up a birthday cake which we shared with the folks who happened to be at the guesthouse. All in all, it was a wonderful birthday. Tomorrow, too, would be just me and would include the lesser-visited sites on the Grand Tour Loop, in addition to 1-2 others.

As always, I hope you enjoy this set. I appreciate you taking time to look. If you have any questions, please feel free to send me a message or leave it via comment.

I would need a better view of this otter's face to tell which one it is. Both of them love to leave their scents everywhere.

Barefoot Bushcraft Camp - August 10 to 14, 2015

Thanks to this very nice couple who enjoyed the sunset with me for sitting perfectly still for over 1 mintue while I rattled off about 18 shots for an HDR (the last shot being 30 seconds to get enough light in the shadows of the pews). It was a beautiful sunset.

View more of my work at The Digital Mirage and My Photo Adventure Blog

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ronald Dahl, Sir Quentin Blake has produced new portraits of some of the famous characters and these are on display in The Millennium Library in Norwich at the moment.

Jim Hartman - Giostra del Saracino

We made a short notice booking to Copenhagen, Jayne had the first week in September booked off and we wanted to try and do a city break. Five nights hardly seemed enough but the short flight was ok. We flew over home heading east on a beautiful morning. I love flying over an area that I know and being able to see it from above. We had been warned that Copenhagen was expensive-it was! I hadn’t done any research before we set off but on the flight over, I read that taxis were expensive, so it was best to use the Metro from the airport, it isn’t far in to the city and the Metro was fairly easy to use. However! We should have caught the train, I read this whist we were sat on the Metro it has to be said! The nearest Metro stop, which I was frantically trying to work out, using my phone, travelling in and out of tunnels, turned out to be a 1.5 mile walk from our hotel, the rail station was .5. Never mind we were there to walk-subject to my lately diagnosed arthritic ankle, we just didn’t want to be towing suitcases over cobbled pavements at the same time.

We were staying in the Tivoli Hotel which was described as central, it is near Central Station but you wouldn’t describe it as central to the city. Our room wasn’t ready but we could upgrade for a modest amount plus we realised it would be a good idea to include breakfast in the upgrade deal. A good move as it turned out. Our room overlooked the train lines-all twelve of them!! We could already hear train brakes squealing along with the thump thump of steel wheels rolling over points and joints. It’s true to say that Central Station is a 24/7 operation. The overnight noise didn’t bother Jayne but I could hear it all night.

We dumped our stuff and I loaded up with the backpack and camera and we were straight out there. Copenhagen is a relatively small city but there is a lot to see. We were soon finding out that it has an extensive network of canals and bridges and these are a major feature of life in the city. Pan flat, the cyclist rules, There appeared to be twice as many bikes as residents, with countless thousands propped up everywhere you went. Where ever you looked there was silent conveyor of sit up and beg cycles being ridden in all directions. You soon got used to looking over your shoulder before making a move. The vast majority of bikes are left unlocked and almost no one wears a helmet ( I’m a no helmet man, much to the annoyance of the helmet zealots). Copenhagen is reputedly the happiest place in the world and it certainly came across as friendly and relaxed. It is, though, one of the most expensive cities in the world and two burgers and two small glasses of wine at Nyhavn cost us £50. Comically, there were four people, local to us, shouting out Jayne’s name, they had seen us going past and we had a laugh about the prices, They were sat drinking beer at £8.50 a pint. Despite the expense, the place was packed with people parting with their money. Wages are very high locally, as are the taxes. The high wages and high costs must feed each other in an upward spiral I would have thought.

Unfortunately the cost of entering buildings to go up towers etc. for a higher view of the city was also very expensive (to us). The tower at Christiansborg Palace is free but restricted by the lift system and you don’t get to the top, it does also open later than the others so you have a chance of seeing sunset over the city. Unfortunately the lifts were out of order on one of our best weather days. We did get to go up the day after but it was dull and I wasn’t overly impressed. The spiral tower across in Christiana, The Church of Our Saviour, was far more impressive. We climbed the tower here just after it opened on a stunning morning and the views are fantastic. There will be incredible bottlenecks when it’s busy though on the corkscrew stairs that get progressively narrower towards the top. Some people hog it to take endless selfies at the top and it is extremely tight up there, you can’t move up until they come down.

As usual, we tried to get to some out of the way places, with only five days and mixed weather though we had enough mainstream destinations to see. We had a day of heavy rain so we went back to the rail station which was a good indoor (and free!) destination, and made umbrellas and the rain the focal point of that days photos. The entire Danish navy seemed to be at anchor, we just missed an open day on one ship. Some I could photograph, others were guarded and had restrictions, I got the evil eye from a couple of guards as the spotted the big Canon in my hand. I can’t imagine that they could police the Japanese and stop them from getting their photos and selfies though. I always act very openly with the camera and if people look at me suspiciously I smile and give them the thumbs up. In a rail station I usually ask the police. In Central Station the police were in their station and I never saw one move out, it is covered by extensive CCTV but there were some very unpleasant people, drinking and watching for people being careless with their belongings. We were lucky to be in the station on Sunday as a tourist steam train arrived, it sat at the platform belching smoke and steam for fifteen minutes, it was also coming back in an hour so we had an expensive coffee and waited to see it again. There was big military event outside the Christiansborg Palace on Monday, with a parade through the city that came past just as we were in a good spot to view it. The area was full of soldiers wearing their medals. We haven’t discovered the reason, although someone suggested a passing out parade for new recruits. Maybe the ships were in port for this as well.

Tivoli Gardens is another big draw and we went in, again it was fairly expensive, it had been a stunning day and the biggest problem was contrast, with deep shadows and a bright blue sky. We stayed until dark, it opens late and is very colourful. We went on the world’s highest carousel and got flung around 260 odd feet in the air. Luckily, we also found a bar that served wine at ‘only’ £5.60 a glass so we sat and watched people have fun screaming and shrieking above us.

There are many buildings with copper domes, entire copper roofs, even modern buildings are often clad in either brass or copper to blend in with the ancient buildings around them. Like every city we have visited, tower cranes are in abundance. There is a lot of development going on and unfortunately a lot of it is around buildings that you would want to photograph. We walked 12 to 14 mile every day and took in most of the sights. We didn’t really do any interiors, only towers and the railway station. At the time of writing I haven’t looked at what I’ve got, I have around 3000 shots, some on the G1X which I used when it was raining heavily as it easy to put in a pocket. I have a lot less time for editing these days so it will be a long process I think. To save time I am going to create a list of generic tags that I can copy and paste to each upload – the time saving is enormous – so apologies to anyone who gets a photo of a canal when they wanted a steam train or vice versa.

TO VIEW sit back from your monitor 2 feet and place your index finger about 10 inches in front of your eyes and focus on your finger. This will cause your eyes to go comfortably cross eyed. Keep that same cross eyed focus and notice there are now 3 photos in the back ground. Do not let your eyes leave the cross eye as you look at the middle picture which has appeared. Now increase or decrease how much your eyes are cross eyed until the image pops into 3D. Your eyes will want to leave the cross eye, but fight that urge. This is an acquired skill and takes practice. Stop if it's uncomfortable.

Visit to Stahls Automotive Foundation in Chesterfield, Michigan on March 15, 2014. The collection is open to the public on Tuesday afternoons from 1 - 4 pm, however, this was a private opening for two classic car clubs.

All of my classic car photos can be found here: Car Collections

Press "L" for a larger image.

B2B Bay to Breakers 2014

He was introducing the unveiling of bronze sculptures by Paula Slater of Neda Agha-Soltan & Sohrab Aarabi

www.paulaslater.com/Slater/Sculptor/WorksInProgress.htm

www.iranianamericanwriters.org

united4iran.com

Bay Area writers from the Association of Iranian American Writers (AIAW) share their literary work at a reading at the San Francisco Public Library’s Koret Auditorium on Saturday, December 12, 2009 from 2-4:00 pm. The event will bear witness to the extraordinary courage of the Iranian people on the six-month anniversary of the contested elections, which took place on June 12, 2009.

Bay Area novelists, poets and essayists will read from published and recent work in recognition of those in Iran who are struggling for democracy and human rights. Among the writers who will share their work are authors of recently published books: Laleh Khadivi (The Age of Orphans, 2009), Elizabeth Eslami (Bone Worship, 2010), and Angella Nazarian (Life as a Visitor, 2009). Other writers and poets include: Tissa Hami, Katayoon Zandvakili, Esther Kamkar, Farnoosh Seifoddini, Anahid Hojjati, and Ari Siletz.

Association of Iranian American Writers (AIAW) co-director and editor of the anthology Let Me Tell You Where I’ve Been: New Writing by Women of the Iranian Diaspora and Anita Amirrezvani, author of the novel, The Blood of Flowers, will co-host the event. Books will be available for sale and authors will be available to sign copies.

This literary reading honors International Human Rights Day and is part of United4Iran’s “Global Celebration of Human Rights through Arts & Culture” which is sponsoring hundreds of art and cultural events around the world to highlight the issues of human rights in Iran.

The reading is sponsored by AIAW and United for Iran, with the support of the San Francisco Public Library. AIAW is a national organization dedicated to promoting the work of fiction and non-fiction writers, poets, journalists, photojournalists and artists who work with words.

I was inspired to create this poster design by the lyrics in the song "...Powdered Water Too" by Eyedea aka. Michael Larsen (R.I.P.)

Click here to listen to the song on YouTube

The main image is of the Helix Nebula (Eye Of God)

Sonam Kapoor to star in Arbaaz Khan Productions! - www.bolegaindia.com/gossips/Sonam_Kapoor_to_star_in_Arbaa...

114 Pictures in 2014. 49.The Weather Outside is Frightful!

Taken at The Regency, Laguna Woods, California. © 2014 All Rights Reserved.

My images are not to be used, copied, edited, or blogged without my explicit permission.

Please!! NO Glittery Awards or Large Graphics...Buddy Icons are OK. Thank You!

Blue skies may be delightful at times but in the midst of severe drought, they are frightful. I took these images off the television at lunchtime today ~ unusually warm temperatures, gusting Santa Ana winds, not a drop of rain in sight. We're under Red Flag warnings, which means severe fire danger. I hope I don't see any fire more devastating than the two pictured. These are frightening enough!

Anyone can give this a whirl if they want to!

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! but it is fun.

================================

Are you a male or female: BOYS

Describe yourself: DROP DEAD BEAUTIFUL

How do you feel: STRONGER

Describe where you currently live : HEAVEN ON EARTH

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: I WANNA GO

Your favorite form of transportation: HOW I ROLL

Your best friend is: BRAVE NEW GIRL

You and your best friends are: OUTRAGEOUS

What's the weather like: BLUR

Favorite time of day:EARLY MORNING

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called: FREAKSHOW

What is life to you: TROUBLE FOR ME

Your relationship: BOMBASTIC LOVE

Your fear: LONELY

What is the best advice you have to give: TILL THE WORLD ENDS

Thought for the Day: OOPS! .. I DID IT AGAIN

How I would like to die: THINKING ABOUT YOU

My soul's present condition:WHY SHOULD I BE SAD

My motto: GET NAKED (I GOT A PLAN)

"You want me to do what? to your where?" Gichelle couldn't believe her ears. Granted she was young and inexperienced, but did people really do that sort of thing? She wasn't even sure her body could bend like that, and then do what? That's just gross. "I can't believe you're into that." He drove a 64' Charger and would park it outside her house at night and wait for her to climb out the window and down to meet him. Most nights they would drive around and look for a dark secluded spot to fumble with buttons and zippers and bra clips. It was all a new world to her that she was discovering with him, opening and then closing her young seventeen year old eyes, and she was grabbing it with both hands and embracing for it. But now this? "...and after you do that with your doo-dad your going to do what to my ta-ta's?" She still didn't quite feel comfortable with the vocabulary even though... Even though it was dark she caught a glimpse of her face in the rear view mirror. Like a gargoyle perched in the air waiting to swoop down and devour the unbelievers. The contours of her face, distorted and grotesque. The kind of face that could stop an army and make it's soldiers repent their sins. A come to Jesus. Bow down before the might and power of our just lord and father. Kneel at his feet and beg for his mercy! And the next thing she knew she was standing back outside her house again. Red flickers like eyes racing off into the darkness. She had a way with men but not the kind that young girls fantasize about. The first time it happened was something of a fluke, but she could feel it creeping further and further into her life. Each grimace required less and less provocation. While waiting in a particularly long line at the bank she caught a wiff of flatulence. When she opened her eyes she was at the front of the line. The other patrons having fled not from the smell but from the grotesque transformation. Eventually she learned how to harness this power and use it for her own personal gain and what occasionally would border on evil. Her closet soon filled up with shoes. Besides no security guard could keep their eyes on her for more than a few seconds. Even the cameras were known to flicker on and off but no tampering was ever discovered.

Eager to catch the fall colors, we took a week in late autumn and headed to Austria and Italy for a road trip exploring the back roads while chasing creative photography opportunities.

From the Alps to the Dolomites - these photos are the result.

For licensing or usage requests, please reach out directly.

Immerse me in Him

like a rose in a jug,

to the eyes

to the forehead,

after a sheaf of fair hair -

let it flow around me

let it run through me

like kissing water

of the Great Ocean.

Let the night die, the morning,

the glow of the moon or sun,

but let it penetrate me

like violin music -

when it reaches my heart

I'll be the sweetest

Him. –

Steps leading down to Potomac St NW, across the canal. Georgetown, Washington, DC.

I’ve been wanting to take a city break in summer, rather than in the cold months for a while, so rather than heading for the Lake District for a week of toil on the fells when Jayne could get a week off, we took off from Liverpool for Paris. Flight times were nice and sociable but it meant we were on the M62 car park at a busy time in both directions – it’s a shambles! I’ve stopped over in Paris a dozen times – on my way to cycling in the Etape du Tour in the Alps or Pyrenees – and had a few nights out there. Come to think about it and we’ve spent the day on the Champs Elysees watching the final day of the Tour de France with Mark Cavendish winning. We hadn’t been for a holiday there though and it was a bit of a spur of the moment decision. Six nights gave us five and a half days to explore Paris on foot. I had a good selection of (heavy) kit with me, not wanting to make the usual mistake of leaving something behind and regretting it. In the end I carried the kit in my backpack – an ordinary rucksack – to keep the weight down, for 103 miles, all recorded on the cycling Garmin – and took 3500 photos. The little Garmin is light and will do about 15 hours, it expired towards the end of a couple of 16 hour days but I had the info I wanted by then. This also keeps the phone battery free for research and route finding – I managed to flatten that once though.

What can I say – Paris was fantastic! The weather varied from OK to fantastic, windy for a few days, the dreaded grey white dullness for a while but I couldn’t complain really. We were out around 8.30 in shorts and tee shirt, which I would swap for a vest when it warmed up, hitting 30 degrees at times, we stayed out until around midnight most nights. It was a pretty full on trip. The security at some destinations could have been a problem as there is a bag size limit to save room in the lifts etc. I found the French to be very pragmatic about it, a bag search was a cursory glance, accepting that I was lugging camera gear, not bombs around, and they weren’t going to stop a paying customer from passing because his bag was a bit over size.

We didn’t have a plan, as usual we made it up as we went along, a loose itinerary for the day would always end up changing owing to discoveries along the way. Many times we would visit something a few times, weighing the crowds and light etc. up and deciding to come back later. I waited patiently to go up the Eiffel Tower, we arrived on Tuesday and finally went up on Friday evening. It was a late decision but the weather was good, the light was good and importantly I reckoned that we would get a sunset. Previous evenings the sun had just slid behind distant westerly clouds without any golden glory. It was a good choice. We went up the steps at 7.30 pm, short queue and cheaper – and just to say that we had. The steps are at an easy angle and were nowhere near as bad as expected, even with the heavy pack. We stayed up there, on a mad and busy Friday night, until 11.30, the light changed a lot and once we had stayed a couple of hours we decided to wait for the lights to come on. This was a downside to travelling at this time of year, to do any night photography we had to stay out late as it was light until 10.30. The Eiffel Tower is incredible and very well run, they are quite efficient at moving people around it from level to level. It was still buzzing at midnight with thousands of people around. The sunset on Saturday was probably better but we spent the evening around the base of the Tower, watching the light change, people watching and soaking the party atmosphere up.

Some days our first destination was five miles away, this is a lot of road junctions in a city, the roads in Paris are wide so you generally have to wait for the green man to cross. This made progress steady but when you are on holiday it doesn’t matter too much. Needless to say we walked through some dodgy places, with graffiti on anything that stays still long enough. We were ultra-cautious with our belongings having heard the pickpocket horror stories. At every Café/bar stop the bags were clipped to the table leg out of sight and never left alone. I carried the camera in my hand all day and everywhere I went, I only popped it in my bag to eat. I would guess that there were easier people to rob than us, some people were openly careless with phones and wallets.

We didn’t enter the big attractions, it was too nice to be in a museum or church and quite a few have a photography ban. These bans make me laugh, they are totally ignored by many ( Japanese particularly) people. Having travelled around the world to see something, no one is going to stop them getting their selfies. Selfies? Everywhere people pointed their cameras at their own face, walking around videoing – their self! I do like to have a few photos of us for posterity but these people are self-obsessed.

Paris has obviously got a problem with homeless (mostly) migrants. Walk a distance along the River Seine and you will find tented villages, there is a powerful smell of urine in every corner, with the no alcohol restrictions ignored, empty cans and bottles stacked around the bins as evidence. There are families, woman living on mattresses with as many as four small children, on the main boulevards. They beg by day and at midnight they are all huddled asleep on the pavement. The men in the tents seem to be selling plastic Eiffel Tower models to the tourists or bottled water – even bottles of wine. Love locks and selfy sticks were also top sellers. There must be millions of locks fastened to railings around the city, mostly brass, so removing them will be self-funding as brass is £2.20 a kilo.

As for the sights we saw, well if it was on the map we tried to walk to it. We crossed the Periphique ring road to get to the outer reaches of Paris. La Defense – the financial area with dozens of modern office blocks – was impressive, and still expanding. The Bois de Boulogne park, with the horse racing track and the Louis Vuitton Centre was part of a 20 mile loop that day. Another day saw us in the north east. We had the dome of the Sacre Couer to ourselves, with thousands of tourists wandering below us oblivious of the entrance and ticket office under the church. Again the light was fantastic for us. We read that Pere Lachaise Cemetery or Cimitiere du Pere Lachaise was one of the most visited destinations, a five mile walk but we went. It is massive, you need a map, but for me one massive tomb is much the same as another, it does have highlights but we didn’t stay long. Fortunately we were now closer to the Canal St Martin which would lead us to Parc de la Villette. This was a Sunday and everywhere was both buzzing and chilled at the same time. Where ever we went people were sat watching the world go by, socializing and picnicking, soaking the sun up. As ever I wanted to go up on the roof of anything I could as I love taking cityscapes. Most of these were expensive compared with many places we’ve been to before but up we went. The Tour Montparnasse, a single tower block with 59 floors, 690 foot high and extremely fast lifts has incredible views although it was a touch hazy on our ascent. The Arc de Triomphe was just up the road from our hotel, we went up it within hours of arriving, well worth the visit.

At the time of writing I have no idea how many images will make the cut but it will be a lot. If I have ten subtly different shots of something, I find it hard to consign nine to the dark depths of my hard drive never to be seen again – and I’m not very good at ruthless selection – so if the photo is OK it will get uploaded. My view is that it’s my photostream, I like to be able to browse my own work at my leisure at a later date, it’s more or less free and stats tell me these images will get looked at. I’m not aiming for single stunning shots, more of a comprehensive overview of an interesting place, presented to the best of my current capabilities. I am my own biggest critic, another reason for looking at my older stuff is to critique it and look to improve on previous mistakes. I do get regular requests from both individuals and organisations to use images and I’m obliging unless someone is taking the piss. I’m not bothered about work being published (with my permission) but it is reassuringly nice to be asked. The manipulation of Flickr favourites and views through adding thousands of contacts doesn’t interest me and I do sometimes question the whole point of the Flickr exercise. I do like having access to my own back catalogue though and it gives family and friends the chance to read about the trip and view the photos at their leisure so for the time being I’m sticking with it. I do have over 15 million views at the moment which is a far cry from showing a few people an album, let’s face it, there’s an oversupply of images, many of them superb but all being devalued by the sheer quantity available.

Don’t think that it was all walking and photography, we had a great break and spent plenty of time in pavement bistros having a glass of wine and people watching. I can certainly understand why Paris is top of the travellers list of destinations.

Olive Bistro, the latest addition to A D Singh’s chain of Olives, is located in Gurgaon’s budding Cyber Hub. It is located on the first floor, placed strategically in front of the Cyber Hub auditorium. It just felt delightful in walking into its Outdoor seating. The picket white fences, the garden feel type of seating made way to a feeling of mushiness and warmth. I have always been a fan of alfresco dining. Be it the warmth of the sun on a wintery afternoon or a breezy sultry evening, the ambience does make a difference for me! So this place, in the heart (almost) of Gurgaon definitely bowled me over.

The staff were friendly, courteous and polite and took extreme care to reach out when needed. Well informed about the dishes and were giving ample suggestions when asked for.

We were there for the Sunday brunch and that is one lavish spread. There are multiple options for Appetizers and drinks with ample vegetarian selects. The course started off with The Olive special Caesar salad which is a must try, a mezze platter of Pita n Nachos with dips of hummus, babaghanoush, tashi and drinks. The mock tail that I had ordered “Litchi tornado” tasted artificial and nothing like Litchi, but the “Mojito” was perfect. Rest of the cocktails tasted good but the Red wine Sangria was the best of the lot for me.

The others included Potato & Jalapeno poppers (one that was immensely loved by all), batter coated pickled vegetables which gave out a hint of tanginess to the fried vegetables, crumb fried fish (being a fish lover, I really liked it), cottage cheese sliders and chicken sliders. The Cottage cheese and Chicken sliders came with portion of twos and the chicken burger was one of the best we have had in quite a while, crunchy patty with lettuce, onion and tomato. We also ordered for the Eggs Benedict with spinach – and this one took the prize, subtle with sautéed spinach, tasty and exactly the way Eggs Benedict should be made.

Done with the starters we decided on to try out on few of the items on the mains menu. Ordered for “Grilled Lemon Mustard Basa”, “Herbs roast chicken”, “BBQ pork Spare ribs” and “Garlic & Dill marinated Grilled prawns” along with one helping (read big) of Penne in white sauce with grilled chicken. The one word to describe each dish should be “amazing”. Every dish was cooked to perfection and just as beautifully served, with accompaniments of Mashed Potato and buttered vegetables, mushy peas, pesto and sundried tomatoes. The contrasting flavours were an absolute delight.

Dessert platter consisted of Flourless Chocolate torte, Lemon Tart, Blueberry Cheesecake, Banana moist cake and Waffles with Maple syrup. Waffles were fresh, warm and crispy as needed and tasted yummy with maple syrup. The lemon tart was bursting with a bitter, sweet, tangy flavor all at one go when taken a bite into.

It was a very nice experience, well who wouldn’t love good food with an amazing ambience. Will be definitely, making a visit here again. All in all the place is a must go!

Happy To Announce A Charming New Listing: Property Details For: 13360 Marsh Lnd Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418Type: Single-Family HomePrice: $2,295,000Bedrooms: 5Baths: 5.0Sq Feet: 5,575See full detail for Listing: R3145333Address: 13360 Marsh Lnd Palm Beach Gardens FL 33418Here is some additional information about 13360 Marsh Lnd Palm Beach Gardens FL 33418: "Stunning British West Indies Custom Built Home In Prestigious Old Marsh Golf Club, Nestled On Peaceful Cul-De-Sac Locale With Eastern Exposure, Private Golf And Lake Views Of The Pete Dye Championship Course. Quality Home Features Include Blackwalnut Wood And Stone Flooring, Gourmet Chef&Apos;S Kitchen With 2 Sub-Zero Refrigerators, Sub-Zero Wine Cooler, 2 Miele Dishwashers (One For Fine China/Crystal), Wolf 6-Burner Gas Range, Double Wall Ovens, Granite Counters, Double Farmhouse Sinks &Amp; Custom Cabinetry, 45 Kw Whole House Generator, And Hurricane Impact Glass Throughout. The First Floor Master Suite Features &Amp;Quot;His &Amp; Hers&Amp;Quot; Walk-In Closets, Sitting Room, Fitness Room, And Master Bath With Relaxing Spa Tub. The First Floor Also Offers An Office And Guest Suite With Private Entry. Enjoy The Spectacular Outdoor Area Featuring Screened Patio, Summer Kitchen With Refrigerator, Grill &Amp; Smoker And Magnificent Gas Heated 55&Apos; Infinity Pool/Spa. In Addition, Pet Lovers Will Appreciate The Dog Run On The South Side Of The Property! Built On A Stem Wall For High Elevation, This 2-Story Home Features Solid Cbs Construction On Both First And Second Floors And More!" Here is what Trulia.com has to say about the area: Sorry, there are no new market stats for: Palm Beach Gardens, FL

150930-N-BB269-142 WATERS TO THE SOUTH OF JAPAN (Sept. 30, 2015) The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG 62) fires its MK 45 5-inch gun during a live-fire gunnery exercise. Chancellorsville is on patrol in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility in support of security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Raymond D. Diaz III/Released)

Photos taken for work of Olympic medalist Leo Manzano visiting Carver Community School in Des Moines. Manzano, in town for the Drake Relays, was the first American in 44 years to win a medal in the 1500m. Born in Mexico and raised in Texas, he shared a personal story that resonated at a school where the majority are students of color, and then led the different grades on a fun run around the school's new track.

Inscription to : Dad (who was a WW1 veteran) from his son, Jack (an Australian soldier who saw service in South-East Asia in WW2) and his wife, Jean. (Jack, a work colleague of mine).

Slaves of the Son of Heaven by Roy H. Whitecross 1951.

The personal story of an Australian prisoner of the Japanese during the years 1942-1945.

Published by Dymock’s Book Arcade, Sydney. Green boards, 246 pages 15cm x 22cm.

Roy Whitecross risked his life by keeping a diary of his time in Changi prison, the Burma Railway and as prisoner in Japan; and detailing the privations the pow’s faced daily, and the cruelty of the Japanese.

Patsy Krech and Stephanie Johnson eagerly answer questions about academic advising, graduation, registration, and more at Patterson Hall during Academic Advising Awareness Week

TIGER GETS A HELPING “HAND” TO GET OUT OF HIS MOAT

San Francisco Fire Department and Zoo Staff Lift 360 pound Tiger

(San Francisco, CA. March 29, 2010) – Tony, an aged Amur tiger, received assistance today to get out of the moat in his outdoor exhibit.

Tony took the keeper steps down into the moat on Thursday afternoon, March 25. “It’s not unusual for Tony to go into the moat…it’s one of his favorite places,” said Mammal Curator Ingrid Russell-White. “The weather was warm and it’s cooler there. He was playing, drinking and eating and he just was not motivated to climb the steps or rocks to return to his exhibit.”

Tony came to the San Francisco Zoo in 1993, and he just turned 18 years old, which is approximately 90 years old in human years. He was diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease in 2007 that was regularly treated with prednisone and other medications to keep it under control. In his most recent annual veterinary review, he was graded with a normal geriatric body score and condition for a tiger his age. He continued to receive his medication through daily “meatballs” dropped into the moat.

“Tony is a big baby,” said Chief Veterinarian Jacqueline Jancek, “and he lets us know when he doesn’t feel well by not eating and becoming listless. We saw nothing but normal behavior from him, so we waited a few days to see if he would come out on his own.”

Too many days had passed and in light of the pending storm, the Zoo decided to follow established procedures to extract him from the moat today. Once anesthetized, Tony, who weights approximately 360 pounds, would have to be lifted on an angle and carried up the keeper stairs. The Zoo called the San Francisco Fire Department (SFPD) and Battalion Chief James Blake came out to assess the situation. Arrangements were finalized.

This morning Battalion Chiefs Blake and Lorrie Kalos and their crew arrived at the Zoo at 8:30 a.m. Tony was anesthetized at 9:30 a.m. Once the medication took hold, he was placed and secured on a board; and, with a combination of people-power and a pulley system supplied by the Fire Department, lifted out.

Zoo Director Tanya Peterson commented, “It was wonderful to have the Fire Department assist us with this procedure. The safety of our visitors, staff and animals are our highest priority, and SFFD willingly stepped in and offered their expertise.”

The entire procedure took two hours and 15 minutes. Once Tony was lifted to the top of his exhibit, he was taken from his outdoor exhibit into his night quarters inside the Lion House where he was thoroughly examined before coming out of his anesthesia.

The Zoo will look at all options to “geriatrify” the outdoor exhibit so that Tony does not have access to the moat in the future. In the meantime he will stay inside the Lion House.

One-month Trip to Georgia, Carolinas & Minnesota, Fall 2008

Photo: Hostel in the Forest

Kyla and I head off on our own mini vacation to the south georgia coast to stay at "hostel in the forest". and to check out St. Simons and Jekyll Islands. The hostel in the forest was an amazing experience. We booked the max - 3 nights. The hostel is located in Brunswick, very near the coast and the main sleeping rooms are tree houses, and the main lounge, kitchen, dining room are a cluster of domes. The hostel was built in the 70s by a man named Tom who still comes around on the weekends - very nice bloke. He built the hostel so he could meet travelers something he couldn't do with a family and a job as a lawyer. The hostel is $20 a night which includes a community meal. The working staff were nice touchy-feely hippie types and we met other travelers such as an english bloke, and some science teachers. Our first night we came in the dark just in time for dinner - a nice vegetarian meal with garden veggies. We hold hands before the meal and say our name, where we are from, and what we are thankful for. The next morning Kyla and I got up early to head to town for a kayak adventure down a river with a local company - my first trip. I did well, but had at trouble with the rudder, it was hard to keep it straight so it was a challenge to steer myself. But all in all I liked being in my own flotation device. The Trip was 3 1/2 hours long, and of course I felt a little sore. We didn't see any alligators - only birds. We also explore St. Simons (ugh! too touristy, bad food, expensive museums) and Jekyll Island (lovely beach! Former island of the Millionare's club). We stayed until sunset and once again got into the hostel at night time. On the Sunday of our trip, we decided to stay the whole day at hostel - it was awesome - skinny dip in the pond (twice), walk around to the garden and sweat lodge. Many of the paths are wooden boardwalks raised 2 feet off the ground through the lovely forest. There is a duck pond, murky swimming pool, giant walking labyrinth, tons of tree-roosting chickens. I painted pictures, wrote cards, read books, made shell ornaments by visiting the art dome. Very nice day indeed! At night the fireflies (lightning bugs) were out - magical. The only difficult thing about Hostel in the Forest were all the "palmetto bugs" - aka Roaches. I guess after some heavy rains there were more than usual skiddering about as soon as night falls. I really hated them and it was hard going to sleep at night knowing we had neighbors. Also the bedding was dampish-moldy - so if I stay again, I'd bring some of my own bedding. More about the hostel: www.foresthostel.com

Travel to Croatia and Montenegro - April - May 2022 - Day 13

Detente dans un magnifique hotel 4 etoiles en bord de mer

Detendez-vous les prochains jours dans votre hotel 4 etoiles directement a la plage sur la fabuleuse cote adriatique montenegrine!

Les chambres tout confort sont luxueuses et modernes et sont equipeesde climatisation, salle de bain/WC et televiseur a ecran plat. Profitez de l'espace bien-etre de reve de l'hotel. Faites une pause a la piscine ou flanez tranquillement le long de la plage.

Photo Courtesy of Singler Photography

To view these photos in high resolution, please visit my website at www.corazzelliphotography.com

To download on phones, use Chrome and set to desktop or PC view. A download arrow should appear. (Last I checked, anyway.) Tag if used on Instagram. Shots are for athletes and school-related use.

Beneficiaries lining up to buy mealie-meal, a staple food made from maize, after collecting their mobile cash. Sibongile Mbhamali (in the middle) spents her 500 SZL (30 euros) to buy 15 kg of mealie-meal, 10 kg of rice and vegetables. ECHO funded cash transfer programme is a response to food insecurity in Southern Swaziland. Programme is supported by Finnish Red Cross and implemented by Baphalali Swaziland Red Cross Society. In total 4 200 households will receive a sum of 1 500 SZL in three instalments in April and May 2016. 90 per cent of beneficiaries report spending the money on food.

Credits: Emil Helotie/Finnish Red Cross

Alltrails.com: Want to check out McDonald Falls from the trail? Good news: 3 trails will you get you there, including hiking trails. Whether you're looking to hike, bike, run, or explore the outdoors in other ways, AllTrails has 4 scenic trails in the McDonald Falls area. Plan your trip with hand-curated trail maps, along with reviews and photos from nature lovers like you. Explore McDonald Falls from one of 3 easy hiking routes or discover kid-friendly routes for your next family trip. No matter how you like to get out in nature, the trails through McDonald Falls are perfect for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts at any skill level.

Outdoorproject.com, Denis LeBlanc: The short and mostly-flat trail to McDonald Falls is a great family-friendly hike in Glacier National Park, and it provides some great views. The trail to the falls is the first short segment of the Upper McDonald Creek Trail, which forms a part of the Johns Lake Loop and the longer hike up McDonald Creek. The creekside environment is delightful and offers nice views of the distant mountains and the interesting rock formations that line the creek.

Starting from the parking area along the road to the McDonald Lake ranger station, the trail is wide and fairly accessible for most of the way to the falls. There are many spots to look out over the creek and find an isolated spot to sit and watch the creek. Once you reach the falls, it is an easy scramble down to a few overlooks with views up and down the creek. Above the falls, McDonald Creek follows close along the route of Going-to-the-Sun Road all the way up nearly to the Continental Divide.

1628a

The Transformers: War for Cybertron has been fantastic at bringing back classic characters, giving them a glow up, and unleashing them upon the current generation as well as us old timers. It's especially great when it's a character that REALLY has been out of the spotlight for a while - such is the case of the Autobot Lieutenant Commander, Skylynx.

This figure retails for $119.99 CAD (or if you're Toys R Us, $129.99 CAD) and is a major pain in the ass to find at this time. Making it harder to find is the fact they seem to only be showing up at Toys R Us stores two units per irregular shipment, and Toys R Us stores seem to have 20 percent off sales every month.. so needless to say I'm quite happy my search actually paid off.

Skylynx has always been an interesting character and toy. As a character, if you asked an 80s kid to name the most irritating Transformer ever, there's a pretty good chance that Skylynx would be the answer. He's effectively a pompous know-it-all, and the best part of it is they (Sunbow) got an actor with a snooty English accent, which further cemented Skylynx's rep as a douche.

As a toy, Skylynx is one of those release that clearly wasn't designed by Hasbro or Takara because of wildly different it was. For those who are not in the know, Skylynx is technically a combiner, though not a Gestalt (which has five components). He's made up of two components - a Space Shuttle and a Carrier for any characters needing to hitch a ride. So rather than Transform into humanoid robots, the combined Skylynx transforms into what I would describe as a giant winged dinosaur.

Here's where things get weirder. The Shuttle can detach from the Carrier, and then each of these vehicles can turn into robotic animals. The Shuttle turns into a flying dinosaur bird thing and from what I can dig up and recall, is technically still Skylynx. The Carrier turns into a cat named Lynx, and is it's own character with a voice and everything, but he never says anything when they're combined.

The name Skylynx has been reused a handful of times through the years, but never really for a toy that operates as described above - even the Combiner Wars version was really just the combined Shuttle/Carrier form, so up until now the only "real" Skylynx was the G1 toy or the Encore reissue.

With that said, welcome to 2020.

Earthrise Skylynx is like classic Skylynx in that it is two vehicles with the aforementioned animal forms that combine together to form one large flying form. Contents include the Shuttle, the Carrier, two gun pods, and some fire blast/flame effect parts.

I have to say that for a mainline release of a figure that is probably never going to ever see a repaint or remould, Hasbro and Takara put a lot of love into making this. I actually own the Encore version, but need to dig it out for pictorial side-by-side stuff, so for now you'll have to take my word for this.

The Space Shuttle itself is about the same length as the original toy, but slimmer. Gone are the brilliant gold foil stickers and gold chromed parts, replaced with gold paint - a pity, but not the end of the world. Interesting to note is that this time, the Shuttle seems to be sponsored by NASA, even being given the name "Magnificent".

It's hard to make out, but the Shuttle is not pure while, but rather, there are areas of a light grey, which does cut the blandness of a pure white deco. Other than paint, you also get Autobot sigils on the wings. Mechanical detailing on the various panels of the Shuttle are beautiful, and I particularly love the re-entry heat shielding on the bottom of the vehicle mode. Plastic quality is at the higher quality as I expect from the Earthrise line as compared to the Cyberverse Arcee I popped open on the weekend.

Transformation into winged mode is pretty straight forward even if you've never played with this toys back in the day, with the only real trick is figuring out how to position the wings. The new wing design gives Skylynx greater breadth than before, and really works well in combined mode. The neck has been reworked so there's no Shuttle parts dangling from it, which results in a cleaner look. It's also longer than back in the day.

Speaking of the neck, this new neck has actual articulation, including a ball joint at the base of the head, and several ratcheting joints that allow for excellent posing.

The tail itself is much more articulated than back in the G1 days, but alas has lost much of it's presence as it's much, much thinner, though I can imagine this was done due to space limitations caused by the longer neck.

Perhaps the only one thing that was changed that I wish had stayed the same are the Shuttle's animal robot feet. The old legs were some what stiff due to significant fewer joints, but I seem to recall they held up the body much better than these scrawny new legs. I do appreciate the additional posing options, but I have to say I had a very hard to finding that position that allowed for display of the Shuttle Skylynx without it toppling over.

The Carrier generally resembles what it did back in the 80s... this kind of ambiguous box thing with tank treads. Transformation into Lynx is straight forward, again, even if you've never played with the original toy. Gone is the chrome as well as the motorized walking function.

Having said that, the redesign of Lynx is glorious, significantly improving the ability for this component to pose by having multi jointed legs, which include much needed ankle pivots and heel joints, along with functional needs. I also love how designers gave the front legs extra joints to make Lynx (and combined mode) broader at the front. As with the Shuttle, there's a mind boggling number of panel lines and other mechanical details.

Colours are significantly darker than the G1 vewrsion, but I'm pretty sure there's actually more paint on this version of Lynx than the G1 version, including actual paint on the tank treads

Combination of the two parts is as simple as ever, really two points (front and back) with a release lever at the front. Combined mode looks great due to its large size, as well as being cleaner as the front end of the Carrier and point where the neck comes out of the Shuttle actually line up, which was somewhat of a sore point on the original toy.

Lastly, due to its size, Earthrise Skylynx has a base mode to interlink with other figures, forming little communities or whatnot. Unlike other Leader class figures that have "base modes" because someone said so, the mode for Skylynx isn't as bad. Sure, it's still somewhat of random limb display, but the gun pods help and, more importantly, it's really just Lynx that turns into a base - Skylynx the Shuttle is left unaltered, causing the base to be more of a launching pad for the Shuttle than some generic outpost.

So in conclusion, a very worthy successor to the Skylynx name, and a fantastic improvement on the original toy while keeping the aspects of that original toy that made it fun. Base mode is harmless, and to me, is more fun than the other ones I've seen. If you know anything about Skylynx and like the character, this is one upgrade you don't want to miss.

Honor Flights to Washington, D.C.’s war memorials increased significantly after Labor Day, as D.C.'s fabled heat (theoretically) transitions to a more favorable fall climate. Groups from Arizona, Florida, Idaho and Chicago were some of the first to arrive in the nation’s capitol Sept. 7 after the federal holiday.

Honor Flight Chicago celebrated its 74th flight since its inception, with 108 participants including 18 World War II and 90 Korean War Vets, in addition to the required support staff of more than 125 dedicated volunteers.

Their day began much earlier than the 6:45 a.m. flight from Midway Airport-Chicago, to Dulles, Va. They boarded buses and drove to the Iwo Jima Memorial where they were met by police motorcycle escort which guided them first to the Air Force Memorial for a performance by the Air Force Drill Team, before crossing the Potomac to the National World War II Memorial.

The group toured the memorial until a color guard honored the Veterans with pomp and circumstance. Center of the group, Arthur Kapinus, 89, a WWII Navy Veteran, held the flag-case filled with veterans portraits dear to members of the Honor Flight Chicago family.

Art was accompanied to D.C. by his brother Bernie, an 81-year-old Army Vet who served in Korea during the mid-50’s. All told, eight Kapinus brothers have served in the military, mostly in the Army and Navy, since World War II. Their brother Joe, whose picture joined five others in the case, served with General Patton and was killed in Luxembourg in January 1945, at age 29.

John Ptak, president of Honor Flight Chicago is not a Veteran, but he has accompanied these flights since 2011, this his 20th trip.

“This is my grandfather, he was in the army in WWII. He passed about 20 years ago, so he didn’t get his Honor Flight,” you can hear emotion in his voice, as he gingerly touches the photo strung round his neck. “I didn’t get a chance to take my grandfather, so I take other people’s grandfathers”.

Some braved the humidity and heat in the 90’s and ventured off to the Korean War, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial before heading back to Dulles Airport. There was time scheduled to visit the relatively new Udvar Hazy Air and Space Museum before boarding their flight back home with an ETA after 8pm.

More than 100 additional Honor Flights from around the nation are planned through December with the last for the year currently scheduled for Pearl Harbor Day.

Find out more about the Honor Flight Network, how you can become involved, donate, and meet Veterans as they tour D.C. here: www.honorflight.org/

(VA photos by Robert Turtil)

Entrance to the Cinecittà studios

Cinecittà (pronounced [ˌtʃinetʃitˈta]; Italian for Cinema City) is a large film studio in Rome, Italy. With an area of 400,000 square metres, it is the largest film studio in Europe, and is considered the hub of Italian cinema. The studios were constructed during the Fascist era as part of a scheme to revive the Italian film industry.[1]

World-renowned filmmakers such as Federico Fellini, Roberto Rossellini, Luchino Visconti, Sergio Leone, Bernardo Bertolucci, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, and Mel Gibson have worked at Cinecittà. More than 3,000 movies have been filmed there, of which 90 received an Academy Award nomination and 47 of these won it.[2] In the 1950s, the number of international productions being made there led to Rome being dubbed "Hollywood on the Tiber."

The studios were founded in 1937 by Benito Mussolini, his son Vittorio, and his head of cinema Luigi Freddi under the slogan "Il cinema è l'arma più forte" ("Cinema is the most powerful weapon").[3] The purpose was not only for propaganda, but also to support the recovering Italian feature film industry, which had reached its low point in 1931.[1] Mussolini himself inaugurated the studios on 21 April 1937.[4] Post-production units and sets were constructed and heavily used initially. Early films such as Scipio Africanus (1937) and The Iron Crown (1941) showcased the technological advancement of the studios. Seven thousand people were involved in the filming of the battle scene from Scipio Africanus, and live elephants were brought in as a part of the re-enactment of the Battle of Zama.[5]

The studios were bombed by the Western Allies during the bombing of Rome in World War II. Following the war, between 1945 and 1947, the studios of Cinecittà were used as a displaced persons' camp for a period of about two years, following German occupation and Allied bombing that destroyed parts of the studio.[6] An estimated 3,000 refugees lived there, divided into two camps: an Italian camp housing Italians as well as displaced people from colonized Libya and Dalmatia, and an international camp, including refugees from Yugoslavia, Poland, Egypt, Iran, and China.[7]

After rebuilding in the postwar years, the studios were used once again for their post-production facilities. In the 1950s, Cinecittà, described as Hollywood on the Tiber, was the filming location for several large American film productions, like Roman Holiday (1953), Beat the Devil (1953), The Barefoot Contessa (1954), Ben-Hur (1959), and some low-budget action pictures starring Lex Barker, who also starred in Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita (1960).[8] The studios were for many years closely associated with Fellini.[9][10]

Later, the studios were used for further international productions such as Francis of Assisi (1961), Cleopatra (1963), The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965), Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet (1968), Fellini's Casanova (1976), La Traviata (1982) and many other productions.

After a period of near-bankruptcy, the Italian Government privatized Cinecittà in 1997, selling an 80% stake.[11] On August 9, 2007, a fire destroyed about 3000 m² (32,000 sq. ft.) of the Cinecittà lot and surroundings. The historic part that houses the sets of classics such as Ben-Hur was not damaged; however, a good portion of the original sets from the HBO/BBC series Rome was destroyed.[12] In July 2012, another fire damaged Teatro 5, the vast studio where Fellini filmed La Dolce Vita[13] and Satyricon (1969).[14][11]

Since the 1990s, films have included Anthony Minghella's The English Patient (1992), Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York (2002),[13] Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) and Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ (2004).

There is an African proverb that says: “When someone dies a library burns.” But if we look long and hard enough, we can often find fragments of those libraries still intact. It is sometimes those precious fragments that strengthen faith, hopes & dreams, and give purpose to the living. In turn we may leave small fragments of ourselves behind as well, to give strength, to give purpose, and serve as a witness to history. May the circle be unbroken.

Created With Deep Dream AI Generator

One-month Trip to Georgia, Carolinas & Minnesota, Fall 2008

Photo: Sarah and Andy at a Beach, near Savannah

My Dad, his wife Edna, and my Sister and 2 1/2 Nephew Andy came to Savannah to collect me. Last time I saw little Andy he wasn't yet talking, and he had a new "colonial boy" hair-cut instead of the "andre agassi". We went out to eat at the Mellow Mushroom for some pizza. Andy was determined to carry the leftover pizza in the box home. It was a rather big box and we had a little distance in his stroller. At one point he put his feet up to hold the box.

The next morning we went for a quick visit to the neighboring beach at Tybee Island, before heading to Augusta, GA to my dad's house, two hours away. Andy loved the ocean waves, stripped down to his birthday suit, screaming with delight.

At my Dad's house I spent a lot of time playing with Andy. He loved to wear my earphones or pretend to be 'Andy Cat'. He'd stretch out his back legs and walk on all fours around the the house. So cute! He also calls me Aunt Corrie.

One afternoon Sarah, Andy, and I toured around downtown Augusta. The downtown has some great fancy clothing shops. The women's ones had huge fancy hats and fancy dresses, that I haven't seen up north - its a southern black lady-church thing. There were also quite a few fancy men-suit shops too, with dapper hats.

On the weekend we went to the airshow one day. Andy loved it. He loved all the freebies, and enjoyed the kiddie rides. The next day we went to the Georgia-Carolina State Fair. My dad said it was pretty poor. But I wanted to see with my own eyes. Yeah, it ain't no Minnesota State Fair that's for sure. They had one hall of juvenile ribboned crafts, some pigs, and mostly a big midway. So Andy went on more rides. He was so funny, he'd get all excited to go on a ride, and then was so so serious once on it!

2013/03/05 Rally to Prosecute Oakland Police Officer MIGUEL MASSO!

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Letter to Attorney General Kamala Harris

2/27/2013

JUSTICE FOR ALAN BLUEFORD

To: California Attorney General Kamala Harris

From: The Justice for Alan Blueford Coalition

We call upon you as the Attorney General for the State of California to prosecute Oakland Police Officer Miguel Masso for the murder of Alan Blueford.

Alan Blueford was 18 years old and was about to graduate from Skyline H.S. in Oakland. Just after midnight, on May 6, 2012, Alan and two of his friends were waiting for some girls to pick them up on 90th Ave, when a car slowly pulled up with its lights off. It was an OPD vehicle. Alan ran. OPD Officer Masso gave chase. A few blocks later, Alan was shot and killed by Masso. Masso also shot himself in the foot. Over a dozen witnesses said that Alan had no weapon and posed no threat to the officer.

Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley is derelict in her duties with respect to the Oakland Police Department. Despite the findings of continued non-compliance of the OPD by Federal Monitor Robert Warshaw, O’Malley has functioned as a rubber stamp for the OPD. She has failed to charge a single OPD officer for any criminal wrong-doing. Specifically on the killing of Alan Blueford, our coalition did a thorough analysis of the DA’s findings and found them to be biased, unprofessional and extraordinarily selective in its use of witness statements.

Some excerpts from our report:

“ALAN BLUEFORD SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN STOPPED.

Mr. Blueford’s stop and subsequent death were the result of racial profiling. The officers had no reason to stop these individuals other than their own racial prejudices. OPD statistics indicate that had the three individuals spotted across the street by Officers Masso and Fesmire been white, they would not have been stopped.”

“THE USE OF DEADLY FORCE BY OFFICER MASSO WAS UNJUSTIFIED, BECAUSE THE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT ALAN BLUEFORD DID NOT HAVE A GUN WHEN HE WAS SHOT.

The DA’s report states: ‘Officer Masso fired a third round at Mr. Blueford, which he fired because Mr. Blueford was still looking directly at him with the gun in his hand.’ At this point — by everyone’s account — Alan was on the ground, lying flat on his back. Alan Blueford was mortally wounded by this third shot, and yet the only gun that could have been in Alan’s hand was found twenty feet away.” from where Alan lay, up an inclined driveway, ‘atop a pile of garden rocks’ and was only noticed several minutes later.”

We also call on you to reopen all the cases of OPD officer-involved shootings from the Riders case in 2003 to the present, due to the pattern of flawed and biased investigations which has shown an unprincipled relationship, lacking objectivity, between the D.A’s office and the Oakland Police Department which continues to lead to OPD officers being unjustly cleared and immune from criminal charges for brutality and murder.

Finally, we demand that you create a strategy and policy to end the criminalization of the Black and Brown Communities, stop the militarized Oakland Police Department from terrorizing Black and Brown Communities, and allow the Black and Brown communities of Oakland to exercise their right to political, social and economic self-determination.

We are holding a rally on Tuesday, March 5th at 3pm at Nancy O’Malley’s office at 12th and Oak St in Oakland. We demand that you announce the prosecution of OPD’s Miguel Masso for the murder of Alan Blueford.

See our website for our detailed analysis of the D.A.’s “investigative” report: justice4alanblueford.org

email us at: alanblueford@yahoo.ca

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Letter source:

justice4alanblueford.org/2013/03/04/letter-to-attorney-ge...

To Morris Chiang, thank you.