View allAll Photos Tagged Unresolved
There’s an old saying that given enough time just about everywhere is within walking distance
~
“no” didn’t even enter my mind - deep red lipstick and full sleeves of sailor jerry ink. A fragile voice unnecessarily tentative - under different circumstances i would have paid to do what she suggested
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“a person lives undisturbed in himself, and then awakens the paradox of self-love as love for another, for the one missing.”
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again i find my self face to face with a great mystery that i have never fully understood
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my neighborhood’s sprinkled with botanicas and you see a fair number of witches – they keep mostly to themselves but i see them shuffling around on a pretty regular basis. i’m not talking about halloween and broomsticks - i’m talking about witches. On the way home tonight i stopped at the liquor store for cigarettes and as i was going in a tattered older one wearing an Oakland raiders parka and about twenty necklaces was just leaving – leaving at her own pace – leaving slow. i held the door and as she passed she gave me something of a smile and a distinct wink. Good enough for me. i bought a lottery ticket and scratched it off right there. A ten dollar winner. Two days smokes for holding the door? Anytime.
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librarian. At night she would snuggle up against the bed side lamp reading kirkegard while she absently fiddled with her hair. Not the kind of thing that lasts. No point inviting friends over for dinner. Cut the head off an unresolved pattern and it grows a new one. Brunette. she mostly seemed distracted and i got the feeling that i wasn’t referenced enough for her. my books weren’t even due back before it was over.
Billion-year-old lava flow from the Midcontinent Rift on the North Shore of Lake Superior. The vertical cracking shows the lava was extruded on the surface, in air, and cooled so rapidly that it could not dissipate it's stresses properly. The unresolved stresses eventually ruptured along crystal boundaries as the rock shrank. Hawaii and Iceland show modern examples of the same thing.
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A bit confusingly for English-speakers, in Dutch Blue-eyed Mary or Blue Navelwort, Omphalodes verna, is called 'Vroeg Vergeet-mij-nietje', Early Forget-me-not.
In English Early Forget-me-not is for Mysosotis ramossisima, which in Dutch is called Ruw Vergeet-mij-nietje, 'Rough Forget-me-not'.
Another synonym for Blue-eyed Mary in English is Creeping Forget-me-not, which goes back on Omphalodes repens, a name given it by Franz von Paula von Schrank (1747-1835). That name though is 'unresolved', which means that botanists haven't determined yet how precise Schrank's naming is. And there's a lot that could be added to this short summary...
Regardless, this Blue is stunning and lingers long in memory.
“You are so young, you have hardly begun, and I would beg you, dear Sir, as fervently as I can, to be patient with all that is unresolved in your heart, and to try to take pleasure in the questions themselves as you might in locked rooms and books written in a very strange tongue. Do not look now for the answers that cannot be given you because you could not live with them. What matters is to live with everything. Live with the questions now. Then perhaps one fijine day you will fijind yourself living gradually, without noticing it, with the answers.”
-Etty Hillesum (E.T., 247. Het Werk, 256)
This beautiful pool beneath some small waterfalls on the Öxará (river) in the Almannagjá (gorge) in Þingvellir National Park, Iceland bears a gruesome name, Drekkingarhylur. Roughly translated it means “the drowning pool”. Here mostly in the 16th to early 18th century women convicted of the crimes of adultery, incest and infanticide were executed by being tied in a sack and drowned in the pool. History records at least 18 females met their demise in this manner. These executions were carried out as part of the court system at Þingvellir but it wasn’t always that way.
Courts were part of the Alþing from its beginning. Then around 960, the Alping appointed four courts, one for each quarter of the country. Legal cases that had not been concluded at district assemblies could be sent to a Quarter Court at the Alþing. In early in the 11th century, The Lögrétta established a Fifth Court to handle cases left unresolved by the Quarter Courts. During this Commonwealth period, the chieftains and the individuals themselves held the executive power. When crimes were committed there was no central authority to carry out judgments. This resulted in Þingvellir being the site of no executions or, indeed, any other type of punishments during the Commonwealth Period.
This all changed in 1262 when Icelanders yielded to the authority of the Norwegian king by signing the treaty known as the Gamli Sáttmáli. This move came as a solution to the increasing animosity between clans and chieftains, This treaty did away with the legislative arm of the Alþing. The Lögrétta, the only remaining entity, became a court of law with limited jurisdiction. Ultimate judicial power was given to the Norwegian king's officials. In 1281 Jónsbók was approved became the basis for the law and legal procedures in Iceland for the following centuries. With the approval of Jónsbók, and the transfer of judicial power to the Norwegian king's officials, punishments became more severe than they had been during the Commonwealth period. As the Danish King git control of Iceland, the Danes introduced the legislation of Stóridómur, the "Great Judgment" in 1564. Following implementation of the Stóridómur, the frequency of corporal punishment at Þingvellir increased significantly.
Historical records report 70 – 80 executions in Thingvellir from the 17th century to the early 18th century. Convicted Men were hung (15 recorded) or beheaded (30 recorded) while the convicted women were drowned at Drekkingarhylur (18 recorded). Witches were burned (unknown number). Besides the Drowning Pool, Þingvellir has other macabre sites such as Gallows Rock (Gálgaklettur), Scaffold beach (Gálgaeyri) and Burning gap (Brennugjá). All pretty much self explanatory. It is said that many of the women executed were innocent, and abused,
References:
www.thingvellir.is/en/history-nature/history/
icelandroadguide.com/items/drekkingarhylur/
travelade.com/iceland/stories/execution-trail-thingvellir...
Early life
Ziaur Rahman was born in the village of Bagbari in the Bogra District of the province of Bengal (now in northwest Bangladesh), although by some other accounts he was born in the city of Calcutta. His father, Mansur Rahman, was a chemist working for a government department in Kolkata. Zia's childhood was divided between living in the village and the city. He was later enrolled into the Hare School in Kolkata. With the partition of India in 1947, Mansur Rahman opted to join the new Muslim state of Pakistan, moving his family to East Pakistan. The family later moved to Karachi, the national capital located in West Pakistan, where Mansur Rahman had been transferred to work for the Government of Pakistan. Zia was enrolled in the Academy School in Karachi. Zia spent his adolescent years in Karachi and enrolled in the D. J. College there in 1953. In the same year, he entered the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul as an officer cadet. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Pakistan Army in 1955. After serving for two years in Karachi, he was transferred to the East Bengal Regiment in 1957. From 1959 to 1964 he worked in the department of military intelligence. In 1960, his marriage was arranged to Khaleda Zia, a young Bengali girl from the Dinajpur District who was 15 years old. Khaleda Zia remained with her parents in East Pakistan to complete her studies and joined her husband in Karachi in 1965. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Zia served in the Khemkaran sector in Punjab as the commander of a company unit of 300–500 soldiers. The sector was the scene of the most intense battles between the rival armies. Zia's unit won one of the highest numbers of gallantry awards for heroic performances. Ziaur Rahman himself won the distinguished and prestigious Hilal-e-Jurat medal , and his unit won 7 Sitara-e-Jurat medals and 12 Tamgha-e-Jurat medals for their brave roles in the 1965 War with India. In 1966, Zia was appointed military instructor at the Pakistan Military Academy, later going on to attend the prestigious Command and Staff College in Quetta, where he completed a course in command and tactical warfare. Advocating that the Pakistan Army make greater efforts to recruit and encourage Bengali military officers, Zia helped raise two Bengali battalions during his stint as instructor. Trained for high-ranking command posts, Zia joined the 2nd East Bengal regiment as its second-in-command at Joydevpur in 1969. Although sectarian tensions between East and West Pakistan were intensifying, Zia travelled to West Germany to receive advanced military and command training with the German Army. Zia returned to Pakistan the following year, and witnessed political turmoil and regional division. East Pakistan had been devastated by the 1970 Bhola cyclone, and the population had been embittered by the slow response of the central government. The political conflict between Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's Awami League, which had won a majority in the 1970 elections, the President Yahya Khan and West Pakistani politician Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had brought sectarian tensions to a climax. Sheikh Mujib laid claim to form a government, but Yahya Khan postponed the convening of the legislature under pressure from West Pakistani politicians. Bengali civil and military officers had alleged institutional discrimination through the 1960s, and now distrust had divided the Pakistani Army. Upon his return, Zia attained the rank of Major and was transferred to the 8th East Bengal regiment stationed in Chittagong to serve as its second-in-command.
Sector Commander of Bangladesh Liberation Forces
Following the failure of last-ditch talks, Yahya Khan declared martial law and ordered the army to crack down on Bengali political activities. Before his arrest, Sheikh Mujib declared the independence of Bangladesh on March 26, 1971 and exhorted the people of East Pakistan to resist the army. One of the highest-ranking Bengali officers, Zia led his unit in mutiny of the Pakistan Army, killing the West Pakistani officers and capturing a radio station in Kalurghat near Chittagong and calling it the Shadhin Bangla Betar Kendro. On March 27, addressing the people via radio, Zia delivered Sheikh Mujib's address and declared independence on his behalf and pronounced himself "Head of the Republic": This is Shadhin Bangla Betar Kendro. I, Major Ziaur Rahman, at the direction of Bangobondhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, hereby declare that the independent People's Republic of Bangladesh has been established. At his direction, I have taken command as the temporary Head of the Republic. In the name of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, I call upon all Bengalis to rise against the attack by the West Pakistani Army. We shall fight to the last to free our Motherland. By the grace of Allah, victory is ours. Joy Bangla Zia was appointed commander of Mukti Bahini (Liberation Army) forces in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, working under General M. A. G. Osmani, the supreme commander. He worked to provide support and resources to the Mukti Bahini guerilla force and coordinate attacks against the West Pakistani army. At a later phase of the war, Zia travelled across the border into India to receive military resources and training for his troops. Zia also helped coordinate the work of Bangladesh's government-in-exile of Mujibnagar. On June 1, 1971 Zia became the commander of the first conventional brigade of the Mukti Bahini, which was named "Z Force," after the first initial of his name. This brigade consisted of 1st, 3rd and 8th East Bengali regiments, enabling Zia to launch major attacks on Pakistani forces. During the war his family was placed under house arrest. The guerrilla war continued until the direct intervention of the Indian Army, which captured Dhaka and forced the surrender of Pakistani forces on December 16, 1971. Upon his release, Sheikh Mujib assumed charge of the new state's government, and the Indian Army transferred control to the newly-formed Bangladesh Army on March 17, 1972. Having earned a reputation for courageous leadership during the war, Zia was awarded the Bir Uttom, the second-highest military honour. He was given command of a brigade stationed in Comilla, and in June he was appointed deputy chief of army staff. He was later promoted to the rank of Major General by the end of 1973. As a high-ranking commander, Zia oversaw the training and development of the army.
Coup of 1975 and its aftermath
By 1975, Sheikh Mujib's assumption of dictatorial powers had disillusioned and angered many Bangladeshis, including army officers. On August 15, 1975 Sheikh Mujib and his family were murdered by a group of military officers. One Sheikh Mujib's cabinet ministers Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad was appointed the president and, subsequently, Major General Ziaur Rahman was appointed as the chief of army staff after removal of Major General Shafiullah. It is not known if Zia had himself helped plot the coup against Sheikh Mujib, but he had now become one of the most powerful men in the nation. However, the coup caused a period of instability and unrest in Bangladesh. Brigadier Khaled Mosharraf and the Dhaka Brigade under Colonel Shafat Jamil made a counter-coup on November 3, 1975, and Ziaur Rahman was forced to resign and was put under house arrest. A third coup was staged under Colonel Abu Taher and a group of socialist military officers and supporters of the left-wing Jatiyo Samajtantrik Dal on November 7, called the Sipoy-Janata Biplob (Soldiers and People's Coup). Brigadier Mosharraf was killed and Colonel Jamil arrested, while Colonel Taher freed Ziaur Rahman and re-appointed him as army chief. Following a major meeting at the army headquarters, an interim government was formed with Justice Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem as chief martial law administrator and Zia, Air Vice Marshal M. G. Tawab and Rear Admiral M. H. Khan as his deputies. Zia also took on the portfolios of finance, home affairs, industry and information along with becoming the army chief of staff. Fearing that Abu Taher, a well-known socialist, would attempt to organise another revolt, Zia ordered his arrest. Following a secret trial in a military court, Zia authorised the execution of Colonel Taher on July 21, 1976. Zia became the chief martial law administrator (CMLA) following Justice Sayem's elevation to the presidency on November 19, 1976. He tried to integrate the armed forces, giving repatriates a status appropriate to their qualifications and seniority. While this angered some veterans of the Mukti Bahini, who had rapidly reached high positions, Zia defused potential threats from discontented officers by sending them on diplomatic missions abroad.
President of Bangladesh
Major General Ziaur Rahman became the 6th President of Bangladesh on April 21, 1977 following Justice Sayem's resignation on grounds of "ill health," which many believed was simply a pretext for Zia's rise to power with the army's backing. Although Sayem had held the title of president, historians believe it was Zia who exercised real power. Sayem had promised early elections, but Zia postponed the plans. The years of disorder had left most of Bangladesh's state institutions in disarray, with constant threats of military coups amidst strikes and protests. Assuming full control of the state, Zia banned political parties, censored the media, re-imposed martial law and ordered the army to arrest dissidents. Martial law restored order across the country to a large measure, although Zia crushed several attempted uprisings with ruthless measures. In late September 1977, a group of Japanese Red Army terrorists hijacked an airplane and forced it to land in Dhaka. On September 30, while the attention of the government was riveted on this event, a mutiny broke out in Bogra. Although the mutiny was quickly quelled on the night of October 2, a second mutiny occurred in Dhaka. The mutineers unsuccessfully attacked Zia's residence, captured Dhaka Radio for a short time and killed a number of air force officers at Dhaka international airport, where they were gathered for negotiations with the hijackers. The army quickly put down the rebellion, but the government was severely shaken. Government intelligence had failed and Zia promptly dismissed both the military and the civilian intelligence chiefs. Special tribunals dealt harshly with the large groups of bandits, smugglers and guerrilla bands operating across the country. The size of Bangladeshi police forces was doubled and the strength of the army increased from 50,000 to 90,000 soldiers.
Domestic and foreign policies
Zia had taken charge of a nation suffering from severe poverty, chronic unemployment, shortages and economic stagnation. Muting the state's commitment to socialism, Zia announced a "19-point programme" which emphasised self-reliance, rural development, decentralisation and population control. Zia worked energetically and spent much of his time traveling throughout the country, preaching the "politics of hope" by continually urging all Bangladeshis to work harder and to produce more. Zia focused on boosting agricultural and industrial production, especially in food and grains, and to integrate rural development through a variety of programs, of which population planning was the most important. Working with the proposals of international lending agencies, he launched an ambitious rural development program in 1977, which included a highly visible and popular food-for-work program. He promoted private sector development, exports growth and the reversing of the collectivisation of farms. His government reduced quotas and restrictions on agriculture and industrial activities. Zia launched major projects to construct irrigation canals, power stations, dams, roads and other public works. Directing his campaign to mobilise rural support and development, Zia established Gram Sarkar (Village Councils) system of self-government and the "Village Defence Party" system of security and crime prevention. Programmes to promote primary and adult education on a mass scale were initiated and focused mainly across rural Bangladesh. During this period, Bangladesh's economy achieved fast economic and industrial growth. Zia began reorienting Bangladesh's foreign policy, addressing the concerns of nationalists who believed that Bangladesh was reliant on Indian economic and military aid. Zia withdrew from his predecessors' affinity with the Soviet bloc, developing closer relations with the United States and Western Europe. Zia also moved to harmonise ties with Saudi Arabia and the People's Republic of China, who had opposed Bangladesh's creation and had not recognised it till 1975. Zia also dropped the demands of reparations and an official apology demanded by Sheikh Mujib and moved to normalise relations with Pakistan. While distancing Bangladesh from India, Zia sought to improve ties with other Islamic nations. Zia's move towards Islamic state policies improved the nation's standing in the Middle East. Zia also proposed an organisation of the nations of South Asia to bolster economic and political co-operation at a regional level. This proposal materialised in 1985 with the creation of the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation in Dhaka.
Islam and nationalism
Zia moved to lead the nation in a new direction, significantly different from the ideology and agenda of Sheikh Mujib. He issued a proclamation order amending the constitution, increasing the direct influence and role of Islam on the government. In the preamble, he inserted the salutation "Bismillahir-Rahmaanir-Rahim" (In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful). In Article 8(1) and 8(1A) the statement "absolute trust and faith in Almighty Allah" was added, replacing the commitment to secularism. Socialism was redefined as "economic and social justice." Zia further introduced provisions to allow Muslims to practice the social and legal injunctions of the Shariat and Sunnah. In Article 25(2), Zia introduced the principle that "the state shall endeavour to consolidate, preserve and strengthen fraternal relations among Muslim countries based on Islamic solidarity." Zia's edits to the constitution redefined the nature of the republic from the secularism laid out by Sheikh Mujib and his supporters. Islamic religious education was introduced as a compulsory subject in Bangladeshi schools, with provisions for non-Muslim students to learn of their own religions. In public speeches and policies that he formulated, Zia began expounding "Bangladeshi nationalism," as opposed to Mujib's assertion of a Bengali national identity. Zia emphasised the national role of Islam (as practised by the majority of Bangladeshis). Claiming to promote an inclusive national identity, Zia reached out to non-Bengali minorities such as the Santals, Garos, Manipuris and Chakmas, as well as the Urdu-speaking peoples of Bihari origin. However, many of these groups were predominantly Hindu and Buddhist and were alienated by Zia's promotion of political Islam. In an effort to promote cultural assimilation and economic development, Zia appointed a Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Commission in 1976, but resisted holding a political dialogue with the representatives of the hill tribes on the issue of autonomy and cultural self-preservation. On July 2, 1977 Ziaur Rahman organised a tribal convention to promote a dialogue between the government and tribal groups. However, most cultural and political issues would remain unresolved and intermittent incidents of inter-community violence and militancy occurred throughout Zia's rule.
A lot fainter than in my previous image, with no bright nucleus, but rather a string of nuclei (unresolved at this focal length).
Takahashi FSQ106EDX4, F/3.6, ASI294MC
MOC, built by my wife Paula, scale Architecture, based in the fire that destroyed the Windsor building, in which there were no injuries, still unresolved extraneous causes that provoked
www.brickshelf.com/gallery/AlIeNiGeNa/AlienQueen/windsor/...
Here lie the accumulated dreams never come true, the missed chances, the unresolved flights of fancy.
Two productive nights at the Astronomical Society of Victoria's dark sky site out of Heathcote. Skies were clear and still and the Milky Way was fabulous after midnight. I've imaged The Sombrero in the past, but have gained much experience since the last imaging, so I decided to image it again. I'm pleased I did!
Located in an attractive field of colourful (Milky Way) stars, the Sombrero Galaxy (M104, NGC 4594) is a substantial object about 30 million light years away. Seen close to edge on, its highly structured dust lane, very bright core and huge halo of unresolved reddish-yellow stars are key features. The core is believed to contain a supermassive black hole having a mass of about 1 billion solar masses.
The equipment performed very well and I am delighted to have resolved details in the dust lane and structures on the disk.
Technical stuff: Takahashi TOA-130 OTA working at 1500mm and f11 on a Takahashi EM-200 Temma2 mount, SBIG STL11000M monochrome camera cooled to -15 degC. 7.5 hrs of images taken through L, R, G and B filters, calibrated in CCDStack2, aligned in RegiStar, stacked in CCDStack2 and finished off in Photoshop CS5. Original image has been cropped to ~ 0.4 x 0.2 deg.
Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporáneo in Chapultepec Park has a revolving series of exhibits.
This is a chocolate sculpture titled All the King's Horses (Todos los Caballos del Rey), a 2024 work by Andrea Ferrero.
6 of 7.
The work was on display from 28 Nov, 2024 to 16 Mar, 2025.
Andrea Ferrero’s installation, commissioned for Otrxs Mundxs at Museo Tamayo, offers a symbolic dismemberment of the equestrian statue of Charles IV of Spain by Manuel Tolsá that has presided over Mexico City in various locations and configurations since its completion in 1803.
Otherwise known as El Caballito (The Little Horse), the monument is the representation of a sordid colonial history that remains largely unresolved.
Ferrero’s life-sized replica of the original has substituted bronze for chocolate, undermining the inherent power relations that Tolsá’s work embodies in the context of Mexico.
*All the King’s Horses* imagines a possible future for the artifacts of a colonial past that continue to haunt the present.
Rendered in an edible material that also calls to mind methods of forced labor and colonial extraction, Ferrero’s work captures these narrative histories within industrial refrigerators atop a theatrical red carpet that foreshadows their eventual consumption and a reckoning with the past.
Well, if anything can get me out of my funk, it's a serendipitous *play* with images and artifacts on Sliders Sunday. Because, as is always the case with *visual journaling* . . . the subconscious brings a lot of unresolved issues into the light.
Not sure why the piece of rock from a seawall, in the shape of an upside down Vermont, appealed to me, nor why I had a need to purchase a *Swiss Knife* enclosed in a hand-made leather case, but here you have it! Another of my favorite *PHOTages* . . .
The *Septarian* stone bear was bought at a Southwestern shop years ago, just because I liked it! Come to find out it has interesting meanings as a healing stone beneficial to overall health and well being. It nurtures and grounds. Septarian (Dragon Stone) - Location: Morocco) brings calming energies which have a nurturing feel to them and can bring feelings of joy and spiritual uplifting. It is said to bring unconscious foreknowledge needed by the user to help him or her always be prepared for what is coming up. . It is also quite useful in determining the direction in which to progress. Septarian loves to be held emanating a loving kind and sincere energy pattern. It is said to be a speaking stone and enhances communication on multiple levels.
So, believe it or not, I'm going to pay a lot of attention to this energy for the next few days!
Blessings to all . . . Stay Safe and SANE . . . Big Hugs all around.
L'artiste pop majeur James Rosenquist a utilisé des techniques de peinture de signes pour créer des toiles kaléidoscopiques évoquant la publicité américaine. Il a adopté le langage visuel de l’art commercial, filtrant les images d’objets américains brillants à travers une lentille froide et inspirée du surréalisme. Ses peintures, peintures murales et gravures évoquent des panneaux d'affichage et des affiches, mais elles restent plus mystérieuses et irrésolues que n'importe quelle campagne éditoriale ne pourrait le permettre. Rosenquist a suivi des cours d'art à l'Université du Minnesota, à Minneapolis, avant de déménager à New York et de rejoindre brièvement l'Art Students League. Il a également travaillé comme peintre de panneaux publicitaires. Le travail de Rosenquist a été exposé à New York, Londres, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, Rome et Los Angeles et fait partie des collections du Metropolitan Museum of Art, du Centre Pompidou, du Museum of Modern Art, de la Tate, du Guggenheim. Museum, Moderna Museet et le Museum of Contemporary Art de Los Angeles, entre autres. Ses peintures se sont vendues jusqu'à sept chiffres aux enchères.
Initialement commandé par Eastern Airlines pour l'aéroport international de Miami, Star Thief a été catégoriquement licencié par le président de la compagnie aérienne et ancien astronaute Frank Borman. Comme Rosenquist l’a rappelé dans son autobiographie, Painting Below Zero : Notes on a Life in Art, Borman a déclaré : « L’espace ne ressemble pas à cela. J’ai été dans l’espace et je peux vous assurer qu’il n’y a pas de bacon dans l’espace. Le tableau de plus de cinq mètres de haut et de plus de quatorze mètres de large, qui appartient à la collection du Musée Ludwig, représente un chevauchement denté en forme de hachures et une interpénétration de plusieurs couches de motifs - d'un portrait d'une femme endormie et des faisceaux de câbles techniques vers un univers éclairé par les étoiles. Rosenquist a fait remarquer à propos du tableau qu'il souhaitait pénétrer de plus en plus profondément dans l'espace, dans la pensée. « Star Thief est une allégorie cosmique, une métaphore du travail. La star est un voleur, le voleur qui suscite la curiosité, poussant les gens à se tourner vers une pensée lointaine.
Major pop artist James Rosenquist used sign painting techniques to create kaleidoscopic canvases evocative of American advertising. He adopted the visual language of commercial art, filtering images of shiny American objects through a cold, surrealist-inspired lens. His paintings, murals and prints evoke billboards and posters, but they remain more mysterious and unresolved than any editorial campaign could allow. Rosenquist took art classes at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, before moving to New York and briefly joining the Art Students League. He also worked as a billboard painter. Rosenquist's work has been exhibited in New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, Rome and Los Angeles and is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Center Pompidou, Museum of Modern Art, Tate, Guggenheim . Museum, Moderna Museet and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, among others. His paintings have sold for up to seven figures at auction.
Originally ordered by Eastern Airlines for Miami International Airport, Star Thief was roundly fired by airline president and former astronaut Frank Borman. As Rosenquist recalled in his autobiography, Painting Below Zero: Notes on a Life in Art, Borman said, “Space doesn’t look like that. I have been to space and I can assure you there is no bacon in space. The more than five meters high and more than fourteen meters wide painting, which belongs to the collection of the Ludwig Museum, depicts a crosshatch-shaped toothed overlap and an interpenetration of several layers of motifs - of a portrait of a sleeping woman and bundles of technical cables towards a universe lit by stars. Rosenquist remarked about the painting that he wanted to penetrate deeper and deeper into space, into thought. “Star Thief is a cosmic allegory, a metaphor for work. The star is a thief, the thief who arouses curiosity, causing people to turn to a distant thought.
This beautiful pool beneath some small waterfalls on the Öxará (river) in the Almannagjá (gorge) in Þingvellir National Park, Iceland bears a gruesome name, Drekkingarhylur. Roughly translated it means “the drowning pool”. Here mostly in the 16th to early 18th century women convicted of the crimes of adultery, incest and infanticide were executed by being tied in a sack and drowned in the pool. History records at least 18 females met their demise in this manner. These executions were carried out as part of the court system at Þingvellir but it wasn’t always that way.
Courts were part of the Alþing from its beginning. Then around 960, the Alping appointed four courts, one for each quarter of the country. Legal cases that had not been concluded at district assemblies could be sent to a Quarter Court at the Alþing. In early in the 11th century, The Lögrétta established a Fifth Court to handle cases left unresolved by the Quarter Courts. During this Commonwealth period, the chieftains and the individuals themselves held the executive power. When crimes were committed there was no central authority to carry out judgments. This resulted in Þingvellir being the site of no executions or, indeed, any other type of punishments during the Commonwealth Period.
This all changed in 1262 when Icelanders yielded to the authority of the Norwegian king by signing the treaty known as the Gamli Sáttmáli. This move came as a solution to the increasing animosity between clans and chieftains, This treaty did away with the legislative arm of the Alþing. The Lögrétta, the only remaining entity, became a court of law with limited jurisdiction. Ultimate judicial power was given to the Norwegian king's officials. In 1281 Jónsbók was approved became the basis for the law and legal procedures in Iceland for the following centuries. With the approval of Jónsbók, and the transfer of judicial power to the Norwegian king's officials, punishments became more severe than they had been during the Commonwealth period. As the Danish King gained control of Iceland, the Danes introduced the legislation of Stóridómur, the "Great Judgment" in 1564. Following implementation of the Stóridómur, the frequency of corporal punishment at Þingvellir increased significantly.
Historical records report 70 – 80 executions at Þingvellir from the 17th century to the early 18th century. Convicted Men were hung (15 recorded) or beheaded (30 recorded) while the convicted women were drowned at Drekkingarhylur (18 recorded). Witches were burned (unknown number). Besides the Drowning Pool, Þingvellir has other macabre sites such as Gallows Rock (Gálgaklettur), Scaffold beach (Gálgaeyri) and Burning gap (Brennugjá). All pretty much self explanatory. It is said that many of the women executed were innocent, and abused,
References:
www.thingvellir.is/en/history-nature/history/
icelandroadguide.com/items/drekkingarhylur/
travelade.com/iceland/stories/execution-trail-thingvellir...
Some grow closer as they age, for others the gap widens. It's best not to let those conflicts go unresolved.
Image imagined in MidJourney AI and finished with Topaz Studio and Lightroom Classic.
I've rekindled my passion after nearly losing my love of LEGO trains.
Over the last two years, I have realised that LEGO-related activities have radically slowed down. My ambitions for a LEGO layout had almost diminished completely. My models were either incomplete, unresolved or partly broken up.
The overwhelming feeling of having to design a layout to accommodate my locomotives made building LEGO trains undesirable (especially since they need larger curves to run). Plus, the difficulty of running heavily detailed models, creating custom parts, custom decals, etc.
However, last month, I got an order from LEGO. I wasn't very familiar with the BDP, but I was blown away when I saw the Logging Railway! Ties has done an incredible job, and the set was irresistible. It's easily one of, if not the best, LEGO train sets we've ever had!
I loved the build, but it wasn't long before I wanted to start making changes to make it more of an original model while still trying to keep all of the core elements of the set—particularly that excellent boiler design! I didn't remake the flat wagon, opting for something I've never built: a combine car!
One thing I don't like about some of my older models is that their attempt at total realism loses the charm of the medium. They don't feel like LEGO, and it's always bugged me. The way they are built also brings numerous challenges that make it difficult to enjoy them when treated like a model train set and not a LEGO model. However, this collection happily incorporates my love of LEGO and model railways, with just enough realism to satisfy my palate.
I've always loved the Western theme from the 90s. I recently discovered the channel Thunder Mesa Studio, and the layout has inspired me. The idea of having a layout that celebrates the medium of LEGO and can include anything I want is so intriguing! I feel the urge to go all out, leave my British models behind, and head into the magical world of the Wild West!
The Silent Pacifier Aftermath: A Tale of Consequences on the Pavement
Here, captured at pavement level amidst the vibrant blur of market life, lies not merely a lost pacifier, but the tangible echo of a recent, potent drama. Its soft, peachy hue and gentle curves belie the raw energy that propelled it to this desolate spot. This wasn't an accidental slip from a pram or a gentle drift from a pocket; this was a deliberate act, a tiny, furious declaration of independence.
The scene itself, if one were to zoom out just a moment in time, spoke volumes. A tantrum, recently concluded, left its mark not in lingering cries, but in this quiet, discarded symbol. The parent, now moving away, has left behind more than just the pacifier; they've left a silent, powerful consequence. Perhaps it was a pedagogical choice, a lesson in the immediate aftermath of a defiant throw. Perhaps it was a moment of sheer parental exhaustion, a silent surrender to the fleeting chaos of a market day.
The pacifier remains, not simply lost, but seemingly unretrieved. It's a small, poignant testament to the ebb and flow of childhood emotion and the complex dynamics of family life played out on the public stage. The very act of leaving it behind transforms it from a comforting object into a marker of a moment – a tiny monument to a vanquished tantrum, waiting now for the indifferent tread of countless feet to erase its vivid story from the ground. It compels us to wonder about the child, the parent, and the unresolved quiet that now hangs over this small, soft item, so recently a source of profound comfort, now a silent, vivid consequence.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_redstart
The black redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) is a small passerine bird in the redstart genus Phoenicurus. Like its relatives, it was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family (Turdidae), but is now known to be an Old World flycatcher (Muscicapidae). Other common names are Tithy's redstart, blackstart and black redtail.
Taxonomy and systematics
The first formal description of the black redstart was by the German naturalist Samuel Gottlieb Gmelin in 1774 under the binomial name Mottacilla ochruros.[3][4] The genus Phoenicurus was introduced by the English naturalist Thomas Forster in 1817.[5] Both parts of the scientific name are from Ancient Greek and refer to the colour of the tail. The genus name Phoenicurus is from phoinix, "red", and -ouros -"tailed", and the specific ochruros is from okhros, "pale yellow" and -ouros.[6]
The black redstart is a member of a Eurasian clade which also includes the Daurian redstart, Hodgson's redstart, the white-winged redstart, and maybe Przevalski's redstart. The present species' ancestors diverged from about 3 million years ago (mya) (Late Pliocene) onwards and spread throughout much of Eurasia from 1.5 mya onward.[7] It is not very closely related to the common redstart. As these are separated by different behaviour and ecological requirements and have not evolved fertilisation barriers, the two European species can nonetheless produce apparently fertile and viable hybrids.[8][9]
There are a number of subspecies which differ mainly in underpart colours of the adult males; different authorities accept between five and seven subspecies. They can be separated into three major groups, according to morphology, biogeography, and mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data.[7][9][10][11]
P. o. phoenicuroides group. Basal central and eastern Asian forms which diverged from the ancestral stock as the species slowly spread west (c. 3-1.5 mya). Females and juveniles light grey brown.
•Phoenicurus ochruros phoenicuroides. Tian Shan eastwards to Mongolia. Small; adult males have lower breast, belly and flanks deep rufous, pale wing-patch absent, sometimes white forehead. Overall quite similar to a much darker common redstart with black chest. Females and juveniles are similar to common redstart but have an overall sandier, paler colour and often a distinct buff eye-ring.
•Phoenicurus ochruros murinus. Altai, Tuva, northern China and western Mongolia. Distinguished from the previous Turkestan subspecies by the absence of any contrast in the colour of the head, nape and back, all of which are concolorous dark grey.[12]
•Phoenicurus ochruros rufiventris. Turkmenistan eastwards through Pamir and Alay Mountains to Himalaya. Usually large; adult males like P. o. phoenicuroides, but darker overall, with black back and rufous-chestnut underside. Females with rufous tinge to underside. Exact limits with P. o. phoenicuroides unresolved.
oPhoenicurus ochruros xerophilus. China east of and between ranges of preceding two. Large; colour pattern like P. o. phoenicuroides but paler. Included in P. o. rufiventris by many authorities.[10]
P. o. ochruros group. Western Asian forms, whose lineage separated from the gibraltariensis group c. 1.5–0.5 mya. Females and juveniles intermediate.
•Phoenicurus ochruros ochruros. Eastern Turkey, Alborz, and Caucasus. Small, somewhat intermediate between P. o. phoenicuroides and P. o. gibraltariensis. Generally like latter, but rufous underside, pale wing patch weakly developed.
•Phoenicurus ochruros semirufus. Levant. Small; adult males somewhat similar to rufiventris except in size. Black areas extensive.
P. o. gibraltariensis group. European population, which formed as a distinct subspecies probably during the last ice age. Females and juveniles dark grey.
•Phoenicurus ochruros gibraltariensis. Western Europe east to the Crimea and western Turkey. Neck, upper back and shoulders dark slate grey to black in adult males, lighter than face and neck, pale wing patch strongly developed.
oPhoenicurus ochruros aterrimus. Iberia and Morocco. Neck, upper back and shoulders black in adult males. Wide intergradation with P. o. gibraltariensis and treated as a synonym of it by many authorities.[10]
Description
The black redstart is 13–14.5 cm (5.1–5.7 in) in length and 12–20 g (0.42–0.71 oz) in weight, similar to the common redstart. The adult male is overall dark grey to black on the upperparts and with a black breast; the lower rump and tail are orange-red, with the two central tail feathers dark red-brown. The belly and undertail are either blackish-grey (western subspecies; see Taxonomy and systematics, above) or orange-red (eastern subspecies); the wings are blackish-grey with pale fringes on the secondaries forming a whitish panel (western subspecies) or all blackish (eastern subspecies). The female is grey (western subspecies) to grey-brown (eastern subspecies) overall except for the orange-red lower rump and tail, greyer than the common redstart; at any age the grey axillaries and underwing coverts are also distinctive (in the common redstart these are buff to orange-red). One-year-old males are similar to females but blacker; the whitish wing panel of the western subspecies does not develop until the second year.[10][11]
Distribution and habitat
It is a widespread breeder in south and central Europe and Asia and north-west Africa, from Great Britain and Ireland (where local) south to Morocco, east to central China. It is resident in the milder parts of its range, but north-eastern birds migrate to winter in southern and western Europe and Asia, and north Africa. It nests in crevices or holes in buildings.[10][11]
In Britain, it is most common as a passage and winter visitor, with only 20–50 pairs breeding.[13] On passage it is fairly common on the east and south coasts, and in winter on the coasts of Wales and western and southern England, with a few also at inland sites. Migrant black redstarts arrive in Britain in October or November and either move on or remain to winter, returning eastward in March or April. They also winter on the south and east coasts of Ireland.[11]
The species originally inhabited stony ground in mountains, particularly cliffs, but since about 1900 has expanded to include similar urban habitats including bombed areas during and after World War II, and large industrial complexes that have the bare areas and cliff-like buildings it favours; in Great Britain, most of the small breeding population nests in such industrial areas. It will catch passing insects in flight, and migrants often hunt in coastal tide-wrack for flies or tiny crustaceans. Its quick ducks of head and body are robin-like, and its tail is often flicked. The male has a rattling song and a tick call.
Eastern race birds are very rare vagrants in western Europe.
Computer reboot prevented me from finishing this one, but it had gotten to a mostly finished state. It was really just some final detail passes that I had wanted to make, like on the grip, stock, and some refining on the optic and maybe details on the bolt.
This beautiful pool beneath some small waterfalls on the Öxará (river) in the Almannagjá (gorge) in Þingvellir National Park, Iceland bears a gruesome name, Drekkingarhylur. Roughly translated it means “the drowning pool”. Here mostly in the 16th to early 18th century women convicted of the crimes of adultery, incest and infanticide were executed by being tied in a sack and drowned in the pool. History records at least 18 females met their demise in this manner. These executions were carried out as part of the court system at Þingvellir but it wasn’t always that way.
Courts were part of the Alþing from its beginning. Then around 960, the Alping appointed four courts, one for each quarter of the country. Legal cases that had not been concluded at district assemblies could be sent to a Quarter Court at the Alþing. In early in the 11th century, The Lögrétta established a Fifth Court to handle cases left unresolved by the Quarter Courts. During this Commonwealth period, the chieftains and the individuals themselves held the executive power. When crimes were committed there was no central authority to carry out judgments. This resulted in Þingvellir being the site of no executions or, indeed, any other type of punishments during the Commonwealth Period.
This all changed in 1262 when Icelanders yielded to the authority of the Norwegian king by signing the treaty known as the Gamli Sáttmáli. This move came as a solution to the increasing animosity between clans and chieftains, This treaty did away with the legislative arm of the Alþing. The Lögrétta, the only remaining entity, became a court of law with limited jurisdiction. Ultimate judicial power was given to the Norwegian king's officials. In 1281 Jónsbók was approved became the basis for the law and legal procedures in Iceland for the following centuries. With the approval of Jónsbók, and the transfer of judicial power to the Norwegian king's officials, punishments became more severe than they had been during the Commonwealth period. As the Danish King gained control of Iceland, the Danes introduced the legislation of Stóridómur, the "Great Judgment" in 1564. Following implementation of the Stóridómur, the frequency of corporal punishment at Þingvellir increased significantly.
Historical records report 70 – 80 executions in Thingvellir from the 17th century to the early 18th century. Convicted Men were hung (15 recorded) or beheaded (30 recorded) while the convicted women were drowned at Drekkingarhylur (18 recorded). Witches were burned (unknown number). Besides the Drowning Pool, Þingvellir has other macabre sites such as Gallows Rock (Gálgaklettur), Scaffold beach (Gálgaeyri) and Burning gap (Brennugjá). All pretty much self explanatory. It is said that many of the women executed were innocent, and abused,
References:
www.thingvellir.is/en/history-nature/history/
icelandroadguide.com/items/drekkingarhylur/
travelade.com/iceland/stories/execution-trail-thingvellir...
"I lived doubtful, not dissolute; I die unresolved, not unresigned; Human it is to be ignorant and to err. I trust in Almighty and All-good God, Being of Beings have mercy on me"
Early evening settles over the Curran Theatre, where the Theater District briefly exhales and lets the architecture take the lead. The sky is pale and unresolved, flattening the roofline into a quiet backdrop while the lower façade deepens into cool blue-gray shadow. Three arched bays hold steady at street level, their lamps glowing just enough to suggest activity behind closed doors.
The building’s Beaux-Arts discipline reads clearly here: cream-colored stone framing warm brick, ornament deployed with restraint rather than excess. Medallions, carved faces, and evenly spaced windows reward close looking without demanding it. Above the canopy, repetition takes over—cornice, oculus, brick, stone—an architectural rhythm meant to reassure. Below it, the street stays deferential, allowing the theater to stand uninterrupted, composed, and complete.
The words “Comedy” and “Tragedy” inscribed into the canopy feel less theatrical than observational. In downtown San Francisco, those ideas have always lived side by side, sometimes within the same block, sometimes within the same evening. The Curran has hosted spectacle and intimacy in equal measure, but this photograph avoids performance. No crowds, no marquee glare—just the building at rest, between acts.
Scenes like this reveal a different San Francisco noir: not shadowy figures or flashing lights, but permanence holding its ground. The Curran waits patiently, confident in its proportions and its past, ready for the city to catch up when it’s ready to take a seat again.
This beautiful pool beneath some small waterfalls on the Öxará (river) in the Almannagjá (gorge) in Þingvellir National Park, Iceland bears a gruesome name, Drekkingarhylur. Roughly translated it means “the drowning pool”. Here mostly in the 16th to early 18th century women convicted of the crimes of adultery, incest and infanticide were executed by being tied in a sack and drowned in the pool. History records at least 18 females met their demise in this manner. These executions were carried out as part of the court system at Þingvellir but it wasn’t always that way.
Courts were part of the Alþing from its beginning. Then around 960, the Alping appointed four courts, one for each quarter of the country. Legal cases that had not been concluded at district assemblies could be sent to a Quarter Court at the Alþing. In early in the 11th century, The Lögrétta established a Fifth Court to handle cases left unresolved by the Quarter Courts. During this Commonwealth period, the chieftains and the individuals themselves held the executive power. When crimes were committed there was no central authority to carry out judgments. This resulted in Þingvellir being the site of no executions or, indeed, any other type of punishments during the Commonwealth Period.
This all changed in 1262 when Icelanders yielded to the authority of the Norwegian king by signing the treaty known as the Gamli Sáttmáli. This move came as a solution to the increasing animosity between clans and chieftains, This treaty did away with the legislative arm of the Alþing. The Lögrétta, the only remaining entity, became a court of law with limited jurisdiction. Ultimate judicial power was given to the Norwegian king's officials. In 1281 Jónsbók was approved became the basis for the law and legal procedures in Iceland for the following centuries. With the approval of Jónsbók, and the transfer of judicial power to the Norwegian king's officials, punishments became more severe than they had been during the Commonwealth period. As the Danish King git control of Iceland, the Danes introduced the legislation of Stóridómur, the "Great Judgment" in 1564. Following implementation of the Stóridómur, the frequency of corporal punishment at Þingvellir increased significantly.
Historical records report 70 – 80 executions in Thingvellir from the 17th century to the early 18th century. Convicted Men were hung (15 recorded) or beheaded (30 recorded) while the convicted women were drowned at Drekkingarhylur (18 recorded). Witches were burned (unknown number). Besides the Drowning Pool, Þingvellir has other macabre sites such as Gallows Rock (Gálgaklettur), Scaffold beach (Gálgaeyri) and Burning gap (Brennugjá). All pretty much self explanatory. It is said that many of the women executed were innocent, and abused,
References:
www.thingvellir.is/en/history-nature/history/
icelandroadguide.com/items/drekkingarhylur/
travelade.com/iceland/stories/execution-trail-thingvellir...
St Aidan's is a 400-hectare (990-acre) Country Park between Leeds and Castleford in West Yorkshire, England. The land was formerly an opencast coal mining area.
The Country Park opened to the public in May 2013 under the care of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). The car park and visitor centre were subsequently closed in July 2013 due to unresolved land issues. With the successful transfer of St Aidan's to Leeds City Council, a 99-year lease was signed from the council to the RSPB in March 2017. The site is now open and functioning as an RSPB reserve.
It is a brilliant reserve with 4 waymarked loops of approx. 1.1, 1.7, 2.0 & 3 miles long so you can do as much or as little as you wish. Or merely sit outside the visitors centre & enjoy a coffee!
Different in style from all my other posts but in line with my desire to create reminders of important events this picture commemorates the beginning of the NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Operation Allied Force between March 24 and June 10,1999) ten years ago. This was the view I always had on entering / leaving "Film City" (KFOR headquarters in Pristina, Kosovo) the following year. Destruction and the ever present danger of mines is part of what I experienced and, among other things, took back home.
After the bombing, on June 12, 1999, KFOR, a NATO force, began entering Kosovo and although they had been preparing to conduct combat operations in the end its mission was only peacekeeping. The proclaimed goal of the NATO operation was summed up by its spokesman as "Serbs out, peacekeepers in, refugees back".
The Kosovo war, as you might expect, is a very complex and controversial topic and apart from two more remarks below I can only recommend to do your own reading which you might start at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosovo_War
The legitimacy of NATO's bombing campaign in Kosovo has been the subject of much debate but the television pictures of refugees being driven out of Kosovo made a vivid and simple case for NATO's actions, and the ulterior motives of Western powers as well as atrocities committed by the KLA went relatively unreported.
The status of Kosovo remains unresolved; international negotiations began in 2006 to determine the level of autonomy Kosovo would have, but failed. The province is administered by the United Nations despite its unilateral declaration of independence on February 17, 2008.
(Source: wikipedia)
As with the other pictures taken with my old Minolta SLR’s (a DYNAX – or Maxxum – 500si and a 600si Classic) this was scanned using my brother Karsten’s Minolta Dimage Scan Elite II (Thanks brother).
Taken in my garden in Northwest Leicestershire.
Started to open yesterday, so waited until today to take some shots of this elegant Snowdrop.
According to the RHS it has a unresolved name.
I have searched the internet and have found two references, one as the nomenclature has Galanthus elwesii 'Snow Fox' the other as Galanthus nivalis 'Snow Fox',
St Aidan's is a 400-hectare (990-acre) Country Park between Leeds and Castleford[1] in West Yorkshire, England. The land was formerly an opencast coal mining area.
The Country Park opened to the public in May 2013 under the care of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). The car park and visitor centre were subsequently closed in July 2013 due to unresolved land issues. With the successful transfer of St Aidan's to Leeds City Council, a 99-year lease was signed from the council to the RSPB in March 2017. The site is now open and functioning as an RSPB reserve.
It is a brilliant reserve with 4 waymarked loops of approx. 1.1, 1.7, 2.0 & 3 miles long so you can do as much or as little as you wish. Or merely sit outside the visitors centre & enjoy a coffee!
Flickr is a huge "world" to try and live in..and we´re all just so busy..
Thanks for taking time to comment on my work and inviting me to great groups to share it in. I hope I can do the same for all of you too...so little time and so much to do..!!
Have a great day my friends.
A little while ago, Aviation and Airline Man suggested I build the Stair Car from Arrested Development. I've never seen the show, but I did see pictures of the vehicle a few times, there have been a few LEGO versions (typically minifig scale) and it's certainly an interestingly different vehicle to add to my collection. So, here goes.
The nose looks a bit long and I obviously still have the actual stair to build, but it is getting there. (I am also still planning an F-8, but there are a few unresolved issues.)
SPANISH
Desde que era pequeño, siempre me pregunte si habia vida ahi afuera. Es una de las grande cuestiones sin resolver que se plantea un ser humano desde que nace hasta que muere. Pero en lo mas profundo de mi ser, se que hay algo ahi.
Somos energia pura transformada en formas de vida complejas a partir de una simple chispa de "inteligencia divina" ( o casualidad aleatoria de la madre naturaleza).
Cuando miro a las estrellas, pienso en todos esos mundos que jamas podre explorar debido a la escasa tecnologia que disponemos hoy en dia, pero como todo proceso evolutivo, lleva tiempo y energia, trabajo que algun dia dará sus frutos.
Nuestra inteligencia es ilimitada pero el problema de ella, es el mal uso que le damos. Nos obsesionados con nosotros mismos, primero debemos solucionar nuestros propios problemas dentro de la tierra, para asi entonces, poder proyectar todas nuestras energia hacia donde realmente debemos, la busqueda de la fuente de vida, o de otras formas de vida.
Sueño con mundos llenos de vida, prosperidad y paz. Algun dia la Tierra será así.
Somos seres universales, literalmente.
ENGLISH
Since I was little , I always wondered if there was life out there. It is one of the largest unresolved issues that a human being arises from birth to death . But in the depths of my being , I know there 's something there .
We are pure energy transformed into complex life forms from a single spark of " divine intelligence " (or random chance of mother nature ) .
When I look at the stars , I think of all those worlds gonna ever explored because of the limited technology we have today , but like any evolutionary process , it takes time and energy,work that some day will pay off .
Our intelligence is unlimited but the problem of it is the misuse we give it. We are obsessed with ourselves , we must first solve our own problems within the earth, so then you can project all our energy to where we really , the search for the source of life , or other forms of life.
Dream worlds full of life, prosperity and peace. One day the Earth will.
We are universal beings , literally.
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
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Carlos Chinesta Sevilla
Professional Photography 2014.
"For me empowerment is simply the flip side of freedom. A woman who feels, in her mind, heart and body, free enough to live in alignment with her full self is an empowered woman. It has nothing to do with who you are professionally, the power you have over people, how loud you speak, or how ‘in control’ you appear. I know a lot of women who ‘look’ empowered but still don’t feel the courage to be true to themselves, or who simply don’t know who their true self is. Doing the hard work of finding out why you are here, and doing the best to bring that woman forward, that is true empowerment. No one can take that power from you. We are most powerful (and most beautiful too) when we stand in our truth… So if I close my eyes, an empowered woman would be one who makes her choices freely, who honors her heart’s calling, who brings her unique light to the world. I have always loved the idea that humanity is a puzzle, and that a puzzle however full, cannot be complete until that one piece is found. Until each one of us finds our best selves and brings it forth.
Because the superwoman does not exist. The sooner you realize that, the freer you are to just be yourself. And our beauty actually lies in our imperfections (if only we can be brave enough to embrace them)…Many women are also prisoners of how society views them. So allowing yourself to do things that society may not approve of or the people close to you do not see you doing, can be very freeing. You just have to be careful to do them not because you want to prove anything to anyone, but truly for yourself. To feed yourself. And that’s power.
Marriage and motherhood were also significant. Both made me realize the pressure that is put on women, and the difficulty to find yourself when you are trying to cater for everyone else’s needs. Often times it’s a self-imposed pressure too. In many African societies we have created this fantasy of a strong woman, who endures everything, puts her needs last, and handles everything with a smile. That woman is celebrated, held as a model. Even if her community knows she is in pain, she is honored for her stoicism. Not being yourself becomes bravery. So she appears strong, but in reality she is not, she is simply fronting. And I think that is very damaging and dangerous for women.
It really is a journey. I think it’s important to stress that. It doesn’t happen overnight, but over countless little experiences, choices, and it’s a journey that does not really end… When I look back I realize that my most painful experiences have actually been the greatest catalysts for growth. Because grief and adversity take you to that place where you either die or rise, it forces you to look at yourself in the mirror, to look deeply at your life and to decide how you want to move forward. A few years ago I watched my father slowly lose his life to an advanced illness, and that throbbing pain brought me face to face with myself. In the weeks, months that followed, every unresolved issue came forth. Because such grief is an earth-shattering experience, it cracks you open. And it allowed me, over time, to work on myself, to find and uproot whatever else was ailing me, which lead me to a much more empowered life. But it’s a decision that one makes. You have to chose you. And it’s a choice that is always available to us. But I’ve found that challenges wash away the distractions of life and thus create a crossroad. The choice becomes much clearer.
The best way to empower another being is to be empowered yourself. It’s as simple as that. At the end of the day we only are responsible for ourselves, but if we do that well we get to lift up others in the process. When I look at the women who have inspired or touched me, it was those who, by being their full, unapologetic selves, gave me permission to be what I wanted to be. So I aspire to be transparent about who I am, by shaking my own boundaries, this may make another woman say: ‘wait a minute, I too have something I’ve always wanted to do/be’. And to be honest about that journey. Because again, there is no such thing as a picture perfect life."
♀ Ketty Nivyabandi
In lying to others we end up lying to ourselves. We deny the importance of an event, or a person, and thus deprive ourselves of a part of our lives. Or we use one piece of the past or present to screen out another. Thus we lose faith even in our own lives.
It isn’t that to have an honourable relationship with you, I have to understand everything, or tell you everything at once, or that I can know, beforehand, everything I need to tell you. It means that most of the time I am eager, longing for the possibility of telling you. That these possibilities may seem frightening, but not destructive, to me. That I feel strong enough to hear your tentative and groping words. That we both know we are trying, all the time, to extend the possibilities of truth between us. When we stop lying we create the possibility for more truth; Telling the truth creates the possibility for more truth around us, the possibility of life between us.”
♀ Adrienne Rich
“Let doubt be a source of growth rather than a debilitating force. If you want to maintain your integrity, question yourself often. Doubt your best deeds. Examine your smallness. Doubt is at the heart of any serious artistic practice as well as the day-to-day activities of an artist. Some artists think the doubts will eventually subside, but they will not. As you mature, new questions appear that challenge whatever development you have attained.”
“Be careful with your calculations. Calculations become a habit. A calculated life is seldom radiant.”
Enrique Martinez Celaya
However deep our theoretical commitment to serenity, in the course of an average day, we are likely to encounter a number of extremely well-crafted invitations to lose our tempers badly. .... It’s just there is so much else that needs our attention: we have to hold on to our thoughts, repair our wounds, appease our turmoils and discover our routes to happiness. We must sidestep the many dragnets because we have so many other, truly more important things to do.
A new image of the sunward plunging Comet ISON suggests that the comet is intact despite some predictions that the fragile icy nucleus might disintegrate as the Sun warms it. The comet will pass closest to the Sun on November 28.
In this NASA Hubble Space Telescope image taken on October 9, the comet's solid nucleus is unresolved because it is so small. If the nucleus broke apart then Hubble would have likely seen evidence for multiple fragments.
Moreover, the coma or head surrounding the comet's nucleus is symmetric and smooth. This would probably not be the case if clusters of smaller fragments were flying along. A polar jet of dust first seen in Hubble images taken in April is no longer visible and may have turned off.
This color composite image was assembled using two filters. The comet's coma appears cyan, a greenish-blue color due to gas, while the tail is reddish due to dust streaming off the nucleus. The tail forms as dust particles are pushed away from the nucleus by the pressure of sunlight. The comet was inside Mars' orbit and 177 million miles from Earth when photographed. Comet ISON is predicted to make its closest approach to Earth on December 26, at a distance of 39.9 million miles.
Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.
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"...have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer." -rilke, letters to a young poet
one of my favorite quotes from one of the my most favorite books EVER. so much wisdom contained in such a tiny little book. i might re-read it tonight actually. i think i need it right now.
i am feeling very defeated, annoyed, frustrated today. i did have a shoot at a cool new location i found (which is where i got this shot, took it while my husband was working with the model :) ). i might post a few shots later. didn't turn out quite the way i envisioned for various reasons...
Twelve a Year MARCH 2021
The world is fine. It is humanity that is in a constant state of transition. We take leaps in technology, but the depth of hatred among people runs deeper than the sea. With each new generation we hope that the next will make a better difference. I wonder how long humanity will continue to allow hate to go unresolved.
Well, I've said to myself that I'd never do portraits, and never post people pics due to privacy reasons, but after a few occasions where I've photographed people, I've quite liked the results.
I want to 'capture' a feeling with them, a sentient expression, as I've done with some of my animals pics.
Have you heard of the saying, 'What you keep thinking of, is what you attract..' ?
After blubbering shamelessly over Jane's tribute to her beloved old Sam till 5 am this morning, after allowing myself to be chucked back into unresolved grief and restimulated memories regarding my own sweet Bobby, also remembering my urge back then to adopt one after the other, more old doggies from the pound forever after, because I find something so magnetic about and feel totally engulfed their beingness…(yes, I was talked out of that one, and ened up with puppies…)
After expending so many mental megabytes ..guess what happened…
I attracted another old doggy!
This is Nero and his human, Thomas.
These two are inseparable..
Nero's now an elderly doggy and was Bobby's pal.
They called in today, the first time in many months.
They gave me permission to post this portrait.
After Bobby was gone, I'm sure little Nero kept looking all over my place for him.
Such an irony, Bobby is buried on their farm, but both Thomas and his beloved dog were away on that day.
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Although the shop was shuttered for Ascension Day, this tightly composed Bruges window display offered a striking glimpse into the eclectic world of ethnographic and archaeological collecting. What first appears to be a jumble of carved figures and ancient implements reveals, upon closer inspection, a curated intersection of African ritual arts and prehistoric European or Near Eastern artifacts.
🔍 Center:
The trio of wooden figures with stylized faces and either pointed or rounded heads strongly evokes Baulé or Guro spirit figures from Côte d'Ivoire, or possibly Dogon ancestor effigies from Mali. Their angular limbs and serene expressions suggest their original role as mediators between worlds—used in household shrines or community rituals, though their crisp carving and dry patina hint they may have been made for the 20th-century art market.
🔍 Foreground Left:
A green-blue axe head, likely bronze or copper alloy, sits mounted at an angle. Its blade shape and heavy corrosion suggest a Late Bronze Age origin—possibly from the Urnfield or Hallstatt cultures of prehistoric Europe, or alternatively from Luristan in western Iran. Whether weapon or tool, it represents one of the oldest objects in the display.
🔍 Foreground Center:
Three rounded, pale cylindrical stone objects, whose function remains uncertain. While some might guess spindle whorls, they more plausibly resemble grinding stones, game counters, or weights from prehistoric Europe or North Africa. Their ambiguity adds to the display’s air of archaeological bricolage.
🔍 Left Background:
A charming tripod libation vessel carved with human or zoomorphic legs, likely from the Cameroonian Grasslands or the Democratic Republic of Congo. These cups were used in elite contexts—either for offerings or as status-laden ceremonial vessels.
🔍 Right Foreground:
An elongated black carving with a long snout or horn, possibly a fragment of a Chi Wara antelope headdress used by the Bambara (Mali) in agricultural ceremonies. Its streamlined abstraction and subtle incisions speak to a powerful visual language linking human and animal.
🔍 Right Middle:
A small, expressive carved figure adorned with string and beads, strongly suggestive of a Kongo or Bakongo nkisi nkondi figure from the Democratic Republic of Congo or Angola. These spiritually charged objects were empowered through ritual insertions and served protective, healing, or justice-related functions in the hands of ritual specialists (nganga).
🔍 Background Center:
A dramatic iron sword or prestige blade with a flared pommel rises behind the central figures—likely a ceremonial Mangbetu or Ngbandi weapon from the Democratic Republic of Congo/Central Africa. These were not battlefield arms but emblems of leadership and aristocratic identity.
Summary:
This assemblage spans continents and millennia. Most objects hail from West and Central African cultures deeply entwined with ritual, memory, and status, while the inclusion of prehistoric tools and weapons—likely of European or Near Eastern origin—suggests a dealer who traffics in both ethnographic and archaeological material. Seen together, the window captures a colonial-era European fascination with “the primitive” and “the ancient”—but without context, the line between sacred and souvenir, artifact and art object, becomes fluid and unresolved.
This text is a collaboration with Chat GPT.
The last sunny wedge of a raging adventure saw many things pass in the time between, including but not limited to, me becoming desperate enough to buy a pack of Newports (as that's the only menthol the damned place had), beers, prime rib, an inept and seemingly strung out hotel clerk, more beers, and a couple of halfway decent railroad movements. After bagging the East train on it's way to Pierre in the morning, a couple of shots of the west train east of JC, and a long and frustrating drive along the Pierre Sub made up of wild speculation, confusion, frustration, and unresolved EOT chirps on the scanner, we finally found a train. Going East. Less than an hour before sundown. The unit grain we'd foolishly and inadvertently followed for nearly two hours not only was powered by a trio of typical BNSF GEs, but was also on the approach to Wolsey, where it would tie down and wait for a BNSF crew. Lest we give up (NEVER!), we decided to push the last handful of miles towards Huron, in hopes that a west train would depart in the last minutes of light. Fortunately for us, as I navigated us down yet another janky, slushy, dirt road, the RCP&E crew on the grain train toned up and had a brief discussion about their instructions, as well as that there was a BNSF local "coming down in about 15 minutes". Coming down, that should mean south.
It's a damn good thing railroad time and actual time differ by a hefty margin, as we were able to start driving north along the BNSF line towards Redfield. We followed the line for miles with no sign of a train, as the sun sank lower and lower. We were about to turn around, but I saw one more bend in the rail and figured we'd check the straight away north of it. Lo and behold a the headlights of a southbound were rapidly growing along the horizon. A quick U turn and a couple of shots later, the chase was all but over as the sun sank into the cloud line just above the horizon.
With a pair of unrebuilt GP50s bracketing a GP38-2, a lash that is hard to sneeze at (much less in the year 2016!), 42 cars are lugged south towards Wolsey, where they will work the interchange with the RCP&E before banging the diamond for points south.
These trips are always poorly planned and chaotic, this one lasting somewhere around 50 hours, with probably 7 hours of actual sleep in between, but the memories, pixels, and feelings I take away from each one makes them unquestionably worth every penny and every second.
- It was raining today, such a beautiful light, and I called a good friend of mine, Marius who`s shooting gorgeous nature videos in full HD, inviting him to go with me to beautiful Asdoel Gorge to shoot. I really like the idea of covering a special place both with photography and full HD video and second, he had never seen this gorge before so I wanted to share this beauty with one who really appreciates the luxury of fine nature scenery.
It`s him standing lost in thoughts in this shot, pondering the unresolved question of what the birds are singing. The rain poured down, though you can`t see it on the photo.
All rights reserved. © copyright by Seung Kye Lee
- Take a look at earlier shot and additional info from Asdøljuvet (Asdoel Gorge): www.flickr.com/photos/lee_seung_kye/2575406612/
This is one of my favorite places that I love to shoot when it rains, leaving rocks, moss and leaves shining with light and fresh colors. Knowing this unique gorge (famous amongst geologists for it`s vulcanic rocks made 250 mill. years ago and the shooting of "The Call Of The Wild" (Jack London), 1974) like my own pocket it`s always like the first time everytime I shoot here. Actually I am still looking for the "perfect" shot from this gorge.
Canon 5D, 17-40mm f/4, polarizer, gnd filter.
- Fine art prints at: www.leeseungkye.com
- Blog: seungkyelee.wordpress.com/
Recovering from illness other than COVID-19, I went over to Lake Havasu City in Arizona yesterday to shoot a panorama of London Bridge. Seemed like a good idea at the time. It was about 114 degrees F (45.5 C) outdoors. I'm not yet able to work the tripod and attempted to hand-hold the camera. When I did the panorama processing, about 10-15 feet at the center of the bridge were missing from my images. So we have no panoramas today. Fortunately, the bridge is not going anywhere.
Instead of a panorama, here's a bison I met some time ago. Hanging out in a wallow is a cultural thing with bison.
Note to self: both bridge and bison begin with "b."
Montana succeeded in eradicating Brucellosis [a contagious disease] from its cattle herds in 1985, allowing Montana ranchers to ship their cattle to other states without testing them for the disease. ...[The disease] may be spread from Yellowstone Park’s free-roaming bison and elk herds to livestock grazing along park borders... the National Park Service has, in an attempt to reduce the risk of Brucellosis transmission, killed more than 10,000 bison that have wandered out of the park in recent years.
— "WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT: Many Issues Unresolved in Yellowstone Bison-Cattle Brucellosis Conflict," (report), US Government Accountability Office, (GAO/RCED-93-2).
Journalism grade image.
Source: 4200x2800 16-bit TIF file.
Please do not copy this image for any purpose.
Artists: Connie Huston & Howard Tharpe, 2001
This mural is a tribute to Cottage Grove's famous resident Opal Whiteley (1897-1992), revered by some as a mystic. Her controversial diary, the Journal of an Understanding Heart was a best seller in the US but her story was challenged as a fraud. The mystery is still unresolved.
20250614_100007
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“Sensitive people are the most genuine and honest people you will ever meet. There is nothing they won’t tell you about themselves if they trust your kindness. However, the moment you betray them, reject them or devalue them, they become the worse type of person. Unfortunately, they end up hurting themselves in the long run. They don’t want to hurt other people. It is against their very nature. They want to make amends and undo the wrong they did. Their life is a wave of highs and lows. They live with guilt and constant pain over unresolved situations and misunderstandings. They are tortured souls that are not able to live with hatred or being hated. This type of person needs the most love anyone can give them because their soul has been constantly bruised by others. However, despite the tragedy of what they have to go through in life, they remain the most compassionate people worth knowing, and the ones that often become activists for the broken hearted, forgotten and the misunderstood. They are angels with broken wings that only fly when loved.”
- Shannon L. Alder
Multi: “What’s the meaning of this?”
Powerhouse: “I’ll admit it, I’ve been keeping secrets from you, she only wanted you safe, Jon. It was Paola’s choice.”
Multi: “You mean both your choices. I can’t. I just can’t. How long have I been lied to for the last 2 years? How have I not been safe?”
Powerhouse: “I…I’ll let her do the talking when she comes.”
***
For four years in my life, I’ve never seen my apprentice. Alive in the flesh. Now I can’t bring myself to swallow the words—-I feel silent, as if there’s so much awkward, unresolved tension for the uneasiness.
Powerhouse: “Jon, this is Paola. She’ll tell you everything.”
Multi: “So you’re not dead. Since Springfield. 2016”
Paola: “..yes.”
Multi: “I don’t know. I just don’t where to start. You could have told me after Springfield when you saved me, but not like this and dropping everything.”
Paola: “I…I wanted to keep you safe. But that’s not the whole point, I’ll tell you everything later on—this was an emergency contact Ben intended because Doc was in critical danger.”
Multi: “Okay. Well, he is. But whatever it is, you still left me hanging. I thought about you—I had nightmares whether you were really dead.”
Paola: “I know Doc personally. I told him to check on you when you fainted that very night, while I escaped and took off into the night while we still managed to remain in contact somehow. And Ben offered me to join the FF as well, but it just wasn’t right for me.”
Multi: How long did you know?”
Powerhouse: “Since the start of 2018.”
Multi: “Damnit, how could you. You kept this all along?”
Powerhouse: “I cut her a deal, I made her do undercover missions while she was on the run. She had powers Jon, but I get it’s not understandable—“
Multi: “It’s definitely not. It won’t. I don’t wanna see you right now Ben, but you gotta get out of my sight while I try to take everything in.”
***
Multi: “This is him. He’s laying comatose right now. I don’t know what to do, Paola. So much is going on right now suddenly….you showing up after 4 years…”
Paola: “It’s ok…I…well, this was too sudden. I wasn’t ready to face you when I knew the day would come. But to check on him like that—he’s under the influence of drugs.”
Multi: “Why suppress the powers?”
Paola: “He needed to keep it in. I’ve know your powers through Doc. Energy dimensions right? It’s where the source is from. His..is not from there. Lemme try to take a close look. No, it’s not atom manipulation. You trained him a year ago, which might be good progress, but..just no.”
Multi: “So he’s gonna lay like this forever? Like a strawman?”
Paola: “For the time being, Jon. I think he’s gonna need some time. His family shouldn’t know yet.”
Multi: “So where do we go from here?”
Paola: “We track down the source of the drugs. The material that made it—even though he created it himself, but I know there’s always something when I’m called in for a big case like that.”
Multi: “Didn’t you hang up the cape like Ben said?”
Paola: “I did. But it’ll be a matter of time.”
***
Hours later, I’ve seemed to calm down in my own room. I allowed Paola to stay over for the night and use a backup bunk bed I’ve allocated in my place. She showers right away and puts on a simple tee and shorts.
I can see some of the scars on her arms and legs. Not a lot, but it’s likely she went through some deep stuff through the years, fighting for her way—for the missions. But what ponders me is the lack of connections, how am I supposed to let a former protege pop up in my life once more? How is this possible? Are all the other three still alive? What about my mentor who could even be a hero? Templer, Salient or Faceglass having anything to with it?
I don’t know. It’s too much to think. I hope Bailey and Rene don’t get to know it yet—but they have to because it’s Doc’s sister and niece after all. The powers inside her could be dangerous as well.
After some research, surveying and talking, I decide to finally fall asleep, letting my dreams slide once more.