part 1, sketch: where part of the universe asks another part of itself a question.

The easy answer? I didn't listen. This is from '09, my first month in photography. Rob had been at great pains to get us to reverse our consciousness and think backgrounds first, subject as a placement within that background, therefore second. I, at the time, was subject dominant, relegating the background to little or no importance. I show this pic to our students every Saturday as an example of what NOT to do. That horizon, or rather where I placed it, is way too high, through her ears! All I had to do was get lower (prone in this case) and the horizon would have been in the lower third of the frame, thus leaving her head and torso in clear air with no distractions. Even with the loveliest of subjects you can still get it wrong (as I did). Her beauty won't carry everything. This was the last time I did this. I have it in my camera bag to serve as a reminder (admonishment, warning etc). Whenever I post my pics to the various groups I belong to I see the same mistakes being made again and again by people who just don't consider backgrounds at all. OR shoot the subject from the standing position i.e. too high, making the poor girl look like she has dwarven legs. So if she's not a hobbit or whatever...it's not very flattering. The rest of the pic is fine, good colour, sharp enough, nice pose, eye connection. But that horizon blows it. I've even seen pros stuff it up in situations where all they had to do was get lower. I know rules are made to be broken, I do it too. But first the rules have to be learned, then broken for a reason, not by accident or out of ignorance. Sadly many will just see Gorgeous M in a red bikini and that's plenty for them. It's NOT enough. This was one of the most painful lessons I've learned ;-) but we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and start all over again. Hey I've got a great idea for a song....

I am not a fan of this "Holiday" or dressing up at all, but I thought this might be fun for some of you to see! My students in Pulmonary Physiology have to dissect a pig lungs and heart, and this was one of the best Aortic Arch dissections!

Enjoy the Holiday Flickr and Facebook friends, and have a good week.

EDITED PHOTO IN COMMENTS !

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From ocean to sky

Summer and fall

I have been there though it all

From laughing and crying

To pain that comes easy

From shades of gray meaning

That turn out so sweetly

I wonder when

I wonder what I'll find...

I look up to the sun

It only hurts my eyes

Maybe it's the answer

I've been wanting in disguise

The more you are with me

The more that I'm alone

I don't need the answer I already know

Subtle and grace

Desperate for change

My hand moves away

Melt dry eyes for days

Something's not right

Smiles and tantrums

Hit the ground running

It's all over and been done

I wonder when

I wonder I'll find...

I look up to the sun

It only hurts my eyes

Maybe it's the answer

I've been wanting in disguise

The more you are with me

The more that I'm alone

I don't need the answer I already know

What happens next?

We'll stop and go

The promises has already run cold

So now you know

So now you know

I look up to the sun

It only hurts my eyes

Maybe it's the answer

I've been wanting in disguise

The more you are with me

The more that I'm alone

I don't need the answer

The answer

I look up to the sun

It only hurts my eyes

Maybe it's the answer

I've been wanting in disguise

The more you are with me

The more that I'm alone

I don't need the answer I already know

Asisted Suicide.

The question:

New Zealand is in the unenviable position of having one of the highest drowning rates per capita in the OECD, approximately twice that of Australia. Why are there far fewer drownings (per capita) in Australia than in New Zealand?

Protest Song

Well, the poor keep getting hungry,

and the rich keep getting fat

Politicians change, but they're never gonna change that.

Girl, we got the answer, it's so easy you won't believe

All we gotta do is...

Well, the winds of war are blowin', and the tide is comin' in

Don't you be hopin' for the good times, because the good times have already been.

But, girl, we got the answer, it's so easy you won't believe

All we gotta do is...

It's so easy, to see

If only they'd listen, to you and me.

We got to... as fast as we can

We got to... every woman, every man

We got to... time after time

We got to... vodka and lime.

Well, the world is gettin' weary, and it wants to go to bed

Everybody's dyin', except the ones who are already dead.

Girl, we got the answer, starin' us right in the face

All we gotta do is

All we gotta do is

All we gotta do is..

“How many people have ever lived?” That's the question this graphic tries to answer. I've recently updated it for 2011.

The numbers in this piece are speculative but are as accurate as modern research allows. It’s widely accepted that prior to 2002 there had been somewhere between 106 and 140 billion homo sapiens born to the world. The graphic below uses the conservative number (106 bn) as the basis for a circle graph. The center dot represents how many people are currently living (red) versus the dead (white). The dashed vertical line shows how much time passed between milestones. The spectral graph immediately below this text illustrates the population ‘benchmarks’ that were used to estimate the population over time. Adding the population numbers gets you to 106 billion. The red sphere is then used to compare against other data.

What's different in the 2011 version of Population of the Dead? To start I've included both all time population estimates. White represents the 106 billion conservative estimate while the more liberal estimation of 140 billion is represented by the gray outer zone.

A number of corrections have been included this time around. First, the red circle is actually to scale throughout the image, so all the circles can be easily compared to one another.

When I originally published this, I was eviscerated by a few select mathematicians who pointed out that using the radius or diameter as the basis for scaling the circles was incorrect. One blogger gave me a much appreciated math lesson which motivated me to update the graphic. I'm still not a math guy, so if the numbers are still wrong forgive me. I did use the area this time, not the diameter.

However, I'd also like to restate that proper math isn't exactly the point of this image. One viewer, Andrew Liebchen, says this far more elegantly than I can in a comment he left for me, "In some ways, the circle within the circle is poetic. It implies that in time, all the living will die; the that is red will become white. Meanwhile, new births will forever increase the overall area." In short, the point is to reflect on the scale of life and death. ;-)

Finally, I'd like to thank everyone who's viewed or promoted this image! 111,920 have viewed it on Flickr alone, but it's been posted and reposted all over the web on sites like Visual.ly, Digg, Reddit, Dzone, and DesignFloat. I've also spotted prints in the wild. Thanks everyone, truly flattering!

Research Notes: The research used to create largely came from this article from The Scientific American, published by Ciara Curtin on March 1, 2007. Her article cites Carl Haub, a demographer at the Population Reference Bureau, and Joel Cohen, a professor of populations at the Rockefeller and Columbia Universities in New York City, as sources. A number of other sources were used including research from the Forum of the Future, the Population Reference Bureau, Jeffery Sachs Blog and publications by the United Nations.

View the High Res copy

Update Jan 29, 2010: Fixed Spelling Mistake

Update Feb 11, 2010: Proceeds from this graphic now being donated to One Million Bones

Update Aug 27, 2011: 2011 version released

Originally published at appfrica.net/blog/2009/11/16/population-of-the-dead/

Iron Photographer 202

Required elements: (1) a broken toy (2) the last item of clothing you bought (3) partially desaturated

Liverpool Street Candid

HDR

Nikon D60 Sigma 70-300mm Lens

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:16

Società Amiantifera di Balangero - Palazzina amministrativa

This is going to be a bit of a long post so take a seat and bear with me. It’ll be worth it. Well for me anyway.

At the start of this year another London based photographer left a message on my Facebook page, something along the lines of “you stole my photo”, the photo in question was this one, of Hainault station. Up until he made contact with me I did not know of him or his work. I’m going to keep him anonymous so let’s just refer to him as Dick as I think the name fits perfectly.

So Dick, he decided that there is no way on earth that two photographers can take the same photo independently. Apparently what he sees no one else can. He then decided to go through all my underground shots one by one and list every station that I had been to that he had also visited. He totally ignored the fact that if you look at any photographers work who has shot on the underground they have near enough the same shots and covered the same stations, but that did not fit into the story he wanted to tell. He himself has many shots in his stream that have been done before him by other photographers.

He went on to slander me at great length on both his Facebook page and Flickr account and link back to my work (I had to contact Flickr and ask them to remove his post which they kindly did). If I ignored him, "I was guilty as I was not defending myself". If I did argue my side "the lady was protesting too much". He even went on to claim “I must have a guilty conscious and could not sleep” as I answered one of his attacks at 2am in the morning. I hardly ever go to bed before three. I’m a night owl but then again that would not fit into the narrative he wanted to tell.

When I pointed out that my work speaks for itself and that I had four times the number of followers then him at the time his response was something along the lines of just because you get people voting for you on x-factor it does not make you a good singer. I did not have the vision or the technical skills to produce a photo like that. “You’re just a populist photographer”, was his response when I said both Time Out and Londonist use my photos frequently, overlooking the fact that he submits his work to them as well, they just never use it. He went on and on but I’m not going to bore you with his vitriol.

It’s at that point I stopped trying to defend myself and thought ok let’s see if I can prove him wrong. I started submitting my work to photography magazines and competitions. So this year I have

Won one photo competition and come runner up in three others.

Was the first photographer to be profiled when Time Out started a series on London photographers.

Got a photo printed in the Time Out magazine as well as them using loads of my photos in their gallery.

Started teaching photography.

And now I’m in Practical Photography magazine having “that” photo reviewed.

I also have one photo in December’s issue of PhotoPlus magazine, two photos in the Digital Camera magazine in January and another photo in PhotoPlus again at some point next year. Not bad for someone with no talent or vision. So I will take this moment to personally thank Dick for coming into my life. Before him I was just happy to mull along doing my own thing but he gave me the incentive to put myself out there.

I originally started this out as an open letter to Dick but then decided he would probably have some excuse or hate filled response to anything I had to say so decided not to. I’m going to leave him to stew in his own bitterness.

So, the moral of the story is, don’t waste time arguing with stupidity just go out and prove it wrong.

Thank you for reading.

Some background:

The Rolls-Royce Griffon engine was designed in answer to Royal Navy specifications for an engine capable of generating good power at low altitudes. Concepts for adapting the Spitfire to take the new engine had begun as far back as October 1939; Joseph Smith felt that "The good big 'un will eventually beat the good little 'un." and Ernest Hives of Rolls-Royce thought that the Griffon would be "a second power string for the Spitfire". The first of the Griffon-engined Spitfires flew on 27 November 1941. Although the Griffon-powered Spitfires were never produced in the large numbers of the Merlin-engined variants they were an important part of the Spitfire family, and in their later versions kept the Spitfire at the forefront of piston-engined fighter development. The first Griffon-powered Spitfires suffered from poor high- altitude performance due to having only a single stage supercharged engine. By 1943, Rolls-Royce engineers had developed a new Griffon engine, the 61 series, with a two-stage supercharger. In the end it was a slightly modified engine, the 65 series, which was used in the Mk. XIV, the first Spitfire mark with a Griffon engine to enter service. The resulting aircraft provided a substantial performance increase over the Mk IX. Although initially based on the Mk VIII airframe, common improvements made in aircraft produced later included the cut-back fuselage and tear-drop canopies, and the E-Type wing with improved armament.

However, following the 14 July Revolution of 1958, which resulted in the end of monarchy in Iraq, the influence of the Iraqi Communist Party grew significantly. The first commander of the Iraqi Air Force (the "Royal" prefix was dropped after the revolution), Jalal Jaffar al-Awqati, was an outspoken communist, and encouraged prime minister Abd al-Karim Qasim to improve relations between Iraq and the USSR. The Soviets reacted quickly, and in the autumn of 1958 a series of arms contracts was passed between Iraq and the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia. These stipulated the delivery of MiG-15UTI trainers, MiG-17F fighters, Ilyushin Il-28 bombers, and Antonov An-2 and An-12 transports. The first aircraft arrived in Iraq in January 1959; during the late Sixties and the early Seventies additional MiG-17s may have been purchased and then forwarded to either Syria or Egypt.

General characteristics

Crew: 1

Length: 32 ft 8 in (9.96 m)

Wingspan: 36 ft 10 in (11.23 m) with full span elliptical tips

Height: 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m)

Wing area: 242.1 sq ft (22.49 m²)

Airfoil: NACA 2213 (root), NACA 2209.4 (tip)

Empty weight: 6,578 lb (2,984 kg)

Gross weight: 7,923 lb (3,594 kg)

Max. takeoff weight: 8,400[53] lb (3,810 kg)

Powerplant:

1× Rolls-Royce Griffon 65 supercharged V12, 2,050 hp (1,530 kW) at 8,000 ft (2,438 m),

driving a 5-bladed Jablo-Rotol propeller

Performance:

Maximum speed: 441 mph (710 km/h, 383 kn) in FS supercharger gear at 29,500 ft.

391 mph in MS supercharger gear at 5,500 ft.

Combat range: 460 mi (740 km, 400 nmi)

Ferry range: 1,090 mi (1,760 km, 950 nmi)

Service ceiling: 43,500 ft (13,300 m)

Rate of climb: 5,040 ft/min (25.6 m/s) in MS supercharger gear at 2,100 ft.

3,550 ft/min in FS supercharger gear at 22,100 ft.

Time to altitude: 7 mins to 22,000 ft (at max weight)

Wing loading: 32.72 lb/sq ft (159.8 kg/m²)

Power/mass: 0.24

Armament:

2× 20 mm (0.787-in) Hispano Mk II cannon, 120 rpg

4× 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns, 350 rpg,

Underwing hard points for 8× 60 lb (27 kg) rockets, 2 x 250 lb (113 kg) bombs or slipper tanks,

1× ventral hardpoint for a 500 lb (227 kg) bomb or a drop tank

The kit and its assembly:

This was a rather spontaneous interim build. The Academy Spitfire was left over from a D-Day combo that contained a Hawker Typhoon, too, and I lacked an idea for the Spitfire for a long time) since I am not a big fan of the aircraft, at least what-if-inspiration-wise). However, when pondering about a potential operator from the very early pos-war period I remembered the Royal Iraqi Air Force and its later Hawker Hunters which retained their NATO-style camouflage (RAF green/grey) despite being primarily operated in a desert environment. This, on a Spitfire…?

From this idea the Academy Spitfire was built almost OOB. Because the kit offers them as an option and for the cool look, I gave the Spitfire four RPGs under each outer wing. The ventral drop tank was taken from a Special Hobby late Spitfire kit. The only other additions are the antenna mast and the non-standard DF loop antenna behind the cockpit, created from thin wire and mounted on a small, streamlined socket.

Painting and markings:

The upper surfaces were painted in standard RAF WWII colors, Dark Green and Ocean Grey, using a mix of Humbrol 163 and 30 for a slightly more bluish WWII-style green and a mix of 106 and 145 for a lightened grey tone, respectively. As an individual contrast and paint scheme variation the undersides and the spinner were painted in RAF Azure Blue (Humbrol 157, lightened up with 47), more appropriate than the standard WWII Medium Sea Grey from the European theatre of operations. The cockpit interior became RAF cockpit green (Humbro,78) while the inside surfaces of the landing gear were painted in Medium Sea Grey (Humbrol 165), reflecting the original undersides’ tone in former RAF service.

Other markings were minimal. The Iraqi triangles were taken from a Balkan Models Su-25 sheet, because their green was rather pale, for more contrast to the surrounding camouflage. RIrAF fin flash was taken from a PM Model Hawker Fury two-seater (a.k.a. “Bagdad Fury”). The tactical code came from an Airfix Hawker Hunter (from an optional Kuwaiti machine). This looked O.K. but somewhat bleak, so I added more markings. I could not find any evidence for special ID markings on Iraqi aircraft during the Arab-Israel war, but to add an eye-catcher I gave the aircraft white ID bands on the wings and on the fuselage – inspired by markings carried by Egyptian aircraft (e. g. Spitfires) during the conflict, but somewhat simplified, without black trim. They were created from generic white decal sheet material.

After some soot stains around the gun ports and the exhausts, the model was sealed with matt acrylic varnish.

A relatively simple project and just a fictional livery - but the Iraqi Spitfire looks pretty cool, especially the ID stripes add a special touch. The European RAF scheme looks a bit off on an aircraft that would be delivered to the Middel East, but the Iraqi Air Force operated British types like the Hunter in this guise, and later Su-22 fighter bombers carried a similarly murky camouflage in very dark green and earth brown.

Writer and director Toni Myers, second from right, answers a question during a panel discussion with NASA astronaut Terry Virts, left; NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore, second from left; John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, center, and NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren, right, at a screening of the IMAX film "A Beautiful Planet" at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum on Friday, April 22, 2016 in Washington, DC. The film features footage of Earth captured by astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

One of the pair calls, and the other answers.

Those are the ones who listen to the gods' words and answer only to them. Their mission in this world is to spread the light, never getting away from it. Legends say they are actually angels who hide their wings.

IS OUT NOW!!! GET YOURS!!!

marketplace.secondlife.com/p/TURB-Crusader-Armor-Holy/605...

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

John 14:6

How far would you travel to find a better life? What if the journey took weeks under difficult conditions? If you answered "Whatever it takes," you echo the feelings of the 12 million immigrants who passed through these now quiet halls from 1892 to 1954. Ellis Island afforded them the opportunity to attain the American dream for themselves and their descendants. Come hear their stories.

Today, the enormous arched windows and immense open spaces of the Registry Room evoke a feeling of grandeur. For the immigrants, however, the room was often a loud, confusing and frightening place. Nearly every day, for over two decades (1900-1924) the Registry Room was filled with new arrivals waiting to be inspected and registered by Immigration Service officers. On many days, over 5,000 people would file through the space. For most immigrants, this great hall epitomized Ellis Island. It was here that immigrants underwent medical and legal examinations. Here they encountered the complex demands of the immigration laws and an American bureaucracy that could either grant or withhold permission to land in the United States.

The Registry Room has been restored to its appearance in 1918-24, including several original wooden benches. Photographs of the room during other time periods can be seen on the east and west ends of the balcony.

Hint: correct answer may vary per situation :-)

Der Rhabarber, auch Gemüse-Rhabarber oder Krauser Rhabarber (Rheum rhabarbarum) ist eine Nutzpflanze aus der Familie der Knöterichgewächse (Polygonaceae). Die geschälten oder ungeschälten Blattstiele werden unter anderem zu Kompott verarbeitet.

Ursprünglich stammt Rhabarber aus der Himalajaregion. Im 16. Jahrhundert wurde er in Russland angebaut und gelangte im 18. Jahrhundert auch in andere Teile Europas. Über Frankreich und die Niederlande kam er nach England, wo der Anbau seit 1753 belegt ist. Die Treiberei wurde als erstes von Gärtnern in Chelsea betrieben. Der erste gewerbsmäßige Anbau in Deutschland erfolgte 1848 in Hamburg-Kirchwerder und breitete sich von Norden nach Süden aus. 1937 betrug die Anbaufläche in Deutschland 1700 Hektar, 1993 zwischen 350 bis 400 Hektar. Seit 1947 wird Rhabarber in den USA gesetzlich als Obst betrachtet.

The rhubarb also vegetable rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum) is a crop from the family of the buckwheat family (Polygonaceae). The peeled or unpeeled stems are processed into compote.

Originally rhubarb from the Himalayan region. In the 16th Century it was grown in Russia and arrived in the 18th Century in other parts of Europe. About France and the Netherlands, he came to England, where the cultivation is occupied since 1753. The forcing was operated first by gardeners in Chelsea. The first commercial production in Germany was in 1848 in Hamburg-Kirchwerder and spread from north to south. In 1937 the acreage in Germany in 1700 acres, 1993 between 350 to 400 acres. Since 1947 Rhubarb in the United States is legally considered a fruit.

(Wikipedia)

Canada geese floating on the Sheboygan River.

icee steez

on the western ridge

mutawintji national park, outback new south wales, australia

okay, i can't even count how many times i've gotten tagged. haha. so here goes:

1. i have OCD with my bed. when i sleep in it, it has to be perfect. not one cover can be messed up. people always ask ''why if youre going to be sleeping?" i answer "because i wont know it's messed up."

2. my foot broke last year, and i can crack every single bone in it.

3. sweatshirts are the most comfiest things. although i prefer shorts and tanktops.

4. i'm very nervous someone is going to get the same dress for me for the 9th grade dance.

5. i've always wanted an older brother. but a nice one. then he can beat everyone up for me. :P

6. i asked my best friend amber to get me a punching bag for my birthday this year. ahha, i need to take my anger out on things.

7. i am double jointed in my arms. i can bend my elbow so that it looks like it's broken. it grosses everyone out. :P

8. my school is sooo dumb, we don't get out until june 15th because they wont replace our snow days with other days we have off. i want to scream.

9. i would move to north carolina if i could... it's between that, australia, and nyc. northcarolina seems soo relaxing, australia seems beautiful, and i love fast pace in the city.

10. i am self concious with my head. i think its weird.

haha happy easter everyone!

DADDY: "Did you get any yummy worms and grubs for Christmas, dear Ducky?"

PADDY, SCOUT, COUSIN PADDINGTON, BOGART, JAGO, DAISY-MAUD, ROSIE, ORSON, EMMETT, CORNELIA, DANNY BOY, ALGIE, FLOCK, SAPPHIRE, PEARL, FREDDY and PRINCE MAURICE: "Grubs and worms! Yuck!" *Stick out cute little pink bear, fox and mouse tongues.*

DUCKIE: "There is no accounting for taste with any of you!" *Huffs.* "In answer to your question Daddy, no, but I have something far more special!" *Excited.*

DADDY: "Even more special than yummy worms and grubs, Duckie? That must be very special indeed!"

DUCKIE: "Oh it is! Look!" *Indicates to Christmas present box.* "I have some beautiful eggs to hatch! I wonder what kind of birds will hatch? maybe beautiful ducklings with golden feathers!"

DADDY: "Well, that is a very special present, but... well..."

DUCKIE: "Well what, Daddy?" *Crumples beak in disapproval.*

DADDY: "Well, they look like wooden eggs, Duckie. I'm not sure they will hatch at all."

DUCKIE: "Don't be such a naysayer Daddy! I'm going to try and I'm sure I will succeed!"

*Nods enthusiastically.* "Thank you Father Christmas and the Christmas Bear for my wonderful new eggs! I shall hatch them beautifully!"

Paddy, Scout (and Dolly), Cousin Paddington, Bogart, Jago, Daisy-Maud, Orson, Danny Boy, Algie, Rosie, Emmett, Cornelia, Freddy Flock, Sapphire, Pearl, Duckie, Prince Maurice and I and I would like to wish all our flickr friends and followers the very best for the festive season. Thank you for all the interest you have shown in our photographs and adventures this year, and all the support and encouragement you have shown. We really do appreciate it.

May you have a wonderful Christmas; safe, and filled with happiness and love whomever you spend it with and whatever you may do.

My Paddington Bear came to live with me in London when I was two years old (many, many years ago). He was hand made by my Great Aunt and he has a chocolate coloured felt hat, the brim of which had to be pinned up by a safety pin to stop it getting in his eyes. The collar of his mackintosh is made of the same felt. He wears wellington boots made from the same red leather used to make the toggles on his mackintosh.

He has travelled with me across the world and he and I have had many adventures together over the years. He is a very precious member of my small family.

Scout was a gift to Paddy from my friend. He is a Fair Trade Bear hand knitted in Africa. His name comes from the shop my friend found him in: Scout House. He tells me that life was very different where he came from, and Paddy is helping introduce him to many new experiences. Scout catches on quickly, and has proven to be a cheeky, but very lovable member of our closely knit family.

Travelling all the way from London, Cousin Paddington was caught in transit thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic, so it looks like he is stopping with us for a long while. That makes me happy, as the more I look into his happy, smiling face, the more attached I am becoming to him.

Bogart has travelled all the way from Georgia, via Alabama as a gift to me from a friend. He has lovely Southern manners and seems to be a fun and gentle soul with an inquisitive nature.

Rosie is Scout's cousin, because like Scout, she is a free trade knitted bear from Africa. She was made in Kenya by one of the Kenana Knitters, Martha Wanjira. She is made from home spun and dyed wool. She was a gift to me from two very dear friends, including the one who gave Scout to Paddy.

Jago was a gift from a dear friend in England. He is made of English mohair with suede paw pads and glass eyes. He is a gentle bear, kind and patient who carries an air of calm about him. He is already fitting in with everyone else very nicely.

Daisy-Maud is Jago's little sister and was made by the same friend in England who made him. She is made of German mohair with floral fabric cotton paw pads that match her pretty sunhat, and glass eyes. A sweet and loving little girl bear, she is happy to be reunited with her big brother, Jago, and enjoys being spoiled by her new Daddy.

Orson, named after the little bear constellation, was made by the same friend who made Jago and Daisy-Maud. He comes ready dressed in 'trousers' made of German mohair accessorised with embroidered braces. His paws are ultra suede and his eyes are glass. He is described as being a little bit serious minded but very friendly. He's fine once he gets to know you.

Danny Boy, made by the same friend who made Jago, Daisy-Maud and Orson, has a touch of the 'Oirish' in him with his emerald green scarf. He has an open mouth as he likes to sing and comes with his own songbook, "Irish Airs for Teddy Bears". He has a wobbly head to give him animation when he's talking to you, and is made of English mohair, has paws of ultra suede and eyes of glass. Quite a happy-go-lucky little character....

Algie is made by the same friend in England who made Jago, Daisy-Maud, Orson and Danny Boy. He is made of sparse English mohair, has paws of ultra suede and eyes of glass. A very adventurous little boy, he loves to climb and sit on top of gates, edges of tables and chairs. He adore climbing trees and will cheekily sit there with crossed legs. He's very friendly and he loves adventures of any kind.

Cornelia, I found in an antique and vintage market quite recently. She is a vintage edition Russ Bear from their Mohair Collection. She is made of deliberately mottled mohair to give her that vintage look. One of a limited edition of 10,000, she was designed by artist Carol Hosfstad and is completely handmade.

Pearl and Sapphire are both little Russ Bears who arrived on Christmas Day 2023. They travelled along with Flock from Mama Kim's house in Alabama all the way here. Both are sweet little bears who are tenacious and cheeky, but full of love and snuffly kisses most of all.

Made by Merrythought in England, Emmett is a charming little bear, sweet and smiling, crafted from multi-tonal marl grey mohair and featuring golden velvet paws. He is accessorised with a classic tartan woollen scarf. He is number 23 or a limited worldwide edition of 200.

Freddy Fox is made by Merrythought in England. I bought him, of all places, from a men’s accessory shop in Melbourne’s Block Arcade, called Mr. Wares. Freddy Fox is made of English Mohair with felt paws and glass bead eyes. He has so much charm and charisma that already he is winning hearts with anyone whom he meets, and he is kind and sweet, which makes him an ideal member of our family.

Prince Maurice is a Maileg mouse, given to me as a birthday gift by my two goddaughters. Maileg (pronounced My’lye) is a brand of charming Danish-designed toys created to inspire children’s favorite playtime stories. By bringing storybook whimsy to everyday moments, Maileg toys help children (large ones and small) explore the pure and simple wonder of imagination. Beloved for their heartwarming personalities, Maileg toys show playfulness and charm in every last detail. Theirs is a timeless world filled with beautiful accessories and settings.

Duckie I saw when I was at a Sunday market on a stall of homemade knitted and crocheted items. She caught my eye straight away with her happy, smiley face and bright colours. I think she finds life with my bears intriguing and perhaps a little confusing, however she is learning.

More about me as

the photographer

You are welcome to have a look on my Faves too.

Feel free to send me a Flickr-Mail. I’ll try to answer your questions or suggestions…and I’m always interested in a nice chat.

There is some stuff on my page only for Flickr-friends and some only for my Flickr-family. Give me a hint if you want to be a part of it.

I know I'm not alone on this... i worry if I'm making the right decision, or I'm frustrated with where my life isn't... and I can't seen to get any clear cut answers from my family or friends as to which direction to take.

And then I take the time to read it again... just like I have before, except this time the words just jump off the page and nail me straight in the heart... He knew all along that I would be right here, at this very moment in my life, and he had these words written over 2,000 years ago just for me... so I could see clearly the path that lies before me...

Thanks for not giving up on me...

On a less personal note... this young man is modeling for a friend of mine who runs an outreach program for incarcerated youth in the local jails. I was asked to help with some pics for their new brochure. I have this one and a couple more that I would love your critique on... thanks :)

AI

Bankside, London

© by Laura Matesky. Please do not use this or any of my images without my permission.

Through the mail autograph request from Gus Bodnar with an accompanied note - answering a question about September 11. The note reads: James, On September 11, we were here in Oshawa our home, waiting for our daughter coming in from Hoboken, N.J. by the airliner, but what happened on Sept 11 with all flights cancelled, a real trying time. It was a week before she could get a flight. Keep up the fine work. (signed) Gus Bodnar

James A. VanBuskirk II (James Arthur VanBuskirk) James, born 6 July 1949 in St. Clair, Michigan, United States, passed away 23 May 2011 at age 61 in Las Vegas, Clark, Nevada, United States. Survived by wife, Sandra (Eschker); siblings John VanBuskirk and Joan Christy (Gary); children Kelly Ratliff (Dennis), Julie Rotte (Kyle), Larry Ruiz (Renee), eleven grandchildren and many aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. Services will be held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 1990 North River Rd., St. Clair, Michigan on July 23, 2011 at 10:00a.m. James was a retired special needs teacher in Hinkley, California. He grew up in the St. Clair area of Michigan. He was a U.S. Merchant Marine and served in support of the Vietnam War, where he earned a Purple Heart. James will receive military honors at graveside. James is preceded in death by his father, Captain James A. VanBuskirk; mother, Anna Mudge Lozen; brother, Craig; and grandson, Dennis Jr. James had many interests, including family history, geology, origami, and space flight. James was dedicated to making the future better for his grandchildren and continues to watch over them. "Families Are Forever." LINK to his Find a Grave site - www.findagrave.com/memorial/257941773/james-a-vanbuskirk

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Gus Bodnar - August Bodnar (April 24, 1923 – July 1, 2005) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who was the Calder Memorial Trophy winner as the National Hockey League's rookie of the year for the 1943–44 season. He played 12 seasons in the NHL from 1943 to 1955, for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Black Hawks and Boston Bruins.

Playing career - A native of Fort William, Ontario, Bodnar started his career with the local Fort William Rangers of the Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League. He played for the Rangers for three seasons from 1941 to 1943 and competed for the Memorial Cup twice in 1941–42 and 1942–43.

After leading the TBJHL in points in 1942–43, Bodnar joined the Toronto Maple Leafs. On October 30, 1943, Bodnar scored his first ever NHL goal 15 seconds into his first NHL game, setting the record for the fastest goal by a player in his first NHL game. Bodnar scored 62 points during the regular season, a career-best, and he beat Montreal Canadiens rookie goaltender Bill Durnan in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy in 1943–44. He spent four more seasons with the Maple Leafs and won two Stanley Cups in 1944–45 and 1946–47. Bodnar had 40 assists in his rookie season in 1943–44, which would set a record for assists by a Maple Leafs rookie until surpassed by Mitch Marner in 2016–17.

In 1947–48, Bodnar and fellow linemates Gaye Stewart, Ernie Dickens, Bud Poile and Bob Goldham were traded to the Chicago Black Hawks in exchange for Max Bentley and Cy Thomas. Bodnar remained in Chicago for seven seasons from 1947 to 1954. He also played in the NHL All-Star Game in 1950–51. On March 23, 1952, Bodnar set another NHL record by recording three assists in 21 seconds. With that record, he also helped teammate Bill Mosienko set the record for fastest hat-trick in NHL history. In 1953–54, Bodnar was traded to the Boston Bruins midway through the season. He would remain with the Bruins for one more season in 1954–55, before retiring.

Coaching career - Bodnar retired from playing hockey in 1955 but later came back to coach. Bodnar coached in the Boston farm system with the Lakeshore Bruins in the Metro Jr.B league, they won the League Championship in 57/58 and went to the OHA Jr.B Championship round. He was the coach and manager of the Toronto Marlboros from 1967 to 1968. He coached the Marlboros to a Memorial Cup championship in 1966–67. In 1970, Bodnar was named head coach of the Salt Lake Golden Eagles in the WHL. He remained there for one season before signing on as head coach of the Oshawa Generals in the OHA from 1971 to 1976. He was the recipient of the OHA Coach of the Year Award in 1971–72.

Bodnar was elected to the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1983, and the Oshawa Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. On July 1, 2005, Bodnar died at the Lakeridge Health Unit in Oshawa, Ontario.

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1991-92 Ultimate Original Six - Produced by the Ultimate Trading Card Company, this 100-card standard-size set celebrates the 75th anniversary of the NHL by featuring players from the original six teams in the NHL. The cards were available only in foil packs, with a production run reportedly of 25,000 foil cases. Each foil pack included a sweepstake card; prizes offered included 250 autographed Bobby Hull holograms and 500 sets autographed by those players living at the time. The fronts feature color action photos with white borders, with the player's name in a silver bar at the top and the left lower corner of the picture rolled back to allow space for the producer's logo. The backs have a career summary presented in the format of a newspaper article (with different headlines), with biography and career statistics appearing in a silver box toward the bottom of the card. The cards are numbered on the back and checklisted below as follows: Team Checklists (1-6), Montreal Canadiens (7-17), New York Rangers (18-29), Toronto Maple Leafs (30-46), Boston Bruins (47-56), Chicago Blackhawks (57-65), Detroit Red Wings (66-72), Ultimate Hall of Fame (73-78), All Ultimate Team (79-84), Referees (85-87), Bobby Hull (88-92), and Great Moments (93-97). The cards were produced in both English and French versions.

LINK to video - Gus Bodnar 1983 Inductee Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame - www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU5sSsmvsss

LINK to video - The One Hundred - Number 91: Gus Bodnar - www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9CW3PK8agg

Oh Rover! So many grand ideas, so little effort! The Rover CCV (Coupé Concept Vehicle) could have been the answer to the company’s prayers in the late 1980’s. But instead is just another one of those missed opportunities that we can only look back on and imagine a world where this idea had been taken up.

In the mid-1980’s, Rover was undergoing a turbulent time as the company’s ownership changed hands. Sick to death of having to deal with it, the Thatcher Government decided to break up the nationalised conglomerate known as British Leyland, which had been suffering from poor reliability and hopelessly bad car design. By the beginning of the 1980’s, BL faced a defining moment when it made a deal with Honda to help create cars of better engineering than the Allegro and Marina it was trying desperately to get rid of. The result was the Montego, the Maestro, the Triumph Acclaim and the Rover 200, based largely of Honda products such as the Ballade and the Legend. Though much more reliable and selling well, the profits reaped were nowhere near as great as those being collected by rivals Ford, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, largely due to two factors. One; the unreliability that had plagued BL throughout the 70’s was still very much in evidence during the 1980’s, and these well-engineered cars suffered greatly from that. Two; many people found themselves questioning why they should buy a Rover, especially when considering that Honda was providing a near identical car for half the price!

All these problems and more meant that British Leyland had to come up with a new strategy, and in the mid-1980’s assigned a crack team of engineers to create a new range that would help the company define the 1980’s. In 1986, Rover was sold by the UK Government to British Aerospace, with the Austin badge now dropped and the only remaining marques being MG, Rover and Land Rover, this new private company being dubbed Rover Group. In 1985, MG proposed a 180mph supercar known as the MG EX-E, a smooth and sophisticated machine that could have been a contender for one of the best supercars of the 1980’s if the company had decided to go through with it. Sadly the MG EX-E was never meant to be due to fears of spending huge amounts of cash on a not very profitable niche market, but attempts to create a car of similar design both on a technical and cosmetic level, this new machine being aimed at the mass customer market.

Dubbed the Rover CCV, the car made its debut at the 1986 Geneva Motor Show, and was intended to be a coupe version of the upcoming Rover 800. Designed by Roy Axe, the company’s chief designer, the CCV basically shared the same underpinnings as the 800, which share the same underpinnings as the Honda Legend including a 2.0L Rover Straight-4 or a 2.7L Honda V6. The design however carried over many assets of the MG EX-E project, including a large overall glass roof and windows, a low, smooth body profile, colour coded and blended bumpers, and just an overall handsome aesthetic. In fact, the styling looks almost like some American cars of the 1990’s such as the Chevrolet Corsica or the Buick Skylark. The interior was also mocked-up for his prototype and boasted solid state instrumentation and a dashboard mounted CD player (very novel back in 1986).

So beautiful and sleek was this machine that it even wooed the US market. In 1986, Rover Group, and the previous British Leyland, were desperate to regain a foothold in the United States, the last car that was sold there being the Rover SD1, of which only 774 left the showroom. The CCV however got many American investors on board, especially with a huge market for two-door coupe’s in the mid to late 1980’s. Rover’s enthusiasm was high for such a project, and many envisaged the CCV being the new California Cruiser, the primary ride for those aspiring business executives out in Los Angeles. The project to sell cars in the United States was eventually dubbed Sterling, as due to the unreliability of the Rover SD1 heavily damaging the Rover reputation in America, the company was reluctant to show its face again without going via a third-party or under an assumed name.

However, once again the biggest problem that hampered any good idea that Rover ever had, was itself. While US and British investors were highly enthusiastic of the CCV project, the Rover management refused to commit to such a project, largely due to the poor sales of the Sterling project. Sterling was launched in 1986, selling what were essentially rebadged Rover 800’s as the Sterling 825 sedan, and even though the Rover 800 is a good car in its own right, the rather humdrum design mixed with biblical unreliability and the fact that the Honda Legend was also on sale in America for half the price but twice the performance, meant that sales for the Sterling were abysmal, with only 14,000 of the forecast 30,000 cars actually being sold. These alarming results made Rover (in its usual cool, calm and collected manner) panic and the CCV project was scrapped entirely in 1987. The Sterling project would lumber helplessly on until 1991, when, after losing cash like water, it was removed from the US market, with no more British mass-production cars being sold in America ever again.

Guys, it breaks my heart! The Rover CCV truly could have been the answer to all the company’s prayers if they’d just bitten the bullet and put the thing into production! Rather than rushing into the project blindly in an attempt to get cash in ASAP, Rover should have delay the launch of Sterling by another year, launching both the Sterling 825 and CCV simultaneously, so if the 825 failed to sell the CCV and its beautifully crisp design and overall contemporary feel, could have picked up its slack. Also, an overhaul of the company’s quality control and work ethic should have also been a part of this major image change, sending cars out which actually were reliable, built properly, and had been constructed with at least a smidgen of integrity! Instead, the company went on a hide into nothing and ended up costing themselves an absolute fortune. There’s nothing to say that the CCV wouldn’t have sold here in the UK or in Europe, the 800 certainly did well on the domestic market, just enough to keep its head above water for the duration, so the addition of a highly futuristic model such as this could have easily helped reverse some of the company’s fortunes.

Sadly not, the CCV unfortunately became a victim of that fatal formula that plagued both British Leyland and Rover right up until the end. Great cars, poorly built, but managed even worse!

Some of you may have noticed that, unfortunately, owing to the fact that a certain person who sells truck photos on eBay commercially has been lifting my images from this album and selling them I have had to remove 2300 photos that didn't have a watermark. I have now run around 1700 through Lightroom and added a watermark with the intention of bulk uploading them again. Rather than watermark the existing (hidden) files in Flickr one at a time it will be easier to do it this way. I definitely won’t be adding individual tags with the make and model of each vehicle I will just add generic transport tags. Each photo is named after the vehicle and reg in any case. For anyone new to these images there is a chapter and verse explanation below. It is staggering how many times I get asked questions that a quick scan would answer or just as likely I can’t possibly answer – I didn’t take them, but, just to clarify-I do own the copyright- and I do pursue copyright theft.

This is a collection of scanned prints from a collection of photographs taken by the late Jim Taylor A number of years ago I was offered a large number of photographs taken by Jim Taylor, a transport photographer based in Huddersfield. The collection, 30,000 prints, 20,000 negatives – and copyright! – had been offered to me and one of the national transport magazines previously by a friend of Jim's, on behalf of Jim's wife. I initially turned them down, already having over 30,000 of my own prints filed away and taking space up. Several months later the prints were still for sale – at what was, apparently, the going rate. It was a lot of money and I deliberated for quite a while before deciding to buy them. I did however buy them directly from Jim’s wife and she delivered them personally – just to quash the occasional rumour from people who can’t mind their own business. Although some prints were sold elsewhere, particularly the popular big fleet stuff, I should have the negatives, unfortunately they came to me in a random mix, 1200 to a box, without any sort of indexing and as such it would be impossible to match negatives to prints, or, to even find a print of any particular vehicle. I have only ever looked at a handful myself unless I am scanning them. The prints are generally in excellent condition and I initially stored them in a bedroom without ever looking at any of them. In 2006 I built an extension and they had to be well protected from dust and moved a few times. Ultimately my former 6x7 box room office has become their (and my own work’s) permanent home.

I hope to avoid posting images that Jim had not taken his self, however should I inadvertently infringe another photographers copyright, please inform me by email and I will resolve the issue immediately. There are copyright issues with some of the photographs that were sold to me. A Flickr member from Scotland drew my attention to some of his own work amongst the first uploads of Jim’s work. I had a quick look through some of the 30 boxes of prints and decided that for the time being the safest thing for me to do was withdraw the majority of the earlier uploaded scans and deal with the problem – which I did. whilst the vast majority of the prints are Jims, there is a problem defining copyright of some of them, this is something that the seller did not make clear at the time. I am reasonably confident that I have since been successful in identifying Jims own work. His early work consists of many thousands of lustre 6x4 prints which are difficult to scan well, later work is almost entirely 7x5 glossy, much easier to scan. Not all of the prints are pin sharp but I can generally print successfully to A4 from a scan.

You may notice photographs being duplicated in this Album, unfortunately there are multiple copies of many prints (for swapping) and as I have to have a system of archiving and backing up I can only guess - using memory - if I have scanned a print before. The bigger fleets have so many similar vehicles and registration numbers that it is impossible to get it right all of the time. It is easier to scan and process a print than check my files - on three different PC’s - for duplicates. There has not been, nor will there ever be, any intention to knowingly breach anyone else's copyright. I have presented the Jim Taylor collection as exactly that-The Jim Taylor Collection- his work not mine, my own work is quite obviously mine.

Unfortunately, many truck spotters have swapped and traded their work without copyright marking it as theirs. These people never anticipated the ease with which images would be shared online in the future. I would guess that having swapped and traded photos for many years that it is almost impossible to control their future use. Anyone wanting to control the future use of their work would have been well advised to copyright mark their work (as many did) and would be well advised not to post them on photo sharing sites without a watermark as the whole point of these sites is to share the image, it is very easy for those that wish, to lift any image, despite security settings, indeed, Flickr itself, warns you that this is the case. It was this abuse and theft of my material that led me to watermark all of my later uploads. I may yet withdraw non-watermarked photos, I haven’t decided yet. (I did in the end)

To anyone reading the above it will be quite obvious that I can’t provide information regarding specific photos or potential future uploads – I didn’t take them! There are many vehicles that were well known to me as Jim only lived down the road from me (although I didn’t know him), however scanning, titling, tagging and uploading is laborious and time consuming enough, I do however provide a fair amount of information with my own transport (and other) photos. I am aware that there are requests from other Flickr users that are unanswered, I stumble across them months or years after they were posted, this isn’t deliberate. Some weekends one or two “enthusiasts” can add many hundreds of photos as favourites, this pushes requests that are in the comments section ten or twenty pages out of sight and I miss them. I also have notifications switched off, I receive around 50 emails a day through work and I don’t want even more from Flickr. Other requests, like many other things, I just plain forget – no excuses! Uploads of Jim’s photos will be infrequent as it is a boring pastime and I would much rather work on my own output.

This is my answer for the challenge in Get Pushed Round 15 that I got from Skippys1229

Chris has a photostream with fantastic macro shots and beautiful nature shots and lots more. Go check it out.

Here is what he wrote to me : " The month of December seems to bring two types of themes to mind. The first is "celebration" with all the holiday festivities leading up to Christmas and New Year's. The second is "reflection" as there are many year-in-review lists that go over certain important events that happened during the year. I would like to see something that expresses these two themes. The subject can be whatever you choose. Also, you can either have them expressed in the same shot, or you can frame it as a diptych."

This one got me thinking a lot! And that's good of course :)

I've been trying out the diptyching since this push was sent my way a lot with a tool I mostly operate from my Ipad. The app is called Diptic. It works very well I think. I can take my Nikon shots into the photostream and so forth. These photos I've also done a bit of processing on in Picnik.

Now for the presentation that I have chosen. The photo to the left is a snow flake ornament in my parents' Christmas tree (Celebration) and the shot to the right is from the sea close to my parents house (Reflection). Since when I look back on 2011 what comes to my mind the most are all the threats to nature and the meeting that took place in Durban, South Africa - unfccc.int/meetings/durban_nov_2011/meeting/6245.php this november/december. Unfortunately it seems hard for the world to come to good solutions.

The climate changes are very present! This summer has been the rainiest and 'coldest' I can remember and this winter so far the 'warmest'. No snow here yet! Last year we had snow for almost 6 months!

The sea in the picture, I read yesterday, is short on oxygen! Which means that 'things' that live there cannot survive... I can only hope and try to do some of my share to save the Earth we've been given.

Happy New Year everyone!

Get Pushed group admins and all other members I'm thankful to you. This group is lots of fun :)

"Arise, arise, Riders of Théoden! Fell deeds awake: fire and slaughter! Spear shall be shaken, shield be splintered, a sword-day, a red day, ere the sun rises! Ride now, ride now! Ride to Gondor!"

A 12x12 vignette showcasing the courage and care for one another shown by the race of men in Middle-Earth. Built for MELO 2025 with the theme "free peoples vignettes" and the subtheme "men" as well as for the 12x12 vignette category of Summer Joust 2025.

Thanks for checking it out,

Math Wizard

tagged by Dollywood!

Rules:

-you answer the questions

1-Favorite color: Purple

2-Whats my motto: Take a deep breath and express yourself!

3-Whats your biggest dream- Being a writer of movies!

4-Who is your favorite idol- Rihanna, one of the only pop stars that doesn't want to be perfect!

5- What is your favorite food- Orange chicken from panda express, baby! xD

6- What is the most special thing about you- my creavity

7- Do you have any pets? If not what pets do you want?- No, I want a sticking darn bunny again! I just love bunnies! And, now Racer is just some bunny I used to know.

8- What is your favorite song(s)- Disturbia by Rihanna, well anything from Rihanna!

9- If you were stuck on a deserted island, what would you bring- An airplane to get the hell out of there, duh :P

10- If you could eat anything your whole life, what would it be- chicken and round table pizza!

11- What was the weirdest thing you ever ate?- You guys will hate me for saying this, but it is peaunut butter candy

12- If you were an animal, what will you be?- An unicorn that kicks butt! xD

13- What is your lucky number?- 3 and 1,267

14- What is your favorite thing to drink?- ROOTBEER!

15- What is your favorite store- Toys'R'Us

16- What is your celebrity crush?- Nobody

17- What friends.....blah blah.

1. Morgan

2. Jordan

3. Evelyna

4. Jacklyn

5. Flickr

6. anybody else but my haters

18- What would you not live without- Air, food, water, computer, temple run, t.v, bratz and monster high dolls, my sisters, my friends, trust, safety, my stuffed animals (:/ what!), my facebook, my flickr, my youtube, camera, video camera, and PICMONKEY!

19- Do you have a crush or are you dating?- hell no

20- If you can change your name, what would it be- ASHLEY!

Well, you know the old song! Towering over the red soil of P.E.I. near Summerside, these wind turbines kind of dominate the relatively flat landscape.