my name is Lydia

A characterization exercise for my main character in the Lands of Mythron. Also an entry for the Coat of Arms category in the MocAthalon.

Red - Warrior; Military strength

Orange - Ambition

Black - Grief

Bow and Arrow - War; Power; Ability to hit a target

Cypress (could also be a different kind of tree) - Death and eternal life thereafter

The motto reads "Survival of the Fittest".

This is M16 captured from ICAstronomy in Oria, Spain.

The image was captured using a narrowband Hydrogen-alpha filter (Ha) as the moon was at about 70% this was a test of my new Ha filter. The filter lets the H-alpha light of emission nebulae pass and blocks nearly the whole remainder of the spectrum.

Also in the image is the famous Pillars of Creation.

Ha 10x1800 Secs

5 Hours in total.

The Eagle Nebula is part of a diffuse emission nebula, or H II region, which is catalogued as IC 4703. This region of active current star formation is about 7000 light-years distant. A spire of gas that can be seen coming off the nebula in the northeastern part is approximately 9.5 light-years or about 90 trillion kilometers long.

The cluster associated with the nebula has approximately 8100 stars, which are mostly concentrated in a gap in the molecular cloud to the north-west of the Pillars. The brightest star (HD 168076) has an apparent magnitude of +8.24, easily visible with good binoculars. It is actually a binary star formed of an O3.5V star plus an O7.5V companion. This star has a mass of roughly 80 solar masses and a luminosity up to 1 million times that of the Sun. The cluster's age has been estimated to be 1–2 million years.

The descriptive names reflect impressions of the shape of the central pillar rising from the southeast into the central luminous area. The name "Star Queen Nebula" was introduced by Robert Burnham, Jr., reflecting his characterization of the central pillar as the Star Queen shown in silhouette.

Equipment used:

Telescope: Tec 140 F7

Camera: Xpress Trius SX-694 Mono Cooled to -15C

Image Scale: 0.95

Guiding: OAG

Filters: Astronomik Ha 6nm

Mount: iOptron CEM60 "Standard" GOTO Centre Balanced Equatorial Mount

Image Acquisition: Sequence Generator Pro

Stacking and Calibrating: Pixinsight

Processing: Pixinsight 1.8, Photoshop CC

Granger, Texas:

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American slasher film directed by Tobe Hooper and written and co-produced by Hooper and Kim Henkel. It stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, and Gunnar Hansen, who respectively portray Sally Hardesty, Franklin Hardesty, the hitchhiker, the proprietor, and Leatherface. The film follows a group of friends who fall victim to a family of cannibals while on their way to visit an old homestead. The film was marketed as being based on true events to attract a wider audience and to act as a subtle commentary on the era's political climate; although the character of Leatherface and minor story details were inspired by the crimes of murderer Ed Gein, its plot is largely fictional.

Hooper produced the film for less than $140,000 ($700,000 adjusted for inflation) and used a cast of relatively unknown actors drawn mainly from central Texas, where the film was shot. The limited budget forced Hooper to film for long hours seven days a week so that he could finish as quickly as possible and reduce equipment rental costs. Due to the film's violent content, Hooper struggled to find a distributor, but it was eventually acquired by Louis Perano of Bryanston Distributing Company. Hooper limited the quantity of onscreen gore in hopes of securing a PG rating, but the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rated it R. The film faced similar difficulties internationally.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was banned in several countries, and numerous theaters stopped showing the film in response to complaints about its violence. While it initially drew a mixed reception from critics, it was highly profitable, grossing over $30 million at the domestic box office, equivalent to roughly over $150.8 million as of 2019, selling over 16.5 million tickets in 1974. It has since gained a reputation as one of the best and most influential horror films. It is credited with originating several elements common in the slasher genre, including the use of power tools as murder weapons, the characterization of the killer as a large, hulking, faceless figure, and the killing of victims. It led to a franchise that continued the story of Leatherface and his family through sequels, prequels, a remake, comic books, and video games.

Images For Sale

Fluidr

Nikon D780

(C)Gaylon Yancy 2020-2021

Please, No images in the comments; TEXT only. Thanks.

The Custom House overlooks Burlington Bay and is located immediately across from the tracks of the Canadian National Railway, formerly the Great Western Railway. At the time construction, Hamilton Custom House, was located immediately south-east of the Great Western's station, offices and yard, making inspection of the rail-transported goods especially convenient. Placement halfway between the business district and the bay shore, but adjacent to the railway, indicates the importance of the railway to the activities of Hamilton's Custom House. Elements of the stone gateposts flank both sides of building.

The Hamilton Custom House was the last in a series of customs houses constructed by the colonial government, prior to confederation. Of substantial character and construction, the Hamilton Custom House, built 1858-60, recalls the growing responsibilities and presence of the government, during this time. Prior to this, government offices had typically been located in rented or private quarters, with construction campaigns focused upon transportation projects such as roads and canals rather than buildings. With collected duties representing the largest single source of revenue for the colonial government, and with Hamilton being the largest source of collection revenue in Ontario, after Toronto, the construction of a suitably prominent Custom House was justified. In the years leading up to the construction of the Custom House, Hamilton enjoyed the status as a leading Canadian port, commercial centre and transportation hub, with lines from the recently completed Great Western Railway converging in the city. The Great Western's lines connected Ontario to the United States at Niagara Falls and Windsor, contributing to Hamilton's large amount of international trade, and supporting the need for a large customs facility. Additionally, in the early 1850s, Hamilton was represented in Parliament by Sir Allan McNab, Premier of the Province of Canada, from 1854-56, who influenced the decision to locate a substantial Custom House in Hamilton, to benefit the city. The Custom House functioned in its original capacity until 1888 when overcrowding forced the relocation of this function to the Post Office building at John and King Streets.The Hamilton Custom House is the oldest, major, Canadian government building in Hamilton and among the oldest in Ontario.

Expensive to build and maintain, few government structures of this calibre were built, prior to Confederation, making the building a rarity from the beginning. Designed in the Renaissance Revival style, the Custom House is inspired by the Palladian and Renaissance palazzo architecture of Italy. Contributing to this characterization is a façade with a heavily rusticated first storey, containing large round headed windows, with voussoirs, while the ashlar finished second storey displays quoining, Corinthian pilasters and pedimented window crowns. While the Royal Coat of Arms survives in the roofline parapet, the rooftop balustrade with urns, and elaborated chimneys have been lost. Attesting to the sophistication of the composition, the structure is clad entirely in Hamilton and Ohio sandstones, and is detailed on all elevations. The interior was notable for its modern conveniences such as central heating, running water and gas lighting. The functional design contained a first floor examining warehouse and a second storey 'long room' where most public business was conducted over a long counter. Though Frederick Rubridge, architect for the Board of Works, finalized the plans, Frederick Rastrick is known to have produced the plans on which the design was largely based, with credit thereby extended to both architects; Frederick Kortum served as the supervising architect and was succeeded by Albert Hills.

A series of cropped migrant Swainson's Hawk photos from Borrego Valley, San Diego County CA, showing the range of plumage variation present. Dark birds were, in fact, numerically superior.

Plumage characterizations based on Wheeler & Clark's photo guide to N Am raptors.

~HSS~

Upper Left Corner of this street scene of Lightlings is a red elephant head with a broken trunk. He seems to be chatting with the Lightling bust of an old Smith Brothers Cough Drops guy or perhaps an old author with a large nose. They seem unsure about the crowd below.

The multi-colored Raintings crowd of Lowly Worm (Richard Scarry) look-alikes seems equally unsure (maybe in awe, maybe a bit afraid) of them.

In reality, this was a real Rainting of a red traffic light and perhaps a few cars driving by the other way. For me this was about fun, and characterizations and colors and shapes. There isn't any big secret agenda behind it. I do have fun, though, trying to create little scenes or stories out of what I see.

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"My thin white border is not so much a frame as a defense against Flickr's all dark background"

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(DSCN0132ResamLightlingsafraidofeachotherFlickr110820)

Pirates of the Caribbean final ride scene in Disney's Magic Kingdom.

Captain Jack Sparrow is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Pirates of the Caribbean film series created by screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, portrayed by Johnny Depp. He is first introduced in the film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). He later appears in the sequels Dead Man's Chest (2006), At World's End (2007), and On Stranger Tides (2011). Jack Sparrow was originally conceived as a supporting character. He was brought to life by the actor Johnny Depp, who based his characterization on The Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards and cartoon character Pepé Le Pew. He tends to become rather frustrated whenever someone pronounces his name without the term "Captain".

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Sparrow

Imperial Russian splendour in the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland in 1904 - the new Russian governor general, Prince Ivan Obolensky (1853-1910) with wife and retinue visiting Finnish nobleman and imperial master of the hunt Constantin Linder´s manor Kytäjä (Nääs). However, a look below the surface shows that tensions were boiling in the Grand Duchy. Obolensky´s predecessor, the hated general Nikolay Bobrikov, who was responsible for the Russification policy in Finland, had been assassinated.

As a result of the Finnish general strike in 1905, which was associated with the Russian revolution the same year, Finland´s old four-chamber diet was replaced by the unicameral parliament, the Eduskunta. (According to the Parliament Act of 1906, Finnish women became the first in the world to have unrestricted rights both to vote and to stand for parliament). Governor general Obolensky supported the introduction of general suffrage, but he also had demanded strong measures against the strikers. In St. Petersburg Obolensky´s vacillation was not received well, and he was removed from Finland in November 1905 and retired from public office.

Neither was the future of Oblolensky´s host, Constantin Linder (1836-1908) a very good one. His policy of appeasement was very unpopular in Finland. He served briefly as Minister-Secretary of State for Finland in St. Petersburg, but had to retire after the general strike in 1905.

People in the picture:

Constantin Linder, the host, is the bearded man sitting in the upper row to the right, smoking a cigar. Prince Obolensky is the uniformed man with the cap in the middle. His wife Alexandra

(b. Topornin) is on his left side.

From a Finnish point of view, the most interesting man is Constantin Linder´s son Hjalmar (1862-1921), the man closest on the left. Hjalmar Linder, court chamberlain, lawyer, landowner, industrialist and donor, bought his father´s manor Kytäjä in 1907. In his time the manor, covering over 50000 hectares, was the largest privately owned land property in the Nordic countries. All in all Hjalmar had 64000 hectares of land (ab. 158000 acres), owned a pulp plant, saw mills and factories employing over 5000 people.

Hjalmar Linder was known for treating his employees well. They had an 8 hour work day, free access to medical care and paid sick leave already before these reforms were enacted as law.

When Linder returned to Finland after the 1918 Civil War (by some also called the War of Liberation), he found his properties intact. However, he was critical of the way the losing side

was treated. For this he was heavily criticised and even received death threats. Linder then sold his properties in Finland, and moved abroad. He donated his large art collection, including a Rembrandt and portraits by Reynolds and Raeburn, to the Finnish museum Ateneum and the Swedish Nationalmuseet, and made other art donations as well.

Linder´s last years were not happy. He lived in France and Algeria, but got in trouble with tax and other officials. He was found dead in his hotel room in Marseilles on June 2, 1921 (suicide).

The National Heritage Agency picture caption does not mention the name of the young lady in the middle of the picture. However, I think she is Hjalmar Linder´s half sister Kitty, who was

a great beauty. General, later president Gustaf Mannerheim, fell in love with her when they met during a hunting trip to Norway in the fall of 1918. Kitty´s letters show that Mannerheim

even wanted to marry her, but she did not agree. As a matter of fact, Kitty never married. That she was a beauty, even was clear for border officials looking at her passport (passports at the time did not yet have pictures). Kitty´s passport included a written characterization - it read: "arousingly beautiful" ...

This was done for the art gallery my mom is working at nowadays. It's a Lego rendition of this piece of artwork by Carmine Infantino, utilizing my characterizations of Batman and Robin. Some angles aren't 100% accurate to the original artwork and the moon is a bit strange There was also an FP skyline that got scrapped for looking terrible in the lighting. I'm still very satisfied with this and I think it may be one of my best photos yet. Will certainly look good in the gallery.

A shell-shaped aedicula carved in the upper part of the stele. The stele was originally crowned by a pediment framed by a Lesbian “kyma”, supported by two half-columns with capitals finely carved with laurel leaves and berries. The shell motif enclosing the portraits of the deceased frequently appears on stelae from northern regions. The rendering of the two portraits, although vigorous in their physiognomic characterization, is flat and simplified in execution.

Beneath the niche, an open scroll indicates the office of “sevir” held by the deceased, perhaps on three occasions, as suggested by the three voting tablets bearing the numerals I, I, and III placed beside it.

The carved cinscription reads:

V(ivus) f(ecit) / Q(intus) Titius Faustus (se)vir (ter ?) / sibi et Culciniae / Proculae uxori, / lib(ertis) lib(ertabus)q(ue).

“Quintus Titius Faustus, sevir (three times?), while still alive, made [this monument] for himself, for his wife Culcinia Procula, and for his freedmen and freedwomen.”

Together with the epigraphic evidence, the type of female coiffure in the form of a cap, the male hairstyle—almost Trajanic in style at the forehead—and the linear, metallic quality of the vegetal ornamentation date the monument to the end of the 1st century AD.

Source: Valnea Santa Maria Scrinari, “Museo Archeologico di Aquileia, Catalogo delle Sculture Romane”

Limestone stele

Dimesions [cm]: height 108 , width 75, depth 29

Late 1st century BC

Aquileia, Museo Archeologico Nazionale

A Tea for the Tillerman

Wickedly Delicious and Delightful

Years ago while doing research for a boring university project I stumbled across old archives for the Glamorgan Gazette from the pre-Great War 1900s.

A story entitled ‘Tea Party Misadventure’ caught my eye.

It was of interest mostly because my mum likes to put on elaborate dress-up tea parties of her own doing in our almost one-hectare backyard garden at home.

There was not much to this old story really, only reporting that at a certain fancy Tea held at the manor house recently the hostess and several guests reported jewels had turned up missing. I was suspiciously under the impression that they were wearing said jewels at the time, for no mention of them being nicked from rooms was made.

This piqued my curiosity because, due I’m sure to some quirk in my DNA, I get perilous shivers thinking some uncommon thief could be that skilled, he/she could undetected, nick the very jewels I’m wearing. Would love to know if I’m unique in that feeling.

That said ….

No mention of an investigation, the cause, or any outcome was given. Nor could I find a follow-up story.

I hate it when I cannot find answers to stories. And this one certainly piqued my rather offbeat interest over how something like that could occur.

^^^^^^^^^^^

Then, much more recently, I had been out with Ginny to see the movie “Cruella.” She had “commandeered” her older Brother’s twin 8-year-old daughters for the occasion.

The movie basically sets up how Cruella became a thief, starting out with these tendencies as a young child.

I will admit that as we sat drinking at the pub afterward later that same evening (after seeing the giggling twin girls off back to thief mum) my mind pictured some of my own Mum’s past fancy tea parties.

I soon combined third memories with that long ago newspaper story of ‘misadventure at a similar function.

Certain scenes of that movie clicked in my alcohol-induced mind as to how the ladies at the fancy tea may have lost their jewellery.

Soon I came up with the seeds of the fictional story below using bits of those tea parties and my ideas on how dropping in a resourceful thief amongst the dressed-up guests' midst them could play out the unanswered questions in the Glamorgan Gazette’s missing jewellery storyline. Sort of filling in the gaps.

The descriptions of that tea described below are taken from years of tea parties Mum has hosted. The details are accurate including the settings, clothing, and jewels worn by the hostess(Mum) and her guests, including Ginny and I at various times.

The character studies of Estella, the wooden bead lady, and the Shannons are also loosely based on past tea party guests.

I guess any posh affair of that sort if carried on for enough years will have its odd occurrences and occasional uninvited guests. Which we have…

And of course, the story as told is a work of fiction.

No actual robbery-related misadventures have ever occurred at one of my Mum’s teas. They were always known to be sensible affairs.

I need to say that because mum still popularly puts them on, and I don't wish to scare anyone off. They are such fun.

The story below may seem far-fetched, but is it really? For something indeed quite odd had happened at that tea in Glamorgan to warrant a reporter’s story?

Next up :

Acte 1

My Tale

A Brief Characterization

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

A Tea for the Tillerman

Acte 1

A Brief Characterization

Like her Mum before her(my Gamma), mine liked to hold these once a fortnight dress up “High” tea affairs with her friends. Held either inside the sunroom, or larger parties carried out in the backyard gardens during warmer months.

The invited were pretty much just ladies our mum knew, which was extensive. But during the summer months, these friends were more than welcome to also invite along daughters, relatives, and such.

They all would certainly get in the mood and have fun with the ongoing theme of a posh tea, trying to outdo one another in the dress-up department.

Elegant evening attire mixed in with cocktail dresses, silk and satin blouses with formal long skirts, and even the occasional repurposed wedding or bridesmaid gowns were the unwritten attire required to attend.

Copious displays of pearls and rhinestones were displayed with added panache. And many a real gemstone was snuck in to show its glitter and gleam off.

It was like they were expecting a member of the royal family to attend, Mum’s affair had grown to be simply that posh.

Tea (and stronger drink) was served and by the time the soirée died down by twilight, our yard(or house) contained a very happily cheerful lot. A laughing and huggy group of well-dressed, inebriated ladies.

A pickpockets dream, I always fancifully told myself as I watched it all play out many times.

This time it was no different, with soon giggling ladies, whom it became very apparent on the day of this tale, would have presented easy marks for the tomfoolery of someone without convictions (As the Culture Club song goes)!

Next up the Acte 2

Tea Party Misadventure

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

NASA's SR-71B, NASA 831, slices across the snowy southern Sierra Nevada Mountains of California after being refueled by an Air Force Flight Test Center tanker during a recent flight. The Mach 3 aircraft were being flown by the Dryden Flight Research Center (now the Armstrong Flight Research Center), Edwards, California as testbeds for high-speed, high-altitude aeronautical research. Capable of flying more than 2200 mph and at altitudes of over 85,000 feet, they were excellent platforms for research and experiments in aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, thermal protection materials, atmospheric studies, and sonic boom characterization. Derived from the Lockheed A-12 and YF-12, the SR-71 first flew on December 22, 1964.

NASA Media Usage Guidelines

Credit: NASA

Image Number: EC95-42883-4

Date: December 1994

The fresco decoration of the Hall of Justice of the fortress of Angera constitutes one of the main figurative testimonies of the development phase of the Gothic pictorial language in the Lombard territory; it also proposes a rare and early example of painting with profane themes, of historical-political and celebratory significance.

The room, on the second floor of the Visconti wing of the building, has a rectangular plan, divided into two parts by a pointed arch. The ceiling, formed by cross vaults, is covered by a lively decoration with geometric motifs, with squares and rounds interwoven to form a sort of sumptuous painted fabric. The six bays of the walls, illuminated by large windows with two lights, host the pictorial decoration, which is divided into three superimposed registers within large arches defined by ornamental borders with stylized stars and flowers: the narrative scenes, in the center, are surmounted by a high band with astrological-astronomical subjects, while the lowest register is formed by a lozenge decoration that supported an elegant painted veil, now almost completely disappeared.

The cycle narrates the deeds of Ottone Visconti, archbishop and lord of Milan from 1277 after the victory obtained in Desio over the opposing Torriani family. Since a long time, studies have linked the frescoes to a precise literary source, the Liber de gestis in civitate Mediolani, a work in praise of the Visconti family written by the monk Stefanardo da Vimercate probably in the last decade of the thirteenth century; the tituli that accompany the scenes are inspired by it, while other Latin inscriptions report, to complete the upper decorative band, some verses of the astrological treatise De Sphaera.

From a stylistic point of view, the author of the paintings shows a marked taste for the complex layout of the scenes, while neglecting the coherence of the figure-architecture relationship; the forms are simplified and the faces, lacking in individual characterization, derive strong consistency from the resentful linear definition and the thick dark outlines; these elements constitute an evident link with the thirteenth-century pictorial tradition of Byzantine matrix, probably filtered through the knowledge of works from the Veneto area. Moreover, the attention that will be typically Lombardy for the realistic definition of details or for the description of costumes is already present and alive.

The brilliant overall effect of the room is enhanced by the whirlwind of colors of the vault, a real explosion of chromatic happiness that finds immediate comparisons in the vault of S. Bassiano in Lodi Vecchio, also decorated with joyful secular subjects.

The representations of the planets and the signs of the zodiac are still linked to those astrological-astronomical themes that had an enormous development since the beginning of the Christian Middle Ages and in particular in the Romanesque period; connected to the scansion of time and of the different working activities - in particular agricultural and pastoral -, they had multiple ethical, civil and religious implications. Situated in the courtroom of the Rocca, the cycle must have had the value of an exemplum for those who were called to judge, through the underlining of motifs such as the clemency of the winner on the vanquished enemy or the subjection of earthly power to the stars and to Fortune, and with precise indications on the virtues that should accompany the exercise of power.

As for the dating of the paintings, critics have expressed themselves in various ways, with wide oscillations between 1277 of the battle of Desio and 1314, the year in which Matteo Visconti definitively acquired possession of the fortress after a period of domination by the Torriani and other families.

French postcard by lmp editions, no. SH 010. Photo: Studio Harcourt, Paris, 2005.

French model and actress Laetitia Casta (1978) became a Guess? Girl in 1993 and was a spokesperson for cosmetics company L'Oreal. She has appeared on over 100 covers of such magazines as Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Rolling Stone, Elle and Glamour, and modelled for designers like Yves Saint Laurent, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Chanel, and Vivienne Westwood. After her film debut in the blockbuster Asterix & Astérix et Obélix contre César/Asterix & Obelix Take On Caesar (1999), Casta became an established actress. She starred on stage in 'Ondine' (2004-2005) as well as in films like Nés en 68/Born in 68 (2008), Visage/Face (2009) and as Brigitte Bardot in Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque)/Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (2010).

Laetitia Marie Laure Casta was born in Pont-Audemer in Normandy in 1978. She spent her childhood in Normandy and Corsica, while her mother, Line Blin, from Normandy and her father, Dominique Casta, from Corsica. She has an older brother, Jean-Baptiste, and a younger sister, Marie-Ange. Casta's modelling career reportedly began when she was discovered by the photographer Frederic Cresseaux, an agent of Paris' Madison Models, during a family holiday in her father's native Corsica, at age 15. With her natural beauty, she impressed both the agency director and the editor of Elle magazine and got a contract. In 1993 Laetitia signed on with Guess? Jeans for a very successful advertising campaign. Since 1998, Casta has been the L'Oréal Paris brand ambassador. Casta has appeared on over 100 magazine covers including Victoria's Secret catalogues, Harper's Bazaar, Elle magazine, and Vogue magazine. She is the face of several fragrances, including Chanel's Allure and Givenchy's Forbidden flower. She walked down the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show from 1997 till 2000. In 1999, Casta was ranked first in a national survey ordered by the French Mayors Association to decide who should be the new model for the bust of Marianne, an allegorical symbol of the French Republic, which stands inside every French town hall. For her first film, Casta has made forays into the blockbuster Asterix & Astérix et Obélix contre César/Asterix & Obelix Take On Caesar (Claude Zidi, 1999), based on the comic book by René Goscinny. In this live-action film, she played Falbala, a love interest for Obelix (Gérard Depardieu). It was the most expensive French film ever made and a smash hit in Europe. Her acting career gained momentum when she starred in the TV mini-series La bicyclette bleue/The blue bicycle (Thierry Binisti, 2000), set in WWII France.

The following year, Laetitia Casta appeared in the dramatic film Les Âmes Fortes/Savage Souls (Raoul Ruiz, 2001). It was a major disappointment. James Travers at Films de France: “Despite an impressive cast and some excellent production values, this quality adaptation of the classic French novel by Jean Giono generally fails to engage the spectator and is amongst the least satisfactory of Raoul Ruiz's directorial efforts to date. Visually impressive this film may be - with some beautiful photography of its Provencal setting and meticulous attention to period detail - but shallow characterization and uneven narrative pacing make watching it a painfully empty experience.” Other films are Errance/Wandering (Damien Odoul, 2003) and the TV film Luisa Sanfelice (Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani, 2004). On stage, she featured in the plays Ondine (2004-2005) written by Jean Giraudoux and Elle t'attend (She is waiting for you) (2008), written and directed by Florian Zeller. In the cinema, she worked with interesting directors like Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau for Nés en 68/Born in 68 (2008) and Tsai Ming-Liang for Visage/Face (2009). Her interpretation of Brigitte Bardot in the film Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque)/Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (Joann Sfar, 2010) was received well. She was nominated for the César Award of the Best Supporting Actress. Casta served as a jury member at the 69th Venice International Film Festival in 2012. That year, she also appeared in her first American film, Arbitrage (Nicholas Jarecki, 2012) starring Richard Gere. In 2012 Laetitia Casta became a Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight in Order of Arts and of Letters). Since then she appeared with Vanessa Paradis and Isabelle Adjani in Very Bad Girls (Audrey Dana, 2014), in L'Homme fidèle/A Faithful Man (Louis Garrel, 2018), and in Le Milieu de l'horizon/Beyond the Horizon (Delphine Lehericey, 2019). Since 2017, she is married to French actor Louis Garrel. She has four children: a daughter Sahteene Sednaoui (2001) with her ex-boyfriend, the photographer Stephane Sednaoui, a son Orlando Accorsi (2006) and a daughter Athena Accorsi (2009) with ex-fiancé, the Italian actor Stefano Accorsi and a son Azel (2021) with husband Louis Garrel. Her most recent films are Coma (Bertrand Bonello, 2022) with Julia Faure and the recently deceased Gaspard Ulliel, and Selon la police/Cop goes missing (Frédéric Videau, 2022).

Sources: James Travers (Films de France), Paul Agius (IMDb), Wikipedia, and IMDb.

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

Cobra Range Vipers know how to make use of local resources: the AK-47 is probably the most plentiful assault rifle in the world. Add to that a region-free supply of 7.62×39mm ammo, you're in business across many borders.

The Range Vipers were after my time, but the characterization of them as scroungers makes them interesting. This is the 2000 Rock Viper version with some repainting.

Texture of the skin of a spider, with a hair root and pollen grains remains adhered to the skin

Courtesy of CARBAJO MARIA

Image Details

Instrument used: Quanta DualBeam Family

Magnification: 12000x

Horizontal Field Width: 24.9

Vacuum: 2.7e-3 Pa

Voltage: 10

Spot: 5

Working Distance: 10

Detector: ETD

The Berlin Green Head is an ancient Egyptian statue head (AeMP 12500) made from greenschist and housed in the Egyptian Museum of Berlin, not far from the Nefertiti Bust. It has been considered the work of a highly skilled (though unknown) ancient Egyptian sculptor, as well as one of the most famous and credited pieces of art from the Late and Ptolemaic periods of ancient Egypt.

DESCRIPTION: The face of the statue is calm and emotionless and, unusually for contemporary works of art, also perfectly symmetric, and it is that of an intelligent-looking, middle-aged man with many well-rendered wrinkles and lines.

The statue's shaved, oval-shaped skull is so realistic that it was once believed that the sculptor could not have made it without ancient Greek knowledge of anatomy, a claim subsequently disproved by the analysis of similar, earlier Egyptian artworks.

On the back of the head, the top portion of a conventional back pillar is still visible.

The whole artefact is uninscribed, thus the owner's name and titles are unknown. For the same reason, the statue could only be dated on stylistic grounds. Once regarded as art of the Saite Period, it was later attributed to the Ptolemaic Period by Friedrich Wilhelm von Bissing.

In 1960, Bernard von Bothmer further reduced the time range between 100 and 50 BCE, arguing that the head reveals a maturity not compatible with the earlier Ptolemaic art, as well as a similarity with some upcoming Roman Republic-era Egyptian works.

Its provenance is also unknown, as well as its trace before 1895, when it was acquired from the collections of prince Ibrahim Hilmy and Henry Wallis.

The Berlin Green Head has been compared to the similar, yet earlier Boston Green Head, with the former one having lost part of the "verism" (among that, the asymmetry) which is more prominent in the latter one, yet without compromising the characterization of the individual represented on it.

(Source: Wikipedia)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Green_Head

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LA CABEZA VERDE DE BERLÍN es una antigua cabeza de estatua egipcia (AeMP 12500) realizada en greenschist y que se encuentra en el Museo Egipcio de Berlín, no lejos del Busto de Nefertiti. Se ha considerado la obra de un escultor egipcio antiguo muy hábil (aunque desconocido), así como una de las piezas de arte más famosas y acreditadas de los periodos tardío y ptolemaico del antiguo Egipto.

DESCRIPCIÓN: El rostro de la estatua es tranquilo y carente de emoción y, excepcionalmente para las obras de arte contemporáneas, también perfectamente simétrico, y es el de un hombre de mediana edad de aspecto inteligente con muchas arrugas y líneas bien trazadas.

El cráneo afeitado y de forma ovalada de la estatua es tan realista que en su día se creyó que el escultor no podría haberla realizado sin los conocimientos de anatomía de la antigua Grecia, afirmación que fue desmentida posteriormente por el análisis de obras de arte egipcias anteriores similares.

En la parte posterior de la cabeza aún se puede ver la parte superior de un pilar trasero convencional.

Todo el artefacto carece de inscripción, por lo que se desconoce el nombre y los títulos del propietario. Por la misma razón, la estatua sólo puede datarse por motivos estilísticos. Considerada en su día como arte del periodo saíta, fue atribuida posteriormente al periodo ptolemaico por Friedrich Wilhelm von Bissing.

En 1960, Bernard von Bothmer redujo aún más el rango temporal entre el 100 y el 50 a.C., argumentando que la cabeza revela una madurez no compatible con el arte tolemaico anterior, así como una similitud con algunas obras egipcias de la época de la República Romana que se avecinan.

También se desconoce su procedencia, así como su rastro antes de 1895, cuando fue adquirida de las colecciones del príncipe Ibrahim Hilmy y de Henry Wallis.

La Cabeza Verde de Berlín ha sido comparada con la similar, aunque anterior, Cabeza Verde de Boston, habiendo perdido la primera parte del "verismo" (entre ello, la asimetría) que es más prominente en la segunda, aunque sin comprometer la caracterización del individuo representado en ella.

......has been a city icon at 1100 Main since 1931.

This family owned Winnipeg institution features a wall with signed celebrity patron photos, and you just might be surprised to see who has attended over the years. Specialties are hot dogs, hamburgers and shoestring fries. Open 7 days a week, I can attest to the first rate quality from their menu.

Two other views featured below...

View large......View On Black

So today is Halloween . . . boy what a special fuckin Day

On one hand you got all those fuckin people telling you not to worship the devil and on the other hand you got all of us who fuckin Love this day , it's a great day to really be yourself or do something crazy

I went out with my Lil'Princess to Trick or Treat , we really had a blast , I made about 10 or 12 kids cry , I made a lady say Holy shit (in Spanish) , I kicked a Dog and punched a stupid mother fucker in the mouth because he didn't stop for the kids to cross the street , he even apologize to the kids

My wife got mad @ me for punching this fucker but I was cool and kept my ground , so yeah nothing happened , we kept on walking and like I said we had a blast , fuck Yeaah !!

Then we went to COSTCO and got all sorts of crazy looks , it's like they never seen a fuckin clown with a bloody hammer buying some fuckin Chicken Bakes and some good old orange Juice

Anywho my Characterization was done by the Lovely and beautiful Bree Flores (she is the one that made all the characterization for all my Zombie session , if you ever in need of good scary shit she is the girl to call , I so fuckin Love the way she made me look , Love Captain Spaulding

What's the matter, kid ?? Don't ya like clowns ?? by the way I'm Available to babysit on Weekends

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Please do not forget to hit "LIke" on my FB page : jlazzarophotography

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Nikon D300 : ISO 200 - 1/125

For

Dave C., The *Soul* of this one is it looked friendly enough to me, like children playing tag. I sense some fun and some smiles here. I also think that me getting to not only take a picture, but write up little characterizations and stories about them. Giving life, though temporary, to red traffic lights is fun.

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ABOUT RAINTINGS

Rainting is a word I coined describing a painterly effect, achieved by photographing the subject through glass that is being rained on, like a windshield or other. It achieves an oftentimes pretty or soft flowing effect, and sometimes other-worldly. It is usually creative, fun, and fluid, seldom harsh in my opinion. I have an album of them on Flickr. Rainting is already in "The Urban Dictionary" but I would like it to also be in a more sophisticated/educational type of dictionary. I started a public Flickr group of Raintings on New Year's Day 2020.

The more collegiate type of dictionaries say that the word has to actually be used by people before they're likely to publish it. So if you like the word and my idea, say it loud and say it clear and take a few Raintings and post them to my new group. Using my word and trying my new group are not inclusive of one another.

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This particular image has what I call a Faux Rainting effect. It wasn't actually raining; just a spray bottle of water on my truck window. I'll put it in my new Raintings group, but eventually I'll try to label the ones that didn't actually use *real* rain. The majority will be real rain, as that is what I used to take my beginning "Raintings" when hadn't yet thought of a name for what I described above. And that is why I rhymed my word of Rainting with Painting. My State of Oregon USA is known for lots of rain; so I shouldn't have to resort to Faux Rainting too often (grin).

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ABOUT LIGHTLINGS

Lightling is an even newer word I coined to name the odd little sort of anthropomorphic characters that sometimes appear in my images when doing a Rainting. There are many little Lightlings in this image. Unfortunately they are kind of tiny compared to some larger ones later on that I'll be posting. This picture just happened to be the one where I decided to explain Lightling.

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ABOUT LIGHTLINGS

Lightling is an even newer word I coined to name the odd little sort of anthropomorphic characters that sometimes appear in my images when doing a Rainting. They come in many sizes, shapes and colors and often times have what appear to be various facial expressions. In school we may have learned that a square is a rectangle, but a rectangle is not a square. Well Raintings can exist without Lightlings in the scene, but Lightlings cannot exist without a Rainting.

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"My thin white border is not so much a frame as a defense against Flickr's all dark background"

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"DSCN1049RoseLightlingChasesBegoniaLightlingCropTUBordInitFlickr072020"

Always played with my She-ra dolls, ignoring the characterization of the cartoon versions...and tho more warrior- like at playtime, I embraced the "frilly/fancy" details of the actual dolls.

French postcard by Sonis, no. C 944. Photo: Etienne George / Renn Productions / Laetitia Casta in Asterix & Astérix et Obélix contre César/Asterix & Obelix Take On Caesar (Claude Zidi, 1999).

French model and actress Laetitia Casta (1978) became a Guess? Girl in 1993 and was a spokesperson for cosmetics company L'Oreal. She has appeared on over 100 covers of such magazines as Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Rolling Stone, Elle and Glamour, and modelled for designers like Yves Saint Laurent, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Chanel, and Vivienne Westwood. After her film debut in the blockbuster Asterix & Astérix et Obélix contre César/Asterix & Obelix Take On Caesar (1999), Casta became an established actress. She starred on stage in 'Ondine' (2004-2005) as well as in films like Nés en 68/Born in 68 (2008), Visage/Face (2009) and as Brigitte Bardot in Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque)/Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (2010).

Laetitia Marie Laure Casta was born in Pont-Audemer in Normandy in 1978. She spent her childhood in Normandy and Corsica, while her mother, Line Blin, from Normandy and her father, Dominique Casta, from Corsica. She has an older brother, Jean-Baptiste, and a younger sister, Marie-Ange. Casta's modelling career reportedly began when she was discovered by the photographer Frederic Cresseaux, an agent of Paris' Madison Models, during a family holiday in her father's native Corsica, at age 15. With her natural beauty, she impressed both the agency director and the editor of Elle magazine and got a contract. In 1993 Laetitia signed on with Guess? Jeans for a very successful advertising campaign. Since 1998, Casta has been the L'Oréal Paris brand ambassador. Casta has appeared on over 100 magazine covers including Victoria's Secret catalogues, Harper's Bazaar, Elle magazine, and Vogue magazine. She is the face of several fragrances, including Chanel's Allure and Givenchy's Forbidden flower. She walked down the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show from 1997 till 2000. In 1999, Casta was ranked first in a national survey ordered by the French Mayors Association to decide who should be the new model for the bust of Marianne, an allegorical symbol of the French Republic, which stands inside every French town hall. For her first film, Casta has made forays into the blockbuster Asterix & Astérix et Obélix contre César/Asterix & Obelix Take On Caesar (Claude Zidi, 1999), based on the comic book by René Goscinny. In this live-action film, she played Falbala, a love interest for Obelix (Gérard Depardieu). It was the most expensive French film ever made and a smash hit in Europe. Her acting career gained momentum when she starred in the TV mini-series La bicyclette bleue/The blue bicycle (Thierry Binisti, 2000), set in WWII France.

The following year, Laetitia Casta appeared in the dramatic film Les Âmes Fortes/Savage Souls (Raoul Ruiz, 2001). It was a major disappointment. James Travers at Films de France: “Despite an impressive cast and some excellent production values, this quality adaptation of the classic French novel by Jean Giono generally fails to engage the spectator and is amongst the least satisfactory of Raoul Ruiz's directorial efforts to date. Visually impressive this film may be - with some beautiful photography of its Provencal setting and meticulous attention to period detail - but shallow characterization and uneven narrative pacing make watching it a painfully empty experience.” Other films are Errance/Wandering (Damien Odoul, 2003) and the TV film Luisa Sanfelice (Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani, 2004). On stage, she featured in the plays Ondine (2004-2005) written by Jean Giraudoux and Elle t'attend (She is waiting for you) (2008), written and directed by Florian Zeller. In the cinema, she worked with interesting directors like Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau for Nés en 68/Born in 68 (2008) and Tsai Ming-Liang for Visage/Face (2009). Her interpretation of Brigitte Bardot in the film Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque)/Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (Joann Sfar, 2010) was received well. She was nominated for the César Award of the Best Supporting Actress. Casta served as a jury member at the 69th Venice International Film Festival in 2012. That year, she also appeared in her first American film, Arbitrage (Nicholas Jarecki, 2012) starring Richard Gere. In 2012 Laetitia Casta became a Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight in Order of Arts and of Letters). Since then she appeared with Vanessa Paradis and Isabelle Adjani in Very Bad Girls (Audrey Dana, 2014), in L'Homme fidèle/A Faithful Man (Louis Garrel, 2018), and in Le Milieu de l'horizon/Beyond the Horizon (Delphine Lehericey, 2019). Since 2017, she is married to French actor Louis Garrel. She has four children: a daughter Sahteene Sednaoui (2001) with her ex-boyfriend, the photographer Stephane Sednaoui, a son Orlando Accorsi (2006) and a daughter Athena Accorsi (2009) with ex-fiancé, the Italian actor Stefano Accorsi and a son Azel (2021) with husband Louis Garrel. Her most recent films are Coma (Bertrand Bonello, 2022) with Julia Faure and the recently deceased Gaspard Ulliel, and Selon la police/Cop goes missing (Frédéric Videau, 2022).

Sources: James Travers (Films de France), Paul Agius (IMDb), Wikipedia, and IMDb.

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

Yeah!!! Explored!!! Haven't had many of those.

My friend Eric and I went out to an alley way downtown. We were lucky that no one bothered us to leave. This was for a characterization project in my portraiture class. I chose Bond, James Bond. Pretty awesome shoot. It's nice to shoot with another photographer, he understood my concept and what I wanted to do. You can find Eric's work here. erichermann.net/index.html

Strobist:

1 AlienBee 1600 camera left with a large octabox.

1 AlienBee 800 over Eric's head with a homemade cardboard grid.

1 AlienBee 800 bare head behind subject

1 Canon 580exII low and left barehead.

All fired with pocket wizards.

See Tims photostream at

www.flickr.com/photos/timothyschorre/

I guess I should note that this one is a bit of characterization.

I always think of Steve Martin’s skit on SNL performing King Tut - youtu.be/FYbavuReVF4

From the Washington Post: “The objects in the tomb of the pharaoh Tutankhamen — or, as a new exhibition at the National Geographic Museum spells it, Tutankhamun — were meant to commemorate the Egyptian ruler’s life and guide him to the next one. Since they were first unearthed almost exactly 100 years ago, such exquisite artifacts as the golden funerary mask of Tut, as he is more commonly known today, have attracted widespread interest and admiration. But “Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience” emphasizes nonmaterial aspects of the boy king’s significance. Its centerpiece is an animation of the dead king’s journey to the afterlife, as imagined from the text known as the Egyptian Book of the Dead.

The organizers of this almost entirely virtual-reality exhibition didn’t have much choice but to take this approach, since the relics from Tut’s tomb are no longer available for display outside Egypt. The show features some impressively set-designed spaces that evoke tombs, caverns and the pharaoh’s burial chamber, complete with an oversized reproduction of his sarcophagus. The bulk of the exhibits, however, are constructed of nothing more substantial than sound and light.

“Beyond King Tut” was produced by the partnership of Paquin Entertainment Group, which devised the “Beyond Van Gogh” and “Beyond Monet” exhibitions, and Immersive Experiences, a firm whose creative producer, Mark Lach, supervised the design of “King Tut: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs,” an artifact show that toured between 2004 and 2012.

You’ve seen ‘Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience.’ Now experience a real Van Gogh.

In the first room, we are introduced to Tut, who died at 18 or 19 years old, circa 1323 B.C., and the November 1922 discovery of his debris-buried tomb by Howard Carter, a British artist and self-taught archaeologist. After this prefatory video ends, a door automatically slides open, giving access to a chamber that evokes the exterior of Tut’s royal tomb, the only largely intact one ever found in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings.

Carter and his financial backer, the Earl of Carnarvon, hosted the international press in 1923 but didn’t allow most of the visitors to enter the crypt. (Among those excluded was National Geographic correspondent Maynard Owen Williams.) The seemingly weathered walls in this gallery feature simulated gaps that reveal flickering video images of such Tut-related relics as a statue of Anubis, the dog-headed god of death. These glimpses evoke Carter’s first peek into the tomb.

The museum’s 3D theater holds the simulated sarcophagus and an illustrated video lecture that sweeps across three walls. One of its themes is the way animals represented many aspects of Pharaonic Egypt and its ruler. The vulture stood for Upper Egypt, for instance, and the cobra for Lower Egypt; both were included in the regalia of Tut, who presided over the united regions. Also symbolic were 12 baboons, one for each hour of the late king’s supposed transit through the netherworld.

Beyond is a gallery that recounts Tut’s life, as told by the artifacts in his burial place, such as a knife and scabbard, a ceremonial staff with a curved head, and pottery embellished with hieroglyphics. Also displayed there is a family tree, based partly on DNA research that is ongoing.

As you walk down a long corridor, you’ll pass four clusters of video screens that flash images and text, leading to a large photo cutout shaped like Tut’s funerary mask. His golden visage is bathed in light that moves continually, seeming to change its appearance.

The main event is a fanciful 20-minute video that depicts the first night of Tut’s afterlife, during which he supposedly battled a giant serpent and was judged by the gods: The requirement for a pharaoh’s eternal survival is a soul that’s lighter than a feather. The story unfolds in animated images projected on all four walls, as well as the floor, which at one point blazes with video fire beneath your feet. In this Disney-like telling, King Tut — said to be frail and sickly in real life — was heroic and noble.

No one will ever know how true that characterization is, but for a century, the wonders excavated from Tut’s tomb have sparked imaginations worldwide. “Beyond King Tut” is better informed than most treatments of the boy pharaoh’s legacy, but it doesn’t resist flourishes of fantasy.

King Tut: Minor pharaoh, major phenom

The boy king, whose life story unfolds in this virtual-reality narrative, left an outsize legacy.

King Tut, who was installed at age 8 or 9 and died a mere decade later, was a lesser pharaoh. But for the last century, he’s been one of the best known. That’s because his tomb has yielded the most artifacts of any ancient Egyptian ruler.

Tut, who left no heirs, was the last of his family to rule during Egypt’s 18th Dynasty. He was the son of Akhenaten, who converted Egypt from polytheism to the worship of one divine being: Aten, a sun god. During Tut’s rule, the traditional gods were restored, including Amun, in whose honor Tut changed the ending of his name, which may mean “living image of Amun.”

The cause of Tut’s death is unknown, but most scholars attribute it to natural causes. Medical experts have suggested the young pharaoh suffered from malaria or sickle cell anemia.

Some of the actual objects from Tut’s tomb were exhibited at the National Gallery of Art and other American museums beginning in 1961. The larger exhibition “Treasures of Tutankhamun” began its tour at the National Gallery in 1976 and traveled to six other U.S. cities. Such pieces are unlikely ever again to leave the Cairo region, where they will dwell in the Grand Egyptian Museum, set to open later this year.

Tut-mania has inspired lots of pop culture, including “The Mummy,” a movie franchise that began with the 1932 Boris Karloff vehicle, and “King Tut,” Steve Martin’s 1978 novelty hit. Both are referenced in the final room of “Beyond King Tut.”

Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience

National Geographic Museum, 1145 17th St. NW.”

Description: Shock waves stream from the exhaust nozzles of the two engines of NASA's SR-71B as it leaves the runway on a 1992 flight from the Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (later, Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, California. The twin-cockpit "B" model is one of three SR-71s initially loaned to NASA from the Air Force for use in a high-speed, high-altitude research program. Two SR-71 aircraft have been used by NASA as testbeds for high-speed and high-altitude aeronautical research. The aircraft, an SR-71A and an SR-71B pilot trainer aircraft, have been based here at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. They were transferred to NASA after the U.S. Air Force program was cancelled. As research platforms, the aircraft can cruise at Mach 3 for more than one hour. For thermal experiments, this can produce heat soak temperatures of over 600 degrees Fahrenheit (F). This operating environment makes these aircraft excellent platforms to carry out research and experiments in a variety of areas -- aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, thermal protection materials, high-speed and high-temperature instrumentation, atmospheric studies, and sonic boom characterization. The SR-71 was used in a program to study ways of reducing sonic booms or over pressures that are heard on the ground, much like sharp thunderclaps, when an aircraft exceeds the speed of sound. Data from this Sonic Boom Mitigation Study could eventually lead to aircraft designs that would reduce the "peak" overpressures of sonic booms and minimize the startling affect they produce on the ground. One of the first major experiments to be flown in the NASA SR-71 program was a laser air data collection system. It used laser light instead of air pressure to produce airspeed and attitude reference data, such as angle of attack and sideslip, which are normally obtained with small tubes and vanes extending into the airstream. One of Dryden's SR-71s was used for the Linear Aerospike Rocket Engine, or LASRE Experiment. Another earlier project consisted of a series of flights using the SR-71 as a science camera platform for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. An upward-looking ultraviolet video camera placed in the SR-71's nosebay studied a variety of celestial objects in wavelengths that are blocked to ground-based astronomers. Earlier in its history, Dryden had a decade of past experience at sustained speeds above Mach 3. Two YF-12A aircraft and an SR-71 designated as a YF-12C were flown at the center between December 1969 and November 1979 in a joint NASA/USAF program to learn more about the capabilities and limitations of high-speed, high-altitude flight. The YF-12As were prototypes of a planned interceptor aircraft based on a design that later evolved into the SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft. Dave Lux was the NASA SR-71 project manger for much of the decade of the 1990s, followed by Steve Schmidt. Developed for the USAF as reconnaissance aircraft more than 30 years ago, SR-71s are still the world's fastest and highest-flying production aircraft. The aircraft can fly at speeds of more than 2,200 miles per hour (Mach 3+, or more than three times the speed of sound) and at altitudes of over 85,000 feet. The Lockheed Skunk Works (now Lockheed Martin) built the original SR-71 aircraft. Each aircraft is 107.4 feet long, has a wingspan of 55.6 feet, and is 18.5 feet high (from the ground to the top of the rudders, when parked). Gross takeoff weight is about 140,000 pounds, including a possible fuel weight of 80,280 pounds. The airframes are built almost entirely of titanium and titanium alloys to withstand heat generated by sustained Mach 3 flight. Aerodynamic control surfaces consist of all-moving vertical tail surfaces, ailerons on the outer wings, and elevators on the trailing edges between the engine exhaust nozzles. The two SR-71s at Dryden have been assigned the following NASA tail numbers: NASA 844 (A model), military serial 61-7980 and NASA 831 (B model), military serial 61-7956. From 1990 through 1994, Dryden also had another "A" model, NASA 832, military serial 61-7971. This aircraft was returned to the USAF inventory and was the first aircraft reactivated for USAF reconnaissance purposes in 1995. It has since returned to Dryden along with SR-71A 61-7967.

NASA Media Usage Guidelines

Credit: NASA

Image Number: EC92-1284-1

Date: 1992

Cameo glass is primarily a product of the early Roman Empire and is specifically associated with the elite and royal of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Its manufacture is therefore mostly limited to the decades around 25 BCE – 25 CE and it is rare; less than twenty pieces have survived in their entirety. The technique imitates cameos carved from shell or colored stone and the most popular color scheme is white over a blue background. In this case, the tiny flask was first blown in translucent blue glass; after a brief period of cooling it was dipped in opaque white glass, after which it was carved and polished by a lapidary artisan.

The annexation of Egypt in 30 BCE and the arrival in Rome in 10 BCE of two obelisks from Heliopolis helped to develop a milieu in which the use of Egyptian motifs thrived, inspiring Roman artists to evoke the imagery and iconography of ancient Egypt. While it has been suggested that the scenes on this flask might represent specific gods, such as Amon-Re, Horus and Thoth, the meaningless hieroglyphs on the obelisk as well as the general obscurity of the iconography prevents a specific reading of the narrative. Instead, the figures and motifs would seem to evoke through setting and characterization the exotic Egyptian atmosphere so popular in the art of Julio-Claudian Rome.

Roman, 25 BCE-25 CE.

Getty Villa Museum (85.AF.84)

British postcard by Anabas, Essex, no. AP 753.

French model and actress Laetitia Casta (1978) became a Guess? Girl in 1993 and was a spokesperson for cosmetics company L'Oreal. She has appeared on over 100 covers of such magazines as Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Rolling Stone, Elle and Glamour, and modelled for designers like Yves Saint Laurent, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Chanel, and Vivienne Westwood. After her film debut in the blockbuster Asterix & Astérix et Obélix contre César/Asterix & Obelix Take On Caesar (1999), Casta became an established actress. She starred on stage in 'Ondine' (2004-2005) as well as in films like Nés en 68/Born in 68 (2008), Visage/Face (2009) and as Brigitte Bardot in Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque)/Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (2010).

Laetitia Marie Laure Casta was born in Pont-Audemer in Normandy in 1978. She spent her childhood in Normandy and Corsica, while her mother, Line Blin, from Normandy and her father, Dominique Casta, from Corsica. She has an older brother, Jean-Baptiste, and a younger sister, Marie-Ange. Casta's modelling career reportedly began when she was discovered by the photographer Frederic Cresseaux, an agent of Paris' Madison Models, during a family holiday in her father's native Corsica, at age 15. With her natural beauty, she impressed both the agency director and the editor of Elle magazine and got a contract. In 1993 Laetitia signed on with Guess? Jeans for a very successful advertising campaign. Since 1998, Casta has been the L'Oréal Paris brand ambassador. Casta has appeared on over 100 magazine covers including Victoria's Secret catalogues, Harper's Bazaar, Elle magazine, and Vogue magazine. She is the face of several fragrances, including Chanel's Allure and Givenchy's Forbidden flower. She walked down the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show from 1997 till 2000. In 1999, Casta was ranked first in a national survey ordered by the French Mayors Association to decide who should be the new model for the bust of Marianne, an allegorical symbol of the French Republic, which stands inside every French town hall. For her first film, Casta has made forays into the blockbuster Asterix & Astérix et Obélix contre César/Asterix & Obelix Take On Caesar (Claude Zidi, 1999), based on the comic book by René Goscinny. In this live-action film, she played Falbala, a love interest for Obelix (Gérard Depardieu). It was the most expensive French film ever made and a smash hit in Europe. Her acting career gained momentum when she starred in the TV mini-series La bicyclette bleue/The blue bicycle (Thierry Binisti, 2000), set in WWII France.

The following year, Laetitia Casta appeared in the dramatic film Les Âmes Fortes/Savage Souls (Raoul Ruiz, 2001). It was a major disappointment. James Travers at Films de France: “Despite an impressive cast and some excellent production values, this quality adaptation of the classic French novel by Jean Giono generally fails to engage the spectator and is amongst the least satisfactory of Raoul Ruiz's directorial efforts to date. Visually impressive this film may be - with some beautiful photography of its Provencal setting and meticulous attention to period detail - but shallow characterization and uneven narrative pacing make watching it a painfully empty experience.” Other films are Errance/Wandering (Damien Odoul, 2003) and the TV film Luisa Sanfelice (Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani, 2004). On stage, she featured in the plays Ondine (2004-2005) written by Jean Giraudoux and Elle t'attend (She is waiting for you) (2008), written and directed by Florian Zeller. In the cinema, she worked with interesting directors like Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau for Nés en 68/Born in 68 (2008) and Tsai Ming-Liang for Visage/Face (2009). Her interpretation of Brigitte Bardot in the film Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque)/Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (Joann Sfar, 2010) was received well. She was nominated for the César Award of the Best Supporting Actress. Casta served as a jury member at the 69th Venice International Film Festival in 2012. That year, she also appeared in her first American film, Arbitrage (Nicholas Jarecki, 2012) starring Richard Gere. In 2012 Laetitia Casta became a Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight in Order of Arts and of Letters). Since then she appeared with Vanessa Paradis and Isabelle Adjani in Very Bad Girls (Audrey Dana, 2014), in L'Homme fidèle/A Faithful Man (Louis Garrel, 2018), and in Le Milieu de l'horizon/Beyond the Horizon (Delphine Lehericey, 2019). Since 2017, she is married to French actor Louis Garrel. She has four children: a daughter Sahteene Sednaoui (2001) with her ex-boyfriend, the photographer Stephane Sednaoui, a son Orlando Accorsi (2006) and a daughter Athena Accorsi (2009) with ex-fiancé, the Italian actor Stefano Accorsi and a son Azel (2021) with husband Louis Garrel. Her most recent films are Coma (Bertrand Bonello, 2022) with Julia Faure and the recently deceased Gaspard Ulliel, and Selon la police/Cop goes missing (Frédéric Videau, 2022).

Sources: James Travers (Films de France), Paul Agius (IMDb), Wikipedia, and IMDb.

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

Nihangs are a very famous and prestigious armed Sikh order. Early Sikh military history is dominated by the Akali Sikh military order that is particularly noted for the many famous military victories they won, often while they were heavily out-numbered.

All Rights Reserved

© SANJEEV SYAL

All my images are All Rights Reserved. They should not be reproduced in any way, and unauthorized use is strictly prohibited. To buy any of the images please contact me on sanjeev_syal@yahoo.com

Lino Print meant to help me explore the presentation and characterization of a particular character.

November 2016

British postcard by Heroes Publishing LTD, London, no. SPC 3449.

French model and actress Laetitia Casta (1978) became a Guess? Girl in 1993 and was a spokesperson for cosmetics company L'Oreal. She has appeared on over 100 covers of such magazines as Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Rolling Stone, Elle and Glamour, and modelled for designers like Yves Saint Laurent, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Chanel, and Vivienne Westwood. After her film debut in the blockbuster Asterix & Astérix et Obélix contre César/Asterix & Obelix Take On Caesar (1999), Casta became an established actress. She starred on stage in 'Ondine' (2004-2005) as well as in films like Nés en 68/Born in 68 (2008), Visage/Face (2009) and as Brigitte Bardot in Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque)/Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (2010).

Laetitia Marie Laure Casta was born in Pont-Audemer in Normandy in 1978. She spent her childhood in Normandy and Corsica, while her mother, Line Blin, from Normandy and her father, Dominique Casta, from Corsica. She has an older brother, Jean-Baptiste, and a younger sister, Marie-Ange. Casta's modelling career reportedly began when she was discovered by the photographer Frederic Cresseaux, an agent of Paris' Madison Models, during a family holiday in her father's native Corsica, at age 15. With her natural beauty, she impressed both the agency director and the editor of Elle magazine and got a contract. In 1993 Laetitia signed on with Guess? Jeans for a very successful advertising campaign. Since 1998, Casta has been the L'Oréal Paris brand ambassador. Casta has appeared on over 100 magazine covers including Victoria's Secret catalogues, Harper's Bazaar, Elle magazine, and Vogue magazine. She is the face of several fragrances, including Chanel's Allure and Givenchy's Forbidden flower. She walked down the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show from 1997 till 2000. In 1999, Casta was ranked first in a national survey ordered by the French Mayors Association to decide who should be the new model for the bust of Marianne, an allegorical symbol of the French Republic, which stands inside every French town hall. For her first film, Casta has made forays into the blockbuster Asterix & Astérix et Obélix contre César/Asterix & Obelix Take On Caesar (Claude Zidi, 1999), based on the comic book by René Goscinny. In this live-action film, she played Falbala, a love interest for Obelix (Gérard Depardieu). It was the most expensive French film ever made and a smash hit in Europe. Her acting career gained momentum when she starred in the TV mini-series La bicyclette bleue/The blue bicycle (Thierry Binisti, 2000), set in WWII France.

The following year, Laetitia Casta appeared in the dramatic film Les Âmes Fortes/Savage Souls (Raoul Ruiz, 2001). It was a major disappointment. James Travers at Films de France: “Despite an impressive cast and some excellent production values, this quality adaptation of the classic French novel by Jean Giono generally fails to engage the spectator and is amongst the least satisfactory of Raoul Ruiz's directorial efforts to date. Visually impressive this film may be - with some beautiful photography of its Provencal setting and meticulous attention to period detail - but shallow characterization and uneven narrative pacing make watching it a painfully empty experience.” Other films are Errance/Wandering (Damien Odoul, 2003) and the TV film Luisa Sanfelice (Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani, 2004). On stage, she featured in the plays Ondine (2004-2005) written by Jean Giraudoux and Elle t'attend (She is waiting for you) (2008), written and directed by Florian Zeller. In the cinema, she worked with interesting directors like Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau for Nés en 68/Born in 68 (2008) and Tsai Ming-Liang for Visage/Face (2009). Her interpretation of Brigitte Bardot in the film Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque)/Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (Joann Sfar, 2010) was received well. She was nominated for the César Award of the Best Supporting Actress. Casta served as a jury member at the 69th Venice International Film Festival in 2012. That year, she also appeared in her first American film, Arbitrage (Nicholas Jarecki, 2012) starring Richard Gere. In 2012 Laetitia Casta became a Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight in Order of Arts and of Letters). Since then she appeared with Vanessa Paradis and Isabelle Adjani in Very Bad Girls (Audrey Dana, 2014), in L'Homme fidèle/A Faithful Man (Louis Garrel, 2018), and in Le Milieu de l'horizon/Beyond the Horizon (Delphine Lehericey, 2019). Since 2017, she is married to French actor Louis Garrel. She has four children: a daughter Sahteene Sednaoui (2001) with her ex-boyfriend, the photographer Stephane Sednaoui, a son Orlando Accorsi (2006) and a daughter Athena Accorsi (2009) with ex-fiancé, the Italian actor Stefano Accorsi and a son Azel (2021) with husband Louis Garrel. Her most recent films are Coma (Bertrand Bonello, 2022) with Julia Faure and the recently deceased Gaspard Ulliel, and Selon la police/Cop goes missing (Frédéric Videau, 2022).

Sources: James Travers (Films de France), Paul Agius (IMDb), Wikipedia, and IMDb.

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

The term "edgy" comes from the characterization of the bar on Google maps.

Zomrades: Please, bring Olivia back to us just one more time

Ollie: Olivia is not real. She’s just a mere roleplay. She’s dead and she’ll never come back. Get used to it. You are stuck with me!

[Crazy laughter]

Zomrades: At least give us hope

Enjoy Olivia, an alternative version of Virtual Youtuber Kureiji Ollie. Ollie belongs to the Indonesian branch of Hololive. Her voice actress is very talented and I’m quite impressed how well she masters the tropes and archetypes from anime characterization.

Olivia's construction is essentially a revision of Ollie’s body. Nothing strikingly new, but the arms explore some interesting design concepts. I’m starting to really appreciate part number 65578 (bar with 45° stud), as it has lots of potential uses for chibi design.

I’m not sure why, but I find her rear side to be quite pleasing, despite of its simplicity.

Olivia uses MikeVD’s signature chibi frame. Credits to him! Be sure to check his photostream.

Sorry it's been a little while guys... those instructions took some time to put together, and I've been busy all week (The release of Overwatch's latest event had nothing to do with it. Nope, not at all.) But without further ado, let's get back into the Follower Features!

Traykar the Swift may have slipped under the radar a little, but I haven't seen MOCs like theirs anywhere else. Combining clever ideas with brilliant execution, the colors, shaping, and originality are sure to impress!

Sergei Rahkmaninoff is a close friend of mine from BZPower, and he's also a fantastic MOCist! I'm glad to finally give him the shoutout he deserves. Every photo is a visual masterpiece in posing and editing, and he's another one of those MOCists that blows me away whenever he posts something new.

Female designs seem to be the specialty of Inquisitor Gilgamesh, whose brilliant characterization and design reminds me of MOCists like Hugebricks and L.A. Miranda. Each MOC is packed with details that gives them so much personality. I love Vixen's little bangs sticking through her Kakama. :)

Though they've been around for a while, Saint Origins had to change accounts a while back and seems to have fallen out of view. It seems like they're just as into WIPs as I am, but they're all very cleverly constructed and unique in their personalities.

A newcomer to this community,

perhaps some of you are familiar with meems moar meems. They've been active across the site, leaving plenty of comments and faves. I say it's about time they get something back. If you haven't already, you should check out their gallery for a great assortment of creations of various complexities and brilliant conceptualization.

Three down, two to go. I do my best to select some of my very favorites who could use it, but I can’t get all the talent out there. So go ahead and post your best creations in the comments to let everyone see!

Alguien ha dicho miedo?

"Máscaras Efímeras"

www.labrigadagrafica.com

en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Quantum_theory_of_observation/Quant...

Quantum theory of observation - Thierry Dugnolle

Quantum physics for dummies

Fundamental principles and concepts

Examples of measurements

Entanglement

General theory of measurement

The forest of destinies

The appearance of relative classical worlds in the quantum Universe

Quantum entanglement is the fundamental concept to explain the reality of observation.

---

Wave-particle duality

Is light a flow of particles or a wave phenomenon ? Light rays could be particle paths and they were regarded thus by Newton in his Optics. Light reflection in a mirror is then naturally interpreted with the hypothesis that particles of light, or photons, are like bouncing balls. Nevertheless Huygens argued that this phenomenon and others were better interpreted with the hypothesis that light rays are perpendicular lines to wave fronts.

Photography gives an evidence of the existence of particles of light, for traces left by light are always like impacts of particles.

But if light is made of particles how can we explain interference patterns such as those found by Young and Fresnel ? Interference is always interference between waves. It seems there can not be any interference with particles. An interference pattern is an experimental evidence that light is a wave phenomenon. It is confirmed by Maxwell's theory of electomagnetism, which defines light as an electromagnetic wave.

That light be made of particles is not contradicted by the existence of interference patterns. Here is what we can see if we look at how an interference pattern appears on a photographic plate (see photo - animated in original publication)

The wave phenomenon, interference, results from impacts of particles.

The superposition principle gives a very direct explanation of wave-particle duality. Any physical system is a particle or a system of particles, but these behave sometimes like waves because they can be in many places at the same time. The wave of a particle or of a system of particles determines its diffuse presence.

---

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

seop.illc.uva.nl/entries/qt-entangle/

1. Quantum Entanglement

In 1935 and 1936, Schrödinger published a two-part article in the Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society in which he discussed and extended an argument by Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen. The Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) argument was, in many ways, the culmination of Einstein’s critique of the orthodox Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics and was designed to show that the theory is incomplete. (See the entries on the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen argument in quantum theory and the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics.)

In classical mechanics the state of a system is essentially a list of the system’s properties — more precisely, it is the specification of a set of parameters from which the list of properties can be reconstructed: the positions and momenta of all the particles comprising the system (or similar parameters in the case of fields).

The dynamics of the theory specifies how properties change in terms of a law of evolution for the state. In a letter to Max Born, Wolfgang Pauli characterized this mode of description of physical systems as a ‘detached observer’ idealization (see The Born-Einstein Letters, Born, 1992; p. 218).

On the Copenhagen interpretation, such a description is not possible for quantum systems. Instead, the quantum state of a system should be understood as a catalogue of what an observer has done to the system and what has been observed, and the import of the state then lies in the probabilities that can be inferred (in terms of the theory) for the outcomes of possible future observations on the system.

Einstein rejected this view and proposed a series of arguments to show that the quantum state is simply an incomplete characterization of a quantum system. The missing parameters are sometimes referred to as ‘hidden parameters’ or ‘hidden variables.’

It should not be supposed that Einstein’s notion of a complete theory included the requirement that the theory should be deterministic. Rather, he required certain conditions of separability and locality for composite systems consisting of separated component systems: each component system separately should be characterized by its own properties (its own ‘being-thus,’ as Einstein put it — ‘So-sein’ in German), and it should be impossible to alter the properties of a distant system instantaneously (or the probabilities of these properties) by acting on a local system.

In later analyses, notably in Bell’s argument for the nonlocality of quantum correlations, it became apparent that these conditions, suitably formulated as probability constraints, are equivalent to the requirement that statistical correlations between separated systems should be reducible to probability distributions over common causes (deterministic or stochastic) in the sense of Reichenbach. (See the entries on Bell’s theorem and Reichenbach’s common cause principle.)

SN/NC: Kalanchoe brasiliensis, Crassulaceae Family

Kalanchoe brasiliensis and Kalanchoe pinnata (Crassulaceae), known as "saião" and "coirama", have wide popular use in the treatment of peptic ulcers and cutaneous inflammations. It is worth mentioning that K. pinnata is present in the National List of Plants of Interest of the Unified Health System - RENISUS (2009). Within this context, the objective of the present study was to characterize the chemical markers in the leaf juices of both species and to evaluate the gastroprotective and topical anti-inflammatory activities. Phytochemical characterization was performed by Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) and Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometer (UHPLC- MS). Gastroprotective activity was evaluated in ethanol and indomethacin induced acute ulcer models, whereas gastric secretion was evaluated in the pylorus ligature model in Wistar rats. Pre-treatment was performed with the juices at the doses of 125, 250 and 500 mg/kg and ranitidine (50 mg/kg) orally. The topical anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated in the carrageenan induced paw edema model and croton oil-induced ear edema in Swiss mice using gel formulations containing the juices at different concentrations (1,25%, 2,5% and 5%) and as the standard drug dexamethasone (1mg/g), all administered topically immediately after induction. The TLC analysis revealed the presence of flavonoid stains in the juices of both species after revelation with the Natural Reagent A, being observed that the two species have different flavonoid profiles. In the analysis by UHPLC-MS the K. brasiliensis leaf juice showed glycosylated flavonoids derived mainly from patuletin, while that of K. pinnata presented glycosylated flavonoids derived mainly from quercetin. The pre-treatment with the K. brasiliensis leaf juice at doses of 125 mg/kg (P<0,01), 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg (P<0,001) and K. pinnata at doses of 125 mg/kg (P<0,01), 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg (P<0,001) significantly reduced the lesions compared to the positive control in the ethanol induction model. In the indomethacin induction model, the K. brasiliensis leaf juice showed significant results at doses of 250 mg/kg (P<0,05) and 500 mg/kg (P<0,01) and K. pinnata at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg (P<0,001). Reduction of lesions was accompanied by an increase in total glutathione content and reduction of malondialdehyde levels. In addition, levels of myeloperoxidase, IL-1β and TNF-α were reduced. Cytoprotective effect was also observed in histological evaluation with H&E and maintenance of mucus production with PAS, as well as reduction of iNOS and NF-κB p65 expression and increased expression of ZO-1 by immunohistochemistry. Leaf juices from both species did not change the acidity, pH and volume of the gastric juice. In the ear edema model, the formulations containing the three concentrations of the K. brasiliensis leaf juice significantly reduced the edema when compared to the placebo group (1,25% P<0,05, 2,5% P<0,01 and 5% P<0,01). However, only the formulation containing the juice of the K. pinnata leaf juice at 5% concentration showed a significant result (P<0,01). In the paw edema model, the formulations containing the K. brasiliensis leaf juice at concentrations of 1,25 and 2,5% significantly reduced (P<0,05) the edema in the time 4 h. The formulation at 5% concentration significantly reduced edema at 1 h (P <0,001), 2 h, 3 h and 4 h (P <0,01). Regarding the formulations containing the K. pinnata leaf juice, the concentration of 1,25% significantly reduced the edema in the time 1 h (P<0,01) and 2 h (P<0,05), in the concentration of 5% significantly reduced in time 1 h (P<0,05). The decrease in edema was followed by reduction of miloperoxidase. It was concluded that the juices of both species presented gastroprotective and topical anti-inflammatory activity in vivo models, results that justify the popular use of the species.

Nome científico: Kalanchoe brasiliensis Cambess. Família Crassulaceae.Nome botânico aceito: Kalanchoe laciniata (L.) DC. Outros nomes populares: coerana, coirama, folha-da-fortuna, folha-da-costa, erva-da-costa, folha-grossa, orelha-de-monge ou saião. Sua origem é africana e ela também é conhecida como kalandiva. Constituintes químicos: tanino; mucilagem; bioflavonóides (quercetina); ácidos orgânicos.Propriedades medicinais: cicatrizante, emolientes. Indicações: afecções pulmonares, aftas, asma, cálculos renais, calos, diabete, doenças do pulmão, erisipelas, feridas, frieiras, picadas de inseto, queimaduras, tosse, tuberculose, tumores, úlceras, verrugas. Parte utilizada: folhas. Contra-indicações/cuidados: não encontrados na literatura consultada. Modo de usar: suco da folha: uso interno: afecções pulmonares, diabete, emolientes, cálculos renais; infusão: uso interno: tosse, asma; folha murcha: uso externo: erisipelas, tumores, verrugas, calos, picadas de inseto

Los Kalanchoe este es un género de plantas tropicales, dentro de este se encuentra aproximadamente 125 especies, se le conoce también como planta de Goethe esto a honor de un poeta y botánico alemán llamado Michel Adanson, otros nombres populares de esta planta en Latinoamérica son: bruja, prodigiosa, hoja de aire, siempre viva, hierba de bruja, también se conoce como Kalanchoe oreja de burro entre otros, conoce más sobre ella a continuación. Estas tres especies de Kalanchoe se puede ingerir sus hojas crudas en ensaladas o jugo fresco o té, sirvieron para combatir eficazmente el cáncer, los tumores y los abscesos, la hipertensión, los cólicos renales, la diarrea, las enfermedades psicológicas como esquizofrenia, ataques de pánico y miedos. Los estudios clínicos en Kalanchoe indican que puede ser tóxica si se utiliza en exceso la planta e indican que el consumo de más de 5 gramos / día por kilo de peso de la persona, es tóxico, la dosis recomendada es 10 veces menos que esta cantidad, 30 gramos de hoja fresca en dos dosis.

Esta planta Reduce las contracciones uterinas y su consumo debe evitarse durante el embarazo, es tóxico para perros y gatos, se ha visto que las flores de Kalanchoe pinnata eran tóxicas para el corazón en el ganado.

En la India se utiliza para las enfermedades del hígado, muchos laboratorios de universidades y hospitales de todo el mundo han encontrado sus efectos anticancerígenos, el Kalanchoe contiene diferentes productos químicos, incluyendo: flavonoides, ácidos grasos, y como triterpenoides bufadienólidos que tienen actividad citotóxica contra varias líneas celulares de cáncer.

Los esteroides cardiofácticos bufadienólidos son conocidos por los antiguos egipcios y romanos, Los bufadienólidos son compuestos orgánicos encontrados en algunas plantas como kalanchoe y ranas venenosas, los numerosos estudios existentes demuestran que los bufadienólidos tienen actividad antitumoral.

Mucho se habla de esta planta y su acción sobre el cáncer te dejo un video con mas información.

El agricultor catalán Josep Pàmies señala que por su fuerza y ​​capacidad de regeneración y multiplicación, el kalanchoe podría ser considerado una maleza, pero estas mismas cualidades podrían ser las victorias contra las células cancerígenas agresivas e invasoras que se dividen sin control. (www.hablemosdeflores.com)

Littorina fabalis male. A large obvious penis, positioned at the posterior of the head on the right side, is present on mature males in all seasons, and can be exposed on dead or living specimens of both species.

Shell height 12.5mm. Llŷn, North Wales. September 2015.

FULL ACCOUNT BELOW

Sets of OTHER SPECIES:

www.flickr.com/photos/56388191@N08/collections/

PDF available at www.researchgate.net/publication/351037569_Differentiatin... .

Differentiating Littorina obtusata sensu stricto (Linnaeus, 1758)

from Littorina fabalis (Turton, 1825).

Ian F. Smith

Abstract

Adult males of Littorina obtusata sensu stricto and L. fabalis (synonym L. mariae) can be reliably differentiated by the forms of the penes on both extracted dead specimens and unsedated intact animals. Differentiation can often be made within a local population on the basis of shell form, size and colour after these features have been correlated with penis forms in a sample of specimens. The shell features can then be used to identify further local specimens, but cannot be relied on at other localities without confirming penis forms there.

Materials, methods, protocols for acquiring experience, environmental associations of phenotypes, and some sample sites are described and illustrated.

Contents

1. Preliminary check.

2. Taxonomic history.

3. Identification resources.

4. Penis examination methods.

5. Differences in penis morphology.

6. Differences in female anatomy.

7. Differences in shell morphology and colour.

7a. Shell colours.

7b. Shell sizes.

7c. Shell spires.

7d. Shell apertures.

8. Phenotypes of different wave exposures.

8a. Sheltered shores.

8b. Semi-exposed shores.

8c. More exposed shores.

9. Collecting and reliable recording.

10. Acknowledgements.

11. References and web links.

12. Glossary.

1. Preliminary check

Lacuna pallidula, detailed account below image flic.kr/p/hTnxJa , has a similar low spire, very similar spawn, and occurs with L. fabalis on Fucus serratus . It has a much thinner shell with widely open umbilicus, contrasting with the thick columella of L. fabalis.

2. Taxonomic history of L. obtusata and L. fabalis.

1758 to 1914: multiple species and varieties named.

1915 to 1965: all species, except Arctic varieties with spires, combined into one species referred to as Littorina obtusata (Linnaeus, 1758) or, mainly by British workers, as L. littoralis auct. For detail of historic nomenclature confusion see caption below image 1Dof flic.kr/p/QFCUWm .

1966 to 1988: gradual acceptance of two species, based on penis differences, named L. obtusata sensu stricto (Linnaeus, 1758) and L. fabalis (Turton, 1825), synonym L. mariae Sacchi & Rastelli, 1966. Arctic varieties with pointed spires were included in one or other of the pair on the basis of their penes.

In the following account, any use of “L. obtusata” in the now unaccepted sense of including both species has “sensu lato” or “s.l.” after it. The name with no addition, or sometimes for emphasis with “sensu stricto” or “s.s.”, refers to the now accepted segregated sense.

3. Identification resources

Differentiation of the two species by penis form was first published in 1966 by Sacchi & Rastelli, but did not appear in many identification guides until the late 1980s. Consequently, most pre 1988 works, apart from post 1966 specialist papers, are of limited use. Some later publications, such as Graham (1988), recognise the two species but provide insufficient information and images for discrimination of the many phenotypes. Hayward & Ryland (1990) and Hayward & Ryland (1995 & reprints to 2009), have images www.seawater.no/fauna/mollusca/fabalis.html that confuse www.ispotnature.org/node/646985 as the only L. mariae shell illustrated has features frequent on juveniles of both species, and the L. obtusata image has thick aperture walls more typical of L. fabalis.

Williams (1990) has useful information on forms and ecology. The authoritative volume Systematics and evolution of Littorina by Reid (1996) has fifty A4 pages of detailed description and comparison of all phenotypes and geographical variations of these two species. It is essential reading for those undertaking scientific study of Littorina species www.raysociety.org.uk/publications/zoology/the-systematic... .

4. Penis examination

“...only the characters of the adult reproductive system are unequivocal... . ...identifications using [shell features] should be confirmed by dissection before routine application in the field” (Reid, 1996). A rare ambiguity in penes linked to hybridization has been reported at one site in Portugal (Carvalho et al., 2016). An obvious penis, positioned at the posterior of the head on the right side 2Dof flic.kr/p/RcvnFf , is present on mature males in all seasons, and can be exposed on dead or living specimens.

Dead material

Specimens can be killed instantly by plunging into boiling water, or by leaving in a freezer overnight, or by gradually adding Magnesium chloride or Magnesium sulphate crystals to the water in a small container to first anaesthetize and then kill them. The only dissection required is to carefully crush the shell in a tabletop vice with any rubber protectors removed 3Dof flic.kr/p/QFCUmy , avoiding damage to the soft parts, and to pick off the broken fragmets. This method allows unrestricted view of all the necessary details and is quick and reliable, but requires killing of the specimen and destruction of the shell. Alternatively, if boiled for several minutes, the animal can be extracted with a pin from the unbroken shell. Though the penis as a whole is likely to contract on death, especially if boiled, and will be fixed in one of several possible expansions and positions 4Dof flic.kr/p/QFCUab , its glands are often distended and more easily discerned, and it is likely to resemble published images of dead specimens 4Dof flic.kr/p/QFCUab .

Living unsedated specimens

Penes can be examined and photographed on live specimens without harm or anaesthesia using the techniques described in Smith (2012 & 2016 flic.kr/s/aHskNP6GoL ). While live, the penis can be held in a variety of positions 5aDof flic.kr/p/Q2jb82 & 5bDof flic.kr/p/Rcvmo5 and will often be generally more expanded than on dead material, but the glands are often less prominent than on dissected penes and frequently hidden when held against the body. Time and patience will be required as this pair of species may be reluctant to extend from their shells, and several views or images may be needed to accumulate the necessary detail. Best results are obtained if the examination can be within 48 hours of capture. When not being examined, keep in a refrigerator at about 6°C in tightly closed plastic boxes dampened by, but not awash with, seawater. L. fabalis will extend when immersed and restrained 7Dof flic.kr/p/Q2jabc as described in Smith (2012 & 2016), but L. obtusata s.s. exposes itself more readily when damp than when submerged 8Dof flic.kr/p/RcvkCY & 9Dof flic.kr/p/Q2j9un .

5. Differences in penis morphology,

Mamilliform penial glands

L. fabalis has 3 to 17 large glands in a single row along 40% to 70% of the ventral edge of its penis 10Dof flic.kr/p/Rcvk2Y . The glands are usually visible on live unsedated specimens 7Dof flic.kr/p/Q2jabc .

L. obtusata has 10 to 54 closely packed small glands, in one or more irregular rows along 75% to 90% of the length of its penis 10Dof flic.kr/p/Rcvk2Y near its ventral edge and on the mesial face usually held against the body 9Dof flic.kr/p/Q2j9un ; sometimes multiple rows occupy 60% of the width of the penis. The small glands often do not protrude into view on live unsedated specimens unless the penis is twisted to expose the proximal face 11Dof flic.kr/p/RfXgF8 .

Filament (glandless tip of penis).

L. fabalis has long and vermiform filament. On dead or anaesthetized specimens filament is 30% to over 60% of total length of penis 10Dof flic.kr/p/Rcvk2Y . Growth is allometric; small individuals frequently have filaments 30% to 40%, while the largest usually have filaments of 50% to >60% of penis length 6Dof flic.kr/p/RTWK1i . Penis is motile and varying in length on any individual unsedated specimen 5bDof flic.kr/p/Rcvmo5 , and the appearance is affected by positioning/angle of view, so it is advisable to take several observations or photographs when examining live specimens.

L. obtusata has short triangular filament. On dead or anaesthetized specimens 10% to 25% of total length of penis 10Dof flic.kr/p/Rcvk2Y . On live unsedated specimens it may be difficult to discern the precise limit (distal gland) of the filament because the small glands are hidden. However, being short, wide and triangular, it is obviously different 12Dof flic.kr/p/RfXgop & 13Dof flic.kr/p/RfXg8z from the vermiform filament of L. fabalis.

Size of penis depends on the size of the individual male and is not diagnostic of species. On the sheltered Menai Strait, most adult male L. obtusata are larger, and so have larger penes, than most male L. fabalis. On more exposed shores in North Wales, the sizes of the two species can be almost equal.

6. Difference in female anatomy

The copulatory bursa, requires skilled dissection and cannot be examined without killing. It is not illustrated here, see Reid (1996) for details and diagrams.

L. fabalis; half length of jelly gland, not reaching capsule gland.

L. obtusata; extends full length of jelly gland to capsule gland.

The ovipositor can be observed on live females restrained as described in Smith (2012 & 2016). Goodwin & Fish (1977) stated that, in 99% of cases examined by them in Wales, its colour is “to varying degrees black pigmented” on L. obtusata 14Dof flic.kr/p/RfXfWn , while L. fabalis “lacks pigmentation” 15Dof flic.kr/p/RfXfGp , but this was not my experience in Wales 16Dof flic.kr/p/Q2j6nF , and Reid (1996) also found it not always so . The colour is often lost on preserved specimens as the surface frequently sloughs off.

To identify females without dissection, the shell forms and shore zone of each species on the same shore need to be ascertained by examination of some penes on males. This information can also be used to find if local ovipositor colours conform with Goodwin and Fish (1977).

7. Differences in shell morphology and colour

No single shell feature is diagnostic in all situations, and some features intergrade. When several features are considered in combination with habitat detail, it is often possible to give a probable identification, but, for certainty, confirmation by examination of penes is required. Some shores, such as in Denmark and from Kent to Dorset, have problematic shell forms, so penis examination is especially necessary (Reid, 1996). Correlations, validated by penis examination, of species with shell form and colour on specific shores can be found in published previous studies, but should be used with caution as shell form may vary on different parts of the same shore (Reimchen, 1981) and may change from year to year with variation in the climate. Shells of Arctic and subarctic populations differ from those south of the Lofoten Islands; they are less well known and are excluded from this account except where specifically mentioned; further detail in Reid (1996).

7a. Shell colours of both species are often classified with the terms below; percentages are of specimens in a large collection of a mixture of both species from across Britain (Smith, 1976, in Reid, 1996). Some authors give slightly different interpretations of a colour term for each species, and it can be difficult to define the limits of fusca, brownish olivacea and faintly marked dark reticulata. Colours are best viewed on live specimens in water as the shell and the periostracum, which often contributes to the colour, erode and fade readily on dead shells 17Dof flic.kr/p/R5n3xZ .

Olivacea: 55%. Exterior olive green 18Dof flic.kr/p/RfXeZ2 to olive brown 19Dof flic.kr/p/R5mYDB , interior often purplish to brownish. Usually the commonest colour form, and almost diagnostic, of L. obtusata on shores well sheltered from waves. An algal coating on L. fabalis 20Dof flic.kr/p/R2FMv5 may confuse unless scraped off; true olivacea L. fabalis are extremely rare or absent in Britain, but they do exist in at least two places in Galicia, Spain on Zostera.

Reticulata: 33%. Exterior yellow to brown with darker reticulate 21Dof flic.kr/p/PYwgVE , chequered 22Dof flic.kr/p/R2FKwW or zig zag 23Dof flic.kr/p/Rcvdds pattern; interior varied, can be white 21Dof flic.kr/p/PYwgVE , sometimes tinted pink or violet and sometimes with exterior pattern showing near rim within aperture 24Dof flic.kr/p/R2FJeL . Usually the commonest colour form of both species on shores exposed to wave action.

Citrina: 10%. Exterior yellow 25Dof flic.kr/p/Rcvc5A grading to white; interior white 26Dof flic.kr/p/R3LhL5 . Usually the commonest colour of L. fabalis on shores well sheltered from waves, but not diagnostic as it also occurs on L. obtusata 27Dof flic.kr/p/R3Lhcj on the same shores.

Fusca: dark brown to black on L. obtusata 19Dof fig.5 flic.kr/p/R5mYDB ; dark chestnut brown on L. fabalis (Reid, 1996). Rare, generally less than 1%, but 100% of sample of 14 L. obtusata s.l. from a site on brackish Isefjord, Denmark (Rasmussen, 1973). A sample of 8 thin shelled, dwarf, L. fabalis from exposed cliff near Aberdeen all appear to be form fusca, but the specimens, at 28Dof flic.kr/p/PZBeay , were photographed 45 years after death, so the colour may have altered.

Each of following less than 1%.

Aurantia: orange. 29Dof flic.kr/p/PZBdiU

Rubens: red or brick red. 30Dof flic.kr/p/QGHGD9

Inversicolor: two broad dark bands. 31Dof flic.kr/p/PZBccW

Zonata: single pale band around periphery (“equator”) of bodywhorl. 33Dof flic.kr/p/R6s4Fe (right specimen).

Alternata: two pale bands. 33Dof flic.kr/p/R6s4Fe (left specimen).

On some shores, juvenile L. fabalis up to 4mm diameter are pure white resembling the 3.5mm diameter spiral tubes of spirorbid worms living on the fronds of Fucus serratus frequented by L. fabalis. With later growth of another colour, the juvenile shell is preserved as a pure white early spire 23Dof flic.kr/p/Rcvdds & 34Dof flic.kr/p/QGHFW7 . Care is required as the spire of L. obtusata is often eroded to dingy whitish, though careful examination will often show traces of the eroded colour 35Dof flic.kr/p/Rdzcqb . And populations of L. fabalis lacking white spirorbid like spires can weather to dingy white with traces of colour in the same way as L. obtusata 36Dof flic.kr/p/R6s3wF .

7b. Shell sizes

On most shores, L. obtusata has a larger mean height than L. fabalis, but there is usually a large overlap in sizes of the largest L. fabalis specimens and young specimens of L. obtusata 37Dof flic.kr/p/R3LbTo . The mean size of both species varies greatly with local conditions 44Dof flic.kr/p/Q3o4dM .

7c. Shell spires

In Britain and most of Atlantic Europe, generally, but not consistently enough for reliable differentiation, L. fabalis has a flat or very low spire 36Dof flic.kr/p/R6s3wF and L. obtusata a low 38Dof flic.kr/p/R6s1kr or slightly raised domed spire 18Dof flic.kr/p/RfXeZ2 , often with an angled shoulder on the body whorl giving a squared or barrel like profile 38Dof flic.kr/p/R6s1kr . Juveniles of both species usually have flatter spires than adults 31Dof flic.kr/p/PZBccW , 32Dof flic.kr/p/R6s4KH , 39Dof flic.kr/p/QGHEsW & 50Dof flic.kr/p/R3L2LW .

Occasional specimens 40Dof flic.kr/p/R6s1gD or local populations have a protruding pointed spire, especially in sheltered brackish conditions, e.g. L. obtusata var. aestuarii in the tidal River Deben, Suffolk, in Jeffreys (1869) fig. 8, plate CI at archive.org/stream/britishconcholog05jeffr#page/n489/mode... (now scarce or extinct at that locality). On Arctic and subarctic shores north of the Lofoten Islands, and in Greenland and most of Iceland, many of both species have protruding pointed spires. Only L. obtusata occurs in Atlantic North America; it often has a developed spire in northern Maine and Canada.

7d. Shell apertures

Aperture size is affected by the physical and biological environment, and juveniles have a less expanded body whorl and aperture. The shell walls thicken with maturity in both species, constricting the aperture internally, generally more markedly in L. fabalis, but varying in degree with environment. The most useful measure of shell thickness is that of the lip at the base of the columella (C) divided by the length of the aperture (LA) 41Dof flic.kr/p/R6rZHz . In a sample of 59 adult shells, including less frequent extreme forms, C/LA was usually less than 0.29 on L. obtusata and greater than 0.29 on L. fabalis, but only with a 75% accuracy (Reid, 1996). Accuracy was greater if extreme forms were excluded. Juveniles of the two species are often very similar with thin shell walls, a sharp, fragile aperture rim and an unconstricted opening, and often the anterior (base of aperture) is drawn out into a moderate spout. As small juveniles lack penes, identification cannot always be verified. Association with verified adults, and shell size and colour, if on a shore where there is a large interspecific difference in these features, are usually the best guide 31Dof flic.kr/p/PZBccW & 32Dof flic.kr/p/R6s4KH .

Graham (1988) states that “a notch where the outer lip and last whorl meet” is indicative of L. obtusata, but its presence varies with age/spire development and it is not a reliable predictor of species (D. Reid, in litt.) 42Dof flic.kr/p/QGHDiw & 43Dof flic.kr/p/PZB3Fs .

8. Phenotypes of different wave exposures

On British rocky shores that have full marine salinity and fucoid algal growth, shell sizes and dominant colours of L. obtusata and L. fabalis vary with the degree of wave exposure. Image 44Dof flic.kr/p/Q3o4dM and its caption summarise approximately the most frequent correlations.

8 a. Sheltered shores, not estuarine, scale 8, 7 or 6, are the best for initial experience of differentiating the two species, providing the tidal range is sufficient to clearly separate and define a zone of Ascophyllum nodosum on the middle/upper shore and a zone of Fucus serratus on the lower shore (low spring tide required to expose) 45Dof flic.kr/p/QGHCb1 . Olivacea L. obtusata at its largest will probably be on the Ascophyllum, and easily differentiated from citrina L. fabalis at its smallest with thick aperture walls on the Fucus serratus 46Dof flic.kr/p/R6rYa4 . Unbiased samples can be obtained by shaking plants into a bucket. Juveniles of both species may be yellow and have a similar shape with an anterior spout 37Dof flic.kr/p/R3LbTo , but juveniles from Ascophyllum with adult L. obtusata will likely be that species and be as large as adult L. fabalis, and far larger than tiny juveniles of L. fabalis. If findings are as described, the identifications will almost certainly be correct, but examining the penes will add to experience. Sites with phenotypes as described can be found on the narrow inner portion of the Menai Straits between the two bridges and probably extending to Bangor and Y Felinheli; aerial photograph at data.nbn.org.uk/imt/?mode=SPECIES&species=NHMSYS00210... .

L. fabalis does not eat Fucus serratus, but uses the flat fronds as suitable feeding platforms for its diet of micro epiphytes and detritus. It is sometimes absent in sheltered situations, despite the presence of F. serratus, if excess sediment coats the plants, e.g. possible cause of absence in upper reaches of Severn Estuary (Williams, 1994). Where turbidity and sediment in estuaries 47Dof flic.kr/p/Rh3x7n or impact of sand laden currents 48Dof flic.kr/p/Rh3wNX prevent the growth of intertidal fucoid algae, both mollusc species are usually absent or very scarce.

8 b. Semi exposed shores, Ballantine scale 4, will provide experience at the opposite end of the phenotype sequence. Ascophyllum, a favoured food of L. obtusata, will be absent or present as a few scattered stunted plants, and L. obtusata will likewise be absent or present as small specimens on scant Fucus vesiculosus or other algae. Fucus serratus is still usually common at scale 4 and L. fabalis usually achieves its largest size here, sometimes equalling or exceeding any L. obtusata present. Differentiating the species can be very difficult on such shores because their sizes are often similar, the predominant colour form of both species is reticulata, and both tend towards larger apertures with thinner shells. Examination of penes is very necessary. An aerial photograph of this sort of shore open to a fetch across the Irish Sea of 100km to 175km, with a wide wave cut platform and plenty of F. serratus but no observed Ascophyllum, is at data.nbn.org.uk/imt/?mode=SPECIES&species=NHMSYS00210...! 0951H+G!0851H+G Large, reticulate L. fabalis were common here (penes checked). The aperture lip of adults was strongly thickened and the opening correspondingly narrowed. The interior was white 21Dof flic.kr/p/PYwgVE , sometimes tinted pink or violet and the exterior pattern often showed within the rim 49Dof flic.kr/p/QGHAn1 . No L. obtusata were found because they were absent or not detected among very similar L. fabalis. A thin shelled, wide apertured, citrina juvenile L. fabalis was initially mistaken for L. obtusata, but the white spirorbid like initial whorls and its presence among adult L. fabalis strongly suggested it was L. fabalis 50Dof flic.kr/p/R3L2LW .

8 c. Exposed shores, Ballantine scale 3, 2 & 1, usually lack either species, but L. fabalis may occur in dwarf form on scale 3 shores 51Dof flic.kr/p/QGHA9q & 28Dof flic.kr/p/PZBeay if sufficiently moist micro habitats exist with secure refuges for dwarfs to retreat into from violent waves. On some Scottish exposed shores with frequent splash and spray, it “may be found further up on the shore on other fucoids where there is adequate protection from desiccation” (McKay & Smith, 1979). It even sometimes occurs at mean high water neap level on Fucus spiralis (Sacchi, 1969 in Reid, 1996). It also occurs in exposed positions on Mastocarpus stellatus in Galicia, Spain; Palmeria palmata at Grindvik, Iceland; Devaleraea stellatus on Achill Island, Ireland; and on red encrusting algae and bare rock in northern Norway (Reid, 1996). On exposed shores, usually, the aperture is larger and the shell thinner than in other situations, and may resemble L. obtusata s.s. from moderately exposed shores.

In a sample of eight from a scale 3 site near Aberdeen, aerial image at data.nbn.org.uk/imt/?mode=SPECIES&species=NBNSYS00001... , all were fusca dwarfs, height mode 4.2mm, max. 5.5mm, with large apertures and thin shells apart from the wide columellar lip 51Dof flic.kr/p/QGHA9q . The spires varied greatly, some, like many L. fabalis, almost flat , others with a large bulging penultimate whorl well proud of the aperture that resembles many L. obtusata s.s..

9. Collecting and reliable recording, suggestions.

# Disregard stranded shells; their anatomy cannot be verified, they lack helpful habitat detail, the periostracum containing much colour may be eroded, and the shell may be bleached and weathered 17Dof flic.kr/p/R5n3xZ .

# If possible, start with a sheltered shore and then a semi exposed shore to gain experience.

# An individual specimen may have atypical features 51Dof flic.kr/p/QGHA9q or be deformed 52Dof flic.kr/p/Q3nXct , so examine several; for inspection of penes, eight mature ones give a 99% chance of both sexes if there is a 50:50 ratio.

# To obtain all colours and sizes, collect the sample randomly, e.g. by shaking plants into a bucket. If only the largest are selected by eye, the sample may be biased to females as they are larger than males on average, especially L. fabalis on sheltered shores.

# Take separate clearly labelled samples from discrete habitats e.g. Ascophyllum and F. serratus zones. Be aware that some shores have more than one wave exposure; see Reimchen (1981), link in references.

# Transport specimens in sealed plastic boxes dampened, but not awash, with seawater.

Store in a fridge at about 6ºC and examine as soon as possible; L. obtusata s.s. exposes itself more readily when damp rather than when submerged.

# Check any shell based identification with examination of some penes.

# When submitting records to a recording scheme, make sure to include that the penes were examined so that at a future date your record can be separated from the mass of less reliable records. Check with the scheme organizer that the detail will be included

when entered. Records submitted to the Marine Recorder of the Conchological Society of G.B. & Ireland have anatomical notes included and uploaded as integral parts of the record; contact marine@conchsoc.org . Other detail such as shore exposure and algal zone are also helpful and welcomed. Clear photographs of shell aperture and penes, or preserved specimens, are valued by the Marine Recorder.

10. Acknowledgements

I am indebted to Dr David Reid for his careful examination of this account and for his highly valued advice, but any errors or omissions are my (IFS) responsibility.

I wish to thank Simon Taylor, Marine Recorder for the Conchological Society of G.B. and Ireland, for helpful discussion and the provision of specimens and photographs, and I am grateful to Dr Jan Light for help with literature and specimens.

11. References and web links

Ballantine, W.J. 1961. A biologically-defined exposure scale for comparative description of rocky shores. Field studies 1(3): 1-19. www.field-studies-council.org/resources/field-studies-jou...

Carvalho, J., Sotelo, G., Galindo, J. & Faria, R. 2016. Genetic characterization of flat periwinkles (Littorinidae) from the Iberian Peninsula reveals interspecific hybridization and different degrees of differentiation. Biol. J. Linn. Soc., 118: 503 to 519. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bij.12762/abstract

Goodwin, B.J & Fish, J.D. 1977. Inter- and intraspecific variation in Littorina obtusata and L. mariae (Gastropoda, Prosobranchia). J. Moll. Stud. 43: 241 to 254. Extract at mollus.oxfordjournals.org/content/43/3/241.extract

Graham, A. 1988. Molluscs: prosobranch and pyramidellid gastropods: keys and notes for the identification of the species. Brill & Backhuys, for Linn. Soc. Lond. & Estuarine and Brackish-water Sciences Assoc. Synopses of the British Fauna (New Series) no.2. Edition 2 (662pages). Leiden.

Hayward, P.J. & Ryland, J.S. (eds.) 1990. The marine fauna of the British Isles and North-West Europe. Volume 2. Clarendon Press, Oxford.

Hayward, P.J. & Ryland, J.S. (eds.) 1995 and reprints to 2009. Handbook of the marine fauna of North-West Europe. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Jeffreys, J.G. 1865. British conchology. vol.3. London, van Voorst. (L. fabalis included in L. obtusata as var. fabalis.)

archive.org/stream/britishconcholog03jeffr#page/356/mode/1up

Jeffreys, J.G. 1869.British conchology. vol.5. London, van Voorst. Plate ci, fig.8 of Littorina obtusata var. aestuarii (As Littorina aestuarii) from Shottisham Creek, R. Deben, near Felixstowe, Suffolk. Abundant there between tide marks. Well developed spire. (Now extinct or nearly so.) archive.org/stream/britishconcholog05jeffr#page/n489/mode...

McKay, D.W. & Smith, S.M. 1979. Marine Mollusca of East Scotland. Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh. [An early adoption of the differentiation as L. littoralis (for L. obtusata s.s.) and L. mariae (for L. fabalis) before nomenclature became settled. Maps reliable as all entries made or vetted by the experienced authors.]

Reid, D.G. 1996. Systematics and evolution of Littorina. Ray Society, London.

www.raysociety.org.uk/publications/zoology/the-systematic...

Reimchen, T.E. 1981. Microgeographical variation in Littorina mariae Sacchi & Rastelli and a taxonomic consideration. J. Conch. Lond. 30: 341 to 350.

www.web.uvic.ca/~reimlab/Microgeographical%20Variation-00...

Sacchi, C. F. & Rastelli, M. 1966. Littorina mariae, nov. sp.: les differences morphologiques et ecologiques entre "nains" et "normaux" chez l'espece L. obtusata (L.) (Gastr., Prosobr.) et leur signification adaptive et evolutive. Atti Soc. Ital. Sci. Nat. 105: 351 to 369.

Smith, D.A.S., 1976. Disruptive selection and morph-ratio clines in the polymorphic snail Littorina obtusata (L.) (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia). J. Mollus. Stud. 42: 114 to 135.

Smith, I.F. 2012. Anatomy of marine gastropods without dissection.

Mollusc World 28: 13 to 15. Conch. Soc. GB & Ireland.

Smith, I.F. 2016. Revision of Smith, I.F. 2012. Anatomy of marine gastropods without dissection. flic.kr/s/aHskNP6GoL and pdf version at www.researchgate.net/publication/310467378_Anatomy_of_mar...

Williams, G.A. 1990. The comparative ecology of the flat periwinkles, Littorina obtusata (L.) and L. mariae Sacchi et Rastelli in Field Studies 7: 469 to 482. fsj.field-studies-council.org/browse-by-category/marine-b... (scroll down to 1990) [Fig. 2 has an exposure scale in reverse order of Ballantine scale so 1 = Ballantine 8; and caption error: closed boxes are L. obtusata, open boxes are L. mariae/fabalis.]

Williams, G.A. 1994. Variation in populations of Littorina obtusata and Littorina mariae (Gastropoda) in the Severn Estuary. Biol J Linnean Soc 51: 189 to-198.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1095-8312.1994.tb00...

12. Glossary

3Dof = Image 3 in Flickr album.

allometric (adj.) = of disproportionate growth of a part or parts of an organism as the whole organism grows.

aperture = mouth of gastropod shell; outlet for head and foot.

coll. = in the collection of (named person or institution; compare with leg.).

columella = solid or hollow axial “little column” around which gastropod shell spirals; hidden inside shell, except on final whorl next to lower part of inner lip of aperture where hollow ones may end in an umbilicus or siphonal canal.

columellar (adj.) = of or near central axis of coiled gastropod.

columellar lip = lower (abapical) part of inner lip of aperture.

columellar muscle = large muscle connecting foot/head of gastropod to its shell at the columella.

distal = positioned or facing away from midline of body.

epiphyte = an organism growing on a larger plant for support, but not nutrition.

epizooic (adj.) = of non-parasitic organisms living on surface of animals.

filament = a slender threadlike object or fibre in animal or plant structures.

filament (in Reid, 1996) = glandless tip of penis a.k.a. distal tubule. Often not threadlike.

flagellum = threadlike organ or appendage.

height (of gastropod shells) = distance from apex of spire to base of aperture along/parallel to axis of coiling (see flic.kr/p/R6s1kr ).

in litt. (abbreviation of Latin “in litteris”) = in unpublished correspondence.

leg. (abbreviation of legit) = collected/ found by (compare with coll.)

mamilliform = shaped like a nipple.

mesial = facing towards the midline of the body.

mobile = able to move self, e.g. a horse, or to be moved by an agent, e.g. a wave or a cell phone.

motile = moves self spontaneously without volition; applicable to whole animals or to parts of them such as cells, gametes, penes or cilia.

penes (plural of penis) = male copulatory organs.

phenotype = form of a species resulting from influence of particular environmental factors.

proximal = towards the centre of the body or point of attachment.

sensu lato (abbreviation s.l.) = in the wide sense, possibly an aggregate of more than one species.

sensu stricto (abbreviation s.s.) = in the strict sense, excluding species that have been aggregated or confused with it.

spire = all whorls of a gastropod shell, except the final body whorl. But in this account, “spired shells” are taken to be those with a pointed apex protruding beyond the body whorl rather than the domed spire of some that extends beyond the body whorl.

taxonomic (adj.) = of or relating to taxonomy.

taxonomy = the description, identification, naming, and classification of organisms.

vermiform = shaped like a worm.

In the original Greek, παράνοια (paranoia) simply means madness (para = outside; nous = mind) and, historically, this characterization was used to describe any delusional state.

From; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranoia

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It is often said that Zen "nothing" offer: no teaching, no mystery, no answers. In a koan (公案) speaks of the Zen master Ikkyu Sojun (一 休 宗 纯) to a desperate man:

The characterization, Zen offer "nothing" is often favored by Zen masters to their students, to take away the illusion that Zen offers erwerbbares knowledge or could something "useful" to be. On another level, however, also claims to the contrary: Zen offers the "whole universe", since it is the abolition of the separation of the inner world and outer world, so "everything" leg hold.

____________________________________________________________________________

Oft wird gesagt, dass Zen „nichts“ biete: keine Lehre, kein Geheimnis, keine Antworten. In einem Kōan (公案) spricht der Zen-Meister Ikkyū Sōjun (一休宗純) zu einem Verzweifelten:

„Ich würde gerne irgend etwas anbieten, um Dir zu helfen, aber im Zen haben wir überhaupt nichts.“

Es bedeutet, das Leben zu leben – in seiner ganzen Fülle. Der unmittelbare Zugang zu diesem Einfachsten von allem ist dem Verstandeswesen Mensch jedoch versperrt – es scheint so, als ob die niemals schweigende Stimme der Gedanken ihn durch hartnäckige Ideen und urteilende Vorstellungen blockiere. Die permanente Beschäftigung mit sich selbst, die schützende Ich-Bezogenheit jedes Einzelnen verursacht immer wieder nur neues Leiden (Dukkha). Zen kann diese Verwirrung lösen – zuletzt vermag man sogar zu essen, wenn man hungrig ist, zu schlafen, wenn man müde ist. Zen ist nichts Besonderes. Es hat kein Ziel.

Die Charakterisierung, Zen biete „nichts“, wird gerne von Zen-Meistern gegenüber ihren Schülern geäußert, um ihnen die Illusion zu nehmen, Zen biete erwerbbares Wissen oder könne etwas „Nützliches“ sein. Auf einer anderen Ebene wird hingegen auch das Gegenteil behauptet: Zen biete das „ganze Universum“, da es die Aufhebung der Trennung von Innenwelt und Außenwelt, also „alles“, beinhalte.

Source: ZEN

Is that allowed? To celebrate the Bauhaus centennial in an architectural folly?

Projekt MIK e.V. society with their chairwoman Christiane Lange have shown courage and present their research results to the public in the pagoda-like temporary art work of Düsseldorf based artist Thomas Schütte.

Bauhaus 100

Bauhaus and the silk industry

Krefeld Pavillon by Thomas Schütte

7.4. - 27.10.2019

Kaiserpark, Krefeld

"Within the framework of >Bauhaus 100<, an initiative of the German federal government, the cultural-industrial network of representatives of the artistic avant-garde, protagonists of the silk industry and various institutions from the 1920s until the post-war period has been reconstructed and made visible .

[...]

Art as a think space. Krefeld Pavillon by Thomas Schütte

At first glance, the Krefeld pavilion by Thomas Schütte has nothing to do with what is generally associated with Bauhaus.

The octagonal corpus with a copper roof lies on a high recessed pedestal. The interior can be reached via a wide outside staircase, ceiling-high wall elements around a free center divide the room into eight chambers. Light passes through the central roof opening and a circumferential band of windows into the building.

[...]

Above all, the Krefeld pavilion is a free poetic form.

Making it the site of an exhibition on the link between silk industry and Bauhaus is a deliberate curatorial decision. Neither deconstructing nor continuing, it ignores the Bauhaus as an icon of the avant-garde and its numerous clichéd profanations. Instead, it focuses on fine art. It is the constituent frame of the exhibition.

Thus, the Krefeld pavilion is a gesture of reverence to the visual arts. At the Bauhaus, whose masters were almost all visual artists and not architects, they are as important as in the long creative innovation process that the silk industry has undergone since the 1920s.

It is noticeable that all initiators of the silk industry reforms are well informed about current developments in contemporary art. As collectors they are in contact with the leading museums, gallerists and artists. The confrontation with art trains their view and opens up new spaces of thought and action.

This characterization must be regarded as an important prerequisite enabling the persons involved to recognize the innovative power of the Bauhaus early on and make it usable for their industry."

(translated from exhibition booklet)

*This post is not sponsored by anything*

So my exams just finished off yesterday and I decided take some time off, slacking with a freer schedule now that I can write more and binge on shows or movies I’ve decided to catch on. I started rewatching Avatar: The Last Airbender (show of course) and stopped because I was interested to see how Artemis Fowl was.

It turns out I looked up the reviews which blatantly blasts this film; a very terrible adaptation. Yes, it’s f**king terrible. Penguinz0/Charlie was right about that, Screenrant’s Ryan George does his pitch meetings on this film which is wholly lot better than seeing this garbage.

Theme: For 1 hour and 30 minutes, I’ve been subjected to what I can only sum up in a couple words: Spy Kids + Mission Impossible meets fairies + some generic sci fi action film + MCU’s formula + Doctor Strange. They shouldn’t have ever made this film. What’s worse is that Kenneth Branagh directed this film, who’s best known for his film works on Shakespeare, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Hercule Poirot and etc.

Plot/characters: I remember reading Eoin Colfer’s books in third grade (just the first two I can recount), which also came out the year I was born. The characterizations are off, and descriptions and personalities as well. Story is changed a whole lot (but why?) Artemis himself is a complete opposite of the character in this film compared to the book. Butler (Nonso Anozie), who was supposed to be Russian-Japanese/Eursian, is black, his younger sister is rewritten into his niece who does absolutely nothing. Holly Short, the fairy deutargonist, is also given with an unnecessary new backstory. Too much exposition and narration with Josh Gad’s dwarf character, Mulch Diggums, doesn’t work too well as overly comedic relief. I feel like if I continue with characters here, I’ll lose my sanity. I’ll go read the books again, and so should you.

Other things: Visuals are fine. There’s just nothing too special about it. Lots of things were cut from this film, you don’t see much of the footage from the first trailer. Villain appears at the last minute, who I just found out is the actress, Hong Chau. who plays Lady Trieu from HBO’s Watchmen. There’s a scene that echoes BvS’ Martha scene. I’ll spoil this bit, but when Artemis captures Holly (fairy), she’s mad at him, then a few scenes later they talk about their dads and they become friends. That’s literally how it goes. Very inconsistent.

Final verdict: Terrible story, mediocre acting. I legit cannot believe Colin Farrell is wasted in this film with barely minutes of screen time. Judi Dench is on record for another terrible film…only slightly better than Cats, trying her best at playing authoritative figure roles like M and whatnot. Feel bad for Artemis actor, since it’s this kid’s first major acting role. A film that costs about 125 million to make only ends up just..terrible.

(P.S. Another film to join the ranks of similar films that are best unspoken of: Dragonball Evolution, Avatar: The Last Airbender and Percy Jackson. All this happened a decade ago, but Peter Johnson is enjoyable to watch if you don’t consider that moniker. That’s all I gotta say while looking towards the D+ and Netflix reboots).

Score: 3/10. D Grade. Not really a rant but I could have gone on longer trying to make it a piece. I’m going to write Mayfair now. Have a good day.

Cristy is a good friend and it is always such a pleasure to see her. We keep in touch online, of course, but in person one can experience the nuances that enhance relationships in ways our electronic avatars cannot.

I've known Cristy since 2006, when I ventured forth into cyberspace for the first time. My objective was to search for "others like me," worried I would Google "men who wear dresses" only to find my male name come up and that being it - you're it pal! And now you know you are uniquely perverse!

Well, that didn't happen. Of course, in conducting this research, I found lots of filthy stuff. But then I stumbled across photos of Cristy. I thought it was odd photos of an attractive woman would come up during this limited search activity. But, it was not odd at all - Cristy shares a similar outlook on crossdressing, even thousands of miles away in an entirely different country. Each and every one of her photos captured a respectful characterization of the feminine ideal in Western culture, dignified and at the same time colorful, even vibrant. When I saw these photos, I became inspired and the shame vanished. She was one among a few in those early days, like Laura Lenley and Stephanie Yates, who made it possible for me to embrace that which became Alexandra.

I am forever thankful!

Dress: Rabbit

Shoes: Katy Perry

Hosiery: Cecilia de Rafael

A note about these renders:

I forget from who I gleaned this idea from, but I have rendered the same model with both bluerender and LDD to POVRay converter from the same orientation and field of view. The renders are laid over each other in software after the fact, and adjusted so that bluerender offers its rich color, and POVRay offers the definition to the elements.

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Initiative to model this came from a challenge at Brick Model Railroader calling for LEGO builders to make rolling stock that would look silly navigating 40-stud radius curves. I applaud BMR for coming up with a contest that promotes being "silly"--self-awareness is a good counter weight to being an adult who plays with toys under the pretense of being a "scale modeler".

This is the first train I have built with an 8-stud wide cab. All my previous North American rolling stock was built strictly to a seven-stud wide cabin width (not including pistons or rods etc. which inevitably protrude). I find some irony in that the prototype is of European origin. The real locomotives operate on a 3,5" track gauge so maybe I can be forgiven.

The scale, generally, is indeterminate. The LEGO build measures 82 studs in length to the proto's 92 feet, but as other builders of steam locomotives have decided on it is the diameter of the driving wheels that govern the scale. I am not one to plan out the exact dimensions of a train build in advance. I eyeball it from start to finish. My philosophy is that a better toy model may come firstly from a characterization of the prototype where there is compatibility between its character and the character of LEGO elements and assemblies, and only secondly by bare scale accuracy to the dimensions of the prototype.

...Which is a long liberal-arts degree way of saying, oh hell, I will just put LEGO together until I like the way it looks.