View allAll Photos Tagged commitment
This was actually inspired by an album cover, but I also I wanted to do something a little lighter. I tried to shoot this the night before, but was interrupted by the police. :)
Love locks, commemorating couples' commitment to each other, at the Bell Tower, Barrack Square in Perth, Western Australia, 5th July 2024. Shot on film using a Canon EOS 300X with Kodak ColorPlus 200.
A Royal Air Force Lockheed Martin F-35 "Lightning II", U.S. Air Force Boeing F-15E "Strike Eagle", and French air force Dassault "Rafale" fly behind a U.S. Air Force Boeing KC-135 "Stratotanker" from the 100th Air Refueling Wing during Exercise Point Blank over the English Channel, Nov. 27, 2018. Training with NATO allies like the U.K. and France improves interoperability and demonstrates the United States’ commitment to regional security. Exercise Point Blank also represents an opportunity to enhance interoperability and integration between allied fourth and fifth-generation fighter aircraft.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is a fifth-generation, single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF). The result of the USAF's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, the aircraft was designed primarily as an air superiority fighter, but also has ground attack, electronic warfare, and signal intelligence capabilities. The prime contractor, Lockheed Martin, built most of the F-22's airframe and weapons systems and conducted final assembly, while Boeing provided the wings, aft fuselage, avionics integration, and training systems.
The aircraft was variously designated F-22 and F/A-22 before it formally entered service in December 2005 as the F-22A. Despite its protracted development and various operational issues, USAF officials consider the F-22 a critical component of the service's tactical air power. Its combination of stealth, aerodynamic performance, and situational awareness enable unprecedented air combat capabilities.
Service officials had originally planned to buy a total of 750 ATFs. In 2009, the program was cut to 187 operational production aircraft due to high costs, a lack of clear air-to-air missions due to delays in Russian and Chinese fighter programs, a ban on exports, and development of the more versatile F-35. The last F-22 was delivered in 2012.
Development
Origins
In 1981, the U.S. Air Force identified a requirement for an Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) to replace the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon. Code named "Senior Sky", this air-superiority fighter program was influenced by emerging worldwide threats, including new developments in Soviet air defense systems and the proliferation of the Su-27 "Flanker"- and MiG-29 "Fulcrum"-class of fighter aircraft. It would take advantage of the new technologies in fighter design on the horizon, including composite materials, lightweight alloys, advanced flight control systems, more powerful propulsion systems, and most importantly, stealth technology. In 1983, the ATF concept development team became the System Program Office (SPO) and managed the program at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The demonstration and validation (Dem/Val) request for proposals (RFP) was issued in September 1985, with requirements placing strong emphasis on stealth and supercruise. Of the seven bidding companies, Lockheed and Northrop were selected on 31 October 1986. Lockheed teamed with Boeing and General Dynamics while Northrop teamed with McDonnell Douglas, and the two contractor teams undertook a 50-month Dem/Val phase, culminating in the flight test of two technology demonstrator prototypes, the YF-22 and the YF-23, respectively.
Dem/Val was focused on risk reduction and technology development plans over specific aircraft designs. Contractors made extensive use of analytical and empirical methods, including computational fluid dynamics, wind-tunnel testing, and radar cross-section calculations and pole testing; the Lockheed team would conduct nearly 18,000 hours of wind-tunnel testing. Avionics development was marked by extensive testing and prototyping and supported by ground and flying laboratories. During Dem/Val, the SPO used the results of performance and cost trade studies conducted by contractor teams to adjust ATF requirements and delete ones that were significant weight and cost drivers while having marginal value. The short takeoff and landing (STOL) requirement was relaxed in order to delete thrust-reversers, saving substantial weight. As avionics was a major cost driver, side-looking radars were deleted, and the dedicated infra-red search and track (IRST) system was downgraded from multi-color to single color and then deleted as well. However, space and cooling provisions were retained to allow for future addition of these components. The ejection seat requirement was downgraded from a fresh design to the existing McDonnell Douglas ACES II. Despite efforts by the contractor teams to rein in weight, the takeoff gross weight estimate was increased from 50,000 lb (22,700 kg) to 60,000 lb (27,200 kg), resulting in engine thrust requirement increasing from 30,000 lbf (133 kN) to 35,000 lbf (156 kN) class.
Each team produced two prototype air vehicles for Dem/Val, one for each of the two engine options. The YF-22 had its maiden flight on 29 September 1990 and in flight tests achieved up to Mach 1.58 in supercruise. After the Dem/Val flight test of the prototypes, on 23 April 1991, Secretary of the USAF Donald Rice announced the Lockheed team as the winner of the ATF competition. The YF-23 design was considered stealthier and faster, while the YF-22, with its thrust vectoring nozzles, was more maneuverable as well as less expensive and risky. The aviation press speculated that the Lockheed team's design was also more adaptable to the U.S. Navy's Navalized Advanced Tactical Fighter (NATF), but by 1992, the Navy had abandoned NATF.
Production and procurement
As the program moved to full-scale development, or the Engineering & Manufacturing Development (EMD) stage, the production version had notable differences from the YF-22, despite having a broadly similar shape. The swept-back angle of the leading edge was decreased from 48° to 42°, while the vertical stabilizers were shifted rearward and decreased in area by 20%. To improve pilot visibility, the canopy was moved forward 7 inches (18 cm), and the engine intakes moved rearward 14 inches (36 cm). The shapes of the wing and stabilator trailing edges were refined to improve aerodynamics, strength, and stealth characteristics. Increasing weight during development caused slight reductions in range and maneuver performance.
Prime contractor Lockheed Martin Aeronautics manufactured the majority of the airframe and performed final assembly at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Georgia; program partner Boeing Defense, Space & Security provided additional airframe components as well as avionics integration and training systems. The first F-22, an EMD aircraft with tail number 4001, was unveiled at Marietta, Georgia, on 9 April 1997, and first flew on 7 September 1997. Production, with the first lot awarded in September 2000, supported over 1,000 subcontractors and suppliers from 46 states and up to 95,000 jobs, and spanned 15 years at a peak rate of roughly two airplanes per month. In 2006, the F-22 development team won the Collier Trophy, American aviation's most prestigious award. Due to the aircraft's advanced nature, contractors have been targeted by cyberattacks and technology theft.
The USAF originally envisioned ordering 750 ATFs at a total program cost of $44.3 billion and procurement cost of $26.2 billion in fiscal year (FY) 1985 dollars, with production beginning in 1994. The 1990 Major Aircraft Review led by Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney reduced this to 648 aircraft beginning in 1996. By 1997, funding instability had further cut the total to 339, which was again reduced to 277 by 2003. In 2004, the Department of Defense (DoD) further reduced this to 183 operational aircraft, despite the USAF's preference for 381. A multi-year procurement plan was implemented in 2006 to save $15 billion, with total program cost projected to be $62 billion for 183 F-22s distributed to seven combat squadrons. In 2008, Congress passed a defense spending bill that raised the total orders for production aircraft to 187.
The first two F-22s built were EMD aircraft in the Block 1.0 configuration for initial flight testing, while the third was a Block 2.0 aircraft built to represent the internal structure of production airframes and enabled it to test full flight loads. Six more EMD aircraft were built in the Block 10 configuration for development and upgrade testing, with the last two considered essentially production quality jets. Production for operational squadrons consisted of 37 Block 20 training aircraft and 149 Block 30/35 combat aircraft; one of the Block 35 aircraft is dedicated to flight sciences at Edwards Air Force Base.
The numerous new technologies in the F-22 resulted in substantial cost overruns and delays. Many capabilities were deferred to post-service upgrades, reducing the initial cost but increasing total program cost. As production wound down in 2011, the total program cost is estimated to be about $67.3 billion, with $32.4 billion spent on Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) and $34.9 billion on procurement and military construction (MILCON) in then year dollars. The incremental cost for an additional F-22 was estimated at about $138 million in 2009.
Ban on exports
The F-22 cannot be exported under US federal law to protect its stealth technology and other high-tech features. Customers for U.S. fighters are acquiring earlier designs such as the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon or the newer F-35 Lightning II, which contains technology from the F-22 but was designed to be cheaper, more flexible, and available for export. In September 2006, Congress upheld the ban on foreign F-22 sales. Despite the ban, the 2010 defense authorization bill included provisions requiring the DoD to prepare a report on the costs and feasibility for an F-22 export variant, and another report on the effect of F-22 export sales on U.S. aerospace industry.
Some Australian politicians and defense commentators proposed that Australia should attempt to purchase F-22s instead of the planned F-35s, citing the F-22's known capabilities and F-35's delays and developmental uncertainties. However, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) determined that the F-22 was unable to perform the F-35's strike and close air support roles. The Japanese government also showed interest in the F-22 for its Replacement-Fighter program. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) would reportedly require fewer fighters for its mission if it obtained the F-22, thus reducing engineering and staffing costs. However, in 2009 it was reported that acquiring the F-22 would require increases to the Japanese government's defense budget beyond the historical 1 percent of its GDP. With the end of F-22 production, Japan chose the F-35 in December 2011. Israel also expressed interest, but eventually chose the F-35 because of the F-22's price and unavailability.
Production termination
Throughout the 2000s, the need for F-22s was debated, due to rising costs and the lack of relevant adversaries. In 2006, Comptroller General of the United States David Walker found that "the DoD has not demonstrated the need" for more investment in the F-22, and further opposition to the program was expressed by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon R. England, Senator John McCain, and Chairman of U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services Senator John Warner. The F-22 program lost influential supporters in 2008 after the forced resignations of Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force General T. Michael Moseley.
In November 2008, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates stated that the F-22 was not relevant in post-Cold War conflicts such as irregular warfare operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in April 2009, under the new Obama Administration, he called for ending production in FY2011, leaving the USAF with 187 production aircraft. In July, General James Cartwright, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated to the Senate Committee on Armed Services his reasons for supporting termination of F-22 production. They included shifting resources to the multirole F-35 to allow proliferation of fifth-generation fighters for three service branches and preserving the F/A-18 production line to maintain the military's electronic warfare (EW) capabilities in the Boeing EA-18G Growler.[60] Issues with the F-22's reliability and availability also raised concerns. After President Obama threatened to veto further production, the Senate voted in July 2009 in favor of ending production and the House subsequently agreed to abide by the 187 production aircraft cap. Gates stated that the decision was taken in light of the F-35's capabilities, and in 2010, he set the F-22 requirement to 187 aircraft by lowering the number of major regional conflict preparations from two to one.
In 2010, USAF initiated a study to determine the costs of retaining F-22 tooling for a future Service Life Extension Program (SLEP).[66] A RAND Corporation paper from this study estimated that restarting production and building an additional 75 F-22s would cost $17 billion, resulting in $227 million per aircraft, or $54 million higher than the flyaway cost. Lockheed Martin stated that restarting the production line itself would cost about $200 million. Production tooling and associated documentation were subsequently stored at the Sierra Army Depot, allowing the retained tooling to support the fleet life cycle. There were reports that attempts to retrieve this tooling found empty containers, but a subsequent audit found that the tooling was stored as expected.
Russian and Chinese fighter developments have fueled concern, and in 2009, General John Corley, head of Air Combat Command, stated that a fleet of 187 F-22s would be inadequate, but Secretary Gates dismissed General Corley's concern. In 2011, Gates explained that Chinese fifth-generation fighter developments had been accounted for when the number of F-22s was set, and that the U.S. would have a considerable advantage in stealth aircraft in 2025, even with F-35 delays. In December 2011, the 195th and final F-22 was completed out of 8 test EMD and 187 operational aircraft produced; the aircraft was delivered to the USAF on 2 May 2012.
In April 2016, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee proposed legislation that would direct the Air Force to conduct a cost study and assessment associated with resuming production of the F-22. Since the production halt directed in 2009 by then Defense Secretary Gates, lawmakers and the Pentagon noted that air warfare systems of Russia and China were catching up to those of the U.S. Lockheed Martin has proposed upgrading the Block 20 training aircraft into combat-coded Block 30/35 versions as a way to increase numbers available for deployment. On 9 June 2017, the Air Force submitted their report to Congress stating they had no plans to restart the F-22 production line due to economic and operational issues; it estimated it would cost approximately $50 billion to procure 194 additional F-22s at a cost of $206–$216 million per aircraft, including approximately $9.9 billion for non-recurring start-up costs and $40.4 billion for aircraft procurement costs.
Upgrades
The first aircraft with combat-capable Block 3.0 software flew in 2001. Increment 2, the first upgrade program, was implemented in 2005 for Block 20 aircraft onward and enabled the employment of Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM). Certification of the improved AN/APG-77(V)1 radar was completed in March 2007, and airframes from production Lot 5 onward are fitted with this radar, which incorporates air-to-ground modes. Increment 3.1 for Block 30 aircraft onward provided improved ground-attack capability through synthetic aperture radar mapping and radio emitter direction finding, electronic attack and Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) integration; testing began in 2009 and the first upgraded aircraft was delivered in 2011. To address oxygen deprivation issues, F-22s were fitted with an automatic backup oxygen system (ABOS) and modified life support system starting in 2012.
Increment 3.2 for Block 35 aircraft is a two-part upgrade process; 3.2A focuses on electronic warfare, communications and identification, while 3.2B includes geolocation improvements and a new stores management system to show the correct symbols for the AIM-9X and AIM-120D.[83][84] To enable two-way communication with other platforms, the F-22 can use the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) as a gateway. The planned Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL) integration was cut due to development delays and lack of proliferation among USAF platforms. The F-22 fleet is planned to start receiving Increment 3.2B as well as a software upgrade for cryptography capabilities and avionics stability in May 2019. A Multifunctional Information Distribution System-Joint (MIDS-J) radio that replaces the current Link-16 receive-only box is expected to be operational by 2020. Subsequent upgrades are also focusing on having an open architecture to enable faster future enhancements.
In 2024, funding is projected to begin for the F-22 mid-life upgrade (MLU), which is expected to include new sensors and antennas, hardware refresh, cockpit improvements, and a helmet mounted display and cuing system. Other enhancements being developed include IRST functionality for the AN/AAR-56 Missile Launch Detector (MLD) and more durable stealth coating based on the F-35's.
The F-22 was designed for a service life of 8,000 flight hours, with a $350 million "structures retrofit program". Investigations are being made for upgrades to extend their useful lives further. In the long term, the F-22 is expected to be superseded by a sixth-generation jet fighter to be fielded in the 2030s.
Design
Overview
The F-22 Raptor is a fifth-generation fighter that is considered fourth generation in stealth aircraft technology by the USAF.[91] It is the first operational aircraft to combine supercruise, supermaneuverability, stealth, and sensor fusion in a single weapons platform. The F-22 has four empennage surfaces, retractable tricycle landing gear, and clipped delta wings with reverse trailing edge sweep and leading edge extensions running to the upper outboard corner of the inlets. Flight control surfaces include leading-edge flaps, flaperons, ailerons, rudders on the canted vertical stabilizers, and all-moving horizontal tails (stabilators); for speed brake function, the ailerons deflect up, flaperons down, and rudders outwards to increase drag.
The aircraft's dual Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 augmented turbofan engines are closely spaced and incorporate pitch-axis thrust vectoring nozzles with a range of ±20 degrees; each engine has maximum thrust in the 35,000 lbf (156 kN) class. The F-22's thrust-to-weight ratio at typical combat weight is nearly at unity in maximum military power and 1.25 in full afterburner. Maximum speed without external stores is approximately Mach 1.8 at military power and greater than Mach 2 with afterburners.
The F-22's high cruise speed and operating altitude over prior fighters improve the effectiveness of its sensors and weapon systems, and increase survivability against ground defenses such as surface-to-air missiles. The aircraft is among only a few that can supercruise, or sustain supersonic flight without using fuel-inefficient afterburners; it can intercept targets which subsonic aircraft would lack the speed to pursue and an afterburner-dependent aircraft would lack the fuel to reach. The F-22's thrust and aerodynamics enable regular combat speeds of Mach 1.5 at 50,000 feet (15,000 m). The use of internal weapons bays permits the aircraft to maintain comparatively higher performance over most other combat-configured fighters due to a lack of aerodynamic drag from external stores. The aircraft's structure contains a significant amount of high-strength materials to withstand stress and heat of sustained supersonic flight. Respectively, titanium alloys and composites comprise 39% and 24% of the structural weight.
The F-22's aerodynamics, relaxed stability, and powerful thrust-vectoring engines give it excellent maneuverability and energy potential across its flight envelope. The airplane has excellent high alpha (angle of attack) characteristics, capable of flying at trimmed alpha of over 60° while maintaining roll control and performing maneuvers such as the Herbst maneuver (J-turn) and Pugachev's Cobra. The flight control system and full-authority digital engine control (FADEC) make the aircraft highly departure resistant and controllable, thus giving the pilot carefree handling.
Stealth
The F-22 was designed to be highly difficult to detect and track by radar. Measures to reduce radar cross-section (RCS) include airframe shaping such as alignment of edges, fixed-geometry serpentine inlets and curved vanes that prevent line-of-sight of the engine faces and turbines from any exterior view, use of radar-absorbent material (RAM), and attention to detail such as hinges and pilot helmets that could provide a radar return. The F-22 was also designed to have decreased radio emissions, infrared signature and acoustic signature as well as reduced visibility to the naked eye. The aircraft's flat thrust-vectoring nozzles reduce infrared emissions of the exhaust plume to mitigate the threat of infrared homing ("heat seeking") surface-to-air or air-to-air missiles. Additional measures to reduce the infrared signature include special topcoat and active cooling of leading edges to manage the heat buildup from supersonic flight.
Compared to previous stealth designs like the F-117, the F-22 is less reliant on RAM, which are maintenance-intensive and susceptible to adverse weather conditions. Unlike the B-2, which requires climate-controlled hangars, the F-22 can undergo repairs on the flight line or in a normal hangar. The F-22 has a Signature Assessment System which delivers warnings when the radar signature is degraded and necessitates repair. While the F-22's exact RCS is classified, in 2009 Lockheed Martin released information indicating that from certain angles the aircraft has an RCS of 0.0001 m² or −40 dBsm – equivalent to the radar reflection of a "steel marble". Effectively maintaining the stealth features can decrease the F-22's mission capable rate to 62–70%.
The effectiveness of the stealth characteristics is difficult to gauge. The RCS value is a restrictive measurement of the aircraft's frontal or side area from the perspective of a static radar. When an aircraft maneuvers it exposes a completely different set of angles and surface area, potentially increasing radar observability. Furthermore, the F-22's stealth contouring and radar absorbent materials are chiefly effective against high-frequency radars, usually found on other aircraft. The effects of Rayleigh scattering and resonance mean that low-frequency radars such as weather radars and early-warning radars are more likely to detect the F-22 due to its physical size. However, such radars are also conspicuous, susceptible to clutter, and have low precision. Additionally, while faint or fleeting radar contacts make defenders aware that a stealth aircraft is present, reliably vectoring interception to attack the aircraft is much more challenging. According to the USAF an F-22 surprised an Iranian F-4 Phantom II that was attempting to intercept an American UAV, despite Iran's assertion of having military VHF radar coverage over the Persian Gulf.
In recent years, the great Brooklyn Bridge — long written about, photographed, painted, walked, biked and driven over; even sailed under — has become a gallery for thousands of padlocks known as love locks.
Some are engraved with initials, names and dates. Some have that information inscribed upon them, passionately, with a Sharpie. Some carry little pictures of New York landmarks like the Empire State Building. Most tell nothing about who put them there, or why.
“The lock signifies the commitment,” some say. “It will be a reminder every time we even see the bridge, let alone walk across it, that there was this one day when we decided that our love was so important.”
Unfortunately, reality must intrude, as it so often does. Love-struck couples’ feelings may or may not last forever, but their locks will definitely not. The Department of Transportation clips locks on the bridge every few weeks and has taken away 9,000 in the last 11 months. A spokesman for the agency said crews cleaned the bridge twice a week and removes locks as needed.
Some dear friends of mine. I really feel like this image celebrates love and the calm soft moments it fosters.
Strobist: SB-80DX bounce into umbrella above center.
Nikon D90 | Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 D | 1/200 sec | f/2 | ISO 200
As part of our commitment to make information as accessible as possible, NHS England's inaugural Annual General Meeting was held in public at the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre in London on 12th September 2013.
The Board received reports on business from the previous year and opened up their conversation to questions from the public.
Various workshops and seminars held earlier throughout the day brought together partners from across the world of health care, including the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sectors.
Twitter was used during the entirety of the event, for delegates and participants to feed back their views as it unfolded. Workshop themes and hashtags included...
- Call to action – #CallToAction
- End of life care – #endoflifecare
- 7 day services – #7DayServices
- Health Inequalities/health equality – #healthequality
- Transparency and Participation – #transparency
A separate recording of each agenda item will be published on YouTube.
It's Cast Member Saturday where I pay tribute to all the great Cast Members that make Disneyland what it is.
Today, once again, I pay tribute to Ernie who shows more commitment to his job and honoring those who serve than anyone. He's a true hero and gentleman.
For the Monday Photo Challenge Group
"in one picture illustrate your one word that describes your New Year's resolution, dream, aspiration or goal"
. . . and use that one word as your title.
My Goal is to get fit and stay fit.
Technical ability aside, the difference is commitment. Some people look at whatever they do as a job and then they want to be good craftsmen. Then there are people who do it as a passion. They really care about it., and it shows in their photographs.
~ Mike Morse, Associated Press Guide to Photojournalism (Associated Press Handbooks) by Brian Horton , ISBN: 0071363874 , Page: 14
P.S. Non-HDR-processed / Non-GND-filtered ● Black Card Technique 黑卡作品
It was easier this way. I took her home so that her travel weary household could recover from their journey.
You forget what was everyday — the responsibilities, the rituals, the worries of caring for someone else. There are no regrets. She was a wonderful companion; lead trained from her show career, disciplined, resilient, well mannered and tolerant — even of the little three-legged cross-bred puppy who threw itself at her in adoration. Why not? She's had litters of her own — such would not be a mystery.
Ffion has been home for two days now. Already memories fade as my commitments move from her welfare to more mundane matters. After a lifetime around dogs, it all came back as by instinct. She is gone. But our time together will never be forgotten, as memories fade.
To me commitment is being with someone and trusting that no matter what happens they will be there for you. You must trust them unconditionally, and believe that no matter what path they take you on, you'll always be safe and have each other.
This person on the beach took a pose that immediately struck me as taking a stand, making firm commitment, and being strong. Qualities I believe are important in life.
Goal: {illustrate teamwork/commitment}
Audience: {church members on a Wednesday night}
Direction: {"I need this today"}
Project: {sermon title to display on screens during message}
Other important info: {gratefully used 7ulio's "Magic" for hue/saturation layers & grid texture}
{Finished work}
Preparing healthy meals is a big commitment in these days when so many unhealthy, low-cost choices surround us. We have meatless meals regularly. Today's healthy choice was a veggie pizza with very little cheese. The basil leaves and tomatoes are from our garden. I also added red onion and kalamata olives. Half of the pizza had a basil pesto sauce, and the other half had only chopped fresh garlic for the sauce. Without a heavy sauce, the flavor of the fresh veggies really stands out.
I'm sure there are dozens of great analogies comparing kids and their fleeting interests in activities but Tae Kwon Do really does seem to be sticking, and we couldn't be happier. It's a great physical activity, teaches them discipline, and doesn't seem to pose much of any risk for concussion. Well, the turkey's just committed to two more years and to getting their black belts!
Imagine leaving home in daylight and using public transport to attend your specialist festival on the seafront. Much Respect given.
The Gillard Government made a commitment in 2010 to release all children from immigration detention by June 2011, but still 350 children languish in the harsh environment of immigration camps around Australia. The Refugee Action Collective organised a protest on July 9, 2011 outside the Melbourne Immigration Transit accommodation which is used for the detention of unaccompanied minors.
“Bowen said he would have all children out of detention by June but there are still over 350 kids locked up including just under 100 in Broadmeadows,” said Refugee Action Collective spokesperson Benjamin Solah in a July 8 media release. “It’s now July and there are still children locked up, being driven to attempt suicide and self harm whilst the government congratulates themselves on meeting a promise they didn’t actually meet.”
Olympus OM10/ 50mm f1.8
Fujifilm Superia 200
Evening hangout at Nasi Kandar Haji Ali. The taste of the rice with friend chicken poured with varieties of spicy kuah(soup) just made my evening. Nyum!
ok, trying to compensate for the lamentable absence of PaD last two days (shame on me!) I thought I would try to give the viewer real value for money and include a free original story to go with the pic, pro bono as they come, but being lazy I engaged an AI dude, ChatGPT to be specific, to write it for me and here it goes, I accept no responsibility for the product, not a single word changed from AI's effort
"In a city where the traffic lights were permanently stuck on yellow, and everyone walked a little sideways just because it felt right, there stood a statue of a lion with a leaf clasped gently in his mouth. The statue's name was Sir Reginald P. Lionhart III, but everyone just called him Reggie. No one knew why a lion would hold a leaf, and frankly, no one questioned the oddities in this town—like the crosswalks that led nowhere or the park benches facing brick walls.
Reggie's leaf wasn't just any leaf; it was a meticulously chosen leaf from the only tree in the city that grew upside down. The roots reached for the sky, and the branches plunged into the earth, defying all botanical logic. One day, the leaf decided it had enough of subterranean life and embarked on an adventure upward, eventually landing squarely into Reggie's open mouth.
Reggie, being a lifelike statue with a keen sense of irony, decided to keep the leaf right there. It was his silent protest against the mundane expectations placed upon stone lions. Holding a leaf was his way of saying, "I contain multitudes."
People started to notice. The local philosopher, who held office hours on the corner between the invisible bookstore and the café that only served imaginary tea, proclaimed that the leaf symbolized the absurdity of existence. "It's a manifestation of our intrinsic desire to find meaning in the meaningless!" he shouted to a crowd of none.
Children began to leave offerings at Reggie's feet: mismatched socks, left-handed gloves, and drawings of three-headed dragons playing saxophones. They felt a kinship with this lion who dared to be different in a world that was already quite different.
One night, a mime—who wasn't actually trapped in an invisible box but liked to pretend he was—approached Reggie. "Why the leaf?" the mime didn't say. Reggie didn't reply, because statues and mimes share an unspoken bond that transcends words.
Meanwhile, the mayor issued a decree that all statues must adhere to the "Statue Code of Conduct," which explicitly forbade the unauthorized holding of foliage. Reggie remained unmoved—literally and metaphorically. The townspeople loved him for it. They started a movement called "Leaf It Be," campaigning for the rights of statues to express themselves.
Amidst all this, the leaf began to sprout tiny wings. Turns out, it wasn't a leaf at all but a caterpillar in disguise, yearning to become a butterfly but accidentally becoming a leaf instead. Reggie didn't mind. He admired the caterpillar’s commitment to its absurd identity crisis.
Eventually, the caterpillar-leaf took flight, leaving Reggie's mouth and soaring into the nonsensical sky, where clouds sometimes floated underground and rain fell upwards. Reggie felt a pang of something that might have been emotion if statues could feel.
In the end, Reggie decided to hold a spoon in his mouth next, just to keep things interesting. The townspeople applauded his new choice, reading all sorts of culinary and existential meanings into it. The philosopher began writing a book titled "The Spoonful of Existence," which no one would read because the pages were all blank.
By the way, did you ever consider that maybe the lion isn't holding the leaf—the leaf is holding the lion? In a world that absurd, anything is possible. Perhaps the real question isn't why the lion has a leaf in his mouth, but why we think a leaf doesn't belong there in the first place."
Once a squirrel locates something to eat, it really shows commitment to get it. This is Hazel doing some stretching :) I squeezed a walnut in this crotch. Not very hard - she was able to get it within seconds (Squirrels-2019-6391.jpg)
This is inside a very old church in Fremont , Mission San Jose Church. I really love the flow of bokeh on the left ( the alter)
***HBW***