Sponsored images from 
View allAll Photos Tagged committed
I wanted a long and committed relationship with my Canon EF 200mm f1.8L lens, but alas, the lens didn't want that. I had it only a few years before the USM focus motor fried, with the distance setting fixed at 4.5 meters. Everything else still works. I can change the aperture, take a picture and it still came out tack sharp and beautiful as it has always been. But it won't AF or even manual focus, as the lens was designed as focus-by-wire that requires the ultrasonic motor to function in order for the lens to focus manually.
No parts to fix it. Even with parts, it would cost more than $1000 to fix.
It's a sad and costly love affair that didn't last. I still love the lens, and hope that I can find someway to get it to focus manually, like putting the lens on a focus helicoid as Ian suggested.
These birds are focused downward and have committed to the drop down to the pond in a steep descent... more a free fall drop (i.e., parachute) than a glide-in. This shot against a cloudy western sunset sky results in a silhouette view of the crane against the sky... but if you're familiar with these birds such shots offer no difficulty regarding their ID. The sky colors deepen so rapidly, and the bird groups continually arrive... you need to be constantly shooting to capture the ever changing spectacle! All of the subsequent shots this evening will be of silhouettes of the Cranes against the sky background.
IMG_8110; Committed To Land
I cheated.
October 26th, 2009 I did not take a photo.
Okay I’m lying. (I just committed 2 of my least favorite things that people can do. Lie and cheat).
I did take a photo on this day. And it was awful. It was beyond bad. It was so appalling that I won’t even post it or work with it or do anything to it. Hence I take another photo on January of 2010 and post it as that day’s photo.
Fuck it.
Oh well. This is what you get. Ominous guy staring at you with his left eye in focus and everything else a total blur. If you look REAL HARD you can even get a glimpse of my chest hair. But of course you have to stare very hard to see it. And if you are staring that hard, you are a real fan. But hey fan or not, concentrate real good. Yeah, it’s there. In a total blur. But I swear you’ll make it out it if you gape hard enough.
The photo at hand? Dire. A 365 is supposed to be one photo everyday for a year. And yeah, that is basically mostly what I did. Except for this day. On this day, my photo was beyond bad equaling TERRIBLE… so I redid it. Oh well. Who cares? I know you don’t, right? So, either do I.
The album at hand? Oh just listen to this song. If you love it as much as I do, I will marry you. Yes, marry you. Done deal. I love this song that much!
Oh shit, you’re male?
Uh.
Cool.
High five dude. This song rocks, right? Put it on a mix cd for whomever you love. It’ll swoon them over every time. And then you can call me and congratulate me on giving you a top song to put on that killer mix CD.
Location: my bathroom; Alameda, California
Taken: January 26th, 2010 (cheater)
Posted: January 27th, 2010
Album of the Day: The Magic Numbers by The Magic Numbers
Video: Love Me Like You Do by The Magic Numbers
*=cheated
New (ab)normal. I'm committed to documenting the way our life looks during this outbreak. It's a way to process, and also none of us have every lived through anything like this. So here we are.
I blogged my first week's photographs if you're interested. Link: www.erinblinn.com/blog/2020/3/24/covid-19-week-1ish
“The wren, the wren, the king of all birds
Saint Stephen’s Day, was caught in the furze
Although he is little, his honour is great Jump up me lads and give him a treat Up with the kettle and down with the pan And give us a penny to bury the wren”
~
In the town of Dingle in the south-west of Ireland, locals often say that there are two seasons in the year: six months before the Wren and six months after the Wren (pronounced “wran”). It is not uncommon to hear “I’ll see you the Wren’s Day” as a greeting even more than “happy Christmas” during Christmas week itself.
As someone who grew up in the town, it is fair to say that Dingle people are healthily obsessed with it and that the Wren’s Day is the highlight of the calendar for most townspeople.
While Dingle has quite a unique relationship with the wren tradition, it is not the only community where it survives and thrives and from Carrigkerry to Enniskerry, Fermanagh to Fingal and the Isle of Man to St John’s Newfoundland, the tradition is performed with gusto in communities today that are hugely committed to this ancient custom.
The wren tradition or “hunting the wren” is an old midwinter custom that was once commonplace throughout Ireland, the UK and diaspora communities, but it died out in most areas throughout the 20th century.
The exact origins are unknown, but it was usually performed in rural areas with masked groups calling from house to house with a wren bird that they had captured. They would ask for money to bury the bird and perform some music and song in exchange.
Groups were usually invited into the home and given refreshments and many will be familiar with the rhyme or song that is associated with the visiting groups:
theconversation.com/wrens-day-an-old-irish-tradition-that...
~
ai/gimp/pixlr
I committed to bringing trophies for the World Architecture theme. I thought it would be fun to make a "triumphal arch", which seems to incorporate the theme of architecture along with triumphing. I think they look better in person. I was also severely limited in color and piece count and all the rest. Oh well.
For added extra fun, I'm going to give a presentation on cheese slope mosaics Sunday morning.
Then I'm going to write an article about the convention for Hispabrick Magazine. Busy times!
Mais um livro novo: Committed - em português - Comprometida. Mesma autora de Comer, Amar e Rezar. (Bem mulherzinha, eu sei). Mais meu controle remote que chegou ontem. Já foi testado e aprovado! :)
Mais uma foto nos comentários!!!
____________________
Books in Control
Another new book: Committed. Ok, very girly, I know! Also, my remote control that has arrived yesterday. I've tested and approved! So cool! :)
One more photo in the comments!!!
This photo is of Alex, a veteran and dedicated activist committed to progressive causes - here protesting against Assange's continued imprisonment and extradition.
Thousands of people gathered around the British parliament on Saturday 8 October 1922 to form the first ever human chain to surround the building to protest against Julian Assange's continued imprisonment and extradition. Many of the activists had travelled hundreds of miles - I met people who had travelled from Belgium, France and Germany.
The long line of people snaked around parliament's perimeter railings and across both Lambeth and Westminster bridges as well as traversing the south side of the river between St. Thomas' Hospital and Lambeth Palace, each person holding the hand of the person next to them. As a few people attached yellow ribbons to the railings by parliament they were immediately instructed by the police to remove them.
For the last eight months Julian Assange, who is being held in the maximum security Belmarsh Prison, has been kept completely isolated and without visitors, except for his lawyers. He been detained in appalling conditions and the former UN Special Rapporteur on torture, Neils Melzer, commented in 2019 that Assange showed 'all the symptoms typical for prolonged exposure to psychological torture,' adding that 'what we have seen from the UK Government is outright contempt for Mr Assange's rights and integrity.'
www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2019/11/un-expert-torture...
The United States wants to extradite Julian Assange to the United States on a supposed charge of espionage. However, Assange's real crime is that he revealed US and Western war crimes in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. As the founder and chief editor of Wikileaks he has provoked Washington's fury by the publication of US Army intelligence files leaked by Chelsea Manning in 2010 as well as subsequent revelations which have embarrassed the American establishment, including Democratic Party emails which showed how senior officials in the party's national committee favoured Hilary Clinton over the more progressive and radical Bernie Sanders.
Former Home Secretary Priti Patel signed off on the extradition request earlier in the year, but that order is currently being appealed by Assange's lawyers, who are awaiting a decision by the High Court on whether they will agree to hear it.
As far as I understand it, the remit of the appeal has been restricted to examining the United States' claimed legal promises on how Assange will be treated, rather than to the wider issues of freedom of speech, the CIA plot to assassinate him, the extent to which the evidence against him has obviously been fabricated or as to whether his treatment in Belmarsh Prison has amounted to torture.
The former Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, attended Saturday's protest, as did the former leader of Unite, Len McLuskey, the independent (former Labour Party MP) Claudia Webbe, the comedian and actor Russel Brand and Mr Assange's wife, Stella. According to the Morning Star and the Evening Standard, Corbyn said
"I would say to MPs of any party, you're there to represent democracy and rights. That's what you sign up for. If Julian Assange is extradited, it will set forth fear among other journalists of doing anything to expose the truth. It becomes self-censorship of journalists all around the world. They'll say, 'hang, on, I'm not touching that, look what happened to Julian Assange.'"
morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/thousands-gather-human-...
www.standard.co.uk/news/london/russell-brand-julian-assan...
If Assange is convicted in the United States on the charges of espionage for exposing US war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as other wrongdoing by the United States and other governments, he faces up to 175 years in prison. Two days after the protest, it was reported that Assange had contracted covid.
Happy Rezz Day to Me!
________________________________________________
- Happy Rezz Day to Me! The longest committed relationship I’ve ever been in is the one I have with my @secondlife avatar. 15 years ago I saw people fighting over land on an episode of Judge Judy and I had to try it out. Over the years we’ve been on again and off again. I’ve been through countless heartbreaks, scandals and name changes 😂 I went from embarrassed to tell people I played to a successful content creator. Along the way I’ve forged so many life changing relationships and friendships and I’m so grateful for those people. Without Second Life, my real life would be so boring LOL so here’s to 15 and 15 more! As long as SL’s around, I will be too!
________________________________________________
georgia hair by punklist - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/PUNKLIST/161/132/2506
hermosa hairbase and bangs by studio exposure - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Stone%20Diamond/123/128/20
ziva earrings by yorke - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Valhalla%20Estates%20Manag...
tahir latex dress by rowne - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Rowne/89/107/2006
party balloons (round balloons, tinted by me) by bijou - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/BIJOU%20BLUE/91/113/24
gigi balloons (number balloons, tinted by me) by legna - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dream%20Lake/91/113/24
Well I tried to do some Portraits of this group this year, and I did them in B&W as it fits their motif. This is my first time doing a portrait session like this, so I am grateful for the chance to do this.
Strobist info:
ISO 200
f 4
Shutter 1/10th
Ambient light to the right, a Canon 480 EXII flash to the left with a Firefly Softbox fired using a Hahnel Trigger.
Spanish postcard in the Hollywood (California) series. Photo: Universal International.
American actress and singer Barbara Bates (1925-1969) was best known for her role as Phoebe, the slyly manipulative fan of stage actress Anne Baxter in the closing scene of All About Eve (1950). She also played Clifron Webb and Myrna Loy's daighter Ernestine in the popular Fox-family comedy Cheaper by the Dozen (1950), and its sequel, Belles on Their Toes (1952). Bates committed suicide at the age of 43.
Barbara Jane Bates was born in Denver, Colorado, in 1925. She was the eldest of three daughters of Eva I. and Arthur W. Bates, a postal clerk. While growing up in Denver, she studied ballet and worked as a teen fashion model. The shy teen was persuaded to enter a local beauty contest and won, receiving two round-trip train tickets to Hollywood, California. Two days before returning to Denver, Bates met Cecil Coan, a United Artists publicist. This altered the course of her life forever. In September 1944, 19 year old Bates signed a contract with Universal Pictures after Coan introduced her to producer Walter Wanger. Soon after, she was cast as one of the 'Seven Salome Girls' in the drama, Salome Where She Danced (Charles Lamont, 1945) starring Yvonne De Carlo. When in 1944, a Yank outfit in Luxembourg reportedly declared that soldiers were fed up on pinup pictures of starlets, she and colleague Kathleen O’Malley demanded proof. Costumed for their parts in Salome, Where She Danced, they put the question by holding up a sign that read: “Are G.I.s Tired of Us?” Around this time, she fell in love with the much older Coan, who was married with two sons and two daughters. In March 1945, Coan divorced his wife Helen Coan and secretly married Bates days later. She was 19, he 45. Bates spent the next few years as a stock actress, landing bit parts in films and doing cheesecake layouts for magazines like Yank, the Army Weekly and Life. It was one of those photo sessions that caught the eye of talent executive Solly Baiano at Warner Bros. who signed her in 1947. Warner Bros. highlighted her 'girl-next-door' image and her acting career took off. She appeared with some of the biggest stars of the day including Bette Davis in the comedy June Bride (Bretaigne Windust, 1948) and Danny Kaye in The Inspector General (Henry Koster, 1949)). In 1949, Bates's contract with Warner Bros. was terminated when she refused to go to New York City to promote The Inspector General. Despite being fired by Warner Brothers, she quickly signed a contract with 20th Century-Fox later that year.
In late 1949, Barbara Bates auditioned for the small role of Phoebe in Fox's upcoming All About Eve (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1950). In competition for the part was Zsa Zsa Gabor and others, but Bates impressed the producers and was given the part. She made a short but important appearance as the devious schemer, Phoebe, at the end of the film. Bates's image is enshrined in the film's last scene, posing in front of a three-way mirror, while holding the award won by her idol Eve Harrington, played by Anne Baxter. This memorable final scene left critics and audiences intrigued by the young actress, who they thought would star in a sequel to All About Eve. The Hollywood Reporter said of her performance, "Barbara Bates comes on the screen in the last few moments to more or less sum up the whole action and point of the story. It's odd that a bit should count for so much, and in the hands of Miss Bates all the required points are fulfilled." After her appearance in All About Eve, Bates co-starred in Cheaper by the Dozen (Walter Lang, 1950) with Clifton Webb, and its sequel Belles on Their Toes (Henry Levin, 1950), with Jeanne Crain and Myrna Loy. In 1951, she tests for the ballet dancer role in Charles Chaplin’s Limelight. Chaplin conducts the test himself, is very pleased with her performance, and offers her the part. But because of Chaplin's political beliefs, Fox vetoes the offer, and the part goes to Claire Bloom. Bates landed a role opposite MacDonald Carey and Claudette Colbert in the comedy Let's Make It Legal (Richard Sale, 1951). She co-starred with Donna Reed as the love interests of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in the hit comedy The Caddy (Norman Taurog, 1953).
Despite a seemingly successful career, Barbara Bates's life, both on and off screen, started unravelling. She became a victim of extreme mood swings, insecurity, ill health, and chronic depression. In 1954, she won the role of Cathy on the NBC sitcom It's a Great Life, co-starring Frances Bavier as her mother, Amy Morgan, and James Dunn as her uncle, Earl Morgan. After 26 episodes, she was written out of the show due to her erratic behavior, depression and instability. Bates and her Svengali-like husband Coen, who made all of Barbara's decisions for her, tried to salvage her career. They travelled to England to find work, where Coen became publicity director at United Artist's London office. Barbara was signed on as a contract player with the Rank Organisation, only to be replaced in two leading roles before filming began. Bates continued to be too emotionally unstable to work and in 1957, her contract with the Rank Organisation was cancelled. Upon returning to the United States in 1957, Bates and her husband got an apartment in Beverly Hills. Later that year, Bates made her last film, Apache Territory (Ray Nazzaro, 1958) starring Rory Calhoun. She then appeared in two television commercials, one for floor wax and another endorsing a now unknown product with Buster Keaton. In 1960, Bates's husband Cecil Coan was diagnosed with cancer. Bates put her career on hold to care for her ailing husband. The strain eventually became too much for her. She attempted suicide by slashing her wrists and was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Hospital where she soon recovered. She made her final onscreen appearance in an episode of The Saint (1962). In 1967, Bates's husband Cecil Coan died of cancer. Devastated by his death, Bates's depression worsened and she again became suicidal. Later that year, she returned to Denver and fell out of public view. For a time, Bates worked as a secretary, as a dental assistant, and as a hospital aide. In 1968 she married for the second time: to a childhood friend, sportscaster William Reed. Despite her new marriage and location, Bates remained increasingly despondent and depressed. On 18 March 1969, just months after her marriage to Reed, Barbara Bates committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning on the front seat of her Volkswagen in the sealed garage of her mother's suburban Denver home. Reportedly she was pregnant. Bates was 43 years old. She is buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Jefferson County, Colorado.
Sources: Hal Erickson (AllMovie), Gary Brumburgh (IMDb), Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen, Wikipedia and IMDb.
I am committed to viewing every one of your posts that I have missed. It will take me a while to catch up but I will catch up! I have missed all of you and thank you for your patience.
First one of 9 Combat Jumpers exiting the DC3 D-Day Doll airplane during the 2014 Wings over Camarillo Airshow. This guy even has a smile on his face!
Handheld pan shot from the ground.
This lone bird has committed to join flock feeding on the flattened corn is this field. Lots of flight action occurs in the early morning and late evening hours. The birds here are in continual movement between their feeding grounds and roost areas. Many flights are singles like with this bird, but they also often travel on short hops in small groups. The larger gatherings are generally for the intended longer flights or, perhaps when the entire feeding flock is spooked by something like a coyote attack.
IMG_9094; Sandhill Crane
BASICS: Nevada Youth Training Center, Elko, NV. Rated at 110 beds. At time of visit there were 91 kids there, all male. NYTC is a rural facility, with 30-25 acres next to the highway. Average length of stay is 6.5 months. Levels are defined by uniforms. The kids are taken out to clear trails in Lemoille canyon. The director, Joe Payne, says they love it.
PICTURED: youths lining up to go to lunch in a cafeteria. The orange jumpsuits designate flight risks.
If I was David Noton (or any seriously committed photographer) I would stay in a particular place (sometimes for up to 2 weeks at a time) to wait for the right light/conditions, in order to take away the image I came for. Unfortunately I cannot afford this luxury, I don't even have any holiday days left to take. So instead I have to do these day trips and rely on luck and hope the conditions are favourable. It usually turns out though that this is not the case and here is a classic example.
I went with the intention of shooting the Old Pier at Swanage, only to find to my horror an ugly landing stage in front of it spoiling the shot. Furthermore, the 'promised' stormy grey skies that would have made for some decent long exposures evaporated into nothingness.
This then is nothing more than a token shot from my day in Swanage, a beautiful place but for photography it was a waste of time. I came away with nothing but a disappoined camera and a fluffy toy rabbit I won in the amusement arcade.
If only I could live near these places, it might help.
Committed to Lomography Babylon using a Leica M3 and 50 mm Summicron dual-range lens. Developed using Ars-Imago R9 (rodinal) 1:99 in a semi-stand process for 80 minutes and scanned with an Epson V850 using Silverfast. Positive conversion and contrast done with Negative Lab Pro.
I was committed to taking members of my family to Weymouth today but did warn that I may want to go out to do some rail images beforehand. RTT's description of this intrigued me enough to venture out after my daytime sleep. I was initially disappointed by this but then thought it not a normal sight for this location.
Committed to expired Fujifilm Superia 100 using a Leica M6 and 28 mm Summicron ASPH lens. Developed using a C-41 kit from Ars-Imago and scanned using an Epson V850 using Silverfast. Positive conversion, colour and levels done with Negative Lab Pro.
This wasp committed himself to the Southern Baptist tradition of total immersion. I thought he was extinct. He might have been a lapsed Episcopalian. I flipped him out of the baptismal font with an olive fork. He shook his wings and flew for home. He was lucky that I was sipping Argentinian torrontes and not Mexican
tequila!
The wooden bangle like ornament worn on the feet of the Indian tribal lady or Lambadi. It symbolizes the woman is taken or committed.
Stagecoach have committed 50 buses to the Open Championship at Muirfield. Large fields are used as car parks and Stagecoach provide the shuttle service to Muirfield . In addition Drem Station car park becomes a bus station for the week of the event. The operation seems to run very smoothly with all the Stagecoach staff in good spirits and even the odd barbecue set up for lunch ( a few of the drivers had singed eyebrows) Stagecoach seem to rise to these occasions and the old Olympians sounded great even the scruffy ones. Well done Stagecoach .
committed to closing the 365 day circle for the photo a day crowd, by taking macros of insects, the occasional landscape, weird angles on architecture, playful poses of toys, looking you in the eye self-portraits, boats on the river or reckless tosses of the camera
A mountain goat kid makes a daring leap across a divide in Badlands National Park. He made it but just barely. He landed on the small outcropping I noted, lost his grip and almost didn't make it. A collective gasp was let out by the dozen or so photographers that saw it. But he regained his footing and jumped to where the other kid is walking.
Hine, Lewis Wickes,, 1874-1940,, photographer.
Oscar Revinsky(?) - Born Jan. 11, 1900, 15 years old - 99 Oak Grove Ave. A scavenger on Pine St. Dump. Case known to S.P.C.C. (record No. 4322) since 1910. In 1913 parents refused to let child be committed to Wrentham, Mass. In 1916 father came to office asking that boy be committed as he spent all his time on the dumps. Deficient mentality. Neck covered with scars and boils. "No work - no school" since 1912. Never cleans up. Doesn't go home to meals. Eats from dump and steals from dinner pails. Hard for him to tell where he lives. Thought 92 Oak Grove Ave. Was in baby grade at Ruggles School and was expelled. "Is father alive?" "No, he's a milkman." Fall River, Mass. 6/22/16. Location: Fall River, Massachusetts
1916 June 22.
1 photographic print.
Notes:
Title from NCLC caption card.
In album: Miscellaneous.
Hine no. 4322.
For reference access, please use the digital item to preserve the fragile original item.
Credit line: National Child Labor Committee collection, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.
Forms part of: National Child Labor Committee collection.
Subjects:
Boys.
Scavenging.
Refuse disposal.
Mentally disabled children.
United States--Massachusetts--Fall River.
Format: Photographic prints.
Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication. For information see: "National Child Labor Committee (Lewis Hine photographs)," hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/res.097.hine
Repository: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print
Part Of: National Child Labor Committee collection (DLC) 2004674308
General information about the National Child Labor Committee collection is available at: hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.nclc
Higher resolution image is available (Persistent URL): hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/nclc.05080
Call Number: LOT 7483, v. 2, no. 4322
Jeremiah 2:13 NIV
“My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living
water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
Two-way lineman Justin Young from Grayson High School & committed to play for the University of Georgia in 2015. Shot for the Gwinnett Daily Post as apart of their Super Six series, which highlights top recruits entering their senior year.
You can read more about him here:
www.gwinnettprepsports.com/news/2014/aug/19/super-six-foo...
Strobist info:
• SB700 shot through a snoot (Rogue-brand) directly in front of his face.
• (2) SB600's with green filters shot through 24x24 gridded softboxes directly behind the subject from the left & right side.
Website: www.kylehessphotography.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kylehessphotography
Instagram: instagram.com/kylehess10
Our burning bush got too large for it's space and we had to get rid of it. Last summer we bought a tiny new one and planted it in a space where it can grow to its heart content. During the winter we discovered the rabbits were enjoying this tender new plant a little too much! Fortunately, it looks like it's going to be resilient and continue to grow despite the major crime committed by the neighborhood bunnies. :)
Ah! The infamous, Zipper! Meet California's most notorious criminal; one who goes above and beyond to fulfill his filthy duties, ranging from physical violence to downright thievery and, in many cases, murder! The thug-for-hire with direct connections to Eric Raymond and the Misfits. If you're not speaking green cha-ching, then you're not speaking his language. A complete louse when it comes to most criminal activity, Zipper always has one foot out the door and, when he fails a mission, two revved up and ready to dash. This snake constantly shows his love for dirty cash and also acts as the handler for Eric's underhanded affairs - examining, counting and stacking the figures all without a lick of common sense rattling around in his empty head. Zipper is a typical guttersnipe who craves danger, and he does not mind demonstrating such action as he did, when he crashed his way onto the scene, in 1985, during “The Beginning.” Ole' Zip committed his first crime against Jem and the Holograms one night by breaking into the Starlight Foster House with the intent to spook the Holograms, but the assignment ended in the fiery destruction of their home! As the smoke grew out of control, Zipper ran off avoiding charges for arson. His next attack went tick, tick, BOOM, in “Disaster”...um, need I say more?! Howard E. Sands gave Jerrica and the Holograms the greenlight to move into Starlight Mansion after the tragic loss of their foster house, and they explored every inch of the luxurious manor, alongside Rio who reminded them that the photographers for their special magazine layout on new Rock groups were waiting outside. A few seconds after the photogs arrival, the remaining members of their styling team had just walked through the security gates...and that's when Zipper made his move by appearing from inside the bushes, creeping along the steel gate, and slithering directly behind Jem's dream team with only his duffel bag and a pair of rad Ray-Ban shades to disguise his bloodshot eyes. The venomous cobra moved fast into the servants quarters where he unwrapped a 2-pack of dynamite and stashed them under the cushions of the couch, all while Jem and the Holograms were out front posing for their photoshoot. After destroying Howard's property, and not to mention endangering the lives of the Starlight girls who were still inside, Zipper waited for Eric to distract the news reporters by lying about the blast, and then he peeled out of there on foot. Life was beginning to look up for the pink-haired entertainer, during “Kimber's Rebellion”, and she had finally experienced her first taste of international fame. It's somewhat true that adventure equals danger, and trouble was carved in granite as Zipper worked side by side with Eric on a plan to follow the women to Paris to decimate their video shoot for “Twilight in Paris!” The second he arrived, he went HARD at trying to kill the Pop stars, first by striking out with his failed attempt to kidnap Kimber, and then batting a home run by dropping a statue of stone from 20 stories above down to the ground where the musicians were acting out a scene for video pioneer, Anthony Julian! When the menace of mayhem realized he had been spotted from below, he made a break for the airport and escaped Paris unscathed and unfazed. He had the hook-up in “Frame Up”, and left no room for mistakes. Following the direction of Eric, and with the help of the Misfits, he planted a safe full of money from both bands' Las Vegas concert inside Jem's tour bag. He then transferred the operation over to the Misfits who sent in the police to search her dressing room! Even though he's strictly a one-man show, Zipper works real well with two or more players as was the deal, in “Battle of the Bands”, when he teamed up with Eric's goons to hold Jem and the Holograms hostage at the old Starlight Drive-In, leaving the girls no choice but to forfeit the Battle of the Bands competition to the Misfits who swore that they were “Takin' it All!” Time was winding down and Jem's back was against the wall, but she wasn't going to allow those undeserving rockers to win by default, so she made a break for the exit and escaped. Primed for some good ole' rock 'em sock 'em action, Zipper chased her down on his motorcycle and dragged her back to the abandoned hideout! Then Jem did what came naturally; she held her star earring between her fingers and conjured up holographic illusions of wild tigers, exit doors, and an entire field full of police cars to psych him out. The illusions worked for a second, but once he realized they were false images, he proceeded to snatch Kimber by the arm and pull her back as she and the others tried to run away. Eventually, sirens and lights went off in the distance, and this time, there were NO holographic illusions to see as a REAL army of police cars arrived to the scene and arrested Zipper and his twisted cohorts. Los Angeles' infamous convict switched things up, in “The World Hunger Shindig”, after finally fleeing from the hard-knock life of mugshots, mushy food and cold jail cells, and deciding to dye his hair black to blend in with his surroundings. Now, with a darker, more mysterious appearance, he accepted his first assignment: to get rid of Jem and the Holograms! The next day of the Shindig, Jerrica felt that Jem deserved a break, so she joined her girls in an hour of outdoor activities with Sean Harrison, and spent a few minutes of relaxation in preparation for the big concert. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, Sean was contacted over the phone to handle business, so he hopped on his horse and waved goodbye. Shortly after waving him off, the Pop superstars were ambushed by Zipper and his band of cowboys who appeared from the woods with scarves around their mouths, cowboy hats, and shotguns, and forced them to walk the trail of a ravine! Jerrica knew she needed to act promptly, so she and Kimber cooked up a topper that was sure to foil Zips plan. As they continued down the rocky path to their doom, Kimber suddenly fell to the ground and faked a foot injury, while Jerrica called on Synergy to project a flash flood that frightened the s**t out of Zipper and his pals, sending them running in the opposite direction with their tails between their legs. It pained him to call Eric on the phone and admit defeat, but he managed with a promise to take care of everything the night of the concert, at the Astrodome. Fans came pouring in from different countries and tumbled over to the ticket booth where the money-hungry maniac sat while skimming the booth off the books as fans paid him face to face for their tickets. He wanted to keep the cash close by, so he placed it all inside a suitcase and stored it deep within the vent in Eric's room. Well, it just so happened that Jem and the Holograms had escaped from a storage room that they were locked in by climbing out through the vent and crawling along the open shaft to safety. Eventually, they made their way past Eric's office where they overheard the two crooks discussing their part in stealing the proceeds and their plan to sabotage the Pop stars' performance. Jem wasted no time apprehending the suitcase of cash and followed the path all the way up to a trapdoor at the top of the stage where she and the Holograms stood awaiting their introduction from Synergy. Though heights weren't exactly his cup of tea (mixed with rum lol), Zipper didn't allow the situation to slow him down from getting what was due, so he moved as quick as a rat in pursuit of the doe and arrived at the same spot situated above the audience. As he peeked out from inside the vent, he actually tried to steal the money back from Jem by reaching over and grabbing the suitcase, but she used her foot to slide it over to where she stood. He wasn't concerned about being recognized until a spotlight from the stage shined on his face, proving that what you do in the dark will eventually come to light! Moving forward, Zipper was skating on thin ice, in “Last Resorts”, when Eric paid him to climb the tower of a ski lift to unhinge the bolts on the walking beam that supports the sheave wheels, at Rick Franklin's resort, just minutes before Jem and her band hopped aboard! The incident left Shana and Jem suspended from their seat and in fear for their lives! Then, on the day of the ski race, which was a competition Eric suggested to Rick pitting the Misfits against Jem and the Holograms, Zipper decided to decorate the top of a pine tree with HIMSELF so that he could send out one last signal below to his three troops, all of whom arranged a maze of accidents to prevent the girls from winning the race. You would think this time he'd have better luck escaping the avalanche of penalties or that maybe it missed him by a hair, but that would be simplicity at its finest, and he's not fortunate enough to afforded that luxury. As usual, the entire operation failed with Eric losing his resort to Rick, the silver he hid in a cave, and his pride! As for Zipper, he was wrangled up along with his three allies and then turned over to the boys in blue. With all his past troubles haunting him in California, it was now time for a change of scenery, so he traveled to Venice, Italy, free of charge...but it wasn't to take a vacation. Eric and the Misfits were already on their way over to compete in a Rock fashion contest and needed extra help to liberate the superstars of their prizewinning outfits. So Zipper packed his blue jumpsuit and combat boots to complete his work, but he didn't need them for his first attack, anyway, just a few extra bucks to pick up a disguise as an oarsmen and to rent a gondola, the same gondola that was expected to escort Shana across the water with her designs. He kept his eyes on the prize as the purple-haired percussionist entered the boat to take a seat. Then he swiped the long capsule that housed her work and bounced out of the boat and onto the next like a frog out of water, finally landing in the Misfits' speedboat where the capsule hit the clutch and sent all four offenders coasting on top of the water and back around to Shana's gondola, almost taking her out of more than just the competition! Eager for a breather, Zipper and the Misfits arrived at the hotel room and were pumped up from their heist. Zipper handed Pizzazz the cylindrical capsule with confidence that he achieved his goal of grand theft, but when she opened it, she discovered a few doodles that belonged to Starlight teen, Ashley, who later admitted to Shana and the others that she brought along her artwork to commingle with the star designer's portfolio of fashions. Eric huffed and puffed and blew his top, while Pizzazz quipped that he'd been duped. The situation didn't sit right with Zipper. Was he having an off day?! Was he not at the top of his game?! Whatever problem he had, he made sure not to dwell on it for too long because his second attempt was moments away and it required his lengthy rope and duffel bag, both of which he carefully packed. The goof then hoofed over to Countess Danielle du Voisin's palazzo, where Shana was staying, to burglarize her estate by hoisting himself to the top of the building, shimmying down through the skylight to grab all four outfits, then pulling himself back up again to the top of the roof. On his way back to the hotel, he covered a wide stretch of ground while grimacing madly with an ego the size of Alcatraz. The thought of getting away with such a pricey task of smash-n-grab was almost too exciting for his heart to handle. So one can only imaging how he felt when he realized that all of his hard work put forth was for nothing, and it was all on account of the Misfits who, in the end, lost the contest to Jem and her fab sisters. However, the excursion didn't turn out so bad for Eric whose trip to Italy was actually considered an overdue vacation. And with the large bonus Zipper received from his boss, he used half the money for tickets to Huey Lewis & the News' ‘86 concert tour. I do believe that's what you call a win-win lol! Barely a month had gone by “In Search of the Stolen Album”, and he was overcome with a strong desire to commit a crime. The timing couldn't have been better, either, because Eric needed assistance with gaining possession of Jem and the Holograms' master tape for their chart-topping smash hit, “There's a Melody Playing”, so that the Misfits could dub their own lyrics over the melody and bump them off the charts. Since his recent court case was still pending, Zipper was forced to operate incognito. So, once again, he threw on his hooded sweatsuit and sprinted over to Eric's low rent shack where he climbed through the window while ducking under a set of trashy blinds to find the self-proclaimed record producer sleeping on a flee-infested sofa! After Eric awoke from a deep slumber, he explained the lowdown on what he needed, and added that there would be a generous bonus cash reward for stealing the tape. Zipper's eyes circled swiftly like two slot machines, and with his lucky lasso wrapped around his body, he rolled like dice across town to Starlight Music Studios where he leaped through the back window, clicked on his flashlight, rustled the master tape, along with a pile of sheet music, dumped everything in his satchel, then vamoosed! Big, bad Pizzazz thought she covered her tracks, but Jem sure hit her where it hurt the most by driving to Flash Recording Studios and switching their master tapes. Shortly after, four major record companies were in line to hear the Misfits' so-called new album at a press conference inside Gabor Mansion, but the tape Jem replaced earlier that day was with a recording for French lessons instead. The false feeling of confidence was high and heavy in that room, but, after several interviews with the media, and posing for the cameras, the Misfits were left standing in disgrace lol! The cash bonus was enough to boast about to his fellow thugs, but to avoid additional charges and the slammer, Zipper quickly zipped out of sight. Another crime that he so proudly brags about occurred during “Hot Time in Hawaii”, when he trained the Misfits in the art of cheating for the Battle of the Music Stars competition, in Honolulu. Zipper promised the Misfits that they wouldn't have to do anything LEGAL to prepare for the contest. And that was the precise moment when he unveiled the special equipment he rigged for each Misfit, beginning with his first secret weapon: an electromagnetic switch on the handlebar of Roxy's bike that controlled a sharp drill from inside the spokes of her tires! He then supplied Pizzazz with a flexible, spring-poppin' pole that would catapult her as high as a palm tree for her pole vault competition. And Stormer was provided a pair of track shoes with booster springs attached to the outsoles. His dirtiest trick, however, went down during Kimber's swim practice in the ocean, when he attacked her with a fake metal shark that he controlled from the beach. He needed to keep her from competing in the freestyle and backstroke events, which she was sure to win, but he preferred wiping her clean out of the competition all together. So he cranked up the power on his controller and chased the talented keyboardist through the water, almost devouring her with his dangerous contraption! When she survived his test, he then turned to his usual hands-on approach by kidnapping her and placing her inside a live volcano! Back on the field, the crowd was treated to the Misfits' performance of prolific achievements in each event, but the entertainers slowly lost their grip during the tug of war competition, when Jem, Kimber and Shana gained leverage of the rope and sent them belly-flopping into the mud where they surfaced looking like three mini Chewbaccas lol! Zipper sensed trouble and began to haul a**, but before he knew it, he was tackled by the Holograms' training coach, Steve, and suffered a one-two straight to the face before taking a header into the mud bath with his three glamazons. More trouble awaited the four bamboozlers at the athletics office, where the Misfits were disqualified for cheating, and Zipper was apprehended and carted off to jail for kidnapping! Why Rio never snatched him by the throat early in the series beats the hell out of me. What I find most shocking, though, is the fact that he never appeared on America's Most Wanted, along with Clash lol! The most treacherous incidental character in Jem, bar none! However, it's a well-known fact that the incidental characters in the show are all very important to the story, each equipped with personality, emotion, and an overall purpose for existing. And when it comes to every incidental character who has EVER appeared in Jem, this monster here stands heads above the crowd, and that's no compliment! But again, every character is special in his/her own way and have all etched their mark in Jem history. Unfortunately, in this case, my sentiment does not exclude careered criminals. Having said that, I will go on record and admit that Zipper is absolutely essential to Jem! Not only was he present during the first season, but he was the sole reason for Jem's jump from small estate to the luxurious, mega Starlight Mansion. Now, while it's safe to say that he will not receive any accolades for his vile behavior anytime soon, there's one reasonable question that remains: Could he be considered the inner core of the show? After all, Zipper represents three important elements to Jem: action, adventure, and death-defying danger! He sure seems to cover the action-packed aspect all on his own, and his resumé (hit list) speaks for itself.
Zipper was never planned during the heyday of Jem, so it's real nice to have him now! Even though he has a limited bio and only appeared in a handful of episodes, I still feel that Integrity could have chosen a few dangerous items that he carries in the show and incorporated them with this set. That's my only problem with this doll and his set, there's not enough to go by, and it feels rather bland! On the other side of the token, I'm floored at the sight of him. Give me flocked black hair any day! It worked for Anthony Julian, and it works for Zipper as well. Initially, I was excited about his new face sculpt, so excited, in fact, that I keep lifting him up near my eyes to closely examine the details. His outfit surprised me from day one: black leather moto jacket with his trademark logo on the back, which is a great surprise! For myself, I'd say that the style of the pockets and the zipper (both wrists included) are my favorite features! Hell, just the fact that he actually has a black leather jacket excites me! Add his tight, white “grease lightning” Hanes teeshirt and blue Levi 501 denim jeans to the mix and you have a cross between Danny and Kenickie from Rydell High lol! Zipper's second outfit is a dark blue sweatsuit used for more suitable occasions, like ducking, diving, running, rolling, or rope-climbing up and down the glass structure of Starlight Music. And to do this successfully, he tightens the laces on his shiny black combat boots, provided inside, and wraps them three times around the boot itself in double knots. Integrity added a pair of dark socks with slippery material to make it easier when squeezing his feet inside his rugged footwear, because it's no easy task—believe that! Everything's perfect with this set. Having said that, I'm still in shock at the absence of his accessories! Sorry, but one item is bogus for a doll like this. Sure, the black rope was a nice addition, but a rather typical choice. Integrity's Design Team would have been better off throwing all caution to the wind and going BIG with his accessories, say, a set of binoculars, ransom note, floor plans and escape plans, or a flashlight, grappling hook, spiked bat, 2X4 of wood, gasoline can...oops, did I hint at too many bright ideas?!
In all honesty, I am extremely happy to see this man in doll form. No more pondering what he'd look like as a fashion doll because the real deal is here and he's fire! Zipper was one out of a few dolls on my wish list that I considered crucial to the entire doll line and, after the debut of Graphix, I was confident that he'd see the light of day. Besides, within the world of Jem, the villains are just as important as their rivals. So, despite his shortcomings, and record-breaking rap sheet, I'm honored to welcome this felon into my Jem and the Holograms/Misfits doll collection! ☠
Since 9/11 the number of crimes committed daily by America's corporations & politicians has increased so dramatically that no one - & no single agency - is able to feel adequately informed. During this era of runaway mob scheming & proliferation I've read 25 & usually more serious news articles daily, which is the minimum number that must be examined & absorbed to enable more than a glimmer of the magnitude & scope of the criminality.
In the early months of George W. Bush's institutionalization of Federal Government as Mob Operation it was apparent that the people of the nation were under the spell of a psychopathic cult leader who, unlike the usual religious con men - say, Jim Jones, David Koresh, L. Ron Hubbard, Ayn Rand or the convicted felon, Joseph Smith - had at his disposal & command the whole vast apparatus of the empire's instruments for social control, including the police, army, legal system, churches, news press & television media. And of course the oligarchs & their executives (Bush's peers by birthright) were anxious to steal all that they could while the taking was easy ... & very easy it became, & very easy it still is.
Habeas corpus was taken away from us, as was posse comitatus. The Watergate criminal, ex-Admiral John Poindexter, was appointed to create Total Information Awareness, a DARPA program designed to spy on all citizens at all hours, which when public outcries arose against it was disbanded but instantly replaced here & there in various other government agencies, such as the CIA & NSA, in which agencies it grew like flies multiplying in a dung heap, as indeed it continues to do, most recently with drones supplied to local police forces, able to identify & track a milk carton from 60,000 feet above the earth. Again, under Mob Boss Bush, the capitalists joined in, & we became & are still spied upon by our telephone & internet servers, & banks, which collect & dispense the history of our once private individual activities & behaviors from birth to our death. Cameras serving police record our passage from Starbuck's to Sears. Like all people caught up in cults, we came to believe that all of this is as it must & should be, & we silently conform to it, as do trained dogs to their masters.
The deep function of what has happened is this: The wages we receive & the taxes we pay must all be instantly given up to the superrich. Our physical health is a commodity owned by the superrich, not us. Likewise, our welfare is owned by the aristocrats, not by us. In a few short years, for instance, student debt was made to exceed the nation's credit card debt - our children, in other words, were sold into debt peonage, & this is enforced by new law that says the children must pay it even after filing bankruptcy, & even in old age by garnishment from Social Security income. And of course there has been & will be no let up in the quest of the superrich to own Social Security, which surely they will in the near future unless a people's government is somehow - repeat, somehow - created.
As Thomas Frank has explained, a college graduate can no longer pursue his or her intellectual dream, such as becoming a teacher, artist or journalist committed to discovering & telling the truth, because student debt & laws enforcing payment compel immediate entrance into the empire's mainstream occupations, where the objectives to be pursued are the properties of others, not of oneself. Thus our children are now born into bonded servitude, for which on the whole wages are pitiful & increasingly buy little more than necessities.
All great institutions in the empire assure us that all of this criminality is necessary for two reasons: One, immensely determined evil external & internal personages are out to destroy our country, & we must surrender all of our civil rights & wealth in order to survive; & Two, alas alas, our nation has no money, & so must sell all of the people's assets & public services to the superrich. Well ... please, the first reason does not survive the briefest review of its merit, & let me not bother anyone with further words about it. And the second reason is equally preposterous, because the United States prints its own money, & under Obama did so to the tune of two trillion dollars given by the Federal Reserve to its clients, the big banks (which naturally did not, have not & will not do anything socially responsible with it). No economist who is committed to an understanding not of capitalist dogma, but rather to the truth of what was very well learned during & consequent to previous severe economic demand crises, such as the one we are now in, believes that 'shrinking government' is anything other than a vicious, irresponsible policy devised by & for the sole benefit of aristocrat thieves & their sociopathic politicians. Economics, after all, is a science, & as such its method & conclusions are dependent upon the collection & interpretation of empirical data, not any of which does in fact or in the least support shrinking government during a demand crisis. Indeed, the only agency known to be capable of or potentially possessed of the will to end such crises is a nation's government.
But all good sense is lost upon cultists, who will do anything to secure life in death, a clear clear E-meter reading, a galaxy to be an eternal god of with one's dead wife, morality in selfishness, up in down, straight in crooked, or - now - an American in Washington, DC (or in Dallas or Tombstone or any other city or town).
-----------
Hope Burning
Posted on May 30, 2012
By Robert Scheer
EXCERPTS: Obama as the cool triggerman is an image useful to White House operatives as they buff the president’s persona for the coming election. But what it reveals is the mindset of a political cynic whose seductive words cloak the moral indifference of a methodical executioner. Forget Harry Truman, who obliterated the civilian populations of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, or Lyndon Johnson, who carpet-bombed millions in Vietnam. The Democrats have got themselves another killer, one whose techniques are as devastatingly effective, but brilliantly refined.
The story obviously was planted in The New York Times to benefit the Obama political campaign.
.... Pfc. Bradley Manning was held for many months in solitary confinement for allegedly disclosing information of far lower security classification. The difference is that the top secrets in the news article are ones the president wants leaked in the expectation they will burnish his “tough on terrorism” credentials. This is clearly not the Obama whom many voted for in the hope that he would stick by his word, including the pledge he made on his second day in office to ban brutal interrogation and close the prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. “What the new president did not say was that the orders contained a few subtle loopholes,” the Times now reports concerning the early promises by Obama. “They reflected a still unfamiliar Barack Obama, a realist who, unlike some of his fervent supporters, was never carried away by his own rhetoric.”
Parse that sentence carefully to learn much of what is morally decrepit in our journalism as well as politics. The word “realist” is now identical to “hypocrite,” and the condemnation of immoral behavior addresses nothing more than “rhetoric” that only the “fervent” would take seriously. The Times writers all but thrill to the lying, as in recounting the new president’s response to advisers who warned him against sticking to his campaign promises on Guantanamo prisoners: “The deft insertion of some wiggle words in the president’s order showed that the advice was followed.”
Please Continue to Full Text: www.truthdig.com/report/item/hope_burning_20120531/
###
Stagecoach have committed 50 buses to the Open Championship at Muirfield. Large fields are used as car parks and Stagecoach provide the shuttle service to Muirfield . In addition Drem Station car park becomes a bus station for the week of the event. The operation seems to run very smoothly with all the Stagecoach staff in good spirits and even the odd barbecue set up for lunch ( a few of the drivers had singed eyebrows) Stagecoach seem to rise to these occasions and the old Olympians sounded great even the scruffy ones. Well done Stagecoach .
CBPD is all about:
Committed to Exceptional Service
Building Community Partnerships
Professional in All Our Words and Deeds
Delivering a Safe and Secure Community
1:43 Gearbox Police Vehicles:
Chevrolet Impala
Cocoa Beach Police Department
Vehicle #14
City of Cocoa Beach, Brevard County, Florida, USA
#1stPix43LE
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO
For more info about the dioramas, check out the FAQ: 1stPix FAQ
1stPix Dioramas Instagram: 1stPix Dioramas on Instagram
1stPix Dioramas Facebook: 1stPix Dioramas Facebook
1stPix YouTube: 1stPix Dioramas on YouTube
During the 2010s, the Bolloré Group committed to financing an ambitious railway project spanning nearly 3,000 km, designed to link Benin to Côte d'Ivoire via Niger and Burkina Faso. Work began in Niger in 2014 with the construction of a section from Niamey to Dosso, intended to extend to the Benin border and on to Parakou. After a brief period of operation, the infrastructure was abandoned and subsequently fell into disrepair, suffering from embankment collapses in certain sections and the theft of rails.
Second-hand rolling stock was acquired in Switzerland from the Zentralbahn—a meter-gauge line operated by the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS)—to provide passenger transport in Benin, Niger, and Togo through BlueLine service. Niger also received two brand-new CC-type locomotives manufactured in Canada. All of this rolling stock is currently sitting idle.
The photo shows the Lomé railway station, built by the Bolloré Group, which is partially occupied by a police station. On the tracks, three Swiss carriages can be seen; they were hardly ever used, save for occasional trips with officials.
Durant les années 2010, le groupe Bolloré s'est engagé à financer un ambitieux projet de chemin de fer d'une longueur de près de 3 000 km, destiné à relier le Bénin à la Côte d'Ivoire en passant par le Niger et le Burkina Faso. En 2014, des travaux ont été entamés au Niger avec la construction d'un tronçon de Niamey à Dosso, qui devait se prolonger jusqu'à la frontière avec le Bénin et jusqu'à Parakou. Suite à une courte exploitation, l'infrastructure a été abandonnée puis dégradée avec l'effondrement du remblai sur certaines sections ou le vol des rails.
Du matériel roulant de seconde main a été acquis en Suisse auprès de la Zentralbahn, une ligne à voie métrique exploitée par les SBB-CFF-FFS, afin d’assurer le transport de passagers au Bénin, au Niger et au Togo, via le service BlueLine. Le Niger a également bénéficié de deux locomotives flambant neuves de type CC fabriquées au Canada. L'ensemble de ce matériel roulant est actuellement garé, inutilisé.
La photo montre la gare de Lomé, construite par le groupe Bolloré, partiellement occupée par un poste de police. Sur les voies, on dénombre trois voitures suisses qui n'ont quasiment jamais pu rouler en dehors de sorties avec les officiels.
Committed to expired Kodak Ektachrome 100 using a Hasselblad 503CX and 100 mm f3.5 lens. Developed using an E6 kit from Ars-Imago and scanned using an Epson V850 using Silverfast.
"Chinese socialism is founded upon Darwin and the theory of evolution." Mao Tse-tung (1893 – 1976). Kampf um Mao's Erbe (1977.)
Some of the famous atheists in the atheist Hall of Shame.
Stalin, Marx, Lenin, Kim Jong IL, Mao, Kim Jong Un, Pol Pot, Kruschev, Brezhnev, Honecker, Ceaușescu
Atheism proved itself, in the 20th century, to be the most horrendous, barbaric, murderous and criminal ideology the world has ever experienced. Countless millions suffered and died at the hands of this hideous ideology, they must never be forgotten.
The promised atheist/socialist utopia ... the idea of an atheist Heaven on Earth resulted in a diabolical Hell on Earth.
Who, but a complete idiot would want to resurrect such a monstrous, no-hope philosophy?
Present day, so-called 'new' (improved?) atheists (and communists) try to disassociate themselves from the disastrous record of the world's, first ever, official, atheist states, established in the great, atheist experiment of the 20th century.
But all the examples we have of official, atheist rule are horrendous. And, the tyranny still continues, wherever atheism is the dominant, ruling ideology, as in North Korea.
The ‘new’ atheists try to blame the 20th century’s persecution and brutality completely on communism. They claim it had nothing to do with atheism.
But, although communism is a disastrous economic system, there is no intrinsic reason why it should be brutal, or why it should hate religion, or why it should destroy churches and persecute and murder millions of Christians and people of other faiths.
That is the hallmark of atheist ideology, not of an economic system.
Communism is fatally flawed as an economic system. And, as it thrives on envy, class hatred and division, it is a an anathema to Christianity, and any other religion which preaches love for everyone. Consequently, it is the ideal bedfellow for atheism, but that is different from requiring an intrinsic hatred of God and religion as a matter of state, endorsed policy. That is essentially an atheist ideal.
If communists weren't atheists, why would they outlaw and attack all religion? Karl Marx, the founder of communism, hated religion, because he was also an atheist. He understood that communist, dialectic materialism, class war etc. is incompatible with most religions, so, it could be argued, that to be a bona fide communist, he also had be an atheist.
Lenin was a self-declared atheist who, together with his Soviet Bloc, atheist successors, tried to eliminate religion with brutal repression and wholesale murder.
Thus, history tells us that the atheist experiment has been tried and, from beginning to end, was a brutal and diabolical failure. The new atheists may say: “it's nothing to do with us gov.”
But who wants to risk such devastation again, by giving the atheist ideology another chance? Only a complete idiot would want to take that gamble.
However, it was only to be expected and it could easily have been predicted beforehand, that the inevitable result of atheism's lack of an absolute ethical or moral yardstick would be to wreak havoc on the world - and that is exactly what it did. .
Atheism hasn't changed at all in that respect, because it can't.
Atheism and secular humanism categorically reject the concept of intrinsic right and wrong. Therefore, the ephemeral values, moral relativism and situational ethics of atheism are the ideal recipe for abuse.
We can see from the belligerent, intolerant, rabble rousing rhetoric and anti-religious ranting of today's militant, new atheist zealots, that the leopard hasn't really changed its spots. Let no one doubt it - atheism has an horrendous and hideously, barbaric record... we must never let it happen again.
Moreover, it is a singularly perverse ideology that motivates its adherents to waste so much time of the only life they believe they have, trying to convince everyone else that they are doomed to eternal oblivion. The ultimate reward for atheists is to never know if they got it right, only if they got it wrong.
There is certainly no moral or rational defence for the atheist cult, past or present.
But what do atheists themselves say about their ethical and moral values?
They claim that they DO have an ethical and moral yardstick, and cite the Humanist Manifesto as representing the ethics and moral code of atheism.
So is it really true?
The Humanist Manifesto looks good at first glance, but like most proposals atheists have come up with, when examined closely, it is full of holes.
Problems, problems ....
1. You don’t have to sign up to the Humanist Manifesto to be an atheist.
2. Even if you do sign up to it, there is no incentive to follow it. No reward for following it, and no penalty for not following it. You are not going to be barred from being an atheist because you reject or break the rules of the Humanist Manifesto. It is not enforced in any way.
3. It borrows any desirable ethics, it may have, from Judeo-Christian values, there is no atheist, moral code per se.
Atheism is the ideology of naturalism. Genuine, naturalist, ethical values are basically the Darwinian, ‘law of the jungle’. Progressive evolution and improvement through the survival of the fittest/strongest, and the elimination of any who are weaker or unable to adapt - nature red in tooth and claw, In societal terms - the most powerful, wealthiest, most influential, most cunning, dominate and rule for their own benefit. Anything else in the Humanist Manifesto is actually a contradiction of social Darwinism and naturalism. Any socially desirable or compassionate ethics, which may be included in the H.M, are wholly inconsistent with atheist, materialist, naturalist, and evolutionist ideology.
4. By far the biggest flaw in the Humanist Manifesto is the fact that it is entirely ephemeral. It advocates 'situational ethics' and 'moral relativism'. And that major flaw makes it a worthless scrap of paper.
Why?
Because .....
Situational ethics is based on what people want or find desirable, not on any adherence to what is intrinsically right or wrong.
A good, example of humanist style, situational ethics in practice, is the gender selection abortions now being blatantly carried out in abortion clinics in Britain. It primarily discriminates against female babies, who are especially targeted for killing, because most of the parents who want it, prefer to have boys for cultural reasons.
The abortion clinics openly admit to it happening, and claim it is legal.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/pro-choice-aborti...
The abortion act of 1967 certainly did not intend that, and the Government admits it was not intended.
So we have a Government that knows it is going on, it also knows it is not what the abortion law intended, yet it is still reluctant to do anything about it.
Why?
Because it is wedded to the secularist concept of situational ethics, i.e. whatever people want, people get. Any concept of intrinsic right and wrong has to take a back seat, to whatever is the spirit of the times. And that is an example happening right now, in a so-called democracy.
The Nazi persecution of the Jews and other races they considered ‘inferior’ became popular through brainwashing of the public, and was eventually supported by a good proportion of the public.
Hitler cleverly used situational ethics to do what he had persuaded people was right and good.
So, all in all, the Humanist Manifesto and its purported ethical values, is a very dangerous document.
It gives carte blanche to any so-called ethical values, as long they become the fashionable or consensus opinion. Whatever people want, people get, or what a government can claim people want, they are justified in giving to them.
And for that reason it would not stop; a Lenin, a Stalin, a Hitler, a Mao, or a Pol Pot, even if they had signed up 100% to abide by the Humanist Manifesto.
In fact, the 20th century, atheist tyrants even called their regimes ... Democratic People's Republics. They claimed they were representing people's wishes, and thus carried out their 'situational ethics' on behalf of the people.
What about the common, atheist tactic of highlighting alleged crimes and wrongdoing committed by Christians?
The point is ....
Christians who do wrong, go against the teachings of Christianity. It is recognised as ‘sin’. If they blatantly and deliberately go against the intrinsic moral values and teaching of Christianity, they forfeit the right to continue to call themselves Christian. And they can even be excommunicated by the Church, if they fail to admit their actions are wrong.
And, without sincere sorrow and repentance, they don't get to go to the Christian Heaven.
End of story!
Atheists who do wrong, go against nothing, unless it is against the law of the land.
You cannot be chucked out of atheism for doing wrong, you cannot even be censored by atheism for doing wrong, it is a complete free for all, you can simply act with impunity according to your own desires and opinion. Atheists don’t recognise sin, right and wrong is not intrinsic or absolute. Atheism has no, unchanging, moral code. Right and wrong is, ultimately, just a matter of opinion
The atheist 'heaven' is right here on earth, and far from being a 'heaven' it is an horrendous nightmare. Anyone with any sense would call it a hell.
And even the law of the land need not stop atheists .....
Whenever, atheists get into a position of power they change the law to suit their situational ethics. Then they can do whatever they want.
That is what Stalin and all the other atheist tyrants did in their people's DEMOCRATIC republics.
And the atheist thirst for blood does not cease when they live in the so-called 'real' democracies, it is simply sanitised by atheist inspired, situational ethics.
They use their 'humanist' ethics to change the law, accompanied by 'newspeak' and propaganda.
So that what was once considered evil, is not only made legal, it is actually turned around so it is considered a virtue.
The wholesale and brutal slaughter, of the most vulnerable in society ... millions of unborn babies, is callously shrugged off as necessary, for 'free choice'.
Of course murder is always a free choice for the killer, only the dangerous, warped, atheist style, situational ethics could value a killer's free choice to kill, above the victim's right not to be killed, and make murder legal.
The callous slaughter of the unborn, which in most cases, was not even put to the people democratically (it was imposed on them by a handful of secularist politicians, lawyers and bureaucrats), is accompanied by the usual atheist lies and devious propaganda.
Doctors acting illegally over abortions get off scot-free ....
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2609950/Scandal-doctors-...
So the secularists simply laugh off democracy, it doesn't stop them, if it gets in the way of their ideology, they just ignore it, like they do with science.
"Democratic societies" how do they impact on situational ethics?
We see, in practice, that democracy is treated with utter contempt .....
Why ask the people? They are apparently not qualified to consider such difficult matters of right and wrong, like whether babies should live or die? You can't give those ignorant peasants, plebs and rednecks a vote on it, ... leave it to the secularist EXPERTS and their wonderful, situational ethics based on 'reason' and 'science'.
We are told by atheist moralists that the unborn baby is not fully human, it is only a blob of jelly, which has, and deserves, NO rights. As usual, they deliberately ignore, or twist, the scientific facts.
And we are also told, anyone who supports the rights of the unborn babies not to be brutally ripped limb from limb is evil and a ‘far right’ fanatic, because they are interfering with free CHOICE.
So the atheist leopard certainly hasn't changed its deceitful, devious, brutal and murderous spots, even in so-called 'real' democratic societies. It simply legalises and sanitises evil and murder and makes it appear good.
Then it can claim atheism is extremely ethical and virtuous, with its own, beautiful, humanist code of morals and conduct .... Yeah Right!
Remind you of anyone?
Always remember ....
Atheist/humanist so-called ethics and morals depend entirely on OPINION, and that is why they are so extremely dangerous.
Atheism has no moral or ethical yardstick, no concept of God-given, human rights ... only OPINION.
But WHOSE opinion?
My opinion?
Your opinion?
Or maybe Richard Dawkins opinion?
Or Sam Harris's opinion?
Or how about Barrack Obama's opinion?
Or why not STALIN'S or POL POT'S opinion?
So don't be fooled by the relentless chorus from the 'new' atheists and humanists, that atheism has its own code of ethics and morals, their code of ethics is based on the OPINION of one or more of the following ... whoever is: the most vociferous, the most charismatic, the most cunning, the most influential, the most powerful, the wealthiest, the most successful propagandist, the most persuasive, the most repressive, or the most brutal.
www.flickr.com/photos/101536517@N06/14797003191
_________________________________.
Unjust laws/evil laws (such as legalised abortion) are effectively null and void. They should not be accepted by any right-thinking person. In any just society, the legalisation of abortion has to be regarded as a crime against humanity, and those guilty will surely be held to account by a more enlightened society.
“civil law cannot contradict right reason without losing its binding force on conscience. Every humanly-created law is legitimate insofar as it is consistent with the natural moral law, recognized by right reason, and insofar as it respects the inalienable rights of every person”. —St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, I-II, q. 95, a. 2.w
Why satanism is now on the center stage in the culture war.
www.crisismagazine.com/2019/why-satanism-is-now-on-the-ce...
EUbabel. The shocking occult symbolism of the European Union.
peuplesobservateursblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/23/togo-all...
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on authentic facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The Austrian Air Force in its current form was created in May 1955 by the victorious Allied powers, subject to restrictions on its use of guided missiles. The Austrian State Treaty of 1955 committed Austria to permanent neutrality. Pilot training started out with a four Yak-11 Moose and four Yak-18 Max aircraft donated by the Soviet Union, and Austria purchased further light trainer types under the Military Assistance Program. Until 1960 Austria purchased training and support aircraft under the MAP, but no modern fighter aircraft; the role of a fighter was rather inadequately filled by thirty already outdated Saab 29 Tunnan, bought second-hand from the Swedish Air Force in the early 1960s which equipped two fighter bomber squadrons.
To expand its capabilities and modernize the fleet, Austria purchased from 1970 on a total of 40 Saab 105 lightweight multi-role aircraft from Sweden with the intention to deploy them in trainer, reconnaissance, ground attack and even interception roles. As it became clear in the 1980s that the light sub-sonic aircraft were inadequate for air combat and airspace interdiction, Austria started looking for a more capable aircraft. In 1984, Austria had devised a two-phase solution to its problem: buying 30 interim aircrafts cheaply as a stopgap and then trading them back for a new generation aircraft in the early or mid-Nineties.
International response was quick and manifold: Bristol Aerospace offered initially ex RAF Jaguars to be replaced by Tornado F.3 or even Eurofighters; Saab-Scania offered between 24 and 30 former Royal Swedish Air Force J 35D Draken, followed by Saab J 39 Gripen as future substitutes; General-Electric suggested downgraded F-16/79 or F-16A for phase one and an option for the same aircraft in a more modern variant for phase two; Northrop’s numberF-5E was another alternative for phase one. Dassault was also present with refurbished Mirage III initially, followed by Mirage 2000.
Finding the most suitable option in this mass was not easy, and eventually a surprising deal materialized: In 1985 the contract for the sale of twenty-four Lightning F.56 fighters plus four T.55 trainers was signed by the SPÖ/FPÖ government under Fred Sinowatz. The background: Saudi Arabia had been operating thirty-four F.53 single-seaters and six T.55 trainers since 1967 and was about to retire its fleet, which was still in very good condition and with a reasonable number of flying hours left on many airframes. The aircraft would be refurbished directly at BAe in Great Britain with the option to switch to the Tornado ADV or its successor, the Eurofighter Typhoon, later.
The Lightning F.53 was an export version of the RAF’s F.6, but with a multi-role mission profile in mind that included, beyond the primary interceptor mission with guided missiles or internal guns, the capability to carry out interdiction/ground attacks and reconnaissance missions. To carry a suitable ordnance load, the F.53 featured additional underwing pylons for bombs or unguided rocket pods. Instead of the standard Firestreak/Red Top AAM missile station in the lower front fuselage, two retractable panniers with a total of forty-four unguided 50 mm rockets, which were effective against both ground and aerial targets, could be installed, or, alternatively, two camera packs (one with five cameras and another with a rotating camera mount) was available for tactical photo reconnaissance missions. Overwing hardpoints, adapted from the Lightning F.6, allowed to carry auxiliary fuel tanks to increase range/endurance, additional rocket pods or even retarded bombs.
The Lightning T.55 was also an export variant, a two-seat side-by-side training aircraft, and virtually identical to the T.5, which itself was based on the older F.3 fighter variant, and fully combat-capable.
The Saudi Arabian multi-role F.53s had served in the ground-attack and reconnaissance roles as well as an air defense fighter, with Lightnings of No. 6 Squadron RSAF carrying out ground-attack missions using rockets and bombs during a border dispute with South Yemen between December 1969 and May 1970. Saudi Arabia received Northrop F-5E fighters from 1971, which resulted in the Lightnings relinquishing the ground-attack mission, concentrating on air defense, and to a lesser extent, reconnaissance. Until 1982, Saudi Arabia's Lightnings were mainly operated by 2 and 6 Squadron RSAF (although a few were also used by 13 Squadron RSAF), but when 6 Squadron re-equipped with the F-15 Eagle from 1978 on, all the remaining aircraft were concentrated and operated by 2 Squadron at Tabuk. In 1985, as part of the agreement to sell the Panavia Tornado (both IDS and ADV versions) to the RSAF, the Lightnings were traded in to British Aerospace, returned to Warton for refurbishment and re-sold to Austria.
While the Saudi Arabian Lightnings’ hardware was in very good shape, the Austrian Bundesluftwaffe requested some modifications, including a different missile armament: instead of the maintenance-heavy British Firestreak/Red Top AAMs, the Lightnings were to be armed with simpler, lighter and more economical IR-guided AIM-9 Sidewinder AAMs which were already in the Austrian Air Force’s inventory. Two of these missiles were carried on single launch rails on the lower forward fuselage; an additional pair of Sidewinders could also be carried on the outer underwing stations, for a total of four. The F.53s’ optional retractable unguided rocket panniers were dropped altogether in favor of a permanent avionics bay for the Sidewinders in its place. However, to carry out tactical reconnaissance tasks (formerly executed by J 29Fs with a removable camera pod instead of the portside gun bay), four Austrian Lightnings frequently had one of the optional camera compartments installed, thereby losing the capability to deploy Sidewinders, though.
Among other things, the machines were furthermore upgraded with new bird strike-proof cockpit glazing, avionics were modernized, and several other minor customer requests were adopted, like a 0.6-megacandela night identification light. This spotlight is mounted in the former portside gun bay in front of the cockpit, and an anti-glare panel was added under the windscreen.
The fixed in-flight refueling probe was deleted, as this was not deemed necessary anymore since the Lightnings would exclusively operate within neutral Austria’s borders. The probes could, however, be re-installed, even though the Austrian pilots would not receive on-flight refueling training. The Lightnings' optional 260 imp gal overwing tanks were retained since they were considered to be sufficient for extended subsonic air patrols or eventual ferry flights.
The refurbished Lightnings were re-designated F.56 and delivered in batches of four between 1987 and 1989 to the Austrian Air Force’s 1st and then 2nd Fighter Squadrons, carrying a grey air superiority paint scheme. At that time, the airframes had between 1,550 and 2,800 flight hours and all had a general overhaul behind them. In 1991, the Lightings were joined by eighteen German ex-NVA-LSK MiG-23s, which were transferred to Austrian Air Force's ‘Fliegerwerft B’ at Nittner Air Base, where they'd be overhauled and updated with NATO-compatible equipment. As MiG-23Ö they were exclusively used as interceptors, too.
Shortly after their introduction, the Austrian Lightnings saw their first major use in airspace interdiction starting 1991 during the Yugoslav Wars, when Yugoslav MiG-21 fighters frequently crossed the Austrian border without permission. In one incident on 28 June a MiG-21 penetrated as far as Graz, causing widespread demands for action. Following repeated border crossings by armed aircraft of the Yugoslav People's Army, changes were suggested to the standing orders for aircraft armament.
With more and more practice and frequent interceptions one of the Lightning's basic flaws became apparent: its low range. Even though the Lightning had a phenomenal acceleration and rate of climb, this was only achieved in a relatively clean configuration - intercepting intruders was one thing but escorting them back to the Austrian border or an assigned airfield, as well as standing air patrols, were a different thing. With more tactical experience, the overwing tanks were taken back into service, even though they were so draggy that their range benefit was ultimately zero when the aircraft would use its afterburners during a typical interception mission. Therefore, the Austrian QRA Lightnings were typically operated in pairs: one clean and only lightly armed (typically with the guns and a pair of AIM-9s), to make a quick approach for visual intruder identification and contact, while a second aircraft with extra fuel would follow at high subsonic speed and eventually take over and escort the intruder. Airspace patrol was primarily executed with the MiG-23Ö, because it had a much better endurance, thanks to its VG wings, even though the Floggers had a poor service record, and their maintenance became ever more complicated.
After more experience, the Austrian Lightnings received in 1992 new ALR-45 radar detectors in a fairing on the fin top as well as chaff and flare dispenser systems, and the communication systems were upgraded, too. In 2004 the installation of Garmin 295 moving map navigation devices followed, even though this turned out to be a negligible update: on December 22, 2005, the active service life and thus military use of the Lightnings in general ended, and Austria was the last country to decommission the type, more than 50 years after the first flight of the prototype on August 4, 1954.
The Austrian Lightnings’ planned service period of 10 years was almost doubled, though, due to massive delays with the Eurofighter’s development: In 2002, Austria had already selected the Typhoon as its new “Phase II” air defense aircraft, having beaten the F-16 and the Saab Gripen in competition, and its introduction had been expected to occur from early 2005 on, so that the Lightnings could be gradually phased out. The purchase of 18 Typhoons was agreed on 1 July 2003, but it would take until 12 July 2007 that the first Typhoon would eventually be delivered to Zeltweg Air Base and formally enter service with the Austrian Air Force. This operational gap had to be bridged with twelve F-5E leased from Switzerland for EUR 75 mio., so that Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) duties for the Austrian airspace could be continued.
General characteristics:
Crew: 1
Length: 55 ft 3 in (16.84 m)
Wingspan: 34 ft 10 in (10.62 m)
Height: 19 ft 7 in (5.97 m)
Wing area: 474.5 sq ft (44.08 m²)
Empty weight: 31,068 lb (14,092 kg) with armament and no fuel
Gross weight: 41,076 lb (18,632 kg) with two AIM-9B, cannon, ammunition, and internal fuel
Max takeoff weight: 45,750 lb (20,752 kg)
Powerplant:
2× Rolls-Royce Avon 301R afterburning turbojet engines,
12,690 lbf (56.4 kN) thrust each dry, 16,360 lbf (72.8 kN) with afterburner
Performance:
Maximum speed: Mach 2.27 (1,500 mph+ at 40,000 ft)
Range: 738 nmi (849 mi, 1,367 km)
Combat range: 135 nmi (155 mi, 250 km) supersonic intercept radius
Range: 800 nmi (920 mi, 1,500 km) with internal fuel
1,100 nmi (1,300 mi; 2,000 km) with external overwing tanks
Service ceiling: 60,000 ft (18,000 m)
Zoom ceiling: 70,000 ft (21,000 m)
Rate of climb: 20,000 ft/min (100 m/s) sustained to 30,000 ft (9,100 m)
Zoom climb: 50,000 ft/min
Time to altitude: 2.8 min to 36,000 ft (11,000 m)
Wing loading: 76 lb/sq ft (370 kg/m²) with two AIM-9 and 1/2 fuel
Thrust/weight: 0.78 (1.03 empty)
Armament:
2× 30 mm (1.181 in) ADEN cannon with 120 RPG in the lower fuselage
2× forward fuselage hardpoints for a single AIM-9 Sidewinder AAM each
2× underwing hardpoints for 1.000 lb (454 kg) each
2× overwing pylon stations for 2.000 lb (907 kg each),
typically occupied with 260 imp gal (310 US gal; 1,200 l) ferry tanks
The kit and its assembly:
This was another submission to the “Hunter, Lightning and Canberra” group build at whatifmodellers.com in 2022 and intended as a rather simple build since it was based on an alternate reality plot: the weird story that Austria was offered a revamped fleet of ex-Saudi Arabian Lightnings is true(!), but the decision eventually fell in favor of revamped Saab J 35Ds from Sweden. For this what-if build I used the real historic timeline, replaced the aircraft, and built both story and model around this – and the result became the BAC Lightning F.56 in Austrian Air Force service.
Initially I wanted to use an Airfix BAC Lightning in The Stash™, a really nice model kit and a relatively new mold, but it turned out to be the kit’s F.2A variant. While very similar to the F.6, changing it into a F.53 analogue with the OOB parts turned out to be too complex for my taste. For instance, the F.2A kit lacks the ventral gun bay (it just comes with the auxiliary tank option since the guns are already located in front of the cockpit) and the cable conduits on the lower flanks. Procuring a suitable and priceworthy Airfix F.6 turned out to be impossible, but then I remembered a Hasegawa Lightning F.6 in The Stash™ that I had shot at ev!lbay many moons ago for a laughable price and without a concrete plan. However, this kit is pretty old: it has raised (yet quite fine, less robust than the Matchbox kit) panel lines and even comes with a pilot figure, but also many weak spots like the air intake and the jet exhausts that end in flat walls after some millimeters depth and a very basic cockpit. But for this rather simple what-if project the kit appeared to be a suitable basis, and it would eventually find a good use.
The Hasegawa Lightning was basically built OOB, even though I made some cosmetic amendments like a better seat for the pilot, hydraulic fluid lines on the landing gear made from wire or opening the flat walls inside of the air intake opening and the jet nozzles. Behind the radome, a simple splitter plate was added as well as a recessed bulkhead in front of an implanted Me 262 cockpit tub (the Hasegawa kit just offers a bare floor panel, nothing else!), the afterburners were extended inwards with parts from a Matchbox A.W. Meteor night fighter.
The Red Top AAMs and the in-flight refueling probe were omitted. Instead, I added extra F.53-style forward-swept pylons under the outer wings, scratched from 1.5 mm styrene sheet due to their odd, raked shape, and I added Sidewinder launch rails plus suitable missiles from a Hasegawa air-to-air weapons set to all four stations. After long consideration I also retained the ‘overburger’ tanks, partly because of the unique layout on the Lightning, and also because of operational considerations.
Chaff dispensers were scratched from styrene profiles and placed at the fin’s base. A fairing for the retrofitted radar warning sensor was added to the fin tip, created from 1.5 mm styrene sheet.
Painting and markings:
To reflect the “alternate reality” role of the Lightning I gave the model a livery similar to the Saab J 35Ö that were actually procured: an adaptation of the USAF “Egypt One” scheme, carried primarily by the USAF F-16s. Adapting this simple three-tone camouflage from the flat F-16 to the Draken was easy and straightforward, but applying it to a Lightning with its many vertical surfaces turned out to be a tough challenge. I eventually came up with a paint scheme that reminds of the late RAF low-viz Lightning liveries, which existed in a wide range of patterns and graduations of grey.
The colors were authentic, FS 36118, 36270 and 36375 (using Humbrol 125, 126 and 127), and I decided to emphasize the camouflage of the flanks against the horizon, so that the vertical surfaces and the fin became FS 36270. The undersides of wings, stabilizers and fuselage became FS 36375. The dark FS 36118 was only applied to the upper sides of the wings and the stabilizer, and to a high dorsal section, starting at the wing roots. As a small contrast, the tank area on the spine was painted in light grey, simulating unpainted fiber glass. The radome was painted with a streaky mix of Humbrol 155 and 56.
As usual, the model received a light black ink washing, some post-panel-shading in lighter tones, and, due to the raised panel lines, was very lightly rubbed with graphite. The cockpit interior was painted in medium grey (Revell 47) with an olive drab fabric fairing behind the black pilot seat, which received ejection handles made from thin wire as eye candy. The landing gear and the respective wells were painted in Humbrol 56 (Aluminum Dope).
The decals are a wild mix: The fuselage roundels are actually wing markings from a Hasegawa J 35OE, as well as the huge orange "06" on the wings (I could not resist; they will later be partly obscured by the overwing tanks, but the heck with it!). The roundels on the wings come from a generic TL Modellbau sheet - I found that I needed larger markings than those on the Draken.
Both unit and individual aircraft identifiers are single black DIN font digits, also from TL Modellbau. The unit badges on the fin are authentic, even though from an earlier era: they came from an Austrian J 29 of Fliegerregiment 2 from a PrintScale sheet, and all stencils were taken from the OOB low-viz RAF markings sheet, plus four small warning triangles for the underwing pylons.
A ‘what-if’ model in the purest sense, since this model depicts what could really have been: ex Saudi-Arabian export BAC Lightnings over the Austrian Alps! However, refurbished Saab J 35D Draken made the race (and later followed by the Eurofighter Typhoon at ‘Stage 2’), so that this Lightning remains fictional. It does not look bad in the ‘Egypt One’ paint scheme, though, better than expected!
This morning was the wettest, windiest and foggiest day you could imagine, saturated, but happy to see the Mighty steam locomotive 6029 pass. Assisted by C502 and S311.
First of all (1 & 2) down and through the Goondah Sweeper then (3) entering Binalong.
It is on its way to do shuttles at Dubbo over the weekend. - www.canberrarailwaymuseum.org/dubboshuttles
New South Wales, Australia
- if it wasn't snow, it was only a minor technicality in the difference!!!
On 7 October 2023, Hamas and other armed groups launched indiscriminate rockets and sent fighters into southern Israel and committed war crimes, such as deliberate mass killings of civilians and hostage taking.
According to Israeli authorities, around 1,200 people were killed. Amnesty International has called for Hamas and other armed groups to be held accountable for deliberate killings, abductions and indiscriminate attacks.
Armed groups took 250 people hostage, approximately 225 civilians and 25 soldiers. To date 131 civilian hostages and military captives have been released (or their bodies recovered)- five were released unconditionally and 104 as part of a hostage and prisoner exchange deal during a one-week truce in November 2023.
At least 43 hostages have been confirmed by Israeli authorities to have died either on 7 October or subsequently, in different circumstances.
Six civilians and one soldier were returned by the Israeli military. The remaining hostages include nine civilian women and two very young children, aged one and four years old (along with their mother) and multiple men, including older men and foreign nationals.
According to media reports and information from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Hamas announced in November that the two children and their mother were killed in Israeli air strikes.
Amnesty International has consistently demanded the immediate release of all civilian hostages.
PRO PALESTINE PROTEST
MANHATTAN
Photography’s new conscience
Pissarro (French, 1830 - 1903), who was committed to socialist principles, identified strongly with the land and with the peasant farmers who worked it. He moved with his family from Paris in the 1860s to a number of small villages like Louveciennes. While many of his fellow impressionists chose subjects from modern life and leisure, sophisticated even if their settings were in the countryside, Pissarro preferred scenes of an older, more rural way of life like this garden fence and the small figures who pause in their work.
It was in the early 1870s that Pissarro made his most purely impressionist pictures, painted, as this one probably was, in a single session on the spot. The paint here is quickly applied, thick in some areas, much thinner in others. We can see, in the trees, for example, where one brushstroke has been pulled through an earlier one that still lay wet on the canvas.
[National Gallery of Art, Washington - Oil on canvas, 37.8 x 45.7 cm]