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Copyright: © 2010 Melissa Goodman. All Rights Reserved.
(Please, while I appreciate the idea of sharing, no multiple invitations .. thanks!)
Skipper Butterflies comprise nearly 3,000 species worldwide, 250 of which call North America home. Roughly one third of North American butterflies belong to this family. Skippers are named for their rapid, erratic flight. Skippers differ from the true butterflies in their proportionately larger bodies, smaller wings, and hooked antennae, among many other structural differences. The skipper family is further divided into subfamilies. Skippers can be the most difficult butterfly species to identify; their markings are maddeningly similar.
www.cirrusimage.com/skipper_silver_spotted.htm
Wings are brown-black; hindwing is lobed. Forewing has transparent gold spots; underside of hindwing has a metallic silver band.
Inconvenient Coca Cola Sign old hand painted sign off the beaten path, hangs in a parking area and is difficult to get a full shot of, pretty good condition, found in North Carolina.
Difficult light in bushfire smoke.
Podargus strigoides.
Banyule Swamp.
Thanks to Lynne for pointing out this adorable family.
“Your conflicts, all the difficult things, the problematic situations in your life are not chance or haphazard. They are actually yours. They are specifically yours, designed specifically for you by a part of you that loves you more than anything else. The part of you that loves you more than anything else has created roadblocks to lead you to yourself. You are not going in the right direction unless there is something pricking you in the side, telling you, “Look here! This way!” That part of you loves you so much that it doesn’t want you to lose the chance. It will go to extreme measures to wake you up, it will make you suffer greatly if you don’t listen. What else can it do? That is its purpose.” - A. Hameed Ali
I think 4 and 5-year old Fabrício and Guilherme have already had more than their fare share of the difficult things. Now they need peace......
I'll be telling their story in a new group later on..................in the hope of your help!
(Better at big size)
Always I try not to place here the same photos that I upload to my Fotolog. I try they to be different, independent, those probably more experimental, more rapid, more "textual". That one is a more intimate diary than this. But in certain occasions, I do some photo that I like so much that it becomes me very difficult to choose in what flog to put it. This one has been one of these occasions, and I like this photo so much, that I have decided to repeat it in both sites.
It was this last Sunday. An absolutely pacific demonstration done by Spanish young people in different cities, to complain for the highest prices that the housing has in Spain nowadays. For the unstoppable corruption and the speculation that invade the real-estate world dominated by turbid business among banks and real estate agencies, and mortgages to be paid even by your future children, incredible prices, and precarious salaries.
With a lot of luck, and in spite of not being an official demonstration, the security forces did not intervene too much, and these almost 2.000 young people could walk calmly along the principal streets of Madrid: the Paseo de la Castellana and the Gran Via, collapsing the traffic, and stopping the whole traffic. A real event, which called the attention of the mass media and it was it what was mattering fundamentally. Though it is necessary to admit that there was no almost organization, the march was chaotic in occasions, and the general final image probably was of that it had a question as an infantile fit, a childish act. Maybe the politicians attend in certain way to these childish acts, some day. Though the money that moves all these business, will support more than one of a covered mouth, and more than one tied hand, in such a way that there are neither inspections nor new laws. A sorrow, the human ambition and greed…
The photo attracts me very much, because it looks like to me a kind of fresh painting, a mixture of hyperrealism (the light and the color have a touch to the painter Antonio Lopez, who in fact has realized hyperrealistic pictures on the Gran Via), with a collage. It is full of small details, the faces, the expressions, the clothes, the lights, the signs, the shades, the buildings, the semaphores, the police at background… If the look is extended a bit (it´s better seen at big size), new situations and things are discovered to every moment. The street, besides, is an emblematic street of Madrid. The small Broadway of Madrid, the street of the cinemas and the shops. And because of it, to see it paralyzed, his causeway invaded by so many people, it is one curious, unforgettable sight, almost of a movie.
[Photo taken at 5/16/2006, during a demonstration for the Worthy Housing for the young people. Manipulations of light and color, with Photoshop]
*****************
(Más detalles viendo la foto a un tamaño más grande)
Siempre intento no colocar aquí las mismas fotos que subo a mi Fotolog. Procuro que sean distintas, independientes, aquellas quizás más experimentales, más rápidas, más “textuales”. Aquel es un diario más íntimo que este. Pero en determinadas ocasiones, hago alguna foto que me gusta tanto que se me hace muy difícil elegir en qué flog ponerla. Esta ha sido una de esas ocasiones, y esta foto me gusta tanto, que he decidido repetirla en los dos sitios.
Es de este domingo pasado. Una manifestación absolutamente pacífica, hecha por jóvenes españoles en distintas ciudades, para quejarse por los elevadísimos precios que tiene la vivienda en España actualmente. Por la corrupción y la especulación imparables que invaden el mundo inmobiliario, dominado por negocios turbios entre bancos e inmobiliarias, hipotecas a pagar incluso por tus hijos, precios increíbles, y sueldos precarios.
Con mucha suerte, y a pesar de no ser una manifestación oficial, las fuerzas de seguridad no intervinieron demasiado, y estos casi 2.000 jóvenes pudieron caminar tranquilamente por las principales calles de Madrid: el Paseo de la Castellana y la Gran Vía, colapsando el tráfico, y parando toda la circulación. Un verdadero acontecimiento, que llamó la atención de los medios de comunicación y era eso lo que importaba fundamentalmente. Aunque hay que admitir que no hubo casi organización, la marcha fue caótica en ocasiones, y la imagen general final quizás fue de que se había tratado de una pataleta infantil, una chiquillada. Ojalá que los políticos atiendan en cierto modo a estas chiquilladas, algún día. Aunque el dinero que mueve todos estos negocios, mantendrá mas de una boca tapada, y más de una mano atada, de tal modo que no haya inspecciones ni nuevas leyes. Una pena, la ambición y la codicia humana…
La foto me atrae muchísimo, porque me parece una especie de fresco, una mezcla de hiperrealismo (la luz y el color tienen un toque al pintor Antonio López, que de hecho ha realizado cuadros hiperrealistas sobre la Gran Vía), con un collage. Está llena de pequeños detalles, las caras, las expresiones, las ropas, las luces, los letreros, las sombras, los edificios, los semáforos, la policía al fondo… Si se amplía un poco la mirada, se descubren nuevas situaciones y cosas a cada momento. La calle, además, es una calle emblemática de Madrid. El pequeño Broadway madrileño, la calle de los cines y las tiendas. Y por eso, verla paralizada, su calzada invadida por tanta gente, es un visión curiosa, inolvidable, casi de película.
[Foto tomada el 16/5/2006, durante una manifestación por la Vivienda Digna para los jóvenes. Manipulaciones de luz y color, con Photoshop]
This rock hopper penguin was poised right in front t of me for a great shot. She was more interested in preening herself which she did at great length before I gave up.
Actually it's very difficult to find in English some word, which is interesting for my Dictionary, begins by letter X. So... X-ray...
X-ray (noun).
1. X-rays is a band of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths between gamma rays and ultraviolet radiation, produced by the bombardment of a substance (usually one of the heavy metals) by a stream of electrons moving at great velocity, as in a vacuum tube: X-rays are capable of penetrating opaque or solid substances, ionizing gases and body tissues through which they pass or, by extended exposure, destroying tissue, and affecting photographic plates and fluorescent screens: they are widely used in medicine for study, diagnosis, and treatment of certain organic disorders, esp. of internal structures of the body, also used for security purposes.
In many languages, X-radiation called Roentgen radiation, after Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, who is generally credited as their discoverer, and who had named them X-rays to signify an unknown type of radiation...
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845 – 1923) was a German physicist, who, on 8 November 1895, produced and detected electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range today known as X-rays or Röntgen rays, an achievement that earned him the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901...
Although the new rays would eventually come to bear his name in many languages where they became known as Röntgen Rays, he always preferred the term X-rays. Nearly two weeks after his discovery, he took the very first picture using x-rays of his wife's hand, Anna Bertha. When she saw her skeleton she exclaimed "I have seen my death!"...
Because of X-rays, our privacy is broken and any person with x-ray machine can see what’s inside of your lagage, what you had for dinner but fortunately can’t read your spirits, so... you can be happy.
Much better viewed large View On Black
Difficult to choose one from a number of shots I took close to home today. I've chosen this as my POTD but also uploaded the others.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanga_Parbat
Nanga Parbat (literally, Naked Mountain Urdu: نانگا پربت [nəŋɡaː pərbət̪]) is the ninth highest mountain in the world at 8,126 metres (26,660 ft) above sea level. It is the western anchor of the Himalayas around which the Indus river skirts into the plains of Pakistan. It is located in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, and is locally known as 'Deo Mir' ('mir' meaning 'mountain').[2]
Nanga Parbat is one of the eight-thousanders, with a summit elevation of 8,126 metres (26,660 ft).[3] An immense, dramatic peak rising far above its surrounding terrain, Nanga Parbat is also a notoriously difficult climb. Numerous mountaineering deaths in the mid and early 20th century lent it the nickname "killer mountain". Along with K2, it has never been climbed in winter.
Location
Nanga Parbat forms the western anchor of the Himalayan Range and is the westernmost eight-thousander. It lies just south of the Indus River in the Diamer District of Gilgit–Baltistan in Pakistan. Not far to the north is the western end of the Karakoram range.
Notable features
Nanga Parbat has tremendous vertical relief over local terrain in all directions.
To the south, Nanga Parbat boasts what is often referred to as the highest mountain face in the world: the Rupal Face rises 4,600 m (15,090 ft) above its base. To the north, the complex, somewhat more gently sloped Rakhiot Flank rises 7,000 m (22,966 ft) from the Indus River valley to the summit in just 25 km (16 mi), one of the 10 greatest elevation gains in so short a distance on Earth.[citation needed]
Nanga Parbat is one of only two peaks on Earth that rank in the top twenty of both the highest mountains in the world, and the most prominent peaks in the world, ranking ninth and fourteenth respectively. The other is Mount Everest, which is first on both lists.
Nanga Parbat along with Namcha Barwa on the Tibetan Plateau mark the west and east ends of the Himalayas.
Layout of the mountain
The core of Nanga Parbat is a long ridge trending southwest–northeast. The ridge is an enormous bulk of ice and rock. It has three faces, Diamir face, Rakhiot and Rupal. The southwestern portion of this main ridge is known as the Mazeno Wall, and has a number of subsidiary peaks. In the other direction, the main ridge arcs northeast at Rakhiot Peak (7,070 m / 23,196 ft). The south/southeast side of the mountain is dominated by the massive Rupal Face, noted above. The north/northwest side of the mountain, leading to the Indus, is more complex. It is split into the Diamir (west) face and the Rakhiot (north) face by a long ridge. There are a number of subsidiary summits, including North Peak (7,816 m / 25,643 ft) some 3 km north of the main summit. Near the base of the Rupal Face is a beautiful glacial lake called Latbo, above a seasonal shepherds' village of the same name.
Climbing history
Early attempts
Climbing attempts started very early on Nanga Parbat. In 1895 Albert F. Mummery led an expedition to the peak, and reached almost 6,100 m (20,000 ft) on the Diamir (West) Face,[6] but Mummery and two Gurkha companions later died reconnoitering the Rakhiot Face.
In the 1930s, Nanga Parbat became the focus of German interest in the Himalayas. The German mountaineers were unable to attempt Mount Everest, as only the British had access to Tibet. Initially German efforts focused on Kanchenjunga, to which Paul Bauer led two expeditions in 1930 and 1931, but with its long ridges and steep faces Kanchenjunga was more difficult than Everest and neither expedition made much progress. K2 was known to be harder still, and its remoteness meant that even reaching its base would be a major undertaking. Nanga Parbat was therefore the highest mountain accessible to Germans and also deemed reasonably possible by climbers at the time.[
The first German expedition to Nanga Parbat was led by Willy Merkl in 1932. It is sometimes referred to as a German-American expedition, as the eight climbers included Rand Herron, an American, and Fritz Wiessner, who would become an American citizen the following year. While the team were all strong climbers, none had Himalayan experience, and poor planning (particularly an inadequate number of porters), coupled with bad weather, prevented the team progressing far beyond the Rakhiot Peak northeast of the Nanga Parbat summit, reached by Peter Aschenbrenner and Herbert Kunigk, but they did establish the feasibility of a route via Rakhiot Peak and the main ridge.[8]
Merkl led another expedition in 1934, which was better prepared and financed with the full backing of the new Nazi government. Early in the expedition Alfred Drexel died, probably of high altitude pulmonary edema.[9] The Tyrolean climbers Peter Aschenbrenner and Erwin Schneider reached an estimated height of (7,895 m / 25,900 ft) on July 6, but were forced to return because of worsening weather. On July 7 they and 14 others were trapped by a ferocious storm at 7,480 m (24,540 ft). During the desperate retreat that followed, three famous German mountaineers, Uli Wieland, Willo Welzenbach and Merkl himself, and six Sherpas died of exhaustion, exposure and altitude sickness, and several more suffered severe frostbite. The last survivor to reach safety, Ang Tsering, did so having spent seven days battling through the storm.[10] It has been said that the disaster, "for sheer protracted agony, has no parallel in climbing annals."[11]
In 1937, Karl Wien led another expedition to the mountain, following the same route as Merkl's expeditions had done. Progress was made, but more slowly than before due to heavy snowfall. Some time around the 14th of June seven Germans and nine Sherpas, almost the entire team, were at Camp IV below Rakhiot Peak when it was overwhelmed by an avalanche. All sixteen men died instantly.[12]
The Germans returned in 1938 led by Paul Bauer, but the expedition was plagued by bad weather, and Bauer, mindful of the previous disasters, ordered the party down before the Silver Saddle, halfway between Rakhiot Peak and Nanga Parbat summit, was reached.[13] The following year a small four man expedition, including Heinrich Harrer, explored the Diamir Face with the aim of finding an easier route. They concluded that the face was a viable route, but the Second World War intervened and the four men were interned in India.[14] Harrer's escape and subsequent travels became the subject of his book Seven Years in Tibet.
First ascent
For a sense of scale, notice a 4-man yellow tent, dwarfed by the peak, near the bottom right. Just above the tent is a large white building.
Nanga Parbat was first climbed, via the Rakhiot Flank (East Ridge), on July 3, 1953 by Austrian climber Hermann Buhl,[15] a member of a German-Austrian team. The expedition was organized by the half-brother of Willy Merkl, Karl Herrligkoffer from Munich, while the expedition leader was Peter Aschenbrenner from Innsbruck, who had participated in the 1932 and 1934 attempts. By the time of this expedition, 31 people had already died on the mountain.[16]
The final push for the summit was dramatic: Buhl last 1300 meters continued alone, after his companions had turned back. Under the influence of the drugs pervitin (based on the stimulant methamphetamine used by soldiers during World War II), padutin, and tea from coca leaves, he reached the summit dangerously late, at 7 p.m., the climbing harder and more time-consuming than he had anticipated. His descent was slowed when he lost a crampon. Caught by darkness, he was forced to bivouac standing upright on a narrow ledge, holding a small handhold with one hand. Exhausted, he dozed occasionally, but managed to maintain his balance. He was also very fortunate to have a calm night, so he was not subjected to wind chill. He finally reached his high camp at 7 p.m. the next day, 40 hours after setting out.[17] The ascent was made without oxygen, and Buhl is the only man to have made the first ascent of an 8000 m peak alone.
Subsequent attempts and ascents
The second ascent of Nanga Parbat was via the Diamir Face, in 1962, by Germans Toni Kinshofer, Siegfried "Siegi" Löw, and A. Mannhardt. The route is now the "standard route" on the mountain. The Kinshofer route does not ascend the middle of the Diamir Face, which is threatened by avalanches from massive hanging glaciers. Instead it climbs a buttress on the left side of the face.
In 1970 the brothers Günther and Reinhold Messner made the third ascent of the mountain and the first ascent of the Rupal Face. They were unable to descend by their original route, and instead descended by the Diamir Face, making the first traverse of the mountain. Unfortunately Günther was killed in an avalanche on the Diamir Face. (Messner's account of this incident has been disputed. In 2005 Günther's remains were found on the Diamir Face.)
In 1971 Ivan Fiala and Michael Orolin summited Nanga Parbat via Buhl's 1953 route while other expedition members climbed the SE peak (7,600 m / 24,925 ft) above the Silbersattel and the foresummit (7,850 m / 25,760 ft) above the Bazhin Gap.
In 1976 a team of four made the sixth summit via a new route on the Rupal Face (second ascent on this face), then named the Schell route after the Austrian team leader. The line had been plotted by Karl Herrligkoffer on a previous unsuccessful attempt.
In 1978 Reinhold Messner returned to the Diamir Face and achieved the first completely solo ascent (i.e. always solo above Base Camp) of an 8,000 m peak.
In 1984 the French climber Lilliane Barrard became the first woman to climb Nanga Parbat, along with her husband Maurice Barrard.
In 1985, Jerzy Kukuczka, Zygmunt Heinrich, Slawomir Lobodzinski (all Polish) and Carlos Carsolio (Mexico) climbed a bold line up the Southeast Pillar (or Polish Spur) on the right-hand side of the Rupal Face, reaching the summit July 13. It was Kukuczka's 9th 8000m summit.[18]
Also in 1985, a Polish women's team climbed the peak via the 1962 German Diamir Face route. Wanda Rutkiewicz, Krystyna Palmowska and Anna Czerwinska reached the summit on July 15.[18]
"Modern" superalpinism was brought to Nanga Parbat in 1988 with an unsuccessful attempt or two on the Rupal Face by Barry Blanchard, Mark Twight, Ward Robinson and Kevin Doyle.[19]
2005 saw a resurgence of lightweight, alpine-style attempts on the Rupal Face:
In August 2005, Pakistani military helicopters rescued Slovenian mountaineer Tomaž Humar, who was stuck under a narrow ice ledge at 5,900 m (19,400 ft) for six days. It is believed to be one of the few successful rescues carried out at such high altitude.[20]
In September 2005, Vince Anderson and Steve House did an extremely lightweight, fast ascent of a new, direct route on the face, earning high praise from the climbing community.[21]
On July 17 or 18, 2006, José Antonio Delgado from Venezuela died a few days after reaching the summit, where he was caught by bad weather for six days and was unable to make his way down. He is the only Venezuelan climber, and one of few Latin Americans, to have reached the summit of five eight-thousanders.[22] Part of the expedition and the rescue efforts at base camp were captured on video, as Delgado was the subject of a pilot for a mountaineering television series.[22] Explorart Films, the production company, later developed the project into a feature documentary film called Beyond the Summit, which was scheduled to be released in South America in January 2008.[23]
On July 15, 2008, Italian alpinist Karl Unterkircher fell into a crevasse during an attempt to open a new route to the top with Walter Nones and Simon Kehrer. Unterkircher died, but Kehrer and Nones were rescued by the Pakistani army.[24]
On July 12, 2009, after reaching the summit, South Korean climber Go Mi-Young fell off a cliff on the descent in bad weather in her race to be the first woman to climb all 14 eight-thousanders.[25]
On July 15, 2012 Scottish mountaineers Sandy Allan and Rick Allen made the first ascent of Nanga Parbat via the 10 km-long Mazeno Ridge,[26] and in April 2013 were awarded the Piolet d'Or for their achievement.[
Winter climbing
Nanga Parbat has yet to be climbed in winter; 28 expeditions have tried this feat as of 2015.
Winter expeditions:
1988/89 - Polish 12-seater expedition KW Zakopane under the leadership of Maciej Berbeka. They first attempted the Rupal wall and then the Diamir wall. On the Messner route, Maciej Berbeka, Piotr Konopka and Andrzej Osika reached an altitude of about 6500-6800m.
1990/91 - Polish-English expedition under the leadership of Maciej Berbeka reached the height of 6600 m on the Messner route, and then Andrzej Osika and John Tinker by the Schell route up the Rupal wall reached a height of 6600m.
1991/92 - Polish expedition KW Zakopane under the leadership of Maciej Berbeka from the Rupal valley. This light, bold attack in alpine style on the Schell route reached the height of 7000 m.
1992/93 - French expedition Eric Monier and Monique Loscos - Schell route on the south-eastern Rupal wall. They came to BC on December 20. Eric reached January 9 6500 m. January 13 expedition has been completed.
1996/97 - two expedition: Polish expedition led by Andrzej Zawada from the Diamir valley, Kinshofer route. During the summit team Zbigniew Trzmiel and Krzysztof Pankiewicz, Trzmiel reached a height of 7800 m. The assault was interrupted because of frostbite. After descending to the base camp, both climbers were evacuated by helicopter to a hospital.
British expedition led by Victor Saunders, taking the Kinshofer route on the Diamir wall. Victor Saunders, Dane Rafael Jensen and Pakistani Ghulam Hassan reached the height of 6000m.
1997/98 - Polish expedition led by Andrzej Zawada from the Diamir valley, Kinshofer route. Expedition reached the height 6800 m, encountered an unusually heavy snowfall. A falling stone broke Ryszard Pawłowski's leg.
2004/05 - Austrian expedition brothers Wolfgang and Gerfried Göschl via the Kinshofer route on the Diamir wall reached the height of 6500m.
2006/07 - Polish HiMountain expedition from the Rupal by Schell route. Expedition led by Krzysztof Wielicki, with Jan Szulc, Artur Hajzer, Dariusz Załuski, Jacek Jawień, Jacek Berbeka, Przemysław Łoziński, and Robert Szymczak. Reached a height of 7000m.
2007/08 - Italian Simone La Terra started climbing solo at the beginning of December, reaching a height of 6000 m.
2008/09 - Polish expedition on the Diamir side. Jacek Teler (leader) and Jarosław Żurawski. Deep snow is not allowed to reach with luggage to the base of the wall, forcing the base camp five kilometers before. Assume camp I at an altitude of 5400 m.
2010/11 - two expedition: Sergei Nikolayevich Cygankow in a single expedition Kinshofer route on the Diamir wall reached the 6,000 m. Pulmonary edema ended the expedition.
Tomasz Mackiewicz and Marek Klonowski - Polish expedition "Justice for All - Nanga Dream" by Kinshofer route on the Diamir side. Reached 5100 m.
2011/12 - three expedition: Tomasz Mackiewicz, Marek Klonowski and "Krzaq" - Polish expedition "Justice for All - Nanga Dream" by Kinshofer route on the Diamir side. Reached 5500 m.
Denis Urubko and Simone Moro first Diamir side on the Kinshofer route, and then by Messner route in year 2000 reached a height of 6800 m.
2012/13 - four expeditions: alone Frenchman Joël Wischnewski on Rupal Face in an alpine style. He was lost in February, the body found in September at an altitude of about 6100 m.[28] He went missing after February 6 and was probably hit by an avalanche.[29]
Italy's Daniele Nardi and French Elisabeth Revol - Mummery Rib on the Diamir reached the height of 6450 m.
Hungarian-American expedition: David Klein, Zoltan Acs and Ian Overton. Zoltan has suffered frostbite while reaching the base and did not participate in the further ascent. David and Ian reached the Diamir wall height of about 5400 m.
Tomasz Mackiewicz and Marek Klonowski - Polish expedition "Justice for All - Nanga Dream" by Schell route on the south-eastern wall of the Rupal. Marek Klonowski reached a height of 6600 m. February 7, 2013 Tomasz Mackiewicz in a lone attack reached a height of 7400 m.
2013/14 - four expeditions: Italian Simone Moro, Germany David Göttler and Italy Emilio Previtali - by Rupal wall on the Schell route. Expedition cooperated with Polish expedition. David Göttler on February 28, founded the camp 4 at about 7000 m, March 1, together with Tomasz Mackiewicz reached an altitude of about 7200 m. On the same day David and Simone decided to end the expedition.[30]
Tomasz Mackiewicz, Marek Klonowski, Jacek Teler, Paweł Dunaj, Michał Obrycki, Michał Dzikowski - Polish expedition "Justice for All - Nanga Dream" by Schell route on the south-eastern wall of the Rupal. Expedition cooperated with Italian-German expedition. March 1, Tomasz Mackiewicz and David Göttler reached an altitude of about 7200 m. March 8 at a height of about 5,000 m on the Paweł Dunaj and Michał Obrycki avalanche hit. Both were roughed up and suffered fractures. The rescue operation was successful.
German Ralf Dujmovits Diamir wall, by Reinhold Messner route in 1978 (as a filmmaker this expedition Pole Dariusz Załuski - he had no plan of summit attack). December 30 both came at 5500 m. Jan. 2 because of the threat serac Dujmovits decided to complete the expedition.
Italy's Daniele Nardi. Solo expedition from the Diamir side on Mummery Rib. Italy founded the camp I on the 4900. Reached an altitude of about 5450 m. March 1 decided to end the expedition.
2014/15 - four expeditions: Pole Tomasz Mackiewicz and Frenchwoman Elisabeth Revol - Nanga Parbat Winter Expedition 2014/2015. The north-west Diamir wall, unfinished road Messner-Hanspeter 2000. They reached 7800m.[31]
Italian Daniele Nardi planning the trip solo summit Mummery Rib on the Diamir wall, accompanied by Roberto Delle Monache (photographer) and Federico Santinii (filmmaker)
4-seater Russian expedition - Nikolay Totmjanin, Sergei Kondraszkin, Valery Szamało, Victor Smith - Schell route on the Rupal Wall. They reached 7150m.[32]
3-person expedition Iran - Reza Bahador, Iraj Maani and Mahmoud Hashemi
Taliban attack
On June 23, 2013, about 15 extremist militants wearing Gilgit Scouts uniforms shot to death ten foreign climbers (one Lithuanian, three Ukrainians, two Slovakians, two Chinese, one Chinese-American and one Nepali)[33] and one Pakistani guide at Base Camp. Another foreign victim was injured. The attack occurred at around 1AM and was claimed by a local branch of the Taliban. (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan).[
References in popular culture
Books
In the first chapter of Mistress of Mistresses, by E.R. Eddison, the narrator compares his now deceased compatriot, Lessingham, to Nanga Parbat in a descriptive passage:
"I remember, years later, his describing to me the effect of the sudden view you get of Nanga Parbat from one of those Kashmir valleys; you have been riding for hours among quiet richly wooded scenery, winding up along the side of some kind of gorge, with nothing very big to look at, just lush, leafy, pussy-cat country of steep hillsides and waterfalls; then suddenly you come round a corner where the view opens up the valley, and you are almost struck senseless by the blinding splendour of that vast face of ice-hung precipices and soaring ridges, sixteen thousand feet from top to toe, filling a whole quarter of the heavens at a distance of, I suppose, only a dozen miles. And now, whenever I call to mind my first sight of Lessingham in that little daleside church so many years ago, I think of Nanga Parbat." (Mistress of Mistresses, 1935, p.2-3)
Jonathan Neale wrote a book about the 1934 climbing season on Nanga Parbat called Tigers of the Snow. He interviewed many old Sherpas, including Ang Tsering, the last man off Nanga Parbat alive in 1934. The book attempts to narrate what went wrong on the expedition, set against mountaineering history of the early twentieth century, the background of German politics in the 1930s, and the hardship and passion of life in the Sherpa valleys.[36]
Movies
Nanga Parbat is a movie by Joseph Vilsmaier about the 1970 expedition of brothers Günther Messner and Reinhold Messner.[37]
Donald Shebib's 1986 film The Climb covers the story of Hermann Buhl making the first ascent.[38] Seven Years in Tibet features Nanga parbat.
Comics
Nanda Parbat is a fictional city in the DC Comics universe, patterned after the fictional Shangri-La and the real Nanga Parbat in Pakistan.
Nearby peaks
Rakhiot Peak
Chongra Peak
Mazeno Peak
Rupal Peak
Laila Peak (Rupal Valley)
Shaigiri
Lot of that taking place in many households at the moment. Be kind to each other and we will soon be rid of this virus.
Very difficult conditions for Aurora photography on the morning of the 18th, when we were feeling a brief blast of energy from the recent solar flare. For recording the Aurora and capturing some pleasing imagery, including terrestrial features, I find the half moon phases to be the best. It's difficult, unless the Aurora is unusually intense, to obtain good results during the monthly lunation (moonless period) and possibly even more difficult with a totally full moon directly overhead.
Though difficult to reach due to harsh rainy seasons and, at times, nonexistent roads, the Omo Valley continually rewards its visitors with a unique and astonishing beauty. The entire region has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1980.
The Surma occupy an area near the Sudanese border. They practice scarification and beauty mutilation and are one of the last tribes in the world where the women wear large lip plates. Many of their warriors prefer to rest naked, occasionally putting on a simple plaid cloth for warmth. The traditional way of life is quickly changing since the arrival of military outposts and Presbyterian missions.
Sorry, to me is very difficult to visit people that always only leave a fav without commenting...
Do not use any of my images on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit written permission.
All rights reserved - Copyright © fotomie2009 - Nora Caracci
Many violets share numerous attributes and are difficult to differentiate from one another. Botanists estimate that there are between 500 and 600 species worldwide, approximately 85 of which can be found in North America. Luckily for the casual wildflower enthusiast, only about half of these are common in New York. There's tremendous variation among the community, with many varieties garnering oxymoronic names, such as round-leaved yellow violet and sweet white violet. While a majority live up to their names in appearance, more than a few are anything but violet, being completely white, pink and even the brightest shade of yellow, with numerous combinations and levels of mixing. All of these attributes aid in their identification.
Yellow violets appear to be the most primitive, with their flowers being the first shift away from the ancestral green. Purple, in contrast, is thought to be one of the most advanced colors. Evolution in progress can be witnessed in the tall, white, Canada violet (Viola canadensis), a native to Canada and the eastern U.S.. Many botanists speculate that the mostly white flower, often dabbed with minor purplish tingeing on the back of the petals, is transitioning from entirely white to "violet." The Canada violet grows throughout the Mohawk Valley in association with the large white trillium.
Violets can be separated into two general categories: those with stems from which leaves and flowers protrude, and those that are stemless, having appendages emanating directly from the roots, with flowers being supported on a thin and usually low, leafless stalk.
In addition to having showy blossoms, certain species possess a trait known as cleistogamy, meaning they are capable of self-pollination by means of tiny, barely noticeable flowers that resemble unopened buds. The term "cleistogamy" combines the Greek 'kleistos' meaning 'closed' with 'gamy' meaning 'marriage.' Once fertilization has occurred by means of insects or self-pollination, the seeds are ready for explosive dispersal. After the seeds are fully developed, the pods they're stored in slowly dry out, with the pod gradually tightening around the seeds, building up tension in the process, similar to the action of a spring. Later, when the pods are disturbed, or sometimes just randomly, the pressure becomes too great and the seeds are shot out like miniature cannonballs. Amazingly, seeds are capable of flying up to 15 feet away from the parent plant. Pretty impressive for such a tiny plant!
Once on the ground, the seeds are further dispersed by ants. Attached to each tiny seed is a fleshy appendage called an elaiosome that's rich in protein and lipids, but serves no direct impact to the seed's survival. Like the sweet nectar of a flower, these elaiosomes are tempting treats to insects, and ants in particular are readily enticed to collect them. Once dragged back to the colony, the energy-laden accessory is removed for consumption, and the hard seed body is dumped in a waste pit where it may ultimately sprout. This dual dispersal technique, using both physiological and biological mechanisms for seed movement, proves to be an effective evolutionary strategy, ensuring rapid colonization of available habitat.
Insects aren't the only ones that appreciate violets' tasty nature. In fact, humans find nearly all parts of the plants edible. The leafy greens can be collected to create a salad high in vitamins A and C, superseding that of an equivalent amount of oranges. Beginning in the nineteenth century, candied violets gained favor as a dessert garnishment and were widely served. Though their popularity has decreased over the years, in some circles they're still a favorite for topping sweet dishes of cake or ice cream. Traditionally, a syrup was also made by boiling the flowers in a concoction of sugar. Apart from sweetening the lips, the syrup is useful as a substitute for litmus paper. The solution turns red in the presence of an acid, green for a base.
To the Haudenosaunee and other eastern Native Americans, the flower is revered as a symbol of love. An Iroquoian myth, akin to the tragic Shakespearian Romeo and Juliet, tells of how two lovers of warring tribes were slain while trying to elope, and where each drop of blood hit the ground, a violet sprouted to commemorate their boundless passion.
While on the topic of romance, it's also interesting to note that violets used to be the traditional flower of Valentine's Day. Almost all bouquets given to loved ones sported purple rather than red. It wasn't until the 1930's that violets began to be supplanted by the thorny rose.
Violets were substantial money makers during the early part of the twentieth century. Like other popular flowers that are added to bouquets or home gardens today, violets were prodigiously cultivated in greenhouses by the millions. Rhinebeck, a quaint, pastoral town located along the shores of the Hudson River in southeastern New York, cornered this unusual market. Growers made sizable profits by shipping flowers to New York City, where there was an especially high demand. Rhinebeck's proximity to the city market, and its easy access to the railroad paralleling the Hudson helped make it the "Violet Capital of the World." At its peak, hundreds of greenhouses routinely cranked out thousands of violets per day in the spring-a fast worker could pick as many as 5,000 during a single shift. Eleanor Roosevelt herself often purchased copious amounts of various exotic cultivar varieties from nearby nurseries to line the gardens at her riverfront estate in Hyde Park, just south of the violet hotbed. She was frequently seen wearing intricate violet arrangements, making it a habit to do so at her husband's numerous inaugurations.
Small white violets are sweet-scented.
Next time you're outside in spring, keep your eyes open for the cosmopolitan violets, which can be found growing just about anywhere-from open and sunny backyards to rich, sheltered woodlands, and even in the dampest wetlands. Though small and unassuming, they nevertheless provide a cheerful reminder of the fecundity and diversity of the spring season. As English philosopher Bernard Williams succinctly said, "We may pass violets looking for roses. We may pass contentment looking for victory."
For you all, music
Portulaca grandiflora
japanese rose
purslane
moss rose
sun plant
Hoa mười giờ
Sorry, to me is very difficult to visit people that always only leave a fav without commenting...
Do not use any of my images on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit written permission.
All rights reserved - Copyright © fotomie2009 - Nora Caracci
Network Rail 950001 pays a Sunday morning visit to line between Barnsley and Huddersfield and seen passing over Oxspring Viaduct working the 2Q08 Derby RTC - Doncaster West Yard
Until the 1980's the viaduct was covered in gantries carrying 1500V overhead lines as part of the iconic Woodhead Line . Having been banked up the 1:40 Worsborough Branch by another pair of Class 76's , double headed coal trains would arrive here a very gentle 1:100 comparison to continue their journey through the Woodhead Tunnel over the Pennines .
The final train travelled over the line on Saturday 18th July 1981 , from then on it was all about demolition trains .
15 8 22
Difficult days are an oportunity when you are good with yourself, confident and focused. Stay healthy!
Roxanne Gay has been on my to-read list for some time, so glad I happened upon Difficult Women recently at the library. Each story is so unique, so visceral. So much to do with love, loss and the horror of being a human.
**first iced (slow drip Vietnamese) coffee of the season
Bit difficult to read the writing on the slide mount but I think Class 128 Single Car Parcels DMU M55993 is stabled at Soho depot in Birmingham on the 31st of December 1967.
This was one of the parcels DMU's allocated to Chester in the 70's and until I saw this photo I did not realise they had operated in the Birmingham Area. I had seen plenty of photos at Shrewsbury and the odd one at Wolverhampton but nothing beyond there.
Image from a slide in my collection by an unknown photographer.
The inscription has some difficult to discern sections. The French Je susi prest, “I am ready,” is listed as the clan’s Motto. The memorial reads as follows,
JE SUIS PREST
PHILIP AFFLECK FRASER ESQ.
OF CULDUTHELL
BORN 15 MARCH 1787: DIED 9 SEPT. 1862
D. DAVIDSON [Mason’s mark / indication]
This is one of many old and also Fraser memorials to be found in the quiet beautiful Boleskine Cemetery that holds art and architecture, history and design and modern markers we make for our loved ones as this burial site is still in operation. Overlooking the Burial Ground is Boleskine House a notable Fraser home and the site of a Clan Gathering too with a memorial from occasion still on site.
© PHH Sykes 2023
phhsykes@gmail.com
Philip Affleck Fraser, 8th & last of Culduthel
The Douglas Archives Genealogy Pages
www.douglashistory.co.uk/famgen/getperson.php?personID=I1...
Find a Grave, Philip Affleck Fraser
www.findagrave.com/memorial/180895136/philip-affleck-fraser
Accounts of how the Crowns came to feature on the Fraser Shield.
“In the second and third positions are three crowns. Alternate beliefs about the crowns are that they were given to Sir Simon "The Patriot", of the South country Frasers by Robert The Bruce, for saving his life three times in the Battle of Methven, 1306. It has also been said that they were given by Robert the Bruce to Sir Alexander Fraser, Chamberlain of Scotland, because he married Robert's sister, Mary. It has thirdly been said that they were given to Sir Simon Fraser "Filius" (an explanative used to distinguish him from his father, also named Simon) for defeating three successive English armies - a total of 20, 000 men, with only 8,000 of his own, all in one day. That was the battle of Roslin Moor, 1302. All of these suggestions are speculative, and each is hard to prove. In any event they were carried from the south country Frasers to the Lovat line.”
Clan Fraser
clanfraser.org/modern-clansmen/
Clan Fraser of Lovat
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Fraser_of_Lovat
“The Boleskine House Foundation, a registered Scottish charity.”
Boleskine, Old Boleskine Church, Burial Ground, Canmore
canmore.org.uk/site/100574/boleskine-old-boleskine-church...
The Boleskine Burial Ground
southlochnessheritage.co.uk/boleskine-burial-ground/
Culduthel Mains, Knocknagael
canmore.org.uk/site/13516/culduthel-mains-knocknagael
‘Mr and Mrs Culduthel’
scarf.scot/regional/higharf/highland-archaeological-resea...
Culduthel Mains burial assemblage
www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/stories/scottish-hi...
The Culduthel wristguard rivet caps [Gold object of the week]
www.nms.ac.uk/collections-research/collections-department...
Culduthel
canmore.org.uk/site/13519/culduthel
Culduthel
canmore.org.uk/site/13513/culduthel
Culduthel
canmore.org.uk/site/358344/culduthel
Culduthel
canmore.org.uk/site/13508/culduthel
Inverness, Culduthel
canmore.org.uk/site/296069/inverness-culduthel
MHG3787 – Culduthel, Highland Historic Environment Record Clàr Àrainneachd Eachdraidheil na Gàidhealtachd
These are such spectacular tropical plants, seen in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo on 26 June 2018. Their large size and vivid colour are both eyecatching and breathtaking. These large, red, waxy bracts protect the tiny flowers inside them, which are always difficult to see because they are way above my head.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliconia
Saturday, 2 May 2020: our temperature after noon is +15C (windchill +14C). Sunrise is at 6:06 am, and sunset is at 9:01 pm. Another beautiful, sunny day. Not going anywhere, as I prefer to not add one more person out there, for when those who have to work all week get a chance to go out, if they choose. I just feel that the rest of us are fortunate enough to have the luxury to choose from five other days, if we have to go out.
Like many people, I am having to post photos from my archives as I have been basically staying home, away from everyone and everything (apart from food shopping and maybe three or four short drives out of the city over the last few weeks).
I can't add any information about the crisis the whole world is in right now, as Flickr has threatened to terminate my account. This is because I was adding information about the present situation in the descriptions under the photos I am posting from my archives! I still don't understand why this was "wrong" and I have not heard back from Flickr after I sent an Appeal email to them. When I post archive photos, I add the descriptions from previously posted photos, taken on the same outings, to remind myself of where I went and what I saw. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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"This photo was taken at the Calgary Zoo on 26 June 2018. My visit only covered about half the Zoo, as I usually spend a lot of time in the Conservatory, enjoying the plants and tropical butterflies. My daughter had taken a photo of a gigantic lily pad, Victoria Water Lily / Victoria amazonica, and I really wanted to see it. There were three or four of them in a tiny pool. I love the pattern on the underside of the upturned edge of each lily pad, I didn't see a huge variety of butterfly species that day, but there were enough to keep me happily clicking.
My intention had not been to visit the Panda family, as I was sure there would be an extremely long line-up. However, I was able to just walk in, which was great. How lucky we are to have these four amazing animals visit our Zoo. They were in an inside enclosure, full of plants - and Bamboo, of course. I'm not sure how many hours a day these animals sleep, but two of the three that could be seen slept for part of the time I was there. Had to smile at the very uncomfortable positions in which they slept. There was no glass in front of one of the Pandas, but two other Pandas, including the one in the previous photo, were in a glassed-in part of the enclosure. Almost impossible to get photos without the reflections of the crowds of people.
The Bactrian Camel had recently given birth to a baby, named Gobi - such a cute little thing, that they have named Gobi. No sign of the Red Pandas when I passed their enclosure. One of the birds I love to see - though these birds tend to hide! - is the amazing Himalayan Monal. The male, especially, takes my breath away each time I see it.
A few hours well spent happily clicking. Hopefully, it won't be almost three years before my next visit, though the west entrance does close each winter. It felt so good to once again be back in a place full of colour and interest."
Quite a difficult shot to pull off for me. It was crazy crowded and I couldn't even have space to set up my tripod here. The lighting was also really difficult with an almost-white sky. I decided to give it a go anyway and just snapped a bunch of bracketed exposures handheld from this angle which looked pretty cool. It turned out not too bad, albeit only after a ton of work in post.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
© All rights reserved. Use without permission is illegal.
The long shadows made it difficult to shoot Lower Manhattan and balance the highlights and shadows. The overhead view gave me a sense of the long shadows that isn't so noticeable from the ground. The overhead view also shows a high mirror finish on the exterior of One WTC that isn't seen the same way from the ground. The reflections on One WTC from the ground mainly show the sky and not other buildings, at least at the top of the building.
More photos from high places are in my set
More photos of the World Trade Center are in my set
More photos with the Olympus 7-14mm Pro 2.8 lens are in my set
The most difficult yet rewarding kind of photography I dabble with is newborn photography. Now I’ve never been able to manage to get a baby to do ”The Pose”, I have been blessed with some very beautiful and cooperate babies. Someday I’ll get The Pose, but let me tell you, it’s probably the single-most difficult look to get in photography, outside of photographing Chuck Norris riding a unicorn attacking a dinosaur during a total eclipse, in HDR. That’s my next goal.
I photographed her parents wedding last September, and they contacted me on New Years to photograph their daughter. I love return business, especially when I know they enjoy my work.
Now on to find a unicorn for Chuck.
A difficult image to create. Not 100% happy with end result might tinker some more.
Also a difficult one emotionally to create. I feel I have exposed myself way beyond my comfort zone and I don't just mean physically. Sometimes it feels as if we need to hug ourselves. I also believe this is an image which will speak to people on a personal level and have different reasonaces for each individual.
Hey lets see if our resident copy cat can copy dat!
It is difficult in general to image faint objects in the high star population density area in Milkyway. SNR G65.3+5.7 locates in such area. Narrow-band pass filter is helpful here. We can not find such objects on the frame taken without such filters.
right half:
equipment: Askar FMA180 Pro, Optolong L-Ultimate Dual 3nm Filter, and Canon EOS R6-SP5, modified by Seo-san on ZWO AM5 Equatorial mount, autoguided at a star nearby with Fujinon 1:2.8/75mm C-Mount Lens, Pentax x2 Extender, ZWO ASI 120MM-mini, and PHD2 Guiding on Genuine Tripod
exposure: 9 times 1,800 seconds at ISO 6,400 and f/4.5
Frames of latter half were taken under 50% illuminated moon.
site: 680m above sea level at lat. 36 59 01 North and long. 140 32 05 East in Kanotsunodaira Fukushima 福島県 鹿角平. Ambient temperature was around 10 degrees Celsius or 34 degrees Fahrenheit. Wind was mild, and SQML was up to 21.16 before moonrise. Seeing was bad, and guide error RMS was around 1".
left half:
equipment: Sigma 40mmF1.4 Art and Canon EOS 6D-sp4, modified by Seo-san on Vixen AXD Equatorial Mount, auto guided at a star nearby with Fujinon 1:2.8/75mm C-Mount Lens, ZWO ASI 120MM-mini, GPUSB, and PHD2 Guiding
exposure: 4 times x 900 seconds, 3 x 240 sec, and 7 x 60 seconds at ISO 1,600 and f/3.5
First exposure started at 15:32:52UTC July 2, 2022.
site: 1,410m above sea level at lat. 37 45 03 North and long. 140 06 25 East in Shirabu pass at the border of Fukushima and Yamagata 福島山形県境白布峠.
Sky was dark and clear. SQML was 21.34. Wind was almost none. Ambient temperature was around 17 degrees Celsius or 63 degrees Fahrenheit. It was superb night.
I know everyone has been just dying to see some photos of Houston. I shot these about two months ago and haven't and haven't even looked at them until today. Why?... You might wonder. Because... Houston sucks!
Nah... Actually, it's got a really nice skyline. But, like all landlocked cities... It's very difficult to find a nice foreground.
What fond memories of Texas these photos bring back. It was about 187 degrees there when I shot these.
Dungarvan Bridge
Until 1816, Dungarvan was a difficult place to transport goods through or gain easy access and departure from. The opening of the bridge in 1816 alleviated some of these problems. Financed by William, Duke of Devonshire in 1808 at the cost of £5,000, the bridge played a significant role in the economic and social development of the town and its environs.
Before the bridge, people crossed the Colligan river by ferry. However, the 'poorer classes' together with horses and carriages crossed by a ford on the site of the present causeway, which was accessible at low tide. The first reference to building a bridge is contained in a letter by Sir John Newport to the Duke of Devonshire in October 1808 and outlines a compelling political rationale for the Duke to finance the project, "particularly to alleviate the difficulties they [the inhabitants] experience from the ferry by erecting a bridge near the river". The Duke was compelled, however, to make a decision in response to a petition brought by Mr. J.C. Beresford before the Grand Jury for a bridge to be financed by public money. The Duke announced a willingness to build a bridge at his own expense, a politically expedient decision, whereupon the Beresford proposal was defeated. At the Grand Jury meeting at which the Beresford plan was defeated "the majority saw that they would not be justified in giving away the money of the county" and this led to the bridge, as financed by the Duke of Devonshire, being endorsed and the design stage to be commenced.
William Atkinson was responsible for the design of Dungarvan square and the bridge. Two important figures, Samuel Ware and Jesse Hartley, were involved in the construction of the bridge. Ware, who designed buildings for the Dukes of Devonshire in England, came to Dungarvan in 1813 to survey the work on the bridge and was evidently employed to mitigate the overall cost of the project, and felt that Atkinson's design was too 'grand' for Dungarvan. Work on the bridge was supervised from beginning to end by Jesse Hartley, a Yorkshireman and son of a stonemason bridgemaster. The bridge is single arched and constructed of rusticated sandstone which was imported from Runcorn in Cheshire, and has massive voussoirs and scroll keystone. The stone piers have rectangular panels with cornice, over which is laid a small limestone panel and the whole form distinguished by curving sweeps on each side