Of course I couldn't get Kyo who disappeared even before the launch date, and Jett was quite difficult to find too... But finally I managed to find a shop (Happily Ever After) who still had the 3 girls!

(Of course I don't really need them, but it's quite difficult to resist Dynamite Girls! lol)

difficult to find a spot to photograph the loaded working when the suns out

 

Ginger & wife around the corner in the shade @ cafe.

It is difficult to get into the habit of good sun protection as inevitably as soon as one has done it the sun sinks behind the cloud and one has toi go back indoors. But even when it is a bit cloudy there are dangerous UV rays sneaking through so it's always best to have something on the face at least. I wear a sun hat too as I have to be paricularly careful having had to have a cancerous sun-spot removed. Thankfully it doesn't stop me from wearing my bikinis like this a favourite from River Island.

Never have I dealt with anything more difficult than my own soul, which sometimes helps me and sometimes opposes me.

Al-Ghazali

At first glance, the comparison of these two monuments seems only to be a source of antithesis; however contradictory the suggestion may seem, it will only be a question of analogies. In an ingenious and documented study, Mr Knauth, architect of Strasbourg Cathedral, demonstrated that, under an absolutely different appearance, the basilica entrusted to his care and the Great Pyramid of Egypt, known as Cheops, were designed according to an identical formula.

 

After the work of Colonel Howard Vyse and John Taylor, Piazzi Smyth did further research. At the entrance to the antechamber of the royal tomb, in the middle of a granite slab, a round button protrudes a fifth of its thickness. Smyth claims to find there the unit of measurement of the master builder of the pyramid; he calls the meter pyramidal five times the thickness of this button, that is to say a measure of 0.6356 m, and for this meter he adopts a division into twenty-five inches of pyramid; this mysterious detail would thus have a thickness of five inches and a projection of one inch. "It is hardly doubtful, writes Smyth, that this measure served as a unit to the builder as well in his project as in the execution, because all the measurements of lanes and chambers give rise to the most surprising relations, if they are carried out by means of this measure. "The pyramidal metre represents exactly the twenty millionth part of the earth's diameter. The latter has 12 712 178 meters[8]. The pyramidal metre is therefore worth 0.6 356 089 metre.Faced with these similarities, one naturally begins to wonder whether certain architectural principles dating back to the highest antiquity have not been perpetuated by tradition through the ages. As a result of the frequent surveys required by the floods of the Nile, the Egyptians were familiar with the surveying and geometric layouts; the Gothic masters were not inferior on these points; the marvellous monuments of all sizes they left us prove this overabundantly.

 

Were the rules put into practice kept by each other in the construction workshops as mysterious secrets? So many questions that it is easier to ask than to solve.

 

Thus reduced to his mathematical data alone, Mr. Knauth's work takes on a categorical appearance that he does not have in the original work. The eminent architect does not attempt to draw absolute and reckless consequences from his study. He only hopes that the same surveying process will be applied to other medieval édifices. In the future now to tell us if new experiences will come confirmer his thesis.

 

In the records of the city of London, the term "alchemy" appears as early as 1375. In those days, this referred to working fith fire permitted to freely travel the country at a time when the feudal system shackled most peasants closely to the land. They gathered in groups to work on large projects, moving from one finished castle or cathedral to the planning and building of the next. For mutual protection, education, and training, they bound themselves together into a local lodge - the building, put up at a construction site, where workmen could eat and rest. Eventually, a lodge came to signify a group of macigians based in a particular locality. The premier alchemist lodge was formed in England in 1717, the official date of the organization of the various lodges and the start of Alchemy proper. Although the style of Alchemic ritual suggest Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Templar, Rosicrucian and qabalistic origins, nothing less is true. A historical link cannot be established and given the fact that in those days no alchemists was able to read Egyptian, no direct connection with Egyptian spirituality was available. Unmistakably, the Founding Fathers of Alchemy incorporated Egyptian symbols in their various rituals and grades, as every one dollar bill makes clear. These archaisms prove the need of Alchemy to root its teachings and practices in a nonexistent, fictional historical past in order to give itself, its rituals and precepts an air of antiquity. This is especially the case in the Romantic era, when exotic tastes became fashionable. With egyptomania no longer served isolated individuals & groups, but fed the ruling classes, who were desperately trying to cope with the antagonisms and lack of humanity of emergent capitalism and the religious wars raging in Europe since the days of Luther (1483 - 1546). Alchemy and its founding myth was deemed the alternative of the educated. The God of revelation was also the "Great Architect", and in every lodge a Bible or a Koran was present. This to show the "God of the philosophers" was not a priori in conflict with the God of revelation. But the Roman Church was antagonistic, as could be expected. As a system of personal growth within a closed community of kindred spirits, alchemy survived to this day, divided between those who accept God and those who do not, between those who see symbols as instruments of growth and those who use them as gates to occult regions of the universe. Alchemy has become (or has always been ?) conservative and opaque. Its non-transparant and non-democratic (military) features may run against non-strategic, open communication, which is the foundation of social-economical justice and equality. Philosophy is more of an interest group than a spiritual organization, although some lay claim to precisely the opposite. As none of the original Egyptian teachings were available to its Founding Fathers, Alchemy, in order to accommodate the new times ahead, is bound to be reformed.

► the Rosicrucian Order...As a system of belief, Rosicrucianism came to the notice of the general public in the 17th century. In the two Rosicrucian Manifestoes, a mysterious personage called "Christian Rosenkreutz" is mentioned. But according to legend, the symbolism of the Rose and the Cross was first displayed in 11th century Spain. During a fierce battle against the Moors, an Aragonese Knight named Arista saw a cross of light in the sky with a rose on each of its arms. A monastery to commemorate his victory was erected and time later an Order of Chivalry with the emblem of these Roses and the Cross founding the monastery. The Rose and the Cross appeared in the banner of Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse when he tried to defend the Cathars against the armies of Pope Innocent III. It was in the form of a cross, described as "de gueules à la croix et pommettée d'or" ("gueule" means "red", derived from the Arabic "gul", which means "rose"). The emblem of the Cross with the red Rose in the middle square became the emblem of the Rosicrucian movement and its many orders, lodges and societies. In the Fama Fraternitatis (or Laudable Fraternity of the Rosy Cross), Christian Rosenkreutz is said to have journeyed to Damascus, Damcar, Egypt and Fez. He met those in possession of "secret teachings". He synthesized the best of these teachings and went to Spain. Finally, he returned to Germany and chose three men with whom he founded an order, meant to instruct its members in the knowledge he had obtained in the Middle East. So the typical founding myth goes. After the publication of the Manifestos, the Rosicrucians influenced the culture of Western Europe. Rosicrucianism developed along two lines, on the one hand, the scientists, intellectuals and reformers in the social, political and philosophical fields (like Descartes and Boyle) and, on the other hand, those (like Fludd, Dee, Comenius and Ashmole) concerned with occultism and mysticism (cf. the distinction between philosophical and technical Hermetica). In France, Rosicrucianism had a revival climaxing in the early 19th and the first years of the 20th century. Especially Martinez de Pasqually (1727 - 1774), Louis-Claude de Saint Martin (1743 - 1803) and Papus (1865 - 1918) are noted. ► the Golden Dawn...In 1865, and Englishman named Robert Wentforth Little founded an esoteric society, the Rosicrucian Society in Anglia. Membership was limited to Master Masons. When Little died in 1878, three men took over, a retired medical doctor, William Woodman (1828 - 1891), a coroner, Wynn Westcott (1848 - 1925) and Samuel Liddell "MacGregor" Mathers (1854 - 1918), who, as a young man, spent much of his time in the British Museum, working through piles of dusty manuscripts. He translated three Medieval magical texts : The Greater Key of King Solomon, The Kaballah Unveiled and The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. In 1887, so the story goes, Westcott received from Reverend Woodward, an elderly parson and author on Alchemy, a set of cipher manuscripts. He asked the clairvoyant and inspired Mathers to assist him (one legend says both men forged the document, in another Westcott found it on a bookstall in Farringdon Street, and in yet another the document was inherited). Both men found the code of the cipher was contained in a work of Trithemius, the influential Steganographia extolled by John Dee (1527 - 1608), the Elizabethan scholar and astrologer of Queen Elisabeth I. It concerned "angel-magic" and Dee had secured a copy of it in Antwerp. They uncovered skeletons of rituals and Mathers expanded them. Together they started the Golden Dawn (GD), a secret Victorian society aiming to harbor true Rosicrucianism and allow its members to accomplish the Great Work. A complete system of ritual magic based on the history of Western occultism was practiced. In contrast with the Theologic policy of the Rosicrucian Society, the order admitted women members as equals. Its members were recruited from every circle of life. In these rituals, Egyptian, Jewish, Greek & Christian elements were combined. However, the combination of these various traditions led to depletion. A spiritual tradition is as strong as it is pure, i.e. devoid of notions, ideas, concepts, symbols, beliefs, rituals etc. foreign to it. Although syncretism may be intellectually satisfying, it hinders spiritual emancipation. This is certainly true if the elements combined are very different, as is the case here. Because Mathers was unable to read Egyptian texts, he could not make the crucial distinction between the Egyptian approach and the Hellenistic view (incorporated in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hermetism and Hermeticism). Neither could he isolate the native Egyptian elements present in historical Hermetism. By nevertheless incorporating Egyptian deities (in particular the Osiris-cycle), the GD walked the path of egyptomania.

► Aleister Crowley...Aleister Crowley (1875 - 1947) entered the GD in 1898, introduced to the order by George Cecil Jones (1873 - 1953). The influence of this "Hermetic Order" shaped his life. He continued to ferment the teachings of the GD until he died. In fact, he considered himself and his Thelemic Order of the Silver Star to be its lawful heir. The problems between Crowley and the Adepts of the order started in December 1899 (the first time he met Mathers), i.e. by the time he had taken his Portal grade, the preliminary to the crucial Adept Minor degree. When, in September 1900, he applied to be advanced to the level of Adepthood, the College of Adepts refused. They disliked Crowley, his attitudes and way of life. Some of them probably did not believe an adept should drink, have fun, fornicate and raising hell with enthusiasm. His scandalous reputation won the disapproval of his seniors, who were in their right to refuse him. So, in the same month, Crowley went to Paris, and was initiated in the Ahathoor Temple by Mathers himself ! Between Paris and London a deep schism had been in the making and now tensions truly exploded. When the London adepts heard Mathers had initiated him, the breach was complete. When applying for the lectures he was now entitled, he was again refused and physically thrown out. To Florence Farr, Yeats and many others, Crowley was an outcast, an opportunist who had endangered the link with Mathers. He promptly notified Mathers and the latter arranged a meeting with the "rebels" in London. Crowley acted as Mathers' plenipotentiary, and to protect himself, dressed up in the garb of Highland chieftain, concealing his face with a heavy black mask. Clearly Mathers had been a poor judge of characters, raising lunatic power freaks to Adepthood ...The GD did not recover from the insanity and within a few years became a dispersed organization, with several Temples conducted by different groupings of men, each appointing their own Chiefs. Waite kept the Isis-Urania Temple, but in 1914 he closed it down. Next, Crowley invented his own egyptomanic movement. In Cairo in 1904, the "minister" of Re dictated a new revelation to him, the "Book of the Law" ! Crowley became the "prophet" of the New Age of Horus ! The two major Egyptian deities he incorporated were the sky-goddess Nut and Horus of Edfu ("Hadit"). Had he known the cults of Ancient Egypt well enough, he would have realized they had no revelation or dogma, and certainly no "holy" books (for hieroglyphic writing itself was sacred). Was Crowley's "law" a concoction of his own power driven subconscious mind ? In 1909, he called in the "demon of demons" and turned Satanic. The psychosis had become irreversible ...Do these highlights show the scope of the phantasies, fictions and lies incorporated into the Western Tradition since the start of the Renaissance ? Indeed, to identify the backbone of this Tradition with the Qabalah was the outstanding mistake prompted by the fraud of Moses de Leon. This has perturbated thousands of excellent minds, causing them to constantly replay their own illusions, and loose, unlike Rabbi Akiba, after entering the "garden of delights", their sight, reason or faith in God. "The impeding turn of the millennium nourishes hopes of a new spiritual light for humankind in the aspirations of many. Egypt will surely play a role in such developments in both its forms : pharaonic Egypt and the esoteric-Hermetic Egypt. There has been increasing talk of the relevance of the Hermetic Weltanschauung as a point of view that can contribute to making sense of our modern world by seeking a direct connection with the original wisdom of the oldest cultures and with the core idea of all esoteric thought, according to which the ancient wisdom continues to be valid even in a world that has been transformed."

Can we today turn the page ? Can a spiritual movement emerge which focuses on a thematical reconstruction of Ancient Egyptian spirituality, and this based on the evidence of contemporary science regarding Ancient Egyptian religious practice in general and its basic ritual matrix in particular ? Several individuals work along those lines, coupling study with ritual practice (Hope, 1986, Schueler, 1989, Clark, 2003, Draco, 2003). In such a "Kemetic" reconstruction, no Jewish, Greek, Hermetic, Christian or Hermeticist elements should persist. Is this really possible, and if so, is such spirituality indeed the true backbone of our Western Tradition ? The advantage being the isolation of a tradition untouched by what today may be called "foreign elements". Such an exercise is not easy (not to speak of the contextual limitations of any author). For Hermetism did retain parts of the Egyptian Mystery Tradition, and in a lesser degree, the same goes for Hermeticism, and yes, even for the revealed religions, Christianity first. The thematical reconstruction sought is approached in two steps :

the influence of Egyptian spirituality on Alexandrian Hermetism ; the form of the basic matrix of native Egyptian religion.

In this paper, the first step is dealt with. The second will only be touched in the Epilogue. In the following ten paragraphs, we study ten basic notions of Hermetism (in other forms present in the mix of Hermeticism and in the "mystical" traditions of the religions). We try to find their Ancient Egyptian equivalent "in embryo" :mentalism : the gods, the world and humanity are the outcome of Divine thought ;correspondence : the same characteristics apply to each unity or plane of the world ;

change : nothing remains the same, everything vibrates, nothing is at rest ; polarity : everything has two poles, there are two sides to everything ; rhythm : all things have their tides, rise and fall, advance and retreat, act and react ; cause & effect : everything happens according to law, there is no coincidence ; gender : male and female are in every body and mind, but not in the soul ; timing : everything happens when the time is ripe, things start at the right time ; intent : nature works according to a purposeful plan, pure will masters the stars ; transformation : everything can be transformed into something else, opposites meet. In earlier studies, the special cognitive features of Ancient Egyptian thought, language & literature have been explained. Grosso modo, these imply the difference between rational thought, initiated by the Greeks, and ante-rationality. The latter is the mode of thought of pre-Greek Antiquity and of societies untouched by the linearizing streak of the Hellenes. Before the advent of rationality, three modes of thought prevailed, as Piaget, genetical epistemology and neurophilosophy made clear. These are mythical, pre-rational and proto-rational thought, in which the Ancient Egyptians excelled. Clearly Hermetism was codified using Greek conceptual rationality (giving birth to the influential systems of Plato and Aristotle). Hence, if we try to correlate these concepts with their native Egyptian equivalent, this cognitive difference has to be taken into account, and the multiplicity of approaches characterizing Egyptian thought has to be made an integral part of the equation. So because of this crucial difference, in all my translations of Egyptian texts and commentary, terms related to the Divine are not capitalized (i.e. god, gods, goddess, goddesses, divine, and pantheon), while in Hermetism and all rational discourses they are. This in accord with the contextualizing feature of anterationality, while rationality always puts context between brackets, and by doing so articulates an abstract, theoretical concept of the Divine.

Both Memphis and Alexandria underline the importance of the spoken and written word. Already in the Old Kingdom, Pharaoh was the Great Speech and his magic powerful, and dreaded, even by the deities. But in Late Ramesside Memphite theology, Ptah was the true primordial "god of gods", superceding Atum, in who's "image" (of totality) the universe was created (as demiurge), and establishing the supremacy of the divine word and speech. Memphite theology is explicit : every thing was made by Ptah's mind and spoken words.

Likewise, in Hermetism, the Divine Logos is the "son of God" coming forth from the Light of the Divine Nous, the teacher who, not unlike the one evoked in the Maxims of Good Discourse, gives his pupil access to the Divine Nous, a direct experience (gnosis) of the Godman Hermes. The idealist notion of the universe as a mental creation of The All, making all mind, being typical for Hermetism. The fact this teacher is "Ogdoadic" and not "Hebdomadic" (as was Pharaoh), may refer to the Greek escape from fate and the physical world (whereas the Egyptians saw the divine at work in all planes of creation).

The magical power of words is acknowledged by both traditions. Magic involves the power of efficiency (effectiveness) and the ability to counter every possible inertia and opposition, executing intent to its full capacity.

Especially Pharaoh is the "Great Magician", who is able, like the gods, to create by means of speech. He alone was the "son of Re", divine and able to encounter the deities face to face. His voice-offerings to Maat ensured the continuity of creation. By speaking the right words, the whole of creation could be rejuvenated. Likewise (but on another ontological level), the "son of God", the Ogdoadic teacher, brings the pupil directly in contact with the Enneadic Light of Nous.

The parallels drawn do not allow for an identification of both traditions, as major category-shifts occur. Indeed, together with the rejection of the physical bodyn (cf. infra), mentalism is an outstanding feature of the Hermetica. Nevertheless, in the overall semantic pattern major points overlap. The mentalism of Hermetism was not implanted on the native Egyptian intellectuals part of the Hermetic lodge "from above", but could make use of the available, longstanding verbal tradition of Egypt, linearize and "perfect" it in Greek style ...and more later in Strassburg and suitable in the city of London?

I never thought a PAW(photography a week) project would be so difficult. Lately, I’ll admit that my inspiration has been waning, almost like its on vacation and I’m not feeling that mojo any more. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but to use Robin Wong's phrase during a “shutter therapy” session I came had some revelations.

 

 

 

Revelations

 

In order for me to shoot, my camera must be small and portable.I don’t like being noticed on the streets especially in Downtown Miami where its no cake walk. Heard of the “Miami Cannibal” I photographed the victim almost a year ago while on the streets.If my camera sits in the bag for 2 continuous weeks, then there is a problem.

 

 

In essence, I’ve now fully dabbled into the world of dslr’s and noticed that they’re not my thing, especially if I’m just walking and shooting and don’t like to be a photographer. I did have some great times with the Nikon D80/50mm 1.8 because its AF was super fast and I was actually playing the tourist card. Something I do once in a while with varying degrees of success but for everyday shooting I simply don’t take out the dslr out of the bag all that much. It is, what it is folks, a love affair with small compact cameras.

 

 

Like love, sometimes its not clear to everyone why two people are in love and they maintain a relationship. Most of the time its a mystery and that's part of the beauty of love and that's the way I see it here in my world. Strolling along the streets documenting what I see and just letting the energy flow. With that said, I'm back in the micro four third world again and I couldn't be happier(I'm actually smiling).   If I've learned anything in these 39 years of life, its that, you gotta do what makes you happy and like my friend Wouter Brandsma says "Simplify".

 

 

 

See the rest of the images here: www.ledesmaphotography.com/2012/06/09/week-23-2012-revela...

 

Your comments and faves are very appreciated.

 

 

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Ledesma Photography | Twitter

Taken in difficult light.

 

The Mute swan is a very large white waterbird. It has a long S-shaped neck and an orange bill with a black base and a black knob. It flies with its neck extended and regular, slow wingbeats. The population in the UK has increased recently, perhaps due to better protection of this species.

The mute swan (Cygnus olor) is a species of swan and a member of the waterfowl family Anatidae. It is native to much of Eurosiberia, and (as a rare winter visitor) the far north of Africa. It is an introduced species in North America – home to the largest populations outside of its native range – with additional smaller introductions in Australasia and southern Africa. The name 'mute' derives from it being less vocal than other swan species.[2][3][4] Measuring 125 to 170 cm (49 to 67 in) in length, this large swan is wholly white in plumage with an orange beak bordered with black. It is recognisable by its pronounced knob atop the beak, which is larger in males.

It was so difficult for me to get my hands on Monster High boy dolls when I began collecting in 2013. The dolls were at the height of their popularity, and as a result, many people were going to stores and purchasing entire cartons of what they deemed to be "rare" and "desirable" dolls. Characters like Deuce and Gil were scarcely found in the wild. Instead, you would see copious numbers of them listed online for double, triple, QUADRUPLE their retail price. It seemed like a pipe dream for me in those early days that I would ever have a substantial collection of the Monster High boys. Colleen reassured me that the fad would die down and the dolls would be obtainable. I'm so glad I listened to her, because within a year or so, it was not impossible to find those same characters. I got this set in early 2015. There were oodles of them at a local Toys 'R' Us, and they were all on sale! At the same time, the Picnic Casket for 2 pack was also marked down (they were about 50% off if I'm not mistaken). Since I was trying to use self restraint and get a handle on my shopping addiction, I decided to only purchase one of the two sets. Since I loved the theme of the Manster pack more, and I also liked that it came with not just one, but TWO boys, it was the set that came home with us. It also helped that Deuce was included in the pack...he's always been my favorite Monster High character. Although I have other Deuce and Gil dolls now, this set will always have a special place in my heart. I never imagined a day when I could stroll into Toys 'R' Us and get a set of boy dolls on sale, with plenty of them in stock. Ironically, I assume that the Manster pack wasn't popular with little kids, as they seem to gravitate towards female dolls. Once the craze for marking the guy dolls up on eBay died down, finding my beloved male characters was so much easier...and they were almost always marked down!

 

The theme of this set is super unique--just two guys bro-ing it down with energy drinks and a game. What I find most appealing about this idea is that it reminds me of the things Colleen used to do with our childhood Ken dolls. I remember when she got heavily into playing with Ken circa 2003/2004, after purchasing a scraggly My First Ken at the flea market. Chandler was the first guy in our doll world to truly be his own entity. He wasn't just the girl doll's boyfriend or the little kids' father. He had an entire cast of friends and a set of interests. If the Manster pack had been out when Colleen and I were growing up, we would have created all sorts of scenarios with it. I can envision Chandler inviting Deuce and Gil over to guys' night, and the group of mismatched 80s/90s Kens, Disney dudes, and Monster High guys playing games and drinking sugary sodas/energy drinks. Colleen's beloved Kid Kore Katie probably would have interrupted at some point, as she was the pest in our doll family. Becky would have also made an appearance, requesting some sort of help with her wheelchair (sometimes Chandler was her brother, other times it was Water Jewel Magic Aladdin). Knowing how much we would have loved Deuce, Gil, and their "manly" accessories makes me cherish this set all that much more.

Difficult All Star. follow me on instagram: @ale.kah 💕😘

Some very different outcomes.

Difficult to focus when being eaten alive by mosquitos. They were very hungry. :)

The KOM League

Flash Report

For

Week of January 27, 2020

 

This report was very difficult to start and finish. Thus, if you have trouble in the reading of it toss the unread portion and demand a refund of your subscription.

 

www.flickr.com/photos/60428361@N07/49444185167/

 

With the onset of 2020 the writer of these reports can now claim to have lived in parts or all of ten decades. That was said in attempt to excuse the inauspicious debut of the reports for this decade.

 

As all of you know, since the last report was shared college football has a new champion, the President has been impeached and baseball players “cheat.” So, what else is new? Saying that baseball teams steal signs is akin to Mrs. Noah telling her husband “It looks like it is going to rain.”

 

With regard to impeachment I regret to report that the editor of the Flash Report series has fallen upon the same fate of another John, Donald John Trump. For high crimes and misdemeanors, Yours truly now faces the “Senate of the KOM League readers” for their determination as to whether I should be removed from the office of purveyor of KOM League news. There are two articles for which John G. Hall now stands accused.

 

Impeachment Article #1

 

It was reported that a Christmas card was received from Kenny Bennett a pitcher for the 1949 Independence Yankees. That part of the article was correct. However, the statement he was a resident of a nursing home was in error. He wrote back this note....” Hi John. This is Ken Bennett. I am not in a nursing home. That was my wife who has since passed. I am at an independent living community, Friendship Village of Sunset Hills. I still play golf two times a week although I only play 9 holes. I am now 91 and in good health. Have a happy New Year.”

 

Impeachment Article #2

 

An apology was issued immediately to Bennett. Then, I got into some serious "digging" on a person who reportedly passed away this past year, George Edward Seeley. I was incorrect and the KOM League House of Representatives has accused me of malfeasance.

 

George Seeley or George Seeley

 

For over 25 years I have been conflicted by Mr. Seeley's place of birth and year of same. Upon initial research the Ponca City News stated that he was from Pueblo, Colorado. For the quarter of a century searching for this fellow nothing definitive could be found on until recently. That is when I learned of the death of a George Seeley in Colorado Springs this year.

 

In looking more closely at the death of the Seeley from Colorado it was evident he wasn't ever a professional baseball player, let alone a Ponca City Dodger.

 

For as long as the research has been conducted, regarding the KOM league, I have been aware of George Edward Seeley born May 23, 1925 in Detroit, Michigan. His life took many twists and turns. His father, Fayette, was an automobile transport sales manager who moved to Cincinnati, Ohio by the early 1940's. His son, George was sent to the Virginia Episcopal Preparatory School in Lynchburg, Virginia where in 1941 pitched on a state championship team.

 

After his time at Lynchburg young George returned to Cincinnati where he attended and graduated from Withrow High School. During the summer months he played American Legion baseball.

 

On February 3, 1944 Seeley entered the U. S. Army and served until March 28, 1946. During service to his country he was assigned to the 1562nd Army Air Force Base Unit Transport Command. He was selected to the all amateur team chosen to play the Manila Dodgers at Rizal Stadium in the Philippines.

 

General Burton Reynolds had conceived of gathering a team of big league stars, who were in the service, to play games against other military teams for morale boosting. Manila had such big name players as Kirby Higbe, Joe Garagiola, Max Macon, Frank LaManna, Early Wynn, Jim Hearn et. al. This group of fellows was the Philippine and Pacific Olympic champions.

 

In probably the biggest game of his life, Seeley, and his Air Transport team beat the Manila Dodgers. That may have been the birth of the term "Manila Folders."

 

Nine months after returning home from the Army, Seeley married Clarisee Marie Chartier three days after Christmas in 1946. He was a living in Dearborn, Michigan at the time he was signed by the Dodgers.

 

It is now my belief that he was initially assigned to the Pueblo, Colo. roster in 1947 and that is how the Ponca City News reported, he was from that city. Regardless, his time in the KOM league was limited to two games and then he was sent to Zanesville, Ohio. At the end of the 1947 season he was released by the Dodgers and signed by the Chicago White Sox. He played for Superior, Wis. in 1948 and posted an 8-0 record. That was the conclusion of his baseball career.

 

All that I have been able to learn about Seeley is that he died February 5, 1991 in St. Clair Shores, Michigan.

 

The vote of the Senate

 

Whether John G. Hall remains in the position of editor of this publication rests in the vote of the full Senate of readers. I have assembled the best attorney’s that can be secured with the funds available. Those funds are derived from subscribers of the Flash Reports. At last count the Flash Reports didn’t have a single subscriber, only a few casual readers. So, if I’m to remain in office some of you need to cast your vote for acquittal.

 

In the meantime I’ll attempt to continue in my current position and uphold the low standards that have become synonymous with this publication. The rest of this report addresses them.

 

______________________________________________________________________________

Joseph Walter Turek Sr.

 

www.ziegenheinfuneralhome.com/notices/Joseph-TurekSr

 

The following is the content of the obituary cited in the link contained above.

 

Joseph W. Turek, Sr., 97 of Ste. Genevieve, Mo. Fortified with the Sacraments of Holy Mother Church on December 29, 2019.

 

Loving husband of the late Jean (nee Jordan) Turek; Beloved father of Joseph (Dianne) Turek, Jr., Daniel (Debbie) Turek, Donna (James) Van Dillen, Sr., Christopher (Andrea) Turek, Sr., Matthew Turek, Mary (Thomas) Schanuel, Patricia A. Turek and John (Joelle) Turek; Loving grandfather of 24, great-grandfather of 19, Dear brother, uncle & friend.

 

Joseph Walter Turek informed this source of his Father’s passing on January 1, 2020. This was his message: “Hi John: Wanted you to know my father, Joe Turek,Sr., passed away Sunday, December 29, 2019 from natural causes. He was 97. Decorated Combat Medic, veteran of the Battle of Bulge, and The Ardennes. His wife of 48 years, Jean, preceded him in death in 1998. They had 8 children, 23 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren. Joe retired was a union carpenter.

 

Ed comment:

 

Joe Turek Sr. was a 3rd baseman for the 1947 Bartlesville, Okla. Oilers, having been sent there by the Keokuk ball club. He hadn’t been in the oil city of Bartlesville very long until he headed off to the train station and went back to St. Louis. He didn’t announce his departure but after spending time in some of the great battles of WWII he wasn’t that fond of being shuffled around minor league outposts of the Pittsburgh Pirates and thus he departed for home sweet home.

 

_____________________________________________________________________________

Richard Weissman

 

_____________________________________________________________________________

Paul Herman Hoffmeister

 

A note to Mary Lou Hoffmeister

 

Noel and I send along our thoughts to you on the first anniversary of Paul's passing. Thank you so much on remembering. That meant a lot to me. Paul and I sure loved those reunions and always looked forward to them! Great times and people.

 

Mary Lou’s reply:

 

You and Noel were sooo special to organize them. I still like the pictures that you send but, I know that there are not many players left and that is sad but, I just try to remember the good times and there were many. The reunions were certainly an important part of them!

Please keep in touch, stay well, here’s wishing you a blessed New Year!

Love to you both. Mary Lou

 

Regular message from legacy.com about anniversary dates of deceased

_____________________________________________________________________________

Mark Santo-- Tue, Dec 31, 2019, 4:30

 

Hi John, Best wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year!

 

Thank you for all your work in putting together these reports. Even though I am a newcomer to your work I would still be sorry to see your reports stop. But please don't feel compelled to keep doing this unless you get some measure of pleasure or satisfaction out of it and there isn't something else you could be doing that would bring greater pleasure or satisfaction. It's probably safe to say that you've greatly exceeded all reasonable expectations related to these reports and that no one would want the continuation of this publication to be a burden on you. If you stopped today I am sure you would receive nothing less than the equivalent of a standing ovation from a roaring crowd.

 

Best Regards, Santo

 

Reply:

 

A standing "O" would be something totally foreign to me. If I ever came close to something like that it was probably due to my departure from a job or gathering of folks who didn't care very much of my presence

 

I was thinking about sending you a note earlier this week. The report that I shared with the 1951 Ponca City Dodgers as the featured photo has had nearly 11,000 views.

 

____________________________________________________________________________

Gene Castiglione—

www.legacy.com/obituaries/thetelegraph/obituary.aspx?n=eu... Photo included

 

BENLD (Ill.) — Gene (Deke) Castiglione was born June 30th, 1928 to Guy Castiglione and Adella (Soda) Castiglione in Chicago, Illinois. He passed away at 12:10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 7th, 2020 at Saint John's Hospital in Springfield, Illinois, surrounded by his family.

 

He was a talented four sport athlete at Benld High School, where he graduated in 1946. He played football, track and basketball, but his best sport was baseball. In 1947 Hall of Famer, George Sisler, signed Gene to the Dodgers Minor League System, with whom he had a contract for six years. During that time frame, he played for the Dodger Minor League Teams, Ponca City, Oklahoma; Greenville, South Carolina; Ashville, North Carolina; Great Falls, Montana; and Knoxville, Tennessee.

 

Each year Gene played in the minors, he was chosen for the All Star Team. In 1949, while in the KOM League, he played alongside baseball great Mickey Mantle on the All-Star Team. That year Mickey Mantle had 13 home runs and Gene had six homeruns, for which he was extremely proud.

 

Gene was rated the best defensive 2nd baseman in the Dodger Minor League System that year. Every year when baseball season ended, Gene was honored, along with two high school classmates who were also in the minor league, Cubby Contratto and Emil Borgini, at their hometown of Benld, Illinois, where these athletes were celebrated with a parade and a big baseball game. Gene served in the U.S. Army from 1951 – 1952. While serving in the Philippines as a surveyor, he played baseball on the weekends with the Philippines Semi-Pro Team. In 1951, he was chosen to play baseball with the U.S. 10th Airforce Pacific Tournament Team.

 

After his military service and baseball, Gene was a successful businessman at IBM in St. Louis, Missouri, for 10 years, working his way up from typewriter repair to supervisor. While working at IBM, he served as a Bird Dog Scout for the Major League Team, the Houston Colts. Gene experienced success at Echlin Manufacturing Plant in Litchfield, Illinois, where he met his wife, Sharon, and served as a foreman until retirement.

 

Gene was a loving brother, husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He lived a long life, enjoying his retirement and spending time with friends and family.

 

He is survived by wife, Sharon (Dooley) Castiglione; brother, Frank Castiglione; Stepson, Scott Reynolds; granddaughter, Stephanie Reynolds and her spouse, Kyle Ruppert; great-granddaughters, Krysten and Abby Ruppert, and their soon to be born brother or sister.

 

Published in The Telegraph from Jan. 15 to Jan. 21, 2020

 

Ed comment:

 

Gene and his wife, Sharon, were regular attendees at KOM league events. He attended the very first function ever held in reuniting KOM leaguers. It was an event at the Columbia, Mo. Public Library with a whole hog roast later that day at a local park. What should have been a mild spring evening turned out to resemble cold winter’s night. Most of the attendees weren’t prepared for the bad weather and a few expressed the desire to change places with the hog.

 

Many memories of Gene came to mind upon learning of his death. The last time we met was at the funeral of Bernie Tye, in 1997, where we both served as pallbearers for the KOM league funny man.

______________________________________________________________________________

Joe B. Elble

www.kiblerbradyruestman.com/obituaries/Joseph-Elble/#!/Ob...

 

Bloomington (Ill.) - Joseph B. Elble, Sr., 87, of Bloomington, passed away at 1:35 a.m. on Saturday, January 18, 2020 at Heritage Health in Bloomington.

 

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, January 24, 2020, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 801 S. Madison, Bloomington, with Pastor Chuck Bahn officiating. Military rites will be accorded by the Bloomington-Normal American Legion Honor Guard. A visitation will be held on Thursday, January 23, 2020, from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at the church and also one hour prior to the service on Friday. Kibler-Brady-Ruestman Memorial Home is assisting with arrangements.

 

Memorials may be made to the Trinity Lutheran Church Cornerstone Building Fund or to a charity of the donor's choice.

 

Joe was born on April 16, 1932, in Alton, IL, son of Leonard and LaVerne (Tuscher) Elble. He married Shirley Duelm on September 11, 1955, at Messiah Lutheran Church in Alton.

 

Surviving are his wife, Shirley of Bloomington; children, Joseph (Shann) Elble, Jr. of Normal, Jeffrey (Lisa) Elble of Grand Rapids, MI, Michael (Kelly Norwood) Elble of San Antonio, TX, Mark (GiGi) Elble of Tampa, FL; grandchildren Joseph Benjamin III, Addison, Sarah, Ryan, Leila, Nicholas, and Alexander; great-grandchildren, Joseph Benjamin IV, Logan, Charles and Liam.

 

After completing high school, Joe was drafted by the Giants and played professional baseball before beginning his service to his country in the United States Army. Returning to Alton, Joe began his career as a homebuilder and married the love of his life, Shirley. Joe's career later brought him to Bloomington where he worked as a builder and contractor before culminating his building career at Baumgart Building Center.

 

Joe began his second career managing 4-Seasons Health Club, a perfect position for his outgoing, friendly, personality.

 

Joe was a member and former Elder at Trinity Lutheran Church. He was an avid woodworker and fisherman, loved puzzles and bingo and most importantly he loved spending time with his boys, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Joe's primary goal in life was to make someone smile every day.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Reader comments regarding previous issue

 

•

I don’t know if you realize it but your reports have meant a lot to so many. I know you aren’t looking for a pat on the back but it is people like you that keep our treasured history alive.

 

Keep it up and have a wonderful and healthy new year. R. Jason Wallace—Grandson of Robert Leroy Matthew Saban former KOM leaguer and longtime minor league hurler.

 

•

A 1952 Iola player makes request--Norm Travis

 

John, I would like the whereabouts of the following fellows, if possible. 1952 Iola team.

 

Jim Maxwell (catcher), Dick Masley (left handed pitcher), Joe Vilk (pitcher), Slick Shryer (Ed note: Bill Schrier ( first base), Roy Coulter (2nd base) and Paul Weeks (short stop).

 

Travis was aware that Floyd Temple, Chuck Sisson, Jerry Gleason, Tom Guinn and .Gasper Del Toro, outfielder, had passed away.

 

Sisson, Gleason, Vic Damon & Myself were sent to Iola in 52 by Bob Housam. of Denver Bears with the promise to reimburse me if I made the team, which I did, but asked Temple for my release as I satisfied myself I could play pro ball, but could not make a living at it. (I) was missing too much money at home selling farm machinery. (I) moved back to Burlington, Colo. That is where I still live. I am now 88 years old. Played semi pro ball till age 40. The highlight was making all-state team in 1956, then played fast pitch soft ball.

 

I am still active as a RE (real estate) Broker and good health. Keep up the good work with the reports as I really enjoy them. Sincerely, Norm Travis

 

Ed note:

 

With regrets, Travis was informed only he and Vic Damon are survivors of that list of 1952 Iola Indians.

 

•

 

Happy New Year! 27 years, dad enjoyed 16 of those years, thank you. Cheers to a happy healthy 2020. Karla (Weber) Weible

 

Ed note:

 

Karla is the daughter of the late Charlie Weber who was a member of the famed double-play combination of the 1949 Independence Yankees. That combination was Mickey Mantle to Weber and whoever was playing first base at the time. Mostly, it was Bob Newbill and Nick Ananias.

 

•

John, t’was the year 1993 you wrote the first FLASH REPORT? My oh my. Tell us, if you know, what’s ‘going on’ with minor league baseball? I hear it’s days are numbered? Bob Schwarz—1950 Iola Indians.

 

Ed reply:

 

I think minor league baseball is being played in big league stadiums. I have no idea what is going on in minor league baseball and haven't since about 1952.

•

 

What goes around comes around! The "Roaring '20's" are about to return! We continue to look for John's wisdom and commentary. So come on y'all, dig in and share your KOM stories for John to share with his following. Tks. John for 26 years of your HALL of FAME enthusiasm. Jim Jay 1956-57 Kansas City A’s batboy.

•

Up to this point the progress of the report was going on pretty well. Then, the “wheels fell off the wagon” and Yours truly came tumbling off of it.” To describe that scenario wouldn’t make nary a bit of difference to 80% of the recipients of this report and the other 20% would be divided among; you got what you deserved, that is too bad and so what else is new. The foregoing comment was precipitated by a note from the son of Stan Santo who was a member of the 1951 Ponca City Dodgers. He wrote; “Hi John. Hope all is well. Just wanted you to know that there is at least one person (me) who has noticed the gap in time since your last report. Please at least let us know your status so that I can stop worrying about you. All the Best, Mark Santo.”

 

Had this report continued, all the names of people making contact so far in 2020 would have been mentioned along with a great story regarding sign stealing by the Chicago Cubs in the 1960’s. The main culprit in the sign theft in Chicago was none other than a guy who caught for the Carthage, Missouri Cubs in 1950 and 1951. If you want to wait around for a while for that to be posted on this site you can do so. Otherwise, just go on the Internet and insert key words like “Don Biebel,” traveling secretary of the Chicago Cubs and the Wrigley Field scoreboard and you will find some fascinating reading.

 

Every former player who ever pitched a ball or swung at one has their own stories of sign stealing, doctored infields, high grass on the playing field, steroids and corked bats. Those are only a few of the ways ballplayers have sought to gain an advantage. And, guess what? They always will.

  

Difficult days.

I have to help a child with his homework this week. He's terrible.

I'm looking forward to the next week.

Really.

Oh, sorry for the bad quality..hope these problems will solved as soon as possible.

 

Tumblr

Twitter

 

All images belong to me and are the fruits of my sick mind. Please do not use/copy/print etc. without my permission (if you need.. flickrmail me!).

 

Critics and opinions are welcome!

___

All the 52weeks project

 

Which Religion is the ONLY true one?

 

Because there are so many different religions all with conflicting beliefs, many people find it confusing and difficult to decide which one they should follow.

Would a God really want to make it difficult for us to find the truth? Surely the truth has to be available for all humankind - - - for the simple and humble, as well as the clever, the intellectual and the theologian? So, it makes perfect sense to conclude that it must be possible to discern the truth through simple logic.

 

Firstly, it is easy to see that God has made his existence clear, through reason and logic to those who are open-minded and genuinely desire to seek the truth. [The evidence for the existence of a single creator God, is overwhelming. i.e. an intelligent, single, first cause, itself uncaused, and not subject to the laws of nature (Supernatural), can be demonstrated to the satisfaction of any truly, open-minded person through simple logic and science… for example, the laws of: Cause and Effect, Biogenesis, Thermodynamics and Information Theory, Intelligent Design etc.]

Thus monotheism - - belief in one supernatural, eternal, creator God is easy to deduce by those who are open-minded and really wish to seek the truth.

See: (Atheism revealed as false - why God MUST exist:

www.flickr.com/photos/truth-in-science/24321857975

AND

The real theory of everything...

www.flickr.com/photos/truth-in-science/34295660211

 

Once we have used reason and logic to establish that the Creator God can only be: one, supernatural and eternal, we know that all non-monotheistic religions are automatically ruled out as intrinsically untrue.

Of course, polytheistic or pagan religions may have some teachings which appear good, but it is obvious that they are all based on a false premise.

The true religion has to profess belief in only one, supernatural God and Creator.

We are left with only three major world religions that are strictly monotheistic.

They are: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

So the true religion has to be one of these three.

It is a fact that these three religions have many important doctrines which conflict with each other, for example; Christians and Jews believe in monogamous marriage, while Muslims believe in polygamy.

Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, while Judaism rejects Jesus and teaches that the messiah is still to come.

Likewise, although Muslims believe that Jesus was a prophet and a messiah, they reject many of His teachings, including His teachings on marriage, Heaven, drinking wine, love of enemies etc. and, even more importantly, His Divinity and his Crucifixion.

Muslims believe that Muhammad was an authentic prophet while both Jews and Christians reject that belief.

 

God is truth, so as these three religions disagree fundamentally with each other - - - - it is obvious that it only possible for one of them to be completely true in all its doctrines. So how can we decide conclusively which of these three religions is the only true one?

By asking the following question - - - we know that the Creator of the universe (the first cause of everything) must be infinite (unlimited). So everything about God must be perfect, his love is perfect and without limit (all love existing in the world originated from God), so too is his justice (his justice cannot be cheated).

Therefore if God infinitely and perfectly just, and we have all offended his infinite majesty by sin, how can anyone hope to be saved?

Only because God is also infinitely merciful and loving.

But here we have an apparent contradiction, perfect justice demands that the full price is paid for every sin, whereas perfect mercy and love demand extreme leniency. - - -

 

HERE IS THE QUESTION: - - -

How can God overcome the apparent contradiction between His perfect justice and perfect mercy?

To clarify ... How can God (who cannot deceive, nor be deceived) satisfy his infinite justice, which demands a price equal to the *offence, yet at the same time enable us to be saved through his infinite, unfathomable, mercy and love?

*[the seriousness of an offence can be judged to be commensurate with the status of the person offended against. In the army, if a private were to insult a fellow private it would not be considered very serious, but if a private were to insult or disobey an officer this would be much more serious and the seriousness would increase the higher the rank of the officer. A sin against a perfect and infinite God (our Creator) is of the ultimate seriousness. Therefore perfect justice demands infinite reparation for an offence against God].

Christianity is absolutely unique. It is the only religion that has a proper answer to this question. The question that is most crucial to our salvation. Put this question to the followers of any other religion and they will not be able to give you a satisfactory answer.

 

THE AMAZING ANSWER - - - Jesus Christ said “I am the way the truth and the life” and “no one can come to the Father except through Me.” Jesus backed up His claim by suffering an agonising death on the Cross for the salvation of all humanity.

Jesus, although completely innocent of all sin Himself, suffered for the sins of all humankind.

He was crucified, as a sacrifice, for the redemption of His enemies, as well as His friends. We are all sinners and have all offended the infinite goodness of god. No one deserves heaven entirely on their own merit.

Everyone is defiled by sin, and nothing defiled can ever enter heaven. An offence against the infinite goodness of an infinitely loving, but also an infinitely, just God, can only be redeemed by an infinitely, good sacrifice. So only a Divine sacrifice can satisfy the demands of infinite, Divine justice. only the sacrifice of the true, spiritual Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, incarnated as man (as prophesied in the Old Testament) is sufficient to save us all from the consequences of sin, to open the gates of heaven and restore eternal life to the whole human race.

Amazingly, this was even foreshadowed in the Old Testament (Book of Genesis), when God asked Abraham (as a test of his obedience) to sacrifice his only son Isaac on a pile of wood at Mount Moria. This Mount Moria is believed by some to be in the same place as Golgotha, the site of the sacrifice of God’s only Son on the wood of the Cross. Because of his obedience, Abraham became the symbolic, earthly father of all who follow God. Because of the Incarnation and sacrifice of the Son of God, Jesus, God became the spiritual Father of all who follow Him. The Cross of Jesus now represents the new tree of life, because it has restored the possibility of eternal life to the whole human race. Access to the original tree of life was removed from Adam and Eve and the rest of the human race because of original sin. The Cross of Jesus is a restoration of the tree of life. It promises eternal life to those who accept its saving message.

Only those whose garments have been ‘washed white by the Blood of the Lamb’ are fit to enter heaven. The debt of our sin has been paid by Jesus - and His saving sacrifice is offered as an unsurpassed, loving and free gift to us all. We simply have to gratefully acknowledge and accept that gift in a spirit of humility and repentance.

By His supreme sacrifice, Jesus paid the price for every sin ever committed, and thereby opened the gates of Heaven to the whole human race. Without His unique sacrifice, no one of any religion could ever enter Heaven. It matters not whether you are the most devout Muslim, Hindu, Jew, Buddhist or follower of any other faith, ultimately you will rely not on any of the rituals or customs of these various religions, but on the sacrifice of Jesus to enter heaven. All who enter heaven do so only with a passport provided by the merits of Jesus’ sacrifice. Without His sacrifice on the Cross you would never get there, whatever your religion. All other sacrifices or religious offerings, rituals etc. are as dirty rags before the Divine majesty of Almighty God, they cannot pay the price for sin that God's perfect justice demands.

This is the unavoidable truth, whether you like it or not.

Of course, we should all have free choice to follow any religion we choose, but once we know that it is only the sacrifice of Jesus that can make us fit to enter heaven and eternal life, we will surely wish to love and follow Him. It would be foolishness indeed for us to choose to follow any religion which refuses to acknowledge this, but would rather pretend that we can redeem ourselves by following its manmade doctrines and rituals.

 

Death entered the world through the sin of disobedience one woman and one man (Adam and Eve), but sin was pardoned and eternal life restored through the obedience of one woman (Mary) and the death of one man (Jesus).

 

The ancient Hebrews used the blood sacrifice of an animal as a symbolic scapegoat to bear the punishment for their sins.

Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God, became the real scapegoat who bore the punishment (by His Crucifixion) for the sins of the whole world. His death on the Cross was a perfect, holy, once and for all sacrifice, sufficient to redeem every sin ever committed. It is re-enacted in remembrance, with bread and wine, every day, by Christian priests all over the world. It is known as the Holy Eucharist which is part of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

 

Only God Himself could pay the enormous price that God's perfect justice demands for sin, but as it is man who is responsible for sin, in true justice, it is man who should pay the price. Therefore only someone who is both God and man (God made man) would be able to pay the price for sin. So the only possibility of salvation for humankind had to be provided by God Himself, and that is exactly what He did. That is why Jesus has to be God incarnated as man. Those who deny that deny Jesus is God, or who deny the Crucifixion of Jesus, deny the only possibility of salvation.

 

Abraham (the representative, earthly father of all followers of God) showed he was willing, when asked by God, to sacrifice his only son Isaac to God, as reparation for sin (it didn’t happen, because God stopped it at the last moment). And God, our heavenly Father, (who cannot be outdone in love or generosity) offered His only Son (Jesus) as a sacrifice for our sin.

 

Prophesies from the Old Testament.

Isaiah 53 New International Version (NIV)

 

1. Who has believed our message

and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2. He grew up before him like a tender shoot,

and like a root out of dry ground.

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,

nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

3. He was despised and rejected by mankind,

a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.

Like one from whom people hide their faces

he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

4. Surely he took up our pain

and bore our suffering,

yet we considered him punished by God,

stricken by him, and afflicted.

5. But he was pierced for our transgressions,

he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was on him,

and by his wounds we are healed.

6. We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

each of us has turned to our own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

7. He was oppressed and afflicted,

yet he did not open his mouth;

he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,

and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,

so he did not open his mouth.

8. By oppression and judgment he was taken away.

Yet who of his generation protested?

For he was cut off from the land of the living;

for the transgression of my people he was punished.

9. He was assigned a grave with the wicked,

and with the rich in his death,

though he had done no violence,

nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10. Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,

and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,

he will see his offspring and prolong his days,

and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.

11. After he has suffered,

he will see the light of life and be satisfied;

by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,

and he will bear their iniquities.

12. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,

and he will divide the spoils with the strong,

because he poured out his life unto death,

and was numbered with the transgressors.

For he bore the sin of many,

and made intercession for the transgressors.

 

Psalm 22 New King James Version (NKJV)

The Suffering, Praise, and Posterity of the Messiah

 

22 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?

Why are You so far from helping Me,

And from the words of My groaning?

2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear;

And in the night season, and am not silent.

3 But You are holy,

Enthroned in the praises of Israel.

4 Our fathers trusted in You;

They trusted, and You delivered them.

5 They cried to You, and were delivered;

They trusted in You, and were not ashamed.

6 But I am a worm, and no man;

A reproach of men, and despised by the people.

7 All those who see Me ridicule Me;

They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

8 “He trusted[b] in the Lord, let Him rescue Him;

Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”

9 But You are He who took Me out of the womb;

You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts.

10 I was cast upon You from birth.

From My mother’s womb

You have been My God.

11 Be not far from Me,

For trouble is near;

For there is none to help.

12 Many bulls have surrounded Me;

Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me.

13 They gape at Me with their mouths,

Like a raging and roaring lion.

14 I am poured out like water,

And all My bones are out of joint;

My heart is like wax;

It has melted within Me.

15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,

And My tongue clings to My jaws;

You have brought Me to the dust of death.

16 For dogs have surrounded Me;

The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.

They pierced[c] My hands and My feet;

17 I can count all My bones.

They look and stare at Me.

18 They divide My garments among them,

And for My clothing they cast lots.

19 But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me;

O My Strength, hasten to help Me!

20 Deliver Me from the sword,

My precious life from the power of the dog.

21 Save Me from the lion’s mouth

And from the horns of the wild oxen!

You have answered Me.

22 I will declare Your name to My brethren;

In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.

23 You who fear the Lord, praise Him!

All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,

And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!

24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;

Nor has He hidden His face from Him;

But when He cried to Him, He heard.

25 My praise shall be of You in the great assembly;

I will pay My vows before those who fear Him.

26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied;

Those who seek Him will praise the Lord.

Let your heart live forever!

27 All the ends of the world

Shall remember and turn to the Lord,

And all the families of the nations

Shall worship before You.[d]

28 For the kingdom is the Lord’s,

And He rules over the nations.

29 All the prosperous of the earth

Shall eat and worship;

All those who go down to the dust

Shall bow before Him,

Even he who cannot keep himself alive.

30 A posterity shall serve Him.

It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation,

31 They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born,

That He has done this.

 

Babylonian Talmud: "The Messiah --what is his name?...The Rabbis say, The Leper Scholar, as it is said, `surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him a leper, smitten of God and afflicted...'" (Sanhedrin 98b)

 

Midrash Ruth Rabbah: "Another explanation (of Ruth ii.14): -- He is speaking of king Messiah; `Come hither,' draw near to the throne; `and eat of the bread,' that is, the bread of the kingdom; `and dip thy morsel in the vinegar,' this refers to his chastisements, as it is said, `But he was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities'"

 

Targum Jonathan: "Behold my servant Messiah shall prosper; he shall be high and increase and be exceedingly strong..."

Zohar: "`He was wounded for our transgressions,' etc....There is in the Garden of Eden a palace called the Palace of the Sons of Sickness; this palace the Messiah then enters, and summons every sickness, every pain, and every chastisement of Israel; they all come and rest upon him. And were it not that he had thus lightened them off Israel and taken them upon himself, there had been no man able to bear Israel's chastisements for the transgression of the law: and this is that which is written, `Surely our sicknesses he hath carried.'"

 

Rabbi Moses Maimonides: "What is the manner of Messiah's advent....there shall rise up one of whom none have known before, and signs and wonders which they shall see performed by him will be the proofs of his true origin; for the Almighty, where he declares to us his mind upon this matter, says, `Behold a man whose name is the Branch, and he shall branch forth out of his place' (Zech. 6:12). And Isaiah speaks similarly of the time when he shall appear, without father or mother or family being known, He came up as a sucker before him, and as a root out of dry earth, etc....in the words of Isaiah, when describing the manner in which kings will harken to him, At him kings will shut their mouth; for that which had not been told them have they seen, and that which they had not heard they have perceived." (From the Letter to the South (Yemen), quoted in The Fifty-third Chapter of Isaiah According to the Jewish Interpreters, Ktav Publishing House, 1969, Volume 2, pages 374-5)

 

Rabbi Mosheh Kohen Ibn Crispin: This rabbi described those who interpret Isaiah 53 as referring to Israel as those: "having forsaken the knowledge of our Teachers, and inclined after the `stubbornness of their own hearts,' and of their own opinion, I am pleased to interpret it, in accordance with the teaching of our Rabbis, of the King Messiah....This prophecy was delivered by Isaiah at the divine command for the purpose of making known to us something about the nature of the future Messiah, who is to come and deliver Israel, and his life from the day when he arrives at discretion until his advent as a redeemer, in order that if anyone should arise claiming to be himself the Messiah, we may reflect, and look to see whether we can observe in him any resemblance to the traits described here; if there is any such resemblance, then we may believe that he is the Messiah our righteousness; but if not, we cannot do so." (From his commentary on Isaiah, quoted in The Fifty-third Chapter of Isaiah According to the Jewish Interpreters, Ktav Publishing House, 1969, Volume 2, pages 99-114.)

www.chaim.org/rabbis.htm

 

Why the Isaiah 53 prophesy cannot refer to Israel.

www.chaim.org/nation.htm

Why Isaiah 53 cannot refer to the nation of Israel, or anyone else, but must be the Messiah

1. The servant of Isaiah 53 is an innocent and guiltless sufferer. Israel is never described as sinless. Isaiah 1:4 says of the nation: "Alas sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity. A brood of evildoers, children who are corrupters!" He then goes on in the same chapter to characterize Judah as Sodom, Jerusalem as a harlot, and the people as those whose hands are stained with blood (verses 10, 15, and 21). What a far cry from the innocent and guiltless sufferer of Isaiah 53 who had "done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth!"

2. The prophet said: "It pleased the LORD to bruise him." Has the awful treatment of the Jewish people (so contrary, by the way, to the teaching of Jesus to love everyone) really been God's pleasure, as is said of the suffering of the servant in Isaiah 53:10 ? If, as some rabbis contend, Isaiah 53 refers to the holocaust, can we really say of Israel's suffering during that horrible period, "It pleased the LORD to bruise him?" Yet it makes perfect sense to say that God was pleased to have Messiah suffer and die as our sin offering to provide us forgiveness and atonement.

3. The person mentioned in this passage suffers silently and willingly. Yet all people, even Israelites, complain when they suffer! Brave Jewish men and women fought in resistance movements against Hitler. Remember the Vilna Ghetto Uprising? Remember the Jewish men who fought on the side of the allies? Can we really say Jewish suffering during the holocaust and during the preceding centuries was done silently and willingly?

4. The figure described in Isaiah 53 suffers, dies, and rises again to atone for his people's sins. The Hebrew word used in Isaiah 53:10 for "sin-offering" is "asham," which is a technical term meaning "sin-offering." See how it is used in Leviticus chapters 5 and 6. Isaiah 53 describes a sinless and perfect sacrificial lamb who takes upon himself the sins of others so that they might be forgiven. Can anyone really claim that the terrible suffering of the Jewish people, however undeserved and unjust, atones for the sins of the world? Whoever Isaiah 53 speaks of, the figure described suffers and dies in order to provide a legal payment for sin so that others can be forgiven. This cannot be true of the Jewish people as a whole, or of any other mere human.

5. It is the prophet who is speaking in this passage. He says: "who has believed our message." The term "message" usually refers to the prophetic message, as it does in Jeremiah 49:14. Also, when we understand the Hebrew parallelism of verse 1, we see "Who has believed our message" as parallel to "to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed." The "arm of the Lord" refers to God's powerful act of salvation. So the message of the speaker is the message of a prophet declaring what God has done to save his people.

6. The prophet speaking is Isaiah himself, who says the sufferer was punished for "the transgression of my people," according to verse 8. Who are the people of Isaiah? Israel. So the sufferer of Isaiah 53 suffered for Israel. So how could he be Israel?

7. The figure of Isaiah 53 dies and is buried according to verses 8 and 9. The people of Israel have never died as a whole. They have been out of the land on two occasions and have returned, but they have never ceased to be among the living. Yet Jesus died, was buried, and rose again.

8. If Isaiah 53 cannot refer to Israel, how about Isaiah himself? But Isaiah said he was a sinful man of unclean lips (Isaiah 6:5-7). And Isaiah did not die as an atonement for our sins. Could it have been Jeremiah? Jeremiah 11:19 does echo the words of Isaiah 53. Judah rejected and despised the prophet for telling them the truth. Leaders of Judah sought to kill Jeremiah, and so the prophet describes himself in these terms. But they were not able to kill the prophet. Certainly Jeremiah did not die to atone for the sins of his people. What of Moses? Could the prophet have been speaking of him? But Moses wasn't sinless either. Moses sinned and was forbidden from entering the promised land (Numbers 20:12). Moses indeed attempted to offer himself as a sacrifice in place of the nation, but God did not allow him to do so (Exodus 32:30-35). Moses, Isaiah, and Jeremiah were all prophets who gave us a glimpse of what Messiah, the ultimate prophet, would be like, but none of them quite fit Isaiah 53.

So what can we conclude? Isaiah 53 cannot refer to the nation of Israel, nor to Isaiah, nor to Moses, nor another prophet. And if not to Moses, certainly not to any lesser man. Yet Messiah would be greater than Moses. As the rabbinic writing "Yalkut" said: "Who art thou, O great mountain? (Zech. iv.7) This refers to the King Messiah. And why does he call him`the great mountain?' because he is greater than the patriarchs, as it is said, `My servant shall be high, and lifted up, and lofty exceedingly' --he will be higher than Abraham...lifted up above Moses...loftier then the ministering angels..." (Quoted in The Fifty-third Chapter of Isaiah According to the Jewish Interpreters, Ktav Publishing House, 1969, Volume 2, page 9.)

Of whom does Isaiah speak? He speaks of the Messiah, as many ancient rabbis concluded. The second verse of Isaiah 53 makes it crystal clear. The figure grows up as "a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground." The shoot springing up is beyond reasonable doubt a reference to the Messiah, and, in fact, it is a common Messianic reference in Isaiah and elsewhere. The Davidic dynasty was to be cut down in judgement like a felled tree, but it was promised to Israel that a new sprout would shoot up from the stump. The Messiah was to be that sprout. Several Hebrew words were used to refer to this undeniably Messianic image. All the terms are related in meaning and connected in the Messianic texts where they were used. Isaiah 11, which virtually all rabbis agreed refers to the Messiah, used the words "shoot" (hoter) and branch (netser) to describe the Messianic King. Isaiah 11:10 called Messiah the "Root (shoresh) of Jesse," Jesse being David's father. Isaiah 53 described the suffering servant as a root (shoresh) from dry ground, using the very same metaphor and the very same word as Isaiah 11. We also see other terms used for the same concept, such as branch (tsemach) in Jeremiah 23:5, in Isaiah 4:2 and also in the startling prophecies of Zechariah 3:8 and 6:12.

Beyond doubt, Isaiah 52:13-53:12 refers to Messiah Jesus. He is the one highly exalted before whom kings shut their mouths. Messiah is the shoot who sprung up from the fallen Davidic dynasty. He became the King of Kings. He provided the ultimate atonement.

Isaiah 52:13 states that it would be the Messiah who will "sprinkle" many nations. What does that mean? What was Messiah's ministry to be toward the nations? The word translated "sprinkle" or sometimes "startle" is found several other places in the OT. The Hebrew word is found in Leviticus 4:6; 8:11; 14:7, and Numbers 8:7, 19:18-19. The references cited all pertain to priestly sprinklings of the blood of atonement, the anointing oil of consecration, and the ceremonial water used to cleanse the unclean. Is Isaiah 52:13 telling us that the Messiah will act as a priest who applies atonement, anoints to consecrate, sprinkles to make clean? (This vision of the Messiah as both priest and king is also found in Zechariah 6:12-13). But, priests were to come from the tribe of Levi and Kings from the tribe of Judah! What kind of priest is he? David told us Messiah would be a priest of the order of Melchizedek (see Psalm 110 and Hebrews chapters 7-9).

Isaiah 53 must be understood as referring to the coming Davidic King, the Messiah. King Messiah was prophesied to suffer and die to pay for our sins and then rise again. He would serve as a priest to the nations of the world and apply the blood of atonement to cleanse those who believe. There is one alone who this can refer to, Jesus, whom millions refer to as Christ, which is from the Greek word for Messiah. Those who confess him are his children, his promised offspring, the spoils of his victory. According to the testimony of the Jewish Apostles, Jesus died for our sins, rose again, ascended to the right hand of God, and he now serves as our great High Priest who cleanses us of sin and our King. Jesus rules over his people and is in the process of conquering the Gentiles. The first century Jewish disciples were willing to die rather than deny they had seen the risen Messiah. Only if one has presupposed Jesus cannot have been the Messiah can one deny that which is obvious. Israel's greatest son, Jesus, is the one Isaiah foresaw.

 

(c) 1997 Fred Klett

  

At the top of Racer's Edge at Hunter Mountain.

Serendipitously saw this sunset on a walk down by the River Clyde with a close friend.

North Korean agriculture works under quite difficult conditions. Most of North Korea's territory is occupied by mountains and is thus not arable. The little land that is left faces many problems.

In 1995, 2007 and 2011, floods of unsuspected size washed away rice and corn fields, destroying a good part of the crops. These floods brought the population to famine, a problem which is still lingering within the unwealthy North Koreans. For the past twenty years, North Korea has been relying on international aid such as that of the United Nation, Japan or South Korea to feed its people, and the number of people who died from illness related to hunger or malnutrition is estimated to about two million.

Moreover, was it not for the floods, North Korea still has difficulty producing enough to match its population's nutritional needs.

Most agriculture in North Korea relies on manual work. The government tries to compensate the lack of mechanization by implementing programs that call for the farm workers to get up earlier and be at work in the fields “at the break of dawn”, but the lack of productivity itself is not compensated. The still deep-rooted principle of Juche prohibits buying soil fertilizer from abroad, but the country could not afford a lot in any case due to its lack of foreign currency. In the search for exploitable land, people burn off patches of forest on the mountains. The soil being no longer held by tree roots, it in turn brings floods. Another problem is industrial pollution, which seems to come from coal-burning industries, and some cases of acid rains.

One solution seems to be favored by countryside inhabitants ; they make their own garden and sell the products on local markets or on the street, or raise their own animals, such as goats. Goats produce dairy, not a traditional North Korean food, but to which people are gradually getting used.

  

© Eric Lafforgue

www.ericlafforgue.com

 

Well........ In a very difficult situation this year as far as New Year's resolutions.....

Usually I've had a surgery.... So it's to get back in shape.

And although I am to have a surgery shortly. It shouldn't be very bad compared to the others. So I've kind off taken care of that problem prior.....

 

So what's a poor fat girl like me to do??????

Well...... I could pledge not to loose hair..... But somehow I don't have any chemo ahead. Knock on wood, or a certain head....

I can promise to be good. But I always am... I can promise not yo tease people. But they live for that.

Or I can promise to continue giving all health and weather alerts.

So...... Here goes......

Nipple alert in affect for the Midwest portion of the United States.. Be careful to dress warm and have a good warm breakfast before heading out.

Perhaps some hot sizzling glazed to perfection cinnamon Sticky buns. Yummy yummy. Couldn't you sink you mouth around those morsels of nutrition. Maybe licking away a little of the glaze... rubbing your nose into the soft contour.

Feeling the heat warm you from head to toe......

Yes....... I could do that occasionally...... I wonder if anyone would like though. I mean...... I've seen the stuff on this site.... It's usually men in dresses playing with tootsie rolls or tiny pork breakfast sausage dressed in lingerie with big chubby fingers.... So... Too each their own.

Happy breakfast

Barada with a jetpack. Fan-freaking-tastic. Well, if what Adam says is true he shouldn't go that far anyway. Or be too difficult to follow. I call up Jackie and have him bring up the ATV and our costumes. It only took the little squirt 3 or so minutes to get to the Kane center. Kinda funny watching him ride up on the ATV. He's juuuuust tall enough to reach everything. He throws us our costumes and we make a 15 second quick change from two dorky highschoolers to two of the city's most well-known heroes. Everything in order, I tell Jackie to sort out the mess in the Kane center the best he can. He's surprisingly better at crowd control than you'd expect a niave 12-year old to be. And to Steph, I said "let's ride". Only to be met with an annoyed sigh.

 

"What's wrong?"

 

"Can we just get the dune hopper? I really don't like the ATV..."

 

"Wha..? Why?"

 

"Tim, all I have to say on with is a bar and a running board that's too small. Not exaclty that comfortable. Or safe. Or fun..."

 

My ATV not fun? Blasphemy. But still, I understand what she's saying. There are better options than holding on for dear life in the back of a quadbike. One bad bump and she'll probably fall off. Still though, She doesn't have any other options...for now.

 

"Steph, we really don't have much time. Just get on the ATV. This'll be quick, I promise."

 

She looks up in annoyance and sulks over to the ATV. Don't worry, Steph. Just wait a couple more days. You'll be much haapier with what I'm putting under the tree for you...

Difficult to read this date might be 14 or 24

 

From the details in the photo album I can be certain that this photo album once belonged to David John Saer who was the Headmaster at the Alexander Rd Council School in Aberystwyth.

 

He was born in 1868 in Ciffig nr Whitland Carmarthenshire Wales. On the 1911 census this is spelt Kiffig. His mother Anne was also from Ciffig b 1846 and his father James b 1846 was a Police Constable from St Clears Carmarthen. He had two brothers John Saer b1869 in Carmarthen and William Rees Saer b1877 in Llanelli Carmarthen.

 

David married Mary Howell in 1896

 

The 1911 census indicates they had had 3 children 1 had died. The 2 girls were Hywela Annie born 1901 and Gwenllian Margaret b 1905

 

David John Saer was one of 3 Headteachers at the Alexander Rd Council School in Aberystwyth. According to the Ceredigion County Council the school had one for the boys (which was David) one for Girls and one for infants. Alexandra Road School was built in 1874 for 600 children aged 5-14

In 1910 a new block was built for 240 more boys with a manual room for 20 boys and a new class room for 40 girls with a cookery centre.

 

David taught at the school for 33 years and left behind a legacy in the form of a no of publications inc The Bilingual Problem ... a study based upon Experiments and observations in Wales , Find on Pendinas and Inquiry into effect of bilingualism upon the intelligence of young children. There are many more.

 

His daughter Hywela obviously followed in the same path and became an Education Lecturer, UCW . She also published books including Modern language teaching in smaller secondary schools,

Modern language teaching in Wales, Note on Dr. Johnson.

Always difficult after a "productive" day, great light and views yesterday, back to reality today.

 

Scrabster Harbour, Caithness, Scotland.

Des temps difficiles

Difficult to get here but worth this view and more

The internet has made churchcrawling easier, and so some churches that prooved difficult to see inside can be contacted and visits arranged.

 

Over the years, several have taken a couple of years or more to see inside: Thannington, Hinxhill, Preston and Betteshanger just off the top of my head. But most difficult have been Barming.

 

We first visited here one Good Friday over a decade ago, one of several along the valley that were either closed or had services on. Since then I have been insde Mereworth and Waterningbury, but each time we went past Barming, it has been closed.

 

Then a few weeks ago, a friend posted pictures from inside, and told me he had arranged a visit from their website. I did the same, though one visit a few weeks back had to be postponed, a few weeks later I was back, hoping to meet a warden at ten.

 

It was at least a fine sunny and warm spring morning, perfect for snapping the churchyard and finding yet more details on the body of the church to record.

 

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An isolated church at the end of a lane above the River Medway. Norman origins are obvious - three windows in the east wall indicate the earliest work. The nave is also early and to this was added the fifteenth century tower with stair turret and needle-like spire. The north aisle was a nineteenth century addition and the chancel was restored by Sir Ninian Comper and represents some of his earliest work. Later generations have, unfortunately, undone much of his original design. The memorable feature of the church is the set of fourteenth century Rhenish carvings showing St Michael, Samson and Our Lord worked into bench ends in the chancel.

 

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Barming

 

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BARMING.

CALLED in antient records, Bermelinge, lies the next parish to East Farleigh, on the opposite or northern side of the river Medway.

 

THE PARISH of East Barming lies on high ground, declining southward to the valley, through which the river Medway flows, being its southern boundary. It is situated opposite to East Farleigh, than which it has a far less rustic and more ornamented appearance. The soil like that is a fertile loam, slightly covering the quarry rock, from under which several small springs gush out, and run precipitately in trinkling rills into the Medway; it is enriched too with frequent hop and fruit plantations; the fields are in general larger, and surrounded with continued rows of lofty elms and large spreading oaks, which contribute greatly to the pleasantness of the place. The situation of it, as well as of the neighbouring parishes, from Maidstone as far as Mereworth, is exceedingly beautiful, the river Medway meandering its silver stream in the valley beneath, throughout the greatest part of the extent of them; the fertility of soil, the healthiness of air, the rich variety of prospect, adorned by a continued range of capital seats, with their parks and plantations, form altogether an assemblage of objects, in which nature and art appear to have lavished their choicest endeavours, to form a scene teeming with whatever can make it desirable both for pleasure and profit.

 

The high road from Maidstone to Tunbridge crosses the upper part of the parish of East Barming, over a beautiful, though small plain, called Barmingheath, part of which is in Maidstone parish, a little distance below which is a modern, and rather elegant seat, built by John Whitaker, gent. second son of Mr. Tho. Whitaker, of Trottesclive, since whose death it has come to his nephew, Thomas Whitaker, esq. of Watringbury; but Mr. William Rolfe resides in it. Farther on is the village of Barming, in which is a pleasant seat, called the Homestall, built about the year 1720, by Mr. James Allen, whose heirs are now entitled to the see simple of it; but by the foreclosure of a mortgage term, the possession of it became vested in Arthur Harris, esq. who kept his shrievalty here in 1746; his brother Thomas resided likewise here, and dying unmarried in 1769, gave this seat to Mrs. Mary Dorman for life; remainder to Mr. John Mumford, of Sutton-at-Hone, whom he made heir to the bulk of his fortune; she now possesses and resides in it. A small distance from hence is the seat of Hall-place; hence the ground rises to the coppice woods, part of which lie within this parish, and adjoin to a much larger tract northward. About a quarter of a mile on the other side of the road is the church, standing by itself among a grove of elms, the slight delicate white spire of which rising above the foilage of the grove, affords a pleasing prospect to the neighbouring country. From the above road the village extends southward down the declivity of the hill, almost to the river, over which there is a wooden bridge, built at the expence of the commissioners of the navigation. It is called St. Helen's bridge, from its contiguity to that manor, situated at a very small distance from it; about a mile from the village, close to the eastern boundary of the parish, adjoining to that of Maidstone, on the declivity of the hill, leading down to East Farleigh bridge, is the parsonage, lately almost rebuilt by the present rector, the Rev. Mark Noble, who resides in it, and by his judicious management and improvements has made this benefice, perhaps one of the most desirable in the diocese.

 

A few years ago several Roman urns, pieces of armour, and skeletons, were dug up within the bounds of this parish; the latter were no doubt belonging to those who fell in the skirmish between the Royalists and Oliverians at Farleigh bridge, in 1648; and the former serves to shew, that the Roman highway, a different one from the larger one of the Watling-street, and directing its course towards Oldborough, in Ightham, led near this place, of which more will be noticed hereafter.

 

THERE GROWS on Barming heath, the plant, Chamæmelum odoratissimum repens flore simplici, common camomile, in great plenty; and verbascum album vulgare five thapsus barbatus communis, great mul lein, or hightaper, more plentifully, and of a larger size than I have met with elsewhere.

 

THE MANOR of East Barming was given by king William the conqueror to Richard de Tonebrege, the eldest son of Gislebert earl of Brion, in Normandy, the son of Geffry, natural son of Richard, the first of that name, duke of Normandy, whence he bore the name of Richard Fitz Gilbert at his coming hither; (fn. 1) he was one of the principal persons who came into England with duke William, to whom he gave great assistance in that memorable battle, in which he obtained the crown of this realm. He had for that service, and in respect of his near alliance to him in blood, great advancements in honour, and large possessions both in Normandy and England, bestowed upon him; among the latter he possessed thirty-eight lordships in Surry, thirty-five in Essex, three in Cambridgeshire, three in Kent, one in Middlesex, one in Wiltshire, one in Devonshire, ninety-five in Suffolk, and thirteen burgages in Ipswich, of which Clare was one, besides others in other counties; accordingly, in the survey of Domesday, taken about the year 1080, being the 15th of the Conqueror's reign, this estate is thus entered under the title of, Terra Ricardi F. Gisleb'ti, the land of Richard, the son of Gislebert.

 

In Medestan hundred the same Richard (de Tonebrige) holds Bermelinge. Alret held it of king Edward (the Confessor) and then and now it was and is taxed at one suling. The arable land is four carucates. In demesne there are two carucates and five villeins, with eight borderers, having five carucates. There are thirteen servants, and one mill of five shillings, and four acres of meadow. Wood for the pannage of ten hogs. In the time of king Edward it was worth four pounds, and afterwards 100 shillings, now four pounds.

 

This Richard Fitz Gilbert, at the latter end of the Conqueror's reign, was usually called Rich. de Tonebrige, as well from his possessing that town and castle, as from his residence there; and his descendants took the name of Clare, from the like reason of their possessing that honour, and were afterwards earls of Clare, and of Gloucester and Hertford. Of this family, as chief lords of the fee, Barming was afterwards held in moieties by Fulk Peyforer and Roger de Kent, each of whom held their part of the honour of Clare.

 

In the reign of king Edward II. the heirs of Lora Peyforer and those of Roger de Kent, being Thomas de Barmeling and Wm. de Kent, held these moieties as above mentioned; and in the 20th year of the next reign of king Edward III. John Fitz Jacob, Thomas and John de Kent, held these moieties of this estate, in East Barmeling, of the earl of Gloucester.

 

THE FORMER OF THESE MOIETIES, held by the family of Peyforer, seems to have comprised the MANOR of EAST BARMING, and to have been given afterwards to the Benedictine nunnery of St. Helen's, in Bishopsgate street, London, whence it acquired the name of ST. HELEN'S, alias East Barming manor, by the former of which only it is now called; with the above priory this manor remained till its dissolution, in king Henry VIII.'s reign, when it was surrendered into the king's hands, who, in his 35th year, granted his manor, called St. Elen's, among other premises, to Richard Callohill, to hold in capite by knights service, who that year sold it to Gabriel Caldham, freemason, of London; and he next year sold it to Tho. Reve, (fn. 2) whose grandson of the same name, in the 4th year of queen Elizabeth, levied a fine of it, and then passed it away by sale to Mr. Stephen Pearse, who some years afterwards alienated it to Sir Robert Brett, on whose death, without surviving issue, in 1620, (fn. 3) this manor came by will to Robert Lynd, esq. who bore for his arms, Argent a cross ingrailed gules; and he sold it to Sir Oliver Boteler, of Teston, in whose descendants it continued down to Sir Philip Boteler, bart. who died in 1772, s. p. and by will gave one moiety of his estates to Mrs. Elizabeth Bouverie, of Chart Sutton; and the other moiety to Elizabeth viscountess dowager Folkestone, and Wm. Bouverie, earl of Radnor; and on a partition afterwards made between them, this manor was allotted to lady Folkestone, who died in 1782, on which it came to her only son, the Hon. Philip Bouverie, who has since taken the name of Pusey, and he is the present owner of it.

 

This manor extends its jurisdiction over the whole of this parish; the antient house of it, as well as the dove cote, stood nearly at the foot of the hill near St. Helen's bridge; both have been pulled down not many years since.

 

THE OTHER MOIETY of the estate of East Barming, held by John Fitz Jacob and John de Kent, seems to have passed afterwards into the family of Fremingham; for John, son of Sir Ralph de Fremingham, of Lose, died possessed of it about the 12th year of king Henry IV. and leaving no issue, he by his will gave it to certain feoffees, who, in compliance with it, next year assigned it to John Pimpe, and his heirs male, for the finding and maintaining of two chaplains, one in the monastery of Boxley, and the other in the church of East Farleigh, to celebrate for the souls of himself, his wife, and others their ancestors and relations therein mentioned. From the family of Pimpe this estate came, in king Henry VIII.'s reign, to Sir Henry Isley, who by the act of the 2d and 3d of king Edward VI. procured his lands in this county to be disgavelled.

 

Being concerned in the rebellion raised by Sir Tho. Wyatt, in the 1st year of queen Mary, he was attainted, and his lands were consiscated to the crown, whence this estate was granted that year to Sir John Baker, the queen's attorney general, to hold in capite by knights service; (fn. 4) in whose descendants it continued down to Sir John Baker, bart. of Sissinghurst, of whom it seems to have been purchased in the reign of king Charles II. by Golding, who died possessed of it in 1674, and was buried in this church, bearing for his arms, A cross voided, between four lions passant guardant. His son, Mr. Henry Golding, gent. about the year 1700, alienated this estate to Nicholas Amhurst, gent. of West Barming, who died possessed of it in 1715; and his grandson, John Amhurst, esq. is the present possessor of it.

 

HALL PLACE is a reputed manor in this parish, the antient mansion of which is situated at a small distance westward of the present seat, and is little more than an ordinary cottage, serving as a farm house to a small parcel of land. It formerly gave both residence and surname to a family, written in antient deeds, At-Hall, who before the end of the reign of king Edward III. had alienated their interest in the greatest part of it to one of the Colepepers, of Preston, in Aylesford, and the rest of it to Clive; and this part was by John Clive, about the 7th year of king Henry IV. likewise conveyed to Colepeper, who in the 10th year of that reign passed away the entire fee of it to Sampson Mascall, whose family was originally of Mascall's, in Brenchley, and in his descendants Hall-place continued till the latter end of queen Elizabeth's reign, when it was conveyed to Alchorne, whose ancestors were possessed of Alchorne in Rotherfield, in Sussex; in which name the fee of this estate remained at the time of king Charles II.'s restoration, but the use and profits of it were made over, for a long series of years, to Mr. Cook, of Stepney; and he, in 1656, alienated his interest in it to Mr. Rich. Webb, rector of this parish, who in 1667, gave it to his grandson, Richard Webb, gent. who, in 1726, conveyed it by sale to Mr. Peter Smart, who bore for his arms, Argent, a chevron between three pheons sable; about which time Christopher Smart, the poet, is said to have been born in this parish; at length, Mr. Peter Smart's widow, and their children, in 1746, passed away their interest in it to John Cale, esq. who resided here, and dying in 1777, was buried in this churchyard, having been a benefactor to the poor of this parish; and by his will he devised this, among the rest of his estates in this county, to the heirs of Tho. Prowse, esq. of Axbridge, in Somersetshire; in consequence of which his two daughters and coheirs became intitled to it; the youngest of whom married Sir John Mordaunt, bart. of Walton, in Warwickshire, and they became possessed of this estate in undivided moieties, and in 1781, joined in the sale of it to John Amhurst, esq. of Barnjet, the present owner of it.

 

CHARITIES.

THOMAS HARRIS, esq. of this parish, in 1769, gave by will, 5l. per annum for fifty years, 2s. of it to be given to the poor of this parish in bread, on each Sunday in the year, excepting Easter and Whitsunday.

 

JOHN CALE, esq. of this parish, in 1777, gave by will the sum of 200l. in East India annuities, the interest of it to be given to the poor yearly at Christmas, in linen and bread, vested in trustees, of the annual produce of 61.

 

THIS PARISH is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Rochester and deanry of Malling.

 

The church, which is dedicated to St. Margaret, is a small building, consisting of one isle and a chancel, with an elegant spire steeple. The present rector, Mr. Noble, about twelve years ago, at his own expence, entirely repaired and ornamented the chancel; he gave likewise a new altar and pulpit cloth, and cushion; and the parishioners, followed his example, in the repair and ornamenting of the church itself; so that from being one of the most neglected, it is become equal to most of the neighbouring churches in those respects.

 

Walter, bishop of Rochester, in the reign of king Stephen, confirmed to the prior and canon of Ledes the patronage of the church of Barmyng, as it was granted to them by the lords of the soil, and confirmed to them by their charters.

 

Gilbert, bishop of Rochester, in the reign of king Henry II. granted to the prior and canons two shillings, to be received by them yearly, as a pension from this church, saving the episcopal right of the bishop of Rochester, &c. (fn. 5) The patronage of the church of Barming, together with this pension, remained part of the possessions of the above mentioned priory till the dissolution of it in the reign of king Henry VIII. when it came into the king's hands. Since which, the patronage of this rectory has continued vested in the crown, but the above mentioned yearly pension of two shillings was, by the king's dotation charter, in his 33d year, settled on his new erected dean and chapter of Rochester, who are now intitled to it.

 

¶In the 15th year of king Edward I. the church of Barmelyng was valued at twelve marcs. It is valued in the king's books at 12l. 7s. 1d. and the yearly tenths at 1l. 5s. 8½d.z The glebe land belonging to this rectory contains eighty-three acres.

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol4/pp383-392

Difficult Run, located in Great Falls National Park outside of Washington DC in Northern Virginia. Difficult Run, so named because of its obvious challenges for anyone seeking to navigate its waters, flows into the Potomac River (where the parks namesake is located) downstream of the falls.

Anticipate the difficult by managing the easy Quote Meaning

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Difficult to take seriously, just so funny.

Jasper, Canada

Week 5: E is for Effort

#31: Cube

I haven't done a glass picture for a while, so it seemed like a good idea to try a dark field shot with a twist.

 

Lighting is from a wide softbox behind, with Canon 540EZ on full power, triggered by radio. The middle part of the softbox, behind the glass, is masked with black, and the exposed parts at the sides covered with coloured cloth (blue/green on the left, red on the right).

 

The base was black, and the sides also flagged with black cards, but there are still lots of spurious reflections I couldn't control in the limited time I had to set up, shoot and clear away.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

 

Some background:

The T-34, a Soviet medium tank, had a profound and lasting effect on the field of tank design. At its introduction in 1940, the T-34 possessed an unprecedented combination of firepower, mobility, protection and ruggedness. Its 76.2 mm high-velocity tank gun provided a substantial increase in firepower over any of its contemporaries while its well-sloped armour was difficult to penetrate by most contemporary anti-tank weapons. Although its armour and armament were surpassed later in the war, it has often been credited as the most effective, efficient and influential tank design of the Second World War.

 

The T-34 was the mainstay of Soviet armoured forces throughout the Second World War. Its design allowed it to be continuously refined to meet the constantly evolving needs of the Eastern Front: as the war went on it became more capable, but also quicker and cheaper to produce. Soviet industry would eventually produce over 80,000 T-34s of all variants, allowing steadily greater numbers to be fielded as the war progressed despite the loss of tens of thousands in combat against the German Wehrmacht. Replacing many light and medium tanks in Red Army service, it was the most-produced tank of the war, as well as the second most produced tank of all time (after its successor, the T-54/55 series). T-34 variants were widely exported after World War II, and even as recently as 2010, the tank has seen limited front-line service with several developing countries

 

One of the unusual and rather unknown operators of the T-34 was Austria. 25 tanks (some sources claim 27 or even 37) of the late T-34/85 variant came as a gift from (well, they were actually left behind by) the Soviet Union in 1955 when the Red Army left the country, meaning that the Austrian Bundesheer was re-established. These vehicles became the young army's initial backbone, until more modern equipment (e. g. M41 and M47 tanks procured from the USA and AMX-13/75 tanks from France) replaced them in frontline service. Due to their ruggedness and simplicity, they were kept in service, though - primarily for training, and some vehicles were in the 1970s integrated into hidden bunkers, defending strategically vital "security space zones".

 

A revival of the Austrian T-34/85 fleet came in the late Sixties, though, when the Austrian Army recognized a lack in long range attack capabilities (at 1.000 m range and more) against hardened targets like enemy tanks, paired with high mobility and low costs, similar to the German Jagdpanzer profile from WWII. At that time, Austria operated roundabout 50 Charioteer tanks with 83.4 mm guns in this role, but these British vehicles were outdated and needed a timely replacement.

Another limiting factor were severe budget restrictions. The eventual solution came from the Austrian company Saurer: a relatively simple conversion of the indigenous Saurer APC, armed with a version of the French AMX-13's FL-12 oscillating turret, armed with a powerful 105mm cannon, which had just become available in an export version. However, in order to bridge the new tank hunter's development time and quickly fill the defense gap, the Austrian T-34/85s were checked whether it was possible to modernize them with the new turret, too.

 

The first conversion was carried out by Saurer in 1963 and proved to be successful. Since the light FL-12 turret had a smaller bearing diameter than the old T-34/85 turret, the integration into the hull went straightforward with the help of a simple adapter ring. What made the conversion even simpler was the fact that the FL-12, with its integrated cannon and an automated loading system, was a complete, self-sufficient unit.

The French turret was only lightly armoured, since the tank was not supposed to engage heavily-armed enemies at close range. The turret's front armour protected the crew from 20mm armour-piercing rounds over its frontal arc, while all-round protection was against small arms bullets only. The commander was seated on the left of the turret and the gunner on the right. The commander was provided with seven periscopes and a periscopic sight. The commander's infrared night sight had a magnification of x6. The gunner had two observation periscopes, a telescopic sight and a one-piece lifting and swiveling hatch cover. Due to the design of the oscillating turret, all sights were always linked to the main and secondary armament (a standard NATO machine gun). For engaging targets at night, an infrared periscopic sight was provided for the commander. In order to simplify and lighten the tank, the T-34’s bow machine gun in the hull was deleted and its opening faired over and the crew was reduced to three.

The 105 mm gun could penetrate 360 mm of armour, and the internal magazines of 2x 6 shots allowed a very high rate of fire (up to 12 shots per minute), even though a crew member had to leave the tank in order to fill the magazines up again from the outside. Once the gun had been fired the empty cartridge cases were ejected out of the rear of the turret through a trapdoor hinged on the left. Beyond the 12 rounds in the turret, a further 42 rounds were stored in the tank's hull, primarily in a stowage rack for 30 shots where the former second crew member in the front hull had been placed, and a further twelve rounds in magazines at the turret’s base.

 

The T-34/85’s engine and transmission were not changed, since an update was beyond the conversion budget limit, but lighter “skeleton” wheels from Czech T-34 post-war production were introduced, so that the modified tank weighed roundabout 30 tons, 2 less than the standard T-35/85.

 

After highly successful field tests with the prototype in the course of 1963 and 1964, a further conversion program for 16 tanks was approved and carried out until early 1965. The modified tanks received the official designation T-34/105Ö and allocated to two tank battalions. Most of the time these tanks were only used for training purposes, though, in preparation of the arrival of the "real" tank hunter, the SK-105 "Kürassier" (Cuirassier) with almost identical weapon systems. The SK-105’s first prototype was eventually ready in 1967 and delivery of pre-production vehicles commenced in 1971, but teething troubles and many detail problems delayed the type's quick and widespread introduction. Lighter and much more agile than the vintage T-34s, it became a big success and was produced in more than 700 specimen, almost 300 of them for the Austrian Army and the rest for export (Argentina, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Morocco and Tunisia). In consequence, the small T-34/105Ö fleet was soon retired and by 1976, when the Kürassier was in service and other, heavy tanks had become available, none of the converted tanks was still active anymore. Nevertheless, a few Austrian T-34s that had become part of the hidden bunker installations soldiered secretly on, the last ones were dug out of their positions and scrapped in 2007(!).

  

Specifications:

Crew: Three (commander, gunner, driver)

Weight: 29.7 t combat load

Length: 8.21 m (26 ft 10 ½ in) with turret forward

6.10 m (19 ft 11 ¾ in) hull only

Width: 3.00 m (9 ft 10 in)

Height: 2,74 m (8 ft 11 ½ in)

Suspension: Christie

Ground clearance: 0.4 m (16 in)

Fuel capacity: eight internal tanks, total capacity of 545 l (145 U.S. gal; 118 imp gal),

plus up to four external fuel drums à 90 l each (24 U.S. gal; 19.5 imp gal)

 

Engine:

Model V-2-34M 38.8 l V12 Diesel engine with 520 hp (370 kW) at 1.800 rpm

 

Transmission:

5 forward and 1 reverse gears

 

Armor:

16 - 45 mm steel (plus composite armour in the turret)

 

Performance:

Speed:

- Maximum, road: 58 km/h (36 mph)

- Cross country: up to 40 km/h (28 mph)

Operational range: 250 km (155) on streets with internal fuel only,

up to 330 km (250 mi) with four additional fuel drums

Power/weight: 17.5 hp/t

 

Armament:

1× 105 mm CN 105-57 rifled gun with a total 54 rounds, 12 of them ready in the turret's magazines

1× 7.62mm (0.3") co-axial NATO machine gun with 2.000 rounds

2× 2 smoke grenade dischargers

 

The kit and its assembly:

This weird, fictional combo was originally spawned by an Israeli idea: some vintage M4 Sherman tanks had been outfitted with the AMX-13's swiveling turrets and armed with French CN-75-50 75mm a cannon, creating the so-called "Isherman". I kept this concept in the back of my mind for a long time, with the plan to build one some day.

Then I came a couple of weeks ago across a picture on FlickR that showed a T-34/85 with Austrian markings. At first I thought that it had been a fictional museum piece in fake markings, but upon some legwork I found out that Austria had actually operated the T-34!

 

So, why not combine both ideas into a new and fictional one...? The rest was straightforward kitbashing: the FL-12 turret with a 105 mm cannon came from a Heller AMX-13 (a shaggy thing with dubious fit, but it was cheap) and for the chassis I tried the relatively new Zvezda T-35/85. The latter is actually a very crisp snap-fit kit, just some light flash here and there. Detail and proportions are very good, though, as well as fit. I was only surprised by the construction of the tracks, because it is a different approach from both of the traditional vinyl tracks or IP track segments. Instead, you get complete, rather thin and delicate IP tracks, and Zvezda expects the builder to bend them around the wheels and stick them between the wheels' halves during the construction process. You actually have to mount the “inner” half of the wheels first, then the track is attached to a locator pin on one of the main wheels, bent into shape, and finally the wheels' “outer” halves are added. Sounds complicated, and it actually is, and it also makes painting the whole running gear quite difficult, but it works – even though the result is IMHO not better than the traditional solutions.

 

The AMX-13 turret’s integration was easier than expected. Building the turret was a little complicated, because all side walls are separate and there are no locator pins or other aides for orientation. Some PSR became necessary to fill some minor gaps, but nothing dramatic. Mounting the AMX-13 turret to the T-34 hull was made easy through a very convenient design detail of the Zvezda kit: the T-34 comes with a separate turret ring that could be used as an adapter for the Heller turret. Three ejection/sprue residues inside of the ring could be used as a foundation for the AMX-13 turret, and the turret’s lower half/ring was, after some sanding to reduce the gap between the turret and the hull, was also glued onto the adapter. Worked like a charm, and the resulting combo looks very natural!

In order to improve the turret’s look I added a cloth seal between the lower and the upper, oscillating turret section, simulated with paper tissue drenched in thinned white glue (OOB the turret cannot be moved vertically at all). A similar seal was added at the barrel’s base.

 

Other changes were only minimal: the machine gun port in the front hull was sanded away and faired over, and I omitted the spare track links attached to the front hull. For a modernized look I gave the tank an additional pair of front lights as well as stoplights at the rear, scratched from styrene bits.

  

Painting and markings:

Basically a very simple affair, because there is ONLY one possible livery and color that suits an Austrian Bundesheer vehicle or item from the Seventies: RAL 7013 (Braungrau). This is a very ugly tone, though, "greenish, fresh mud" describes it well: a dull, brownish olive drab, but definitively not a green (like the omnipresent NATO tone Gelboliv RAL 6014, which was used by the German Bundeswehr until the standardized NATO three-tone camouflage was introduced around 1984). I organized a rattle can of this special color, since the tank model would receive a simple, uniform livery.

 

Due to the kit's , err, unique running gear construction, painting became a little complicated. I had to paint the hull and the (still) separate wheel parts in advance, so that the pre-painted elements could be assembled around the tracks (see above). The tracks themselves were painted with a cloudy mix of iron metallic, black and leather brown (Revell 99, 8 and 84). The turret was painted separately.

 

After the kit’s major sections had been assembled they received a light wash with a mix of highly thinned black with some red brown added, and the washing was immediately dabbed off of the surfaces so that most of the pigments ended up in recesses and around details, while the rest received an blurry, light dirt filter.

Once dry, I applied the decals. The tiny Austrian roundels come from a generic TL Modellbau sheet (never expected to find any use for them!), the tactical code comes from another tank kit sheet. In order to add some more highlights I also added some small, white markings on the fenders.

Then I gave the model an overall dry-brushing treatment with olive drab, medium grey and finally some ochre, just emphasizing details and edges.

 

Since the uniform livery appeared a bit dull to me, I decided to add a few camouflage nets to the hull, which also hide some weak points of the Zvezda kit, e.g. the missing rails along the hull. The nets were created from gauze bandages: small pieces (~1”x1”) of the material were dipped into a mix of white glue and olive drab acrylic paint and then carefully placed on hull, turret and barrel. Once dry, they were also dry-brushed.

 

As final steps, the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish (rattle can again) and I dusted the lower areas with a greyish-brown pigment mix, simulating dust and some mud crusts.

  

What started as a weird idea turned into a very conclusive what-if project – in fact, the T-34 with the French FL-12/44 turret does not look bad at all, and the Austrian colors and markings make this piece of fiction IMHO very convincing. Adding the camouflage nets was also a good move. They hide some of the details (e.g. the omitted bow machine gun station), but they liven up the rather clean and bleak exterior of the tank. I am positively surprised how good the T-34/105Ö looks!

 

it can be very difficult to a photo that shows the subtle differences of colours...and here it is dyeing with the fungus Fomitopsis pinicola and in three lenghts...from left the smallest piece was taken up form the bath just after boiling for 1 hour....then next (middle) was in the bath when it cooled down and untill next day where i did another boiling for 1 hour and then cooled down and stayed there until the day after ....the last at the right was boiled also in this Fomitopsis pinicola but in an ironpot....an old one i just bought....and there does not seem to come any iron from it as far as I can see...so I tried to put into it som vinegar, but after it had cooled down ...1 1/2 dl. to a big pot...just to see what would happen..if it got darker somehow....and it stayed there some days....and it has turned somehow darker but not much...wonder if you actualle can see it here, but it did.....

Later i think i will try a proper iron bath in my very small pot containg iron from boiled ironstrings and also vinegar, and onionskins...i think I can do it before i maybe will go moulding...It is some days old since i pur in the onionskins...maybe I should take a look...but i have read that fomitopsis pinicola will work well with ironmordanting....

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I consider this one of the most difficult of the Herschel 400 objects for small to medium-sized telescopes. Yes, it is a dim and small galaxy, but I believe that its real difficulty rests with it being so thin. In the above drawing I was not able, at first, to see NGC 4845 at the power (84x) used to make the drawing. It was only after I had developed a feeling of what I was looking for, by using a much higher power (232x), and then returning to the lower power was I able to see its tiny sliver-like glow. I found it far harder to see/observe than its 11.2 magnitude implies. I am surprised it made the Herschel 400 list!! On the upside is that if you can locate this galaxy in your telescope, you will likely not have too much difficulty with the other 399 objects on the Herschel list.

 

What NGC 4845 looks like with my 155mm refractor from my suburban backyard is very misleading. If you have the time, look up how this galaxy appears in the Hubble Space Telescope – it will shock you. This galaxy contains numerous dust lanes and an active core fueled by a 300,000 solar mass black hole. A magnificent Island Universe indeed!!

 

To see additional astronomy drawings visit: www.orrastrodrawing.com

 

Difficult to use the 1940s Kodak 35RF as a street camera !

This is a female Ruby Throated Hummingbird common on the east coast of the United States. They are so small and quick, quite difficult to capture in the wild!

It wasn't difficult to start a conversation with Lotta. I didn't even plan it, it all happened very spontaneously. A couple of seconds after I had seen her standing at the door, I walked into the store. Having a conversation and making photos of her felt so natural :-)

 

Lotta was busy working on decorating her aunt's shoe store.

It wasn't something that she would usually do, but she had promised to help her aunt out.

 

I asked Lotta whether she was an artist and she confirmed my guess.

You can see Lotta's website here:

www.lottaesko.com

 

I complimented Lotta on her Swedish speaking. Although Swedish is taught in school here in Finland, not everybody speaks it.

Lotta told me that when her family lived in Holland, her children had a Swedish au pair and that was an opportunity to maintain her school knowledge of Swedish. And besides, Lotta's husband is Fenno-Swedish, another reason to practice Swedish !

 

For you who don't know Finland has two national languages, Finnish & Swedish.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finland_Swedish

 

This is my 371st submission to The Human Family group.

Visit the group here to see more portraits and stories: www.flickr.com/groups/thehumanfamily.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hNO6rJVvmQ

  

You might find it hard to believe, but I actually get QUITE a lot of offers from Bisexual men.

  

Unfortunately (I am sad to say) absolutely no ”undercover” or ”in the closet” bisexual guy's for me. I´m only attracted to men with balls AT LEAST the size of my own.

  

Married guys? = SURE I´m in!

  

”But.. Lisa (you utter in confusion).. your ethics...”

  

My ethics are fine! :o)

  

You see, I tell the married guy's to give me their wifes phone number, so I can call and check that they are meeting me with the wife's ”blessing”.

  

As it is my oppinion, that what happens within ”the boundaries of marriage” (with the wife's blessing) is actually ”that couples private sexlife” and therefore no one else's business in the whole wide world, but his, the wife and mine.

  

You see... I believe in love. Adultery (in my humble eyes) is actually a violation of love.

  

If I say ”yes” to a married guy (or a guy in a relationship) without the knowledge of the wife or girlfriend, I am hurting that womans heart by doing so. EVERY LITTLE TOUCH, is a whip upon her soul that shall burn forever. - Well.. I am no sadist (or domina) so there you have it :o) My conscience clean :o)

 

Transvestit København Danmark

After a difficult but successful searching of cougars in sectors close to the Torres del Paine National Park in the Chilean Patagonia, and fighting against a strong wind and low temperatures with the pioneer in tracking of pumas in Patagonia, biologist and wild photographer, Rodrigo Moraga, we achieved the great reward of finding this mother with her four cubs of no more than three months and feeding on a guanaco recently hunted by her. Finding a family feeding and playing together, forced us to spend long hours contemplating at a discreet and silent distance their games and activities, which invited us to remember when we were cubs too, with those same antics, bothering our mother, and she, with that patience that all mothers have, looked at us with love and patience. A very exciting moments of those that photography will help me to remember forever, and also that helped me to think in moments of my childhood.

Difficult light but watched him have fun with that leaf for ages

It is difficult to understand how Disney could spend a huge amount of money renovating the Polynesian to make it less Polynesian themed. I loved the old lobby rainforest. This picture is the best I could do considering how bland and boring the new lobby area looks.

 

Leica M9P + summicron 35/2.0 7-elements

Difficult to see tiny tyrant. Usually found in the canopy. Brown cap, white eyebrow and stubby tail are distinctive. Observation Tower.