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Snow can be a pain. But in early winter, I love lake effect snow. Unlike Michigan, and places like Buffalo, Who get pounded.
In early winter we only get occasionally. And it's usually just an inch or so of the soft fluffy variety. melting away in a day or so.....
When I was a child. It was the best sledding. And as an adult. The best when doing something outdoors. Because it meant warmer temperatures. After a cold blast.
Now by end of March and April. My tune will change greatly. Because then it will just be winter hanging on. But for today.......
Sleigh bells ring. Are you listening....
This is for “Its An Addiction” group tutorial HERE
I got totally lost on this so there is a couple of processes missing but it's my first attempt. I will try again when I have more time, don't like things beating, lol.
Stock credits with my thanks.
**This is my art work, not your free stock resource. Please respect my license.
If posting to your website or bog, please credit me as the artist.**
PRESS RELEASE Nº24/24th AU SUMMIT
24TH ORDINARY SESSION OF THE ASSEMBLY OF AFRICAN UNION HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT BEGINS IN ADDIS ABABA
Addis Ababa Ethiopia, 30 January 2015-The 24th summit of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union, which started in Addis Ababa today has heard from distinguished speakers of the progress and some of the challenges that Africa faces, as well as proposals for the way forward. The opening ceremony of the summit also saw the election of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe as the Union’s Chairperson for the year 2015.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 24th summit of the African Union today, Dr DlaminiZuma said Africa has no choice but to move forward and upwards. The continent, she said, has been climbing, “a step at a time, up the steep cliff towards peace, prosperity and the restoration of the dignity of its people”.
She projected that the present generation is the one that will eradicate poverty, disease and hunger. “We are the generation that shall manage diversity and silence the guns”, she added.
The Chairperson recalled that, at the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Organisation of African Unity in 2013, the continent’s resolve to be in charge of its destiny, informed its decision to develop Agenda 2063 “through a people-driven process for the realization of our vision for an integrated, people-centred, prosperous Africa at peace with itself”. The Agenda 2063 framework document will be presented for adoption by the Heads of State and Government today.
Agenda 2063 outlines the aspirations and the concrete programmes to steer the continent for the next fifty years: to diversify African economies and industrialise; to have a skills and entrepreneurial revolution, unleashing the creativity and energy of young people, and to effect an agricultural and agro-processing transformation, so that Africa can feed itself and contribute to feeding the world.
The summit of African Union Heads of State and Government is being held under the theme “Year of Women’s Empowerment and Development”. Various speakers at the summit’s opening ceremony expressed their commitment to mainstreaming women in all socio- economic activities, with Malawian President Mr PeterMutharika dedicating his entire statement to the topic. He outlined major successes achieved by his country, but also mentioned the challenges they face. However he gave his commitment that his government will continue to strive to achieve gender equality. United Nations Secretary General Mr Ban Ki Moon also expressed strong support for the AU’s annual theme: “Women must be at the center and front of all our lives”, he said.
Issues of peace and security dominated many of the presentations by the African and visiting Heads of State and Government. President of the State of Palestine and Chairperson of the Palestine Liberation Organisation Executive Committee Mr Mahmoud Abbas spoke of his government’s desire and the efforts being exerted to achieve a Palestinian state living side by side with the state of Israel.
Many of the leaders condemned terrorism in very strong terms, with then outgoing Chairperson of the African Union Mr Mohammed Ould Abdelaziz saying, “Terrorism remains a global scourge and fighting it requires cooperation at the international level.”AUC Chairperson Dr Dlamini Zuma also cautioned that Africa should be aware of the new global threats such as terrorism, insecurity and climate change. “Terrorism, in particular the brutality of Boko Haram against our people, the senseless killings, the destruction of property, the enslavement and sale of our people, our girls kidnapped and married, and the terrorization of villages, are a threat to our collective safety, security and development”.
The Ebola virus disease that affected mostly three countries in West Africa attracted a lot of attention at the meeting of the Heads of State and Government. AU Commission Chairperson Dr NkosazanaDlaminiZuma praised the work of the 835 African health workers who were deployed to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone under the banner of the African Union Support to the Ebola Outbreak in West Africa (ASEOWA). She also extended her gratitude to the ASEOWA head of mission Dr Julius Oketta and the African private sector that is raising funds to keep the health workers on the ground until the affected countries are declared Ebola free. There are signs that, due to the work of the ASEOWA health workers among others, the Ebola crisis is now abating, with the incidents of infection and death from the disease vastly decreasing.
Tunisian President Mr Beji Caid Essebsi informed the summit that “the democratic process chosen by Tunisians is irreversible”. Tunisians, he said, had proven that the people of Africa can build the continent with their own hands. He also said Tunisia is proud of being African.
New Zambian President Mr Edgar Lungu thanked the African Union for supporting his country through the death of Mr Michael Satain October 2014 and the subsequent elections that ushered him into power. He thanked the Southern African Development Community, the AU and other organisations that sent in election monitors. Zambia, he said, has demonstrated that it is possible to have peaceful elections, and pledged that Zambia will actively participate in the affairs of the Union.
The late Zambian President meanwhile was honoured by his colleagues and other delegates by a one minute silence in his memory.
Outgoing Namibian President Mr HifikinyePohambawas given a chance to bid farewell to his colleagues at today’s opening ceremony of the Assembly.
New AU Chairperson Mr Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe meanwhile accepted his position by saying "By electing me to preside over this august body, with full knowledge of the onerous responsibility that lies ahead, I humbly accept your collective decision". He urged Africa to take charge of its destiny and pledged to work for Africa’s development particularly through infrastructure development. He then proceeded to launch the theme of the year, i.e. “Women’s Empowerment and Development towards Agenda 2063”.
The meeting of African Heads of State and Government will conclude on Saturday 31st January with the adoption of decisions and declarations to guide the work of the African Union this year.
WZM/
For inquiries, contact:
Wynne Musabayana | Deputy Head of Division | Information and Communication Directorate | African Union Commission | Tel: (251) 11 551 77 00 | Fax: (251) 11 551 78 44 | E-mail: MusabayanaW@africa-union.org
For further information:
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@african-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia
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I learned this from flickr member, Juan (www.flickr.com/photos/juanjoispolo/). This is too blurry. Here's how I do it because I'm limited with CS3. And you can play around with these steps.
Duplicate background layer. Desaturate it.
Filter>dust and scratches until it looks right. Lower to 50% opacity. IF YOU HAVE CC USE THE CAMERA RAW FILTER AND PUT CLARITY AT MAXIMUM.
Duplicate THAT layer, blending mode Saturation.
Use layer mask to bring out color.
Produced from two frames, one in focus, the other out. Combined in Photoshop using layers and the 'Blend If' slider.
Tried a new technique this time. Turquoise base coat with Devlan Mud wash and then Ice Blue stippling/dry brushing.
A phenom if ever there was one, Maurice Brown had people buzzing about his chops while he was still attending Hillcrest High School in Country Club Hills. In short order, he won a full music scholarship to Northern Illinois University, took top prize in the Miles Davis Trumpet Competition and established himself as a force to be reckoned with on the Chicago music scene. He was featured on recordings by Ernest Dawkins’ New Horizons Ensemble and Fred Anderson.
In equally short order, it seemed, he was gone. After studying with Louisiana legend Alvin Batiste at Southern University in Baton Rouge, he asserted himself in New Orleans, where he mixed it up with top local players, scored a weekly gig at the Snug Harbor jazz club and recorded his first album, Hip to Bop. Think of hard bop monsters Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan dipping into contemporary grooves, personalizing the sound with “wah wah” effects and such, and you’ll have a hint of what a blast of fresh air Brown was.
The next leg of his journey was set in motion by Hurricane Katrina, which he escaped with little more than his horn and his laptop. As captured in the documentary, Brass Movement: A Modern Love Story, he landed on his feet, and then some, in New York, where his talents were demanded by such artists as Aretha Franklin, Roy Hargrove, Talib Kweli, Diddy, Cee-Lo Green and rising Irish soul singer Laura Izibor. Whatever he’s playing, he creates instant excitement. A group with its own strong personality, the Maurice Brown Effect includes New Orleans saxophonist Derek Douget, pianist (and Chicago native) Chris Rob, bassist Solomon Dorsey and drummer Joe Blaxx.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
Petrillo Music Shell
Maurice Brown Effect
5:00 – 5:50 pm
Experimenting with my bandana If I was to have it my way, there would be a monster effect happening in gangs.
Well, here she is: the Original Effect Army Attractive Mulan figure.
To summarize the story so far, she was effectively a random Facebook purchase from Ottawa, a city about 4 hours from where I am., so I had to depend on the kindness of strangers to get the job done. She arrived, and I knew she was incomplete (missing one shoulder armour piece) and I learned there was some pleather deterioration.
But it is definitely an interesting piece to do a bit of research into.
The box, as far as I can tell, comes with the figure, complete with fabric outfit, various armour bits, and a necklace, an additional pair of hands for holding accessories, a sword, and a shield. There are holes on the bottom of the feet which indicate that you can get some sort of a stand for the figure, but there is nothing to suggest that she ever came with a stand.
Original Effect, as far as I know, no longer exists. Their webpage is dead and there hasn't exactly been any recent chatter about them... or any in general. They made at least 10 figures, and seemed to be active in the mid 2010s. A quick glance on eBay will very quickly show why you either really like Original Effect, or you rolled your eyes at them.
All their designs were clearly aiming for the sultry anime character look. Mulan here is actually one of the more conservatively dressed ones - she's no worse than what you'd find in a Warriors/Musou game, though it's funny because she's supposed to be the one that the entire Imperial army couldn't figure out was a chick.
The standard Original Effect 1/6 body... well isn't really 1/6 at all. Mulan is slightly taller than the rest in that her feet are wearing some crazy stilettoes, but she's about 12 inches from her ANKLE to the top of her head. She's about the size of those old DC 13 inch "one sixth" figures... that or she's really 6.75 ft. tall. While she's clearly mostly leg, comparing Mulan to my Widow collection shows even her upper torso is about a half an inch taller.
This does kind of put a damper on my plan to convert Mulan to a TBLeague body.
More interesting is the aesthetic the body was going for. In my mind, Original Effect was aiming for a fantasy body, albeit one that is relatively slender and when posed, can appear quite graceful. Put another way, the body is more akin to the slender TBLeague offerings as opposed to the curvier ones.
The overall design of the body resembles a Ball Joint Doll or Figma more. All joints are single and have restrictions on motion as you'd expect. There is no lateral shoulder movement. The overall design is like of one those semi-seamless bodies, where it's really the main torso that has no visible gaps.
The trade off, however, is because this is not a true stainless steel skeleton, the rubber (at least I think it's rubber) sits on top of some relatively bulky mechanical bits, which in turn negatively affects the range of motion in the torso, both waist and abdomen area.
The joints for the wrists and ankles are also embedded in the stumps, which also reduces range of motion. Range of motion for the arms and legs themselves aren't bad. The figure appears to be top heavy, which can overwhelm the knee joints causing the figure to flop over.
The neck is interesting. I don't think I have a broken one, but it appears that the actual neck itself has no functioning joint, with a short joint piece for where the head plugs on. This translates into you're not getting too much variety in your head poses.
Overall, I'd say the body itself isn't up to Hot Toys level, but the outfits the characters are in allow them to utilize their somewhat limited articulation better.
The outfit itself is relatively simple, consisting of a silk like outer robe, one single sock, fabric sash, and effectively a black top and underwear set. Having said that, after staring at Hot Toy outfits for the past decade, its a nice change of pace.
I dig the head sculpt. Mulan has the benefit of basically just having to look cool, and I feel the doll like appearance works quite well, complemented by the make up they applied to her eyes and lips. Expression is very cold , which admittedly can be a turn off. Having said that.. at least she looks awake, which is more than I can say for other 1/6 figures I've seen.
Detailing in the sculpted hair is also nicely done, rivaling some of the stuff I've seen on Japanese scale figures. The fabric strap on her head has a wire in it, so that can be posed
Detailing and paint work on the armour and weapons aren't bad. I've seen more polished work on my Figma and Figuarts releases (and of course, Hot Toys) but is still several steps above some of the third party stuff that I've seen. The hands are actually nicely sculpted, appearing slender as one would expect, something that I've yet to see on any 1/6 female figure outside of the modern seamless crowd.
Finish on the various plastic parts can look a bit rough, though on mine it appears most of the "oof" areas are covered by the sleeves.
The shoes are a bit much. I mean, stylistically I don't mind as it fits the overall design, but they make standing the figure up without a stand somewhat of a challenge.
The head is somewhat different. From what I can tell, she actually has a layer of rubber skin rather than flesh colours paint, which if I'm using my engineering hat, was done in order to keep the colours of the chest and face consistent, as there is a slight difference between the chest and the legs/arms. It's not as noticable on this figure due to the outfit, but I imagine this could be somewhat of an eyesore on the... shall we say... more modernly dressed figures.
In conclusion, I like the overall package the figure offers, even if it's not quite up to Hot Toys standards. Aesthetically, though, Mulan is like a character out of a comic book, with an emphasis on her long legs, which is something you're not going to get with the main players in the one sixth industry.
Clearly being one sixth, I'm not exactly going to rush out and hunt these figures down. I lucked out here on this purchase, as in general figures this size are not cheap. But, this does give me one more thing to keep an eye out for when I can travel again.
2021 is off to an interesting start toy wise... lets see what other exotic finds it brings.
The Photoshop poster edges effect has been lightly applied in the processing of this image.
For more photographs of Springfield's interesting neighborhoods, visit my "Springfield IL - Neighborhoods" (Set).
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You are invited to stay and browse through my photostream. Here's a quick index to my Flickr site:
Springfield, Illinois: All of my photographs of Springfield and the Abraham Lincoln Sites are in this collection. For the City of Springfield, there are separate sets for the Capitol Complex, Downtown (including the Old State Capitol), Neighborhoods, Parks, Illinois State Fairgrounds (and past State Fairs), and more. Photographs of Lincoln sites include the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Lincoln Tomb, and so on. Also in the Lincoln "All About Abe" (Set) are a few Lincoln sites not located in Springfield.
Central Illinois (except Springfield): Photos relating to the middle section of the "Land of Lincoln" (except for the Capital City of Springfield) may be found in this collection. Every city and town I've photographed is contained within its own set, and rural (as in "counrtyside") photographs are grouped by county.
Beyond Central Illinois: Other locales in the United States and Canada including New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle.
In addition to my location-based sets, here are links to some "topical" collections and sets I've put together:
Automobile Photograph Collection: This is a very large collection of images whose primary, but not exclusive, focus is on American automotive classics. Images are organized by decade, by manufacturer, and by topics (such as convertibles, station wagons, muscle cars, etc.)
Barbers & Barber Shops: Traditional barbers and barber shops are on the endangered species list. But there are still plenty to be found if you go looking for them.
Almost Everything Else. Check It Out!!!: Included topics range from man's first walk on the moon to small town schools and churches, and from Soft-Coated Wheaten Terriers (our favorite breed) to things that are abandoned, neglected, weathered, or rusty.
Thank you for visiting my photostream - myoldpostcards
While this wordmark has been used in a floral style design before, I’ve now applied a retro effect to it. Finer details such as scotch tape and staple are also included to make this design more polished and interesting, which also helped me to experiment with another style that I may work on fairly soon.
To see more designs, please visit designtaneous.com
Warning, the following text contains heavy spoilers; all those who have not seen the Ending of Mass Effect 3 should probably not read on!
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So yeah, my thoughts on the Ending in short form: WTF did I just see?
Long version:
We struggled through a bunch of crap, witnessing the Fall of Thessia, combating Asari-Husks with GITD-B00bs, seeing Mordin die to cure the Genophage and Legion to unite Quarian and Geth and when we finally get the last piece of the puzzle, it totally screws us over with three unacceptable choices.
After three games of preparation and fight against the Reapers, a race of intelligent 2km long Spaceships who want to eradicate all life that is technologically advanced enough to travel space, we are brought to the conclusion that a little child just uses them to create “order” in the universe.
People are harvested, preserved in Reaper Form and then aide in the next cycle.
And now our choices stray away from the original plan:
Either we kill all synthetic life, including the Reapers, but also the Geth who are finally on our side (and pretty damn cool) and EDI who got a downright character development in the third part.
Or we take control of the Reapers doing that what our arch-enemy planned to do, which is therefore unacceptable.
Or we rewrite the whole genetic code of the galaxy making every life form the same, which apart from being totally unrealistic, is also stupid in that aspect that there would be nothing “interesting” left in the galaxy, like sexy, blueskinned, female Aliens or badass…however you’d describe a Krogan.
On top of that, all three choices bust the Mass Relay System limiting all civilisations to sublight speed making galaxy wide travel near impossible.
Thinking about that, the Quarian Homeplanet is on the other side of the galaxy, but they are in the Sol system. So after 300 Years of exile they need 300 more years to get back there.
Now, all choices also result in Shepards demise (except that final scene after the synthetic destruction, which can be interpreted different ways). Normally I wouldn’t have a problem with Sheppard giving his/her life for the cause, but I want a good cause for it!
So, my suggestions for the ending:
1) Kill all the Reapers, Sheppard either dies as a hero and gets a memorial. (Galactic readiness not at full but high enough for victory against Reapers)
2) Kill all the Reapers, Sheppard lives happily ever after (Galactic readiness full or nearly full, final scene: Normandy flying into the sunset, please?)
3) Fail, because of lack of galactic readiness and the Reapers harvest everyone, completing the cycle.
So yeah, that’s my thoughts on the ending. I sincerely hope Bioware retcons that, like Bethesda did with Fallout 3 (BoS DLC allowed you to survive the original Finale). A DLC making the last 20 minutes a dream would be great, Harbinger simply knocking you unconscious (therefore starting the DLC at the run for the Beam-Lift to the Citadel). That would allow different choices and also have the game continue after the final Mission, probably opening the stage for less Reaper related content like Project: Overlord or LotSB were for ME2.
Now, just to clarify: I tottaly loved all three Mass Effect games, and this final chapter was realy great, I enjoyed everything about it, except the ending.
I will also play through it multiple times again, but I'll probably stop after the Cerberus base.
Just to make it clear, that I did in fact like the game.
Now: Anyone else feeling a little F’ed by Bioware as well? Please post your opinion below.
This doll was a disappointment. His eye screening is, in my opinion, not nicely done and looks best from a distance. Mine also had a pink stain on one of his shoes for some reason
Oh, the furore. The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act has photographers up in arms after pundits released broad-brush statements to the effect that ‘The government have made a law that removes my copyright control from my photographs’.
UK photographers have responded angrily, saying (in a variety of ways) that the new Act means that anyone anywhere can strip the data from a photograph that they want to use, declare it an ‘orphaned work’ (one for which the originator cannot be found) and use it as they wish without any payment. So once again the government are vilified in the electronic press and on forums because someone took what someone else said as correct.
This vitriol is fairly typical of our reactionary times and, as is so often the case, based on opinions that are not quite correct because the ‘respected authors’ have reacted to the headline without examining the content.
ERR has to comply with the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, in which there are already certain provisions for the use of images and textual extracts without payment to the originator or author or, as appropriate, any estate. UK law already complies with the Berne Convention.
Amongst other things, the Act repeals S52 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988, which limited a design’s copyright period to ‘the life of the originator plus 25 years’ – a measure taken despite international law maintaining the copyright for 70 years after the originator’s death. The UK will fall into line with the international community on design, as it already does with other creative works – such as photographs.
Ranting about ‘diligent search’ quality – in that people wanting to use an image will just say that they conducted a diligent search – is such a waste of time and effort. The search is to be conducted under an existing commercial process, approved by government, following application (and payment, of course) from an intending user. Part of the payment will, no doubt, cover the administrative cost of the search with the remainder going into a Royalties nest-egg in case the originator suddenly springs up to claim misuse. The original suggestion that the forthcoming 'Use Authorising' department should conduct searches has been blocked on two grounds.
1.HMG lacks the expertise necessary to do the job efficiently.
2.HMG does not wish to be seen as competing with existing commercial agencies.
Obviously this will all reduce the time and money spent on litigation for copyright breach which, while not mentioned in the committee’s impact assessment, has to be a consideration because of the corresponding reduction of the burden on the Court Service.
The main purpose of this part of the bill is to enable and encourage archives and museums to monetise orphaned works that gather dust in dark corners of storage areas.
I’ve yet to see anyone complaining about the part of the Act that removes the onus on retailers to inform TV Licensing of any sales or rentals of television sets (Wireless Telegraphy Act 1967 (as amended)) because it has become an onerous burden and in part, because of international sales, unenforceable.
"Arts installation documenting the life and works of Michael Faraday who was Scientific Advisor to Trinity House and said to have conducted many experiments in the TBW Lighthouse."
To the left of the shed was a warehouse, its inside filled with smoke and cut at top and bottom by two horizontal planes of laser light. I poked my head through the door that was barely ajar, and a man with long white hair told us to come in. We walked through the mist for ages, looking at the light patterns spreading like luminous milk through the coffee darkness. Mannix's pram seemed to be standing wheel-deep in a foggy marsh.
According to the Trinity Buoy Wharf website, this was called Horizon, "An installation of Laser light and paintings by Caroline Cary and Jim Webb in the Electrician's Shop Basement and Chainstore II."
K ENB Extensive 'The Living Lights' 0.236 + Extreme Quality + Moonsprite + SweetFX + a few Mods.
More beautiful scenery from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Some Mods ...
Skyrim Immersive Creatures (where I got it from - requires DLC Dawnguard)
skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/24913//?
Original SkyMoMod link ...
www.moddb.com/mods/skymomod-v12
Monster Wars v6
skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/18997/?
Danariel Stormbow Follower
skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/47649/?
FR Girl Followers with In-Game Body Changer
skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/47063/?
Transformation Dark Knight and Paladin
www.loverslab.com/topic/14831-transformation-dark-knight-...
Jump animations
skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/16069/?
BBP Armor paks (English translations)
www.loverslab.com/topic/6034-bbp-armor-english-translatio...
Warrior Within Weapons
skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/42280/?
Explosive Arrows- Fire Frost and Shock
Item #85075
Vice Effect
Ollie Lawson Dressed Doll
Color Infusion™ Collection
2015 W Club Upgrade Doll
Approximate Ship Date: Summer 2015
Edition size: TBA (Determined by the total amount of orders received)
Doll Tech Specs:
Body Type: FR:Homme
Head Sculpt: Ollie Lawson
Quick Switch Feature: No
Skin Tone: FR White
Hair Color: Frosted Blond
Eyelashes: No