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Uthai Thani is a province in the northwest of Thailand. It is a region known for its natural beauty, historical sites and cultural heritage. One of the notable features of Uthai Thani is the presence of several national parks that protect the beautiful flora and fauna of the region. Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary: This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the largest protected areas in Thailand. It is home to a diverse flora and fauna, including rare and endangered species such as the Indochinese tiger, Asian elephant and Malayan bear. Tum Chang Cave National Park is a national park known for its impressive limestone caves and formations. These national parks in Uthai Thani offer a range of activities including trekking, bird watching and admiring Thailand's natural beauty. An impressive and majestic tree, which is native especially to this part of Thailand, is Tualang tree, scientifically known as Koompassia excelsa. The Tualang tree is known for its exceptionally tall height. The Tualang tree often plays a crucial role in the ecosystem, as it provides an important source of food and shelter for various animals, including honey bees. Beekeepers sometimes place beehives high in the branches of the Tualang tree to promote the production of Tualang honey, which is considered one of the most unique and high-quality honeys. The conservation and protection of such trees is often of great importance for maintaining biodiversity and ecological balance in the region.
There is a giant Tualang tree (Koompassia excelsa) found east of Ban Rai in Uthai Thani province. This impressive Tualang is located on private property in the middle of a forest, but the owner is happy to welcome visitors. On one side of the tree are claw marks from a bear that tried to knock down a honey bee nest. The local population, descendants of Laotian settlers brought here two hundred years ago during conflicts with Burma, inhabit this area. The circumference of the tree is approximately 97 meters, including the buttress roots that reach from branches to the ground to support the tree. The age of the tree is estimated at 400 years, and its height exceeds 50 meters. This majestic tree sprang up around the year 1621. Visitors are encouraged to touch and feel the ancient tree. The skin of the tree still feels very healthy and vibrant. Let's hope this giant tree continues to thrive forever. It is truly a wonderful spectacle.
Uthai Thani is een provincie in het noordwesten van Thailand. Eén van de opmerkelijke kenmerken van Uthai Thani is de aanwezigheid van diverse nationale parken die de prachtige flora en fauna van de regio beschermen. Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary: Dit is een UNESCO-werelderfgoed en één van de grootste beschermde gebieden in Thailand. Het herbergt een diverse flora en fauna, waaronder zeldzame en bedreigde diersoorten zoals de Indochinese tijger, Aziatische olifant en Maleise beer. Een indrukwekkende en majestueuze boom, die inheems is met name in dit deel van Thailand, is Tualang-boom. Deze boom staat bekend om zijn buitengewoon grote hoogte. De Tualang-boom speelt vaak een cruciale rol in het ecosysteem, omdat het een belangrijke bron van voedsel en onderdak biedt aan verschillende dieren, waaronder honingbijen. Het behoud en de bescherming van dergelijke bomen zijn vaak van groot belang voor het behoud van biodiversiteit en ecologisch evenwicht in de regio. Er is een gigantische Tualang-boom te vinden ten oosten van Ban Rai in de provincie Uthai Thani. Deze indrukwekkende Tualang bevindt zich op privéterrein midden in een bos, maar de eigenaar verwelkomt graag bezoekers. Aan de ene kant van de boom zijn klauwafdrukken te zien van een beer die probeerde een honingbijennest omver te werpen. De lokale bevolking, afstammelingen van Laotiaanse kolonisten die hier tweehonderd jaar geleden werden gebracht tijdens conflicten met Birma, bewoont dit gebied. De omtrek van de boom is ongeveer 97 meter, inclusief de steunwortels die van takken tot aan de grond reiken om de boom te ondersteunen. De leeftijd van de boom wordt geschat op 400 jaar, en de hoogte overschrijdt de 50 meter. Deze majestueuze boom ontsproot rond het jaar 1621. Bezoekers worden aangemoedigd de oude boom aan te raken en te voelen. De huid van de boom voelt nog steeds erg gezond en levendig aan. Laten we hopen dat deze gigantische boom voor altijd zal blijven gedijen. Het is werkelijk een wonderbaarlijk schouwspel.
"The immeasurable benefits of God’s goodness bestowed on the Christian people confer upon it a dignity beyond all estimation. ‘For neither is there, nor hath there ever been so great a nation that hath gods that come so nigh unto them, as our God is nigh unto us?’ (Deut. 4, 7.) For indeed, the Only-begotten Son of God, wishing to make us ‘partakers of His divine nature,’ (2 Pet. 1, 4), took up our nature, so that being made man, He might make men gods. And further, all of what is ours that He took, He applied to our salvation. For on the Altar of the Cross He offered up His body to God the Father as a sacrifice for our reconciliation, and at the same time, He shed His blood as both the price (of redemption) and the washing (of sins), so that, being redeemed from wretched servitude, we might be cleansed of all sins. And, so that the remembrance of so great a benefit might be everlasting among us, He left to the faithful His body as food, and His blood as drink, to be taken under the appearance of bread and wine.”
– St Thomas Aquinas, Matins reading for the Office of Corpus Christi.
This extraordinary monstrance from the early 1700s of St Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor and 'Doctor Eucharisticus' holding aloft the Host, is in the Rosary Basilica in Guatemala City.
Rock Dove (Columba livia, Gmelin 1789)
Family: Columbidae
Length: 31 to 35cm Wingspan: 63 to 70cm Weight: 250 to 350g. Lifespan: up to 10 years.
The Rock Dove is the ancestor of the domestic pigeon and is usually referred to as a “pigeon.”
Rock Doves have been domesticated for several thousand years.
The “True Rock Doves” scarcity today, is due to constant interbreeding with feral and domestic pigeons. They are natural coastal birds, feeding in nearby fields throughout the daytime, returning to the safety and shelter of the coastal caves and rock ledges at night.
Habitat: Wide ranging to the extreme, from coastline cliffs to city centres as well as open grass lands, arable land and in parks, foraging for most types of food in large and small flocks or individually. Feeding on seeds, berries, buds, also small invertebrates, usually taken from the ground. In cities and towns, human garbage is also a food source. Pigeons are able to continuously drink from the water’s surface, without having to tilt their heads back, like most birds have to do.
Wild Rock Doves are pale grey, with two black bars on each wing. Markings and colours vary considerably on the feral and domestic pigeon. (Images below, show a feral “White Rock Dove” more than likely recognised as a Dove.).
The True Rock Dove flocks are now only found in North West Europe, mainly along the coastlines. Even in these flocks, evidence of different plumage and colour pattern shows the infiltration of the feral, town and domestic pigeons.
Rock Dove’s, generally keep with their same partner throughout their breeding years, a female lays 2 eggs and have up to 3 broods a year. Nesting is usually constructed from sticks, straw and grasses, usually under cover on a ledge, or in a rocks crevasse, also nesting places can be found on or in various man-made structures. Both parents look after the eggs (incubation period, between 17 to 19 days) and rear the squabs (pigeon chicks are known as squabs and will fledge in about 30 days). Peak nesting times are spring and summer, although given mild-temperatures, Columba livia will breed all year round.
The escaped domestic pigeon (Columba livia domestica) has increased the populations of feral pigeons around the world, it is thought the population to be around 120 million birds, in Europe alone, estimations of up to 28 million pigeons exist.
Pigeons rarely fly far from their local and familiar surroundings.
The pigeon falls prey to many breeds of raptors, taken from the ground or while in flight. Nests are also raided by gulls and crows, for the eggs as well as young birds. Various climbing animals will also raid nests, including the feral and domestic cat.
according to the Capitol police this was the largest crowd assembled on the Capitol grounds ever witnessed. Over 8,000 in estimation. The event was Franklin Graham's "Decision America Tour 2016" My wife, myself, and many of our friends were so blessed to have been there in Lansing for this occasion of motivation and prayer.
216d 10 - TAC_4397 - lr-ps-wm
Another view of Class 25 25080 and the unidentified 50 at Exeter this time with a Class 33 creeping in. It looks like all may be waiting to see what the next step is as the cab door is open.
25080 was a Bath Road loco from January 1972 to May 1976 before moving to Laira, the 50's arrived on the western in 1973/4 and there is another shot at Exeter on I think the same day showing a headcode hence the 1974-76 estimation of time.
25080 was new as D5230 to Cricklewood in October 1963 and withdrawn in 1985, it seems to have been cut up however till 1993 by MC metals.
Image from a negative in my collection by an unknown photographer.
"I sure hope they're not thinking of painting it" - me, September 2022. That was the last time I stood on this bridge and saw this bus in Beachball livery, and up to something within Lincoln depot. Welp, turns out they were thinking painting it, but now I wish Lincoln had done it there and then because they wouldn't have made an absolute pig's ear of it. I really didn't want to do another 'review' of a crappy repaint, but when it looks like this...
Gainsborough depot, to their credit, seem to have fixed most of their buses/ticket machines that don't track on Bustimes. Except this one, of course. At least now when I notice there's no vehicle tracking on a service that should be guaranteed to run (i.e. one tied in with a school service), I can have a decent estimation that it'll be this running it. To that end, I finally, FINALLY, got 18418 in Local livery in the daytime. Sure, it was 20 minutes late and I'd given up and was starting to walk off, but I got it.
Scunthorpe depot, to their discredit, have done yet another drunken job at applying the livery. The actual rear they've done better than 18344, but the sides look like they were done through a 1ft square window where they couldn't see the rest of it while they were going. They did at least put the fleet names in the right places, and used the correct coloured ones, but then they put the front one on wonky.
Despite not even being a particularly old repaint, there's a stain right down the middle of the front coming down from the windscreen and over the fleet number. Also, the metal strip between the battery access flap and the front wheel arch is meant to be at skirt strip/bumper height level, not the same height as the battery flap hinge. Tbh I didn't even know you could remove those strips because I thought they formed the panel join between the main side panels and skirt panels.
Despite the terrible repaint, perennial non-tracking and - in this instance - late running that proved to screw my whole plan up, it's still the same 18418 which I know and love from before, so for that she gets a pass.
Pelham Bridge, Lincoln, 8.2.23
Madonna and Child was painted by one of the most influential artists of the late 13th and early 14th century, Duccio di Buoninsegna. This iconic image of the Madonna and Child, seen throughout the history of western art, holds significant value in terms of stylistic innovations of religious subject matter that would continue to evolve for centuries.
Comparing the compact size of this work of 11×81⁄8 inches to larger, more illustrious altarpieces and large scale frescoes, the Madonna and Child is understood to be an intimate, devotional image. Some evocations of this understanding come from the burnt edges on the bottom of the original engaged frame caused by burning candles that likely would have sat just beneath. Looking past the abrupt simplicity of the image, one can begin to understand the changes Duccio was applying to the depiction of religious figures in painting during the early 14th century. Duccio followed other innovative Italian artists of the time like Giotto, both of whom strove to move beyond the purely iconic Byzantine and Italo-Byzantine canon and attempted to create a more tangible connection between the viewer and the objects in the painting. For example, the parapet that sits at the bottom of the painting works as a visual enticement for the viewer to look past and into the moment that is captured between the Virgin and Christ Child. At the same time, the parapet also acts as a barrier between the vernacular world and the sacred.
Many other elements of Duccio's interest in humanism are prevalent and can be seen in the tenderly draped robe worn by the Madonna and on Christ's lap, the childish reach of his hand to the Virgin's somewhat austere gaze back as she anticipates Christ's future, the luminous colors employed to the garments, and the fine details found on the inner layer of the Virgin's veil. It is these distinct qualities that would shape the sensibility of later Sienese painting and that give Duccio's Madonna and Child such worthy attention and credibility in the history of art. Other details found in this image are ones that stay behind in Byzantine tradition and characterize earlier works of Duccio, while the more innovative qualities prosper over time. The tooled details in the gold ground are minute and difficult to notice at a far glance but add an important element to the image. Punched designs were employed for the halos and the border design, all of which were hand inscribed.
As is common for duecento and trecento paintings, the ownership and location of the Madonna and Child before the mid 19th century is unknown. The first known owner of the painting is the Russian Count Gregori Stroganoff (1829–1910), who said he spotted it in a dealer's shop, not attributed to any artist. In 1904 he lent it to an exhibition at the Palazzo Pubblico of Siena (Mostra d’arte antica senese). He kept it in his palazzo in Rome.
Stated in her review of the 1904 Mostra d’art senese exhibition, art historian, Mary Logan Berenson believes this work to be among Duccio's “most perfect” pieces, therefore it is no surprise the painting caused an awe-inspiring reaction from exhibition viewers and especially from those in the art and art history arena. Following the death of Stroganoff in 1910, the Duccio joined the assembly of works collected by Adolphe Stoclet (1871–1949), hence the painting's namesake, the Stoclet Madonna. Stoclet was understood to treat his fruitful collection of art with the most careful attention and held them in the most ideal environments to preserve their unique, and many times fragile, qualities. The Duccio was shown at few exhibitions in 1930 and 1935 and to chosen, limited guests of Stoclet at his home.
Following the death of Stoclet and his wife in 1949, their children inherited Duccio's Madonna and Child along with the rest of the collector's assemblage. Although the coveted work of art was of interest to scholars, they were unable to access it except through photographs that fortunately document the ages of the painting and its process of restoration. Photographs of before it was restored, and later minor retouching, to what we see now all of which reveal the time past and the true impression of the original painting of 1300. The painting was excitingly acquired in the autumn of 2004 by the Metropolitan Museum of Art for an estimated amount of 45 million USD. This is a highly valuable acquisition not only for the aesthetic significance in terms of the history of art, but also because there are only 13 known paintings by Duccio in the world.
There is debate between scholars of what the most accurate chronology of Duccio's Madonna and Child is. There is more than 20 years of time where scholars do not have accounted works by Duccio leaving a questionable, although fairly certain estimation of the Madonna and Child to be made around 1300. Due to the fact that some qualities of the painting are Bysantinesque like the oval shape of the Virgin's face and her elegantly long nose, and also of the “miniature man” nature of Christ Child, the lack of consensus of when it was created proceeds. But, there are of course many innovative elements to the painting which align it appropriately in the time that is now acknowledged to be most accurate. Along with the humanistic qualities between the Virgin and Christ Child, and the elegant draping, the marble parapet is a notable detail to the intentions of the painting, and serves as a visual invitation that encourages the viewer to engage more emotionally to the image. This idea would continue on in a myriad of paintings proceeding this work.
The late James Beck, Professor of Art History at Columbia University in New York, believed that Duccio's Madonna and Child, which the Met dates to 1300, is the work of a 19th-century artist or forger based on stylistic grounds. He pointed to what he considers to be the low quality of the painting and elements of content that he claims had not yet appeared in artwork of that period. Professor Beck said: "We are asked to believe that the modest little picture represents a leap into the future of Western painting by establishing a plane in front of Mary and the Child. This feature, a characteristic of Renaissance not Medieval pictures, occurs only a hundred years after the presumptive date of the picture ...". Beck's conclusions were published in 2007 in his book, From Duccio to Raphael: Connoisseurship in Crisis in which he also disputes the attribution of the National Gallery of London's painting Madonna of the Pinks to Raphael.
Keith Christiansen, the Met's curator of European paintings, disagrees with Beck's contention. Christiansen has noted that, in addition to stylistic analysis of the painting in relation to other known works by the painter, the museum conducted a thorough examination of the painting, including the wooden panel's construction, the painting's underdrawing and pigment composition and found them consistent with an attribution to Duccio and a date of around 1300. Christiansen said: "What everyone else sees as a sign of quality and innovation, Beck sees as weakness. There is no reason to doubt the period and authenticity of the picture."
(1 in a multiple picture album)
Sand Harbor, in my estimation, is the prettiest part of Lake Tahoe. It is on the Nevada side, at the north end of the lake. It is especially nice early in the morning when the new sun accentuates the various shades of blue in the water. I wish I had the time to go out to this island and meditate awhile.
Besides the beauty, there is a Shakespeare Theatre right around the corner, on the lake, which has a festival each summer.
For the special tribute issue of BusinessWeek that is coming out tomorrow, I tried to honor Steve Jobs in a small way with my memories of the NeXT days.
Here is the version I wrote (the print edition has several sentences edited out) with some italics added to summary sections:
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The book of Jobs, a parable of passion
Steve Jobs was intensely passionate about his products, effusing an infectious enthusiasm that stretched from one-on-one recruiting pitches to auditorium-scale demagoguery. It all came so naturally for him because he was in love, living a Shakespearean sonnet, with tragic turns, an unrequited era of exile, and ultimately the triumphant reunion. At the personal and corporate levels, it is the archetype of the Hero’s Journey turned hyperbole.
The NeXT years were torture for him, as he was forcibly estranged from his true love. When we went on walks, or if we had a brief time in the hallway, he would steer the conversation to a plaintive question: “What should Apple do?” As if he were an exile on Elba, Jobs always wanted to go home. “Apple should buy NeXT.” It seemed outrageous to me at the time; what CEO of Apple would ever invite Jobs back and expect to keep their job for long?
The Macintosh on his desk at NeXT had the striped Apple logo stabbed out, a memento of anguish scratched deep into plastic.
The NeXTSTEP operating system, object-oriented frameworks, and Interface Builder were beautiful products, but they were stuck in what Jobs considered the pedestrian business of enterprise IT sales. Selling was boring. Where were the masses? The NeXTSTEP step-parents sold to a crowd of muggles. The magic seemed misspent.
Jobs was still masterful, relating stories of how MCI saved so much time and money developing their systems on NeXTSTEP. He persuaded the market research firms IDC and Dataquest that a new computer segment should be added to the pantheon of mainframe, mini, workstation, and PC. The new market category would be called the “PC/Workstation,” and lo and behold, by excluding pure PCs and pure workstations, NeXT became No. 1 in market share. Leadership fabricated out of thin air.
During this time, corporate partners came to appreciate Steve’s enthusiasm as the Reality Distortion Field. Sun Microsystems went so far as to have a policy that no contract could be agreed to while Steve was in the room. They needed to physically remove themselves from the mesmerizing magic to complete the negotiation.
But Jobs was sleepwalking through backwaters of stodgy industries. And he was agitated by Apple’s plight in the press. Jobs reflected a few years later, “I can’t tell you how many times I heard the word ‘beleaguered’ next to ‘Apple.’ It was painful. Physically painful.”
When the miraculous did happen, and Apple bought NeXT, Jobs was reborn. I recently spoke with Bill Gates about passion: “Most people lose that fire in the belly as they age. Except Steve Jobs. He still had it, and he just kept going. He was not a programmer, but he had hit after hit.” Gates marvels at the magic to this day.
Parsimony
Jobs was the master architect of Apple design. Often criticized for bouts of micromanagement and aesthetic activism, Steve’s spartan sensibilities accelerated the transition from hardware to software. By dematerializing the user interface well ahead of what others thought possible, Apple was able to shift the clutter of buttons and hardware to the flexible and much more lucrative domain of software and services. The physical thing was minimized to a mere vessel for code.
Again, this came naturally to Jobs, as it is how he lived his life, from sparse furnishings at home, to sartorial simplicity, to his war on buttons, from the mouse to the keyboard to the phone. Jobs felt a visceral agitation from the visual noise of imperfection.
When Apple first demonstrated the mouse, Bill Gates could not believe it was possible to achieve such smooth tracking in software. Surely, there was a dedicated hardware solution inside.
When I invited Jobs to take some time away from NeXT to speak to a group of students, he sat in the lotus position in front of my fireplace and wowed us for three hours, as if leading a séance. But then I asked him if he would sign my Apple Extended Keyboard, where I already had Woz’s signature. He burst out: “This keyboard represents everything about Apple that I hate. It’s a battleship. Why does it have all these keys? Do you use this F1 key? No.” And with his car keys he pried it right off. “How about this F2 key?” Off they all went. “I’m changing the world, one keyboard at a time,” he concluded in a calmer voice.
And he dove deep into all elements of design, even the details of retail architecture for the Apple store (he’s a named patent holder on architectural glass used for the stairways). On my first day at NeXT, as we walked around the building, my colleagues shared in hushed voices that Jobs personally chose the wood flooring and various appointments. He even specified the outdoor sprinkler system layout.
I witnessed his attention to detail during a marketing reorganization meeting. The VP of marketing read Jobs’s e-mailed reaction to the new org chart. Jobs simply requested that the charts be reprinted with the official corporate blue and green colors, and provided the Pantone numbers to remove any ambiguity. Shifted color space was like a horribly distorted concerto to his senses. And this particular marketing VP was clearly going down.
People
Jobs’s estimation of people tended to polarize to the extremes, a black-and-white thinking trait common to charismatic leaders. Marketing execs at NeXT especially rode the “hero-shithead rollercoaster,” as it was called. The entire company knew where they stood in Jobs’s eyes, so when that VP in the reorg meeting plotted his rollercoaster path on the white board, the room nodded silently in agreement. He lasted one month.
But Jobs also attracted the best people and motivated them to do better than their best, rallying teams to work in a harmony they may never find elsewhere in their careers. He remains my archetype for the charismatic visionary leader, with his life’s song forever woven into the fabric of Apple.
Jobs now rests with the sublime satisfaction of symbolic immortality.
----
It was daunting to reflect on such a great man, from a refined set of exposures... but he was my childhood hero, and I convinced him to let me do a study of his management style while a lowly employee at NeXT. Nevertheless, I wondered if I captured his essence in those years of exile from Apple. So, I was floored when the BW editor wrote back "I think this piece is one of the best things I have ever read about Steve." :))
@ Engine Room ~ September 20 - Oct. 20
A special sort of timepiece for those with a taste for the unusual and a sense of keen estimation. While minutes are exact, hours are more up to personal interpretation with this pictorial clock.
The Astraeus Dial tells real time throughout the day, as seen in the original artwork on the main dial, with the sun being noon and the moon being midnight. The inner dial is a more exact measurement of minutes within the hour. The clock is only 2 land impact as well!
Time zone can be changed on click and the clock auto-adjusts for daylight savings time!
Mod / Copy / No Trans
More from me ♥
This blade is put on a finger of the hand and can be used to fight an enemy. I bought one, i put it in my photo bag, then i forgot it. Once at home, i discovered i went thru the airports X ray controls with this weapon in my bag! In Nairiobi, Zurich, and Paris!
The Turkana s inhabit the arid territories of northern Kenya, on the boundary with Sudan. Nilotic-speaking people, they have for a long time stayed outside of the influence of the main foreign trends. Nomad shepherds adapted to a almost totally desert area, some also fish in Lake Turkana. They are divided in 28 clans. Each one of them is associated with a particular brand for its livestock, so that any Turkana can identify a relative in this way.The majority of the Turkana still follow their traditional religion: they believe in a God called Kuj or Akuj, associated with the sky and creator of all things. He is thought to be omnipotent but rarely intervenes in the lives of people. Contact between God and the people is made though a diviner (emeron). Diviners have the power to interpret dreams, forecast the future, heal, and make rain. However, the Turkana doubt about those who say they have powers, but fail to prove it in the everyday life. According to estimates, about 15% of the Turkana are Christian. Evangelism has started among the Turkana since the 1970s. Various church buildings have been built since then. The most astonishing element one can notice in the villages, is that the only permanent structures are churches, with huts all around. Infact, in the late 1970s, feeding projects as well as literacy courses and other services have been provided by Baptist workers. This easily explains the importance acquired by the Church.The Turkana don't have any physical initiations. They have only the asapan ceremony, transition from youth to adulthood, that all men must perform before marriage. The Turkana are polygamous. Homestead consists of a man, his wives and children, and often his mother. When a new wife comes, she stays at the hut of the mother or first wife until she has her first child. The high bride-wealth payment (30 to 50 cattle, 30 to 50 camels and 100 to 200 small stock) often means that a man cannot marry until he has inherited livestock from his dead father. It also implies that he collect livestock from relatives and friends, which strengthens social ties between them. Resolution is found to conflicts through discussions between the men living in proximity to one another. Men of influence are particularly listened, and decisions are enforced by the younger men of the area. Each man belongs to a specific generation set. If a man is a Leopard, his son will be a Stone, so that there is approximately an equal number of each category. The Turkana make finely carved wooden implements, used in the daily life. During the rainy season, moonlight nights' songs have a particular place in the Turkana's life. The songs often refer to their cattle or land, but they are sometimes improvised and related to immediate events. The Turkana have a deep knowledge of plants and products they use as medicine. The fat-tailed sheep is often called "the hospital for the Turkana".
Les Turkanas habitent les territoires arides du nord du Kenya, à la frontière avec le Soudan.Peuple de langue nilotique, ils sont pendant longtemps restés hors de l’influence des principaux courants étrangers. Pasteurs nomades adaptés à une zone presque totalement déserte, certains pêchent également dans le lac Turkana. Ils sont divisés en 28 clans. Chacun d’entre eux est associé à une marque particulière donné à son bétail, de telle façon que tout Turkana peut identifier un parent de cette manière.La majorité des Turkana suit encore leur religion traditionnelle : ils croient en un Dieu appelé Kuj ou Akuj, associé au ciel et créateur de toute chose. Les Turkana le voient comme omnipotent mais intervenant rarement dans la vie des gens. Le contact entre Dieu et les hommes se fait par l’intermédiaire d’un divin (emeron). Les devins ont le pouvoir d’interpréter les rêves, prédire l’avenir, soigner et faire pleuvoir. Toutefois, les Turkana doutent de ceux qui disent qu’ils ont des pouvoirs, mais échouent à le prouver dans la vie de tous les jours. Selon des estimations, environ 15% des Turkana sont chrétiens. L’évangélisme a commencé chez les Turkana depuis les années 1970. Diverses églises ont depuis été construites. L’élément le plus étonnbant que l’on peut noter dans les villages est que les seules structures en dur sont les églises, avec des huttes tout autour. En fait, à la fin des années 1970, des projets alimentaires ainsi que des cours d’alphabétisation et d’autres services ont été menés par des travailleurs baptistes. Cela explique facilement l’importance acquise par l’Eglise.Les Turkana n’ont aucune initiation physique. Ils ont seulement la cérémonie asapan, transition de la jeunesse à l’âge adulte, que chaque homme doit suivre avant le mariage. Les Turkana sont polygames. La propriété familiale est composée d’un homme, ses femmes et enfants, et souvent sa mère. Quand une nouvelle femme arrive, elle loge dans la hutte de la mère ou de la première femme jusqu’à ce qu’elle ait son premier enfant. Le paiement élevé pour la mariée (30 à 50 têtes de gros bétail, 30 à 50 dromadaires, et 100 à 200 têtes de petit bétail) signifie souvent qu’un homme ne peut se permettre de se marier jusqu’à ce qu’il ait hérité le bétail de son père décédé. Cela implique également qu’il collecte le bétail requis de parents et amis, ce qui renforce les liens sociaux entre eux. La résolution des conflits se fait par la discussion entre les hommes vivant à proximité.Les hommes d’influence sont particulièrement écoutés, et les décisions sont mises en application par les hommes plus jeunes de la zone. Chaque homme appartient à une classe d’âge spécifique. Si un homme est un Léopard, son fils deviendra une Pierre, de telle façon qu’il y a approximativement un même nombre de chaque catégorie. Les Turkana font des outils en bois finement taillés, utilisés dans la vie de tous les jours. Durant la saison des pluies, les chansons des nuits de pleine lune ont une place particulière dans la vie des Turkana. Elles font souvent référence à leur bétail et terres, mais sont parfois improvisées ou liées à des événements immédiats. Les Turkana ont une connaissance intime des plantes et des produits qu’ils utilisent comme médicaments. La queue grasse des moutons est souvent appelée « l’hôpital pour les Turkana ».
© Eric Lafforgue
In my personal estimation, there are few flowers more lovely than those of the Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera). It's too bad that they are not more easily visible.
About a week ago my less than 1 year old computer completely died, after being ill for a month or two. Currently I have no estimation of how long it will be before I can get it replaced/repaired. It's under warranty, but the very disreputable company I bought it from (if I'd only known beforehand about this company) is ignoring requests to get it fixed. So it looks like my only avenue will be to take it to the Civil Claims Tribunal, and that could take months.
La tormenta que me niego a ver / The storm I refuse to see
Les presento a todos y todas una imagen que estuvo en mi mente desde finales del año pasado. Estuve por mucho tiempo intentando tener acceso a una bañera en la cual poder trabajar con una modelo.
Después de mucho tiempo y de casi olvidar que realizaría esta foto (y otras que tenía en mente utilizando una bañera), mi amiga Mariana me comenta que se mudó y que tiene una bañera disponible para utilizar, así como si persona en sí para ser llevada por el arte y sus consecuencias (gracias Mariana!)
Muchas veces caemos en el error de cerrar los ojos y pretender que no sabemos lo que está sucediendo. El negarse la verdad puede ser un tanto peligroso, y permitir que la verdad se atraviese en nuestro camino construido por mentiras, puede resultar en un final algo aparatoso. El mentirse a uno mismo culmina en una vida llena de angustias y sentimiento de impotencia. Todo a nuestro error nos recuerda y nos deja claro que la negación no es el camino, e insistimos en prolongar lo que al final es inevitable.
Creo que estoy desarrollando una fijación no tan normal por las bañeras, tienen ese yo no se que que me atrae y me hacer pensar en historias e imágenes un poco perturbadas (en el buen sentido claro.. claro..).
Que tengan un super felíz jueves, yo estoy felíz, muy contento porque recién tengo nuevo trabajo, y cada vez que llego a casa estoy muy cansado, pero super contento de lo que estoy haciendo, definitivamente tendré muchísimo menos tiempo para salir a fotografiar, editar o actualizar mi estado en mis diferentes redes sociales, pero haré un tremendo esfuerzo por continuar constante.
Nos leemos luego!
I present to you a picture that was in my mind since late last year. I was for a long time trying to access a bathtub in which I could work with a model.
After a long time and almost forgetting that this photoshoot could actually happen(and others I had in mind using a bathtub), my dear friend Mariana told me that she just moved and has a bathtub available for me to use, and her person herself to be use as art object and its consequences (Mariana thanks!)
Many times we fall into the mistake of closing our eyes and pretend to not know what is happening. Refusing the truth can be quite dangerous, and allow the truth gets in our way that is built by lies, and that at the end can result in a rather spectacular end. Lying to ourself culminates in a life full of fear and powerlessness. Everything reminds us of our mistake and makes it clear that denial is not the way, and insisting on it is just prolonging what the inevitable end.
I think I'm developing a not so normal estimation about bathtubs, I do not know what attracts me and makes me think of stories and images a bit disturbing (in a good sense .. of course ..).
Have a super happy Thursday, I'm very, very happy because recently I got a new job, butevery time I come home I'm so tired, but super happy with what I'm doing, definitely will have much less time to go out shooting, editing or updating my status on my various social networks, but I'll do a tremendous effort to continue constant.
I made this image because I consider my journey today to have been non-productive in my estimation...and I couldn"t find any more suitable images to work with.
The 6th Arte em Peças held on Paredes de Coura, the annual exhibition that my LUG, Comunidade 0937, organizes every year took place on the last weekend of May and on the first of June. It was a blast! I was responsible for the Enchanted Forest display featuring my Bluewater castle, Wedgwood House, Morisledge Cottage, Green Lake Tower Ruins and other MOCs that I made for it. Special thanks to Hugo Santos www.flickr.com/photos/hugosantos0937/ who build the wonderful green roof church and elaborate the display' s scheme (were all the buildings would be, were the rivers would pass, etc).
It has 6 by 14 Baseplates (48x48 studs) and my estimation is that it has more then 500.000 parts.
Every single Baseplate has some texture and elevations and many are elevated 10 or more bricks to give more sense of depth.
The landscape came out a little poor as I ran out of parts for trees and vegetation. I would have liked to give it a sense of a more thick and full forest, but it was not possible.
Also, I would like to thank my buddies of 0937 for helping me in every way that they could. This was only possible because of the effort of many.
Hope you like it!
A warrant of arrest has been issued against "Team Forge" Leader Maverick Brand after he brutalized a gang of villains and hijacked their base. According to our intel, he is planning to use the equipment inside the base to take control of part of the system. The scope of his resources is unknown.
His current location is the gas giant Hefeus, but the full extent of the threat his machinations impose could be more significant. Further estimations are required.
Maverick Brand is equipped with heat-resistant plate armor, a throwable bulletproof shield and a fire-imbued Flamberge sword. Armor-piercing ammunition and electricity-based weaponry may be viable strategies to take him down. Proceed with caution.
Great Kanohi Azuhi by Galva, Flamberge model edited by me
22H58 !! 32 000 ISO C'est l'heure de partir !! It's time to leave !
Une soirée de fous avec Gaidis Grandrans et Oscar Dominguez. Quand Gaidis nous proposa d’aller voir la Bécassine double sur un lek, nous étions ravis mais sans savoir que nous allions vraiment vivre une expérience hors du temps et de la lumière !
Avec en « guest stars » des milliers de moustiques que nous combattrons avec un mix de répulsifs russes, français et catalans !!
La pleine lune nous aidera pour aller à 32 000 ISO !!!
La Bécassine double est classée NT par l’IUCN (Near threatened) et l’estimation de la population européenne est d’environ 2 000 couples ! La chasse est une des principales causes de son déclin avec le drainage des terres et l’agriculture intensive.
C’est le migrateur peut-être le plus rapide, capable de parcourir en une seule traite 5 500 kms en 64h !!
Pendant combien de temps la verra-t-on encore ?
A crazy evening with Gaidis Gadrans et Oscar Dominguez. When Gaidis suggested to see the Great Snipe on a lek, we were delighted but without knowing we were on the point to live an outstanding experience in time and light !
With « guest stars » thousands mosquitos we will fight with a mix of russian, french and catalan repellents !!
The full moon will help us to go to 32 000 ISO !!
The Great Snipe is classified NT by IUCN (Near threatened) and the estimate european population is around 2 000 couples ! Hunting is one of the main reasons of his decline with the field drainage and intensive agriculture.
She is probably the fastest migratory bird, able to fly in one run 5 500 kms in 64 hours !!
How long time we will ba able to see her ?
OK, I know you've surmised either I stood on my head to take this, or it has been rotated 180 degree.
This was taken on a dark and dank (I have always wanted to use that word - and get to cross this off my bucket list) afternoon , and in my estimation, the sky needed just a bit of brightness.
Besides, I kind of like it this way.
(If you REALLY want to see in the original version, then it's YOUR turn to stand on your head.)
Press L before you do that though.
The Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus), Danube Delta, Romania, 2021.
The Dalmatian pelican is the largest member of the pelican family, and perhaps the world's largest freshwater bird. There are two main populations of Dalmatian pelican. One breeds in Eastern Europe, wintering in the eastern Mediterranean region, and the other breeds in central Asia and Russia, wintering in the Indian subcontinent, Iran and Iraq.
Dalmatian pelicans were threatened in the past by wetland drainage, as well as being shot and persecuted by fishermen who regard them as competing with them for food. In only a few areas, fishermen continue this threat, and there is some disturbance from tourists. Habitat degradation from water pollution and wetland alteration are currently serious threats, compounded by the fishing industry’s over-exploitation of fish stocks and hunting by livestock herders in Mongolia. Furthermore, the bill of this species has traditionally been used by Mongolian nomads for a pouch.
According to IUCN’s Red List, the Dalmatian pelican total population size is about 10,000-13,900 individuals, which equates to roughly 6,700-9,300 mature individuals. Estimations for specific populations are as follows: 4,350-4,800 individuals in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea; 6,000-9,000 in south Asia and South-East Asia, and 50 in East Asia. Overall, Dalmatian pelicans are classified as Vulnerable (VU) and their numbers today are decreasing.
I used to have a Durst color and b&w enlarger and we used the subtractive system of color correction when needed. It is still the same principal in digital photography, except its done by a computer ( in my estimation a huge improvement )
I didn‘t know much about Fujinon lenses when I first heard about the EX (high end) enlarging lens series, but after I read some enthusiastic endorsements and saw a couple of great sample shots I was certainly intrigued. That said, it was quite some time after this moment, when I found one at a somewhat reasonable price, because it seems like they aren‘t available in large quantities. I think they are among the best enlarging lenses out there and thankfully easy to adapt as well. I don‘t remember if there is any longer focal length but I have got them in 50, 75, 90, 105 and 135 mm (the latter being a lot bigger and in my estimation heavier than all others combined...).
The two large-format lenses are a „Fujinon-SWD 65 mm F 5.6“ and a „Fujinon-W 135 mm F 5.6“ and they are absolutely brilliant lenses as well from my limited experience: Wonderfully sharp with good contrast, colors and seemingly very good from close-up to infinity!
Fuji has certainly gained my trust when it comes to lenses as they really seem to be consistently good as far as I can tell.
Shot with a Yashica "Auto Yashinon DX 50 mm F 1.7" lens on a Canon EOS R5.
The 6th Arte em Peças held on Paredes de Coura, the annual exhibition that my LUG, Comunidade 0937, organizes every year took place on the last weekend of May and on the first of June. It was a blast! I was responsible for the Enchanted Forest display featuring my Bluewater castle, Wedgwood House, Morisledge Cottage, Green Lake Tower Ruins and other MOCs that I made for it. Special thanks to Hugo Santos www.flickr.com/photos/hugosantos0937/ who build the wonderful green roof church and elaborate the display' s scheme (were all the buildings would be, were the rivers would pass, etc).
It has 6 by 14 Baseplates (48x48 studs) and my estimation is that it has more then 500.000 parts.
Every single Baseplate has some texture and elevations and many are elevated 10 or more bricks to give more sense of depth.
The landscape came out a little poor as I ran out of parts for trees and vegetation. I would have liked to give it a sense of a more thick and full forest, but it was not possible.
Also, I would like to thank my buddies of 0937 for helping me in every way that they could. This was only possible because of the effort of many.
Hope you like it!
I really had a difficult time walking away from this one. And for several days resisted calling the number to get more information and make an offer. Visually I only see two things I didn't like. I prefer the full wheel covers for the '56 Fords and those whitewalls were too narrow. Maybe even blackwalls would have looked better if clean. But this looked great, could be driven and enjoyed right away and in my estimation was reasonably priced or at least close enough that an offer of slightly less would be a good price.
1956 Ford Town Sedan at the Back to the Fifties car show.
Whilst I've never been a fan of the Plymouth CityBus 'Swoop' livery, it's recent application to Volvo B7RLE/Wright Eclipse 2 108 WA12ADU has certainly improved it in my estimations. The slight curve of the front of the Eclipse body works well with the swoop and the fresh lick of paint has somewhat brightened up the four year old vehicle. Sister, 109, is likely to receive the same treatment whilst 100-107 will remain in BlueFlash livery.
Pictured at Callington.
The Turkana s inhabit the arid territories of northern Kenya, on the boundary with Sudan. Nilotic-speaking people, they have for a long time stayed outside of the influence of the main foreign trends. Nomad shepherds adapted to a almost totally desert area, some also fish in Lake Turkana. They are divided in 28 clans. Each one of them is associated with a particular brand for its livestock, so that any Turkana can identify a relative in this way.The majority of the Turkana still follow their traditional religion: they believe in a God called Kuj or Akuj, associated with the sky and creator of all things. He is thought to be omnipotent but rarely intervenes in the lives of people. Contact between God and the people is made though a diviner (emeron). Diviners have the power to interpret dreams, forecast the future, heal, and make rain. However, the Turkana doubt about those who say they have powers, but fail to prove it in the everyday life. According to estimates, about 15% of the Turkana are Christian. Evangelism has started among the Turkana since the 1970s. Various church buildings have been built since then. The most astonishing element one can notice in the villages, is that the only permanent structures are churches, with huts all around. Infact, in the late 1970s, feeding projects as well as literacy courses and other services have been provided by Baptist workers. This easily explains the importance acquired by the Church.The Turkana don't have any physical initiations. They have only the asapan ceremony, transition from youth to adulthood, that all men must perform before marriage. The Turkana are polygamous. Homestead consists of a man, his wives and children, and often his mother. When a new wife comes, she stays at the hut of the mother or first wife until she has her first child. The high bride-wealth payment (30 to 50 cattle, 30 to 50 camels and 100 to 200 small stock) often means that a man cannot marry until he has inherited livestock from his dead father. It also implies that he collect livestock from relatives and friends, which strengthens social ties between them. Resolution is found to conflicts through discussions between the men living in proximity to one another. Men of influence are particularly listened, and decisions are enforced by the younger men of the area. Each man belongs to a specific generation set. If a man is a Leopard, his son will be a Stone, so that there is approximately an equal number of each category. The Turkana make finely carved wooden implements, used in the daily life. During the rainy season, moonlight nights' songs have a particular place in the Turkana's life. The songs often refer to their cattle or land, but they are sometimes improvised and related to immediate events. The Turkana have a deep knowledge of plants and products they use as medicine. The fat-tailed sheep is often called "the hospital for the Turkana".
Les Turkanas habitent les territoires arides du nord du Kenya, à la frontière avec le Soudan.Peuple de langue nilotique, ils sont pendant longtemps restés hors de l’influence des principaux courants étrangers. Pasteurs nomades adaptés à une zone presque totalement déserte, certains pêchent également dans le lac Turkana. Ils sont divisés en 28 clans. Chacun d’entre eux est associé à une marque particulière donné à son bétail, de telle façon que tout Turkana peut identifier un parent de cette manière.La majorité des Turkana suit encore leur religion traditionnelle : ils croient en un Dieu appelé Kuj ou Akuj, associé au ciel et créateur de toute chose. Les Turkana le voient comme omnipotent mais intervenant rarement dans la vie des gens. Le contact entre Dieu et les hommes se fait par l’intermédiaire d’un divin (emeron). Les devins ont le pouvoir d’interpréter les rêves, prédire l’avenir, soigner et faire pleuvoir. Toutefois, les Turkana doutent de ceux qui disent qu’ils ont des pouvoirs, mais échouent à le prouver dans la vie de tous les jours. Selon des estimations, environ 15% des Turkana sont chrétiens. L’évangélisme a commencé chez les Turkana depuis les années 1970. Diverses églises ont depuis été construites. L’élément le plus étonnbant que l’on peut noter dans les villages est que les seules structures en dur sont les églises, avec des huttes tout autour. En fait, à la fin des années 1970, des projets alimentaires ainsi que des cours d’alphabétisation et d’autres services ont été menés par des travailleurs baptistes. Cela explique facilement l’importance acquise par l’Eglise.Les Turkana n’ont aucune initiation physique. Ils ont seulement la cérémonie asapan, transition de la jeunesse à l’âge adulte, que chaque homme doit suivre avant le mariage. Les Turkana sont polygames. La propriété familiale est composée d’un homme, ses femmes et enfants, et souvent sa mère. Quand une nouvelle femme arrive, elle loge dans la hutte de la mère ou de la première femme jusqu’à ce qu’elle ait son premier enfant. Le paiement élevé pour la mariée (30 à 50 têtes de gros bétail, 30 à 50 dromadaires, et 100 à 200 têtes de petit bétail) signifie souvent qu’un homme ne peut se permettre de se marier jusqu’à ce qu’il ait hérité le bétail de son père décédé. Cela implique également qu’il collecte le bétail requis de parents et amis, ce qui renforce les liens sociaux entre eux. La résolution des conflits se fait par la discussion entre les hommes vivant à proximité.Les hommes d’influence sont particulièrement écoutés, et les décisions sont mises en application par les hommes plus jeunes de la zone. Chaque homme appartient à une classe d’âge spécifique. Si un homme est un Léopard, son fils deviendra une Pierre, de telle façon qu’il y a approximativement un même nombre de chaque catégorie. Les Turkana font des outils en bois finement taillés, utilisés dans la vie de tous les jours. Durant la saison des pluies, les chansons des nuits de pleine lune ont une place particulière dans la vie des Turkana. Elles font souvent référence à leur bétail et terres, mais sont parfois improvisées ou liées à des événements immédiats. Les Turkana ont une connaissance intime des plantes et des produits qu’ils utilisent comme médicaments. La queue grasse des moutons est souvent appelée « l’hôpital pour les Turkana ».
© Eric Lafforgue
I had the pleasure of meeting many alpacas at an Alpaca Open House outside of Ithaca, NY. Alpacas, in my estimation, are a cross between a llama and a sheep. I don't care if that's right, it's just my opinion...you should ask me about my opinion on your appendix if you care so much. I don't know her name. I wish I did. I think I would name her Lady Muttonchops. Again, JMO.
Evidences of Salvation
by James Smith
Many real believers are often distressed and troubled, on account of . . .
the weakness of their faith,
the strength of their fears, and
their mistakes in reference to their interest in Christ.
They look for too much in self, and for too little in Christ.
To avoid soul deception — they are apt to run into gloom and despondency. They look for certain evidences in themselves, and because they do not find those they look for — they conclude they have none; and giving way to the temptations of Satan, they . . .
distress their own souls,
dishonor the Lord Jesus, and
reflect badly on the grace of God.
They doubt not the ability of Christ — but they question his willingness to save. If the testimony of scripture assures me he is able to save — it is to encourage me to approach him and cast my soul upon him — and if he assures me he will never cast out — it is to disperse my fears, remove my doubts, and draw me to his mercy-seat with confidence and courage. There is no saving religion in doubting — though many who are truly godly do doubt. Slavish fear never honors a God of love — yet many who desire to honor him give way to groundless fears.
1. One evidence of true salvation is CONVICTION OF SIN. Conviction of sin in the conduct — and of sin in the heart. We are all sinners — but only a few know what sin is, and what a fearful thing it is to be a sinner. Sin is . . .
the breach of the divine law,
an insult offered to every one of the divine attributes,
and that horrible thing which God hates.
Sin . . .
is rooted in our nature,
grows with our growth,
strengthens with our strength,
flows from our hearts as naturally as water from a fountain, or light from the body of the sun.
Every action we have performed,
every word we have spoken,
every thought we have conceived—
has been defiled by sin, and deserves eternal death!
The nature of sin is most dreadful, and the effects of sin are most fearful. But man untaught of God has no such views of sin, or of himself as polluted by it; but when the Holy Spirit quickens and enlightens the immortal mind, when he brings home the law as the standard of holiness and the rule of conduct — then the sinner discovers his state, and fears the consequences. He is alarmed, distressed, and inquires, "Who, what can save me?" He fears his sins are too numerous and aggravated to be pardoned, being ignorant of the extent of the grace of God, and the infinite merit of the blood of Christ. He fears presumption — and he dreads despair. He cannot laugh at sin or longer trifle with eternity; he can no more dare the justice or slight the mercy of God. He is concerned for his safety, being conscious of his danger. He longs for a pardon, being convinced of his guilt. He trembles at the thought of justice — but hopes when he hears of mercy. Sensible of his lost condition, he presents the heartfelt prayer, "God be merciful to me a sinner!"
But we are not to judge our conviction of sin by its depths — but by its nature. If it drives us to despair, then it is natural. But if it drives us to Jesus, then it is spiritual. If your conviction . . .
leads you to see your need of a Savior,
prevents your resting on anything but Christ Jesus,
leads you frankly to confess your crimes before God,
and to seek for salvation solely by the grace of God—
then they are spiritual convictions, and the evidence of spiritual life. None could produce them, but the Holy Spirit; and none ever experience them, but those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life!
2. In close connection with conviction of sin, is hatred to sin, loathing ourselves on account of sin. If we see sin in the light of the Lord — then we must hate it. If we see ourselves as polluted and defiled by sin — then we must loathe ourselves on account of it. Finding sin to be rooted in our nature, and seeing it occasionally break out notwithstanding our striving and watching against it — will stop our mouths from boasting, and prevent our excusing ourselves. We shall see sin as our fault — as well as our disease; as our crime — as much as our misery. And feeling inclined at times to favor it, and secretly wishing we were at liberty to indulge in it — will make us abhor ourselves and repent in dust and ashes! The former is from the corruption of nature — and the latter from the principle of divine grace.
The Christian hates sin in all — but mostly in himself; and while he wishes the world to be freed from it — he would give a world if he could but get rid of it! It is sin in himself, which grieves him:
sin in his prayers,
sin in his praises,
sin in his purposes,
sin in his duties,
sin in all he does!
And seeing no hope of complete sanctification on this side the grave, he cries, "I loathe it, I loathe it, I would not live always!" As sin is forbidden, he dares not indulge it. As the object of his hatred, he naturally forsakes it. He cannot but lament that sin is in his nature, and grieve before God when it appears in his conduct. If sin is the object of your hatred, if self is loathed because it is sinful — then it is evident you are born of God; for except a man be born from above — he cannot loathe self, hate sin, and forsake it. In order to do this, he must have a new nature, and that nature must be holy and divine.
3. An appetite for divine things is a scriptural evidence of grace. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness — for they shall be filled." If we can find satisfaction, pleasure, and delight only in the things of the world — then we are dead in sin; dead while we live. But if instead thereof, we are thirsting for God, to . . .
enjoy his presence,
feel his love,
receive his blessing, and
walk in the light of his countenance —
if we are hungering for Jesus as the bread of life,
and if nothing but Jesus himself can satisfy us —
then we are certainly blessed.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness — for they shall be filled." This promise is plain, positive, and certain; and every hungry soul may derive comfort therefrom. When Jesus is the chief object of our desire, and the blessings he communicates are the principle things in our estimation — then there is divine life in the soul. For dead men have no desire or appetite for natural things; so people spiritually dead have no appetite for spiritual things. If nothing but Christ can satisfy us — then we "have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God!" 1 Peter 1:23
4. An entire willingness to be saved in God's way; that is, by free grace through the blood of Jesus — is an evidence of divine life in the soul. No man in a state of nature is willing to be saved as a poor debtor by a Surety; as a miserable sinner by a gracious Savior. Man would rather perish in sin, than be saved in this way! Hence our Redeemer testified, "You will not come unto me that you might have life." "The carnal mind is enmity against God, it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."
Self, works, and merit — must be entirely renounced! We must heartily surrender ourselves into the hands of Jesus to be . . .
washed in his blood,
clothed in his righteousness,
and sanctified by his Spirit —
or we reject God's method of salvation.
But if we are willing to do this, there can be no doubt but God has been working in us, to will and to do of his good pleasure. The promise in our experience is then fulfilled, "Your people shall be willing in the day of your power." Fallen human nature will not approve of God's plan, which makes man nothing — and Christ all in all. Nor will the carnal mind accept salvation on any such terms. Consequently if we are willing, heartily willing to be saved from wrath through him, and prove that willingness by our conduct — we doubtless have the Holy Spirit in us.
5. If in addition to this, we are made honest and SINCERE; and being sensible of the ignorance of our minds and deceitfulness of our hearts — we come to the light of God's word, and to his glorious throne, praying, "Search me, O God, and know my heart, try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way!" The sincere Christian dreads deception, and desires to make his "calling and election sure;" he shuns presumption, and would avoid the possibility of mistake. He therefore, bares his conscience to the word of God, and would not play the hypocrite upon any consideration.
Honesty and sincerity of heart in reference to our eternal concerns, is a most important blessing; none possess it but those who are "called, and chosen, and faithful;" and if we are made honest in this sense, it is the grace of God which brings salvation that has made us so, and it is clear we are called with a holy calling.
6. FAITH in Jesus is an evidence of salvation; not believing that he is my Savior, that he "loved me and gave himself for me;" for this is rather the effect of faith than faith itself. Faith is the eye of the soul which discovers the blessing which Jesus has to bestow; and the hand which is stretched out to receive it. Believing in Jesus is . . .
venturing my soul upon his work,
trusting my whole self in his hands,
committing myself to him to be saved in his way, to his glory, as he is revealed in the everlasting gospel.
I feel that I am a sinner, and subscribe to all that God says in his holy word, respecting man as a sinner. I hear of Jesus as both able and willing to save, and I go to him in the exercises of my soul and cry, "Lord, save me!" I gather his answer from his word, and am enabled to lay hold on it by the Holy Spirit.
It requires no depth of wisdom, or mighty effort of mind to believe in Jesus. We simply . . .
credit his word,
confide in his faithfulness,
trust his atonement, and
look for the mercy of God unto eternal life.
Believing in him — we confess him as the Savior God has appointed, the Savior on whom we rely; and if we "confess with the mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in the heart that God has raised him from the dead — we shall be saved."
Reader, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ — and you shall be saved, for "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life — but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." John 3:36
Are you afraid? Do doubts arise in your mind? The difficulty in your mind arises from misapprehension. You needed a Savior, the gospel informs you of Jesus, who is just suited to your need, and assures you that he will receive and save you. And what is faith? Just receiving this statement and acting upon it. It is . . .
going to Jesus as directed,
receiving Christ as he is presented,
looking to him as invited, and
trusting in him as you are exhorted to do.
Every looking Israelite was healed, and every looking sinner shall be saved — the very looking to Jesus is faith, and proves your saving interest in the promise, "whoever believes shall receive remission of sins."
7. Love is an evidence of salvation.
Love to JESUS is an evidence of interest in the covenant of mercy — love flows from faith. If I believe what the Scriptures say of Jesus, as to the glory of his person, the tenderness of his heart, and the fullness of his grace — then I shall go to him to prove the truth of these important statements, and proving the truth of these precious declarations — how can I do otherwise than love him. If I question his loveliness or his love to me — then I cannot love him; and this is the cause why many of the Lord's little ones droop, and doubt, and fear. They question the truth of his word, and consequently the love of Jesus to them; this contracts and hardens the heart, and if they would give a world to feel love to Jesus. They cannot feel it, until brought cordially to admit the truth of what the scriptures testify in reference to the love and loveliness of Jesus — and then their frozen hearts will melt, and they will love him, because he first loved them.
But we must not always judge of love by warmth of feeling. There has been much warmth, where there has been but little sincere love. We must judge by the habitual state of our heart toward him.
Do you desire above all things to love him, and to be conformed to his will? Are you willing to part with all things for him, and unreservedly trust yourself with him? This is love; when I can trust my eternal interests in his hands, and endeavor constantly to keep his commandments.
Love to HIS PEOPLE because they are his, and are like him — is an infallible evidence of the new birth. "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren." If I love the picture — it is because I know and love the original. I could not love saint as a saint — if I did not know and love Jesus as the Savior of his people. If saints were more like Christ, then we would love them more. But as it is, though they are surrounded with infirmities, we love them; and are consequently entitled to be numbered with them, and to participate in all their joys and sorrows.
If we love Jesus supremely, and saints affectionately — then it is clear that we are created anew in Christ Jesus unto good works.
8. Humility proves we are the blessed of the Lord. If we are humbled under a sense of our sin, ignorance, and desert — we shall . . .
flee for refuge to the Lord Jesus,
receive with meekness the engrafted word;
and ascribe all our salvation to grace!
Nothing but the power of the Spirit of God can effectually . . .
humble the proud heart of man,
shut his mouth before God,
cause him with self-abhorrence to cry, "Guilty, guilty!"
and bring him to receive the kingdom of God as a little child.
Man will be something — but grace makes him nothing. It is the greatest mortification to proud nature, to be indebted to another for salvation, or to go to Heaven as a poor pauper, entirely dependant on the work of Jesus.
To renounce our own judgment,
to submit to be taught of God,
to believe the Word because God speaks it, and
to cleave to Jesus with full purpose of heart —
is genuine humility. The man has nothing to say against the demands or sentence of the holy law; and nothing to object to the provision or requirements of the glorious gospel. But he casts himself entirely on the . . .
unmerited mercy,
rich grace, and
promised compassion of Jehovah.
To this man, will Jehovah look with pleasure and approbation, and with him will he take up his abode. He walks humbly with his God. "Though the Lord is high — yet has he respect unto the lowly." "Blessed are the poor in in spirit — for theirs is the kingdom or Heaven."
9. He who is truly humbled under a sense of sin — pants, prays, and seeks for HOLINESS. He is as much concerned to be sanctified, as saved. He sees . . .
a beauty in holiness — and longs to possess it,
deformity in sin — and seeks to be delivered from it.
He mourns over the sins of others — but more over his own sin. Sin and Hell are always associated in his mind. He views . . .
sin as the root — and Hell as the tree;
sin as the fountain — and Hell as the stream naturally flowing from it.
Every man creates his own Hell — but no man can create his own Heaven. The true Christian must long to be holy — the precepts require it, and the principle of life within him pants for it with inextinguishable ardor. If he could but be holy, he would be happy, therefore he cries, "I shall be satisfied when I awake up in your likeness!" He avoids sin — and desires to be arrayed in all the graces of the Spirit, in all the beauties of holiness. He would be the personification of faith, love, humility and godly zeal. This desire for holiness is a certain evidence of godliness; for "without holiness no man shall see the Lord."
10. Godly FEAR is a covenant blessing, and a proof that we are of God. If we fear God with a filial fear, we fear to offend him and desire above all things to please him. It is not what will men say — but shall I hereby please God? We are taught in his word how to walk and to please him, and godly fear always prompts us to aim at this end. We shall fear to dishonor him in the world, the church, and our families. God is jealous of his glory — and so is a godly man. He desires to glorify him in the body, soul, and spirit, which are God's. He does not run at random — but prays, "What will You have me to do?" He does not make excuse for infirmities — but sighs out, "O that my ways were directed to keep your statutes always!" His motto is, "No peace with sin — no truce with Satan — no friendship with the world!" because these would lead him to dishonor God. He would rather suffer pain, than . . .
grieve the Holy Spirit,
dishonor his heavenly Father,
or wound the Savior.
And when he sees others careless, loose, and licentious; indulging their lusts and giving way to temptations, he says, "I do not do so, because of the fear of the Lord." He startles at sin with, "How shall I do this great wickedness, and sin against God!"
11. Attachment to the WORD OF GOD is a proof that we are of God. Real believers always prize the bible — they love to read it, to think over its contents, and to enjoy its communications. It is as necessary for their souls — as food is for their bodies; they often esteem it more than their necessary food. They would sooner part with all their dainties, than with their bibles. They read it as truth, they believe it as containing the mind of God; and when tempted to think differently, they are grieved and distressed. If the word of God is neglected, they condemn themselves, mourn over their folly before God, and crave his forgiveness. They stay themselves upon the word of God — when assaulted by Satan. They look to it for direction — when bewildered in their path. It is to them as Goliath's sword was to David, for they all say, "There is none like it."
They love the Word because it . . .
sets forth Jesus,
reveals the mind of God,
marks out the path of duty,
affords rich consolations,
and contains a mine of wealth.
They live . . .
believing its doctrines,
trusting its promises,
walking by its precepts, and
deriving encouragement and caution from its histories.
"O how I love your law, it is my meditation all the day. Except your law bad been my delight, my soul had almost dwelt in silence."
12. DISSATISFACTION with everything worldly on account of the imperfections discovered, is another evidence of real spirituality. Nothing under Heaven can satisfy the Christian. Having gone the round, he turns away with disgust and exclaims, "Whom have I in Heaven but you, and there is none upon earth that I desire beside you!" He can find full satisfaction only . . .
in the presence of God,
in the enjoyment of his Savior,
and in the duties of Christianity.
Everything besides appears empty, polluted, and vain. He may be occasionally attracted, and for a season led away from his resting place; but feeling dissatisfied, uneasy, and grieved, he says, "Return unto your rest, O my soul. There's nothing here deserves my joys — there's nothing like my God!"
If nothing can satisfy us but God, he will never put us off with less than himself. The wisdom, justice, the grace discovered in such a state of soul, is from himself; and he will never forsake the work of his own hands. We may learn from, and profit by, his works — but we can only rest in, and be satisfied with
himself. "The Lord is our inheritance. He is our portion forever!"
13. A spirit of PRAYER is from the Lord, and is a proof of our saving interest in his love. "Behold he prays!" If desire for prayer is produced, and the throne of grace is frequented — we are the blessed of the Lord. Prayer is the Christian's breath — he prays as naturally and as habitually as he breathes. And we would as soon think of a man living without respiration — as of a Christian living without prayer.
But do not mistake, prayer is not a form of words — but a sense of need, and a petition for supply. The believer often prays without speaking — while many speak in a form without praying. He goes to Jehovah as naturally as a child to his Father, and as frequently as he feels his wants. He lives in constant fellowship with Heaven. Sometimes he can only sigh or groan — and at other times he can plead with liberty and power. Sometimes he can only look towards the throne of grace — and at others he can wrestle with God and prevail.
His heart inspires his petitions,
the Word of God regulates his desires,
to Jesus he looks as his Intercessor before the throne, and
he continues in prayer notwithstanding discouragements.
He often feels . . .
his heart hard,
his thoughts perplexed,
his mind bewildered, and
his spirit lukewarm.
He is tempted to believe that it is no use for such a one, in such a frame to attempt to pray; but he must confess his faults, tell out his fears, and entreat for mercy in a Savior's name. And though often persuaded that he does not pray, that his attempts cannot be accepted, and that he has neither the gift nor the spirit of prayer — yet he still attempts to find access, and to breathe his sorrows there.
Mere formalists are generally satisfied with their prayers, and too often rest in them. But the real Christian sees his to be so impure, imperfect, and worthless — that he dares not trust in anything but Jesus, his righteousness, and blood.
Can you live without prayer? Can your discouragements make you give over attempting? Are you satisfied with your prayers? Or do you see that they, even the best of them, need to be washed in the precious blood of Jesus? If so, you have light, life, and spirituality; and surely you are one of those whom Jesus loves. Private prayer, from a sense of need, continued under all discouragements, is an evidence that we are the children of God.
14. The CONFLICT between the flesh and the Spirit, is an evidence of grace. If we have a daily exposition of the seventh chapter of the Romans within us — then we are as Paul was. This most Christians have in a greater or less degree: they would do good — but evil is present with them. They would serve the law of God — but are led captive by the law of sin. They hate what they often do — and love what they cannot attain to. They would be holy — but they sin; yet they never excuse sin in themselves, or endeavor to quote scripture to cloak it.
The flesh and the spirit carry on a constant warfare, so that the believer often feels wretched and longs for deliverance. He cannot do the things that he would. Sin will fight when it cannot reign. The warfare will only cease with death.
We daily discover how the flesh misleads us, and we find it spoils all we attempt for God's glory. It creeps into our motives, or turns us aside from our rule, or puffs us up at the end. Thus we feel . . .
the daily need the open fountain,
the renewings of the Holy Spirit, and
a fresh pardon from the hands of Jesus.
The flesh would make us truly miserable — but the riches, plenitude, and permanence of grace prevents it. The love of Jesus is the same — he witnesses the conflict, sympathizes with the sufferer, and cheers him with the assurance, "My grace is sufficient for you!"
The spirit desires only to be devoted to, ruled by, and employed for the Lord; and longs for the happy deliverance promised in God's word. Therefore, the flesh and spirit will strive against each other until the day of death!
15. Separation from the WORLD, from a discovery of its vanity and enmity to God — is an evidence of grace. The world will love its own — but saints are not of the world, even as Jesus was not of the world. They see that it is opposed to God in its spirit, maxims, and works; and that all the cry is "No God for me!" They cannot join with the ungodly world — they become strangers and pilgrims, and desire to leave it. They . . .
pity its state,
condemn its spirit,
protest against its practices,
and yet seek its good.
They witness for God in it, and to it. They sigh and cry because of its abominations, and long for the period when the earth shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption, and there shall be no more curse!
A worldly spirit indulged and enjoyed, is the evidence of a worldly man. But deadness to the world, sympathy with Jesus who was persecuted and crucified in the world, and living above the world in fellowship and communion with God — is the evidence of a spiritual man. The world knows not, loves not the Christian; and the Christian loves not the world, knowing that if any man is in friendship with the world, that he is an enemy of God — "if any man loves the world — the love of the Father is not in him." The whole world lies in the wicked one, how important then to be delivered from the present evil world; and to have our affections set on things above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God.
"Those who are in the flesh, mind and enjoy the things of the flesh; but those who are in the Spirit, mind the things of the spirit."
16. The Lord's people are CHASTENED FOR SIN, and cannot go on in transgression without correction. An enlightened conscience armed with God's word will smite them, the ministry of the word will pierce and penetrate their hearts, and they prove it to be an evil and bitter thing to wander from the Lord their God. Providence joins with Scripture in reproving them for their folly, and the Lord follows them with the rod until they fall at his feet, acknowledge their transgression, and crave his forgiveness.
Mere professors may be allowed to go on and escape the rod when they sin — but "those whom the Lord loves — he chastens; and scourges EVERY one whom he receives." And the Christian will justify his God in using discipline, though it may be sharp — and will bow and listen to the rod, though it speaks against him.
To lay low at the Lord's feet while he smites,
to cleave to him when he frowns,
to plead with him when he speaks against us —
proves that our principles are divine, that we have the Spirit of God, and are heirs of glory!
O for much of that meek humility which . . .
closes the mouth from speaking against any of God's ways,
opens the ear to listen to all his communications,
lays the heart at his feet, and
covers the face with holy shame before him, on account of conscious unworthiness!
The lofty mountain of a proud heart will be dry, withered, and barren; but the low valley of an humble soul will be watered with the dew of Heaven from above, and bear fruit to Jehovah's praise.
"By humility and the fear of the Lord, are riches, and honor, and life."
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God."
"Despise not the chastening of the Almighty."
17. Looking, waiting, and longing for the SECOND COMING of Jesus, is a scriptural evidence of saintship. Jesus has promised to come again and receive us to himself, he has commanded us to be ready for his glorious appearing, and he has assured us that "to those who look for him, he will come the second time without sin, unto salvation."
Love must desire the presence of the beloved object, and must desire his glorification; and he is coming "to be glorified in his saints, and admired in all those who believe." He is now in the Heavens, waiting until his enemies to be made his footstool. The Heavens must retain him, "until the times of the restitution of all things which God has spoken by the mouth of his holy prophets." Faith believes the statements;
hope expects their accomplishment; and
love looks and longs for the time; crying "Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly!"
He will certainly come, to the joy of all such — but all his enemies shall be ashamed. There are some things connected with the coming of Jesus, which may make our flesh tremble — but . . .
to see him as he is;
to be like him; to be with him;
to swell his train and his triumphs;
to witness his glories; and
to participate in his blessedness —
is certainly an object of desire to every believer. We wait for him at the Son of God from Heaven, who has preserved us from the wrath to come!
18. But after all is said, there is no evidence like HABITUAL FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD. To walk with God as our Father, communicating to him all that we fear, feel, and desire; and receiving from him vigor, comfort, and daily preservation — is an evidence which can never be questioned. We walk by faith, that is,
believing his word,
trusting his grace,
and doing his will.
And though darkness and gloom may occasionally surround and even distress us — yet we know that we are of God. It is as natural to us to feed on his word, desire his presence, and seek his love; as it is to the natural child to believe the word, enjoy the presence, and be happy in the love of a kind and tender parent. Our God is love, and believing this, we rely on him, walk with him, and look for his mercy unto eternal life.
Beloved reader, endeavor to realize the truth and importance of scripture; to live and act as in the immediate presence of God; and to refresh the mind daily by a view of the perfect work of Jesus, on the ground of which God justifies the ungodly, and walks with poor sinners in peace and love. Stand out from the world — be separate; live by faith, believing God's gracious testimony; lay humbly before the Lord, under a sense of unworthiness; and endeavor to realize daily, your union to Christ, and relation to God as a Father through him. So shall peace be with you, and love with faith from our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our only hope.
But a caution may be necessary; these pages may be read by a self-assured professor, one who has light in the head — but no grace in the heart; who substitutes notions — for divine operations; and a sound creed — for a converted soul.
My fellow sinner, unless your heart is broken for sin, and broken from sin; unless your religion leads you to Jesus as a poor, wretched, hell-deserving sinner; and unless you are united to him, and his life is manifest in you — your religion is but like the dream of a night vision! It may he pleasing — but it will prove a fearful delusion. Nothing but heart work in religion will stand! Mere head knowledge will vanish away, every false covering will one day be stripped off, and unless you are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus, and internally sanctified by the Holy Spirit — a dreadful sentence will be passed on you, never to be repealed. O fearful case, to be dreaming of happiness — and to find misery — misery as deep and lasting as the desert of sin, and the existence of God!
Is it a poor thoughtless sinner that is reading these pages? I have a message from God unto you. "Except you are born again, and converted to God — you cannot see the kingdom of Heaven." If you have not the Spirit of Christ — then you are none of his. If you love not the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and truth — then you will be accursed when the Lord comes! Unless you are found in Christ — your death will be melancholy, and your eternal destiny indescribably dreadful!
There is mercy to be obtained NOW — this is emphatically "the day of salvation!" But the day will soon close — and a tremendous night of darkness, anger, and woe will set in upon you. A neglected bible, a slighted gospel, a rejected Savior — will all witness against you! And through eternity, you will condemn your present course and curse your folly.
Satan is seeking your destruction, your own hearts are deceiving you, and perhaps the conduct of some professors may cause you to stumble; but remember, "Every man must give an account of HIMSELF to God; and receive according to the deeds done in the body, whether they be good or evil."
Look well to the foundation on which you build your hope; dig deep and lay that foundation on a rock — even on Christ Jesus. And then you may be happy in time — for you are safe for eternity. "Whoever believes on him shall not be ashamed." He will appear to their joy, and their enemies shall be confounded. Hear then the warning voice, act upon the directions given you in the gospel, make sure work for eternity, and all shall be well.
Calcula el tamaño de la ola en relación a la persona que hay en el acantilado...
Make an estimation of wave height... There is a person over the cliff !!
Some quick B&W tests of the ZORKI 4 in poor light around Brentwood on expired FP4+ . I used 3 lenses,mostly near full aperture as film was rated only 80 ASA. The supplied INDUSTAR 26M 50mm f2.8 couples BUT my other lenses do not work with the Rangefinder on this ZORKI or indeed on my FED 4 so I have to set distance by 'Estimation' ( or GUESS ! ) This was almost at full aperture f4
The Railway Museum at Rizhsky Railway Station. Moscow.
The Soviet locomotive class FD (Russian: ФД) was a Soviet main freight steam locomotive type. Between 1932 and 1942, 3213 locomotives were built.
History
A locomotive was created in connection with the industrialization conducted in the USSR. Planning occupied only 100 days, and general time of building made 170 days. For his creation designers used American experience of creation of steam locomotives. The first locomotive was built at the Lugansk Locomotive Factory in 1931 and sent for a show to Moscow.
Tests on which a locomotive got a good estimation were conducted in 1932. In a that year at the Voroshilovgradskom plant passed to the mass production of ФД20 locomotives. In the process of production their construction got better constantly. From beginning of Great Patriotic war in 1941, a production was interrupted, only in 1942, 4 locomotives were built in Ulan Ude. Total production was 2927 locomotives of ФД20, and 286 locomotives of ФД21. The two subclasses only differed in the type of superheater.
The locomotives of ФД left on areas with high turnover of goods. They worked on 23 from 43 railways of the USSR, including in Siberia and on Ural. From middle of 1950, in connection with passing to the diesel engines and electric locomotives, the locomotives of ФД began to be pushed aside from work. Also in 1958–1960 about 1000 locomotives were passed to China.
Power type Steam
Builder Voroshilovgrad (Lugansk) Locomotive Factory
Build date 1931—1942
Configuration 2-10-2
Gauge 1,524 mm (5 ft)
Leading wheel
diameter 900 mm (35.43 in)
Driver diameter 1,500 mm (59.06 in)
Trailing wheel
diameter 1,050 mm (41.34 in)
Length 15.974 m (52 ft 5 in) (w/o tender), 28.519 m (93 ft 7 in)
Weight on drivers 104.0 tonnes
Locomotive & tender
combined weight 259.5 tonnes
Fuel type Coal, oil (FDP)
Boiler pressure 15 kgf/cm² (1.47 MPa; 213 psi)
Firegrate area 7.04 m2 (75.8 sq ft)
Cylinders Two, outside
Cylinder size 670 × 770 mm (26.38 × 30.31 in)
Top speed 85 km/h (53 mph)
Tractive effort 287.9 kN (64,720 lbf)
Portrait of an old Maasai man early in the morning right before sunrise in a remote Maasai village near Amboseli National Park, Kenya. He is one of the respected elders of the village.
Nobody of the Maasai people really know their real age, but it is possible according to their age set to make a good estimation. An "age set" describes a generation of the tribal people and each individual of the age set remains permanently attached to this set.
Website: Dietmar Temps, photography
A sure sign of dementia: a few days ago a fellow from my 'normal' camera shop called and asked 'Are you coming to fetch your objective?' The clue is that the tube had been in the shop for almost one year! (Some explanation: I got from somewhere a defect Sigma zoom (for Canon FD) suffering from a stuck diaphgram. I took it to that shop for repair cost estimation - and forgot the whole thing.) Unfortunately the comment was ' Not worth to repair'. Now I have a toy for wide open photography - maybe for portraiture...
In the draw of mid-autumn, I'm always pulled to the edge of darkness. Every day, no fail and no surprise, I follow my feet into twilight. The late woods has no shadows, just a growing gloom from curtains of clouds, and some sunset on a far horizon. It's the dangling stick that draws me, a carrot come-and-get-it, the hunger of adventure anywhere I haven't been. There's an old rock dam about halfway down this road, long gone in the middle, maybe the site of an some old sawmill. I can almost hear the ghostly rattle and buzzing, the lumber led off and crashing, the rough hand, red neck men shouting. I'm nothing like them, tied to work that just might kill them, all dead now by any estimation. I just want to wander, down the murky depths of Ben Ritcey, steady in search of the past.
November 29, 2020
Stanley Section, Nova Scotia
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A truly amazing inboard profile/cutaway view of a complete space shuttle stack, ca. 1983.
An earlier version, understandably less precise, detailed or refined, prior to the flight of STS-1, can be seen at the following:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuldqDPk3mE
Credit: AIRBOYD/YouTube (AIRBOYD having many excellent videos of a variety of aerospace/rocketry footage btw)
The gracious generosity of Angela Carole Brown revealed this - in my estimation – masterpiece, to be by the hand of her father, Ted Brown, as I’m sure the precursor is as well.
Commencing at the 1:33 mark. A beautiful & touching remembrance/memorial:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-w4MHqTx5A
Credit: Angela Carole Brown/YouTube
Click on the “Ted Brown” tag & prepare to be blown away.
The only other place it appears to be available is one of the pay-to-play sites, which I won't dignify with its link.
The Netherlands - Lytsewierrum
The hamlet Lytsewierrum (Lutkewierum), with about 30 inhabitants within its built-up area, certainly deserves a place on my list of picturesquely situated Frisian villages. On the map you will find it close to Greate Wierrum and north of Sneek (Snits). Like many Frisian villages it arose -around 1175- on a mound, in this case near a branch of the former Middelzee. The 14th century church is dedicated to St. Gertrude. The image includes Lytsewierrums' dead-end street, as well as the new development on the left side. It is my estimation that the meadows around Lytsewierrum sadly do not excel in biodiversity. Image made with kite and camera (attached to the kite's line). © Tom Kisjes
Blake and Sharpe's Apartment, Earlier this week.
"Sit down, sit down!" Sharpe said quickly. Chuck entered the room, and tried very hard not to throw up, as Mayo, Rigger and Reardon entered after him. On the floor, were several opened porn magazines, dirty tissues and what looked to be a body pillow. Mayo picked up a Playboy issue from off the floor, and flicked through it casually, eyebrow raised.
"I see you've made yourself at home," Chuck said uncertainly, as he took a hand wipe out of his pocket, and mopped down his plastic chair.
"No, no, that's all Blake's stuff. Kept it exactly as he left it. Aside from the ladies that is." Sharpe gestured to the plush cushion Reardon was currently perched upon; a particularly plump pillow, identifiable as Power Girl.
Chuck and Rigger exchanged worried glances, before turning to face the laptop. "Why'd you bring us out here Chancer?"
"Yeah, if you were going to murder us, surely you've had ample time to do so," Reardon nodded.
"This!" Chancer grinned, as he opened up a new window on his laptop. "A while ago, Blake and Zodiac propositioned me-"
Chuck and Rigger both tried their best to look surprised.
"Not like- For a music video. Suppose they wanted my youthful know-how, because I'm under 40."
"I'm under 40," Rigger muttered, defeated.
"Yesterday," Sharpe continued, "I finished it," he said proudly, now typing something into YouTube. "He didn't leave me with much, and I had to work with what I had, but... What do you think?"
"I think, we should be searching for Blake," Chuck mumbled under his breath, as he noticed the thumbnail, and recognition dawned on him. "Oh god."
"Yeah, but, I mean- Shut up and watch," Chancer shrugged, as he pressed play, and the rest of the Misfits looked on aghast as an image of looked to be Blake, Zodiac Master and Planet Master in even tighter leotards filled the screen.
"Like I said, I was working with really old footage," Sharpe sighed.
Zodiac was first up, as he mugged the camera, and grinned feverishly:
"You can call me Zodiac Master
I'm something of a finger blaster
Look at my penis, it's an odd shade of blue,
It's a medical condition, but I'm here to woo!"
"Woo!" Blake chimed in.
"Human Magnet is kinda a prick, (Woo!)
From what I hear, he's a tiny dick (Woo!)
You can ditch him, if you like, (Woo!)
And if you don't, well, you might be a dyke!"
"Charming," Reardon muttered.
On the screen, all three were now singing, and making uncomfortable gestures with the instruments.
"(Woo!) God bless the pussy patrol.
(Woo!) God bless the pussy patrol
(Woo!) God bless the pussy patrol
God bless me, and the pussy patrol."
"Well, at least they've got a chorus?" Rigger said, somewhat optimistically, which faded as soon as Planet Master took his shirt off, and placed it atop his helmet like a hat.
"Woo! You can call me Norbet- Irving
How about another serving?
I love planets, my favourite's famous.
Let me just say it, I love Uranus."
"Innuendo, innuendo f-word
Innuendo innuendo f-word
Innuendo innuendo f-word"
"Call up the pussy patrol"
"Innuendo, innuendo f-word
Innuendo innuendo f-word
Innuendo innuendo f-word"
"That's why we're the pussy patrol!"
"Call me TB, cause I'm diseased
But that's just a metaphor, I aim to please
I'd drop the N-word, if I had the pass
But Rigga said no, and I've far too much class."
Chuck sighed. "That's enough."
Mayo looked up. "That was it?"
Chuck rubbed his eyes. "Well, he repeats "God bless the pussy patrol" about ten more times, and does a six minute air guitar solo, but yeah. Pretty much"
Chancer paused the video and turns to the group expectantly. "Pretty cool right?"
Reardon bows his head shamefully. "I wish I were deaf too," he muttered, defeated. "This was before the cat demon, right?"
"Yeah?"
...
"Then, remind me. Why do we want to save him?"
~
Slabside Penitentiary. Now.
As Bruce entered the prison, he passed a pair of guards being carried away on gurneys. On the ground, two paramedics were performing CPR on another officer. As he wandered down the hallway, he came to a stop at Dent's cell, and nodded, before continuing on his way.
"Batman," a deep voice snarled. In the adjacent cell, a man, nearly seven foot tall, was pacing around his room. Resting on his bed, a small, stuffed bear. Osito.
"I hear Kuttler made an appeal. Claiming that he was "strongarmed," into joining our crusade. Threatened, by us. Said that he was... instrumental in defusing our weapon. Coward... You will find I am no such fool. I am proud of what we accomplished."
Bruce turned to face him, and scowled. "Bane."
"You know, Batman, imprisoning me was the worst thing you could've done. I was forged in Peña Duro. These inmates will bend to my will just as they did, and when I'm free, I will break you," Bane smiled.
"I'm not here to see you," Bruce remarked, as he continued walking.
~
Butchinsky's
As Chuck, Reardon and Rigger enter the bar, a short, red and black suited man walks past them, his head held down. As he turns around, his eyes flash in recognition for a second, before shaking his head, and walking off into the toilets.
"Ant Man?" Chuck calls out after him, but he gets no reply. He shrugs, and continues into the main bar.
"Corner booth," Fiasco nods, as he gestures to the hooded figure now slurping from a wine glass. "He's been waiting for you."
"Hellhound, I presume?" Chuck asks, as he slides into the booth beside him. The man nods.
"There are few things the colour of red wine. This, is not red wine," he whispers hoarsely, as he took another sip.
"Creepy..." Rigger mused.
"It's Ribena," the man smiles, as he rests the glass to one side.
"Oh."
"Yeah," Hellhound nodded, clearly amused. "I emptied a carton in there before you arrived. Brought it from home."
"Yes, thank you for the income," Fiasco spat.
"Electro's shrinking furniture again," Rigger noted, as he pointed at a blue skinned man in the far corner, currently firing a ray gun at a barstool. Fiasco nodded, then cocked his shotgun.
"It's for my Dollhou- I mean, my plans of world domination!" Electro cackled mischievously, as he took the wooden stool, and ran out the door.
"Oh wow, you don't hear many good evil laughs these days," Hellhound mused, as he took another swig of Ribena.
"Honestly, I felt it was a little tacked on," Rigger shrugged. "Where's Sharpe anyway?" he asked the assembly. "Thought he was looking forward to this."
"He was." Reardon paused. "He said he had a... meeting with his grandfather. Which suits me fine- I don't want to spend another second around those rubber dolls."
"Body Pillows," Rigger corrected him.
...
"I just think we should make a distinction."
~
Gotham Waterworks. Headquarters of the Injustice Society
"This, gentlemen, is my nephew," their leader, a short, round man drawled, a gloved hand placed on Sharpe's shoulder
"Grandson-" Chancer began, as he looked at the assembly awkwardly. One of them, a hooded, reptilian figure hadn't taken it's eyes off of him since he'd arrived. Nor, by Sharpe's estimation, had it blinked.
"Let's not say the G-word, Montgomery, you'll make me look old," Gambler chuckled, as his grip tightened.
Chancer frowned. "You are old. You named me Montgomery," before turning back to the hooded creature, as though he were worried that it might strike at any moment.
Beneath it's hood, red reptilian eyes gleamed. And then it spoke, it's voice a calm, raspy and yet somewhat elegant sound.
"Tell me Montgomery, do you like muffins?" it asked, arms crossed.
Chancer paused. "I- Yeah, sure."
With the snap of his finger, a red robed figure appeared, and lay a still hot tray down in front of them. "Happy homecoming," the Dragon King rasped. "They're chocolate chip."
~
The Batcave
"Welcome home, Master Bruce, I trust last night's investigation proved fruitful?" Alfred asked, as Bruce stepped out of the Batwing, and marched over to the Batcomputer.
"In a sense. Prep the batcycle, I'm going out on patrol," he muttered.
"Shall I fetch Master Damian?" Alfred queried, as he rested a platter of sandwiches by his side.
Bruce shook his head. "No. No, I can do this alone."
"As you keep insisting. But, I must at least ask you to consider an early night in. After a long journey-"
"After a long journey, who knows what trouble's sprung up in my absence," Bruce replied, as he filed a report onto the computer.
"You know, it's not your fault. What happened to Mr Walker, while tragic, is-"
Bruce raised a tired hand. "Alfred... Please. Just give me an update on Gotham's most wanted."
"At once sir," Alfred replied, as he brought up a series of police reports onto the screen. "Here's something new, Reuben Pharmaceuticals was just robbed. Witnesses say that the door was ripped off it's hinges; guards were incapacitated by a flash of white light, and when the air cleared, the thief, and the chemicals were gone."
"What did they steal?" Bruce grimaced, as he lowered his cowl.
"One moment... Ten drums of... That can't be right. Rohypnol."
Bruce rose to his feet suddenly, and scowled. "Alfred, warn Selina. Karl Kyle's back in Gotham."
~
Butchinsky's
Chuck turned back to Hellhound. "We were told by a... friend of ours, that you're something of an expert in the occult."
"You could say that," Hellhound nodded.
"Well, recently, another friend of ours, was infected. By a sex demon."
Hellhound raised an eyebrow. "The Incubus..."
"It calls itself the King of Cats, we've had a few run-ins with it before, but..."
"But it's an immortal sex demon," Rigger interjected.
Chuck nodded. "Can you help us?"
Hellhound scratched his forehead, licked his lips and rose to his feet. "Of course I can," he said, as he placed his hand on the doorknob. "Oh," he paused. "Who did you say recommended me?"
Reardon frowned; Rigger looked at Chuck hesitantly.
"Paul Dekker."
Hellhound chuckled. "Paul Dekker... Good man, great kisser. Come on, gents, let's get this sexorcism started."
Visual interpretation of relief on Enceladus based on depth estimation from a single image
Zoedepth was not trained for DTM - the 3D image may contain errors, since it's not based on a DTM but on an AI model that hasn't been trained on planets.
Process on 2d image : false color, not RGB
Enlargement, enhancement and colorisation
Crop of a black and white image - not calibrated
Surface of Enceladus taken by Cassini Spacecraft - november 21, 2009
Process on 3d image :
Not based on a DTM, but a visual interpretation of the surface
Thank you ZoeDepth: Zero-shot Transfer by Combining Relative and Metric Depth : see it on arxiv.org/abs/2302.12288
Science Credit : NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
Choice of processing method (2D/3D), softwares and execution : Thomas Thomopoulos
Credit for ZoeDepth: Shariq Farooq Bhat, Reiner Birkl, Diana Wofk, Peter Wonka, Matthias Müller
Long time no see! I am sorry for being away for so long and making everyone worry! The Cyclops Event orders are ready to start shipping.
The shipping date is a few weeks later than originally planned but there wasn’t much I could do but wait for the casting service to finish. While I was waiting, I decided to order protective foam for the dolls. Padded on all sides, the dolls should be quite safe and secure.
The final packaging is being finished as I write this, and I hope to send them off to the shipping service as soon as possible, with the hopes that they can avoid delays caused by Chinese New Years holidays. This first shipment will begin with international orders. USA Group Order as well as the rest of the International Orders would have to wait until my casting service returns with the second batch of castings, currently scheduled for February, but, like our original estimation for the December shipping date, can only be a tentative date at this point.
In any case, I will return to packing now. Have a great (Gregorian) New Years!
(Ailuropoda melanoleuca) B28I3863.jpg Beauval- France
This picture was a fantasy for me. It's done !
Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the giant panda's diet is over 99% bamboo. Giant pandas in the wild will occasionally eat other grasses, wild tubers, or even meat in the form of birds, rodents or carrion. In captivity, they may receive honey, eggs, fish, yams, shrub leaves, oranges, or bananas along with specially prepared food.
The giant panda lives in a few mountain ranges in central China, mainly in Sichuan province, but also in neighbouring Shaanxi and Gansu. As a result of farming, deforestation, and other development, the giant panda has been driven out of the lowland areas where it once lived.
The giant panda is a conservation reliant vulnerable species. A 2007 report showed 239 pandas living in captivity inside China and another 27 outside the country. As of December 2014, 49 giant pandas lived in captivity outside China, living in 18 zoos in 13 different countries. Wild population estimates vary; one estimate shows that there are about 1,590 individuals living in the wild, while a 2006 study via DNA analysis estimated that this figure could be as high as 2,000 to 3,000. Some reports also show that the number of giant pandas in the wild is on the rise. In 2016, the IUCN reclassified the species from "endangered" to "vulnerable" (it did not believe there was enough certainty yet to do so in 2008.
While the dragon has often served as China's national symbol, internationally the giant panda appears at least as commonly. As such, it is becoming widely used within China in international contexts, for example as one of the five Fuwa mascots of the Beijing Olympics.
J'ai attendu des années pour pouvoir réaliser cette photo de Pandas Géants. Même s'ils sont en captivité, leur environnement est particulièrement soigné et esthétique et le brouillard est un énorme plus.
Bien qu'il appartienne à l'ordre des carnivores, le régime du panda géant dépasse les 99% de bambous. Les pandas géants dans la nature mangent parfois d'autres graminées, des tubercules sauvages ou même de la viande sous forme d'oiseaux, de rongeurs. En captivité, ils peuvent recevoir du miel, des œufs, des poissons, des ignames, des feuilles d'arbustes, des oranges ou des bananes avec des aliments spécialement préparés.
Le panda géant vit dans quelques chaînes de montagnes du centre de la Chine, principalement dans la province du Sichuan, mais aussi dans le voisin Shaanxi et Gansu. En raison de l'agriculture, de la déforestation et d'autres aménagements, le panda géant a été chassé des zones de plaine où il vivait autrefois.
Le panda géant est une espèce vulnérable emblématique de la conservation. Un rapport de 2007 a dénombré 239 pandas vivant en captivité en Chine et 27 autres à l'extérieur du pays. En décembre 2014, 49 pandas géants vivaient en captivité en dehors de la Chine, dans 18 zoos de 13 pays différents.
Les estimations de la population sauvage varient; Une estimation montre qu'il y a environ 1 590 individus vivant dans la nature, alors qu'une étude de 2006 par analyse d'ADN a estimé que ce chiffre pourrait atteindre 2 000 à 3 000. Certains rapports montrent également que le nombre de pandas géants dans la nature est à la hausse. En 2016, l'UICN a reclassé les espèces de "menacées" à "vulnérables" (aucun scientifique ne pensait cela possible en 2008).
Alors que le dragon a souvent servi de symbole national de la Chine, le panda géant est certainement le plus bel ambassadeur. En tant que tel, il est devenu largement utilisé en Chine dans des contextes internationaux, par exemple comme l'une des cinq mascotes Fuwa des Jeux olympiques de Beijing.
Ko Pha Ngan ou Koh Phangan (en thaï : เกาะพะงัน) est une île du golfe de Thaïlande située au sud-est de la Thaïlande, juste au nord de Ko Samui. Elle appartient à la province de Surat Thani. Koh Phangan est peuplée selon les dernières estimations par 13 500 habitants. Le moyen le plus pratique pour s'y déplacer est le scooter surtout si l'on souhaite visiter les secteurs non touristiques de l'île.
L'île est une destination touristique principalement connue pour ses magnifiques plages.
L'île est protégée et plus de la moitié de sa surface est déclarée « Parc National ».
fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ko_Pha_Ngan
Rawaï est un sous-district (tambon) de l'île thaïlandaise de province de Phuket, dans le district (Amphoe) de Mueang Phuket. Il est situé au sud de Ko Phuket.
La localité de Rawaï, située au sud du district, possède une belle plage orientée au sud-est.
fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rawa%C3%AF
Ko Samui (en thaï : เกาะสมุย, ), écrit parfois en translittération anglaise Koh Samui ou simplement Samui est une île du golfe de Thaïlande située dans la partie sud de l'isthme de Kra et appartenant à la province de Surat Thani.
Située à environ 25 km des côtes, elle est la deuxième plus grande île de Thaïlande, avec une superficie de 228 km² et une population de 62 500 habitants en 2012. Elle jouit de nombreuses ressources naturelles touristiques : plages de sable blanc, coraux et cocotiers.
Historically, even before IQ tests were invented, there were attempts to classify people into intelligence categories by observing their behavior in daily life. Those other forms of behavioral observation are still important for validating classifications based primarily on IQ test scores. Both intelligence classification by observation of behavior outside the testing room and classification by IQ testing depend on the definition of "intelligence" used in a particular case and on the reliability and error of estimation in the classification procedure.[citation needed]The English statistician Francis Galton made the first attempt at creating a standardized test for rating a person's intelligence. A pioneer of psychometrics and the application of statistical methods to the study of human diversity and the study of inheritance of human traits, he believed that intelligence was largely a product of heredity (by which he did not mean genes, although he did develop several pre-Mendelian theories of particulate inheritance). He hypothesized that there should exist a correlation between intelligence and other observable traits such as reflexes, muscle grip, and head size.He set up the first mental testing centre in the world in 1882 and he published "Inquiries into Human Faculty and Its Development" in 1883, in which he set out his theories. After gathering data on a variety of physical variables, he was unable to show any such correlation, and he eventually abandoned this research.French psychologist Alfred Binet was one of the key developers of what later became known as the Stanford–Binet test.French psychologist Alfred Binet, together with Victor Henri and Théodore Simon had more success in 1905, when they published the Binet-Simon test, which focused on verbal abilities. It was intended to identify mental retardation in school children,but in specific contradistinction to claims made by psychiatrists that these children were "sick" (not "slow") and should therefore be removed from school and cared for in asylums.The score on the Binet-Simon scale would reveal the child's mental age. For example, a six-year-old child who passed all the tasks usually passed by six-year-olds—but nothing beyond—would have a mental age that matched his chronological age, 6.0. (Fancher, 1985). Binet thought that intelligence was multifaceted, but came under the control of practical judgment.In Binet's view, there were limitations with the scale and he stressed what he saw as the remarkable diversity of intelligence and the subsequent need to study it using qualitative, as opposed to quantitative, measures (White, 2000). American psychologist Henry H. Goddard published a translation of it in 1910. American psychologist Lewis Terman at Stanford University revised the Binet-Simon scale, which resulted in the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales (1916). It became the most popular test in the United States for decades.The many different kinds of IQ tests include a wide variety of item content. Some test items are visual, while many are verbal. Test items vary from being based on abstract-reasoning problems to concentrating on arithmetic, vocabulary, or general knowledge.The British psychologist Charles Spearman in 1904 made the first formal factor analysis of correlations between the tests. He observed that children's school grades across seemingly unrelated school subjects were positively correlated, and reasoned that these correlations reflected the influence of an underlying general mental ability that entered into performance on all kinds of mental tests. He suggested that all mental performance could be conceptualized in terms of a single general ability factor and a large number of narrow task-specific ability factors. Spearman named it g for "general factor" and labeled the specific factors or abilities for specific tasks s. In any collection of test items that make up an IQ test, the score that best measures g is the composite score that has the highest correlations with all the item scores. Typically, the "g-loaded" composite score of an IQ test battery appears to involve a common strength in abstract reasoning across the test's item content. Therefore, Spearman and others have regarded g as closely related to the essence of human intelligence.Spearman's argument proposing a general factor of human intelligence is still accepted in principle by many psychometricians. Today's factor models of intelligence typically represent cognitive abilities as a three-level hierarchy, where there are a large number of narrow factors at the bottom of the hierarchy, a handful of broad, more general factors at the intermediate level, and at the apex a single factor, referred to as the g factor, which represents the variance common to all cognitive tasks. However, this view is not universally accepted; other factor analyses of the data, with different results, are possible. Some psychometricians regard g as a statistical artifact.
I began the Kent church project back in 2008, and Barham was one of the first dozen I visited. I took a few shots, and from then I remember the window showing a very fine St George and a balcony from where the bells are rung giving great views down the church.
I have not stepped foot inside a Kent church since the end of September, and so I felt I needed to get back into it, as the orchid season is possibly just four months away, and then I will be lost for months.
Barham is like an old friend; it lies on a short cut from the A2 to the Elham Valley, so I pass down here many times a year, zig-zaggin at its western end as the road heads down towards the Nailbourne.
You can see the spire from the A2, nestling in the valley below, and yet being so close to a main road, the lane that winds it way through the timber framed and clapboard houses is wide enough to allow just one car to pass at a time.
Unusually, there is plentiful parking on the south side of the church, and from there there is a great view of the southern face of the church with its magnificent spire.
As hoped, it was open, and the church has so much more than I remember from what, eight years back.
Rows of modern chairs have replaced pews, but it looks good like thet. The church has a good collection of Victorian glass, some better than others, and there is that St George window at the western end of the north wall.
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A long and light church, best viewed from the south. Like nearby Ickham it is cruciform in plan, with a west rather than central, tower. Sometimes this is the result of a later tower being added, but here it is an early feature indeed, at least the same age (if not earlier) than the body of the church. Lord Kitchener lived in the parish, so his name appears on the War Memorial. At the west end of the south aisle, tucked out of the way, is the memorial to Sir Basil Dixwell (d 1750). There are two twentieth century windows by Martin Travers. The 1925 east window shows Our Lady and Child beneath the typical Travers Baroque Canopy. Under the tower, affixed to the wall, are some Flemish tiles, purchased under the will of John Digge who died in 1375. His memorial brass survives in the Vestry.
www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Barham
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Many churches in Kent are well known for their yew trees but St. John the Baptist at Barham is noteworthy for its magnificent beech trees.
The Church guide suggests that there has been a Church here since the 9th Century but the present structure was probably started in the 12th Century although Syms, in his book about Kent Country Churches, states that there is a hint of possible Norman construction at the base of the present tower. The bulk of the Church covers the Early English, Decorated and Perpendicular periods of building. Many of the huge roof beams, ties and posts are original 14th Century as are the three arches leading into the aisle..
In the Northwest corner is a small 13th Century window containing modern glass depicting St. George slaying the dragon and dedicated to the 23rd Signal Company. The Church also contains a White Ensign which was presented to it by Viscount Broome, a local resident. The Ensign was from 'H.M.S. Raglan' which was also commanded by Viscount Broome. The ship was sunk in January, 1918 by the German light cruiser 'Breslau'.
The walls contain various mural tablets. Hanging high on the west wall is a helmet said to have belonged to Sir Basil Dixwell of Broome Park. The helmet probably never saw action but was carried at his funeral.
The floor in the north transept is uneven because some years ago three brasses were found there. According to popular medieval custom engraved metal cut-outs were sunk into indented stone slabs and secured with rivets and pitch. In order to save them from further damage the brasses were lifted and placed on the walls. The oldest dates from about 1370 is of a civilian but very mutilated. The other two are in good condition and dated about 1460. One is of a woman wearing the dress of a widow which was similar to a nun. The other is of a bare headed man in plate armour. These are believed to be of John Digges and his wife Joan.
At the west end of the church is a list of Rectors and Priests-in-Charge - the first being Otho Caputh in 1280. Notice should be made of Richard Hooker (1594), the author of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity. The tiles incorporated into the wall were originally in place in the Chancel about 1375. They were left by John Digges whose Will instructed that he was to be buried in the Chancel and "my executors are to buy Flanders tiles to pave the said Chancel".
The 14th century font is large enough to submerse a baby - as would have been the custom of the time. The bowl is octagonal representing the first day of the new week, the day of Christ's resurrection. The cover is Jacobean.
The Millennium Window in the South Transept was designed and constructed by Alexandra Le Rossignol and was dedicated in July 2001. The cost of the project (approximately £6,500) was raised locally with the first donation being made by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey.
The porch contains two wooden plaques listing the names of men from the village who were killed in the Great Wars - among them being Field Marshall Lord Kitchener of Broome Park.
www.barham-kent.org.uk/landmark_church.htm
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ANTIENTLY written Bereham, lies the next parish eastward. There are five boroughs in it, viz. of Buxton, Outelmeston, Derrington, Breach, and Shelving. The manor of Bishopsborne claims over almost the whole of this parish, at the court of which the four latter borsholders are chosen, and the manors of Reculver and Adisham over a small part of it.
BARHAM is situated at the confines of that beautiful country heretofore described, the same Nailbourne valley running through it, near which, in like manner the land is very fertile, but all the rest of it is a chalky barren soil. On the rise of the hill northward from it, is the village called Barham-street, with the church, and just beyond the summit of it, on the further side Barham court, having its front towards the downs, over part of which this parish extends, and gives name to them. At the foot of the same hill, further eastward, is the mansion of Brome, with its adjoining plantatious, a conspicuous object from the downs, to which by inclosing a part of them, the grounds extend as far as the Dover road, close to Denne-hill, and a costly entrance has been erected into them there. By the corner of Brome house the road leads to the left through Denton-street, close up to which this parish extends, towards Folkestone; and to the right, towards Eleham and Hythe. One this road, within the bounds of this parish, in a chalky and stony country, of poor barren land, there is a large waste of pasture, called Breach down, on which there are a number of tumuli, or barrows. By the road side there have been found several skeletons, one of which had round its neck a string of beads, of various forms and sizes, from a pidgeon's egg to a pea, and by it a sword, dagger, and spear; the others lay in good order, without any particular thing to distinguish them. (fn. 1)
In the Nailbourne valley, near the stream, are the two hamlets of Derrington and South Barham; from thence the hills, on the opposite side of it to those already mentioned, rise southward pretty high, the tops of them being covered with woods, one of them being that large one called Covert wood, a manor belonging to the archbishop, and partly in this parish, being the beginning of a poor hilly country, covered with stones, and enveloped with frequent woods.
BARHAM, which, as appears by the survey of Domesday, formerly lay in a hundred of its own name, was given anno 809, by the estimation of seven ploughlands, by Cenulph, king of Kent, to archbishop Wlfred, free from all secular demands, except the trinoda necessitas, but this was for the use of his church; for the archbishop, anno 824, gave the monks lands in Egelhorne and Langeduna, in exchange for it. After which it came into the possession of archbishop Stigand, but, as appears by Domesday, not in right of his archbishopric, at the taking of which survey, it was become part of the possessions of Odo, bishop of Baieux, under the title of whose lands it is thus entered in it:
In Berham hundred, Fulbert holds of the bishop Berham. It was taxed at six sulings. The arable land is thirty two carucates. In demesne there are three carucates, and fifty two villeins, with twenty cottagers having eighteen carucates. There is a church, and one mill of twenty shillings and four pence. There are twentlyfive fisheries of thirty-five shillings all four pence. Of average, that is service, sixty shilling. Of herbage twenty six shillings, and twenty acres of meadow Of pannage sufficient for one hundred and fifty hogs. Of this manor the bishop gave one berewic to Herbert, the son of Ivo, which is called Hugham, and there be has one carucate in demesne, and twelve villeins, with nine carucates, and twenty acres of meadow. Of the same manor the bisoop gave to Osberne Paisforere one suling and two mills of fifty sbillings, and there is in demesne one carucate, and four villeins with one carucate. The whole of Barbam, in the time of king Edward the Confessor, was worth forty pounds, when be received it the like, and yet it yielded to him one hundred pounds, now Berhem of itself is worth forty pounds, and Hucham ten pounds, and this which Osberne bas six pounds, and the land of one Ralph, a knight, is worth forty shillings. This manor Stigand, the archbishop held, but it was not of the archbishopric, but was of the demesne ferm of king Edward.
On the bishop's disgrace four years afterwards, and his estates being confiscated to the crown, the seignory of this parish most probably returned to the see of Canterbury, with which it has ever since continued. The estate mentioned above in Domesday to have been held of the bishop by Fulbert, comprehended, in all likelihood, the several manors and other estates in this parish, now held of the manor of Bishopsborne, one of these was THE MANOR AND SEAT OF BARHAM-COURT, situated near the church, which probably was originally the court-lodge of the manor of Barham in very early times, before it became united to that of Bishopsborne, and in king Henry II.'s time was held of the archbishop by knight's service, by Sir Randal Fitzurse, who was one of the four knights belonging to the king's houshould, who murdered archbishop Becket anno 1170; after perpetrating which, Sir Randal fled into Ireland, and changed his name to Mac-Mahon, and one of his relations took possession of this estate, and assumed the name of Berham from it; and accordingly, his descendant Warin de Berham is recorded in the return made by the sheriff anno 12 and 13 king John, among others of the archbishop's tenants by knight's service, as holding lands in Berham of him, in whose posterity it continued till Thomas Barham, esq. in the very beginning of king James I.'s reign, alienated it to the Rev. Charles Fotherbye, dean of Canterbury, who died possessed of it in 1619. He was eldest son of Martin Fotherby, of Great Grimsby, in Lincolnshire, and eldest brother of Martin Fotherby, bishop of Salisbury. He had a grant of arms, Gules, a cross of lozenges flory, or, assigned to him and Martin his brother, by Camden, clarencieux, in 1605. (fn. 2) His only surviving son Sir John Fotherbye, of Barham-court, died in 1666, and was buried in that cathedral with his father. At length his grandson Charles, who died in 1720, leaving two daughters his coheirs; Mary, the eldest, inherited this manor by her father's will, and afterwards married Henry Mompesson, esq. of Wiltshire, (fn. 3) who resided at Barhamcourt, and died in 1732, s. p. and she again carried this manor in marriage to Sir Edward Dering, bart. of Surrenden, whose second wife she was. (fn. 4) He lest her surviving, and three children by her, Charles Dering, who married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Thomas Farnaby, bart. since deceased, by whom he has an only surviving daughter, married to George Dering, esq. of Rolling, the youngest son of the late Sir Edw. Dering, bart. and her first cousin; Mary married Sir Robert Hilyard, bart. and Thomas Dering, esq. of London. Lady Dering died in 1775, and was succeeded by her eldest son Charles Dering, esq. afterwards of Barhamcourt, the present owner of it. It is at present occupied by Gen. Sir Charles Grey, bart. K. B. commanderin chief of the southern district of this kingdom.
THE MANORS OF BROME and OUTELMESTONE, alias DIGGS COURT, are situated in this parish; the latter in the valley, at the western boundary of it, was the first residence in this county of the eminent family of Digg, or, as they were asterwards called, Diggs, whence it gained its name of Diggs-court. John, son of Roger de Mildenhall, otherwise called Digg, the first-mentioned in the pedigrees of this family, lived in king Henry III.'s reign, at which time he, or one of this family of the same name, was possessed of the aldermanry of Newingate, in Canterbury, as part of their inheritance. His descendants continued to reside at Diggs-court, and bore for their arms, Gules, on a cross argent, five eagles with two heads displayed, sable, One of whom, James Diggs, of Diggs-court, died in 1535. At his death he gave the manor and seat of Outelmeston, alias Diggs-court, to his eldest son (by his first wife) John, and the manor of Brome to his youngest son, (by his second wife) Leonard, whose descendants were of Chilham castle. (fn. 5) John Diggs, esq. was of Diggs-court, whose descendant Thomas Posthumus Diggs, esq. about the middle of queen Elizabeth's reign, alienated this manor, with Diggs-place, to Capt. Halsey, of London, and he sold it to Sir Tho. Somes, alderman of London, who again parted with it to Sir B. Dixwell, bart. and he passed it away to Sir Thomas Williams, bart. whose heir Sir John Williams, bart. conveyed it, about the year 1706, to Daniel and Nathaniel Matson, and on the death of the former, the latter became wholly possessed of it, and his descendant Henry Matson, about the year 1730, gave it by will to the trustees for the repair of Dover harbour, in whom it continues at this time vested for that purpose.
BUT THE MANOR OF BROME, which came to Leonard Diggs, esq. by his father's will as above-mentioned, was sold by him to Basil Dixwell, esq. second son of Cha. Dixwell, esq. of Coton, in Warwickshire, then of Tevlingham, in Folkestone, who having built a handsome mansion for his residence on this manor, removed to it in 1622. In the second year of king Charles I. he served the office of sheriff with much honour and hospitality; after which he was knighted, and cveated a baronet. He died unmarried in 1641, having devised this manor and seat, with the rest of his estates, to his nephew Mark Dixwell, son of his elder brother William, of Coton above-mentioned, who afterwards resided at Brome, whose son Basil Dixwell, esq. of Brome, was anno 12 Charles II. created a baronet. He bore for his arms, Argent, a chevron, gules, between three sleurs de lis, sable. His only son Sir Basil Dixwell, bart. of Brome, died at Brome,s. p. in 1750, and devised this, among the rest of his estates, to his kinsman George Oxenden, esq. second son of Sir Geo. Oxenden, bart. of Dean, in Wingham, with an injunction for him to take the name and arms of Dixwell, for which an act passed anno 25 George II. but he died soon afterwards, unmarried, having devised this manor and seat to his father Sir George Oxenden, who settled it on his eldest and only surviving son, now Sir Henry Oxenden, bart. who is the present owner of it. He resides at Brome, which he has, as well as the grounds about it, much altered and improved for these many years successively.
SHELVING is a manor, situated in the borough of its own name, at the eastern boundary of this parish, which was so called from a family who were in antient times the possessors of it. John de Shelving resided here in king Edward I.'s reign, and married Helen, daughter and heir of John de Bourne, by whom he had Waretius de Shelving, whose son, J. de Shelving, of Shelvingborne, married Benedicta de Hougham, and died possessed of this manor anno 4 Edward III. After which it descended to their daughter Benedicta, who carried it in marriage to Sir Edmund de Haut, of Petham, in whose descendants, in like manner as Shelvington, alias Hautsborne, above-described, it continued down to Sir William Haut, of Hautsborne, in king Henry VIII's reign, whose eldest daughter and coheir Elizabeth carried it in marriage to Tho. Colepeper, esq. of Bedgbury, who in the beginning of king Edward VI.'s reign passed it away to Walter Mantle, whose window carried it by a second marriage to Christopher Carlell, gent. who bore for his arms, Or, a cross flory, gules; one of whose descendants sold it to Stephen Hobday, in whose name it continued till Hester, daughter of Hills Hobday, carried it in marriage to J. Lade, esq. of Boughton, and he having obtained an act for the purpose, alienated it to E. Bridges, esq. of Wootton-court, who passed away part of it to Sir George Oxenden, bart. whose son Sir Henry Oxenden, bart. of Brome, now owns it; but Mr. Bridges died possessed of the remaining part in 1780, and his eldest son the Rev. Edward Timewell Brydges, is the present possessor of it.
MAY DEACON, as it has been for many years past both called and written, is a seat in the southern part of this parish, adjoining to Denton-street, in which parish part of it is situated. Its original and true name was Madekin, being so called from a family who were owners of it, and continued so, as appears by the deeds of it, till king Henry VI's reign, in the beginning of which it passed from that name to Sydnor, in which it continued till king Henry VIII.'s reign, when Paul Sydnor, who upon his obtaining from the king a grant of Brenchley manor, removed thither, and alienated this seat to James Brooker, who resided here, and his sole daughter and heir carried it in marriage, in queen Elizabeth's reign, to Sir Henry Oxenden, of Dene, in Wingham, whose grandson Sir Henry Oxenden, bart. sold it in 1664, to Edward Adye, esq. the second son of John Adye, esq. of Doddington, one of whose daughters and coheirs, Rosamond, entitled her husband George Elcock, esq. afterwards of Madekin, to it, and his daughter and heir Elizabeth carried it in marriage to Capt. Charles Fotherby, whose eldest daughter and coheir Mary, entitled her two successive husbands, Henry Mompesson, esq. and Sir Edward Dering, bart. to the possession of it, and Charles Dering, esq. of Barham-court, eldest son of the latter, by her, is at this time the owner of it. The seat is now inhabited by Henry Oxenden, esq.
There are no parochial charities. The poor constantly maintained are about forty, casually fifteen.
THIS PARISH is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanryof Bridge.
The church, which is dedicated to St. John Baptist, is a handsome building, consisting of a body and side isle, a cross or sept, and a high chancel, having a slim tall spire at the west end, in which are four bells. In the chancel are memorials for George Elcock, esq. of Madeacon, obt. 1703, and for his wife and children; for Charles Bean, A. M. rector, obt. 1731. A monument for William Barne, gent. son of the Rev. Miles Barne. His grandfather was Sir William Barne, of Woolwich, obt. 1706; arms, Azure, three leopards faces, argent. Several memorials for the Nethersoles, of this parish. In the south sept is a magnificent pyramid of marble for the family of Dixwell, who lie buried in a vault underneath, and inscriptions for them. In the north sept is a monument for the Fotherbys. On the pavement, on a gravestone, are the figures of an armed knight (his feet on a greyhound) and his wife; arms, A cross, quartering six lozenges, three and three. In the east window these arms, Gules, three crowns, or—Gules, three lions passant in pale, or. This chapel was dedicated to St. Giles, and some of the family of Diggs were buried in it; and there are memorials for several of the Legrands. There are three tombs of the Lades in the church-yard, the inscriptions obliterated, but the dates remaining are 1603, 1625, and 1660. There were formerly in the windows of this church these arms, Ermine, a chief, quarterly, or, and gules, and underneath, Jacobus Peccam. Another coat, Bruine and Rocheleyquartered; and another, Gules, a fess between three lions heads, erased, argent, and underneath,Orate p ais Roberti Baptford & Johe ux; which family resided at Barham, the last of whom, Sir John Baptford, lest an only daughter and heir, married to John Earde, of Denton.
¶The church of Barham has always been accounted as a chapel to the church of Bishopsborne, and as such is included in the valuation of it in the king's books. In 1588 here were communicants one hundred and eighty; in 1640 there were two hundred and fifty.