Women Life Freedom

The zoom lens pulled in Manhattan

Metroline VWH2227 (LK66EOB) on Route N98 to Holborn, Red Lion Square.

The 98 and N98 were due to be cutback to Marble Arch in light of the Oxford Street pedestrianisation but with the project seemingly cancelled, both routes will still be continuing along Oxford Street to Holborn for the moment.

Patarei prison, Tallinn Estonia.

patareiprison.org/en/visit/

... I decided to take a short break from the ongoing saga of Sherry Strain and did some research on Sir Redmond Barry. Here's what Wikipedia has to say:

Early life:

Barry was the son of Major-General Henry Green Barry, of Ballyclough, County Cork and his wife Phoebe. Barry was educated at a military school in Kent, and at Trinity College, Dublin, and was called to the Irish bar in 1838.

Life and work in Australia:

Barry emigrated to Australia, and after a short stay at Sydney went to Melbourne in 1839, a city with which he was ever afterwards closely identified. After practicing his profession for some years, he became commissioner of the Court of Requests, and after the creation in 1851 of the colony of Victoria, out of the Port Phillip district of New South Wales, was the first Solicitor-General, with a seat in the Legislative Council and a member of the Executive Council. In 1852 he was appointed judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria. He also served as acting Chief Justice and Administrator of the government.

Barry was noted for his service to the community, and convinced the state government to spend money on public works, particularly education. He was instrumental in the foundation of the Royal Melbourne Hospital (1848), the University of Melbourne (1853), and the State Library of Victoria (1854). He served as the first chancellor of the university until his death, and was president of the trustees of the State Library.

Barry was the judge for the Eureka Stockade treason trials in the Supreme Court in 1855. The thirteen miners were all acquitted.

He represented Victoria at the London International Exhibition of 1862 and at the Philadelphia Exhibition of 1876. He was made a knight bachelor in 1860, and was created a Knight of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in 1877.

Kelly cases:

In October 1878, at Beechworth court, Barry presided in a case against a Mrs Ellen Kelly (King) and two others, men, in aiding and abetting the shooting of a police officer called Fitzpatrick. In sentencing Mrs Kelly to three years with hard labour, Barry said, 'if your son Ned were here I would make an example of him for the whole of Australia - I would give him fifteen years'. That Ned Kelly was not charged before that court, yet deemed guilty without a trial, that his mother was sentenced to hard labour on the false and unsubstantiated evidence of the drunkard Fitzpatrick, was beginning of the Kelly Outbreak (1878-1880). By the time it was over, wrote Kenneally, Barry's 'unlawful, unjust and maliciously threatened sentence of fifteen years on Ned Kelly...was responsible for the deaths of ten persons.(p.188) In 1880 he presided at the final trial of Ned Kelly. Here was a confrontation between Barry of the Irish Protestant ascendancy and Kelly, the Irish Catholic bush larrikin. The trial and the exchanges between Kelly and Barry were the subject of many articles and books by lawyers and historians. When he sentenced Kelly to death by hanging, Barry uttered the customary words "May God have mercy on your soul". Kelly is reported to have replied "I will go a little further than that, and say I will see you there when I go". On 23 November 1880, twelve days after Kelly's execution, Sir Redmond Barry died from what J.J. Kenneally termed 'congestion of the lungs and a carbuncle in the neck'.

Memorials:

The State Library of Victoria has named a reading room after Sir Redmond Barry, who was the first Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Melbourne Public Library. The University of Melbourne of which he was the first chancellor has a Redmond Barry building named for him.

台南市北門區 - 南鯤鯓代天府 / 亭台漫步水上橋 - 鯤鯓點點南洋鯽

North Gate area of Tainan - Nankunshen Temple / Water Bridge Walk pavilions - Signs of fishs these are Nanyang bastard carp

North Gate área de Tainan - Nankunshen Temple / Pabellones Water Bridge Walk - Signos de peces se trata de Nanyang bastardo carpa

台南市北門区 - 南鯤鯓代天府 / あずまや台は水上の橋を漫歩します - くん鯓点々東南アジアのフナ

North Gate Bereich der Tainan - Nankunshen Temple / Wasser-Brücke Weg Pavillons - Zeichen der Fische sind Nanyang Bastard Karpfen

North Gate région de Tainan - Nankunshen Temple / Pavillons Water Bridge Walk - Signes de poissons ce sont Nanyang bâtard carpe

Tainan Taiwan / Tainan Taiwán / 台灣台南

管樂小集 2013/12/27 Chihkan Tower performances

{ 南鯤鯓之戀 / Love in Nankunshen }

{View large size on fluidr / 觀看大圖}

{My Blog / 管樂小集精彩演出-觸動你的心}

{My Blog / Great Music The splendid performance touches your heart}

{My Blog / 管楽小集すばらしい公演-はあなたの心を心を打ちます}

{Mi blog / La gran música el funcionamiento espléndido toca su corazón}

{Mein Blog / Große Musik die herrliche Leistung berührt Ihr Herz}

{Mon blog / La grande musique l'exécution splendide touche votre coeur}

Melody 曲:JAPAN / Words 詞:Sheesen / Singing : Sheesen

{ 夢旅人 1990 Dream Traveler 1990 }

家住安南鹽溪邊

The family lives in nearby the Annan salt river

隔壁就是聽雨軒

The next door listens to the rain porch

一旦落日照大員

The sunset Shineing to the Taiwan at once

左岸青龍飛九天

The left bank white dragon flying in the sky

www.richardweber.it

Klettagjáin Kista, aftökustaðurinn í Trékyllisvík.

Kista is a small inlet in Trékyllisvík. The inlet has also been known as Kistunes or Galdravogur.

In September 1654, three men are said to have been burned there at the stake for witchcraft. They were Grímur Jónsson, Egill Bjarnarson and Þórður Guðbrandsson (Þórður from Munaðarnes).

Thórðr was believed to have kept a woman in distress with him by magic. That woman was named Guðrún Jónsdóttir from Hlíðarhúsum and was staying with Thórðr in Munaðarnes. Her brothers made several trips to take her out of the house, but when she was picked up, she fell ill and was unable to travel. The public thought it certain that Thórdur used magic to force her to return to him, as she always cheered up on her return.

Thórdur was sentenced on 19 September 1654. Thórdur said that he had seen the devil in the form of a fox and had communicated with him. On the other hand, he said that Egill Bjarnason was the greatest magician.

Egill Bjarnarson was questioned in Árnes on September 20th where he confessed to having used magic to kill sheep in Hlíðarhús and Kjörvogur. He also claimed to have made a pact with the devil. It is named after Egilsgjóti in Krossnes, where it is said to have been hidden.

Both men were condemned to death and burned the same day by Þorleifur Kortsson.

On September 23rd, Grímur Jónsson was also convicted of witchcraft at the accusation of Thórdur and burned on September 25th.

The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (Khmer: សារមន្ទីរឧក្រិដ្ឋកម្មប្រល័យពូជសាសន៍ទួលស្លែង) is a museum in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. The site is a former high school which was used as the notorious Security Prison 21 (S-21) by the Khmer Rouge regime from its rise to power in 1975 to its fall in 1979. Tuol Sleng means "Hill of the Poisonous Trees" or "Strychnine Hill". Tuol Sleng was only one of at least 150 execution centers in the country, and as many as 20,000 prisoners there were killed.

Formerly the Chao Ponhea Yat High School, named after a royal ancestor of King Norodom Sihanouk, the five buildings of the complex were converted in August 1975, four months after the Khmer Rouge won the Cambodian Civil War, into a prison and interrogation center. The Khmer Rouge renamed the complex "Security Prison 21" (S-21) and construction began to adapt the prison to the inmates: the buildings were enclosed in electrified barbed wire, the classrooms converted into tiny prison and torture chambers, and all windows were covered with iron bars and barbed wire to prevent escapes.

From 1975 to 1979, an estimated 17,000 people were imprisoned at Tuol Sleng (some estimates suggest a number as high as 20,000, although the real number is unknown). At any one time, the prison held between 1,000–1,500 prisoners. They were repeatedly tortured and coerced into naming family members and close associates, who were in turn arrested, tortured and killed. In the early months of S-21's existence, most of the victims were from the previous Lon Nol regime and included soldiers, government officials, as well as academics, doctors, teachers, students, factory workers, monks, engineers, etc. Later, the party leadership's paranoia turned on its own ranks and purges throughout the country saw thousands of party activists and their families brought to Tuol Sleng and murdered. Those arrested included some of the highest ranking communist politicians such as Khoy Thoun, Vorn Vet and Hu Nim. Although the official reason for their arrest was "espionage", these men may have been viewed by Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot as potential leaders of a coup against him. Prisoners' families were often brought en masse to be interrogated and later executed at the Choeung Ek extermination center.

In 1979, the prison was uncovered by the invading Vietnamese army. In 1980, the prison was reopened by the government of the People's Republic of Kampuchea as a historical museum memorializing the actions of the Khmer Rouge regime.

Upon arrival at the prison, prisoners were photographed and required to give detailed autobiographies, beginning with their childhood and ending with their arrest. After that, they were forced to strip to their underwear, and their possessions were confiscated. The prisoners were then taken to their cells. Those taken to the smaller cells were shackled to the walls or the concrete floor. Those who were held in the large mass cells were collectively shackled to long pieces of iron bar. The shackles were fixed to alternating bars; the prisoners slept with their heads in opposite directions. They slept on the floor without mats, mosquito nets, or blankets. They were forbidden to talk to each other.

The day in the prison began at 4:30 a.m. when prisoners were ordered to strip for inspection. The guards checked to see if the shackles were loose or if the prisoners had hidden objects they could use to commit suicide. Over the years, several prisoners managed to kill themselves, so the guards were very careful in checking the shackles and cells. The prisoners received four small spoonfuls of rice porridge and watery soup of leaves twice a day. Drinking water without asking the guards for permission resulted in serious beatings. The inmates were hosed down every four days.

The prison had very strict regulations, and severe beatings were inflicted upon any prisoner who tried to disobey. Almost every action had to be approved by one of the prison's guards. They were sometimes forced to eat human feces and drink human urine. The unhygienic living conditions in the prison caused skin diseases, lice, rashes, ringworm and other ailments. The prison's medical staffs were untrained and offered treatment only to sustain prisoners’ lives after they had been injured during interrogation. When prisoners were taken from one place to another for interrogation, their faces were covered. Guards and prisoners were not allowed to converse. Moreover, within the prison, people who were in different groups were not allowed to have contact with one another.

Most prisoners at S-21 were held there for two to three months. However, several high-ranking Khmer Rouge cadres were held longer. Within two or three days after they were brought to S-21, all prisoners were taken for interrogation. The torture system at Tuol Sleng was designed to make prisoners confess to whatever crimes they were charged with by their captors. Prisoners were routinely beaten and tortured with electric shocks, searing hot metal instruments and hanging, as well as through the use of various other devices. Some prisoners were cut with knives or suffocated with plastic bags. Other methods for generating confessions included pulling out fingernails while pouring alcohol on the wounds, holding prisoners’ heads under water, and the use of the waterboarding technique. Females were sometimes raped by the interrogators, even though sexual abuse was against Democratic Kampuchea (DK) policy. The perpetrators who were found out were executed. Although many prisoners died from this kind of abuse, killing them outright was discouraged, since the Khmer Rouge needed their confessions. The "Medical Unit" at Tuol Sleng, however, did kill at least 100 prisoners by bleeding them to death. Medical experiments were performed on certain prisoners. Inmates were sliced open and had organs removed with no anaesthetic. Others were attached to intravenous pumps and every drop of blood was drained from their bodies to see how long they could survive. The most difficult prisoners were skinned alive.

In their confessions, the prisoners were asked to describe their personal background. If they were party members, they had to say when they joined the revolution and describe their work assignments in DK. Then the prisoners would relate their supposed treasonous activities in chronological order. The third section of the confession text described prisoners’ thwarted conspiracies and supposed treasonous conversations. At the end, the confessions would list a string of traitors who were the prisoners’ friends, colleagues, or acquaintances. Some lists contained over a hundred names. People whose names were in the confession list were often called in for interrogation.

Typical confessions ran into thousands of words in which the prisoner would interweave true events in their lives with imaginary accounts of their espionage activities for the CIA, the KGB, or Vietnam. Physical torture was combined with sleep deprivation and deliberate neglect of the prisoners. The torture implements are on display in the museum. It is believed that the vast majority of prisoners were innocent of the charges against them and that the torture produced false confessions.

For the first year of S-21’s existence, corpses were buried near the prison. However, by the end of 1976, cadres ran out of burial spaces, the prisoner and their family were taken to the Choeung Ek extermination centre, fifteen kilometers from Phnom Penh. There, they were killed by being battered with iron bars, pickaxes, machetes and many other makeshift weapons owing to the scarcity, and subsequent price of ammunition. After the prisoners were executed, the soldiers who had accompanied them from S-21 buried them in graves that held as few as 6 and as many as 100 bodies.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

-- Putnam County's Only Public Execution --

On March 27, 1878, in gallows erected near here at the foot of Billygoat Hill, Joseph and George (Teek) Brassell were hanged in Putnam County's only publicly held execution. The justice system tried, convicted, and sentenced the brothers to death for the slaying of brothers Russell and John Allison during a robbery attempt on November 29, 1875. News of the event made national headlines. Two days after the hangings, The New York Times reported that 10,000 people came to the execution.

This marker is located on South Walnut Ave in Cookeville, Tennessee just past Proffitt Street if you are traveling south.

Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D7200 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11

The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the following link: www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/

Also called the St. Catherine's Wheel Galaxy (named for the torture and execution device broken by Catherine of Alexandria on her path to sainthood), it's about 50 million light years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. Small and faint for a Messier object, it was among the last listed by Messier and collaborator Pierre Mechain. From Wikipedia I see that the spiral shape was not identified until Lord Rosse got a good look at it with his giant telescope some 65 years later. Here I've used a small telescope with a sensitive camera for my first "close up" of this glittery spiral.

Tech Stuff: Questar 3.5" mounted on RST-135E/ ZWO ASI 533Mono /8- 10 second unguided exposures L X 80min, R, G, B X 30 min each. Processed with PixInsight. From my Bortle 7 yard in Westchester County, NY, 10 miles north of NYC.

"Time and tide wait for none."

....i really enjoyed dis Execution Shot right from its idea through making.

it was bit challenging for me, how to make de subject fly giving its actual flight maneuver.

This 'TIME' shot is also an inspiration against my or anyones will,dreams and ambitions

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Ken Saro-Wiwa (1941–1995) was a Nigerian writer, poet, and environmental activist from the Ogoni people.

He courageously exposed the crimes of the oil industry — especially Shell — and the Nigerian military regime, which had devastated the Niger Delta, poisoned the rivers, and destroyed entire communities.

He founded the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), a nonviolent campaign for justice and environmental rights.

In 1995, after a sham trial ordered by dictator Sani Abacha, he was hanged along with eight other activists.

Ken Saro-Wiwa was killed because he defended the Earth and his people.

His voice still echoes as a reminder that truth and justice are stronger than oil and power.

This series was created to awaken awareness, to remember those who gave their lives for truth, justice, and humanity.

In early August 1944 the Germans carried out mass executions at this site in which a total of approximately 200 people were murdered. They also burned the corpses, as well as the bodies of people they had murdered elsewhere....

Tchorek plaques: stillunusual.tumblr.com/post/160904663281/tchorek-plaque

The Wola massacre: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wola_massacre

Plaque on the wall of the 'Hung drawn and quartered' one of the events mentioned in the remarkable diaries of Samuel Pepys.

P30 Pro- Leica lens

-Translated from Russian-

"The Damned, The Possessed and The Beloved" part of Steilneset Memorial commemorating the trial and execution in 1621 of 91 people for witchcraft. Vardø, Norway.

Prints on sale at Fine Art America:

fineartamerica.com/featured/together-in-silence-gate-gust...

Detail from a monument to Edith Louisa Cavell (British nurse and patriot °Swardeston UK 4 December 1865 – ✝ Schaerbeek Belgium 12 October 1915) by Belgian sculptor/medalist Paul Du Bois (°Aywaille 1859 – ✝Uccle 1938).

Edith Cavell is celebrated for saving the lives of soldiers from both sides without distinction and in helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium during World War I, for which she was arrested. She was subsequently court-martialled, found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. Despite international pressure for mercy, she was shot by a German firing squad. Her execution received worldwide condemnation and extensive press coverage.

㊚ ♊ ♋ ✞

© All rights reserved

An old AP photo I bought in Ebay. Notice the squad is wearing tennis shoes so that the condemned do not know when they come out. I'm sure it's much better that way.

EXPLORE # 152

This is Fort Santiago in Intramuros, Manila, Philippines. Shown at the background is a part of the Rizal Shrine where the national hero's belongings were kept after his execution and also numerous artworks about him. The footprints were made of copper retracing his path towards the execution site (Bagumbayan) now called Luneta. Rizal was executed December 30, 1896 at the age of 35. Below is his poem written in Spanish, "Mi Ultimo Adios", " and the English translation,. "My Last Farewell."

Mi Ultimo Adiós

¡Adiós, Patria adorada, región del sol querida,

Perla del mar de oriente, nuestro perdido Edén!

A darte voy alegre la triste mustia vida,

Y fuera más brillante, más fresca, más florida,

También por ti la diera, la diera por tu bien.

En campos de batalla, luchando con delirio,

Otros te dan sus vidas sin dudas, sin pesar;

El sitio nada importa, ciprés, laurel o lirio,

Cadalso o campo abierto, combate o cruel martirio,

Lo mismo es si lo piden la patria y el hogar.

Yo muero cuando veo que el cielo se colora

Y al fin anuncia el día tras lóbrego capuz;

si grana necesitas para teñir tu aurora,

Vierte la sangre mía, derrámala en buen hora

Y dórela un reflejo de su naciente luz.

Mis sueños cuando apenas muchacho adolescente,

Mis sueños cuando joven ya lleno de vigor,

Fueron el verte un día, joya del mar de oriente,

Secos los negros ojos, alta la tersa frente,

Sin ceño, sin arrugas, sin manchas de rubor

Ensueño de mi vida, mi ardiente vivo anhelo,

¡Salud te grita el alma que pronto va a partir!

¡Salud! Ah, que es hermoso caer por darte vuelo,

Morir por darte vida, morir bajo tu cielo,

Y en tu encantada tierra la eternidad dormir.

Si sobre mi sepulcro vieres brotar un día

Entre la espesa yerba sencilla, humilde flor,

Acércala a tus labios y besa al alma mía,

Y sienta yo en mi frente bajo la tumba fría,

De tu ternura el soplo, de tu hálito el calor.

Deja a la luna verme con luz tranquila y suave,

Deja que el alba envíe su resplandor fugaz,

Deja gemir al viento con su murmullo grave,

Y si desciende y posa sobre mi cruz un ave,

Deja que el ave entone su cántico de paz.

Deja que el sol, ardiendo, las lluvias evapore

Y al cielo tornen puras, con mi clamor en pos;

Deja que un ser amigo mi fin temprano llore

Y en las serenas tardes cuando por mí alguien ore,

¡Ora también, oh Patria, por mi descanso a Dios!

Ora por todos cuantos murieron sin ventura,

Por cuantos padecieron tormentos sin igual,

Por nuestras pobres madres que gimen su amargura;

Por huérfanos y viudas, por presos en tortura

Y ora por ti que veas tu redención final.

Y cuando en noche oscura se envuelva el cementerio

Y solos sólo muertos queden velando allí,

No turbes su reposo, no turbes el misterio,

Tal vez acordes oigas de cítara o salterio,

Soy yo, querida Patria, yo que te canto a ti.

Y cuando ya mi tumba de todos olvidada

No tenga cruz ni piedra que marquen su lugar,

Deja que la are el hombre, la esparza con la azada,

Y mis cenizas, antes que vuelvan a la nada,

El polvo de tu alfombra que vayan a formar.

Entonces nada importa me pongas en olvido.

Tu atmósfera, tu espacio, tus valles cruzaré.

Vibrante y limpia nota seré para tu oído,

Aroma, luz, colores, rumor, canto, gemido,

Constante repitiendo la esencia de mi fe.

Mi patria idolatrada, dolor de mis dolores,

Querida Filipinas, oye el postrer adiós.

Ahí te dejo todo, mis padres, mis amores.

Voy donde no hay esclavos, verdugos ni opresores,

Donde la fe no mata, donde el que reina es Dios.

Adiós, padres y hermanos, trozos del alma mía,

Amigos de la infancia en el perdido hogar,

Dad gracias que descanso del fatigoso día;

Adiós, dulce extranjera, mi amiga, mi alegría,

Adiós, queridos seres, morir es descansar.

José Rizal, 1896

My Last Farewell

Farewell, beloved Country, treasured region of the sun,

Pearl of the sea of the Orient, our lost Eden!

To you eagerly I surrender this sad and gloomy life;

And were it brighter, fresher, more florid,

Even then I’d give it to you, for your sake alone.

In fields of battle, deliriously fighting,

Others give you their lives, without doubt, without regret;

The place matters not: where there’s cypress, laurel or lily,

On a plank or open field, in combat or cruel martyrdom,

It’s all the same if the home or country asks.

I die when I see the sky has unfurled its colors

And at last after a cloak of darkness announces the day;

If you need scarlet to tint your dawn,

Shed my blood, pour it as the moment comes,

And may it be gilded by a reflection of the heaven’s newly-born light.

My dreams, when scarcely an adolescent,

My dreams, when a young man already full of life,

Were to see you one day, jewel of the sea of the Orient,

Dry those eyes of black, that forehead high,

Without frown, without wrinkles, without stains of shame.

My lifelong dream, my deep burning desire,

This soul that will soon depart cries out: Salud!

To your health! Oh how beautiful to fall to give you flight,

To die to give you life, to die under your sky,

And in your enchanted land eternally sleep.

If upon my grave one day you see appear,

Amidst the dense grass, a simple humble flower,

Place it near your lips and my soul you’ll kiss,

And on my brow may I feel, under the cold tomb,

The gentle blow of your tenderness, the warmth of your breath.

Let the moon see me in a soft and tranquil light,

Let the dawn send its fleeting radiance,

Let the wind moan with its low murmur,

And should a bird descend and rest on my cross,

Let it sing its canticle of peace.

Let the burning sun evaporate the rains,

And with my clamor behind, towards the sky may they turn pure;

Let a friend mourn my early demise,

And in the serene afternoons, when someone prays for me,

O Country, pray to God also for my rest!

Pray for all the unfortunate ones who died,

For all who suffered torments unequaled,

For our poor mothers who in their grief and bitterness cry,

For orphans and widows, for prisoners in torture,

And for yourself pray that your final redemption you’ll see.

And when the cemetery is enveloped in dark night,

And there, alone, only those who have gone remain in vigil,

Disturb not their rest, nor the mystery,

And should you hear chords from a zither or psaltery,

It is I, beloved Country, singing to you.

And when my grave, then by all forgotten,

has not a cross nor stone to mark its place,

Let men plow and with a spade scatter it,

And before my ashes return to nothing,

May they be the dust that carpets your fields.

Then nothing matters, cast me in oblivion.

Your atmosphere, your space and valleys I’ll cross.

I will be a vibrant and clear note to your ears,

Aroma, light, colors, murmur, moan, and song,

Constantly repeating the essence of my faith.

My idolized country, sorrow of my sorrows,

Beloved Filipinas, hear my last good-bye.

There I leave you all, my parents, my loves.

I’ll go where there are no slaves, hangmen nor oppressors,

Where faith doesn’t kill, where the one who reigns is God.

Goodbye, dear parents, brother and sisters, fragments of my soul,

Childhood friends in the home now lost,

Give thanks that I rest from this wearisome day;

Goodbye, sweet foreigner, my friend, my joy;

Farewell, loved ones, to die is to rest.

José Rizal, 1896

(Modern English translation by Edwin Agustín Lozada)

This is a favorite technique of mine to do with my Holga. The exact execution can vary but the general idea remains the same. In this particular case I had a really pretty tree in Alberta Park I was photographing for the Portland Grid Project. The tree itself was resplendent in yellow foliage whilst all the other trees around it had long gone bare (this was November after all). I wanted to get an image of this tree but on one side was a street, another was a covered basketball court and neither of the remaining sides had terribly photogenic backdrops either. So I made somewhere around 6-8 exposures while circumnavigating the tree, trying to stay roughly an equal distance as I completed my circuit. The resulting layered multiple exposure does a good job of getting to the essence or feeling that this tree inspired while allowing me to not worry about any of the uninspiring scenery around it.

Holga 120N

Kodak Gold 200

47/365

Lighting:

1 Canon Speedlight 430ex

Cactus Remote flash trigger

Westcott collapsible umbrella kit

Flash placed behind subject at a 45 degree angle

The Old Parish Church in Hamilton memorial from 1826. The inscription reads:-

Stay, passenger, take notice

what thou reads:

At Edinburgh lie our bodies,

here our heads.

Our right hands stood at Lanark,

these we want,

Because with them we sware

the Covenant.

After the Battle of Rullion Green, four Covenanters were tried and sentenced to death, which was carried out in Edinburgh on 7 December 1666. Their heads were severed from their bodies and sent to Hamilton, where they were to be displayed on pikes. They were John Parker, Gavin Hamilton. James Hamilton and Christopher Strang.

www.covenanter.org.uk/hamilton_heads.html

The first outdoor event in London, UK, since the beginning of the troublesome virus and I was a little rusty.

Commemoration of the execution of King Charles Ist.

The sad sight of the former Blakeley's Commercial Recycling scrapyard in Platt Bridge, Wigan. The company went under in c.2018, leaving around ten buses and a large number of lorry trailers open to the elements and subject to vandalism, with almost no windows left intact on site and severe fire damage to several of the carcasses. Somebody is making slow progress in scrapping them - Google Maps appears to show that several Dennis Darts and at least one Olympian have disappeared since the 2019 survey - but for now it seems most of these are here to stay. Sadly I imagine all are beyond rescue and will eventually be scrapped, although I have the faintest glimmer of hope for a couple of vehicles which appear to be in reasonable external condition given their history so far. I've certainly seen vehicles saved from worse condition, with a lot of time, funding, and love.

Edit as of September 2023: apparently within a couple of months of me making my visit, Blakeley's Commercial Recycling was completely cleared. All of the vehicles listed here, as well as the vast number of lorry trailers stored on-site, are presumed to have been scrapped. Looks like I timed this visit just right after all.

I'll now attempt to list the vehicles present in order from the north-west corner of the site - that is, from left to right, farthest to nearest in this photograph - but obviously I'll never know for certain whether I got them all.

Registration: R422 WPX (1998)

Livery: First Kernow 'Barbie' (42522)

Chassis: Dennis Dart SLF

Bodywork: Plaxton Pointer II B37F

First 42522 was with the company for its entire life before withdrawal came in April 2016. By May the vehicle was in this position at Blakeley's, and has not moved since. It is in poor external condition with a lot of broken windows et cetera, but appears to be materially complete. It is visible on the far left of this photo.

Registration: T301 JLD (1999)

Livery: First Glasgow 'Barbie' (41301)

Chassis: Dennis Dart SLF

Bodywork: Marshall C39 Capital B22D

Again new to First at the turn of the century, this Dart had the significantly rarer Capital bodywork, and was withdrawn in May 2014, moving to Blakeley's at some point that year. Sadly, at some point around January 2019, the vehicle was the victim of an arson attack and was almost completely destroyed. Its wreck is mostly occluded from this photo, but can just be made out behind the red Merc.

Registration: PLZ 5590 (1993, original registration L733 LWA)

Livery: Darwen Coach Services unbranded maroon

Chassis: Mercedes-Benz 709D

Bodywork: Alexander Sprint B25F

This little minibus was new to Stagecoach East Midlands thirty years ago, but passed on to Darwen Coach Services around 2007 and was painted in a plain maroon colour. I wasn't able to ascertain a withdrawal date but by 2016 the minibus was stored in the scrapyard, where it remained until it too was destroyed by arson around early-2019. Now, the only part which remains in near-original condition is the front bumper - which unusually still carries the registration plate.

Registration: R330 HYG (1998)

Livery: First Potteries 'Barbie' (40179)

Chassis: Dennis Dart SLF

Bodywork: Plaxton Pointer II B37F

Another career First bus, 40179 was withdrawn in late-2013 and after some time as a spares donor was moved to Platt Bridge in late-2014. Like several vehicles here, it too was destroyed in the arson attack, being reduced to a mostly-empty shell with only the rear bulkhead and engine having survived. It is just about visible in the centre of this photo if you have an eagle eye through the burnt and twisted framework.

Registration: N649 VSS (1996)

Livery: ex-Stagecoach 'Beachball' unbranded (40649)

Chassis: Mercedes-Benz 709D

Bodywork: Alexander Sprint B25F

The second 709 present was new to Stagecoach Manchester before transfer to more rural duties in Cumbria. The vehicle was also transferred to Darwen Coach Services, this time in 2009, and was withdrawn around the same time as her older sister, although this one never received a repaint out of Stagecoach colours and even kept the fleet number. Surviving the arson attack, the vehicle is nevertheless in very poor condition and has been heavily stripped for parts.

Registration: T160 BBF (1999)

Livery: First Potteries 'Barbie' (40007)

Chassis: Optare M850

Bodywork: Optare Solo B27F

The first of two Solos stored at the back of the scrapyard, this vehicle was withdrawn in mid-2014 and heavily cannibalised for spares before being moved to the scrapyard by the end of that year. By early-2016 it had moved into its current position and has not been touched since, except by vandals and the occasional urban explorer. It appears to be mostly in the condition in which it arrived at the scrapyard with many components missing and has since suffered minor vandalism such as broken windows; its rear is just about visible through the burnt-out wrecks in the rear of this photo.

Registration: W313 DWX (2000)

Livery: First Midland Red 'Barbie' (50282)

Chassis: Optare M850

Bodywork: Optare Solo B27F

The second Solo has seen several operators; new to First Bradford and then transferring to First West Yorkshire, First Wyvern, and then finally First Midland Red before withdrawal came in mid-2014. By late-2014 the Solo was at Blakeley's, and has been in the same position alongside its sister since at least early-2016, seven years ago. It is also in largely the same condition.

Registration: L630 VCV (1994)

Livery: Darwen Coach Services white

Chassis: Mercedes-Benz 709D

Bodywork: Plaxton Beaver B25F

The third and final Merc on site, but with slightly better bodywork and in slightly better condition. The vehicle was new to Western National but by 2006 was in service with Darwen Coach Services, from whom it was withdrawn by 2018, probably around the same time as the other two present. It is by far the most intact of the three, but that is not to say that it is in good nick, and it is clearly rotten with many smaller components damaged or missing.

Registration: T579 JNG (1999)

Livery: First Eastern Counties 'Barbie' (65579)

Chassis: Scania L94UB

Bodywork: Wright Axcess Floline B43F

After spending over fifteen years with First Eastern Counties, this Scania was transferred to First Kernow for its final few months, being transferred in c.March 2015 and withdrawn by the end of that year. The vehicle was also moved to this position in the scrapyard by April 2016, and has not moved since, visible on the right of this photo. Another bus which seems to be fairly materially complete, but nevertheless missing a lot of glass and a few bodyside panels.

Registration: W825 PFB (2000)

Livery: First Devon & Cornwall 'Barbie', Ugobus branding (48225)

Chassis: Volvo B6BLE

Bodywork: Wright Crusader II B36F

Another southern bus to end up dying this far north, this vehicle spent its entire career in and around Plymouth until the axe came in March 2016. Dropped off at Platts Bridge the following month, it too has not moved since, and has now been heavily vandalised and stripped. It is juuuust about visible behind the Scania in this photograph.

Registration: S725 AFB (1998)

Livery: First Devon & Cornwall 'Barbie' (42725)

Chassis: Dennis Dart SLF

Bodywork: Plaxton Pointer II B37F

The fourth Dart on site, this vehicle was new to First Bristol and was finally withdrawn from First Devon and Cornwall in c.2016. Little is known about the vehicle since then, as it was next recorded in the scrapyard in 2022, already in very poor condition with a lot of missing windows, body panels, and displaying damage to the bumpers. Even the eagle-eyed will do very well to see it through the tangled mess of wreckage in this photograph; I certainly can't.

Registration: G301 UYK (1990)

Livery: Pilkingtonbus cream and red

Chassis: Leyland Olympian

Bodywork: Leyland H47/31F

Woo, on to the deckers! The first featured here is the oldest bus on-site, built 33 years ago at the time of writing. This vehicle was new to London United but later transferred to East Yorkshire Motor Services, where during 2007 it entered immortality as an EFE die-cast model, code 29614. Transferred first to Coachmasters around 2009 and painted a luminous yellow, the bus was with Pilkington by the end of that year, with final withdrawal coming in early-2016, as a non-disability-compliant vehicle. It was in position in the scrapyard by May and has again not really moved since, but nevertheless appears to be in tolerable condition, even in spite of its geriatric age. Its red top deck can clearly be seen in the photograph.

Registration: N430 FKK (originally Irish 96-DD-277, 1996)

Livery: Ebley Coaches red and cream

Chassis: Volvo Olympian

Bodywork: Alexander RH H47/27D

The final bus visible in the scrapyard is a Volvo Olympian, new to Dublin Bus in 1996 and exported in 2007. The vehicle for almost its entire British existence wore the bright pink-and-purple colour scheme of Uno, despite later transferring to Southern Transit in 2010 and then North Somerset Coaches in 2015. North Somerset appears to have focused on vehicle preservation since 2013, so whether this vehicle constituted preserved for a short while is up in the air, but before too long it was with Ebley Coaches and painted in their maroon and cream livery, which it still carries to this day. It was sadly not with them long, certainly under a year, before fate took control - by May 2016 the bus had appeared in Blakeley's scrapyard, withdrawn not due to her age but due to a massive gash in the roof, clearly due to collision with some kind of obstacle, perhaps a bridge, a building, or even a particularly obstinate tree. The 'Dubliner' has seemingly not moved since June 2016, its interior still exposed to nature thanks to the roof damage and it has apparently been stripped of a few parts.

A first detail shot from my recent scene for the #scififactioncontest.

ODC - Scissors, Saw, Knife

Post Christmas execution of a credit card as part of a New Year's resolution!

CSX E803 screams through the town of Walkerton with BNSF 9669, a SD70MAC still sporting its OG BN Executive Scheme, on a coal empty from the LSRC in Wixom.

Kalderone // Instagram // Tumblr

Texture series 1 of 4

Hitman 2, 4k (cropped) / Nvidia Ansel / ReShade / CT for Ansel unlock by u/PascalTheAnalyst

'Here on Felucia, a Stormtrooper is about to be promoted for tracking down the fled female Jedi Sinn-Tah, just 10 days after the execution of order 66. All hopes are lost for this Jedi, and the same applies to most Jedis lately. Dark Times are approaching...'

Hello everyone! This is my first ever post on Flickr. This 16x16 moc was created as a submission for the 'Dark Times' RPG group, which is based on the follow-up on Order 66.

Any feedback is appreciated!

-Sven

Punggol – The Massacre Beach in Singapore during World War II

An unusual discovery at Punggol beach dug up a slice of history that many Singaporeans are not aware of. Punggol beach used to be one of the Japanese killing fields during the Second World War.

History of Punggol:

During World War II, on Feb 28, 1942, about 1,000 Chinese from the area around Upper Serangoon Road were rounded up by the Japanese as part of the Sook Ching or mopping-up operation.

All were executed at this beach as punishment for their resistance activities.

Punggol Beach is now on the National Heritage Board's list of historical sites.

The marking of the Punggol beach massacre site was part of a series organised in 1995 to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the end of World War II. Source – AsiaOne