View allAll Photos Tagged expected
Taken in July at Sheringham in Norfolk. Looks like this gathering were expecting aried conditions... tee shirts, coats, swimsuits, wet suits and umbrella (or sunshade presumably). Best to be prepared!
I gotta say I never expected to see a full two page spread with just my stuff on it in Guy's excellent Steampunk Lego book, but there it is.
I'm honored to be featured alongside a lot of awesome people who define Lego Steampunk for me. I only dabble in the stuff from time to time, after all.
I was not expecting to see this parked outside a really posh Hotel. But anyways, iv'e been wanting to see a MK1 Punto for several years, and genuinely i have not seen one either parked or driving on the road since about 2014! And the amount that has decreased in the past years is shocking. They were soo common in the 00's and are now very rare, even the late ones, from 1999! I never have much luck with old Fiats, cause they have all disappeared for some reason? But i really got exited with this spot, as i do really like these, and its probably my favourite Fiat.
It was supplied by Grays Dealership in Warwick. Most of the older Fiats i spot are from this dealership, as its local, and still open today!
This Punto is an amazing survivor, and apart from missing nearside front indicator glass and some faded and peeled paint on the bonnet, it looks in great condition. MOT history looks in fair condition and having done 70k miles and around 5k a year, i think that its still got lots of life left.
I finally talked someone into doing this!! hehehehe.
Call it cheesy, but I'm a cheeseball, and I love it. I think I'm going to do a series of these!
(She is wearing three tutus and 2 pairs of wings!)
"if you expect nothing from anybody, you're never disappointed." -Sylvia Plath ("The Bell Jar")
You know, maybe having an overactive mind isn't a bad thing, seeing things the way others don't. I was playing around with lights in my room and trying to see things from a new angle. I think it worked
It was the feeling of cold, metallic chains being placed around his wrists that awoke Tim. Burt Weston stood several feet away while his second in command, Jaret Row, stepped away from Tim’s side slowly. Just then realizing that Tim was awake, after chaining him up, Jaret raised his pistol to the Robin’s head, saying,
“Don’t even try it.” More disgruntled than defeated, Tim replied,
“Wasn’t planning on it.” He then took in his surroundings, realizing he was no longer at the studio where the set had burned down. Instead, he was chained to an ornately crafted wall, with columns lining the sides. The celebrity in the Flash suit was lying unconscious underneath another camera, and Weston stood above him, adjusting the settings on the device.
“You know, Robin, now would be an excellent time to monologue about how I’ve defeated you and what I’ll do next. But, alas, I’m not some blockbuster super criminal. I’ve always wanted to be more of that ‘shadow of yourself’ type of character.” Tim chuckled to himself as Weston finished this.
“Seriously Weston, you’re even terrible at that. I’d say you weren’t a villain, but seeing as I’m certain about how this night will play out I unfortunately have to call you the villain.” This statement from Tim caused Weston to hold up the device he had been carrying around in between adjusting the cameras.
“This is what’s been doing it. Injecting the devices into those celebrities heads. All I have to do is…” Weston held the barrel to Tim’s head and pretended to pull the trigger, “…boop! The device gets inserted into their brain then we just need to cover it and then it’s showtime.” Expecting fear from the Robin, Weston was surprised as Tim answered,
“It’s stuff like that…c’mon man, that’s as cheesy as it gets,” Storming away into the shadows behind Row, Weston heard Tim continue, “Let me guess, you have another celebrity hostage and you’re going to make me make a choice that decides if they live or die.” Sure enough, the Film Freak reemerged from the shadows moments later, his device pointed at the back of a young woman dressed in fine clothing.
“This is the climax of our film, Robin, as you remember the typical Hollywood screenplay has-” Weston placed the young woman in front of the camera, with both his device and Row’s gun aimed at her, as he said this. However, once again Tim cut him off,
“Please just explain who this is so I can figure out a way to save her.” Weston looked angrily from Tim to Row as he continued through gritted teeth,
“Our beautiful, young actress for tonight is Ms. Gisele L. Carlyle, author of the hit nonfiction book Murder for the Weak. In said work, Ms. Carlyle denounces so-called super criminals as weak by being unable to express their emotions in a productive way. As you all know, that is not the case for me: I have several finished films…” The room fell silent, “…Alright they’re on the internet, BUT, I think the perfect ironic conclusion to our film is to have our final celebrity appearance denounce her own work. It’ll say a lot about her character: the arc she’s been through, her hardships, and the man who drove her to be this way,” Weston aimed his device at the woman’s head as she nearly made a break by the door but was stopped by one of Row’s bullets whizzing past her head. Turning his attention to Tim, he asked, “Have you ever seen King Kong? Because beauty’s about to kill the beast, bird boy.” Rolling his eyes, Tim replied,
“How about this: I tell you a story instead. It’s about how this situation’s about to go…starting with this-” Tim dug his boots into the set behind him to propel himself into a flip that broke what he had deduced were prop chains. As the fake metal fell to the ground, he landed perfectly in front of both Row and Weston’s line of fire, forcing him to leap into action to evade shots from both weapons.
What to expect out of a BrickBattalions kit.
1: Sleek black box with a BB logo
2: Certificate of Authenticity signed by me.
3: CD with NEW pdf instructions done by none other then Tyler AKA (Legohaulic)
4: A BB logo sticker.
I wasn't expecting or intending this result at all. But when I batch processed my HDR folder of this skiing day the result was this image.
I kind of like this shot due to it's unusual mood (very especially for me...as I always tend to saturate +500 :D )
Hope you all had a wonderful week-end!
I will be pretty busy next week so forgive me if I do not visit your streams as often as I usually do :-)
Music: ich & ich - so soll es sein
Shot:
Pentax K200D, Tamron 18-250, 93mm (35mm equivalent: 139mm), 3 Shots -2EV; 0EV +2EV, hand-held
Software used for this image:
Photomatix Pro 3 (Details Enhancer), Adobe Photoshop CS3
Criticism is welcome and appreciated!
Music: Right Click and select "Open link in new tab"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpGVPWnX8Ic
It's Expected I'm Gone · Minutemen
I don't wanna hurt
See, my position was here
I mean, as it was, I was
CN L516 rolls through Griffith, Indiana with a surprise lash up of classic EMD power, with an ex-MoPac SD40-2 in charge.
The "golden" mountain of Drápuhlíð in Snæfellsnes is covered with ice but rain is coming from the south and the clouds are piling up on the Snæfellsnes ridge
Believe me, the last thing I expected to see in Kyoto was a starbucks attempting to look like a traditional building. I don't have a whole lot of a story to tell on my behalf so instead let me take a moment to tell ya about this establishment. This particular starbucks was under wraps for over 10 years while the company held on to the empty machiya (an old Japanese townhouse). Because of the compact nature of it's surroundings, it took a while for them to come up with a new design that appealed to local governments. What may seem like normal designs to people like me, proved way too big to be in a place like the Ninen Zaka Path.
The final result was a 2 story building with a draped entry, a private mini garden and more traditionally Japanese seating options (sitting on the floor). Instead of selling coffee the primary item sold at this joint was ocha. And for reasons that are actually quite obvious, there are to be no lines outside the restaurant, (cause you're in a tightly spaced, busy area of Gion).
Not much was changed during the editing process. There was some natural light poking out from the right that I just didn't want to be there, but other then that, just about nothing changed. I'm sure there's a deeper meaning as to why they just had these cups on a chain link dangling from the ceiling but I never found an official answer.
Did not expect to see an MPD still operational under the Arriva Buses Wales books. The first examples were introduced to Llandudno Junction depot in June 1999 and, well, might as well eke another six months out of LJ51 DDF (921) so the once perennial staples of the North Walian roads can celebrate a 20 year association with the welsh based chapter of the Arriva corporation. Pertaining to Bangor specifically, I think the year 2000 was when an MPD trod its wheels for the first time around the bustling 'Cloc' terminus and 18 years into the future, 921 was caught in the subsiding rainfall on a wholly miserable day. The service is the Bangor circular, taking in the Maesgeirchen estate and Tesco in the industrial park.
19th December 2018.
The #FlickrFriday #ChainedToTheSky challenge
This photo of the 9 day old moon was taken from the back yard using an adapter to attach the camera to a Newtonian telescope through a 2x magnifier (a Barlow lens for those who know about such things) which proved necessary to get a focus. That provided an effective focal length of 1300mm at f5. There is no facility to change aperture, so exposure could be controlled by shutter speed and ISO selection only. Atmospheric conditions, wind, the rotation of The Earth (yes, really!) and the focusing precision of the 'scope made it a more challenging project than expected. Trial and error, mainly the latter, demonstrated that the camera's metering was useless for this shot, and that blurring due to camera shake and (probably) the rotation of the Earth at such a high focal length had to be countered by a short shutter speed and therefore high ISO; and micro changes in focusing. The truly impressive shots of The Moon we see frequently involve motorised camera tripod mounts, which constantly move the 'scope in time with the change of The Moon's position in the sky, a large number of individual photos and focus stacking software, all rather beyond me and my modest kit.
The large darker areas are the lunar seas, the maria, although no water is involved. The dark matter are volcanic deposits from the time when the moon was volcanically active. Bottom right is The Sea of Crises, to its left The Sea of Fecundity, to the left of that, the Sea of Nectar, work up to The Sea of Tranquillity (made famous by Apollo 11 making the first landing there) and then the Sea of Serenity. All craters are named. In particular Crater Archimedes (diameter 83km) is obvious in the upper centre and Crater Plato (diameter 109km) is showing very well in the upper right. To the left of the photo within The Sea of Clouds is Crater Bullialdus (61km) together with two smaller craters, Bullialdus A (nearest) and B. Like many craters, Bullialdus has a complex system of peaks within it, which are just apparent here. Shadows cast by many of the the crater walls are evident across the photo, especially near the terminator where lunar day becomes night. Faint, long straight rays are present across various regions. These are ejecta, matter thrown outward from meteorite impacts.
The Moon has illuminated our night sky for around 4 billion years. It is believed to have formed when a Mars sized object (Theia) collided with the young Earth, obliterating itself and sending fragments of both bodies into orbit which coalesced under gravity to form The Moon. At one sixth the mass of its host planet, it is the largest satellite in those terms in the Solar System and fifth largest in absolute terms. Its great size relative to The Earth creates a fundamental relationship between the two bodies, and thereby between it and every form of life on the planet. Allow me to explain.
Before the collision it is believed that the axis of rotation of The Earth was, on average, perpendicular to the plane of its orbit around The Sun, although it was subject to a prominent wobble as a spinning top does. However, bear in mind that this wobble is very much in slow motion so far as our senses are concerned. One complete wobble takes millennia to complete. The Theia collision tilted the average angle of the axis of rotation to about 23 degrees from the perpendicular. The wobble which existed before is dampened in magnitude by The Moon's presence. The tilt causes the seasons in non tropical areas and the wobble causes, when assessed over many millennia, seasonal climatic variations which are far more gentle and less extreme than they would be in the absence of The Moon. That means that, over millennia, summers and winters naturally become milder or harsher in accordance with the magnitude of the wobble while being affected by many other factors too. Had Theia missed, the extra mass remaining on The Earth would have increased the force due to gravity we all experience. In other words, either we would be heavier for our present build or our design may have evolved differently to allow for this. Would we and our fellow species have evolved stronger muscles and the skeletons to accommodate them, or would we be smaller and lighter in our existing terms?
Land can only bear so much weight, so our highest mountains would be lower than we find them. Our ocean tides would be caused by The Sun only, and would therefore be far less extreme, the waters of our seas mixing less energetically. Our days would be less than 9 hours long because The Moon has gradually reduced the speed of Earth's rotation. Without it, our far shorter days would make the tides we have just considered more frequent, our seas and oceans perhaps obviously in constant flux as rivers are. The Coriolis Effect (rotating weather patterns on each side of The Equator caused by the rotation of The Earth) would be far more extreme, causing a correspondingly more energetic climate than the one we enjoy and increasingly battle with. Although the length of a year would be the same when measured in seconds, the thousand days in it would have resulted in far shorter periods of daylight and dark, although many more of them. This would would have affected the evolution of diurnal and nocturnal species. Indeed, would evolution have even selected a difference between them? How would photosynthesis have been affected, and what effect would that have had on plant growth and, through that, on the entire food chain?
To add another dimension too, the fact that the rotation of The Earth has slowed means that energy seems to have been lost from the Moon/Earth system. However, physics says that is impossible. Energy cannot simply disappear. The 'lost' energy has actually been transferred from slower rotation of The Earth to increased velocity of The Moon in its orbit. This presently causes it to drift a little less than 4cm centimetres further from The Earth every year which is roughly the rate at which our fingernails grow. Astronomers tell us that when it formed it was only about 27,000km from The Earth and that it would have appeared about 17x bigger in the sky than it does today had anybody been around to see it. The effects due to gravity on both bodies in those far-off times would have been very significant indeed. We are familiar with tidal forces upon water, but they also affect rock if strong enough. The gravitational effect of The Moon, billions of years ago, may have triggered seismic activity on the new Earth, affecting the shape of the land, and correspondingly there would have been regular moonquakes, the Earth being so much bigger.
Clearly all this means that The Moon is far more than a beautiful adornment to our night sky. It has affected evolution, maybe even allowing it. Given that it has, it provides us with stability in many meanings of the word. Would life even exist on Earth without it? Perhaps Jim, but not as we know it.
Bluebird Buses Ltd trading these days as Stagecoach North Scotland along with the Highland operation is expected to report its financial postion later this month but is poised to post higher profits than First Aberdeen. Its main challenge has been engineering, the ability to keep its fleet of buses on the road with high number of service cancellations due to break downs across the network. The hydrogen fleet have paid there part in this and are likely to exit the fleet in 2019. The unreliable Profile fleet has taken a further cut in size during 2018 although the decker fleet has gained older Tridents to allow young Enviro400 vehicles to move north.
Aberdeenshire funding cuts have hit the company in the shire but have been offset by increased funding from Aberdeen City Council with Stagecoach successful in picking up the new 14 service that replaced the First X40 service and taking the 15A and 94 from First and Central respectively.
The AWPR finally, almost, opening at the end of 2018 will benefit the company in 2019 as building works has cost the company in recent years delaying most of its services coming into the city and the reduced traffic congestion will allow faster journey times and perhaps even reduced PVR on some routes or the opportunity to increase frequencies once traffic movement settles although the new Haudagain remodel will hit the 727 and Inverurie and Oldmeldrum services as work begins on that corridor. The new 747 and 757 routes that start later this month represent a fresh opportunity for the company and the new TECA events arena opens in 2019 that should benefit the 727 after First pulled out of the area although it may be tempted to extend the 17B in the complex which has a dedicated bus entrance. Whilst First has been unable to follow through with plans to expand to Portlethen due to its driver challenges it has fiercely protected the 17 corridor flooding with low fares and the new 17B service.
With First Aberdeen not investing in new buses, Stagecoach has felt no pressure to upgrade its Aberdeen fleet with investment instead targeted at its Moray operations. It does need to face in to its maintenance challenges in 2019 having lost school contracts in 2018 due the unreliability of its fleet. Stagecoach will be hoping the remainder of winter is kind to its Aberdeenshire operations in keeping buses on the road.
A selection of buses at Tullos on New Years day representing the current feet, the Profile much less evident with 53316 skulking in the background of this shot.
Never expected the LDD model, imagine my surprise when he actually built it with real parts! And let's not even talke when he improved the model! Javier Soravilla is probably Eruei's biggest fan and was sure to demonstrate it. <3
Check more pictures of Requia's rival here!
I wasn't expecting it to have rained overnight but as it hadn't done for quite a while I knew the mixture of warmth, humid air and rain would send my garden into overdrive and mother nature too.
Went thorn hunting in the park again and already it was full up with dog walkers, push chairs and expectant wedding guests at the Ashton memorial.
Whilst heading towards the giant chamelia we found a couple more laurel bushes so I took a twig in case I decided to repeat the theme of yesterday, in anticipation of that company I mentioned yesterday wanting some images.
While we were there two boys came over to us, they were probably 8 or so, and said "there's a dead bird over there."
They looked worried.
"Is it a blackbird?" I said.
"It's black and white" they replied.
I wandered over to have a look at it was a juvenile magpie and it had probably been there a while. I told them that and then said that a fox will probably scavenge it and they shouldn't worry.
"A fox in here?" one of the exclaimed.
"There's only one thing for it" he shouted "run!"
And off they went making a very loud aeroplane noises.
I felt as excitable as they did as the maples had started to reveal new leaves and soon the pallete available to me would be huge.
We went back home and then onto the University campus as I wanted a good stretch of water to experiment with reflections.
Down by the lake a lot of work had been done: the lake had been extended, a station for barbecues replete with hobs, taps and bins has been set up, it looked an effort to reduce the burnt patches on the grass, the scattered beer cans, disposable barbecues and general waste. This intention had only been partially successful and the rubbish was now festooned around the barbecue station. overflowing out of the bins, in the lake and all around that area. The amount of rubbish in and around the lake was a real shocker and I tempted to go down there and clean it up myself but I am sure 20,000 students should be able to organise something! Or perhaps not.
Two groups of ducklings were present, one lot older and twice the size of the other. The youngest group numbered fifteen ducklings and they were the cutest of the cute. Like little motorboats zooming over the water and everytime they went on a excursion the big daddy goose ensured they were protected which was quite interesting to see. Obviously he was not their father but he guarded them wherever they went.
Later a white duck was desperately trying to get its end away with the mallard mother of the older ducklings. He was extremely rampant in his advances and the poor female was extremely distressed. Soon 10 or so mallard males joined in and tried to attack the white male, whilst the ducklings scattered. I could see why the big daddy goose wanted to protect them, they are some unruly characters amongst the coots, chickens, geese and ducks that live on that pond.
Three young lads were checking out the bird life and the eldest threw stones at the ducklings and got a ticking off from me. So he then started throwing them at the three territorial geese that had chased and hissed at me when I arrived (to everyone's amusement), so I thought twice before ticking him off again but of course I did anyway!
They came over to me and asked what I was doing, "making a sculpture" I said.
"What's a sculpture?"
"It is art made out of something like wood or stone or plasticine"
This piece of information was met with more aeroplane noises and running away. I have that effect on most people.
After we had been there a while several more barbecues had been lit, not one of them at the barbecue station and all around the field smoke billowed and individual piles of rubbish grew. But of course as we all know fairies/goblins/imaginary friends etc pick up litter so it is fine to chuck whatever you have wherever you want.
No-one except the aeroplane boys came to see what we were doing, the only visitors were an endless supply of pond scum, lily pads, weed and catkins all of which I didn't want in my shot. Each time I waded back into the water I sunk a little lower into the mud and the water nearly reached the top of my wellies.
But the more I do this, make sculptures and photograph them somewhere especially in public, the more I don't care what people think. That oft quoted Andy Goldsworthy line (that he said when handling ice in sub zero temps) "good art keeps you warm" isn't apt on a warm spring day. I prefer "my art means I don't care whether you think I am a weirdo."
This attitude comes in very handy standing in ponds, retrieving thorns from the middle of bushes and going everywhere with a plastic bag of leaves.
What won't be evident to you in these pictures is what I experienced with reflections. Through photography you pick out a moment in time, captured in an image. That snapshot can be a millisecond or several minutes. The ripples and reflections of the water left me mesmerised, each moment captured within my camera. I've decided to purchase a pair of waders and I think I will spend a lot more time standing in water, fighting off geese and being mesmerised by the water's surface all around me. Now is that weird?!
It wasn't over yet, there was more thing thign of weirdness to encounter. 'The tale of the bumless chicken.'
Whether he had had an accident or was born like I don't know but despite my amusement he wasn't so amused at my attempts to get a blurry shot of his missing bottom! It isn't nice to mock (or photograph) the afflicted! So I left him alone and went home.
"Equiniti Group Expects to Raise $590 Million in I.P.O." by CHAD BRAY via NYT t.co/x4mqwwpY5L (via Twitter twitter.com/felipemassone/status/649878803997675520)
Well ... much later than I expected I finally got some money and time to work out a new MOC that.
I'm a little bit stuck with the Arkham MOC 'cause the warehouse doesn't look the way I want it to be.
So to get my mind free I'll be doing a historical MOC. Now there are 5600 bricks waiting for me to build. Due to concerts (Lacuna Coil & Motionless in White, The Defiled & Avatar, 257ers) on the upcoming weekends there won't be any progress till mid December.
Expect four days of heavy rain--that was the weather forecast. It was accurate for the first day. Yesterday, the second day, the weather vacillated between a sort of lazy drizzle and scattered cloudiness. In case the rest of the forecast was accurate, I decided to take a short walk along the creek during one of the less cloudy periods.
I had an unpleasant moment with a feral cat, saw a pair of deer looking at me with that 'who invited you' look, watched a brace of Canada Geese make a hash of landing in the creek, got lots of mud on my shoes, and made it back to the house just as the rain began again. I call that a successful walk.
May 17, 2007. They come around, when you least expect it.
Although there's an abundance of butterflies in our yard, I couldn't seem to get the chance to photograph them - until now. While sitting in our back porch after a nature walk, there's this red admiral butterfly that landed right next to me.
Image was not cropped at all.
You were expecting something racey? Sorry, this is a family group! Photo taken for Our Daily Challenge: Chaos. I vowed to do this challenge with only one shot.
Explore 10 January 2011, highest #164.
Here's how I did it: I crumpled my trusty white blanket and took my one shot. I used no special lighting. There are two lamps in the room, a floor lamp to the left and a bed lamp to the rear and left. The shot was taken hand held on auto focus and macro setting. See SOOC below. The set-up and shoot took less than a minute. The post-processing took a bit longer! I then converted it to gray scale and adjusted the contrast. See B&W below. I resisted the temptation to crop. Finally I converted it to negative and did some more adjustment to contrast and brightness. Photo was taken with a Panasonic DMC-FZ18. Processing was done with the PHOTOfunSTUDIO software that came with the camera. Sometimes the camera information gets lost in the processing.
"A frigid winter is expected across Alberta, especially during January and February. While a few periods of milder weather are expected, we have a heightened risk for extended periods of severe cold, as well as for blizzard conditions as Arctic air plunges south across the region. A snowy winter is expected across the southern half of the province, including Calgary. Near normal snowfall is expected elsewhere, including Edmonton." I have just read the Weather Network's forecast for Alberta. Almost wish I hadn't, ha.
Another five photos from my archives this evening. I am adding the description that I wrote under a different image taken on the same outing.
After endless emails and phone calls, the work on my car is finally about to start, four and a half weeks after I dropped it off at the dealership. It has now been decided that both the slight hail damage and the peeling paint repair will be done at one location, not two different ones. The hail damage repair should be starting straight away. It could still be maybe two or two and a half weeks (or more) before all the work is completed. Will it be done before Christmas? Later: hail damage repair has been completed. Now I have to wait for an empty booth so that the peeling paint damage can be fixed and basically the whole car will have to be repainted.
Update on car situation, 9 December 2021. Just heard that the repainting of my whole car might be finished somewhere around 21 December. However, the whole car then has to be put back together - and, guess what, the person who would be doing this is going to be away over Christmas, meaning that I won't be getting it back till AFTER Christmas!!! Wish I had never pointed out the 3"x 1" patch of peeling paint in the first place, when I took my car for a routine service. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined all that is going on. Sigh.
"On 12 August 2016, friend Dorothy phoned and asked if I'd like to go with them to Kananaskis for the day. A last minute decision - and of course I said yes! What a great day we had in the mountains, with perfect weather and so many mushrooms to keep all three of us happy. The highlight for me was when we saw Strawberries and Cream fungi / Hynellum peckii, my favourite fungus. Quite a few of them, too, which was a real treat, as we don't usually come across them.
When I think how many endless rainy days we had been having the previous few weeks, we were so lucky that the sun shone, the temperature was pleasant, and a slight breeze kept comfort levels just right.
Our first brief stop was at a pond on the way to Bragg Creek, where a mutual friend had been seeing a Common Loon, but there was no sign of it when we were there. From there, once we eventually reached the mountains, we stopped at a large pond to check for birds and kept our eyes open for any mushrooms. The ground seemed too dry here, for any fungi to be growing. However, we were treated to wonderful views of a beautiful Osprey perched on top of a tall coniferous tree further down the path. It flew to a few different trees and then finally made the plunge for a fish, with success. What a splash it made! Once caught, the Osprey flew out of sight - maybe it had a nest somewhere with young ones to feed.
Our next stop was further into the mountains and we found that the ground was damper and more conducive to the growth of mushrooms. I suspect that after all the rain we had last summer, one could find mushrooms growing almost anywhere. We were certainly lucky at this location, finding various species. One of the highlights of the day for me was seeing one of my favourite fungi, Strawberries and Cream fungus / Hydnellum peckii. The individuals we saw were not hugely photogenic, but wonderful to see, both at this location and our next stop, at Kananaskis Lakes. This species has "teeth", not gills underneath.
"Hydnellum peckii is an inedible (though not toxic) fungus, and a member of the genus Hydnellum of the family Bankeraceae. It is a hydnoid species, producing spores on the surface of vertical spines or tooth-like projections that hang from the undersurface of the fruit bodies. It is found in North America, Europe, and was recently discovered in Iran (2008) and Korea (2010). Hydnellum peckii is a mycorrhizal species, and forms mutually beneficial relationships with a variety of coniferous trees, growing on the ground singly, scattered, or in fused masses.
The fruit bodies typically have a funnel-shaped cap with a white edge, although the shape can be highly variable. Young, moist fruit bodies can "bleed" a bright red fluid that contains a pigment known to have anticoagulant properties similar to heparin. The unusual appearance of the young fruit bodies has earned the species several descriptive common names, including strawberries and cream, the bleeding Hydnellum, the bleeding tooth fungus, the red-juice tooth, and the Devil's tooth. Although Hydnellum peckii fruit bodies are readily identifiable when young, they become brown and nondescript when they age." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydnellum_peckii
Lunch was eaten at a convenient picnic table right by a large creek after this first mushroom walk. While we were sitting there, a cute little Chipmunk (Least Chipmunk?) stopped long enough to take a quick peek at us through the tall grass blades. I suspect it thought it was well hidden.
After our lunch, we drove to Kananaskis Lakes and went for a most enjoyable hike - a very slow one, as there were mushrooms everywhere! We had been along this trail in previous years and had found a good variety of fungi. There were so many people on the trail! Good to see everyone out enjoying the good weather, fresh mountain air, and beautiful scenery. My friends returned to the same areas two days later and found about two-thirds less the number of mushrooms..
Thanks so much, Dorothy and Stephen, not just for this great day out, but for also helping to make my wait for my new car to arrive, easier! Greatly appreciated."
In the hour before sunset Sri Lankan beaches get alive in a wonderful way. People, young and elder, are active and friendly. It's a lovely experience.
Merry Christmas to you all that I met at Negombo beach, as well as other beaches and places around the island!
Built in 1929, this 17-story Art Deco-style former passenger railroad station was designed by Fellheimer & Wagner to replace the multiple previous train stations and termini in Buffalo, which were scattered throughout the city and belonged to different railroads. The structure stands on the site of the old Union Depot built in 1874, which closed in the early 1920s. The station began construction in 1925 when the New York Central Railroad settled on building their new union terminal in Buffalo at the site, with the station being built to accommodate the expected growth of Buffalo from a city of about 550,000 people to one with 1.5 million people, and to accommodate continued growth in passenger numbers. However, both of these projections never materialized, with the city’s population growth and the railroad’s passenger numbers growth, already slowing in the 1920s, slowing further due to the Great Depression during the 1930s, and then beginning a long, steady decline, only being briefly buoyed by World War II before falling out of favor as automobile travel proved more flexible and air travel more swift than train travel. Due to these circumstances, the terminal was overbuilt and never reached its full capacity during its operations, only coming close during World War II due to resource shortages and mass mobilization of the United States during wartime. The terminal was offered for sale by the New York Central Railroad for one million dollars in 1956, but found no buyers, with continuing declines in passenger numbers, coupled with the decline in the population of Buffalo itself, leading to several services being ended during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1966, the railroad, in an effort to save costs and downsize their facilities, demolished several outbuildings in the complex, and in 1968, the once powerful New York Central Railroad, a husk of its former self, merged with the Pennsylvania Railroad in an attempt to consolidate their expenses and save both companies, but this merger proved unsuccessful, leading to their bankruptcy in 1976, with both railroads absorbed into the public-private partnership known as Conrail.
In the meantime, Amtrak was formed in 1971 to provide passenger rail service in the United States, operating out of the terminal until 1979, with the agency facing budgetary limitations that did not allow them to renovate the aging structure, which, when coupled with the massive expenses of keeping the building comfortable, dry, and well-lit, led to the agency building two smaller stations in Buffalo during the 1970s to replace it. The terminal was subsequently purchased by Anthony T. Fedele, whom managed to maintain the building in decent condition, but was unable to find any interested developers to reuse the building, and eventually fell behind on taxes, leading to the building being seized at foreclosure so the taxes could be recouped by the government. During the time it was owned by Fedele, the building was vacated by Conrail’s offices between 1980 and 1984, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, with the final operations at the terminal, the interlocking towers that once signaled trains arriving at the station, being shut down in 1985. In 1986, the building was purchased at auction by Thomas Telesco, whom did not maintain the building, selling off many artifacts and fixtures from its interior, and proposing grandiose and unrealistic schemes of what he would do with the building, including being a stop on a high-speed rail line between New York and Toronto. The building was then sold to Bernie Tuchman and Samuel Tuchman, with the building seeing further elements removed and sold, and the building continuing to decay.
In 1997, the terminal, then in poor condition, was purchased by Scott Field of the Preservation Coalition of Erie County, whom paid for the building’s back taxes, and shortly thereafter, formed the Central Terminal Restoration Corporation, transferring ownership of the building to the organization. The building was stabilized and secured under the stewardship of the Central Terminal Restoration Corporation, which opened the building for public tours in 2003, and holds many fundraising events at the station every year. The building has been preserved, but a restoration or adaptive reuse of the structure has so far remained elusive.
The building features a brown brick exterior with an octagonal corner tower, with a large barrel-roofed main concourse structure wrapping around the tower to the south and east. The facade of the tower features multiple setbacks, chamfered corners, corner clock faces at the roofline above the twelfth floor, a rotunda with large archways and buttresses atop the tower with a decorative trim crown at the parapet, vertical window bays that stretch from the building’s base to the roofline, large entrances with metal canopies, large transoms, and stone surrounds, pilasters, and stone trim and caps atop the parapets. The main concourse portion of the building features large arched curtain walls at the ends of its barrel vaulted roof, a cavernous barrel vaulted interior, large metal canopies over the entrances, and a tunnel underneath that once allowed traffic on Curtiss Street to run beneath the building, though this has been closed since the 1980s due to the building’s decay, with a light court between the waiting room and a low-rise office block in the front, which sits just east of the tower and presents a similar facade treatment to that of the tower, with vertically accentuated window bays and pilasters. The rear of the building is more spartan in appearance, with a scar from the former location of the entrance to the train concourse to the rear, with the connecting structure having been removed following the discontinuation of railroad services at the building in 1979. The train concourse features multiple platforms with Art Deco-style aluminum canopies with sleek columns, thin-profile roofs, and rounded ends, with the train concourse featuring arched clerestory windows and a gabled roof, and being in a rather advanced state of deterioration with vegetation having grown throughout the structure and the surrounding abandoned tracks between the platforms. Attached to the southwest corner of the main building is the baggage building, a simpler six-story Art Deco-style structure with a buff brick exterior, a penthouse above the main entrance to the building, pilasters, vertically accentuated window bays, steel windows, stone spandrel panels, stone trim, and stone parapet caps, with long canopies along the base of the front and rear of the building that protected incoming and outgoing mail and baggage from inclement weather. To the west of the baggage building is the one-story mail processing building, which features a similar facade treatment, with the main difference besides height being the rooftop monitor windows in the middle of the building’s roof. Southwest of the baggage and mail processing building, sitting close to Memorial Drive, is a structure that formerly housed the Railway Express Agency, which is more utilitarian than the rest of the surviving complex, and is in an advanced state of decay, with the demolition of the structure being planned to take place sometime this decade. The structure features large window bays with steel windows, stucco cladding on the brick structure, and the remnants of canopies on the north and south facades of the first floor, with a long and low one-story wing to the rear.
The complex is one of the largest designed by Fellheimer & Wagner, and has maintained a remarkable state of preservation in its original form with few changes since its construction, besides some damage from the years of decay and neglect in the 1980s and 1990s. Another notable structure by the firm, and one of the most well-known railroad stations in the world, is Grand Central Terminal in New York City, which was also built for the New York Central Railroad. In addition to Grand Central Terminal, the firm also designed terminals that are more similar in appearance to the Buffalo Central Terminal, including Union Station in South Bend, Indiana, and Cincinnati Union Terminal, with Grand Central Terminal, Buffalo Central Terminal, and Cincinnati Union Terminal being among the largest, most impressive, and most significant railroad stations ever built in the United States. The station, though unrestored, is still impressive, and hopefully will be eventually adaptively reused for an economically sustainable function.
Time for another much anticipated Movie Night, and as expected, Stormtrooper Bruce is still watching the P’s nephew while his parents are away; and keeping things fun and interesting is still a challenge. But now STB, the guys and even said nephew can relax, unwind and have a bit of fun.
TK-432: So glad we could make it, it’s been a long month this week! And I see you still have a little guest. So, hello little dude, what’s your name tonight?
PP: Hello again! It's so nice to see you two! I’m still practicing my manners when I can. I was hoping you would show up tonight accause I have gifts for you two! You’re so funny, I just got your joke. Oh, and tonight my name is Ping Pong!
TK-1110: Hello, Ping Pong! What a fun name. You have a gift for us? What a coincidence, since we brought you a gift for your Christmas in July, but you have to wait to open it.
STB: Well this IS a coincidence, since I sneaked a gift under the tree for Ping Pong this morning – for later, too. However, his gifts are for now. Ping Pong, I think it’s time for Show and Tell.
PP: Okie Dokie Unka Dude. I’ve been practicing what to say accause I get nervous making public speeches, but here goes. When we had our Drive-In you mentioned how uncomfortable it was sitting on those car seats. Well, this week, Unka Dude has been teaching me Arts & Crafts, so I cided to make us all cushions to sit on. No more ouchy cabooses!
TK-432: Well, this is an unexpected surprise. I, for one, love the idea. My very own cushion? Why, thank you Ping Pong!
STB: And – being the master of survival skills that I am, I deduced how Troopers with cushions on transports could be um, unsafe. So, I’ll store them here, so they won’t get “lost.” And, you can enjoy them for ever and ever.
TK-1110: Dude, I find your ability to foresee the future impressive. If the other Troopers saw us carrying these they’d …, we’d ..., well, never mind. And thank you Ping Pong for this most unexpected gift. You did a great job!
STB: Yes, well, let’s just say what happens in my quarters stays in my quarters. And having said that, lets get this Movie Night started. We’re going to have a great week tonight!
Ping Pong: Wowzer Unka Dude! Gifts, grub and movies, I never spected the unexpected could be so fun! Where’s my camera?
________________________________________
Viewing Large is always fu. Just click on the image.
It was my first visit to Arras, a city in the north of France and I didn't expect Arras to be so pretty. Here are a few houses around a huge square - they are hundreds of them. I was surprised to learn during the Instameet that Atrras was heavily damaged during WWI but rebuild as it was before !
* * *
C’était ma première visite a Arras, une ville du nord de la France et je ne pensais découvrir une ville aussi jolie avec tant de belles maisons comme celles vues au-dessus. Il y en a des centaines au centre ville autour de grande places. Participer a une rencontre Instagram m'a permis non seulement de rencontrer des photographes mais aussi de découvrir les endroits les plus intéressants de la ville mais aussi d'obtenir des informations sur l'histoire d’Arras. J'y ai appris que la ville d'Arras avait souffert pendant la première guerre mondiale mais qu'elle avait été reconstruite a l'identique. Chapeau.
IF, THEN, AND THE ATHEIST DILEMMA.
All scientific theories are based on ‘if’ and ‘then’. The proposition being; IF such a thing is so, THEN we can expect certain effects to be evident.
For example: there are only two competing alternatives for the origin/first cause of everything.
A natural, first cause, OR a supernatural, first cause.
Atheists believe in a natural, first cause.
Theists believe in a supernatural, first cause.
IF the first cause is natural, THEN progressive evolution of the universe (cosmos) and life are deemed to be expected, even essential.
Conversely, IF the first cause is supernatural, THEN an evolutionary scenario of the cosmos and/or life is not required, not probable, but not impossible.
In other words, while evolution, and an enormous, time frame are perceived as absolutely essential for atheist naturalism, theism could (perhaps reluctantly) accept evolution and/or a long, time frame as possible in a creation scenario.
Crucially, if the evidence doesn’t stack up for cosmic evolution, biological evolution, and a long evolutionary time frame, atheist naturalism is perceived to fail.
For atheism, evolution is an Achilles heel. Atheists have an ideological commitment to a natural origin of everything from nothing - which, if it were possible, would essentially require both cosmic and biological evolution and a vast timescale.
Consequently, atheist scientists can never be genuinely objective in assessing evidence. Only theist scientists can be truly objective.
However, the primary Achilles heel for atheist naturalism is its starting proposition.
Because the ‘IF’ proposal of a natural, first cause, is fatally flawed, the subsequent ‘THEN’ is a non sequitur.
The atheist ‘IF’ (a natural, first cause) is logically impossible according to the laws of nature, because all natural entities are contingent, temporal and temporary.
In other words:
All natural entities depend on an adequate cause.
All natural entities have a beginning.
And all natural entities are subject to entropy.
Whereas a first cause MUST be non-contingent, infinite and eternal.
But, just suppose we ignore this insurmountable obstacle and, for the sake of argument, assume that the ‘THEN’ which follows from the atheist ‘IF’ proposition of a natural, first cause is worth considering.
We realise that both cosmic and biological evolution are still not possible as NATURAL occurrences.
The law of cause and effect tells us that whatever caused the universe (whether it evolved or not) could not be inferior, in any way, to the sum total of the universe.
An effect cannot be greater than its cause.
So, we know that cosmic evolution from nothing could not happen naturally.
That traps atheists in an impossible, catch 22 situation, by supporting cosmic evolution, they are supporting something which could not happen naturally, according to natural laws.
It doesn’t get any better with biological evolution, in fact it gets worse. The Law of Biogenesis (which has never been falsified) rules out the spontaneous generation of life from sterile matter. Atheists choose to ignore this firmly established law and have, perversely, invented their own law (abiogenesis), which says the exact opposite. However, their cynical disregard for laws of nature, ironically, fails to solve their problem.
Crucially ...
An origin of life, arising of its own volition from sterile matter, conditions permitting (abiogenesis), would require an inherent predisposition/potential of matter to automatically develop life.
The atheist dilemma here is; where does such an inherent predisposition to automatically produce life come from? In a purposeless universe, which arose from nothing, how could matter have acquired such a potential or property?
A predisposed potential for spontaneous generation of life would require a purposeful creation (some sort of blueprint/plan for life intrinsic to matter). So, by advocating abiogenesis, atheists are unintentionally supporting a purposeful creation.
Following on from that, we also realise that abiogenesis requires an initial input of constructive, genetic information. Information Theory tells us; there is no NATURAL means by which such information can arise of its own accord in matter.
Then there is the problem of the law of entropy (which derives from the Second Law of Thermodynamics). How can abiogenesis defy that law? The only way that order can increase is by an input of guided energy. Raw energy has the opposite effect. What could possibly direct or guide the energy to counter the natural effects of entropy?
Dr James Tour - 'The Origin of Life'
Suppose we are stupid enough to ignore all this and we carry on speculating further by proposing a progressive, microbes-to-human evolution (Darwinism).
Starting with the limited, genetic information in the first cell (which originated how, and from where? nobody knows). The only method of increasing that original information is through a long, incremental series of beneficial mutations (genetic, copying MISTAKES). Natural selection cannot produce new information, it simply selects from existing information.
Proposing mistakes as a mechanism for improvement is not sensible. In fact, it is completely bonkers. Billions of such beneficial mutations would be required to transform microbes into humans and every other living thing.
Once again, it would need help from a purposeful creator.
So, we can conclude that the atheist ‘IF’, of a natural, first cause, is not only a non-starter, but also every ‘THEN’, which would essentially arise from that proposal, ironically supports the theist ‘IF’.
Consequently ...
If you don't believe in cosmic evolution you (obviously) support a creator.
If you do believe in cosmic evolution you (perhaps unintentionally) also support a creator.
And...
If you don’t believe in abiogenesis and biological evolution, you (obviously) support a creator.
If you do believe in abiogenesis and biological evolution you (perhaps unintentionally) also support a creator.
Conclusion:
The inevitable and amazing conclusion is that everyone (intentionally or unintentionally) supports the existence of a creator, whatever scenario they propose for the origin of the universe.
No one can devise an origin scenario for the universe that doesn’t require a Creator. That is a fact, whether you like it or not!
The Bible correctly declares:
Only the fool in his heart says there is no God.
Theists have no ideological need to be dogmatic. Unlike atheists, they can assess all the available scientific evidence objectively. Because a long timescale, and even an evolutionary scenario, in no way disproves a creator. In fact, as I have already explained, a creator would still be essential to enable: cosmic evolution, the origin of life, and microbes-to-human evolution. Whereas, both a long timescale and biological evolution are deemed essential to (but are no evidence for) the beliefs of atheist naturalism.
Atheist scientists are hamstrung by their own preconceptions.
It is impossible for atheists to be objective regarding any evidence. They are forced by their own ideological commitment to make dogmatic assumptions. It is unthinkable that atheists would even consider any interpretation of the evidence, other than that which they perceive (albeit erroneously) to support naturalism. They force science into a straitjacket of their own making.
All scientific hypotheses/theories about past events, that no one witnessed, rely on assumptions. None can be claimed as FACT.
The biggest assumption of all, and one that is logically and scientifically unsustainable, is the idea of a natural, first cause. If this is your starting assumption, then everything that follows is flawed.
The new atheist nonsense, is simply the old, pagan nonsense of naturalism in a new guise.
Dr James Tour - 'The Origin of Life' - Abiogenesis decisively refuted.
youtu.be/B1E4QMn2mxk
The poison in our midst - progressive politics.
I never expected to see a St. Bernard running agility. I would think that being so big would endanger them of long-term injury, but I guess that agility is the type of thing that dogs were designed to do and I'm sure that if it wasn't safe, the AKC and other agility organizations wouldn't allow it. Besides being huge, this dog was hugely cute and fun to watch.
Last weekend's agility trial was held in a covered arena that had really nice lighting, especially before the sun came up all the way, but unfortunately, there wasn't enough of it, so it was a challenge to come up with sharp shots. I started with my 400mm f/5.6, non-stabilization, prime, which I like better for outdoors, but I later switched to my 70-200mm f/2.8 and shot closer to get more light. The zoom turned out to be really handy, anyway, due to the large variation in the sizes of the dogs.
Tune: Onyx - Ain't No Time To Rest ft Dope D.O.D
[Video Intro: Fredro Starr & Sticky Fingaz]
What's up, man?
I'm tired of this graveyard shift, nigga
I'm telling you, man
Got me on him working, motherfucker, in middle of the night in shit
I'm sick of this shit too, nigga
The other day, motherfucker, I'm heard some shit in here
I'm like a: "What a fuck is going on?"
You know, what's up
You get, right?
Hell yeah!
Two nights ago?
Two nights ago!
I heard the same shit
Yo, what some shit going on here, nigga?
I'm telling you, my nigga
It is
We gotta find a new line of work
Well, here we go
[Intro: Fredro Starr]
Y'all niggas must be dead
It's time to wake da fuck up, niggas
What the fuck is it a library in this motherfucka?
[Verse 1: Fredro Starr]
Before we set it off
Let me put a check of the list
All you bitchass niggas you can rest in peace
My niggas streesed and depressed
Ain't no time to rest
It's time to wake up from the dead
Ain't no time to rest
I'm a mess, i'm dirty, i'm filty, probably guilty
The beast from the East where the beats is obese
Big drums, big drums nigga where Big from
Nigga got big guns, don't talk, gun talk to us
This the way we walk in New York, come and walk with us
This a way, hip-hop is in a disarray
This is for my niggas who got a get it the pistol way
Then piss it away on strippers up in Scarlett's
Queens niggas is wild, but Brooklyn is the wildest
Where niggas be robbing shit and rip you for your wallets
Yeah, i got a ghostwriter - Christopher Wallace
So get your rest B.I.G
[Hook x 2: Fredro Starr]
My niggas streesed and depressed
Ain't no time to rest
It's time to wake up from the dead
Ain't no time to rest
It's time to wake up from the dead
Ain't no time to rest
It's time to wake up from the dead
Ain't no time to rest
[Verse 2: Sticky Fingaz]
You thought I was dead, but I'm alive and kicking
In the hood niggas love me like I'm fried chicken
Sticky Fingaz good my, my nines be licking
And I must be get a money, my palms is itching
Cause when you when you gotta a P99
Every everything is Free.99
Get dumped off get beat out his mind
Fucking with Sticky Fingaz must be out his mind
Are you insane? It's all your fault!
Get bodied over and over again and expecting different results
I don't play games, eat candy, smile or joke
They'll be checking and checking and checking but they ain't getting no pulse
[Hook x 2: Fredro Starr]
My niggas streesed and depressed
Ain't no time to rest
It's time to wake up from the dead
Ain't no time to rest
It's time to wake up from the dead
Ain't no time to rest
It's time to wake up from the dead
Ain't no time to rest
[Verse 3: Skits Vicious & Jay Reaper]
Skits: Shake 'em up! Shake 'em up! Wake 'em from the dead!
Shine 'em up! Shine 'em up! Half a bald head!
You'll break a fuckin' leg trying to kick it with us
I'll rip your skinny jean limbs off and piss on ya' arms
Jay: Now wake da fuck up! Ya'll niggas suffering from sleep paralysis
I had it with 'em amateurs, fucking with some savages
Feel the cold clutch of the Reaper 'round your neck
If you talk shit - i don't forget. Now who's next?
Skits: Who's next? I'm here to take ya'll with
Get 'em ready for the belly of the beast, we in a graveyard shift
Dro, Stick (Whaddup!) I just licked (Whaddup!)
I don't give (No Fucks!) Put your middle fingers up!
Jay: Put your middle fingers up and say fuck that shit!
Onyx and Dope D.O.D - we fuck 'em up like this
Niggas looking for clout, their souls half the price
Well you gon' see enough clouds in the afterlife