At this instance, the wasp has made a total of 9 separate trips (back and forth between nest and hunting ground) to catch and immobilized 8 different individual caterpillars as depicted in this composite image. The caterpillar is caught and then injected with a precise dose of venom which to put it into an eternal sleep mode to avoid any potential jailbreak.

The groggy caterpillars are to be served as live food for the wasp larvae entombed in the sealed nest. The nest would then sealed up when the desired stockpile is reached. Once the metamorphosis process is completed, the juvenile wasps will emerge from the nest and later repeat the cycle of life once again.

The wasp is observed to bring back a caterpillar once every about 20mins from 0700 to 0900 hrs and then it grinds to a halt. The wasp is seen to disappear into the nest probably to take a much needed rest only to emerge occasionally to take meals and chat with friends. The process is repeated for 2-3 days. Then after the nest is sealed and the wasp's duty is done leaving the natural development to occur within.

This tiny drab wasp is rather inconspicuous, measuring about 5mm in size.

The nest in this case, is a cavity within a bamboo stick.

The equally tiny caterpillar species though, is yet to be determined.

observation : 23-26.10.2021AD

Juve wasp emerge : mid Nov (incubation period approx 3 weeks)

wasp seal nest

potter wasp

I enjoyed tremendously shooting these tiny wasps carrying those equally tiny caterpillars in flight. Their secret lives is now partially exposed. I now know what they are doing all these while which I have not managed to observe in detailed due to their tiny size and inconspicuous activities. Prior to these captures, I have absolutely no idea that they are actually fetching those tiny live loads back to the nest.

@bukit panjang, sg

Photo of Wahkeena Creek captured via Minolta MD Zoom Rokkor-X 24-50mm F/4 lens. On the Wahkeena Creek Trail #420. Wahkeena Canyon. Mount Hood National Forest. Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Columbia River Gorge-Area. Cascades Range. Multnomah County, Oregon. Early April 2017.

Exposure Time: 0.4 sec. * ISO Speed: ISO-100 * Aperture: F/22 * Bracketing: None

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For instance, from Huffington Post, Nov. 5, 2009:

EXCERPT: While thousands of at-risk Americans wait, some big Wall Street banks have already secured the hard-to-find H1N1 vaccine for their employees.

Building on a story that BusinessWeek broke, NBC reports that employees at the New York Stock Exchange, bankers at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, and employees at the Federal Reserve have all received swine flu vaccine doses to administer to their employees.

In particular, NBC reports that Goldman Sachs has received 200 doses of the vaccine -- the same amount as Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.

VIDEO & full text at: www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/05/swine-flu-vaccine-banks...

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Blame for this lies squarely upon Bait & Switch Obama & the vicious corporatism which he is using all of his power to advance (witness the golden pigs he put atop the nation immediately under himself, such as Larry Summers & Tim Geithner).

Epicurus - Over de natuur en het geluk (1998)

"We interrupt this transmission..." as the saying goes - and in this instance, we interrupt the short holiday we recently enjoyed in the South Island a couple of weekends ago to announce that New Zealand's "Bird Of The Year" for 2018 is the Kereru (or NZ Wood Pigeon).

For more information on this big beautiful bird, have a look at:

nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/new-zealand-pigeon

Thanks so much for visiting my Site, and thanks especially for taking the time and trouble to leave a Comment; it's always nice to hear from you...!

(Left (or Right!) click the Mouse to view Large; click again to return to normal).

"So it happens, for instance, that a man who sees another man on the street corner with only a stump for an arm will be so shocked the first time that he'll give him sixpence. But the second time it'll only be a threepenny bit. And if he sees him a third time, he'll hand him over cold-bloodedly to the police."

― Bertolt Brecht, The Threepenny Opera

Yet another instance of "I got here too early again" as BNSF 7303 runs through the edge of the Coconino National Forest on it's way to Winslow and eventually the CSXT at Chicago, Illinois. Can't understate how nice it was to see trains run through area's lush with various Evergreen and Conifers, hopefully next time I get out here I'll see the tracks lit up with sunlight instead of being covered in shadows.

In this instance the word refers to what are essentially 'shock absorbers' between two heritage carriages on the Hoorn–Medemblik heritage steam railway in the Netherlands. Access was allowed onto the open platforms between carriages. The trick was to focus on the equipment rather than the track ballast whilst the train rocked and rolled along the 20 km or 12 1/2 mile journey.

The photo was taken two years ago.

Since I started photography a year ago, I didn't use the autofocus function of my Sony. Mainly because in most instances it doesn't work properly, and I miss the moment. Until now most of the time I wasn't able to make a real sharp shot, but recently i did a few, and learned me that focussing the last tiny bit is a matter of feeling. Even when your system tells you it is sharp, you still can (and have to) focus more. Here you see the redshank, a beautiful bird. In the Netherlands not a common bird anymore, and it can be seen in wetland areas.

Sea level drop refers to the phenomenon in which melting glaciers cause the surrounding land to rise.. Between 1901 and 2018, the average global sea level rose by 15–25 cm (6–10 in), or an average of 1–2 mm per year. This rate accelerated to 4.62 mm/yr for the decade 2013–2022.[3] Climate change due to human activities is the main cause. Between 1993 and 2018, thermal expansion of water accounted for 42% of sea level rise. Melting temperate glaciers accounted for 21%, with Greenland accounting for 15% and Antarctica 8%.: 1576  Sea level rise lags changes in the Earth's temperature. So sea level rise will continue to accelerate between now and 2050 in response to warming that is already happening. What happens after that will depend on what happens with human greenhouse gas emissions. Sea level rise may slow down between 2050 and 2100 if there are deep cuts in emissions. It could then reach a little over 30 cm (1 ft) from now by 2100. With high emissions it may accelerate. It could rise by 1 m (3+1⁄2 ft) or even 2 m (6+1⁄2 ft) by then.[6][7] In the long run, sea level rise would amount to 2–3 m (7–10 ft) over the next 2000 years if warming amounts to 1.5 °C (2.7 °F). It would be 19–22 metres (62–72 ft) if warming peaks at 5 °C (9.0 °F): 21  meters. Rising seas ultimately impact every coastal and island population on Earth. This can be through flooding, higher storm surges, king tides, and tsunamis. These have many knock-on effects. They lead to loss of coastal ecosystems like mangroves. Crop production falls because of salinization of irrigation water and damage to ports disrupts sea trade. The sea level rise projected by 2050 will expose places currently inhabited by tens of millions of people to annual flooding. Without a sharp reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, this may increase to hundreds of millions in the latter decades of the century. Areas not directly exposed to rising sea levels could be affected by large scale migrations and economic disruption. At the same time, local factors like tidal range or land subsidence, as well as the varying resilience and adaptive capacity of individual ecosystems, sectors, and countries will greatly affect the severity of impacts. For instance, sea level rise along the United States (particularly along the US East Coast) is already higher than the global average, and it is expected to be 2 to 3 times greater than the global average by the end of the century. Yet, out of the 20 countries with the greatest exposure to sea level rise, 12 are in Asia. Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam collectively account for 70% of the global population exposed to sea level rise and land subsidence. Finally, the greatest near-term impact on human populations will occur in the low-lying Caribbean and Pacific islands—many of those would be rendered uninhabitable by sea level rise later this century.

Societies can adapt to sea level rise in three ways: by managed retreat, by accommodating coastal change, or by protecting against sea level rise through hard-construction practices like seawalls or soft approaches such as dune rehabilitation and beach nourishment. Sometimes these adaptation strategies go hand in hand; at other times choices must be made among different strategies. A managed retreat strategy is difficult if an area's population is quickly increasing: this is a particularly acute problem for Africa, where the population of low-lying coastal areas is projected to increase by around 100 million people within the next 40 years. Poorer nations may also struggle to implement the same approaches to adapt to sea level rise as richer states, and sea level rise at some locations may be compounded by other environmental issues, such as subsidence in so-called sinking cities. Coastal ecosystems typically adapt to rising sea levels by moving inland; but may not always be able to do so, due to natural or artificial barriers. Between 1901 and 2018, the global mean sea level rose by about 20 cm (or 8 inches). More precise data gathered from satellite radar measurements found a rise of 7.5 cm (3 in) from 1993 to 2017 (average of 2.9 mm/yr), accelerating to 4.62 mm/yr for the decade 2013–2022.

Regional variations: Sea level rise is not uniform around the globe. Some land masses are moving up or down as a consequence of subsidence (land sinking or settling) or post-glacial rebound (land rising due to the loss of weight from ice melt). Therefore, local relative sea level rise may be higher or lower than the global average. Gravitational effects of changing ice masses also add to differences in the distribution of sea water around the globe. When a glacier or an ice sheet melts, the loss of mass reduces its gravitational pull. In some places near current and former glaciers and ice sheets, this has caused local water levels to drop, even as the water levels will increase more than average further away from the ice sheet. Consequently, ice loss in Greenland has a different fingerprint on regional sea level than the equivalent loss in Antarctica. On the other hand, the Atlantic is warming at a faster pace than the Pacific. This has consequences for Europe and the U.S. East Coast, which receives a sea level rise 3–4 times the global average. The downturn of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) has been also tied to extreme regional sea level rise on the US Northeast Coast. Many ports, urban conglomerations, and agricultural regions are built on river deltas, where subsidence of land contributes to a substantially increased relative sea level rise. This is caused by both unsustainable extraction of groundwater and oil and gas, as well as by levees and other flood management practices preventing the accumulation of sediments which otherwise compensates for the natural settling of deltaic soils, over 3 m (10 ft) in urban areas of the Mississippi River Delta (New Orleans), and over 9 m (30 ft) in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta.  On the other hand, post-glacial isostatic rebound causes relative sea level fall around the Hudson Bay in Canada and the northern Baltic.

Projections: A comparison of SLR in six parts of the US. The Gulf Coast and East Coast see the most SLR, whereas the West Coast the least NOAA predicts different levels of sea level rise through 2050 for several US coastlines. There are two complementary ways of modeling sea level rise and making future projections. In the first approach, scientists use process-based modeling, where all relevant and well-understood physical processes are included in a global physical model. An ice-sheet model is used to calculate the contributions of ice sheets and a general circulation model is used to compute the rising sea temperature and its expansion. While some of the relevant processes may be insufficiently understood, this approach can predict non-linearities and long delays in the response, which studies of the recent past will miss. In the other approach, scientists employ semi-empirical techniques using historical geological data to determine likely sea level responses to a warming world, in addition to some basic physical modeling. These semi-empirical sea level models rely on statistical techniques, using relationships between observed past contributions to global mean sea level and global mean temperature. This type of modeling was partially motivated by most physical models in previous Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) literature assessments having underestimated the amount of sea level rise compared to observations of the 20th century.

Projections for the 21st century: Historical sea level reconstruction and projections up to 2100 published in 2017 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program.[35] RCPs are different scenarios for future concentrations of greenhouse gases. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change provides multiple plausible scenarios of 21st century sea level rise in each report, starting from the IPCC First Assessment Report in 1990. The differences between scenarios are primarily due to the uncertainty about future greenhouse gas emissions, which are subject to hard to predict political action, as well as economic developments. The scenarios used in the 2013-2014 Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) were called Representative Concentration Pathways, or RCPs. An estimate for sea level rise is given with each RCP, presented as a range with a lower and upper limit, to reflect the unknowns. The RCP2.6 pathway would see GHG emissions kept low enough to meet the Paris climate agreement goal of limiting warming by 2100 to 2 °C. Estimated SLR by 2100 for RCP2.6 was about 44 cm (the range given was as 28–61 cm). For RCP8.5 the sea level would rise between 52 and 98 cm (20+1⁄2 and 38+1⁄2 in). A set of older estimates of sea level rise. Sources showed a wide range of estimates

Sea level rise projections for the years 2030, 2050 and 2100

The report did not estimate the possibility of global SLR being accelerated by the outright collapse of the marine-based parts of the Antarctic ice sheet, due to the lack of reliable information, only stating with medium confidence that if such a collapse occurred, it would not add more than several tens of centimeters to 21st century sea level rise. Since its publication, multiple papers have questioned this decision and presented higher estimates of SLR after attempting to better incorporate ice sheet processes in Antarctica and Greenland and to compare the current events with the paleoclimate data. For instance, a 2017 study from the University of Melbourne researchers estimated that ice sheet processes would increase AR5 sea level rise estimate for the low emission scenario by about one quarter, but they would add nearly half under the moderate scenario and practically double estimated sea level rise under the high emission scenario. The 2017 Fourth United States National Climate Assessment presented estimates comparable to the IPCC for the low emission scenarios, yet found that the SLR of up to 2.4 m (10 ft) by 2100 relative to 2000 is physically possible if the high emission scenario triggers Antarctic ice sheet instability, greatly increasing the 130 cm (5 ft) estimate for the same scenario but without instability. A 2016 study led by Jim Hansen presented a hypothesis of vulnerable ice sheet collapse leading to near-term exponential sea level rise acceleration, with a doubling time of 10, 20 or 40 years, thus leading to multi-meter sea level rise in 50, 100 or 200 years, respectively. However, it remains a minority view amongst the scientific community. For comparison, two expert elicitation papers were published in 2019 and 2020, both looking at low and high emission scenarios. The former combined the projections of 22 ice sheet experts to estimate the median SLR of 30 cm (12 in) by 2050 and 70 cm (27+1⁄2 in) by 2100 in the low emission scenario and the median of 34 cm (13+1⁄2 in) by 2050 and 110 cm (43+1⁄2 in) by 2100 in a high emission scenario. They also estimated a small chance of sea levels exceeding 1 meter by 2100 even in the low emission scenario and of going beyond 2 meters in the high emission scenario, with the latter causing the displacement of 187 million people. The other paper surveyed 106 experts, who had estimated a median of 45 cm (17+1⁄2 in) by 2100 for RCP2.6, with a 5%-95% range of 21–82 cm (8+1⁄2–32+1⁄2 in). For RCP8.5, the experts estimated a median of 93 cm (36+1⁄2 in) by 2100, with a 5%-95% range of 45–165 cm (17+1⁄2–65 in). By 2020, the observed ice-sheet losses in Greenland and Antarctica were found to track the upper-end range of the AR5 projections. Consequently, the updated SLR projections in the 2019 IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate were somewhat larger than in AR5, and they were far more plausible when compared to an extrapolation of observed sea level rise trends. The main set of sea level rise projections used in IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) was ultimately only slightly larger than the one in SROCC, with SSP1-2.6 resulting in a 17-83% range of 32–62 cm (12+1⁄2–24+1⁄2 in) by 2100, SSP2-4.5 resulting in a 44–76 cm (17+1⁄2–30 in) range by 2100 and SSP5-8.5 leading to 65–101 cm (25+1⁄2–40 in). The report also provided extended projections on both the lower and the upper end, adding SSP1-1.9 scenario which represents meeting the 1.5 °C (2.7 °F) goal and has the likely range of 28–55 cm (11–21+1⁄2 in), as well as "low-confidence" narrative involving processes like marine ice sheet and marine ice cliff instability under SSP5-8.5. For that scenario, it cautioned that the sea level rise of over 2 m (6+1⁄2 ft) by 2100 "cannot be ruled out".[7] And as of 2022, NOAA suggests 50% probability of 0.5 m (19+1⁄2 in) sea level rise by 2100 under 2 °C (3.6 °F), increasing to >80% to >99% under 3–5 °C (5.4–9.0 °F)." If countries cut greenhouse gas emissions significantly (lowest trace), the IPCC expects sea level rise by 2100 to be limited to 0.3 to 0.6 meters (1–2 feet).However, in a worst case scenario (top trace), sea levels could rise 5 meters (16 feet) by the year 2300. A map showing major SLR impact in south-east Asia, Northern Europe and the East Coast of the US

Map of the Earth with a long-term 6-metre (20 ft) sea level rise represented in red (uniform distribution, actual sea level rise will vary regionally and local adaptation measures will also have an effect on local sea levels). Models consistent with paleo records of sea level rise:  1189  indicate that substantial long-term SLR will continue for centuries even if the temperature stabilizes. After 500 years, sea level rise from thermal expansion alone may have reached only half of its eventual level, which models suggest may lie within ranges of 0.5–2 m (1+1⁄2–6+1⁄2 ft).[51] Additionally, tipping points of Greenland and Antarctica ice sheets are expected to play a larger role over such timescales, with very long-term SLR likely to be dominated by ice loss from Antarctica, especially if the warming exceeds 2 °C (3.6 °F). Continued carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel sources could cause additional tens of metres of sea level rise, over the next millennia. The available fossil fuel on Earth is enough to ultimately melt the entire Antarctic ice sheet, causing about 58 m (190 ft) of sea level rise. In the next 2,000 years the sea level is predicted to rise by 2–3 m (6+1⁄2–10 ft) if the temperature rise peaks at its current 1.5 °C (2.7 °F), by 2–6 m (6+1⁄2–19+1⁄2 ft) if it peaks at 2 °C (3.6 °F) and by 19–22 m (62+1⁄2–72 ft) if it peaks at 5 °C (9.0 °F).[6]: SPM-28  If temperature rise stops at 2 °C (3.6 °F) or at 5 °C (9.0 °F), the sea level would still continue to rise for about 10,000 years. In the first case it will reach 8–13 m (26–42+1⁄2 ft) above pre-industrial level, and in the second 28–37 m (92–121+1⁄2 ft). As both the models and observational records have improved, a range of studies has attempted to project SLR for the centuries immediately after 2100, which remains largely speculative. For instance, when the April 2019 expert elicitation asked its 22 experts about total sea level rise projections for the years 2200 and 2300 under its high, 5 °C warming scenario, it ended up with 90% confidence intervals of −10 cm (4 in) to 740 cm (24+1⁄2 ft) and −9 cm (3+1⁄2 in) to 970 cm (32 ft), respectively (negative values represent the extremely low probability of very large increases in the ice sheet surface mass balance due to climate change-induced increase in precipitation ). The elicitation of 106 experts led by Stefan Rahmstorf had also included 2300 for RCP2.6 and RCP 8.5: the former had the median of 118 cm (46+1⁄2 in), a 17%-83% range of 54–215 cm (21+1⁄2–84+1⁄2 in) and a 5%-95% range of 24–311 cm (9+1⁄2–122+1⁄2 in), while the latter had the median of 329 cm (129+1⁄2 in), a 17%-83% range of 167–561 cm (65+1⁄2–221 in) and a 5%-95% range of 88–783 cm (34+1⁄2–308+1⁄2 in). By 2021, AR6 was also able to provide estimates for year 2150 SLR alongside the 2100 estimates for the first time. According to it, keeping warming at 1.5 °C under the SSP1-1.9 scenario would result in sea level rise in the 17-83% range of 37–86 cm (14+1⁄2–34 in), SSP1-2.6 a range of 46–99 cm (18–39 in), SSP2-4.5 of 66–133 cm (26–52+1⁄2 in) range by 2100 and SSP5-8.5 leading to 98–188 cm (38+1⁄2–74 in). Moreover, it stated that if the "low-confidence" could result in over 2 m (6+1⁄2 ft) by 2100, it would then accelerate further to potentially approach 5 m (16+1⁄2 ft) by 2150. The report provided lower-confidence estimates for year 2300 sea level rise under SSP1-2.6 and SSP5-8.5 as well: the former had a range between 0.5 m (1+1⁄2 ft) and 3.2 m (10+1⁄2 ft), while the latter ranged from just under 2 m (6+1⁄2 ft) to just under 7 m (23 ft). Finally, the version of SSP5-8.5 involving low-confidence processes has a chance of exceeding 15 m (49 ft) by then. In 2018, it was estimated that for every 5 years CO2 emissions are allowed to increase before finally peaking, the median 2300 SLR increases by the median of 20 cm (8 in), with a 5% likelihood of 1 m (3+1⁄2 ft) increase due to the same. The same estimate found that if the temperature stabilized below 2 °C (3.6 °F), 2300 sea level rise would still exceed 1.5 m (5 ft), while the early net zero and slowly falling temperatures could limit it to 70–120 cm (27+1⁄2–47 in). Measurements: Sea level changes can be driven by variations in the amount of water in the oceans, by changes in the volume of that water, or by varying land elevation compared to the sea surface. Over a consistent time period, assessments can source contributions to sea level rise and provide early indications of change in trajectory, which helps to inform adaptation plans. The different techniques used to measure changes in sea level do not measure exactly the same level. Tide gauges can only measure relative sea level, whilst satellites can also measure absolute sea level changes. To get precise measurements for sea level, researchers studying the ice and the oceans on our planet factor in ongoing deformations of the solid Earth, in particular due to landmasses still rising from past ice masses retreating, and also the Earth's gravity and rotation. Satellites: Jason-1 continued the sea surface measurements started by TOPEX/Poseidon. It was followed by the Ocean Surface Topography Mission on Jason-2, and by Jason-3. Since the launch of TOPEX/Poseidon in 1992, an overlapping series of altimetric satellites has been continuously recording the sea level and its changes. Those satellites can measure the hills and valleys in the sea caused by currents and detect trends in their height. To measure the distance to the sea surface, the satellites send a microwave pulse towards Earth and record the time it takes to return after reflecting off the ocean's surface. Microwave radiometers measure and correct the additional delay caused by water vapor in the atmosphere. Combining these data with the precisely known location of the spacecraft determines the sea-surface height to within a few centimetres (about one inch).[59] Rates of sea level rise for the period 1993–2017 have been estimated from satellite altimetry to be 3.0 ± 0.4 millimetres (1⁄8 ± 1⁄64 in) per year. Satellites are useful for measuring regional variations in sea level, such as the substantial rise between 1993 and 2012 in the western tropical Pacific. This sharp rise has been linked to increasing trade winds, which occur when the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) change from one state to the other.[61] The PDO is a basin-wide climate pattern consisting of two phases, each commonly lasting 10 to 30 years, while the ENSO has a shorter period of 2 to 7 years.Tide gauges: Between 1993 and 2018, the mean sea level has risen across most of the world ocean (blue colors). The global network of tide gauges is another important source of sea-level observations. Compared to the satellite record, this record has major spatial gaps but covers a much longer period of time. Coverage of tide gauges started primarily in the Northern Hemisphere, with data for the Southern Hemisphere remaining scarce up to the 1970s. The longest running sea-level measurements, NAP or Amsterdam Ordnance Datum established in 1675, are recorded in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In Australia, record collection is also quite extensive, including measurements by an amateur meteorologist beginning in 1837 and measurements taken from a sea-level benchmark struck on a small cliff on the Isle of the Dead near the Port Arthur convict settlement in 1841. This network was used, in combination with satellite altimeter data, to establish that global mean sea-level rose 19.5 cm (7.7 in) between 1870 and 2004 at an average rate of about 1.44 mm/yr (1.7 mm/yr during the 20th century). By 2018, data collected by Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) had shown that the global mean sea level was rising by 3.2 mm (1⁄8 in) per year, at double the average 20th century rate,[68][69] while the 2023 World Meteorological Organization report found further acceleration to 4.62 mm/yr over the 2013–2022 period.[3] Thus, these observations help to check and verify predictions from climate change simulations. Regional differences are also visible in the tide gauge data. Some are caused by the local sea level differences, while others are due to vertical land movements. In Europe for instance, only some land areas are rising while the others are sinking. Since 1970, most tidal stations have measured higher seas, but sea levels along the northern Baltic Sea have dropped due to post-glacial rebound. Past sea level rise: Changes in sea levels since the end of the last glacial episode. An understanding of past sea level is an important guide to where current changes in sea level will end up once these processes conclude. In the recent geological past, thermal expansion from increased temperatures and changes in land ice are the dominant reasons of sea level rise. The last time that the Earth was 2 °C (3.6 °F) warmer than pre-industrial temperatures was 120,000 years ago, when warming due to Milankovitch cycles (changes in the amount of sunlight due to slow changes in the Earth's orbit) caused the Eemian interglacial; sea levels during that warmer interglacial were at least 5 m (16 ft) higher than now. The Eemian warming was sustained over a period of thousands of years, and the magnitude of the rise in sea level implies a large contribution from the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets: 1139  According to Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide similar to today's ultimately increased temperature by over 2–3 °C (3.6–5.4 °F) around three million years ago. This temperature increase eventually melted one third of Antarctica's ice sheet, causing sea levels to rise 20 meters above the present values. Since the Last Glacial Maximum, about 20,000 years ago, sea level has risen by more than 125 metres (410 ft), with rates varying from less than 1 mm/year during the pre-industrial era to 40+ mm/year when major ice sheets over Canada and Eurasia melted. meltwater pulses are periods of fast sea level rise caused by the rapid disintegration of these ice sheets. The rate of sea level rise started to slow down about 8,200 years before present; sea level was almost constant for the last 2,500 years. The recent trend of rising sea level started at the end of the 19th century or at the beginning of the 20th.

Causes: A graph showing ice loss sea ice, ice shelves and land ice. Land ice loss contributetes to SLR. Earth lost 28 trillion tonnes of ice between 1994 and 2017: ice sheets and glaciers raised the global sea level by 34.6 ± 3.1 mm. The rate of ice loss has risen by 57% since the 1990s−from 0.8 to 1.2 trillion tonnes per year. The three main reasons warming causes global sea level to rise are the expansion of oceans due to heating, along with water inflow from melting ice sheets and glaciers. Sea level rise since the start of the 20th century has been dominated by retreat of glaciers and expansion of the ocean, but the contributions of the two large ice sheets (Greenland and Antarctica) are expected to increase in the 21st century. The ice sheets store most of the land ice (~99.5%), with a sea-level equivalent (SLE) of 7.4 m (24 ft 3 in) for Greenland and 58.3 m (191 ft 3 in) for Antarctica. Each year about 8 mm (5⁄16 in) of precipitation (liquid equivalent) falls on the ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland, mostly as snow, which accumulates and over time forms glacial ice. Much of this precipitation began as water vapor evaporated from the ocean surface. Some of the snow is blown away by wind or disappears from the ice sheet by melt or by sublimation (directly changing into water vapor). The rest of the snow slowly changes into ice. This ice can flow to the edges of the ice sheet and return to the ocean by melting at the edge or in the form of icebergs. If precipitation, surface processes and ice loss at the edge balance each other, sea level remains the same. However scientists have found that ice is being lost, and at an accelerating rate. Ocean heating: There has been an increase in ocean heat content during recent decades as the oceans absorb most of the excess heat created by human-induced global warming. The oceans store more than 90% of the extra heat added to Earth's climate system by climate change and act as a buffer against its effects. The amount of heat needed to increase average temperature of the entire world ocean by 0.01 °C (0.018 °F) would increase atmospheric temperature by approximately 10 °C (18 °F): a small change in the mean temperature of the ocean represents a very large change in the total heat content of the climate system. When the ocean gains heat, the water expands and sea level rises. The amount of expansion varies with both water temperature and pressure. For each degree, warmer water and water under great pressure (due to depth) expand more than cooler water and water under less pressure : 1161  Consequently cold Arctic Ocean water will expand less than warm tropical water. Because different climate models present slightly different patterns of ocean heating, their predictions do not agree fully on the contribution of ocean heating to SLR. Heat gets transported into deeper parts of the ocean by winds and currents, and some of it reaches depths of more than 2,000 m (6,600 ft). Antarctic ice loss: The large volume of ice on the Antarctic continent stores around 70% of the world's fresh water. There is constant ice discharge along the periphery, yet also constant accumulation of snow atop the ice sheet: together, these processes form Antarctic ice sheet mass balance. Warming increases melting at the base of the ice sheet, but it is likely to increase snowfall, helping offset the periphery melt even if greater weight on the surface also accelerates ice flow into the ocean. While snowfall increased over the last two centuries, no increase was found in the interior of Antarctica over the last four decades. Further, sea ice, particularly in the form of ice shelves, blocks warmer waters around the continent from coming into direct contact with the ice sheet, so any loss of ice shelves substantially increases melt raises and instability. The Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica's largest, is about the size of France and up to several hundred metres thick. Different satellite methods for measuring ice mass and change are in good agreement, and combining methods leads to more certainty about how the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, and the Antarctic Peninsula evolve. A 2018 systematic review study estimated that the average annual ice loss across the entire continent was 43 gigatons (Gt) during the period from 1992 to 2002, acceletating to an annual average of 220 Gt from 2012 to 2017.[85] The sea level rise due to Antarctica has been estimated to be 0.25 mm per year from 1993 to 2005, and 0.42 mm per year from 2005 to 2015, although there are significant year-to-year variations. In 2021, limiting global warming to 1.5 °C (2.7 °F) was projected to reduce all land ice contribution to sea level rise by 2100 from 25 cm to 13 cm (from 10 to 6 in.) compared to current mitigation pledges, with mountain glaciers responsible for half the sea level rise contribution,[86] and the fate of Antarctica the source of the largest uncertainty.[86] By 2019, several studies have attempted to estimate 2300 sea level rise caused by ice loss in Antarctica alone: they suggest 16 cm (6+1⁄2 in) median and 37 cm (14+1⁄2 in) maximum values under the low-emission scenario but a median of 1.46 m (5 ft) metres (with a minimum of 60 cm (2 ft) and a maximum of 2.89 m (9+1⁄2 ft)) under the highest-emission scenario. East Antarctica: The world's largest potential source of sea level rise is the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS). It holds enough ice to raise global sea levels by 53.3 m (174 ft 10 in)[87] Historically, it was less studied than the West Antarctica as it had been considered relatively stable, an impression that was backed up by satellite observations and modelling of its surface mass balance. However, a 2019 study employed different methodology and concluded that East Antarctica is already losing ice mass overall. All methods agree that the Totten Glacier has lost ice in recent decades in response to ocean warming and possibly a reduction in local sea ice cover. Totten Glacier is the primary outlet of the Aurora Subglacial Basin, a major ice reservoir in East Antarctica that could rapidly retreat due to hydrological processes. The global sea level potential of 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in) flowing through Totten Glacier alone is of similar magnitude to the entire probable contribution of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. The other major ice reservoir on East Antarctica that might rapidly retreat is the Wilkes Basin which is subject to marine ice sheet instability. Ice loss from these outlet glaciers is possibly compensated by accumulation gains in other parts of Antarctica. In 2022, it was estimated that the Wilkes Basin, Aurora Basin and other nearby subglacial basins are likely to have a collective tipping point around 3 °C (5.4 °F) of global warming, although it may be as high as 6 °C (11 °F), or as low as 2 °C (3.6 °F). Once this tipping point is crossed, the collapse of these subglacial basins could take place as little as 500 or as much as 10,000 years: the median timeline is 2000 years. On the other hand, the entirety of the EAIS would not be committed to collapse until global warming reaches 7.5 °C (13.5 °F) (range between 5 °C (9.0 °F) and 10 °C (18 °F)), and would take at least 10,000 years to disappear.[92][93] It is also suggested that the loss of two-thirds of its volume may require at least 6 °C (11 °F) of warming. West Antarctica: Even though East Antarctica contains the largest potential source of sea level rise, West Antarctica ice sheet (WAIS) is substantially more vulnerable. In contrast to East Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula, temperatures on West Antarctica have increased significantly with a trend between 0.08 °C (0.14 °F) per decade and 0.96 °C (1.73 °F) per decade between 1976 and 2012. Consequently, satellite observations recorded a substantial increase in WAIS melting from 1992 to 2017, resulting in 7.6 ± 3.9 mm (19⁄64 ± 5⁄32 in) of Antarctica sea level rise, with a disproportionate role played by outflow glaciers in the Amundsen Sea Embayment. In 2021, AR6 estimated that while the median increase in sea level rise from the West Antarctic ice sheet melt by 2100 is ~11 cm (5 in) under all emission scenarios (since the increased warming would intensify the water cycle and increase snowfall accumulation over the ice sheet at about the same rate as it would increase ice loss), it can conceivably contribute as much as 41 cm (16 in) by 2100 under the low-emission scenario and 57 cm (22 in) under the highest-emission one. This is because WAIS is vulnerable to several types of instability whose role remains difficult to model. These include hydrofracturing (meltwater collecting atop the ice sheet pools into fractures and forces them open), increased contact of warm ocean water with ice shelves due to climate-change induced ocean circulation changes, marine ice sheet instability (warm water entering between the seafloor and the base of the ice sheet once it is no longer heavy enough to displace the flow, causing accelerated melting and collapse) and even marine ice cliff instability (ice cliffs with heights greater than 100 m (330 ft) collapsing under their own weight once they are no longer buttressed by ice shelves). These processes do not have equal influence and are not all equally likely to happen: for instance, marine ice cliff instability has never been observed and was ruled out by some of the more detailed modelling. Thwaites Glacier, with its vulnerable bedrock topography visible.

The Thwaites and Pine Island glaciers are considered the most prone to ice sheet instability processes. Both glaciers' bedrock topography gets deeper farther inland, exposing them to more warm water intrusion into the grounding zone. Their contribution to global sea levels has already accelerated since the beginning of the 21st century, with the Thwaites Glacier now amounting to 4% of the global sea level rise. At the end of 2021, it was estimated that the Thwaites Ice Shelf can collapse in three to five years, which would then make the destabilization of the entire Thwaites glacier inevitable. The Thwaites glacier itself will cause a rise of sea level by 65 cm (25+1⁄2 in) if it will completely collapse,[107][102] although this process is estimated to unfold over several centuries. Since most of the bedrock underlying the West Antarctic Ice Sheet lies well below sea level, it is currently buttressed by Thwaites and Pine Island Glaciers, meaning that their loss would likely destabilize the entire ice sheet.[38][108] This possibility was first proposed back in the 1970s,[37] when a 1978 study predicted that anthropogenic CO2 emissions doubling by 2050 would cause 5 m (15 ft) of SLR from the rapid WAIS loss alone. Since then, improved modelling concluded that the ice within WAIS would raise the sea level by 3.3 m (10 ft 10 in). In 2022, the collapse of the entire West Antarctica was estimated to unfold over a period of about 2000 years, with the absolute minimum of 500 years (and a potential maximum of 13,000 years). At the same time, this collapse was considered likely to be triggered at around 1.5 °C (2.7 °F) of global warming and would become unavoidable at 3 °C (5.4 °F). At worst, it may have even been triggered already: subsequent (2023) research had made that possibility more likely, suggesting that the temperatures in the Amundsen Sea are likely to increase at triple the historical rate even with low or "medium" atmospheric warming and even faster with high warming. Without unexpected strong negative feedbacks emerging, the collapse of the ice sheet would become inevitable. While it would take a very long time from start to end for the ice sheet to disappear, it has been suggested that the only way to stop it once triggered is by lowering the global temperature to 1 °C (1.8 °F) below the preindustrial level; i.e. 2 °C (3.6 °F) below the temperature of 2020. Other researchers suggested that a climate engineering intervention aiming to stabilize the ice sheet's glaciers may delay its loss by centuries and give more time to adapt, although it's an uncertain proposal, and would necessarily end up as one of the most expensive projects ever attempted by humanity. Greenland ice sheet loss: Greenland 2007 melt, measured as the difference between the number of days on which melting occurred in 2007 compared to the average annual melting days from 1988 to 2006. Most ice on Greenland is part of the Greenland ice sheet which is 3 km (10,000 ft) at its thickest. Other Greenland ice forms isolated glaciers and ice caps. The sources contributing to sea level rise from Greenland are from ice sheet melting (70%) and from glacier calving (30%). Average annual ice loss in Greenland more than doubled in the early 21st century compared to the 20th century,[117] and there was a corresponding increase in SLR contribution from 0.07 mm per year between 1992 and 1997 to 0.68 mm per year between 2012 and 2017. Total ice loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet between 1992 and 2018 amounted to 3,902 gigatons (Gt) of ice, which is equivalent to the SLR of 10.8 mm.[118] The contribution for the 2012–2016 period was equivalent to 37% of sea level rise from land ice sources (excluding thermal expansion).[119] This rate of ice sheet melting is also associated with the higher end of predictions from the past IPCC assessment reports. In 2021, AR6 estimated that under the SSP1-2.6 emission scenario which largely fulfils the Paris Agreement goals, Greenland ice sheet melt adds around 6 cm (2+1⁄2 in) to global sea level rise by the end of the century, with a plausible maximum of 15 cm (6 in) (and even a very small chance of the ice sheet reducing the sea levels by around 2 cm (1 in) due to gaining mass through surface mass balance feedback). The scenario associated with the highest global warming, SSP5-8.5, would see Greenland add a minimum of 5 cm (2 in) to sea level rise, a likely median of 13 cm (5 in) cm and a plausible maximum of 23 cm (9 in). Certain parts of the Greenland ice sheet are already known to be committed to unstoppable sea level rise. Greenland's peripheral glaciers and ice caps crossed an irreversible tipping point around 1997, and will continue to melt. A subsequent study had found that the climate of the past 20 years (2000–2019) would already result of the loss of ~3.3% volume in this manner in the future, committing the ice sheet to an eventual 27 cm (10+1⁄2 in) of SLR, independent of any future temperature change.[126] There is also a global warming threshold beyond which a near-complete melting of the Greenland ice sheet occurs. Earlier research has put this threshold value as low as 1 °C (1.8 °F), and definitely no higher than 4 °C (7.2 °F) above pre-industrial temperatures.[128][26]: 1170  A 2021 analysis of sub-glacial sediment at the bottom of a 1.4 km Greenland ice core finds that the Greenland ice sheet melted away at least once during the last million years, even though the temperatures have never been higher than 2.5 °C (4.5 °F) greater than today over that period.[129][130] In 2022, it was estimated that the tipping point of the Greenland Ice Sheet may have been as low as 0.8 °C (1.4 °F) and is certainly no higher than 3 °C (5.4 °F) : there is a high chance that it will be crossed around 1.5 °C (2.7 °F). Once crossed, it would take between 1000 and 15,000 years for the ice sheet to disintegrate entirely, with the most likely estimate of 10,000 years. Mountain glacier loss: Based on national pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, global mean temperature is projected to increase by 2.7 °C (4.9 °F), which would cause loss of about half of Earth's glaciers by 2100—causing a sea level rise of 115±40 millimeters. There are roughly 200,000 glaciers on Earth, which are spread out across all continents. Less than 1% of glacier ice is in mountain glaciers, compared to 99% in Greenland and Antarctica. However, this small size also makes mountain glaciers more vulnerable to melting than the larger ice sheets. This means they have had a disproportionate contribution to historical sea level rise and are set to contribute a smaller, but still significant fraction of sea level rise in the 21st century. Observational and modelling studies of mass loss from glaciers and ice caps indicate a contribution to sea level rise of 0.2-0.4 mm per year, averaged over the 20th century. The contribution for the 2012–2016 period was nearly as large as that of Greenland: 0.63 mm of sea level rise per year, equivalent to 34% of sea level rise from land ice sources. Glaciers contributed around 40% to sea level rise during the 20th century, with estimates for the 21st century of around 30%.[4] The IPCC Fifth Assessment Report estimated that glaciers contributing 7–24 cm (3–9+1⁄2 in) to global sea levels: 1165 . In 2023, a Science paper estimated that at 1.5 °C (2.7 °F), one quarter of mountain glacier mass would be lost by 2100 and nearly half would be lost at 4 °C (7.2 °F), contributing ~9 cm (3+1⁄2 in) and ~15 cm (6 in) to sea level rise, respectively. Because glacier mass is disproportionately concentrated in the most resilient glaciers, this would in practice remove between 49% and 83% of glacier formations. It had further estimated that the current likely trajectory of 2.7 °C (4.9 °F) would result in the SLR contribution of ~11 cm (4+1⁄2 in) by 2100. Mountain glaciers are even more vulnerable over the longer term. In 2022, another Science paper estimated that almost no mountain glaciers can be expected to survive once the warming crosses 2 °C (3.6 °F), and their complete loss largely inevitable around 3 °C (5.4 °F): there is even a possibility of complete loss after 2100 at just 1.5 °C (2.7 °F). This could happen as early as 50 years after the tipping point is crossed, although 200 years is the most likely value, and the maximum is around 1000 years. Sea ice loss: Sea ice loss contributes very slightly to global sea level rise. If the melt water from ice floating in the sea was exactly the same as sea water then, according to Archimedes' principle, no rise would occur. However melted sea ice contains less dissolved salt than sea water and is therefore less dense, with a slightly greater volume per unit of mass. If all floating ice shelves and icebergs were to melt sea level would only rise by about 4 cm (1+1⁄2 in). Changes to land water storage: Human activity impacts how much water is stored on land. Dams retain large quantities of water, which is stored on land rather than flowing into the sea (even though the total quantity stored will vary somewhat from time to time). On the other hand, humans extract water from lakes, wetlands and underground reservoirs for food production, which often causes subsidence. Furthermore, the hydrological cycle is influenced by climate change and deforestation, which can lead to further positive and negative contributions to sea level rise. In the 20th century, these processes roughly balanced, but dam building has slowed down and is expected to stay low for the 21st century: 1155 . Water redistribution caused by irrigation from 1993 to 2010 caused a drift of Earth's rotational pole by 78.48 centimetres (30.90 in), causing an amount of groundwater depletion equivalent to a global sea level rise of 6.24 millimetres (0.246 in). Impacts: High tide flooding, also called tidal flooding, has become much more common in the past seven decades.[ The impacts of sea level rise include higher and more frequent high-tide and storm-surge flooding, increased coastal erosion, inhibition of primary production processes, more extensive coastal inundation, along with changes in surface water quality and groundwater. These can lead to a greater loss of property and coastal habitats, loss of life during floods and loss of cultural resources. Agriculture and aquaculture can also be impacted. There can also be loss of tourism, recreation, and transport related functions.[10]: 356  Coastal flooding impacts are exacerbated by land use changes such as urbanisation or deforestation of low-lying coastal zones. Regions that are already vulnerable to the rising sea level also struggle with coastal flooding washing away land and altering the landscape.

Because the projected extent of sea level rise by 2050 will be only slightly affected by any changes in emissions,[5] there is confidence that 2050 levels of SLR combined with the 2010 population distribution (i.e. absent the effects of population growth and human migration) would result in ~150 million people under the water line during high tide and ~300 million in places which are flooded every year—an increase of 40 and 50 million people relative to 2010 values for the same.[13][141] By 2100, there would be another 40 million people under the water line during high tide if sea level rise remains low, and 80 million for a high estimate of the median sea level rise.[13] If ice sheet processes under the highest emission scenario result in sea level rise of well over one metre (3+1⁄4 ft) by 2100, with a chance of levels over two metres (6+1⁄2 ft),[16][6]: TS-45  then as many as 520 million additional people would end up under the water line during high tide and 640 million in places which are flooded every year, when compared to the 2010 population distribution.

Major cities threatened by sea level rise. The cities indicated are under threat of even a small sea level rise (of 1.6 feet/49 cm) compared to the level in 2010. Even moderate projections indicate that such a rise will have occurred by 2060.[142][143]

Over the longer term, coastal areas are particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels, changes in the frequency and intensity of storms, increased precipitation, and rising ocean temperatures. Ten percent of the world's population live in coastal areas that are less than 10 metres (33 ft) above sea level. Furthermore, two-thirds of the world's cities with over five million people are located in these low-lying coastal areas.[144] In total, approximately 600 million people live directly on the coast around the world.[145] Cities such as Miami, Rio de Janeiro, Osaka and Shanghai will be especially vulnerable later in the century under the warming of 3 °C (5.4 °F), which is close to the current trajectory.[12][36] Altogether, LiDAR-based research had established in 2021 that 267 million people worldwide lived on land less than 2 m (6+1⁄2 ft) above sea level and that with a 1 m (3+1⁄2 ft) sea level rise and zero population growth, that number could increase to 410 million people. Even populations who live further inland may be impacted by a potential disruption of sea trade, and by migrations. In 2023, United Nations secretary general António Guterres warned that sea level rises risk causing human migrations on a "biblical scale". Sea level rise will inevitably affect ports, but the current research into this subject is limited. Not enough is known about the investments required to protect the ports currently in use, and for how they may be protected before it becomes more reasonable to build new port facilities elsewhere. Moreover, some coastal regions are rich agricultural lands, whose loss to the sea can result in food shortages elsewhere. This is a particularly acute issue for river deltas such as Nile Delta in Egypt and Red River and Mekong Deltas in Vietnam, which are disproportionately affected by saltwater intrusion into the soil and irrigation water. Ecosystems:

When seawater reaches inland, coastal plants, birds, and freshwater/estuarine fish are threatened with habitat loss due to flooding and soil/water salinization.[153] So-called ghost forests emerge when coastal forest areas become inundated with saltwater to the point no trees can survive. Starting around 2050, some nesting sites in Florida, Cuba, Ecuador and the island of Sint Eustatius for leatherback, loggerhead, hawksbill, green and olive ridley turtles are expected to be flooded, and the proportion would only increase over time. And in 2016, Bramble Cay islet in the Great Barrier Reef was inundated, flooding the habitat of a rodent named Bramble Cay melomys.[157] In 2019, it was officially declared extinct. While some ecosystems can move land inward with the high-water mark, many are prevented from migrating due to natural or artificial barriers. This coastal narrowing, sometimes called 'coastal squeeze' when considering human-made barriers, could result in the loss of habitats such as mudflats and tidal marshes. Mangrove ecosystems on the mudflats of tropical coasts nurture high biodiversity, yet they are particularly vulnerable due to mangrove plants' reliance on breathing roots or pneumatophores, which might grow to be half a metre tall.[ While mangroves can adjust to rising sea levels by migrating inland and building vertically using accumulated sediment and organic matter, they will be submerged if the rate is too rapid, resulting in the loss of an ecosystem. Both mangroves and tidal marshes protect against storm surges, waves and tsunamis, so their loss makes the effects of sea level rise worse. Human activities, such as dam building, may restrict sediment supplies to wetlands, and thereby prevent natural adaptation processes. The loss of some tidal marshes is unavoidable as a consequence. Likewise, corals, important for bird and fish life, need to grow vertically to remain close to the sea surface in order to get enough energy from sunlight. The corals have so far been able to keep up the vertical growth with the rising seas, but might not be able to do so in the future.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_level_rise

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_level_drop

Tidal range is the difference in height between high tide and low tide. Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by gravitational forces exerted by the Moon and Sun, by Earth's rotation and by centrifugal force caused by Earth's progression around the Earth-Moon barycenter. Tidal range depends on time and location. Larger tidal range occur during spring tides (spring range), when the gravitational forces of both the Moon and Sun are aligned (at syzygy), reinforcing each other in the same direction (new moon) or in opposite directions (full moon). The largest annual tidal range can be expected around the time of the equinox if it coincides with a spring tide. Spring tides occur at the second and fourth (last) quarters of the lunar phases. By contrast, during neap tides, when the Moon and Sun's gravitational force vectors act in quadrature (making a right angle to the Earth's orbit), the difference between high and low tides (neap range) is smallest. Neap tides occur at the first and third quarters of the lunar phases. Tidal data for coastal areas is published by national hydrographic offices. The data is based on astronomical phenomena and is predictable. Sustained storm-force winds blowing from one direction combined with low barometric pressure can increase the tidal range, particularly in narrow bays. Such weather-related effects on the tide can cause ranges in excess of predicted values and can cause localized flooding. These weather-related effects are not calculable in advance. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidal_range

Autumn in the Pacific Northwest, as well as in other areas, has seem to have arrived late this year. Finally, towards the middle part of october, the fall colors are starting to show and other places, and the beautiful cities parks. I remember this time last year the falll colors were just about done, so it's beautiful to be out and about early in the morning among the mist and among the cool and comforting fall air. This is such a beautiful time of year I'll tell you, and if this year's fall colors aren't as impressive as last year's or the years' before, then that's okay.

Photo of the Spokane River captured via Minolta Maxxum AF Zoom 70-210mm F/4 "Beer Can" Lens. Spokane Indian Reservation. Selkirk Mountains Range. Okanogan-Colville Xeric Valleys and Foothills section within the Northern Rockies Region. Inland Northwest. Stevens / Lincoln Counties, Washington. Late October 2022

Exposure Time: 1/5 sec. * ISO Speed: ISO-100 * Aperture: F/11 * Bracketing: None * Color Temperature: 6000 K ** Color Grading: Autumn Forest LUT 03

Logan Circle, Philadelphia

The Peco Building's Crown Lights are one of the few instances of illuminated advertising allowed in Philadelphia.

So, I managed to get back to Westminster Cathedral at a slightly better time of day with regard to the light, just around golden hour, and that afternoon sun is lightly kissing the sides of Westminster Cathedral here.

I'm really happy that I did return, as this is exactly the kind of shot I've hoped to get before but either due to weather, too many people or not having the right lens I was unable to capture.

Fitting the whole cathedral in with some of the adjacent buildings for context from this close up is again only possible thanks to the properties of the 17mm tilt shift lens. This was a 2 image vertical panorama shot handheld and then stitched in Lightroom.

Rather than moving the camera I twiddled the 'shift' knob on the lens in order to get the two vertically overlapped frames for the panorama. These always stitch much more easily and successfully than ones where you've had to swing the whole camera body up and down.

This is a rare instance of a situation where the image I had pre-visualised in my mind was pretty much what I was able to capture when I got there ...

The clouds once again were gorgeous, at times, today. There were instances when they were broken up and sweeping by nicely, but then there would a huge patch of endless clouds as well..

Just when I thought I would catch some nice broken clouds, I went out.. luckily, it was almost lunch hour at work, so it worked out in my favor.. but then, as I got by the rail tracks, those broken clouds disappeared and those endless clouds took over.. still did a long SP shot, not knowing how it had turned out..

Then, went out again in the evening just when I saw those broken clouds appear again.. only to see that when I got to the spot, the sky had turned almost clear.. how that happened, I don't know.. this is Michigan..! but, I was able to catch a couple of stray clouds passing through.

So, I got two shots and after a bit of editing, I happened to like both of them. Hence, posting both..

I should be mowing the lawn, but instead I am playing with pictures I took yesterday while really paying attention to all the spring buds and flowers. It was delightful and fragrant, but spring also makes the grass grow really fast....so 'bye for now! Thanks for all your visits, but you should be outside, with your cameras, taking a stroll though spring too. It's too good to ignore! (Like, for instance, the bug in this picture)!

This photo is just below Rainbow Falls in North Carolina. It's on a trail with a waterfall payoff at the end.

I think the word rainbow sums up those fall colors. North Carolina is famous for its autumn tones, which, as I write this, is still a couple of months away. It was nice to hike in the mountains and get a break from the humidity back home.

This is another old photo I pulled from the archives. Old images are veritable breadcrumbs leading back to forgotten details. For instance, from the picture, I recall the hike took longer than expected and, was a little more strenuous. So when we got back to the hotel, we ate pasta and dinner rolls, leaving only, ...you guessed it, breadcrumbs.

"And if you think of Brick, for instance,

and you say to Brick,

"What do you want Brick?"

And Brick says to you

"I like an Arch."

And if you say to Brick

"Look, arches are expensive,

and I can use a concrete lentil over you.

What do you think of that?"

"Brick?"

Brick says:

"... I like an Arch"

LOUIS KAHN

.

"...At heart, I am a Byzantine..."

CARLO SCARPA

.

.

.

photo:

byzantine masonry

St. Nicholas Church at Curtea de Arges, Romania

Biserica Sf. Nicolae Domnesc (Curtea Domnească )

Curtea de Arges

1340-1376

[built probably by master builders from Constantinople,

for the Princely Court of Basarab I of Wallachia]

www.monumenteromania.ro/index.php/monumente/detalii/en/Bi...

ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biserica_Domneasc%C4%83_Sf._Nicolae...

UNESCO World Heritage list submission:

whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/545/

other images of this church

www.flickr.com/photos/fusion_of_horizons/tags/bisericasfn...

another instance of me running out of time taking photos before a forzathon live event

i bet this photo is similar to a lot of earlier better ones, I'm just thankful that no one who was doing donuts out of shot left tyre marks to ruin it

Beurs van Berlage 07/03/2022 15h40

The wall at Beursplein of the Beurs van Berlage in the center of Amserdam.

A photo especially taken and uploaded for the Wednesday Walls Group.

Beurs van Berlage

The Beurs van Berlage is a building on the Damrak, in the centre of Amsterdam. It was designed as a commodity exchange by architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage and constructed between 1896 and 1903. It influenced many modernist architects, in particular functionalists and the Amsterdam School. It is now used as a venue for concerts, exhibitions and conferences.

The building is constructed of red brick, with an iron and glass roof, and stone piers, lintels and corbels. Its entrance is under a 40-metre (130 ft) high clock tower, while inside lie three large multi-storey halls formerly used as trading floors, with offices and communal facilities grouped around them.

The aim of the architect was to modify the styles of the past by emphasizing sweeping planes and open plan interiors. It has stylistic similarities with some earlier buildings, for instance St Pancras station and the work of H. H. Richardson in America, or the Castell dels Tres Dragons, Barcelona, by Lluís Domènech i Montaner. True to its nineteenth-century roots, it maintains the use of ornament in a civic structure.

On 2 February 2002 the civil ceremony of the wedding of King Willem-Alexander and Máxima Zorreguieta took place in the Beurs van Berlage.

The Beurs van Berlage has a café located on the Beursplein side and the tower is also open to the public.

[ Wikipedia - Beurs van Berlage ]

swiss alps

Or the ceiling in this instance. Back to the start of December for this particular photo, I seem to have quite a backlog of photos which I could post at the moment. However I've been neglecting this page to a certain extent of late (and Flickr in general), Instagram seems to get more of my attention these days due to some really good friends I've made on there. Anyhoo happy Tuesday everyone 💋

R.B.K. is a landscape-oriented oil painting with a wooden support and frame that depicts a seated figure on the right facing towards a rectangular framed area in the centre of the painting. The scene is represented in bright colours in a loose style that appears fully abstract in places. Eight bands, each comprising three stripes in blue, pale green and dark green paint, run diagonally in roughly parallel bands across the painting’s foreground, as if the scene were viewed through a series of slats. The figure is depicted with a curvaceous body in various tones of blue, and its face, which appears as if silhouetted against a bright yellow shape, is partly obscured by one of the diagonal bands. The area on the left towards which the figure turns is framed with a dark blue outline and has a green and yellow rhomboid on its far side, suggesting that it represents an open door or a window shutter. Within this rectangular window or door area sits a largely abstract composition, although one of the shapes it contains resembles a flat red heart shape. The work’s pine frame is painted red along its top, while the rest is coloured light green.

This work was painted by the British artist Howard Hodgkin during 1969 and 1970, while he was living and working in London. Its support comprises a single sheet of plywood that has been pinned and glued to four outer battens. This is fitted into a rebated groove on the inside of the pine frame, with a metal plate securing it in each corner. The plywood was initially primed with a very dry, thin white layer possibly comprising chalk and animal glue, after which paint was loosely applied across the work in multiple layers. The diagonal stripes were painted last, over the top of the existing forms underneath, and the paint is generally opaque in colour and matt in finish throughout the work.

R.B.K. is a portrait of the well-known American painter R.B. Kitaj (Ronald Brooks Kitaj), a friend of Hodgkin’s who was also based in London during the 1960s and 1970s. Many of Hodgkin’s works from the this time are portraits of figures from the British art world, including artists, critics and dealers, yet many of these show their sitters in ambiguous environments and with a colourful abstraction that makes them difficult to identify, as is seen in R.B.K. as well as Mrs Nicholas Monro 1966–9 (Tate T01117) and Mr and Mrs E.J.P. 1969–73 (Tate T07111).

Since the early 1970s Hodgkin’s paintings have almost exclusively been executed on wooden supports (see, for instance, Come into the Garden, Maud 2000–3, Tate T12322). The critic Michael Auping has suggested that R.B.K. may have been the first work to be produced in this way, Hodgkin’s paintings until that point having generally been executed on canvas (Michael Auping, ‘A Long View’, in Metropolitan Museum of Art 1996, p.17). In 1984 Hodgkin explained that one reason for his starting to paint on wood was that unlike canvas it ‘has such a character of its own. In a piece of wood with grain ... you get these beautiful wave patterns ... there is already something to work with – either with or against. It has an identity already. Whereas a white canvas is just a piece of white canvas, it hasn’t any identity or will of its own at all’ (Howard Hodgkin and Patrick Caulfield, ‘Howard Hodgkin and Patrick Caulfield in Conversation’, Art Monthly, no.78, July/August 1984, p.5). This statement seems particularly relevant to R.B.K. given that when viewed in person, the grain of its frame is visible through the paint.

R.B.K. was also among the first of many works in which Hodgkin painted his frames in colours that featured in the main composition of the painting. As the director of Tate Nicholas Serota has observed, this has the effect that in Hodgkin’s works ‘the frame is not something to be added as protection or separation once the painting has been completed’ but is an integral component of the work (Nicholas Serota, ‘Introduction’, in Irish Museum of Modern Art 2006, p.13). The critic James Meyer has argued that Hodgkin’s emphasis on the frame has allowed him simultaneously to emphasise the physical ‘thingness’ of his works and the ‘transparency’ evoked through their pictorial depth (James Meyer, ‘Hodgkin’s Body’, in Irish Museum of Modern Art 2006, p.49). Discussing R.B.K. in particular, Meyer has claimed that the painting highlights this combination through a complicated play of surface and recession: ‘the literal frame functions as a window revealing the sitter ... through a screen of diagonal bars. In the distance, a window frames yet another scene’ (Meyer 2006, p.49).

L’administration allemande construit cet imposant édifice à partir de 1899, à proximité de la prison et du tribunal régional.

Son architecture influencée par le style gothique tardif et celui de la Renaissance, affiche une grande diversité et une grande abondance décorative : gargouilles, garde-corps ajourés, nombreux éléments sculptés aux thématiques variées, baies de différentes formes et tailles, grilles en fer forgé ...

L’intérieur n'en est pas moins intéressant, avec ses vitraux, ses lustres en fer forgé suspendus à des becs d'oiseaux et ses sculptures évoquant la justice et ce qu'elle doit être : « une main de fer dans un gant de velours ». (Architecte Édouard Schimpf)

Sony A7RII Fine Art Zion National Park Autumn Winter Subway Hike! Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape Photography!

An important thing to remember is that even though pixel sizes keep getting smaller and smaller, the technology is advancing, so the smaller pixels are more efficient at collecting light. For instance, the Sony A7rII is back-illuminated which allows more photons to hit the sensor. Semiconductor technology is always advancing, so the brilliant engineers are always improving the signal/noise ratio. Far higher pixel counts, as well as better dynamic ranger, are thus not only possible, but the future!

Yes I have a Ph.D. in physics! I worked on phototranistors and photodiodes as well as an artificial retina for the blind. :)

You can read more about my own physics theory (dx4/dt=ic) here: herosodysseyphysics.wordpress.com/

And follow me on instagram! @45surf

instagram.com/45surf

Facebook!

www.facebook.com/elliot.mcgucken

www.facebook.com/45surfAchillesOdysseyMythology

Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Photography!

I love shooting fine art landscapes and fine art nature photography! :) I live for it!

45surf fine art!

Feel free to ask me any questions! Always love sharing tech talk and insights! :)

And all the best on Your Epic Hero's Odyssey!

The new Lightroom rocks!

Beautiful magnificent clouds!

View your artistic mission into photography as an epic odyssey of heroic poetry! Take it from Homer in Homer's Odyssey: "Tell me, O muse, of that ingenious hero who travelled far and wide after he had sacked the famous town of Troy. Many cities did he visit, and many were the nations with whose manners and customs he was acquainted; moreover he suffered much by sea while trying to save his own life and bring his men safely home; but do what he might he could not save his men, for they perished through their own sheer folly in eating the cattle of the Sun-god Hyperion; so the god prevented them from ever reaching home. Tell me, too, about all these things, O daughter of Jove, from whatsoever source you may know them. " --Samuel Butler Translation of Homer's Odyssey

All the best on your Epic Hero's Odyssey from Johnny Ranger McCoy!

Sony A7RII Fine Art Zion National Park Autumn Winter Subway Hike! Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Landscape Photography! Sony A7R2 & Sony 16-35mm Vario-Tessar T FE F4 ZA OSS E-Mount Lens!

fine art landscape photography,fine art photography, fine art photographer, elliot mcgucken photography, landscapes, fine art landscape, landscape, landscape photography

© Ben Heine || Facebook || Twitter || www.benheine.com

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A scenery I recently captured from Santorini island, in Greece.

The above photo has been shot with the Samsung NX10

Santorini also known as Thera is a volcanic island located in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km (120 mi) southeast from Greece's mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago which bears the same name. It forms the southernmost member of the Cyclades group of islands, with an area of approximately 73 km2 (28 sq mi) and a 2001 census population of 13,670. It is composed of the Municipality of Thira (pop. 12,440) and the Community of Oía (pop. 1,230). These have a total land area of 90.623 km2 (34.990 sq mi), which also includes the uninhabited islands of Nea Kameni, Palaia Kameni, Aspronisi, and Christiana (all part of the Municipality of Thira).

Santorini is essentially what remains of an enormous volcanic explosion, destroying the earliest settlements on what was formerly a single island, and leading to the creation of the current geological caldera.

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For more information about my art: info@benheine.com

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Just a Dream

A poem by Peter S. Quinn

Just a dream in the far-off glow

Drifting in time's infinity

Gleaming mist in horizon slow

Everything comes there to be

Weaving the ocean on and on

Dreams of its being in trance

Till those hours forever are gone

On to the color verve blanch

Daydreams of the evening sky

Playfully giving and waking

Reaching to dusk Greek lullaby

And to memories forever making

Breathing and torching leaving day

As it goes on to the night

In every shade and feelings play

That for a moment has flight

Like love boat on oceans past

Traveling on to the evermore

Times on the hillsides are lost

Thru its wandering on to shore

Billows that play in the deep

Giving and taking of their feel

Some instances is ours to keep

Before they again become unreal

This is a repost of an image I initially posted in February of 2014. I edited this instance by simply rotating it 90º to make it work as the new banner. Let's see how it looks!

Here's an image from my 2014 archives!

This stretch lace minidress does let me show off my legs quite well! I hope you like the view!

I'm sometimes a little modest with what I wear but I do like to tease you too! This stretch lace minidress gives both you and me the best of both!

This black stretch lace minidress is from a new vendor I've discovered, sinsofskin.com! They have the type of minidresses that I like, their prices aren't too high and their selections is pretty varied too!

I've matched my new minidress up with my nude Bodywrappers Under Wraps Microfiber Camisole leotard from nydancewear.com, super shiny Platino Luxe 40 denier pantyhose from shapings.oom over Hanes Alive Barely There pantyhose from onehanesplace.com and finished off with my black open toe T-strap platform pumps from venus.com

To see more pix of me in other tight, sexy and revealing outfits click this link:www.flickr.com/photos/kaceycdpix/sets/72157623668202157/

To see more pix of me wearing other sheer & see through clothing click this link: www.flickr.com/photos/kaceycdpix/sets/72157622319095237/

To see more pix of me showing off my legs click this link: www.flickr.com/photos/kaceycdpix/sets/72157623668202157/

To see more pix of me in my Little Black Dresses click this link: www.flickr.com/photos/kaceycdpix/sets/72157615355440906/

To see more pix of me wearing super shiny Platino pantyhose click this link: www.flickr.com/photos/kaceycdpix/sets/72157633156315924

DSC_1321-1-1

Tomorrowland continues to be one of my favorite locations in Walt Disney World to photograph. There's just so much going on and all the different colors lend to photos that pop. I love the cool steel look that goes along with that as well. Having said that I certainly feel there are elements of Tomorrowland that could be refreshed. For instance I would really love to see the Speedway eliminated and use that huge land plot for some kind of new exciting E-Ticket ride. The Laugh Floor is another attraction that while I'm sure many people enjoy is one I skip every single trip. Obviously a replacement here would be welcome. Also viewing some of the other Tomorrowland entrances around the world I am really drawn to the look of Japan's Tomorrowland. It is futuristic but in a timeless way that I feel the Walt Disney World version does not have. I'd love to see a stylistic refresh of that sort brought to Walt Disney World here in the states.

Shot Details

This was once again a 5 shot bracket taken with my Nikon D810 and Nikon 14-24 2.8. I had a good base exposure and used multiple under exposures to blend in the various highlights in the scene. Tomorrowland can be tricky with all the brightly lit signs and neon to get just right. It is very easy to blow something out and not be able to recover it convincingly. One thing that can help is metering off one of the brightest lit signs and starting your exposure bracketing from that point. Doing this will guarantee you'll have your brightest points properly exposed for. This is good because recovering shadows is always much much easier than recovering highlights, especially so on Nikon. Once the detail is blown there is no getting it back.

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TheTimeTheSpace - My Portfolio | Facebook | Tumblr | Instagram | Twitter | www.travelnoob.net | Institute of Disney Photography

shinjuku, tokyo

9:58 pm

In some instances, a world spiraling out of control can be a beautiful thing. I made this capture of a magnificent spiral stairway at a local winery by lying on my back and shooting up 3 stories into the dome of the silo. A very wide-angle lens was required to get all of the subject into the composition, as the space was very high and considerably constricted width-

wise. This abstract rendering was what I came up with. It will have to do until next time, when I may pull another lie-down treatment out of the bag.

“We Slytherins are brave, yes, but not stupid. For instance, given the choice, we will always choose to save our own necks.”

― Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

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CS // Pose HERMIIONE SET with wand

Usagi Society - Lazuli Hair

((Seishin)) Hoguwatsu Uniform

:uzu: havy rain gacha - long socks & loafer (black)

JIAN Barn Owl Collection

TROPIX // Knockturn Borgin and Burkes 02

The Ion Mystic Forms - Geometric Symbolism Part II - The Symbolic Duality Of The Circle by Daniel Arrhakis (2022)

The circle represents limitless things, among them eternity, unity, God, sanctity, infinity, and wholeness.

Unity – In some cultures, when people want to come together and support one another, they form a circle.

Monotheism (God) – Several cultures view the circle as a symbol of the existence of the one and only God they subscribe to. For instance, Christians refer to God as the alpha and omega, which means the beginning and the end. In this case, God is seen as a complete circle. In Islam, Monotheism is represented by a circle with God at the center.

Infinity – The circle is a representation of infinity because it has no end. It symbolizes universal energy and the continuity of the soul. The ancient Egyptians chose the ring worn on the finger as a way to symbolize the eternal union between a couple, a practice we still carry on to this day.

Sanctity – This symbolic meaning is seen in Judeo-Christianity, where deities and people considered holy are presented with haloes around the heads.

Heavens – This meaning comes from Chinese symbology, which uses the circle as a representation of heaven.

Containment – With the aspect of protection also comes containment. A circle is a representation of keeping contained what is inside. A good example of this is a ring; whether it is a wedding ring, religious or cultic, the ring stands for a pledge of fidelity.

With the powerful symbolism associated with the circle, it’s no wonder there exist numerous symbols and artifacts resembling circles and shapes. Some of these symbols include: The Enso, The Ouroboros, The Flower Of Life, The Mandela, The Yin And Yang, etc.

In the Mystical World of Ion The Circle and or the Sphere have a symbolic duality: Creation and Destruction.

The circle is often symbolized in the Mystic World of Ion by the shell of a nautilus and represents infinity, eternity, the notion of God as a universal spirit, the beginning and end of timeless cycles that renew themselves in infinite realities, the circle of generations, the light that illuminates the darkness, the universal knowledge of all things unattainable and immeasurable.

The prevailing scientific theory on the origins of the universe posits that everything began with a Big Bang.

In the moment after, a vast array of fundamental particles such as neutrons, electrons and protons were swimming around in a dark, invisible primordial soup.

In the beginning there was no light. ”The free electrons would have caused light (photons) to scatter the way sunlight scatters from the water droplets in clouds,” according to NASA. But over thousands of years, as the temperature cooled, the free electrons joined nuclei and created neutral atoms. This process eventually allowed light to shine through about 380,000 years after the Big Bang.

In other words, in the beginning, everything was dark for a long, long time. Then there was light, this sounds pretty similar to what’s written in the Bible !

All of existence started with an explosion from one point that is continually multiplying, according to Jewish mysticism.

we can see a strong relationship between the contemporary Big Bang theory and the Kabbalistic notion that the universe burst forth from a single point, which in mystical terms is the limitless light of the divine, or Infinite, known as the “Ein Sof" (“no end”).

So the divine, or god, is just another word for infinity.

The notion of darkness containing light described in mysticism also illuminates black holes, places in space where gravity’s pull is so strong that even light can’t escape. As NASA explains, the gravity in a black hole has such a forceful pull because matter is compressed into a tiny space.

Scientists believe that when the universe began, small black holes also formed. We can’t see black holes with the naked eye, but we know they exist because of the effect they exert on the stars orbiting near them. Black holes bend light toward them.

In Kabbalah, a hole is called “rah,” meaning “evil” in Hebrew. Holes are portals from the domain of good to that of evil that suck up matter, energy, and knowledge from the universe.

In some cosmological models that black holes could be wormholes—portals to parallel universes, which is similar to the kabbalistic concept of holes as an entryway to “the other side.”

The Mystical World of Ion has cosmological or universal pantheistic vision, God or the Universal Spirit is present in all things, whether animate or inanimate.

In this view God is not the absolute creator but a universal spirituality that can be found throughout the cosmos, in every physical and chemical manifestation, in every element of nature and is everywhere, for he is the whole, universal and infinite. So he is creation itself.

In Ion's Mystical World Conception the notion of the Devil does not exist, he is a creation of man to try to justify his own misfortunes.

However, there is the notion of Primordial Chaos, the Infinite Void as well as Absolute Darkness often materialized in ignorance as a powerful force against organization, knowledge and light.

If God has an infinite and universal dimension, then so does absolute darkness, having been by this order of ideas earlier, older and omnipotent to a certain point - at least until the Light appears!

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As Formas Místicas de Ion - Simbolismo Geométrico Parte II - A Dualidade Simbólica do Círculo por Daniel Arrhakis (2022)

O círculo representa coisas ilimitadas, entre elas eternidade, unidade, Deus, santidade, infinidade e totalidade.

Unidade – Em algumas culturas, quando as pessoas querem se unir e se apoiar umas às outras, elas formam um círculo.

Monoteísmo (Deus) – Várias culturas veem o círculo como um símbolo da existência do único Deus que elas subscrevem. Por exemplo, os cristãos se referem a Deus como o alfa e o ômega, que significa o começo e o fim. Neste caso, Deus é visto como um círculo completo. No Islão, o monoteísmo é representado por um círculo com Deus no centro.

Infinito – O círculo é uma representação do infinito porque não tem fim. Simboliza a energia universal e a continuidade da alma. Os antigos egípcios escolheram o anel usado no dedo como forma de simbolizar a união eterna entre um casal, prática que continuamos até hoje.

Santidade – Este significado simbólico é visto no judaísmo-cristianismo, onde divindades e pessoas consideradas sagradas são apresentadas com auréolas em redor da cabeça.

Céus – Esse significado vem da simbologia chinesa, que usa o círculo como representação do céu.

Contenção – Com o aspeto de proteção também vem a contenção. Um círculo é uma representação de manter contido o que está dentro. Um bom exemplo disso é um anel; seja um anel de casamento, religioso ou cultual, o anel representa uma promessa de fidelidade mas também de proteção e segurança.

Com o poderoso simbolismo associado ao círculo, não é de admirar que existam inúmeros símbolos e artefactos semelhantes a círculos e formas. Alguns desses símbolos incluem: O Enso( Ensō (円相) é uma palavra japonesa que significa “círculo” e é um conceito fortemente associado com o Zen Budismo), O Ouroboros (um símbolo místico que representa o conceito da eternidade, através da figura de uma serpente ou dragão que morde a própria cauda), A Flor da Vida, A Mandala, O Yin E Yang, etc.

No Mundo Místico de Íon O Círculo e ou a Esfera têm uma dualidade simbólica: Criação e Destruição.

O círculo é muitas vezes também simbolizado no Mundo Místico de Ion pela concha de um náutilo e representa o infinito, a eternidade, a noção de Deus como um espírito universal, o início e o fim de ciclos intemporais que se renovam em realidades infinitas, o círculo das gerações , a luz que ilumina as trevas, o conhecimento universal de todas as coisas inatingíveis e imensuráveis.

A teoria científica predominante sobre as origens do universo postula que tudo começou com um Big Bang.

No momento seguinte, uma vasta gama de partículas fundamentais, como neutrões, eletrões e protões, nadavam em uma sopa primordial escura e invisível.

No início não havia luz. “Os eletrões livres teriam causado a dispersão da luz (fotões) da mesma forma que a luz solar se espalha nas gotículas de água nas nuvens”, segundo a NASA. Mas ao longo de milhares de anos, à medida que a temperatura esfriou, os eletrões livres juntaram-se aos núcleos e criaram átomos neutros. Esse processo acabou permitindo que a luz brilhasse cerca de 380.000 anos após o Big Bang.

Em outras palavras, no começo, tudo era escuridão por muito, muito tempo. Então houve luz, isso soa-nos bem parecido com o que está escrito na Bíblia!

Toda a existência começou com uma explosão de um ponto que se foi multiplicando continuamente, de acordo com o misticismo judaico.

Podemos ver uma forte relação entre a teoria contemporânea do Big Bang e a noção cabalística de que o universo irrompeu de um único ponto, que em termos místicos é a luz ilimitada do divino, ou Infinito, conhecido como “Ein Sof” (“ sem fim”).

Assim, o divino, ou Deus, é apenas outra palavra para infinito.

A noção de escuridão contendo luz descrita no misticismo, também ilumina buracos negros, lugares no espaço onde a força da gravidade é tão forte que nem a luz pode escapar. Como a NASA explica, a gravidade num buraco negro tem uma força muito forte porque a matéria é comprimida num espaço minúsculo.

Os cientistas acreditam que quando o universo começou, pequenos buracos negros também se formaram. Não podemos ver buracos negros a olho nu, mas sabemos que eles existem por causa do efeito que exercem nas estrelas que orbitam perto deles. Buracos negros desviam a luz em direção a eles.

Na Cabala, um buraco é chamado de “rah”, que significa “mal” em hebraico. Buracos são portais do domínio do bem ao do mal que sugam matéria, energia e conhecimento do universo.

Em alguns modelos cosmológicos, os buracos negros podem ser buracos de minhoca (wormholes) – portais para universos paralelos, o que é semelhante ao conceito cabalístico de buracos como uma porta de entrada para “o outro lado”.

O Mundo Místico de Ion tem uma visão cosmológica ou panteísta universal, Deus ou o Espírito Universal está presente em todas as coisas, sejam animadas ou inanimadas.

Nessa visão, Deus não é o criador absoluto, mas uma espiritualidade universal que pode ser encontrada em todo o cosmos, em cada manifestação física e química, em cada elemento da natureza e está em toda parte, pois ele é o todo, universal e infinito. Então ele é a própria criação.

Na Conceção do Mundo Místico de Íon a noção do Diabo não existe, ele é uma criação do homem para tentar justificar seus próprios infortúnios.

No entanto, existe a noção de Caos Primordial, o Vazio Infinito, bem como a Escuridão Absoluta, muitas vezes materializada na ignorância como uma força poderosa contra a organização, o conhecimento e a luz.

Se Deus tem uma dimensão infinita e universal, então a escuridão absoluta também tem, o que pela ordem das ideias explicadas anteriormente, é assim mais antiga e omnipotente até certo ponto - pelo menos até que a Luz apareceu!

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Background landscape made with AI Art Generator Using NightCafe Studio's Online and light textures made with Amberlight 2.

Elements from stock images and images of mine.

"Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

I just thought the quote was appropriate for that "stubborn" shadow. :)

I am trying to make my way through your streams my friends. I eventually will get the hang of moving around well enough again, some time soon. I hope. Have a great day!

Copyright © GeDelaCruzPhotography. All Rights Reserved.

I see this lady walk past my front door every day, with the same smile on her face.

For the past 83 years, and despite of a hard life in the fields, her happiness is written in her wrinkles. I have rarely met someone as happy and at peace with oneself.

A true inspiration...

This year, the weather in our globe is very un-predictable. One instance it is spring.

On another day is winter back again. With the weather changing dramatically, it is very easy for people to get sick & feel low on the emotional cycle.

I have been observing the plants' flower's boomming & their cycle of becoming fruit's. I found out that plant's are very much affected by the hot & cold ; especially it change between a single day of more than 20-40 degree F.

The Bees' are dying as well for the reason of too much disturbances from the cell phones frequencies according to some bio-scientists. I would like to comment that the dramatically change of the day & night temperature would have cause the death of the bees.

Thus, it would be more difficult for plants' to harvest fruits.

With these in mind. We have to think seriously about the effect of Global warming & to take action & rectified the situation now; before it is too late.

So Go Green...

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This image was taken with wind speed 15mph.

Pirated, poorly applied instances of my designs brought to you care of SCAmazon 1 of x (with x being a large number I'm afraid)

Some of these would be laughable if there weren't so many of them - and if they didn't mean so much work by me to issue take down notices - costing time & energy that could be better spent doing other things.

Flickr Spoonflower Discussion Group on the issues here: Copyright Issues on Amazon

And here's yet another designer grappling with the same issue of Spoonflower theft on Amazon: karapeters.design/copyright/

The irony is that Spoonflower - my publisher - hosts its designs on AWS - yet has no business-to-business relationship that could protect its investment. I guess that's the free market for you! Meanwhile Jeff Bezos buys a $114m house! Nice one Jeff!

[Poorly pirated stolen care of SCAmazon_1ofx]

In all these instances, the Hebrew word for “mercy” is hesed, which has the connotation of undeserved kindness or grace. In Exodus 34, the word for “merciful” is rachom, derived from rechem (“ womb”), and implies caring for another in the way that a woman cares for the child in her womb. The pervasive sense that Scripture gives of God’s maternal compassion makes the fifth Beatitude a summons to imitate it.

-Evolving humanity and biblical wisdom : reading scripture through the lens of Teilhard de Chardin, Marie Noonan Sabin.

The series of deep combs, that characterize the northeast-facing aspect of this range, are sadly not visible here.

The light, in this instance, was of that magical, fleeting quality that makes all efforts worthwhile.

yet another instance where it's hard to compete with the pros, but I'm happy I got to take a shot at it

I went into today anticipating 1/4000s shutter speeds and ended up with sub 1/100s for most of my shots because of the heavy cloud cover.

Fortunately by combining multiple images I was able to blur out the clouds and get a clearer view of the sun.

it's what I do :)

We were both in our cars. Parked outside a local supermarket. She must have sensed my lens, peering at her and the light of her mobile phone. She turned her head, just for an instance...

La Rochelle...

Are you a cat owner who wouldn't fathom living without your feline friend, but have become frustrated with its recent "spraying" issues?

bit.ly/MyCatSpraying

Are you at your wits end trying to figure out how to find a solution? Look no further.

bit.ly/MyCatSpraying

Cat Spraying No More is a system that has all you need to understand why your cat is doing what it's doing, and how to bring about a peaceful solution that will not only fix the problem, but will serve to bring you closer to your cat.

bit.ly/MyCatSpraying

Spraying, or peeing, around the house is a big no-no, for obvious reasons; and sometimes, cats that regularly use their litter box turn to other areas of the house to urinate or spray. As a result, owners tend to focus on the issue of the mis-targeted urination, rather than on why the behavior is occurring - the key element to Cat Spraying No More.

bit.ly/MyCatSpraying

The Cat Spraying No More System carefully outlines various scenarios of unwanted spraying and targets possible causes in an easy to understand and well-laid out format. The system eases the reader into the topic and playfully chides with owners about the author's own unfortunate experiences, how the author was able to overcome them, and how you can, too.

bit.ly/MyCatSpraying

The author's encouraging voice helps cat owners understand their cats better. There are underlying reasons for why cats do what they do, and when things are not quite right, they react. This system helps cat owners understand their cats better by discussing reasons why cats urinate outside their litter box.

bit.ly/MyCatSpraying

It then outlines a system for owners to follow, based on their specific situation, so results are targeted and more effective. Depending on each scenario, there are detailed step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow. The author guides cat owners with reassurance and support.

bit.ly/MyCatSpraying

Some of the major plus points behind Cat Spraying No More are:

Saving money and time. No more carpet cleaning, upholstery shampooing and time wasted finding these incidents and attending to them.

Tricks you can use to get your cat to "like" its litter box again. This system helps you direct your cat back to using the litter box, on its own, without force.

A home free of stress and smell. Once you see how easy it is to get your cat back on track with this system, your home will be cleaner, you’ll be less stressed, and everyone will be happier. Trust me.

Helpful hints to effectively clean up the misfires. The system provides detailed instructions on clever concoctions that will effectively and permanently clean accident areas so you never know they existed.

Four bonus guides to boost your knowledge of caring for your cat:

Cat Training Bible

101 Recipes for a Healthy Cat

The Cat Care Blueprint

Pet Medical Recorder Software

bit.ly/MyCatSpraying

An affordable and easy system to follow. Nothing in this system is overly expensive or difficult to execute. It also comes with a 60-day money back guarantee.

On the negative side, the following are points to consider before purchasing this system:

This system is not a perfect solution for 100% of cases (of bad cat behaviors). While the system is effective in 95% of the cases, there are instances in which the system does not work.

Results may differ. As long as the system is used as instructed results are generally achieved very fast, however if the system is not followed properly, little to no results are experienced.

bit.ly/MyCatSpraying

In Conclusion

There really is no risk in trying out this product. With a no questions asked money-back guarantee, if things don't work out as you expected you get what you paid back.

Without risking anything, you will give yourself and your cat a chance to fix what's wrong and grow a little closer in the process. It's a deal worth every penny.

bit.ly/MyCatSpraying

My inspiration song for this pictur:

SCHAMANISCHES Tribal Drum Journey

Message for you:

Even when the wolf sometimes disappears deep into the forest, he always finds his way back home. May the power animal Wolf guide and lead you because in the last instance we will always follow the call of our soul.

Together we go our Soul Path the Queen of Swords and the Wolf as companions you will meet again and again and strengthen each other's backs because that is the deal and the goal.

Botschaft für dich:

Auch wenn der Wolf manchmal tief im Wald verschwindet findet er immer wieder den Weg nach Hause zurück. Möge das Krafttier Wolf dich leiten und führen, denn in letzter Instanz werden wir immer dem Ruf unserer Seele folgen.

Gemeinsam gehen wir unseren Seelenweg, die Königin der Schwerter und der Wolf als Gefährten werden sie sich immer wieder begegnen und sich gegenseitig den Rücken stärken denn das ist der Deal und das Ziel.

How we see echother:

Lina Bó - So wie du bist

Ich und Du - Anna Depenbusch & Mark Forster

Egzod & Maestro Chives - Royalty

Sam Tinnesz - Leading The Pack

Chosen One - Valley of Wolves

Valley Of Wolves - Take It All

WAR*HALL - Ready or Not

Soul Mates enter your life some stay for just one page others for a whole chapter and then there are those who are there for the whole story.♥

Since we have met each other I have always seen us as very polarizing and as strong personalities, two alphas who respect each other even if we sometimes snarl at each other.

Like the Bremerstadt musicians we couldn't be more different but we are connected from cradle to grave by a strong bond.

We are there for each other come what may and YES come what may.

We are never alone on the path we each take. I was allowed to grow on and with you and that is incredibly valuable to me. ♥

We know each other for what feels like an eternity now and I am incredibly grateful that you are a part of my life. You make my life more colorful and even more worth living.♥

Thank you for being exactly the way you are because in my eyes you shine in all your facets and it is pure joy to be able to experience this. Friends like us are very rare and I appreciate this gift very much.♥ Together we accompany each other on our way and Yes I am proud to have a friend like you at my side!

I am glad that you wash my head from time to time ^^ and still let me be who I am. ♥

You strengthen me and give me the courage to handle everything because you simply believe in me, thank you for that. ♥♥♥♥♥

Thank you for all the emotional and wonderful moments I was able to experience with you, whether good or bad, both are part of it. ♥

I have found my best friend in you because you are friend and girlfriend in one what could I wish for more ^^

Love you my BBF Friends for Ever SL & RL ♥

Seelen Gefährten treten in dein Leben einige bleiben für nur eine Seite andere für ein ganzes Kapitel und dann gibt es noch die die während der ganzen Geschichte dabei sind.♥

Seit wir uns getroffen haben, habe ich uns immer als sehr polarisierende und starke Persönlichkeiten gesehen zwei Alphas die sich gegenseitig respektieren, auch wenn wir uns manchmal anknurren.

Wie die Bremerstadtmusikannten könnten wir unterschielicher nicht sein und dennoch verbindet uns ein starkes Band denn von der Wiege bis zur Bare sind wir alle miteinander verbunden.

Wir sind für einander da komme was wolle und JA wolle was da komme.

Überwegs auf dem jeweiligen Weg den jeder einschlägt sind wir nie alleine. Ich durfte an und mit dir wachsen und das ist mir wahnsinnig viel wert.♥

Wir kennen uns nun schon eine gefühlte Ewichkeit und ich bin unglaublich dankbar das du ein Teil meines Lebens bist. Du machst mein Leben bunter und noch lebenswerter.♥

Danke das du genau so bist wie du bist den den in meinen Augen strahlst du in all deinen Facetten und es ist die Pure Freude das miterleben zu dürfen. Freunde wie wir es sind sind sehr selten und ich weiss dieses Geschenk sehr zu schätzen.♥ Gemeinsam begleiten wir uns auf unserem Weg und Yes ich bin stoltz einen Freund wie dich an meiner Siete zu haben!

Ich bin froh das du mir ab und an den Kopf wäschst ^^ und mich dennoch so sein lässt wie ich bin. ♥

Du stärkst mich und gibst mir den Mut alles in Agriff zu nehmen weil du einfach an mich Glaubst danke dafür. ♥♥♥♥♥

Danke für all die Emotionalen und wundervollen Momente die ich mit dir erleben durfte ob nun gut oder schlecht beides gehört dazu. ♥

Ich habe in dir meinen besten Freund gefunden denn du bist Freund und Freundin in einem was will man mehr ^^

Love you mein Bester Friends for Ever SL & RL ♥

There are several instances when long hood forward locomotives are the better choice, and this is one of them. Not because the 4619, a first gen GP9, was set up to run LHF, not for dramatic effect, either, but because the other short hood end is really ugly. This old veteran was originally a Grand Trunk Western GP9 and wore the old olive and gold. It also served time on the Central Vermont, then came back home. I don't know who or when the lobotomy was done, but it wasn't the best work the loco doctors had ever done. It came out with a nice streak of unpainted rust around the top of the chopped nose and was never painted over or repaired. So be happy you don't have to look at that end. The crew aboard the 4619, the Griffith local, may not have been happy, but then they're inside the beast and not outside having to look at it...

Occasionally, something turns up when least expect it and in this instance, extremely good fortune too. Recently I had been going out early evening recording some trains on my phone video facilty and posted it on my Twitter a/c. With getting 66727 on 4F62 13.04hrs East Midlands Gateway Terminal to Seaforth CT at Roby recently, I thought I would try a different location, in this instance Rainhill Station. Although I was ready to record the train going through the station, 4F62 was literally behind the 'local' to Lime Street and in consequence was getting cautioned. Much to my surprise, the train came to a temporary halt with the driver playing ball too and like any half decent photographer, I did have my camera with me and attempted five quick hand held images of the train with the result I manage to obtain one decent one (just). No sooner I got my image, the train was on its way in a matter of seconds! It was a case of being right place, right time but I doubt this would happen again. Lucky or what and my grateful thanks to the driver. 16th December 2020.

Copyright: 8A Rail

www.8arail.uk

Colosseum

Following, a text, in english, from the Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia:

The Colosseum, or the Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre (Latin: Amphitheatrum Flavium, Italian Anfiteatro Flavio or Colosseo), is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering.

Occupying a site just east of the Roman Forum, its construction started between 70 and 72 AD[1] under the emperor Vespasian and was completed in 80 AD under Titus,[2] with further modifications being made during Domitian's reign (81–96).[3] The name "Amphitheatrum Flavium" derives from both Vespasian's and Titus's family name (Flavius, from the gens Flavia).

Capable of seating 50,000 spectators,[1][4][5] the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.

Although in the 21st century it stays partially ruined because of damage caused by devastating earthquakes and stone-robbers, the Colosseum is an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome. It is one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions and still has close connections with the Roman Catholic Church, as each Good Friday the Pope leads a torchlit "Way of the Cross" procession that starts in the area around the Colosseum.[6]

The Colosseum is also depicted on the Italian version of the five-cent euro coin.

The Colosseum's original Latin name was Amphitheatrum Flavium, often anglicized as Flavian Amphitheater. The building was constructed by emperors of the Flavian dynasty, hence its original name, after the reign of Emperor Nero.[7] This name is still used in modern English, but generally the structure is better known as the Colosseum. In antiquity, Romans may have referred to the Colosseum by the unofficial name Amphitheatrum Caesareum; this name could have been strictly poetic.[8][9] This name was not exclusive to the Colosseum; Vespasian and Titus, builders of the Colosseum, also constructed an amphitheater of the same name in Puteoli (modern Pozzuoli).[10]

The name Colosseum has long been believed to be derived from a colossal statue of Nero nearby.[3] (the statue of Nero itself being named after one of the original ancient wonders, the Colossus of Rhodes[citation needed]. This statue was later remodeled by Nero's successors into the likeness of Helios (Sol) or Apollo, the sun god, by adding the appropriate solar crown. Nero's head was also replaced several times with the heads of succeeding emperors. Despite its pagan links, the statue remained standing well into the medieval era and was credited with magical powers. It came to be seen as an iconic symbol of the permanence of Rome.

In the 8th century, a famous epigram attributed to the Venerable Bede celebrated the symbolic significance of the statue in a prophecy that is variously quoted: Quamdiu stat Colisæus, stat et Roma; quando cadet colisæus, cadet et Roma; quando cadet Roma, cadet et mundus ("as long as the Colossus stands, so shall Rome; when the Colossus falls, Rome shall fall; when Rome falls, so falls the world").[11] This is often mistranslated to refer to the Colosseum rather than the Colossus (as in, for instance, Byron's poem Childe Harold's Pilgrimage). However, at the time that the Pseudo-Bede wrote, the masculine noun coliseus was applied to the statue rather than to what was still known as the Flavian amphitheatre.

The Colossus did eventually fall, possibly being pulled down to reuse its bronze. By the year 1000 the name "Colosseum" had been coined to refer to the amphitheatre. The statue itself was largely forgotten and only its base survives, situated between the Colosseum and the nearby Temple of Venus and Roma.[12]

The name further evolved to Coliseum during the Middle Ages. In Italy, the amphitheatre is still known as il Colosseo, and other Romance languages have come to use similar forms such as le Colisée (French), el Coliseo (Spanish) and o Coliseu (Portuguese).

Construction of the Colosseum began under the rule of the Emperor Vespasian[3] in around 70–72AD. The site chosen was a flat area on the floor of a low valley between the Caelian, Esquiline and Palatine Hills, through which a canalised stream ran. By the 2nd century BC the area was densely inhabited. It was devastated by the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64, following which Nero seized much of the area to add to his personal domain. He built the grandiose Domus Aurea on the site, in front of which he created an artificial lake surrounded by pavilions, gardens and porticoes. The existing Aqua Claudia aqueduct was extended to supply water to the area and the gigantic bronze Colossus of Nero was set up nearby at the entrance to the Domus Aurea.[12]

Although the Colossus was preserved, much of the Domus Aurea was torn down. The lake was filled in and the land reused as the location for the new Flavian Amphitheatre. Gladiatorial schools and other support buildings were constructed nearby within the former grounds of the Domus Aurea. According to a reconstructed inscription found on the site, "the emperor Vespasian ordered this new amphitheatre to be erected from his general's share of the booty." This is thought to refer to the vast quantity of treasure seized by the Romans following their victory in the Great Jewish Revolt in 70AD. The Colosseum can be thus interpreted as a great triumphal monument built in the Roman tradition of celebrating great victories[12], placating the Roman people instead of returning soldiers. Vespasian's decision to build the Colosseum on the site of Nero's lake can also be seen as a populist gesture of returning to the people an area of the city which Nero had appropriated for his own use. In contrast to many other amphitheatres, which were located on the outskirts of a city, the Colosseum was constructed in the city centre; in effect, placing it both literally and symbolically at the heart of Rome.

The Colosseum had been completed up to the third story by the time of Vespasian's death in 79. The top level was finished and the building inaugurated by his son, Titus, in 80.[3] Dio Cassius recounts that over 9,000 wild animals were killed during the inaugural games of the amphitheatre. The building was remodelled further under Vespasian's younger son, the newly designated Emperor Domitian, who constructed the hypogeum, a series of underground tunnels used to house animals and slaves. He also added a gallery to the top of the Colosseum to increase its seating capacity.

In 217, the Colosseum was badly damaged by a major fire (caused by lightning, according to Dio Cassius[13]) which destroyed the wooden upper levels of the amphitheatre's interior. It was not fully repaired until about 240 and underwent further repairs in 250 or 252 and again in 320. An inscription records the restoration of various parts of the Colosseum under Theodosius II and Valentinian III (reigned 425–455), possibly to repair damage caused by a major earthquake in 443; more work followed in 484[14] and 508. The arena continued to be used for contests well into the 6th century, with gladiatorial fights last mentioned around 435. Animal hunts continued until at least 523, when Anicius Maximus celebrated his consulship with some venationes, criticised by King Theodoric the Great for their high cost.

The Colosseum underwent several radical changes of use during the medieval period. By the late 6th century a small church had been built into the structure of the amphitheatre, though this apparently did not confer any particular religious significance on the building as a whole. The arena was converted into a cemetery. The numerous vaulted spaces in the arcades under the seating were converted into housing and workshops, and are recorded as still being rented out as late as the 12th century. Around 1200 the Frangipani family took over the Colosseum and fortified it, apparently using it as a castle.

Severe damage was inflicted on the Colosseum by the great earthquake in 1349, causing the outer south side, lying on a less stable alluvional terrain, to collapse. Much of the tumbled stone was reused to build palaces, churches, hospitals and other buildings elsewhere in Rome. A religious order moved into the northern third of the Colosseum in the mid-14th century and continued to inhabit it until as late as the early 19th century. The interior of the amphitheatre was extensively stripped of stone, which was reused elsewhere, or (in the case of the marble façade) was burned to make quicklime.[12] The bronze clamps which held the stonework together were pried or hacked out of the walls, leaving numerous pockmarks which still scar the building today.

During the 16th and 17th century, Church officials sought a productive role for the vast derelict hulk of the Colosseum. Pope Sixtus V (1585–1590) planned to turn the building into a wool factory to provide employment for Rome's prostitutes, though this proposal fell through with his premature death.[15] In 1671 Cardinal Altieri authorized its use for bullfights; a public outcry caused the idea to be hastily abandoned.

In 1749, Pope Benedict XIV endorsed as official Church policy the view that the Colosseum was a sacred site where early Christians had been martyred. He forbade the use of the Colosseum as a quarry and consecrated the building to the Passion of Christ and installed Stations of the Cross, declaring it sanctified by the blood of the Christian martyrs who perished there (see Christians and the Colosseum). However there is no historical evidence to support Benedict's claim, nor is there even any evidence that anyone prior to the 16th century suggested this might be the case; the Catholic Encyclopedia concludes that there are no historical grounds for the supposition. Later popes initiated various stabilization and restoration projects, removing the extensive vegetation which had overgrown the structure and threatened to damage it further. The façade was reinforced with triangular brick wedges in 1807 and 1827, and the interior was repaired in 1831, 1846 and in the 1930s. The arena substructure was partly excavated in 1810–1814 and 1874 and was fully exposed under Benito Mussolini in the 1930s.

The Colosseum is today one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions, receiving millions of visitors annually. The effects of pollution and general deterioration over time prompted a major restoration programme carried out between 1993 and 2000, at a cost of 40 billion Italian lire ($19.3m / €20.6m at 2000 prices). In recent years it has become a symbol of the international campaign against capital punishment, which was abolished in Italy in 1948. Several anti–death penalty demonstrations took place in front of the Colosseum in 2000. Since that time, as a gesture against the death penalty, the local authorities of Rome change the color of the Colosseum's night time illumination from white to gold whenever a person condemned to the death penalty anywhere in the world gets their sentence commuted or is released,[16] or if a jurisdiction abolishes the death penalty. Most recently, the Colosseum was illuminated in gold when capital punishment was abolished in the American state of New Mexico in April 2009.

Because of the ruined state of the interior, it is impractical to use the Colosseum to host large events; only a few hundred spectators can be accommodated in temporary seating. However, much larger concerts have been held just outside, using the Colosseum as a backdrop. Performers who have played at the Colosseum in recent years have included Ray Charles (May 2002),[18] Paul McCartney (May 2003),[19] Elton John (September 2005),[20] and Billy Joel (July 2006).

Exterior

Unlike earlier Greek theatres that were built into hillsides, the Colosseum is an entirely free-standing structure. It derives its basic exterior and interior architecture from that of two Roman theatres back to back. It is elliptical in plan and is 189 meters (615 ft / 640 Roman feet) long, and 156 meters (510 ft / 528 Roman feet) wide, with a base area of 6 acres (24,000 m2). The height of the outer wall is 48 meters (157 ft / 165 Roman feet). The perimeter originally measured 545 meters (1,788 ft / 1,835 Roman feet). The central arena is an oval 87 m (287 ft) long and 55 m (180 ft) wide, surrounded by a wall 5 m (15 ft) high, above which rose tiers of seating.

The outer wall is estimated to have required over 100,000 cubic meters (131,000 cu yd) of travertine stone which were set without mortar held together by 300 tons of iron clamps.[12] However, it has suffered extensive damage over the centuries, with large segments having collapsed following earthquakes. The north side of the perimeter wall is still standing; the distinctive triangular brick wedges at each end are modern additions, having been constructed in the early 19th century to shore up the wall. The remainder of the present-day exterior of the Colosseum is in fact the original interior wall.

The surviving part of the outer wall's monumental façade comprises three stories of superimposed arcades surmounted by a podium on which stands a tall attic, both of which are pierced by windows interspersed at regular intervals. The arcades are framed by half-columns of the Tuscan, Ionic, and Corinthian orders, while the attic is decorated with Corinthian pilasters.[21] Each of the arches in the second- and third-floor arcades framed statues, probably honoring divinities and other figures from Classical mythology.

Two hundred and forty mast corbels were positioned around the top of the attic. They originally supported a retractable awning, known as the velarium, that kept the sun and rain off spectators. This consisted of a canvas-covered, net-like structure made of ropes, with a hole in the center.[3] It covered two-thirds of the arena, and sloped down towards the center to catch the wind and provide a breeze for the audience. Sailors, specially enlisted from the Roman naval headquarters at Misenum and housed in the nearby Castra Misenatium, were used to work the velarium.[22]

The Colosseum's huge crowd capacity made it essential that the venue could be filled or evacuated quickly. Its architects adopted solutions very similar to those used in modern stadiums to deal with the same problem. The amphitheatre was ringed by eighty entrances at ground level, 76 of which were used by ordinary spectators.[3] Each entrance and exit was numbered, as was each staircase. The northern main entrance was reserved for the Roman Emperor and his aides, whilst the other three axial entrances were most likely used by the elite. All four axial entrances were richly decorated with painted stucco reliefs, of which fragments survive. Many of the original outer entrances have disappeared with the collapse of the perimeter wall, but entrances XXIII (23) to LIV (54) still survive.[12]

Spectators were given tickets in the form of numbered pottery shards, which directed them to the appropriate section and row. They accessed their seats via vomitoria (singular vomitorium), passageways that opened into a tier of seats from below or behind. These quickly dispersed people into their seats and, upon conclusion of the event or in an emergency evacuation, could permit their exit within only a few minutes. The name vomitoria derived from the Latin word for a rapid discharge, from which English derives the word vomit.

Interior

According to the Codex-Calendar of 354, the Colosseum could accommodate 87,000 people, although modern estimates put the figure at around 50,000. They were seated in a tiered arrangement that reflected the rigidly stratified nature of Roman society. Special boxes were provided at the north and south ends respectively for the Emperor and the Vestal Virgins, providing the best views of the arena. Flanking them at the same level was a broad platform or podium for the senatorial class, who were allowed to bring their own chairs. The names of some 5th century senators can still be seen carved into the stonework, presumably reserving areas for their use.

The tier above the senators, known as the maenianum primum, was occupied by the non-senatorial noble class or knights (equites). The next level up, the maenianum secundum, was originally reserved for ordinary Roman citizens (plebians) and was divided into two sections. The lower part (the immum) was for wealthy citizens, while the upper part (the summum) was for poor citizens. Specific sectors were provided for other social groups: for instance, boys with their tutors, soldiers on leave, foreign dignitaries, scribes, heralds, priests and so on. Stone (and later marble) seating was provided for the citizens and nobles, who presumably would have brought their own cushions with them. Inscriptions identified the areas reserved for specific groups.

Another level, the maenianum secundum in legneis, was added at the very top of the building during the reign of Domitian. This comprised a gallery for the common poor, slaves and women. It would have been either standing room only, or would have had very steep wooden benches. Some groups were banned altogether from the Colosseum, notably gravediggers, actors and former gladiators.

Each tier was divided into sections (maeniana) by curved passages and low walls (praecinctiones or baltei), and were subdivided into cunei, or wedges, by the steps and aisles from the vomitoria. Each row (gradus) of seats was numbered, permitting each individual seat to be exactly designated by its gradus, cuneus, and number.

The arena itself was 83 meters by 48 meters (272 ft by 157 ft / 280 by 163 Roman feet).[12] It comprised a wooden floor covered by sand (the Latin word for sand is harena or arena), covering an elaborate underground structure called the hypogeum (literally meaning "underground"). Little now remains of the original arena floor, but the hypogeum is still clearly visible. It consisted of a two-level subterranean network of tunnels and cages beneath the arena where gladiators and animals were held before contests began. Eighty vertical shafts provided instant access to the arena for caged animals and scenery pieces concealed underneath; larger hinged platforms, called hegmata, provided access for elephants and the like. It was restructured on numerous occasions; at least twelve different phases of construction can be seen.[12]

The hypogeum was connected by underground tunnels to a number of points outside the Colosseum. Animals and performers were brought through the tunnel from nearby stables, with the gladiators' barracks at the Ludus Magnus to the east also being connected by tunnels. Separate tunnels were provided for the Emperor and the Vestal Virgins to permit them to enter and exit the Colosseum without needing to pass through the crowds.[12]

Substantial quantities of machinery also existed in the hypogeum. Elevators and pulleys raised and lowered scenery and props, as well as lifting caged animals to the surface for release. There is evidence for the existence of major hydraulic mechanisms[12] and according to ancient accounts, it was possible to flood the arena rapidly, presumably via a connection to a nearby aqueduct.

The Colosseum and its activities supported a substantial industry in the area. In addition to the amphitheatre itself, many other buildings nearby were linked to the games. Immediately to the east is the remains of the Ludus Magnus, a training school for gladiators. This was connected to the Colosseum by an underground passage, to allow easy access for the gladiators. The Ludus Magnus had its own miniature training arena, which was itself a popular attraction for Roman spectators. Other training schools were in the same area, including the Ludus Matutinus (Morning School), where fighters of animals were trained, plus the Dacian and Gallic Schools.

Also nearby were the Armamentarium, comprising an armory to store weapons; the Summum Choragium, where machinery was stored; the Sanitarium, which had facilities to treat wounded gladiators; and the Spoliarium, where bodies of dead gladiators were stripped of their armor and disposed of.

Around the perimeter of the Colosseum, at a distance of 18 m (59 ft) from the perimeter, was a series of tall stone posts, with five remaining on the eastern side. Various explanations have been advanced for their presence; they may have been a religious boundary, or an outer boundary for ticket checks, or an anchor for the velarium or awning.

Right next to the Colosseum is also the Arch of Constantine.

he Colosseum was used to host gladiatorial shows as well as a variety of other events. The shows, called munera, were always given by private individuals rather than the state. They had a strong religious element but were also demonstrations of power and family prestige, and were immensely popular with the population. Another popular type of show was the animal hunt, or venatio. This utilized a great variety of wild beasts, mainly imported from Africa and the Middle East, and included creatures such as rhinoceros, hippopotamuses, elephants, giraffes, aurochs, wisents, barbary lions, panthers, leopards, bears, caspian tigers, crocodiles and ostriches. Battles and hunts were often staged amid elaborate sets with movable trees and buildings. Such events were occasionally on a huge scale; Trajan is said to have celebrated his victories in Dacia in 107 with contests involving 11,000 animals and 10,000 gladiators over the course of 123 days.

During the early days of the Colosseum, ancient writers recorded that the building was used for naumachiae (more properly known as navalia proelia) or simulated sea battles. Accounts of the inaugural games held by Titus in AD 80 describe it being filled with water for a display of specially trained swimming horses and bulls. There is also an account of a re-enactment of a famous sea battle between the Corcyrean (Corfiot) Greeks and the Corinthians. This has been the subject of some debate among historians; although providing the water would not have been a problem, it is unclear how the arena could have been waterproofed, nor would there have been enough space in the arena for the warships to move around. It has been suggested that the reports either have the location wrong, or that the Colosseum originally featured a wide floodable channel down its central axis (which would later have been replaced by the hypogeum).[12]

Sylvae or recreations of natural scenes were also held in the arena. Painters, technicians and architects would construct a simulation of a forest with real trees and bushes planted in the arena's floor. Animals would be introduced to populate the scene for the delight of the crowd. Such scenes might be used simply to display a natural environment for the urban population, or could otherwise be used as the backdrop for hunts or dramas depicting episodes from mythology. They were also occasionally used for executions in which the hero of the story — played by a condemned person — was killed in one of various gruesome but mythologically authentic ways, such as being mauled by beasts or burned to death.

The Colosseum today is now a major tourist attraction in Rome with thousands of tourists each year paying to view the interior arena, though entrance for EU citizens is partially subsidised, and under-18 and over-65 EU citizens' entrances are free.[24] There is now a museum dedicated to Eros located in the upper floor of the outer wall of the building. Part of the arena floor has been re-floored. Beneath the Colosseum, a network of subterranean passageways once used to transport wild animals and gladiators to the arena opened to the public in summer 2010.[25]

The Colosseum is also the site of Roman Catholic ceremonies in the 20th and 21st centuries. For instance, Pope Benedict XVI leads the Stations of the Cross called the Scriptural Way of the Cross (which calls for more meditation) at the Colosseum[26][27] on Good Fridays.

In the Middle Ages, the Colosseum was clearly not regarded as a sacred site. Its use as a fortress and then a quarry demonstrates how little spiritual importance was attached to it, at a time when sites associated with martyrs were highly venerated. It was not included in the itineraries compiled for the use of pilgrims nor in works such as the 12th century Mirabilia Urbis Romae ("Marvels of the City of Rome"), which claims the Circus Flaminius — but not the Colosseum — as the site of martyrdoms. Part of the structure was inhabited by a Christian order, but apparently not for any particular religious reason.

It appears to have been only in the 16th and 17th centuries that the Colosseum came to be regarded as a Christian site. Pope Pius V (1566–1572) is said to have recommended that pilgrims gather sand from the arena of the Colosseum to serve as a relic, on the grounds that it was impregnated with the blood of martyrs. This seems to have been a minority view until it was popularised nearly a century later by Fioravante Martinelli, who listed the Colosseum at the head of a list of places sacred to the martyrs in his 1653 book Roma ex ethnica sacra.

Martinelli's book evidently had an effect on public opinion; in response to Cardinal Altieri's proposal some years later to turn the Colosseum into a bullring, Carlo Tomassi published a pamphlet in protest against what he regarded as an act of desecration. The ensuing controversy persuaded Pope Clement X to close the Colosseum's external arcades and declare it a sanctuary, though quarrying continued for some time.

At the instance of St. Leonard of Port Maurice, Pope Benedict XIV (1740–1758) forbade the quarrying of the Colosseum and erected Stations of the Cross around the arena, which remained until February 1874. St. Benedict Joseph Labre spent the later years of his life within the walls of the Colosseum, living on alms, prior to his death in 1783. Several 19th century popes funded repair and restoration work on the Colosseum, and it still retains a Christian connection today. Crosses stand in several points around the arena and every Good Friday the Pope leads a Via Crucis procession to the amphitheatre.

Coliseu (Colosseo)

A seguir, um texto, em português, da Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre:

O Coliseu, também conhecido como Anfiteatro Flaviano, deve seu nome à expressão latina Colosseum (ou Coliseus, no latim tardio), devido à estátua colossal de Nero, que ficava perto a edificação. Localizado no centro de Roma, é uma excepção de entre os anfiteatros pelo seu volume e relevo arquitectónico. Originalmente capaz de albergar perto de 50 000 pessoas, e com 48 metros de altura, era usado para variados espetáculos. Foi construído a leste do fórum romano e demorou entre 8 a 10 anos a ser construído.

O Coliseu foi utilizado durante aproximadamente 500 anos, tendo sido o último registro efetuado no século VI da nossa era, bastante depois da queda de Roma em 476. O edifício deixou de ser usado para entretenimento no começo da era medieval, mas foi mais tarde usado como habitação, oficina, forte, pedreira, sede de ordens religiosas e templo cristão.

Embora esteja agora em ruínas devido a terremotos e pilhagens, o Coliseu sempre foi visto como símbolo do Império Romano, sendo um dos melhores exemplos da sua arquitectura. Actualmente é uma das maiores atrações turísticas em Roma e em 7 de julho de 2007 foi eleita umas das "Sete maravilhas do mundo moderno". Além disso, o Coliseu ainda tem ligações à igreja, com o Papa a liderar a procissão da Via Sacra até ao Coliseu todas as Sextas-feiras Santas.

O coliseu era um local onde seriam exibidos toda uma série de espectáculos, inseridos nos vários tipos de jogos realizados na urbe. Os combates entre gladiadores, chamados muneras, eram sempre pagos por pessoas individuais em busca de prestígio e poder em vez do estado. A arena (87,5 m por 55 m) possuía um piso de madeira, normalmente coberto de areia para absorver o sangue dos combates (certa vez foi colocada água na representação de uma batalha naval), sob o qual existia um nível subterrâneo com celas e jaulas que tinham acessos diretos para a arena; Alguns detalhes dessa construção, como a cobertura removível que poupava os espectadores do sol, são bastante interessantes, e mostram o refinamento atingido pelos construtores romanos. Formado por cinco anéis concêntricos de arcos e abóbadas, o Coliseu representa bem o avanço introduzido pelos romanos à engenharia de estruturas. Esses arcos são de concreto (de cimento natural) revestidos por alvenaria. Na verdade, a alvenaria era construída simultaneamente e já servia de forma para a concretagem. Outro tipo de espetáculos era a caça de animais, ou venatio, onde eram utilizados animais selvagens importados de África. Os animais mais utilizados eram os grandes felinos como leões, leopardos e panteras, mas animais como rinocerontes, hipopótamos, elefantes, girafas, crocodilos e avestruzes eram também utilizados. As caçadas, tal como as representações de batalhas famosas, eram efetuadas em elaborados cenários onde constavam árvores e edifícios amovíveis.

Estas últimas eram por vezes representadas numa escala gigante; Trajano celebrou a sua vitória em Dácia no ano 107 com concursos envolvendo 11 000 animais e 10 000 gladiadores no decorrer de 123 dias.

Segundo o documentário produzido pelo canal televisivo fechado, History Channel, o Coliseu também era utilizado para a realização de naumaquias, ou batalhas navais. O coliseu era inundado por dutos subterrâneos alimentados pelos aquedutos que traziam água de longe. Passada esta fase, foi construída uma estrutura, que é a que podemos ver hoje nas ruínas do Coliseu, com altura de um prédio de dois andares, onde no passado se concentravam os gladiadores, feras e todo o pessoal que organizava os duelos que ocorreriam na arena. A arena era como um grande palco, feito de madeira, e se chama arena, que em italiano significa areia, porque era jogada areia sob a estrutura de madeira para esconder as imperfeições. Os animais podiam ser inseridos nos duelos a qualquer momento por um esquema de elevadores que surgiam em alguns pontos da arena; o filme "Gladiador" retrata muito bem esta questão dos elevadores. Os estudiosos, há pouco tempo, descobriram uma rede de dutos inundados por baixo da arena do Coliseu. Acredita-se que o Coliseu foi construído onde, outrora, foi o lago do Palácio Dourado de Nero; O imperador Vespasiano escolheu o local da construção para que o mal causado por Nero fosse esquecido por uma construção gloriosa.

Sylvae, ou recreações de cenas naturais eram também realizadas no Coliseu. Pintores, técnicos e arquitectos construiriam simulações de florestas com árvores e arbustos reais plantados no chão da arena. Animais seriam então introduzidos para dar vida à simulação. Esses cenários podiam servir só para agrado do público ou como pano de fundo para caçadas ou dramas representando episódios da mitologia romana, tão autênticos quanto possível, ao ponto de pessoas condenadas fazerem o papel de heróis onde eram mortos de maneiras horríveis mas mitologicamente autênticas, como mutilados por animais ou queimados vivos.

Embora o Coliseu tenha funcionado até ao século VI da nossa Era, foram proibidos os jogos com mortes humanas desde 404, sendo apenas massacrados animais como elefantes, panteras ou leões.

O Coliseu era sobretudo um enorme instrumento de propaganda e difusão da filosofia de toda uma civilização, e tal como era já profetizado pelo monge e historiador inglês Beda na sua obra do século VII "De temporibus liber": "Enquanto o Coliseu se mantiver de pé, Roma permanecerá; quando o Coliseu ruir, Roma ruirá e quando Roma cair, o mundo cairá".

A construção do Coliseu foi iniciada por Vespasiano, nos anos 70 da nossa era. O edifício foi inaugurado por Tito, em 80, embora apenas tivesse sido finalizado poucos anos depois. Empresa colossal, este edifício, inicialmente, poderia sustentar no seu interior cerca de 50 000 espectadores, constando de três andares. Aquando do reinado de Alexandre Severo e Gordiano III, é ampliado com um quarto andar, podendo suster agora cerca de 90 000 espectadores. A grandiosidade deste monumento testemunha verdadeiramente o poder e esplendor de Roma na época dos Flávios.

Os jogos inaugurais do Coliseu tiveram lugar ano 80, sob o mandato de Tito, para celebrar a finalização da construção. Depois do curto reinado de Tito começar com vários meses de desastres, incluindo a erupção do Monte Vesúvio, um incêndio em Roma, e um surto de peste, o mesmo imperador inaugurou o edifício com uns jogos pródigos que duraram mais de cem dias, talvez para tentar apaziguar o público romano e os deuses. Nesses jogos de cem dias terão ocorrido combates de gladiadores, venationes (lutas de animais), execuções, batalhas navais, caçadas e outros divertimentos numa escala sem precedentes.

O Coliseu, como não se encontrava inserido numa zona de encosta, enterrado, tal como normalmente sucede com a generalidade dos teatros e anfiteatros romanos, possuía um “anel” artificial de rocha à sua volta, para garantir sustentação e, ao mesmo tempo, esta substrutura serve como ornamento ao edifício e como condicionador da entrada dos espectadores. Tal como foi referido anteriormente, possuía três pisos, sendo mais tarde adicionado um outro. É construído em mármore, pedra travertina, ladrilho e tufo (pedra calcária com grandes poros). A sua planta elíptica mede dois eixos que se estendem aproximadamente de 190 m por 155 m. A fachada compõe-se de arcadas decoradas com colunas dóricas, jónicas e coríntias, de acordo com o pavimento em que se encontravam. Esta subdivisão deve-se ao facto de ser uma construção essencialmente vertical, criando assim uma diversificação do espaço.

Os assentos eram em mármore e a cavea, escadaria ou arquibancada, dividia-se em três partes, correspondentes às diferentes classes sociais: o podium, para as classes altas; as maeniana, sector destinado à classe média; e os portici, ou pórticos, construídos em madeira, para a plebe e as mulheres. O pulvinar, a tribuna imperial, encontrava-se situada no podium e era balizada pelos assentos reservados aos senadores e magistrados. Rampas no interior do edifício facilitavam o acesso às várias zonas de onde podiam visualizar o espectáculo, sendo protegidos por uma barreira e por uma série de arqueiros posicionados numa passagem de madeira, para o caso de algum acidente. Por cima dos muros ainda são visíveis as mísulas, que sustentavam o velarium, enorme cobertura de lona destinada a proteger do sol os espectadores e, nos subterrâneos, ficavam as jaulas dos animais, bem como todas as celas e galerias necessárias aos serviços do anfiteatro.

O monumento permaneceu como sede principal dos espetáculos da urbe romana até ao período do imperador Honorius, no século V. Danificado por um terremoto no começo do mesmo século, foi alvo de uma extensiva restauração na época de Valentinianus III. Em meados do século XIII, a família Frangipani transformou-o em fortaleza e, ao longo dos séculos XV e XVI, foi por diversas vezes saqueado, perdendo grande parte dos materiais nobres com os quais tinha sido construído.

Os relatos romanos referem-se a cristãos sendo martirizados em locais de Roma descritos pouco pormenorizadamente (no anfiteatro, na arena...), quando Roma tinha numerosos anfiteatros e arenas. Apesar de muito provavelmente o Coliseu não ter sido utilizado para martírios, o Papa Bento XIV consagrou-o no século XVII à Paixão de Cristo e declarou-o lugar sagrado. Os trabalhos de consolidação e restauração parcial do monumento, já há muito em ruínas, foram feitos sobretudo pelos pontífices Gregório XVI e Pio IX, no século XIX.

I find it is easy to shoot with mono , when raw files imported to LR, if U hve no special presets; it automatically displays the full color spectrum, coz files are raw.

I choose to get the output in full color in this instance. fascinating to capture these multiple layers of shadows.

Same backdrop from previous image in full color.

Nikon Neutral, sRGB , NEF lossless compression , jpeg converted with LR.

@500mm, F/10, 1/400. ISO800 - D300s + Nikkor 200-500 F/5.6

27/52 By some unspoken rule, the "special needs" boarding cats - for instance geriatric or diabetic cats - have become my responsibility (under the doctors' supervision) on the shifts I work. Many cats don't eat for a day or two when they first come to board because they are too nervous. I feel bad they are so nervous but I know they'll be OK. However, diabetic cats MUST eat. As you may be able to tell from this picture, Magic spent his first 24 hours under his towel - NOT eating. I tried every variety of prescription diabetic food we have - wet and dry, pate and "savory selects" in gravy and nothing. I tried tasty junk food and nothing again. I tried slipping his food under his towel with him and still nothing. We were getting to the point where we were going to have to test his blood glucose level to determine if, or how much, insulin to give him. I was just about to walk out the door at the end of my shift and have him be someone else's responsibility when I saw him peek outside his towel and eat some of his Purina DM Savory Selects wet food for about 45 seconds and something huge inside me lightened up. I was so thrilled to see him eating that I, of course, didn't want to open his cage door to get a better picture of him. Any cat who eats while boarding is a happy, little thing.

By the way, if you ever have to board your cat and the vet asks for your permission to give an appetite stimulant if needed - please say yes. For those who feel reluctant to give their cats medication, know that the appetite stimulants used are very safe and the risk of the medication is so much less than the risk to your cat of not eating - especially if it is overweight or diabetic. Often one dose is enough to get a cat to eat and that first meal is all it takes to jump-start their appetite and no further doses are needed.

Not everywhere you find animals being portrayed in this manner, with all the embellishments and careful craftsmanship. The sad part statues get more attention than the actual being.

via andre on Pixelfed metapixl.com/p/andre/578232655592903277

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