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Achievement Unlocked: Left the house.
Seriously though, I am sorry I am not posting decent pics and just post a lame selfie when I venture out of the house.
In this instance, I had just had a load of laser and my face was all red and blotchy and I couldn't do any pics without the mask. Sorry!
700 years ago, The Akmaddian Empire sprawled central Historica. With its formidable cavalry's lightning tactics, it was able to conquer a massive area ranging from the cool steppe of southern Avalonia to the arid scrublands of northern Kaliphlin. Among the many races that fell under its domain was a large population of centaurs. Military cooperation between centaurs on non-centaurs (referred "two-legs" by the former) was historically limited. There rare instances of archers sitting on the backs of centaurs to operate as "tail-gunners", but these were rare.
The Akmaddians implemented a new role for their centaur soldiers: drawing chariots. A centaur didn't need to be controlled by whoever was in the chariot, allowing those inside to focus on the battle. Passengers could include archers or pike men. Usually fighting in duos, these teams were trained for years to master their craft, something which would pay off as they blazed a path across the continent.
The Akmaddian God-Emperor would eventually fall in battle, and the empire would fracture as his children battled for the throne. Though the empire only lasted 20 years, its effect on central Historican culture can still be felt today
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.
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.
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.
Camera is setted on tripod.
Sun light from the back of the subject.
A white paper tower is held on the left hand to bounce more light.
Post processing:
Sharpen
Clarify
Straighten
Saturation
Glow
Fill Lights
Color Correction
Save.
Not all dragons have friendly tendencies all at once... this Stormbringer, for instance, haha! It did not exactly take kindly to the idea of Cole and Wu stealing its food...
Aand, the last of our set Mods from the Hunted season! To be honest, I'm a bit Hunted-out at the moment, but I will admit that this dragon was fun. That new-ish yellow/orange looks so nice here!
Check out the whole dragons article on Innovalug (including Kai's Firstbourne mod as well)! :) Thanks for viewing, C&C are welcome as always!
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]
For Instance: For the devil in you...wicked pink - When you are too angelic...textured off-whites - Hunting instinct up? Helanca stretch leotards - When you go all little-girl...stockings in very young blue.
Chemstrand Nylon
Photo captured via Minolta MD Zoom Rokkor-X 24-50mm F/4 lens. At the Cedar Creek Cabin's private loop trail near the Bogachiel River. Coastal Uplands section within the Coast Range. Olympic Peninsula. Near the Clallam County line. Jefferson County, Washington. Early April 2018.
Exposure Time: 1/4 sec. * ISO Speed: ISO-100 * Aperture: F/11 * Bracketing: None * Color Temperature: 4813 K * Film Plug-In: Fuji Provia 100F * Elevation: 260 feet above sea-level
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.
Like to see the pictures as LARGE as your screen? Just click on this Slideshow : www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157627765541022/s...
Yamdrok Yutso ཡར་འབྲོག་གཡུ་མཚོ་ yar 'brog g.yu mtsho
It is over 72 km (45 miles) long. The lake is surrounded by many snow-capped mountains and is fed by numerous small streams. The lake does have an outlet stream at its far western end.
Around 90 km to the west of the lake lies the Tibetan town of Gyantse and Lhasa is a hundred km to the northeast. According to local mythology, Yamdok Yumtso lake is the transformation of a goddess.
The lake (621 km² in area, of depth unknown) is fan-shaped, spreading to the South but narrowing up to the North. The mountainous lakeshore is highly crenellated, with numerous bays and inlets. The lake has a dozen of islands. Lakes Yamdok Yumtso freezes up in winter.Like mountains, lakes are considered sacrosanct by the Tibetan people, the principle being that they are the dwelling places of protective deities and therefore invested with special spiritual powers. For instance, Lhamo La-tso (Oracle) Lake is thought to be divinatory; everyone from the Dalai Lama to the local villagers makes pilgrimages there. Yamdrok Lake is one of four such holy lakes, the others being Lhamo La-tso (mentioned above), Namtso and Manasarovar. It is revered as a talisman and is said to be part of the life-spirit of the Tibetan nation. The largest lake in southern Tibet, it is said that if its waters dry, Tibet will no longer be habitable. The lake has nine islands, of which one houses the famous Samding Monastery. This monastery is interesting, as it is the only Tibetan monastery to be headed by a female re- incarnation. Since it is not a nunnery, its female abbot heads a community of about thirty monks and nuns. The Samding Monastery, where Dorje Pamo, the only woman Living Buddha in Tibet, stayed and presided, stands to the south of the Lake Yamdrok Yumtso .
Today, both pilgrims and tourists can be seen walking along the lake's perimeter, enjoying the diversified fauna and flora, admiring the snow-capped mountains in the distance and visiting the villages scattered along its shores. One of the most newly popular pastimes for Tibetans is fishing, new because Tibetans are traditionally not allowed to eat fish.
One of the lake's islands contains an old fort or castle called Pede Dzong.
Exploitation
There are shoals of fish living in Yamdok Yumtso lake, which are commercially exploited by local population. From April to October, fish caught from this lake are sold at markets in Lhasa, the provincial capital.
Additionally, the lake's islands serve as rich pasture land to local herdmen.
People get trapped on the internet without “a warning” that internet would serve you right if you use it for REAL WORK - it is priceless for the amount of info one gets for instance I found all matches on the current topic of INVISIBLE and invisibility. If it wasn’t for the internet I wouldn’t be writing this now as I wouldn’t know about the wide spread phenomena and popularity, but the “discovery” made me realize the connection of social phenomena to visual art that is important when nothing in visual art really connect to the vast unknown dimension of “real people” Again if it wasn’t for the sources available on the www where people supply and share info I wouldn’t be able to put together Invisible art of Paul Jaisini that arrived on the www in 1998 and the current state of human condition. yustas-jaisini.blogspot.com/
Description: Her Hand Points Up. The Muse in Silk Wavy Cover With Super Fine Iridescent Lavender, Pink, Pastel Purple and Reds. An Ink Splatter Forms the Muse's Large Hairdo.
The Above Image Is A Modified (Or Edited By An Artist) Image. With Added Gif Effect And Writing: "This Work I Dedicate To The Artist Who Inspires Me He Is The Source Of Supreme Knowledge, Skills And Thank You, Paul Jaisini, That You Exist!" dayviews.com/gigrouplondon/518452383/
The Coopers Rock lookout near Morgantown WV. Most times when standing on the lookout one would tend to look the other direction across the valley that overlooks the Cheat River, but in this instance turning around with my back to the valley gave us beautiful morning light cresting over the mountain.
I'd appreciate it if you didn't "Follow" or "Fave" a photo without leaving a Comment thanks.
The birds were clearly enjoying the New Brighton Beach pier (Previous photo), though in this instance, the young Kelp Gull - known in NZ as a Black-Backed Gull - decided it was time to stretch the wings...!
Unfortunately, the little Point And Shoot camera failed to pick up the wing feather details, but the shot still illustrates just how big the bird's wingspan is...!
If I haven't commented on your photo/s today, be assured: I will tomorrow...!
Thanks so much for the very kind and encouraging comments beneath this photo...! Your support is always greatly appreciated...!
``Hotshots``---- Digital Camera
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WEBSITE .......: www.jeansurprenant.com
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Thanks for the visit, comments, awards, invitations and favorites. Please don't use my images on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission.
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© All rights reserved
Here's one of my HDR shot that I don't like that much... until I turn it into DRI shot.
Each time that I will post a picture here, I will also post the unsuccessful HDR result. That way, you will be able to compare both and realise the more natural look of the DRI approach!
My technique is alway the same:
Three exposure -2EV, 0, +2EV and then adjustement using Lightroom and layering using photoshop.
DRI stand for Dynamic Range Increase. Three RAW files are used to achieve this. Rather than using a software like Photomatix for instance, I simply use mask to blend, my own way, the light, dark and normal shot with Photoshop and Lightroom.. To me, It looks more natural than the usual HDR treatment that I would normally applied.
Merci pour les visites, commentaires, récompenses, invitations et favoris. S.V.P. n'utilisez pas mes images sur des sites web, blogs ou autres médias sans ma permission.
Merci!
© Tous droits réservés
Vous trouverez ici certain de mes images HDR qui n'ont pas eu un grand succès populaire ou encore certaines qui ne me satisfaisais pas pleinement jusqu'à ce que je les transforme en image DRI.
Chaque fois que je posterai une nouvelle image dans cet album, je posterai aussi l'image HDR résultante. Vous serez a même de constater le look plus naturel de l'approche DRI.
Ma technique est toujours la même:
Trois prise de vue -2EV, 0, +2EV. Ensuite ajustement avec Lightroom et usage de calque et masque avec Photoshop.
DRI vient de l'anglais Dynmic Range Increase, qui pourrait se traduire par étendue dynamique améliorée. Les même 3 fichiers RAW entrent dans la composition d'un DRI. Plutôt que de se servir d'un logiciel comme Photomatix qui fait tout le travail, je me sers plutôt de masques pour filtrer l'éclairage dans photoshop et Lightroom. De mon point de vue, cette façon de faire donne une image plus naturel que le traitement HDR que j'employais auparavant.
Here's one of my HDR shot that I don't like that much... until I turn it into DRI shot.
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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:
Ich und Du - Anna Depenbusch & Mark Forster
Egzod & Maestro Chives - Royalty
Sam Tinnesz - Leading The Pack
Valley Of Wolves - Take It All
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...
Industrieverband Fahrzeugbau was a conglomerate created in the Dessauer Demokratische Republik as a coordinating instance to manage vehicle construction. Although some of the manufacturers have had their independence restored, IFA still builds trucks and general utility vehicles, mainly for the military.
Initially, IFA produced licensed copies of Kimmerian and Petrakardian vehicles, like the famous and ubiquitous Rotagild 420. This particular model was known as the Geländewagen 1, or GW 1. Development and the need for a more modern model resulted in the GW 2, which is in widespread use in the Volksarmee, and has almost entirely replaced the GW 1/Rotagild 420.
In its civilian guise, the GW 2 is offered as the 24-series of vehicles. It can be equipped with three different engines, a 4x2 and 4x4 drivetrain, and a variety of body styles, ranging from square to square, although you have a limited selection of door and roof types to pick from.
It is of course the preferred method of transport for the WacDonald’s delivery drivers in the Volksrepublik, thanks to its reliability and ruggedness.
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.
Another shot from my Cornwall holiday in St Ives last July, a place that's a veritable cornucopia of captures, and this is one of my prime spots for people photography, the pier, a stage for all sorts of everyday dramas. In this instance I was watching these three people (mother, son-in-law and daughter) walking their dogs, it was an okay shot with a nice touch of symmetry but it just didn't have that special 'moment' that makes a street/pier shot work, then the mum and son-in-law paused and turned around to look back at something...*click*...I like that the daughter chose to walk her shades rather than the dogs. :-)
The old Red T Tessar is capable of bubble bokeh (see --> here). In this instance the effect is not very pronounced, as the highlights are not intense enough. But there are some budding bubbles.
KW Praktica FX, built between 1955-57
Carl Zeiss Jena red T Tessar 50/2.8
Kodak Color Plus 200 colour negative film, pushed by 1 stop
Developed and scanned by www.meinfilmlab.de
A beautiful angle inside Ginza station in Tokyo with these pillars all numbered. Tripod was used for this picture and I was so happy that none of the staff ran to me to kick me out as it would have been the case in Singapore for instance. I made sure to go there outside of peak hours so as to not disturb too many people walking that way.
The Saddest Poem
by Pablo Neruda
I can write the saddest poem of all tonight.
Write, for instance: "The night is full of stars,
and the stars, blue, shiver in the distance."
The night wind whirls in the sky and sings.
I can write the saddest poem of all tonight.
I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too.
On nights like this, I held her in my arms.
I kissed her so many times under the infinite sky.
She loved me, sometimes I loved her.
How could I not have loved her large, still eyes?
I can write the saddest poem of all tonight.
To think I don't have her. To feel that I've lost her.
To hear the immense night, more immense without her.
And the poem falls to the soul as dew to grass.
What does it matter that my love couldn't keep her.
The night is full of stars and she is not with me.
That's all. Far away, someone sings. Far away.
My soul is lost without her.
As if to bring her near, my eyes search for her.
My heart searches for her and she is not with me.
The same night that whitens the same trees.
We, we who were, we are the same no longer.
I no longer love her, true, but how much I loved her.
My voice searched the wind to touch her ear.
Someone else's. She will be someone else's. As she once
belonged to my kisses.
Her voice, her light body. Her infinite eyes.
I no longer love her, true, but perhaps I love her.
Love is so short and oblivion so long.
Because on nights like this I held her in my arms,
my soul is lost without her.
Although this may be the last pain she causes me,
and this may be the last poem I write for her.
www.flickr.com/groups/flickrrivers/discuss/72157631862672... Front page pic
Who said the desert is not beautiful? Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. For instance, what do you think of this small plant, a loose branch of another plant, and the shadow they beautifully draw on the sand?
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
Facebook!
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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
I have struggled for about a month to post this photo, as I think it is quite beautiful, but it also shows my lady friend who suffers from the brain disease SCA 1. She is vulnerable, but also a very tough, brave and intelligent woman. Today I once more had to see her suffer in several ways and decided to post this photo.
This photo was shot in an ancient watermill. My friend had been there often when she was young. As we passed the watermill she said “I can’t get in there anymore. I will never see it again.” It does have an almost one-meter high step in the door. “Can’t” is something that does get very hard into my brain, so I lifted her with wheelchair and all into the watermill. Not my smartest move of the day, but if you look closely, you can see she gives me her best smile.
SCA 1 is an autosomal dominant disorder, meaning each person of a generation has 50% change to get the disease. In case of my friend both her grandfather and her father died of the disease and both she and her brother will die of the disease. This has led her mother into psychosis. Technically SCA 1 is caused by a mutation in the ATXN1 gene, resulting in malfunctioning of proteins in the cells of the cerebellum (little brain). The effect is that slowly all control on muscles is lost. Extremely short description of the disease! For more see for instance ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/spinocerebellar-ataxia-type-1
What does it mean in daily life? It starts with a swaying walk and declining articulation. People start to react on you as if you are drunk. Slowly hand-eye coordination starts to fail (Get yourself very drunk and try to put a key in a lock). You won’t be able to stand or walk anymore after a while. By this time, you won’t have colleagues anymore, very few friends will be still around, and your partner might have left you. Control over your bladder gets lost. Eyesight will leave you soon after, once again very slowly. You will get problems with swallowing. Imagine yourself choking multiple times a day. In the end you die from pneumonia or suffocation. My friend’s father choked on a biscuit.
So, can you help? As a matter of fact, you can. The 17 or so families that suffer from this disease in The Netherlands and Belgium have raised about €250,000 and our government has added 1.5 million more. Research has started and has made some progress. To continue research bucket loads of money are needed though, as the research is complex because of the rarity and the 36 variants of SCA. If you feel the need you can donate: NL18 INGB 0000 0008 60 on name of Hersenstichting, The Hague, citing “SCA 1”.
Edit: On May 20th 2021 my friend died of the consequences of her disease at the age of 36.
There are many instances in Stanley Park Vancouver BC where new growth has flourished in decaying tree stumps left from the 1860's on logging. Looks like this one may have met death by saw.
The Stanley Park of today, while still managed, is cared for in a far less invasive manner than in years past. Trees are removed on occasion for safety reasons or to suppress fires. Dead and dying trees in certain portions of the park are often felled and left to decompose, providing nutrients for other plants in the ecosystem. Gone are the pest and predator elimination programs of the past (between the 1910s and the 1960s, the Vancouver Gun Club was licensed to shoot crows on Sundays).
This is a REAL instance of ice even without vaccines and it's not the Trump ICE lockup and covid super-spreader site for migrants and kids in Denver. A while back, I grabbed more Clover Basin ditch shots down at Willow Farm when I hauled my D700 back down even though the sky was blank blue. I therefore had no choice but to point the camera downward for captures and keep the sky from the shots. Just like today and tomorrow and tomorrow! I decided that I needed some better originals to edit! I liked this view as well as the other. I got few real duds in my "action" takes of the ditch but I do have several NORMAL shots of the ditch now (they call it Willow Brook) but I call it a ditch. It's not much of one either. Let's face it, most of the St. Vrain stream and ditch flows have been ripped by the towns and cities to water blue grass instead of agriculture.
I can't figure why anyone would cut a ditch this darn squirrely. Drunk diggers, probably, though Longmont was a temperate colony at the time. Not so now When I first saw it, It was nearly impossible to follow the reasoning for this ditch but it does seem that the floods scoured this ditch somewhat. I think I noticed the colors of the reflections and contrasts and decided to take advantage. They seemed to oversaturate in this case but that's about everything posted on Flickr. The water course was a bit torn up but there must have been no serious flooding here.
We hit the end of autumn then and the chills came through but we hit the 60s after Christmas - so no coat. I won't go down to shoot ice today - it hit the 67 degrees in early December and await the 80s later in the week. No Coats in the 60s, no Clarks either. I've still got a lot of captures in the temp directory in today's stretch of no skies. I found Willow Farm on Google maps when searching for a barn I glimpsed and made some trips down there and added some more weird captures to temp stash. This is a shot of Willow Creek, another ditch, IMHO. I went back down with my D700 to see if I could capture some shot of the barn. I may go out soon if we can retrieve some skies and clouds at all.
Here is a normal, if not fairly slow hand held exposure. I already posted other shots that were "action" shots and they were the better shots. I grabbed a couple of slices in Lightroom and dropped them into Photoshop to see what might appear.
Sometimes I get inspiration from the strangest things. Take for instance the inspiration for this shot, which came from the fact that Canada Post is on strike which meant that I had to wait another day for my new lens to get here. I started to think about the history of how we send messages and then I remembered that the Item Collaboration theme today is bottles and it all made sense!
I had to put this photo on pause in the midst of setting it up as a group of ducks decided to stand and quack at me for about 10 minutes.
Instance.
After many failed attempts, tonight I managed to create an image I've had in my head for an age.
It needs a bit of tidying up but I've got plenty of time to do that.
I wanted to create a kind of black hole sucking a stream of matter into its core.
Cheers to Chris T for the final piece of the jigsaw.
Three lenses, two tripod positions, pin pricked card, blue lp brushes filter attachment el wire, breath and my mobile phone.
Single long exposure black hole exploration.
This is in the first instance an illustration of what it is like to photograph birds at Britannia - thick mazes of branches and shrubs, with great birds. My friend Paul thinks this might be a Gray-cheeked Thrush - comments welcome (and I wish I had a better capture to ground a theory on).
In this instance, RML stands for Leyland-engined RM. One of the prototypes for the classic London bus visited the Isle of Wight Beer & Buses Weekend this year. Seen in between trips to Ryde sitting at Newport Quay alongside a former London chum, DMS550.
Not a friendly handshake in this instance though… lol.
(This picture is in this week's [Sat September 20th 2014] Amateur Photographer Magazine on page 21 :)…. Yay, I'm in a national magazine!!! They picked it up from the BWPA and have published several pictures they liked from the awards. Thanks to Rob Williams for informing me.)
Not really good IQ on this because of bad light, I just thought the pose was interesting! I hadn't intended to take this sort of shot today (which is why 700mm) but the starlings were so distracting I couldn't help myself!
I was in the hide for an hour and a half, took over 800 photos, it was a lot of fun, there's lots going on there at the moment and there are still good photos to be had even in bad light.
The kids leave a lot of chalk on the driveway. It gets crushed by cards. But in this instance, I found them stomping on pices to make a colorful dust pile. I scolded them for wasting chalk, but took a picture because it was pretty.
There have been a couple of instances lately that a pile of feathers have been left on the grass. Today I saw this fellow as I looked through the window. Thoughtfully he waited while I went to get my camera. I don`t know whether he got his meal or not as I ran out of time waiting. Certainly not a bird today. Possibly a field mouse or vole or even left hungry?
Rhaeadr Fawr, or Aber Falls if you're English, is a waterfall in Gwynedd North Wales and drains the Carneddau mountain range. It is formed as the Afon Goch plunges 120 feet over the igneous bedrock and quite an impressive waterfall it is too; although sadly you obviously can't appreciate it's height in this shot.
Swimming is possible in the plunge pools and as I was there relatively early and with a positively balmy 4 degrees, I thought, well, why not. I'd just taken the top 5 layers off and was down to the fleece when along came 2 walkers, such a shame, so not wanting to make these good folk revisit their breakfast or indeed be charged with indecent exposure, I got back to the job in hand, that being recording more 'water, rocks and ****.
Now for the music. Don't get me wrong, I do like Ed Sheeran. he is a very talented young man but like a disapproving prude in a nudist colony, you can have a bit of over-exposure! But throw Andrea Bocelli in there, (that's into the music, not the nudist colony), then the result is quite magical.
Isn't the Italian language wonderful and expressive, even simple things sound much more stylish. For instance:
'Adoro pulire la lettiera dei gatti e avere le mie gambe cerate', just sounds delightful, whatever it might mean. I just wish I wasn't such a philistine and could speak it!
Bocelli has such a rich, soulful voice and as the legendary darts commentator Sid Waddell one said, 'the man with a voice like an angel lovingly tap dancing on your ear drums'.
In actual fact, I don't think Sid Waddell ever said that, possibly just another figment of my imagination, but if he were around today I would like to think that maybe he just might.
Darts, what a spectator sport! Actually it's not really a sport, more like hunter gatherer training for Borrowers!
Anyway, that's more than enough nonsense for one day and I hope you enjoy the track.
The Crystal Palace is pure old school, "Vacation Kingdom of the World," Walt Disney World. The beauty--the grandeur--everything about it just embodies the Disney look and feel of the Resort's early days.
While some criticize the location for having character dining, I don't think the dining is fatal to the restaurant's allure in this era (full disclosure: I am a strong proponent of character dining). Although the restaurant could "speak for itself," I actually think the character dining makes people appreciate the restaurant more. In most instances, when character dining exists at a restaurant, you spend more time at the restaurant, and take in more of its details (because you're looking around at the characters, you inadvertently notice other things).
Plus, If the character dining is that much of an issue, you can always just ignore them and enjoy your meal (and even if you don't have kids and/or don't like characters yourself, it's fun to experience the joy vicariously through their interactions with the characters, and in my opinion, witnessing others having the Magic made for them is one of the great things about WDW). Finally, I think this is one of the best (second to Boma) buffets at WDW.
Check out www.DisneyTouristBlog.com to read Sarah's and my exciting trip reports!
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A rare instance with a solo pedestrian at the Pike and 1st intersection. Kodak T-Max 400 in a Hasselblad 205tcc w/Zeiss 80mm Planar.
© Ben Heine || Facebook || Twitter || www.benheine.com
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He is one of the best street singers in the world. That old and talented man is playing almost everyday in the centre of Brussels. He has become a living monument in the city, everybody loves him!
Please, also have a look at THIS VIDEO showing him playing 2 of his favourite songs (I recorded them yesterday!).
The above photo has been shot with the Samsung NX10, which has been provided to me by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
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For more information about my art: info@benheine.com
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Your Songs
A poem by Peter S. Quinn
Your songs are so beautiful
Like roses and gardens sapphire
With their moments never dull
As days come clearly in desire
The sweetness of your singing
In pomp and circumstance
With every street front bringing
In days of embrace and trance
Like love-song of the minions
In silences and tone bend
For the street daughters and sons
That colors mix and blend
In every footstep going
Where everyone once is for all
In the songs and words knowing
That comes in their daily call
Your voice rises from sleep
Onto the banquet of its time
For the days onward to keep
From guitar’s strumming rhyme
O love songs of the streets
Among the folks there walking
Of pure instances stepping feet’s
And in all its audibly talking
Many town loves have been torn
Inside endless dispute and flow
And each their sound newborn
In beginnings of daybreak's glow
When feelings are low and blending
During endless time and space
And on to the futures commanding
Within your tone blend and grace
Like love-song of the minions
In silences and tone bend
For the street daughters and sons
That colors mix and blend
In every footstep going
Where everyone once is for all
In the songs and words knowing
That comes in their daily call
Le plus intéressant... | Ma carte | Mes classeurs | Mes albums
Façade du Tribunal de Grande Instance.
Arras | Pas-de-Calais (62) | Hauts-de-France | France
Red indian.... a member of the race of people living in America when Europeans arrived
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the descendants of the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Americas. Pueblos indígenas (indigenous peoples) is a common term in Spanish-speaking countries. Aborigen (aboriginal/native) is used in Argentina, whereas "Amerindian" is used in Quebec, The Guianas, and the English-speaking Caribbean.[21][22][23][24] Indigenous peoples are commonly known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, which include First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.[25] Indigenous peoples of the United States are commonly known as Native Americans or American Indians, and Alaska Natives.[26]
According to the prevailing theories of the settlement of the Americas, migrations of humans from Asia (in particular North Asia)[27][28] to the Americas took place via Beringia, a land bridge which connected the two continents across what is now the Bering Strait. The majority of experts agree that the earliest pre-modern human migration via Beringia took place at least 13,500 years ago.[29] These early Paleo-Indians spread throughout the Americas, diversifying into many hundreds of culturally distinct nations and tribes. According to the oral histories of many of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, they have been living there since their genesis, described by a wide range of creation myths.
Application of the term "Indian" originated with Christopher Columbus, who, in his search for Asia, thought that he had arrived in the East Indies.[30][31][32][33][34][35] The Americas came to be known as the "West Indies", a name still used to refer to the islands of the Caribbean Sea. This led to the names "Indies" and "Indian", which implied some kind of racial or cultural unity among the aboriginal peoples of the Americas. This unifying concept, codified in law, religion, and politics, was not originally accepted by indigenous peoples but has been embraced by many over the last two centuries.[citation needed] Even though the term "Indian" does not include the Aleuts, Inuit, or Yupik peoples, these groups are considered indigenous peoples of the Americas.
Although some indigenous peoples of the Americas were traditionally hunter-gatherers—and many, especially in Amazonia, still are—many groups practiced aquaculture and agriculture. The impact of their agricultural endowment to the world is a testament to their time and work in reshaping and cultivating the flora indigenous to the Americas.[36] Although some societies depended heavily on agriculture, others practiced a mix of farming, hunting, and gathering. In some regions the indigenous peoples created monumental architecture, large-scale organized cities, chiefdoms, states, and empires.
A Navajo man on horseback in Monument valley, Arizona.
Many parts of the Americas are still populated by indigenous peoples; some countries have sizable populations, especially Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Greenland, Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru. At least a thousand different indigenous languages are spoken in the Americas. Some, such as the Quechuan languages, Aymara, Guaraní, Mayan languages, and Nahuatl, count their speakers in millions. Many also maintain aspects of indigenous cultural practices to varying degrees, including religion, social organization, and subsistence practices. Like most cultures, over time, cultures specific to many indigenous peoples have evolved to incorporate traditional aspects, but also cater to modern needs. Some indigenous peoples still live in relative isolation from Western culture and a few are still counted as uncontacted peoples.
Migration into the continents[edit]
For more details on theories of the migrations of the Paleo-Indians, see settlement of the Americas.
The specifics of Paleo-Indian migration to and throughout the Americas, including the exact dates and routes traveled, provide the subject of ongoing research and discussion.[37][38] According to archaeological and genetic evidence, North and South America were the last continents in the world with human habitation.[37] During the Wisconsin glaciation, 50–17,000 years ago, falling sea levels allowed people to move across the land bridge of Beringia that joined Siberia to north west North America (Alaska).[39][40] Alaska was a glacial refugia because it had low snowfall, allowing a small population to exist. The Laurentide Ice Sheet covered most of North America, blocking nomadic inhabitants and confining them to Alaska (East Beringia) for thousands of years.[41][42]
Indigenous genetic studies suggest that the first inhabitants of the Americas share a single ancestral population, one that developed in isolation, conjectured to be Beringia.[43][44] The isolation of these peoples in Beringia might have lasted 10–20,000 years.[45][46][47] Around 16,500 years ago, the glaciers began melting, allowing people to move south and east into Canada and beyond.[38][48][49] These people are believed to have followed herds of now-extinct Pleistocene megafauna along ice-free corridors that stretched between the Laurentide and Cordilleran Ice Sheets.[50]
Another route proposed involves migration - either on foot or using primitive boats - along the Pacific Northwest coast to South America.[51] Evidence of the latter would have been covered by a sea level rise of more than 120 meters since the last ice age.[52]
The time range of 40,000–16,500 years ago is debatable and probably will remain so for years to come.[37][38] The few agreements achieved to date include:[29][53]
the origin from Central Asia
widespread habitation of the Americas during the end of the last glacial period, or more specifically what is known as the Late Glacial Maximum, around 16,000–13,000 years before present
Stone tools, particularly projectile points and scrapers, are the primary evidence of the earliest human activity in the Americas. Crafted lithic flaked tools are used by archaeologists and anthropologists to classify cultural periods.[54] The Clovis culture, the earliest definitively-dated Paleo-Indians in the Americas, appears around 11,500 RCBP (radiocarbon years Before Present[55]), equivalent to 13,500 to 13,000 calendar years ago.
In 2014, the autosomal DNA of a 12,500+-year-old infant from Montana found in close association with several Clovis artifacts was sequenced.[56] These are the Anzick-1 remains from the Anzick Clovis burial in Montana. The data indicate that the individual was from a population ancestral to present South American and Central American Native American populations, and closely related to present North American Native American populations. The implication is that there was an early divergence between North American and Central American plus South American populations. Hypotheses which posit that invasions subsequent to the Clovis culture overwhelmed or assimilated previous migrants into the Americas were ruled out.[56]
Similarly, the skeleton of a teenage girl (named 'Naia', after a water nymph from Greek mythology) found in the underwater caves called sistema Sac Actun in Mexico's eastern Yucatán Peninsula in 2007 has had DNA extracted, and at 13,000 years old is considered the oldest genetically intact human skeleton ever found in the Americas. The DNA indicates she was from a lineage derived from Asian origins that is represented in the modern native population's DNA.[57]
Pre-Columbian era[edit]
Main article: Pre-Columbian era
See also: Archaeology of the Americas
Language families of North American indigenous peoples
The Pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European and African influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original arrival in the Upper Paleolithic to European colonization during the early modern period.[58]
While technically referring to the era before Christopher Columbus' voyages of 1492 to 1504, in practice the term usually includes the history of American indigenous cultures until Europeans either conquered or significantly influenced them, even if this happened decades or even centuries after Columbus' initial landing.[59] "Pre-Columbian" is used especially often in the context of discussing the great indigenous civilizations of the Americas, such as those of Mesoamerica (the Olmec, the Toltec, the Teotihuacano, the Zapotec, the Mixtec, the Aztec, and the Maya civilizations) and those of the Andes (Inca Empire, Moche culture, Muisca Confederation, Cañaris).
Ethnic groups circa 1300-1535
Paleo-Indians hunting a glyptodont
Many pre-Columbian civilizations established characteristics and hallmarks which included permanent or urban settlements, agriculture, civic and monumental architecture, and complex societal hierarchies.[60] Some of these civilizations had long faded by the time of the first significant European and African arrivals (ca. late 15th–early 16th centuries), and are known only through oral history and through archaeological investigations. Others were contemporary with this period, and are also known from historical accounts of the time. A few, such as the Mayan, Olmec, Mixtec, and Nahua peoples, had their own written records. However, the European colonists of the time worked to eliminate non-Christian beliefs, and Christian pyres destroyed many pre-Columbian written records. Only a few documents remained hidden and survived, leaving contemporary historians with glimpses of ancient culture and knowledge.
According to both indigenous American and European accounts and documents, American civilizations at the time of European encounter had achieved many accomplishments.[61] For instance, the Aztecs built one of the largest cities in the world, Tenochtitlan, the ancient site of Mexico City, with an estimated population of 200,000. American civilizations also displayed impressive accomplishments in astronomy and mathematics. The domestication of maize or corn required thousands of years of selective breeding.
Inuit, Alaskan Native, and American Indian creation myths tell of a variety of origins of their respective peoples. Some were "always there" or were created by gods or animals, some migrated from a specified compass point, and others came from "across the ocean".[62]
European colonization[edit]
Main article: European colonization of the Americas
See also: Population history of indigenous peoples of the Americas and Columbian Exchange
Cultural areas of North America at time of European contact
The European colonization of the Americas forever changed the lives and cultures of the peoples of the continents. Although the exact pre-contact population of the Americas is unknown, scholars estimate that Native American populations diminished by between 80 and 90% within the first centuries of contact with Europeans. The leading cause was disease. The continent was ravaged by epidemics of diseases such as smallpox, measles, and cholera, which were brought from Europe by the early explorers and spread quickly into new areas even before later explorers and colonists reached them. Native Americans suffered high mortality rates due to their lack of prior exposure to these diseases. The loss of lives was exacerbated by conflict between colonists and indigenous people. Colonists also frequently perpetrated massacres on the indigenous groups and enslaved them.[63][64][65] According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census (1894), the North American Indian Wars of the 19th century cost the lives of about 19,000 whites and 30,000 Native Americans.[66]
The first indigenous group encountered by Columbus were the 250,000 Taínos of Hispaniola who represented the dominant culture in the Greater Antilles and the Bahamas. Within thirty years about 70% of the Taínos had died.[67] They had no immunity to European diseases, so outbreaks of measles and smallpox ravaged their population.[68] Increasing punishment of the Taínos for revolting against forced labour, despite measures put in place by the encomienda, which included religious education and protection from warring tribes,[69] eventually led to the last great Taíno rebellion.
Following years of mistreatment, the Taínos began to adopt suicidal behaviors, with women aborting or killing their infants and men jumping from the cliffs or ingesting untreated cassava, a violent poison.[67] Eventually, a Taíno Cacique named Enriquillo managed to hold out in the Baoruco Mountain Range for thirteen years, causing serious damage to the Spanish, Carib-held plantations and their Indian auxiliaries.[70] Hearing of the seriousness of the revolt, Emperor Charles V (also King of Spain) sent captain Francisco Barrionuevo to negotiate a peace treaty with the ever-increasing number of rebels. Two months later, after consultation with the Audencia of Santo Domingo, Enriquillo was offered any part of the island to live in peace.
The Laws of Burgos, 1512-1513, were the first codified set of laws governing the behavior of Spanish settlers in America, particularly with regard to native Indians. The laws forbade the maltreatment of natives and endorsed their conversion to Catholicism.[71] The Spanish crown found it difficult to enforce these laws in a distant colony.
Drawing accompanying text in Book XII of the 16th-century Florentine Codex (compiled 1540–1585), showing Nahuas of conquest-era central Mexico suffering from smallpox
Various theories for the decline of the Native American populations emphasize epidemic diseases, conflicts with Europeans, and conflicts among warring tribes. Scholars now believe that, among the various contributing factors, epidemic disease was the overwhelming cause of the population decline of the American natives.[72][73] Some believe that after first contacts with Europeans and Africans, Old World diseases caused the death of 90 to 95% of the native population of the New World in the following 150 years.[74] Smallpox killed up to one third of the native population of Hispaniola in 1518.[75] By killing the Incan ruler Huayna Capac, smallpox caused the Inca Civil War. Smallpox was only the first epidemic. Typhus (probably) in 1546, influenza and smallpox together in 1558, smallpox again in 1589, diphtheria in 1614, measles in 1618—all ravaged the remains of Inca culture.
Smallpox had killed millions of native inhabitants of Mexico.[76][77] Unintentionally introduced at Veracruz with the arrival of Pánfilo de Narváez on April 23, 1520, smallpox ravaged Mexico in the 1520s,[78] possibly killing over 150,000 in Tenochtitlán alone (the heartland of the Aztec Empire), and aiding in the victory of Hernán Cortés over the Aztec Empire at Tenochtitlan (present-day Mexico City) in 1521.[citation needed]
Over the centuries, the Europeans had developed high degrees of immunity to these diseases, while the indigenous Americans had no immunity.[79]
Explorations of the Caribbean led to the discovery of the Arawaks of the Lesser Antilles. The culture was destroyed by 1650. Only 500 had survived by the year 1550, though the bloodlines continued through to the modern populace. In Amazonia, indigenous societies weathered centuries of colonization.[80]
Indians visiting a Brazilian farm plantation in Minas Gerais ca. 1824
Contact with European diseases such as smallpox and measles killed between 50 and 67 per cent of the Aboriginal population of North America in the first hundred years after the arrival of Europeans.[81] Some 90 per cent of the native population near Massachusetts Bay Colony died of smallpox in an epidemic in 1617–1619.[82] In 1633, in Plymouth, the Native Americans there were exposed to smallpox because of contact with Europeans. As it had done elsewhere, the virus wiped out entire population groups of Native Americans.[83] It reached Lake Ontario in 1636, and the lands of the Iroquois by 1679.[84][85] During the 1770s, smallpox killed at least 30% of the West Coast Native Americans.[86] The 1775–82 North American smallpox epidemic and 1837 Great Plains smallpox epidemic brought devastation and drastic population depletion among the Plains Indians.[87][88] In 1832, the federal government of the United States established a smallpox vaccination program for Native Americans (The Indian Vaccination Act of 1832).[89][90]
The Indigenous peoples in Brazil declined from a pre-Columbian high of an estimated three million[91] to some 300,000 in 1997.[dubious – discuss][not in citation given][92]
The Spanish Empire and other Europeans brought horses to the Americas. Some of these animals escaped and began to breed and increase their numbers in the wild.[93] The re-introduction of the horse, extinct in the Americas for over 7500 years, had a profound impact on Native American culture in the Great Plains of North America and of Patagonia in South America. By domesticating horses, some tribes had great success: horses enabled them to expand their territories, exchange more goods with neighboring tribes, and more easily capture game, especially bison.
Agriculture[edit]
See also: Agriculture in Mesoamerica and Incan agriculture
A bison hunt depicted by George Catlin
Over the course of thousands of years, American indigenous peoples domesticated, bred and cultivated a large array of plant species. These species now constitute 50–60% of all crops in cultivation worldwide.[94] In certain cases, the indigenous peoples developed entirely new species and strains through artificial selection, as was the case in the domestication and breeding of maize from wild teosinte grasses in the valleys of southern Mexico. Numerous such agricultural products retain their native names in the English and Spanish lexicons.
The South American highlands were a center of early agriculture. Genetic testing of the wide variety of cultivars and wild species suggests that the potato has a single origin in the area of southern Peru,[95] from a species in the Solanum brevicaule complex. Over 99% of all modern cultivated potatoes worldwide are descendants of a subspecies indigenous to south-central Chile,[96] Solanum tuberosum ssp. tuberosum, where it was cultivated as long as 10,000 years ago.[97][98] According to George Raudzens, "It is clear that in pre-Columbian times some groups struggled to survive and often suffered food shortages and famines, while others enjoyed a varied and substantial diet."[99] The persistent drought around 850 AD coincided with the collapse of Classic Maya civilization, and the famine of One Rabbit (AD 1454) was a major catastrophe in Mexico.[100]
Andenes in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, Peru. The Incan agricultural terraces are still used by many of the Incas' descendents, Quechua-speaking Andean farmers.
Natives of North America began practicing farming approximately 4,000 years ago, late in the Archaic period of North American cultures. Technology had advanced to the point that pottery was becoming common and the small-scale felling of trees had become feasible. Concurrently, the Archaic Indians began using fire in a controlled manner. Intentional burning of vegetation was used to mimic the effects of natural fires that tended to clear forest understories. It made travel easier and facilitated the growth of herbs and berry-producing plants, which were important for both food and medicines.[101]
In the Mississippi River valley, Europeans noted Native Americans' managed groves of nut and fruit trees not far from villages and towns and their gardens and agricultural fields. Further away, prescribed burning would have been used in forest and prairie areas.[102]
Many crops first domesticated by indigenous Americans are now produced and used globally. Chief among these is maize or "corn", arguably the most important crop in the world.[103] Other significant crops include cassava, chia, squash (pumpkins, zucchini, marrow, acorn squash, butternut squash), the pinto bean, Phaseolus beans including most common beans, tepary beans and lima beans, tomatoes, potatoes, avocados, peanuts, cocoa beans (used to make chocolate), vanilla, strawberries, pineapples, Peppers (species and varieties of Capsicum, including bell peppers, jalapeños, paprika and chili peppers) sunflower seeds, rubber, brazilwood, chicle, tobacco, coca, manioc and some species of cotton.
Studies of contemporary indigenous environmental management, including agro-forestry practices among Itza Maya in Guatemala and hunting and fishing among the Menominee of Wisconsin, suggest that longstanding "sacred values" may represent a summary of sustainable millennial traditions.[104]
Culture[edit]
Further information: Mythologies of the indigenous peoples of North America
Quechua woman and child in the Sacred Valley, Andes, Peru
Cultural practices in the Americas seem to have been shared mostly within geographical zones where unrelated peoples adopted similar technologies and social organizations. An example of such a cultural area is Mesoamerica, where millennia of coexistence and shared development among the peoples of the region produced a fairly homogeneous culture with complex agricultural and social patterns. Another well-known example is the North American plains where until the 19th century several peoples shared the traits of nomadic hunter-gatherers based primarily on buffalo hunting.
Writing systems[edit]
See also: Canadian Aboriginal syllabics, Cherokee syllabary, and Quipu
Maya glyphs in stucco at the Museo de sitio in Palenque, Mexico
The development of writing is counted among the many achievements and innovations of pre-Columbian American cultures. Independent from the development of writing in other areas of the world, the Mesoamerican region produced several indigenous writing systems beginning in the 1st millennium BCE. What may be the earliest-known example in the Americas of an extensive text thought to be writing is by the Cascajal Block. The Olmec hieroglyphs tablet has been indirectly dated from ceramic shards found in the same context to approximately 900 BCE, around the time that Olmec occupation of San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán began to wane.[105]
The Maya writing system was a combination of phonetic syllabic symbols and logograms — that is, it was a logosyllabic writing system. It is the only pre-Columbian writing system known to represent completely the spoken language of its community. In total, the script has more than one thousand different glyphs, although a few are variations of the same sign or meaning, and many appear only rarely or are confined to particular localities. At any one time, no more than about five hundred glyphs were in use, some two hundred of which (including variations) had a phonetic or syllabic interpretation.[106][107][108]
Aztec codices (singular codex) are books written by pre-Columbian and colonial-era Aztecs. These codices provide some of the best primary sources for Aztec culture. The pre-Columbian codices differ from European codices in that they are largely pictorial; they were not meant to symbolize spoken or written narratives.[109] The colonial era codices not only contain Aztec pictograms, but also Classical Nahuatl (in the Latin alphabet), Spanish, and occasionally Latin.
Spanish mendicants in the sixteenth century taught indigenous scribes in their communities to write their languages in Latin letters, and there is a large number of local-level documents in Nahuatl, Zapotec, Mixtec, and Yucatec Maya from the colonial era, many of which were part of lawsuits and other legal matters. Although Spaniards initially taught indigenous scribes alphabetic writing, the tradition became self-perpetuating at the local level.[110] The Spanish crown gathered such documentation, and contemporary Spanish translations were made for legal cases. Scholars have translated and analyzed these documents in what is called the New Philology to write histories of indigenous peoples from indigenous viewpoints.[111]
The Wiigwaasabak, birch bark scrolls on which the Ojibwa (Anishinaabe) people wrote complex geometrical patterns and shapes, can also be considered a form of writing, as can Mi'kmaq hieroglyphics.
Aboriginal syllabic writing, or simply syllabics, is a family of abugidas used to write some Aboriginal Canadian languages of the Algonquian, Inuit, and Athabaskan language families.
Music and art[edit]
Main articles: Visual arts by indigenous peoples of the Americas and Native American music
Apache fiddle made by Chesley Goseyun Wilson (San Carlos Apache)
Chimu culture feather pectoral, feathers, reed, copper, silver, hide, cordage, ca. 1350–1450 CE
Textile art by Julia Pingushat (Inuk, Arviat, Nunavut Territory, Canada), wool, embroidery floss, 1995
Native American music in North America is almost entirely monophonic, but there are notable exceptions. Traditional Native American music often centers around drumming. Rattles, clappersticks, and rasps were also popular percussive instruments. Flutes were made of rivercane, cedar, and other woods. The tuning of these flutes is not precise and depends on the length of the wood used and the hand span of the intended player, but the finger holes are most often around a whole step apart and, at least in Northern California, a flute was not used if it turned out to have an interval close to a half step. The Apache fiddle is a single stringed instrument.[citation needed]
The music of the indigenous peoples of Central Mexico and Central America was often pentatonic. Before the arrival of the Spaniards and other Europeans, music was inseparable from religious festivities and included a large variety of percussion and wind instruments such as drums, flutes, sea snail shells (used as a trumpet) and "rain" tubes. No remnants of pre-Columbian stringed instruments were found until archaeologists discovered a jar in Guatemala, attributed to the Maya of the Late Classic Era (600–900 CE), which depicts a stringed musical instrument which has since been reproduced. This instrument is one of the very few stringed instruments known in the Americas prior to the introduction of European musical instruments; when played, it produces a sound that mimics a jaguar's growl.[112]
Visual arts by indigenous peoples of the Americas comprise a major category in the world art collection. Contributions include pottery, paintings, jewellery, weavings, sculptures, basketry, carvings, and beadwork.[113] Because too many artists were posing as Native Americans and Alaska Natives[114] in order to profit from the cachet of Indigenous art in the United States, the U.S. passed the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990, requiring artists to prove that they are enrolled in a state or federally recognized tribe. To support the ongoing practice of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian arts and cultures in the United States,[115] the Ford Foundation, arts advocates and American Indian tribes created an endowment seed fund and established a national Native Arts and Cultures Foundation in 2007.[116][117]
Demography of contemporary populations[edit]
This map shows the percentage of indigenous population in different countries of the Americas.
The following table provides estimates for each country in the Americas of the populations of indigenous people and those with partial indigenous ancestry, each expressed as a percentage of the overall population. The total percentage obtained by adding both of these categories is also given.
Note: these categories are inconsistently defined and measured differently from country to country. Some figures are based on the results of population-wide genetic surveys while others are based on self-identification or observational estimation
Ever since I became a Flickr member I've enjoyed the gorgeous Bald Eagle pictures of, for instance Imtoootall, Doug LLoyd, Nikographer, Fella-1 and Garnite (to name a few...).
I long to go to the places they live/visit, see the eagles with my own eyes, but it seems that my wishlist of 'must see before I die'-places only grows longer since I'm on Flickr and the time left only becomes shorter.. :-)
But.... there are vague plans to go to Vancouver Island in autumn. I've heard from a friend that there seem to be a lot of these flying beauties around there.....
Meanwhile, last sunday I went with friends and their kids to Beekse Bergen in Holland. Apart from it being a lovely day which really lifted the spirits of us sunstarved people in the Netherlands (:-), they had a wonderful show with birds of prey.
So here was my chance to practice a little! You might call it a small miracle that I haven't hit anyone on the head with the camera and lens but I was só eager to get at least one shot right!
Ok, it might not (yet) be the real stuff, and it doesn't come near the quality of the above mentioned gentlemen's shots, but still I've enjoyed seeing this wonderful eagle fly enormously. (and at least it felt real !!! :-) )
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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!
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Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Photography!
I love shooting fine art landscapes and fine art nature photography! :) I live for it!
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Feel free to ask me any questions! Always love sharing tech talk and insights! :)
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All the best on your Epic Hero's Odyssey from Johnny Ranger McCoy!
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