Nice doll. Inset eyes and cute face. The hair is another story though...could be softer and more manageable. I may have to boil the hair into submission. Lol

This Pakistani man has been working here for few years. He is seen hacking off and splitting logs of charcoal wood into smaller manageable sizes to be packed into their gunny sacks.

Part of my Straight Out Of the Camera Series.

 

The ONLY editing I did was to reduce the size from the snapshot in SL (4000×3500) down to a 1024 size manageable for the blog and Flickr. There’s been no cropping, adjustments, or texturizing.

 

slicesoflifesl.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/sooc-inverness/

 

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Inverness%20City/54/130/22

 

A slightly later September inmate of Arnott & Young's scrapyard was another Standard 9F 2-10-0 withdrawn from Speke Junction shed in May, this time the penultimate member of the class number 92249. Unfortunately although less than 10 years old its fate was no different from 92069's; to be cut into manageable pieces and fed into the blast furnaces of the nearby Parkgate Ironworks.

 

Arnott & Young used the old goods yard of the Midland Railway Parkgate & Rawmarsh station. The station had been served by local trains between Sheffield & Doncaster and its footbridge can be seen in the right background. I had glimpsed the scrapyard from the train to Doncaster & vowed to come back and take some photos but unfortunately the station had closed earlier in 1968 so I had to catch the bus.

Fall 2020 was back to work-from-work, so I spent much less time with the yardbirds than the extravagant spring and summer. Still, it was another good season for yardbirding, with some great seasonal birds, great sightings of the sapsucker and sharp-shinned hawk, and of course all of the usual suspects. I tried to get all of them in here, but I'm sure I missed several trying to get the vid to a manageable size. All videos taken between September and mid-December, 2020, backyard Olympia.

It looked to be a good day for a hike in the foothills east of the Rocky Mountains, except for some wind. Snow was patchy on the trail in the lower reaches, but still manageable with just our boots. Once past the junction with Prairie Link Trail, we had to don our spikes to continue. A kilometre from the summit, however, the ridge had been swept free of snow, and we were back with just our boots without spikes. The same winds that kept the snow off the ridge top returned to pester and annoy us, cooling us down. We walked just over 18 km's, gaining just over 800 m's, and taking 5 1/4 hours to so.

I love my new 15mm diagonal fisheye. At f/16, not only will it focus from 4-ft to infinity, but if you point it at something bright you get this incredible starburst. I got right down by the grass and moved the camera until I got a manageable amount of sun. In post processing I raise the shadows, added a little vibrance and a good bit of contrast. DxO Optics Pro 8.2 automatically corrected the geometric distortion of the lens and cropped to rectilinear.

 

This is my first Sigma lens, their 15mm f/2.8 EX DG lens. It's proving up to the standards of the Canon 15mm that I tried, both optically, build quality, AF accuracy and fun to work with. Please realize that I'm "defishing" many (most) of my fisheye images. I love the look. With DxO you can move a slider to move from no correction to full correction. The full correction, as here, takes seriously curved lines that should be straight and makes them straight.

My dad and I took a little weekend trip to Washington DC, mainly cause it's been awhile since we did just a son and father trip. It was my first visit the capitol, and we were blessed with very nice weather..well for most part. DC is extremely grand and beautiful, coming from little city like Memphis it's whole new experience for me. We learned that is much better to use the public transportation system, then driving a car. The atmosphere in Washington is much more lively, and the people tend to be really nice and helpful.

 

I think I am slowly getting use to my new D800 in term knowing of the feature and its ability. I realized that my little 8GB card just isn't enough for a 36MP sensor, in fact I have to switch to JPEG just for the last leg of the trip. I rented the Nikkor 14-24mm at 2.8 for the trip, and truly this is most amazing wide lens I have ever used. At 16mm the distorting is still manageable, but above all the picture came out really sharp. this lens rental really works out for me, since the company is right here in memphis. I been wanting to test out 24-70mm and 70-200mm at 2.8, so this might be a good option for me.

 

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Weighed down by daily troubles here on the ground? Lift that head up and look at the beauty in the sky. Whenever I do, it makes challenges here on the ground seem a lot more manageable.

rolleiflex 2.8c

planar 80 2.8

delta 400

xtol 1:1 11.5m

honolulu hawaii

Putting the 'Flex through some night trials before taking it to Prime Time. Shutter is bit stiff but manageable as is the focusing screen. Looks like missing a 1/15 shutter speed will work out though a bit tricky at 1/5-1/10s! I'll just have to force my heart to stop beating.

www.adamswaine.co.uk

Darent Valley Path

The waymarked path Darent Valley Path is 19 miles (31 km) long, following the River Darent from the banks of the River Thames at Dartford through the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to the Greensand Hills above Sevenoaks.It is close to Shoreham Village and Otford Village.

 

The route is well served by public transport making it ideal to break into manageable walks. Train stations are situated at Sevenoaks, Bat & Ball (Sevenoaks), Otford, Eynsford, Farningham Road, Dunton green railway station & Dartford, and there are many bus routes along the route

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© All rights are reserved, please do not use my photos without my permission. Thanks !

 

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The beautiful two-masted schooner 'Zephyr' has a cosy, light, luxury saloon, finished with three large tables. The galley is equipped with all conveniences, including a beer tap. This perfectly maintained ship is a sportive and safe sailing vessel with a manageable rigging system. The 'Zephyr' has an enthusiastic crew. The skippers Jan, Ingo and Bert will sail with you from Harlingen to the calm Frisian Islands. Along the way the ship can be set on a sandbar as the tide recedes and/or sail to the cosiness of the seaports. The 'Zephyr' is a sea sailing vessel, which makes it possible to sail to for example the German island of Helgoland or to England. Or try a sea sailing tour and learn how to navigate on sea (experience is not required). During the high season the 'Zephyr' sails around the Channel Islands and this spring she sails on the Baltic Sea (starting from Kiel in Germany). The crew will make you experience the versatility of these beautiful sailing areas. The spontaneous and pleasant atmosphere on board will make you feel at home right away.

Source: www.sailingadventuretours.com/all-ships

 

inviso-content.traserv.com/60865_Zephyr_NL_DU.pdf

German:

Der schöne Schoner 'Zephyr' verfügt über einen gemütlichen, offenen und geräumigen Aufenthaltsraum, in dem drei große Tische stehen. Die Kombüse lässt keine Wünsche offen, sogar eine Bierzapfanlage ist vorhanden. Das perfekt instandgehaltene Schiff ist ein sportlicher und sicherer Segler mit einer handlichen Takelage. Mit seiner hohen Reling und den breiten Gangborden ist das Schiff für Jung und Alt gleichermaßen gut geeignet.

Die Besatzung der 'Zephyr' ist ein motiviertes und begeistertes Team. Die Skipper Jan, Ingo oder Bert segeln mit Ihnen ab Harlingen an einem Wochenende, in der Woche, eine Woche lang oder auch nur einen Tag in Richtung des Wattenmeers und den Watteninseln, um dort die einzigartige, ruhige Atmosphäre zu erleben. Unterwegs kann das Schiff auf einem Sandbank trockenfallen und man kann eine Wattwanderung unternehmen oder es fährt die kleinen, geschäftigen Hafenstädtchen an und man kann sich dort etwas umschauen.

Die 'Zephyr' ist ein Segelschiff, das für die hohe See geeignet ist, was bedeutet, dass man mit ihr z.B. nach Helgoland oder England segeln kann. Sie können auch eine große Fahrt unternehmen und dabei das Navigieren auf dem Meer lernen (Vorkenntnisse sind dafür nicht erforderlich). In der Hochsaison segelt die ‘Zephyr’ bei den Kanalinseln, und im Frühling auf der Ostsee von Kiel (D) aus. Die Besatzung wird Ihnen bei diesen Törns die Vielfältigkeit dieser wundervollen Segelrevieren zeigen. Die Gäste werden vom Skipper herzlich empfangen und sie werden sich in dieser entspannten und netten Atmosphäre an Bord schnell wie zu Hause fühlen.

BOX DATE: 1988 & 1989

MANUFACTURER: Mattel

DOLLS IN LINE: Barbie; Ken; Skipper; Christie; Steven; Miko; Teresa

BODY TYPE: 1966; Twist 'n Turn waist; straight arms; bend & snap knees

HEAD MOLD: 1976 "Superstar"

 

***The second doll from the right is wearing 1991 Fashion Mall Beach Blast Shop outfit #3099.

The third doll is wearing 1991 Sun Sensations Fashions #2931.

The fourth doll is wearing 1998 6 Fashion Gift Pack #68073-75.

The fifth doll is wearing 1988 Barbie Fashion Finds #1010 skirt.

The sixth doll is wearing shorts from 1992 Barbie 10-Fashion Gift Set #668931

 

PERSONAL FUN FACT: Meet Lou Ann, Luisa and their sisters, who don't have names! Lou Ann, who is the second doll in this picture, was my first Beach Blast Barbie. I got her sometime in 2004. She was one of the many Barbies that I acquired from bins around that time. My sister and I got really into purchasing entire lots of dolls from the flea market, because it meant lots of cool dollies and tons of clothes. Lou Ann, like my Island Fun Barbie (named Esperanza), was always one of my personal favorites from this time frame. That's why she actually has always had a name. I was obsessed with her super tan skin and her grayish blonde, fully crimped hair. Sadly, over the years, her crimps have really flattened out. Boil washing hasn't helped reform the crimps since her hair is kanekalon. But, I'd rather she have straighter, non-fuzzy hair, than crazy, matted crimped hair.

 

Lou's first twin used to be boxed once upon a time. She is the doll pictured at the far left of this photo. I got her nearly ten years after Lou Ann, sometime in 2014. She was purchased inside my local flea market from the same seller that Colleen and I adopted many of our formerly boxed friends from. Her shiny crimped hair is to die for!!! She has significantly less hair than her played with counterpart. Lou Ann almost has too much hair. But this girl was rooted very skimpily. I do really love the way her bangs part in the middle and frame her face. They go nicely with her defined crimped hair. What's really special about this doll is the fact that she looks so much different than Lou! This isn't solely attributed to the fact that she was never played with, whereas Lou Ann was secondhand. Actually, they were just painted differently from the get go. My newer lady has a much more high color face. Plus, her skin almost seems tanner (that is probably just an illusion). As much as I love Lou, I must say that her nameless twin is the show stealer. Her prominent eyebrows simply command your attention to her lovely face!

 

My third and fourth dolls in this photo were sisters in another life. They both came together in the "Ken Suitcase lot" of 2016. Luisa is the doll pictured on the far right, with the weird colored face. I felt very sorry for her, as she suffers from "white face syndrome" which basically randomly occurs in Barbies from time to time (yes, even brand new Barbies get this sometimes). My heart went out to her deeply, which is why she got named. I had actually been contemplating calling my formerly boxed gal Luisa, but in the end it all worked out. Luisa might be the ugliest of the bunch, but she has the most beautiful hair (except the once boxed lady's hair is obviously a bit better). She doesn't have tons of hair left, but what is still remaining is soft, shiny, and manageable. Luisa's twin is not so lucky in the hair department, but her face still retains its color. Her locks still have some crimps in them, but rather than looking cool, the remaining crimps look sickly. I'm hoping they'll all come out during later boil wash sessions. I feel ever so grateful that Luisa and her sister could remain family members in their next life, and I hope that they learn to love Lou and their once boxed sister just as much!

 

It's very ironic how my Beach Blast Barbies have a tendency to arrive in pairs. Dolls number five and six were also a twin deal! I was very generously given them, as part of the "Mountains of Monsters Lot," in March of 2023. Colleen and I both knew who they were on sight. It's hard to forget this dolly when I already had four of her! The one on the far right was less fortunate than her sister. When she showed up on our doorstep, she was beheaded. At least Beach Blast Barbie wasn't the only one. We received a pile of heads that were body less...and also some bodies without arms/legs! This gal did have her body, she had just become separated from it. I could see what happened--her head vinyl had gotten hard with age, which is probably how it detached. It was an easy fix with hot water (to soften the vinyl up). I happened to have two swimsuit tops for the girls, just not bottoms. So Colleen found things to pair with them in the mean time. Perhaps one day we will get the appropriate matching garments. I was impressed by how well these ladies were revived. Of course, my crimping iron really helped restore them to their former glory. You can see that I had fun crimping ALL my Beach Blast Barbies (well, the girl on the far left still has her factory crimps).

 

A left of field look at the extermination of aboriginal or indigenous woman. The genocide of their genetics, their culture, and its extended application to the extermination of the woman of the west, and their genocide. A look into the meta data of a Canadian genocide in progress, and its reflection on the USA, and the west. Looking at statistically applied genocide again, using an analysis of meta data, and gross numbers, with a good dose of just join the dots, thrown in for good measure.

Number for number, the extermination of woman is the most effective way to galvanise genocide, within a group or population. Either via VD (venereal disease), social engineering, or otherwise… The murder of female blood lines, via sterilization using germ warfare and social engineering, is and has been extraordinarily effective. The effectiveness relies on three major points, one, a woman getting VD that terminates her ability to have children, the second is that since an in-utero baby and or non-conceived foetus is classified as not human yet, there can be no charge of murder, and the third point is, that a woman who chooses a childless existence after indoctrination are seen to be exerting her own free will, in a process of self-determination.

How would I know, or have a right to comment? At one stage I was approached to work in the Biosecurity facility in Victoria, Australia, an offer I declined. Why head hunt me? I had been doing theorisation at university on the logic patterns for treatments and curing of HIV, as a 19-year-old, it must have resonated with someone, for them to send someone to the university to see me. So, no, I am not some uneducated crack pot conspiracy theorist, and I hate to shatter some people’s little world or bubble, but people work at this type of horrid work both in defence and offence all the time. The other reason I am commenting is, I went behind, what some would call enemy lines, into the Arts humanities and observed firsthand, racist, and sexist indoctrination, of people just outside of their childhood. No, it should not have been seen as enemy lines or so I thought, as I am a feminist. But the level of misandry for white males was quite profound, and ironically misogynist behaviour conducted by females was quite shocking. Additionally, I feel at liberty to write, as I have studied and written about genocide at university.

So let’s get into it. Why murder or sterilize aboriginal or indigenous woman? One of the things I looked at was that men can impregnate hundreds in a lifetime, but a woman’s uterus is only so capable, it is in fact highly limited. I observed through finger printing or meta data and extrapolation that some abhorrent groups males and or females, are doing maths on how many women do they need to kill of aboriginal decent, before they get rid of all those that can be considered aboriginal. Why would someone or a group do something so horrible? This scenario will greatly aid foreign interests in the taking of countries like Australia and the Americas, in the future.

We are going to have a little look at a field of study that for some is unfortunately very large, and for some is a horrifically very creative field of endeavour, so my considerations and observations will be limited in scope, to keep this writing manageable.

My considerations of indigenous genocide raised many questions such as. Does giving up your land coincide or correlate with a reduction in a woman’s chance of genocide or an increase? And if so in either case why? If a woman will give up her uterus to outsiders, does she suffer a lower rate of genocide, or is it more? The techno YouTube hit by The Halluci Nation “Burn your village to the ground” help make me ponder similar questions, here is a link to the YouTube video www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNi__fnadTM&list=WL&index=82 It can be argued between warriors and wise men about the process of colonisation, its effect, and the motives for that colonization other than, the at times, murderous acquisition of land. But when it comes to the act of murderous colonisation, its effectiveness is amplified to an accelerated final solution of sorts. When you exterminate a woman’s genetics with the eradication of their unborn babies or foetuses before they are even conceived, it leaves no legal recourse. Murdering woman, and sterilizing them are potent weapons, when performing the act of genocide. When woman are used as breeding vessels, for foreign genetics, or sterilized via VD (venereal disease), or sterilized with anti-feminist dogma masquerading as feminist mantras, the result is a loss of land and resources. Before I go further, I will go on the record, that I have no issues with mixed race relationships, as I have been in a few. I have always found them enlightening, and culturally enriching, and it is my sincere hope that those relationships were mutually beneficial.

The relatively recent insertion into humanity and the debate about the purity of races goes back to a period most of us but not all of us wish had not happened, the second world war. And unusually it was a conundrum for those that argued it, and what would be the future outcomes in the west, if it had of been achieved globally. It presented a legal consideration that I have identified, and its possible application for many indigenous, and their extended families. In one respect it is not a complex one and is unusually of benefit to all nations who have an indigenous culture and or peoples. Provided an indigenous cultures and peoples still exist, it can be argued that under international law the west has a failsafe or caveat for future attempts of colonization via foreign powers. ie. if someone comes to our countries with colonialist intent trying to divide the tribes as it where, and says we, as in those considered nonindigenous have no write to be here, and that we, whoever we are, or may be have stolen the land, we politely ask our indigenous relatives, some of which need to be overtly aboriginal, to tell them to go away. They then say these are my blood relatives and this is not your land to comment on. For the new world order colonist, it is a slap in the face, and they are left eating their own words. It is a polite conversation, one that should end the colonialist’s verbal pursuit in its tracks, and it can only go further, if that foreign power, turns to violence, or a forced acquisition of the land through murder and or subjugation. It is simple legally, but a big ask emotionally, and politically, for all the family’s involved. As members of our families have murdered, other members of our families, and stolen land from them. It is like a doom’s day sentence of language, to get out of hell, one that relies on forgiveness, but not forgetting our at times horrific past. This approach helps failsafe against future forced or coerced loss of land. It was a principle based on a piece of mathematics an Australian soldier did on the synchronisation of fireflies’ flashes, and was popularised by the movie six degrees of separation. I just applied it to our families in OZ and the US when it came to the connections between blood relatives that are aboriginal or indigenous, and the rest of us, instead of social connections as was depicted in the original piece of math.

Although the theft of land and unhonored treaties is without question a horrific tragedy, and for some it is a Rorschach ink blot and not a legal contract, it presents us as in those in the west of all descriptions and spiritualties a means of great opportunity to stifle New World Order colonialist colonization of our shared family land. Regardless of race, if no one tries to politically capitalise on the process of the recognition of our family as a nation, and go outside of genuine good will, it is an utterly profound, legal, and social statement. Essentially it aids countries in the west like Australia and the US. Nations essentially made up of family, a family that includes aboriginal natives and or the indigenous. Like it or not. This legal consideration led me to consider if I could see this benefit as an individual, maybe, think tanks full of psychopaths brighter than me, who are hell bent on the acquisition of our land could too. And thus, we, or at least me, can see a motive for modern day colonialist destabilization of the west, along race, and spirituality lines, one that ends in a process of genocide. This scenario has been publicly debated and raised in a myriad of fashions, on a myriad of platforms, so my interpretation is just and extension of that open discourse. The dark part to the consideration is as far as I can statistically observe, though meta data, is it has resulted in current day murder or genocide, of aboriginal people, and their mixed-race relatives, who are bridges between the different races or family groups of people.

The extermination of woman and that process’s ability to kill nations is unquestionable. The question is not are they trying to kill off huge sections of the West’s population, as that is both a measurable and an observable given, the question is, is it non-discriminatory population control, or is it just straight-out genocide of targeted groups in the west? Meta data leads me to believe it is a statistical driven or targeted genocide. But who started it, and who perpetrates it now. Was this a process of neo feminism or woman’s science, to exterminate the uteruses, ovaries, and fallopian tubes of childbearing persons, or as they were historically called woman? Had they, whoever they are, othered people, until a state sanctioned and funded enterprise was created? Producing a sociological statistically driven apparatus to perpetrate genocide. There is no more effective way to terminate a culture than kill off its woman or sterilize them on mass, especially when their numbers are low to begin with. Why sterilize and neuter the woman? Because I presume, they have found out that murdering children is not well looked upon! You don’t have to kill the babies and children if they are not conceived. Sexually transmitted disease, and progressive ideology, have done an amazing job at exterminating female blood lines in the west, a highly ironic event for some feminists to learn, but not for this one to observe. How did I come up with this hypothesis, I extrapolated from Margret Sanger’s work. Margret Sangers work would and has enable mass baby elimination. Later others would extend on her eugenics train of thought in the west, and it would become adult murder as people went down the slippery slope of euthanasia, to the outright murder of healthy adults, via public health care, or a state sponsored system. From her work, she would go onto produce a statistically targeting medical industrial complex apparatus, that would extinguish or kill millions of unborn or not yet conceived foetuses, or as they were historically called babies. Her work was aided with the use of group speak and group think. In what could only be described as a state funded and sanctioned genocidal murder machine. Her ability and desire to exterminate the existence of black foetuses, historically called babies by some, is legendary on the net, and a little look into her motives should leave the hairs on every black, or mixed-race woman, on the planet standing on end. With her revealing in a letter, that and to quote, “We don’t want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population..." in a Letter to Dr. Clarence J. Gamble, December 10, 1939, p. 2

How prophetic it was that at 4:48 in the YouTube techno hit, “Burn your village to the ground” by The Halluci Nation, a man says, and to quote, “…they have to kill us, they have to kill us, because they can’t break our spirit…” that man was John Trudell. Here is a link to that YouTube music video. www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNi__fnadTM (Please note, there are graphic depictions of genocide, or mass murder shown, and it can be argued that those images should be viewed by adults only, or at least by a mature audience under supervision, and with wise adult guidance). When I first heard him say this, I was genuinely shocked, but on consideration, and with a little look at what happened to the indigenous around the world… I believe he had full, and firsthand knowledge, of the situation at hand. Looking at what Margeret Sanger had planned for black Americans, I can only concur with Trudell. And after a few months of letting it sink in, I had concluded my contemplation on what he had said, and, although still being shocked or confronted by his words, what he said I concluded in his short sentence, was utterly, and profoundly, true.

I like to do extrapolations both mathematical, and all manner of types of correlation and causations within my capabilities, because they generate subsequent considerations of interest in me. To trigger a few people, I do my own research. When I come across things that interest me, and I become inquisitive about things I deem as important, I look further. I had a look at what Mr Trudell said and its application and or implications to other groups of Americans, Black and White. It seemed almost like a dogma being applied currently on many fronts for all Americans, regardless of race, due to their resilience and adaptability. It had been tried before openly, and in wide open public view on the indigenous Americans and the black Americans. Whoever they are, seems to have just kept on going, finding new methods, and new groups, to apply genocide to, for the process to continue. That process is measurable, and identifiable genocide.

Part of the webster definition of what is an American, is and to quote “...a native or inhabitant of North America or South America…”. For me at least the key word is native, and the question it raises in me, is when and who does this apply to, or where does it start and end? Is it all Americans? I have written about writing from a distance about America in isolation here in Australia, and how sometimes it is beneficial. I can write in hindsight, unincumbered by the pressure to respond instantly to events, and it is especially advantages when contemplating the differences and similarities between Australia and the US. I concur and extend on John Trudell, the American, and or, its native or American spirit cannot be exterminated, someone is going to have to kill the owners of it, if they want to overthrow America. So, they, whoever they are, are giving it a good shot. Mr Trudell nailed it. Whoever is perpetrating genocide in the west and killing off Americans or “…we the people… “is doing it, because their spirit cannot be quashed. It should be noted that they are not discriminating on race now, when it comes to who they kill, as they are now killing blacks, whites, and natives, in what appears to be a demographically selective process. Boy have they been busy and gotten to work.

Previously the killing of the west could not be accomplished externally, so lest all thank the American military industrial complex for that. It could only be destroyed from within, but that is not the case anymore. How do they exterminate the people of the Americas, North and South. Via their own hands and words. The elephant in the room is, who could now move Americans against Americans and who are they? It is not a question of if it is happening, it is a question of who is doing it, and how are they manipulating the people, as in “…we the people…”, to be complicit, in such a diabolical series of events. A series of events, that have ended, and end, in Americans murdering other Americans. And where on further observation in the west, westerners now murder each other, for their own perceived safety and good?

Is Germ warfare being used on our own people? It is a horrible question, but I am going to ask it anyway. And I am going to have a look at the water shed moment of the 60s sexual revolution. The 60s saw the spread of enough VD to kill millions of US and western children or babies before they were born regardless of race. Yes, I just approached the where does life begin paradigm, or the conundrum, and found genocide. Ironically it is not murder under the now common definitions of group think, and group speak. Genocide has been rebranded as sexual liberation and not statistical sterilization, ending, and or, enabling genocide. Doubly ironic, is it effected the intellectuals mostly, in the summer of love. Latter it would spread through their use of drugs and the indoctrination of their children into an orgy of mass fornication. The whole process was aided by drugs that promoted hyper sexualization of the liberal left. From there it was a domino effect to the greater number, but less educated, and more religious, lower socioeconomic groups, essentially encompassing “…we the people…” Raising the question, who needs smallpox infested blankets to murder the Americans regardless of their race, when you can get them to hump themselves into a disease riddled oblivion? Martin Niemöller is utterly quotable in this instance, and a read of his most prophetic statement or poem can be a source of inspiration and insight for many, in my belief. It leaves you asking the question who are they, or who were they? It was a question posed by this very wise man, and interestingly he never directly says who they are.

This is his poem.

First, they came for the Communists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the Socialists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me

And there was no one left

To speak out for me

Looking at the American indigenous. First, they came for the warriors regardless of colour creed or denomination, taking their guns. They then came for the religious or spiritual people and tried to exterminate those religious or spiritual people. They tried in vain to destroy their beliefs and teachings. Then they went after the woman and children. When that wasn’t aloud, they then got the woman and children to go after themselves, in an act of induced insanity. Like Martin Niemöller, I cannot identify the instigators, but I can see their effect. To insert some black humour, and in general I was never a fan of the show, this seen in the Simpsons, can be viewed www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFCgz959ARY. Just imagine, visualize, think, or insert different groups of Americans into the Simpsons family’s seats. Kind of like the Milgram experiment, on satirical steroids. Here is a wiki link to a description of the Milgram experiment en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_ It was an experiment where people were duped into believing they were doing good when they were not. The university system may not have looked at this paper in a long while or forgotten it. But I have not forgotten the principle once it was introduced to me. Ironically the universities may have felt immune or above the results of the experiment. But they have become the perpetrators, or vector, for the very thing they said they were there to stop, ie. harm.

We can list, or go through massacre, after massacre, of people during the colonization of the Americas, but I will not. Instead, I will take a closer look at a small number of murdered people. At university in a subject dedicated to the topic of genocide, I looked at and wept, at the mass murder of my family, by other members of my family. The part that made me weep was the consideration of mathematics and physics related to the event, and the consideration that every life is of immeasurable and unquantifiable value. The consideration was done via the extended theorisation and analysis of a small number. I wept off and on for days at what I saw, as I came to grips with what had happened to my family, but despite that I will take another look here too.

By looking at what appears to be a small number of women and children that were wounded, but then died of their injuries. These woman and children were seen as subhuman, but were not, they were very human. Just what happened to them was inhuman. Those people are the 47 woman and children that died of their wounds during the massacre at Wounded Knee. Consideration of these woman and children produces some shocking and chilling considerations in maths, as to how many people their families would have produced today. I will qualify my statement before going on, by saying when I use the words small number, that it is in no way a reflection of the cost, suffering, and misery their slaughter would have caused. And I hope to show that that, relatively small number when amplified over time produces a horrific number, that no human should feel emotionally immune or isolated from. When considering this number, I looked at Shindler. Shindler was a German industrialist, here is a link to the wiki page, for the movie that immortalised him in the west, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schindler%27s_List Shindler had saved about 1200 jews from the German gas chambers of world war two, and today their descendants are in the order of 7000. With exponential population growth this number, and all things not considered, this relatively small number, should become a larger number over time with more babies. That number will or should increase exponentially to a point. And the mathematics of the dead and their progeny when time is considered infinite becomes a very large number. It is a flawed, and highly simplistic isolated theoretical look, at the growth of a population of people. But the consideration of large numbers can help a person, get a grasp of the potential magnitude, of an event, or events. A small number of humans in this case can become a large number over time.

Despite these acts of genocide being a war crime, that is commemorated for all to see, people have recently in the west committed two things on mass. One, the error in thought that it would not happen again, let alone in the west. And two, the error in hubris that it could not happen to them, and or, that they would be the perpetrators of that genocide. But it has happened on both counts with modern techniques. How did it happen so fast? The west has now become tribal under university or higher education teaching, and or the dogma, spread by the influence, of the pseudo intellectual left. The group taught on mass not to other, now others everyone they can. They the left, left us all wide open for a blindside of colonial techniques to be used on us, and thus they let it spread to the greater community, or “…we the people…” What causes it was selective outrage on genocide and selective outrage on sex-based abuses. It was compounded by the ignorance of not being able to see, that foreign actors would profit or capitalize from that selective outrage. As it turned out by pitting citizen against citizen, apparently, “…we the people of the west where not people…” “…with unalienable rights...” we were not “…one nation…” of “…indivisible…” people, we were not people “…with liberty and justice for all…”.” We the people” of western nations turned out instead to be a rabble. But I can only hope it is at least hopefully, for a transient period.

Part of the old tried and true processes of colonialism is othering. Essentially 101 of colonialism. To enable othering, first you find the tribes that had a history of conflict between each other. The example of wounded knee comes back into play in the discussion of othering. As not to be left out are serval relevant sociological points on othering can be found in the above incident at Wounded Knee. One is that people can be conditioned to consider some groups of people to be of so little value that you can murder them on mass, the other is that these people can be conditioned to kill woman and children in cold blood, then take their photos so as to celebrate the incident, as if what they had did was something wonderful. The MO, or modus operandi, of othering a person or group to murder was and is to stoke that fire, or conflict, between groups or tribes, give them weapons to fight each other, but not enough power to be independent. The result is thus, get the tribes to murder each other, while you sit by and profit from that murder. Essentially the first rule of colonial conquest as taught in class 101 of colonialism at university. Furthermore, get them to divulge secrets about the other tribes, so that those secrets, could be capitalized on, when it came to their subjugation, or murder. This type of selective outrage or outright genocidal hypocrisy generated by othering was very observable in the me to movement when it comes to their hypocrisy in the treatment of indigenous woman and the treatment of Judaeo Christian children or woman. Later it spread or come from the UN or United Nations. They othered what could essentially be described as white men in an indiscriminate, blatant contradiction empowered by absolute contempt for due process, a fundamental of the law. Harvey Weinstein sexualized female adults with psychological manipulation and went to jail for it, but the left or the me to movement seem to be silent when it comes to sexualization of children, and the manipulation of those children into performing sex acts by the pseudo intellectual left, for their social profit. In an almost parallel of Weinstein, they the left substituted adult woman for children and they did it on mass. It appears some females and children are worth more than others, and we are not all created equal before the law, or to be precise, at least under the new leftist pseudo morality.

They the leftists then applied themselves against the nations that they should have been there to protect, the ones that had subsidised or funded their educations, or indoctrination. Colonialism continues in different forms, through divide and conquer, and the lies used to achieve it are aided by psychological manipulation. Mark Twain wrote and to quote "The glory which is built upon a lie soon becomes a most unpleasant incumbrance. ... How easy it is to make people believe a lie, and how hard it is to undo that work again!" according to my copilot.

Another case I found of great interest was the disappearance of, or the outright murder, or worse of 174 Canadian indigenous women, who have just vanished into thin air. It got some air play but didn’t seem to draw much worldwide scrutiny and even less critical thought from the international white left and right, especially when compared to other more recent but smaller white atheist tragedies, like the misgendering of children. All they the left seemed to do, was politized the horror story for media exploitation, while doing nothing, not to mention not report their potential proactive role in the process, that caused those women to be vanished into thin air. It did not end there as running parallel to these disappearances was the political move by the Canadian left to reintroduced and rebirth past atrocities from Canadian history. How did they do it? They did it with the aid of the modern-day arts humanity’s faculty. Somehow, despite all the waffling talk, and the best efforts of everyone, they managed to reconstruct the effects and processes of Canadian residential schools.

Like in Macbeth, the bloody hands cannot be washed clean, and it just seems to keep on cascading further out of control, and deeper into madness. We have an expression here in Australia and it is called a shit stain, in this case the abuse of woman and children is an utter shit stain on humanity that will and would not go away. Canada should not feel alone as here in the land of OZ, non-Christian atheists have used the public school system as indoctrination centres, or daytime social re-education camps for children. Just like the residential schools where the objective was to take the Indian out of the Indian, or to commit cultural genocide. The new school curriculum was designed here in Australia and the west to strip the Christians of the last vestiges of their religion or spirituality. It ended the same way as it did when the aboriginal protectorate board here in Australia took mixed race children from their parents and stripped them of any chance of their traditional teachings. People ended up hiding their children in bushes, so they were not taken away from their parents and or families. Or in the modern-day iteration of a repeat of history, they the persecuted would try to home school their children to protect and hide them from cultural and spiritual genocide.

The old Australian aboriginal protectorate board was responsible for the sexual farming out of some female children to some white Australians as domestic servants. And ironically the new age new world order atheists, would sexualize children and indoctrinate them on mass, in a process of state sanctioned and legally enforced grooming. A sexualization of children, that what would unfortunately leave the Australian numbers of raped indigenous girls used for sexual gratification in the homes that were meant to protect them to shame. Moving back to Canada, Despite or possibly outright because of it, it seems like residential schools were used as a smoke screen for the left, as they practiced and reintroduce the process of state sanctioned child obduction, and cultural genocide for selected white and black Canadians. Part of that process was to try to reengineer Canadian’s children on the biochemical level, manipulate their psychology and or disfigure them with scalpels. It was and is a process that leaves the promises of not repeating the residential school’s horrific results, to an utter shameless lie. The state turned into Jack the ripper, and Dr Frankenstein in the space of less than one generation, with social sciences that had taken generations to build and apply. While the public or “…we the people…” became the mob chasing all of the above, with torches into the night. It was all achieved, as the leaders of democratic countries, and a republic, did not obey the wills of their people, or the new age plebians, as some would have you believe they are. Fundamental human rights of children, and woman, to be protected from harm’s way, where “Gone with the Wind”, in a pollical battle for a populist win at the ballot box.

The left in its zealot like zeal to do good, or at least that is what they are saying they are consciously doing “…pathed a way to hell, with good intentions….” (to quote a Portuguese proverb) for millions of families. With what have been called good intentions, members of the government and the supposed higher educated or intellectual classes once again used the schools to do it. No Catholics required it seems this time. In fact, in total irony of the media propagated and promoted big government narrative, Catholics where and are being arrested for trying to stop the travesty. So, if it cannot be blamed on the Catholics this time, what or who is the common denominator? And what is the common objective for those adding and abetting the genocide. The common objective was as far as I can see is unaccountable murder, and the desire for unaccountable control. And to achieve that power grab it was aided and abetted via university or peer approved definitions of words. It enabled them to butcher little kids with blades, and sterilizing many with puberty blockers, under state encourage and enforced programs, created by the leftist state. They enforced it by legal orders. But what was the motive? Do they even know? How does this relate to a discussion on the genocide of woman? Well, if you can’t sterilize or murder the mother, you may as well sterilize her kids under state sanction and legal order, it appears?

Via university definitions of language, the atrocities didn’t end there. In a populist echo chamber the pseudointellectual left at universities worked out not just how to redefine a baby as an embryo up to full term, but they also worked out how to sell it with propaganda, in a fallacy of logic. This sale of a utopian existence for woman that encapsulated a childless, partnerless, future for millions, was like selling KFC shares to chickens in battery pens, (to verbally adapt one of the funniest Facebook memes I have ever seen). Whoever did it deserve a Nobel prize in advertising. Or at least a person of the year picture on the front of Time magazine. With VD being left untreated and or uncured in many cases, woman where both sterilized and neutered in a process that could be easily described as nothing other than genocide with no one to be held accountable, but the woman themselves. Some on the right blamed the women’s lax morals but they were wrong. It had been promoted and indoctrinated by the groups that withheld treatment or cure to those women. Although baby murder may be permitted on a word technicality, as far as I know genocide of blood lines and cultures are not. And to be noted the technicality that enabled the execution of both events via a few degrees of separation was the use of group think and group speak.

Canada produces a gold mine of inquiry, into the processes of state sanctioned genocide, and it is a very interesting case study when looking at the legislation for the euthanasia of the poor, or the people that had been selectively made poor by them, the leftist Canadian government. Who would question the ability of the left after that, to not offer euthanasia for women suffering depression for their childless, partnerless, existences. All the while they the pseudo intellectual left and their allies of diverse descriptions, perpetrated cultural genocide on Christianity and Christians. Where did or do they perpetrate it? The process occurs globally or all over the world, but it gets very little mainstream media air play. Not ironically, the leftists don’t block streets for months in unison with Christians, to protest mass murder, that is almost unmentionable outside of Christian chat pages. Chat pages now deemed as Christian nationalist hot beds of anti-democratic gatherings. Gatherings said to be against the state, by some in the pseudo leftist media, and weaponised law enforcement agencies.

I have a shirt that says “…if the government says you don’t need a gun, you need a gun!!!”. It had an American Indian man on it. I presume it was in reference to the slaughter of disarmed Aboriginal Americans murdered in cold blood by government forces, on their own land, once they had been disarmed. For me it is a very pro-American constitution or bill of rights statement. The shirt is a few sizes too big as I ordered an American size from here in Oz, so it looks like a skirt on me. I never wear it much if at all because of that. Despite that, I think it is very profound. Now it seems that if the government and pseudo left wing media, say, you should not have a media outlet, I would argue, to paraphrase my shirt, you need a media outlet. And you need them both for the same reason, your protection. Not so ironically both things are covered for in the American bill of rights. They were deemed so important that they the founding non birthing people, or as they were historically known the founding fathers, put them number one and two.

It appears that aboriginal Canadians and Christians now have something in common, and it is their attempted genocide. Attempted genocide of both of their blood lines and of their cultures. With someone or something instigating that process and sitting outside of the murderous anarchy. The left falls silent when it comes to the cultural and actual genetic genocide of Christians on a global scale. Why? Isn’t all life worth saving? Or is it that only the left, and the lefts supposed allies are worthy of life, and a self-determined existence, determined by the left. Apparently, all life is not worth saving, and we don’t all have “…unalienable rights…”

The numbers show the slow but sure death or stagnation of western populations, and a rapid genocide of its culture. But they are not alone, it had been perpetrated on the natives first, now it is applied to all north Americans, and to varying degrees most countries in the West. Where is the outcry from other feminists against the sterilization of millions of women and girls liberated of their sexual constraints? Where is the outcry for woman and girls of all races, denominations, and demographics in the west by the left? Why are these deaths of unborn children or babies not seen to be of the same value as colonized Americans or the murdered indigenous, by the left? Or hideously not ironic, in this inquiry, it can be asked, are they all considered on the same subhuman level by some? After having their woman murdered, their children stolen, sexualized, groomed, raped, and sterilized what will be the response of” …we the people...”???

They the left don’t seem to like, or use guns very much, as they I presume, know they are outnumbered on that front, well for the moment at least. Like any good army in that situation, they have chosen to out flank their opponents. Their opponents the constitutionalists, and their pesky second amendment, where outflanked by the left abusing the first amendment on mass. Not satisfied there, and enamoured by a blitzkrieg of success, they tried, or are trying it appears to reword, rewrite, or destroy the whole document, that has protected their families for several centuries. That document is the American constitution. The pseudo intellectual left has been involved at every point. They have think tanks, think tanks where they weaponize their own words, then ironically call others words violence. It is like a gorilla action, or pincer movement on the first amendment. Words that are used to attack it, the constitution, are part of language constructs, produced for the logic gating of people. They the left are involved in inciting violence with words, (as words are not violence per say), then said they were using them to create peace… They produced language constructs that logic gated people into doing things that are not in their favour. The right where duped or out flanked when they argued words where not violence, forgetting to add, that they can incite violence. They the intellectual left, logic gated millions of women into childlessness, and neutered them to boot, with the statistical outcomes via their use of language, at universities. Language recited verbatim by the reporters who did not report, and a mainstream media, that did not apply critical thought to what they were saying. Like cattle they were led to the slaughter for following the lefts new age new world order mantras.

It leaves the question as to who is prompting these people of the left to press the electric shocker until the person or peoples they are meant to be helping die? Or to be more literal and not use an analogy, based on the Milgram experiment, who prompts these people to commit genocide, on mass, for the perceived greater good? Who gets these people to commit Hara-kiri before the idol of the left. And why cannot they see what they are doing? Like good Zero pilots in a kamikaze act for the empire, the left sacrifice millions of woman’s breeding power, for a shadow emperor that is nowhere to be seen. There cannot be to many degrees of separation between the instigators and the perpetrators. So, who are they? Why is the death or nonexistence of so many babies, or children, caused by the neutering and or murder of their mothers, not up for constant public debate and scrutiny. Maybe because the left will not be critical of itself, as it can do no wrong. These considerations are not far right-wing propaganda, they are the very thing that the left use as mantras for their group speak and group think, but don’t do. Where is their commitment to a universal stance against genocide, that isn’t a selective biased application, or literally a front to commit the very act itself? Many white North Americans may have forgotten something, that something, is they are part of nations, and those nations help make up the people of the Americas.

How does the current or past genocide help any American? And as a feminist I must ask openly are American and the wests females under attack regardless of race? Are they weeding out the intellectuals first, with VD and old age childlessness, as their ovaries shrivel up? These are rhetorical questions. And it must be noted that I once said that the only people who can bring down an American president are the American people, and I latter extrapolated that the same could be said for its society. And to leave with yet another set of questions as always. Who, or what, stokes these tragedies to occur, and or, who is profiting from these current day colonialist like internal conflicts in the West?

 

Robertson Buses has now existed for a whopping TEN YEARS, as the 10th of May is what I regard as the fleet’s “birthday”. Of course for bus companies – and even just model fleets – ten years isn’t all that long when many have histories spanning multiple decades, but there’s something special about reaching double digits.

 

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of RB, a whole slew of exciting (?) new stuff is here. I didn’t quite make it to ten new things, only seven, but hopefully during the rest of the year there should be more to follow. As ever it’s the lack of time which is the main barrier, and the various things in this picture I’ve been working on for between a couple of months, to several years.

 

So, a quick run-down of what’s new, from left to right. First are the pair of Solo EVs, which occupy some of the longest vacant fleet numbers 21 and 22. Then there’s the MCV Evolution which has become no. 39, next to which is yet another re-engined Pointer Dart joining the ten already in the fleet. The two on the right were teased in the last RB depot photo and they are Scania recovery wagon S2 and P&R liveried Optare Olympus 54. The seventh new thing is a new route, the 207, which 39 and 108 are showing blinds for.

  

More general thoughts on Robertson Buses being ten:

 

As a by-product of Robertson Buses as a whole turning 10, another thing that also gains the same accolade is the standard fleet livery. I know quite a lot of the fleet doesn’t carry it, but it is still the single most prominent livery RB uses and I don’t have any intention of changing it. A lot of real operators can’t keep a livery for ten years, and actually I’m kind of surprised I’m still satisfied at something I designed in 2015.

 

Another thing that hasn’t changed is how RB is basically bargain basement modelling, with paper fleet names, brush painted liveries, and models that were bought cheaply to begin with. Most of them have scuffed window units, drawn on wipers, missing mirrors and sometimes they get chipped paint when I pack them in the box together. I just do it more for the fun rather than aiming for it to be perfect.

 

Robertson Buses was first inspired by model (and paper bus) fleets I found online in the early 2010s; a time when there seemed to be a lot of people doing home-made dioramas and posting pictures of their models lined up on their windowsills etc! I can’t remember which specific ones, but the fleets that initially inspired RB have long since disappeared off the radar. It seems weird to think RB is just as established now as those fleets were when I started.

 

Of course that’s not to say new model bus operators haven’t come along since, which still offer a lot of inspiration (along with the ‘big time’ model fleets like Padbus which have been going years), although I still associate more with that more grass-roots modelling seeing as I tend to do it on the cheap in my spare time. Really, the only difference between 2015 and now is that I own more models.

 

Do I have a plan for what happens in the future for Robertson Buses? No, not really. Everything that’s happened with the fleet since about 2020 are plans that I’ve had for years and am only just fulfilling because of the time required to complete the modelling work, or been able to find the right models for sale cheap enough. There are still about eight models that need finishing (both already in the fleet and waiting to join) which need a lot of work to bring them up to how I want them to be, and that’s as far as the plan goes.

 

Basically, the RB of 2025 is what I spent the early years hoping it would become; big enough to be interesting but small enough to be manageable. It took a bit of time but in the past couple of years I really feel like RB has finally been able to start doing ‘big’ operator things like having (rough) fleet number blocks, a few different route brands, a decently sized network and actual fleet cascades when new vehicles arrive.

 

I have no idea if it’ll make 20; I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see. But if it does, it’ll probably be the only operator in the country still running Darts :P

 

This is the regular version of the B&W posted earlier. Total of 14 vertical 85mm shots. I had started from Left to Right and didn't check my height but luckily I just made it over the tower. This is the first year the stadium was lit this way in celebration of Pride weekend. Enjoy! Thanks for Looking!

 

Oh in case anyone was wondering, original file size was 600mb Took the computer a half an hour just to crop it! Yikes. Once cropped, I dropped the image size down to something more manageable.

The daily Bardon Hill to Tinsley normally takes around five hours leaving Leicestershire around 01:30 arriving at Tinsley yard just before 06:30. Looking this morning the train was over 230 minutes late leaving Knighton Junction having been 15 minute early leaving Bardon Hill. A long time to run around. The upshot was I was ruing being on the school run as I would miss its unusually late passage through Sheffield around 08:30. In the end it was held to take a familiar departure slot after the xx:56 northbound Voyager, the slot normally taken up by the Tunstead Drax an hour earlier, and with a fair wind ended up as just manageable with a timely bus.

 

A further bonus was the return was during my lunch hour.

 

He is wearing his white easy manageable wig at home :)

Rediscovering the innate ergonomic genius of donkeys and reassigning their proper realm.

Reportedly:

"City planners and residents have struggled with San Francisco's steep hills from the very beginnings of the city.

Lombard Street was just one of the many cliff-like streets that horse-drawn wagons and Model T Ford's had trouble with. Cable cars were one solution, and curvy switchbacks were another.

In 1922, the home-owners on the 1000 block of Lombard Street decided that their street was too steep for comfort, and created the plan to create a series of eight sharp turns to make it more manageable."

City Planning officials had an epiphany: Donkeys were the first to lay out APPROPRIATE path network patterns.

COMPOSITE IMAGE

Original picture taken by Christina Grammenos

Superbly preserved in the surrounding limestone outcrops are fossil remains of prehistoric Australian animals from the last 25 million years. They include marsupial lions, carnovorous kangaroos, huge flightless birds, pythons, platypuses, turtles, crocodiles, and bats.

 

Riversleigh is one of the most significant fossil deposits in the world and the richest known fossil mammal deposit in Australia. In 1994, Riversleigh, along with Naracoorte in South Australia, were jointly inscribed on the World Heritage List as one World Heritage Area called the Australain Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh/Naracoorte). Although, nearly 2000km separate these two sites, they both provide separate evidence of key stages in the evolution of Australia's mammal fauna and are outstanding for their extreme diversity and quality of preservation of their fossils.

 

A pocket of fossil rich limestone - one of the hundreds scattered over the 40sq. km of Riversleigh - is preserved in the bluff and within the fallen rocks on the slopes at this site. D site was the first fossil rich site found at Riversleigh. Millions of years ago the limestone in this bluff was mud at the bottom of a large rainforest lake. It contains a 25 million-year-old collection of creatures that lived in and around a large lake in the rainforest. Fossils from over 40 different kinds of animals have been recovered from D site.

 

Most of the vertebrate material visible at D Site represents aquatic vertebraes, such as 5m long crocodiles and 2m lungfish which lived with huge turtles. A few large mammals such as a giant wombat-like marsupial, an ancestor of the Tasmanian tiger and a marsupial lion as well as small possums and bandicoots have also been found.

 

An abundance of large bird bones belonging to a 2.5m tall flightless bird called a dromomithid, were also found, suggesting that these birds foraged in and along the edge of the lake. Huge pythons up to 8m long with girths slightly smaller than a dinner plate were also found. Tiny bones, remains of large colonies of bats which lives in the caves overlooking the lake have been preserved in a small pocket of limestone, called the Microsite, near D Site.

 

The fossils at D Site stand ghostly white against the weathered grey limestone. Sometimes these show up as sections through bones or teeth, much like the profile of sliced cucumber. In other cases, the bones and teeth actually protrude from the eroding limestone. The fossils are less obvious in freshly quarried limestone surfaces because, like the fossils, the unweathered RIversleigh limestone is a generally creamy-white colour.

 

The Riversleigh limestone that has protected and preserved these rainforest creatures for more than 25 million years is extremely hard. Hammers and chisels were initially used to free the fossils but this was a slow and inefficient method. Explosives are now used to break the rock into large but manageable blocks for transport to laboratories in Sydney and the Riversleigh Fossil Centre at Mount Isa. There, the blocks are treated with acetic acid, which dissolves the limestone without attacking the fossils. All material is the property of the Queensland Museum and after the material is studied it is sent to the Queensland Museum for safekeeping.

 

Scientific investigation began in 1963 and continues today. A group of palaeontologists from the University of New South Wales and the Australian Museum conducts studies at Riversleigh each year, coordinating scientific research and activities in the area. There are more than 60 specialists working on Riversleigh fossils.

 

The fossils at Riversleigh are outstanding for their quality of preservation. This came about because the spring fed pools and lakes, once present in Riversleigh's ancient forest, contained a high concentration of dissolved calcium carbonate. The high concentration of calcium carbonate in the water, enabled bonding of materials within the water. When any animal or skeletal remains of settled on the bottom of the lake, they were quietly coated and buried in the limestone sediments. Once the calcium carbonate (limey mud) dried out, hardened, and turned to rock, it then became limestone.

 

The surface of the lakes and pools may have looked like solid ground, as surface evaporation cause the limestone to cement together with a fragile crust of leaves and other debris. Animals seeking water sometimes fell through these crusts and drowned. They then sank to the bottom where crocodiles, turtles, and other scavenging animals would eat their fill, leaving the remains on the muddy bottom. As the limey muds with their entombed remains steadily accumulated, chemicals in the groundwater flowing through the sediment gradually altered the composition of the bones and teeth, literally turning them to stone. These freshwater springs, which once fed the pools and lakes at Riversleigh, are still present today and are the sources of the rivers and creeks at Lawn Hill Gorge. Air bubbles from the springs can often be seen rising to the water surface as you canoe through Lawn Hill Gorge. The fossilisation process continues today in both Lawn Hill Creek and the Gregory River.

 

More than 60, 000 fossil specimens of more than 300 kinds of animals have been recovered from the entire Riversleigh section. These have provided palaeontologists with a record of the history of the earth and how animals of today have evolved from their ancestors of 25 million years ago. They provide and insight into which animals have changed and how they have evolved over time, and which animals have become extinct. For instance, some ancient animals, unable to adapt to environmental pressures, disappeared while others retreated and now their descendants only exist in smaller areas. The musky rat-kangaroo, an example of one such animal, is found only in a few areas of Queensland's Wet Tropics.

 

Descendants of other ancient Riversleigh animals today live only in deserts (marsupial moles) and even snowy alpine areas (mountain pygmy-possum). Other descendants include the big red kangaroos and agile wallabies, the mouse-sized marsupial planigaales and dunnarts, mice, bats, emus, and galahs, and around rivers and waterholes, frogs, goannas, pythons, long necked turtles and freshwater crocodiles.

 

The Waanyi People, the traditional owners of this country, lived in the Riversleigh area for tens of thousands of years and have adapted to considerable climate changes during this period. Tools andmidden shell remains have been located in the area revealing their traditional lifestyles. The Riversleigh are was rich in food, materials, and medical resources, enabling the Waanyi people to comfortably and successfully reside here.

 

World heritage is a term applied to sites of outstanding universal cultural or natural significance. World heritage sites are so outstanding that they are important to all people of the world. Heritage is out legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass onto future generations. World heritage is a means of protecting out heritage places. There are currently (November 2000) 14 properties listed in Australia including the Great Barrier Reef, Kakadu National Park, and the Wet Tropics of Queensland.

 

The Australian Government is committed to protecting places of outstanding natural and cultural heritage within our country. It takes its obligation very seriously to identify, conserve, present, and transmit its heritage places to future generations. It is also committed to maintaining its involvement in the international World Heritage community and will continue to play a leading role in supporting and developing the universal value of these places.

 

Riversleigh, as a part of Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park, is managed on a day-to-day basis by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. Management of the World Heritage property is coordinated through a partnership between the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments, Waanyi people and the wider community. The Australian Fossil Mammal Sites World Heritage Ministerial Council coordinates government policies relating to funding, research, presentation, and protection of Riversleigh.

 

Source: Queensland Government (Environmental Protection Agency: Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service)

As with my previous SOOC (Straight Out Of the Camera) exercises, the ONLY editing I did was to reduce the size from the snapshot in SL (4000×3500) down to a 1024 size manageable for the blog and Flickr. There’s been no cropping, adjustments, or texturizing.

 

slicesoflifesl.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/sooc-insanity-par...

 

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/MetaLES/250/248/21

I have been watching this guy for more than three years, and finally decided to "research" this odd duck, only to find that they're not as rare as one would think. It's like someone had put the drakes rear curled feathers and done everything but make a pill box hat out of the head feathers.

 

"Millennia of selective breeding have produced domestic ducks that are meaty, or manageable, or, as in the case of this quiz bird, just goofy.

 

Mallards have been domesticated for thousands of years, and virtually all of the “strange” waterfowl found on park ponds and tagging along with wild birds are renegade domestic Mallards. Birders occasionally speak incorrectly of these birds as “hybrids.” While it is true that most waterfowl will breed with anything feathered, these strange Mallards are not the result of crosses between species [hybrids] but of careful breeding for particular characters [breeds]. Our quiz bird’s ancestors were obviously selected for size, elegant plumage, and oh yes, that strange puffy crest on the back of the head. In fact, waterfowl breeders sell birds like this as “Crested Mallards” or “Crested Ducks,” and they are as carefully bred to standard as any pug or poodle.

 

Careful observers will have started at the rear of the bird, and will immediately have noticed the curled “ducktail.” That feature not only identifies the bird to species but to sex: only drake Mallards show those feathers, making it possible to sex even plain white breeds."

 

So I present the first Crested Mallard that I've ever seen and certainly posted. Enjoy. Only nature and man's screwing around with genetics could come up with the Boris Karloff of duckdom.

C Level refers to the last of three levels which had been mined for coal on the east slope of Cascade Mountain before this area belonged to the park. It is rightly one of Banff's premier hikes, as it has views, flowers, animals, and a trail that is manageable for most.

The part order for final Venator update got finally delivered and I can use this opportunity to break it down and proof build it from scratch along the instructions I have been working on for past several weeks. If everything goes well, hence all the steps prove to be meaningful and manageable, I will move onto final touches (individual step appearence on pages, special symbols and notes...)!

Village centre of Beuvron-en-Auge with its half-timbered houses and its former market hall, Normandy, France

 

Some background information:

 

Beuvron-en-Auge is a little village in the Norman department of Calvados. It is located in the Pays d'Auge (in English: "valley of the river Auge") right between the cities of Caen to the west and Lisieux to the east. Both cities are about 30 km (19 miles) away from Beuvron-en-Auge. With its almost 200 residents the village is situated in the agricultural back country of the Côte Fleurie (in English: "Flowery Coast") with its popular seaside resorts Deauville and Trouville.

 

Beuvron-en-Auge was most likely founded in the 12th century. At that time it was just a tiny settlement of self-sufficient farmers. In 1382, the village and its surrounding lands entered into possession of the noble Norman family d'Harcourt that owned the estates until 1793. Hence, Beuvron-en-Auge formed a part of the earldom Harcourt for more than five centuries.

 

In the 15th century, the village began to thrive. The farmers achieved modest prosperity because the valley of the Auge was a rather fertile spot of land. In the 16th century, more and more apple orchards were laid out. Cidre (in English: "cider") has already been produced since the 8th century, but in 1553, Gilles Picot, Lord de Gouberville, carried out the first known distillation of calvados and thereby created a completely new branch of trade that soon became very successful. Since then, the valley of the Auge in known for being the heart of Norman calvados distillation.

 

In the 18th century, also tanners and weavers established themselves in Beuvron-en-Auge. Many of the half-timbered houses in the village center as well as the half-timbered market hall on the village square were built in the 17th and 18th centuries, bearing witness of the community’s former affluence. In the first half of the 19th century, a growing number of merchants and craftsmen complemented the rural community and the village became also a centre of cattle trade.

 

However, in the middle of the 20th century, migration from the land to the cities gave the village a hard time. The village population halved and the community seemed to have no prospects. But after the motorway A13 had been built 6 km (3.7 miles) north of Beuvron-en-Auge at the beginning of the 70s, the then mayor conceived a plan of sustainable tourism. The village centre was restored carefully and as a result of that Beuvron-en-Auge was admitted into the association "The most beautiful villages of France" (in French: "Les Plus Beaux Villages de France"), which promotes small and picturesque French villages of quality heritage. Currently 155 villages throughout France with less than 2,000 residents are pooled under the umbrella of the organisation.

 

Since Beuvron-en-Auge belongs "to the most beautiful villages of France", it attracts a significant, even so manageable number of tourists, which are usually accommodated in the nearby seaside resorts, but are also interested in exploring the surrounding country.

 

The Pays d'Auge is an area in Normandy, straddling the départements of Calvados and Orne (plus a small part of the territory of Eure). The chief town is Lisieux. The landscape of this area is considered typical of Normandy—agricultural and producing dairy produce and apples. It is noted for its cheeses, especially Camembert (named for a place in Pays d'Auge), Livarot and Pont-l'Évêque, also names of villages. But most importantly, the Pays d'Auge has been granted appellation contrôlée status for its famous cider and calvados production.

Low visibility at the Flatiron Building standing under the 5th Avenue Clock in midtown Manhattan during winter storm Nemo.

 

---

 

Camera: Sony a99 | Lens: 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

 

---

  

I live for snowstorms in New York City. So you can just imagine how bummed I was last winter season when we barely got any snow. Growing up in New York City, I remember quite a few blizzards and its with fond nostalgia that I always wish for at least one great snowstorm during the winter. New York City is extra beautiful when covered in a blanket of freshly fallen snow.

 

When I heard that winter storm Nemo (also known as the Blizzard of 2013, February snowstorm and other terms) was going to deliver some gorgeous white flakes from the sky I was more than ready for it. The photos in this set are not edited the way I would normally edit them. I just basically imported them into Lightroom and adjusted some contrast in a few cases from the RAW files. I will most likely go through the photos here plus others that I am not posting and give them the Vivienne treatment at some point. I am just floored at how incredible it was to shoot the snow with the Sony a99. I did go out of my way to protect it despite it being weather-sealed since it isn't technically my camera and since my lenses also needed protection. I must have been quite a sight in my ski-mask, enormous scarf, giant winter boots and a camera covered in plastic. :) It seemed like I had an easier time shooting in this snowstorm than in the two blizzards that I took photos in back in 2010 and 2011. I think it's because the wind was far more manageable and because I was out before the blizzard hit with full force. While the snow was heavy, the winds were easy to deal with in some respects since the gusts were few and far between.

 

I decided to walk from where I live on the Lower East Side all the way to Times Square since I do this particular walk frequently and know all of the spots I have always wanted to capture in the snow. I had a blast! The wind did get stronger and stronger as I got closer to Times Square and by the time I made my way home it was full-on blizzard conditions so I think I went at the optimal time. I somehow managed to take photos in the East Village, around Union Square, Chelsea (in truth, I had really hoped that the Empire State Building would be visible but it was completely hidden by the snow and lack of visibility), 5th Avenue, Midtown, the New York Public Library on 42nd Street and 5th Avenue, Bryant Park (which was absolutely ethereal in the snow) and finally Times Square.

 

And so, the photos here are pretty much almost straight out of the camera save for a few tweaks to levels, no fancy tinkering (but I can't wait to do so!).

  

--

 

View more of my New York City photography at my website NY Through The Lens.

 

View my photography profile on Google Plus: New York City photography by Vivienne Gucwa

 

To purchase any of my work view my site gallery for info here.

  

To use any of my photos commercially, simply click the link which reads "Request to license Vivienne Gucwa's photos via Getty Images". This link can be found on the bottom right corner of the page of the photo you are interested in using.

BOX DATE: 1975

MANUFACTURER:Ideal Toys

VARIATIONS: Caucasian; African American

BODY TYPE: 1975; bend & snap legs; flat feet

HEAD MOLD: 1974; 98-14-241

IMPORTANT NOTES: Jody dolls were labeled either "The Country Girl" or "An Old Fashioned Girl." It appears that there were several dresses that were available on Jody.

 

PERSONAL FUN FACT: I absolutely adore this dainty, ginger haired cutie! I was completely unaware that Jody dolls existed, until I happened upon them in a search for Kid Kore Jodi dolls. I was intrigued by the old fashioned/country theme of this line, and knew I HAD to at least get my hands on some playsets. I was hoping that I would also acquire one Jody doll, preferably more, while on the quest for her furniture. I was lucky enough to find a lot on Mercari in the spring of 2022 which contained everything I wanted. The seller had four playsets (General Store, Country Kitchen, Horse and Farm, and the Victorian Parlor), as well as two Jody dolls dressed in different attire. All the Caucasian Jody dolls appear to be identical, the only variation is what outfit they are dressed in. The same applies to the African American variants. I would LOVE to own an AA Jody someday...she's even more spectacularly beautiful than the redhead. Anyways, this Jody came wearing the "eyelet dress" as Ideal Toys catalogues describes. Our other one was sporting the "apron dress." There is also the "Gibson Girl dress" and one that doesn't appear to have an Ideal Toys name (it is red checked...very cute). Honestly, the dolls were hard to tell apart once I cleaned them up. So it's a good thing they are meant to be identical. The one in the eyelet dress was dirtier and a little uglier to begin with. Underneath her garments, I found the "age spots" the seller described. I think the seller was confused, much like my father, who referred to dust on his toy trucks as "patina." No, neither Jody had "age spots," rather they were coated in splotchy filth that quickly erased with a toothbrush and dish soap (followed up with baking soda for good measure). This lady had the dirtier face too, which probably attributed to her initial homelier appearance. Her hair, on the other hand, was less frizzy than her apron dress counterpart. You can't see it well in this photo, but I managed to get Jody's tresses to be perfectly sleek, straight, and shiny. It was a bit of a chore, since the boil wash didn't help the nylon mane become less frizzy. I also had to be careful of pulling hair plugs out, since Jody dolls are rooted VERY skimpily. They have a perimeter hairline, and then a few rows in the middle...much like a 60s Barbie. Since this adorable Victorian clad lady had more manageable hair to begin with, I didn't need to trim much off after her flat iron. I usually assess what needs to be trimmed by how a fine tooth comb glides through it following the flat iron. The comb made it's way to the ends of Jody's hair without any issues. There was just a little buffering at the tips, which I skimmed off using shears. So her hair is as long as it was originally (down to her ankles), whereas my other "apron dress" Jody had a more substantial trim, due to the preexisting damage. This doll is such a dainty gem. She's only nine inches tall, but has a beautifully detailed facial screening. I adore that she has red hair, reminiscent of Anne of Green Gables. For this reason, Colleen and I decided that our two Jody dolls would make excellent mothers for Reba in our skits (both representing the same person, but acting as body doubles for one another). She's the perfect country girl for the job, and her red hair makes her resemble Miss Reba! I'm glad we came across our two Jody dolls when we did, since Reba's mother was a role we were still looking to fill.

Chassis n° ZFF76ZHB000203343

 

Estimated : CHF 2.600.000 - 2.800.000

Sold for CHF 2.185.000 - € 2.000.183

 

The Bonmont Sale

Collectors' Motor Cars - Bonhams

Golf & Country Club de Bonmont

Chéserex

Switzerland - Suisse - Schweiz

September 2019

 

"The LaFerrari is very possibly the world's fastest, most exciting hypercar. Which is some statement to make when there are machines such as the McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 Spyder to contend with. The bottom line, however, is that LaFerrari has more power (a whopping 950bhp) and less weight to carry around than its prestigious rivals so figuratively, if nothing else, it quite clearly has the upper hand. Either way, this is the ultimate Ferrari..." – Autocar.

 

In today's increasingly environmentally conscious times, even supercar manufacturers have felt the need to polish up their 'Green' credentials. Seeking better fuel economy and reduced emissions, they have brought 'hybrid' technology to this previously exclusively fossil-fuels-only sector of the market. This has resulted in a 'win win' situation: these latest hypercars being more environmentally friendly while at the same time considerably more powerful than before.

 

Ferrari's first offering in this expanding category was the LaFerrari, a limited-edition coupé that entered production in 2013. Ferrari's last model with a mid-mounted 12-cylinder engine, LaFerrari was the distillation of no fewer than nine design studies created during the process of its development. The car was unveiled at the 2013 Geneva Auto Show. Unusually, its styling had no input from Ferrari's long-term collaborator, Carrozzeria Pinifarina.

 

Clearly, a car evocatively titled 'LaFerrari' would have to have a V12 engine, a type of power unit used in the very first Ferrari of 1947 and for a glorious succession of the Italian factory's most famous models. The LaFerrari V12 displaced 6.3-litres and produced 789bhp, supplemented by an electric motor producing 161bhp for a combined output of 950 horsepower, the highest power output of any Ferrari road car. With the car is in motion, the electric motor's lithium-ion battery pack is charged by a KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) as used in the current generation of Formula 1 cars. Power reaches the rear wheels (there's no four-wheel drive) via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. And if you didn't use those 950 horses all the time, there was also a useful decrease in fuel consumption, not that that would have interested the typical LaFerrari owner.

 

Designed by Ferrari's F1 technical director, Rory Byrne, the LaFerrari has a carbon fibre monocoque chassis with suspension at the front by double wishbones and at the rear by a multi-link system - pretty much the norm for the current generation of supercars. Any car with a 200mph-plus maximum needs plenty of stopping power, and the LaFerrari was equipped with Brembo's finest carbon-ceramic brakes. Ferrari claimed a top speed exceeding 349km/h (217mph), similar to the Enzo's top speed; however, the LaFerrari could accelerating from 0-100km/h (0-62mph) in under 2.4 seconds and reach 300km/h (186mph) in 15 seconds, comfortably out-performing its predecessor. The factory also claimed that LaFerrari had lapped its Fiorano test track in 1:19.7, faster than any other road-legal Ferrari.

 

Electronic systems abound in even the humblest of modern hatchbacks, and as one would expect, the LaFerrari boasts just about every bit of automotive electrickery imaginable: electronic stability control; high performance ABS/EBD (anti-lock braking system/electronic brake distribution), EF1-Trac F1 traction control integrated with the hybrid propulsion system; E-Diff 3 electronic differential; and magnetorheological suspension dampers - all controlled by 21 computers. There was also active aerodynamics, the front and rear wings being adjustable on the move to provide either high or low downforce while also controlling cooling of the engine, gearbox, batteries, and brakes. More electronics were deployed in the cockpit in the form of a 12.3" (310mm) TFT digital dashboard display with a choice of three optional layouts capable of relaying data from the telemetry system. The steering wheel featured integrated controls, while the gearchange paddles were fixed directly to steering column.

 

One of the fortunate few to have driven a LaFerrari, Autocar's Steve Sutcliffe was mightily impressed when let loose in one at Fiorano. "The ride instantly feels spookily smooth and calm, the steering surprisingly light but bursting with a delicious, old school kind of feel. The brake pedal also feels light underfoot but is again rippling with feel. And the throttle response, the first time I go anywhere near the loud pedal is just outrageous; the car explodes down the back straight even on half throttle in fourth gear.

 

"And that's what you get when you integrate electric power with a thumping great V12. At low revs the electricity provides the torque, and provides it instantly, and from there on up – at about 3000rpm – the V12 takes over. Yet the transformation is so smooth you are never actually aware that it takes place. Instead, it feels like the car is powered by a 10-litre V12 that somehow has massive low rev response at the same time.

 

"And yet, in their way, the gearchange, the brakes, the steering, the turn in, the handling balance and the ride... they are all every bit as incredible as the engine – sorry the power source – and the acceleration it can produce."

 

Putting a 950 horsepower car weighing only some 1,255kg dry in the hands of mere mortals, as opposed to professional racing drivers, might be considered somewhat reckless, but in designing LaFerrari, its makers ensured that whatever the car did it did predictably. "You always know where you are with this car," declared Autocar. "And considering just how insanely fast it is, that is arguably its greatest achievement; being manageable."

 

Despite a price of £1 million each, all 499 examples planned had sold before the first had been delivered. However, merely having pockets of limitless depth was not alone sufficient for you to acquire a LaFerrari, which was only available to loyal customers vetted by Ferrari.

 

Representing a possibly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own one of these fabulous Ferrari hypercars, the LaFerrari offered here was delivered new to Germany and is currently registered on a temporary Swiss plate. The car has covered only 894km from new and is presented in generally excellent condition, reflecting its sparing use. Finished in yellow with black interior, this spectacular LaFerrari comes complete with charger, tool kit, and Equatorial Guinea registration document and technical inspection.

Snow covered benches and snow-laden trees next to Madison Square Park during winter storm Nemo in midtown Manhattan.

 

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Camera: Sony a99 | Lens: 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

 

---

 

I live for snowstorms in New York City. So you can just imagine how bummed I was last winter season when we barely got any snow. Growing up in New York City, I remember quite a few blizzards and its with fond nostalgia that I always wish for at least one great snowstorm during the winter. New York City is extra beautiful when covered in a blanket of freshly fallen snow.

 

When I heard that winter storm Nemo (also known as the Blizzard of 2013, February snowstorm and other terms) was going to deliver some gorgeous white flakes from the sky I was more than ready for it. The photos in this set are not edited the way I would normally edit them. I just basically imported them into Lightroom and adjusted some contrast in a few cases from the RAW files. I will most likely go through the photos here plus others that I am not posting and give them the Vivienne treatment at some point. I am just floored at how incredible it was to shoot the snow with the Sony a99. I did go out of my way to protect it despite it being weather-sealed since it isn't technically my camera and since my lenses also needed protection. I must have been quite a sight in my ski-mask, enormous scarf, giant winter boots and a camera covered in plastic. :) It seemed like I had an easier time shooting in this snowstorm than in the two blizzards that I took photos in back in 2010 and 2011. I think it's because the wind was far more manageable and because I was out before the blizzard hit with full force. While the snow was heavy, the winds were easy to deal with in some respects since the gusts were few and far between.

 

I decided to walk from where I live on the Lower East Side all the way to Times Square since I do this particular walk frequently and know all of the spots I have always wanted to capture in the snow. I had a blast! The wind did get stronger and stronger as I got closer to Times Square and by the time I made my way home it was full-on blizzard conditions so I think I went at the optimal time. I somehow managed to take photos in the East Village, around Union Square, Chelsea (in truth, I had really hoped that the Empire State Building would be visible but it was completely hidden by the snow and lack of visibility), 5th Avenue, Midtown, the New York Public Library on 42nd Street and 5th Avenue, Bryant Park (which was absolutely ethereal in the snow) and finally Times Square.

 

And so, the photos here are pretty much almost straight out of the camera save for a few tweaks to levels, no fancy tinkering (but I can't wait to do so!).

  

--

 

View more of my New York City photography at my website NY Through The Lens.

 

View my photography profile on Google Plus: New York City photography by Vivienne Gucwa

 

To purchase any of my work view my site gallery for info here.

  

To use any of my photos commercially, simply click the link which reads "Request to license Vivienne Gucwa's photos via Getty Images". This link can be found on the bottom right corner of the page of the photo you are interested in using.

THE WATER TOWER

 

Remnants of railway marshalling yards and transit points in Kłodzko Główne part of which are still used for freight and cargo. Many buildings have fallen into severe decay and generally the area is ugly and unkempt with overgrown scrub, rubbish, plastic and broken bottles scattered all over the neglected area - it's a sad sight. The passenger platforms are further down the line in the town, but this must have been very busy here once in the past and in the days of steam.

 

This area is mainly derelict and in severe decay so I have converted colour images into infrared ones to enhance the historical** and decaying infrastructure of this area which lies behind the old, but still very functional and badly needed and pleasantly refurbished hospital buildings for Kłodzko. The buildings are architecturally very nicely designed and interesting.

 

My daughter is home and nothing bad was found during her tests apart from a sinus condition which has been causing her headaches. I've had a similar problem since I was 12 years old and it is manageable - Oh to live by the sea again :-(

 

Every town has its pretty parts as well as its ugly ones and both deserve equal attention.

 

The atmosphere and starkness of this shot of the old water tower somehow reminds me very much of a 'Cold War' image and B&W films from the time when nuclear conflict was an everyday possibility. Anyone feel the same????

 

flickrhivemind.net/User/XPAT-Polska/Timeline

I was given the opportunity to set up my Santa Fe Union Terminal at the former Santa Fe Union Terminal building, now known as Moody Plaza and home to the Galveston Railroad Museum. Not counting the trains or minifigs, this represents over 20,000 parts and many months or work.

 

I was forced to selectively compress the design in order to make it a manageable size. Still, I think I was able to capture the look and feel of the real thing. I even went so far as to mimic the texture of the building itself - building the front, white, larger stone area out 1x2 white bricks, and building the rear, masonry brick area out of 1x2 tan plates.

 

The real building was built in several phases: one side as a standalone building, then the other side as a standalone, then the central tower was built to connect them. it's why the from the front it looks like a single building, but from the back it does not. It served as the headquarters of the Santa Fe railroad and was the jewel of Galveston Island's downtown.

 

A huge, gigantic, awe-inspired thank-you to Jennifer and the rest of the staff at the Galveston Railroad Museum for inexplicably agreeing to allow me to set up on the museum grounds. They even set up stanchions around my tables, which I had never asked for but greatly appreciated.

One month down, eleven to go, LOL.

 

I am still doing okay. I have some pain, but not as much as I expected. As long as I keep my arm in the sling and not move it too much, the pain is manageable.

++++++ Form Wikipedia +++++

  

Kalaw (Burmese: ကလောမြို့; Shan: ၵလေႃး [ka lɔ]) is a hill town in the Shan State of Myanmar. It is located in Kalaw Township in Taunggyi District.

Kalaw

ကလောမြို့

Kalaw 21.jpg

Kalaw is located in Myanmar

Kalaw

 

Location in Myanmar

Coordinates: 20°38′N 96°34′E

Country Myanmar

Division Shan State

Districts Taunggyi District

Township Kalaw Township

Population (2005)

• Religions Buddhism

Time zone MST (UTC+6.30)

OverviewEdit

 

The town was popular with the British during colonial rule. Kalaw is the main setting of the novel "The Art of Hearing Heartbeats" by Jan-Philipp Sendker.

 

The hill station is located at an elevation of 1320 metres, 50 km from the Inle lake. Kalaw is famous for hiking and trekking.[1]

Kalaw Train station sign altitude.

 

Myanmar (Burmese pronunciation: [mjəmà]),[nb 1][8] officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and also known as Burma, is a sovereign state in Southeast Asia. Myanmar is bordered by India and Bangladesh to its west, Thailand and Laos to its east and China to its north and northeast. To its south, about one third of Myanmar's total perimeter of 5,876 km (3,651 mi) forms an uninterrupted coastline of 1,930 km (1,200 mi) along the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. The country's 2014 census counted the population to be 51 million people.[9] As of 2017, the population is about 54 million.[10] Myanmar is 676,578 square kilometers (261,228 square miles) in size. Its capital city is Naypyidaw, and its largest city and former capital is Yangon (Rangoon).[1] Myanmar has been a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) since 1997.

 

Early civilisations in Myanmar included the Tibeto-Burman-speaking Pyu city-states in Upper Burma and the Mon kingdoms in Lower Burma.[11] In the 9th century, the Bamar people entered the upper Irrawaddy valley and, following the establishment of the Pagan Kingdom in the 1050s, the Burmese language, culture and Theravada Buddhism slowly became dominant in the country. The Pagan Kingdom fell due to the Mongol invasions and several warring states emerged. In the 16th century, reunified by the Taungoo Dynasty, the country was for a brief period the largest empire in the history of Mainland Southeast Asia.[12] The early 19th century Konbaung Dynasty ruled over an area that included modern Myanmar and briefly controlled Manipur and Assam as well. The British took over the administration of Myanmar after three Anglo-Burmese Wars in the 19th century and the country became a British colony. Myanmar was granted independence in 1948, as a democratic nation. Following a coup d'état in 1962, it became a military dictatorship.

 

For most of its independent years, the country has been engrossed in rampant ethnic strife and its myriad ethnic groups have been involved in one of the world's longest-running ongoing civil wars. During this time, the United Nations and several other organisations have reported consistent and systematic human rights violations in the country.[13] In 2011, the military junta was officially dissolved following a 2010 general election, and a nominally civilian government was installed. This, along with the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and political prisoners, has improved the country's human rights record and foreign relations, and has led to the easing of trade and other economic sanctions.[14] There is, however, continuing criticism of the government's treatment of ethnic minorities, its response to the ethnic insurgency, and religious clashes.[15] In the landmark 2015 election, Aung San Suu Kyi's party won a majority in both houses. However, the Burmese military remains a powerful force in politics.

 

Myanmar is a country rich in jade and gems, oil, natural gas and other mineral resources. In 2013, its GDP (nominal) stood at US$56.7 billion and its GDP (PPP) at US$221.5 billion.[6] The income gap in Myanmar is among the widest in the world, as a large proportion of the economy is controlled by supporters of the former military government.[16] As of 2016, Myanmar ranks 145 out of 188 countries in human development, according to the Human Development Index.[7]

Etymology

Main article: Names of Myanmar

 

In 1989, the military government officially changed the English translations of many names dating back to Burma's colonial period or earlier, including that of the country itself: "Burma" became "Myanmar". The renaming remains a contested issue.[17] Many political and ethnic opposition groups and countries continue to use "Burma" because they do not recognise the legitimacy of the ruling military government or its authority to rename the country.[18]

 

In April 2016, soon after taking office, Aung San Suu Kyi clarified that foreigners are free to use either name, "because there is nothing in the constitution of our country that says that you must use any term in particular".[19]

 

The country's official full name is the "Republic of the Union of Myanmar" (ပြည်ထောင်စုသမ္မတ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်, Pyidaunzu Thanmăda Myăma Nainngandaw, pronounced [pjìdàʊɴzṵ θàɴməda̰ mjəmà nàɪɴŋàɴdɔ̀]). Countries that do not officially recognise that name use the long form "Union of Burma" instead.[20]

 

In English, the country is popularly known as either "Burma" or "Myanmar" /ˈmjɑːnˌmɑːr/ (About this sound listen).[8] Both these names are derived from the name of the majority Burmese Bamar ethnic group. Myanmar is considered to be the literary form of the name of the group, while Burma is derived from "Bamar", the colloquial form of the group's name.[17] Depending on the register used, the pronunciation would be Bama (pronounced [bəmà]) or Myamah (pronounced [mjəmà]).[17] The name Burma has been in use in English since the 18th century.

 

Burma continues to be used in English by the governments of many countries, such as Canada and the United Kingdom.[21][22] Official United States policy retains Burma as the country's name, although the State Department's website lists the country as "Burma (Myanmar)" and Barack Obama has referred to the country by both names.[23] The Czech Republic officially uses Myanmar, although its Ministry of Foreign Affairs mentions both Myanmar and Burma on its website.[24] The United Nations uses Myanmar, as do the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Australia,[25] Russia, Germany,[26] China, India, Bangladesh, Norway,[27] Japan[21] and Switzerland.[28]

 

Most English-speaking international news media refer to the country by the name Myanmar, including the BBC,[29] CNN,[30] Al Jazeera,[31] Reuters,[32] RT (Russia Today) and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)/Radio Australia.[33]

 

Myanmar is known with a name deriving from Burma as opposed to Myanmar in Spanish, Italian, Romanian, and Greek – Birmania being the local version of Burma in the Spanish language, for example. Myanmar used to be known as "Birmânia" in Portuguese, and as "Birmanie" in French.[34] As in the past, French-language media today consistently use Birmanie.,[35][36]

History

Main article: History of Myanmar

Prehistory

Main articles: Prehistory of Myanmar and Migration period of ancient Burma

Pyu city-states c. 8th century; Pagan is shown for comparison only and is not contemporary.

 

Archaeological evidence shows that Homo erectus lived in the region now known as Myanmar as early as 750,000 years ago, with no more erectus finds after 75,000 years ago.[37] The first evidence of Homo sapiens is dated to about 11,000 BC, in a Stone Age culture called the Anyathian with discoveries of stone tools in central Myanmar. Evidence of neolithic age domestication of plants and animals and the use of polished stone tools dating to sometime between 10,000 and 6,000 BC has been discovered in the form of cave paintings in Padah-Lin Caves.[38]

 

The Bronze Age arrived circa 1500 BC when people in the region were turning copper into bronze, growing rice and domesticating poultry and pigs; they were among the first people in the world to do so.[39] Human remains and artefacts from this era were discovered in Monywa District in the Sagaing Division.[40] The Iron Age began around 500 BC with the emergence of iron-working settlements in an area south of present-day Mandalay.[41] Evidence also shows the presence of rice-growing settlements of large villages and small towns that traded with their surroundings as far as China between 500 BC and 200 AD.[42] Iron Age Burmese cultures also had influences from outside sources such as India and Thailand, as seen in their funerary practices concerning child burials. This indicates some form of communication between groups in Myanmar and other places, possibly through trade.[43]

Early city-states

Main articles: Pyu city-states and Mon kingdoms

 

Around the second century BC the first-known city-states emerged in central Myanmar. The city-states were founded as part of the southward migration by the Tibeto-Burman-speaking Pyu city-states, the earliest inhabitants of Myanmar of whom records are extant, from present-day Yunnan.[44] The Pyu culture was heavily influenced by trade with India, importing Buddhism as well as other cultural, architectural and political concepts, which would have an enduring influence on later Burmese culture and political organisation.[45]

 

By the 9th century, several city-states had sprouted across the land: the Pyu in the central dry zone, Mon along the southern coastline and Arakanese along the western littoral. The balance was upset when the Pyu came under repeated attacks from Nanzhao between the 750s and the 830s. In the mid-to-late 9th century the Bamar people founded a small settlement at Bagan. It was one of several competing city-states until the late 10th century when it grew in authority and grandeur.[46]

Imperial Burma

Main articles: Pagan Kingdom, Taungoo Dynasty, and Konbaung Dynasty

See also: Ava Kingdom, Hanthawaddy Kingdom, Kingdom of Mrauk U, and Shan States

Pagodas and kyaungs in present-day Bagan, the capital of the Pagan Kingdom.

 

Pagan gradually grew to absorb its surrounding states until the 1050s–1060s when Anawrahta founded the Pagan Kingdom, the first ever unification of the Irrawaddy valley and its periphery. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the Pagan Empire and the Khmer Empire were two main powers in mainland Southeast Asia.[47] The Burmese language and culture gradually became dominant in the upper Irrawaddy valley, eclipsing the Pyu, Mon and Pali norms by the late 12th century.[48]

 

Theravada Buddhism slowly began to spread to the village level, although Tantric, Mahayana, Hinduism, and folk religion remained heavily entrenched. Pagan's rulers and wealthy built over 10,000 Buddhist temples in the Pagan capital zone alone. Repeated Mongol invasions (1277–1301) toppled the four-century-old kingdom in 1287.[48]

Temples at Mrauk U.

 

Pagan's collapse was followed by 250 years of political fragmentation that lasted well into the 16th century. Like the Burmans four centuries earlier, Shan migrants who arrived with the Mongol invasions stayed behind. Several competing Shan States came to dominate the entire northwestern to eastern arc surrounding the Irrawaddy valley. The valley too was beset with petty states until the late 14th century when two sizeable powers, Ava Kingdom and Hanthawaddy Kingdom, emerged. In the west, a politically fragmented Arakan was under competing influences of its stronger neighbours until the Kingdom of Mrauk U unified the Arakan coastline for the first time in 1437.

 

Early on, Ava fought wars of unification (1385–1424) but could never quite reassemble the lost empire. Having held off Ava, Hanthawaddy entered its golden age, and Arakan went on to become a power in its own right for the next 350 years. In contrast, constant warfare left Ava greatly weakened, and it slowly disintegrated from 1481 onward. In 1527, the Confederation of Shan States conquered Ava itself, and ruled Upper Myanmar until 1555.

 

Like the Pagan Empire, Ava, Hanthawaddy and the Shan states were all multi-ethnic polities. Despite the wars, cultural synchronisation continued. This period is considered a golden age for Burmese culture. Burmese literature "grew more confident, popular, and stylistically diverse", and the second generation of Burmese law codes as well as the earliest pan-Burma chronicles emerged.[49] Hanthawaddy monarchs introduced religious reforms that later spread to the rest of the country.[50] Many splendid temples of Mrauk U were built during this period.

Taungoo and colonialism

Bayinnaung's Empire in 1580.

 

Political unification returned in the mid-16th century, due to the efforts of Taungoo, a former vassal state of Ava. Taungoo's young, ambitious king Tabinshwehti defeated the more powerful Hanthawaddy in the Toungoo–Hanthawaddy War (1534–41). His successor Bayinnaung went on to conquer a vast swath of mainland Southeast Asia including the Shan states, Lan Na, Manipur, Mong Mao, the Ayutthaya Kingdom, Lan Xang and southern Arakan. However, the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia unravelled soon after Bayinnaung's death in 1581, completely collapsing by 1599. Ayutthaya seized Tenasserim and Lan Na, and Portuguese mercenaries established Portuguese rule at Thanlyin (Syriam).

 

The dynasty regrouped and defeated the Portuguese in 1613 and Siam in 1614. It restored a smaller, more manageable kingdom, encompassing Lower Myanmar, Upper Myanmar, Shan states, Lan Na and upper Tenasserim. The Restored Toungoo kings created a legal and political framework whose basic features would continue well into the 19th century. The crown completely replaced the hereditary chieftainships with appointed governorships in the entire Irrawaddy valley, and greatly reduced the hereditary rights of Shan chiefs. Its trade and secular administrative reforms built a prosperous economy for more than 80 years. From the 1720s onward, the kingdom was beset with repeated Meithei raids into Upper Myanmar and a nagging rebellion in Lan Na. In 1740, the Mon of Lower Myanmar founded the Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom. Hanthawaddy forces sacked Ava in 1752, ending the 266-year-old Toungoo Dynasty.

A British 1825 lithograph of Shwedagon Pagoda shows British occupation during the First Anglo-Burmese War.

 

After the fall of Ava, the Konbaung–Hanthawaddy War involved one resistance group under Alaungpaya defeating the Restored Hanthawaddy, and by 1759, he had reunited all of Myanmar and Manipur, and driven out the French and the British, who had provided arms to Hanthawaddy. By 1770, Alaungpaya's heirs had subdued much of Laos (1765) and fought and won the Burmese–Siamese War (1765–67) against Ayutthaya and the Sino-Burmese War (1765–69) against Qing China (1765–1769).[51]

 

With Burma preoccupied by the Chinese threat, Ayutthaya recovered its territories by 1770, and went on to capture Lan Na by 1776. Burma and Siam went to war until 1855, but all resulted in a stalemate, exchanging Tenasserim (to Burma) and Lan Na (to Ayutthaya). Faced with a powerful China and a resurgent Ayutthaya in the east, King Bodawpaya turned west, acquiring Arakan (1785), Manipur (1814) and Assam (1817). It was the second-largest empire in Burmese history but also one with a long ill-defined border with British India.[52]

 

The breadth of this empire was short lived. Burma lost Arakan, Manipur, Assam and Tenasserim to the British in the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824–1826). In 1852, the British easily seized Lower Burma in the Second Anglo-Burmese War. King Mindon Min tried to modernise the kingdom, and in 1875 narrowly avoided annexation by ceding the Karenni States. The British, alarmed by the consolidation of French Indochina, annexed the remainder of the country in the Third Anglo-Burmese War in 1885.

 

Konbaung kings extended Restored Toungoo's administrative reforms, and achieved unprecedented levels of internal control and external expansion. For the first time in history, the Burmese language and culture came to predominate the entire Irrawaddy valley. The evolution and growth of Burmese literature and theatre continued, aided by an extremely high adult male literacy rate for the era (half of all males and 5% of females).[53] Nonetheless, the extent and pace of reforms were uneven and ultimately proved insufficient to stem the advance of British colonialism.

British Burma (1824–1948)

Main articles: British rule in Burma and Burma Campaign

Burma in British India

The landing of British forces in Mandalay after the last of the Anglo-Burmese Wars, which resulted in the abdication of the last Burmese monarch, King Thibaw Min.

British troops firing a mortar on the Mawchi road, July 1944.

 

The eighteenth century saw Burmese rulers, whose country had not previously been of particular interest to European traders, seek to maintain their traditional influence in the western areas of Assam, Manipur and Arakan. Pressing them, however, was the British East India Company, which was expanding its interests eastwards over the same territory. Over the next sixty years, diplomacy, raids, treaties and compromises continued until, after three Anglo-Burmese Wars (1824–1885), Britain proclaimed control over most of Burma.[54] British rule brought social, economic, cultural and administrative changes.

 

With the fall of Mandalay, all of Burma came under British rule, being annexed on 1 January 1886. Throughout the colonial era, many Indians arrived as soldiers, civil servants, construction workers and traders and, along with the Anglo-Burmese community, dominated commercial and civil life in Burma. Rangoon became the capital of British Burma and an important port between Calcutta and Singapore.

 

Burmese resentment was strong and was vented in violent riots that paralysed Yangon (Rangoon) on occasion all the way until the 1930s.[55] Some of the discontent was caused by a disrespect for Burmese culture and traditions such as the British refusal to remove shoes when they entered pagodas. Buddhist monks became the vanguards of the independence movement. U Wisara, an activist monk, died in prison after a 166-day hunger strike to protest against a rule that forbade him to wear his Buddhist robes while imprisoned.[56]

Separation of British Burma from British India

 

On 1 April 1937, Burma became a separately administered colony of Great Britain and Ba Maw the first Prime Minister and Premier of Burma. Ba Maw was an outspoken advocate for Burmese self-rule and he opposed the participation of Great Britain, and by extension Burma, in World War II. He resigned from the Legislative Assembly and was arrested for sedition. In 1940, before Japan formally entered the Second World War, Aung San formed the Burma Independence Army in Japan.

 

A major battleground, Burma was devastated during World War II. By March 1942, within months after they entered the war, Japanese troops had advanced on Rangoon and the British administration had collapsed. A Burmese Executive Administration headed by Ba Maw was established by the Japanese in August 1942. Wingate's British Chindits were formed into long-range penetration groups trained to operate deep behind Japanese lines.[57] A similar American unit, Merrill's Marauders, followed the Chindits into the Burmese jungle in 1943.[58] Beginning in late 1944, allied troops launched a series of offensives that led to the end of Japanese rule in July 1945. The battles were intense with much of Burma laid waste by the fighting. Overall, the Japanese lost some 150,000 men in Burma. Only 1,700 prisoners were taken.[59]

 

Although many Burmese fought initially for the Japanese as part of the Burma Independence Army, many Burmese, mostly from the ethnic minorities, served in the British Burma Army.[60] The Burma National Army and the Arakan National Army fought with the Japanese from 1942 to 1944 but switched allegiance to the Allied side in 1945. Under Japanese occupation, 170,000 to 250,000 civilians died.[61]

 

Following World War II, Aung San negotiated the Panglong Agreement with ethnic leaders that guaranteed the independence of Myanmar as a unified state. Aung Zan Wai, Pe Khin, Bo Hmu Aung, Sir Maung Gyi, Dr. Sein Mya Maung, Myoma U Than Kywe were among the negotiators of the historical Panglong Conference negotiated with Bamar leader General Aung San and other ethnic leaders in 1947. In 1947, Aung San became Deputy Chairman of the Executive Council of Myanmar, a transitional government. But in July 1947, political rivals[62] assassinated Aung San and several cabinet members.[63]

Independence (1948–1962)

Main article: Post-independence Burma, 1948–62

British governor Hubert Elvin Rance and Sao Shwe Thaik at the flag raising ceremony on 4 January 1948 (Independence Day of Burma).

 

On 4 January 1948, the nation became an independent republic, named the Union of Burma, with Sao Shwe Thaik as its first President and U Nu as its first Prime Minister. Unlike most other former British colonies and overseas territories, Burma did not become a member of the Commonwealth. A bicameral parliament was formed, consisting of a Chamber of Deputies and a Chamber of Nationalities,[64] and multi-party elections were held in 1951–1952, 1956 and 1960.

 

The geographical area Burma encompasses today can be traced to the Panglong Agreement, which combined Burma Proper, which consisted of Lower Burma and Upper Burma, and the Frontier Areas, which had been administered separately by the British.[65]

 

In 1961, U Thant, then the Union of Burma's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and former Secretary to the Prime Minister, was elected Secretary-General of the United Nations, a position he held for ten years.[66] Among the Burmese to work at the UN when he was Secretary-General was a young Aung San Suu Kyi (daughter of Aung San), who went on to become winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize.

 

When the non-Burman ethnic groups pushed for autonomy or federalism, alongside having a weak civilian government at the centre, the military leadership staged a coup d’état in 1962. Though incorporated in the 1947 Constitution, successive military governments construed the use of the term ‘federalism’ as being anti-national, anti-unity and pro-disintegration.[67]

Military rule (1962–2011)

 

On 2 March 1962, the military led by General Ne Win took control of Burma through a coup d'état, and the government has been under direct or indirect control by the military since then. Between 1962 and 1974, Myanmar was ruled by a revolutionary council headed by the general. Almost all aspects of society (business, media, production) were nationalised or brought under government control under the Burmese Way to Socialism,[68] which combined Soviet-style nationalisation and central planning.

 

A new constitution of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma was adopted in 1974. Until 1988, the country was ruled as a one-party system, with the General and other military officers resigning and ruling through the Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP).[69] During this period, Myanmar became one of the world's most impoverished countries.[70]

Protesters gathering in central Rangoon, 1988.

 

There were sporadic protests against military rule during the Ne Win years and these were almost always violently suppressed. On 7 July 1962, the government broke up demonstrations at Rangoon University, killing 15 students.[68] In 1974, the military violently suppressed anti-government protests at the funeral of U Thant. Student protests in 1975, 1976, and 1977 were quickly suppressed by overwhelming force.[69]

 

In 1988, unrest over economic mismanagement and political oppression by the government led to widespread pro-democracy demonstrations throughout the country known as the 8888 Uprising. Security forces killed thousands of demonstrators, and General Saw Maung staged a coup d'état and formed the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). In 1989, SLORC declared martial law after widespread protests. The military government finalised plans for People's Assembly elections on 31 May 1989.[71] SLORC changed the country's official English name from the "Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma" to the "Union of Myanmar" in 1989.

 

In May 1990, the government held free elections for the first time in almost 30 years and the National League for Democracy (NLD), the party of Aung San Suu Kyi, won 392 out of a total 492 seats (i.e., 80% of the seats). However, the military junta refused to cede power[72] and continued to rule the nation as SLORC until 1997, and then as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) until its dissolution in March 2011.

Protesters in Yangon during the 2007 Saffron Revolution with a banner that reads non-violence: national movement in Burmese. In the background is Shwedagon Pagoda.

 

On 23 June 1997, Myanmar was admitted into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). On 27 March 2006, the military junta, which had moved the national capital from Yangon to a site near Pyinmana in November 2005, officially named the new capital Naypyidaw, meaning "city of the kings".[73]

Cyclone Nargis in southern Myanmar, May 2008.

 

In August 2007, an increase in the price of diesel and petrol led to the Saffron Revolution led by Buddhist monks that were dealt with harshly by the government.[74] The government cracked down on them on 26 September 2007. The crackdown was harsh, with reports of barricades at the Shwedagon Pagoda and monks killed. There were also rumours of disagreement within the Burmese armed forces, but none was confirmed. The military crackdown against unarmed protesters was widely condemned as part of the international reactions to the Saffron Revolution and led to an increase in economic sanctions against the Burmese Government.

 

In May 2008, Cyclone Nargis caused extensive damage in the densely populated, rice-farming delta of the Irrawaddy Division.[75] It was the worst natural disaster in Burmese history with reports of an estimated 200,000 people dead or missing, damage totalled to 10 billion US dollars, and as many as 1 million left homeless.[76] In the critical days following this disaster, Myanmar's isolationist government was accused of hindering United Nations recovery efforts.[77] Humanitarian aid was requested but concerns about foreign military or intelligence presence in the country delayed the entry of United States military planes delivering medicine, food, and other supplies.[78]

 

In early August 2009, a conflict known as the Kokang incident broke out in Shan State in northern Myanmar. For several weeks, junta troops fought against ethnic minorities including the Han Chinese,[79] Wa, and Kachin.[80][81] During 8–12 August, the first days of the conflict, as many as 10,000 Burmese civilians fled to Yunnan province in neighbouring China.[80][81][82]

Civil wars

Main articles: Internal conflict in Myanmar, Kachin Conflict, Karen conflict, and 2015 Kokang offensive

 

Civil wars have been a constant feature of Myanmar's socio-political landscape since the attainment of independence in 1948. These wars are predominantly struggles for ethnic and sub-national autonomy, with the areas surrounding the ethnically Bamar central districts of the country serving as the primary geographical setting of conflict. Foreign journalists and visitors require a special travel permit to visit the areas in which Myanmar's civil wars continue.[83]

 

In October 2012, the ongoing conflicts in Myanmar included the Kachin conflict,[84] between the Pro-Christian Kachin Independence Army and the government;[85] a civil war between the Rohingya Muslims, and the government and non-government groups in Rakhine State;[86] and a conflict between the Shan,[87] Lahu, and Karen[88][89] minority groups, and the government in the eastern half of the country. In addition, al-Qaeda signalled an intention to become involved in Myanmar. In a video released on 3 September 2014, mainly addressed to India, the militant group's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri said al-Qaeda had not forgotten the Muslims of Myanmar and that the group was doing "what they can to rescue you".[90] In response, the military raised its level of alertness, while the Burmese Muslim Association issued a statement saying Muslims would not tolerate any threat to their motherland.[91]

 

Armed conflict between ethnic Chinese rebels and the Myanmar Armed Forces have resulted in the Kokang offensive in February 2015. The conflict had forced 40,000 to 50,000 civilians to flee their homes and seek shelter on the Chinese side of the border.[92] During the incident, the government of China was accused of giving military assistance to the ethnic Chinese rebels. Burmese officials have been historically "manipulated" and pressured by the Chinese government throughout Burmese modern history to create closer and binding ties with China, creating a Chinese satellite state in Southeast Asia.[93] However, uncertainties exist as clashes between Burmese troops and local insurgent groups continue.

Democratic reforms

Main article: 2011–12 Burmese political reforms

 

The goal of the Burmese constitutional referendum of 2008, held on 10 May 2008, is the creation of a "discipline-flourishing democracy". As part of the referendum process, the name of the country was changed from the "Union of Myanmar" to the "Republic of the Union of Myanmar", and general elections were held under the new constitution in 2010. Observer accounts of the 2010 election describe the event as mostly peaceful; however, allegations of polling station irregularities were raised, and the United Nations (UN) and a number of Western countries condemned the elections as fraudulent.[94]

U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with Aung San Suu Kyi and her staff at her home in Yangon, 2012

 

The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party declared victory in the 2010 elections, stating that it had been favoured by 80 percent of the votes; however, the claim was disputed by numerous pro-democracy opposition groups who asserted that the military regime had engaged in rampant fraud.[95][96] One report documented 77 percent as the official turnout rate of the election.[95] The military junta was dissolved on 30 March 2011.

 

Opinions differ whether the transition to liberal democracy is underway. According to some reports, the military's presence continues as the label "disciplined democracy" suggests. This label asserts that the Burmese military is allowing certain civil liberties while clandestinely institutionalising itself further into Burmese politics. Such an assertion assumes that reforms only occurred when the military was able to safeguard its own interests through the transition—here, "transition" does not refer to a transition to a liberal democracy, but transition to a quasi-military rule.[97]

 

Since the 2010 election, the government has embarked on a series of reforms to direct the country towards liberal democracy, a mixed economy, and reconciliation, although doubts persist about the motives that underpin such reforms. The series of reforms includes the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, the establishment of the National Human Rights Commission, the granting of general amnesties for more than 200 political prisoners, new labour laws that permit labour unions and strikes, a relaxation of press censorship, and the regulation of currency practices.[98]

 

The impact of the post-election reforms has been observed in numerous areas, including ASEAN's approval of Myanmar's bid for the position of ASEAN chair in 2014;[99] the visit by United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in December 2011 for the encouragement of further progress, which was the first visit by a Secretary of State in more than fifty years,[100] during which Clinton met with the Burmese president and former military commander Thein Sein, as well as opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi;[101] and the participation of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party in the 2012 by-elections, facilitated by the government's abolition of the laws that previously barred the NLD.[102] As of July 2013, about 100[103][104] political prisoners remain imprisoned, while conflict between the Burmese Army and local insurgent groups continues.

Map of Myanmar and its divisions, including Shan State, Kachin State, Rakhine State and Karen State.

 

In 1 April 2012 by-elections, the NLD won 43 of the 45 available seats; previously an illegal organisation, the NLD had not won a single seat under new constitution. The 2012 by-elections were also the first time that international representatives were allowed to monitor the voting process in Myanmar.[105]

2015 general elections

Main article: Myanmar general election, 2015

 

General elections were held on 8 November 2015. These were the first openly contested elections held in Myanmar since 1990. The results gave the National League for Democracy an absolute majority of seats in both chambers of the national parliament, enough to ensure that its candidate would become president, while NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi is constitutionally barred from the presidency.[106]

 

The new parliament convened on 1 February 2016[107] and, on 15 March 2016, Htin Kyaw was elected as the first non-military president since the military coup of 1962.[108] On 6 April 2016, Aung San Suu Kyi assumed the newly created role of State Counsellor, a role akin to a Prime Minister.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Myanmar

A map of Myanmar

Myanmar map of Köppen climate classification.

 

Myanmar has a total area of 678,500 square kilometres (262,000 sq mi). It lies between latitudes 9° and 29°N, and longitudes 92° and 102°E. As of February 2011, Myanmar consisted of 14 states and regions, 67 districts, 330 townships, 64 sub-townships, 377 towns, 2,914 Wards, 14,220 village tracts and 68,290 villages.

 

Myanmar is bordered in the northwest by the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh and the Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh states of India. Its north and northeast border is with the Tibet Autonomous Region and Yunnan province for a Sino-Myanmar border total of 2,185 km (1,358 mi). It is bounded by Laos and Thailand to the southeast. Myanmar has 1,930 km (1,200 mi) of contiguous coastline along the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea to the southwest and the south, which forms one quarter of its total perimeter.[20]

 

In the north, the Hengduan Mountains form the border with China. Hkakabo Razi, located in Kachin State, at an elevation of 5,881 metres (19,295 ft), is the highest point in Myanmar.[109] Many mountain ranges, such as the Rakhine Yoma, the Bago Yoma, the Shan Hills and the Tenasserim Hills exist within Myanmar, all of which run north-to-south from the Himalayas.[110]

 

The mountain chains divide Myanmar's three river systems, which are the Irrawaddy, Salween (Thanlwin), and the Sittaung rivers.[111] The Irrawaddy River, Myanmar's longest river, nearly 2,170 kilometres (1,348 mi) long, flows into the Gulf of Martaban. Fertile plains exist in the valleys between the mountain chains.[110] The majority of Myanmar's population lives in the Irrawaddy valley, which is situated between the Rakhine Yoma and the Shan Plateau.

Administrative divisions

Main article: Administrative divisions of Myanmar

A clickable map of Burma/Myanmar exhibiting its first-level administrative divisions.

About this image

 

Myanmar is divided into seven states (ပြည်နယ်) and seven regions (တိုင်းဒေသကြီး), formerly called divisions.[112] Regions are predominantly Bamar (that is, mainly inhabited by the dominant ethnic group). States, in essence, are regions that are home to particular ethnic minorities. The administrative divisions are further subdivided into districts, which are further subdivided into townships, wards, and villages.

 

Climate

Main article: Climate of Myanmar

The limestone landscape of Mon State.

 

Much of the country lies between the Tropic of Cancer and the Equator. It lies in the monsoon region of Asia, with its coastal regions receiving over 5,000 mm (196.9 in) of rain annually. Annual rainfall in the delta region is approximately 2,500 mm (98.4 in), while average annual rainfall in the Dry Zone in central Myanmar is less than 1,000 mm (39.4 in). The Northern regions of Myanmar are the coolest, with average temperatures of 21 °C (70 °F). Coastal and delta regions have an average maximum temperature of 32 °C (89.6 °F).[111]

Environment

Further information: Deforestation in Myanmar

 

Myanmar continues to perform badly in the global Environmental Performance Index (EPI) with an overall ranking of 153 out of 180 countries in 2016; among the worst in the South Asian region, only ahead of Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The EPI was established in 2001 by the World Economic Forum as a global gauge to measure how well individual countries perform in implementing the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. The environmental areas where Myanmar performs worst (ie. highest ranking) are air quality (174), health impacts of environmental issues (143) and biodiversity and habitat (142). Myanmar performs best (ie. lowest ranking) in environmental impacts of fisheries (21), but with declining fish stocks. Despite several issues, Myanmar also ranks 64 and scores very good (ie. a high percentage of 93.73%) in environmental effects of the agricultural industry because of an excellent management of the nitrogen cycle.[114][115]

Wildlife

 

Myanmar's slow economic growth has contributed to the preservation of much of its environment and ecosystems. Forests, including dense tropical growth and valuable teak in lower Myanmar, cover over 49% of the country, including areas of acacia, bamboo, ironwood and Magnolia champaca. Coconut and betel palm and rubber have been introduced. In the highlands of the north, oak, pine and various rhododendrons cover much of the land.[116]

 

Heavy logging since the new 1995 forestry law went into effect has seriously reduced forest acreage and wildlife habitat.[117] The lands along the coast support all varieties of tropical fruits and once had large areas of mangroves although much of the protective mangroves have disappeared. In much of central Myanmar (the Dry Zone), vegetation is sparse and stunted.

 

Typical jungle animals, particularly tigers, occur sparsely in Myanmar. In upper Myanmar, there are rhinoceros, wild water buffalo, clouded leopard, wild boars, deer, antelope, and elephants, which are also tamed or bred in captivity for use as work animals, particularly in the lumber industry. Smaller mammals are also numerous, ranging from gibbons and monkeys to flying foxes. The abundance of birds is notable with over 800 species, including parrots, myna, peafowl, red junglefowl, weaverbirds, crows, herons, and barn owl. Among reptile species there are crocodiles, geckos, cobras, Burmese pythons, and turtles. Hundreds of species of freshwater fish are wide-ranging, plentiful and are very important food sources.[118] For a list of protected areas, see List of protected areas of Myanmar.

Government and politics

Main article: Politics of Myanmar

Assembly of the Union (Pyidaungsu Hluttaw)

 

The constitution of Myanmar, its third since independence, was drafted by its military rulers and published in September 2008. The country is governed as a parliamentary system with a bicameral legislature (with an executive President accountable to the legislature), with 25% of the legislators appointed by the military and the rest elected in general elections.

Taken years ago with one of my favorite cameras, a Kodak DX-6490. Heavy rain was predicted, and the forecast was accurate. Here the rain has let up, but returned a few minutes later hard enough to send us back to the car. The rest of the day, and much of the week, was a wash-out. Shooting from under an umbrella doesn't present much of a problem... unless it's windy. A straight down rain is manageable, but anything being pushed by wind is difficult to deal with.

 

100-5933

A follow up to yesterdays picture. Filed off a couple of notches to accommodate the focus rails. The lens board is now flush with the C mount adapter. This is my high-tech focus test rig. Without further modification min focus is about 3ft and max at 15ft. I filed off a millimeter or so off the material surrounding the back of the rear element (nicely recessed so no risk to the glass) to gain infinity focus. Now to trim down the lens board to something more manageable.

Ok, I admit that this may be just a tad bit overly dramatic, but who knows, as I feel like this could possibly be my last posting on Flickr. If I should have the good fortune to be able to sleep tonight, surely the excruciating, blinding pain that I have already experienced twice today will return and if it does... I pray that it just finishes me off this time. And if I hear just ONE MORE TIME that I should have had the root canal done a month ago when I was sitting in the dentist’s chair, experiencing no pain whatsoever even though the dentist told me that I should be screaming in pain because the nerve was completely exposed, I will finish myself off. Yeah, should’ve, could’ve, etc... but DIDN’T.

 

So, since I got absolutely no sleep last night, I decided to take a nap when I got home from work and that is when I discovered that it is laying down that seems to initiate the pain. That means I get to try sleeping sitting up tonight. I already know that I can’t do that, so it’s going to be a long night. So when the pain woke me up from my nap, I took more Advil and held a hot washcloth on my face,trying to keep my head from exploding... and ending up looking pretty much like this photo. If I sit up long enough, the pain becomes manageable. Saved once again by an amusing text message from a friend from work that started out “ I love going to the dump. Totally the greatest place. I want to work there.” with a photo of an amazing 1910 camera that he rescued there today. (Do you get an idea that all of my friends are like this?!! The best!!) Followed by a phone call from him with the magic words.... “ROAD TRIP” (YEY! Road trip to the dump!!), which enabled me to remove the washcloth that had been holding my face together and actually have a conversation with him. After that I felt well enough to decide to keep up my streak of running every day. Best run yet. I actually was able to forget the tooth pain while I was running, and actually enjoyed it, even though it was almost dark and I had decided to run in the direction where my daughter saw a bear last night, thinking that even being mauled to death by a bear would be preferable to this pain in my head. No bear tonight, a few times I felt like I might need to dive off the road and out of the path of traffic in the darkness, but the best two mile run I have had yet, with no walking and I’m pretty sure I broke my 15 minute mile, easily!! Yeah.. haha.... don’t say it... don’t even THINK IT... I’m old.... I’m out there. Good for me!! So, anyway... a strong finish (YEY ME!!). I came in and told Dayna that I totally rocked my run... she rolled her eyes... thanks for the encouragement kid.... and then the pain started again. So who knows what the rest of the night will be like... or tomorrow.... or if the dentist will have time for me tomorrow....or if this will be goodbye. We do know, that for tonight at least, I am a drama queen. But this is the absolute worst pain I have experienced since childbirth. So be it.

Papaya Dog stays open on Friday night during winter storm Nemo in New York City.

 

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Camera: Sony a99 | Lens: 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

 

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I live for snowstorms in New York City. So you can just imagine how bummed I was last winter season when we barely got any snow. Growing up in New York City, I remember quite a few blizzards and its with fond nostalgia that I always wish for at least one great snowstorm during the winter. New York City is extra beautiful when covered in a blanket of freshly fallen snow.

 

When I heard that winter storm Nemo (also known as the Blizzard of 2013, February snowstorm and other terms) was going to deliver some gorgeous white flakes from the sky I was more than ready for it. The photos in this set are not edited the way I would normally edit them. I just basically imported them into Lightroom and adjusted some contrast in a few cases from the RAW files. I will most likely go through the photos here plus others that I am not posting and give them the Vivienne treatment at some point. I am just floored at how incredible it was to shoot the snow with the Sony a99. I did go out of my way to protect it despite it being weather-sealed since it isn't technically my camera and since my lenses also needed protection. I must have been quite a sight in my ski-mask, enormous scarf, giant winter boots and a camera covered in plastic. :) It seemed like I had an easier time shooting in this snowstorm than in the two blizzards that I took photos in back in 2010 and 2011. I think it's because the wind was far more manageable and because I was out before the blizzard hit with full force. While the snow was heavy, the winds were easy to deal with in some respects since the gusts were few and far between.

 

I decided to walk from where I live on the Lower East Side all the way to Times Square since I do this particular walk frequently and know all of the spots I have always wanted to capture in the snow. I had a blast! The wind did get stronger and stronger as I got closer to Times Square and by the time I made my way home it was full-on blizzard conditions so I think I went at the optimal time. I somehow managed to take photos in the East Village, around Union Square, Chelsea (in truth, I had really hoped that the Empire State Building would be visible but it was completely hidden by the snow and lack of visibility), 5th Avenue, Midtown, the New York Public Library on 42nd Street and 5th Avenue, Bryant Park (which was absolutely ethereal in the snow) and finally Times Square.

 

And so, the photos here are pretty much almost straight out of the camera save for a few tweaks to levels, no fancy tinkering (but I can't wait to do so!).

  

--

 

View more of my New York City photography at my website NY Through The Lens.

 

View my photography profile on Google Plus: New York City photography by Vivienne Gucwa

 

To purchase any of my work view my site gallery for info here.

  

To use any of my photos commercially, simply click the link which reads "Request to license Vivienne Gucwa's photos via Getty Images". This link can be found on the bottom right corner of the page of the photo you are interested in using.

The high temps are common but usually half as much as we have had this month. That's probably why our water bill is enormous and we're only keeping some of the garden alive.

 

We are definitely all a little stir crazy and 2 of the 3 kids have covid. They are fully vaccinated and boosted but played the covid odds and went to San Diego Comic Con. They live 4 miles from me and I dropped 2 care packages early this week. So glad their symptoms were manageable and that they are adults. It sounds horrible but as a mom with 3 young ones I got every bug they brought home. I paid my dues.

Last years replanting the red Tulips paid off, in the raise bed planter as the Yellow Daffodils started to fade away the white ones came up, I also transplanted from the pool area between the two rocks my Japanese Hinoki,

I lost a beautiful evergreen to Sandy last fall, this will grow to a manageable size without overpowering the other plants,

Have a great weekend everyone!

Silverton, CO (San Juan County)

 

Day 6 near Cataract Lake to Stony Pass

 

I was hoping to make it to Stony Pass before 1:00. I saw the 2 hikers I vented my frustrations to the day before. I was in a better mood and they understood my previous frustrations. They were also heading to Stony Pass. I thought, if necessary, I might be able to catch a ride with them (someone was picking them up). I hiked faster than them and made it to the Pass at 12:30.

 

The trail used the road for about .5 mile so I continued up to a small parking area at the Pass. I saw some people exploring the abandoned mine. As they returned to their vehicles, I asked if they could drive me to Silverton. They said Yes, and as it turned out they were Navy veterans. Quite fortitious.

 

The dirt road was very steep but manageable. I was able to enjoy the views down to Silverton. Fortunately for me they were heading to Durango and were able to drive me back to my car at Molas Pass. There was no need to stop at Silverton but I could see many people wandering through town. Thanks for the ride.

 

10 or 12 miles of hiking today. I thought to drive to Durango but all the hotels appeared to be full with some biker festival. So I drove to Cortez instead.

Back at Castlepoint.

 

The original plan had been for six to nine people to stay at a DoC (Department of Conservation) cabin in Catchpool Valley.

 

About a month before we were due to go, DoC told me they would have to cancel the booking as there would be loggers staying there and the property would not be available until spring.

So we looked for somewhere new and booked a place at Te Kopi, near The Pinnacles in the Wairarapa. It's further to drive, you have to go over the Remutaka hills, but we were looking forward to it.

 

A few days before we were due to go to Te Kopi, Cyclone Gabrielle hit New Zealand. It didn't come this far down the island (well, we were hit by the tail) but DoC told me that all their tracks and all their accommodation on the North Island was closed until they could check for damage. So we changed the dates. We decided to go for a couple of weeks later, to allow for any damage to be fixed.

 

So, we had a new date to go to the cottage near The Pinnacles. We were going on Friday. On Wednesday morning we discovered that the bad weather had washed out the road near the Pinnacles. We couldn't go. We had to cancel the weekend Meetup.

 

We looked for somewhere else. Jae found a cabin for three at Castlepoint. More money per person than the Te Kopi Cottage (which had been more money per person than our original booking at Catchpool Valley) but we and our friend, Barbarba, decided we wanted to go.

 

The weather stayed nice. The cabin was a little cramped but manageable and I was glad to have got away for a weekend.

 

Friday, 24th March 2023.

From a short weekend trip I took a couple of weeks ago to Utah with D Breezy and John Double U.

 

I took a 3-hour nap early that Friday night, then hit the road at around 11pm. Arrived in Las Vegas at around 3:30am, got gas and a hotdog at a 7-Eleven, then picked up David at his place at around 3:50am.

 

After an uneventful sunrise at Valley of Fire (we didn't even bother pulling our cameras out), we were off to Utah to drop off a tripod at John's place.

 

I'd never met John, but I'd heard a lot of good things about him from David, so it was great to finally meet him, and an even bigger privilege to see his work. His prints seriously blew my mind... his work was just really unique and a breath of fresh air! David and I even joked that we should just sell all our camera equipment and give up!

 

John eventually decided to join us on our little trip and it was off to a remote plateau in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument area.

 

There weren't any trails up to the top of this plateau, so we hiked around the base of it for awhile, until we found a route that looked safe to scramble up. It was a few hundred feet to the top, and a really steep climb, but it didn't really bother me as much as the thought of having to descend the same way in the dark. When we got to the top, John piled some cairn stones to mark our exit.

 

The skies didn't really agree with us till after the sun had set, so we ended up shooting till well after dusk. By the time we packed up, the sky was pitch black and we could barely recognize the landscape. Even with headlamps on, we were soon wandering around, unable to find where our cairn stones were. It was one of those "Oh, sh*t" moments, but I don't think any of us was seriously concerned. We searched for alternate routes down, but every lead we took ended with us staring down hundred-foot drops. With the temperature dropping to almost freezing, sticking around till morning wasn't an option. We would've searched for those cairn stones all night, but luckily we didn't have to. Shortly after retracing our steps back to where we were shooting, we were able to spot the cairn stones just a short distance away.

 

The climb down was pretty sketchy, but not as bad as I had imagined. Aside from having to butt-slide down the steepest sections, it was manageable. I was just happy knowing I was getting off the cliff!

 

After hiking back to the truck, we had a quick dinner at the closest town, and head to Bryce to shoot sunrise (in -6 degree temperature!)

 

Searching is half the fun: life is much more manageable when thought of as a scavenger hunt as opposed to a surprise party.

~Jimmy Buffet

Colombo is a huge, sprawling city, which can be visited any time of year due to its tropical climate. The traffic can feel somewhat overwhelming at first but it is organised and much more manageable when compared to other major cities of South and Southeast Asia. On a clear day, it’s difficult to miss the Lotus Tower dominating Colombo’s skyline.

The Purge.

Glitenian castiau canlyniadau sefydliadau pileri gyfareddu,

Documenta penes accommodet negativa,

Geheimnis präzise permanent anhalt Systematisierungen zusammen,

неодобрительные трактаты заявления возражающие фрагменты упали темы,

βιαστικές αρχές εξαφάνισή του betwixt ευγλωττία και περιφρονεί,

discours de superficialité discours pretendeth sage,

Dostawy obejmującego zagrożenia utraty biznes kupcy,

gelosie pericoli languono imperi doganale,

tegenslagen oprichten schaduwen buren informeren,

tyranniske skapninger forlagene skadedyr sanser,

audax ad contumelias servit absurde usu dolor,

корумпирани задовољства узврате слабост стално превози меланхолија крајеве,

φιλόσοφοι αδιαθεσίες κολακευτικά ποιητές filleth ψέματα,

immergées méthodes préjugés affirmant manifestations art,

罪のない人々の引数は、学習を超えた愛情を黙ら,

bitur sviksemi ástríður vexations fylgja distastes flokksklíka,

imperative obliging evils manageable people die.

Steve.D.Hammond.

I hope everyone has a great Labour Day weekend - that all your plans come to you in manageable waves and you have fun for every last minute of the last moments of summer.

 

Processed in LR3 & PSCS5, comments & feedback welcome!

An empty and ethereal Bryant Park covered in snow during winter storm Nemo in midtown Manhattan.

 

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Camera: Sony a99 | Lens: 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

 

---

 

I live for snowstorms in New York City. So you can just imagine how bummed I was last winter season when we barely got any snow. Growing up in New York City, I remember quite a few blizzards and its with fond nostalgia that I always wish for at least one great snowstorm during the winter. New York City is extra beautiful when covered in a blanket of freshly fallen snow.

 

When I heard that winter storm Nemo (also known as the Blizzard of 2013, February snowstorm and other terms) was going to deliver some gorgeous white flakes from the sky I was more than ready for it. The photos in this set are not edited the way I would normally edit them. I just basically imported them into Lightroom and adjusted some contrast in a few cases from the RAW files. I will most likely go through the photos here plus others that I am not posting and give them the Vivienne treatment at some point. I am just floored at how incredible it was to shoot the snow with the Sony a99. I did go out of my way to protect it despite it being weather-sealed since it isn't technically my camera and since my lenses also needed protection. I must have been quite a sight in my ski-mask, enormous scarf, giant winter boots and a camera covered in plastic. :) It seemed like I had an easier time shooting in this snowstorm than in the two blizzards that I took photos in back in 2010 and 2011. I think it's because the wind was far more manageable and because I was out before the blizzard hit with full force. While the snow was heavy, the winds were easy to deal with in some respects since the gusts were few and far between.

 

I decided to walk from where I live on the Lower East Side all the way to Times Square since I do this particular walk frequently and know all of the spots I have always wanted to capture in the snow. I had a blast! The wind did get stronger and stronger as I got closer to Times Square and by the time I made my way home it was full-on blizzard conditions so I think I went at the optimal time. I somehow managed to take photos in the East Village, around Union Square, Chelsea (in truth, I had really hoped that the Empire State Building would be visible but it was completely hidden by the snow and lack of visibility), 5th Avenue, Midtown, the New York Public Library on 42nd Street and 5th Avenue, Bryant Park (which was absolutely ethereal in the snow) and finally Times Square.

 

And so, the photos here are pretty much almost straight out of the camera save for a few tweaks to levels, no fancy tinkering (but I can't wait to do so!).

  

--

 

View more of my New York City photography at my website NY Through The Lens.

 

View my photography profile on Google Plus: New York City photography by Vivienne Gucwa

 

To purchase any of my work view my site gallery for info here.

  

To use any of my photos commercially, simply click the link which reads "Request to license Vivienne Gucwa's photos via Getty Images". This link can be found on the bottom right corner of the page of the photo you are interested in using.

Kicking Horse Pass is a high mountain pass at 1,627 m (5,338 ft) across the Continental Divide of the Canadian Rockies on the Alberta/British Columbia border. The main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) was constructed using this route in 1884. CPR opened a pair of spiral tunnels carved into the mountains in 1909 to replace the steep more direct route. Although these tunnels add several kilometers to the route, the ruling grade was reduced from 4.5 percent to a more manageable 2.2 percent. Print size 8x10 inches.

a neighbours dog, a tibetan mastiff, was being walked by his trainer when he obliged me with this portrait. this dog is massive and i mean really humongous, if there is such a word!!! if he stands he will be taller than me and i'm 178cms tall. according to the trainer, they keep his coat short to adapt to the tropical weather conditions. i could only imagine the amount of food he consumes and the crap he produces. furthermore, the trainer also mentioned that puppies of this breed sell for around USD2,000 each. this is a very high maintenance dog. anyone who look after this dog must really be a dog lover because it really needs a lot of care and attention compared to smaller, more manageable breeds!