View allAll Photos Tagged manageable
Refugees from Kobanê.
The refugee flow to the wealthy continent of Europe is just the tip of the iceberg. It's a minor crisis compared to the real refugee crisis hitting Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan, where resources are not so plenty as in Europe. Belgium is not overwhelmed by a flood of refugees like Kurdistan. Many internal Iraqi refugees from areas which have been taken by IS flee to the Kurdish region in northern Iraq. Most refugees remain in the region, and within the sphere of influence of the conflicts of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Browse through these photos by photographer Baram Maaruf and you might get a better understanding of the scope of the "crisis" in Europe: limited and perfectly manageable. It's a not a "refugee crisis", but a crisis of "political will".
ARBAT IDP CAMP
Arbat Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp is located outside the city of Sulaymaniyah in Iraq's Kurdistan Region. It is one of the most overcrowded refugee camps in Iraq. The camp was supposed to house 800 displaced Iraqi families, but now there are more than 2000 families (23.000 people). In each tent there are several families. It was established for Syrian refugees as a transit camp, but it turned into a camp for internally displaced Iraqi refugees. As the crisis in Iraq enters its second year with no political or military solution in sight, the government and aid groups are being forced to seek longer-term humanitarian solutions for the more than three million displaced by violence across the country.
ASHTI CAMP
It’s a short drive to a new camp location just five km away: Ashti Camp. UNHCR and its partners began to move residents to better-equipped facilities in June 2015. Ashti camp, was recently completed and will eventually accommodate some 1000 families who will be moved from Arbat Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp. They are displaced Iraqis sheltering in Iraq's Kurdistan Region. It looks like the foundation of a new village. Instead of pitched upon packed earth, tents here rest on poured concrete foundations. Plumbing is underground and electric wiring runs along poles that neatly follow the camp's grid layout.
ARBAT PERMANENT CAMP
The third refugee camp is a permanent camp for 6000 Syrian refugees, mainly Kurds from Kobani and Qamishlo. It looks like a village with paved roads, electricity wires, shops, little brick houses. Even though the whole “village” looks miserable, it is much “better” compared to Arbat Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp.
In english Below.
Pas grand-chose à dire de plus que la page wookiepedia, mais voici un résumé des performances : basé sur le Tie classique, cette version est plus rapide, mais moins maniable.
Not much more to say than the wookiepedia page, but here is a summary of performance : based on the classic Tie, this version is faster, but less manageable.
Greece is the perfect destination if you're a cat lover, and Rhodes has to be one of the best islands for cat-spotting. A lot of the population is feral, cared for by the Greek Cat Wefare Society, but many cats are of course pets. I don't know if these are feral or domesticated, although a lot of feral ones have the tip of one ear clipped if they've been neutered (to keep the population at manageable levels), and this one doesn't have that tell-tale sign.
The second of today's purchases, Pixie Party Periwinkle! Saw that she was on sale in Argos for £11.99 which is a lot more manageable than the original £16.99!
I really did want one of the other three girls, especially the dark haired one who I've yet to see (I forget her name).
I was more curious a bout their bodies and articulation, which I do like! However this girl reminds me of Barbara Windsor so badly, I can't get the image out of my head when I look at her xD Maybe a hair restyle will do the trick.
I prepared and brought all the ingredients from home, except for the fish. I got some sashimi from a market near my office. There's rice underneath it all, but a very small amount. Trying to limit my carb intake, hehe. This cost me about $6.25. Much cheaper and a much more manageable portion size than getting it from a restaurant.
I like Maangchi's easy hwe dup bap recipe:
Sigma 17-35mm f/2.8-4 EX DG
This lens is one that I was looking forward to testing as I have owned its predecessor for some 18 month now The exercise proves beyond doubt that Sigma are taking their programme of change to digitally enhanced models seriously and not just changing the coating and packaging! They have taken the opportunity for a major overhaul and grasped it with both hands. Here we look not just at the new lens, but also at the changes that make it a different lens!
Specifications
Focal length 17-35mm
Angle of view 103.7-63.4º
Max Aperture f/2.8Filter size 77mm
Construction 16 elements in 13 groups
Focus type Internal HSM (Sigma, Canon & Nikon)
Closest focus 27cm/1ft 1in
Size 83.5x88.7mm
Weight 0.56kg
Mount Sigma, Canon, Nikon, Minolta D, Pentax.
Tripod Bush No
Price £430
Build and handling
This lens was awarded the TIPA 2004 ‘best consumer lens in Europe’ prize on it’s announcement and on opening the box you immediately start to realise why Packed in Sigma’s sturdy soft case with a zipped top and Velcro fastened safety flap, the lens is a total re-work of the old model. Gone is the huge 82mm front, down to a much more manageable 77mm and mid way along the barrel, between the zoom ring and the focus ring, is a neat distance window replacing the etchings of the old lens. The window is marked with a useful depth-of-field scale that eliminates the guesswork.
The lens is also more barrel shaped than its cone shaped predecessor, enhancing the solid look and making both the zoom and focus rings the same diameter. The ribbed grip on both rings is a practical pattern that is varied by coarseness, the zoom being the larger pattern than the focus, which is the front of the two. I always feel that this is a useful tactile difference. The zoom ring is marked at 17, 20, 24, 28 and 35mm.
The only control on the lens, other than these rings, is the auto/manual switch for the focussing, and even this is omitted on the Nikon mount version.
The finish is Sigma’s smooth matt surface, which I have found to be hard wearing as well as smart. The supplied, shallow, petal-shaped hood has the same finish and the bayonet fitting has been improved by the inclusion of a click stop to keep it in position. Though shallow, this hood still proved to be practical and worthwhile.
The inclusion of an HSM (HyperSonic Motor) focussing engine, which was included in the old model but seems quicker and quieter in the new, and the short distance it needs to travel in this type of lens, makes focussing virtually instant. The wide aperture helps here, allowing plenty of light in to get a very fast focus ‘fix’!
All in all, a well put together lens that felt right and was nice to use.
Optical Quality
The older lens was a nice lens, although it did gain a reputation for being a little soft at times. The new one has improved considerably. Let us not forget that this lens is classified as a DG lens and can still be used on full frame 35mm cameras despite having been optimised for digital. Like all lenses, the performance wide open is not as good as when the lens is stopped down an aperture or two and this one is no different. Once you are through the f/5.6 mark though, the sharpness cannot be faulted.
As this is a wide-angle zoom, it is good to see that the optimum performance is attained at the 17mm short end whereas most zooms are optimised for the middle of their range.
Colours are well reproduced and chromatic aberrations well controlled once the lens is closed down a stop. I found no evidence of ghosting or flare.
Verdict
Sigma have taken their upgrade program to digitally enhanced lenses seriously and used the opportunity well. This lens is a shining example in which they have addressed the criticisms of the older model and put them all right without putting the price through the ceiling. With crop factors on digital SLR’s averaging at 1.6x, this lens come out at a 27-56mm equivalent and makes a useful wide to standard walk-around zoom that retains the ability to do some good quality landscape work.
In summary the main positive points of the Sigma 17-35mm f/2.8-4 EX DG are:
Quick, quiet autofocus.
Good build quality
Useable filter size
Value for money
Best at wide end
Negative points are:
Performance with wide open aperture could be better
www.ephotozine.com/article/sigma-17-35mm-f-2-8-4-ex-dg-in...
BIG visit to grass meadows north of Tempsford bordering on the Great Ouse 19/6/2018
Onopordum acanthium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
Onopordum acanthium
Onopordum acanthium.jpg
Scientific classification e
Kingdom:Plantae
Clade:Angiosperms
Clade:Eudicots
Clade:Asterids
Order:Asterales
Family:Asteraceae
Genus:Onopordum
Species:O. acanthium
Binomial name
Onopordum acanthium
L.
Separate cypselae
Onopordum acanthium (cotton thistle, Scotch thistle) is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to Europe and Western Asia from the Iberian Peninsula east to Kazakhstan, and north to central Scandinavia, and widely naturalised elsewhere.[1][2][3] It is a vigorous biennial plant with coarse, spiny leaves and conspicuous spiny-winged stems.[4]
It is a biennial plant, producing a large rosette of spiny leaves the first year. The plants typically germinate in the autumn after the first rains and exist as rosettes throughout the first year, forming a stout, fleshy taproot that may extend down 30 cm or more for a food reserve.
In the second year, the plant grows 0.2 m until 3 m tall and a width of 1.5 m. The leaves are 10–50 cm wide, are alternate and spiny, often covered with white woolly hairs and with the lower surface more densely covered than the upper. The leaves are deeply lobed with long, stiff spines along the margins. Fine hairs give the plant a greyish appearance. The massive main stem may be 10 cm wide at the base, and is branched in the upper part. Each stem shows a vertical row of broad, spiny wings (conspicuous ribbon-like leafy material), typically 2–3 cm wide, extending to the base of the flower head.
The flowers are globe shaped, 2–6 cm in diameter, from dark pink to lavender, and are produced in the summer. The flower buds form first at the tip of the stem and later at the tip of the axillary branches. They appear singly or in groups of two or three on branch tips. The plants are androgynous, with both pistil and stamens, and sit above numerous, long, stiff, spine-tipped bracts, all pointing outwards, the lower ones wider apart and pointing downwards. After flowering, the ovary starts swelling and forms about 8,400 to 40,000 seeds per plant.[4][5][6]
Distribution and habitat
Cotton thistle is native to Europe and Asia. The plant prefers habitats with dry summers, such as the Mediterranean region, growing best in sandy, sandy clay and calcareous soils which are rich in ammonium salts. It grows in ruderal places, as well as dry pastures and disturbed fields. Its preferred habitats are natural areas, disturbed sites, roadsides, fields, and especially sites with fertile soils, agricultural areas, range/grasslands, riparian zones, scrub/shrublands valleys and plains along with water courses.[1][4] Temperature and moisture, rather than soil nutrient concentrations, determine the ecological performance of Onopordum species.[7]
In Europe, the plant tends to colonise disturbed pastures. In its native range, cotton thistle is considered a weak competitor that needs regeneration gaps to develop and maintain stands; populations tend to retreat when disturbance ceases.[8] The plant has been widely introduced at mid-latitudes across much of North America.[9]
Scotch thistle can spread rapidly. For example, it was first found in Utah in 1963. By 1981, it covered approximately 6070 hectares in 17 counties. Eight years later, it had spread to cover more than 22,540 hectares in 22 counties.[10]
Ecology
Onopordum acanthium reproduces only by seeds. Most seeds germinate in autumn after the first rains, but some seeds can germinate year round under favourable moisture and temperature conditions. Seeds that germinate in late autumn become biennials. But when they germinate earlier, they can behave as annuals. Buried seed can remain viable in the soil seed bank for at least seven years and possibly for up to twenty years or more. Yearly seed production and seed dormancy are highly variable depending on environmental conditions. The slender and smooth achenes are about 3 mm long and are brown with gray markings. They are tipped with a pappus of slender bristles. Mainly locally dispersed by wind, or more widely by humans, birds, wildlife, livestock or streams, the seeds are sensitive to light and only germinate when close to the surface. Seedlings will emerge from soil depths up to 4.5 cm, with 0.5 cm being optimal.[4] While some seeds will germinate in the dark, studies indicate that most germination occurs with alternating light/dark cycles, with 8 hours being the optimal day length.[11]
The leaves of cotton thistle provide food for the caterpillars of some Lepidoptera, such as the thistle ermine (Myelois circumvoluta).
Taxonomy and naming
Three subspecies are accepted:[4]
Onopordum acanthium subsp. acanthium. Most of the species' range.
Onopordum acanthium subsp. gautieri (Rouy) Franco. France, Spain.
Onopordum acanthium subsp. parnassicum (Boiss. & Heldr.) Nyman. Greece.
The genus botanical name is derived from the Ancient Greek words όνος (ónos = donkey), πέρδω (pérdo = to fart), and άκανθος (ácanthos = thorn), meaning 'donkey fart thorny food'.[12][13][14]
The common name of cotton thistle derives from the cotton-like hairs on the leaves. Other names include Scots thistle or Scottish thistle, heraldic thistle and woolly thistle.[15] The name Scots thistle comes from the flower used as the national emblem of Scotland. Despite its name, it has nothing to do with the actual thistle that is used as the emblem of Scotland is the Cirsium vulgare.
Uses
It is grown as an ornamental plant for its bold foliage and large flowers.[16] It has been used to treat cancers and ulcers and to diminish discharges of mucous membranes. A recent study of a crude extract from the leaves of the plant proved the activity against glioblastoma cell line, a very malignant brain tumor.[17] The receptacle was eaten in earlier times like an artichoke. The cottony hairs on the stem have been occasionally collected to stuff pillows. Oil from the seeds has been used for burning and cooking.[18][19]
Invasive species
A mature Scotch thistle (1.8 m) at Galong, Australia
Onopordum acanthium, an invasive species in southwest Idaho. Its generous size is being demonstrated by Leigh Greenwood, field technician for the BLM.
In the late 19th century, it was introduced to temperate regions of North America, South America, and Australia as an ornamental plant, and is now considered a major agricultural and wildland noxious weed. It has been recorded from nearly 50 countries.[20] It is difficult to eradicate because of its drought resistance. It can spread rapidly and eventually dense stands prohibit foraging by livestock. Infestations of cotton thistle often start in disturbed areas such as roadways, campsites, burned areas, and ditch banks. The weed adapts best to areas along rivers and streams, but can be a serious problem in pastures, grain fields and range areas. A single plant is imposing enough, but an entire colony can ruin a pasture or destroy a park or campsite, sometimes forming tall, dense, impenetrable stands. Besides creating an impenetrable barrier to humans and animals, the plant nearly eliminates forage use by livestock and some mammal species such as deer and elk.[21]
Known infestations include most of the Pacific Northwest along with Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Nebraska, and South Dakota. On western rangeland, infestations directly result in significant economic losses for ranchers. It is also widespread in Australia and New Zealand.[22] In Australia it commonly hybridises with the related invasive Onopordum illyricum.[21]
Control
Mechanical
Small infestations may be physically removed or cut a few centimetres below the soil surface ensuring that no leaves remain attached to prevent regrowth. Mowing during early flowering will not kill the plant but will reduce seed production. Repeated treatments may be required because populations typically exhibit a wide range of developmental stages among individual plants. Slashing should be done prior to flowering since seed may mature in the seed head after cutting. Plants should not be mowed following seed set, as this increases chances for seed dispersal.[21][23]
Chemical
Because of their shorter life cycle, cotton thistle plants can be effectively treated with herbicides. All herbicide treatments should be applied at the rosette stage of the plant. Generally, herbicide applications would be in early spring or autumn. One of the primary difficulties in chemical control of cotton thistles is their ability to germinate nearly year round. From autumn to spring a range of plant sizes can be found which may result in variable success from chemical control. Herbicides are very effective on seedlings and young rosettes, but control becomes more variable with increasing plant age. Onopordum spp. seeds may persist for several years in the soil. Buried seed may persist for up to twenty years, and reinfestation is likely without yearly management. Therefore, several years of re-treatment may be necessary. Picloram, dicamba, 2,4-D, dicamba + 2,4,-D, and metsulfuron are effective for controlling cotton thistle.[24] Clopyralid is more selective for controlling plants in the Asteraceae family, but will also injure or kill legumes.[21][23]
Biological
There are no biological control agents that have been specifically released for cotton thistle control in the United States. A thistle head weevil Rhinocyllus conicus that feeds on Carduus pycnocephalus has also been shown to feed on cotton thistle. This insect was the object of imprudent biological control introduction, and it became an invasive species that has threatened endangered native thistles in North America (Strong 1997). Establishment of this thistle head weevil as a biological control agent for cotton thistle has been unsuccessful in the Pacific Northwest. A thistle crown weevil (Trichosirocalus horridus) that feeds on musk, bull, plumeless, Italian, and creeping thistles will also feed on cotton thistle. In Australia, this insect has been shown to kill cotton thistle rosettes. The related Trichosirocalus briese is also being tested as a control agent.[25] The Australian painted lady butterfly has been known to use this invasive species as a host plant, but the larvae do not do enough damage to the plant for this butterfly to be used as biological control agent.[26]
In Australia, a total of seven insects have been released to control cotton thistle.[27][28] Two of the seven released insects are weevils, including Larinus latus which feeds on the seeds, and Lixus cardui, which bores in the stems.[21][23]
Integrated management
A combination of methods (IPM) is often more effective than any single method. An integrated pest management plan deals with prevention as well as control. Eradication of weed species is often not a practical goal, but in many cases reducing infestation to manageable levels is an achievable objective. Seed bank longevity is a major factor in managing cotton thistles. Re-establishing competitive perennial grasses and monitoring infested areas on a yearly basis is critical. Herbicides can successfully be used for reducing thistle populations and giving grasses a competitive advantage, but they cannot be used as a stand-alone solution. These techniques must be linked with good grazing practices in rangeland areas. Otherwise, the thistles will recolonize and rapidly replenish the seed bank to pre-control levels.[21]
Feasibility study conducted by myself and Dr Thilo Gross in the department of Engineering Mathematics.
The goal of the project is to test the feasibility of identifying a manageable set parameters that can be used in future dynamical models of cities from much higher dimensional datasets. The dataset used is from the 2011 census, and includes over 1000 data points, for over 3000 geographical areas constituting Bristol and the surrounding Local Authorities. The figure is the result of applying a manifold learning technique (diffusion mapping) to the data. The colours represent clusters of output areas in a reduced (three) dimensional space. The next step of the project is to show that the coordinates of a projection of this type can be meaningful parameters for describing the city.
* * * * * * * *
St. Mellion Golf Club's 2014 Mens & Ladies Club Championships started on the hottest day of the year so far, temperatures were well into the the thirties for the Saturday medal round on the Kernow Course. Mike Bush had set out some of the toughest pins ever seen on a course that was firm and bouncing. The temperatures were a little cooler for the second medal round on the legendary Nicklaus Course making the course much more manageable, although being the Nicklaus it was never going be easy! The presentation of prizes was hosted on the Nicklaus 18th green afterwards by Club Captain Robin Hancock and Lady Captain Sue Poole. A great weekend of Golf.
* * * * * * * *
To view the rest of my Photography Collection click on Link below:
www.flickr.com/photos/nevillewootton/sets
* * * * * * * *
Photography & Equipment sponsored by my web business:
We are UK's leading Filter Specialists, selling online to the Plant, Agricultural, Commercial Vehicle and Marine Industries.
* * * * * * * *
PLEASE NOTE: I take Photographs purely as a hobby these days so am happy to share them with anyone who enjoys them or has a use for them. If you do use them an accreditation would be nice and if you benefit from them financially a donation to www.sightsavers.org would be really nice.
* * * * * * * *
Winter is definitely a monochromatic time of year, especially when it is overcast -- not much colour anywhere -- except maybe in the gold of the grasses or the red of the rear lights of passing vehicles. I love the bleakness of winter though, and also the changing of seasons.
When the snow gets too deep for walking anywhere else, I can still walk along the tracks. Passing trains clear the snow quite regularly and so walking here is always quite manageable.
Better on black. Please click 'L'.
When carrying the 'Space Shuttle' 'piggy-back' from it's landing site at Edwards 'dry lake' to Cape Canaveral in Florida, the size of the Shuttle sitting atop the fuselage of this specially modified 'Jumbo' almost masked the fin and rudder from the airflow around them. To reduce this adverse and potentially dangerous effect and to re-instate more manageable flight characteristics, those huge 'Door' like additions were added to the tailplane to assist in both automatically smoothing the airflow, but more importantly, to help maintain directional control when flying with such an enormous external payload.
NASA Boeing B747 N905NA
'Open House'
Edwards AFB, California
19th October 1996
35mm transparency scanned with a Plustek 7600i Ai film and neg scanner, photo-shop and then Neat Image
Baita Segantini
Parco Naturale Paneveggio - Pale di San Martino
Dolomites
When there should have been the sunset, the sun fell behind a thick layer of clouds. The overall effect was that of a diffuse light, with few shadows and easily manageable without the use of filters. However, for this reason, the mountains have not taken their typical red color of Enrosadira (the alpenglow of the Dolomites).
Furthermore, I want to say that I edited this photo almost entirely with Digital Photo Professional. I used Ps only for the signature and a little bit of unsharp mask.
Notes. Tripod | mirror lock-up | remote shutter release | ND grad filter (0.3 soft).
©Marco Dian 2010
Sunday was the last day of February and I realised I hadn't taken my monthly photo up on the Ring. It was blowing quite a wind, 3°C and driving rain. Not too inviting a prospect, I thought.
The steep path up from Steyning, slippery at the best of times, would be particularly difficult, I reckoned, so I decided to drive up the Bostal Road and walk the 3 miles along the South Downs Way which was a flatter and more manageable route in the mud.
By the time I had beaten my way along the footpath in the driving rain (clad wall-to-wall in Gore-Tex, fortunately), the weather had cleared a bit, so I was able to take a few shots before trudging back.
The weather was much nicer on New Year's Day.
This nature trail was pretty much ALL constructed wood. Life Of The Forest has you walk on dirt through the more manageable parts of the trail... But this one was pretty much 100% elevated. It's a marsh -- what do you expect?
BACKSTORY FOR TODAY: After relying on everyone else to take pictures, and taking ZERO pictures yesterday, we knew we had to take a few more unique ones. So we went on the "Life Of The Marsh" nature trail, which we had not yet gone on before. You had to actually drive a bit to get to this one -- and it was also seemed longer than the Life Of The Forest trail. It was actually quite interesting, as there were different things to look at in a marsh than in a forest.
dock, grass, marsh, water.
Life Of The Marsh, Nature Trail, Assateague, Maryland.
August 5, 2007.
... Read my blog at ClintJCL.wordpress.com
The Bureau of Land Management manages 517 wilderness study areas containing about 12.6 million acres located in the Western States and Alaska. The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 directed the Bureau to inventory and study its roadless areas for wilderness characteristics. To be designated as a Wilderness Study Area, an area had to have the following characteristics:
Size - roadless areas of at least 5,000 acres of public lands or of a manageable size;
Naturalness - generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature;
Opportunities - provides outstanding opportunities for solitude or primitive and unconfined types of recreation.
In addition, Wilderness Study Areas often have special qualities such as ecological, geological, educational, historical, scientific and scenic values.
The congressionally directed inventory and study of BLM's roadless areas received extensive public input and participation. By November 1980, the BLM had completed field inventories and designated about 25 million acres of wilderness study areas. Since 1980, Congress has reviewed some of these areas and has designated some as wilderness and released others for non-wilderness uses. Until Congress makes a final determination on a wilderness study area, the BLM manages these areas to preserve their suitability for designation as wilderness.
In Oregon/Washington there are 83 wilderness study areas comprising 2,642,289 acres. These 83 wilderness study areas are primarily located in southeast Oregon in the Prineville, Lakeview, Burns and Vale Districts.
To learn more about wilderness study areas head on over to: www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/oregon-w...
Shot at 4K video with Sony RX10M3, then downsized to 1080P to keep the file size and upload times manageable. Sorry for the camera shakes, these videos were all hand-held with a tough viewing angles, and I haven't had the time to edit the videos.
Maasai Mara, Kenya
Kristina and I spent a morning walking around London Bridge looking for good spots to shoot.
It was great fun and Kristina was great fun to work with.
Check out her profile on TFP Models
I'm discovering that one of the hardest parts of processing images from a shoot is narrowing down the pictures to manageable portions. I love so many of them that it is really hard to decide on which ones to process and which ones to leave.
I found the fabric a long time ago, it's a Spandex, which is impossible to sew ( for me at least).
So I sewed it onto a thin foam and that way it became more manageable. Now the skirt is kind of a thicker neoprene-like texture( really cool)
The attached top in a black velvet corsage with fur trim and a leather belt with the decorative accent button/buckle in front. The corsage is lined with muslin and the dress closes in the back with 3 snap buttons.Voila! Amelia wears it well with her black Sling Back Shoes
* * * * * * * *
St. Mellion Golf Club's 2014 Mens & Ladies Club Championships started on the hottest day of the year so far, temperatures were well into the the thirties for the Saturday medal round on the Kernow Course. Mike Bush had set out some of the toughest pins ever seen on a course that was firm and bouncing. The temperatures were a little cooler for the second medal round on the legendary Nicklaus Course making the course much more manageable, although being the Nicklaus it was never going be easy! The presentation of prizes was hosted on the Nicklaus 18th green afterwards by Club Captain Robin Hancock and Lady Captain Sue Poole. A great weekend of Golf.
* * * * * * * *
To view the rest of my Photography Collection click on Link below:
www.flickr.com/photos/nevillewootton/sets
* * * * * * * *
Photography & Equipment sponsored by my web business:
We are UK's leading Filter Specialists, selling online to the Plant, Agricultural, Commercial Vehicle and Marine Industries.
* * * * * * * *
PLEASE NOTE: I take Photographs purely as a hobby these days so am happy to share them with anyone who enjoys them or has a use for them. If you do use them an accreditation would be nice and if you benefit from them financially a donation to www.sightsavers.org would be really nice.
* * * * * * * *
During the 1870s, powerful financial syndicates controlled the railroads and the coalfields. Coal companies had begun to recruit immigrants from overseas, luring them with "promises of fortune-making." Herded into freight trains by the hundreds, these workers often replaced English-speaking miners who, according to George Korson,
"...were compelled to give way in one coal field after another, either abandoning the industry altogether for other occupations or else retreating, like the vanishing American Indian, westward..."
Frequently unable to read safety instructions, the immigrant workers,
...faced constant hazards from violation of safety precautions, such as they were. Injuries and deaths in mine disasters, frequently reported in the newspapers, shocked the nation.
Twenty-two thousand coal miners worked in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. Fifty-five hundred of the mineworkers in the county were children between the ages of seven and sixteen years who earned between one and three dollars a week separating slate from the coal. Injured miners, or those too old to work at the face, were also assigned to picking slate at the "breakers" where the coal was crushed into a manageable size. Thus, many of the elderly miners finished their mining days as they'd begun in their youth.
The miners lived a life of "bitter, terrible struggle."
The daily routine of the miner was to crawl in the dim light of his lamp, in mud and trickling water, surrounded by coal dust and perhaps powder smoke... the struggle was a difficult one.
The Bureau of Land Management manages 517 wilderness study areas containing about 12.6 million acres located in the Western States and Alaska. The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 directed the Bureau to inventory and study its roadless areas for wilderness characteristics. To be designated as a Wilderness Study Area, an area had to have the following characteristics:
Size - roadless areas of at least 5,000 acres of public lands or of a manageable size;
Naturalness - generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature;
Opportunities - provides outstanding opportunities for solitude or primitive and unconfined types of recreation.
In addition, Wilderness Study Areas often have special qualities such as ecological, geological, educational, historical, scientific and scenic values.
The congressionally directed inventory and study of BLM's roadless areas received extensive public input and participation. By November 1980, the BLM had completed field inventories and designated about 25 million acres of wilderness study areas. Since 1980, Congress has reviewed some of these areas and has designated some as wilderness and released others for non-wilderness uses. Until Congress makes a final determination on a wilderness study area, the BLM manages these areas to preserve their suitability for designation as wilderness.
In Oregon/Washington there are 83 wilderness study areas comprising 2,642,289 acres. These 83 wilderness study areas are primarily located in southeast Oregon in the Prineville, Lakeview, Burns and Vale Districts.
To learn more about wilderness study areas head on over to: www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/oregon-w...
I had the pleasure of attending the Carnevale in Venice in February 2011 - what a great experience! This was about my 4th or 5th Carnevale and they keep getting better. Many of the masked characters recognized me from prior years and gave me great access for photos. I also had the chance to shoot with many others; some in masks and costumes, some face paintees, and some faces in the crowd - great fun. Because of the large number of photos I took during the Carnevale I will use a separate set for each day to make it manageable. These photos are from my first day there, Sunday, 27 February 2011.
Today was my pick for The Rogue Players: Shoe Stories
I love shoes, especially high heels. But every time I wear them, I get epic foot cramps afterward. I have to put my feet into scathing hot water to relieve the cramps. Has this happened to anyone else?.
I tell you the price us women have to pay! (When they are Manolos, and then after that in terms of the bruises, the cramps and the blisters!).
These are two of my fave pairs. I like the red ones because their heel height is manageable, and I like the others because they actually are very comfy...
In winter though, I live in riding boots with no heels. So comfy.
Looks like Basil also got cramps from wearing my shoes!
365 days of my dog: Day 155
* * * * * * * *
St. Mellion Golf Club's 2014 Mens & Ladies Club Championships started on the hottest day of the year so far, temperatures were well into the the thirties for the Saturday medal round on the Kernow Course. Mike Bush had set out some of the toughest pins ever seen on a course that was firm and bouncing. The temperatures were a little cooler for the second medal round on the legendary Nicklaus Course making the course much more manageable, although being the Nicklaus it was never going be easy! The presentation of prizes was hosted on the Nicklaus 18th green afterwards by Club Captain Robin Hancock and Lady Captain Sue Poole. A great weekend of Golf.
* * * * * * * *
To view the rest of my Photography Collection click on Link below:
www.flickr.com/photos/nevillewootton/sets
* * * * * * * *
Photography & Equipment sponsored by my web business:
We are UK's leading Filter Specialists, selling online to the Plant, Agricultural, Commercial Vehicle and Marine Industries.
* * * * * * * *
PLEASE NOTE: I take Photographs purely as a hobby these days so am happy to share them with anyone who enjoys them or has a use for them. If you do use them an accreditation would be nice and if you benefit from them financially a donation to www.sightsavers.org would be really nice.
* * * * * * * *
The Bureau of Land Management manages 517 wilderness study areas containing about 12.6 million acres located in the Western States and Alaska. The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 directed the Bureau to inventory and study its roadless areas for wilderness characteristics. To be designated as a Wilderness Study Area, an area had to have the following characteristics:
Size - roadless areas of at least 5,000 acres of public lands or of a manageable size;
Naturalness - generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature;
Opportunities - provides outstanding opportunities for solitude or primitive and unconfined types of recreation.
In addition, Wilderness Study Areas often have special qualities such as ecological, geological, educational, historical, scientific and scenic values.
The congressionally directed inventory and study of BLM's roadless areas received extensive public input and participation. By November 1980, the BLM had completed field inventories and designated about 25 million acres of wilderness study areas. Since 1980, Congress has reviewed some of these areas and has designated some as wilderness and released others for non-wilderness uses. Until Congress makes a final determination on a wilderness study area, the BLM manages these areas to preserve their suitability for designation as wilderness.
In Oregon/Washington there are 83 wilderness study areas comprising 2,642,289 acres. These 83 wilderness study areas are primarily located in southeast Oregon in the Prineville, Lakeview, Burns and Vale Districts.
To learn more about wilderness study areas head on over to: www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/oregon-w...
Anabela and I are packing to move from our apartment of 2 years to a new part of town. We love these little IKEA boxes. Cheap and more manageable in size than bankers' boxes. I think Oreo approves as well.
We've planted many native bushes in our backyard to attract our local birds. This one is a Grevillea called Ned Kelly. It only grows to a manageable 1.5m high. This is the first flower stem since we planted it this year. Can hardly wait till it reaches its potential with lots of flowers on it for the birds to enjoy.
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.
* * * * * * * *
St. Mellion Golf Club's 2014 Mens & Ladies Club Championships started on the hottest day of the year so far, temperatures were well into the the thirties for the Saturday medal round on the Kernow Course. Mike Bush had set out some of the toughest pins ever seen on a course that was firm and bouncing. The temperatures were a little cooler for the second medal round on the legendary Nicklaus Course making the course much more manageable, although being the Nicklaus it was never going be easy! The presentation of prizes was hosted on the Nicklaus 18th green afterwards by Club Captain Robin Hancock and Lady Captain Sue Poole. A great weekend of Golf.
* * * * * * * *
To view the rest of my Photography Collection click on Link below:
www.flickr.com/photos/nevillewootton/sets
* * * * * * * *
Photography & Equipment sponsored by my web business:
We are UK's leading Filter Specialists, selling online to the Plant, Agricultural, Commercial Vehicle and Marine Industries.
* * * * * * * *
PLEASE NOTE: I take Photographs purely as a hobby these days so am happy to share them with anyone who enjoys them or has a use for them. If you do use them an accreditation would be nice and if you benefit from them financially a donation to www.sightsavers.org would be really nice.
* * * * * * * *
Low or easy maintenance gardening is what many people would like to embrace, either through necessity or preference. No garden will be zero maintenance but most gardening activities have a lower input solution or alternative to consider.
All too often the most common answer to the problem of finding time, ability or enthusiasm to maintain a garden, is to pave the whole thing over. Thankfully, with some simple considerations, there are much better ways to manage a garden without becoming slave to it.
Although this might rule out more time-consuming pursuits such as clipping topiary sculptures or manicuring fine lawns, it does not mean a low maintenance garden need be bland or uninspired. It just means giving a little thought to some of the jobs we perhaps have always done or eliminating tasks through better design and planning.
When to consider low maintenance gardening
With busy lives, many gardeners are looking to keep gardening tasks to a manageable level. However, there are particular circumstances when easy or low maintenance gardening is most relevant. These might include;
When gardening in older age
When gardening with a disability
When new to gardening
When renting or renting out a property with a garden
When managing a garden in a holiday home
When raising a family
For non-gardeners who have to look after a garden
How to create a low maintenance garden
Design and planning
Start by looking at how much input you can make to the garden and the features or functions that are most important to you. Not everything need be lost. For example, if growing your own vegetables is high on the priority list, keep a veg patch that will meet your needs while minimising activity elsewhere such as replacing lawn with paving or a rose garden with a shrub border.
Also try to position features that are more labour intensive closer to the house or the shed so you’re not wasting a lot of effort walking, carrying or barrowing items up and down the garden. Consider installing a water point close to where you are most likely to need it (e.g. a greenhouse). Equally, it may be that an automatic irrigation system, especially for lots of pots and planters, could take a lot of stress out of watering.
Some design decisions will not be so obvious. A living hedge may require clipping every year but if kept to a manageable height this might in the long run be less onerous than having to paint and replace wooden fencing.
Plant choice
There is no such thing as a ‘no maintenance’ plant but many hardy evergreens, once established, will require little care. Ensure you check the expected mature height and spread, otherwise pruning may be necessary if the space is too small for the plant.
Lawns (or alternatives to them)
Seven steps to a low-maintenance lawn;
Let the grass grow long. Consider keeping a small area of short grass in the most formal area of garden but reduce the amount of cutting in other areas. Experiment with different frequencies of cut; some parts may be acceptable with being mown just once a fortnight, while some ‘wilder’ areas could be left unmown between March and September. Introduce a sense of purpose to long grass by mowing a path through the centre or a strip at the edge. You can even add interest by introducing wildflower plug plants into the sward.
Stop collecting the clippings. By allowing the clippings to drop back onto the grass, less time and effort is needed to empty the box. The lawn will also need feeding less as some of the nutrients will return in the fallen grass. To reduce problems with unsightly strips of brown, dead grass sitting on the surface of the lawn, mow as regularly as possible. It may be worth investing in a ‘recycling’ or 'mulching' mower which is designed to chop the clippings before returning them to the lawn.
Replace fine turf with a harder-wearing seed or turf mix. Fine or high quality turf will required more input in the form of aerating, scarifying, feeding and mowing than more durable lawn mixes. Look for seed or turf that is described as ‘amenity’, ‘multi-purpose’, ‘hard wearing’ or simply ‘low maintenance’. Some mixes include micro clovers to help reduce the need to water and feed.
Be more relaxed. Relax weeding, feeding and moss control – such a lawn will be more of a visual patchwork but will often stay greener for longer when stressed by drought or waterlogging and is perfectly acceptable for many gardeners. It is also more likely to support a greater variety of wildlife.
Install permanent edging solutions. This will reduce the need for hand edging. There are many styles and materials to choose from including Everedge, Rite Edge and Smart Edge. Or at the very least look for edging shears that incorporate a collection box.
Consider using a professional lawn maintenance company. If budget allows, getting in the professionals to keep on top of your lawn can take a weight off your mind and even free you up to get on with those other ‘nicer’ gardening jobs.
Artificial turf. Something of a taboo subject for many gardeners but artificial turf has a role to play. Modern artificial turf can be reasonably realistic and there is usually a choice of styles on offer.
Remove small fiddly, narrow areas, to cut down on edging and reduce time and effort spent manoeuvring mowers.
Use a mower with a wider cut and more capable power unit, or even consider 'Robot Mowers', that mow unattended.
On my last but one day at New Wine I couldn't book a table at any of the local pubs in the evening so I had an egg, sausage and bacon baguette in the food court – it was good :)
(Notice the use of my Swiss Army Knife to cut it into more manageable portions :)
We were looking forward to a good hike with mild temperatures and little wind. The winds were much higher than predicted, but manageable. There was much less snow than we would have thought, considering we've above average snowfalls for this year. While the wind was annoying, the fact that wet snow would often clump to our boots was very frustrating... With all the ups and downs, we gained just over 800 m's on this very undulating 10.3 km return distance hike, but took 6 and a half hours to complete. The loveliest surprise was herd of Rocky Mountain Sheep near the true summit.
Railways of Great Britain
This start of another one of my collections, although I have posted a few in the past.
I have taken quite a few images over the years of Old Steam, Diesel and Electric engines and after sorting out probably 3,000 plus, I’ve now got it down to a more manageable number.
I’m starting with English Engines. Some of these images could be 25 years old. Many were transferred from negatives via a scanner so the quality will not be as good I would like. I have put them all through Photoshop to get rid of the most glaring issues
Apologies to those enthusiasts if I don’t get the right engine with the right Railway, they were taken a long time ago, some of them have moved on and my memory is not as good as it was.
Happy viewing.
Pirate Castle, Regents Canal, Camden, 1981
28y-51: canal, community centre, boating, charity, towpath
Jestyn Reginald Austin Plantagenet Philipps, 2nd Viscount Saint Davids, 1917-91, educated at Eton and Cambridge, founded a pirate club in the 1960 based on a narrow boat near Camden Lock to give children the chance to muck about in boats.
They became pirates in more than name, making raids on passing boats to raise funds for their charity and holding the Lord Mayor of London to ransom in their club dungeon. Their founder gained the more manageable pirate name of 'Peg-Leg' following an accident when he fell between the boat and its mooring.
Architect Richard Seifert took time off from his less desirable intrusions into the London skyline - Centre Point, the NatWest tower, the Tolworth Tower etc - to design the club its Pirate Castle, built in 1977. It still looks much like it did, though it was extended in 2008 by AAB Architects, providing greater disabled access.
when we need ice in the province, we get it from the town's ice house, where they store giant blocks of ice in rice hulls to keep it cool. they saw it down to these manageable blocks to take home.
If you've been around my Flickr stream for any amount of time, you might've noticed references to the communists. Or you might not have. Either way, if you don't know, the communists are my hair. A few years ago (a little over three, if you want to get technical), I wrote a blog post about how to ace a job interview and I said:
"finally got the blowdryer to work with me so that i would not have to appear at the interview looking as though i had just gotten out of the shower. hair looked fabulous, though slightly untamed. decided that untamed hair was not appropriate for job interview, so attempted to pull it back into a conservative knot. of course, my hair is a raging communist and will not stand for conservatism, so i had to settle for a messy knot. whatever."
And that was the beginning. Of referring to my hair as a raging communist, that is, because me, my hair and torture go way back. Way, way back. It's like this:
When I was a kid, I was a little bit of a tomboy, yet I also had a thing for being glamorous. So I guess I was a princess tomboy. Something. What this means is that I had very very long hair (down to my waist) but I spent most of my time running (not walking) everywhere I went and climbing trees and getting in fights and the like. What this meant was that every night, my hair, which is very thick, naturally curly and very much on the unruly side, was a mess of tangles. When my mother would come after me with the hairbrush, I would cower, because getting my hair brushed was my least favorite thing in the world. That shit hurt, yo. And then in the morning it would be a mess of tangles again. My mom would often braid my hair for school (so tight it felt like I couldn't blink), and it was only when it was braided that it wouldn't tie itself into a series of intricate knots that not even sailors could figure out when I wasn't paying attention.
At one point near the end of my third grade year, I somehow managed to weasel out of the regular hairbrushing routine for a day or so, and then ended up with a knot of hair at the nape of my neck that was roughly the size of Montana (naturally curly unruly hair is big), and I decided that my only recourse was to cut it out. So I grabbed a pair of scissors and set to work. When I pulled the handful of hair around to see what I'd done, I immediately started crying. Holding a Montana-sized blob of hair that had, moments ago, been attached to my head was quite unsettling. I stashed the hair in my closet along with the scissors, hoping that I'd be able to hide what I'd done, but I couldn't get over being upset so I eventually (probably 10 minutes later) confessed to my mother. My aunt is a hairdresser and she fixed me up, taking my once waist-length hair (what was left of it) and cutting it into a chin-length bob.
Since that time I've gotten better about hair brushing (I also spend considerably less time running and climbing trees) and I learned all about the importance of really really good conditioner and a good blow dryer. Most of the time it's manageable, even if it is a lot of work.
This summer, I'm living in a house without air conditioning and there have been days when the heat has been unbearable, which leaves blowdrying right out. When I let my hair air dry, it takes forever, so it's like having a personal sauna on my head. Which means that I have been pulling it back into unruly knots, just to keep the sweat lodge off my neck. Which means that while wet and knotted, it plots conspiracies and when I take it down, it's a torturous mess that I have to spend forever untangling. Which means that it's time for a haircut. I won't do it myself, I promise.
The one nice thing about my hair is that when I cut it off, it's instant weight loss. Depending on how long it is at the time of cutting and how dramatic I get, I usually lose between 2 and 4 pounds of hair. Awesome.
After struggling mightily with 15-20 ft. snow drifts for a day and half, WPY Rotary #1 and her train finally break out of White Pass, just north of Canadian Shed, near MP 21.5, with Rotary Pilot Alvin Gordon leading the charge from the cab door. From here on north to Bennett, BC, the snow depths will be a very manageable 3-6 ft, and the train will make steady progress, vs. stalling every twenty yards as she has been. The photographers and observers on hand had been waiting for this moment all morning. Sensing that the plow was about to break through, the still photographers all raced ahead and formed an impromptu photo line near my camera position. The railroad employees and their videographer took up a position on a hillside in the distance. They can be seen beneath the smoke plume from Locomotive 73.
Flowers from a superhero
Gary was just like you and me until the day he accidentally wandered through a field of genetically modified flowers and became ‘Nosegay’ with the ability to grow the most amazing alien-looking bouquets of flowers right from his fingertips. Now, whilst this wasn’t very helpful when it came to fighting supervillains it did give him a certain celebrity appeal. Which he revelled in. His client list was quite something to behold.
Despite this, his newfound wealth, and his access to jaw droppingly beautiful women he had repeatedly failed to impress any of them into going on a date with him. He imagined it was because he was ‘vertically challenged’ but in reality it was because he was arrogant and boring. Sadly he’d never have the insight to realise it…
This piece is based on an old sketch and is on a big bit of reclaimed canvas that was originally about 5 metres wide but had to be cut down into a slightly more manageable size. Which wasn’t really manageable at all. It’s now been rolled up so long that it’s no longer really viable as an actual canvas. Why I did it so large in the first place I'm not quite sure.
Perhaps I'll go and grab a smaller canvas and paint it again. That would mean that I have to take myself to the art shop though which is never an action to take lightly as who knows what I’ll come back with.
Cheers
id-iom
Leo had a great time working sheep today. It's been so cold that it's been hard to get out as often as I'd like. Today was great though- no wind, and although it was still cold- it was manageable!
Some of us are born to create, to play music, to write, to nurture, to teach, to be an advocate. It's not a choice we've actively pursued, but a desire that was woven into the very structure of who we are as a human being. The choice lies with whether or not we decide to foster these interests. As ridiculous as it might sound to others, I acknowledged a long time ago that for me this ingrained passion was for dolls. It was never a hobby I saw in the hands of others, researched a bit, and then chose to delve into. It wasn't a desperately needed outlet that I elected for myself. No, dolls were a part of my DNA, and when we met, it was like a magnetic attraction that I couldn't deny or push away, no matter how hard I tried in later years. The very moment my first two dolls, a balding Ice Capades Barbie and a shabby All American Ken, entered my world, something clicked. As I held Christina in my tiny, two year old hands that first time, I vaguely remember that feeling--this was right. Her overpowering purple eye shadow, arched eyebrows, and dimpled smile were the most magnificent sight I had ever held. This feeling was pure magic, and it lit up my world, even as a little toddler.
I might have only been two, but that one experience manifested itself very quickly. Before I knew it, I had several dolls--some clones, a few secondhand Barbies, and a Disney doll or two. Whenever I had allowance money, I always wanted a Barbie, and if I couldn't afford one but had to buy something, I picked a clone. I looked forward to Christmas and birthdays, mostly because I wanted more dolls. The other gifts were subpar compared to my dolly friends. They also became a bond between my older sister and me. Before I had my own dolls, we mostly played separately with our own friends. Colleen wanted nothing to do with me as she was jealous that I was the younger sister, and all my attempts to make her my best friend were all in vain. But after I stole some of her dolls and accessories, and we battled back and forth about the thefts, she finally caved. The hours we spent on my shaggy tan bedroom rug, which didn't even cover the entire floor, were countless. Dolls became our number one pastime, and even in most cases trumped pure make believe. It was the one thing we really agreed on, and as we grew to be a little older and less crude with dolls, our bond strengthened. I played dolls with many friends in my younger years, but I noticed early on that Colleen and I were different. Compared to the doll games at my friends' houses, ours were "sophisticated." We had plans ahead of time, special sets, storyboards, specific cast members, etc. Mom even thought we were bizarre--I recall her asking us one time why we needed to plan things out ahead of time, and why we didn't just sit down and play. We shook our heads and rolled our eyes at such a "simpleton" suggestion. Mom, of course we needed structure to our scenarios--if we didn't have a game plan, how did we know who was related to who? How did we know where they lived, how old they were? What if we wanted to arrange for a love story to happen or what if our dolls had to flee from "bad guys?" It wasn't just our desire for extensive planning that I felt put a great divide between my fellow doll playing friends, but also the general demeanor towards the dolls themselves. I remember some of the other kids we played with threw their dolls, smacked them up against each other, and made them run around wildly biting each other. Colleen and I often had "rated R" doll games with abusive alcoholics, domestic violence, and child neglect, but we were always careful not to be too rough with our friends. I wouldn't even dream of throwing one of my precious plastic friends from the top of our playscape like I had seen other kids do. I wouldn't dare draw all over my dolls as a cruel form of amusement, nor would I cut their hair with the intent to make it look bad (although sometimes my best of intentions were fraught with bad outcomes). My dolls always had to have brushed hair, and by the time I was maybe three or four, I had started organizing me stuff in a more manageable fashion. As we grew older, the disparity between Colleen/myself and other children grew wider. I dreaded playing dolls with friends, and I always cringed whenever they wanted to play with one of my dolls and tossed her around like a piece of garbage and acted in an "uncivilized manner." And so this developed into a special, secluded outlet between the two of us. It became our private world that nobody else was a part of.
My interest in dolls was always deeper than just what ones were pretty or came with cool fixings. As soon as I started learning the ABCs, my inner curiosity belted out. What were these markings on Christina's back, on her head? Why were some of the tags in their outfits different? For me, I learned what a "fakie" doll was at an early age--just by the smell and weight of the plastic, and the differences in their facial screenings. The question, "How do you know a real Barbie or American Girl apart from a knock off" always baffled me. How could you not know?!! This feeling wasn't cockiness, but rather an honest misunderstanding...to me it felt natural to just look at a doll, accessory, or outfit and deduce if it were "real" or "fake." But I craved knowledge--I was desperate to have all these mysteries solved. One of the things I wanted to know early on was who Christina and Kevin were. How old were they? Who had owned them before? Why, why were they abandoned? It would take nearly twenty years before these questions had answers, but they were the fuel in the fire that was my thirst for doll knowledge. I began to collect dolls around the age of nine. Of course I refused to use the word "collect" as I associated it with coldness, and an interest in only the doll's value. I imagined a collector to be an old, grumpy man or woman, holed up in a dark room with all boxed dolls counting dollar bills. I didn't realize that the word meant so much more, and that it was an honor to wear it as a badge. I recall in the early 2000s, Colleen and I suddenly took an interest in the dolls of the 90s. It became our newest "thing," much like how earlier we had focused on hoarding Kid Kore and other clone dolls (but that was born out of a childish "boycott"). We searched high and low for 90s beauties at the local flea market, and whenever we found an inexpensive boxed one, we had to nab her. There was something about opening a doll that had previously never been freed that gave me such inner satisfaction. The child in me wanted to doll to experience love and admiration from outside her cardboard and cellophane prison...and to be honest that desire never left. I was fascinated by their box art, the differences in the Barbie logos, and of course the advertisement pamphlets tucked inside their packaging. Within a few months we had several de-boxed 90s friends, and out of date stuff we found at places like Toys 'R' Us and KB Toys. This was the start of our collecting--in the years after we focused on 70s and 80s Barbie, Skipper, Stacie, Ken, Bratz, Mary-Kate and Ashley, etc. But even before this turning point, we always did have pinpointed interested--Colleen built up a magnificent Kelly collection, and I had a proclivity towards ethnic dolls, Disney characters, and of course the Generation Girls. As we got older and discovered the world wide web at Dad's office, we were able to further our research. As our collection expanded I noticed differences in the plastic, hair types, packaging, etc of all these dolls...even down to the way they smelled. I wanted to know it all, and each tidbit of information I acquired felt victorious.
But there was more to this story than just our lust for doll knowledge. Growing up with predominantly secondhand dolls up until the age of maybe eleven, I always wanted to restore them in some way. It began at the age of six when I discovered that the No More Bedhead spray worked miracles on our ratty Water Jewel Magic Jasmine. But that was not enough within a few years. It occurred to me one day to wash and condition their hair, and when I did and saw the results, it sparked my inner cleaning demon. As a kid who probably had undiagnosed OCD, which led me to compulsively brush my doll's hair, over organize their things, and cry over imagined filth, the power to fix them up was ever so satisfying. Foam 'n Color Barbie and Corduroy Cool "Lizzie" were just the practice dolls. But once I realized how powerful this treatment was, all my dolls got it. This became a ritual--every time we imported secondhand dolls from the flea market, they'd either get hand washed or thrown all together in the bathtub for a cleaning. Their clothes and accessories were no exception. Afterwards we'd follow up with a blow dry and hair styling. It was a very rudimentary version of what we do nowadays. And as for our old favorites who were regular cast members in our dolly games, well they got weekly treatments. I became obsessed with my dolls always looking and smelling their best. My desire to organize well also intensified and I had little containers for everything--the dishes were all subdivided by cups, pan lids, plates, bowls, etc. Each doll type also had his/her own containers too. We were always trying to identify clothes and accessories, so we could properly sort them. And I remember saving hair I brushed out from other dolls and storing it in a ziploc, thinking that maybe one day I could do a hair transplant of sorts. If doll social media had been a thing back then, and I had access to the knowledge I do nowadays, I can guarantee we would have tried it all--the boil wash, the flat iron, properly washing their clothes, etc. I think part of why I do overkill these days when it comes to cleaning is because it was a skill I desperately wanted as a kid, and now that I know how to do it all properly, I just can't stop!
You could say that I always had a one track mind when it came to dolls. Not only were they my main interest and therefore the desirable gift to receive or the obvious choice to splurge my allowance money, but they also occupied just about every other space in my brain. I would daydream about dolls all day--on the school bus, sitting in class, laying in bed at night, at the dinner table. Because my thoughts were constantly revolving around dolls, it seems natural that I would see the world in terms of dolls. Discarded food advertisements and mini umbrellas from the Chinese restaurants weren't just trash to us. No, they were props for our dolls. Even when we owned a vast amount of authentic Barbie/fashion doll accessories, we still saw the potential in all sorts of odds and ends. Kid Kore Katie and my Perfume Princess Jasmine dolls (aka Reggie and Myra) were lucky enough to profit from this behavior--they had quite the expansive collection of McDonald's toys, Polly Pockets and other bits and bobs to fill out the space in their "bedrooms." A shoe box was the perfect closet, my bookcase the ideal shack, and I always waited eagerly for little tins and food containers to be emptied so I could store my dollies' valuables inside. When Memeré first moved out of our house and left a vacant bedroom, Colleen and I immediately envisioned a dolly paradise. For several months it was--the drawers in the desk she left behind were great for tucking away some of their things, and the fold down top was a magnificent spot to put the dolls at night, safe out of harm's way. Things honestly haven't changed much. My thoughts are always brewing new ideas for doll stuff. Whether it is content for videos, concepts for "dolly essays," or the possibilities I feel when I see discarded jewelry, everything seems to tie back to dolls. I find myself constantly brooding over better ways to organize, and aimlessly meandering through aisles at the store looking for inspiration for doll crafts. If I have a gift card, even for a non toy stocked store, I wonder what could my dolls gain from this?. I'm that person who literally spent all her birthday gift card for Michael's on discounted pads of scrapbook paper which would create countless backdrops for my doll photography and future video scenarios. I admit, I'm intense, even compared to some other collectors. I never have any qualms about moving my own stuff out of the way to make space for my dolls, much like how I shove our own towels out of the closet to accommodate my guinea pig and chinchilla laundry.
For a long time, I think I resisted dolls because they were so all consuming. I began to feel a sense of discomfort and awareness about my unconventional passion as a teenager. It wasn't "normal" to spend Friday nights at toy stores with your dad buying dolls when you are fourteen. It certainly wasn't acceptable to be toting dolls with you to restaurants either. I met a crossroad during this time. There was the part of me that genuinely wanted to know who Shelly was without dolls, but there was also the other half of me that knew she couldn't leave them behind. Even when all the dolls were packed up and put away to be forgotten about in the basement, I still felt something whenever I saw dolls. It could have been a glimpse of a doll in a movie, or a pile of kanekalon haired Barbies at the flea market, or the toy aisle at the brand new Wal-Mart Supercenter I had never ventured into. I felt intrigued, compelled, and no matter how hard I tried to push the thoughts out of my mind, they were always there. Even though in that time I forgot exactly what it was I loved about dolls, even if my deep connection for Bratz became buried to the point of me shunning them later on, my heart never failed to leap at the thought of dolls. I'll never regret my time away from the hobby, because it gave me the chance to figure out who I wasn't. I dabbled with your typical teen interests--makeup, boys, clothes, the internet, bands, etc. But most of it never felt natural, it almost was as if I was dressed up for Halloween. It made me feel very much like those "picture days" at school when Mom crammed me in some hideous dress that I would never willingly wear, or that discomfort I get whenever I drive a vehicle that's not a Jeep. Some things just fit, whether or not you want them to, whether or not they fit your "aesthetic." In the darkest hours of my life, the pages of Barbie and Disney collector books lit a little match inside me. I truly believe that dolls are part of who I am, which is probably why I had no self control when I delved back into the hobby in 2011. Within a few months that one shelf of Disney dolls in my room turned into a huge shelf unit just for Bratz, a doll house, and another bookcase all dedicated to my dollies. Almost every waking hour of free time was somehow devoted to dolls--research, organization, cleaning, shopping, creating...you name it. I'm not sorry about any of it either. While Shelly is and always was a separate person from dolls, I have to admit that I'm a happier with dolls in my life. Honestly, I think I'm the best version of myself when it comes to dolls. I'm the most motivated, thorough, creative, and courageous because of my dolly companions. Although there may be occasions in the future when I can't have a huge collection or I have to dedicate most of my free time to more important aspects in my life, dolls will always be there lurking in the shadows, waiting for me to be done with "adulting" so we can play. I may have been born to love dolls, but I choose to keep them in my life no matter what judgements or criticisms come my way, because to deny my passion them would be an inauthentic version of myself.
Sunday in Cambridge, just been to see an art exhibition at Kettle's Yard.... Visitors to Lift Off! will be submersed in Gustav Metzger’s world of creative experimentation and activism between the late 1950s and early 1970s www.kettlesyard.co.uk/exhibitions/2014/metzger/index.php
A bit weird, like a small part of the Venice Biennale, manageable and interesting...followed by a very nice Costa outside in the sunshine, watching all the tourists in Cambridge....
The dream of staying somewhere where time stands still - one hour follows after the other - one day follows after the other - most of it is manageable and is a repetition of something one has already experienced and lived through. Bedouins in the Sahara desert
JEAN YES // the subtle art of denim deconstruction is in the order of operations and organization of remainders. what once was an overwhelming pile of ugly scraps becomes manageable, useful, beautiful
I have been trying for the past few months to get George washing his face and ears on video. It's really hard to catch him doing it and get the camera out in time. Usually he stops as soon as he hears the camera turn on! :)
Had to reduce the video quality to get it to a manageable size, it's still cute though I swear!
Another member of Ruger's "Hard R" line, the LCR (for Lightweight Compact Revolver) has a grip frame and trigger guard of polymer and upper frame of aluminum alloy. The 5-shot cylinder and barrel liner are stainless steel. The hammer is completely concealed and there's really nothing sticking out to snag on clothing when you pull it out of wherever you hide it. Ruger describes the recoil as "highly manageable," but I found it a bit sharp when firing 125-grain, non +P rounds as well as U.S. military type M41 ball ammo. Nothing outrageous, just your typical .38 Special snubbie. The factory installed, soft rubber Hogue monogrip does absorb some of it. It has a keyed trigger lock, but it's necessary to remove the grip to get at it! It weighs about a third less than my Smith & Wesson model 649 Bodyguard and so has less of a tendency to pull my pants down when stashed in a pocket.
Ruger has recently introduced this model in .357 Magnum (ouch!) and more recently an 8-shot .22LR version. It would be interesting to see this revolver in a 6-shot .327 Federal Mag version.
Opposite of Samye Monastery, Tibet's first monastery, lies the hill of Hepo Ri.
At Hepo Ri Guru Rinpoche defeated the demons paving the way for Buddhisms introduction into Tibet. King Trisong Detsen - one of the Dharma Kings of the Yarlung Dynasty - put up a palace here. Nowadays a manageable climb in order to get amazing views and shots of the mandala-shaped Samye compound.
Wikipedia on Samye:
The Samye Monastery or Samye Gompa is the first Buddhist monastery built in Tibet, was most probably constructed between 775 and 779 CE[1] under the patronage of King Trisong Detsen of Tibet who sought to revitalize Buddhism, which had declined since its introduction by King Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century.
The monastery is located in Dranang, Shannan Prefecture. It was supposedly modeled on the design of Odantapuri monastery in what is now Bihar, India.
Erik Törner is a Tibet analyst from IM who last visited Tibet in January 2011.
Photo and copyright: Erik Törner, IM Individuell Människohjälp www.manniskohjalp.se
Contact IMs Erik Törner for permissions. Email erik.torner(at)manniskohjalp.se
IM is a Swedish aid organization fighting and exposing poverty and exclusion. IM makes long-term commitments together with local partners, in promoting health, education and income generation. Our efforts are aimed at empowering people and each new project starts off on a small scale.
IMs Photo Archive (IMs Bildarkiv) can always be found at www.flickr.com/IMsbildarkiv