View allAll Photos Tagged managed
This month, I managed to get into Collabor88 and it was worth the trying!
SL name: huntressmoon Darkmatter
Hair: Tableau Vivant \\ Twist hair - Fades at Collabor88
Glasses: Intrigue Co. - Jewel Be in My Heart Shades: Purple at Collabor88
Top: Vinyl - Thea TOP Pak HOLOGRAPHIC at Collabor88
Accessories
Necklace: **RE** Rebel Vampire Ankh Necklace by Real Evil Industries
I really love the rings from Real Evil and it has been in my current favourite daily wear for a few weeks now. Plus it has been apart of my avatar look! Keep on inspiring Real Evil designer.
Rings: **RE** Dark Queen Rings - TMP - Maitreya - Belleza by Real Evil Industries
Managed to get out on my local patch this morning after my recent op...got a pic of this kestrel with its prey.
I finally managed to identify this caterpillar that usually only shows up accidentally in my photos of the wingstem flower, and that I have been looking for on purpose ever since it started to bloom. Generally it is tended by an ant, as here. I gently brushed the ant off with a blade of grass to get some photos of just the caterpillar--hopefully that wasn't a bad thing to do. It is pretty well camouflaged, and the ant didn't go far and had plenty of chance to return.
Designer unknown (佚名)
1960, April
Managing
Guan (菅)
Call nr.: BG D82/297 (IISH collection)
More? See: chineseposters.net
Gim Huay Neo, Managing Director, Centre for Nature and Climate, World Economic Forum, Mark Carney, United Nations Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance, Rania A. Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation of Egypt, Desmond Kuek, Chief Executive Officer, Temasek Trust, Singapore, Badr Jafar, Chief Executive Officer, Crescent Enterprises, United Arab Emirates and Børge Brende, President, World Economic Forum speaking in the Philanthropy: A Catalyst for Protecting Our Planet session at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2023 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, 17 January. Congress Centre - Room Name. Copyright: World Economic Forum/Valeriano Di Domenico
I managed to string together a few minutes without rain, more or less aligned the cameras, and shot some comparative video of four thermal cameras.
This comparison is flawed for all sorts of reasons I'll explain as I go along, but it does give some rough idea of the comparative video.
Top left is a Argus 2 fireman's camera, which I think is based on a Raytheon core. Resolution is 320 x 240 and I believe the frame rate is 15Hz.
Top right is a MSA Evolution 4000 fireman's camera, again 320 x 240 but this time 30Hz and I think it's a VOX core. There is some kind of issue with drift, which is why the pictures flicker.
Bottom left is an eVet camera with a 320 x 240 BST core at 15Hz. Surprisingly, it actually has pretty much the best performance of the 320 x 240 cameras, although it looks like there was a DC problem with the video link to the Quad. I suspect it wasn't seeing a proper 50Ω load but I wasn't able to hook up an outboard load to test this. The key to the eVet is that it has a big f/0.8 lens - great for sensitivity, but poor for depth of focus. I'm not sure I got the focus right here.
The Therm-App camera, bottom right, was set up slightly differently. The basic imager is 384 x 288 and I have the 8.7Hz version. It was connected to a Nexus 10 tablet, whose HDMI video output was converted to NTSC, which was then connected to the Quad. Because the tablet outputs 16:9 video that isn't compensated for by the HDMI-to-analogue converter, the picture is squished. I used a 13mm f/1 lens. The standards conversion was generally quite unkind to the Therm-App, but it doesn't surprise me that it came out like that.
All of the cameras were set to their defaults. Only the Therm-App had a noticeable automatic gain control action, with the picture levels altering significantly when the hot engine exhaust manifold is in view.
The video outputs of the cameras were fed into a quad processor and then recorded on a laptop via an EasyCap USB dongle. The de-interlace artefacts are quite obvious on moving items, causing raggedy edges.
I found the results interesting. The side by side comparison certainly does show just how terrible an 8.7Hz frame rate looks, even in comparison to 15Hz.
What does anyone else think? (Apart from the fact that I shouldn't try becoming a film director anytime soon).
Programs used for managing and editing mods for Skyrim:
Mod Organizer, TES5Edit, Wrye Bash, DDS Viewer, NifSkope & GeDoSaTo for downsampling
Main visual mods used in my screenshots:
________________________________________________
GRASS: SFO v2.3b, Tamriel Reloaded Grasses, Unique Grasses, Unbelievable Grass Two, Verdant - A Skyrim Grass Plugin
________________________________________________
TREES: Skyrim Flora Overhaul v2.3b, SFO v2.1, Ultimate Lush Overhaul, Realistic Aspen Trees, 4K Parallax Treebark, TreesHD_Skyrim_Variation, Upgrade and fix for TreesHD by Pfuscher, 4K Tree and Parallax for Pines by Pfuscher, CM Bark
________________________________________________
TEXTURES & MESHES: Static Mesh Improvement Mod - SMIM, Skyrim Realistic Overhaul, NobleSkyrimMod HD-2K, Tamriel Reloaded HD, Skyrim HD - 2K Textures, Skyrim HD - Terrain Parallax Tribute, 4K Parallax Skyrim by Pfuscher, Vivid Landscapes - All in One, Realistic Water Two, Project Parallax Remastered, Immersive Roads, Real Roads
Managed to get out for a short walk this afternoon. The temperature has gone up and the sun came out. Heavenly. 😍
Not sure that this has worked as I had wanted it to, but I'm giving it a go. 😨
Old wood and dried out plants in a huge flower tub at the old supermarket.
Better viewed large and thank you for your favourites. :)
Somehow I managed to spot this young man and young lady as Vivienne and I were walking back to our hotel. I could feel the picture, I knew I just had to wait for it to happen (and get it in focus through the crowd). I didn't have to wait very long. Summer 2017; I suspect the green plywood hording is now gone and the wall is a shopfront again.
www.kentjohnsonphotography.com.au/
Fujifilm X-Pro1
XF18mmF2 R
ƒ/3.2 18.0 mm 1/125 800
Managed to finish the decals off today but was low daylight when took the pics so appologies for the "grainy-ness" of them. I may try to take some more to replace these in better light, but not sure when I'll get chance.
Hopefully these are good enough to give the general impression of the model, though they really dont do it justice.
Happy enough to call it finished now, just need to paint...er, brass chrome the whistle ;)
Wanted to try a "fez" for the pressure dome, but managed to somehow lose the only one I had, so this'll do for now.
Looks lovely running, will try and get some video of it in action at some point, but spare time is very limited at the mo due to work.
NASA Launch Facility at Wallops Island facility managed to launch 5 rockets for the ATREX mission (Anomalous Transport Rocket Experiment) at 0458 on March 27th, 2012.
The mission is designed to give scientist the opportunity to study the upper level winds located approximately 60 miles above the earth. When the rockets reach their designed altitude they release an chemical (Trimethylaluminium) which interacts with the atmosphere creating a milky white cloud.
Five rockets were launched at approximatley 80 seconds apart for different altitudes. More information on the ATREX mission is available on the Internet at: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/missions/atrex.html
This composite was created using 13 separate images during the launch of the five rockets.
Canon 5D MK II, 15mm Fisheye lense at f/3.5, ISO 800, 30 sec. exposure. Processed in PS CS5.
Yosemite National Park is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an area of 759,620 acres (1,187 sq mi; 3,074 km2) and sits in four counties – centered in Tuolumne and Mariposa, extending north and east to Mono and south to Madera County. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite is internationally recognized for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia groves, lakes, mountains, meadows, glaciers, and biological diversity. Almost 95 percent of the park is designated wilderness. Yosemite is one of the largest and least fragmented habitat blocks in the Sierra Nevada, and the park supports a diversity of plants and animals.
The geology of the Yosemite area is characterized by granite rocks and remnants of older rock. About 10 million years ago, the Sierra Nevada was uplifted and tilted to form its unique slopes, which increased the steepness of stream and river beds, resulting in the formation of deep, narrow canyons. About one million years ago glaciers formed at higher elevations which eventually melted and moved downslope, cutting and sculpting the U-shaped valley that attracts so many visitors to its scenic vistas today
European American settlers first entered Yosemite Valley itself in 1851. There are earlier instances of other travelers entering the Valley but James D. Savage is credited with discovering the area that became Yosemite National Park. Despite Savage and others claiming their discovery of Yosemite, the region and Valley itself have been inhabited for nearly 4,000 years, although humans may have visited the area as long as 8,000 to 10,000 years ago.
Yosemite was critical to the development of the national park idea. Galen Clark and others lobbied to protect Yosemite Valley from development, ultimately leading to President Abraham Lincoln's signing of the Yosemite Grant of 1864 which declared Yosemite as federally preserved land. It was not until 1890 that John Muir led a successful movement which had Congress establish Yosemite Valley and its surrounding areas as a National Park. This helped pave the way for the National Park System. Yosemite draws about four million visitors each year, and most visitors spend the majority of their time in the seven square miles (18 km2) of Yosemite Valley. The park set a visitation record in 2016, surpassing five million visitors for the first time in its history. The park began requiring reservations to access the park during peak periods starting in 2020 as a response to the rise in visitors.
The indigenous natives of Yosemite called themselves the Ahwahneechee, meaning "dwellers" in Ahwahnee. The Ahwahneechee People was the only tribe that lived in the boundaries of Yosemite National Park but other tribes lived in its surrounding areas, together they formed a larger Indigenous population in California, called the Southern Sierra Miwok. They are related to the Northern Paiute and Mono tribes. Other tribes like the Central Sierra Miwoks and the Yokuts, who both lived in the San Joaquin Valley and central California, visited Yosemite to trade and intermarry with the Ahwahneechee. This resulted in a blending of culture which helped preserve Indigenous people's presence in Yosemite after early American settlements and urban development threatened their survival.[20] Vegetation and game in the region were similar to modern times; acorns were a staple to their diet, as well as other seeds and plants, salmon and deer.
A major event impacting the native population of Yosemite and all of California in the mid-19th century was the California Gold Rush, which drew more than 90,000 European Americans to the area in less than two years, causing competition for resources between gold miners and the local Natives. Before large amounts of European settlers arrived in California, about 70 years before the Gold Rush, the Indigenous population was estimated to be 300,000, once the Gold Rush started it dropped down to 150,000, and just ten years later, only about 50,000 remained. The reason for such a decline in the Native American population results from numerous reasons including disease, birth rate decreases, starvation, and the conflicts from the American Indian Wars. The conflict in Yosemite is known as the Mariposa War, it started in December 1850 when California funded a state militia to drive Native people from contested territory, also known as Indigenous traditional and sacred homelands; the goal was to suppress Native American resistance to American expansion.
In retaliation to the extermination and domestication of their people, and loss of their lands and resources, Yosemite Indian tribes often stole from settlers and miners, sometimes killing them, both actions seen as tribute for the great losses they experienced. The War and formation of the Mariposa Battalion was partially the result of a single incident involving James Savage, a trader in Fresno, California whose trading post was attacked in December, 1850. After the incident, Savage rallied other miners and gained the support of local officials to pursue revenge and a full out war against the Natives, that is how he was appointed United States Army Major and leader the Mariposa Battalion in the beginning of 1851. He and Captain John Boling were responsible for pursuing the Ahwahneechee people that were being led by Chief Tenaya and driving them as far west as possible, out of Yosemite. In March 1851 under the command of Savage, the Mariposa Battalion captured about 70 Ahwahneechee and planned to take them to a reservation in Fresno, but they all managed to escape. Later in May, under the command of Boling, the battalion captured 35 Ahwahneechee including Chief Tenaya and marched them to the reservation but most were allowed to eventually leave and the rest escaped. Tenaya and others fled across the Sierra Nevada and settled with the Mono Lake Paiutes. Tenaya and some of his companions were ultimately killed in 1853 either over stealing horses or a gambling conflict and the survivors of Tenaya's group and other Ahwahneechee were absorbed into the Mono Lake Paiute tribe.
Accounts from this battalion were the first well-documented reports of ethnic Europeans entering Yosemite Valley. Attached to Savage's unit was Doctor Lafayette Bunnell, who later wrote about his awestruck impressions of the valley in The Discovery of the Yosemite. Bunnell is credited with naming Yosemite Valley, based on his interviews with Chief Tenaya. Bunnell wrote that Chief Tenaya was the founder of the Ahwahnee colony. Bunnell falsely believed that the word "Yosemite" meant "full-grown grizzly bear." In fact, "Yosemite" was derived from the Miwok term for the Ahwaneechee people: yohhe'meti, meaning "they are killers".
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2 million residents across a total area of approximately 163,696 square miles (423,970 km2), it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the most populated subnational entity in North America and the 34th most populous in the world. The Greater Los Angeles area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nation's second and fifth most populous urban regions respectively, with the former having more than 18.7 million residents and the latter having over 9.6 million. Sacramento is the state's capital, while Los Angeles is the most populous city in the state and the second most populous city in the country. San Francisco is the second most densely populated major city in the country. Los Angeles County is the country's most populous, while San Bernardino County is the largest county by area in the country. California borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, the Mexican state of Baja California to the south; and has a coastline along the Pacific Ocean to the west.
The economy of the state of California is the largest in the United States, with a $3.4 trillion gross state product (GSP) as of 2022. It is the largest sub-national economy in the world. If California were a sovereign nation, it would rank as the world's fifth-largest economy as of 2022, behind Germany and ahead of India, as well as the 37th most populous. The Greater Los Angeles area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nation's second- and third-largest urban economies ($1.0 trillion and $0.5 trillion respectively as of 2020). The San Francisco Bay Area Combined Statistical Area had the nation's highest gross domestic product per capita ($106,757) among large primary statistical areas in 2018, and is home to five of the world's ten largest companies by market capitalization and four of the world's ten richest people.
Prior to European colonization, California was one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse areas in pre-Columbian North America and contained the highest Native American population density north of what is now Mexico. European exploration in the 16th and 17th centuries led to the colonization of California by the Spanish Empire. In 1804, it was included in Alta California province within the Viceroyalty of New Spain. The area became a part of Mexico in 1821, following its successful war for independence, but was ceded to the United States in 1848 after the Mexican–American War. The California Gold Rush started in 1848 and led to dramatic social and demographic changes, including large-scale immigration into California, a worldwide economic boom, and the California genocide of indigenous people. The western portion of Alta California was then organized and admitted as the 31st state on September 9, 1850, following the Compromise of 1850.
Notable contributions to popular culture, for example in entertainment and sports, have their origins in California. The state also has made noteworthy contributions in the fields of communication, information, innovation, environmentalism, economics, and politics. It is the home of Hollywood, the oldest and one of the largest film industries in the world, which has had a profound influence upon global entertainment. It is considered the origin of the hippie counterculture, beach and car culture, and the personal computer, among other innovations. The San Francisco Bay Area and the Greater Los Angeles Area are widely seen as the centers of the global technology and film industries, respectively. California's economy is very diverse: 58% of it is based on finance, government, real estate services, technology, and professional, scientific, and technical business services. Although it accounts for only 1.5% of the state's economy, California's agriculture industry has the highest output of any U.S. state. California's ports and harbors handle about a third of all U.S. imports, most originating in Pacific Rim international trade.
The state's extremely diverse geography ranges from the Pacific Coast and metropolitan areas in the west to the Sierra Nevada mountains in the east, and from the redwood and Douglas fir forests in the northwest to the Mojave Desert in the southeast. The Central Valley, a major agricultural area, dominates the state's center. California is well known for its warm Mediterranean climate and monsoon seasonal weather. The large size of the state results in climates that vary from moist temperate rainforest in the north to arid desert in the interior, as well as snowy alpine in the mountains.
Settled by successive waves of arrivals during at least the last 13,000 years, California was one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse areas in pre-Columbian North America. Various estimates of the native population have ranged from 100,000 to 300,000. The indigenous peoples of California included more than 70 distinct ethnic groups, inhabiting environments from mountains and deserts to islands and redwood forests. These groups were also diverse in their political organization, with bands, tribes, villages, and on the resource-rich coasts, large chiefdoms, such as the Chumash, Pomo and Salinan. Trade, intermarriage and military alliances fostered social and economic relationships between many groups.
The first Europeans to explore the coast of California were the members of a Spanish maritime expedition led by Portuguese captain Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo in 1542. Cabrillo was commissioned by Antonio de Mendoza, the Viceroy of New Spain, to lead an expedition up the Pacific coast in search of trade opportunities; they entered San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542, and reached at least as far north as San Miguel Island. Privateer and explorer Francis Drake explored and claimed an undefined portion of the California coast in 1579, landing north of the future city of San Francisco. Sebastián Vizcaíno explored and mapped the coast of California in 1602 for New Spain, putting ashore in Monterey. Despite the on-the-ground explorations of California in the 16th century, Rodríguez's idea of California as an island persisted. Such depictions appeared on many European maps well into the 18th century.
The Portolá expedition of 1769-70 was a pivotal event in the Spanish colonization of California, resulting in the establishment of numerous missions, presidios, and pueblos. The military and civil contingent of the expedition was led by Gaspar de Portolá, who traveled over land from Sonora into California, while the religious component was headed by Junípero Serra, who came by sea from Baja California. In 1769, Portolá and Serra established Mission San Diego de Alcalá and the Presidio of San Diego, the first religious and military settlements founded by the Spanish in California. By the end of the expedition in 1770, they would establish the Presidio of Monterey and Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo on Monterey Bay.
After the Portolà expedition, Spanish missionaries led by Father-President Serra set out to establish 21 Spanish missions of California along El Camino Real ("The Royal Road") and along the Californian coast, 16 sites of which having been chosen during the Portolá expedition. Numerous major cities in California grew out of missions, including San Francisco (Mission San Francisco de Asís), San Diego (Mission San Diego de Alcalá), Ventura (Mission San Buenaventura), or Santa Barbara (Mission Santa Barbara), among others.
Juan Bautista de Anza led a similarly important expedition throughout California in 1775–76, which would extend deeper into the interior and north of California. The Anza expedition selected numerous sites for missions, presidios, and pueblos, which subsequently would be established by settlers. Gabriel Moraga, a member of the expedition, would also christen many of California's prominent rivers with their names in 1775–1776, such as the Sacramento River and the San Joaquin River. After the expedition, Gabriel's son, José Joaquín Moraga, would found the pueblo of San Jose in 1777, making it the first civilian-established city in California.
The Spanish founded Mission San Juan Capistrano in 1776, the third to be established of the Californian missions.
During this same period, sailors from the Russian Empire explored along the northern coast of California. In 1812, the Russian-American Company established a trading post and small fortification at Fort Ross on the North Coast. Fort Ross was primarily used to supply Russia's Alaskan colonies with food supplies. The settlement did not meet much success, failing to attract settlers or establish long term trade viability, and was abandoned by 1841.
During the War of Mexican Independence, Alta California was largely unaffected and uninvolved in the revolution, though many Californios supported independence from Spain, which many believed had neglected California and limited its development. Spain's trade monopoly on California had limited the trade prospects of Californians. Following Mexican independence, Californian ports were freely able to trade with foreign merchants. Governor Pablo Vicente de Solá presided over the transition from Spanish colonial rule to independent.
In 1821, the Mexican War of Independence gave the Mexican Empire (which included California) independence from Spain. For the next 25 years, Alta California remained a remote, sparsely populated, northwestern administrative district of the newly independent country of Mexico, which shortly after independence became a republic. The missions, which controlled most of the best land in the state, were secularized by 1834 and became the property of the Mexican government. The governor granted many square leagues of land to others with political influence. These huge ranchos or cattle ranches emerged as the dominant institutions of Mexican California. The ranchos developed under ownership by Californios (Hispanics native of California) who traded cowhides and tallow with Boston merchants. Beef did not become a commodity until the 1849 California Gold Rush.
From the 1820s, trappers and settlers from the United States and Canada began to arrive in Northern California. These new arrivals used the Siskiyou Trail, California Trail, Oregon Trail and Old Spanish Trail to cross the rugged mountains and harsh deserts in and surrounding California. The early government of the newly independent Mexico was highly unstable, and in a reflection of this, from 1831 onwards, California also experienced a series of armed disputes, both internal and with the central Mexican government. During this tumultuous political period Juan Bautista Alvarado was able to secure the governorship during 1836–1842. The military action which first brought Alvarado to power had momentarily declared California to be an independent state, and had been aided by Anglo-American residents of California, including Isaac Graham. In 1840, one hundred of those residents who did not have passports were arrested, leading to the Graham Affair, which was resolved in part with the intercession of Royal Navy officials.
One of the largest ranchers in California was John Marsh. After failing to obtain justice against squatters on his land from the Mexican courts, he determined that California should become part of the United States. Marsh conducted a letter-writing campaign espousing the California climate, the soil, and other reasons to settle there, as well as the best route to follow, which became known as "Marsh's route". His letters were read, reread, passed around, and printed in newspapers throughout the country, and started the first wagon trains rolling to California. He invited immigrants to stay on his ranch until they could get settled, and assisted in their obtaining passports.
After ushering in the period of organized emigration to California, Marsh became involved in a military battle between the much-hated Mexican general, Manuel Micheltorena and the California governor he had replaced, Juan Bautista Alvarado. The armies of each met at the Battle of Providencia near Los Angeles. Marsh had been forced against his will to join Micheltorena's army. Ignoring his superiors, during the battle, he signaled the other side for a parley. There were many settlers from the United States fighting on both sides. He convinced these men that they had no reason to be fighting each other. As a result of Marsh's actions, they abandoned the fight, Micheltorena was defeated, and California-born Pio Pico was returned to the governorship. This paved the way to California's ultimate acquisition by the United States.
In 1846, a group of American settlers in and around Sonoma rebelled against Mexican rule during the Bear Flag Revolt. Afterward, rebels raised the Bear Flag (featuring a bear, a star, a red stripe and the words "California Republic") at Sonoma. The Republic's only president was William B. Ide,[65] who played a pivotal role during the Bear Flag Revolt. This revolt by American settlers served as a prelude to the later American military invasion of California and was closely coordinated with nearby American military commanders.
The California Republic was short-lived; the same year marked the outbreak of the Mexican–American War (1846–48).
Commodore John D. Sloat of the United States Navy sailed into Monterey Bay in 1846 and began the U.S. military invasion of California, with Northern California capitulating in less than a month to the United States forces. In Southern California, Californios continued to resist American forces. Notable military engagements of the conquest include the Battle of San Pasqual and the Battle of Dominguez Rancho in Southern California, as well as the Battle of Olómpali and the Battle of Santa Clara in Northern California. After a series of defensive battles in the south, the Treaty of Cahuenga was signed by the Californios on January 13, 1847, securing a censure and establishing de facto American control in California.
Following the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (February 2, 1848) that ended the war, the westernmost portion of the annexed Mexican territory of Alta California soon became the American state of California, and the remainder of the old territory was then subdivided into the new American Territories of Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Utah. The even more lightly populated and arid lower region of old Baja California remained as a part of Mexico. In 1846, the total settler population of the western part of the old Alta California had been estimated to be no more than 8,000, plus about 100,000 Native Americans, down from about 300,000 before Hispanic settlement in 1769.
In 1848, only one week before the official American annexation of the area, gold was discovered in California, this being an event which was to forever alter both the state's demographics and its finances. Soon afterward, a massive influx of immigration into the area resulted, as prospectors and miners arrived by the thousands. The population burgeoned with United States citizens, Europeans, Chinese and other immigrants during the great California Gold Rush. By the time of California's application for statehood in 1850, the settler population of California had multiplied to 100,000. By 1854, more than 300,000 settlers had come. Between 1847 and 1870, the population of San Francisco increased from 500 to 150,000.
The seat of government for California under Spanish and later Mexican rule had been located in Monterey from 1777 until 1845. Pio Pico, the last Mexican governor of Alta California, had briefly moved the capital to Los Angeles in 1845. The United States consulate had also been located in Monterey, under consul Thomas O. Larkin.
In 1849, a state Constitutional Convention was first held in Monterey. Among the first tasks of the convention was a decision on a location for the new state capital. The first full legislative sessions were held in San Jose (1850–1851). Subsequent locations included Vallejo (1852–1853), and nearby Benicia (1853–1854); these locations eventually proved to be inadequate as well. The capital has been located in Sacramento since 1854 with only a short break in 1862 when legislative sessions were held in San Francisco due to flooding in Sacramento. Once the state's Constitutional Convention had finalized its state constitution, it applied to the U.S. Congress for admission to statehood. On September 9, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850, California became a free state and September 9 a state holiday.
During the American Civil War (1861–1865), California sent gold shipments eastward to Washington in support of the Union. However, due to the existence of a large contingent of pro-South sympathizers within the state, the state was not able to muster any full military regiments to send eastwards to officially serve in the Union war effort. Still, several smaller military units within the Union army were unofficially associated with the state of California, such as the "California 100 Company", due to a majority of their members being from California.
At the time of California's admission into the Union, travel between California and the rest of the continental United States had been a time-consuming and dangerous feat. Nineteen years later, and seven years after it was greenlighted by President Lincoln, the First transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869. California was then reachable from the eastern States in a week's time.
Much of the state was extremely well suited to fruit cultivation and agriculture in general. Vast expanses of wheat, other cereal crops, vegetable crops, cotton, and nut and fruit trees were grown (including oranges in Southern California), and the foundation was laid for the state's prodigious agricultural production in the Central Valley and elsewhere.
In the nineteenth century, a large number of migrants from China traveled to the state as part of the Gold Rush or to seek work. Even though the Chinese proved indispensable in building the transcontinental railroad from California to Utah, perceived job competition with the Chinese led to anti-Chinese riots in the state, and eventually the US ended migration from China partially as a response to pressure from California with the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act.
Under earlier Spanish and Mexican rule, California's original native population had precipitously declined, above all, from Eurasian diseases to which the indigenous people of California had not yet developed a natural immunity. Under its new American administration, California's harsh governmental policies towards its own indigenous people did not improve. As in other American states, many of the native inhabitants were soon forcibly removed from their lands by incoming American settlers such as miners, ranchers, and farmers. Although California had entered the American union as a free state, the "loitering or orphaned Indians" were de facto enslaved by their new Anglo-American masters under the 1853 Act for the Government and Protection of Indians. There were also massacres in which hundreds of indigenous people were killed.
Between 1850 and 1860, the California state government paid around 1.5 million dollars (some 250,000 of which was reimbursed by the federal government) to hire militias whose purpose was to protect settlers from the indigenous populations. In later decades, the native population was placed in reservations and rancherias, which were often small and isolated and without enough natural resources or funding from the government to sustain the populations living on them. As a result, the rise of California was a calamity for the native inhabitants. Several scholars and Native American activists, including Benjamin Madley and Ed Castillo, have described the actions of the California government as a genocide.
In the twentieth century, thousands of Japanese people migrated to the US and California specifically to attempt to purchase and own land in the state. However, the state in 1913 passed the Alien Land Act, excluding Asian immigrants from owning land. During World War II, Japanese Americans in California were interned in concentration camps such as at Tule Lake and Manzanar. In 2020, California officially apologized for this internment.
Migration to California accelerated during the early 20th century with the completion of major transcontinental highways like the Lincoln Highway and Route 66. In the period from 1900 to 1965, the population grew from fewer than one million to the greatest in the Union. In 1940, the Census Bureau reported California's population as 6.0% Hispanic, 2.4% Asian, and 89.5% non-Hispanic white.
To meet the population's needs, major engineering feats like the California and Los Angeles Aqueducts; the Oroville and Shasta Dams; and the Bay and Golden Gate Bridges were built across the state. The state government also adopted the California Master Plan for Higher Education in 1960 to develop a highly efficient system of public education.
Meanwhile, attracted to the mild Mediterranean climate, cheap land, and the state's wide variety of geography, filmmakers established the studio system in Hollywood in the 1920s. California manufactured 8.7 percent of total United States military armaments produced during World War II, ranking third (behind New York and Michigan) among the 48 states. California however easily ranked first in production of military ships during the war (transport, cargo, [merchant ships] such as Liberty ships, Victory ships, and warships) at drydock facilities in San Diego, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area. After World War II, California's economy greatly expanded due to strong aerospace and defense industries, whose size decreased following the end of the Cold War. Stanford University and its Dean of Engineering Frederick Terman began encouraging faculty and graduates to stay in California instead of leaving the state, and develop a high-tech region in the area now known as Silicon Valley. As a result of these efforts, California is regarded as a world center of the entertainment and music industries, of technology, engineering, and the aerospace industry, and as the United States center of agricultural production. Just before the Dot Com Bust, California had the fifth-largest economy in the world among nations.
In the mid and late twentieth century, a number of race-related incidents occurred in the state. Tensions between police and African Americans, combined with unemployment and poverty in inner cities, led to violent riots, such as the 1965 Watts riots and 1992 Rodney King riots. California was also the hub of the Black Panther Party, a group known for arming African Americans to defend against racial injustice and for organizing free breakfast programs for schoolchildren. Additionally, Mexican, Filipino, and other migrant farm workers rallied in the state around Cesar Chavez for better pay in the 1960s and 1970s.
During the 20th century, two great disasters happened in California. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake and 1928 St. Francis Dam flood remain the deadliest in U.S. history.
Although air pollution problems have been reduced, health problems associated with pollution have continued. The brown haze known as "smog" has been substantially abated after the passage of federal and state restrictions on automobile exhaust.
An energy crisis in 2001 led to rolling blackouts, soaring power rates, and the importation of electricity from neighboring states. Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas and Electric Company came under heavy criticism.
Housing prices in urban areas continued to increase; a modest home which in the 1960s cost $25,000 would cost half a million dollars or more in urban areas by 2005. More people commuted longer hours to afford a home in more rural areas while earning larger salaries in the urban areas. Speculators bought houses they never intended to live in, expecting to make a huge profit in a matter of months, then rolling it over by buying more properties. Mortgage companies were compliant, as everyone assumed the prices would keep rising. The bubble burst in 2007–8 as housing prices began to crash and the boom years ended. Hundreds of billions in property values vanished and foreclosures soared as many financial institutions and investors were badly hurt.
In the twenty-first century, droughts and frequent wildfires attributed to climate change have occurred in the state. From 2011 to 2017, a persistent drought was the worst in its recorded history. The 2018 wildfire season was the state's deadliest and most destructive, most notably Camp Fire.
Although air pollution problems have been reduced, health problems associated with pollution have continued. The brown haze that is known as "smog" has been substantially abated thanks to federal and state restrictions on automobile exhaust.
Managing the seed swap for the Reading Food Growing Network. This is what arrived in the post this morning for the seed swap.
Managed to catch this at Mare Street/Hackney Central station, looks like a Holloway Stowaway(or more) has been borrowed for the route as other MCV EvoSetis are either still being delayed or limited number vehicles are set for the route, I dunno but we'll see, won't we...
Route 30
Metroline London
VWH2093
Wright Gemini 3 MK1
LK15 CWP
Picture Taken with Samsung S7 Edge
Managed to capture two rolls of b/w snapshots during a recent family holiday on the South Coast of NSW, Australia.
Olympus Trip 35 with Kodak BW400CN 400 film
Managed to grab one shot whilst it was stretching its wing, something different to the usual perch shots and one of my favourites from that moment. If you look closely you can see a dragonfly wing in its left talon!
Almost at the end of my photos from this drive.
On 5 September 2025, I think I overdid things! It had been about three weeks since my head injury and I thought I would be able to manage a nice drive out of the city. I ended up getting home ten hours later, much of that time spent actually driving! The next day, I can't say I felt great, sigh.
I knew where I wanted to go, but somehow it took longer than I expected, and by the time I got home (after getting take-out food to last me a couple of days), the light was fading and car headlights were turning on. Something I have to avoid, as my eyes can't deal with the blinding lights.
My day started off by heading south on the highway (to save time) till I reached the Stavely area. Then, heading east. my bird sightings began. The highlight was a huge flock of Greater White-fronted Geese, down in the water, with lots of Gulls for company - and about half a dozen beautiful, white Snow Geese. Exactly the same as what I saw three (?) years ago, at the same area. Unfortunately, they were SO far away, so I was unable to get any half-decent photos. Delighted, though, to have seen them all.
The rest of my trip was along familiar roads, apart from just one fairly short section that if I had ever been there before, it would have been many years ago, while car-pooling.
Along one of the back roads, I had pulled over to take a photo of an old wooden homestead. A truck happened to come along in the opposite direction and the driver stopped to ask if everything was OK. Such a pleasant, interesting, knowledgeable man, who was from the Hutterite Colony. We had a long chat, including about birds. He suggested I try down the next road, which I did. No hawks, which I had been hoping for, but large flocks of Brown-headed Cowbirds, Brewer's Blackbirds, and Starlings, each species separate. When I returned back to the road on which we had met, to my delight, there was a beautiful Swainson's Hawk (?) juvenile, perched on a weathered fence.
A few old barns and old vehicles added to my day. including pulling over by a country garage to photograph several beautiful oldies that need a whole lot of loving care.
Along one of the highways in the area, I spotted a hawk down on the road. Someone needs to tell some adult Swainson's that they need to do a much better job of teaching their youngsters that it is so dangerous to hang out in the middle of the road like that. Not only are they on the road, but they don't move away to safety when a vehicle is coming! Fortunately, I missed this one, checking in my mirror that it was OK. I noticed that a sibling was standing on a hay bale in the field and I hung around until the one on the road flew up and away and landed on another hay bale. Silly bird. The very same thing had happened on 13 August, when I had to collect my car from High River Emergency Hospital, where it had been parked for two days after I had taken a taxi home, after getting 12 staples in the back of my head! The hawk on a different back road also was determined to not move from the road to safety.
So, a very long, tiring day, in wildfire smoke, and now I am staying home for the weekend. Next time I go for a drive, it will have to be a short one.
Managed to try an idea out for sleeve up to elbow, think it works? These 2 are made to fit DDII best where the waist to hip area is-- made an adjustment ^^
I managed to accidentally stumble across a couple of great tits nesting in a tree when I was setting up for my FDT earlier in the week so I went back out again Wednesday to get some snaps. Safe to say I got a belter here.
February 8, 2019
Orlando, Florida
Day two in Florida was spent at Universal Studios, from open to close. As a huge Harry Potter nerd, I've wanted to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park ever since it was originally announced as in development. Today, I finally got to check it off of the bucket list and pretend to be a wizard.
We had butterbeer, ate at the Leaky Cauldron, rode both of the Harry Potter rides, explored Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, and took the Hogwarts Express from Platform 9 & 3/4. It was magical. The level of detail that Universal put into creating an immersive environment is pretty astounding. I now want to reread the books.
In addition to Harry Potter world, we rode the Incredible Hulk roller coaster (perhaps my favorite roller coaster I've ever been on), the original ET ride, a cool King Kong ride, drank a Duff beer at Moe's Tavern, explored the Jurassic Park world, and rode a roller coaster that had a literally straight up incline. Somehow we managed to fit in everything that I had wanted to do at Universal & Island of Adventure in just one day.
It was an exhausting, but very fun day. Julia's Fitbit counted 16,000 steps taken (and much more time on our feet that was not counted standing in lines, ha).
I managed to persuade Claire to pop down to the High Level and Tyne Bridges on Sunday for an hour to try a few shots I had in mind. 2 things I didnt bank on... high wind and that bloody Rugby World Cup sign that just happened to be in the way of the shot I had wanted. These days its a never ending rotation of neon signs that seemed cool the first time but I just wish they'de quit it now.
Anyway first stop was the High Level where I clagged the Canon 70-200 f4L onto the Sony a7ii. Ive had the Canon for yonks and this was only the 2nd time I'd used it and I have to say Im really impressed with it on the a7ii.
One thing I learned on this day was don't bother trying Long Exposures with long lenses, just dont. Every shot was soft or blurred. Ive had problems in the past few months with other long exposures mainly with the 24-105 at the long end and i've learned my lesson now. Total waste of the memory card lol Anyway, this session was soon over as I got 'the look' off Claire and it was time to pack up!
Tech Info...
Sony a7ii
Canon EF 70-200 f4L va Commlite Adapter (£60)
Filters...
None, I think its a first!
Processing Info...
I opened the RAW file in Adobe Camera Raw and made some lens corrections before importing to PS CS6. I opened the shot in Silver Efex Pro 2 and ran through the presets until I found one I was happy with then tweaked it with a few slider moves.
Back into CS6 and I made some curves layers with luminosity masks to selectively lighten or darken certain areas.
Next I did some selective sharpening in Niksofts plugin before finally cropping and getting the final image.
Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and World Bank President David Malpass participate in The Way Forward: Responding to Global Shocks in a Time of Uncertainty at the World Bank.
IMF Photo/Cory Hancock
19 April 2022
Washington, DC, United States
Photo ref: CH220419051.arw
managed to get quite a few great images of this little one going around the undergrowth on the other side of the small river besides the lake. taken at Anton lakes, Andover, Hampshire
managed to get a day off work & had to go back to see these as didn't do very well today I did quite well
blimey how hot was it today but fantastic loved having day off in the sun
Managed to get some nice shots of this little bird, only the one present in the dunes. They have been there in numbers this year
Did You Know: Outdoor Living Spaces are best when they manage your protection and maintain … t.co/yqqB7I1kml t.co/ziNQCxAA77 (via Twitter twitter.com/EnergySaversCA/status/726452675034886145)
Managed to get a quick wash in, only has the bronze as it was raining, done a great job, love the new user face
Managed to get a complete Tawny Frogmouth family group this morning, from left to right, mum, Jake and Elroy and dad.
Managed to get a quick wash in, only has the bronze as it was raining, done a great job, love the new user face
Managed to get a snap of the Dad to our kittens this morning . Wish he was ours , he's a handsome boy !
To view more of my images, of Wicken Fen, please click
"here" !
Please do not insert images, or group invites, thank you!
Set up in May 1899 by the National Trust, Wicken Fen is one of Britain’s oldest nature reserves. Since 2001, it has been home to a herd of Konik Ponies which were introduced to help manage the fenland by grazing and trampling. Konik means “small horse” in their native Poland and presumably refers to the fact that these primitive horses rarely stand taller than 13hh. As hardy as they are small, these wetland horses come from the Polish farmland east of the San river and descend from the tarpan, a pre-historic wild horse that roamed Britain and Europe since before the last Ice Age. The last tarpan died in Russia in 1879 but the Wicken Fen Koniks share some of its genes and many of its features, such as a mouse dun coat and dorsal stripes. The reasons that led the National Trust to introduce the Koniks to Wicken, however, are a lot more prosaic than this romantic link with a long-extinct horse that roamed Britain long-before the Romans came. “Koniks are primitive breed and you want animals who are able to cope on their own if you are going for hands-off extensive grazing,” explains Carol Laidlaw, a reserve warden at Wicken Fen.
Wicken Fen is a wetland nature reserve situated near the village of Wicken, Cambridgeshire, England. It is one of Britain's oldest nature reserves, and was the first reserve cared for by the National Trust, starting in 1899. The first parcel of land for the reserve was donated to the Trust by Charles Rothschild in 1901. The reserve includes fenland, farmland, marsh, and reedbeds. Wicken Fen is one of only four wild fens which still survive in the enormous Great Fen Basin area of East Anglia, where 99.9% of the former fens have now been replaced by arable cultivation. Naturalists were originally drawn to Wicken because of its species richness and the presence of rarities. The Fen has therefore received a great deal of recording effort and as a result, huge species lists have accumulated. Many nationally rare species have been recorded. Surveys continue to the present day. In 1998 over 20 species new to the Fen were recorded for the first time and in 2005 another 10 were added. Many of the species lists can be downloaded from the Fen website (see below). Wicken Fen was established as a nature reserve because of its invertebrate and plant interest. Over 8,500 species have so far been recorded on the fen, including more than 125 that are included in the Red Data Book of rare invertebrates. The reserve supports large numbers of fly, snail, spider and beetle species. Damselflies found here include the emerald, azure, large red, red-eyed, variable and common blue; together with dragonflies such as the southern and brown hawkers, emperor, hairy dragonfly and black-tailed skimmer. The Lepidoptera fauna is very rich also, especially the moths, with over 1000 species. The nationally rare reed leopard moth is common at the site. Other local moths include cream-bordered green pea, yellow-legged clearwing and emperor. China-mark moths such as the small, brown and ringed are also seen here. Local butterflies include the green hairstreak, brown argus, speckled wood and brimstone. Snails include the Red Data Book Desmoulin's whorl snail. Notable plants include the fen violet, great fen sedge Cladium mariscus, marsh pea, greater spearwort, marsh orchids and milk parsley. There are also a number of stonewort species present in the ditches and ponds, along with flowering rush, water millefoil, and yellow and white water lilies. The site is mainly noted for its plants and invertebrates, but many birds also can be seen, and these are particularly popular with visitors as they are often easier to observe than the more elusive insects and plants. Bird species recorded living at the site include great crested grebe, cormorant, gadwall, teal, sparrowhawk, water rail, kingfisher, snipe, woodcock, great spotted and green woodpeckers; and barn, little, tawny, long-eared and short-eared owls. Visiting birds include bittern, whooper swan, golden plover, garganey, pochard, goosander, marsh harrier, hen harrier, merlin and hobby. In season, it is most unlikely that visitors will fail to hear the 'drumming' of snipe. Wicken Fen is divided by a man-made watercourse called "Wicken Lode". The area north of Wicken Lode, together with a smaller area known as Wicken Poors' Fen and St. Edmunds Fen, forms the classic old, undrained fen. The designated national nature reserve of 269 hectares also includes the area around the Mere, to the south of Wicken Lode. These areas contain original peat fen with communities of carr and sedge. They support rare and uncommon fenland plants such as marsh pea, Cambridge milk parsley, fen violet and marsh fern. This part of the Fen can be enjoyed from a series of boardwalks (made from recycled plastic). The area south of the Lode is called "Adventurers' Fen" and consists of rough pasture (grading from dry to wet grassland), reedbed and pools. The dykes, abandoned clay pits and other watercourses carry a great wealth of aquatic plants and insects, many of which are uncommon elsewhere.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva meets Alberto Fernández, the President of Argentina
IMF Photo/Kim Haughton
19 September 2022
New York, New York, United States
Photo ref: KH220919058.jpg
Managed to run off taking a good many shots today without checking lens... Autofocus was set on manual.... Lets try to make "art" out of it then :-)
Managed (just) to get into the Gromit Exhibition - I was in the last 100 through the doors yesterday.
It was great to revisit the Gromits - like meeting up with friends. Here are a small selection of my real faves.
I would like to thank all of you who commented, faved or liked (facebook) the gromits - each one added to the donation to the fund.
What next? Sheep? Penguins? I wonder about chickens - then that's a whole other story