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By Monkey Bird Crew
Partial Wall, Parcours Street art Nuit Blanche
(Paris, 10/2014)
Monkey Bird Crew developed out of the association of 2 Young artists, Temor and The Blow. The Monkey Bird Crew has the original ambition of restoring spectres of an animal of the Anonymous walls of the metropolises, wich engulf them with their unquestioning supremacy. Interrogating the notions of freedom and inacceccible private property, theirillegal interventions murmur an Anonymous philosophy via monumental images. Fuelling their inspiration with etchings, signs, and cosmopolitain calligraphies, The Monkey Bird Crew seeks a universal dialect filled with methodical lines and redundant symbols.
Ancient Cities Maps;
www.flickr.com/photos/feridun_f_alkaya/20538626748/in/alb...
Phaselis PhotoAlbum;
www.flickr.com/photos/feridun_f_alkaya/albums/72157657509...
PHASELIS - PROJEKT;
www.phaselis.org/en/about/about-project
Phaselis Research
Phaselis
When compared with the previous period of research on the history of the city over the past quarter century it has undergone radical changes. While modern scientists follow the path of their predecessors in collecting data through systematic processes and methodically analysing them, they change the route whereby they approach the city as a context- and a process-oriented structure, having economic, social, cultural, political and environmental dimensions which come together at different levels.
This considerably more inclusive definition expands the discipline concerning the city’s historical research, which consists of archaeology, epigraphy, ancient history and the other ancillary sciences and it encourages scientists from the natural and health sciences to participate within these studies. This is because in the course of the exploration of an ancient settlement the study of both the environment and the ecological setting which make human life possible; together with health issues, such as diet and epidemics, form the context within which human beings live, and which are thereby as important as the human actors.
Within the context of the planned Phaselis Research, even certain knowledge such as the settlement’s appearing on the stage of history as a favorite break-point with its three natural harbours, it being famous for its roses, the frequent seismic upheavals at sea and on its shores and its citizens leaving their homes because of a devastating malaria epidemic suggest the necessity of the application of this multi-dimensional research methodology in order to understand more fully the historical adventure of this city.
By presenting this research project, we aim to implement and realize this multi-dimensional research method, which as yet lacks widespread application in the field in our country, however conceptually and practically with a multi-disciplinary research team consisting of both national and international scientists, we intend to register systematically every kind of data/information regarding all contexts of the city employing modern methods and to present the results to the scientific world in the form of regular reports and monographic studies, thus forming a strong tie between past and future research.
Phaselis Territorium
The boundaries of the ancient city of Phaselis’ territorium are today within the administrative borders of the township of Tekirova, in Kemer District, determined from the archaeological, epigraphic and historical-geographical evidence, reaching the Gökdere valley to the north, continue on a line drawn from Üç Adalar to Mount Tahtalı to the south and extend along the Çandır valley to the west.
Phaselis was discovered in 1811-1812 by Captain F. Beaufort during his work of charting the southern coastline of Asia Minor for the British Royal Navy. Beaufort drew Phaselis’ plan and in the course of conducting his cartographic studies, he saw the word Φασηλίτης ethnikon on the inscriptions and consequently identified these ruins with Phaselis. C. R. Cockerell, the English architect, archaeologist and author came to Phaselis by ship and met Beaufort there. Then in 1838 C. Fellows, the English archaeologist visited the city. He found the fragments of the dedicatory inscription over the monumental gate built in honour of the Emperor Hadrianus and mistakenly thought the Imperial Period main street was the stadion due to the seats-steps on either side of the street. In 1842 Lt. T. A. B. Spratt, the English hydrographer and geographer, and the Rev. E. Forbes, the naturalist came to Phaselis via the Olympos and Khimaira routes. Due to the fact that they all came by sea and they only stayed for a short time, their descriptions of the topography inland are without detailed and there are serious errors in orientation.
PhaselisThose researchers who visited Phaselis between the late 19th and the early 20th centuries concentrated primarily upon the discovery of inscriptions. In 1881-1882 while the Austrian archaeologist and the epigraphist O. Benndorf, the founder of the Austrian Archaeological Institute, and his team were conducting research in southwestern Asia Minor, they examined Phaselis. In the winter of 1883 and 1884 F. von Luschan from the Austrian team took the first photographs which provide information concerning the regional features of Phaselis’ shoreline. In the same year the French scientist V. Bérard also visited Phaselis. In 1892 the members of the Austrian research team, O. Benndorf, E. Kalinka and their colleagues continued their architectural, archaeological and epigraphical studies in Phaselis. In 1904 they were followed by D. G. Hogarth, R. Norton and A. W. van Buren from the British research team. In 1908 the Austrian classical philologist E. Kalinka visited the settlement again, collected epigraphic documents and conducted research on the history of city (published in TAM II in 1944). The Italian researchers R. Paribeni and P. Romanelli visited Phaselis in1913 and C. Anti in 1921. Anti returned to Antalya overland and in consequence discovered several epigraphs and the ruins of structures within the territorium of Phaselis.
Further archaeological, epigraphical and historical-geographical studies of Phaselis were conducted by the English researchers F. M. Stark and G. Bean, who came to the region after World War II. In 1968 H. Schläger, the German architect and underwater archaeologist began exploring the topographical and architectural structures of Phaselis’s harbours. After Schläger’s death in 1969, the research was conducted under the leadership of the archaeologist J. Schäfer in 1970. H. Schläger, J. Schäfer and their colleagues obtained important data concerning the architecture and history of Phaselis through the surface exploration of the city and its periphery. Following the excavations conducted along the main axial street of the city, in 1980 under the direction of Kayhan Dörtlük, the then Director of the Antalya Museum and between 1981-1985 under the leadership of the archaeologist Cevdet Bayburtluoğlu; underwater exploration was carried out in the South Harbour under the direction of Metin Pehlivaner, the then Director of the Antalya Museum.
A good thing continues
Some six months ago, I posted almost 100 images and a few thoughts I felt were missing from the many existing RX1 reviews. The outpouring of support and interest in that article was very gratifying. When I published, I had used the camera for six full months, enough time to come to a view of its strengths and weaknesses and to produce a small portfolio of good images, but not enough time to see the full picture (pun intended). In the following six months, I have used the camera at least as frequently as in the first six and have produced another small set of good images. It should be noted that my usage of the RX1 in the last six (and especially in the last 3) months has involved less travel and more time with the family and around the house; I will share relatively few of these images but will spend some time sharing my impressions of its functionality for family snapshots as I am sure there is some interest. And let it be said here: one of the primary motivations to purchase the camera was to take more photos with the family, and after one full year I can confidently say: money well spent.
The A7/r game-changer?
In the past six months, Sony have announced and released two full-frame, interchangeable lens cameras that clearly take design cues from the RX1: the A7 and the A7r. These cameras are innovative and highly capable and, as such, are in the midst of taking the photography world by storm. I think they are compelling enough cameras that I wonder whether Sony is wasting its energy continuing to develop further A-mount cameras. Sony deserve credit for a bold strategy—many companies would have been content to allow the success of the the RX1 (and RX1R) generate further sales before pushing further into the white space left unexplored by camera makers with less ambition.This is not the place to detail the relative advantages and disadvantages of the RX1 versus the A7/r except to make the following point. I currently use a Nikon D800 and an RX1: were I to sell both and purchase the A7r + 35mm f/2.8 I would in many ways lose nothing by way of imaging capability or lens compatibility but would pocket the surplus $1250-1750. Indeed this loyal Nikon owner thought long and hard about doing so, which speaks to the strategic importance of these cameras for a company trying to make inroads into a highly concentrated market.Ultimately, I opted to hang onto the two cameras I have (although this decision is one that I revisit time and time again) and continue to use them as I have for the past year. Let me give you a quick flavor of why.
The RX1 is smaller and more discrete
This is a small a point, but my gut reaction to the A7/r was: much smaller than the D800, not as small as the RX1. The EVF atop the A7/r and the larger profile of interchangeable mount lenses means that I would not be able to slip the A7/r into a pocket the way I can the RX1. Further, by virtue of using the EVF and its loud mechanical shutter, the A7/r just isn’t as stealthy as the RX1. Finally, f/2 beats the pants off of f/2.8 at the same or smaller size.At this point, some of you may be saying, “Future Sony releases will allow you to get a body without an EVF and get an f/2 lens that has a slimmer profile, etc, etc.” And that’s just the point: to oversimplify things, the reason I am keeping my RX1 is that Sony currently offers something close to an A7 body without a built-in EVF and with a slimmer profile 35mm f/2.
The D800 has important functional advantages
On the other side of the spectrum, the AF speed of the A7/r just isn’t going to match the D800, especially when the former is equipped with a Nikon lens and F-mount adapter. EVFs cannot yet match the experience of looking through the prism and the lens (I expect they will match soon, but aren’t there yet). What’s more, I have made such an investment in Nikon glass that I can’t yet justify purchasing an adapter for a Sony mount or selling them all for Sony’s offerings (many of which aren’t to market yet).Now, all of these are minor points and I think all of them disappear with an A8r, but they add up to something major: I have two cameras very well suited to two different types of shooting, and I ask myself if I gain or lose by getting something in between—something that wasn’t quite a pocket shooter and something that was quite a DSLR? You can imagine, however, that if I were coming to the market without a D800 and an RX1, that my decision would be far different: dollar for dollar, the A7/r would be a no-brainer.During the moments when I consider selling to grab an A7r, I keep coming back to a thought I had a month or so before the RX1 was announced. At that time I was considering something like the NEX cameras with a ZM 21mm f/2.8 and I said in my head, “I wish someone would make a carry-around camera with a full frame sensor and a fixed 35mm f/2.8 or f/2.” Now you understand how attractive the RX1 is to me and what a ridiculously high bar exists for another camera system to reach.
Okay, so what is different from the last review?
For one, I had an issue with the camera’s AF motor failing to engage and giving me an E61:00 error. I had to send it out to Sony for repairs (via extended warranty and service plan). I detailed my experience with Sony Service here [insert link] and I write to you as a very satisfied customer. That is to say, I have 3 years left on a 4 year + accidental damage warranty and I feel confident enough in that coverage to say that I will have this beauty in working order for at least another 3 years.For two, I’ve spent significantly less time thinking of this camera as a DSLR replacement and have instead started to develop a very different way of shooting with it. The activation barrier to taking a shot with my D800 is quite high. Beyond having to bring a large camera wherever you go and have it in hand, a proper camera takes two hands and full attention to produce an image. I shoot slowly and methodically and often from a tripod with the D800. In contrast, I can pull the RX1 out, pop off the lens cap, line up and take a shot with one hand (often with a toddler in the other). This fosters a totally different type of photography.
My “be-there” camera
The have-everywhere camera that gives DSLR type controls to one-handed shooting lets me pursue images that happen very quickly or images that might not normally meet the standards of “drag-the-DSLR-out-of-the-bag.” Many of those images you’ll see on this post. A full year of shooting and I can say this with great confidence: the RX1 is a terrific mash-up of point-and-shoot and DSLR not just in image quality and features, but primarily in the product it helps me create. To take this thinking a bit further: I find myself even processing images from the RX1 differently than I would from my DSLR. So much so that I have strongly considered starting a tumblr and posting JPEGs directly from the RX1 via my phone or an iPad rather than running the bulk of them through Lightroom, onto Flickr and then on the blog (really this is just a matter of time, stay tuned, and those readers who have experience with tumblr, cloud image storage and editing, etc, etc, please contact me, I want to pick your brain).Put simply, I capture more spontaneous and beautiful “moments” than I might have otherwise. Photography is very much an exercise in “f/8 and be there,” and the RX1 is my go-to “be there” camera.
The family camera
I mentioned earlier that I justified the purchase of the RX1 partly as a camera to be used to document the family moments into which a DSLR doesn’t neatly fit. Over the past year I’ve collected thousands and thousands of family images with the RX1. The cold hard truth is that many of those photos could be better if I’d taken a full DSLR kit with me to the park or the beach or the grocery store each time. The RX1 is a difficult camera to use on a toddler (or any moving subject for that matter); autofocus isn’t as fast as a professional DSLR, it’s difficult to perfectly compose via an LCD (especially in bright sunlight), but despite these shortcomings, it’s been an incredibly useful family camera. There are simply so many beautiful moments where I had the RX1 over my shoulder, ready to go that whatever difficulties exist relative to a DSLR, those pale in comparison to the power of it’s convenience. The best camera is the one in your hand.
Where to go from here.
So what is the value of these RX1 going forward, especially in a world of the A7/r and it’s yet-to-be-born siblings without an EVF and a pancake lens? Frankly, at its current price (which is quite fair when you consider the value of the the body and the lens) I see precious little room for an independent offering versus a mirrorless, interchangeable lens system with the same image quality in a package just as small. That doesn’t mean Sony won’t make an RX2 or an RX1 Mark II (have a look at it’s other product lines to see how many SKUs are maintained despite low demand). Instead, I see the RX1 as a bridge that needed to exist for engineers, managers, and the market to make it to the A7/r and it’s descendants.A Facebook friend recently paid me a great compliment; he said something like, “Justin, via your blog, you’ve sold a ton of RX1 cameras.” Indeed, despite my efforts not to be a salesman, I think he’s right: I have and would continue to recommend this camera.The true value of the RX1 going forward is for those of us who have the thing on our shoulders; and yes, if you have an investment in and a love for a DSLR system, there’s still tremendous value in getting one, slinging it over your shoulder, and heading out into the wide, bright world; A7/r or no, this is just an unbelievably capable camera.
A good thing continues
Some six months ago, I posted almost 100 images and a few thoughts I felt were missing from the many existing RX1 reviews. The outpouring of support and interest in that article was very gratifying. When I published, I had used the camera for six full months, enough time to come to a view of its strengths and weaknesses and to produce a small portfolio of good images, but not enough time to see the full picture (pun intended). In the following six months, I have used the camera at least as frequently as in the first six and have produced another small set of good images. It should be noted that my usage of the RX1 in the last six (and especially in the last 3) months has involved less travel and more time with the family and around the house; I will share relatively few of these images but will spend some time sharing my impressions of its functionality for family snapshots as I am sure there is some interest. And let it be said here: one of the primary motivations to purchase the camera was to take more photos with the family, and after one full year I can confidently say: money well spent.
The A7/r game-changer?
In the past six months, Sony have announced and released two full-frame, interchangeable lens cameras that clearly take design cues from the RX1: the A7 and the A7r. These cameras are innovative and highly capable and, as such, are in the midst of taking the photography world by storm. I think they are compelling enough cameras that I wonder whether Sony is wasting its energy continuing to develop further A-mount cameras. Sony deserve credit for a bold strategy—many companies would have been content to allow the success of the the RX1 (and RX1R) generate further sales before pushing further into the white space left unexplored by camera makers with less ambition.This is not the place to detail the relative advantages and disadvantages of the RX1 versus the A7/r except to make the following point. I currently use a Nikon D800 and an RX1: were I to sell both and purchase the A7r + 35mm f/2.8 I would in many ways lose nothing by way of imaging capability or lens compatibility but would pocket the surplus $1250-1750. Indeed this loyal Nikon owner thought long and hard about doing so, which speaks to the strategic importance of these cameras for a company trying to make inroads into a highly concentrated market.Ultimately, I opted to hang onto the two cameras I have (although this decision is one that I revisit time and time again) and continue to use them as I have for the past year. Let me give you a quick flavor of why.
The RX1 is smaller and more discrete
This is a small a point, but my gut reaction to the A7/r was: much smaller than the D800, not as small as the RX1. The EVF atop the A7/r and the larger profile of interchangeable mount lenses means that I would not be able to slip the A7/r into a pocket the way I can the RX1. Further, by virtue of using the EVF and its loud mechanical shutter, the A7/r just isn’t as stealthy as the RX1. Finally, f/2 beats the pants off of f/2.8 at the same or smaller size.At this point, some of you may be saying, “Future Sony releases will allow you to get a body without an EVF and get an f/2 lens that has a slimmer profile, etc, etc.” And that’s just the point: to oversimplify things, the reason I am keeping my RX1 is that Sony currently offers something close to an A7 body without a built-in EVF and with a slimmer profile 35mm f/2.
The D800 has important functional advantages
On the other side of the spectrum, the AF speed of the A7/r just isn’t going to match the D800, especially when the former is equipped with a Nikon lens and F-mount adapter. EVFs cannot yet match the experience of looking through the prism and the lens (I expect they will match soon, but aren’t there yet). What’s more, I have made such an investment in Nikon glass that I can’t yet justify purchasing an adapter for a Sony mount or selling them all for Sony’s offerings (many of which aren’t to market yet).Now, all of these are minor points and I think all of them disappear with an A8r, but they add up to something major: I have two cameras very well suited to two different types of shooting, and I ask myself if I gain or lose by getting something in between—something that wasn’t quite a pocket shooter and something that was quite a DSLR? You can imagine, however, that if I were coming to the market without a D800 and an RX1, that my decision would be far different: dollar for dollar, the A7/r would be a no-brainer.During the moments when I consider selling to grab an A7r, I keep coming back to a thought I had a month or so before the RX1 was announced. At that time I was considering something like the NEX cameras with a ZM 21mm f/2.8 and I said in my head, “I wish someone would make a carry-around camera with a full frame sensor and a fixed 35mm f/2.8 or f/2.” Now you understand how attractive the RX1 is to me and what a ridiculously high bar exists for another camera system to reach.
Okay, so what is different from the last review?
For one, I had an issue with the camera’s AF motor failing to engage and giving me an E61:00 error. I had to send it out to Sony for repairs (via extended warranty and service plan). I detailed my experience with Sony Service here [insert link] and I write to you as a very satisfied customer. That is to say, I have 3 years left on a 4 year + accidental damage warranty and I feel confident enough in that coverage to say that I will have this beauty in working order for at least another 3 years.For two, I’ve spent significantly less time thinking of this camera as a DSLR replacement and have instead started to develop a very different way of shooting with it. The activation barrier to taking a shot with my D800 is quite high. Beyond having to bring a large camera wherever you go and have it in hand, a proper camera takes two hands and full attention to produce an image. I shoot slowly and methodically and often from a tripod with the D800. In contrast, I can pull the RX1 out, pop off the lens cap, line up and take a shot with one hand (often with a toddler in the other). This fosters a totally different type of photography.
My “be-there” camera
The have-everywhere camera that gives DSLR type controls to one-handed shooting lets me pursue images that happen very quickly or images that might not normally meet the standards of “drag-the-DSLR-out-of-the-bag.” Many of those images you’ll see on this post. A full year of shooting and I can say this with great confidence: the RX1 is a terrific mash-up of point-and-shoot and DSLR not just in image quality and features, but primarily in the product it helps me create. To take this thinking a bit further: I find myself even processing images from the RX1 differently than I would from my DSLR. So much so that I have strongly considered starting a tumblr and posting JPEGs directly from the RX1 via my phone or an iPad rather than running the bulk of them through Lightroom, onto Flickr and then on the blog (really this is just a matter of time, stay tuned, and those readers who have experience with tumblr, cloud image storage and editing, etc, etc, please contact me, I want to pick your brain).Put simply, I capture more spontaneous and beautiful “moments” than I might have otherwise. Photography is very much an exercise in “f/8 and be there,” and the RX1 is my go-to “be there” camera.
The family camera
I mentioned earlier that I justified the purchase of the RX1 partly as a camera to be used to document the family moments into which a DSLR doesn’t neatly fit. Over the past year I’ve collected thousands and thousands of family images with the RX1. The cold hard truth is that many of those photos could be better if I’d taken a full DSLR kit with me to the park or the beach or the grocery store each time. The RX1 is a difficult camera to use on a toddler (or any moving subject for that matter); autofocus isn’t as fast as a professional DSLR, it’s difficult to perfectly compose via an LCD (especially in bright sunlight), but despite these shortcomings, it’s been an incredibly useful family camera. There are simply so many beautiful moments where I had the RX1 over my shoulder, ready to go that whatever difficulties exist relative to a DSLR, those pale in comparison to the power of it’s convenience. The best camera is the one in your hand.
Where to go from here.
So what is the value of these RX1 going forward, especially in a world of the A7/r and it’s yet-to-be-born siblings without an EVF and a pancake lens? Frankly, at its current price (which is quite fair when you consider the value of the the body and the lens) I see precious little room for an independent offering versus a mirrorless, interchangeable lens system with the same image quality in a package just as small. That doesn’t mean Sony won’t make an RX2 or an RX1 Mark II (have a look at it’s other product lines to see how many SKUs are maintained despite low demand). Instead, I see the RX1 as a bridge that needed to exist for engineers, managers, and the market to make it to the A7/r and it’s descendants.A Facebook friend recently paid me a great compliment; he said something like, “Justin, via your blog, you’ve sold a ton of RX1 cameras.” Indeed, despite my efforts not to be a salesman, I think he’s right: I have and would continue to recommend this camera.The true value of the RX1 going forward is for those of us who have the thing on our shoulders; and yes, if you have an investment in and a love for a DSLR system, there’s still tremendous value in getting one, slinging it over your shoulder, and heading out into the wide, bright world; A7/r or no, this is just an unbelievably capable camera.
I first saw Anh on an indoor tennis court of the Stade Uniprix, where great players such as Milos Raonic and Vasek Pospisil have trained in their youth but where a fair share of the playing time is made available to recreational players like me.
She was training with a man on a court next to the area where I was waiting to play. They were exchanging with a great regularity and very fluidly. I couldn’t make out who was the coach but I was impressed with the calm, methodic manner in which they volleyed, lobed, practiced smashes or returns. Everything seemed in control. I enjoy tennis but I’m a late starter and my play is highly unpredictable: one artsy move is generally followed by erratic fails.
After my game was over and I had showered, I noticed, as I was getting ready to leave the building, that the two of them were at a table discussing. I asked them what they were practicing and who was the coach. I learned that Anh was teaching her partner, who is named Alain and is a good competitive senior player, to become a coach himself. She herself plays a fairly high tennis level.
Anh was born in Vietnam and came to Montreal as a young adult. She studied biochemistry and has worked for some time in laboratories doing tests related to environmental issues. She has however realized that she would much prefer to become a full time tennis coach and is working actively at achieving this goal.
Anh will have a big challenge on her hands starting tomorrow AM. I asked her if she would accept to give a total amateur like me weekly lessons during the spring to see if I can become a bit more Zen on a court before the summer comes around. She accepted.
This photo is part of my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/
J’ai initialement aperçu Anh sur un court de tennis intérieur du Stade Uniprix, où de grands joueurs tels que Milos Raonic et Vasek Pospisil ont été formés dans leur jeunesse, mais où une part équitable du temps de jeu est mise à la disposition de joueurs occasionnels comme moi.
Elle s’entraînait avec d'un homme sur un terrain à côté de la zone où j’attendais mon heure pour jouer. Ils échangeaient avec une grande régularité et de façon très fluide. Je ne voyais pas qui était l'entraîneur mais j’étais impressionné par leur calme et la manière méthodique avec laquelle ils effectuaient des volée, des lobs et pratiquaient des smashes ou des retours. Tout semblait en contrôle. J'aime le tennis mais j’y ai débuté très tard et mon jeu est très imprévisible: un coup artistique est généralement suivi par des ratés erratiques.
Après avoir terminé ma période de jeu et pris une douche, j’ai remarqué, comme je me préparais à quitter le bâtiment, que les deux partenaires étaient à une table et discutaient. Je leur demandé ce qu'ils pratiquaient et qui était l'entraîneur. J'ai appris qu’Anh enseignait à son partenaire nommé Alain, lun bon joueur compétitif de niveau sénior, afin qu'il devienne entraîneur lui-même. Elle joue aussi elle-même un niveau de tennis assez élevé.
Anh est né au Vietnam et est arrivée à Montréal jeune adulte. Elle a étudié la biochimie et a travaillé pendant un certain temps dans des laboratoires qui font des tests liés à des questions environnementales. Elle a cependant réalisé qu'elle préférerait devenir un entraîneur de tennis à temps plein et travaille activement à la réalisation de cet objectif.
Anh aura un grand défi sur les mains à partir de demain matin. Je lui ai demandé si elle accepterait de donner des leçons hebdomadaires à un total amateur comme moi ce printemps pour voir si je peux devenir un peu plus zen sur un terrain avant l'été. Elle a accepté.
Cette photo fait partie de mon projet 100 Strangers (100 inconnus). Apprenez en plus sur ce type de projet et voyez les photos d’autres photographes à www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/
The Abilene & Smoky Valley Engineer on the Locomotive 3415 watches his Brakeman on the ground closely as the two coordinate the repositioning of the 150-ton Pacific from the front of the excursion consist to the rear, in the yard at Enterprise, KS. Unable to see much behind him due to the presence of a massive, 6-axle tender, the Engineer will be almost totally dependent upon signals from his Brakeman that the way is clear to back the locomotive through the yard. Their level of coordination is especially critical because there are dozens of passengers wandering about the station area during the train's 30-minute layover, so everything is being done slowly and methodically.
This image was captured in September of 2023, during weekend excursion operations at the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad, which featured the former AT&SF 4-6-2 Locomotive #3415.
Week 8 Sailing Vessels (1136 – 1140) 11/01 – 11/06/2020 ID 1136
Paul Signac French 1863-1935
Antibes, The Pink Cloud, 1916
Oil on canvas
Signac remained committed to Divisionism throughout his career, but the way he applied paint varied greatly. Unlike the brushy dashes and methodical dots of his earlier paintings, on view behind you, here, Signac employs a regularized, rectangular stroke that takes on the quality of a dazzling mosaic. In a 1916 letter to a critic, Signac annotated a sketch of this “portrait of a cloud” to reveal the cloud’s “personalities.” He referred to the vaporous form at upper left as Loïe Fuller—an American dancer who had taken Paris by storm in the 1890s—and pointed out “some Michelangelesque figures” in the dark underside of the cloud at right. The German gunboats in the lower right corner were called “the black squadron.”
Isabelle and Scott Black Collection
From the Placard: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Signac
I recently took up a little photo assignment for a local publication but it was a location that was already on my hit list and had been for a long time so I was happy to give up a planned trip in another location of Sumatra to tackle this magnificent location in North Bengkulu.
A waterfall named Curug 9 just north of the city of Arga Makmur in north Bengkulu. This location is a 3.5 hour hike from the nearest village and it is finished off in the last hour by a very extreme descent, which is not for the faint hearted and those lacking fitness. Time for me to work on that a bit.
I decided in order to get the shot it required me to stay overnight on location to get the morning shot and the afternoon shot just in case of issues with weather and lighting. My guides and I located a small cottage (pondok) about an hour hike from the main waterfall and this little pondok was owned by husband and wife coffee farmers who had just recently cut down a small portion of forest to plant more trees. It just so happens this location has the most amazing view of the Curug 9 waterfall and even though it is 1km you can still feel and hear the spectacular power from the waterfall.
The spectacular view of curug 9 from afar.
We setup camp in the afternoon and took the opportunity to see a smaller waterfall called Air Itik and planned to capture the main Curug 9 waterfall in the morning. The traverse to Air Itik is actually more dangerous than the main falls of Curug 9. It is nearly vertical and there are no ropes but just tree branches and rocks to hold onto.
Another waterfall of Curug 9 called Air Itik
The second day morning broke and we finished breakfast and spent a good hour descending into the main Curug 9 waterfalls. With the occasional rudimentary steps and stairs made from the surrounding trees the descent is slow and methodical and once at the river level it is another 20 minutes to reach the destination.
It was a truly magical couple of days camping out in the jungles of Sumatra and sleeping in my hammock in full view of the powerful Curug 9. This is not a hike for those that have issues with fitness, getting in and out of these waterfall locations requires a good level of strength and health. But boy is it worth the effort for the reward.
www.brucelevick.com/majestic-curug-9/
#Aerial, #Argamakmur, #Bengkulu, #Curug9, #Dji, #Drone, #Mavic, #Pro, #Sumatra
Taken for Active Assignment Weekly - Nature's Geometric Shapes...
Orb web construction
During the process of making an orb web, the spider will use its own body for measurements.
Many webs span gaps between objects which the spider could not cross by crawling. This is done by letting out a first fine adhesive thread to drift on the faintest breeze across a gap. When it sticks to a suitable surface at the far end, the spider will carefully walk along it and strengthen it with a second thread. This process is repeated until the thread is strong enough to support the rest of the web.
After strengthening the first thread, the spider will continue to make a Y-shaped netting. The first three radials of the web are now constructed. More radials are added, making sure that the distance between each radial is small enough to cross. This means that the number of radials in a web directly depends on the size of the spider plus the size of the web.
After the radials are complete, the spider will fortify the center of the web with about five circular threads. Then a spiral of non-sticky, widely spaced threads is made for the spider to easily move around its own web during construction, working from the inside out. Then, beginning from the outside in, the spider will methodically replace this spiral with another, more closely spaced one of adhesive threads. It will utilize the initial radiating lines as well as the non-sticky spirals as guide lines. The spaces between each spiral will be directly proportional to the distance from the tip of its back legs to its spinners. This is one way the spider will use its own body as a measuring/spacing device. While the sticky spirals are formed, the non-adhesive spirals are removed as there is no need for them anymore.
After the spider has completed its web, it will chew off the initial three center spiral threads then sit and wait. If the web is broken without any structural damage during the construction, the spider does not make any initial attempts to rectify the problem.
The spider, after spinning its web, will then wait on or near the web for a prey animal to become trapped. The spider senses the impact and struggle of a prey animal by vibrations transmitted through the web. A spider positioned in the middle of the web makes for a highly visible prey for birds and other predators, even without web decorations. Many day-hunting orb-web spinners reduce this risk by hiding at the edge of the web with one foot on a signal line from the hub or by appearing to be inedible or unappetizing.
Spiders do not usually adhere to their own webs, because they are able to spin both sticky and non-sticky types of silk, and are careful to travel across only non-sticky portions of the web. However, they are not immune to their own glue. Some of the strands of the web are sticky, and others are not. For example, if a spider has chosen to wait along the outer edges of its web, it may spin a non-sticky prey or signal line to the web hub to monitor web movement.
SketchingNow foundations
Lesson 8: balancing line and colour, inside prompt
I used pencil for gestural setup lines, tone and texture. Decided not to ink over- I tend to get to heavy-handed, so saved ink for the writing. I'd like to stretch my style from slow and methodical to loose, spontaneous and quick, but I'm not there yet...
1990 BMW 325i convertible.
Supplied by Sycamore of Cambridge (BMW).
No previous keepers.
Anglia Car Auctions, King's Lynn -
"This example has only one recorded keeper, a family friend of our vendor. When purchased new by him from Sycamore BMW (Cambridge), extras fitted included Leather trim, cross spoke alloys, sports suspension and a CD system - quite an expensive option at £1043 in 1990. In 1991 a factory hardtop was purchased, retained to this day.
Following an illness, the BMW was parked up, unused in a barn until purchased by our vendor. Somewhat neglected for a number of years, the story of the renovation was featured over seven pages in the September 2017 issue of BMW Car magazine.
The sympathetic and methodical procedures taken during the recommissioning process have ensured that this remains a very original example.
A history folder comes with the car, containing the original book pack, purchase invoices, assorted invoices and the BMW Car magazine.
V5 present
MoT August 2018
Recorded mileage 102,000
Estimate: £7,500 - 9,500
Result: £7,980."
www.phaselis.org/en/about/about-project
Phaselis Research
Phaselis
When compared with the previous period of research on the history of the city over the past quarter century it has undergone radical changes. While modern scientists follow the path of their predecessors in collecting data through systematic processes and methodically analysing them, they change the route whereby they approach the city as a context- and a process-oriented structure, having economic, social, cultural, political and environmental dimensions which come together at different levels.
This considerably more inclusive definition expands the discipline concerning the city’s historical research, which consists of archaeology, epigraphy, ancient history and the other ancillary sciences and it encourages scientists from the natural and health sciences to participate within these studies. This is because in the course of the exploration of an ancient settlement the study of both the environment and the ecological setting which make human life possible; together with health issues, such as diet and epidemics, form the context within which human beings live, and which are thereby as important as the human actors.
Within the context of the planned Phaselis Research, even certain knowledge such as the settlement’s appearing on the stage of history as a favorite break-point with its three natural harbours, it being famous for its roses, the frequent seismic upheavals at sea and on its shores and its citizens leaving their homes because of a devastating malaria epidemic suggest the necessity of the application of this multi-dimensional research methodology in order to understand more fully the historical adventure of this city.
By presenting this research project, we aim to implement and realize this multi-dimensional research method, which as yet lacks widespread application in the field in our country, however conceptually and practically with a multi-disciplinary research team consisting of both national and international scientists, we intend to register systematically every kind of data/information regarding all contexts of the city employing modern methods and to present the results to the scientific world in the form of regular reports and monographic studies, thus forming a strong tie between past and future research.
Phaselis Territorium
The boundaries of the ancient city of Phaselis’ territorium are today within the administrative borders of the township of Tekirova, in Kemer District, determined from the archaeological, epigraphic and historical-geographical evidence, reaching the Gökdere valley to the north, continue on a line drawn from Üç Adalar to Mount Tahtalı to the south and extend along the Çandır valley to the west.
Phaselis was discovered in 1811-1812 by Captain F. Beaufort during his work of charting the southern coastline of Asia Minor for the British Royal Navy. Beaufort drew Phaselis’ plan and in the course of conducting his cartographic studies, he saw the word Φασηλίτης ethnikon on the inscriptions and consequently identified these ruins with Phaselis. C. R. Cockerell, the English architect, archaeologist and author came to Phaselis by ship and met Beaufort there. Then in 1838 C. Fellows, the English archaeologist visited the city. He found the fragments of the dedicatory inscription over the monumental gate built in honour of the Emperor Hadrianus and mistakenly thought the Imperial Period main street was the stadion due to the seats-steps on either side of the street. In 1842 Lt. T. A. B. Spratt, the English hydrographer and geographer, and the Rev. E. Forbes, the naturalist came to Phaselis via the Olympos and Khimaira routes. Due to the fact that they all came by sea and they only stayed for a short time, their descriptions of the topography inland are without detailed and there are serious errors in orientation.
PhaselisThose researchers who visited Phaselis between the late 19th and the early 20th centuries concentrated primarily upon the discovery of inscriptions. In 1881-1882 while the Austrian archaeologist and the epigraphist O. Benndorf, the founder of the Austrian Archaeological Institute, and his team were conducting research in southwestern Asia Minor, they examined Phaselis. In the winter of 1883 and 1884 F. von Luschan from the Austrian team took the first photographs which provide information concerning the regional features of Phaselis’ shoreline. In the same year the French scientist V. Bérard also visited Phaselis. In 1892 the members of the Austrian research team, O. Benndorf, E. Kalinka and their colleagues continued their architectural, archaeological and epigraphical studies in Phaselis. In 1904 they were followed by D. G. Hogarth, R. Norton and A. W. van Buren from the British research team. In 1908 the Austrian classical philologist E. Kalinka visited the settlement again, collected epigraphic documents and conducted research on the history of city (published in TAM II in 1944). The Italian researchers R. Paribeni and P. Romanelli visited Phaselis in1913 and C. Anti in 1921. Anti returned to Antalya overland and in consequence discovered several epigraphs and the ruins of structures within the territorium of Phaselis.
Further archaeological, epigraphical and historical-geographical studies of Phaselis were conducted by the English researchers F. M. Stark and G. Bean, who came to the region after World War II. In 1968 H. Schläger, the German architect and underwater archaeologist began exploring the topographical and architectural structures of Phaselis’s harbours. After Schläger’s death in 1969, the research was conducted under the leadership of the archaeologist J. Schäfer in 1970. H. Schläger, J. Schäfer and their colleagues obtained important data concerning the architecture and history of Phaselis through the surface exploration of the city and its periphery. Following the excavations conducted along the main axial street of the city, in 1980 under the direction of Kayhan Dörtlük, the then Director of the Antalya Museum and between 1981-1985 under the leadership of the archaeologist Cevdet Bayburtluoğlu; underwater exploration was carried out in the South Harbour under the direction of Metin Pehlivaner, the then Director of the Antalya Museum.
I had this incorrectly identified as a Dodge, because the hubcaps, even though blurry from the rain, appear to be Dodge and not Plymouth. However, the car itself has been identified as a Plymouth. I narrowed it down more to a 1965 Plymouth. It has been correctly identified as a Fury III by Flickr member, R36 Coach.
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There will be a story with this set as soon as I can get it written, and upload these pictures which I took while in the Hospital at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis, Oregon.
FALL OCCURRED IN THE SPRING
That’s right; fall occurred in the spring. Not the kind of fall like a beautiful autumn, but the kind of fall like Humpty Dumpty. The “splat” type of fall, which must have been painful for him. It was surely painful for me.
Let me digress a bit. I already have severe arthritis in both of my knees. I was very close to having the Orthopedic Physician’s Assistant refer me to the Orthopedist for knee replacements. The assistant had already seen me for seven to nine visits or so, and a series of Orthovisk® shots, which did not help me. I understand they are a great help to some people, but I wasn‘t one of them. He told me something I was completely unaware of. He said my teeth were bad, which is true. I have upper dentures and only one real tooth in my mouth. The bottom teeth except the one I just mentioned are all rotted away. They didn’t rot completely away; there are still parts of them in and below the gum line. He said they would all have to be surgically extracted before I could have knee replacements done. I asked him, “What do my teeth have to do with my knees?” He said infection can easily set in the rotten teeth and go to the knee or cause problems with my heart, major problems like death. Thus the reader can understand how I arrived at the title for my photo set about my hospital stay…The Knee Bone’s Connected to the Jaw Bone, Huh?
I have been walking around with very painful knees for quite awhile now, and I cannot afford the $1,600 to $2,000 to have my teeth surgically extracted. I already paid a dentist $180 for an appointment and a Panaray® X-Ray, over a year ago, just thinking it would be nice to finally get some lower dentures too. He split town, taking or disposing of his equipment and his files and x-rays. That $180 is long gone for me. I cannot recover the old x-ray. Even if I did recover it, some new dentist would probably say it was out of date.
Medicare, which I am on, will pay for the two knee replacements, but here is the rub. They will not pay for dental. I have been in a surgical limbo with all the free pain I can stand.
That is the background information probably needed for this little story to be understood. There will be some OMG moments and some laughter. If it were a TV show, they would probably advertise, “You’ll Laugh; You’ll Cry; You’ll Sell Your Chickens; You’ll Call Your Congressman, and You’ll No Doubt Charge Your Cell Phone!”
That brings us to Thursday the 15th of March, 2012. My daughter called to see if I could and would watch Rose all day Friday the 16th , as she had forgotten that she had signed up to be chaperone for her daughter, Anna Leigh’s, school field trip. It was going to be quite a bit out of town, the other direction from where I live. It was to be a special day. I wanted to be their hero; so I said sure. Some of you have seen Rose, the Hungarian Vizsla puppy among my photos. Rose is beautiful and young, and strong, and undisciplined and should probably be named Wild Rose. I love her, but she is a major handful. I had already watched her for 8 days while they went on a trip out of state, got one day off and then volunteered to do Friday the 16th.
Rose isn’t housebroken yet; so I took her out several times to encourage her to go outside. I was alone as far as other humans, and my daughter and granddaughter were about 60 miles away, on a school bus and then museum field trip. I live about 60 miles the other way from their home. It had been raining off and on and the ground and grass and driveway and mud were all pretty wet. My other trips outside with Rose that morning had been fine. I only had a thin shirt on, no extra shirt or jacket. I did not think I would be out in the yard very long.
Rose pulled on the leash too exuberantly, as she does often (she is five and a half months old, and has had puppy obedience training, but is in dire need of more of it). I slipped on a muddy and grassy slope. My right leg went out in front of me, and I fell on my rear end. My left leg folded underneath my thigh and toward my rear, and my weight, which is a lot, crunched it. It was bent backward way further than a knee is supposed to bend. I screamed bloody murder. I was afraid to even try to get up, as I thought I had probably torn a ligament or two.
Rose thought it was play time and was all over me. There was not a thing in sight that would give me any leverage to hold me up or to help me get up. I sat and I pondered what to do. My daughter and Anna Leigh would not be home for nearly 6 more hours. I thought, well I’ll just call 911 (the emergency number where we live). Wrong! No cell phone with me. It was inside their house, being charged up; ironically so it would be ready when I needed it.
I tried yelling for help. Nothing! A neighbor about a half an acre away, was mowing, and every time the mower cut off, I tried screaming for help. He must have had headphones on or something. Cars would drive by way down the driveway, and I would yell, but no one had their windows down on that day. Did you now that when you have upper dentures and no lower ones, and you yell really hard, that it blows the upper dentures right out of your mouth? Just thought I would throw that little trivia in. I didn’t know until that day. I knew I couldn’t make it back in the house. There were too many upward slopes and an exposed aggregate patio and a few stairs. The front of the house was even worse, as it had more stairs. I looked down the driveway and saw a vehicle which had some metal protrusions, on the order of spare tire holder or something like that. I decided to try to scoot on my rear down to that metal thing. I thought perhaps it would give me leverage to get up. Rose thought that it was great fun to romp on and around me.
I thought the four chickens would be afraid to come around Rose. No, they are not very intelligent. They came right up to me and Rose and started pecking on me. I had never been pecked on my chickens before, and there I was on the ground with no help and Rose alternating between tried to attack the chickens and trying to play with me. Rose’s playfulness sort of resembles an attack, anyway. I scooted faster, much faster.
There was a light rain, but it was getting a little heavier. There was also a dusting of snow mixed with the rain. I was wondering how long it would take to get Exposure. I was wondering about Shock also. Can a person who has Exposure or Shock know that they have it? Ominous looking clouds were blowing quickly toward me. It was 1:30 P. M. when I fell. I didn’t have my phone, but I had my watch.
I scooted methodically toward the vehicle closest to me. I think it was about 100 feet. I got to it, and thought if worse came to worse with the weather, I could roll under the back of it. I did not relish thought of spiders, but thought it might be better to risk them than the weather. I saw some wide strapping tape on the spare tire, which was loose. I didn’t want to risk hoisting myself up on the spare and its frame, as it was quite loose. But I took the tape and wrapped it around the metal thing that was separate from the spare tire things, and made it softer for my arm to lean on. I tried to prop myself up. No use; I fell back down. Not enough leverage. I put Rose’s leash handle on the trailer hitch. I didn’t want to just let her run free and maybe get hit by a car.
I tried again to get up and made it to both knees. It hurt so badly I went back down again. I noticed the license plate on the vehicle renewed on the ninth month of 2011. That said 911. I thought, “Oh yeah right, you inanimate license plate. Go ahead and taunt me! You know I can’t call 911.” I got a chuckle out of my own joke, and gave myself a figurative pat on the back for being resourceful about trying to get up.
I tried again. I got on both knees but the right one was in gravel that really hurt. Then I thought which knee should I put forward and which one should I try to rise on. I tried one, and it didn’t seem as if it would work so I tried the other way. That wasn’t the right way either. Finally I tried the first way again. I told myself on the count of three I would stand up, even if it hurt excruciatingly, I would scream but I would still get up. False start! Down again! I tried again and got up. I was standing!
Now was the problem of how to go anywhere, not knowing if my left knee would buckle at any time. I thought I had to try. I spotted my own truck further down the driveway, and decided to try to make it to it. I walked between two vehicles very carefully and slowly and got to my truck. I unlocked it with the remote key which I had in my pocket. After 11 years of driving it, the seat is pretty well conformed to me; so I didn’t have to bend my knees to sit down in it. I just leaned into the seat and put my relatively good right leg in. It was painful to bend my left knee to get it in the truck, but I did. Rose was still tied to a trailer hitch further back in the yard, but she was safe.
I looked at my watch. It was 3:30 P. M. It took me two hours to stand up and to get to some degree of safety and warmth. I could drive, as my truck is automatic. I drove down the road to a house that Anna had pointed out was where a schoolmate lived. I thought I could ask them to go in my daughter’s house and get my cell phone for me. There was a very large barking dog in the driveway, and no sign of humans, and the mother of the schoolmate has never even met me. I decided to go back to Jennifer’s home.
I found a cane in my truck that a charity, a different one than the one later in my story, had given me a few months ago. It is not a very sturdy one, but better than nothing. I did not use it on a regular basis. I used the hook end of it to fetch a large stick lying near the driveway (larger than a normal hiking stick). I pulled it to me, and stood back up out of the truck and used the big stick and the cane and balanced against two vehicles, and decided to try to get back in the house. I did. I got in the recliner and pulled a blanket up over me and slept until they got home.
After they got home, we all decided to go to the nearest Emergency room. It was a Friday night by then, and no normal doctor’s hours. We went to one closest to them, but it was still about 27 miles or so. They checked me out and did an x-ray. I told the Physician’s assistant nurse type lady about my knee history. She was fun and nice and caring and a little bit of a comedienne. She said that my left knee was really “ratty” looking on the x-ray. I laughed, because I’m sure it was. I have just never, in all my doctor visits ever had a nurse refer to one of my body parts as “ratty”. I suspect it is not a medical term. They said I sprained my knee, and gave me some medical records to take up to the emergency room (or my doctor) closer to where I live, seventeen miles from my home, the other direction from Jen & Anna. I wanted to be closer to the doctors and hospital that I know. I was given a prescription similar to Vicodin. Someone kindly pointed out that Walgreen’s was visible about a block away and their drive-thru was open. At that point I was still getting around by hobbling and by leaning on Jennifer. So I sat in a chair and she and Anna and Rose drove over to Walgreen’s . It seems as if it took a long time for them get the prescription filled.
While I was sitting there waiting, a employee came out to the lobby with clipboard in hand and asked if I were the lady with an injured knee. I replied that I was. She said, OK, come with me and we’ll have you see a triage. I thought it odd that I had already been seen and now they wanted to start all over again. I told her I had already been seen and x-rayed and all. It turned out there was another lady in the waiting room with an injured knee. It probably would have blown the Physician’s Assistant’s mind if I had played dumb and gone through everything again, and then told her when she looked shocked, “I’m coming through again; and this time don’t call my knee “ratty! Funny to imagine, but not a good idea.
Finally, my daughter and granddaughter returned to the hospital waiting room. Jennifer had forgotten her checkbook. So back they went and then it turned out, Jennifer couldn’t sign for my prescription, and she didn‘t have my insurance information. Thus, we all drove back over there. I was in line ahead of Jen‘s car. I told the pharmacist that my window did not go down well on the driver’s side, and I could not reach the pills in the drawer. So I would give him paperwork and cards he needed, but to please leave the pills themselves in the slide-out drawer. I said my daughter was right behind me and her window worked; and she would pick them up with my permission. Finally she got the pain pills in the drawer, but when we got out of Walgreen’s I flagged her down to stop and be sure to give me the pills to have with me before we forgot. Jennifer got them and handed them over to me. We laughed about how, at that time of night, it looked for the entire world like some sort of illegal drug deal.
We tried to go out for dinner, and the restaurant we chose put the closed sign in their front window as we were approaching. That always makes one feel so welcome, not!
Saturday, I rested, and then Sunday they took me to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. I had called my normal doctor, and he was out of the country (probably on some Doctors without Borders type thing). He does many good will type things. The doctor filling in for him; said to go to the Emergency Room. So I did, and they did an MRI, and I had torn the meniscus in my left knee. I ended up in the hospital for 8 days. No surgery was done to repair anything, because of the dental situation. But I got a walker, and some really nice nurses and physical therapy. I saw all kinds of doctors, and Home Health care people, and Senior and Disabled specialists. They must have taken my blood pressure 100 times, it seems. They always seem surprised that it is very good.
Anna Leigh, who is seven years old, threw a coin in the Hospital Fountain and made good wishes for me. She is such a sweetie. My daughter helped to clean up my place so when I went home the walker would fit through the rooms. I don’t know what I do without them. The first few days out of the hospital, I taught Anna how to play Monopoly, and she and Jennifer and I also did puzzles. There were some quality family moments. I one point I was eating a chip or cracker of some kind and trying to place a puzzle piece. I got absentminded and stuck the puzzle piece in my mouth. I realized what I had done because the food tasted like cardboard. I took it out of my mouth. Anna about went into hysterics over it. I was laughing too.
Anna’s Daddy called Jen about that time, and wanted to know what the laughter was all about. Anna wrote a note to show her Mom so her Mom could tell her Dad what happened. She spelled it phonetically, as she is only in first grade. I think she does really well, but Jen and I cracked up over how much Anna was laughing and over what she wrote. She wrote, “My grandmuther ate a pussel pees.” It looked substantially nastier than it was.
At first a physical therapist helped me with the walker and with some small steps. After a few days, I could roam around the hallways on my own with the walker. At that point I took my camera. As I was practicing with my walker I took a number of pictures. I tried very hard to only shoot artsy type things and nothing about any patients or doctors that would invade their privacy. I had a bulletin board in my room just about me. I wrote “Exemplary Patient Award” on the comments. I wanted to see if it would make the nurses laugh. I thought it was funny to give myself an award. I enjoy making people laugh. I was curious if they would erase it, but it was still there when I was discharged.
I graduated from the walker to a cane yesterday. A home health therapist came to see how I was doing, and brought me a very artsy cane. I like it. It suits me, and it is brand new. There is a charity in my area called Love, Inc. I don’t know if it is just local or nationwide. Anyway, they gave him the cane to bring to me. Really super! Of course, I need to take a photo of it, and add it to this set. I’ll probably do that in the daylight.
I am still in surgical limbo, but a charity is going to come out and install grab bars on my shower, and another charity will build up my recliner (which I sleep in) with a platform so it will be easier to get in and out of. It is suggested that I donate enough to cover the cost of the supplies but not the labor. I will probably make a donation, but I haven’t decided how much yet. I’m going to call my Congressman to see if something can be done about covering some dental procedures. Probably not, but I feel I have to try. Not just for me, but for a multitude of people.
I’ll close with a quote, although I don’t know who said it, “Be True to your Teeth and they will Never be False to You.” and “That is the Tooth, the whole Tooth, and Nothing but the Tooth.”
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German postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 2058/1, 1927-1928. Photo: Alex Binder, Berlin.
Austrian actor Walter Slezak (1902-1983) began his film career as a thin leading man in silent films. Unable to keep his weight under control, Slezak decided around 1930 to become a character actor. When the Nazis came into power he moved to Broadway and Hollywood, where he usually portrayed a villain or thug, but also played lighter, kindlier roles.
Walter Slezak was born in Vienna, Austria into an artistic family in 1902. His father was the opera tenor and later film comedian Leo Slezak. Walter was the brother of actress Margarete Slezak. During a production of 'Lohengrin', when the mechanical swan that was to carry the hero across the lake malfunctioned and ‘floated’ off too soon, Leo allegedly said: "What time is the next swan?" This quote became in 1962 the title of Walter Slezak's autobiography. The young Slezak was a medical student before settling into the comfortable position of a bank clerk. Slezak was coerced by his friend, actor/director Mihály Kertész (who later changed his name into Michael Curtiz), to accept an acting role in Curtiz' spectacular Sodom und Gomorrha/Sodom and Gomorrah (Mihály Kertész, 1922) starring Lucy Doraine. With this film, Slezak's career in the world of finance came to an end. Subsequently, the then rather lean Slezak was signed by the Ufa and became a matinee idol in German films of the 1920s. Two years later, he starred in the German drama Mikael/Michael (1924) by the brilliant Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer. It was released in the US under the more lurid titles Chained and The Story of the Third Sex, an unsubtle allusion to the plotline's homosexual subtext. Fellow director Benjamin Christensen stars as The Master, a world-renowned painter. Celebrated for his portrait of a 'beautiful' young male art student named Mikael, the Master graciously accepts the plaudits of his acolytes. Inwardly, however, he is tormented by his strong, passionate feelings for Mikael. Ironically, both men have a falling out over the affections of a woman (Nora Gregor) - and when The Master dies, Mikael is accused of his murder. In the next years, Slezak appeared as a romantic leading man in films like Grüß mir das blonde Kind am Rhein/Greet for me the blond child on the Rhine (Carl Boese, 1926), Junges Blut/Young Blood (Manfred Noa, 1926) with Lya de Putti and the Italian production Addio giovinezza!/Goodbye youth! (Augusto Genina, 1927) with Elena Sangro. Always somewhat too fond of the culinary arts, Slezak put on so much weight that, by the end of the decade, he was no longer considered bankable as a romantic star. Slezak decided around 1930 to become a character actor. He played in a supporting part in the musical comedy Spione im Savoy-Hotel/The Gala Performance (Friedrich Zelnik, 1932) starring Alfred Abel, and after that he went to the USA.
Walter Slezak made his Broadway debut in 'Meet My Sister' (1930). Though publicly modest about his vocal abilities, Slezak gained further plaudits for his role in the Oscar Hammerstein production, 'Music in the Air' (1932-33), scored by Jerome Kern. After 12 years of stage work, he was cast in his first American film, Once Upon a Honeymoon (Leo McCarey, 1942), playing the fifth-columnist husband of social-climbing Ginger Rogers. Next he appeared in This Land Is Mine (Jean Renoir, 1943) starring Charles Laughton. He walked away with most of the acting honours for Hitchcock's claustrophobic thriller Lifeboat (Alfred Hitchcock, 1944) starring Tallulah Bankhead. In Lifeboat, he gave a compelling performance as the callous, methodical Nazi captain, who gradually assumes command of the vessel containing the survivors of the passenger ship torpedoed and sunk by his U-boat. Film critic Bosley Crowther commented in the New York Times:"Nor is he an altogether repulsive or invidious type. As Walter Slezak plays him, he is tricky and sometimes brutal, yes, but he is practical, ingenious and basically courageous in his lonely resolve. Some of his careful deceptions would be regarded as smart and heroic if they came from an American in the same spot". Slezak worked steadily and appeared as a supporting player in films like the MGM musical The Pirate (Vincente Minnelli, 1948), as the scheming medicine-show man in Danny Kaye's The Inspector General (Henry Koster, 1949) and Call Me Madam (Walter Lang, 1953). A hulking figure at 2m, Slezak usually portrayed a villain or thug, but also played lighter, kindlier roles, as in The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (Henry Levin, 1962) and as Squire Trelawney in Treasure Island (John Hough, 1972). Slezak also played the lead in Broadway musicals, including Cesar in 'Fanny' (1955), for which he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. In 1959 he followed in his father's footsteps by singing the part of Zsupan in 'The Gypsy Baron' at the Metropolitan Opera. His TV assignments included the role of the Clock King on Batman (1966-1967). Slezak married Johanna Van Rijn in 1943. The couple had three children: Ingrid, Erika, and Leo. Erika Slezak went on to become an Emmy-winning actress, and has starred as Victoria Lord on the long-running soap opera One Life to Live since 1971. In 1974 Walter appeared on the series as her character's godfather, Lazlo Braedecker. In 1983, just before his 81st birthday Walter Slezak shot himself in his Beverly Hills home, because of his advanced physical illness.
Sources: Hal Erickson (AllMovie), Thomas Staedeli (Cyranos), I.S. Mowis (IMDb), IMDb, and Wikipedia.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 1406/1, 1926-1927. Photo: National.
Austrian actor Walter Slezak (1902-1983) began his film career as a thin leading man in silent films. Unable to keep his weight under control, Slezak decided around 1930 to become a character actor. When the Nazis came into power he moved to Broadway and Hollywood, where he usually portrayed a villain or thug, but also played lighter, kindlier roles.
Walter Slezak was born in Vienna, Austria into an artistic family in 1902. His father was the opera tenor and later film comedian Leo Slezak. Walter was the brother of actress Margarete Slezak. During a production of 'Lohengrin', when the mechanical swan that was to carry the hero across the lake malfunctioned and ‘floated’ off too soon, Leo allegedly said: "What time is the next swan?" This quote became in 1962 the title of Walter Slezak's autobiography. The young Slezak was a medical student before settling into the comfortable position of a bank clerk. Slezak was coerced by his friend, actor/director Mihály Kertész (who later changed his name into Michael Curtiz), to accept an acting role in Curtiz' spectacular Sodom und Gomorrha/Sodom and Gomorrah (Mihály Kertész, 1922) starring Lucy Doraine. With this film, Slezak's career in the world of finance came to an end. Subsequently, the then rather lean Slezak was signed by the Ufa and became a matinee idol in German films of the 1920s. Two years later, he starred in the German drama Mikael/Michael (1924) by the brilliant Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer. It was released in the US under the more lurid titles Chained and The Story of the Third Sex, an unsubtle allusion to the plotline's homosexual subtext. Fellow director Benjamin Christensen stars as The Master, a world-renowned painter. Celebrated for his portrait of a 'beautiful' young male art student named Mikael, the Master graciously accepts the plaudits of his acolytes. Inwardly, however, he is tormented by his strong, passionate feelings for Mikael. Ironically, both men have a falling out over the affections of a woman (Nora Gregor) - and when The Master dies, Mikael is accused of his murder. In the next years, Slezak appeared as a romantic leading man in films like Grüß mir das blonde Kind am Rhein/Greet for me the blond child on the Rhine (Carl Boese, 1926), Junges Blut/Young Blood (Manfred Noa, 1926) with Lya de Putti and the Italian production Addio giovinezza!/Goodbye youth! (Augusto Genina, 1927) with Elena Sangro. Always somewhat too fond of the culinary arts, Slezak put on so much weight that, by the end of the decade, he was no longer considered bankable as a romantic star. Slezak decided around 1930 to become a character actor. He played in a supporting part in the musical comedy Spione im Savoy-Hotel/The Gala Performance (Friedrich Zelnik, 1932) starring Alfred Abel, and after that he went to the USA.
Walter Slezak made his Broadway debut in 'Meet My Sister' (1930). Though publicly modest about his vocal abilities, Slezak gained further plaudits for his role in the Oscar Hammerstein production, 'Music in the Air' (1932-33), scored by Jerome Kern. After 12 years of stage work, he was cast in his first American film, Once Upon a Honeymoon (Leo McCarey, 1942), playing the fifth-columnist husband of social-climbing Ginger Rogers. Next he appeared in This Land Is Mine (Jean Renoir, 1943) starring Charles Laughton. He walked away with most of the acting honours for Hitchcock's claustrophobic thriller Lifeboat (Alfred Hitchcock, 1944) starring Tallulah Bankhead. In Lifeboat, he gave a compelling performance as the callous, methodical Nazi captain, who gradually assumes command of the vessel containing the survivors of the passenger ship torpedoed and sunk by his U-boat. Film critic Bosley Crowther commented in the New York Times:"Nor is he an altogether repulsive or invidious type. As Walter Slezak plays him, he is tricky and sometimes brutal, yes, but he is practical, ingenious and basically courageous in his lonely resolve. Some of his careful deceptions would be regarded as smart and heroic if they came from an American in the same spot". Slezak worked steadily and appeared as a supporting player in films like the MGM musical The Pirate (Vincente Minnelli, 1948), as the scheming medicine-show man in Danny Kaye's The Inspector General (Henry Koster, 1949) and Call Me Madam (Walter Lang, 1953). A hulking figure at 2m, Slezak usually portrayed a villain or thug, but also played lighter, kindlier roles, as in The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (Henry Levin, 1962) and as Squire Trelawney in Treasure Island (John Hough, 1972). Slezak also played the lead in Broadway musicals, including Cesar in 'Fanny' (1955), for which he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. In 1959 he followed in his father's footsteps by singing the part of Zsupan in 'The Gypsy Baron' at the Metropolitan Opera. His TV assignments included the role of the Clock King on Batman (1966-1967). Slezak married Johanna Van Rijn in 1943. The couple had three children: Ingrid, Erika, and Leo. Erika Slezak went on to become an Emmy-winning actress, and has starred as Victoria Lord on the long-running soap opera One Life to Live since 1971. In 1974 Walter appeared on the series as her character's godfather, Lazlo Braedecker. In 1983, just before his 81st birthday Walter Slezak shot himself in his Beverly Hills home, because of his advanced physical illness.
Sources: Hal Erickson (AllMovie), Thomas Staedeli (Cyranos), I.S. Mowis (IMDb), IMDb and Wikipedia.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
The Great Egret (Ardea alba) is a striking sight, the bolt of lightening in the bird world. It is an adaptive creature, hunting in both fresh and salt water and doing so in the typical heron fashion of slow methodical stalking...followed by the flash of movement as its head is thrown by its long neck at prey items. Hunted nearly to extinction in the 19th century for their plumage--their numbers dropped by 95%!--they have rebounded well now that laws protect them.
Looking west from Hauptstraße.
"Karlstadt is a town in the Main-Spessart in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia (Unterfranken) in Bavaria, Germany. It is the administrative centre of Main-Spessart (Kreisstadt), and has a population of around 15,000.
Karlstadt lies on the River Main in the district (Landkreis) of Main-Spessart, roughly 25 km north of the city of Würzburg. It belongs to the Main-Franconian wine-growing region. The town itself is located on the right bank of the river, but the municipal territory extends to the left bank.
Since the amalgamations in 1978, Karlstadt's Stadtteile have been Gambach, Heßlar, Karlburg, Karlstadt, Laudenbach, Mühlbach, Rohrbach, Stadelhofen, Stetten, and Wiesenfeld.
From the late 6th to the mid-13th century, the settlement of Karlburg with its monastery and harbor was located on the west bank of the Main. It grew up around the Karlsburg, a castle perched high over the community, that was destroyed in the German Peasants' War in 1525.
In 1202, Karlstadt itself was founded by Konrad von Querfurt, Bishop of Würzburg. The town was methodically laid out with a nearly rectangular plan to defend Würzburg territory against the Counts of Rieneck. The plan is still well preserved today. The streets in the old town are laid out much like a chessboard, but for military reasons they are not quite straight.
In 1225, Karlstadt had its first documentary mention. In 1236, the castle and the village of Karlburg were destroyed in the Rieneck Feud. In 1244, winegrowing in Karlstadt was mentioned for the first time. From 1277 comes the earliest evidence of the town seal. In 1304, the town fortifications were finished. The parish of Karlstadt was first named in 1339. In 1369 a hospital was founded. Between 1370 and 1515, remodelling work was being done on the first, Romanesque parish church to turn it into a Gothic hall church. About 1400, Karlstadt became for a short time the seat of an episcopal mint. The former Oberamt of the Princely Electorate (Hochstift) of Würzburg was, after Secularization, in Bavaria's favour, passed in 1805 to Grand Duke Ferdinando III of Tuscany to form the Grand Duchy of Würzburg, and passed with this to the Kingdom of Bavaria.
The Jewish residents of the town had a synagogue as early as the Middle Ages. The town's synagogue was destroyed on Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken Glass, 9 November 1938) by Nazi SA men, SS, and Hitler Youth, as well as other local residents. Its destruction is recalled by a plaque at the synagogue's former site. The homes of Jewish residents were attacked as well, the possessions therein were looted or brought to the square in front of the town hall where they were burned, and the Jews living in the town were beaten.
Lower Franconia (German: Unterfranken) is one of seven districts of Bavaria, Germany. The districts of Lower, Middle and Upper Franconia make up the region of Franconia. It consists of nine districts and 308 municipalities (including three cities).
After the founding of the Kingdom of Bavaria the state was totally reorganised and, in 1808, divided into 15 administrative government regions (German: Regierungsbezirke, singular Regierungsbezirk), in Bavaria called Kreise (singular: Kreis). They were created in the fashion of the French departements, quite even in size and population, and named after their main rivers.
In the following years, due to territorial changes (e. g. loss of Tyrol, addition of the Palatinate), the number of Kreise was reduced to 8. One of these was the Untermainkreis (Lower Main District). In 1837 king Ludwig I of Bavaria renamed the Kreise after historical territorial names and tribes of the area. This also involved some border changes or territorial swaps. Thus the name Untermainkreis changed to Lower Franconia and Aschaffenburg, but the city name was dropped in the middle of the 20th century, leaving just Lower Franconia.
From 1933, the regional Nazi Gauleiter, Otto Hellmuth, (who had renamed his party Gau "Mainfranken") insisted on renaming the government district Mainfranken as well. He encountered resistance from Bavarian state authorities but finally succeeded in having the name of the district changed, effective 1 June 1938. After 1945 the name Unterfranken was restored.
Franconia (German: Franken, pronounced [ˈfʁaŋkŋ̍]; Franconian: Franggn [ˈfrɑŋɡŋ̍]; Bavarian: Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian dialect (German: Fränkisch).
Franconia is made up of the three Regierungsbezirke of Lower, Middle and Upper Franconia in Bavaria, the adjacent, Franconian-speaking, South Thuringia, south of the Thuringian Forest—which constitutes the language boundary between Franconian and Thuringian— and the eastern parts of Heilbronn-Franconia in Baden-Württemberg.
Those parts of the Vogtland lying in Saxony (largest city: Plauen) are sometimes regarded as Franconian as well, because the Vogtlandian dialects are mostly East Franconian. The inhabitants of Saxon Vogtland, however, mostly do not consider themselves as Franconian. On the other hand, the inhabitants of the Hessian-speaking parts of Lower Franconia west of the Spessart (largest city: Aschaffenburg) do consider themselves as Franconian, although not speaking the dialect. Heilbronn-Franconia's largest city of Heilbronn and its surrounding areas are South Franconian-speaking, and therefore only sometimes regarded as Franconian. In Hesse, the east of the Fulda District is Franconian-speaking, and parts of the Oden Forest District are sometimes regarded as Franconian for historical reasons, but a Franconian identity did not develop there.
Franconia's largest city and unofficial capital is Nuremberg, which is contiguous with Erlangen and Fürth, with which it forms the Franconian conurbation with around 1.3 million inhabitants. Other important Franconian cities are Würzburg, Bamberg, Bayreuth, Ansbach and Coburg in Bavaria, Suhl and Meiningen in Thuringia, and Schwäbisch Hall in Baden-Württemberg.
The German word Franken—Franconians—also refers to the ethnic group, which is mainly to be found in this region. They are to be distinguished from the Germanic people of the Franks, and historically formed their easternmost settlement area. The origins of Franconia lie in the settlement of the Franks from the 6th century in the area probably populated until then mainly by the Elbe Germanic people in the Main river area, known from the 9th century as East Francia (Francia Orientalis). In the Middle Ages the region formed much of the eastern part of the Duchy of Franconia and, from 1500, the Franconian Circle. The restructuring of the south German states by Napoleon, after the demise of the Holy Roman Empire, saw most of Franconia awarded to Bavaria." - info from Wikipedia.
Summer 2019 I did a solo cycling tour across Europe through 12 countries over the course of 3 months. I began my adventure in Edinburgh, Scotland and finished in Florence, Italy cycling 8,816 km. During my trip I took 47,000 photos.
Now on Instagram.
Migratory big white beautiful bird! They remain at White Rock Lake's Sunset Bay (Dallas, TX) until March or April. Click on image for best view.
One of the largest North American birds, the American White Pelican is majestic in the air. The birds soar with incredible steadiness on broad, white-and-black wings. Their large heads and huge, heavy bills give them a prehistoric look. On the water they dip their pouched bills to scoop up fish, or tip-up like an oversized dabbling duck. Sometimes, groups of pelicans work together to herd fish into the shallows for easy feeding. Look for them on inland lakes in summer and near coastlines in winter. One of the largest North American birds, the American White Pelican is majestic in the air. The birds soar with incredible steadiness on broad, white-and-black wings. Their large heads and huge, heavy bills give them a prehistoric look. On the water they dip their pouched bills to scoop up fish, or tip-up like an oversized dabbling duck. Sometimes, groups of pelicans work together to herd fish into the shallows for easy feeding. Look for them on inland lakes in summer and near coastlines in winter.
Size & Shape
A huge waterbird with very broad wings, a long neck, and a massive bill that gives the head a unique, long shape. They have thick bodies, short legs, and short, square tails. During the breeding season, adults grow an unusual projection or horn on the upper mandible near the tip of the bill.
Color Pattern
Adult American White Pelicans are snowy white with black flight feathers visible only when the wings are spread. A small patch of ornamental feathers on the chest can become yellow in spring. The bill and legs are yellow-orange. Immatures are mostly white as well, but the head, neck, and back are variably dusky.
Behavior
American White Pelicans feed from the water’s surface, dipping their beaks into the water to catch fish and other aquatic organisms. They often upend, like a very large dabbling duck, in this process. They do not plunge-dive the way Brown Pelicans do. They are superb soarers (they are among the heaviest flying birds in the world) and often travel long distances in large flocks by soaring. When flapping, their wingbeats are slow and methodical.
Habitat
American White Pelicans typically breed on islands in shallow wetlands in the interior of the continent. They spend winters mainly on coastal waters, bays, and estuaries, or a little distance inland.
Dr. Omar Yaghi is a chemist who does not simply study materials, he reimagines them. Awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his pioneering work in metal organic frameworks (MOFs), Yaghi has opened entirely new frontiers in materials science, transforming our ability to capture, store, and manipulate molecules with unprecedented precision. A professor at UC Berkeley, he has spent decades refining these intricate, highly porous structures, finding within them the potential to address some of humanity’s most urgent challenges, from water harvesting in arid climates to large scale carbon capture.
I photographed Yaghi on January 7, 2025, at Lattimer Hall at Berkeley. His office, long and narrow, was filled with delicate molecular models, three dimensional blueprints of his life’s work. The space itself felt like an extension of his mind, precise, methodical, and brimming with possibility. In our conversation, it became clear that for Yaghi, chemistry is not merely a field of study but a language, one in which he speaks fluently, exploring the fundamental structures of nature and reshaping them for human benefit.
As we wandered through his labs, we discussed the staggering potential of MOFs in decarbonization. Yaghi does not dwell in abstractions; he envisions molecular scale solutions operating at planetary scale. Could a network of MOF based facilities extract carbon from the atmosphere, reversing the relentless tide of emissions? He believes so. Could these same structures harvest water from dry air, providing clean drinking water in even the most arid environments? He has already demonstrated it.
Yaghi embodies the rare balance of theoretical brilliance and real world application. He moves fluidly between molecular models and global impact, driven by a conviction that chemistry is not only about understanding the natural world but about reshaping it for the better. With his characteristic enthusiasm and precision, he continues to push the limits of what is possible. His work does not sit in textbooks or laboratories alone, it is out in the world, altering the very fabric of our future.
CANOGA PARK- The Los Angeles Fire Department battled a Major Emergency Structure Fire in the west San Fernando Valley on Monday, October 18, 2021.
The fire at 8423 Canoga Avenue in Canoga Park, was first noted at 12:18 PM by an LAFD Paramedic Ambulance crew returning from a nearby emergency. Within moments of their reporting the fire, flames were through the roof of the 125' x 125' one-story industrial building that also housed an adjoining but unrelated business at 8425 Canoga Avenue.
As that first-arriving LAFD Paramedic crew circled the structure to gain situational awareness and guide fellow responders, they encountered the first of three adult male civilians with severe burn injuries outside the burning building. Two proved to be in critical condition and the other in serious condition. All three were taken to area hospitals. Sadly, one of the critically injured men died later while undergoing hospital care.
The rapid spread of intense flames and multiple explosions heard within the building guided first-arriving firefighters to quickly commence defensive operations, applying multiple large diameter hose streams from the exterior, including two from atop extended aerial ladders, to prevent flames from extending beyond the well involved structure.
With the exception of a forty square-foot section of the roof at 8427 Canoga Avenue destroyed by surface fire, the tactics proved successful in holding the blaze to the pair of unrelated businesses under one roof at 8423 and 8425 Canoga Avenue.
It took 150 Los Angeles Firefighter just 75 minutes to extinguish the flames.
Firefighters remained active through the night extinguishing hotspots and minimizing hazards at the structurally compromised building with the help of LAFD's robotic firefighting vehicle and heavy equipment.
At daylight Tuesday, LAFD crews resumed a systematic search within the largely destroyed premises. During their methodical search among tons of burnt debris inside the structure, firefighters discovered the remains of an adult male, bringing the overall patient count to four, with a total of two deceased and two remaining hospitalized.
No other injuries were reported.
Scientific testing of materials inside the building of fire origin yielded positive results for hemp, and it appears that the operation inside involved the extraction from hemp, not dissimilar to that used in the Butane Honey Oil extraction process.
Though the business was a legal enterprise, the operation inside appeared to be illegal, as it did not adhere to established permitting processes and safety requirements.
Pursuant to protocol, the fire's cause remains the focus of a joint active investigation by the Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force (L.A. Impact).
A positive identification of the dead men, as well as the cause, time and manner of their death will be determined by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner.
© Photo by Mike Meadows
LAFD Incident 101821-0791
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On June 10, 1944, Waffen SS soldiers carried out a military operation against the civilian population of the small town of Oradour-sur-Glane, in Central France. They methodically massacred all the residents they rounded up and destroyed the entire town with fire and explosives. In all, 642 men, women and children were killed. The operation had no strategic or tactical value and was therefore mostly gratuitous. The decision was made immediately after the war to preserve the entire village as it was found by survivors and rescuers. It stands today as its own memorial to all of its victims. I visited it on the anniversary of the massacre on June 10, 2017 and was greatly moved by the experience.
Not a fish at all (fast fish is a Moby Dick reference, the chapter Fast-fish and Loose-fish, a great chapter for students to write an essay about, no AI please) this is a Northern Right Whale Dolphin, Lissodelphis borealis. They lack the dorsal fin seen on other species of dolphin and porpoise, and they do not whistle like the other dolphins, instead communicating with clicks. Is that sleek shape fast? Oh, yes, 30 mph at a gallop, no problem. Their range is restricted to a band of temperate mid-latitude Pacific water, but, due to their speed and shy nature, there are many aspects of their lives that are not known. It is known that thousands are killed every year in the giant drift nets of Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese and Chinese deep ocean fishing fleets, by-catch that is discarded. The Chinese fleet alone is methodically emptying the the world’s oceans of fish with no regard to catch limits or fishing methods - www.economist.com/international/2022/12/08/chinas-deep-wa...
Dave's been working on the property next door for over 6 months now. An amazing craftsman, he's methodical, diligent, and finely skilled. According to him he's also been "Builder to the Stars", having designed and constructed multi-million dollar homes and business' around the world for a number of rich & famous folk. Oh the stories! Based on his work I can imagine all of them being so.
This picture is #04 in my 100 Strangers Project. Find out more about the project and see other pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr group page.
The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death are a series of nineteen (twenty were originally constructed) intricately designed dollhouse-style dioramas created by Frances Glessner Lee (1878–1962), a pioneer in forensic science. Glessner Lee used her inheritance to establish a department of legal medicine at Harvard Medical School in 1936, and donated the first of the Nutshell Studies in 1946 for use in lectures on the subject of crime scene investigation. In 1966, the department was dissolved, and the dioramas went to the Maryland Medical Examiner’s Office in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. where they are on permanent loan and still used for forensic seminars.
The dioramas are detailed representations of death scenes that are composites of actual cases, created by Glessner Lee on a 1 inch to 1 foot (1:12) scale. She attended autopsies to ensure accuracy, and her attention to detail extended to having a wall calendar include the pages after the month of the incident, constructing openable windows, and wearing out-of-date clothing to obtain realistically worn fabric. The dioramas show tawdry and, in many cases, disheveled living spaces very different from Glessner Lee's own background. The dead include prostitutes and victims of domestic violence.
Glessner Lee called them the Nutshell Studies because the purpose of a forensic investigation is said to be to "convict the guilty, clear the innocent, and find the truth in a nutshell." Students were instructed to study the scenes methodically—Glessner Lee suggested moving the eyes in a clockwise spiral—and draw conclusions from the visual evidence. At conferences hosted by Glessner Lee, prominent crime-scene investigators were given 90 minutes to study each diorama.
A good thing continues
Some six months ago, I posted almost 100 images and a few thoughts I felt were missing from the many existing RX1 reviews. The outpouring of support and interest in that article was very gratifying. When I published, I had used the camera for six full months, enough time to come to a view of its strengths and weaknesses and to produce a small portfolio of good images, but not enough time to see the full picture (pun intended). In the following six months, I have used the camera at least as frequently as in the first six and have produced another small set of good images. It should be noted that my usage of the RX1 in the last six (and especially in the last 3) months has involved less travel and more time with the family and around the house; I will share relatively few of these images but will spend some time sharing my impressions of its functionality for family snapshots as I am sure there is some interest. And let it be said here: one of the primary motivations to purchase the camera was to take more photos with the family, and after one full year I can confidently say: money well spent.
The A7/r game-changer?
In the past six months, Sony have announced and released two full-frame, interchangeable lens cameras that clearly take design cues from the RX1: the A7 and the A7r. These cameras are innovative and highly capable and, as such, are in the midst of taking the photography world by storm. I think they are compelling enough cameras that I wonder whether Sony is wasting its energy continuing to develop further A-mount cameras. Sony deserve credit for a bold strategy—many companies would have been content to allow the success of the the RX1 (and RX1R) generate further sales before pushing further into the white space left unexplored by camera makers with less ambition.This is not the place to detail the relative advantages and disadvantages of the RX1 versus the A7/r except to make the following point. I currently use a Nikon D800 and an RX1: were I to sell both and purchase the A7r + 35mm f/2.8 I would in many ways lose nothing by way of imaging capability or lens compatibility but would pocket the surplus $1250-1750. Indeed this loyal Nikon owner thought long and hard about doing so, which speaks to the strategic importance of these cameras for a company trying to make inroads into a highly concentrated market.Ultimately, I opted to hang onto the two cameras I have (although this decision is one that I revisit time and time again) and continue to use them as I have for the past year. Let me give you a quick flavor of why.
The RX1 is smaller and more discrete
This is a small a point, but my gut reaction to the A7/r was: much smaller than the D800, not as small as the RX1. The EVF atop the A7/r and the larger profile of interchangeable mount lenses means that I would not be able to slip the A7/r into a pocket the way I can the RX1. Further, by virtue of using the EVF and its loud mechanical shutter, the A7/r just isn’t as stealthy as the RX1. Finally, f/2 beats the pants off of f/2.8 at the same or smaller size.At this point, some of you may be saying, “Future Sony releases will allow you to get a body without an EVF and get an f/2 lens that has a slimmer profile, etc, etc.” And that’s just the point: to oversimplify things, the reason I am keeping my RX1 is that Sony currently offers something close to an A7 body without a built-in EVF and with a slimmer profile 35mm f/2.
The D800 has important functional advantages
On the other side of the spectrum, the AF speed of the A7/r just isn’t going to match the D800, especially when the former is equipped with a Nikon lens and F-mount adapter. EVFs cannot yet match the experience of looking through the prism and the lens (I expect they will match soon, but aren’t there yet). What’s more, I have made such an investment in Nikon glass that I can’t yet justify purchasing an adapter for a Sony mount or selling them all for Sony’s offerings (many of which aren’t to market yet).Now, all of these are minor points and I think all of them disappear with an A8r, but they add up to something major: I have two cameras very well suited to two different types of shooting, and I ask myself if I gain or lose by getting something in between—something that wasn’t quite a pocket shooter and something that was quite a DSLR? You can imagine, however, that if I were coming to the market without a D800 and an RX1, that my decision would be far different: dollar for dollar, the A7/r would be a no-brainer.During the moments when I consider selling to grab an A7r, I keep coming back to a thought I had a month or so before the RX1 was announced. At that time I was considering something like the NEX cameras with a ZM 21mm f/2.8 and I said in my head, “I wish someone would make a carry-around camera with a full frame sensor and a fixed 35mm f/2.8 or f/2.” Now you understand how attractive the RX1 is to me and what a ridiculously high bar exists for another camera system to reach.
Okay, so what is different from the last review?
For one, I had an issue with the camera’s AF motor failing to engage and giving me an E61:00 error. I had to send it out to Sony for repairs (via extended warranty and service plan). I detailed my experience with Sony Service here [insert link] and I write to you as a very satisfied customer. That is to say, I have 3 years left on a 4 year + accidental damage warranty and I feel confident enough in that coverage to say that I will have this beauty in working order for at least another 3 years.For two, I’ve spent significantly less time thinking of this camera as a DSLR replacement and have instead started to develop a very different way of shooting with it. The activation barrier to taking a shot with my D800 is quite high. Beyond having to bring a large camera wherever you go and have it in hand, a proper camera takes two hands and full attention to produce an image. I shoot slowly and methodically and often from a tripod with the D800. In contrast, I can pull the RX1 out, pop off the lens cap, line up and take a shot with one hand (often with a toddler in the other). This fosters a totally different type of photography.
My “be-there” camera
The have-everywhere camera that gives DSLR type controls to one-handed shooting lets me pursue images that happen very quickly or images that might not normally meet the standards of “drag-the-DSLR-out-of-the-bag.” Many of those images you’ll see on this post. A full year of shooting and I can say this with great confidence: the RX1 is a terrific mash-up of point-and-shoot and DSLR not just in image quality and features, but primarily in the product it helps me create. To take this thinking a bit further: I find myself even processing images from the RX1 differently than I would from my DSLR. So much so that I have strongly considered starting a tumblr and posting JPEGs directly from the RX1 via my phone or an iPad rather than running the bulk of them through Lightroom, onto Flickr and then on the blog (really this is just a matter of time, stay tuned, and those readers who have experience with tumblr, cloud image storage and editing, etc, etc, please contact me, I want to pick your brain).Put simply, I capture more spontaneous and beautiful “moments” than I might have otherwise. Photography is very much an exercise in “f/8 and be there,” and the RX1 is my go-to “be there” camera.
The family camera
I mentioned earlier that I justified the purchase of the RX1 partly as a camera to be used to document the family moments into which a DSLR doesn’t neatly fit. Over the past year I’ve collected thousands and thousands of family images with the RX1. The cold hard truth is that many of those photos could be better if I’d taken a full DSLR kit with me to the park or the beach or the grocery store each time. The RX1 is a difficult camera to use on a toddler (or any moving subject for that matter); autofocus isn’t as fast as a professional DSLR, it’s difficult to perfectly compose via an LCD (especially in bright sunlight), but despite these shortcomings, it’s been an incredibly useful family camera. There are simply so many beautiful moments where I had the RX1 over my shoulder, ready to go that whatever difficulties exist relative to a DSLR, those pale in comparison to the power of it’s convenience. The best camera is the one in your hand.
Where to go from here.
So what is the value of these RX1 going forward, especially in a world of the A7/r and it’s yet-to-be-born siblings without an EVF and a pancake lens? Frankly, at its current price (which is quite fair when you consider the value of the the body and the lens) I see precious little room for an independent offering versus a mirrorless, interchangeable lens system with the same image quality in a package just as small. That doesn’t mean Sony won’t make an RX2 or an RX1 Mark II (have a look at it’s other product lines to see how many SKUs are maintained despite low demand). Instead, I see the RX1 as a bridge that needed to exist for engineers, managers, and the market to make it to the A7/r and it’s descendants.A Facebook friend recently paid me a great compliment; he said something like, “Justin, via your blog, you’ve sold a ton of RX1 cameras.” Indeed, despite my efforts not to be a salesman, I think he’s right: I have and would continue to recommend this camera.The true value of the RX1 going forward is for those of us who have the thing on our shoulders; and yes, if you have an investment in and a love for a DSLR system, there’s still tremendous value in getting one, slinging it over your shoulder, and heading out into the wide, bright world; A7/r or no, this is just an unbelievably capable camera.
One of the best and most exciting of Matcham’s surviving theatres. Excellent stuccoed façade - busy and festive. Three-storeyed towers with low pyramid roofs and dormer pediments on each face, flanking a two-storeyed centre section with a columned loggia at first floor level, surmounted by a curved gable. Higher curved gable to rear wall of auditorium rising behind, with a small pediment on top.
Splendidly opulent auditorium, fitted by Matcham into the narrow shell of Rennison’s 1893 Pavilion (and the even earlier Marina). Matcham incorporated the Marina’s Belfast roof truss construction into the Gaiety reconstruction, as well as reusing a number of pieces of architectural ironmongery, including the supporting cast iron column at the rear of the stalls. The reorganisation of the volume is masterful, producing an exquisite and well equipped theatre from these old and extremely unpromising beginnings. Having never ‘benefited’ from a destructive modernisation programme the theatre is being methodically restored to its original specification. Victor Glasstone’s sympathetic refurbishment in 1978 started a process of restoration which has continued to an exemplary standard.
The theatre’s stucco façade was restored in 1995 and the words ‘Gaiety Theatre and Opera House’ highlighted in gold leaf. The original front canopy was restored to include leaded lights and four large lanterns mounted on the supporting columns of the canopy (these are very similar to the ones on the Buxton Opera House canopy).
The auditorium has two balconies, set well back from the stage, the lower one running into a range of three boxes either side with half-domed plaster canopies over, projecting beyond the face of the straight slips of the upper balcony. Rectangular proscenium opening set within a segment-headed frame. Painted tympanum with figures of putti. Magnificent ceiling with painted panels of the four seasons. The whole thickly encrusted with richly modelled Baroque plasterwork.
Restoration since the 1980s has included the re-creation of the rich box hangings and fine printed wall papers and more recently the re-introduction of the stalls barrier that once separated the front stalls from the pit. The rare painted act drop by William Hemsley was restored in 1992 and is used on a regular basis. The 16 segment stained glass rosary laylight, centered around the original gas sunburner, forms the central feature of the auditorium ceiling. It was restored in 1992 after the discovery of one of the shattered glass petals in the roof space above the auditorium. Lit from above, and enhanced with simulated gas effects from the sunburner, this feature completes one of the finest auditorium ceilings in the British Isles.
Further restoration works have included the gallery (which was retiered for cinema use in the 1950s) and front of house areas e.g. dress circle bar. The restored stage includes 2 bridges, 2 cuts with sloats, 2 corner traps, 1 grave trap and (uniquely) a fully working Corsican trap - once a common feature of the nineteenth century English wood stage but now everywhere destroyed.
The theatre is now owned by the Manx Government whose commitment to faithful restoration is particularly commendable.
[Theatres Trust]
Maker: Berenice Abbott (1898-1991)
Born: USA
Active: France/USA
Medium: book
Size: 6 3/8 in x 9 1/2 in
Location: USA
Object No. 2018.422
Shelf: MAN-1948
Publication: Little Technical Library, Ziff-Davis Publishing Company, Chicago/New York 1948
Other Collections:
Provenance: ljsstuff
Rank: 30
Notes: 124pp. B/w photos and illustrations. Berenice Abbott (1898-1991) was born in Springfield, Ohio and attended Ohio State University. In 1918 she moved to New York and then Paris in 1923 where she was introduced to Man Ray, who hired her to be his photography assistant. Despite having no experience in photography, Abbott soon started to produce her own work, eventually opening a studio of her own. In 1926, Abbott had her first solo show, featuring dynamic portraits of the artistic and literary avant-garde. Abbott had first encountered the work of Eugène Atget through Man Ray in 1925. Though Atget had been documenting Paris for three decades, he was long forgotten by the public by the time they became friends. The only known portraits of Atget were made by Abbott shortly before his death in 1927. She purchased more than 5000 negatives, glass slides, and prints of his work, returning to New York with the extensive archive she had amassed. She was fiercely dedicated to preserving Atget’s legacy over the next forty years. Abbott’s collection was ultimately acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in 1968. Upon returning to the U.S. Abbott took on commercial assignments and taught photography at the New School for Social Research. She dedicated herself to documenting New York with the methodical vigor and passion Atget had previously given to Paris, shooting its streets, buildings, parks—and of course, its people. With the support of the WPA Federal Art Project from 1935 to 1939, she created the seminal the body of work, Changing New York, an extensive socio-historical record of New York’s vanishing past as well as the construction of its modern future. The results of the project were distributed to high schools, libraries, and various public institutions throughout the metropolitan area; to this day, Changing New York serves as an invaluable record of New York’s history. Abbott then shifted her focus towards science. In the 1940s, she served as photo editor for Science Illustrated, and went on to photograph scientific principles and processes for the Physical Sciences Study Committee at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology in 1958, developing innovative techniques and mechanisms which enabled her to capture scientific phenomena. Easily her most creative and innovative work, her aesthetically elegant photographs of swinging pendulums, bouncing balls, and wave patterns lend understandable reality to the many complex concepts of physical science. In 1970, Abbott’s first major retrospective opened at the Museum of Modern Art. Her work has since been exhibited and acquired by many institutions throughout the world. Abbott lived in Maine from 1966 until her death. (source: Howard Greenberg Gallery)
To view our archive organized by Collections, visit: OUR COLLECTIONS
CANOGA PARK- The Los Angeles Fire Department battled a Major Emergency Structure Fire in the west San Fernando Valley on Monday, October 18, 2021.
The fire at 8423 Canoga Avenue in Canoga Park, was first noted at 12:18 PM by an LAFD Paramedic Ambulance crew returning from a nearby emergency. Within moments of their reporting the fire, flames were through the roof of the 125' x 125' one-story industrial building that also housed an adjoining but unrelated business at 8425 Canoga Avenue.
As that first-arriving LAFD Paramedic crew circled the structure to gain situational awareness and guide fellow responders, they encountered the first of three adult male civilians with severe burn injuries outside the burning building. Two proved to be in critical condition and the other in serious condition. All three were taken to area hospitals. Sadly, one of the critically injured men died later while undergoing hospital care.
The rapid spread of intense flames and multiple explosions heard within the building guided first-arriving firefighters to quickly commence defensive operations, applying multiple large diameter hose streams from the exterior, including two from atop extended aerial ladders, to prevent flames from extending beyond the well involved structure.
With the exception of a forty square-foot section of the roof at 8427 Canoga Avenue destroyed by surface fire, the tactics proved successful in holding the blaze to the pair of unrelated businesses under one roof at 8423 and 8425 Canoga Avenue.
It took 150 Los Angeles Firefighter just 75 minutes to extinguish the flames.
Firefighters remained active through the night extinguishing hotspots and minimizing hazards at the structurally compromised building with the help of LAFD's robotic firefighting vehicle and heavy equipment.
At daylight Tuesday, LAFD crews resumed a systematic search within the largely destroyed premises. During their methodical search among tons of burnt debris inside the structure, firefighters discovered the remains of an adult male, bringing the overall patient count to four, with a total of two deceased and two remaining hospitalized.
No other injuries were reported.
Scientific testing of materials inside the building of fire origin yielded positive results for hemp, and it appears that the operation inside involved the extraction from hemp, not dissimilar to that used in the Butane Honey Oil extraction process.
Though the business was a legal enterprise, the operation inside appeared to be illegal, as it did not adhere to established permitting processes and safety requirements.
Pursuant to protocol, the fire's cause remains the focus of a joint active investigation by the Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force (L.A. Impact).
A positive identification of the dead men, as well as the cause, time and manner of their death will be determined by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner.
© Photo by Mike Meadows
LAFD Incident 101821-0791
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Date of Interview: November 9, 1929 (2014)
Interviewer: Zoe Foodiboo
Interviewee(s): Alexandra “Sasa” Steigerwald
Location: Home of Sasa Steigerwald, Mittelstrasse Hof 1e, 1920s Berlin Project (owned and managed by Frau Jo Yardley), Second Life.
Abstract: Fraulein Steigerwald has been a part of the 1920s Berlin Community for nearly 3 years. She’s one of the regular girls at the Herrenclub and is a dancer (and founding member) of the dance troupe, The Flapperettes. In this interview, Frl. Steigerwald shares memories of her early days in Berlin, reminisces about the founding of the Flapperettes, and talks about her work as both an actress and model. She also spends some OOC (out of character) time discussing her roleplay methodology and her thoughts on Berlin’s past and future. Other tenants mentioned in this interview include: Frau Jo Yardley, Patrice Courneyer, Pola Solo, Mab Ashdene, Zeno McAuley, Dora Duchamp, BJ Boberg, Tequila Mockingbird, Jelena Matova, Sein Loire, Nik Darkwatch, Walter Gedenspire, Morganic Clarrington, Adele Kling, EC Moleno, Bruno Bonj, Charika Bauer, Augusta von Nassau, Rosemary and Gustov Chesnokov, Karl Bhalti, Luzie Cheng, and Florence “Flossie” Bradshaw.
**********
Sasa Steigerwald: well this is my place
Zoe Foodiboo settles into the couch and sneaks looks around
ZF: You have a lovely home, Fraulein Steigerwald. Well then, where shall we begin?
SS: let's begin with the beginning. or the end
ZF: The beginning will do....
Zoe pulls out a pad and pencil, wishing for the umpteenth time that she could afford an assistant to take notes…
Sasa leans over to let her cigarette ashes fall into the ashtray
Zoe quickly rummages in her purse, fishes out a cigarette, then settles back into her seat
SS: so what do you want to know?
Zoe clears her throat, "Ah well....let's see....how is it that you came to Berlin?"
SS: Well, I grew up in a large mansion outside Berlin, in Potsdam, so I've always been close to Berlin. And from early on, I knew that Berlin was the place where things happen...when Potsdam was choking me to death by boredom.
Zoe jots down a few notes, "mmmhmmm....Potsdam....mmmhmmm….”
SS: so I decided to move here two years and nine months ago. It was in February 1927. My family had other plans for me.
Zoe Foodiboo: Oh?
SS: First of all, when I showed that I wasn't happy with my life there, my mother wanted me to join a monastery and become a nun.
I did not want that at all …. No way.
Zoe nods thoughtfully
SS: It was such a boring childhood there...no emotions..no signs of affection. Just keeping up the appearance. Snobbery. I left when I could. Any kind of life would be better than that life.
Zoe nods, "Did you know anyone here? Where did you stay when you first arrived?"
SS: I was lucky to find a small smelly basement apartment at Bruderstrasse. And no not really, I didn't know anyone.
Zoe wrinkles her nose ever so slightly at the mention of Bruderstrasse.
SS: But I quickly got some friends.
ZF: Was it easy making friends? Where did you spend your time when you first arrived? And whom did you meet?
SS: I tried to actually spend some time at the library, but I got bored. Sorry.
Zoe smiles, initially pleased....then frowns
SS: so I ended up at the places where people meet and I got to meet my neighbors. I met Charika [Bauer], Augusta [von Nassau], Karl [Bhalti], the Chesnokovs [Rosemary and Gustov Chesnokov] and then I met Flossie [Bradshaw], wherever she is now…
ZF: Flossie!
SS: I also met and got to know BJ Boberg [Bror Jacob Boberg, artist name BJ Blue], the musician and songwriter - he was also new in Berlin then. He didn't have a place to live so I let him sleep on my rug for some weeks.
Zoe jots down "Flossie....Herr Boberg....staying with you? Unchaperoned? oh my...interesting! Were your parents still supporting you at this point? Financially, I mean.
SS: I brought some savings with me - that money I was never allowed to touch. And anyway that apartment was so cheap, so anyone could afford it
Zoe nods
SS: my parents did not want me to stay here at all, in this sinful place. Especially moving from the mansion to the small smelly apartment next to Club Eldorado. "Undignified" ::mimics her mother's frowning:: Such boring Potsdam upper class nitwits … anyway, then I got in touch with Pola [Solo], since I realised I needed some sort of income. And I started working for the Herrenclub
ZF: Ah, Fraulein Solo....Tell me a little about your first days working there.
SS: I thought I could do a good job there, since men were starting to hit on me since I got to Berlin.
ZF: Naturally. You're very pretty.
SS: Well she told me the rules, what to do and what not to do, and I got my first client the same day.
ZF: Rules? What sort of rules?
SS: The wachtmeisters tend to leave us alone as long as we don't openly solicit - walking up to people and offering our service openly - we can't do that. Such double standards…
Zoe arches an eyebrow
SS: also, I'm forbidden to talk about my clients with anyone outside the Herrenclub.
ZF: Darn. I mean....errr....of course!
SS: They have to trust my discretion. Or I am at least not allowed to mention any names.
ZF: What's it like working for Fraulein Solo and Fraulein [Mab] Ashdene?
SS: They are fine. At least towards those who work hard and bring in a lot of money.
ZF: You must do very well....
Sasa shrugs, “Well, one has to do what one has to do. There are so many things I can't do, but that I can and I do well. Like a one trick pony.”
Zoe Foodiboo gazes at Sasa curiously but decides not to further pursue it, lest she find herself in dangerously indiscrete waters
Sasa lights another cigarette
ZF: Now then, working at the Herrenclub isn't your only job...tell me about the Flapperettes. How did that all start?
SS: Yeah the flaps. That started with me seeing an ad written by Zeno McAuley. He wanted to start a dance troupe that he could manage.
ZF: Herr McAuley....we do miss him so.
SS: yeah, we do, but it was his idea to start it all, and me and Adele [Kling] were the first ones who auditioned. And later the same day Dora [Duchamp], Tequila [Mockingbird] and Luzie [Cheng] had joined.
ZF: What was the audition process like?
SS: It was more or less showing some dance moves. Nothing too exciting. Our first common practise was at the football field.
ZF: Fun! Tell me about that.
SS: well we just didn't have anywhere to go then, so we went there, and also it is the calmer part of Berlin so not that many nosey people would turn up.
Zoe chuckles
SS: our first show was at the stage at der Keller. I don't remember how many numbers we did then, maybe 3-4.
ZF: What did you wear? What were your dances like?
SS: the dress we always open with is the first costume we had, now we dance to the song Flapperette, but we had some other starting song then. And then we had a belly dance routine, and we still do that now and then.
Zoe scribbles on her pad, trying to get it all down
SS: then we have added number by number and I think we have over ten different numbers to choose between now...maybe even more. We found our roles in the group quickly anyway.
ZF: Nice! Now then, Herr McAuley is no longer involved with the Flapperettes, correct?
SS: No, Walter Gedenspire, Tequila's cousin, took over the manager role.
ZF: I see. And who does what? The roles you mentioned....
SS: Tequila is the choreographer. Dora is the administrator ... is that the right word?
Zoe nods, "Sounds about right."
SS: Jelena [Matova] who just have joined is in charge of the photographing. We all help with the stage changes. Teki [Tequila] also creates the stage backdrops. My main task up until now has been to make sure the egos get along and don't start fighting during the rehearsals.
ZF: That sounds like quite a job.
SS: The roles are changing a bit now, we're all trying new things within the group.
ZF: How often do you perform and where?
SS: We perform between 3-5 shows every year, and we've mostly been in Berlin but we have been abroad too on shorter tours, we've been in Paris for instance.
ZF: Lovely!
SS: yeah
ZF: Did your fame as a Flapperette help inspire Herr Boberg's song & accompanying film?
SS: Actually, it's funny that you mentioned him, since he is the one who suggested the name The Flapperettes
ZF: Is that true? Interesting!
SS: and we had two different suggestions and voted. Iit was 2-2 before I voted, and I voted for Flapperettes
ZF: May I ask what the other suggestions were?
SS: Actually i don't remember but it was long, silly and altogether horrible.
Zoe grins
SS: I was ready to fight for the name "The Flapperettes" but I didn't need to.
ZF: Excellent.
SS: but you mentioned BJ's song.
ZF: Ah yes. So how did the song evolve...."Lipstick something?"
SS: Do you mean "Lipstick on her knee"?
ZF: yes, that's it.
SS: You have to ask him about that, but he came up to me and said that he wanted to make a short movie to accompany a tango that he had written and recorded with his trio. Since the song had a story about a young dancer with blonde short hair, he thought I would be perfect for the role.
ZF: Makes sense
SS: so we spent around a day shooting the film out in the Berlin streets and at his apartment at Friedrichstrasse. He had a lot of patience actually.
ZF: All in one day? Nice! ...a lot of patience?
SS: I think he had filmed parts of the film before, parts where I wasn't in the film. Oh yeah, we filmed a bit at the Odeon theatre too.
ZF: sounds like quite a project!
SS: yeah well acting is not that easy. Walk here, walk there, look happy, look sad, hug him, kiss him, frown, flirt, take off your clothes...all that
Zoe blinks surprised, then rearranges her face into placidity
SS: and we had to make sure we stood in some different angles so we didn't show too much on the film. But the result was fine.
ZF: You were also photographed for a calendar, weren't you? I seem to remember seeing something in the window of the apotheke last year....
SS: yeah I was asked to take part of that. And I was told to dress a bit sailor-like and have my photos taken at the apotheke since it was also an advert for Clarrington's apotheke. So I had around 12-14 photos taken there.
Zoe nods
SS: and one of them was chosen for the calendar.
ZF: Who was the photographer?
SS: a local photographer, I forgot his name.
ZF: And was it Frl Duchamp who was in charge of publishing the calendar?
SS: Yeah. Dora's always in charge. ::winks::
Zoe smiles diplomatically
SS: … and anyway I've been doing some freelance modeling to keep the money coming in …
ZF: Oh?
SS: I got these pictures sent to me by a photographer this morning
::points at the two black and white photographs at the table in front of them::
Zoe follows Sasa’s gaze and leans in to take a look...then immediately pulls back, startled
SS: yeah well it pays well
Zoe stammers, "oh my.....you're...I....ummmmm....."
Sasa smiles "Yeah, he wants me that way"
Zoe tries to quickly think of something pleasant to say, "Nude photography can be very artful. er, artsy. I mean, artistic....um...yes. Well." ::clumsily reaches for a glass on the table and pours herself a drink::
Sasa shrugs
Zoe gulps her drink down, then clears her throat, "What else do you get up to in Berlin? I think I've seen you out on the football field on my way to work.” ::clears her throat again:: “Clothed.”
Sasa laughs loudly “Yeah, I’ve been at the football field clothed. I love sports. Been both wrestling with EC [Moleno] and fencing with Bruno [Bonj] and I think Sein [Loire] tried to play football with us”
ZF: Very nice uniforms!
SS: Me and Patrice [Cournoyer] share a deep interest for football. Patrice made those uniforms and I provided some research for them. Anyway, I like athletes as well.
ZF mutters "I'm sure you do..."
SS: … and we both had some fun playing football down at the field…
ZF: Do you have a regular team?
SS: I don't know how regular I would say it is. We have played some games with friends who have joined. The team is called Hertha Berlin.
ZF: You played against some men once, didn't you?
SS: We were going to organize some games last summer but we had trouble with the owners of the field...but we played some games two summers ago. We played one game me and Pat against a team consisting of two guys and we won, mainly because Patrice was brilliant.
ZF: Nice! Who were the men?
SS: oh let's see...one of them was a guy who later was forced away from Berlin - don't remember his name - and the other one hasn't been in Berlin for a long time now.
Zoe nods
SS: Alas I can't recall his name either
ZF: What a shame
Sasa wrinkles her forehead, “No, I can't remember”
ZF: You've built quite a life for yourself here in Berlin. Is there anything we're leaving out?
SS: you mean the juicy bits?
Zoe giggles
SS: I like to be around people. And I want people to like me. I don't know, but I really want affection, maybe because I didn't get much of it when I was a kid. Maybe that is why I dislike that old upper class twit kind of life.
Zoe nods thoughtfully
SS: and anyway, I have sometimes made some bad decisions when it comes to relationships …
ZF: Haven't we all?
SS: but I guess one gets stronger from that. Dating that communist Nik [Darkwatch] almost got me shot. But yeah, we all have -
it's part of life
Sasa stretches a bit in her chair and wipes some dust from her bathrobe.
ZF: So it is…
SS: and anyway I try to keep it all on the inside, just to show the quirky, happy, flirty, witty Sasa
ZF: We love it all.
Sasa frowns and blows out some cigarette smoke.
SS: yeah, that's the "Sasa" we love. So that's what I do. But I keep making the same mistakes over and over and over again...if they are mistakes.
Zoe listens
SS: anyway, it means that there are some that aren't that keen on me here, they look down on the life i live, but it's the life I know how to live.
ZF: We all must do our best.
SS: ...and that I'm good at.
Zoe smiles, “Now then, for the folks living in the "real" world....tell me, how did you discover the 1920s Berlin project?”
SS: I had a fairly new computer and I had read about SL so I tried it, explored different sims that were presented on the SL website. And then I read about the 1920s Berlin Project, and I was amazed that it seemed to be such a lively place unlike so many nice sims filled with bots. I like the social interaction, meeting people and talking to them. I bought a yellow flapper dress from Pola Solo's store and started exploring Berlin, I sat silently by a table at Der Keller and listened to the talk . I was like a grey silent mouse, if you can imagine that, and slowly but surely I realised what kind of role I could play here.
ZF: That's a good way to go about it and learn the social customs of a new place.
SS: yes, the first time I danced in Berlin, it was Morganic Clarrington to asked me for a dance
ZF: awww
SS: probably because he felt sorry for the silent girl wearing a huge beret :D
ZF: heh
SS: it took around two months actually before i got my character right, and even longer before I started to understand her :D
ZF: Did you do any research for your character?
SS: yes
ZF: tell me about that
SS: first of all about the Weimar Republic, just reading the articles at the library helps a lot. Then unlike my SL character, I'm very methodical, and I actually got some inspiration from some RL characters. and also from my RL profession.
Zoe nods
SS: I'm a psychiatric nurse in RL (not too flattering for Sasa that I have borrowed features from patients I've met)
ZF: heh - that's rather perfect, actually.
SS: Yes, I know my character's fears and secret thoughts. But I can't always control her. :D She hates authorities since they remind her of her strict upbringing. So when people tell her/orders her to do a thing she refuses just for the sake of it. She can be very obstinate and she is a bit childish that way. She is very afraid of being abandoned but she is also afraid of showing her true feelings. When she gets bored she may cause mayhem just for her own entertainment and sometimes she use other people for that, and that’s not a nice feature at all.
ZF: Tell me about your approach to roleplay.
SS: I'm not good at long paragraphs. I prefer to let people understand Sasa through what she says.
Zoe nods
SS: And what her avatars does, there's no need for long descriptions.
Also, it's difficult to be witty if one has to formulate a long paragraph because it has to come out quickly. Sasa has a quick tongue, and that does not fit well with long paragraphs.
Zoe nods in agreement, “Sasa is known for her zingers”
SS: That is probably where she is most like my real self.
ZF: Awesome. I sometimes crack up at my screen after some clever remark you've made :)
SS: Of course since one cannot script it, Sasa just says it without thinking. I often would stop myself in RL because I think the remark is too silly. Also, sometimes Sasa has been asked to use that quick wit during shows with the Flapperettes, but it’s not that easy. When one is asked to be witty, it becomes very tricky.
ZF: So rp-ing Sasa affords you a little freedom?
SS: Yes I think so
ZF: You said you've been here for almost 3 years? How has the sim changed since you first arrived, if at all? Aside from all the wonderful meshing :)
SS: It has grown first of all.
ZF: oh, true!
SS: People have come and gone and sometimes got back. Just like in real life you can't take it for granted that people will stay forever.
ZF: so true....
SS: Some who I have been close to have disappeared. And some have returned. When I was new, I got the impression that there were fewer people who organized things, but they organized more things. Like Zeno.
Zoe nods
SS: When he left it created a sort of a hole when it came to organized events, before others started to take over and help each other organizing. And it is better that more people are active with that. I haven't organized anything though.
ZF: You're so active, though!
SS: I'm not an organizer really.
ZF: You do help organize, even if you're not leading the project.
SS: I'm not that creative. I don't come up with that many ideas, and those I come up with aren’t that new. But I think I bring some colour at least.
ZF: oh pish, I think you're extremely creative. Your rp skills contribute a lot to the atmosphere, imho.
Sasa smiles
ZF: Do you have any hopes as far as the future of Berlin? or predictions?
SS: As long as the community is active it will keep strong, but I don't know how much more it can grow
Zoe nods
SS: but then I didn't expect the homesteads
ZF: Gosh, I just love the homesteads
SS: The thing I'm thinking is that if Frau [Jo] Yardley goes on to create the next project, that London sim, it's a risk that she will start compete with herself
ZF: She will need a lot of help…
SS: anyway we all know that nothing lasts forever, and who knows how long SL will exist. But if that is not a problem, I think it will continue to be strong and active. But it is up to us.
ZF: Well, my final question is always the same....what do you love most about our Berlin?
SS: The people. That there are all sorts of people from different social and economic classes and that the feeling is so realistic here. Even if I know that the Berliners are real people who in many cases are very different from their avatars, this is where they can be whoever they want to be.
That's freedom.
This is the "Ngong Ping 360" cable car that transports visitors from Tung Chung MTR Station to Ngong Ping village, where the colossal Tian Tan Buddha graces the magnificent mountains and valleys of Lantau Island. The cable car is a marvelous 25-minute ride for 5.7km (3.5mi) that has, as you can see, some truly sweeping views of the island, including Hong Kong International Airport and the South China Sea. As one approaches the village, visitors can behold the Buddha, greeting you as you descend.
Construction for Ngong Ping 360 began in 2004 and officially opened to the public in November 2006.
Not only could I marvel at my surroundings, but I was in awe at the astounding ingenuity and planning that must have been so carefully and methodically executed to construct and provide this service for visitors. Chinese architecture and design are *remarkable* artforms.
A storm clears the Friendship and the nearby Pedrick House. This building is the original building that was built in 1770 in Salem and at some time moved to Marblehead. In 2003 a local historian noted that this was not a building orignally in Marblehead but a Salem building. The park service managed to get the building transferred to them and Salem and then a labor of love began as it was taken apart very methodically and brought to Salem. It was then piece by piece put back together and it sits much as it had in the 1700s.
Bill Mason Centre, Dunrobin, Ottawa ON
Wilson’s Snipe live in muddy pond edges, damp fields, and other wet, open habitats. Typically these contain thick, low vegetation into which these well-camouflaged birds can disappear.
Wilson’s Snipes are medium-sized, pudgy shorebirds with short, stocky legs. The bill is straight and very long (several times the length of the head).
Wilson’s Snipes forage by methodically probing in muddy ground for earthworms and other invertebrates. Their heads move up and down somewhat like a sewing machine running at slow speed.
Snowy Egrets are a lot of fun to watch when they are fishing. Unlike their larger counterpart, the Great Egret, the Snowy Egret moves around in what appears to be quick, frantic movements while they fish. The Great Egrets tend to stay in one place and have a much more patient, methodical manner of fishing. One of the more striking characteristic differences is that Snowy Egrets have yellow feet and black bills while the Great Egrets have black feet and yellow bills. From my 7-18-2009 trip to Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Oceanville, NJ.
For more information on the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, visit their web site at www.fws.gov/northeast/forsythe/.
For more information on Snowy Egrets, visit the Cornelll Lab Of Ornithology.
Much better viewed Large
The Inner City eagle was a methodical eater. It ate the pigeon's legs individually, both like this. It looks like the eagle might spit out the leg here, but it was just getting the angle right. It did the same with the pigeon's intestines. Some raptors discard them and I thought this one was in the process of doing so several times, but it just wanted to get the angle right before they went down the hatch. In the end, nothing remained of the pigeon other than plucked feathers.
Patron of Art Homage to Napoléon Bonaparte Limited Edition 4810 Fountain Pen M
CAD$4,200.00 plus 13% HST.
An excellent Flickr Album:
www.flickr.com/photos/cyrillem/albums/72157719039923930
Napoléon is mainly remembered for his military achievements, but he was a true patron of the arts. His glory lives on in the great ‘architecture parlante’ style of the famous Parisian structures built during his reign. In addition to architecture, other arts such as painting, sculpture and the decorative arts also blossomed under his leadership.
The overall design of the pen is inspired by the neoclassic style. The pattern of golden bees on dark blue lacquer is inspired by Napoléon’s throne in Fontainebleau, and the sword-shaped clip bears the Napoléonic “N”. The engravings on the cap top – a laurel wreath, imperial crown and an eagle – refer to Napoléon’s coronation insignia. The clip end is decorated with a red stone recalling the coronation ring of Napoleon’s wife Joséphine.The cap is crowned by the Montblanc Emblem in precious resin.
In homage to Napoléon Bonaparte, the handcrafted 18kt solid gold nib bears a portrait of Napoléon with the typical bicorn.
Golden Bees importance: CLICK on links to see his Golden Bee images. *********
www.geriwalton.com/the-importance-of-bees-to-napoleon-bon...
www.hhantiquejewelry.com/napoleon-bees-jewelry-tomb-child...
The Importance of Bees to Napoleon Bonaparte
By Geri Walton | February 8, 2019 | 1
The importance of bees to Napoleon Bonaparte became obvious when he decided to adopt this ancient symbol older than the fleur-de-lys. Supposedly, when Napoleon thought about wearing the imperial purple, he decided to adopt the bee based on the following story:
“It was a custom in France, during its early and barbarous ages, that whenever a monarch died, his horse and page were killed and buried with their master, that they might be in ready attendance upon him in the next world. In the year 1658, the tomb of Childeric, the father of Clovis, was discovered [by the archeologist Jean-Jacques Chifflet*], and within it were found the skeleton of a man that of a horse, and part of the skeleton of a youth, concluded to be the remains of Childeric and his companions … a gold signet ring was taken from the finger of the large skeleton; upon it appeared an engraved head, having long hair flowing over the shoulders, and around it the words, ‘Childerici Regis;’ several buckles, massy gold bracelets and a gold head of an ox, supposed to be an image of the idolatrous worship of the deceased. … [In addition,] on further search in the tomb were found a purse, containing a hundred pieces of gold and two hundred pieces of silver, bearing the heads of different emperors of France; a crystal ball or orb, a pike, a battleaxe, the hand, mounting, and blade of a sword; gold tablets and style; the bit and part of the harness of a horse; fragments of a dress or robe; and more than three hundred little bees of the purest gold, their wings behind inlaid with a red stone like cornelian.”[1]
When Childeric’s tomb was discovered in 1653, Louis XIV received the treasure, but he wasn’t impressed and stored it at what later became the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. When Napoleon came to power, his advisor, Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès, suggested he adopt the bee as his personal symbol and mentioned the treasure of Childeric. Napoleon took his advisor’s advice after learning that Childeric had lived between 437 and 481 and that he founded the Merovingian dynasty. Moreover, Napoleon learned that Childeric’s symbol of the bee preceded the fleur-de-lis adopted by his son Clovis.
Besides being associated with the Merovingians, Napoleon also wanted to be associated with the Carolingians, a dynasty that reached its peak in AD 800 with the crowning of Charlemagne as the first Emperor of Romans. The spread eagle that Napoleon used on his shield came from the Carolingian founder Charlemagne and was suggested for use by by the Council Commission, made up from members of the Council of State, whose job was to oversee the coronation of Napoleon and his Empress, Josephine. They soon determined:
“Even if the arms of Charlemagne were not accurately known, it could still be pointed out … that in the time of Louis le Débonnaire, and doubtless earlier, ‘an eagle of metal was placed in the western portion of the Imperial palace at Aix, and it was always the custom of those who got possession of the palace, first of all to seize upon this eagle.’”[2]
It was also pointed out that the fleur de lys would have been inappropriate alongside the Carolingian symbol of the eagle, another reason for selecting the bee. Moreover, some in the Council Commission erroneously suggested that the fleur-de-lys were just badly drawn bees. One twentieth-century historian noted:
“The fleurs de lys which had been sown broadcast on the carpets, hangings, and insignia of the Capetian kings would have been scarcely suitable to match with the eagles. Besides, they belonged to the old order of things which was to be forgotten. It was necessary to choose some plant or animal from the heraldic flora or fauna which could be adopted in the place of the fleur de lys, and was yet known to French historical tradition. As nothing suitable of this kind could be found in the Age of Charlemagne, it was necessary to search farther back. … [It was also] remembered that, during the sitting of the National Convention on the 3rd of Brumaire of the year IV, Daubermesnil, speaking in the name of the Committee of Public Instruction, had proposed that the emblem of the State should be a hive swarming with bees, and that it should be placed upon the front of every national building. To which Citizen Barallion had indeed objected that ‘bees were cognizance of several Kings of France of the first dynasty, such as Childebert and Chileric. Besides,’ he added, ‘bees can never be the emblem of the Republic, for is it not well known that they all pay court to a queen?’ The convention was struck with this merry quip, and rejected the harmless suggestion of Daubermesnil.”[3]
Napoleon apparently ignored the idea that bees might be related to a queen and found bees an appropriate symbol for his empire. He knew illusion was power and that the bee had greater antiquity than the fleur-de-lis. He also thought because the bees were a symbol of the Merovingian kings, it would give him added legitimacy to rule as Emperor. Thus, when he was crowned, the importance of bees to Napoleon was obvious as he made sure bees appeared prominently on his coronation robes.
To aid in this, he used the best-known miniature painter Jean-Baptiste Isabey, who also happened to be a close friend of the Bonaparte family. Isabey decided the bee found with Childeric’s remains lacked detail and was too small and dense. Therefore, he developed a new larger bee created volant en arrière, or in other words, when viewed from the top its wings were partially opened.
Isabey’s bee was the one used to embellish the coronation mantles. Embroidery of the bees on the mantles cost 15,000 francs and were accomplished by Picot, embroiderer to the Emperor and the Empress. One historian gave the details of Napoleon’s mantle, stating:
“The Imperial mantle of purple velvet powdered with golden bees; in the embroidery are interlaced branches of olive, laurel and oak surrounding the letter N. The lining, the border, and the tippet are of ermine. The mantle, open on the left side, allows the sword to be seen, which is sustained by a scarf of white satin embroidered and trimmed with a cord of gold; the long robe is of white satin embroidered with gold on all the seams, the hem of the robe embroidered with a cord of gold.”[4]
The Empress was also resplendent and likewise had a mantle of purple velvet powdered with golden bees, as did the French princes. Pages wore green coats with shoulder-knots of green silk embroidered with eagles at each end and powdered with bees. Moreover, golden bees also appeared on the square purple velvet cushion that held Charlemagne’s crown. (To see the only known embroidered bee that survives, click here).
Despite the importance of bees to Napoleon, he never gave an Order in Council or officially announced the adoption of it. He also never gave a formal explanation for why he chose the bee. He did, however, make sure that the bee was an important symbol at his imperial court after he was crowned. Bees could be found embellishing clothing and fabric and were incorporated into ceramics, furniture, glass, and metalwork. One historian also reported:
“He [Napoleon] sprinkled bees liberally on his ensign as General-in-Chief, he introduced them on the borders of the Army colours, he adorned the upper portion of the escutcheons of the Grand Dignitaries and good towns with them, he powdered them over his own carpets and hangings.”[5]
The bee was so important to Napoleon, it was exclusively reserved for the imperial family, and not even dukes could use it. However, on 19 May 1802, Napoleon established a reward for civil and military merit called the Légion d’Honneur and to indicate the importance of the bee, he used a version in the medal. This was, and is, France’s highest honor, and although there were critics who thought of it as a bauble, Napoleon knew its value, stating, “It is with baubles that men are led.”[6]
After the Treaty of Fontainebleau and his exile to Elba, he designed his own flag for Elba and once again used the bee that he so cherished. Perhaps, he did so because it linked him to the imperial mantle. The flag that floated over the island had a white background with a diagonal red stripe and three golden bees in the stripe. Gloria Peria, director of the Historical Archives of the Communes of the Island of Elba, notes:
“Having chosen to give the Island of Elba three bees meant giving the island a sense of unity under his reign, even though from an administrative point of view it was divided into several Municipalities … Napoleon’s flag of Elba was immediately a great success, so much so that, according to Pons de l’Herault in his Souvenirs et Anecdotes de l’Ile d’Elbe, even the Barbaresque pirates greeted it, because they saw in it the symbol of their war hero, Napoleon, in person, as they sailed the Tyrrhenian Sea.”[7]
When Louis XVIII came to power in 1815, he methodically replaced or destroyed Napoleon’s bee with the fleur-de-lys. Ultimately, few bees from Napoleon’s reign survived Louis’ eradication. The bee seemed to all but disappear until Napoleon’s remains were returned in 1840. One newspaper reported that the car carrying Napoleon’s body was “truly magnificent,” and that on the pedestal, “on both sides hung two velvet imperial mantles, sprinkled with bees.”[8]
*Although Chifflet thought what he discovered was bees, some scholars have suggested they were cicadas, a symbol that meant both death and resurrection to the Merovingians. However, other scholars believe they were flies because flies were found on the coats of arms of families from the territories of Venice and Flanders that were once controlled by the Merovingians. If they were flies, Napoleon’s enemies would have likely got a chuckle thinking he was covered with flies rather than bees.
References:
[1] W. H. Ireland, The Napoleon anecdotes, ed. by W.H. Ireland (London: C.S. Arnold, 1822), p. 18.
[2] F. Masson, Napoleon and His Coronation, (Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1907), p. 97.
[3] Ibid., p. 98–99.
[4] Ibid, p. 314.
[5] Ibid., p. 99.
[6] B. Farwell, The Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-century Land Warfare: An Illustrated World View (New York: W.W. Norton, 2001), p. 488.
[7] “History of the flag of the Island of Elba,” Info Elba, accessed November 16, 2018, www.infoelba.com/discovering-elba/curious-facts/the-flag-...
[8] Downpatrick Recorder, “Funeral of Napoleon,” December 26, 1840, p. 1.