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Out now @ The Warehouse

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Rotten/127/109/23

 

BOM for EvoX only

Though it is modify and can be edited to fit other head UVs.

 

Gem HUD with 13 jewel options.

 

Unrigged / Modify / Copy

 

((There may be some alpha glitching with some hairs that hang low over the forehead, but I've done my best to minimize this as much as possible))

In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between. Architects often used multiple gargoyles on a building to divide the flow of rainwater off the roof to minimize the potential damage from a rainstorm. A trough is cut in the back of the gargoyle and rainwater typically exits through the open mouth.

Il Cisternone o Gran Conserva, è un monumentale serbatoio in stile neoclassico realizzato nella prima metà del XIX secolo dall'architetto Pasquale Poccianti, per l'approvvigionamento idrico di Livorno. L'esterno è costituito da un portico di otto colonne doriche ed è sovrastato da una grande nicchia a lacunari. Le finestre a feritoia che si aprono sulla facciata, sono ispirate alle terme romane ed ebbero una certa influenza architettonica su molti edifici realizzati a Livorno. Ai lati della grande cupola dimezzata dovevano essere poste due statue in marmo raffiguranti Morra e Camorra, le due sorgenti principali. L’interno è strutturato a navate sostenute da pilastri con la base immersa nelle acque che vengono qui depositate e purgate. Per mitigare al massimo le escursioni termiche l’edificio ha una doppia copertura a volte e a tetto. La cisterna poteva contenere 11.000 metri cubi d’acqua.

 

The Cisternone or Gran Conserva, is a monumental neoclassical style tank built in the first half of the 19th century by the architect Pasquale Poccianti, for the water supply of Livorno. The exterior consists of a portico of eight Doric columns and is surmounted by a large lacunar niche. The slit windows that open onto the facade are inspired by the Roman baths and had a certain architectural influence on many buildings built in Livorno. Two marble statues depicting Morra and Camorra, the two main springs, were to be placed on the sides of the large halved dome. The interior is structured with naves supported by pillars with the base immersed in the waters which are deposited and purged here. To minimize temperature variations, the building has a double vault and roof covering. The cistern could contain 11,000 cubic meters of water.

  

www.visit-livorno.it/attrazione/il-cisternone/

I joined the Flickr community back in 2014, and I wish I would have joined years before. Like just about every other aspect of the internet, it can provide information that leads to education. Because it is a photo sharing community, for me, it shares beauty and adventure…not to mention as I see where others are “getting the shot” so I can make plans to eventually go there! I have learned so much from those that I follow on Flickr, they truly have no idea how much they have elevated my passion. The downside to the internet, and Flickr is not immune to those who use it to promote their politics and perversions…easily avoided but sadly still there.

 

I probably spend an hour a day on Flickr, liking and making comments on others posts and enjoying their kindnesses on mine. I still sit in amazement when I post a photo, and a second or two later someone in India, Holland, Australia and Russia have already liked it. As one (back in my Navy days) who use to wait to hit ports to call home or receive a letter that was mailed in my direction a month earlier, my old man brain just can’t wrap itself around the speed of communication today.

 

It was probably sometime in early December that I opened Flicker to see what others had posted. One of the first photos to pop up was that of a young lady petting a horse. It was a fantastic photo but something came over me…a chill, a feeling of deja-vu that made me sit forward in my chair and place my face closer to the screen of my computer. It wasn’t the young lady, as she was a stranger and that would make me a pervert…it was the horse…I had seen that horse before. The feeling of familiarity and mild ADHD led me to drop what I was doing as I needed to investigate.

 

I minimized Flickr and opened my Lightroom program where I still had some 900-1000 photos to edit from Ireland and the second half of Scotland. The horses distinct color, the pasture with the ocean behind it started to drive me crazy! I could remember photographing the same horse, I just couldn’t remember where.

 

It didn’t take long to find the file. Opening Flickr back up, I did a side-by-side comparison, sitting in amazement that it was in fact the same. At no time in my life has the world felt smaller…someone, a total stranger from Germany that I follow on flicker and I think may follow me was on the same Irish backroad near the Cliffs of Moher just a few days before…photographing the same horse.

I started to research the probability of this happening…I can’t...I hate math. But here are a few Flickr facts:

 

Number of photos shared daily: 3.5 million

Number of photos shared: over 10 billion since its founding in 2004

Total number of users: over 112 million from 72 countries

Most popular cameras used: iPhone- 54% / Canon- 23% / Nikon- 18%

 

This makes me wonder just how often that horses photo is taken…

 

Like it or not, we are all getting closer to knowing Kevin Bacon by the day!

 

The Titan is the highest of the Fisher Towers, rising 1000'/ 305 m from base to top.

 

This is a five vertical shot stitch. which minimizes the distortion that you get when using a wider angle lens. However the end product is a 76 MB behemoth.

I've mentioned it in an earlier post that, if the feeders need replenishing, this bird will go to the feeders every time I go outside to see if it is getting fed. It will perch on the limb above one of the feeders until I finish. I fill them at night now in order to minimize its social nature.

The Chevrolet Corvette (C7) is the seventh generation of the Corvette sports car manufactured by American automobile manufacturer Chevrolet from 2014 until 2019. The first C7 Corvettes were delivered in the third quarter of 2013. The racing variants include the C7.R, which won the GTLM 24 Hours of Le Mans.

 

GM executives began planning the next-generation (C7) Corvette sports car in 2007. The car was originally planned for the 2011 model year, but was delayed. Mid-engine and rear-engine layouts had been considered, but the front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive platform was chosen to keep costs lower.

 

The lead exterior designer of the C7 Corvette was Hwasup Lee, whose team completed the design between 2010 and 2011. The design director for the C7 was Kirk Bennion and the design was approved by the division's design director, Tom Peters, in 2011.

 

The 2014 Corvette debuted on Sunday, January 13, 2013, in Detroit at the North American International Auto Show. Chevrolet also showed the new crossed flags logo for the Corvette.

 

While overall the C7 attempts to provide an evolutionary redesign to an iconic theme, the car's designers incorporated aggressive angular elements. The C7 received criticism for some of the more styled elements of the car. "The rear contains what will surely be the C7's most controversial styling elements. It's all creases and vents back there, with aggressive trapezoidal taillights similar to those found on the current Camaro and quadruple-barreled tailpipes lined up in a neat row in the center of the rear valance", wrote Jason Kavanagh for Edmunds. Functional aerodynamic aids are tacked on or cut into every body panel of the C7, often juxtaposed against sharp creases. This is a radical departure from the prior generations of Corvettes, whose styling had no spoiler, few body panel creases, and only semi-functional gills for front brake cooling. In addition, past Corvette models minimized the size of headlamps or even hid them altogether. The C7 reverses that minimalist styling language with intricately styled headlamps with integrated LED daytime running lights (DRL).

 

The C7's all-new LT1 6.2L Small Block V-8 engine develops 460 horsepower (340 kW) and 465 pound-feet (630 N⋅m) of torque. This comes with the performance exhaust package, which is already included in the Z51 Performance Package or the level-up model, the Grand Sport, but is very common to see the standalone performance exhaust package being paired up with the base model. Without the performance exhaust, the powertrain produces 455 horsepower (339 kW) and 460 pound-feet (620 N⋅m) of torque. With the performance exhaust, the car can accelerate from 0–60 mph (97 km/h) in 3.7 seconds when paired with the eight-speed automatic gearbox. The C7's suspension consists of independent unequal-length double wishbones with transverse fiberglass mono-leaf springs and optional magnetorheological dampers, similar to its predecessor.

Interesting how the dew droplets minimize their contact with the leaves to form natural spherical lenses..

ღ☼☽ Credits ღ☼☽

 

!!!!!! Beauty Event !!!!!!

 

Open September 7th

 

🚕 Beauty event taxi

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Good%20Girls/199/194/22

 

AvaGirl - Chase

 

Includes

Pants / Top / Choker / Gloves / Heels

 

Sizes:

Altamura / Freya / Isis / Ebody Curvy / Legacy / Perky / Maitreya / Maitreya Petite / HOurglass / Tonic Curvy / Tonic Fine / Tonic Minimizer

 

Colors:

Hud driven

I spent this past week riding my bike on the "Tour de Nebraska," a 216 mile route through the beautiful sandhill region of north central Nebraska. Minimizing weight meant taking the lightest camera I had, my iphone. We enjoyed the wonderful prairie, oak savannas, and ponderosa pine forests of the region, as well as the Niobrara River valley.

 

The ride was given the impromptu title "Headwind Tour" as we battled the wind most of the way, despite doing a loop. We also coped with a couple of rainy mornings, but the temperatures were mild compared to the expected norms.

 

This scene was around 20 miles into the final day's ride, with a rest stop at the Sparks General Store. The morning rain and clouds are clearing out, though the wind was picking up out of the southeast, the direction we were headed.

<T3*

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Y!H: pun.minimize

Sđt : 0927788540 có dì call or nt - nót fá nkâ nkâ :***

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Nkớ ômôi dậm dựt lắm

---------------Xlỗi Hnkư đw a M's là cđĩ =)))-----------------

💋💋~For Body~💋💋

Maitreya + Petite,LaraX + PetiteX,Legacy + Perky + Bombshell

Reborn + Waifu,Prima Busty + Petite,Gen.X Curvy + Classic

Erika.

 

70 colors to Mix&Match for each of the 11 parts.

14 Animations - control the glow&animation for the stripes

4 steps of sheer and shine for the 11 parts

2 Versions available - Solid and Animated

Romper and Stockings can be worn Separated.

All with a HUD you can scale to your preferred size.

Minimize your HUD.

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cartier/112/242/2301

marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/215039

 

💋💋~Cyber Boots:For Body~💋💋

LaraX,Maitreya,Legacy,Reborn,Prima,GenX Curvy + Classic

Erika.

 

70 colors to Mix&Match for each of the 33 parts.

2 Versions Available Low and Plateau Sole

All with a HUD you can scale to your preferred size.

Minimize your HUD.

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cartier/112/242/2301

marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/215039

www.flickr.com/photos/163559800@N04/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fArfxSTKfd0

The painted Trillium (Trillium undulatum) is a wildflower that blooms early in Spring and is native to North East America. The flowers differ from the common White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) by their smaller size and characteristic red "painted" centres.

Painted Trilliums grow in woodland habitats generally in understorey shade in acidic soil.

For further information see: www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/trillium_undu...

 

This wild flower was photographed in situ taking care to minimize disturbance.

 

West Quebec, Canada

 

Olympus EM1 with 60 mm F2.8 lens

 

P5101029

A Black-tailed Prairie Dog pauses near its den entrance with a bundle of newly-cut, dried grass. Presumably this will be used as nesting material, as I never see them eating this stuff above ground. Prairie dogs eat forbs and various fresh green grasses, and enjoy the roots of some plants,

 

Cutting dried grasses serves another purpose: keeping sight lines clear to minimize natural cover for stalking predators such as coyotes.

 

Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2024 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

A setting looking to the east while taking in views of Yosemite Valley. My thinking in composing this image was to capture a layered look, or more appropriately one of a look beyond. Nearby would be the forest of trees at the edge of a grassy meadow I was standing in. Beyond would be peaks and ridges of the Cathedral Rocks. Because of the haze and smoke present in the skies above from nearby wildfires, I decided to close in on the focal length to ensure that I minimized those skies while focusing on the trees and mountains.

The Multicolored Tanager (Chlorochrysa nitidissima), endemic to Colombia, is one of the most vibrant and sought-after birds in the Andes. This photograph was taken at La Minga Ecolodge, situated in the Río Bitaco Forest Reserve near Cali, at an elevation of 1988 meters. The bird’s striking green, blue, and orange plumage contrasts beautifully against the muted tones of the surrounding cloud forest, creating a visual masterpiece of color and texture. Capturing such a rare and dynamic species in its natural environment is both a privilege and a technical challenge.

 

The exposure settings for this photograph were carefully selected to meet the demands of the environment and the bird’s behavior. A shutter speed of 1/350 sec ensured that the tanager’s brief moment of stillness could be captured without motion blur, while an aperture of f/6.7 provided the perfect balance between depth of field and light intake. This allowed the tanager to remain sharply in focus while softening the background for an appealing bokeh effect. The ISO 400 setting optimized image quality by minimizing noise while maintaining light sensitivity in the shaded, diffused lighting conditions of the cloud forest. Shot from a distance of 6.12 meters with a Canon R5 and a 100-500mm lens, this image highlights the vivid colors of the tanager’s plumage and its serene surroundings. Every technical decision contributed to showcasing the delicate beauty of this rare species and its fragile habitat, making this photograph a celebration of nature’s brilliance and a reminder of the importance of conservation.

 

©2021 Adam Rainoff Photographer

A setting looking to the southwest at a roadside pullout just outside of Marathon, Texas. My thinking in composing this image was to use the road and center stripe as a leading line into the image with Santiago Peak as that distant point in the image center. I took advantage of the swiveled out LCD screen and used LiveView to center and line up the image as well as finding a focus point. That would also help to minimize my time on the road, even if there was no traffic present. I later worked with control points in DxO PhotoLab 4 and then made some adjustments to bring out the contrast, saturation and brightness I wanted for the final image.

Surface Tension - the tension of the surface film of a liquid caused by the attraction of the particles in the surface layer by the bulk of the liquid, which tends to minimize surface area.

This fall was the first time I became aware of some lingering Fox Sparrows, who joined a few lingering Hermit Thrushes in the woods. I love Fox Sparrows - the behaviour, the deep rufous plumage - but they are notoriously skittish and often well-hidden, so hard to photograph. And they typically blow through Ottawa in a couple of days.

 

The birds that stayed around for a couple of weeks were enjoying the mild fall, and the abundant wildflower and wild grass seeds. They scoured the areas off the trails, with their awesome double-footed kick back lifting leaves and revealing insects and seeds beneath them. They were almost always mixed in to a small flock of White-throated Sparrows.

 

I had a couple of approaches to trying to photograph them, mostly based on observation. The first was to lie down on the ground in an area that the White-throated Sparrows were occupying, waiting for the Fox Sparrows to join them. That worked, and I will post a few of those images later.

 

The second was to watch where they flushed to, if they were disturbed by squirrels or people. I would go there and try to find angles with the light. This image came from that strategy. I like the colours in the leaves and the background, which seem to work well with the bird’s colouring, and the early light. And I don’t dislike the leaf strategically placed in front of the bird (!!), or the unusually erect pose.

 

The key to both approaches was to be out early, as, like my teenaged son, Fox Sparrows are late risers. Already being there minimized the likelihood of scaring them away.

 

It was fun to spend time with them, and to get some decent images. An onslaught of work late in the fall meant that I never got the chance to review and post things I had taken in the fall, so I am mixing them in now with some winter birds. Warblers will be here in two months - I better post last fall’s before they arrive.

I don't particularly like wasps, but I do like to photograph them :-)

 

Note that the exif does not indicate it but kenko tubes were used between the camera and lens to minimize the focusing distance

The Brown Violetear (Colibri delphinae), photographed at La Minga Ecolodge near Cali, Colombia, rests gracefully on a moss-covered branch in the heart of the Andean cloud forest. Its muted brown feathers contrast with a striking violet ear patch that catches the soft, filtered light seeping through the dense canopy. The lush, textured background of ferns and foliage enhances the bird’s earthy tones while subtly framing its elegant posture.

 

Capturing this image required balancing light and stability under challenging conditions. Using a Canon R5 paired with the RF 100-500mm lens extended to 500mm, I worked with a shutter speed of 1/90 second—a bold choice for such a long focal length. The advanced in-body stabilization of the R5 played a crucial role, allowing for handheld shooting without sacrificing sharpness. I kept the ISO at 400 to preserve detail while minimizing noise, relying on the camera’s high dynamic range to retain clarity in both the shadows and highlights. This shot highlights the rewarding intersection of patience, technique, and nature’s unpredictable beauty.

 

© 2021 Adam Rainoff Photographer

Title.

September beach.

 

(iPhone 13 Pro shot)

 

Motosuka Beach. Kujukuri Beach. Sanmu City. Chiba Prefecture. Japan. 2025. … 1 / 1

(Photo of the day. Unpublished.)

  

Images:

ELLEGARDEN … The End of the World

youtu.be/3hAKmshltDY?si=3dlYv3ccvIMJwnjj

  

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My new novel

B♭ (B Flat)

 

Volume 17😄

The following is still in its draft stage and will be revised further.

Key parts are not disclosed.

The order of the content shown here is mixed.

(Of course, this is not the final version.)

 

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My new novel

B♭ (B Flat)

 

Columbia Point Residences, a redevelopment of an old warehouse district near the piers of Red Hook that look south over New York Harbor, sat with Williamsburg’s commercial and arts quarter to its north, a reclaimed stretch of landfill between them transformed into a quiet new neighborhood of low-rise detached houses.

On the freshly paved streets the laughter of children echoed, and the soft afternoon sun gently lit the roof tiles and white exterior walls. The wind carried a cool, saline scent from the sea, and, far off in the harbor, a ship’s horn punctuated the calm.

Residents were building new lives here, apart from the city’s daily tumult.

At three in the afternoon the light was still mild, gilding the leaves of the street trees. Mariners’ Row—this new residential enclave—presented itself with almost calculated perfection: rows of white houses, straight sidewalks flanking them. The scent of new construction and still-wet paint hung faintly in the air.

Mark Sanchez stood by the large living-room window and imagined a happy future for his family.

His unit, ERO, was the field force within ICE responsible for immigration enforcement and removals—hardened by the harsh realities of carrying out deportations—contrasted with HSI’s international-crime investigations. But here, behind the glass, he was simply a father and a husband.

Rachel had begun preparing dinner in the kitchen. Children’s voices drifted from the distant school-bus stop.

— Calm. Perhaps life is distilled on a Sunday at three in the afternoon, — he murmured inwardly.

The afternoon light slanted more and more; shadows reflected in the window stretched. On the neighborhood street, an old man walked slowly, pushing a cart as he walked his dog. The crossing laughter of children made that scene seem like an emblem of a gentle, innocent world.

Inside the house, the children were absorbed in play, and Rachel greeted them with a smile. The outside air was mild, the breeze only slightly warm; curtains swayed softly.

Mark opened the front door and checked the mailbox. There were notices about the new school and an announcement for a local disaster-preparedness drill.

At three in the afternoon, as the second hand crept forward, silence deepened.

Beside the house’s foundation concrete there was a faint tremor.

In the afternoon hush, the harbor horn and the rustle of leaves in the breeze filled the soundscape—sounds that masked a subtle detonation so that the surrounding residents did not notice. Smoke rose slowly; there was no fierce blaze at the moment of explosion, only fine dust quietly filling the air. The collapse did not happen all at once but proceeded slowly and inevitably. Part of the exterior wall developed quiet fissures; glass trembled and fractured into fine shards. Wooden posts toppled one by one without a sound, the house crumbling inward as if in a muted dance. A small shock set off a chain reaction of charges that dismantled the structure from within—silently yet surely. The exterior split without fanfare; windows became powder; wooden supports began to fall.

But the noise had been suppressed to the greatest extent possible; the neighborhood’s residents scarcely noticed anything had occurred.

In the distance, silhouettes of buildings slumped and settled. Not only Mark’s house but a blue house about three hundred meters across the street, and a white house further in, kicked up clouds of dust.

Three houses vanished in an instant.

The wind halted for a moment; only the leaves of the street trees trembled.

Mariners’ Row’s afternoon regained its former stillness, as if nothing had happened.

Yet everything had changed.

By planting small, distributed charges of C4 at several points in the foundation concrete and detonating them in precisely timed, ordered sequences, the shockwave could be minimized while the skeleton of the structure was collapsed from the inside.

Rafi’s knowledge of architecture had made possible not mere destruction but a “quiet collapse.”

“Use only the force that’s necessary”—that was his credo.

From a rooftop some distance away, Rafi watched the scene unfold; a deep silence flowed through his chest. For him, it was both an outcry and a prayer. The silence dwelling in destruction was the expression of his tangled feelings.

From childhood, Rafi had found refuge only in silence. The clamor of children playing in Gaza’s dusty alleys, the thunder of airstrikes—these had only wounded him more deeply. In a rundown corner of Gaza, the small Rafi leaned against a wall. When the roar of bombardment receded, the brief stillness was a salvation.

His mother’s tears, his father’s anger—the chaos of it all—the boy sought only a place without sound. He fled inward to a world without noise.

Tinkering with the innards of a broken radio with small hands, Rafi first understood the relation between destruction and quiet. A ruined radio, after it lost its sound, simply remained there in material form, silently.

As he grew, his inner life knotted into complexity. He studied architecture at the Islamic University to make shapes and manipulate structures as a way to steady the disorder within him. Even the days bent over blueprints failed to soothe the quiet madness hidden under his skin. When he faced a building plan, his hands trembled; in his head the calculated beauty of structure mixed with the cool cruelty of demolition.

Then he found a method to produce the silence he had once sought: planting bombs.

For him, it was the only way to externalize his pain. The C4 placed silently at a building’s core crystallized the intersection of his desire to destroy and his thirst for silence. Israel’s attacks on Gaza had stoked his rage, but the true explosion had been nurtured in the quiet of his childhood. For Rafi, releasing explosives without sound was a ritual of severing himself from the world’s noise.

Rafi’s heart could find rest only in the stillness of destruction; he was trapped in a darkness no one noticed.

Without sound, unnoticed by anyone, he broke his world and obtained silence.

And no one knew that his cry was hidden within that quiet destruction.

Construction of Columbia Point Residences had begun in 2024. The three collapsed houses had been occupied by staff of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement—ICE—and its Enforcement and Removal Operations, ERO.

They took off their uniforms, sat at these tables with their families. By day they detained migrants and sent them out of the country; by night they held children on their laps and drank beer.

To Rafi, those two faces were one mask. Smile and cruelty breathed under the same skin. It was almost impossible to discern the boundary. He had seen the light in those houses many nights—the silhouettes at dinner through the curtains, laughter. There were no faces of the detained among them.

Each night Rafi never missed the five prayers. His fingertips turned sacred pages of the Qur’an; Arabic verses rang in his heart. “True strength lies in patience; vengeance is entrusted to God”—that phrase steadied him, lending calm. His anger was forbidden to flare; it lived quietly inside.

Recent news repeated the same refrain daily—“a million deported annually,” “military bases converted to detention centers,” “raids even on pending family applications”—numbers passing through the broadcast with a dry sound. But behind those numbers were names: his mother’s name, his sister’s name, the old man next door. Those names did not run on the news; they had no voice.

Rafi thought: this is not policy but selection—sorting who to keep and who to cast aside on sheets of paper. His faith taught mercy and justice, yet the world trampled those teachings. “God is the judge; we are only witnesses”—he repeated in his heart, while refusing to look away.

People in the city sought ways to lighten their lives. Yet tariff hikes made the very air heavy. Bread, nails, gasoline rose in price; sighs filled the shopping streets. Oddly, ICE and ERO garages always housed new vehicles; uniforms looked uncreased and shoes had thick soles. It was the result of budget and protection, the payoff for casting others aside.

Rafi kept calm. To erupt in emotion was to feed the enemy’s desire. So he hid his anger. The fire burning within him was tended like a vow to God—silent and steady.

Stories of neighbors taken in the night, a child crying as someone was seized—each one settled into him and became fuel. But it never flared. It only fed the coals and raised the burn temperature. From the outside, he seemed a gentle man. Inside, however, a balanced plan of destruction was quietly taking shape.

  

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My new novel:

B♭ (B-flat)

There’s still more to come. 😃

(This is not the final draft.)

Set in New York City.

  

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Soundtrack.

music.apple.com/jp/playlist/b-my-novel-soundtrack/pl.u-47...

  

Note: I gave a brief explanation of this novel in the following video:

youtu.be/3w65lqUF-YI?si=yG7qy6TPeCL9xRJV

  

iTunes Playlist Link::

music.apple.com/jp/playlist/b/pl.u-47DJGhopxMD

 

My new novel:

B♭ (B-flat)

Notes

1. "Bombay Blood Type (hh type)"

•Characteristics: A rare blood type that lacks the usual ABO antigens — cannot be classified as A, B, or O.

•Discovery: First identified in 1952 in Mumbai, India (formerly Bombay).

•Prevalence: Roughly 1 in 10,000 people in India; globally, about 1 in 2.5 million.

•Transfusion Compatibility: Only compatible with blood from other Bombay type donors.

2. 2024 Harvard University Valedictorian Speech – The Power of Not Knowing

youtu.be/SOUH8iVqSOI?si=Ju-Y728irtcWR71K

3. Shots Fired at Trump Rally

youtu.be/1ejfAkzjEhk?si=ASqJwEmkY-2rW_hT

  

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Title.

九月の海辺。

  

( iPhone 13 pro shot )

  

本須賀海岸。九十九里浜。山武市。千葉県。日本。2025. … 1 / 1

(今日の写真。それは未発表です。)

  

Images:

ELLEGARDEN … The End Of The World(歌詞、和訳付き)

youtu.be/3hAKmshltDY?si=3dlYv3ccvIMJwnjj

  

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僕の新しい小説。

 B♭ (ビーフラット)

  

第17弾。 😄

以下は、まだ初稿の段階です。まだ推敲します。

重要な部分は公開していません。

公開している内容の順番はバラバラです。

(もちろん最終稿ではありません。)

 

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僕の新しい小説。

 

 B♭ (ビーフラット)

 

 ニューヨーク港を南に望むレッドフックの埠頭に近い、古い倉庫街を開発したコロンビア・ポイント・レジデンシズは、北側にウィリアムズバークの商業・アート地区を背にし、その間の埋立地を再造成した、低層戸建て中心の静かな新興住宅街だ。

 新しく舗装された道には、子供たちの笑い声がこだまし、午後の柔らかな陽射しが屋根の瓦や白壁の外壁を優しく照らしている。風は海からの冷たい香りを運び、港湾の遠くで聞こえる船の汽笛が静けさにアクセントを加えた。

 住民たちは日常の喧騒から離れ、ここに新たな生活の基盤を築いている。

 午後3時の陽射しは、まだ柔らかく街路樹の葉を黄金色に染めていた。

 マリナーズ・ロウの新興住宅街は、まるで計算されたように完璧な整列を見せている。白壁の戸建てが並び、まっすぐな歩道が両脇に伸びる。新築の香りと、まだ新しいペンキの匂いが微かに漂っていた。

 マーク・サンチェスはリビングの大きな窓から外を眺めながら、家族の幸せな未来を思い描いていた。

 彼が属するEROは、ICEを構成する2部門のうちのひとつ、HSIの国際犯罪捜査に比べ、EROの移民の強制執行や送還を行う現場部隊で培った厳しい現実もあったが、ここではただの父親であり夫だった。

 レイチェルはキッチンで夕食の準備を始めている。子供たちの声が、遠くのスクールバス停から聞こえてきた。

ー 穏やかだ。日曜日の午後3時に、人生は集約されているかもしれない ー

 彼は胸のうちでそうつぶやいた。

 午後の光は徐々に斜めになり、窓ガラスに映る影が伸びていく。住宅街の通りでは犬の散歩をする老人が一人、手押し車を押しながらゆっくり歩いていた。子供たちの笑い声が交差するその風景は、穏やかで無垢な世界の象徴のようだった。

 家の中では子供たちが遊びに夢中になり、レイチェルがにこやかに声をかけている。外の空気は穏やかで、風はわずかに暖かく、揺れるカーテンが優しく靡いていた。

 マークは玄関のドアを開け、郵便受けを確認する。ポストには新しい学校の案内と地域の防災訓練のお知らせが入っていた。

 午後三時、秒針がゆっくりと動く中、静寂が深まっていった。

 家の中心、基礎のコンクリートのすぐ脇が微かに揺れた。

 午後の静けさの中、遠くからは港湾の汽笛と、風に揺れる街路樹の葉擦れの音が響いていた。それらの環境音が、わずかな爆破音をかき消し、周囲の住民が気づくことはなかった。煙はゆっくりと立ち上り、爆発の瞬間に生まれる激しい炎はなく、ただ細かな粉塵が静かに空気を満たした。倒壊は一気ではなく、ゆっくりと、しかし確実に進んだ。外壁の一部が静かに亀裂を生み、ガラスは微細に震えながら割れていく。木製の柱が一本、また一本と音もなく倒れ、家全体が内側から崩れていく様は、まるで静かな舞踏のようだった。爆薬はわずかな衝撃で連鎖反応を起こし、家の構造を静かに、しかし確実に破壊していく。外壁は音もなく割れ、ガラスは粉々になり、木製の柱が倒れ始めた。

 しかし、騒音は極力抑えられ、周囲の住民たちは何が起きたのか気づきにくいほどだ。

 遠くで小さく崩れ落ちる建物のシルエットがあった。マークの家屋だけでなく、通りを挟んで300mほど先の青い家、そして、そこからさらに奥へ進んだ白い家から砂埃が舞い上がった。

 3軒の家が瞬時に消えた。

 風が一瞬止み、街路樹の葉が揺れる音だけが響く。

 マリナーズ・ロウの午後は、再び何事もなかったかのように静けさを取り戻した。

 しかし、すべては変わってしまったのだ。

 基礎のコンクリートに小分けしたC4を複数箇所に埋め込み、微細なタイミングで順序良く起爆させることで、衝撃波を最小限に抑えつつ構造の骨組みを内側から崩していく。

 ラフィの建築学の知識が、単なる破壊ではなく「静かなる崩壊」を可能にしていた。

「必要な力だけを使う」——それが彼の信念だった。

 ラフィは遠くの建物の屋上からその光景を見つめ、胸に深い静寂が流れた。彼にとって、それは叫びでもあり、祈りでもあった。破壊の中に宿る静寂こそが、彼の複雑な感情の表現だったのだ。

 ラフィは幼いころから、静寂の中にしか安らぎを見いだせなかった。

 ガザの埃っぽい路地裏で遊ぶ子供たちの喧騒も、爆撃の轟音も、彼の心を深く傷つけるだけだった。廃れたガザの街角で、幼いラフィは静かに壁にもたれかかっていた。爆撃の轟音が遠ざかる瞬間、その静寂は彼にとって一瞬の救いだった。

 母の涙、父の怒り、そのすべてが混ざり合う騒乱の中で、彼はただ「音のない場所」を求めていた。彼は音のない世界へと逃げ込んだ。

 小さな手で壊れかけたラジオの中身をいじりながら、ラフィは初めて「破壊」と「静けさ」の関係に気づいた。壊れたラジオは、音を失った後に、ただ静かにそこに物質としての形状を保っていた。

 成長するにつれ、彼の内面は複雑に絡み合った。

 イスラム大学の建築学部に進んだのは、形を作り、構造を操ることで、彼の心の乱れを制御しようとしたからだ。大学で建築を学ぶ日々も、彼の心の奥底に潜む静かな狂気を癒すには足りなかった。建物の設計図に向き合うとき、彼の指先は震え、頭の中で計算される構造の美しさと破壊の冷徹さが入り混じった。

 そして彼は、かつて自分が求めた静寂を「作り出す」方法を見つけた。

 爆弾を仕掛けること。

 それは彼にとって、自分の痛みを外に放つ唯一の手段だった。

 建物の中心に静かに仕掛けられたC4は、彼の「破壊への欲求」と「静寂への渇望」が交錯した結晶だった。イスラエルによるガザ攻撃は彼の憎悪を燃え上がらせたが、真の爆発は幼少期の沈黙の中でじわじわと育まれていた。彼にとって、爆薬を音もなく解き放つ行為は、世界の騒音から自分自身を切り離す儀式だったのだ。

 ラフィの心は、破壊の静けさの中にしか安息を見出せず、誰も気づかない闇に囚われていた。

 音もなく、誰にも気づかれずに、彼は自らの世界を破壊し、静寂を手に入れる。

 そしてその静かな破壊の中に、彼の叫びが隠されていることを、誰も知らなかった。

 コロンビア・ポイント・レジデンシズは、2024年に工事の着工が始まった。崩壊した三棟に住んでいたのは、米国移民税関取締局のICEとその強制退去執行部門であるEROの職員たちだった。

 彼らは制服を脱ぎ、この家で家族と食卓を囲む。昼間、移民を拘束し、国外へ送る彼らが、夜には子どもを膝に抱き、ビールを飲む。

 ラフィには、その二つの顔がひとつの仮面にしか見えなかった。微笑みと冷酷が、同じ皮膚の下で息をしている。その境目を見極めることは、ほとんど不可能だった。彼は何度も、職員たちの家に灯る明かりを見た。カーテン越しに見える食卓の影、笑い声。そこには、拘束された者たちの顔はひとつもなかった。

 ラフィは毎夜、沈黙のなかで五回の礼拝を欠かさなかった。彼の指先は厳かにクルアーンのページをめくり、アラビア語の詩句が心に響いた。

「真の強さは忍耐にあり、復讐は神の手に委ねられる」—その言葉が彼を支え、冷静さを与えた。

 怒りは熱く燃え上がることを許されず、静かに内側で息づいていた。

 最近のニュースは、毎日が同じ旋律を繰り返していた。

ー 「年間百万人送還」「軍事基地を収容所に転用」「家族申請中でも摘発」 ー

 数字は乾いた音を立ててニュースの中を流れていく。

 だが、その数字の裏側には名前があった。母の名、妹の名、隣に住んでいた老人の名。それらはニュースには載らず、声にもならなかった。

 ラフィは思った。これは政策ではなく、選別だ。残す者と捨てる者を、書類の上で振り分ける作業だ。

 彼の信仰は慈悲と正義を説く。だが今の世界は、その教えを踏みにじっていた。

「神は審判者、我らはただ証人」 — 彼は心の中で繰り返しながらも、見過ごすことを拒んだ。

 街では誰もが生活を軽くする方法を探していた。だが、関税の引き上げは空気までも重くした。パンも、釘も、ガソリンも値を上げ、ため息が商店街を満たした。

 不思議なことに、ICEやEROの車庫にはいつも新しい車が並んでいた。制服は新品のように皺ひとつなく、靴底は厚かった。それは予算と保護の結果であり、他者を切り捨てた見返りでもあった。

 ラフィは冷静だった。

 感情を爆発させるのは、敵の望むところだ。だから彼は、怒りを表には出さなかった。彼の内に燃える火は、神にささげる誓いのように、静かに、確実に燃え続けていた。

 夜中に連れ去られた隣人の話。拘束の最中に子どもが泣き叫ぶ声。その一つ一つが、彼の胸の奥で沈殿し、火種になった。

 しかし、決して燃え上がることはない。ただ、確実に燃料をくべ、燃焼温度を上げていく。外から見れば、彼は穏やかな男だった。

 だが、内側では均衡の取れた破壊の計画が静かに形を成していた。

  

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僕の新しい小説。

 B♭ (ビーフラット)

 

舞台はニューヨークです。

 

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Soundtrack.

music.apple.com/jp/playlist/b-my-novel-soundtrack/pl.u-47...

  

追記 この小説を多少説明しました。

youtu.be/3w65lqUF-YI?si=yG7qy6TPeCL9xRJV

  

メモ

 

1

「Bombay型(ボンベイ型、hh型)」

•特徴:通常のABO血液型を持たない(A、B、Oに分類されない)特殊な型。

•発見地:1952年、インド・ムンバイ(旧ボンベイ)で初めて確認。

•発生頻度:インドでは1万人に1人程度だが、世界的には約250万人に1人とも。

•輸血制限:同じBombay型しか輸血できない。

 

2

2024年ハーバード大学首席の卒業式スピーチ『知らないことの力』

youtu.be/SOUH8iVqSOI?si=Ju-Y728irtcWR71K

 

3

Shots fired at Trump rally

youtu.be/1ejfAkzjEhk?si=ASqJwEmkY-2rW_hT

  

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While walking down the beginning portion of the Onyx Bridge Trail, going down the high bluff portion into the main valley floor. The view is looking to the north across the quite colorful badlands and eroded formations present in this portion of the national park. From this higher vista-like view, I was able to capture a more sweeping look across this high desert, north Arizona landscape. My thinking was to angle my Nikon SLR camera slightly downward which would minimize what I felt was the more negative space of the blue skies above.

Created for the Artistic Manipulation Group's MIXMASTER CHALLENGE #12 with Chef Temari's recipe:

 

Your image must contain a HUMAN FACE (as in no mannequins) prominently featured. (If you include more of the body than just the face, it should be minimized in importance.)

Your image must contain from 1-3 birds OR 1-3 wild animals and ...

at least 1 of the Four Elements (Earth, Water, Air, Fire) and ...

at least 80% should be warm colors (reds/oranges/yellows/blends) but ...

NO GRASS!

 

Credits: background, old woman, standing camel from Pixabay; kneeling camel from Unsplash.

A Hollander beater is a machine developed by the Dutch in 1680 to produce paper pulp from cellulose containing plant fibers. It replaced stamp mills for preparing pulp because the Hollander could produce in one day the same quantity of pulp it would take a stamp mill eight days to prepare.

 

However, the wooden paddles and beating process of a stamp mill produced longer, more easily hydrated, and more fibrillated cellulose fibers; thus increasing the resulting paper's strength. The Hollander used metal blades and a macerating action to separate the raw material, resulting in shorter cellulose fibers and weaker paper. Further, the metal blades of the Hollander often introduced metal contaminants into the paper as one metal blade struck another. These contaminants often acted as catalysts for oxidation that have been implicated in browning of old paper called foxing.

 

In turn, the Hollander was (partially) replaced by the conical refiner or Jordan refiner, named after its American inventor Joseph Jordan, who patented the device in 1858.

 

A Hollander beater design consists of a circular or ovoid water raceway with a beater wheel at a single point along the raceway. The beater wheel is a centrifugal compressor or radial impeller cylinder parallel to a grooved plate, similar to the construction of a water wheel or timing pulley. Under power, the blades rotate to beat the fiber into a usable pulp slurry. The beater wheel and plate do not touch, as this would result in cutting. The distance between the two is adjusted to increase or decrease the pressure on the fibers when passing through the beater.

 

The objective of using a beater (rather than another process like grinding, as many wood-pulp mills do) is to create longer, hydrated, fibrillated fibers. (Fibrillated fibers are abraded to the extent that many partially broken-off fibers extend from the main fiber, increasing the fiber's surface area, and hence its potential for hydrogen bonding). Grinding of fibers is not desirable. Therefore, the "blades" are not what might be thought of as "sharpened", and well-designed beaters make it possible to minimize the shear action of the rotating blades against the bottom of the water raceway.

This image captures a male Golden-collared Manakin (Manacus vitellinus) in the misty understory of Capurganá, Chocó, Colombia. Perched approximately 12.4 meters away on a rain-dappled branch just after dawn, its brilliant yellow collar and olive-green body stand out sharply against a creamy, out-of-focus background of overlapping leaves. Framing the shot at eye level allowed me to convey both the bird’s poised stillness and the palpable atmosphere of the tropical forest edge.

 

From a technical standpoint, I relied on the Canon EOS R5 paired with the RF 800mm f/11 lens and a 1.4× extender for an effective reach of 1120mm. The lens combination forced an aperture of f/16, so I set ISO to 3200 to lift shadow detail beneath the dense canopy. The camera then selected a shutter speed of 1/125 second—fast enough to freeze the manakin’s subtle movements and handheld conditions at that distance. Maintaining a steady hand and controlled breathing was crucial to preserving fine feather textures while minimizing noise in challenging low light.

 

©2022 Adam Rainoff Photographer

I captured this with my Nikon D800E SLR camera using a Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 lens. I was at the Falls Platform with a view looking to the northeast at the Brooks Falls while observing brown bears in Katmai National Park. Here I zoomed in with the focal length to minimize much of the waterfalls (but have enough as a little backdrop) and focus on this one bear at the top of the falls as it waited for salmon to make the jump upward.

It's kind of hard to describe anything more than majestic or amazing (or wow!) when standing at Glacier Point, even on an overcast day with low clouds. What I decided to do to minimize the low clouds was angle my SLR camera slightly downward , so that it captured more of the valley that seemed to stretch on to the horizon. I later added some contrasts with control points in Capture NX2 to the mountainside and valley beyond to bring out more than just the blah colors of that day.

Our second set for Anthem's '90s grunge theme for January!

 

Sari-Sari - Mini Cassette Player BENTO WEARABLE

Original mesh, textures, and bento animations, copy/mod

Rigged for Belleza F,M,Gen.X, Gianni, Kupra, Lara, Reborn, Legacy F&M, Slink F&M.

Includes bento hand hold pose for each body & Right Arm Pose HUD

 

*IMPORTANT: Some bento AO/bento hand AO have priority higher than their intended use. Please check to see if your bento hand AO is interrupting our bento hand hold pose. The bento hand hold pose included should be properly holding the item. If not, please turn off your bento hand AO.

 

5 color options: black, classic, pink, red, and yellow.

Single colors: all parts come in one color and one tape only.

Fatpack: texture hud for mix and matching plus bonus mixtape.

  

👉Jan 2023 UPDATE❗:

Added Belleza Gen.X, Kupra and Reborn rigged sizes.

Arm Pose Hud can now be minimized + no more animation hover text.

 

Please always remember to try a demo first before you purchase.

 

Previously bought? Hit the Redelivery!

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Also updated on our MARKETPLACE

 

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Does the Sun Rise If You Didn’t See It That Day?

Or is it imagined and told like a story in a novel

Perhaps sung in a folktale with guitars strumming

Words can be like photos,

A lot of truth mixed with imagined and things dreamt

Perhaps like a painter with oils and brushes mixing a tapestry across a canvas

What is seen or what is made up

They can both be part of a creation of an image

 

Another work of short poetry or prose to complement the image captured one afternoon along the Dune Ridge Trail in Indiana Dunes National Park. The view was looking to the southeast from a dune ridge and then across a grassy marsh to a distant tree line. The afternoon (and most of the day) was overcast with off and on drizzle of rain. Hi decided to angle my Nikon SLR camera slightly downward to minimize those overcast skies. It was as I began working on the image in post production that I then decided to once again try out the sky replacement setting in Photoshop with this image. The sunset colors with the clouds definitely seemed appropriate for this national park setting in what I had wanted to experience in person. So the skies are part of the Adobe stock images in Photoshop but all else is captured with my Nikon D850 SLR camera. I later worked with control points in DxO PhotoLab 4 and then made some adjustments to bring out the contrast, saturation and brightness I wanted for the final image.

The Gwacheon National Science Museum offers a fascinating window into the Ice Age through its exhibition on the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius).

The display features an imposing reconstruction of an adult mammoth, which could reach 3.5 meters in length and 2.5 tons in weight, along with the characteristics that allowed it to survive in frigid climates, such as its dense fur and a thick layer of fat.

 

Alongside this representation, the jewel of the collection is the real skeleton of "TIMA", a young woolly mammoth. Discovered in the Omsk region of southern Siberia, this specimen was approximately 7 years old and measured 1.8 meters in height at the shoulder. A crucial detail confirming its authenticity is that the skeleton is composed of more than 80% real bone, making it a genuine specimen and not a replica. Its affectionate name, "TIMA," was chosen by the public in a contest and is a combination of the English words "Tiny" and "Mammoth".

 

• Woolly Mammoth

• Mamut lanudo, elefante lanudo, mamut de la tundra

 

Scientific Classification:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Proboscidea

Family: Elephantidae

Genus: Mammuthus †

Species: M. primigenius †

 

The Woolly Mammoth is an extinct species of elephant that was widespread during the last Ice Age. A close relative of modern elephants, it was famously adapted to survive in the cold, harsh environments of the Pleistocene epoch. These adaptations included a body covered in long, shaggy hair, a thick layer of subcutaneous fat for insulation, and ears that were significantly smaller than those of today's elephants to minimize heat loss. Adults could stand about 3.5 meters tall and possessed enormous, curved tusks that could reach over 4 meters in length.

 

These massive herbivores roamed the vast, cold, dry grasslands known as the "mammoth steppe," which stretched across North America, Europe, and Asia. Their diet consisted of grasses, shrubs, and the branches of trees. While most populations went extinct around 10,000 years ago, likely due to a combination of climate change and human hunting, some small, isolated groups survived on remote islands until as recently as 4,000 years ago.

We have visited this waterfall a number of times before. Most shoot this from the left side of the falls, as have I. The trails take you right up to the face of the falls. That's easy enough. However I have always wanted to see what it looked like from the far right side. Trouble is, that side is hard to get to. First, you have to cross the river. I guess that's no biggie but it's not an easy river to cross. This time I brought my waders. I have not had good luck with these in the past, in fact they caused me to fill my camera bag with water in the past. See, the bottom of the feet are hard plastic and they get no traction on the rocks. Anyway, this time they worked well.

 

So once across the river, you are facing a wall of delicate moss. This is one of the reasons to see this waterfall. Being one of those that always tries to be unbelievably respectful of the landscape, this created the biggest challenge. I needed to get up and almost behind the moss covered hill to see the smaller series of falls that usually hide in the shadows. I started by staying in the many small streams that fall down the hill face because there is no chance for footprints in the moss. Once over there I saw that I was not the first to try to walk up to this side. It seemed my predicessor also tread lightly. Even so, I could see thier footprints, so I followed those to minimize my trek.

 

It was a slow climb, not because it was hard, but because of the care taken. I had finally reached the top and I have to be honest, I was not all that impressed. Well, I was there, let's see what I can do. I wanted the full scene so I reached for the fisheye. This is an all new fisheye for me. My classic Tokina 10-17 has now left the bag and a new Sigma 8mm has entered the scene. This was my first outing with this glass. It worked well, but it was not weather sealed and being at the top of the moss hill it was clear why the moss was there. I was getting soaked. Wipe, shoot. Wipe, shoot. Wipe shoot. By the time I left the hill I was soaked. So was the gear.

 

So this is a bracket blend because it was dark up there under the trees at the top of moss mountain. Let me know what you think.

A setting looking to the west while taking in views across desert landscape present in this part of the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area. As a distant backdrop, there are the Sierra Nevada mountains with Mount Whitney being the most recognizable. I decided to angle my Nikon SLR camera slightly downward and bring up the various parts higher into the image, minimizing the more negative space of the blue skies. I later worked with control points in DxO PhotoLab 5 and then made some adjustments to bring out the contrast, saturation and brightness I wanted for the final image.

Dec 12, 2009 #473

 

Wishing everyone a very happy beginning to the Holiday season!

More snow falling again today, after a week of being housebound I am starting to get a bit stir crazy. My kiddo is still sick, I have a few lingering symptoms like a stuffy nose and cough but the fever, aches, and pains have subsided. I had to get my crafty on and pulled out some craft wire and inserted it into the hollow onion shafts so I could bend them to my will. I was exasperated by all of the reflections this morning and had to shoot a few different ways to minimize all that was going on. I also managed to knock over my camera on the tripod but fortunately, it was a soft landing and nothing was damaged, hooray!

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At night, shadows minimize realities, giving space to dreams...or fears.

This Northern Flicker (m) (Yellow Shafted) flew right in front of us as if we were not there and started dust bathing. I called him ''Duster'' as he returned several times.

 

Dust baths, also called dusting or sand bathing, are part of a bird’s preening and plumage maintenance that keeps feathers in top condition.

 

The dust that is worked into the bird’s feathers will absorb excess oil to help keep the feathers from becoming greasy or matted. The oil-soaked dust is then shed easily to keep the plumage clean and flexible for more aerodynamic flight and efficient insulation. Dry skin and other debris can also be removed with excess dust, and regular dusting may help smother or minimize lice, feather mites and other parasites.

The idea for the Blue Ridge Parkway was born when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt visited the newly constructed Skyline Drive in Virginia in 1933. Then U.S. Senator Harry Byrd of Virginia suggested to the president the road should be extended to connect with the recently established Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Roosevelt convened the governors of Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee and asked that a planning team be created. On November 24, 1933, Interior Secretary Harold Ickes approved this “park-to-park” highway as a public works project.

 

With a budget of $16 million, Ickes hired Stanley Abbott, a New York landscape architect, to oversee the project, and Abbott’s vision of a chain of parks and recreational areas with preserved viewsheds began to take shape. A study was conducted to determine the best route for the Parkway with the recommendation being a leg of the highway from the Blowing Rock, NC, area extend over the Unaka Mountains into Tennessee, connecting with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

 

The decision was met with great controversy, particularly by the city of Asheville, NC, which found itself in dire economic straits at the height of the Great Depression. The Asheville Chamber of Commerce and other city leaders joined forces to lobby against the proposed route in favor of a road that passed through their city. An intense campaign began in Washington with the states of Tennessee and North Carolina each vying for a different path for the Parkway.

 

The Asheville contingency employed the influential U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Josephus Daniels, to lobby on their behalf. Roosevelt had served under Daniels as Secretary of the Navy when Daniels was Defense Secretary under Woodrow Wilson, and the two men were friends. Daniels managed to sway the administration to favor the Asheville route and construction began September 11, 1935, near Cumberland Knob, North Carolina.

 

Most of the construction was done by private contractors, but a variety of New Deal public works programs were also employed, including the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the Emergency Relief Administration (ERA), and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). When World War II began, approximately 170 miles were open to travel and another 160 miles were under construction. By the early 1950s, only half of the Blue Ridge Parkway was completed.

 

In the mid-1950s, the National Park Service launched a ten-year development program, called Mission 66, to mark the 50th anniversary of the agency's creation. The plan included an accelerated effort to complete construction of the Parkway by 1966. This initiative was very successful, finishing all of the Parkway’s construction with the exception of 7.7 miles at Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina. Grandfather owner, Hugh Morton, objected to the proposed construction at Grandfather, citing the fragility of the mountain’s ecology.

 

After years of negotiating, the revolutionary Linn Cove Viaduct – which had been constructed from the top down to protect the mountain’s terrain – opened in 1987, completing the Blue Ridge Parkway’s continuous 469-mile route.

 

You can see images of the viaduct here:

 

www.google.com/search?q=linn+cove+viaduct&rlz=1C1CHBF...

 

Personally, I think they succeeded - you can see how they minimized the impact to the area.

  

A l’attention d’Armelle ou “Vanille” sur cette galerie 😗

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L’aérodynamique est indispensable pour les motos de course, qu’elles roulent sur circuit ou sur route, car elle influence directement la vitesse, la stabilité, la sécurité et le confort du pilote.

 

Sur circuit, les motos sportives sont conçues avec des carénages profilés qui réduisent la résistance à l’air (la traînée) et génèrent une portance négative qui plaque la moto au sol, ce qui améliore l’adhérence en virage rapide et la stabilité à haute vitesse. Ces formes aérodynamiques sont étudiées en soufflerie pour minimiser les turbulences et optimiser le flux d’air autour de la machine et du pilote.

 

Des éléments comme les déflecteurs et les conduits d’air jouent un rôle clé pour à la fois améliorer l’efficacité aérodynamique et refroidir les composants critiques tels que le moteur et les freins.

 

Sur la route, l’aérodynamique reste cruciale à partir de vitesses élevées, car la force de résistance de l’air augmente avec le carré de la vitesse, et la puissance nécessaire pour la contrer croît au cube de la vitesse.

 

Ainsi, une meilleure aérodynamique permet de réduire la consommation de carburant, la fatigue du pilote (en réduisant la pression de l’air sur son corps) et améliore la maniabilité en maintenant une bonne adhérence des roues au sol !

 

°°°°°°°

 

Aerodynamics is essential for racing motorcycles, whether they are used on the track or on the road, because it directly affects speed, stability, safety, and rider comfort.

 

On the track, sportbikes are designed with streamlined fairings that reduce air resistance (drag) and generate negative lift to push the bike down onto the road surface, improving grip in fast corners and stability at high speeds. These aerodynamic shapes are tested in wind tunnels to minimize turbulence and optimize airflow around the motorcycle and rider.

 

Features such as winglets and air ducts play a key role in improving aerodynamic efficiency while also cooling critical components such as the engine and brakes.

 

On the road, aerodynamics remains crucial at higher speeds, as air resistance increases with the square of speed, and the power required to overcome it grows with the cube of speed.

 

Better aerodynamics can therefore reduce fuel consumption, lessen rider fatigue (by lowering air pressure on their body), and improve handling by maintaining strong tire contact with the road !

 

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Little trip at Arrela Kingdom Romantic Paradise

 

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Cutie top for Tonic bodies who included size for Curvy, fine and fine-mini also provided with hud 24 colors, 8 patterns and 16 plains.

You can get this adorable top at Itty Bitty TItty

 

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For every fear that shakes your peace,

For every night you feel alone,

For every moment you lose a little hope,

There is an angel who whispers

I am here

 

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