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When you are running a meeting and talking to a large group of people for 3 hours straight, do you ever separate from your body and kind of watch yourself in 3rd person? No? Just me? Ok.... Time to lay off the caffeine on the drive the night before.
ROMA ARCHEOLOGICA & RESTAURO ARCHITETTURA 2021. "Send in the Bugs. The Michelangelos Need Cleaning" [= Laboratori Enea i batteri 'restauratori' per riparare dipinti, affreschi e statue], NYT (31 May, 2021): C1. S.v., "Roma, Casina Farnese sul Palatino," in: ADNKRONOS / ARTE (10/04/2015). wp.me/pbMWvy-1vZ
1). ITALIA - Send in the Bugs. The Michelangelos Need Cleaning. NYT (31 May 31, 2021): C1.
Last fall, with the Medici Chapel in Florence operating on reduced hours because of Covid-19, scientists and restorers completed a secret experiment: They unleashed grime-eating bacteria on the artist’s masterpiece marbles.
FLORENCE — As early as 1595, descriptions of stains and discoloration began to appear in accounts of a sarcophagus in the graceful chapel Michelangelo created as the final resting place of the Medicis. In the ensuing centuries, plasters used to incessantly copy the masterpieces he sculpted atop the tombs left discoloring residues. His ornate white walls dimmed.
Nearly a decade of restorations removed most of the blemishes, but the grime on the tomb and other stubborn stains required special, and clandestine, attention. In the months leading up to Italy’s Covid-19 epidemic and then in some of the darkest days of its second wave as the virus raged outside, restorers and scientists quietly unleashed microbes with good taste and an enormous appetite on the marbles, intentionally turning the chapel into a bacterial smorgasbord.
“It was top secret,” said Daniela Manna, one of the art restorers.
On a recent morning, she reclined — like Michelangelo’s allegorical sculptures of Dusk and Dawn above her — and reached into the shadowy nook between the chapel wall and the sarcophagus to point at a dirty black square, a remnant showing just how filthy the marble had become.
She attributed the mess to one Medici in particular, Alessandro Medici, a ruler of Florence, whose assassinated corpse had apparently been buried in the tomb without being properly eviscerated. Over the centuries, he seeped into Michelangelo’s marble, the chapel’s experts said, creating deep stains, button-shaped deformations, and, more recently, providing a feast for the chapel’s preferred cleaning product, a bacteria called Serratia ficaria SH7.
“SH7 ate Alessandro,” Monica Bietti, former director of the Medici Chapels Museum, said as she stood in front of the now gleaming tomb, surrounded by Michelangelos, dead Medicis, tourists and an all-woman team of scientists, restorers and historians. Her team used bacteria that fed on glue, oil and apparently Alessandro’s phosphates as a bioweapon against centuries of stains.
In November 2019, the museum brought in Italy’s National Research Council, which used infrared spectroscopy that revealed calcite, silicate and other, more organic, remnants on the sculptures and two tombs that face one another across the New Sacristy.
That provided a key blueprint for Anna Rosa Sprocati, a biologist at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, to choose the most appropriate bacteria from a collection of nearly 1,000 strains, usually used to break down petroleum in oil spills or to reduce the toxicity of heavy metals. Some of the bugs in her lab ate phosphates and proteins, but also the Carrara marble preferred by Michelangelo.
“We didn’t pick those,” said Bietti.
Then the restoration team tested the most promising eight strains behind the altar, on a small rectangle palette spotted with rows of squares like a tiny marble bingo board. All of the ones selected, she said, were nonhazardous and without spores.
“It’s better for our health,” said Manna, after crawling out from under the sarcophagus. “For the environment, and the works of art.”
Sprocati said they first introduced the bacteria to Michelangelo’s tomb for Giuliano di Lorenzo, Duke of Nemours. That sarcophagus is graced with allegorical sculptures for Day, a hulking, twisted male figure, and Night, a female body Michelangelo made so smooth and polished as to seem as if she shone in moonlight. The team washed her hair with Pseudomonas stutzeri CONC11, a bacteria isolated from the waste of a tannery near Naples, and cleaned residue of casting molds, glue and oil off her ears with Rhodococcus sp. ZCONT, another strain which came from soil contaminated with diesel in Caserta.
It was a success. But Paola D’Agostino, who runs the Bargello Museums, which oversees the chapels and which will officially reveal the results of the project in June, preferred to play it safe on Night’s face. So did Bietti and Pietro Zander, a Vatican expert who joined them. They allowed the restorers to give her a facial of micro-gel packs of xanthan gum, a stabilizer often found in toothpaste and cosmetics that is derived from the Xanthomonas campestris bacteria. The head of the Duke Giuliano, hovering above his tomb, received similar treatment.
Sprocati took her bugs elsewhere. In August, her group of biologists used bacteria isolated from a Naples industrial site to clean the wax left by centuries of votive candles from Alessandro Algardi’s baroque masterpiece, a colossal marble relief in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome of the Meeting of Attila and Pope Leo.
The bacteria strains got back to the Medici Chapel, which had reopened with reduced hours, in mid-October. Wearing white lab coats, blue gloves and anti-Covid surgical masks, Sprocati and the restorers spread gels with the SH7 bacteria — from soil contaminated by heavy metals at a mineral site in Sardinia — on the sullied sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero, Duke of Urbino, buried with his assassinated son Alessandro.
“It ate the whole night,” said Marina Vincenti, another of the restorers.
The Medicis were more accustomed to sitting atop Florence’s food chain.
In 1513, Giovanni di Lorenzo de Medici became Leo X — the first Medici pope. He had big plans for a new sacristy for the interment of his family, including his father, Lorenzo the Magnificent, the powerful ruler of Florence who largely bankrolled the Renaissance. Il Magnifico is now buried here too, under a modest altar adorned with Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child, flanked by saints that also had their toes nibbled by cleansing bacteria. But back then his coffin waited, probably on the Old Sacristy floor. He was soon joined by Leo X’s brother, Giuliano, and his nephew, Lorenzo, the Prince to whom Machiavelli dedicated his treatise on wielding power.
“You had coffins waiting to be buried,” said D’Agostino. “It’s kind of gloomy.”
Image
Pope Leo X hired Michelangelo to design and build the mausoleum. The pope then promptly died of pneumonia. In the ensuing years, Michelangelo carved the masterpieces and then ran afoul of his patrons.
In 1527, with the Sack of Rome, Florentines, including Michelangelo, supported a Republic and overthrew the Medicis. Among the ousted princes was Lorenzo di Piero’s sometimes volatile son, Alessandro, whom many historians consider a real piece of work. Michelangelo couldn’t stand him, and when the Medicis stormed back, it was Michelangelo’s turn to flee.
In 1531, the Medici Pope Clement VII pardoned Michelangelo, who went back to work on the family chapel. But by that time, Alessandro had become Duke of Florence. Michelangelo soon left town, and the unfinished chapel, for good.
“Alessandro was terrible,” said D’Agostino.
Alessandro’s relative, known as the “bad Lorenzo,” agreed and stabbed him to death in 1537. The duke’s body was rolled up in a carpet and plopped in the sarcophagus. It’s unclear if his father, Lorenzo, was already in there or moved in later.
“A roommate,” D’Agostino said.
In 2013, Bietti, then the museum’s director, realized how badly things had deteriorated since a 1988 restoration. The museum cleaned the walls, marred by centuries of humidity and handprints, revealed damages from the casts and iron brushes used to remove oil and wax, and reanimated the statues.
“Come and see,” Bietti said, pointing, Creation-of-Adam-style, at the toe of Night.
But the cleaner the chapel became, the more the stubbornly marred the sarcophagus of Lorenzo di Piero stood out as an eyesore.
In 2016, Vincenti, one of the restorers, attended a conference held by Sprocati and her biologists. (“An introduction to the world of microorganisms,” Sprocati called it.) They showed how bacteria had cleaned up some resin residues on Baroque masterpiece frescoes in the Carracci Gallery at Palazzo Farnese in Rome. Strains isolated from mine drainage waters in Sardinia eliminated corrosive iron stains in the gallery’s Carrara marble.
When it came time to clean the Michelangelos, Vincenti pushed for a bacterial assist.
“I said, ‘OK,” said D’Agostino. “‘But let’s do a test first.’”
The bacteria passed the exam and did the job. On Monday, tourists admired the downward pensive glance of Michelangelo’s bearded Dusk, the rising of his groggy Dawn and Lorenzo’s tomb, now rid of the remnants of Alessandro.
“It’s very strange, especially in this time of Covid,” Marika Tapuska, a Slovakian visiting Florence with her family said when she learned that bacteria had cleaned up the sarcophagus. “But if it works, why not?”
Fonte / source, foto:
--- NYT (31 May 31, 2021): C1.
www.nytimes.com/2021/05/30/arts/bacteria-cleaning-michela...
2). ROMA - S.v., 'Roma, Casina Farnese sul Palatino', in: "Arte: dai laboratori Enea i batteri 'restauratori' per riparare dipinti, affreschi e statue." ADNKRONOS / ARTE (10/04/2015).
Presto su opere custodite in Vaticano l'applicazione dell'innovativa tecnica made in Italy messa a punto dal team coordinato da Anna Rosa Sprocati che all'Adnkronos spiega: "Tecnica a basso costo e con molti vantaggi."
Batteri per restaurare statue, dipinti, affreschi, antichi manoscritti. Piccolissimi organismi che si nutrono in maniera selettiva delle scorie da rimuovere dalle opere e che agiscono come e meglio di un solvente senza però essere aggressivi né per l'oggetto da trattare, né per la salute degli addetti ai lavori.
E' il biorestauro, la tecnica tutta italiana messa a punto dai ricercatori dell'Enea che verrà a breve applicata in Vaticano per il restauro della 'Madonna della Cintola', dipinto su legno, e per riparare i danni su statue e fontane che si trovano nei giardini della Santa Sede. Si tratta di una tecnica molto promettente. Finora infatti il laboratorio Enea ha selezionato ben 500 ceppi di batteri capaci di intervenire in diverse situazioni e su molteplici materiali.
Sprocati,
"Abbiamo isolato questi microrganismi e li abbiamo classificati in base a ciò che sono in grado di fare - spiega all'Adnkronos Anna Rosa Sprocati, coordinatrice del laboratorio Enea di Microbiologia ambientale e biotecnologie microbiche - creando poi una nostra banca dati. In base agli interventi che ci vengono richiesti dagli esperti, selezioniamo quindi in laboratorio i batteri più adatti, li sperimentiamo e li applichiamo per 'aggredire' determinate sostanze senza danneggiare le opere trattate".
E la tecnica presenta diversi vantaggi: è a basso costo "perché - assicura la ricercatrice - crescere dei batteri su larga scala non implica davvero grandi spese", non pone problemi etici perché si basa su organismi naturali non modificati geneticamente, è di facile applicazione e non è dannoso per la salute dei tecnici.
"Questo tipo di approccio - sottolinea Sprocati - interviene quando le tecniche tradizionali non sono soddisfacenti o quando per esserlo necessitano di prodotti aggressivi per le opere o tossici per i restauratori". Sono proprio i restauratori infatti a beneficiare maggiormente della biotecnologia e a vedere nella sua applicazione un'alternativa promettente all'impiego dei tradizionali prodotti chimici. "L'uso dei batteri non è sostitutivo del lavoro degli esperti - tiene infatti a sottolineare la scienziata - ma ne costituisce uno strumento di lavoro. Noi - spiega - ci basiamo molto proprio sulle indicazioni che arrivano dai restauratori che ci chiedono aiuto. Senza il loro occhio del resto, spesso non ci sarebbe facile verificare l'efficacia di un trattamento".
Il tempo di un restauro fatto dai batteri varia a seconda del tipo di intervento. "Può bastare una notte - dice Sprocati - come nel caso di una crosta nera da rimuovere da una statua, o possono essere necessarie diverse applicazioni come è capitato per rimuovere i residui di smog dalla 'Lupa' di Giuseppe Graziosi custodita alla Galleria nazionale di arte moderna e rimasta all'aperto per 40 anni".
Diversi gli interventi di biorestauro richiesti agli scienziati Enea. Dalla Casina Farnese sul Palatino "dove abbiamo applicato diversi tipi di batteri in successione - spiega la ricercatrice - per rimuovere i residui dagli affreschi delle logge", alla soluzione trovata ma non ancora applicata agli affreschi del Palazzo dei Papi di Avignone, in Francia. "In questo caso il problema era rimuovere della colla vinilica che tra gli anni Venti e Settanta è stata spalmata sugli affreschi per consolidarli - spiega Sprocati - ma col passare del tempo questa colla ha creato un film opaco. Con il restauro tradizionale bisognerebbe ricorrere a solventi che rischierebbero di danneggiare i dipinti. Noi invece abbiamo individuato due ceppi di batteri in grado di mangiare il vinavil senza intaccare l'opera".
Fonte / source, foto:
--- ADNKRONOS / ARTE (10/04/2015).
www.adnkronos.com/batteri-al-posto-dei-solventi-dallenea-...
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
As the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) lost control over the skies over Germany in the second half of the Second World War, it could no longer provide sufficient protection against Allied aircraft. Panzer divisions were especially affected by the lack of cover from fighter aircraft because they were always at the center of the most intense fighting.
The Germans already had copious amounts of half-tracked Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Guns (SPAAG) of different calibers and weights (Sd.Kfz.10/4, Sd.Kfz.6/2, Sd.Kfz.7/1, etc.). As these vehicles had very limited or no armor, they were vulnerable to enemy fire either from ground or air. The crew needed better protection from small arms fire and artillery/mortar high explosive fragmentation shell shrapnel. A tank-based anti-aircraft vehicle (Flakpanzer) could solve this problem, as it would have sufficient armor to resist most ground attacks with the exception of larger caliber guns. They would also provide some protection against air attacks, but even tanks could be destroyed by air ground-attack fire.
Many designs based on different Panzer chassis and weapons were tested and built during the war. The most successful early ones were based on the Panzer IV chassis (Möbelwagen, Wirbelwind and Ostwind), but one of the major shortcomings of all German Flakpanzers was the lack of a fully enclosed fighting compartment. As all were open-topped (because of easier construction, easier exhaust of gun fumes and the need to produce them as fast as possible), the gun crews were exposed to air attacks and the weather.
As the war progressed, German engineers tried to solve this problem by designing and building new Flakpanzers with fully enclosed turrets, based on later and bigger tank chassis’. One of these was the Flakpanzer based on the Panther tank, best known today as the ‘Coelian’, which was a new turret that could take various gun armaments.
The path to the Coelian SPAAG was not straight. In May 1943, Oberleutnant Dipl. Ing von Glatter-Götz, responding to the orders of Inspectorate 6, initiated the development of a new series of Flakpanzers based on already existing chassis. The Panzer I and II were outdated or used for other purposes. The Panzer III tank chassis was earmarked for the production of the StuG III and thus not available. The Panzer IV and the Panzer V Panther were considered next. The Panzer IV tank chassis was already in use for several German modifications, so it was decided to use it for the Flakpanzer program, eventually leading to the light “Kugelblitz” SPAAG. The Panzer V Panther was considered in case even the Panzer IV chassis proved to be inadequate for the task. Furthermore, the development of a whole new tank generation, the “Einheitspanzer” or “E-Serie”, had just been initiated.
The Germans formed a commission for the analysis of the effectiveness of enemy ground attack planes. The report (dated 31st June 1943) stated that, in the case of dive-bombing, the lowest point that the enemy plane reached was 1.200 to 1.500 m at an angle of 45-80°. Planes using larger caliber machine guns or cannons attacked at an altitude of around 150 to 300 m. The committee suggested that the best way to bring down enemy planes was using direct fire autocannons. To effectively fight the enemy planes, the future Flakpanzer would have to have a fully rotating turret with a high angle of fire and the caliber used should not be lower than 2 cm, with the more powerful 3.7 cm being preferred.
To give the crew the best protection possible and to meet any future Allied developments, the Panther-based Flakpanzer had to have a fully enclosed turret that could be armed with several different proposed weapon configurations. These included the 2 cm Flakvierling, 3.7 cm Flak either in twin or triple configuration, a newly developed 5.5 cm Gerät 58 Flakzwilling and even the powerful 88 mm caliber heavy anti-aircraft gun. The new turret design was to be ready for frontline service by the middle of 1944.
The first proposed design drawings were completed by Rheinmetall under the internal project number H-SkA 82827 in late May 1943 with the title “Turm Panther II mit Vierling MG 151/20”. This turret was heavily based on the Panther’s standard turret that it would simply replace. The new turret had to fulfill several set criteria like armor thickness and having an effective traversing mechanism. The armor protection of the turret was impressive, with 80 mm frontal armor and 40 mm on the sides. The turret was to be moved by using a hydraulic drive which was powered by the tank’s own engine. The maximum traverse speed was around 36° per second. Hydraulic power was used to raise the weapons, too, but a manual drive option was included as a fallback option.
The H-SkA 82827’s armament consisted of four 20 mm MG 151/20, mounted in staggered pairs, the same armament carried by the contemporary Panver IV-based “Möbelwagen” and “Wirbelwind” SPAAGs, too, but now under full armor protection. The elevation of the four guns was -5° to +75° and they had a combined practical rate of fire of 800 RPM, even though a maximum ROF of 1680 to 1920 RPM was theoretically possible. The weapons had a muzzle velocity of 900 m/s, a range of 4.800 m (15,720 ft) and an effective ceiling of 3.700 m (12,120 ft). They were belt-fed and separated from the turret crew, the gunner and the commander, which were seated in the left of the turret, weapons and ammunition were placed on the right side. The commander sat behind the gunner in an elevated position under a cupola, adapted from the Panther battle tank, for a good all-round view. Thanks to the belt-fed guns, no dedicated loader was necessary anymore, saving internal weight and space. The rest of the crew, driver and radio/machine gun operator, were seated in the Panzer V hull’s front in their standard positions.
After a wooden mock-up had been built, inspected and approved by the Heeresinspektorat 6, the go-ahead for the construction of five prototype turrets was given in September 1943, to be mounted and tested on refurbished Panther hulls. The new vehicle received the official designation Sd.Kfz. 171/1 “Flakpanzer V/20 mm”. On the 21st of December 1943, however, a Panzerkommision was formed to examine the further development of a Flakpanzer based on the Panther tank chassis. It was decided that the main armament should consist of at least two 3.7 cm caliber anti-aircraft guns, for more range and firepower, and this requirement was later revised to two even heavier 5.5 cm Gerät 58 guns. The Luftwaffe’s 30 mm MK 103 machine cannon was considered, too, since it had outstanding range, accuracy and penetration.
The problem was now that the Sd.Kfz. 171/1’s turret did not offer enough space or development potential to accommodate these heavier and bigger weapons, so that a completely new turret had to be designed from scratch around them. Daimler-Benz was chosen for this follow-up project, which was internally called “Flakpanzer 341” – after the SPAAG’s planned main armament with an experimental 3.7 cm (L/77) Flak 341 twin gun, also known as “Gerät 341”. In mid-1944 it would evolve into the Panther-based Coelian SPAAG family, but even this more sophisticated design with several armament variants became just a stopgap solution, bridging the delay of the anti-aircraft tanks based on the new Einheitspanzer chassis family.
Serial production of the Sd.Kfz. 171/1 was consequently dropped, only three fully operational prototypes were completed by March 1944, plus two armed turrets for static test. One of these turrets was later mounted onto another Panther hull, for a fourth operational vehicle. Rheinmetall kept on working with these vehicles and components until late 1945, and the four SPAAGs were also employed by the company’s Werksverteidigung unit (manned by the Rheinmetall staff, not by Wehrmacht soldiers) at the Apolda factory in central Thuringia.
The Sd.Kfz. 171/1s and the separate turrets were also used in the development programs for Rheinmetall’s so-called “Einheits-Flakturm” for the upcoming E-50/75 SPAAGs, primarily for targeting and rangefinding systems, weapon mounts and simplified turret movement mechanisms. One of these developments was the Kommandogerät 44, a much more compact analogue rangefinder, effectively an analogue fire control calculator that translated target and ambient data into electronic signals that could control weapon drives and trigger a weapon at an ideal moment. This innovative device eventually became part of the later E-50/75 SPAAGs that entered service in 1946.
The fate of these four unique vehicles after the factory’s invasion through Soviet troops is uncertain, though. They were probably destroyed by retreating German troops to prevent their experimental technologies from falling into enemy hands.
Specifications:
Crew: Four (commander, gunner, driver, radio-operator/hull machine gunner)
Weight: 40.5 tonnes (39.9 long tons; 44.7 short tons)
Length (hull only): 6.87 m (22 ft 6 in)
Width: 3.42 m (11 ft 3 in)
Height: 3.06 m (10 ft 2/3 in)
Suspension: Double torsion bar, interleaved road wheels
Fuel capacity: 720 litres (160 imp gal; 190 US gal)
Armor:
15–80 mm (0.6 – 3.15 in)
Performance:
Maximum road speed: 55 km/h (34 mph)
Operational range: 250 km (160 mi)
Power/weight: 15.39 PS (11.5 kW)/tonne (13.77 hp/ton)
Engine:
Maybach HL230 P30 V-12 petrol engine with 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW)
ZF AK 7-200 gear; 7 forward 1 reverse
Armament:
4× 20 mm (0.787 in) MG 151/29 machine cannon in two twin mounts with a total of 3.200 rounds
1× 7.92 mm MG 34 machine gun in the front glacis plate with 2.500 rounds
The kit and its assembly:
This is an OOB what-if model, the prototype of the “Panther 20mm Flakvierling MG 151/20” from Dragon. The kit is actually mislabeled as “Flakpanzer 341”, but this designation had been allocated to the later prototype of the “Coelian” turret for the Panther chassis, just as described in the background. AFAIK, the “Panther 20mm Flakvierling MG 151/20” was not produced at all, there was just a wooden mock-up. And the whole project was quickly cancelled because it did not offer sufficient firepower and development potential. The only “official” designation I could find is the title of a project paper that describes the turret’s layout and construction, and it was called “H-SkA 82827.
But what if a small batch of these vehicles had been manufactured/completed and used by factory defense units like the Luftwaffe’s Werkschutzstaffeln?
That’s the basic idea/story behind this build, and it was kept OOB. The Dragon Panther is a simple affair and goes together well, but the instructions are weak, if not confusing. Good thing, though, is that the kit contains an extra sprue from a Jagdpanther kit that contains many optional parts for early and late Panther variants, as well as hull equipment, so that you get a good number of surplus parts for the spares box. The only downer is the fact that the soft vinyl tracks were molded in a bright sand tone, so that these delicate parts had to be completely painted.
Painting and markings:
The Panther 20mm Flakvierling is – even though it never “existed” – frequently depicted in a weird two-color scheme, probably consisting of Dunkelgelb (RAL 7028) over a red primer coat. But the depicted colors frequently appear much too garish and strong, like bright sunflower yellow over wine red! WTF? However, I liked the concept and adopted it for the model, just with more realistic tones and some personal twists.
The hull received an overall coat with RAL 3009 (Oxidrot), while the turret was painted with a paler shade of red (Humbrol 70, Brick red). On top of that, thinned Tamiya XF-57 (Buff) was used to add a fragmented meander pattern to break up the tank’s outlines. The result is quite attractive, and it might have worked well in an urban/factory environment – hence the idea of allocating the vehicle to a Werksschutz unit – several aircraft companies, e. g. Heinkel or Focke Wulf, also used prototypes for local defense, organized outside of Luftwaffe units.
To emphasize the prototype nature of this vehicle, the wheels and the armor skirts were, for some variety, painted in standard Hinterhalt camouflage colors, in Dunkelgelb (Tamiya XF-60), Olivgrün (RAL 6003, Humbrol 86) and Rotbraun (RAL 8017, Humbrol 160). The latter was also used for the engine bay cover, which I simply forgot to paint on Oxidrot in the first place. But the slightly darker Rotbraun blends well into the rest of the hull. The wheels were painted uniformly, and I added a wheel in Brick Red on each side as an un-camouflaged replacement. The armor skirts’ camouflage pattern consists of dark circles over a Dunkelgelb background, created with a stamp (self-made from fine sponge rubber) and mimicking the original “factory design” of the Hinterhalt paint scheme.
As mentioned above, the tracks had to be painted, and this time I tried a base with acrylic black paint from the rattle can, plus some grey and re brown wet-in-wet acrylic paint on top of that. Worked quite well and might become a new standard for this field of work.
The tactical markings became minimal, as the vehicle would be factory-operated and also a test article – hence it just received small Balkenkreuz insignia (on the hull ,mostly obscured by tools), and a large black “3”, edged in white for more contrast, on the turret sides, with smaller numbers at front and back of the turret for quick identification from every side.
The model received an overall washing with thinned dark brown acrylic paint and dry-brushing with light grey and beige, before it was sealed with matt acrylic varnish. Once the vinyl tracks had been mounted, the model’s lower areas and the running gear were dusted with grey-brown mineral pigments.
Well, another simple build, thanks to an OOB kit of this exotic SPAAG prototype. The result looks quite good and was completed in just two days, another member in my growing collection of real, semi-fictional and whiffy German SPAAG vehicles – turning this mock-up into an of an operational prototype of a Werksverteidigung unit certainly works and could actually have been, even though the Panther 20mm Flakvierling MG 151/20 just remained a stillborn proposal.
Photo of Shantrell Akpon Anderson. Permission from California Historical Society needed to use this photo.
Need to pick up supplies.
Hat: G Field
Hair: Magika
Skin: Angelica
Makeup: TSG
Top: MishMish
Tights: Cannibelle
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
The Bv 316 was a tailless twin jet fighter designed by Blohm & Voss as a replacement for the Me 262 fighter. The design of the Bv P.216 was begun in the summer of 1943 and was intended as an overall improvement to the Messerschmitt Me 262. The biggest weakness of the Me 262 were its unreliable and weak Junkers Jumo 004 B-1 turbojets, delivering only 8.8 kN (1,980 lbf) each.
Whilst the Luftwaffe took the Me 262 into service, an improvement was direly needed. Messerschmitt responded with the P.1099 design, and in 1944 the High Command of the Luftwaffe came up with the Emergency Fighter (Volksjäger) Competition, which challenged engineers to invent a new, light and simple aircraft.
Nevertheless, heavier types with longer endurance were needed, too, so Blohm & Voss’ designer Dr. Vogt proposed a twin jet development of his versatile family of tailless fighter concepts (ranging from pusher propeller designs through a light fighter for the Volksjäger competition up to a heavy, three-seated night fighter design) that would fall into the Me 262’s weight class, but take advantage of the Heinkel HeS 011, a new jet engine which was being under development for aircraft of various classes and sizes and offered 150% of thrust.
The engines were mounted in a pair at the rear of a short, tailless fuselage, breathing through a bifurcated nose intake. The pilot sat above the air intake in a pressurized cockpit, with a dorsal fuel tank behind him. More fuel was carried in the wings, which were swept 40° at quarter chord and featured fins on short outriggers at about 2/3 of the wing span. A fully retractable tricycle landing gear was fitted, the front wheel turned 90° to lie flat under the air intake while the main wheels retracted inward and also lay under the engine bay. Armament consisted of four compact MK 108 30mm cannons in the nose section.
This aircraft received the internal project number P.216. Since it already incorporated advanced wind tunnel research for the innovative layout and the swept wing design, Dr. Vogt received an official Go from the RLM.
Construction of three P.216 prototypes began in May 1945, followed by extensive flight and structural tests. The first aircraft (A-0 pre-production series) made its first flight in August 1945, and after a minimal test program, the P.216 was cleared for production in October 1945, receiving the official RLM service code number 316.
The production aircraft (Bv 316 A-1) differed only marginally from the prototypes, since there was hardly any time for refinement. Most visible changes included a simplified canopy (instead of a more rounded bubble canopy), and external hardpoints under fuselage and wings for a wide range of ordnance, which made the Bv 316 eligible for fighter bomber duties, too. A plumbed central pylon also allowed the carriage of a drop tank, which extended range appreciably. Less obvious was better armor protection for the pilot and the fuselage tank. Overall performance was slightly better than the Me 262’s, the most significant advantage was the dramatically improved reliability of the HeS 011 engines and a much better turn radius due to the lower wing load.
Luftwaffe pilots were sceptical at first, but found the Bv 316 to be a trustworthy weapon platform. The first machines were allocated to bases in southern Germany and Austria, where the fighters helped to protect oil fields in Bulgaria in mid 1946.
General characteristics:
Crew: One
Length: 8,17 m (26 ft 9 1/4 in)
Wingspan: 11,40 m (37 ft 4 1/2 in)
Height: 3,49 m (11 ft 5 1/4 in)
Wing area: 29,11 m² (313,4 sq ft)
Empty weight: 5.046 kg (11,125 lb)
Loaded weight: 6.894 kg (15.198 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 18.152 lb (8.234 kg)
Powerplant:
2× Heinkel HeS 011A turbojets, each rated at 12,01 kN (1.300 kg/2.866 lb)
Performance:
Maximum speed: 1.006 km/h (625 mph, 548 knots)
Stall speed: 200 km/h (124 mph, 108 knots)
Range: 2.400 km (1,522 mi)
Service ceiling: 15.100 m (49.600 ft) at combat weight
Rate of climb: 45,72 m/s (9.000 ft/min) at sea level
Wing loading: 236.7 kg/m² (49.4 lb/ft²)
lift-to-drag: 15.1
Thrust/weight: 0,42
Armament:*
4× fixed 30mm MK 108 cannons in the nose
Underfuselage and wing hardpoints for a total ordnance of 1.500 kg (3.303 lb),
including bombs of up to 1.000 kg (2.202 lb) caliber, drop tanks or unguided rockets
The kit and its assembly:
I wonder why this conversion stunt has not been done before or more often, because it's such an obvious move?
There had been several tailless Blohm & Voss designs, ranging from a small jet fighter (an alternative to the He 162, which was chosen as Volksjäger) to a heavily armed, two engine, three seat night fighter with 14m wing span. If you take a look at sketches of these aircraft, the overall simlarity of the later F-86 is obvious, despite its conventional layout. So I thought that a whiffy B&V design on this basis should be easy - and it actually is!
The basis is the vintage Matchbox F-86A from 1976, chosen because of its simplicity and basically good fit. The major steps include cutting off the tail just behind the wings' trailing edge, as well as a part of the dorsal section and the wings outside of the flaps.
In order to create a more dynamic look and stay true to the original Dr. Vogt designs I attached the wings with a slight dihedral, while the recessed outer wings received a recognizable anhedral - mounted on slender pylons that are actually pieces of sprue.
On top of that some donation parts were added:
* The fins are stabilizers from an Italeri A-4M Skyhawk
* The F-86's bubble canopy was replaced with the canopy and cockpit section from a Revell Me 262
* An Airfix pilot was added
* The engines come from a Dougram mecha kit (a 1:48 hovercraft!)
* The landing gear struts belong to a Hobby Boss Me 262
* The main wheels come from an Italeri IAI Kfir
The new canopy was added for a more "German" and less modern look. It meant massive body work, but it blends in well. The are behind the cockpit had to be sculpted anew, too, and creating a good transition to the two jet exhauts from above and below was not easy.
The F-86 air intake was also modified: the characteristic upper lip with the radar range finder had to go and I implanted a vertical splitter inside, plus a wall of dark foamed plastics that blocks light from the cockpit and sight onto the lead that was hidden around the cockpit.
For armament I filled the original six 0.5" machine guns and drilled two pairs of new, bigger openings for MK 108 cannons in the same place. Later, pieces of hollow steel needles were added as cannon muzzles. As an extra I added an underfuselage pylon for a drop tank and attachment points for eight scratched WGr 21 launch tubes.
Painting and markings:
How to paint a Luft '46 aircraft? The color spectrum is limited, and I wanted a "different" look. Dedicated ugliness was intended. So I came, after some browsing, across an obscure and heavily debated color for the lower sides, called (more or less inofficially) RLM 84. It's a greenish grey, much like the RAF Sky, that was used on some late Luftwaffe aircraft - maybe a primer color, or a field mix? Anyway, it would yield that odd look that I was looking for, and I used a mix of Humbrol 90 with some RLM 02, slightly darker and greenish than Sky.
In order to emphasize the overall strange color effect I decided to paint the upper surfaces in a uniform RLM 81 (Braunviolett), and add field camouflage in the form of patches/mottle in RLM 81 and RLM 02 on the flanks and on the wings. RLM 02 was not in use as camouflage paint in late WWII anymore, but I am certain that it was still around, and it matches the overall greenish look of the aircraft well.
For an even more field duty look I added details in different colors/tones. The slats' undersides received a grey primer finish, while the flaps and rudders were painted RLM 76 from below and in a slightly different shade of RLM 81 from above (Humbrol 155), as if they had been replaced or the aircraft had been built from different components and jostled into service.
All interior surfaces were painted in very dark grey (RLM 66), and various shades of Metallizer were used around the exhausts, the cannons and under the wings where the WGr 21 launch tubes are located.
After a light black ink wash and some shading the decals were applied - puzzled together from various sheets and in a minimalistic style.
At 21:47 GMT, the equinox happened, and so from then on, light is destined to win over darkness. Which meant, of course, that the day before then was the shortest "day", or amount of daylight.
This is the end of the year, the build up and excitement before Christmas, and at the same time, looking back at the year, and what has happened in the previous 50 or so weeks. So, a time of mixed emotions, good and bad, happy and sad.
But I was on vacation, or not going to work.
I am not up to date, but I did all the tasks I was supposed to do, threw a few electronic grenades over the walls, and was now happy not to think of that shit for two whole weeks.
For Jools, however, there was half a day to do, and then her employers paid for all those employed at the factory to go to a fancy place in Folkestone for lunch, drinks at the bar and a bottle of wine between four folks.
It was, in short, a time for celebration. Something I realise has not happened in my job since I left operational quality, to be happy and give thanks to those we work with. And be recognised for the good job we do.
So, I was to take Jools to work, and have the car for the day.
Jools was conscious that my plan for the day involved driving to the far west of Kent, so realised I needed an early start, and not dropping her off in Hythe at seven.
We left after coffee just after six, driving through Dover and Folkestone on the main road and motorway before turning over the downs into Hythe. I dropped her off in the town, so she could get some walking in. She always didn't walk, as waves of showers swept over the town, and me as I drove back home for breakfast and do all the chores before leaving on a mini-churchcrawl.
So, back home for breakfast, more coffee, wash up, do the bird feeders and with postcodes, set out for points in the extreme west. Now, Kent is not a big county, not say, Texas big, but it takes some time to get to some parts of the west of the county. Main roads run mainly from London to the coast, so going cross-country or cross-county would take time.
At first it was as per normal up the A20 then onto the motorway to Ashford then to Maidstone until the junction before the M26 starts. One of the reasons for going later was to avoid rush hours in and around Maidstone, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells.
As it was, after turning down the A road, things were fine until I got to Mereworth, but from there the road began to twist and turn until it lead me into Tonbridge. Once upon a time, this was a sleepy village or small town. The the railways came and it became a major junction. The road to Penshurt took me though the one way system, then down the wide High Street, over the river Medway and up the hill the other side.
Two more turns took me to my target, through what were once called stockbroker mansions, then down a hill, with the village laid out before me just visible through the trees.
The village was built around the outskirts of Penshurst Place, home to the Sidney family since Tudor times. Just about everything is named the Leicester something, the village having its own Leicester Square, though with no cinemas, and all timber framed houses and painfully picturesque.
The church lays behind the houses, the tower in golden sandstone topped with four spirelets.
I parked the car, and armed with two cameras, several lenses and a photographer's eye, walked to the church.
The reason for coming was I can only remember a little about my previous visit, but the Leicester name thing triggered in my head the thought the memorials and tombs might be worth a revisit.
So there I was.
Gilbert Scott was very busy here, so there is little of anything prior to the 19th century, but the memorials are there. Including one which features the heads of the children of Robert Sidney (d1702) in a cloud. Including the eldest son who died, apparently, so young he wasn't named, and is recorded as being the first born.
This is in the Sidney Chapel where the great and good are buried and remembered, it has a colourful roof, or roof beams, and heraldic shields. It has a 15th century font, which, sadly, has been brightly painted so is gaudy in the extreme.
I go around getting my shots, leave a fiver for the church. Go back to the car and program Speldhurst into the sat nav.
Its just a ten minute drive, but there is no place to park anywhere near the church. I could see from my slow drive-by the porch doors closed, and I convinced myself they were locked and not worth checking out.
I went on to Groombridge, where there is a small chapel with fabulous glass. I had been here before too, but wanted to redo my shots.
It was by now pouring with rain, and as dark as twilight, I missed the church on first pass, went to the mini-roundabout only to discover that it and the other church in the village were in Sussex. I turned round, the church looked dark and was almost certainly locked. I told myself.
I didn't stop here either, so instead of going to the final village church, I went straigh to Tunbridge Wells where there was another church to revisit.
I drove into the town, over the man road and to the car park with no waiting in traffic, how odd, I thought.
It was hard to find a parking space, but high up in the parking house there were finally spaced. I parked near the stairs down, grabbed my cameras and went down.
I guess I could have parked nearer the church, but once done it would be easier to leave the town as the road back home went past the exit.
I ambled down the hill leading to the station, over the bridge and down the narrow streets, all lined with shops. I think its fair to say that it is a richer town than Dover because on one street there were three stores offering beposke designer kitchens.
The church is across the road from the Georgian square known at The Pantiles, but it was the church I was here to visit.
I go in, and there is a service underway. I decide to sit at the back and observe.
And pray.
I did not take communion, though. The only one there who didn't.
About eight elderly parishioners did, though.
I was here to photograph the ceiling, and then the other details I failed to record when we were last here over a decade ago.
I was quizzed strongly by a warden as to why I was doing this. I had no answer other than I enjoyed it, and for me that is enough.
After getting my shots, I leave and begin the slog back up to the car, but on the way keeping my promise to a young man selling the Big Issue that I would come back and buy a copy. I did better than that in that I gave him a fiver and didn't take a copy.
He nearly burst into tears. I said, there is kindness in the world, and some of us do keep our promises.
By the time I got to the car park, it was raining hard again. I had two and a half hours to get to Folkestone to pick up Jools after her meal.
Traffic into Tunbridge Wells from this was was crazy, miles and miles of queues, so I was more than happy going the other way.
I get back to the M20, cruise down to Ashford, stopping at Stop 24 services for a coffee and something to eat. I had 90 minutes to kill, so eat, drink and scroll Twitter as I had posted yet more stuff that morning. In other news: nothing changed, sadly.
At quarter past four I went to pick up Jools, stopping outside the restaurant. When she got in she declared she had been drinking piña coladas. Just two, but she was bubby and jabbering away all the way home.
With Jools having eaten out, and with snacks I had, no dinner was needed, so when suppertime came round, we dined on cheese and crackers, followed by a large slice of Christmas cake.
She was now done for Christmas too.
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The red brick church stands on a busy junction at the end of the Pantiles whose patrons it was built to serve in 1678. Within thirty years it had been extended on two occasions to more or less reach its present size. The ceiling bears the date 1678 and is rather domestic in character, based on deep circular domes with putti, palms and swags. The stained glass in the east window is based on a picture by Alex Ender and was designed by Heaton, Butler and Bayne in 1901. There is an excellent window under the north gallery designed by Lawrence Lee in 1969. The church was sympathetically restored by Ewan Christian in 1882, when the shallow chancel was added. The woodwork it contains was brought from one of Wren's City of London churches. Outside the west wall of the church, set into the footpath, is a boundary marker to show the former parish boundaries of Tonbridge and Speldhurst.
www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Tunbridge+Wells+1
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The large and populous hamlet or village of TUNBRIDGE-WELLS is situated at the south-east boundary of this parish; part of it only is in Speldhurst, another part in the parish of Tunbridge, and the remainder in that of Fant, in the county of Suffex. It consists of four smaller districts, named from the hills on which they stand, Mount Ephraim, Mount Pleasant, and Mount Sion; the other is called The Wells, from their being within it, which altogether form a considerable town; but the last is the centre of business and pleasure, for there, besides the Wells themselves, are the market, public parades, assembly rooms, taverns, shops, &c. Near the Wells is the chapel, which stands remarkably in the three parishes above mentioned—the pulpit in Speldhurst, the altar in Tunbridge, and the vestry in Fant, and the stream, which parted the two counties of Kent and Suffex, formerly ran underneath it, but is now turned to a further distance from it. The right of patronage is claimed by the rector of Speldhurst, though he has never yet possessed the chapel or presented to it; the value of it is about two hundred pounds per annum, which sum is raised by voluntary subscription; divine service is performed in it every day in summer, and three times a week in winter. Adjoining to it is a charity school, for upwards of fifty poor boys and girls, which is supported by a contribution, collected at the chapel doors, two or three times a year.
The trade of Tunbridge-wells is similar to that of Spa, in Germany, and consists chiefly in a variety of toys, made of wood, commonly called Tunbridge ware, which employs a great number of hands. The wood principally used for this purpose is beech and sycamore, with yew and holly inlaid, and beautifully polished. To the market of this place is brought, in great plenty, from the South downs, in Sussex, the little bird, called the wheatear, which, from its delicacy, is usually called the English ortolan. It is not bigger in size than a lark; it is almost a lump of fat, and of a very delicious taste; it is in season only in the midst of summer, when the heat of the weather, and the fatness of it, prevents its being sent to London, which otherwise would, in all likelihood, monopolize every one of them. On the other or Suffex side of the Medway, above a mile from the Wells, are the rocks, which consist of a great number of rude eminences, adjoining to each other, several of which are seventy feet in height; in several places there are cliffs and chasms which lead quite through the midst of them, by narrow gloomy passages, which strike the beholder with astonishment.
THESE MEDICINAL WATERS, commonly called TUNBRIDGE-WELLS, lie so near to the county of Suffex that part of them are within it, for which reason they were for some time called Fant-wells, as being within that parish. (fn. 1) Their efficacy is reported to have been accidentally found out by Dudley lord North, in the beginning of the reign of king James I. Whilst he resided at Eridge-house for his health, lord Abergavenny's seat, in this neighbourhood, and that he was entirely cured of the lingering consumptive disorder he laboured under by the use of them.
The springs, which were then discovered, seem to have been seven in number, two of the principal of which were some time afterwards, by lord Abergavenny's care, inclosed, and were afterwards much resorted to by many of the middling and lower sort, whose ill health had real occasion for the use of them. In which state they continued till queen Henrietta Maria, wife of king Charles I. having been sent hither by her physicians, in the year 1630, for the reestablishment of her health, soon brought these waters into fashion, and occasioned a great resort to them from that time. In compliment to her doctor, Lewis Rowzee, in his treatise on them, calls these springs the Queen's-wells; but this name lasted but a small time, and they were soon afterwards universally known by that of Tunbridge-wells, which names they acquired from the company usually residing at Tunbridge town, when they came into these parts for the benefit of drinking the waters.
The town of Tunbridge being five miles distant from the wells, occasioned some few houses to be built in the hamlets of Southborough and Rusthall, for the accommodation of the company resorting hither, and this place now becoming fashionable, was visited by numbers for the sake of pleasure and dissipation, as well as for the cure of their infirmities; and soon after the Restoration every kind of building, for public amusements, was erected at the two hamlets above mentioned, lodgings and other buildings were built at and near the wells, the springs themselves were secured, and other conveniencies added to them. In 1664, the queen came here by the advice of her physicians, in hopes of reinstating her health, which was greatly impaired by a dangerous fever, and her success, in being perfectly cured by these waters, greatly raised the reputation of them, and the company increasing yearly, it induced the inhabitants to make every accommodation for them adjoining to the Wells, so that both Rusthall and Southborough became ruinous and deserted by all but their native inhabitants. The duke of York, with his duchess, and the two princesses their daughters, visited Tunbridge-wells in the year 1670, which brought much more company than usual to them, and raised their reputation still higher; and the annual increase continuing, it induced the lord of the manor to think of improving this humour of visiting the wells to his own profit as well as the better accommodation of the company. To effect which, he entered into an agreement with his tenants, and hired of them the herbage of the waste of the manor for the term of fifty years, at the yearly rent of ten shillings to each tenant, and then erected shops and houses on and near the walks and springs, in every convenient spot for that purpose; by which means Tunbridge wells became a populous and flourishing village, well inhabited, for whose convenience, and the company resorting thither, a chapel was likewise built, in 1684, by subscription, on some ground given by the lady viscountess Purbeck, which was, about twelve years afterwards, enlarged by an additional subscription, amounting together to near twenty-three hundred pounds.
About the year 1726, the building lease, which had been granted by the lord of the manor of Rusthall, in which this hamlet is situated, expiring, the tenants of the manor claimed a share in the buildings, as a compensation for the loss of the herbage, which was covered by his houses. This occasioned a long and very expensive law suit between them, which was at last determined in favour of the tenants, who were adjudged to have a right to a third part of the buildings then erected on the estate, in lieu of their right to the herbage; upon which all the shops and houses, which had been built on the manor waste, were divided into three lots, of which the tenants were to draw one, and the other two were to remain to the lord of the manor; the lot which the tenants drew was the middle one, which included the assembly room on the public walk, which has since turned out much the most advantageous of the three. After which long articles of agreement, in 1739, were entered into between Maurice Conyers, esq. then lord of the manor of Rusthall, and the above mentioned tenants of it, in which, among many other matters, he agreed to permit the public walks and wells, and divers other premises there, to be made use of for the public benefit of the nobility and gentry resorting thereto, and several regulations were made in them concerning the walks, wells, and wastes of the manor, and for the restraining buildings on the waste, between the lord and his tenants, according to a plan therein specified; all which were confirmed and established by an act of parliament, passed in 1740. Since which several of the royal family have honoured these wells with their presence, and numbers of the nobility and persons of rank and fashion yearly resortto them, so that this place is now in a most flourishing state, having great numbers of good houses built for lodgings, and every other necessary accommodation for the company. Its customs are settled; the employment of the dippers regulated; (fn. 2) its pleasures regulated; its markets well and plentifully supplied, at a reasonable rate, with sowl, fish, meat, every other kind of food, and every convenience added that can contribute to give health and pleasure.
¶The whole neighbourhood of Tunbridge-wells abounds with springs of mineral water, but as the properties of all are nearly the same, only those two, which at the first discovery of them were adjudged the best, are held in any particular estimation. These two wells are enclosed with a handsome triangular stone wall; over the springs are placed two convenient basons of Portland stone, with perforations at the bottom; one of them being given by queen Anne, and the other by the lord of the manor; through which they receive the water, which at the spring is extremely clear and bright. Its taste is steely, but not disagreeable; it has hardly any smell, though sometimes, in a dense air, its ferruginous exhalations are very distinguishable. In point of heat it is invariably temperate, the spring lying so deep in the earth, that neither the heat of summer, nor the cold of winter, affects it. When this water is first taken up in a large glass, its particles continue at rest till it is warmed to nearly the heat of the atmosphere, then a few airy globules begin to separate themselves, and adhere to the sides of the glass, and in a few hours a light copper coloured scum begins to float on the surface, after which an ochreous sediment settles at the bottom. Long continued rains sometimes give the water a milky appearance, but do not otherwise sensibly affect it. From the experiments of different physicians, it appears that the component parts of this water are, steely particles, marine salts, an oily matter, an ochreous substance, simple water, and a volatile vitriolic spirit, too subtile for any chemical analysis. In weight it is, in seven ounces and a quarter, four grains lighter than the German Spa (to which it is preferable on that account) and ten grains lighter than common water; with syrup of violets this water gives a deep green, as vitriols do. (fn. 3) It requires five drops of oleum sulphuris, or elixir of vitriol, to a quart of water, to preserve its virtues to a distance from the spring.
This water is said to be an impregnation of rain in some of the neighbouring eminences, which abound in iron mineral, where it is further enriched with the marine salts and all the valuable ingredients, which constitute it a light and pure chalybeate, which instantly searches the most remote recesses of the human frame, warms and invigorates the relaxed constitution, restores the weakened fibres to their due tone and elasticity, removes those obstructions to which the minuter vessels of the body are liable, and is consequently adapted to most cold chronical disorders, lowness of spirits, weak digestions, and nervous complaints. Dr. Lodowick Rowzee, of Ashford, in this county, wrote a Treatise of the Nature and Virtues of these Waters, printed in 12mo. 1671; and Dr. Patrick Madan wrote a Philosophical and Medical Essay on them, in 1687, in quarto.
Music for Healing or What You Need # 2
Gabie Strong, Christopher Reid Martin, Ted Byrnes
February 12, 10pm-midnight
(Following by:
Incubation, 1am-9am
Dream analysis, 9-11am)
Baik Art
Please join us Friday, February 12 for an evening with Gabie Strong, Christopher Reid Martin, and Ted Byrnes. Themes of catharsis and cleansing will lead into a sonic space to prepare us to dream and, ideally, to heal. Between 10pm-midnight, Gabie Strong, Christopher Reid Martin, and Ted Byrnes will activate the space of Baik Art. For an optimal experience, be prepared to lie down.
An intrepid group will spend the night following the performance in the ancient Greek tradition of ‘incubation’. Your dreams will be interpreted the following morning by a professional. Please email Matt Wardell at shonufwardell@hotmail.com to reserve your spot. BYOB (Bring Your Own Bedding). Details of the overnight stay will follow. Space is very limited!!
Gabie Strong is a California artist and musician exploring spatial constructions of degeneration, drone and decay as a means to improvise new arrangements of self-reflexive meaning. Strong uses sound performance, radio broadcasting, environmental installation, photography and video as mediums for experimentation.
Her work has been presented on Kchung TV at the Hammer Museum’s Made in L.A. 2014 biennial exhibition, Pasadena Armory Center for the Arts, Knowledges at Mount Wilson Observatory, Pitzer Art Galleries, University Art Gallery UC Irvine, and LAXArt amongst others.
Strong has performed at MOCA, the wulf, Los Angeles Contemporary Archive, Printed Matter’s LA Art Book Fair, Art Los Angeles Contemporary, Human Resources, SASSAS, LACE, High Desert Test Sites, LACMA, the MAK Center for Art and Architecture, Jabberjaw, and with her all-female free-psych band Lady Noise for Dawn Kasper’s performances at the 2012 Whitney Biennial.
Strong’s work is an exploration of the affect of decay that is experienced from living in the spatial disorganization of the twenty-first century. This disorganization is the result of living in multiple non-places at once—both physical and virtual— where borders are both confining and permeable. I often collaborate with other artists, musicians and poets to create work that embodies the difference of lived experience.
Christopher Reid Martin is a multidisciplinary artist, currently residing in Los Angeles. He first began working with sound in Orange County in 2004, layering sounds from various field recordings of daily life which convey living truths and over processed instrumentation as the reactionary expression. These expressions came to birth the solo project known as of Shelter Death, as it has evolved into a project in which performance and sound interplay to make for a personal reactionary experience in a perpetually decaying world.
In 2010, Christopher had taken his creative endeavors into other avenues, releasing tracks under various formats under his shared Orange County based label Via Injection. Christopher's creative repertoire expanded when he began documenting his experience in countries outside the US, by taking field recordings, foreign radio recordings, and/or taking photographs. Photographs were either left unadulterated as they were taken or digitally manipulating and layered these with old scanned various schematics. This has lead to an ongoing body of work, which fuses reality in the form of photography, with corroded ideas in the form of chopped manipulated grids and manuals. Christopher has and continues to show work in a number of art shows and has performed live in a number of events in projects such as Bailouts, Via Injection, Shelter Death, and under his own name.
christopher-reid-martin.format.com/
Ted Byrnes is a drummer/percussionist living in Los Angeles. An alumnus of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, he comes from a jazz background and has since made his home in the worlds of free improvisation, new music, electro-acoustic music, and noise.
Ted primarily works in ad hoc improvisational settings, but has standing improvisational groups including: a group with Ulrich Krieger, a duo with Jeff Parker, a duo with Chris Cooper (AQH), a duo with Nicholas Deyoe, a duo with John Wiese, a duo with Scott Cazan, a trio with Jacob Wick and Owen Stewart-Robertson, among others. Additionally, Ted has played in duo/trio/or ensemble settings with: Mazen Kerbaj, David Watson, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, Charlemagne Palestine, Alfred 23 Harth, Tim Perkis, Jaap Blonk, Torsten Muller, Kim Myhr, Jim Denley, Lloyd Honeybrook, Chris Schlarb, Mike Watt, Paul Masvidal, the LAFMS (including Smegma, Airway, Ace Farren Ford’s Artificial Art Ensemble, Rick and Joe Potts, Fredrik Nilsen, Tom Recchion, Vetza, etc), Sissy Spacek (the band), Maher Shalal Hash Baz, and more.
Ted has also collaborated with / worked for a variety of visual artists: he has accompanied a Doug Aitken “happening”, collaborated with Olivia Booth to play her glass artworks, collaborated with Dani Tull on a sound performance, performed with John Knuth and Bret Nicely at an installation in an empty pool, and has performed for FLUXUS artist Jeff Perkins on multiple occasions for his projector/light installations.
Currently, Ted is delving further into the possibilities and realities of solo drumset performance in addition to continuing to work with his existing projects.
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EYE-DEE-QUE (Something Like an Asclepeion)
Matt Wardell
January 9 - February 13, 2016
Baik Art presents EYE-DEE-QUE (Something Like an Asclepeion), a solo installation and series of events by Los Angeles artist Matt Wardell.
For the exhibition, Wardell will present an immersive environment of images and objects by channeling ‘something like’ an ancient Greek temple of healing. Using Baik Art’s unique architecture, viewers experience a literal (and perhaps figurative) katabasis (‘to go down’ as in a descent of some type), but more importantly, and ideally, a catharsis (‘cleansing’ or ‘purification’).
Numerous objects, found and constructed, engage with the verticality of Baik Art’s shaft-like space, surrounded by an installation of wall works including drawings, collages, and repurposed images. Several fabric sculptures fill the gallery functioning as apotropaic totems. These Guardian Figures suggest a ‘presence’, ideally something beyond the object.
Daytime and evening events will further activate the gallery a space for healing. Practitioners from a variety of fields will be on hand for consultation. Music for Healing or What You Need will present a sonic cleansing. Incubation and Dream Analysis will be an overnight event of guided sleep followed by dream analysis with a professional. Utilizing the healing properties of dog saliva, An Event for Wound Licking will be a participatory event pairing wounds with dogs. For the date and time of each event, please contact the artist at shonufwardell@hotmail.com.
In ancient Greece and Rome, an asclepeion was a healing temple, sacred to Asclepius, the Greek God of Medicine. These temples were places in which patients would visit to receive either treatment or some sort of healing, whether it was spiritual or physical. Epidaurus was the first place to worship Asclepius as a god, beginning sometime in the 5th century BCE.
Starting around 350 BCE, the cult of Asclepius became increasingly popular. Pilgrims flocked to asclepieia to be healed. They slept overnight (“incubation”) and reported their dreams to a priest the following day. He prescribed a cure, often a visit to the baths or a gymnasium. Since snakes were sacred to Asclepius, they were often used in healing rituals. Non-venomous snakes were left to crawl on the floor in dormitories where the sick and injured slept.
Matt Wardell seeks to prolong a sense of wonder while placing the viewer in a lingering position of active assessment. He is interested in how we choose to live and in introducing work that facilitates these investigations. Wardell enjoys walking on fences, answering wrong numbers, and giving directions to places he does not know. Uncomfortable laughter, confusion, and irritation tend to be the byproducts of Wardell’s works.
Wardell has exhibited his work at venues throughout the United States and Mexico, including the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco (SFMOMA), Claremont Museum of Art in Claremont, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE), REDCAT, PØST, Human Resources, Black Dragon Society, Mark Moore Gallery, and Commonwealth and Council, all in Los Angeles. Wardell is a founding member of the artist collective 10lb Ape.
Baik Art
2600 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90034
310.842.3892
Many people call themselves atheists, and it is frequently argued by some that atheism is the only rational viewpoint.
However, it is also often said that there is no such thing as a genuine atheist.
This is supported by the Bible which declares: “the fool hath said in his heart there is no God.”
So which view is correct?
If we give just a little thought to this matter, we can see that there is no argument at all as to whether the qualities and properties usually attributable to God actually exist.
This is certain and beyond dispute.
So really the only disagreement is over the source or origin of these attributes.
Furthermore, we can understand that there are only 2 possible, alternative sources of these attributes.
It is self evident that something material can never come out of (absolute) nothing of its own accord (First Law of Thermodynamics & Law of Cause and Effect). (Something cannot create itself, it would need to pre-exist its own creation to do so).
We know that something material exists (i.e. the universe), therefore something must have always existed, something must be eternal and have had no beginning. This eternal something, can only be:
1. A force or power independent of the material, and thus the Creator of the material, OR
2. The material itself.
So an eternal nature must be possessed by,
EITHER:
1. A Supernatural Power.
OR
2. Matter/energy.
Consequently, all the other qualities, powers and potentialities which exist in the universe must have originally derived from ONE OR OTHER of these two proposed 'eternal' sources.
Some of the qualities existing in the material world.
Laws of Nature, Life, Information & means of information storage (DNA etc.), Consciousness, Intelligence, Design, Order, Motion, Love, Choice, Good, Beauty, Emotion, Kindness, Personality, Morality, Awareness, Justice, Wisdom, Hope, Joy, skill, etc.
There is no disagreement that these qualities are present in the universe.
The only dispute is over the source or origin of these qualities.
THEREFORE ....
Is the stuff of the universe (matter/energy) eternal?
Does this 'eternal matter' intrinsically possess all the above qualities, or the inherent potential to produce them of its own volition?
OR
Is there a power greater than, pre-existing and independent of, the material?
A Supernatural Creator of the material, possessor and originator of all the above attributes evident in the material creation?
IT CAN ONLY BE ONE OR THE OTHER
SO THIS IS THE ONLY DISAGREEMENT, AND IT IS AN AGE-OLD DISAGREEMENT.
No atheist would attempt to claim that mankind is the originator of all these qualities.
We are not eternal, we did not create ourselves or the universe, something greater than us essentially exists.
Is that something a Supernatural Creator God?
Or a purely material power which must intrinsically possess all the qualities, powers & potentialities usually attributed to a Supernatural Creator God?
- - A material god? - - A pagan god!
SO THE CHOICE IS CLEAR,- -
WE MUST FACE THE FACTS! - -
ATHEISM (or even agnosticism) IS NOT AN OPTION.
YOU MUST PAY HOMAGE TO A POWER WHICH IS GREATER THAN YOURSELF,
THAT POWER IS EITHER:
A Creator God as described in the Bible,
OR,
The material pagan god or gods' (represented by natural entities, such as: Mother Earth, Mother Nature, the Sun, the Moon, an 'intelligent' Universe, or idols of stone, wood etc.) which you must necessarily imbue with the SAME ATTRIBUTES.
Atheism = the religion of Pagan Naturalism re-invented.
SO NOW CHOOSE YOUR GOD?
Footnote:
An eternally, self-existent universe, or any uncaused, natural entity with no beginning is not possible.
Matter/energy cannot be eternally existent with no beginning.
Why?
Because all natural things are contingent.
Contingency is an inherent property of all natural entities. They have to comply with the law of cause and effect, so they cannot exist independently of causes.
The nearest you could get to eternally, existent matter/energy would be a very, long chain of causes and effects, but a long chain is not eternally existent, it has to have a beginning at some point. At the beginning there would have to be a non-contingent, eternally existent, first cause. A long chain of causes and effects simply pushes a first cause further back in time, it can't eliminate it.
What about an eternally, cyclical universe?
It is obvious that the idea of the universe simply rewinding itself in a never ending cycle, which had no beginning, is unscientific nonsense. As well as the Law of Cause and Effect - the Second Law of Thermodynamics also rules it out
There is no such thing as a free lunch, the idea of a rewinding universe is tantamount to applying the discredited notion of perpetual motion - on a grand scale, to the universe.
Contingent things don't just rewind of their own accord.
Where does the renewed power or renewed energy potential come from?
If you wind up a clock, it doesn't rewind itself after it has stopped.
The universe had a beginning and it will have an end. That is what science tells us, it cannot rewind itself.
The Second Law of Thermodynamics tells us the universe certainly had a beginning and will have an end. The energy potential of the universe is decreasing from an original peak at the beginning of the universe. Even the most fundamentalist atheists seem to accept that. Which is why most of them believe in some sort of beginning event, such as a big bang explosion.
So an eternally existent, god of 'matter/energy' is demonstrably IMPOSSIBLE... that leaves only one POSSIBLE choice of god - the supernatural, creator God, as described in the Bible.
Essential characteristics of the first cause.
Consider this short chain of causes and effects:
A causes B, - B causes C, - C causes D, - D causes E.
'A, B, C & D' are all causes and may all look similar, but they are not, there is an enormous and crucial difference between them.
Causes B, C & D are fundamentally different from cause A.
Why?
Because A is the very first cause and thus had no previous cause. It exists without a cause. It doesn’t rely on anything else for its existence, it is completely independent of causes - while B, C & D would not exist without A. They are entirely dependent on A.
Causes; B, C & D are also effects, whereas A is not an effect, only a cause.
So we can say that the first cause ‘A’ is both self-existent and necessary. It is necessary because the rest of the chain of causes and effects could not exist without it. We also have to say that the subsequent causes and effects B, C, D and E are all contingent. That is; they are not self-existent they all depend entirely on other causes to exist.
We can also say that A is eternally self-existent, i.e. it has always existed, it had no beginning. Why? Because if A came into being at some point, there must have been something other than itself that brought it into being … which would mean A was not the first cause (A could not create A) … the something that brought A into being would be the first cause. In which case, A would be contingent and no different from B, C, D & E.
We can also say that A is adequate to produce all the properties of B, C, D & E.
Why?
Well in the case of E we can see that it relies entirely on D for its existence, E can in no way be superior to D because D had to contain within it everything necessary to produce E. The same applies to D it cannot be superior to C, but furthermore neither E or D can be superior to C, because both rely on C for their existence, and C had to contain everything necessary to produce D & E.
Likewise with B, which is responsible for the existence of C, D & E.
As they all depend on A for their existence and all their properties, abilities and potentials, none can be superior to A whether singly or combined. A had to contain everything necessary to produce B, C, D & E including all their properties, abilities and potentials.
Thus we deduce that; nothing in the universe can be superior in any way to the very first cause of the universe, because the whole universe, and all material things that exist, depend entirely on the abilities and properties of the first cause to produce them.
So to sum up … a first cause must be uncaused, must have always existed and cannot be in any way inferior to all subsequent causes and effects. In other words, the first cause of the universe must be eternally, self-existent and omnipotent (greater than everything that exists). No natural entity can have those attributes, that is why a Supernatural, Creator God MUST exist.
What about polytheism, can there be more than one God or Creator.
It is patently obvious there can only be one supernatural first cause.
The first cause is infinite - and logically, there cannot be more than one infinite entity.
If there were two infinite entities, for example, A and B. The qualities and perfections that are the property of B would be a limitation on the qualities and perfections of A. and vice versa, so neither would be infinite.
If A & B had identical qualities and perfections they would not be two different entities, they would be identical and therefore the same entity, i.e. a single, infinite, first cause. So there can be only one infinite being or entity, only one supernatural, first cause and creator of the universe.
So when atheists keep repeating the claim - that there is no reason to believe the monotheistic, Christian God is any different from the multiple, gods of pagan religions, it simply displays their ignorance and lack of reasoning.
FOUNDATIONS OF SCIENCE
The Law of Cause and Effect. Dominant Principle of Classical Physics. David L. Bergman and Glen C. Collins
www.thewarfareismental.net/b/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/b...
"The Big Bang's Failed Predictions and Failures to Predict: (Updated Aug 3, 2017.) As documented below, trust in the big bang's predictive ability has been misplaced when compared to the actual astronomical observations that were made, in large part, in hopes of affirming the theory."
Metroline VP494 is seen on display inside Willesden bus garage showing repairs that need to be carried out and a full repaint. 09/10/10.
Osdorpplein 05/08/2014 12h55
Much needed raicontruction work in progress on the Osdorpplein, or better, the road around the commercial center of Osdorp. Combino tram 2042 on route 17 is on its way to its terminus Osdorp Dijkgraafplein (formerly just indicated as Osdorp in the time the other terminus Osdorp De Aker operated by tram route 1 didn't excist). Just about 1 kilometer to go.
This tram (2042 made by Siemens and delivered to GVB on 13/09/2003 was first seen in service on tram route 9 at 25/10/2003 (source: www.traminfo.nl ).
More information:
Tramlijn 17 - Historie (Cor Fijma)
Wikipedia - Tramlijn 17 (Dutch)
www.1001pallets.com/2017/01/elementary-school-classroom-p...
My sister needed a kid-sized potting bench for her classroom, so I mad this Classroom Pallet Potting Bench for her using pieces from two pallets.
Classroom Pallet Potting Bench:
I found two pallets and broke them down to get the pieces I needed for this child's potting bench. Additionally, I ordered some liquid pigments online that I mixed with polyurethane for the finishes you see. I finished the piece off by applying a plain finish for the top and bottom shelf and a blue metallic one for the other pieces.
Classroom Pallet Potting Bench Materials Needed:
Copper pipe piece I had found in a dumpster at a nearby construction site.
Wheels I had leftover from something many years ago.
One left-over curtain rod piece that I installed at one end and bolted it in really tightly.
The penny was something I decided to add at the very end to give the piece something interesting to the front of it that her kids may like. I bored into the wood just a tad with a spade bit and then glued in the penny.
Two long bolts to hold the handle to the base (about 6" in length).
Fun idea! For more inspiration, look at this Potting Table idea.
A summer afternon walk with a camera.
When I need more content all I need to do is wander around my neighbourhood. If I lucky I end up with a them, If I'm really lucky I end up with a video. If I not so lucky I get a bunch of unrelated images, still not too bad.
If you like my work click the "Follow" button on Flickr.
Other places to see my work rumimume.blogspot.ca/, Google+ google+, twitter
The Soviet Union learned as much from the Vietnam War as the United States. One of the lessons learned was that the MiG-21, while a fair dogfighter and more agile than its usual opponent, the F-4 Phantom II, only had that advantage at close range. At long range, the F-4 had all of the advantages, with a superb radar, long-range missiles, and plenty of fuel. A new design was needed to replace the MiG-21 and give Eastern Bloc pilots true beyond visual range (BVR) capability. Another lesson learned, this time from the Six-Day War, was that long runways were terribly vulnerable to being destroyed: Israeli Mirages had knocked out most of their opponents’ airbases on the first day. As the MiG-21 also needed a long runway, this was a problem that needed to be addressed as well.
Mikoyan-Gurevich began work on two prototypes in 1965. One was a redesigned MiG-21, Project 23-01, that used vertical-takeoff lift jets; this was unsatisfactory, however, as the lift jets were useless once airborne and became just more weight. Project 23-11 was more promising: this was an entirely new design that used variable-sweep “swing” wings for better low-speed handling and shorter takeoff and landing performance. With the knowledge that the Americans were also working on a swing-wing fighter (the F-111), the Soviet Air Force (V-VS) chose the latter design as the MiG-23 in 1967, and the first MiG-23S flew in 1969. It was given the reporting name Flogger by NATO soon thereafter.
The MiG-23S, which retained the MiG-21’s more primitive S-21 “Jay Bird” radar, was only an interim version until the baseline MiG-23M could enter production; equipped with the S-23 “High Lark” radar, this finally gave the V-VS a fighter with reliable long-range missile capability and look-down, shoot-down radar. The MiG-23MS, retaining the Jay Bird radar, was exported to Soviet client states, but was despised as it was no improvement over the MiG-21 and less maneuverable. The resulting backlash led the Soviets to begin exporting only slightly downgraded MiG-23MFs to its allies.
The MiG-23 supplemented (though never quite replaced) the MiG-21 in the air superiority role, and was considered roughly analogous to the F-4 in capability and performance. It was soon in combat, though not with Soviet forces: the first Flogger to see action was a Syrian MiG-23MS, which allegedly shot down two Israeli F-4s in combat in 1974. The type was decimated in combat with Israeli F-15s and F-16s over the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon in 1982, where something like sixty MiG-23s were lost; experiences in other battles were just as bad. In Angola in the late 1980s, Cuban-flown MiG-23s were barely able to achieve parity with South African Mirage F.1s; clashes over the border of Afghanistan with Pakistani F-16s proved even Soviet pilots had trouble with the design. Iraqi MiG-23s suffered against Iranian F-4s and F-14s, and Libyan MiG-23s had the dubious distinction of being shot down by Egyptian MiG-21s armed with American Sidewinders, and later US Navy F-14s. This led many Western observers to conclude that the MiG-23 was a poor design and no dogfighter.
This reputation was to change somewhat in the mid-1980s. Egypt had secretly supplied a few early MiG-23s to the United States in the late 1970s, while a Syrian pilot defected to Israel with a brand-new MiG-23MF in 1983. In flight tests, the Flogger was found to actually have better acceleration in the vertical and horizontal than the F-4 and F-16, and could outperform the F-16 in the vertical. Like most Russian designs, it was rugged and relatively easy to maintain. Those who flew the MiG-23 in the West concluded that the Flogger mainly suffered from flawed tactics and poor training of its pilots. Across the Iron Curtain, V-VS pilots agreed with the assessment. The result was the MiG-23ML, which removed one fuel tank and streamlined the design to lessen weight, and the final Flogger fighter variant, the MiG-23MLD, which introduced a dogtoothed leading edge to improve maneuverability. While these aircraft were still inferior to the F-15 and later model F-16Cs, they were far better dogfighters, and also were equipped with better radars and missiles.
Probably luckily for both sides of the Cold War, MiG-23MLD pilots would never learn how their improved “Super Floggers” would do against Western opponents. The end of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the production of the MiG-29 and Su-27 spelled an early end to the Flogger’s career. While MiG-23s continued to serve in former Soviet client states’ air forces, the new Russian Air Force rapidly retired their aircraft beginning in 1993. Other former Warsaw Pact nations followed suit, as the MiG-23 was more expensive to operate than the venerable MiG-21 or the more advanced MiG-29. By 1998, the MiG-23 fighter variants had become rare, with only Angola, North Korea, and Syria using them in numbers. 5047 MiG-23s were built, and many can be seen in museums, even in the West—there are eleven flyable MiG-23s in the United States alone.
This is a MiG-23MLD variant, recognizable by its lack of the early extended tail fillet and dogtoothed leading edge. It is configured for a fighter mission, with two radar-guided R-23 (AA-7 Apex) missiles under the wing “glove” and two R-60 (AA-8 Aphid) short-range missiles under the fuselage, along with two external fuel tanks. The two shades of green and dark brown over medium gray fuselage was commonly used by MiG-23 units worldwide, and was similar to the American Southeast Asia scheme.
well, this book is not really fiction but you understand what I mean, dont you?
Just Kids is a memoir by Patti Smith, in the book, Patti documents her relationship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe. fabulous, entertaining and very well written book.
I do not wanna watch or read news anymore. I can not stand national politics.
I need fiction in my life dammit!
Model: Kate Bayle & Geraldine Ilasin
MUA/Hairstyle: Beauty Bea
Thanks to Rene Catedral for the place and T.G Group for the set-up and invitation.
Cars: Rene Catedral and Mike Vite
Middle East Shutter Squad (MESS) 2010
Kuwait - Amiri abandoned Hospital
Camera Nikon D3
Lens Nikkor 50mm 1.4 G
Exposure 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture f/4.0
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 1000
Exposure Bias -1 EV
Flash No Flash
The girls need a closet. A dungeon-y sort of closet for downstairs in the castle.
No, not a water closet, although now that I think about it, this would probably work for that as well. But for an upcoming scene (in the photo-story that I will probably never get back to at this rate), I need a little closet, like a pantry or broom closet. I was going to just tape together some cardboard or foamcore board, because the closet will be a background set in an insignificant scene, but then my tendency to overcomplicate things kicked in to overdrive and I ended up lining a cardboard box with crumpled up old paper bags and gluing everything together with ModPodge and Elmer's white glue.
Once the glue dries, I'll need to paint everything, which means I'll need to get some more spray paint. I never seem to have enough spray paint. I'd make a lousy tagger, that's for sure.
There's a front wall with a door in it as well. I'm re-using a door from another project. The front wall is a flat piece of cardboard covered with a similar gooey mess of glue and crumpled paper, with a door-shape cut out of it.
The tedious bit, which I haven't quite figured out yet, is how to make some1:6 scale mops and brooms.
Out yesterday evening for a cooler ride on Himmy..
Glad I had a lovely Wold Golden ale waiting for me in the fidge when I got home!!
47 cooler (s)miles
Do all fairies need their own wee toilet? We think so :). This toilet is perfect for all types of fairies or rustic dollhouse dwellers. And, it actually looks quite cute sitting on the shelf in my room awaiting its purchase...
This toilet was handmade in our shop using found Colorado Aspen, then carefully decorated with moss, lichen, miniature fabric flowers, two little resin birds and a wooden birdhouse, ultrafine xtra sparkly glitter, and plenty of fairy dust. The toilet opens and contains "real water" and fairy dust. The toilet is sealed with a hand-rubbed oil finish for protection and longevity.
Also included is the teeny toilet paper stand in a real acorn cap with more flowers and a removable wee toilet paper roll.
The item is 1:12 scale (1" = 1'). Toilet height is 2 1/2" (41/8" to top of flower above tank). Seat is 1 1/2" tall. Base of toilet is approximately 1 3/4" diameter.
Thanks for looking!
This drawing is from Friday Joke on The Daily English Show.
Show 467
www.thedailyenglishshow.com/friday-joke/7-ducks-need-cond...
You’re welcome to use it. We like to share.
Please link to us: thedailyenglishshow.com
Details on how to credit us: thedailyenglishshow.com/image-credits
Who is our neighbor? Whoever he/she is, we need to help him/her.
There is prostitution in every part of the world. And chances are there is human trafficking behind it. Government officials and cops are often bribed so few people know that this evil things happen in our areas.
Please help the women and teens who are forced to be sex slaves whenever you can or pray for them. Thank you and God bless you.
+++
Luke 10
The Good Samaritan
25 An expert in the Law of Moses stood up and asked Jesus a question to see what he would say. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to have eternal life?”
26 Jesus answered, “What is written in the Scriptures? How do you understand them?”
27 The man replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.’ They also say, ‘Love your neighbors as much as you love yourself.’”
28 Jesus said, “You have given the right answer. If you do this, you will have eternal life.”
29 But the man wanted to show that he knew what he was talking about. So he asked Jesus, “Who are my neighbors?”
30 Jesus replied:
As a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, robbers attacked him and grabbed everything he had. They beat him up and ran off, leaving him half dead.
31 A priest happened to be going down the same road. But when he saw the man, he walked by on the other side. 32 Later a temple helper[i] came to the same place. But when he saw the man who had been beaten up, he also went by on the other side.
33 A man from Samaria then came traveling along that road. When he saw the man, he felt sorry for him 34 and went over to him. He treated his wounds with olive oil and wine[j] and bandaged them. Then he put him on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next morning he gave the innkeeper two silver coins and said, “Please take care of the man. If you spend more than this on him, I will pay you when I return.”
36 Then Jesus asked, “Which one of these three people was a real neighbor to the man who was beaten up by robbers?”
37 The teacher answered, “The one who showed pity.”
Jesus said, “Go and do the same!”