Fort Greene Park, Fort Greene Historic District , Brooklyn

The Prison Ship Martyrs Monument that stands today in the center of Fort Greene Park is a 1908 memorial to the 11,000 men and boys who died in horrid conditions on the British Prison Ships during the Revolutionary War. The Monument, which is sometimes referred to as the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, stands in the center of what was once called Fort Putnam, an actual Revolutionary War fort, named after Gernal Putnam. The Monument you see today is actually the third incarnation of this sacred shrine. The story of the horrid Prison Ships – and the ghastly conditions suffered by the men and boys imprisoned on them during the Revolutionary War – is one of the most disturbing chapters in American history.

During the American Revolutionary War, which began in 1775, the British arrested scores of soldiers, sailors, and private citizens on both land and sea. Many were apprehended simply because they would not swear allegiance to the Crown of England. Besides American civilians and resistance fighters, the British captured the crews of foreign ships on the high seas, especially Spanish vessels. The soldiers, sailors and civilians they arrested were deemed by the British to be prisoners of war and were incarcerated. When the British ran out of jail space to house their POWs they began using decommissioned or damaged war ships that were anchored in Wallabout Bay as floating prisons.

Life was unbearable on the prison ships, the most notorious of them being the Old Jersey – which was called "Hell" by the inhabitants. Disease was rampant, food and water were scarce or nonexistent, and the living conditions were horrendously overcrowded and wretched. If one had money they could purchase food from the many entrepreneurs who rowed up to the boat to sell their wares. Otherwise, the meager rations would consist of sawdust laden bread or watery soup.

A great number of the captives died from disease and malnutrition. Their emaciated bodies were either thrown overboard or buried in shallow graves in the sandy marshes of Wallabout Bay. Even thought the British surrendered at Yorktown. Virginia in 1782, the surviving prisoners were not freed until 1783, when the British abandoned New York City. (A footnote: after the war, the British Commander in charge of the Prison Ships was brought up on war crimes charges and was subsequently hanged.)

The "Old Jersey"

In the years following the war the bones of the patriots would regularly wash up along the shores of Brooklyn and Long Island. These remains were collected by Brooklynites with the hopes of creating a permanent resting place for the remains of the brave Prison Ship Martyrs. In the early 1880's the first Martyrs Monument monument was erected by the Tammany Society of New York. It was located on a triangular plot of land near the Brooklyn Navy Yard waterfront in what is now called Vinegar Hill.

By the 1840s, the original monument was in a state of disrepair and neglect. By 1873 a large stone crypt was constructed in the heart of what is now Fort Greene Park (then called Washington Park), and the bones were re-interred in the crypt. A small monument was erected on the hill above the crypt.

By the close of the 19th century, funds were finally raised for a grander more fitting monument for the Prison Ship Martyrs. The prestigious architectural firm of McKim. Meade and White was commissioned to design the large 148 ft. tower which stands today in the park. It was unveiled in 1908 with a grand ribbon-cutting ceremony presided over by President-Elect Taft.

Sadly, over the ensuing decades the monument was severely neglected. Due to shortage of public funds, urban blight and lack of community interest both the park and the memorial fell into disrepair. The monument originally housed a staircase and elevator to the top observation deck, which featured a lighted urn with a beacon of light which could be seen for miles. The elevator was operational until the 1930s but was unfortunately removed by the city in the early 1970s.

Since it founding in 1998, the Fort Greene Park Conservancy has been a catalyst for the restoration and revival of both the monument and the park. In November 2008 a grand weekend event is planned to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the 1908 Prison Ships Martyrs Memorial.

You know what’s wrong with this picture?

This photo has no genuine emotion whatsoever. There’s nothing there. Sure, it looks kind of sad and depressing but that’s just what it looks like, it doesn’t feel like that to me. It just feels like this sad little amatuer trying to get an emotion across that’s nonexistent.

Here’s my reason for uploading this:

I’ve been thinking about what I want to get out of my 365. Of course I want to improve, that’s obvious. But other than that reason, why am I doing this? Here’s what I want out of this. I want to get my emotions across. I want to make people feel something real. When I’m happy, I want people to feel my joy. When I’m upset, collapsed on the bathroom floor or when I have a horrible day and just feel like drowning in a lake of my own tears, awful as it sounds, I want people to feel that too.

This is my main goal for my 365. To get across genuine emotion, I want people to look at my photos and feel what I'm feeling. I hope that I’m improving on this, but I want to be the best I can at it.

this is from day 20. I know that without even looking at my 365 picture for day 20.

I'm gobsmacked by several things here. First, the light was nonexistent. Yet the Sony A7RII performed extremely well at incredibly high ISO. Second, using knowledge developed around a digital Zone System, I knew precisely where I wanted the tonal values and was able to place them accordingly. Third, I am happy to confirm the dynamic range of the sensor extends usefully to below Zone 0 (Zone -2!), even at such high ISO settings. Fourth, 1950s German optics can do the trick. These images were made using a triplet wide angle. Who would design such a thing and make it work? Micro-contrast is something to be seen, otherwise you wouldn't believe it.

I tuck the skirts up at the sides to add width to my nonexistent hips. The flowers, for the same reason. The flowers were originally from my sister-in-law's wedding...

Aggie Ring ’84 likes to make his own cultured butter, cheeses, and crème fraîche for various uses in the kitchen. Unfortunately, the local grocery stores don’t carry dairy products that are up to Aggie Ring standards. Aggie Ring ’84 has a buddy who is a retired Army Medic who runs a coffee and espresso business who hooked Aggie Ring up with a special bottle of heavy cream.

The little Aggie Ring was just as pleased as a little Aggie Ring can be when he saw that it arrived in a glass bottle. “Gee!” said Aggie Ring, “This is just like when we’d buy milk back in the 80s when we were living in Bryan, Texas. “Why, yes is is.” I replied. I thought to myself that dairy products seem so much cleaner when they come in a glass container.

This particular bottle of heavy cream was produced by the Apple Valley Creamery in East Berlin, Pennsylvania. It is approximately 40% to 45% butterfat depending on the cows’ diet at the time of the year. Now, this particular heavy cream is pasteurized only (not ultra-pasteurized, a process that kills off most of the milk or cream’s delicious flavor). Also, it is NOT homogenized. Almost everyone in the USA these days can only buy homogenized or “homo” dairy products. When he has a choice, Aggie Ring is a “non-homo” type of ring because that’s the way he rolls.

Aggie Ring’s favorite thing about “non-homo” heavy cream is that the heavy butterfat separates from the milk and floats to the top of the bottle. Aggie Ring has to use a knife to break through that delicious, heavy sweat cream to get to the rest of the liquid in the bottle before he heats it up to a tepid temperature and adds the bacteria that will culture it overnight so he can make the cultured butter or crème fraîche for his culinary requirements.

The Aggie Ring test for a proper bottle of “non-homo” heavy cream is if he can sit on top of the butterfat that has risen to the top of the bottle for at least 30 seconds before sinking in. For “educational” purposes, Aggie Ring asked me to photograph him sitting on top of that delicious sweet cream. Unfortunately, it took me a bit longer than 30 seconds to adjust the lights and set the exposure on the camera. The last thing I heard Aggie Ring say before he began to sink into the delicious “non-homo” heavy cream was, “Oh dear, this is a kerfuffle, isn’t it?” The next thing I knew, poor Aggie Ring had broken through the butterfat and had sunk to the bottom of the bottle.

When I poured the delicious “non-homo” sweet whole cream into the container Aggie Ring uses to culture it overnight, I had to retrieve him with a spoon. No teeth this time. I asked Aggie Ring, “Does it remind you of an old fashioned Aggie Ring Dunking?” Aggie Ring replied, “Sort of, but there was no Shiner Bock.” I told Aggie Ring, “Yes, I suppose you’re right.”

Aggie Ring then said, “It’s a good thing I’m a Genuine Texas A&M Aggie Ring pure of heart and in spirit and not a VMI ring. One of those heavy and fat, gaudy VMI rings would have sunk down into the bottle immediately and its lack of Aggie class would have most certainly soured the cream. Also, the artificial stone in most of the VMI rings might have poisoned it as well.” The Aggie Ring is very good at pointing things like this out.

Now… There’s one other type of dairy product that Aggie Ring likes the most. He didn’t want me to say anything about it because it’s very illegal in New Jersey. However, Aggie Ring allowed me to mention it if I didn’t name names because, as Aggie Ring always says, “Snitches wind up in ditches!” So, the little Aggie Ring’s favorite type of milk and cream is the “raw” stuff. Since it’s illegal to sell raw dairy in New Jersey, Aggie Ring has found “a guy” that can hook him up with the “real stuff.” The closest thing I can compare obtaining raw dairy in New Jersey to would be a “drug deal.” You see, when Aggie Ring wants the “raw stuff,” he has to call his “guy” in PA and place an order during the week. Then, on Saturday morning not long after the sunrise, Aggie Ring’s “guy” meets Aggie Ring and others in back of a local train station in a van that has been driven over from PA. Cash exchanges hands and the raw, illegal contraband gets put into Aggie Ring’s car trunk just in case he’s stopped by the dairy police on the way home.

Aggie Ring used to occasionally milk cows at the Texas A&M Dairy Farm in College Station, Texas back when he was a young Aggie Ring and he’d occasionally try milk directly from the cow. Aggie Ring thinks this is the best type of milk in the world.

Aggie Ring says, “The cows up here in PA and in New Jersey must be the happiest cows in the world. They have four wonderful seasons of weather up here and the humidity is almost nonexistent.

Just before I posted this, Aggie Ring said, “Don’t forget to remind them that the road goes on forever and the party never ends!”

Vitis (grapevine) is a genus of 81 accepted species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus consists of species predominantly from the Northern Hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, both for direct consumption of the fruit and for fermentation to produce wine. The study and cultivation of grapevines is called viticulture.

Most cultivated Vitis varieties are wind-pollinated with hermaphroditic flowers containing both male and female reproductive structures, while wild species are dioecious. These flowers are grouped in bunches called inflorescences. In many species, such as Vitis vinifera, each successfully pollinated flower becomes a grape berry with the inflorescence turning into a cluster of grapes. While the flowers of the grapevines are usually very small, the berries are often large and brightly colored with sweet flavors that attract birds and other animals to disperse the seeds contained within the berries.

Grapevines usually only produce fruit on shoots that came from buds that were developed during the previous growing season. In viticulture, this is one of the principles behind pruning the previous year's growth (or "One year old wood") that includes shoots that have turned hard and woody during the winter (after harvest in commercial viticulture). These vines will be pruned either into a cane which will support 8 to 15 buds or to a smaller spur which holds 2 to 3 buds.

Description

Flower buds are formed late in the growing season and overwinter for blooming in spring of the next year. They produce leaf-opposed cymes. Vitis is distinguished from other genera of Vitaceae by having petals which remain joined at the tip and detach from the base to fall together as a calyptra or 'cap'. The flowers are mostly bisexual, pentamerous, with a hypogynous disk. The calyx is greatly reduced or nonexistent in most species and the petals are joined together at the tip into one unit but separated at the base. The fruit is a berry, ovoid in shape and juicy, with a two-celled ovary each containing two ovules, thus normally producing four seeds per flower (or fewer by way of aborted embryos).

Other parts of the vine include the tendrils which are leaf-opposed, branched in Vitis vinifera, and are used to support the climbing plant by twining onto surrounding structures such as branches or the trellising of a vine-training system.

In the wild, all species of Vitis are normally dioecious, but under domestication, variants with perfect flowers appear to have been selected.

The genus Vitis is divided into two subgenera, Euvitis Planch. have 38 chromosomes (n=19) with berries borne on clusters and Muscadinia Planch. 40 (n=20) with small clusters.

Wild grapes can resemble the single-seeded Menispermum canadense (moonseed), which is toxic.

Species

Most Vitis species are found mostly in the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in North America and eastern Asia, exceptions being a few in the tropics and the wine grape Vitis vinifera which originated in southern Europe and southwestern Asia. Grape species occur in widely different geographical areas and show a great diversity of form.

Their growth makes leaf collection challenging and polymorphic leaves make identification of species difficult. Mature grapevines can grow up to 48 centimetres (19 inches) in diameter at breast height and reach the upper canopy of trees more than 35 metres (115 feet) in height.

Many species are sufficiently closely related to allow easy interbreeding and the resultant interspecific hybrids are invariably fertile and vigorous. Thus the concept of a species is less well defined and more likely represents the identification of different ecotypes of Vitis that have evolved in distinct geographical and environmental circumstances.

The exact number of species is not certain. Plants of the World Online states 81 species are accepted, but lists 84. More than 65 species in Asia are poorly defined. Approximately 25 species are known in North America and just one, V. vinifera has Eurasian origins; some of the more notable include:

Vitis aestivalis, the summer grape, native to the Eastern United States, especially the Southeastern United States

Vitis amurensis, native to the Asian continent, including parts of Siberia and China

Vitis arizonica, The Arizona grape is native to Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California, New Mexico, Texas, and Northern Mexico.

Vitis berlandieri, native to the southern North America, primarily Texas, New Mexico and Arkansas. Primarily known for good tolerance against soils with a high content of lime, which can cause chlorosis in many vines of American origin

Vitis californica, the California wild grape, or Northern California grape, or Pacific grape, is a wild grape species widespread across much of California as well as southwestern Oregon

Vitis coignetiae, the crimson glory vine, a species from East Asia grown as an ornamental plant for its crimson autumn foliage

Vitis labrusca L., the fox grapevine, sometimes used for winemaking and for jam. Native to the Eastern United States and Canada. The Concord grape was derived by a cross with this species

Vitis riparia, the riverbank grapevine, sometimes used for winemaking and for jam. Native to the entire Eastern United States and north to Quebec

Vitis rotundifolia (syn. Muscadinia rotundifolia), the muscadine, used for jams and wine. Native to the Southeastern United States from Delaware to the Gulf of Mexico

Vitis rupestris, the rock grapevine, used for breeding of Phylloxera resistant rootstock. Native to the Southern United States

Vitis vinifera, the European grapevine. Native to the Mediterranean and Central Asia.

Vitis vulpina, the frost grape, native to the Eastern United States, from Massachusetts to Florida, and west to Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas Treated by some as a synonym of V. riparia.

Plants of the World Online also includes:

Vitis acerifolia Raf.

Vitis amoena Z.H. Chen, Feng Chen & WW.Y. Xie

Vitis baihuashanensis M.S.Kang & D.Z.Lu

Vitis balansana Planch.

Vitis bashanica P.C.He

Vitis bellula (Rehder) W.T.Wang

Vitis betulifolia Diels & Gilg

Vitis biformis Rose

Vitis blancoi Munson

Vitis bloodworthiana Comeaux

Vitis bourgaeana Planch.

Vitis bryoniifolia Bunge

Vitis × champinii Planch.

Vitis chunganensis Hu

Vitis chungii F.P.Metcalf

Vitis cinerea (Engelm.) Millardet

Vitis davidi (Rom.Caill.) Foëx

Vitis × doaniana Munson ex Viala

Vitis erythrophylla W.T.Wang

Vitis fengqinensis C.L.Li

Vitis ficifolia Bunge

Vitis flavicosta Mickel & Beitel

Vitis flexuosa Thunb.

Vitis girdiana Munson

Vitis hancockii Hance

Vitis heyneana Schult.

Vitis hissarica Vassilcz.

Vitis hui W.C.Cheng

Vitis jaegeriana Comeaux

Vitis jinggangensis W.T.Wang

Vitis jinzhainensis X.S.Shen

Vitis kaihuaica Z.H.Chen, Feng Chen & W.Y Xie

Vitis kiusiana Momiy.

Vitis lanceolatifoliosa C.L.Li

Vitis longquanensis P.L.Chiu

Vitis luochengensis W.T.Wang

Vitis menghaiensis C.L.Li

Vitis mengziensis C.L.Li

Vitis metziana Miq.

Vitis monticola Buckley

Vitis mustangensis Buckley

Vitis nesbittiana Comeaux

Vitis × novae-angliae Fernald

Vitis novogranatensis Moldenke

Vitis nuristanica Vassilcz.

Vitis palmata Vahl

Vitis pedicellata M.A.Lawson

Vitis peninsularis M.E.Jones

Vitis piasezkii Maxim.

Vitis pilosonervia F.P.Metcalf

Vitis popenoei J.L.Fennell

Vitis pseudoreticulata W.T.Wang

Vitis quinlingensis P.C.He

Vitis retordii Rom.Caill. ex Planch.

Vitis romanetii Rom.Caill.

Vitis ruyuanensis C.L.Li

Vitis saccharifera Makino

Vitis shenxiensis C.L.Li

Vitis shizishanensis Z.Y.Ma, J.Wen, Q.Fu & X.Q.Liu

Vitis shuttleworthii House

Vitis silvestrii Pamp.

Vitis sinocinerea W.T.Wang

Vitis sinoternata W.T.Wang

Vitis tiliifolia Humb. & Bonpl. ex Schult.

Vitis tsoi Merr.

Vitis wenchowensis C.Ling

Vitis wenxianensis W.T.Wang

Vitis wilsoniae H.J.Veitch

Vitis wuhanensis C.L.Li

Vitis xunyangensis P.C.He

Vitis yunnanensis C.L.Li

Vitis zhejiang-adstricta P.L.Chiu

There are many cultivars of grapevines; most are cultivars of V. vinifera. One of them includes, Vitis 'Ornamental Grape'.

Hybrid grapes also exist, and these are primarily crosses between V. vinifera and one or more of V. labrusca, V. riparia or V. aestivalis. Hybrids tend to be less susceptible to frost and disease (notably phylloxera), but wine from some hybrids may have a little of the characteristic "foxy" taste of V. labrusca.

The Latin word Vitis is feminine,[19] and therefore adjectival species names take feminine forms, such as V. vinifera.

Ecology

Phylloxera is an American root aphid that devastated V. vinifera vineyards in Europe when accidentally introduced in the late 19th century. Attempts were made to breed in resistance from American species, but many winemakers and customers did not like the unusual flavour profile of the hybrid vines. However, V. vinifera grafts readily onto rootstocks of the American species and their hybrids with V. vinifera, and most commercial production of grapes now relies on such grafts.

Commercial distribution

According to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 75,866 square kilometres of the world is dedicated to grapes. Approximately 71% of world grape production is used for wine, 27% as fresh fruit, and 2% as dried fruit. A portion of grape production goes to producing grape juice to be used as a sweetener for fruits canned "with no added sugar" and "100% natural". The area dedicated to vineyards is increasing by about 2% per year.

Domestic cultivation

Grapevines are widely cultivated by gardeners, and numerous suppliers cater specifically for this trade. The plants are valued for their decorative foliage, often colouring brightly in autumn; their ability to clothe walls, pergolas and arches, thus providing shade; and their fruits, which may be eaten as dessert or provide the basis for homemade wines. Popular varieties include:-

Buckland Sweetwater' (white dessert)

'Chardonnay' (white wine)

'Foster's Seedling' (white dessert)

'Grenache' (red wine)

'Muscat of Alexandria' (white dessert)

'Müller-Thurgau' (white wine)

'Phoenix' (white wine)

'Pinot noir' (red wine)

'Regent' (red wine)

'Schiava Grossa' (red dessert)

'Seyval blanc' (white wine)

'Tempranillo' (red wine)

The following varieties have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:-

'Boskoop Glory' (dessert/wine)

'Brant' (black dessert)

'Claret Cloak' or 'Frovit' (ornamental)

'New York Muscat' (black dessert)

'Purpurea' (ornamental)

Uses

The fruit of several Vitis species are grown commercially for consumption as fresh grapes and for fermentation into wine. Vitis vinifera is the most important such species.

The leaves of several species of grapevine are edible and are used in the production of dolmades and Vietnamese lot leaves.

Culture

The grapevine (typically Vitis vinifera) has been used as a symbol since ancient times. In Greek mythology, Dionysus (called Bacchus by the Romans) was god of the vintage and, therefore, a grapevine with bunches of the fruit are among his attributes. His attendants at the Bacchanalian festivals hence had the vine as an attribute, together with the thyrsus, the latter often entwined with vine branches. For the same reason, the Greek wine cup (cantharos) is commonly decorated with the vine and grapes, wine being drunk as a libation to the god.

The grapevine has a profound symbolic meaning in Jewish tradition and culture since antiquity. It is referenced 55 times in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), along with grapes and wine, which are also frequently mentioned (55 and 19, respectively). It is regarded as one of the Seven Species, and is employed several times in the Bible as a symbol of the Israelites as the chosen people. The grapevine has a prominent place in Jewish rituals: the wine was given a special blessing, "creator of the fruit of the vine", and the Kiddush blessing is recited over wine or grape juice on Shabbat and Jewish holidays. It is also employed in various parables and sayings in rabbinic literature. According to Josephus and the Mishnah, a golden vine was hung over the inner chamber of the Second Temple. The grapevine is featured on Hasmonean and Bar Kokhba revolt coinage, and as a decoration in mosaic floors of ancient synagogues.

In Christian iconography, the vine also frequently appears. It is mentioned several times in the New Testament. We have the parable of the kingdom of heaven likened to the father starting to engage laborers for his vineyard. The vine is used as symbol of Jesus Christ based on his own statement, "I am the true vine (John 15:1)." In that sense, a vine is placed as sole symbol on the tomb of Constantia, the sister of Constantine the Great, and elsewhere. In Byzantine art, the vine and grapes figure in early mosaics, and on the throne of Maximianus of Ravenna it is used as a decoration.

The vine and wheat ear have been frequently used as symbol of the blood and flesh of Christ, hence figuring as symbols (bread and wine) of the Eucharist and are found depicted on ostensories. Often the symbolic vine laden with grapes is found in ecclesiastical decorations with animals biting at the grapes. At times, the vine is used as symbol of temporal blessing.

In Mandaeism, uthras (angels or celestial beings) are often described as personified grapevines (gupna).

Warning: downer post. Toward the end of my trip I picked up a cold and it has since morphed into bronchitis. Since I was sick on my flight home, my ears were a wreck of pressure and my left one has still not unblocked. I'm on day 11 and cycling through all the things pictured is kind of my life right now. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Traveling always puts me behind on everything, and coming home sick has just extended that further. It's been 2.5 weeks since I've been able to work out. I only practiced singing like twice on my trip so I'm behind on that too. My focus is practically nonexistent so I've gotten almost no work done since I got back, and I was already behind. And to make things worse, since I've been trying not to get Jason sick, it's been 2.5 weeks since we've properly hugged or had any kind of real physical contact. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I was supposed to go to Jacksonville today to see the musical Bandstand with my parents and my aunt, who is visiting, as well as celebrate my mom's 70th birthday. But now I have to miss that. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I know I won't be sick forever, but I'm feeling pretty discouraged about everything right now. I feel like all the things I want to do depend on a body (brain included) I can't trust. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I'm really feeling pretty close to giving up on absolutely everything again. I'm so tired of this happening over and over. I keep trying to fix things but every time I feel like I'm making progress or finding balance, as soon as work comes into the picture I start spiraling and it all falls apart. If I can't maintain a certain level of productivity (a higher one than I've been doing, which I already can't handle) then I'm never going to be able to support myself. So it kind of feels like everything is pointless. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ And bonus, normally it helps my anxiety to do deep breathing but right now that just hurts and makes me cough uncontrollably. 😢😵 via Instagram ift.tt/2SIDpKN

A headlining performance by Looming at Black Sheep Cafe in Springfield, IL on January 17, 2014. Openers included Meredosia, Bad Catman, Bookmobile, and The Flips.

Words cannot describe how good it felt to be shooting another show at Black Sheep after so long. It doesn't have the greatest lighting and the photo pit is nonexistent, but I just feel so at home there because that community of people is just incredible. They all support each other so much and it's amazing to be a part of that and to get to photograph it every so often. And then getting to be the guest photographer for Harm House's "Record of the Night" was absolutely awesome. Honestly, when I look back, I can't even begin to describe how thankful I am to the Black Sheep venue and community for everything they've done for me. This was my training ground when I was really getting started, and these are the people who took me in and accepted me without question and without reservation. That, and they put on some kick-ass shows =)

4 varieties of Alpaca at Pumapungo Inca site Cuenca, Ecuador. Alpaca is not a Llama.

Alpaca (Vicugna pacos) is a domesticated species of South American camelid. It resembles a small llama in superficial appearance.

Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the Andes of Ecuador, southern Peru, northern Bolivia, and northern Chile at an altitude of 3,500 m (11,000 ft) to 5,000 m (16,000 ft) above sea-level, throughout the year. Alpacas are considerably smaller than llamas, and unlike llamas, alpacas were not bred to be beasts of burden but were bred specifically for their fiber. Alpaca fiber is used for making knitted and woven items, much as wool is. The fiber comes in more than 52 natural colors as classified in Peru. In the textile industry, "alpaca" primarily refers to the hair of Peruvian alpacas.

About Alpaca Fleece

Alpaca fleece is the natural fiber harvested from an alpaca. It is light weight or heavy weight, depending on how it is spun. It is soft, durable, luxurious and silky natural fiber. While similar to sheep’s wool, it is warmer, not prickly, and has no lanolin which makes it hypoallergenic. Alpaca is naturally water-repellent. Huacaya, an alpaca that grows soft spongy fiber has natural crimp, thus making a naturally elastic yarn, perfect for knits. Suri has far less crimp and thus is best suited for woven goods, but is wonderfully luxurious as well.

In physical structure, alpaca fiber is somewhat akin to hair, being very glossy. Alpaca fiber is similar to that of merino wool fiber, and alpaca yarns tend to be stronger than wool yarns. The heel hole that appears in wool socks or in elbows of wool sweaters is nonexistent in similar alpaca garments. In processing, slivers lack fiber cohesion and single alpaca rovings lack strength. Blend these together and the durability is increased several times over. More twisting is necessary, especially in Suri, and this can reduce a yarn's softness.

The alpaca has a very fine and light fleece. It does not retain water, is thermal even when wet and can resist the solar radiation effectively. These characteristics guarantee the animals a permanent and appropriate coat to fight against the extreme changes of temperature. This fiber offers the same protection to humans. Alpaca is sustainable as a fiber, and is naturally organic. Alpacas as animals are soft on the environment, making alpaca a truly green textile.

Info re Wiki and Encyclo Brit

This was the tiniest baby drum i've ever seen. It was about an inch tall and could barely swim against the current which was almost nonexistent.

The Los Angeles Lakers take their warm ups and because many fans are in attendance to say goodbye to the Lakers' Kobe Bryant the normal chant of "Beat L.A." is nonexistent.

This farmhouse, which was probably built for Lorenzo Campbell, is a good illustration of a variant of Flemish-bond brickwork popular in this part of the state (and rare or nonexistent elsewhere). Unlike a normal Flemish bond, which alternates between stretchers and headers, this bond—sometimes called double-stretcher Flemish bond or monk bond—has two stretchers for every header. This results in a more obvious vertical "striping" effect. The brickwork was often paired with Gothic Revival and Italianate ornamentation and seems to have been most popular in the 1850s and 1860s.

The Roman Bridge crosses the old course of the Jarama River This 148-meter-long civil construction, composed of five arches (four small and one large) nestled among poplars and other deciduous trees that lend it an evocative image each autumn, is called a Roman bridge. But only the foundations and some studies of the ashlar blocks remain from Roman times because, in reality, it dates from the Middle Ages with significant additions during the 16th century that gave it its current appearance.

Visitors who arrive at this point always ask themselves the same question: But where is the Jarama River? Is this thin trickle of water? It is indeed surprising to find such a large bridge supporting an almost nonexistent flow of water. But the answer lies in the fact that, as has happened so many times throughout history, the riverbed was displaced for various reasns, in this case by almost half a kilometer. Therefore, the Jarama River should be sought further west because what flows there (when it does) is a meager irrigation canal, the Caz stream, which carries less water than a canteen with holes in it.

Nearby, there is a recreational area, right next to the actual Jarama, known as "La Chopera" (The Poplar Grove), where families come "with their picnic blankets and Tupperware" to spend the morning or afternoon in the shade and sit down to eat at one of the tables while the children play

1. ... jupons de silènes ...!!!, 2. Hycleus duodecimpunctatus, 3. ohne Blumen fehlt Dir was, 4. Fahrt ins Ungewisse, 5. Margeriten, 6. Walking the dog (217/365), 7. True love, 8. yup. everything's just peachy., 9. Scarlet Kingdom Revisited, 10. Redderated daisery, 11. A goal is a dream with a deadline, 12. Sea sponge, 13. we all leave marks in this universe but as time is passing by they're all fading away, 14. Day 343/365 : Flowers, 15. Calm, 16. one cat, 17. PURPLE BEAUTY FOR YOU - HBWeekend, 18. all the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today, 19. Visiting the Lavenders, 20. Sun Way, 21. vintage part 2, 22. Going Postal (215/265), 23. Have a great weekend...., 24. Green Day, 25. suverajad ..., 26. i've been trying to capture this orange dirt since i got here., 27. pink rosebud, 28. European Goldfinch; Carduelis carduelis, 29. Threes a Crowd, 30. pink white reflection, 31. Market day, 32. Ready to open.., 33. By believing passionately in something that still does not exist, we create it. The nonexistent is whatever we have not sufficiently desired. (Quote by Franz Kafka), 34. Untitled, 35. ... a MP3 fruit free for you...!!! :), 36. You're a dandelion seed, That flies through the air, And lands randomly, Then disappears.

Black swan theory

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For Taleb's book on the subject, see The Black Swan (Taleb book).

A black swan, a member of the species Cygnus atratus, which remained undocumented until the eighteenth century

The Black Swan Theory or "Theory of Black Swan Events" was developed by Nassim Nicholas Taleb to explain: 1) the disproportionate role of high-impact, hard to predict, and rare events that are beyond the realm of normal expectations in history, science, finance and technology, 2) the non-computability of the probability of the consequential rare events using scientific methods (owing to their very nature of small probabilities) and 3) the psychological biases that make people individually and collectively blind to uncertainty and unaware of the massive role of the rare event in historical affairs. Unlike the earlier philosophical "black swan problem", the "Black Swan Theory" (capitalized) refers only to unexpected events of large magnitude and consequence and their dominant role in history. Such events, considered extreme outliers, collectively play vastly larger roles than regular occurrences.

Contents [show]

[edit]Background

Black Swan Events were characterized by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in his 2007 book (revised and completed in 2010), The Black Swan. Taleb regards almost all major scientific discoveries, historical events, and artistic accomplishments as "black swans" — undirected and unpredicted. He gives the rise of the Internet, the personal computer, World War I, and the September 11 attacks as examples of Black Swan Events.

The term black swan was a Latin expression — its oldest known reference comes from the poet Juvenal's characterization of something being "rara avis in terris nigroque simillima cygno" (6.165).[1] In English, this Latin phrase means "a rare bird in the lands, and very like a black swan." When the phrase was coined, the black swan was presumed not to exist. The importance of the simile lies in its analogy to the fragility of any system of thought. A set of conclusions is potentially undone once any of its fundamental postulates is disproven. In this case, the observation of a single black swan would be the undoing of the phrase's underlying logic, as well as any reasoning that followed from that underlying logic.

Juvenal's phrase was a common expression in 16th century London as a statement of impossibility. The London expression derives from the Old World presumption that all swans must be white because all historical records of swans reported that they had white feathers.[2] In that context, a black swan was impossible or at least nonexistent. After a Dutch expedition led by explorer Willem de Vlamingh on the Swan River in 1697, discovered black swans in Western Australia[3], the term metamorphosed to connote that a perceived impossibility might later be disproven. Taleb notes that in the 19th century John Stuart Mill used the black swan logical fallacy as a new term to identify falsification.

Specifically, Taleb asserts[4] in the New York Times:

What we call here a Black Swan (and capitalize it) is an event with the following three attributes.

First, it is an outlier, as it lies outside the realm of regular expectations, because nothing in the past can convincingly point to its possibility. Second, it carries an extreme impact. Third, in spite of its outlier status, human nature makes us concoct explanations for its occurrence after the fact, making it explainable and predictable.

I stop and summarize the triplet: rarity, extreme impact, and retrospective (though not prospective) predictability. A small number of Black Swans explains almost everything in our world, from the success of ideas and religions, to the dynamics of historical events, to elements of our own personal lives.

[edit]Coping with black swan events

The main idea in Taleb's book is not to attempt to predict Black Swan Events, but to build robustness against negative ones that occur and being able to exploit positive ones. Taleb contends that banks and trading firms are very vulnerable to hazardous Black Swan Events and are exposed to losses beyond that predicted by their defective models.

Taleb states that a Black Swan Event depends on the observer—using a simple example, what may be a Black Swan surprise for a turkey is not a Black Swan surprise for its butcher—hence the objective should be to "avoid being the turkey" by identifying areas of vulnerability in order to "turn the Black Swans white".

[edit]Identifying a black swan event

Based on the author's criteria:

The event is a surprise (to the observer).

The event has a major impact.

After the fact, the event is rationalized by hindsight, as if it had been expected.

[edit]Epistemological approach

Taleb's black swan is different from the earlier philosophical versions of the problem, specifically in epistemology, as it concerns a phenomenon with specific empirical and statistical properties which he calls, "the fourth quadrant".[5] Taleb's problem is about epistemic limitations in some parts of the areas covered in decision making. These limitations are twofold: philosophical (mathematical) and empirical (human known epistemic biases). The philosophical problem is about the decrease in knowledge when it comes to rare events as these are not visible in past samples and therefore require a strong a priori, or what one can call an extrapolating theory; accordingly events depend more and more on theories when their probability is small. In the fourth quadrant, knowledge is both uncertain and consequences are large, requiring more robustness.

Before Taleb,[6] those who dealt with the notion of the improbable, such as Hume, Mill, and Popper focused on the problem of induction in logic, specifically, that of drawing general conclusions from specific observations. Taleb's Black Swan Event has a central and unique attribute, high impact. His claim is that almost all consequential events in history come from the unexpected—yet humans later convince themselves that these events are explainable in hindsight (bias).

One problem, labeled the ludic fallacy by Taleb, is the belief that the unstructured randomness found in life resembles the structured randomness found in games. This stems from the assumption that the unexpected may be predicted by extrapolating from variations in statistics based on past observations, especially when these statistics are presumed to represent samples from a bell-shaped curve. These concerns often are highly relevant in financial markets, where major players use value at risk models, which imply normal distributions, although market returns typically have fat tail distributions.

More generally, decision theory, based on a fixed universe or a model of possible outcomes, ignores and minimizes the effect of events that are "outside model". For instance, a simple model of daily stock market returns may include extreme moves such as Black Monday (1987), but might not model the breakdown of markets following the September 11 attacks of 2001. A fixed model considers the "known unknowns", but ignores the "unknown unknowns".

Taleb notes that other distributions are not usable with precision, but often are more descriptive, such as the fractal, power law, or scalable distributions and that awareness of these might help to temper expectations.[7]

Beyond this, he emphasizes that many events simply are without precedent, undercutting the basis of this type of reasoning altogether.

Taleb also argues for the use of counterfactual reasoning when considering risk.[8][9]

[edit]Taleb's ten principles for a black swan robust world

Taleb enumerates ten principles for building systems that are robust to Black Swan Events:[10]

What is fragile should break early while it is still small. Nothing should ever become Too Big to Fail.

No socialisation of losses and privatisation of gains.

People who were driving a school bus blindfolded (and crashed it) should never be given a new bus.

Do not let someone making an "incentive" bonus manage a nuclear plant – or your financial risks.

Counter-balance complexity with simplicity.

Do not give children sticks of dynamite, even if they come with a warning.

Only Ponzi schemes should depend on confidence. Governments should never need to "restore confidence".

Do not give an addict more drugs if he has withdrawal pains.

Citizens should not depend on financial assets or fallible "expert" advice for their retirement.

Make an omelette with the broken eggs.

In addition to these ten principles, Taleb also recommends employing both physical and functional redundancy in the design of systems. These two steps can be found in the principles of resilience architecting. (Reference: Jackson, S. Architecting Resilient Systems: John Wiley & Sons. Hoboken, NJ: 2010.)

[edit]See also

it was there in real life

just not in the pic

Day 165-Found out today is the 30th Anniversary of this classic movie from my childhood/tweens. It was one of the first full length skateboarding movies Id ever seen (there was a brief skating bit in the Disney movie Exile). I remember talking about this movie to my cousin and how cool it was gonna be and I thought it was amazing. I had a bootleg (still do) that recorded off of cable at the time and I almost wore out that tape i watched it so much. I mean, we went to record store after record store to find the nonexistent soundtrack, it dominated my life so much. Years later, I still look on with fondness for it, even when it was on primetime with a different name one time (A Brother's Justice). I catch it now and again randomly and here I have it downloaded from youtube as the dvd is freaking expensive and region 2 only that I could find...Years later, I met Richard Herd, the bad guy of the movie and he was the nicest man, which to my tweenage mind was blown...if you get what I mean. Such a storied history with this movie and I cant believe its 30 years old. I still remember the theme song...GLEEEEEEAMING THE CUUUUBE! RIDINGHARDER AND FASTER THAN ANYONE BEFORE!!!!

I was tagged a looooooong time ago so

1. I'm reevaluating myself as a photographer a.k.a taking my camera everywhere

2. I don't know who this is

3. My friends think I'm weird for creeping on people(For example ^^^^)

4. SOPA can just go dig a hole

5. I miss you guys and I'm sorry for being such a nonexistent contact lately

6. Gungor is awesome

7. ummmm AP BIO can go dig a hole/ 8X8 punnet squares must die!!!!!

8. Sleepy sleepy sleepy

9. I got braces

10. nenene I'm about to tell a secret to someone. I feel like I'll regret it.

*****11 MORE DAYS UNTIL RESULTS FOR SCHOLASTICS RAL******

I was kind of glad to see this. All these politically hipper-than-thous trashing the smokers. They'd get on their high horse about all the vile things the tobacco industry has done and all the dreadful candidates the tobacco industry had put in office, and they'd get all blah-de-blah-blah on all that. I'd want to say, "Shut up. Did you know that RJR Reynolds owns half the breweries in the United States, accounting for all that cheap swill we drink? Oh, and the people involved in the supply chain for pot? Charming, wonderful socialists with all of our best interests at heart."

Lori didn't give a crap. Lori was stuck in State College PA all summer with frat boys and a nonexistent nightlife. Let her smoke.

1993 Suède Sweden Svezia

Terrain marécageux : alors on chemine pendant des kilomètres sur ces planches !

Going through swamps for miles on end on these plank "roads" !

Per attraversare i terreni paludosi, ci sono chilometri di "strade di legno" !

Escapade en train à Blåhammaren, dans le nord de la Suède, près de la frontier norvégienne.

Il est conseillé de savoir lire une carte et utiliser la boussole, car les sentiers ne sont pas bien marqués et on ne rencontre quasi personne ... le temps peut aussi changer brusquement : en qq minutes on passé de l'été à l'hiver avec de la neige (meme en plein mois de juillet).

Week-end close to the Norwegian border, in the north of Sweden, at Blåhammaren.

It is recommended to be able to read a map and use a compass because the paths are almost nonexistent ... the weather can also change within minutes going from Summer into Winter (with snow mid of July).

Camminata vicina al confine con la Norvegia, a Blåhammaren (2 giorni).

Saper leggere una mappa e utilizzare una bussola è d'obbligo perché i sentieri non si vedono bene. E non c'è molta gente da incontrare ! Subito il meteo può anche cambiare da estate a inverno con neve a metà luglio !

Nice tuna but once again, wasabi flavour was pretty much nonexistent.

Hamilton Street Grill

1009 Hamilton Street

Vancouver

Two weeks ago we happened to arrive in Columbus just one hour after the end of an Ohio State football game. Once on campus we discovered that the tailgating party (parties) had only just begun. Due to clogged streets and nonexistent parking, this is as close to the stadium as we could get.

Almost-complete Record of the Night...

Words cannot describe how good it felt to be shooting another show at Black Sheep after so long. It doesn't have the greatest lighting and the photo pit is nonexistent, but I just feel so at home there because that community of people is just incredible. They all support each other so much and it's amazing to be a part of that and to get to photograph it every so often. And then getting to be the guest photographer for Harm House's "Record of the Night" was absolutely awesome. Honestly, when I look back, I can't even begin to describe how thankful I am to the Black Sheep venue and community for everything they've done for me. This was my training ground when I was really getting started, and these are the people who took me in and accepted me without question and without reservation. That, and they put on some kick-ass shows =)

024

Fortune Global Forum 2018

October 16th, 2018

Toronto, Canada

3:30 PM

THE NEW GLOBAL CONSUMER: DOING BUSINESS IN A DIGITAL ECONOMY

The digital economy is no longer part of the economy. It is the economy. How can traditional brick-and-mortar firms reinvent themselves, their supply chains, and their marketplaces to avoid the fate of brands once thought of as everlasting but which are now nonexistent? And how are new platforms – from e-commerce to shared services – rewriting the rules of the game? A conversation on how businesses can manage expectations for digitally empowered customers, and how technology is being used to enhance the customer experience.

Alain Bejjani, Chief Executive Officer, Majid al Futtaim

Andrea Stairs, General Manager, Canada and Latin America, eBay

Ning Tang, Founder and CEO, CreditEase

Moderator: Phil Wahba, Senior Writer, Fortune

Photograph by Stuart Isett/Fortune

"Publishers Anonymous." Christmas Diversions. The New Statesman & Nation 48, no. 1242 (25 December 1954): 858-59. Parody advertisements by the editors for nonexistent books (PDF).

Here's the Maugham caricature by Victor Weisz, at the British Cartoon Archive.

Fort Greene Park, Fort Greene Historic District , Brooklyn

The Prison Ship Martyrs Monument that stands today in the center of Fort Greene Park is a 1908 memorial to the 11,000 men and boys who died in horrid conditions on the British Prison Ships during the Revolutionary War. The Monument, which is sometimes referred to as the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, stands in the center of what was once called Fort Putnam, an actual Revolutionary War fort, named after Gernal Putnam. The Monument you see today is actually the third incarnation of this sacred shrine. The story of the horrid Prison Ships – and the ghastly conditions suffered by the men and boys imprisoned on them during the Revolutionary War – is one of the most disturbing chapters in American history.

During the American Revolutionary War, which began in 1775, the British arrested scores of soldiers, sailors, and private citizens on both land and sea. Many were apprehended simply because they would not swear allegiance to the Crown of England. Besides American civilians and resistance fighters, the British captured the crews of foreign ships on the high seas, especially Spanish vessels. The soldiers, sailors and civilians they arrested were deemed by the British to be prisoners of war and were incarcerated. When the British ran out of jail space to house their POWs they began using decommissioned or damaged war ships that were anchored in Wallabout Bay as floating prisons.

Life was unbearable on the prison ships, the most notorious of them being the Old Jersey – which was called "Hell" by the inhabitants. Disease was rampant, food and water were scarce or nonexistent, and the living conditions were horrendously overcrowded and wretched. If one had money they could purchase food from the many entrepreneurs who rowed up to the boat to sell their wares. Otherwise, the meager rations would consist of sawdust laden bread or watery soup.

A great number of the captives died from disease and malnutrition. Their emaciated bodies were either thrown overboard or buried in shallow graves in the sandy marshes of Wallabout Bay. Even thought the British surrendered at Yorktown. Virginia in 1782, the surviving prisoners were not freed until 1783, when the British abandoned New York City. (A footnote: after the war, the British Commander in charge of the Prison Ships was brought up on war crimes charges and was subsequently hanged.)

The "Old Jersey"

In the years following the war the bones of the patriots would regularly wash up along the shores of Brooklyn and Long Island. These remains were collected by Brooklynites with the hopes of creating a permanent resting place for the remains of the brave Prison Ship Martyrs. In the early 1880's the first Martyrs Monument monument was erected by the Tammany Society of New York. It was located on a triangular plot of land near the Brooklyn Navy Yard waterfront in what is now called Vinegar Hill.

By the 1840s, the original monument was in a state of disrepair and neglect. By 1873 a large stone crypt was constructed in the heart of what is now Fort Greene Park (then called Washington Park), and the bones were re-interred in the crypt. A small monument was erected on the hill above the crypt.

By the close of the 19th century, funds were finally raised for a grander more fitting monument for the Prison Ship Martyrs. The prestigious architectural firm of McKim. Meade and White was commissioned to design the large 148 ft. tower which stands today in the park. It was unveiled in 1908 with a grand ribbon-cutting ceremony presided over by President-Elect Taft.

Sadly, over the ensuing decades the monument was severely neglected. Due to shortage of public funds, urban blight and lack of community interest both the park and the memorial fell into disrepair. The monument originally housed a staircase and elevator to the top observation deck, which featured a lighted urn with a beacon of light which could be seen for miles. The elevator was operational until the 1930s but was unfortunately removed by the city in the early 1970s.

Since it founding in 1998, the Fort Greene Park Conservancy has been a catalyst for the restoration and revival of both the monument and the park. In November 2008 a grand weekend event is planned to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the 1908 Prison Ships Martyrs Memorial.

I came across this daft thing while going out to get a view of Dunnydeer. It was snarling and growling at me but its turning circle was nonexistent so it had to look over its shoulder as I went past.

024

Fortune Global Forum 2018

October 16th, 2018

Toronto, Canada

3:30 PM

THE NEW GLOBAL CONSUMER: DOING BUSINESS IN A DIGITAL ECONOMY

The digital economy is no longer part of the economy. It is the economy. How can traditional brick-and-mortar firms reinvent themselves, their supply chains, and their marketplaces to avoid the fate of brands once thought of as everlasting but which are now nonexistent? And how are new platforms – from e-commerce to shared services – rewriting the rules of the game? A conversation on how businesses can manage expectations for digitally empowered customers, and how technology is being used to enhance the customer experience.

Alain Bejjani, Chief Executive Officer, Majid al Futtaim

Andrea Stairs, General Manager, Canada and Latin America, eBay

Ning Tang, Founder and CEO, CreditEase

Moderator: Phil Wahba, Senior Writer, Fortune

Photograph by Stuart Isett/Fortune

There are several species of Flamingo in the Americas. This large specie (to 1.3 m) is found in most of South America except for the extreme northern regions. While the action of these resting birds was nonexistent, the colors presented are always pleasing. The intensity of the color is dependent on their diet. Young birds are born a light grey.

IMG_7325; Chilean Flamingos

Kirwin inspects the level of his almost nonexistent beer.

BOX DATE: 2013

MANUFACTURER: Mattel

DOLLS IN LINE: Frankie; Toralei; Abbey

BODY TYPE: 2008; molded dot panties; articulated elbows, wrists, & knees

HEAD MOLD: 2010 "Abbey"

PERSONAL FUN FACT: Every so often there is a rather ordinary, unremarkable doll who randomly captures my attention. For some reason, this Abbey doll always stood out to me. I fell in love with her the very first time I saw her at a Big Lots. The Coffin Bean line wasn't widely available in my area, so I was surprised the first time I encountered it. Sometime later, my sister and I discovered an amazing 50% off sale, when we went to pick up a book my sister wanted. All the Monster High dolls at Barnes and Noble were part of the offer, during the summer of 2014. We ended up returning there the next day, because my sister had messed up the release date of the aforementioned book. I believe we made a total of three trips to that particular store around that time frame. We dubbed this shopping excursion the "Barnes and Noble Bonanza." I think I got Abbey on the last trip...my sister did not know why I wanted her. But, after taking Abbey home, Colleen realized just how special she is! I can't quite pinpoint it, but something about this doll is fantastic. She may be a basic/slim box lady, but she is SO enchanting. She's one of our favorite Abbey dolls in my collection, even after ten years together. I love her almost nonexistent makeup and her wavy hair. She looks adorable in all sorts of different outfits. I have such a weakness and strong attachment for this doll, and I'm so glad I was able to get her, especially since she was on sale!!!

There's a fine for pushing this nonexistent button.

artefacts from the Spanish presence in the Philippines (the Spanish East Indies) and engagement in trade with China.

Spanish interest in the (Spanish East Indies) region was primarily focused on its use as a base for trade with East Asia, and large parts of the territory were under loose or nonexistent Spanish control.

Museo Naval, Madrid

29 November 2012

camera Panasonic DMC ZS8

P1140799

Here's another paring chisel, this time from the small and nowadays nonexistent Finnish maker Billnäs Bruk. It was a very nice find, not because the steel is so special but because Billnäs chisels are very seldom seen. This one is a good performer and works well enough but the steel is clearly not on par with the Berg chisels.

Vintage West Bend metal salt and pepper shakers. Pre-owned, well used and vintage 1950's. The graphics are faded on the pepper and almost nonexistent on the salt. There are lots of scratches and scuffs. The top is missing paint. The bottom reads West Bend Made in the USA. They measure approximately 4 inches high and 2.5 inches in diameter.

Eastlake stenciled woodwork in the Reading and Writing Room of the former Tampa Bay Hotel, Tampa, Florida.

Bigger, grainier, more Eastlakier

The Cotton Pygmy Goose or the Cotton Teal, Nettapus coromandelianus is a small perching duck which breeds in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, southeast Asia and south to northern Australia.

Small examples are the smallest waterfowl on earth, at as little as 160 g (5.5 oz) and 26 cm (10.5 in). White predominates in this bird's plumage. Bill short, deep at base, and goose-like.

Male in breeding plumage is glossy blackish green crown, with white head, neck, and underparts; a prominent black collar and white wing-bar. Rounded head and short legs. In flight, the wings are green with a white band, making the male conspicuous even amongst the huge flying flocks of the Lesser Whistling Duck, which share the habitat. Female paler, without either black collar and only a narrow or nonexistent strip of white wing-bar. In non-breeding plumage (eclipse) male resembles female except for his white wing-bar. Flocks on water bodies (jheels), etc.

Call: A peculiar clucking, uttered in flight

It is largely resident, apart from dispersion in the wet season, but Chinese birds winter further south. It nests in tree holes, laying 8-15 eggs.

This is an abundant species in Asia, although the slightly larger Australian race appears to be declining in numbers.

Found on all still freshwater lakes (jheels), rain-filled ditches, inundated paddy fields, irrigation tanks, etc. Becomes very tame on village tanks wherever it is unmolested and has become inured to human proximity. Swift on the wing, and can dive creditably on occasion.

Its food is chiefly seeds and vegetable matter, especially water lilies; also insects, crustaceans, etc.

The nesting season is July to September (SW. monsoon). Its nest is a natural hollow in a tree-trunk standing in or near water, sometimes lined with grass, rubbish and feathers. It lays 6 to 12 eggs, which are ivory white.

Aquatic Bird House

Bronx Zoo New York

My embroidery skills are nonexistent. Next time, buttons or safety eyes or something.

This may be kind of interesting, but it's not actually the effect I was looking for. That effect, however, is doing a fine job of eluding this photographer! What I've been seeking is this: big snowflakes, in profusion, gently floating down, illuminated by the new lighting on the 'hospital trail' (with a section of the trail itself clearly visible). The PROBLEM is, that kind of snowflake has been virtually nonexistent around here this winter. We've had one minor snowfall after another, but der flakes have consistently been small, fast-falling (or whirling about all over the place), and relatively sparse. What's that old song . . . you can't always get what you want . . . ?

Bottom Line: It ain't my fault if the weather refuses to cooperate!

Historic marker for the old 1912 Bee County Courthouse in Beeville, Texas. The plaque reads:

"Bee County was created in 1857 from parts of five neighboring counties. The first county seat was located seven miles east of this site, and the first commissioners court was held on the banks of Medio Creek in February 1858. The city's earliest courthouse consisted of a box frame structure. In 1912, local architect W. C. Stephenson designed this, the county's fourth courthouse. A native of Buffalo, New York, Stephenson aided in the design of the death mask of President William McKinley. He was the architect of several Beeville buildings, including the Rialto Theater, two churches and several houses, and later designed the Classical Revival McMullen County courthouse. W. C. Whitney, builder of three other Texas courthouses, contracted to build the Bee County courthouse for $72,050. Whitney died during construction and W. C. Stephenson's partner, Fritz Heldenfels, completed the project. Stephenson drew upon the strong contemporary influence of the French Beaux Arts School with a level of grandeur previously nonexistent in Bee County. Some original Beaux Arts features such as the cast stone balustrade originally outlining the roof were later removed, and the 1943 addition partially obscured the symmetrical plan and façade of the edifice. The Bee County courthouse is a fine example of the Classical Revival style. Of particular significance are the grand portico and projecting pediment entry with Corinthian columns and dentils along the roofline. The Chicago-style windows, comprised of one glass pane flanked by two narrower ones, with transoms above, are noteworthy. Also unusual is Stephenson's lady of justice; unlike most such symbols, she is not depicted as blind. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark – 2000"

Riggs Hill, Grand Junction, CO 4/30/08

I think of the brownish-purple crescent or chevron shapes toward the base of the petals as diagnostic of Calochortus nuttallii. Many of the plants around Grand Junction that I'm tempted to call nuttallii have crescents or chevrons that are fainter than ones I've seen elsewhere. Often much fainter, or nonexistent.

These three young girls were eating by themselves in a bar. In Poland it's very common for young people to take of themselves and no problem for them to be in a bar. They split the pizza and a soda and seemed very casual. Kids in Eastern Europe are very polite and crime is almost nonexistent so there are no worries with kids out on their own. No problem even hitchhiking at night.

024

Fortune Global Forum 2018

October 16th, 2018

Toronto, Canada

3:30 PM

THE NEW GLOBAL CONSUMER: DOING BUSINESS IN A DIGITAL ECONOMY

The digital economy is no longer part of the economy. It is the economy. How can traditional brick-and-mortar firms reinvent themselves, their supply chains, and their marketplaces to avoid the fate of brands once thought of as everlasting but which are now nonexistent? And how are new platforms – from e-commerce to shared services – rewriting the rules of the game? A conversation on how businesses can manage expectations for digitally empowered customers, and how technology is being used to enhance the customer experience.

Alain Bejjani, Chief Executive Officer, Majid al Futtaim

Andrea Stairs, General Manager, Canada and Latin America, eBay

Ning Tang, Founder and CEO, CreditEase

Moderator: Phil Wahba, Senior Writer, Fortune

Photograph by Stuart Isett/Fortune

N88TH

From EAA Website:

Tom Hamilton, EAA 111356, designed the Glasair to be an efficient airplane; it was fast yet fuel-efficient and had a practical building time. The prototype, called the Ham2, was an all-composite, female molded, side-by-side two place aircraft. It was conventional in design as far as aerodynamics go with a good-looking appearance.

Originally, Tom had designed his airplane with tandem seating, but he ran into a few problems. The biggest problem was center of gravity travel, especially when soloed from the front seat. Flying from the rear seat proved to be awkward, cramped, and blind, especially forward through the other person’s head. Baggage space was almost nonexistent and passenger’s weight became an issue.

Tom decided to switch to side-by-side seating, which eliminated many of these problems. He saved weight by not having to duplicate instruments and controls, gaining plenty of room for IFR avionics without going to very costly miniature instruments. The Ham2 could handle a pilot up to 6 feet 2 inches in height, while all the succeeding Glasairs had an additional three inches in the canopy. Side-by-side seating can make an airplane less aerodynamically efficient, but it didn’t affect the Ham2 at all in the speed department.

The Ham2 was the prototype for the Glasair, which became an airplane that many consider ideal for cruising around in with a friend. The Glasair is able to carry two full-sized people in comfort, operate out of short fields, and throw in a roll or a loop every once in a while.

Utility and efficiency were at the heart of the Glasair design, and Ham2 was what started it all. Tom wrote a feature story about the airplane in the August 1980 issue of Sport Aviation, and then donated the Glasair prototype Ham2 to the EAA Aviation Museum in 1986.

Length: 19 feet

Wingspan: 23 feet, 3 inches

Empty Weight: 835 pounds

Gross Weight: 1,400 pounds

Maximum Speed: 230 mph

Cruise Speed: 206 mph

Seats: 2

Powerplant: Lycoming O-235

Horsepower: 150 hp

implied nonexistent narrative

Canon EOS Elan IIe

135mm f/2L

Expired 35 film ISO 400

I had the greatest time with Abby and Ericka today, creating art by trespassing into an abandoned horse farm. It actually started when I found 15 year old expired ISO 400 film around the house, and decided to experiment with it. We live in a digital age that has grown so much so fast. It astounds me that the same film cameras my dad used for my childhood birthday parties are now collecting dusk. I’m lucky to say that I might be the last generation that lived in time when digital photography was nonexistent, and now it is everywhere. Look around your house, you’d be surprised at the photography gear you would find.