Singapore Botanic Gardens

MuCEM + Fort Saint-Jean, Marseille, France - 2013 -Architects: Rudy Ricciotti and C+T architecture

Views, sea, sun, a mineral quality, which all must be orchestrated by a program that will become federal and cognitive. First of all a perfect square of 72 m per side, it is a classic plan, Latin, under the control of Pythagoras. Within this square, another of 52 m per side, comprising the exhibition and conference halls identified as the heart of the museum.

Around, above and below are the service areas. But between these areas and the heart, openings entirely bypass the central square and form interconnected spaces. More interested by the views of the fort, the sea or the port, the culturally overwhelmed visitor will choose this route. Along two interlacing ramps, he will then plunge into the imaginary of the tower of Babel or of a ziggurat in order to climb up to the rooftop and on to Fort Saint- Jean. This peripheral loop will be a free breathe, enveloped by the smells of the sea from the proximity to the moats, a pause to dispel any lingering doubts about the use of the history of our civilizations. The MuCEM will be a vertical Casbah.

The tectonic choice of an exceptional concrete coming from the latest research by French industry, reducing the dimensions to little more than skin and bones, will affirm a mineral script under the high ramparts of Fort Saint-Jean. This sole material in the colour of dust, matt, crushed by the light, distant from the brilliance and technological consumerism, will commend the dense and the delicate. The MuCEM sees itself evanescent in a landscape of stone and Orientalist through its fanning shadows.

Uncertainty breeds fear. Lack of clarity has driven men mad. Perhaps that is what the Emperor intends from this revelation. Maybe, this is all merely a creation of his. Designed to test my loyalty, or to evaluate whether he was right to take me on as his apprentice. It’s understandable why he would question such a matter. After all, Anakin Skywalker had such potential even with an artificial limb diminishing his connection to the Force. My current condition leaves much to be desired.

That is not to say that my artificial limbs have rendered me powerless. On the contrary, even in my current state I’ve been able to best multiple Jedi in combat with ease. Is this the power of the dark side? The power of hatred? If I can still accomplish all this in such a broken state, what could I have done had this all been avoided. Could I have saved Padme?

Perhaps…..

This could all have been avoided had he not turned her against me.

Kenobi……

This is all your fault.

All I wanted was to bring peace, and security to the galaxy. I should have realised sooner that it was the Jedi who orchestrated it all. My bli……Skywalker’s blind devotion to that order doomed the galaxy to three years of galactic war. I will not be so foolish. Though I respect the Emperor, and value his tutelage. I will never trust him. Especially having witnessed how quick he was in the past to dispose of apprentices when he no longer had use for them.

For that reason alone, I cannot help but query the claims that the boy has made surrounding his identity. Deep down, I wish them to be false. If only so the inevitable course of action in that scenario can be avoided. But if that is not the case, then it is either him or myself. With all that I’ve sacrificed to get here, I’m not about to allow my position to be endangered by a child.

So I now have no choice but to go to Naboo. I haven’t visited that world since Padme passed away. Too much pain. But now I have no choice. For her death to have meant anything, I must guarantee my place as the rightful heir to the Empire when the time comes. However, I cannot risk events transpiring without my attention. No doubt Hassan is already positioning the boy to replace me. I cannot allow that.

With all this in mind, I’ve been forced to call upon the services of bounty hunters. Whilst they lack devout loyalty to anyone, their allegiance can be bought for enough credits. Including their silence. Given the tightening security across Coruscant, and with the inevitability of the boy being placed under protection by the security bureau, I need someone who can navigate the city with ease. After all, it is likely that the boy will be moved continuously until his identity can be ratified.

Vader: You were unseen?

Nen Shao: I made sure that no-one saw me. Can’t say the same for Jagma here.

Jagma: Speak for yourself Nen.

Nen Shao: This is not the time Jagma.

When I sent out for Nen Shao I expected him alone. His abilities to go unseen by Imperial forces are what ensured he was never detained when the Empire seized Mandalore and imprisoned all known Deathwatch sympathizers, and they’re exactly what I require at this moment. This student of his could endanger everything. As such, I take it upon myself to remind Nen just how important secrecy is for his task. Without saying a word, I grab both by the throat using the Force and apply pressure. Both quickly collapse to the ground as they struggle to breath.

Vader: This matter requires secrecy of the highest level. It is no place for a child.

Jagma: I’m no child.

I release both having witnessed how much the boy struggled to utter that simple sentence.

Nen Shao: Apologies, Lord Vader.

Vader: I do not have time for games, Shao.

Nen Shao: Then what is it that you seek?

As Shao inquires as to the job I have for him, he slowly makes his way back to his feet.

Vader: A child.

Jagma: What?

Vader: There is a child of great importance here on Coruscant. He has been placed under ISB protection.

Nen Shao: Then he must be valuable. Why all the fuss?

Vader: That does not concern you.

Jagma: Then what is it you want? Abduction? Intimidation?

Vader: Observation.

Jagma: What!?

Nen Shao: You want us simply to observe him?

Vader: The boy’s identity remains in question. Until I can be certain of his claims, he is not to be engaged. Observation only.

Jagma: You have got to be kidding me. You’ve had us come here with as much as secrecy as possible, only to ask us to spy on someone for you? Don’t you have spies of your own who can do that?

Vader: This matter requires a great amount of secrecy. Until the boy’s identity is confirmed, you are to observe only.

Jagma: Well what’s so special about who he could be to warrant you dragging us all the way here?

Nen Shao: The boy has a point, Lord Vader. For you to have brought us here under such secrecy does raise concern. It would help if you’d just tell us who he claims to be at least.

Though I consider mentioning the boy’s name to explain my caution, I decide against it. If he is in fact merely an innocent child being used to exploit the Emperor, then he doesn’t deserve what would come with being known as the Emperor’s son. The pressure of such a title can break almost anyone. Be it son of the Emperor, or the one destined to bring balance to the Force.

With my options considered, I do the action that always guarantees a bounty hunter’s silence. I throw them an extra thousand credits each. Both quickly understand. Whoever the child is, he’s obviously of great importance. So much so that even I am unwilling to reveal their identity. In many regards, my action simply entices Shao’s interest in the boy further. But that is irrelevant. His silence has been bought. At least for now.

Jagma: And why, pray tell, are you so interested in this boy?

Vader: That is not your concern.

Jagma: And if I think that it is?

Before the boy can properly finish his words, I grab his throat with the Force once again. This time though, I pull him towards me and trap his throat with in the grasp of my hand. With the pressure applied to his throat, he’s unable to speak. But the expression on his face says it all. For a moment or two, I consider releasing him. He’s clearly terrified of what I can achieve which indicates he has no prior experience with a Force wielder, but I decide to go further.

I remove the hilt of my blade from my belt and ignite it.

Naturally, the boy squirms. Though he may not have encountered a Force user before, it’s evident that he’s well aware of what a lightsaber is, and what it can do. Fortunately for him, I simply place the blade close to his face. Much to his own horror.

Given how great a liability I suspect him to be, it’s tempting to remove him from the equation.

But alas, there are more pressing matters at hand. R5 signals me that my fighter is ready for departure. How fortunate. With that, I throw the young fool aside before making my way out of the room. In the corner of my eye I notice the boy raise a blaster at me, only to be stopped by Shao. Good. Shao clearly remembers the last time he attempted such a matter.

Nen Shao: How long do you expect us to watch him for?

Vader: Until I return.

Nen Shao: Where are you going?

I do not answer his question, simply because I know that providing him with such information all but guarantees the necessity to buy his silence later. But my destination is clear.

The homeward of both Padme and my master.

Naboo.

The male (peacock) Indian Peafowl has iridescent blue-green or green coloured plumage. The so-called "tail" of the peacock, also termed the "train," is not the tail quill feathers but highly elongated upper tail coverts. The train feathers have a series of eyes that are best seen when the tail is fanned. Both species have a crest atop the head.

The blue peacock (Indian Peafowl) displaying his train during the peafowl breeding season. Indeed, its sole purpose is to attract a mate. Seeing a peahen approaching, the peacock lifts his train—a cluster of long tail coverts that spread out to form a fan several feet high and extending down to the ground on both sides. The train feathers are iridescent blue and green, with an eye-like spot of brilliant blue, green, and orange, at the end. Each feather is a work of art in itself—together they make a spectacular backdrop for the sapphire blue peacock and his carefully orchestrated courtship dance:

During the breeding season, peacocks choose special places to perform their courtship dance and they tend to return to the same location year after year. Other males may be doing the same thing close by and peahens will window-shop—the peacock with the best display wins.

When a peahen comes close enough, the peacock turns his back and brings his train erect, displaying the underlying tail feathers and his dark wings, which he flutters rapidly, From this angle, the brilliant colours of the display feathers can’t be seen—the bird is predominantly grey and brown. The peacock steps from side to side and sometimes moves forward or backward a few steps.

When the peahen comes closer still, the peacock backs up towards her, and when she avoids him, he turns, revealing all his colour and holding his wings still. He then drops the great fan down on top of the female. It quivers, making a rustling sound.

The peahen may mate with the peacock, or she may simply walk away or stand still, whereupon the male starts over, turning his back again and resuming the rapid fluttering of his wings. The peacock can hold his fan of display feathers up for a very long time.

For reasons that are not well understood, peahens tend to mate with peacocks with the most eye-spots.

So today was suppose to be "the end of the world" which i would never believe. But i got a great photo idea out of it!!

I decided to take a picture of who is orchestrating the end of the world, portraying almost like a queen. or maybe the last person alive, you decide!

For this one i barely edited the colors at all, i changed the white balance on my camera and it turned out this cool blue color, i love it!

Babysitting Palpatine's nephew is a privilege only a few get to enjoy. Stormtrooper Bruce still wonders if it might be some sort of twisted punishment Vader has orchestrated. With any luck, STB's latest plan to make things fun and entertaining will eliminate future babysitting duties.

STB: Eat up little dude, we still have lots more to do this afternoon.

Pepé Le Pew: But Unka Dude, we've already had a busy morning. Can't we stay in and just watch cartoons for the rest of the day?

STB: What, and miss the pony ride I scheduled for you at the Petting Zoo? I might even try to win that BFF you asked for for Rocky.

Pepé: But we already watched speeding comets from the Observation Deck, planted rainbow flowers and picked giant mushies at the Botanical Gardens, and made spicy icy popcorn in the Mess Hall.

STB: I know. We've had so much fun today, so why stop now?

Pepé: And yesterday we rebuilt engines at the machine shop, and looked at X-rays in the med bay, and walked upside down in antigravity suits on Space Dock II.

STB: Yes, that was fun, too!

Pepé: But Unka Dude, I'm tired of having so much fun. What about sitting down and watching cartoons?

STB: Cartoons are for old fogies who just want to sit around and do nothing. Not kids with tons of energy.

Pepé: Wait, I think I remember Unka Pappy saying something about naps.

STB: NAPS! You don't need no stinking naps!

Pepé:

STB: Tomorrow, we're going to make mud pies, and then feed the carnivorous plants in the hydroponic bay. And then at the Library we're...

Pepé: Wait., I think I heard that Dark Vader man was missing me. Maybe I could go stay with him for a few days, so he won't be so lonesome.

STB: Well, OK. But you'll miss all the fun things I have planned.

Pepé: I never knew having fun could be so exhaustipating.

STB: Me neither.

Pepé: I have an important announcement to make. I'm now

going to be called Dr. DO LITTLE.

__________________________________________

Viewing Large is always fun. Just click on the image.

An orchestrated shot . These men in uniform were talking to a couple pretty girls one of whom was holding this puppy . Nothing new about men in uniform talking to pretty girls I thought ..

What would make for an interesting shot is if one of the men would hold the puppy , that with all the service mascot dogs in the march by parade today . Firstly I asked were they allowed to hold the dog .. yes thats ok ..

Thanks guys .

ANZAC Day

Brisbane

Planned chemical weapon provocation in Idlib aimed to prevent removal of terrorists, because US wants terrorists to stay in Syria. Russia submitted proof of false-flag chemical-weapons plot to OPCW & UN – Lavrov

(in www.rt.com/news/437364-russia-syria-chemical-weapon-opcw/)

There is “no doubt” that militants are plotting a false-flag chemical-weapons attack in Syria’s Idlib province, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, adding that Moscow has provided proof of the plot to the UN and OPCW.

“We have presented concrete facts obtained from various sources both to the UN and to The Hague, where the OPCW (Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) headquarters is located,” Lavrov said, while speaking about the risk of a false-flag attack involving the use of chemical weapons in Syria, adding that “these facts are congruent.”

Lavrov said that “there is no doubt that such provocations are being prepared.” He explained that terrorist groups entrenched in Syria’s northwestern province, including Al-Nusra Front (now known as Tahrir al-Sham), are trying to derail the separation of terrorists from other armed groups “in every possible way.”

The foreign minister also said that Russia would continue to support Damascus in its fight against terrorists and is open about its actions. “We have no plans to conceal what we do to back the Syrian government, which is liberating its land from terrorists to [allow] the Syrian citizens to return to… normal life as soon as possible,” Lavrov told journalists during a joint press conference with Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh Mohammed in Sochi.

Earlier, Russia’s representative to the OPCW, Aleksandr Shulgin, told journalists that Moscow had handed evidence of the planned false-flag attack to the OPCW Director General Fernando Arias. The Syrian government also sent its own data to the OPCW, he added, while warning that the attack could be staged “at any moment.”

Moscow has previously accused Washington of helping militants with a false-flag plot with a view to blaming the Syrian authorities for the attack and thus justify new airstrikes against Syria. The planned airstrike is allegedly a lot larger in scale than the one carried out by the US, the UK and France in April.

Russia’s Defense Ministry has said that the chemicals needed for the fake attack have been already delivered to the area, citing sources on the ground. It accused the White Helmets group of assisting the terrorists with the delivery.

read more: www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/03/17/555774/US-training-Syri...

www.strategic-culture.org/news/2018/03/20/us-planning-ter...

--------------------------

False-flag failure… US cuts to the chase to defend its terrorists in Syria

(Finian Cunningham in www.rt.com/op-ed/437626-idlib-syria-trump-terrorists/)

Last week the US warned of military strikes on Syria "if" government forces use chemical weapons (CW). This week, Trump comes clean by dropping any mention of a CW pretext – simply warning Syria not to attack terrorists.

Trump tweeted his warning to Syria, as well as its allied Russian and Iranian forces, to not launch a military offensive to retake control of the northwest province of Idlib. The area is the last remaining stronghold of illegally armed militant groups in Syria. It's potentially the endgame to the nearly eight-year war.

On Monday, Trump said: "President Bashar al-Assad of Syria must not recklessly attack Idlib Province. The Russians and Iranians would be making a grave humanitarian mistake to take part in this potential human tragedy."

The US’ top general, Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also reiterated seeming anxiety for humanitarian casualties, calling for a “tailored operation.”

So, alleged chemical weapons are no longer part of the US rationale. It's basically: don't make any military move. The American president added that "hundreds of thousands of lives" could be lost if Syria and its allies move to rid the province of an estimated 10,000 militants among a civilian population of three million.

Trump's apparent "humanitarian" concern seems alarmist, if not cynical. When did he articulate similar misgivings when US air forces were pounding Raqqa to bits last year, causing thousands of civilian deaths?

This week, Russian and Iranian officials are working with Syria to set up humanitarian corridors in Idlib to remove civilians from harm.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is also due to arrive in the Iranian capital, Tehran this weekend to give impetus for a final peace settlement. Clearing Syria's last bastion of terrorist groups in Idlib is crucial to restoring peace for the entire country. Why are Washington and its allies trying to obstruct that end result?

Trump's dire-sounding reproach of a final military offensive in Idlib marked a significant shift from earlier warnings issued by the US and its NATO allies, Britain and France. All three powers had last week vowed to take military action if chemical weapons were used by the Syrian Army in the anticipated offensive.

Those admonitions were widely seen as an attempt by the Western powers to set up a false-flag provocation to blame the Syrian government forces and thereby give themselves a pretext to launch military strikes against President Assad. For a start, the Syrian government no longer possesses such weapons, having deleted its arsenal under verified UN supervision.

The Western chemical-weapons alarm was a transparent ruse. The same dramatic formula was deployed earlier this year in April when an alleged toxic incident in Douma near Damascus was attributed in Western media to the Syrian Army, resulting in a barrage of over 100 missile attacks by the US, Britain, and France on Syria. It turned out, however, that the incident was a propaganda stunt orchestrated by the Western-backed White Helmets, which have time and again liaised with terrorist groups for information warfare.

This time around, numerous reports cited Russian military intelligence that chemical weapon materials were being transported in Idlib by the terrorist groups and White Helmets for a repeat of the false-flag ruse. Those reports exposed the lie behind warnings from the US, Britain, and France of impending air strikes as being nothing other than coordinated efforts to justify military intervention.

Further, it was widely commented that the US and its NATO allies were in effect shown to be actively in league with the terrorist groups in preparing a false flag with chemical weapons.

It seems that having been caught out in orchestrating a propaganda stunt, the Western powers have simply gone for broke. That is, going for an openly direct line of attack.

As Trump's latest warning admits, any offensive operation by the Syrian Army and its allies to defeat the residual militants in Idlib is, in the American view, "unacceptable."

Forgot about alleged use of chemical weapons – for Washington, the mere action of military offensive by the Syrian government is illegitimate.

Fortunately, Syrian, Russian, and Iranian leaders are immune to such ridiculous suppression of sovereign rights and international law. As Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has pointed out, Syria is legally mandated to eradicate terrorist groups occupying its territory and to assert full authority over the country.

Would the American, British, or French government accept the occupation of their territory by illegally armed groups which have been covertly sponsored by Syria, Russia, or Iran?

The shifting rationale by the US and its NATO allies is telling. It's no longer hiding behind rhetoric about chemical weapons or "protecting moderate rebels," or even "protecting civilians."

It is abundantly evident that the militants who have gravitated to Idlib are the assorted Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist groups, primarily Hayat Tahrir al Sham (formerly Al-Nusra Front). This organization is designated as a terrorist entity by the US State Department, as well as by Moscow and many other governments.

There is no longer even a wistful mention in Western media about "moderate rebels" or the so-called "Free Syrian Army," which the US and its NATO allies previously claimed to be supporting as distinct from the extremist head-choppers. That apparent distinction has evaporated into thin air like the manufactured illusion it always was.

What we have in Idlib are the vile dregs of the proxy terrorist army that the Western governments have been covertly sponsoring and arming all along for their criminal objective of regime change in Syria.

Trump's warning against a military campaign to finally smash the terrorist army in Syria amounts to an astounding admission. The endgame of protagonists is now exposed for the whole world to see.

The United States, Britain, and France are admitting that their real problem isn't alleged violations with chemical weapons. Their real problem is that the last stand of the terrorist groups is about to be vanquished. All those years of Western scheming and plotting against the Syrian government and sponsoring bloody mayhem with terrorist proxies are facing a spectacular defeat.

And not only that, these Western powers are demonstrably, from their words, on the side of the terrorists who have ransacked and brutalized Syria into a charnel house.

Trump's appeals regarding Idlib about a "grave humanitarian mistake" are nauseating. The "hundreds of thousands of lives" he seems concerned about have already been lost due to the covert war sponsored by the US and its allies using terrorist proxies.

These terrorist groups are supposed to be the enemy against which the US and its NATO partners had launched a global war over the past two decades, during which these self-proclaimed defenders of civilized values devastated whole countries from Central Asia, the Middle East to North Africa. Millions of lives have been destroyed by the US and its Western allies supposedly on a crusade against terrorist groups which these same powers are evidently now trying to protect in Syria. Trillions of dollars wasted, and Western societies saddled with austerity to pay for these wars.

Informed critics always suspected the US-led 'War on Terror' to be a giant fraud to cover for criminal imperialist objectives of conquest.

In Syria, the endgame of the war on that country is proving the case that the US and its NATO allies are pursuing interests that have nothing to do with fighting terrorism. Their interests are embedded with the terrorists.

IMG_5749

TopazAI Upscaled

Nancy Rubins,

As part of her series Diversifolia– which in the scientific names of plants indicates a single species possessed with a considerable variety of leaf, Crocodylius Philodendrus employs clusters of bouquet like arrangements comprised out of a variety of animal forms that explode into space in all directions. Her calculated compositions employ a structural property called “tensegrity,” wherein individual parts are arranged in balanced compression and secured with tensile cables, that galvanizes the aluminium crocodiles, hogs and deer, cast iron tortoises, and bronze zebras into purely formal, abstract components as they propel into space due to their aggregate momentum. Circumnavigating her towering assemblage reveals the transformation of found objects and industrial refuse into expertly orchestrated abstractions that are fluid and rhizomatic in nature.

“One, if by land, and two, if by sea” phrase was coined by the American poet, Henry W. Longfellow in his poem, Paul Revere’s Ride. It was a reference to the secret signal orchestrated by Revere during his historic ride from Boston to Concord on the verge of American Revolutionary War. The signal was meant to alert patriots about the route the British troops chose to advance to Concord. (Instead they picked California - more money out there.)

Much appreciated is the background picture which my flickr companion, Baz Richardson so graciously had previously sent to me.

The pictures of the two Auston Healey’s were in fact taken by yours truly; the white/blue one on the left, recorded at the 2018 British Car Fest, the one on the right, at a local “cruise night” rally in 2014. I am not sure of the exact model year of the white/blue Austin Healey but if I were to guess I would guess a 1964-65 model 3000 BJ8 Mk III. The finely restored red/grey Healey on the right is owned by “an acquaintance”, whose wife is one of my wife’s friends (whew, that was difficult for me to phrase .……………… let’s put it this way, “a guy who I know”.) This car is a 1959 Austin Healey 3000 Mk I BN7 (the first year for the in-line six-cylinder engine to be used in the Austin Healey.)

Engine & Drive Train

In-line six-cylinder, 2912 cm3 / 177.4 cui engine displacement, 92.5 kW / 126 PS / 124 hp (net) of power, 237 Nm / 175 lb-ft of torque, 4-speed manual powertrain offered since mid-year 1959 for Europe / North America. top speed: 177 km/h (110 mph) (©theoretical);

This source indicates this model Austin Healey was manufactured by Austin-Healey in GB which is a bit of a misnomer. Actually by 1959, Donald Healey had turned over manufacturing to British Motor Corporation (BMC) with production facilities located in Longbridge Deverill, England.

Source: automobile catalog

Although the brain child of Donald Healey, an Englishman and manufactured in England, the Austin Healey, even more so than the legendary MG TC’s of the late 1940’s, was destined to be essentially, “an American car”. I say this because Leonard Lord, president of BMC knew where the money was and put his sites on the American market almost before production began. It is reported that sales of the Austin Healey’s were higher in California than anywhere else. (Wouldn’t ya know it - California where the sun shines 360 days out of the year and the affluent abound.)

Although still not perfect, the real time consuming part of this composite was redirecting the lighting, or more specifically, “the shadows” on the background building to match the direction of the sun light on the two cars. The light source, I observed, would have resulted in the face of the building being in light shadow, therefore, I had to edit accordingly. Yes, you will see flaws if you look closely. …………my advise; view at largest size on your monitor, step back a few paces and hopefully enjoy my friends………….

November 21st, 2042

A couple of hours after getting taken away by the Court of Owls, Batman awakens in a cell at an unknown location. Before he’s able to recover from the effects of the sedatives he got hit with and regain his strength two people dressed in black clothes, wielding sharp and gold-colored weapons, enter his cell and order him to follow them. As he struggles to stand up he notices that the exoskeleton from his suit has powered down, making it much more difficult to move around at all and leaving him in no shape to stand up against them. He complies and follows the one figure as the other one takes position behind him. After walking for a short while they end up in a long hallway, with a red carpet on the floor, expensive furniture on either side of the hall and large paintings hanging from the walls. Batman takes a look at the wall decorations and notices that every single painting features a person holding a strange owl-shaped mask in front of their face. There’s a door at the end of the hallway, guarded by two people wearing the same outfit as the ones escorting him. They open the door for them, giving way to a spacious and empty courtroom. Behind the judge’s desk stands a giant wooden statue of an owl, decorated with gold accents and lit with candles around it. On the sides of the room are several giant windows, all covered with dark red curtains which prevents any natural light from entering the place. Only Helena is sitting in the room, tied to a chair at the defendant’s table.

Batman gets escorted into the room and forced to sit on the chair next to Helena as he gets restrained as well. Before he can ask his daughter if she’s okay, the gates of the courtroom swing open as a group of masked individuals march into the room. They all silently take a seat on the public benches behind the two right as the jury enters the room as well, conveniently all wearing the same owl-shaped mask too. As they all sit down at the exact same time Helena begins nervously looking around her, intimidated by the situation she is now in. A door inside the giant owl statue opens, out of which a judge appears. Batman notices the judge seems to be the same person who appeared in the Wayne Tower and ordered them to come to the Court in the first place. He takes a seat, breaks the silence by slamming his hammer on the table and demands order in the courtroom, starting their trial against Batman and Robin.

The judge starts by telling about the Court of Owls, explaining how they have been around since Gotham was established decades ago. For years they managed to rule the city from the shadows, killing anyone who found out about their existence or opposed them using a group of specifically trained assassins called the Talons. When a certain masked vigilante began running around Gotham they didn’t see him as a threat at first. Finding that having him assassinated by the Talons would be a bit excessive they instead opted to orchestrate a series of events which would lead to a deranged serial killer by the name of Zsaz escaping from Arkham. Knowing that the Batman would take it upon himself to go after him, they hoped that he wouldn’t stand a chance against the killer and get killed while fighting him. However, they found themselves astonished as Batman managed to defeat Zsaz with ease, something they had not taken into consideration. Realizing the danger of him running around Gotham they considered ordering the Talons to murder him, but changed their mind after he coincidentally started targeting several of their opponents. The Court then decided to willingly let Batman fight the criminal world of Gotham without interfering, only stepping in if he accidentally stumbled upon them or started targeting them. All the while, the Court continued to influence the city from the shadows.

Roughly 5 years later, a long series of unfortunate events led to the Dark Knight retiring. With the Batman no longer being a possible threat to the Court, they decided to start spreading out their influence more while making certain their existence was kept a secret. Over the decades, dozens of wannabe vigilantes hoping to step into the footsteps of the Dark Knight started to make their way onto the streets. As rumors of a secret underground society who are secretly controlling Gotham started leaking, many of them started to seek them out and found their way right on the doorstep of the Court. In order to preserve their secret they were forced to murder everyone who stood in their way, having to cover up the assassinations to not arouse any suspicions. After decades of doing this the Court of Owls decided they could not continue covering up the disappearances of teen vigilantes, deciding to take action by making a statement by taking down the Dark Knight. Upon discovering his identity and tracking him down using the help of a deranged Edward Nigma and a frail Hugo Strange, they began orchestrating a long plot in order to get him to put on the suit again. One of the Talons assassinated Selina and left behind evidence to make him suspect the Joker, knowing this would motivate him to return to Gotham to investigate. By using a tiny improvised explosive device hidden within the playing card they hoped to detonate it while he was holding it within Arkham. However, they did not account for Batman giving the card to Joker himself, which allowed him to survive the blast and only killed the Clown Prince of Crime along with the other Arkman inmates. After so many years, they decided enough was enough; it was time to put him on trial in front of the Court of Owls for standing in their way too much.

Batman barely has any time to process what he just heard as the crowd and jury start shouting how they think they are guilty. There’s no way they would win a case against a kangaroo court like this; their decision was already made way before the trial started. The judge slams his hammer down again, silencing the chaos as he prepares to read his verdict. Due to being found guilty of interfering with the plans of the Court of Owls, Batman and Robin get sentenced to death at the hands of the Talons right now. The judge asks if he has anything to say about his verdict, but cuts him off right as he is about to speak up. The spectators and jury start cheering and clapping as two of the Talons walk into the courtroom, each entering on opposite sides of the room. They take their positions in front and behind the two, unsheathing their golden weapons to prepare for battle. One member of the Court gets ordered to untie the Dynamic Duo in order to make the odds more fair as the rest of the crowd prepares to watch as the Batman finally gets taken down by the Court of Owls after so many years.

The Talon behind Batman strikes first and stabs him in the back, but his armor prevents the blade from piercing through his skin. He manages to reactivate his exosuit and turns around, ready to fight again as he pulls out a Batarang from his belt. His enemy strikes again, aiming for the exposed skin around his mouth instead, but Batman manages to deflect it with his own weapon. He uses the opportunity to slice the Talon in the arm, although this doesn’t phase him. Batman holds his hand in front of his face and casts a glance at the spectators, seeing they are all silently toasting for their demise with expensive drinks in their hands. His short distraction gives the Talon an opportunity to successfully hit him, but Helena deflects the attack at the last moment with her own weapon stick. He compliments her for being able to stand her ground against their opponents before continuing the battle. The Talon starts attacking more and more fiercely, slowly managing to weaken Batman’s defenses while coming closer to getting a successful strike on him. He tries his best to keep up with him, but Batman slowly starts to become weaker and weaker with every attack. Right as he is about to slash the Dark Knight in the face, the leader of the Court suddenly commands the assassins to stop attacking. Unsure of what to do, the Talons lay down their weapons for a moment as they watch what their leader’s intentions are right now. He mutters something about hearing a weird noise outside as he walks towards the window and lifts up the curtains. Batman tries to get a glimpse of the outside world to locate their hideout if they manage to get out, but he soon picks up the sound outside too; he hears the loud revving of an engine in the distance slowly coming towards them, accompanied by the sound of a car horn. The crowd gathers around the window to see what the commotion is about, but quickly runs away in terror as the Batmobile crashes through the wall at full speed.

Pieces of debris rain down everywhere as the vehicle comes to a screeching halt right in front of Batman and Robin. Chaos ensues in the room as each member of the Court desperately tries to make their escape, terrified of the imposing black vehicle which just crashed through the wall of their hideout. The door opens as the person driving the Batmobile beeps the horn, prompting them to jump inside. Batman kicks the Talon in front of him to the ground and hits the other one in the chest with several batarangs to give them a window to escape. He and Helena jump inside the Batmobile as he takes control of the steering wheel, closing the door right before the Talons can make their way inside. He puts his boot on the gas pedal and activates the rocket booster in order to make their escape from the Court. As they are driving through the streets of Gotham early in the morning, Barbara appears on one of the screens of the console, asking if they are alright. She explains that she left the Wayne Enterprises building for a short moment to check up on her case at the GCPD, but when she returned she saw the camera footage of them getting abducted. Although it was impossible for her to track them down at first since the Court of Owls covered up almost all of their tracks, Batman reactivating his high-tech suit set off a GPS signal which allowed her to pinpoint their location. With the help of a new modification to the Batmobile she was able to remotely control the armored vehicle for a while to reach the place and to help them escape.

Helena sighs of relief, tired of the confrontation they just went through when she says that they must’ve escaped the Court by now. However, right after she says this the two feel something landing on the roof of the Batmobile. Before they can react, one of the Talon’s golden weapons cuts through the armored material like butter, making an opening for himself to enter the vehicle. Batman stands up from his seat and orders Helena to drive despite her not having any driving experience yet as he deals with the Talon standing in the cramped open space in the back of the Batmobile. He makes his way towards him, feeling the cold morning air cut through his skin while he begins punching his enemy. After hitting him a couple of times the Talon catches his fist inside his hand, landing a couple of strikes on his face and damaging his cowl before Batman kicks him right in the stomach. The impact of the kick makes him land hard on the cold floor of the Batmobile, but before he can recover Batman leaps on top of him and starts pounding him in the head. He stops for a short moment to charge up his exosuit for a bigger punch, but the vehicle suddenly making a sharp turn to get outside of Gotham, makes him miss the Talon and denting the floor instead. While he recovers and tries to get another punch in, the other Talon lands on the front of the car and begins damaging the engine. Helena makes a couple more sharp turns in an effort to get him off the car but all it does is make Batman lose his balance, giving him a disadvantage in the fight. As smoke begins coming from the engine Helena loses control of the vehicle, prompting Batman to abandon the fight to prevent them from going off the road. However, he is too late; before he can do anything, the Batmobile crashes through the guardrail on the ride of the road, sending them all tumbling down a hill.

When Helena regains consciousness, she feels herself getting dragged out of the wreckage which was once the Batmobile. Pieces of wreckage are scattered everywhere as the smell of smoke fills her nose. Once she is at a safe distance away from the wreck, she is able to properly see the damage; the Batmobile is laying upside down with a fire having erupted in the engine as several important components of the car have been damaged or broken off. Suddenly, she notices one of the Talons crawling away from the wreck. His outfit has been torn and burned, with him being unable to walk because of the crash. Batman sees him too, and begins slowly walking towards him. The Talon notices this and for the first time he hears one of them speak as he begins pleading for him to put him out of his misery. Batman stays silent for a while before telling him to go back to the Court. He wants him to relay a message to them, warning that it will take much more than this to take down Batman. They tried their best to get rid of him, and they failed. If they try this again, he won't be taken by surprise like this time and warns that he will do whatever it takes to take down the entire Court by himself. The Talon begins crying out that the Court of Owls will just murder him for this fiasco, but Batman ignores him and turns around leaving him on his own. He calls Barbara to pick them up as he puts an arm around Helena, complimenting her for what she did today as the Batmobile continues to burn down behind them.

Roughly a week has passed since the incident with the Court. Despite Bruce and Barbara’s best efforts, they haven't managed to track down the Court again; upon returning to the place where he was taken to to be put on trial, he only found an empty and abandoned building with all of the furniture and decorations taken away. Barbara has taken the wreckage of the Batmobile back to the Wayne Enterprises building, developing plans to rework the vehicle into something else instead of simply rebuilding it.

During a boring evening at the Wayne Building, the regularly scheduled tv programme gets interrupted by a newsflash; A terrorist going by the name of Bane, suspected to be the person responsible for getting a majority of Gotham addicted to Venom, has attacked the Gotham Stock Exchang. In a publicly broadcasted video he revealed to have gotten his hands on a decaying neutron bomb which is set to detonate this Christmas Eve. In his video he directly challenged the Dark Knight, saying that he is only willing to stop the bomb from exploding if he manages to defeat him. Confident that he can save Gotham once more, Bruce suits up and sets out to bring down Bane. Helena offers to join to help take him down, but Batman declines as he fears not going to him alone could have severe consequences. Without being able to use the Batmobile to get around for the time being, he climbs to the top of the building and decides to make use out of his new experimental cape glider. He leaps off the structure as he spreads out his cape, which folds out in the shape of the wings of a bat allowing him to glide to the financial district.

After gliding for a while, Batman lands on top of the glass roof of the Stock Exchange building giving him a good look at the situation. Right below him he can make out the figure of Bane, surrounded by several of his goons, all guarding the neutron bomb. He uses a Batarang to cut a hole into the glass to grant him access into the building. After jumping down the hole he lands right in front of Bane, quickly alerting him of his presence. This is the first time he has gotten a good look at the terrorist; before him stands a very big and muscular man, wearing a black luchador-esque mask which conceals his face. Batman catches a glimpse of a big tank filled with Venom on his back with tubes attached to it, all injected straight into his skin and mask. His goons, all having taken some of the strength-enhancing drugs as well, point their guns at the Dark Knight but Bane tells them to lower their weapons. After telling them to step back he stretches out his arms, challenging the Dark Knight to a one-on-one fight. Batman agrees, taking off his utility belt and preparing for the fight. He laughs, his voice muffled by the mask, asking himself if he will be a match to him or if he will go down as easily as his other opponents as Batman charges towards him.

Batman strikes first, getting in several powerful blows, but it doesn’t even seem to phase his opponent. He pauses for a short moment and tries to continue the fight, but Bane catches his hand before it can hit him. Batman hears something crack when he clenches his fist, feeling that his glove has been damaged. Before he can recover, Bane grabs him with both arms and headbutts him with a lot of force. The blow almost makes him lose his balance, but his opponent grabs him by the throat before he falls to the ground and punches him right in the face several times. Batman starts to taste blood in his mouth but is unwilling to give up so easily. He releases himself from Bane’s grip and tackles him to the ground, using all his strength to kick him in the face several times. Again, his opponent is unperturbed by his attempts to fight back, simply taking the blows without flinching. As Bane doesn't fight back Batman becomes overconfident for a moment, not noticing as his arm reaches out for his leg. He grabs a hold of it and janks it towards him, making him fall to the ground again.

‘’You know, I used to admire you. Hearing all about your heroics back when I was growing up motivated me to be better than I already was. But now that I am not a bright-eyed and naive child anymore, I’m finally able to see you for what you really are; A pathetic elderly man, having to rely on some high-tech suit to even attempt to compete with me!’’

Bane raises his fists in the air, bringing them down with full force on the chest of the Dark Knight. Although his suit absorbs most of the strike to prevent his ribs from breaking upon impact, Batman still feels the pain from his attack and notices the armor on his chest having shattered.

‘’Over the years, I've dreamt of being the one who would kill the legendary Batman. However, I have recently come to the conclusion that killing you would only end your agony and silence your shame.’’

He attempts to fight back again and gathers his strength to reply to his opponent’s comments, but Bane silences him with a nasty kick in the gut before he can do so.

‘’I don't think you quite know who I am. I’m not some scarecrow or a riddler. I’m not a jester or a clown! I’m not a flightless bird nor a cryogenic scientist! And most importantly, i am not some rich guy playing dress-up!’’

Bane begins continuously stomping Batman in the face, slowly cracking open his mask more and more with each kick. By the time his cowl has been completely destroyed Batman has been knocked unconscious, having collapsed after all of the attacks.

‘’ I AM BANE! AND I WILL BREAK YOU!’’

As his goons cheer him on, Bane picks up the defeated body of the Dark Knight and raises it over his head. He slowly spins around like he’s showing a trophy to his friends, reveling as the realization that he has become the one to truly break the Bat begins to set in. Batman regains consciousness, but only just in time to feel himself getting driven down towards the ground as he collides with Bane’s knee.

With one nasty snap, he quickly finds his body in anguish as his spine has completely shattered. Bane drops him to the ground and commands his henchmen to take the bombs and go away, taking the broken mask of the Dark Knight with him as a trophy before leaving himself as well. Batman tries to move, but becomes terrified when he notices that he is unable to even move. With this one attack, Bane has paralyzed the Bat.

Quite some time passes before someone arrives to pick up the wounded Bruce. He gets taken to the Wayne Building instead of a hospital in order to preserve his secret identity, where he gets hooked up to some medical equipment to keep him alive. As the days pass by, Gotham begins to decay more and more into chaos as the threat of a neutron bomb decimating the city gets closer. Each attempt made by the police force to disarm the explosive has led to nothing, leading to many of the city’s residents deciding to get out while they still can. Despite Bruce being in no state at all to fight back against Bane, he stubbornly refuses to leave the city as he believes his back will he recovered enough before the bomb is set to go off. Along with this he also feels personally responsible for letting this happen and does not want Gotham to fall under his watch.

Less than a week is now left before the bomb is set to go off. Bane had taken his bomb to the city centre, where his henchmen are guarding him all day to prevent anyone from interfering with his plan. With no sign of his spine recovering in the slightest, Helena and Barbara are urging Bruce to leave the city with them, as they know nobody else is left to stop him. Barbara is close to converting the damaged Batmobile to an airborne vehicle and tells him it could be fit to get them out of there. However, he does not want to hear any of it and keeps insisting that he can find a solution. In an old scientific report about the Venom drug he read some time ago, he noticed it stating that taking the drug can completely heal severe wounds within moments. With his mind set on this new opportunity to save Gotham he asks Barbara to get him a sample of the substance, hoping this will put him in a position to fight back again. Despite her hesitation she agrees to do so, although she warns him that this is only a short-term solution for a permanent problem for him.

When she returns, Bruce has removed the armor from his arms and prepared a new suit to help him control himself while under the effects of the drug. Barbara reluctantly hands him a syringe filled with Venom, but before she does so she tells him that the scientific reports he read left out some important details. It's true that taking Venom can heal severe and permanent injuries in a matter of moments, but the catch is that once the drug’s effects have worn off the injuries will just return, sometimes getting even worse as a result. Bruce tells her he is more than willing to sacrifice himself if it means that he is gonna be able to save Gotham once more as he grabs the syringe out of her hand. Before any of them can react, he slams the needle into his skin and presses the plunger down allowing the substance to enter into his bloodstream. Bruce feels the effects hitting him almost instantly, and before he knows it he finds himself able to stand on his own again. While he struggles to keep himself from succumbing to the drug’s effects he puts on a new suit; an outfit plated with a gold-colored metal and with a reinforced cowl and cape. Ready for battle, he makes his way to the newly designed Batwing to take himself to the city center to face off against Bane.

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An HDR from 16sec, 8sec, & 4sec

A shot from last year of a Wedding Photographer and his entourage in Portsmouth city centre, attempting to orchestrate the perfect group shot.

A composite of some of my favorite shots from the eclipse.

Ha partial phases:

Best 25% of about 1000-1500 frames

Lunt 60 (piggybacked on a WO Z73)

ZWO ASI 432mm

Tele Vue Powermate 2.5x

AS!3, ImPPG, PS

Diamond rings and totality/corona:

Canon 5D3 with a 600 mm telephoto

Skywatcher Star Adventurer

Eclipse Orchestrator

Some of the lovely blooms at McKee Botanical Gardens.

Disneyland Resort

Disneyland

Main Street, USA

Partners Statue, Sleeping Beauty Castle, & Magical! Fireworks

Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse orchestrate a symphony of explosions above Sleeping Beauty's house.

If I set off this many bottle rockets over Sarah's house, I would be in serious trouble. When Walt and the Main Mouse do it, they're applauded and showered in "Oohs and Ahhs." I don't get it.

Looking to take better night photos with your Point & Shoot camera? Check out my Photography 101(B) - Night Shots blog post on TouringPlans!

Also, I've started a couple of new Flickr groups. The first, Disney Photography, I started because I've noticed there are few groups broadly covering all things Disney. Most groups seem to focus on specific Parks, Resorts, or types of photography and thus don't have broad appeal. Since we all like to submit our photos to a few groups, I figured this would be a good one to start. The other, Disney Christmas, I started for a similar reason. There are only a couple Holiday groups, and I know most people like to submit their images to ~5 or so groups each. To start, neither group will have any posting limits. Thereafter, I'm going to put a 5 per day limit on each group so they're not innundated with family shots. Don't get me wrong, I like family shots as much as the next guy, but when I'm combing through groups looking for inspirational shots, I hate wading through 15 pages of the same person's shot because they decided to upload every image they took on their recent vacation.

Anyway, I encourage those interested to join and add images to both groups!

Members from the Fleet Reconnaissance & Operations Group (FROG) conducted Close Quarter Battle (CQB) training at their dedicated facility.

The Fleet Reconnaissance and Operations Group (FROG) is the Royal Victorian Navy’s Special Operations Capable Unit. It includes the Royal Victorian Navy’s Maritime Action Teams and the Royal Victorian Marines’ Commando Raider Company. In addition to reconnaissance, the unit specialize in direct action with a maritime component. Examples are the seizures and occupation of gas/oil platforms (GOPLAT) and the Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) of ships during Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO), as well as orchestrating close air support, a vital skill exercised in DA missions. Commando Raiders forward observe from static positions and spider holes for artillery and naval gunfire support, or ordnance and payload delivery.

Note: The story, all names, characters, and incidents are fictitious.

The transient beauty of the coast is intricately intertwined with the captivating patterns that emerge in the sand, crafted by the relentless forces of wind and wave. These natural sculptors shape the shoreline, leaving behind ephemeral masterpieces.

As the tides ebb and flow, they orchestrate a delicate dance with the sand. With each advancing wave, the water gently caresses the shore, carrying particles of sand along its journey. As the wave recedes, it relinquishes its cargo, depositing the grains in a meticulous arrangement. This cyclical process, repeated countless times, creates intricate patterns that stretch along the coastline.

The patterns left behind by the retreating tide mimic the ebb and flow of life itself. Swirling ripples, reminiscent of a miniature desert landscape, emerge as the water recedes, their graceful curves and undulating lines transforming the beach into a living work of art. The patterns are at once orderly and chaotic, with intricate geometrical formations intermingling with whimsical curves and asymmetrical shapes.

The wind, a silent artist in its own right, adds its touch to the sculpting process. As it sweeps across the coast, it whispers secrets to the sand, coaxing it to dance in its invisible embrace. The wind's gentle touch lifts fine particles from the beach, carrying them aloft in an intricate ballet. It sculpts the sand into delicate ripples, resembling the soft undulations of fabric.

The interplay between the wind and the tide results in an ever-changing landscape. The patterns shift and evolve, shaped by the combined forces of these elemental sculptors. Ripples become miniature mountains, rising and falling in a transient topography that mirrors the larger contours of the surrounding coast. Each gust of wind and every advancing or receding wave leaves its mark, etching new patterns and erasing old ones, in an eternal cycle of creation and destruction.

These ephemeral patterns serve as a reminder of the impermanence of existence and the transient nature of beauty, as each passing moment alters the landscape, erasing what once was and creating something new. The sands become a canvas for the symphony of time, a tangible reflection of the ever-changing nature of our lives.

The beauty of these fleeting patterns lies not only in their visual allure but also in the emotions they evoke. They inspire a sense of wonder and awe, inviting us to pause and appreciate the intricate designs that nature creates with such effortless grace. The patterns speak of the interconnectedness of all things, the harmonious interplay between the elements, and the constant flux that defines our existence.

In these patterns of nature, we find a profound lesson: that life, like the shifting sands, is ever-changing, and that true beauty lies not in permanence but in the appreciation of the fleeting moments that grace our journey.

This photo was orchestrated by me on a hunting trip in Riverside, CA in 1986 and was shot with my Nikon. It's a classic image of sorts and worth flickring even after all these years.

Midge Ure

Promo Day - Paris, France - 2018

MusicWaves

Philippe Bareille

March 22 - A well orchestrated trip, except for the temperature! The photo shoot was planned for 9:00 p.m. to insure the blue lights were on. It was 27 degrees with a wind speed of 15mph. That's cold.

Our mission was a senior photo shoot. We walked almost a mile on the High Trestle Trail between Madrid and Woodward, Iowa! There was a mom, the senior boy, and me! To my Cannon, I said......"Please, don't let me down!" Without tripod, I had to keep a steady hand. When I took my gloves off, I couldn't feel the button to snap the pictures! We had a fun time even though we nearly froze! Right as the photo shoot began, he shed his outer coat, gloves, and cap - down to a white shirt and jeans, perfect for the neon glow! Though the chill quickly set in, he kept smiling for the camera! He was polite as my camera often took too long to click!

We made a good couple dozen pictures. He definitely looked "cool" blue and was happy with the results!!! Mission accomplished!!! We agreed this was a photo shoot best meant for summer.

Oh, by the way, there's a part one to this story! These lights go out shortly after 10 p.m. How do we know? We learned it the hard way, two nights earlier, on photo shoot attempt number one. At sunset we walked to the bridge, took some great sunset pictures, and decided to return to the bridge at dark for a blue lights' photo shoot. We left the bridge and proceeded to have dinner in the local town! Just before 10 pm, we came back, trek number two! At exactly 10:11, we did a test shot! All systems, "GO!" The picture was perfect! As we began his senior photo shoot, the lights went out! Bummer! And so, determined to get this done, we planned the THIRD trek to the bridge in two nights -- no matter how cold!! And that it was!

Hummm, three round-trip walks for this one senior photo shoot equalled about 4 1/2 miles!

Cusworth Hall is an 18th-century Grade I listed country house in Cusworth, near Doncaster, South Yorkshire in the north of England. Set in the landscaped parklands of Cusworth Park, Cusworth Hall is a good example of a Georgian country house. It is now a country house museum.

The house is constructed of ashlar with slate roofs. The rectangular 6 x 5 bay plan main block is linked to 5 x 2 bay service wings.

The Wrightson family had held the lordship of Cusworth since 1669.

The present house was built in 1740–1745 by George Platt for William Wrightson to replace a previous house and was further altered in 1749–1753 by James Paine. On William's death in 1760 the property passed to his daughter Isabella, who had married John Battie, who took the additional name of Wrightson in 1766. He employed the landscape designer Richard Woods to remodel the park. Woods was one of a group of respected landscape designers working across the country during the 18th century and Cusworth was one of his most important commissions in South Yorkshire, another being at Cannon Hall. Woods created a park of 250 acres with a hanging and a serpentine river consisting of three lakes embellished with decorative features such as the Rock Arch and the Cascade.

The estate afterwards passed to John and Isabella's son, William Wrightson (1752–1827), who was the MP for Aylesbury from 1784 to 1790 and High Sheriff of Yorkshire for 1819–1820. He was succeeded by his son William Battie-Wrightson (1789–1879), who at various times was MP for East Retford, Kingston upon Hull and Northallerton. He died childless and Cusworth Hall passed to his brother Richard Heber Wrightson, who died in 1891.

The property was then inherited by his nephew William Henry Thomas, who took the surname Battie-Wrightson by Royal Licence and died in 1903. He had married Lady Isabella Cecil, eldest daughter of the 3rd Marquess of Exeter. Between 1903 and 1909 Lady Isabella made further alterations to the house. She died in 1917, leaving an only son Robert Cecil Battie-Wrightson (1888–1952). On his death in 1952, the estate descended to his sister, a nurse who had married a Major Oswald Parker but later was variously known as Miss Maureen Pearse-Brown and as Mrs Pearce. She was obliged to sell the contents of Cusworth Hall in October 1952 to meet the death duties levied at Robert Cecil's death. She subsequently sold the hall to Doncaster Council.

Cusworth Estate Cusworth was first mentioned as ‘Cuzeuuorde’ in the domesday survey of 1086 but there has been a settlement here for centuries dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period. Many different families had held the lands and manor but they did not always live at Cusworth.

‘Old Hall’ A large house is first mentioned in 1327. Robert Wrightson bought the lands and manor of Cusworth in 1669 from Sir Christopher Wray. The first surviving map of Cusworth is that of Joseph Dickinson's 1719 plan which shows the hall and gardens covered only 1 acre with the orchards a further 2 acres. What is most significant at this time was the ‘Parke’ of some 25 acres. The ‘Old Hall’ was next to the walled gardens in the centre of Cusworth village. In 1726 the ‘Old Hall’ was expanded including altering the gardens between 1726 and 1735. This expanded the kitchen garden into the size and form we know today with the Bowling Green and Pavilion.

In the period 1740–1745 William Wrightson employed George Platt, a mason architect from Rotherham, to build a new hall – the current Cusworth Hall – high on a scarp slope on the Magnesian Limestone removing the Hall, and the family, from the village of Cusworth. The ‘Old Hall’ was largely demolished in the process, many components from the old building re-used in the new.

Cusworth Hall Cusworth Hall itself and its outbuildings are at the centre of the park enjoying ‘prospect’ over the town of Doncaster. The Grade I-listed eighteenth century hall was designed by George Platt in the Palladian style. Cusworth Hall is handsome, well proportioned, with wings consisting of a stable block and great kitchen. Later additions by James Paine include a chapel and library. It has decorative outbuildings including a Brew House, Stable Block and Lodge. In addition it has a decorative garden called Lady Isabella's Garden on the west side adjacent to the chapel. On its eastern flank the stable block and gardeners' bothy. Attached to the bothy is a decorative iron enclosure known as the Peacock Pen.

Cusworth Park Cusworth Park is an historic designed landscape with a Grade II listing in the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens. It was designed and created by the nationally known landscape architect Richard Woods to ‘improve’ the park in the style made famous by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown now termed ‘The English Landscape Park’. Work started in 1761 laying out the ‘grounds and the serpentine river’.

The land forming the existing park is 60 acres (25 hectares) – 250,000m, and was part of the much larger parkland (250 acres) and estates (20,000 acres) of the Battie-Wrightson family who owned Cusworth Hall.

The walled garden The earliest description of the layout of the park and walled gardens is that shown on Joseph Dickinson's 1719 plan. In 1761 Richard Woods altered areas within the walled gardens. Together ‘woods’ Kitchen Garden and Green House Garden occupy the site of the orchard shown on Dickinson's plan.

The purchase of bricks from Epworth for the construction of the walled gardens is recorded in the New House Accounts.

The garden was a compartmentalised space, however with focus on domestic production in some sections, exotics in another, an orchard, and formal flower gardens in the rest.

The kitchen gardens included pine pits (pineapple house), later to become stove houses and mushroom houses.

The Entrance Terrace (Upper Terrace) Old plans show a narrow walled enclosure or ‘entrance terrace' running east–west. The walls of this enclosure may well have been of stone or stoned faced and still, in part survives. To the south are the main components of the walled garden. Access from the terrace down to the bowling green is via a flight of stone steps.

Bowling Green Described on Richard Woods plans of 1760. This is a roughly square, walled enclosure where the bowling green is surrounded by an earthed banked terraced walk. The enclosure is defined by a brick wall, which was lowered along its western side to give a view over to the Green House Garden.

Summerhouse / Bowling Pavilion Built 1726. The summerhouse is the main architectural feature of the walled garden. It is of two stories with the upper storey accessed from the Bowling Green. There is an impression of more carefully shaped quoins at the corners but it is probable that the walls were originally rendered and lime washed externally. There are windows giving views across the Bowling Green from the upper chamber and across the Flower Garden from the lower chamber.

During restoration in the 1990s the upper chamber was decorated with Trompe-l'œil. showing views of imagined walled gardens at Cusworth.

Flower Garden The garden was designed to be viewed principally from the higher position of the bowling green. It was subdivided by cross-paths and furnished with four formal beds. Although one of the smallest compartments, the flower garden was the most highly ornamental and tightly designed. It would have created a formal, colourful architectural space contrasting with the simplicity of the bowling green

Hall Garden The function of the Hall Garden is not clear but appears to have been an extension of the decorative scheme of the flower garden. The Hall Garden has a perimeter walk and is then divided into two plots by a further, central path.

Peach House This whitewash wall indicates the position of the peach house.

Melon Pits Melon pits ran east–west along this area.

Orchard Through the 18th century the orchard was not enclosed and remained open until the late 19th century. It was double its current size extending back up to Cusworth Lane until the northern half was sold off for housing in the 1960s.

Kitchen Garden (No longer existing) The west, south and this east boundary wall(s) of the garden still exist but the plot of land was sold off for housing in the 1960s. There was an access gate between the Hall Garden and the kitchen garden (this can be seen bricked up in the northwest corner). This garden had a perimeter walk and was planted with trees arranged in parallel lines orchestrated around a small building at the northern end of the compartment.

Green House Garden (No longer existing) The kitchen garden represents the greater part of the area occupied by the original orchard shown on Dickinson's 1719 plan. The remaining area was described on Woods’ plan as the Green House Garden and was shown divided into two unequal parts. Both parts of the garden appear to have been planted with trees, probably fruit trees. A building abuts the bowling green in roughly the position as the one shown on the Dickinson plan but there is an additional building, roughly square in plan, to the northwest corner of the enclosure. This was probably the Dovecote for which Wrightson paid £9 15s 0d in 1736.

The west boundary wall still exists and this low (east) wall that runs along the length of the bowling green but the plot of land was sold off for housing in the 1960s.

In 1961 Doncaster Rural District Council purchased Cusworth Hall and the adjoining parkland from the Battie-Wrightson family. The Council undertook an initial restoration of the grounds and also recreated what is now the tearooms within the former stable block. The former reception rooms and spacious galleries now house the Museum of South Yorkshire life, officially opened on 30 September 1967.

Cusworth Hall and Park underwent an extensive £7.5 million renovation between 2002 and 2005, involving essential conservation repairs to the Hall and extensive restoration of the landscape gardens. Within the hall external repairs to the stonework and roof were undertaken to ensure that the exterior was watertight, whilst internal works upgraded internal services and enabled new displays to be installed.

The restoration of the designed landscape have been greatly influenced by a comprehensive analysis of available archive material, among which are the original written memoranda and sketches produced by Richard Woods for his site forman Thomas Coalie. An integrated archaeological programme also formed a key aspect of the restorations, recording in detail landscape features such as the Rock Arch, Cascade, and Bridge. This restoration has not 'recreated' the 18th century scheme, although elements are still incorporated within a 'living' amenity garden that is now thriving as a result of the recent work undertaken in partnership with the Friends of Cusworth Park.

The Hall reopened to the public on 23 May 2007 and the new displays document the history of South Yorkshire and it is a valued resource for local residents, students and school groups alike.

Cusworth Hall Museum and Park is the venue for a varied program of seasonal exhibitions, events and activities linked to the history of the area. including Country Fairs, vintage vehicle rallies, historic re-enactments, wildlife sessions and a range of seasonally themed events. A free, weekly, 5 km parkrun takes place every Saturday at 9 am in the grounds of Cusworth Hall. The first event was held on Saturday 5 October 2019 and was hosted by the staff at Cusworth in collaboration with the local community.

Additionally, Doncaster Museums' Education Service offers a range of learning sessions to schools and educational establishments. Specialist and experienced Education Officers deliver learning workshops to schools across a broad range of topics as well as out-of-school-hours activities for families and local communities.

Featuring artists Ana Beschia & Alexandra Walton from the National Slovak Theater. As I mentionned on last weeks BTS video we'll be coming up with part 2 of our video quite soon featuring all these amazing shots done in studio. 

Erwan's a brand new father so we might be slightly delayed in our BTS video but definitely stop by and congratulate him on his fan page. 

Sorry for not keeping you guys updated, travelling in Seattle right now meeeting all sorts of fantastic people and keeping myself quite busy. Promise to upload more stuff...soon!!

-

Setup light diagram provided by Sylights.com:

www.sylights.com/vonwong/6475-national-slovak-theater

Our tour is sponsored by: http://www.slrlounge.com/

Studio Equipment/lighting/equipment sponsored by: www.lovinpix.com

Aes-kenañ evit ar Familh, / Aon ganto rak ur plac'h voan guñv

❉❅❉❅❉❅❉

Most convenient for the Family / Who feared the game of a beloved slender girl

❉❅❉❅❉❅❉❅❉❅❉❅❉

Gardd Goffa Diana

❉❅❉❅❉❅❉

Liorzh Koun Diana

❉❅❉❅❉❅❉

Diana Memorial Garden

❉❅❉❅❉❅❉❅❉❅❉❅❉

Hyde Park

❉❅❉❅❉❅❉❅❉❅❉❅❉

Llundain / Londrez / London

❉❅❉❅❉❅❉❅❉❅❉❅❉

'Lady Diana, Princess of Wales, reported a plot to assassinate her. Diana documented her concerns in a letter that she entrusted to the former Royal Butler, Mr Paul Burrell. She identified the man behind the plot.

Diana was warned about a conspiracy against her by a sympathetic insider. A member of the Royal Family warned the princess: "You need to be discreet, even in your own home, because 'they' are listening all the time."

After many years of experience as a senior employee of the Royal household, Mr Burrel recalls: "It is a matter of routine that members of government and the royal family are monitored." Princess Diana complained of being spied upon and bugged by "dark forces". She declined the police protection provided by Scotland Yard because these officers are considered "tools of the state".'

www.theinsider.org/news/article.asp?id=424

'While there remains doubt as to whether it was an accident it is reasonable to question what the possible alternatives are. The most plausible of these has to involve members of the UK establishment and secret service as few others had anything to lose from Diana and Dodi's relationship. To keep such a plot secret we believe it would have to be the work of a small, isolated cell working under its own auspices within the system.

Former agents have told of a plot to destabilise the then Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson in the Seventies. Wilson did indeed resign from office, shocking political commentators at the time. We know that our intelligence service keeps records on Peace campaigners and Union officials for the "threat" of being radicals.

If the service really does operate as efficiently as James Bond films lead us to believe, which we doubt very strongly, then there would be nothing to stop them orchestrating Diana's death AND making it appear to be an accident.'

www.londonnet.co.uk/ln/talk/news/diana_conspiracy_evidenc...

❉❅❉❅❉❅❉❅❉❅❉❅❉

Wedi ei ailolygu: 4/2016

MuCEM + Fort Saint-Jean, Marseille, France - 2013 -Architects: Rudy Ricciotti and C+T architecture

Views, sea, sun, a mineral quality, which all must be orchestrated by a program that will become federal and cognitive. First of all a perfect square of 72 m per side, it is a classic plan, Latin, under the control of Pythagoras. Within this square, another of 52 m per side, comprising the exhibition and conference halls identified as the heart of the museum.

Around, above and below are the service areas. But between these areas and the heart, openings entirely bypass the central square and form interconnected spaces. More interested by the views of the fort, the sea or the port, the culturally overwhelmed visitor will choose this route. Along two interlacing ramps, he will then plunge into the imaginary of the tower of Babel or of a ziggurat in order to climb up to the rooftop and on to Fort Saint- Jean. This peripheral loop will be a free breathe, enveloped by the smells of the sea from the proximity to the moats, a pause to dispel any lingering doubts about the use of the history of our civilizations. The MuCEM will be a vertical Casbah.

The tectonic choice of an exceptional concrete coming from the latest research by French industry, reducing the dimensions to little more than skin and bones, will affirm a mineral script under the high ramparts of Fort Saint-Jean. This sole material in the colour of dust, matt, crushed by the light, distant from the brilliance and technological consumerism, will commend the dense and the delicate. The MuCEM sees itself evanescent in a landscape of stone and Orientalist through its fanning shadows.

The Waiting Lounge Flowers

The Waiting Lounge Flowers

The waiting lounge is a place of human transition, where strangers weave a tapestry of silent experiences.

People occupy seats, orchestrating a symphony of hushed conversations and restless energy.

The air is full of anticipation, and a semblance of camaraderie ignites the room.

While some are lost in digital worlds, others watch planes on the tarmac.

Amidst the restless hum, some seek solace in nervous taps upon their thighs.

A young couple shares whispers of love and delicate secrets.

An elderly man turns time-worn pages, escaping into another world.

The collective yearning within is veiled by the dance of coffee and perfume.

Spontaneous children's laughter bounces between rows of chairs, filling the space with memory echoes of want.

A businessman's urgency is etched upon his face as his fingers dance within his keys.

Fleeting connections, forgotten glances, and stories that interlace and entwine.

Blossoming possibilities sprout within these transient walls like delicate flowers.

Departure looms, and the lounge pulses with energy, a portrait of imminent dispersal.

Strangers bound by purpose, threads of destiny intertwine.

Conversations are canvases and whispered brushstrokes paint the air.

Eyes are portals to distant skies, yearning for wings that will soon take flight.

Nervous rhythms and whispered rhymes form a symphony of unspoken desires.

Fragments of stories are whispered between sips of bitter coffee and sweet perfumes.

Nervous laughter cascades like an inconvenient rain, trying to wash away the burdens of waiting.

In this transient space, transitions unfurl, and the lounge becomes a confined meeting place of souls.

Blogger

www.jjfbbennett.com/2023/04/the-waiting-lounge-flowers.html

JJFBbennett Art Directory

jjfbbennett.taplink.ws/

Contemporary Positional Art and Socio-Fictional Writings

It is about being creative and innovative with knowledge

www.jjfbbennett.com

MuCEM + Fort Saint-Jean, Marseille, France - 2013 -Architects: Rudy Ricciotti and C+T architecture

Views, sea, sun, a mineral quality, which all must be orchestrated by a program that will become federal and cognitive. First of all a perfect square of 72 m per side, it is a classic plan, Latin, under the control of Pythagoras. Within this square, another of 52 m per side, comprising the exhibition and conference halls identified as the heart of the museum.

Around, above and below are the service areas. But between these areas and the heart, openings entirely bypass the central square and form interconnected spaces. More interested by the views of the fort, the sea or the port, the culturally overwhelmed visitor will choose this route. Along two interlacing ramps, he will then plunge into the imaginary of the tower of Babel or of a ziggurat in order to climb up to the rooftop and on to Fort Saint- Jean. This peripheral loop will be a free breathe, enveloped by the smells of the sea from the proximity to the moats, a pause to dispel any lingering doubts about the use of the history of our civilizations. The MuCEM will be a vertical Casbah.

The tectonic choice of an exceptional concrete coming from the latest research by French industry, reducing the dimensions to little more than skin and bones, will affirm a mineral script under the high ramparts of Fort Saint-Jean. This sole material in the colour of dust, matt, crushed by the light, distant from the brilliance and technological consumerism, will commend the dense and the delicate. The MuCEM sees itself evanescent in a landscape of stone and Orientalist through its fanning shadows.

Patrouille de France à l'occasion du centième anniversaire de la disparition du capitaine Georges Guynemer sur la BA 116 de Luxeuil (Hte Saône 2017)

Website : www.fluidr.com/photos/pat21

"Copyright © – Patrick Bouchenard

The reproduction, publication, modification, transmission or exploitation of any work contained here in for any use, personal or commercial, without my prior written permission is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved

(The following is the last post/issue/story of 2019)

*5 hours prior to Raze/Gardner's encounter:*

Jericho: “And I should have known it was a conspiracy. Every goddamn agency hides something. Who doesn't have secrets? Imagine if Edens knows something about it. But if they didn’t say anything—they never told your brothers in arms, and Avalon.”

Navin: “How do you have proof that we’re being overlooked by sleeper agents? Even if they’re shady enough.”

Jericho: “I hid a bug inside Gardner's room. I recorded everything so he would know the truth. After that, he’ll hate Raze for everything. ”

Jesse: “That’s blackmailing. You can’t be serious, man.”

Lyra: "I am very concerned right now. Don't stress me out further."

Jericho: “You want the truth? I am here! I am fighting for my rights, I am fighting for my life back! But I don’t have the rest of the time to spare so I knew a famed businessman would be a good asset. I didn’t want him to be bait, but he needs to learn the truth. He has to!"

Connor: "Go on...what else?"

Navin: "This is more than a bite sized apple pie. It's public knowledge, and we'll be screwed."

Jericho: "Now you get my point! And you wanna know why some of you people got recruited? That’s because the old woman and the board orchestrated it! To recruit valuable people, their powers so strong so they could harvest it to train their army one day. The agency is doomed to fail. There is no salvation or mercy when the truth is out!”

Connor: "Then I speak of no return. Through tooth and nail, things will come to its true ends..."

*Present time, 10:30 P.M.**

(The other members show up in holographic format. This is Raze's part of the plan to bait, conquer and threaten. Edens is in tow behind the guards, but he does not say a word. Gardner holds onto a medical stick, part of a machine attached to his arms while he is wearing his patient clothing).

Mason: “You lied from time to time again…you made me bait and tried to bankrupt me for you own gains.”

Raze: “Guards, take him out. You've gone mad. Your accusations mean nothing to me.”

Mason: “Let it go, Raze. He’s telling the truth. I was always wary of my company's relationship with Paladin. You are not sanctioned, always treading on waters. When I telI’m telling everyone the truth. This will not distance me from being blamed, as expected. And now, you bring the council. I should have removed Gardner Consolidated eons ago, stripped barren of connections."

Raze: "Yet, you didn't. Your company belongs to us too,"

Mason: "Bullshit. My company is my life. But you're just like us, we should all suffer from the same fate. I'm dying anyhow, and I'm bringing it all down.”

Chase: “Who are you to judge, Mr Gardner? If that is a threat, you will be removed on the grounds be placed elsewhere.”

Lockman: “Never justify the odds. Take him away. We have seen everything as well. This is an act of terrorism. You are not welcome on Paladin grounds.”

Watson: “Hear, hear!”

Other board members: “Aye!”

8 board members against me and the truth. It has always been the worst. This is not the run on the mill conspiracy show, this is real. And I'm already sick. Had I not been listening from the tape from the Jericho guy...I would have suffered worse. I couldn’t believe Connor and the others had to listen to everything, and now their faith would be shattered if I told Avalon the rest of it.

And North. He’ll be coming for me. I feel my blood boiling, my powers trying to urge me to unleash it...the sight and feeling under it makes me sick. But I hold it in, coughing so much blood.

I’m close to dying. There is no reversal, no more of me on this Earth. Then, I try to imagine of sister, running towards me. She is concerned. Her image lingers in my head, as I feel my peripheral vision taking over. Shaking and wobbling uncomfortably, I hold onto the stick, as sweat drops down my face.

Mason: “I may have less 24 hours to be here, but I won't go away just yet. You people robbed me of my election, nearly stripped me of my will to live...but I will not give up. I will show the world what you have done---”

(An explosion occurs, but it does not harm anyone in the room, but the Paladin guards keep their guns up. North enters from the side with his ES soldiers.)

North: “But it’s only just the beginning. You have no friends to save you, Mason Gardner.”

Fuck. It’s the man himself. North. The warlord. He’s right in here, the highest floor of the room, my quarters here at Paladin. My worst fears are here to come....

North: “Ladies and gentlemen, so I have heard the so called stories you hide down there...seems like the rival agency is not very bright. Is it, Antonia?"

Raze: "North? What are you---?

North: "Your very own family has turned against you. You used her as a weapon, thinking I'd never notice? I never loved you, Antonia. And your underlings were right, you're nothing but a cunt, a cold hearted one to play with their strings like toys. Your niece...is now under my control. Sabine, end them.”

Sabine: “As you wish, Lord North.”

No...this cannot be...Raze and North were married? God, I need to find a way to get out. Edens, Avalon, wherever you are, you better be here.

In my last ditch efforts, I make a shield. As big as it can possibly get.

**Gamma Squad jet, on the way back to Paladin base, 11:00 P.M:*

Jericho: “Gardner's in trouble. He’s disrupted my frequency. Which means something bad is going to happen, or least is happening now. We need to teleport there in time—because North got to him first.”

Jesse: "No fucking way, ese. Esto no puede ser verdad."

Lyra: “Shit, this keeps getting worse and worse, doesn’t it?”

Connor: “Navin, speed up as fast as you can. We need to save our friend. Can you sense our other allies?”

Jericho: “Yes. They are in mortal danger. Right now the agency is on high alert. Exosage...she’s started to enter her fiancé’s head. I can feel his emotions running...his trauma is knee deep. With this upgraded power, it poses a threat because Gamma Squad is unavailable.”

Jesse: “What about Harry? Is he fine?”

Jericho: “I can feel his presence...but I cannot feel him. Only him. She needs company to save people one by one. Vibroclash...she is fending off on her own emotions, like Nightedge does.”

Navin: "Now hang on tight, everyone! This will be a very bumpy jet ride!"

**Paladin base, 11:24 P.M:*

As soon as we arrive at the agency, we find it is covered in smoke. Many people are dead. It is absolute chaos. North must have ransacked it right away when he got to Mason. He had lots of ES soldiers. This is a really shitty situation since we got dead bodies at our feet, bloodied, and horribly dismembered.

I had hoped Jericho would provide more assistance as a pilot since his companions sounded useful. He was the only human among his colleagues as the rest were cyborgs, but still good enough.

Jericho: “Now the base is on lockdown, there is no clearance. You already know about this, the codes: ‘ARTHUR’ is the biggest command, and ‘EXCALIBUR’ has been overridden.”

Navin: “How do you know so damn much. I didn't figure it was Arthurian.”

Jericho: “Living and hacking on the streets since my sacking. Now go! If you want to save your friend, go to the top floor. The barrier protecting won’t be holding for long before North breach’s through!”

Lyra: “You good on your own?”

Jericho: “I have invisible tech. The enemies won’t see me for long. Leave right away. Find your friends, and hurry!”

Connor: "Come on, let him distract the others while we go."

We run and gun on our way as some ES soldiers spot us through the wreckage of vehicles piled up. Navin provides us protection with glass shields. The enemy team’s fire is quite powerful, and under that damage he won’t hold for long. I follow suit in absorbing the floor, but it is temporary protection. I decide to take a leap in the air, taking a few hits in my chest armour before hijacking a soldier's nervous system, and fighting the rest by CQC.

Jesse shocks the ground hard, but they seem to be resistant, and resorts to his guns. Could it be possible that the army has upgraded their armour? Not a surprise, but I really hope it isn’t the answer. Connor tries to blow them away, which leaves them impaled on some pikes before Navin throws a couple more shards to ensure they’re dead.

Jesse: “Let’s hope they’re dead. Putas. You did good big bro.”

Connor: “Just like we got our ancestors’ blood running in us. Resilience. If only Jericho could help us out with some teleportation because we're just about halfway there.”

Jesse: “He’s hella cool jefe. But I’m grateful I can still shock after hearing all of this. I gotta charge up more...”

Lyra: “Guys, Erin is just a few floors up in the medical wing. Sam’s glad we’re back. But he says...”

Connor: “What?”

Lyra: “She’s in control, but since she's under attack she is definitely struggling with that power. Sam had to leave her behind with the rest, all alone. He had no choice to be with her in the medical wing with Ty.”

Navin: “We take the stairs. The elevators are not working here. I’ll man the lookout.”

We run to the medical wing fast, fighting our way through damaged computers, systems and more bodies. Minutes pass as we go into the designated area Erin is at.

I find her sitting next to Ty and Riley, who are both unconscious. Riley's body is not moving as I attempt to touch her. I focus on trying to shut down her nervous system, but it doesn’t work. Navin carries her out of the way to a safer spot, while me and the Arden brothers stay behind.

Ty seems to be immobile as well, as I tap into his nervous system, but still no response. I try it again, but there’s no effect. I wait and then I see a face staring at me. Turning my head slowly, Erin is standing behind, in her suit. But she does not do anything. Connor and Jesse stay still, thinking about the possibility that she could attack, and ask me to stay put.

But her eyes are all black now, creepily staring at me.

She's already gone inside. Long gone...

The old airport tower orchestrates another phenomenal Colorado sunset.

An excellent day out at the Somerset and Dorset Railway at Midsomer Norton, for a photo charter with visiting Ivatt tank 41312. I understand that this was the first time an Ivatt has visited the S&D since 1966. The loco is present for a gala.

Many thanks to Martin Creese and the 30742 Charters team for the day, especially the orchestration of loco runpasts to match the breaks in the cloud.

The Uyghurs are a very welcoming Muslim Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. About 7,2 millions of them live in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region at the western extremity of China. Though the Uyghur identity remains fragmented, Uyghur activists like Rebiya Kadeer mainly try to garner international support for the "rights and interests of the Uyghurs", including the right to demonstrate, although the Chinese government has accused her of orchestrating the deadly July 2009 Urumqi riots. Six Uyghur men were sentenced to death after the riots. Uyghurs are classified as a National Minority rather than an indigenous group and thus have no special rights to the land under the law. As a result of Han immigration and government policies, Uyghurs' freedoms of religion and of movement are curtailed. Tensions between Uyghurs and Han have resulted in several instances of violence and ethnic clashes.

© Eric Lafforgue

www.ericlafforgue.com

www.holyspiritspeaks.org/videos/hymn-how-god-rules-over-a...

Introduction

BestGospel Song | How Great Is Our God | "How God Rules Over All Things"

From the moment you come crying into this world,

you begin to perform your duty.

In the plan and ordination of God, you assume your role,

and begin the journey of life.

Whatever your background or the journey ahead of you,

none can escape the orchestration and arrangement that Heaven has in store,

and none are in control of their destiny,

for only He who rules over all things is capable of such work.

Since the day man came into existence,

God has been steady in His work,

managing this universe and directing the change and movement of all things.

Like all things, man quietly and unknowingly

receives

the nourishment of the sweetness and rain and dew from God.

Like all things, man unknowingly lives under the orchestration of God’s hand.

The heart and spirit of man are held in the hand of God,

and all the life of man is beheld in the eyes of God.

Regardless of whether or not you believe this,

any and all things, living or dead,

will shift, change, renew, and disappear according to God’s thoughts.

This is how God rules over all things.

from The Word Appears in the Flesh

Eastern Lightning,The Church of Almighty God was created because of the appearance and work of Almighty God, the second coming of the Lord Jesus, Christ of the last days. It is made up of all those who accept Almighty God's work in the last days and are conquered and saved by His words. It was entirely founded by Almighty God personally and is led by Him as the Shepherd. It was definitely not created by a person. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. God's sheep hear God's voice. As long as you read the words of Almighty God, you will see God has appeared.

Terms of Use： en.godfootsteps.org/disclaimer.html

Hartline, Washington: before breakfast-o’clock in the midst of temperatures tumbling into inhumane depths; when one can scarcely feel his digits ditch lights reach into the darkness and find Conductor Gary Durr wading through drifted and drifting snow to hold a job briefing with Dave Reagan, his Engineer, where Durr will briefly escape the inclemency in the relative warmth of the cab as they assess the situation and plan their next few moves. Railroaders have been at war with the elements for generations, hence there is nothing extraordinary about this scene. Yet, it is a glimpse into one such campaign in that perpetual conflict between man; his machines; his – a la Nietzsche – indomitable Will to Power and what is Force Majeure. To-wit: the crew confronts myriad complications: frozen switch locks; compacted, snowed in switches and “throwing” them means throwing your back – all your living and dead might – into bending frozen steel to one’s will; bad, if not non-existent footing; air hoses and the air that passes through them frozen, unbendable and impassable; not to mention the overarching mental and physical fatigue all while ensuring that each move is orchestrated according to a detailed, sequential plan: switches lined, handbrakes set, derails dropped, cars properly spotted, working in between unaired cars and 200-plus-ton locomotives. These men; this Band of Brothers, they have each other’s six every-single-step of the way for any lapse or deviation from said maneuver or miscommunication is consequential. The demand for unflagging concentration is nothing short of supreme as the wind mercilessly knifes its icy blades into any exposed skin and through as many layers of clothing, and any romantic notion of railroading leaves you as quickly as the boreal vacuum sucks the warmth from your body. (30Dec16 ©)

Anton Bruckner (1824 –1896) was an Austrian composer known for his symphonies, masses, and motets.

Anton Bruckner was born in this house in Ansfelden near Linz in Upper Austria that I visited last week.

Success came late in his life, but since his death he has been increasingly admired for his intricate counterpoint and expressive orchestration.

Listen here to Sir Simon Rattle who is speaking about Bruckner´s Symphony 4

Italien / Belluno - Col die Lana vor Marmolta

seen from Passo di Valparola

gesehen vom Passo di Valparola

The Col di Lana is a mountain of the Fanes Group in the Italian Dolomites. The actual peak is called Cima Lana and situated in the municipality of Livinallongo del Col di Lana (German: Buchenstein) in the Province of Belluno, Veneto region.

History

World War I

During World War I the mountain, alongside the neighbouring Monte Sief, was the scene of heavy fighting between Austria-Hungary and Italy. It is now a memorial to the War in the Dolomites.

During the years of 1915/16, Italian troops from 12 infantry and 14 Alpini companies repeatedly attempted to storm the peak, defended first by the German Alpenkorps and later by Austro-Hungarian regiments. These attempts resulted in heavy losses; 278 Italians died due to avalanches alone. On 8 November 1915 the Italians, under the command of Lt. Col. Giuseppe Garibaldi II conquered the summit but then could only mount a weak defence with rag-tag units against a well orchestrated pincer manoeuvre: the top of the Col di Lana fell back to Austro-Hungarian troops early the next day. A terrible winter then set in, doing its fair share of killing. However this is not the only reason that the Italians dubbed it "Col di Sangue", "Blood Mountain". Like all sides in the First World War, the Italian Army sought to conquer the summit with relatively large forces, paying a high price in casualties.

In 1916, Col di Lana became the site of fierce mine warfare on the Italian Front. Lieutenant Caetani of the Italian engineers developed a plan for mining the peak, which was executed silently using hand-operating drilling machines and chisels. At the start of 1916, the Austro-Hungarian army learned through an artillery observer on Pordoi Pass that the Col di Lana summit had been mined. The Austro-Hungarians began a counter mine, and exploded this on 6 April 1916. The counter mine was, however, too far away from the Italian explosive tunnel. This was laid with five tonnes of blasting gelatin. On the night of 16/17 April 1916, the 5th Company of the 2nd Tyrolean Kaiserjäger regiment was relieved by the 6th Company, under Oberleutnant Anton von Tschurtschenthaler. The struggle reached its zenith on the night of 17/18 April 1916, when at around 23:30 the summit was blasted. The Austro-Hungarians under Tschurtschenthaler then had to surrender the mountain; however they were able to maintain a position on Monte Sief, which is linked to Col di Lana by a ridge, which was cut in two by a mine fired on 21 October 1917 by Austro-Hungarian soldiers, thereby obstructing the Italian breakthrough in the area.

Memorial

Today a memorial chapel stands on the summit as a memorial to the soldiers that fell in battle. The remains of a barracks and decaying gun and communications trenches have been left behind from the war. There is also a small war museum on the mountain.

The route is from Pieve di Livinallongo (1,465 m) via the Rifugio Pian della Lasta (1,835 m); there is a road as far as the hut.

(Wikipedia)

Marmolada (Ladin: Marmoleda; German: Marmolata, pronounced [maʁmoˈlaːta]) is a mountain in northeastern Italy and the highest mountain of the Dolomites (a section of the Alps). It lies between the borders of Trentino and Veneto. The Marmolada is an ultra-prominent peak (Ultra).

Geography

The mountain is located about 100 kilometres (62 mi) north-northwest of Venice, from which it can be seen on a clear day. It consists of a ridge running west to east. Towards the south it breaks suddenly into sheer cliffs, forming a rock face several kilometres long. On the north side there is a comparatively flat glacier, the only large glacier in the Dolomites (the Marmolada Glacier, Ghiacciaio della Marmolada).

The ridge is composed of several summits, decreasing in altitude from west to east: Punta Penia 3,343 metres (10,968 ft), Punta Rocca 3,309 metres (10,856 ft), Punta Ombretta 3,230 metres (10,600 ft), Monte Serauta 3,069 metres (10,069 ft), and Pizzo Serauta 3,035 metres (9,957 ft). An aerial tramway goes to the top of Punta Rocca. During the ski season the Marmolada's main ski run is opened for skiers and snowboarders alike, making it possible to ski down into the valley.

History

Paul Grohmann made the first ascent in 1864, along the north route. The south face was climbed for the first time in 1901 by Beatrice Tomasson, Michele Bettega and Bartolo Zagonel.

Until the end of World War I the border between Austria-Hungary and Italy ran over Marmolada, so it formed part of the front line during that conflict. Austro-Hungarian soldiers were quartered in deep tunnels bored into the northern face's glacier, and Italian soldiers were quartered on the south face's rocky precipices. It was also the site of fierce mine warfare on the Italian Front. As glaciers retreat, soldiers' remains and belongings are occasionally discovered.

(Wikipedia)

Der Col di Lana (ladinisch Col de Lana) ist ein 2462 m s.l.m. hoher Berg in der Fanesgruppe in den Dolomiten. Er liegt bei Livinallongo del Col di Lana (deutsch: Buchenstein) in der Provinz Belluno (Italien).

Der Berg war wie der benachbarte Monte Sief im Ersten Weltkrieg zwischen Österreichern und Italienern heftig umkämpft und ist heute ein Mahnmal des Krieges in den Dolomiten.

Kämpfe 1915/16

12 italienische Infanterie- und 14 Alpini-Kompanien unternahmen 1915/16 immer wieder verlustreiche Versuche, den zuerst vom Deutschen Alpenkorps und dann von Österreichisch-Ungarischen Truppen besetzten Gipfel zu stürmen, wobei allein durch Lawinen 278 Italiener ums Leben kamen. Doch nicht nur deshalb bekam der Berg von den Italienern auch den Namen „Col di Sangue“, „Blutberg“. Die italienische Armee versuchte wie alle anderen kriegführenden Parteien des Ersten Weltkriegs, durch den Einsatz von verhältnismäßig vielen Soldaten den Gipfel zu erobern, wobei große eigene Verluste in Kauf genommen wurden.

Der als Pionier eingesetzte italienische Leutnant Gelasio Caetani entwarf schließlich den Plan zur Unterminierung des Berges, die geräuscharm mit Handbohrmaschinen und Meißeln erfolgte. Anfang 1916 erkannten die Österreicher durch einen Artilleriebeobachter am Pordoijoch, dass der Berggipfel unterminiert wurde. Die Österreicher begannen, einen Gegenstollen anzulegen, und sprengten diesen am 5. April 1916. Diese Gegenmine war allerdings zu weit entfernt vom italienischen Sprengstollen. Dieser wurde mit 5 t Sprenggelatine geladen. In der Nacht vom 16. auf 17. April 1916 wurde die 5. Kompanie des 2. Regiments der Tiroler Kaiserjäger durch die 6. Kompanie unter Oberleutnant Anton von Tschurtschenthaler abgelöst. Ihren Höhepunkt fanden die Kämpfe in der Nacht vom 17. auf den 18. April 1916, als der Gipfel um 23:30 Uhr gesprengt wurde. Die Österreicher unter von Tschurtschenthaler mussten den Berg daraufhin aufgeben; sie konnten sich jedoch am Monte Sief, der mit dem Col di Lana durch einen Gipfelgrat verbunden ist, behaupten und so einen italienischen Durchbruch in dieser Gegend verhindern.

Auf dem Gipfel befindet sich heute eine Kapelle zum Andenken an die im Krieg gefallenen Soldaten. Aus der Kriegszeit sind noch verfallene Schützen- und Laufgräben und einige Barackenreste erhalten, und es gibt ein kleines Museum über die Kämpfe.

Wegenetz

Ein Anstieg erfolgt von Pieve di Livinallongo (1465 m) über das geschlossene Rifugio Alpino auf dem Pian della Lasta (1835 m); bis zur Hütte gibt es einen Fahrweg. Die Rundumsicht schließt im Norden die weiteren Gipfel der Fanesgruppe, im Osten die Tofane und die Nuvolaugruppe, im Südosten die Civettagruppe, im Südwesten die Marmolatagruppe und im Westen die Sellagruppe ein.

Wolkenkreuz

Aus dem Jahr 1915 wird eine kreuzförmige Wolkenformation über dem Col di Lana berichtet, die als "Wolkenkreuz vom Col di Lana" ("Nube a forma di croce") bekannt ist. Andere Quellen datieren die Erscheinung mit September 1938 als Vorbote der Katastrophe des Zweiten Weltkriegs, aber auch als Zeichen der Hoffnung auf die Vergänglichkeit der "gottlosen Ideologie des Nationalsozialismus".

(Wikipedia)

Die Marmolata (italienisch Marmolada, ladinisch Marmoleda, der Name soll von der Ähnlichkeit des Felsens mit Marmor herrühren) ist der höchste Berg der Dolomiten und Teil der Marmolatagruppe. Die Marmolata ist ein westöstlich verlaufender Gratrücken, der von der Punta Penia (3343 m s.l.m.) über die Punta Rocca (3309 m s.l.m.) und die Punta Ombretta (3230 m s.l.m.) zum Pizzo Serauta (3035 m s.l.m.) und der Punta Serauta (3069 m s.l.m.) führt. Dieser Gratrücken bricht nach Süden in einer geschlossenen, zwei Kilometer breiten und bis zu 800 Meter hohen Steilwand ins Ombrettatal ab. Die auf der Nordseite zum Passo Fedaia vergleichsweise sanft abfallende Flanke trägt den einzigen größeren Gletscher der Dolomiten (Ghiacciaio della Marmolada).

Zur Geschichte der Marmolata

Die Sage vom Marmolatagletscher

Eine Südtiroler Sage erklärt (ätiologisch) den Ursprung des Marmolatagletschers so: Ursprünglich gab es auf der Marmolata kein Eis und Schnee, sondern fruchtbare Almen und Wiesen. Vor einem Marienfeiertag im August unterbrachen die Bauern wie üblich die Heuernte und gingen ins Tal, um in die Kirche zu gehen. Doch zweien war die gebotene Feiertagsruhe gleichgültig, sie arbeiteten den ganzen Feiertag durch, um ihr Heu noch trocken in die Heuschober zu bringen. Tatsächlich fing es auch gleich an zu schneien. Doch es schneite immer weiter und hörte gar nicht mehr auf, bis schließlich die ganze Marmolata von einem Gletscher bedeckt war. Eine andere Version berichtet von einer gottlosen Gräfin, welche die Bauern zur Heuarbeit gezwungen hatte. Während sich die Bauern retten konnten, wurde die Gräfin samt Gesinde von den Schneemassen begraben.

Die Besteigungsgeschichte bis 1914

Am 3. August 1802 erreichen drei Priester (Don Giovanni Costadedòi, Don Giuseppe Terza, Don Tommaso Pezzei), ein Chirurg (Hauser) und ein bischöflicher Richter (Peristi) vom Passo Fedaia aus den Höhenkamm bei der Punta di Rocca. Beim Abstieg verliert die Gruppe Don Giuseppe Terza vermutlich durch Spaltensturz. Es ist ein Unfall, der dem Aberglauben neue Nahrung gab, was dazu beigetragen haben mag, dass erst 50 Jahre später ein neuer Besteigungsversuch unternommen wurde. Diesmal waren es drei Priester aus dem Bereich Agordo (Don Pietro Munga, Don Alessio Marmolada, Don Lorenzo Nikolai) und der 17-jährige Adelsspross Gian Antonio De Manzoni. Als Führer der Gruppe wird der bergerfahrene „Führer“ Pellegrino Pellegrini engagiert, der den Gämsjäger Gasparo de Pian mitnimmt. Diese Sechsergruppe steigt am 25. August 1856 vom Passo Fedaia, mit einfachen Steigeisen ausgerüstet, über den Gletscher zum Grat an und bezeichnet sich als Erstbesteiger, obwohl ihr Bericht keinen Nachweis enthält, dass man die Punta di Rocca tatsächlich bestiegen hat.

1860 bezeichnet sich John Ball (mit dem Führer Victor Tairraz und John Birkbeck) ebenfalls als Erstersteiger der Marmolata, was jedoch widerlegt wurde.

Tatsächlich wurde die Punta Rocca erst im Juli 1862 vom Wiener Bergsteiger und Gründungsmitglied des Österreichischen Alpenvereins Paul Grohmann auf der Nordroute bestiegen. Er fand weder auf dem kurzen, schwierigen Gipfelgrat, noch auf dem Gipfel Besteigungsspuren. Die um 35 Meter höhere Punta Penia wird am 28. September 1864 ebenfalls von Paul Grohmann gemeinsam mit den beiden Bergführern Angelo und Fulgenzio Dimai bestiegen. In den 1880er Jahren nimmt das Dolomitenbergsteigen einen gewaltigen Aufschwung, was zur Errichtung von Schutzhütten am Fedaiasattel (Alpenvereinssektion Bamberg) und beim Ombrettapass (Contrinhaus der Alpenvereinssektion Nürnberg) führt. Die Sektion Nürnberg bemühte sich auch um einen relativ einfach zu begehenden Weg auf die Punta Penia und finanziert die Versicherung des Westgrates, der von Hans Seyffert, Eugen Dittmann mit Führer Luigi Rizzi am 21. Juli 1898 erstbestiegen wurde. Der sehr beliebte, exponierte Klettersteig wurde am 5. August 1903 eröffnet.

Den ersten Weg durch die Südwand (Schwierigkeitsgrad II) fanden die Bergführer Cesare Tomè, Santo De Toni und ihr Begleiter Luigi Farenza am 21. August 1897 mit Hilfe einer Schlucht. Den Grat erreichten sie allerdings zwei Kilometer östlich des Hauptgipfels. Die erste Südwandroute auf die Punta Penia, die heute als „Via Classica“ (IV) bekannt ist, wurde am 1. Juni 1901 von den Bergführern Michele Bettega, Bortolo Zagonel und der Britin Beatrice Tomasson eröffnet.

Die Marmolata und der Erste Weltkrieg

Die Marmolata war im Ersten Weltkrieg als Grenzberg zwischen Österreich-Ungarn und Italien Frontgebiet. Die österreichischen Stellungen verliefen vom Passo Fedaia über den Sasso Undici zur Forcella Serauta und weiter entlang des Kammes nach Westen. Die italienischen Stellungen befanden sich ostwärts bzw. südlich davon. Die Italiener bemühten sich vor allem entlang des Grates Richtung Punta Rocca vorzudringen, was jedoch auch unter Einsatz von Sprengstollen nicht gelang. Um den Nachschub zu den Stellungen am Kamm sicherzustellen, gruben bzw. sprengten die Österreicher Stollen in den Gletscher, die neben der Versorgung auch Unterkunftszwecken dienten, was zur Errichtung einer regelrechten „Eisstadt“ führte. In Zusammenhang mit diesen Kampfhandlungen steht auch das größte Lawinenunglück der Alpingeschichte. Am 13. Dezember 1916 verschüttete eine Nassschneelawine das westlich des Fedaiapasses gelegene österreichische Reservelager Gran Poz, wobei an die 300 Soldaten ums Leben kamen (→ Lawinenkatastrophe vom 13. Dezember 1916).

Die Erschließung ab 1918

Nach dem Krieg schreiben vom 8. bis 9. September 1929 Luigi Micheluzzi, Roberto Perathoner und Demetrio Christomannos mit der Ersteigung des Südpfeilers der Punta Penia (VI) Alpingeschichte. Sie hatten lediglich ein Hanfseil mit und schlugen ganze sieben Haken. Bezüglich der korrekten Besteigung tauchten allerdings Zweifel auf. Jedenfalls bezeichneten einige Nachbegeher (Fritz Kasparek, Hans Steger) diesen Weg als den schwierigsten ihrer Kletterlaufbahn, vor dem Zweiten Weltkrieg wird er lediglich sieben Mal begangen. Mit der Südwestwand der Punta Penia (VI+) durch Gino Soldà und Umberto Conforto und vor allem mit der ebenfalls 1936 durch die von Batista Vinatzer und Ettore Castiglioni erstiegenen Südwand der Punta di Rocca (VI+) kamen noch vor dem Zweiten Weltkrieg hervorragende Routen dazu. Die Vinatzerführe trug lange Zeit den Ruf der schwierigsten Dolomitenführe. Nach dem Krieg trugen sich mit Armando Aste, Toni Egger, Claudio Barbier, Walter Philipp und Georges Livanos Spitzen des Nachkriegsbergsteigens in die Liste der Erstbegeher ein. In den 1980er Jahren sollte sich zeigen, dass die schon beendet erschienene Erschließung durch die Freikletterbewegung neue Impulse erhielt. Eine neue Generation eroberte die Silberplatten, wobei vor allem Heinz Mariacher Pionierarbeit leistete. Bekannt wurde auch der Weg durch den Fisch (IX-), den tschechische Bergsteiger erstbegingen.

Tourismus heute

Über die Westseite des Gletschers verläuft der anspruchsvollste Teil des sogenannten Dolomiten-Höhenweges Nr. 2. Auf die Punta Penia führt ein Klettersteig mit der Schwierigkeits-Bewertung B vom Contrinhaus auf der Südseite via Marmolatascharte und Westgrat (daher der Name Westgrat-Klettersteig). Der Klettersteig trägt auch den Namen Hans-Seyffert-Weg. Eine sehr eindrucksvolle Bergtour führt am Fuß der Marmolata-Südwand von Malga Ciapela über den Passo Ombretta und das Contrinhaus nach Alba bei Canazei.

Auf die Marmolata führt auch eine Seilbahn; die in den Jahren 2004 und 2005 erneuerte Anlage führt in drei Abschnitten von Malga Ciapela (1467 m s.l.m.) über die Stationen Banc/Coston d'Antermoia (2350 m) und Serauta (2950 m) auf die Punta Rocca (3265 m). Das in die Seilbahnstation Serauta integrierte Gebirgskriegsmuseum in 2950 m Seehöhe ist das wohl höchstgelegene Museum Europas. Von der Bergstation Punta Rocca lässt sich durch einen Stollen unschwer das kleine Felsheiligtum Madonna della Neve erreichen, das Papst Johannes Paul II. bei einem Besuch persönlich konsekriert hat.

Eine der längsten Schiabfahrten der Alpen, die Bellunese, führt bei einem Höhenunterschied von fast 1900 m und ca. 12 km Länge von der Punta Rocca über den Passo Fedaia nach Malga Ciapela.

Bis etwa 2000 fand zudem auf dem Marmolata-Gletscher Sommerskifahren mit einigen Schleppliften statt; dieses Angebot wurde danach seltener und 2005 dann auf Druck von Umweltschutzverbänden komplett gestrichen. Zudem gab es bis zum Jahr 2008 eine weitere Liftkette von der Passhöhe des Fedaiapasses zur Punta Serauta, dann wurde jedoch zuerst 2008 der Schlepplift stillgelegt, und 2012 wurde die Talstation der Sesselbahn auf der Passhöhe durch einen Brand zerstört und seitdem nicht wieder aufgebaut. Die hierdurch stark verminderte Kapazität und der große Andrang führen zu regelmäßigen Wartezeiten von einer Stunde und mehr bei der Talstation der nun einzigen Seilbahn auf die Marmolata in Malga Ciapela.

Berghütten im Marmolata-Gebiet:

Rifugio Contrin (2016 m, A.N.A., traditionsreiches Haus südwestlich der Marmolata-Südwand)

Rifugio Falier (2074 m, CAI, am Fuß der Marmolata-Südwand im Val Ombretta)

Bivacco Marco Dal Bianco (2727 m, Biwakschachtel am Passo Ombretta)

Capanna Punta Penia (3340 m, privat, kleine Schutzhütte unmittelbar in Gipfelnähe)

(Wikipedia)

Seeing a sky on fire this evening over the city to end an early-August day. Just so pretty! Can't believe that it was already August! This year is flying by so quickly indeed... Pic taken from around San Jose, CA. (Monday around late sunset, August 2, 2021; 8:27 p.m.)

*Yes, any sunset will always be a source of wonder for anyone (unless you’re someone who knows the science behind it pretty well). How amazing is it that these colors were put together so perfectly, resulting in a perfect palette that lights up the sky in brilliance before everything goes completely dark... If you don’t believe in a creator who orchestrates how everything turns out, this is something that can make you think – is there really an artist in the skies, painting a beautiful picture of beauty and hope? Sunsets are truly among the most amazing things one can ever witness in his or her lifetime. It’s one scene that can change your mood in an instant, or make you rethink any negative thoughts you have about the world...

Orchestrating the night skies at Makhtesh Ramon

God Himself, the Unique III God’s Authority (II)

God's word: “3. Believing in Fate Is No Substitute for a Knowledge of the Creator’s Sovereignty

After being a follower of God for so many years, is there a substantial difference between your knowledge of fate and that of the worldly people? Have you truly understood the predestination of the Creator, and truly come to know the Creator’s sovereignty? Some people have a profound, deeply-felt understanding of the phrase “that’s fate,” yet they do not in the least bit believe in God’s sovereignty, do not believe that human fate is arranged and orchestrated by God, and are unwilling to submit to the sovereignty of God. Such people are as if adrift on the ocean, tossed by the waves, floating with the current, with no choice but to wait passively and resign themselves to fate. Yet they do not recognize that human fate is subject to God’s sovereignty; they cannot come to know God’s sovereignty on their own initiative, and thereby achieve knowledge of God’s authority, submit to God’s orchestrations and arrangements, stop resisting fate, and live under God’s care, protection, and guidance. In other words, accepting fate is not the same thing as submitting to the Creator’s sovereignty; belief in fate does not mean that one accepts, recognizes, and knows the Creator’s sovereignty; belief in fate is just recognition of this fact and this outer phenomenon, which is different from knowing how the Creator rules humanity’s fate, from recognizing that the Creator is the source of dominion over the fates of all things, and even more from submitting to the Creator’s orchestrations and arrangements for humanity’s fate. If a person only believes in fate—even feels deeply about it—but is not thereby able to know, recognize, submit to, and accept the Creator’s sovereignty over the fate of humanity, then his or her life will nonetheless be a tragedy, a life lived in vain, a void; he or she will still be unable to become subject to the Creator’s dominion, to become a created human being in the truest sense of the phrase, and enjoy the Creator’s approval. A person who truly knows and experiences the Creator’s sovereignty should be in an active, not passive or helpless state. While at the same time accepting that all things are fated, he or she should possess an accurate definition of life and fate: that every life is subject to the Creator’s sovereignty. When one looks back upon the road one has walked, when one recollects every phase of one’s journey, one sees that at every step, whether one’s road was arduous or smooth, God was guiding one’s path, planning it out. It was God’s meticulous arrangements, His careful planning, that led one, unknowingly, to today. To be able to accept the Creator’s sovereignty, to receive His salvation—what great fortune that is! If a person’s attitude toward fate is passive, it proves that he or she is resisting everything that God has arranged for him or her, that he or she does not have a submissive attitude. If one’s attitude toward God’s sovereignty over human fate is active, then when one looks back upon one’s journey, when one truly comes to grips with God’s sovereignty, one will more earnestly desire to submit to everything that God has arranged, will have more of the determination and confidence to let God orchestrate one’s fate, to stop rebelling against God. For one sees that when one does not comprehend fate, when one does not understand God’s sovereignty, when one gropes forward willfully, staggering and tottering, through the fog, the journey is too difficult, too heartbreaking. So when people recognize God’s sovereignty over human fate, the smart ones choose to know it and accept it, to bid farewell to the painful days when they tried to build a good life with their own two hands, instead of continuing to struggle against fate and pursue their so-called life goals in their own manner. When one has no God, when one cannot see Him, when one cannot clearly recognize God’s sovereignty, every day is meaningless, worthless, miserable. Wherever one is, whatever one’s job is, one’s means of living and the pursuit of one’s goals bring one nothing but endless heartbreak and irrelievable suffering, such that one cannot bear to look back. Only when one accepts the Creator’s sovereignty, submits to His orchestrations and arrangements, and seeks true human life, will one gradually break free from all heartbreak and suffering, shake off all the emptiness of life.”

Recommended for You: God's Work

Daniel Rolander (1725-1793), a rather gruff and short-fused man, was one of Great Linnaeus's many students. A general biologist, he specialised in botany and entomology. In 1755 he travelled to Surinam in South America and amassed a large collection of specimens. Upon his return to Europe, Rolander fell out with his envious teacher Linnaeus. The latter - green with envy for that Srinan Collection - even orchestrated a break-in to steal some of Rolander's specimens. Rolander had no way to counter Linnaeus's jealous slanders against him; he fell more and more into his rough and non-polished ways; the scientific community increasingly ignored him; he died in poverty.

Part of his collection came into the hands of another of Linnaeus's students who was himself the founder of an Herbarium (Hortus Botanicus Bergianus) still today in existence: Pehr Jonas Bergius (1730-1790). Rolander had enriched, writes Bergius in 1772, his own collection with many of the plants he'd collected in South America. One of those plants which Bergius describes 'for the public' is this pretty grass.

Paspalum conjugatum goes by many common names; in Malaysia it's known as Rumput kerbau, Buffalo Grass. It's become naturalised here. Though it's not the kind of grass the horticulturalists of the KLCC Park like to see in their lawns, here and there it pops up in the 'rougher' areas which don't often see grass cutters.

A rather tall, thin plant, it's quite easy to understand how difficult it is to draw and engrave for a page in an average-sized book if you want to show some of the character of the 'flower heads'. Bergius in his 1772 description comes up with a good solution. The engraving there shows the entire plant with the stalk bent downward in the middle. That gave the artist the possibility to draw the roots as well as the 'head' in some detail. Great solution.

The green in the background is that of the nicely manicured lawn right next to the KLCC Park mosque.

MuCEM + Fort Saint-Jean, Marseille, France - 2013 -Architects: Rudy Ricciotti and C+T architecture

Views, sea, sun, a mineral quality, which all must be orchestrated by a program that will become federal and cognitive. First of all a perfect square of 72 m per side, it is a classic plan, Latin, under the control of Pythagoras. Within this square, another of 52 m per side, comprising the exhibition and conference halls identified as the heart of the museum.

Around, above and below are the service areas. But between these areas and the heart, openings entirely bypass the central square and form interconnected spaces. More interested by the views of the fort, the sea or the port, the culturally overwhelmed visitor will choose this route. Along two interlacing ramps, he will then plunge into the imaginary of the tower of Babel or of a ziggurat in order to climb up to the rooftop and on to Fort Saint- Jean. This peripheral loop will be a free breathe, enveloped by the smells of the sea from the proximity to the moats, a pause to dispel any lingering doubts about the use of the history of our civilizations. The MuCEM will be a vertical Casbah.

The tectonic choice of an exceptional concrete coming from the latest research by French industry, reducing the dimensions to little more than skin and bones, will affirm a mineral script under the high ramparts of Fort Saint-Jean. This sole material in the colour of dust, matt, crushed by the light, distant from the brilliance and technological consumerism, will commend the dense and the delicate. The MuCEM sees itself evanescent in a landscape of stone and Orientalist through its fanning shadows.

The show is organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board and is displayed every night with good weather at 8 pm Hong Kong Time (UTC+8). An orchestration of music, decoration lights, laser light displays, and pyrotechnic fireworks, the multimedia light and sound show lasts for around 14 minutes and was conceptualised, created, and installed by LaserVision.

The best vantage points include the "Avenue of Stars" on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, on the waterfront promenade outside the Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai and on sightseeing ferries (i.e. Star Ferry) running across the Victoria Harbour. The Show's music and narration live at the "Avenue of Stars" and the promenade outside the Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai every night. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays the narration is in English, while it is in Mandarin on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and Cantonese on Sundays.

Special pyrotechnic fireworks will be added to the show on the rooftop of participating buildings on both sides of the harbour or stages off at the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront. They are used on special events or holidays, like Chinese New Year and Christmas.

Recommended music:

idk, listen to Certain Kind of Magic in the background

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ARCH0MEN, the Cyber-Sukeban Leak Queen of Tokyo.

She had made a name for herself during the Orbit Wars, orchestrating many of the high-profile leaks against government and corporate interests. Not to mention being the face of countless online smear campaigns against political and big business types. It didn’t take long for her to decide to make a show (or more aptly, sideshow) out of it.

Almost a decade later, and she was still going strong. There was a reason she was still getting views. Her charismatic snark and prowess in the news leak world gave her a steady viewership and a loyal cult following. Even if you didn’t care much about the infosphere, her personality was enough to keep you tuned in.

Being Japanese, all her shows were recorded only in her native tongue. However, she utilized advanced speech synthesis software to translate herself into a wide range of languages, always having a unique yet entirely lifelike voice depending on your language setting.

Lip sync wasn’t an issue. To mask her identity, she always wore a black bandana over her face. Overtop it was projected a virtual cartoonish Oni mouth, automated and animated to sync up with whatever regional translation you were listening to. It was almost seamless, but any bugs were simply brushed off as part of her glitchy aesthetic.

Her style was typical of the Neo-Tokyo trends; dark colored pleather, plastic, and semi-synthetic fibers, all tightly worn over her petite form. Her large, spiked, dyed hair helped further mask her identity. Only one eye was left fully visible. Eyes are the window to the soul, after all. Everything else was hidden behind thick purple strands of hair. Face analysis dazzle camouflage, popular among some of the more notorious or paranoid of the virtual world.

As was usual for her set up, she was cloaked in shadows and red edge lighting. A glossy glass tabletop sat in front of her like some parody of a news anchor. In the background was a wall made of nothing but TV displays, old and new, flickering with static or cycling through any random channel every few seconds.

She sat straight on toward the camera with her hands cupped together.

“Hello, hello, and welcome again to 0men At Night!” she began cheerfully. “I’m your wonderful loveable hostess, The ARCH0MEN…mh, granted you aren’t part of the Global 500, that is. I have a bad habit of ruffling their feathers...” she raised a hand over her mouth and let out a mischievous giggle.

“To start our night off, here’s your Leak of the Week! Tonight’s leak comes from Japan’s very own Hachitekku Mechatronics, provided by a very generous informant who shall as usual remain unnamed…

“Hachitekku is currently working on an upgrade to their Bolt lineup of proxy models. Some say you can’t improve upon perfection – in my humble opinion-“ she raised a hand over her chest with a prideful look, “-but apparently the engineers at Hachitekku believe otherwise. My informant tells me that the project’s objective is to focus on improving durability and survivability, implementing the most advanced metallurgyyyy-…et cetera, et cetera…” She twirled her fingers, as if growing bored of the technical jargon.

“-Well, as many of you may recall, in our previous episodes we leaked that Hachitekku has been on a binge of quietly buying out many of Japan’s leading tech and industry startups. Clearly not a coincidence. Ever heard of the old adage ‘competition breeds innovation’? Well, our friends on Hachijo seem to be choosing instead to simply buy out the competition and reap the benefits. But such is how the business world goes, shady practices and all.

“A release date has yet to be announced, obviously, since the project is still in prototype stage. Though surely this broadcast will help speed up the process. You’re welcome.” Her catchphrase.

She cocked her head to the side and gave her trademarked smug smile through her eyes. At this point her software knew it well enough, and the animated Oni mouth transformed to match it.

She continued-

“I just hope the software will finally be prepackaged instead of being sold separately. It is such a pain always having to pirate it...” She leaned in,

“Hint, hint.”

She readjusted herself as her face took on a more neutral appearance.

“Moving on to more serious news: There has been yet another attempt at revealing the identity of yours truly. I obviously won’t mention the poor soul who was falsely identified. She has already been through more than enough the past week, and out of respect I will refrain from delving into any of the personal attacks she has faced. I do have standards after all, despite what the media claims. But rest assured, I and my inner circle have worked tirelessly to ensure her safety.

“In the meantime, gracious members from our Shanghai chapter have successfully tracked down the would-be doxxers. The group responsible appear to be sponsored by the People’s Republic of Beijing, most likely in retaliation for my previous slanders of your marvellous little communist dictatorship. Try harder next time, boys. ROC is best China.

“Unfortunately I don’t think we have the time to list everyone involved, because I do have the full list. Perhaps we’ll have an episode dedicated to that later this week. But just to serve as a little warning-“

She turned her head and gazed into the camera, as if addressing someone personally.

“Wei Sing. I’d expect far better data encryption from a person in your line of work. Quite the cultured man, you are! ‘Futa’, ‘femdom’, ‘female-on-male’, very…*interesting*…tastes, if I might say. Perhaps your glorious leader would like to hear the full list, hmm? Or maybe he and your comrades would prefer a more visual medium? I’ve come to find out it goes well beyond your search history. I certainly have the juicy vid files as proof, and I bet the audience would just love to see them!”

After a moment of pause, her posture slumped. Her carefree, self-satisfied aura vanished. She narrowed her eyes and stared deep into the camera. They were full of malice.

“You don’t want to play this game.” She droned without emotion. “You really don’t want to play this game.”

A few seconds went by before she finally breathed a sigh.

“Moving on-!“ she forced a smile.

Her chipper personality returned as she recomposed herself.

“Turning our attention over to America: Another day, another stock exchange financier is revealed to be human excrement. At this point I should just make a segment dedicated to it. It’s basically become a monthly event…But, I digress!

“Andy Florance. Owner of a lovely little flat in lower Manhattan. Just turned 27, happy belated birthday by the way. You all should know the story by now; silver spooned upbringing, some young Mr. Big, caught in a web of embezzlement and fraud, the usual scumbag-ary we’ve come to expect from the wonderful world of Wall Street.

“BUT, here’s the rotten cherry on top: the fund he was working for? The Rightful Passage Foundation…a charity foundation…dedicated to giving third world victims of the Choke a proper burial.”

She paused for a moment and blinked with wide eyes, just to let it sink in.

“Yes, you heard that right! This fine example of wasted genes was siphoning money away from the literal bones of dead African children! To finance underwater Miami CASINOS of all things!” she spoke with exuberance, as if trying to embody the absurdity of the situation. “Just-…it takes effort to be that much of a human septic tank.” She spat out the last three words with vitriol.

“A New York watchdog organization had already uncovered the story before I was able to get to it. Not that I’m complaining; I tip my hat to you. Got anymore scoops, hook me up!" She hastily added, making a calling gesture with her fingers.

“He was promptly brought into custody once all this came to light, and the RPF made quick at publicly denouncing him. From what I’ve heard, his future doesn’t sound very bright.

“It didn’t take long for the police body camera footage to leak of his arrest, and it is…just beautiful. I won’t show the full clip here. RATHER, I’ll save it for our Hour of 0men Weekly Roundup later this week, and we’ll take all the time we need laughing at him blubbering like a baby for minutes on end! Mark your calendars, you won’t want to miss it!

“Unfortunately that marks the end of our show tonight. But be sure to keep tuning in for future episodes! Same time, same place, same marvellous face! Sweet dreams, and remember… 0men is always watching.” She stared ominously into the camera, before glitching out in her usual outro.

------------------------------------

I had WAAAAY too much fun writing this character...

I AM UNASHAMED TO ADMIT THE PRIMARY INSPIRATION BEHIND HER. Aside from that; a hint of WikiLeaks, a smidgen of VTuber, a health dash of smarmy edgy political YouTuber. I'll definitely go into more detail with her in the future

Looking at the actual "scene", you can see why this took over a month to finish. Me and my stupid obsessive attention to detail, putting an excessive amount of effort into thumbnails for in-universe content creators (majority actually inspired by YouTubers I follow). Although I will say, I am extremely proud of how it all turned out. Nothing quite like that dopamine rush when your art comes out perfect.

This chapter is nearly done! We've got two more parts! The end is in sight!!

If you fave, comment as well!

Members from the Fleet Reconnaissance & Operations Group (FROG) conducted Close Quarter Battle (CQB) training at their dedicated facility.

The Fleet Reconnaissance and Operations Group (FROG) is the Royal Victorian Navy’s Special Operations Capable Unit. It includes the Royal Victorian Navy’s Maritime Action Teams and the Royal Victorian Marines’ Commando Raider Company. In addition to reconnaissance, the unit specialize in direct action with a maritime component. Examples are the seizures and occupation of gas/oil platforms (GOPLAT) and the Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) of ships during Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO), as well as orchestrating close air support, a vital skill exercised in DA missions. Commando Raiders forward observe from static positions and spider holes for artillery and naval gunfire support, or ordnance and payload delivery.

Note: The story, all names, characters, and incidents are fictitious.

My heart sank a little once I heard the transmitted broadcast from Jericho; a disgraced, fallen agent--once a pilot. It turned out he was the one leaked the truths out, secrets untold. But this meant we would be attracting the banes of our existence, the Exiled Spectres—who have taken over this once rightful agency.

The more we encounter, the more destruction happens, as if the end looks closer than ever. We're right at the command center, the bastion of a climax.

From my brief imprisonment until my release just now, the revelations grew bigger. I witnessed the confrontation of men and women, their words like knives plunged towards each other. Actions speak louder than words.

North: “Let us in, and I will end your lives swiftly without ease, or just allow you to rot inside. Your choices, your fate. I promise, it will not be painful.”

Sabine: “The truth, the further it will bring your downfall. Choose wisely—either die or come out. Aunt Antonia, this was your choice, and you brought this upon yourself.”

Raze: “Do not leak a word! I...this is madness, North! You cannot...”

North: “Pity you were my half sister, Antonia. The only good things that come out is honesty, rather than your lies and deception. You could not even handle your niece...like her father, you were weak. Always. And when she was untamed, she came to me, and joined me.”

Raze: “You murdered our eldest brother because you sought power…killed those agents to grab a serum, you orchestrated from the lab explosions to Japan and nearly global event--”

North: “Triggering a chain reaction. Precisely. I was the better strategist. The plans were always in motion."

Raze: "I should have killed you when we were children. But I was were too late. Mother should have murdered you in childbirth."

North: "What else would I have done? I never liked any of you anyways--my siblings. I abhorred everyone, except for Sabine. You think you're not so different from me, Antonia? When you tried to build an army amongst your coven, lying to your own kind so you could harvest them one day…for the true purpose of rebelling me. That came very close to earning my respect, but it was just a little.”

Raze: "I'm doing what I'm doing."

North: "Maliciousness. Wonderful. That was the only greatest trait you ever had, and I liked it. But now...you're nothing."

I hear voice loud enough to seek through every wall. Weapons drew from both sides. Gamma, Avalon and the rest of the agency was there to stop the assault—so did the enemy.

But Mason Gardner was there. He was briefly re-energized, standing in his own suit. Last I remember he was knocked out, but how'd he get up so quick?

Mason: “…I will not let monsters decide who I am…I am one already…just like the rest. The rest of all recordings lie in my hands, and Paladin will go down as corrupt and immoral for the rest of history. I’m far from dead already…my body can no longer contain my powers. But I will make this worth your while.”

North: “The challenger arrives! How unexpected. Let us in, and I I will finish you.”

Mason: “We shall see through the net. Activate the doors, now.”

Upon his order, the doors quickly open, but not Gardner emits a green blast of energy through the glass panes. The direction hits towards the warlord’s direction, striking him behind a few blocks of walls. He was live bait, like a fish. Realizing their master was attacked, the Spectres reacted quickly, as they raised their guns at him, firing every shred of bullet. And so it continues.

Smoke wallowed away as North emerged unscathed, creating a black shield that engulfed him in the process. His armour was covered in grime and dust. He chuckled to himself before nodding to Sabine, who herself dashed towards Gardner, fiercely brimming with rage. Holding the lava axe, she attempted to create an opening, but her efforts stopped by Edens and Raze’s timely mind control, telekinetic powers kept her at bay. She was levitating in the air, struggling to break free. Meanwhile, the Arden brothers, Gary, Lyra, Kieran and Sam came dashing from the southeast corridor, and rushed to their aid. The moment they came, they quickly exchanged gunfire against the Spectres, killing a few.

Edens: “You were among the brightest, but you never succeeded. Intelligence and arrogance blinded you too far. You know your niece is just like another experiment. She means nothing to you.”

North: “As if. I pity you, Remus. If you were as sentimental like the rest, unlike Antonia, you were the closest to my equal…to control the superhuman race.”

Edens: “Control? No. This is not forsaken. I do it for humanity, and science. But that won't change anything this instance. We both know this damage cannot be undone, and I carry it for eternity—the namesake will fall beside me.”

North: “How the tides have turned since we first met. You place your guilt on yourself, thinking about atonement! That is incorrigible."

Edens: "Morality? We're both sinners, North. This makes no difference."

Having grown so impatient, North fires a blast of crackling black energy towards the professor. Edens…the scapegoat. Now the new target. Taking the fall. Is this heroic blame?

But North was a cunning fellow. He still many tricks in his sleeve—retaliating with white energy, projected from his mind, he blocked North's energy. For a brief minute, both Paladin and the Spectres paused their infighting during the ensuing struggle. Amusement and surprise from many faces. But it was battle of indeed. If that is so, then Edens and North must have been classmates in the past, like Raze as well. The scientist connection of developing superhumans confirms my theory now. The first batch of experiments before it became a global thing of the future.

Mason: “No! Don’t do this! You'll die too, Remus!”

Edens: “You can still be saved, Mason. Go and help the others. This is where it ends; the project and the plans. Everything must go down. I'm sorry, but this is why I cannot forgive myself!”

Mason: “You can’t atone for the crimes of the board alone! I know you've done a lot of things, but you have to turn Raze in as well!”

Edens: "You are already doing it. Achieving what is meant to be."

After his giant blast, Gardner realizes he's already used up so much power. He is in his absolute weakened state, struggling so much that he could die any minute. But he didn't care. He simply picked himself up among the chaos, his face battered, his nose bleeding. An absolute mess, like he was gonna melt too. I immediately do a quick scan in my eyes, and my readings show his life vitals are dropping too fast. Sam pounces over on my side, trying reach over to Gardner but I stop him. I give a quick nod to him, and briefly inform with Avalon and Gamma teams on the comms. Realizing there is no time and no choice left, the teams agree in unison as they continue fighting together alongside the Paladin agents.

Remus starts to lose control as North’s power starts overpowering the latter, his right arm starting to build up more black energy. The effort is strong enough for Remus to resist, as the clash looks like is about to end. Until Gardner limps in front of his mentor, channelling his own powers. He is struck as Gardner is taking hit after hit, which I realize...are killing his organs. Shit.

Edens: “Mason, what are you doing, get off!”

Mason: “Doing what needs to be done. I have barely enough minutes to save everyone…everything I want and need to hear… I’m sorry, Remus…”

And in the engulfing explosion, I black out, and everyone is spread across the giant command center.

***

I wake up in rubbles, as electricity and clutter are all mixed together. The destruction has exposed me to the air. I do another quick scan, the environments are basically nothing more than scrap.

Within the next instant, I can feel my shoulders and back being really painful, probably hitting a wall or something. The other heroes rise up slowly, but I can tell they are hurt. In my peripheral state, I can see Riley, Harry, Tyrone and Erin approaching their fallen comrades. Kieran’s arm is hurt bad, and so is Lyra, who is regenerating slowly, Sam is probably hurt too. Seems like the two teams are injured, but fine. That is a relief.

Despite my wounds, I keep scanning for to see anyone else still alive, with many Spectres laying dead on the floor, and maybe half of Paladin agents also gone—but North or Sabine are nowhere to be seen. My heart races faster, but I have to stay calm and focus. "Come on old man", I mutter to myself. And close to the window’s edge outside, there was a badly charred Mason Gardner, lying down on a bed of stones. He is bleeding badly, his suit damaged and his body is burnt from severe burns.

Mason: “Hhhh…where...is everyone...anyone? Anyone?!”

Kurt: “We’re here. We’re all here.”

Mason: “Edens?”

Kurt: “He’s right over there….yeah, behind me.”

Edens: “Mason. Mason, look at me.”

Mason: “I…I feel so in pain…but now it feels free…our secrets are all out. I can go rest peacefully now…here, a recording. Let everyone know my final will…”

Edens: “Wait—what if I could transfer your consciousness? It could save your life! Mason, please, don't..."

Both Gamma and Avalon members stood behind both of us, except Harry, who was nowhere to be seen. I swear he was there a moment ago, but he left so abruptly. But amidst the mess, everyone was staring at their friend, drowned in sorrow. Tyrone hugs Erin, Connor and Jesse help the injured Kieran on his shoulders, while Gary helps Riley stay still. Lyra begins to sob in Sam's shoulders.

Mason: “What’s worth if I could stay longer and assist her? Yvette…my sister…is a grown woman already…*cough*…she can figure herself out…I want her to continue my legacy anyway…she is the last true successor of…of the Gardner family.”

Edens: “But your life, it can be valuable…”

Mason: “You’re valuable. All…my friends here…are valuable….”

Edens: “I can still save you, please hang on to me!”

Mason: “Not it’s not, Remus. You can’t…I, I know everyone tried, every medicine I’ve taken…it worn save me. I knew this…from day one. They all endorsed, supported…me…but I’m not even fit to run for mayor. *Chokes* I'm so tired. But...I need you need to tell my sister….I love her…and I...I love you all…”

“Please take care of her for me.”

And he breathed one last time, with a tear rolling down his face, his visor broken.

On a Friday night, Mason Gardner died approximately around 2:30 A.M.

***

“We have reports that a explosion happened at a building today…sources confirmed that it was an agency’s building, known as Paladin. They have been hiding in secret…”

“Multiple leaks detailing the agency’s shady activities have been released, as the moon evacuation was a hoax, people are to be sent home while local authors take a deeper investigation as Antonia Raze, the chairperson of the agency, is being under arrest for breaching rules…”

“Mason Gardner dies at 38, in an attempt to release confidential info of his association and involvement with the agency, but did not leak names except files of the high ranking board. The CIA and various authorities are looking at it. Business partners have dropped out after alliances were revealed to be...”

News. Media. They’re everywhere. We’re in the open now, exposed, aware to the world. There is too much to undo, given how much we were independent in the first place. A supposedly neutral ground catering to the highest bastion, to oversee those with powers and undertaking missions that involved superhumans/superpowers. That was the mantra. A piece of the rulebook that everyone should have known.

But regardless of the aftermath, there was always consequences—North was right. He wanted to usurp power but it turned out to be the Paladin itself, an agency of chaos. The conflicts bred violence, as people would riot on the streets, on a larger scale. The world had turned itself into fear, succumbing to the worst in technology. In time, agents of Paladin left, disillusioned with secrets, while some stayed. The uprising against superhumans was true, exposed to a new light.

Was it going to be the end of Paladin?

I don't know.

Richard Georg Strauss (Múnich; 11 de junio de 1864 - Garmisch-Partenkirchen; 8 de septiembre de 1949) fue un destacado compositor y director de orquesta alemán cuya larga trayectoria abarca desde el romanticismo tardío hasta la primera mitad del siglo XX. Es conocido particularmente por sus óperas, poemas sinfónicos y Lieder. Strauss, junto con Gustav Mahler, representa el extraordinario florecimiento tardío del romanticismo germánico después de Richard Wagner, en el cual un desarrollo elaborado y complejo de la orquestación se une a un estilo armónico avanzado. La música de Strauss influyó profundamente en el desarrollo de la música del siglo XX.

es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Strauss

es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categoría:Óperas_de_Richard_Strauss

Richard Georg Strauss (11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wagner and Franz Liszt. Along with Gustav Mahler, he represents the late flowering of German Romanticism after Wagner, in which pioneering subtleties of orchestration are combined with an advanced harmonic style.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Strauss

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_operas_by_Richard_Strauss

La Ópera Estatal de Viena (en alemán: Wiener Staatsoper), ubicada en Viena, Austria, es una de las más importantes compañías de ópera mundiales. Hasta 1920 se llamó Teatro de la Ópera de la Corte Imperial y Real de Viena (k.k. Hof-Operntheater). Es el centro neurálgico de la vida musical vienesa y uno de los polos de atracción del mundo musical.

El teatro original de la Ópera Estatal (conocido entonces como K. (Kaiserliches) k. (königliches) Hof-Operntheater, Teatro de la Ópera de la Corte Imperial y Real), un edificio neorrenacentista muy criticado por los vieneses cuando se construyó entre 1861 y 1869, según un proyecto de los arquitectos vieneses Eduard van der Nüll y August Sicard von Sicardsburg. Ambos arquitectos fallecieron antes de ver terminado el edificio (van der Nüll se suicidó y su compañero Sicardsburg murió poco después de un ataque al corazón). En la decoración interior participaron otros renombrados artistas, particularmente el pintor Moritz von Schwind, que pintó los famosos frescos del foyer y la terraza. El teatro fue inaugurado el 25 de mayo de 1869 con la ópera de Mozart Don Giovanni.

Durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, el edificio fue bombardeado por la aviación el 12 de marzo de 1945 y posteriormente un incendio destruyó totalmente el escenario y la sala de espectadores. Casi todo el decorado para más de 120 óperas con cerca de 150 000 trajes resultaron destruidos. Sólo se salvaron la fachada principal, la gran escalinata y el vestíbulo con los frescos de Schwind. La Ópera Estatal se albergó temporalmente en el Theater an der Wien y en la Volksoper.

Justo después del final de la guerra, en mayo de 1945, se anunció que los trabajos de reconstrucción se iniciarían inmediatamente. El proyecto contemplaba la reconstrucción de la sala con un diseño similar al original, pero con decoración más acorde con las tendencias de diseño de la época, si bien se mantuvieron los colores tradicionales, rojo, oro y marfil. Toda la sala se recubrió en madera, con el fin de recuperar la brillante acústica original. Se redujo el número de asientos del patio de butacas y se reestructuró el cuarto piso para eliminar las columnas, que reducían la visibilidad. La fachada, el vestíbulo y el foyer de Schwind se restauraron en su estilo original.

El teatro reconstruido, con 2284 plazas (en lugar de las 2881 originales), se reabrió el 5 de noviembre de 1955, poco después de la firma del tratado que restableció a Austria como Estado independiente, con la representación de la ópera de Beethoven Fidelio dirigida por Karl Böhm.

Actualmente, la Staatsoper de Viena es uno de los teatros de ópera más importantes y de mayor prestigio y tradición del mundo. La programación sigue el sistema de "repertorio", en el que la compañía residente, apoyada por los más importantes cantantes de ópera del mundo, representa un cierto número de obras del repertorio de la compañía, que se van rotando o alternando durante toda una temporada, en la que se pueden alcanzar las 300 representaciones, entre ópera, ballet y ópera infantil, desde principios de septiembre hasta finales de junio.1 En una misma temporada se pueden alternar alrededor de 53 títulos de ópera y 9 de ballet, de los cuales alrededor de ocho serán estrenos de nuevas producciones.

Desde 2010, la Ópera Estatal de Viena ha sido pionera en la transmisión en directo de sus espectáculos a través de internet. Mediante un sistema de vídeo bajo demanda y por subscripción, el teatro ofrece hasta 45 espectáculos (ópera y ballet) por temporada, a través de navegadores de internet, o diferentes aplicaciones para dispositivos de reproducción.

En mayo de 2019, la Staatsoper celebró el 150 aniversario del edificio de la Ringstrasse, con una serie de actos y exposiciones conmemorativas en el edificio, que culminaron con el estreno de una nueva producción de Die Frau ohne Schatten el 25 de mayo, y con un gran concierto al aire libre, en el exterior del teatro, el día 26.

es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ópera_Estatal_de_Viena

www.wiener-staatsoper.at/en/

The Vienna State Opera (German: Wiener Staatsoper) is an opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by August Sicard von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll, and designs by Josef Hlávka. The opera house was inaugurated as the "Vienna Court Opera" (Wiener Hofoper) in the presence of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth of Austria. It became known by its current name after the establishment of the First Austrian Republic in 1921.

The members of the Vienna Philharmonic are recruited from the Vienna State Opera's orchestra. The building is also the home of the Vienna State Ballet, and it hosts the annual Vienna Opera Ball during the carnival season.

The Vienna State Opera is closely linked to the Vienna Philharmonic, which is an incorporated society of its own, but whose members are recruited from the orchestra of the Vienna State Opera.

The Wiener Staatsoper is one of the busiest opera houses in the world producing 50 to 60 operas in a repertory system per year and ten ballet productions in more than 350 performances. It is quite common to find a different opera being produced each day of a week. The Staatsoper employs over 1000 people. As of 2008, the annual operating budget of the Staatsoper was 100 million euros with slightly more than 50% as a state subsidy.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_State_Opera

www.wiener-staatsoper.at/en/staatsoper/the-opera-house/

Mt. Baker Hwy by bike - you'd be shirtless too

Win, Place and Show!

**ATTENTION**: I have a confession. In a sick, feeble, humiliating attempt to capture some 'awesome street raw', I slunk in on the back end of this scene and grabbed an unscrupulous capture that was completely orchestrated by my BdK compadre, Franky2step . He cajoled these fine, young ladies into a group hug and I simply, like a sly dog from Sudbury, snapped up the pieces. I got caught. I admit comp stomp flagrance. Shame on me.

His wonderful capture is here: disinterested, tolerant, ham .