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Matthew sent me a request to process his picture. However, he sent me a low resolution. I am still waiting for him to send me the original shot.
While waiting, I decided to do something with the one he sent me and here is what I came up with. Not as good as I want to but I think it's another way of showing our images.
Check Matthew's original posting of his picture: www.flickr.com/photos/mjvaldez/3224835984/
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I'm writing my first HDR book ...
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I can process your pictures too. Just let me know by
e-mail.
www.heycavey.com/index.php/2010/06/win-a-skeleton-cavey/
Read more about my new toy line: www.heycavey.com
Cavey's flickr: www.flickr.com/people/heycavey/
Caveys twitter: twitter.com/heycavey
fr: La maison haute dans la ruelle, Belvès, Dordogne, Périgord, France
See it BIGGER On Black | See More of the set Pittoresques Villages de France.
See my most interesting pictures here or take some time to view the slideshow .
Explore Highest position: 16
Histoire: Fortifiée au moyen âge en raison de sa position stratégique et surnommée "ville du Pape" sous la protection du pape Clément V, Belvès conserve les vestiges d'un passé tourmenté : remparts, tour de l'Auditeur, beffroi à cloche, tour de la Mairie, ancien clocher du couvent des Frères Prêcheurs, tour de l'Hôpital, château au donjon du XIIe siècle, hôtel à façade renaissance, ancienne maison des Consuls, halle aux bois et habitations troglodytiques. L'église Notre Dame de Montcuq est une ancienne prieurale bénédictine des XIIe et XIVe siècles. Source: Villages de France
History: It was fortified in the Middle Ages because of its strategic position and came to be known as the "Pope’s city" as it was under Clement V’s protection. Belvès bears witness to a tormented past: walls and the auditeur’s tower (11th c); the belfry (15th c) the city hall tower, the castle (14th/15th), the hotel with a Renaissance façade and troglodyte dwellings. Source: Come To France
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From my trip to see Clairey in England this April. This was only part of the Castle on a rainy day...it started to pour right as we left. We didn't get to go into the main section, but I loved this cemetery right outside it...
The next time I go, we are going Castle hunting!! What better place to do it! lol
Be well all!
;0}
Ronda, Málaga (Spain).
ENGLISH
Ronda is a city in the Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about 100 km from the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalucía. Its population is 35,512. It is also accessible by rail from Algeciras and from Córdoba.
Ronda is situated in a very mountainous area about 750 m above mean sea level. The Rio Guadalevín runs through the city, dividing it in two and carving out the steep El Tajo canyon upon which the city is perched. Ronda was first settled by the early Celts, but its Roman and then Moorish rulers are reflected most prominently in its architecture. The forces of Catholic Spain took control of the town in 1485.
Three bridges, Puente Romano ("Roman Bridge", also known as the Puente San Miguel), Puente Viejo ("Old Bridge", also known as the Puente Arabe or "Arab Bridge") and Puente Nuevo ("New Bridge"), span the canyon. The term "nuevo" is a bit of a misnomer, since this bridge was completed in 1793. The Puente Nuevo is the tallest of the bridges, towering 120 meters above the canyon floor, and all three serve as some of the city's most impressive features.
Another important site in Ronda is the Plaza de Toros, the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain that is still used, albeit infrequently. It was built in 1784 in the Neoclassical style by the architect José Martin de Aldehuela, who also designed Puente Nuevo.
The partially intact baños árabes ("Arab baths") are found below the city and date back to the 13th and 14th centuries. Both Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles resided in Ronda for many years, and both wrote about its beauty, contributing to its popularity.
Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls describes the murder of Nationalist sympathizers early in the Spanish Civil War by being thrown from the cliffs of El Tajo by the Republican forces.
The name of the eponimous Jewish hero of George Eliot's well-known novel Daniel Deronda seems to indicate that his ancestors lived in Ronda prior to the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492.
The Spanish Fir (Abies pinsapo) is endemic to the mountains surrounding Ronda.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronda
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CASTELLANO
Ronda es una ciudad perteneciente a la comunidad autónoma de Andalucía, situada en el noroeste de la provincia de Málaga (España). Es la capital de la comarca de la Serranía de Ronda.
La ciudad se asienta sobre una meseta rocosa a 739 metros sobre el nivel del mar. Está dividida en dos partes por un cañón, conocido como el Tajo de Ronda, por el que discurre el río Guadalevín afluente del río Guadiaro. A continuación de la garganta del tajo propiamente dicha también se extiende el tajo sobre el valle de los Molinos. Al este de la ciudad se encuentra el parque natural de la Sierra de las Nieves, al sur el Valle del Genal, al oeste la Sierra de Grazalema y al norte otras tierras más llanas en dirección a Campillos.
Aunque en el entorno de la ciudad se han encontrado restos prehistóricos que se remontan al Neolítico entre los que destacan las pinturas rupestres de la Cueva de la Pileta, los orígenes de Ronda son celtas quienes en el siglo VI a.C. la llamaron Arunda. Posteriormente los fenicios se instalaron en una aldea cercana que llamaron Acinipo. Arunda, tras ser conquistada por los griegos, pasó a denominarse Runda.
Pero Ronda como tal fue fundada como consecuencia de la Segunda Guerra Púnica, durante la campaña que el general romano Escipión llevó a cabo contra los cartagineses que dominaban la Hispania a finales del siglo III a.C. Es entonces cuando se mandó construir el castillo de Laurus el cual favoreció el asentamiento de la población a su alrededor y alcanzando en tiempos de Julio César el rango de ciudad alcanzado sus habitantes, y los de la vecina Acinipo, la cualidad de ciudadanos romanos.
En el siglo V, con el fin del Imperio Romano, la ciudad es tomada por los suevos al mando de Rechila, pasando después por un período bizantino, en el que Acinipo fue definitivamente abandonado, hasta que Leovigildo la integró en el reino visigodo.
En el 711 se produce la invasión musulmana de la península y, en 713, la actual Ronda abre sus puertas, sin presentar batalla, al jefe bereber Zaide Ben Kesadi El Sebseki. La ciudad pasa a denominarse Izn-Rand Onda (la ciudad del castillo) convirtiéndose en la capital la capital de la provincia Andalusí de Takurunna.
Con la desintegración del califato de Córdoba, Ronda se convierte en un reino de Taifas independiente regido por Abu Nur Hilal Ben Abi Qurra, y será durante este periodo cuando se crea la mayor parte del patrimonio monumental con que cuenta el casco histórico de Ronda y los arrabales. Abu Nur Hilal fue sucedido por su hijo Abú Nasar quien tras morir asesinado provocó que Ronda pasará a formar parte del reino sevillano de al- Muthadid
El periodo islámico de la ciudad finaliza cuando, el 22 de mayo de 1485, el rey Fernando el Católico logra tomarla tras un prolongado asedio. Tras la conquista muchos de los monumentos erigidos por los musulmanes son remodelados adecuándose a la nueva situación que vive la ciudad que inicia un nuevo florecimiento que la hace crecer extendiéndose en nuevos barrios como los del “Mercadillo” y “San Francisco”, pasando a conocerse el antiguo núcleo árabe como “La Ciudad”.
En 1572 se funda la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Ronda con fines de entrenamiento para la defensa y las guerras del reino.
En el siglo XVIII la ciudad vive una etapa de importantes construcciones entre las que destacan el Puente Nuevo, que ha pasado a considerarse el símbolo de la ciudad, y la Plaza de toros.
A partir de esa época se crean los mitos románticos de bandoleros y toreros. El Castillo del Laurel, alcazaba de Ronda, es derribado por los franceses en su retirada. Durante los siglos XIX y XX la actividad económica de Ronda sigue siendo principalmente rural, siendo el punto de encuentro para los habitantes de los pueblos de la Serranía y teniendo momentos de esplendor a principios del siglo XX con la llegada del ferrocarril.
En 1918 se celebra la Asamblea de Ronda en la que se fijó el actual diseño de la Bandera, el Himno de Andalucía y su escudo. En esa época se empieza a consolidar la Caja Ahorros de Ronda que ha impulsado fuertemente la economía de la ciudad hasta su desaparición en 1990 al fusionarse con otras entidades bancarias en Unicaja.
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From Wikipedia:
ANZAC Square, which is named in honour of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, is a Queensland state memorial to men and women who participated in overseas armed service. It is located between Ann Street and Adelaide Street (opposite Post Office Square), in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. ANZAC Square is adjacent to ANZAC Square Arcade.
ANZAC Square contains the Shrine of Remembrance and the 'Eternal Flame of Remembrance' held in a continuously lit bronze urn, dedicated on Tuesday, 11 November, 1930.
There is also the World War II Shrine of Memories. Daphne Mayo sculptured the Women's War Memorial that forms part of the memorial's wall.
The external wall of the Shrine of Memories is dedicated to the 60 000 Queenslanders who fought in World War I.[3] There are also war-related statues, for various wars, including memorial statues for the Queensland soldiers who fought during the Second Boer War (1899-1902), as well as World War II, the Vietnam War and campaigns in Korea, Borneo and New Guinea.
On 25 April, every year, a Dawn Service is held at the Shrine of Remembrance and ANZAC Square.
ANZAC Square was registered on the Register of the National Estate in 1980 and is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.
Details:
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mk II
Lens: Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
Exposure: 3 exposures (-2,0,+2 EV)
Aperture: f/8
Focal Length: 24mm
ISO Speed: 100
Accessories: n/a (hand-held)
Date and Time: 24 February 2010 3.43pm
Post Processing:
Imported into Lightroom
Exported 3 exposures to Photomatix
Tonemap generated HDR using detail enhancer option
Exported HDR to CS3
Contrast adjustment
Lens Distortion filter
Unsharp mask filter
Exported back to Lightroom
Crop tool
Spot Removal tool
Added keyword metadata
Exported as JPEG
Cloud Gate is British artist Anish Kapoor's first public outdoor work installed in the United States. The 110-ton elliptical sculpture is forged of a seamless series of highly polished stainless steel plates, which reflect the city's famous skyline and the clouds above. A 12-foot-high arch provides a "gate" to the concave chamber beneath the sculpture, inviting visitors to touch its mirror-like surface and see their image reflected back from a variety of perspectives.
Inspired by liquid mercury, the sculpture is among the largest of its kind in the world, measuring 66-feet long by 33-feet high. Cloud Gate sits upon the At&T Plaza.
"What I wanted to do in Millennium Park is make something that would engage the Chicago skyline…so that one will see the clouds kind of floating in, with those very tall buildings reflected in the work. And then, since it is in the form of a gate, the participant, the viewer, will be able to enter into this very deep chamber that does, in a way, the same thing to one's reflection as the exterior of the piece is doing to the reflection of the city around."
-Anish Kapoor
Ave Maria (Schubert) - Pavarotti
La Piedad del Vaticano (Pietà), 1498-1500 es un grupo escultórico realizado en posición piramidal con la Virgen como eje vertical y el cuerpo muerto de Cristo como eje horizontal. Está situada en la primera capilla a la derecha según se entra en la basílica de San Pedro.
Es la única obra firmada por su autor. El joven escultor, a sus 22 años por aquel entonces, se enteró de que un par de viajeros había atribuido su obra maestra a un artista de tercer orden oriundo de Lombardía. Furioso, una noche se coló en el interior del templo y a la luz de unas velas esculpió en la banda diagonal de cruza el torso de la Virgen unas letras que dicen: "MICHAEL ÁNGELUS BONAROTUS, FLORENT. FACIENBAT", es decir, "la hizo Miguel Ángel Buonarotti, florentino".
Demonstrators on top of the statue Place de la Nation.
Merci de lire les explications en début d'album / Please read the explanations at the beginning of the set
Part of Régimes Spéciaux (Recommended as a slideshow)
View On Black please, it's much better there.
I don't know if you all know but this year's Vday clashes with the first day of the Lunar New Year.
And to be honest, I can't be arsed with both.
I don't celebrate V-day, even if I'm attached, I just don't see the point. I'd rather have a good make out session than a bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates, but that's just me.
And Chinese New Year?
I really dislike visiting people, especially certain relatives whom my family members aren't on good terms with.
And this year, my Chinese New Year break is pathetic because I've got 2 major assignments due right when school starts again. One good thing though, is that I've gotten my hands on Dante's Inferno Death Edition, I have ALWAYS been fascinated with the poem and it's awesome that there's a game based on it!!! Will probably do an inspired shot or something soon =)
I think the next game I want to get my hands on will be Heavy Rain.
This shot was pretty spontaneous, I wore that qipao thingy and was wondering what to shoot, so I just randomly threw my quilt on the floor, grabbed some random items from my table and took some photos.
I had quite a few different edits for this shot and an outtake which will be in the comments.
Happy Vday to all and Happy CNY to asian flickrites =)
(Ps. I hope the colour looks ok on your screen cause on some screens it can tend to look toooo yellow, sorry if on your screen it does!)
Montseny. Catalonia.
Check it out my Portfolio: GETTY IMAGES
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Montseny Natural Park is a natural park that protects part of the Montseny massif. It was established in 1977 and is managed by the Barcelona Provincial Council since 1977 and the Council of Girona since 1978. Also since 1978 is a biosphere reserve by UNESCO. It was established as a national park in 1987. It covers part of the municipal Aiguafreda El Brull, Campins and Cànoves Samalús, Figaro-Montmany, hotbed of Montclús, La Garriga Gualba Montseny Palautordera St. Stephen, St. Peter Vilamajor Seva Tagamanent Arbúcies Breda , Rails Montseny, Sant Feliu de Buixalleu and Viladrau. The top of the park is the Turó de l'Home 1706.7 meters.
Badewald. Switzerland.
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Switzerland (German: Schweiz[note 3] [ˈʃvaɪts]; French: Suisse [sɥis]; Italian: Svizzera [ˈzvittsera]; Romansh: Svizra [ˈʒviːtsrɐ] or [ˈʒviːtsʁːɐ]), officially the Swiss Confederation (Latin: Confoederatio Helvetica, hence its abbreviation CH), is a federal parliamentary republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western and Central Europe,[note 4] where it is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to the south, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east.
Switzerland is a landlocked country geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning an area of 41,285 km2 (15,940 sq mi). While the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the Swiss population of approximately 8 million people is concentrated mostly on the Plateau, where the largest cities are to be found. Among them are the two global cities and economic centres – Zürich and Geneva.
La fin de Suburbia: L’épuisement des réserves de pétrole et l’effondrement du rêve américain
Oil, smoke & mirrors - sous-titré français Video
wiki.les-verts.infini.fr/index.php/Accueil
Pierre Gevaert, le célèbre fondateur du groupe d'alimentation biologique belge "Lima" (à présent racheté par des Canadiens), fondateur de plusieurs éco-villages en France, et d'une école d'éco-agriculture au Sénégal, vient partager l'expérience de 80 années de vie, les écueils du retour au monde rural mal préparé, etc. Conférence Nature & Progrès, Marche-en-Famenne jeudi 10 avril 2008 Video
Entretien avec Jean Laherrère, fondateur d'ASPO Video
www.wolfatthedoor.org.uk/francais
Nous mangeons du pétrole by Dale Allen Pfeiffer texte original sur le site http://www.fromthewilderness.com/ (FTW)
(Sur le même thème voir aussi le texte en anglais Why Our Food is So Dependent on Oil de Norman Church)
© Copyright 2004, From The Wilderness Publications, www.copvcia.com. All Rights Reserved. May be reprinted, distributed or posted on an Internet web site for non-profit purposes only.
Note de l'éditeur (Michael C. Ruppert) Il y a quelques mois, interpellé par un rapport réalisé par le Professeur Kenneth Deffeyes de Princeton concernant son travail sur l'impact du pic de pétrole (Peak Oil) sur la production d'engrais, j'ai demandé à l'éditeur responsable de la section énergie de FTW, Dale Allen Pfeiffer d'étudier ce que produira la diminution de gaz naturel sur les coûts de production des engrais. Ses recherches le menèrent à étudier la production globale de nourriture aux USA et, puisque les USA et le Canada nourissent une partie du monde, les réponses ont une porté globale.
Ce qui suit est probablement l'article le plus effrayant que j'ai lu et la contribution la plus alarmante que FTW ait jamais publiée. Même si l'on a vu CNN, Britain's Independent ou Jane's Defence Weekly reconnaitre la réalité du pic de pétrole (Peak Oil and Gas) ces dernières semaines, admettant que les réserves mondiales de pétrole et de gaz sont inférieures de 80% à celles estimées, nous voyons le peu de réflexions consacrées à prévoir ces crises à venir ; au moins en terme de réflexions accessibles au public.
L'article qui suit est si sérieux dans ses implications que j'ai pris l'inhabituelle initiative de souligner certains points clés. J'ai fais cela avec l'intention que le lecteur considère chaque passage souligné comme un fait séparé incroyablement important. Chacun de ces faits doit être lu et digéré séparément pour assimiler son importance. Je me suis trouvé lisant un fait, me levant et marchant de long en large jusqu'à pouvoir revenir continuer (in)confortablement à lire la suite.
Tout ce que rapporte les recherches de Dale Allen Pfeiffer confirme les pires doutes de FTW à propos des conséquences du pic de pétrole, et pose de sérieuses questions sur ce qu'il faut faire après. La moindre n'est pas pourquoi, au cours d'une année d'élection présidentielle (aux USA) aucun des candidats n'a reconnu le problème. Aujourd'hui, il est clair que les réponses à ces questions, sans doute les plus importantes auxquelles l'humanité doit faire face, doivent nécessairement être trouvées par des individus et des collectivités privées, indépendamment d'aide gouvernementale. Savoir si la recherche de réponse débute maintenant, ou bien lorsque la crise deviendra inévitable, ne dépend que de nous. - MCR
3 octobre 2003, 1200 PDT, (FTW) -- Les humains (comme tous les autres animaux) tirent leur énergie de la nourriture qu'ils mangent. Jusqu'au siècle dernier, toute l'énergie de la nourriture disponible sur cette planète était dérivée de l'énergie solaire par photosynthèse. Soit vous mangiez des plantes soit vous mangiez des animaux qui se nourrissaient de plantes, mais l'énergie provenait finalement du soleil.
Il aurait été absurde de penser qu'un jour nous manquerions d'ensoleillement. Non, l'ensoleillement était une ressource abondante, renouvelable et le processus de photosynthèse nourrissait toute vie sur la planète. Il plaçait également une limite sur la quantité de nourriture qui pouvait être produite à chaque instant, et ainsi limiter la croissance de la population. L'énergie solaire a un flux limité sur la planète. Pour augmenter votre production de nourriture, il fallait augmenter la surface cultivable et déplacer vos concurrents. Il n'y avait pas d'autres moyens pour augmenter l'énergie disponible pour la production de nourriture. La population humaine crût en déplaçant tout et en s'appropriant de plus en plus de l'énergie solaire.
Le besoin d'augmenter la production agricole est l'une des causes qui motiva la plupart des guerres, associé à l'accroissement des besoins énergétiques (et la production agricole est vraiment une partie essentielle des besoins énergétiques.) Quand les Européens ne purent plus étendre leur surfaces agricoles, ils commencèrent à conquérir le monde. Les explorateurs furent suivis des conquérants, puis des commerçants et des colons. Les raisons annoncées de l'expansion pouvait être le commerce, l'avarice, l'empire ou simplement la curiosité, mais à l'origine, tout était question d'augmentation de la productivité agricole. Où que les explorateurs et conquérants voyagèrent, ils ont pu ramener des butins, mais ont laissé des plantations. Ensuite, les colons travaillent à rendre la terre cultivable pour y établir leur propre ferme. Ces conquêtes ont duré tant qu'il y avait des terres pour s'étendre. Jusqu'à aujourd'hui, les propriétaires terriens et les fermiers luttent et réclament plus de terres pour la production agricole, mais ils se battent pour des restes. Aujourd'hui, virtuellement toutes les terres productives de cette planète sont exploitées pour l'agriculture. Ce qui reste inutilisé est trop escarpé, trop humide, trop sec ou sur un sol trop pauvre en nutriment.1
Au moment où la production agricole ne peut plus s'étendre par accroissement de la surface, de nouvelles innovations rendent possible une meilleure productivité des terres disponibles. Le processus de déplacement des "nuisibles" et d'appropriation pour l'agriculture, accéléré par la révolution industrielle et la mécanisation de l'agriculture, a accéléré le nettoyage et le labourage de la terre et augmenté la taille des exploitations qui pouvaient être tenues par une seule personne. A chaque accroissement de la production agricole, la population humaine augmentait aussi.
A présent, les humains se sont approprié environ 40% des capacités de photosynthèse de toutes les terres.2 Aux USA, c'est plus de la moitié de l'énergie capturée par photosynthèse.3 Nous nous sommes approprié la meilleure moitié de la planète. Le reste de la nature est forcé de faire avec ce qui reste. Ceci est le premier facteur d'extinction des espèces et du stress de l'écosystème.
La Révolution Verte
Dans les années 1950 et 1960, l'agriculture a subit une transformation radicale souvent appelée la Révolution Verte. La révolution verte est le résultat de l'industrialisation de l'agriculture. Une partie des avancées provint de nouvelles plantes hybrides, donnant des récoltes bien plus productives. Entre 1950 et 1984, alors que la révolution verte transformait l'agriculture dans le monde entier, la production de semence mondiale crût de 250%.4 C'est un accroissement considérable de la quantité de nourriture disponible pour la consommation humaine. Cet accroissement d'énergie ne provenait pas d'une augmentation de l'ensoleillement, ni de l'apparition de nouveaux horizons de terres agricoles. L'énergie de la révolution verte provenait des énergies fossiles sous la forme d'engrais (gaz naturel), de pesticides (pétrole) et d'irrigation motorisée.
La Révolution Verte a accru la quantité d'énergie consommé par l'agriculture de 50 fois en moyenne par rapport à l'agriculture traditionnelle.5 Dans les cas les plus extrêmes, la consommation d'énergie de l'agriculture a été multipliée par 100 ou plus. 6
Aux USA, 730 kg d'équivalent pétrole (400 gallons) sont dépensés par an pour nourrir chaque Américain (données de 1994). 7 La consommation d'énergie pour l'agriculture se répartie comme suit :
31% pour la fabrication d'engrais non organique
19% pour les engins agricoles
16% pour le transport
13% pour l'irrigation
08% pour élever le bétail (sans sa nourriture)
05% pour l'assèchement des récoltes
05% pour la production de pesticide
08% divers8
Les coûts énergétiques pour emballer, refroidir, transporter vers les revendeurs finals et cuisiner ne sont pas pris en compte dans ces chiffres.
Pour donner une idée au lecteur du besoin en énergie de l'agriculture moderne, la production d'un kg d'azote pour les engrais requiert l'énergie équivalente de 1,4 à 1,8 litres de diesel. Sans considérer le gaz naturel de base.9 Selon le Fertilizer Institute (http://www.tfi.org/), du 30 juin 2001 au 30 juin 2002 les USA ont utilisés 12 009 300 tonnes d'engrais azoté.10 En utilisant le chiffre bas de 1,4 litres de diesel équivalent par kilogramme d'azote, ceci correspond à l'énergie contenue dans 15,3 milliards de litres de diesel, soit 96,2 millions de barils.
Bien sûr, ceci n'est qu'une comparaison grossière pour aider à comprendre les besoins d'énergie de l'agriculture moderne.
Dans un sens littéral, nous pouvons dire que nous mangeons du pétrole. Cependant, à cause des lois de la thermodynamique, il n'y a pas de correspondance directe entre l'énergie consommée et l'énergie produire par l'agriculture. Tout au long du processus, il y a une perte d'énergie. Entre 1945 et 1994, l'énergie utilisée par l'agriculture a été multipliée par 4 tandis que les récoltes ont été multipliées par 3.11 Depuis lors, l'énergie consommée n'a cessé d'augmenter sans augmentation correspondante des récoltes. Nous avons atteint le point des retours marginaux décroissants. A cause de la dégradation des sols, de la demande croissante de gestion des nuisibles et des coûts pour l'irrigation (qui sont détaillés ci-dessous), l'agriculture moderne doit continuer d'augmenter ses dépenses énergétiques simplement pour maintenir sa production actuelle. La révolution verte va à la faillite.
Les coûts du pétrole fossile
L'énergie solaire est une ressource renouvelable limitée seulement par le flux de lumière du soleil vers la terre. Le pétrole fossile, au contraire, est une ressource stockée qui peut être utilisée à un taux presque sans limite. Cependant, à échelle de temps humaine, le pétrole fossile est non renouvelable. Il représente un stock d'énergie planétaire dans lequel nous pouvons piocher au rythme que nous voulons, mais qu'on finira par épuiser sans renouvellement. La Révolution Verte exploite ce dépôt d'énergie pour améliorer la production agricole.
Le total de pétrole fossile utilisé par les USA a été multiplié par 20 dans les 40 dernières années. Aux USA, nous consommons 20 à 30 fois plus d'énergie issue de pétrole fossile par personne que dans les nations en développement. L'agriculture compte directement pour 17% de toute l'énergie utilisée dans ce pays.12 En 1990, nous utilisions approximativement 1000 litres (6,41 barils) de pétrole pour produire de la nourriture avec un hectare de terre.13
En 1994, David Pimentel et Mario Giampietro estimaient que le rapport produits/intrants de l'agriculture était environ 1,4. 14 Pour 0,7 kcal d'énergie fossile consommée, l'agriculture des USA produisait 1 kcal de nourriture. Le chiffre d'entrée de ce ratio était basé sur des statistiques de la FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization des Nations Unies) qui ne considère que les engrais (sans inclure la matière de base des engrais), l'irrigation, les pesticides (sans inclure la matière de base des pesticides), et les engins agricoles et leur carburant. Les autres énergies en entrée de l'agriculture qui ne sont pas considérées étaient l'énergie et les machines pour assécher les récoltes, le transport des intrants et des produits de et vers la ferme, l'électricité, et la construction et l'entretien des bâtiments et infrastructures. Ajouter dans les estimations ces coûts énergétiques conduisent le ration produits/intrants vers une valeur proche de 1.15 Ceci n'inclut pas non plus les dépenses d'énergie de l'emballage, du transport vers les détaillants, le refroidissement ou la cuisson finale.
Dans un rapport ultérieur de la même année (1994), Giampietro et Pimentel réussirent à construire un ratio plus précis de l'utilisation de l'énergie fossile dans l'agriculture.16 Dans cette étude, les auteurs définirent deux types d'énergie en entrée : l'énergie endosomatique et l'énergie exosomatique. L'énergie endosomatique est générée par la transformation métabolique de l'énergie de la nourriture en énergie musculaire dans le corps humain. L'énergie exosomatique est générée par la transformation de l'énergie en dehors du corps humain, comme brûler du pétrole dans un tracteur. Cette donnée permet aux auteurs de se concentrer sur les entrées de fuel fossile uniquement et de son ratio par rapport aux autres entrées.
Avant la révolution industrielle, virtuellement 100% des énergies endomatiques et exosomatiques étaient d'origine solaire. Le pétrole fossile représente maintenant 90% de l'énergie exosomatique utilisée aux USA et dans les autres pays développés.17 La ratio typique exo/endo des sociétés pré-industrielles, basées sur le soleil, est environ de 4 pour 1. Le ratio a décuplé dans les pays développés, passant à 40 pour 1. Aux USA, il est supérieur à 90 pour 1.18 La nature de la manière dont on utilise l'énergie endosomatique a évolué de la même manière.
La grande majorité de l'énergie endosomatique n'est plus dépensée pour produire de la puissance dans les processus économiques. La majorité de l'énergie endosomatique est maintenant utilisée pour générer le flux d'information dirigeant le flux d'énergie exosomatique pour conduire les machines. En considérant le ration de 90/1 aux USA, chaque kcal d'énergie endosomatique dépensée aux USA induit la circulation de 90 kcal d'énergie exosomatique. Par exemple, un petit moteur à essence peut convertir les 38000 kcal d'un gallon (3,785 litres) d'essence en 8,8 kWh (kilowatt heure), ce qui équivaut à environ 3 semaines de travail pour un humain.19
Dans leur étude plus précise, Giampietro et Pimentel trouvèrent que 10 kcal d'énergie exosomatique étaient requises pour produire et fournir 1 kcal de nourriture au consommateur Américain. Ceci inclut l'emballage et toutes les dépenses de livraison, mais exclut la cuisson. 20 Le système d'alimentation Américain consomme 10 fois plus d'énergie qu'il produit en nourriture. Cette asymétrie repose sur les stocks de pétrole fossile non renouvelable.
Avec une hypothèse de 2500 kcal par personne pour une ration quotidienne aux USA, le ratio de 10/1 se traduit en un coût de 35000 kcal d'énergie exosomatique par personne et par jour. Cependant, considérant que le retour moyen d'une heure de travail endosomatique aux USA est d'environ 100000 kcal d'énergie exosomatique, le flux d'énergie exosomatique réquis pour fournir la ration quotidienne est atteint en seulement 20 minutes de travail dans notre système actuel. Malheureusement, si l'on supprime l'énergie fossile de l'équation, la ration quotidienne requiert 111 h de travail endosomatique par personne ; c'est-à-dire, qu'il faudrait près de 3 semaines de travail par personne pour produire la ration quotidienne américaine.
Assez simplement, quand la production de pétrole commencera à diminuer dans les années à venir, il y aura moins d'énergie disponible pour produire de la nourriture.
Sol, terre arable et eau
L'agriculture intensive moderne n'est pas durable. L'agriculture améliorée technologiquement augmente l'érosion du sol, pollue et surconsomme les eaux souterraines et de surface, et même (essentiellement à cause de l'usage des pesticides) provoque de sérieux problèmes d'environnement et de santé publique. L'érosion du sol, les terres surexploitées et les ressources en eau surutilisées conduisent à leur tour à une encore plus grande utilisation des hydrocarbures. On utilise plus d'engrais à base d'hydrocarbure, ainsi que plus de pesticide ; l'irrigation par pompage consomme aussi plus d'énergie ; et les pétroles fossiles sont utilisés pour traiter l'eau polluée.
Il faut 500 ans pour remplacer 2,56 cm de terre arable.21 En environnement naturel, la reconstitution de la terre se fait par décomposition des matières végétales, protégée de l'érosion par les plantes qui apparaissent. Dans les sols fragilisés par l'agriculture l'érosion réduit la productivité de 65% tous les ans.22 Les prairies, qui constitue l'essentiel des terres aux USA, ont perdu la moitié de la couche arable après environ 100 ans d'exploitation fermière. Ce sol s'érode 30 fois plus vite qu'il ne se forme.23 Les récoltes sont bien plus gourmandes que l'herbe qui couvrait les Grandes Plaines. En conséquence, la terre arable restante est de plus en plus pauvre en nutriments. L'érosion du sol et l'appauvrissement en minéraux coute environ 20 milliards de dollars en nutriments à l'agriculture américaine chaque année.24 Le sol de la Grande Plaine est maintenant en grande partie comme une éponge qu'il faut alimenter en engrais carbonés pour pouvoir produire les récoltes.
Chaque année aux USA, plus de 800 000 ha de terre agricole sont perdues à cause de l'érosion, du sel ou du (water logging ?). De plus, l'urbanisation, la construction de route et les besoins industriels requièrent annuellement 400 000 ha de terre.24 Approximativement 3/4 des terres aux USA sont dédiées à l'agriculture et à l'exploitation forestière.25 L'expansion de la population humaine ajoute une pression croissante sur les disponibilité de terre. En conséquence, seulement une petite partie de la surface des USA reste disponible pour les technologies d'énergies solaires nécessaires à une économie basée sur l'énergie solaire. La surface pour exploiter la biomasse est également limitée. Pour cette raison, le développement du solaire et de la biomasse doit se faire au détriment de l'agriculture.
L'agriculture moderne contraint également nos ressources en eau. L'agriculture consomme 85% de toutes les ressources américaines en eau douce.26 De nombreuses ressources d'eau de surface sont surexploitées, particulièrement à l'ouest et au sud. L'exemple typique est la rivière Colorado, qui est détourné goutte après goutte avant qu'il n'atteigne le Pacifique. L'eau de surface ne représente que 60% de l'eau utilisée pour l'irrigation. Le reste, et par endroit la majorité de l'irrigation, vient de nappes phréatiques. Les nappes phréatiques se remplissent doucement par percolation de l'eau de pluie au travers de la croûte terrestre. Moins de 0,1% de l'eau souterraine stockée et puisée par an est remplacé par la pluie.27 La grande nappe Ogallala qui fournit l'eau pour l'agriculture, l'industrie et les foyers des états du sud et du centre des USA est exploité à 160% de son taux de rechargement. La nappe d'Ogallala deviendra improductive d'ici quelques dizaines d'années.28
Nous pouvons illustrer la demande que place l'agriculture moderne sur les ressources en eau en regardant un champs de maïs. Une récolte de maïs qui produit 118 boisseaux/acre/an (104 quintaux/hectare/an) requiert plus de 500.000 gallons/acre d'eau (4.731 mètres cubes/hectare) pendant la croissance. La production d'un kilo de maïs requiert 1.400 litres d'eau.29 A moins de faire quelque chose pour réduire cette consommation, l'agriculture moderne va propulser les USA dans une crise de l'eau.
Ces vingts dernières années, l'utilisation de pesticide aux USA a été multiplié par 33, et chaque année, il y a plus de pertes dues aux parasites.30 C'est le résultat de l'abandon de la pratique traditionnelle de rotation des cultures. Près de 50% des surfaces de maïs américain est dédiée uniquement à la monoculture du maïs.31 Cela provoque une augmentation des parasites du maïs, qui à son tour déclenche l'utilisation de plus de pesticides. L'utilisation des pesticides sur les récoltes de maïs a été multipliée par 1000 même avant l'introduction de maïs résistant aux pesticides par génie génétique. Et cependant, les pertes de maïs ont tout de même été multipliée par 4.32
L'agriculture moderne n'est pas durable. Elle abîme la terre, en drainant les ressources en eau et polluant l'environnement. Et ceci requiert de plus en plus de pétrole fossile pour pomper l'eau pour irriguer, pour remplacer les nutriments, pour protéger des parasites, pour compenser l'environnement et simplement maintenir le niveau de production constant. Pourtant cette entrée nécessaire de combustible fossile va devoir affronter la diminution de la production de combustible fossile.
La consommation des USA
Aux USA, chaque personne consomme une moyenne de 987 kg de nourriture par an. Cela fournit au consommateur américain une moyenne d'apport quotidien d'énergie de 3600 kcal. La moyenne mondiale est de 2700 kcal par jour.33 Aux USA, 19% des apports en calorie proviennent directement des fast food. Les fast food participent pour 34% à la consommation totale de nourriture des citoyens américains. Le citoyen moyen mange en dehors de chez lui une fois sur quatre.34
Un tiers des apports caloriques des américains moyens provient de sources animales (y compris les produits laitiers), pour un total de 363 kg par personne et par an. Ce régime signifie que les citoyens américains dérivent 40% de leurs calories de graisse - près de la moitié de leur régime.35
Les Américains sont également de gros consommateurs d'eau. Il y a 10 ans, les Américains consommaient 4589 litres/jour/personne (l/j/p), la plus grande part utilisée pour l'agriculture. En tenant compte de l'augmentation de population prévue, la consommation d'ici 2050 est estimée à 2650 l/j/p, que les hydrologistes considèrent comme minimaux pour les besoins humains.36 C'est sans compter sur le déclin de la production de carburant fossile.
Pour fournir toute cette nourriture, il faut 600 000 tonnes de pesticide par an en Amérique du Nord. C'est plus d'un cinquième du total mondial des pesticides utilisés, estimé à 2,5 millions de tonnes.37 Au niveau mondial, on utilise plus d'engrais azoté par an que la nature ne peut en produire. De même, l'eau est pompée des nappes phréatiques à rythme supérieur à celui qu'elles ne se remplissent. Les stocks de minerais importants comme le phosphore ou le potassium s'approchent rapidement de l'épuisement.38
Le total d'énergie consommée par les USA est trois fois le montant de l'énergie solaire collectée sous forme de produits forestiers ou de récoltes. Les USA consomment annuellement 40% plus d'énergie que le montant total d'énergie solaire capturée en un an par toute la biomasse des USA. L'Amérique du Nord utilise par habitant cinq fois plus de carburant fossile que la moyenne mondiale.39
Notre prospérité est construite sur le principe d'épuisement le plus rapide possible des ressources mondiales, sans considération pour nos voisins, les autres formes de vie de la planète, ou nos enfants.
Population et développement durable
En considérant un taux d'accroissement de 1,1% par an, la population des USA devrait doubler d'ici 2050. Comme la population croît, environ 0,4 ha de terre sera perdu pour chaque nouvelle personne ajoutée à la population des USA. A ce jour, il y a 0,73 ha de terre cultivable pour chaque citoyen américain. D'ici 2050, ceci devrait passer à 0,24 ha. Pour maintenir les rations standards il faut 0,48 ha par personne.40
Aujourd'hui, seules deux nations dans le monde sont des exportateurs majeurs de grain : les USA et le Canada.41 D'ici 2025, il est prévu que les USA cessent d'être un exportateur de nourriture à cause de la demande intérieure. L'impact sur l'économie américaine pourrait être désastreuse, puisque les exportations de nourriture rapportent 40 milliards de dollars annuellement aux USA. Plus important, des millions de gens pourraient mourir de faim dans le monde sans les exportations de nourriture américaines.42
Aux USA, 34,6 millions de gens vivent dans la pauvreté selon des données du recensement 2002.43 Ce nombre continue d'augmenter à un rythme alarmant. Trop de ces gens n'ont pas de ration quotidienne suffisante. Comme la situation s'aggrave, ce nombre augmentera et les USA seront témoin d'un nombre de plus en plus important de morts de famine.
Il y a plusieurs choses que nous pouvons faire pour alléger cette tragédie. On pourrait améliorer l'agriculture pour qu'elle se débarrasse des pertes, gaspillages et mauvaise gestion pour réduire la consommation d'énergie dédiée à la production de nourriture de moitié.35 On pourrait utiliser les engrais issus du bétail qui sont gaspillés pour remplacer les engrais basés sur le pétrole. On estime que les engrais issus du bétail contiennent 5 fois la quantité d'engrais utilisé chaque année.36 Le plus efficace serait peut-être de supprimer la viande de nos repas.37
Mario Giampietro et David Pimentel estiment qu'il serait possible d'avoir un système d'alimentation durable si quatre conditions étaient réalisées :
1. Des technologies agricoles environnementalement saines doivent être mises en place.
2. Des énergies renouvelables doivent être utilisées.
3. Des augmentations majeures de l'efficacité énergétique doivent réduire la consommation d'énergie exosomatique par personne.
4. La taille et la consommation de la population doivent être compatibles avec le maintient de la stabilité des processus environnementaux.
Si les trois premières conditions sont réalisées, avec une réduction de moins de la moitié de consommation d'énergie exosomatique par personne, les auteurs estiment à 200 millions la population maximale dans une économie durable.39 Plusieurs autres études ont produit des chiffres de cet ordre(Energy and Population, Werbos, Paul J. http://www.dieoff.com/page63.htm; Impact of Population Growth on Food Supplies and Environment, Pimentel, David, et al. http://www.dieoff.com/page57.htm).
Sachant que la population des USA actuelle est de 292 millions, 40 cela signifie une diminution de 92 millions. Pour réaliser une économie durable et éviter un désastre, les USA doivent réduire leur population d'au moins un tiers. La peste noire du XIVe siècle tua environ un tiers de la population européenne (et plus de la moitié de la population Asiatique et Indienne), plongeant le continent dans une période difficile dont il fallut près de deux siècles pour sortir.41
Aucune de ces études ne considère l'impact de la baisse de la production de pétrole. Les auteurs de toutes ces études croient que la crise de l'agriculture ne commencera à avoir un impact qu'après 2020, et ne deviendra pas critique avant 2050. Le pic actuel de production de pétrole (et le déclin qui va suivre), associé au pic de production du gaz naturel d'Amérique du Nord va très vraissemblablement provoquer cette crise de l'agriculture plus tôt que prévu. Il est fort probable qu'une réduction d'un tiers de la population des USA ne sera pas très efficace pour la durabilité ; la réduction nécessaire pourrait dépasser la moitié. Au niveau mondial, la durabilité ne pourrait être atteinte qu'après une réduction de la population de 6,32 milliards d'habitants42 à 2 milliards - une réduction de 68% ou plus des deux-tiers. La fin de cette décennie pourrait voir des prix de la nourriture se développer sans contrôle. La décennie suivante pourrait voir apparaître des famines à niveau jamais subit par la race humaine.
Trois choix
Considérant l'absolue nécessité de la réduction de population, il y a trois choix évidents devant nous.
Nous pouvons, comme une société devenue consciente de ses options faire lucidement le choix de ne plus augmenter notre population. C'est la solution la plus raisonnable des trois options : choir volontairement et librement de réduire de manière responsable la population. Cependant, cela heurte notre impératif biologique de procréation. C'est aussi compliqué par la capacité de la médecine moderne d'étendre notre longévité, et par le refus des Religions d'accepter des règles de gestion de la population. Et puis, il y a aussi un fort lobby pour maintenir un niveau élevé d'immigration pour maintenir bas le coût du travail. Bien que ce soit probablement notre meilleur choix, il y a peu de chance qu'il soit retenu.
Si l'on n'arrive pas à diminuer volontairement notre population, on peut forcer des réductions dans la population à travers des règlements gouvernementaux. Est-il nécessaire de préciser à quel point cette option peut être désastreuse ? Combien d'entre nous choisiraient de vivre dans un monde de stérilisation forcée et de quotas de population maintenus par des lois ? Avec quelle facilité ceci pourrait mener à un sélection de la population utilisant des principes d'eugénisme ?
Reste le troisième choix, qui, à lui seul, présente une indicible image de souffrance et de mort. Si nous devions échouer à reconnaître cette crise à venir et décider de la gérer, nous ferions face à une décroissance dont la civilisation ne se remettra peut-être jamais. Nous perdrions probablement plus que le nécessaire pour assurer la durabilité. Avec ce scénario de décroissance, les conditions se détérioreraient tellement que les survivants seraient une fraction négligeable de la population actuelle. Ces survivants vivraient dans le souvenir de la mort de leur civilisation, leurs voisins, leurs amis et leurs familles. Ces survivants auront vu leur monde s'effrondrer.
Les questions que nous devons nous poser maintenant sont, comment peut-on laisser cela se produire, et que peut-on faire pour l'empêcher ? Notre façon de vivre actuelle signifie-t-elle tant que nous nous placions nous même et nos enfants devant cette tragédie approchant rapidement pour quelques années de consommation de plus ?
Note de l'auteur
C'est probablement l'article le plus important que j'ai écris à ce jour. C'est certainement le plus effrayant, et la conclusion est la plus triste que j'ai jamais écrite. Cette article va probablement déranger le lecteur ; il m'a sans aucun doute perturbé. Pourtant, il est important pour notre futur que cet article soit lu, compris et discuté.
Je suis par nature positif et optimiste. En dépit de cet article, je continue à croire que nous trouverons une solution positive aux multiples crises qui nous font face. Bien que cet article puisse provoquer de nombreux courriels haineux, c'est un simple rapport factuel de données et de la conclusion évidente qui en découle.
---
Notes
1 Availability of agricultural land for crop and livestock production, Buringh, P. Food and Natural Resources, Pimentel. D. and Hall. C.W. (eds), Academic Press, 1989.
2 Human appropriation of the products of photosynthesis, Vitousek, P.M. et al. Bioscience 36, 1986. http://www.science.duq.edu/esm/unit2-3
3 Land, Energy and Water: the constraints governing Ideal US Population Size, Pimental, David and Pimentel, Marcia. Focus, Spring 1991. NPG Forum, 1990. http://www.dieoff.com/page136.htm
4 Constraints on the Expansion of Global Food Supply, Kindell, Henry H. and Pimentel, David. Ambio Vol. 23 No. 3, May 1994. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. http://www.dieoff.com/page36htm
5 The Tightening Conflict: Population, Energy Use, and the Ecology of Agriculture, Giampietro, Mario and Pimentel, David, 1994. http://www.dieoff.com/page69.htm
6 Op. Cit. See note 4.
7 Food, Land, Population and the U.S. Economy, Pimentel, David and Giampietro, Mario. Carrying Capacity Network, 11/21/1994. http://www.dieoff.com/page55.htm
8 Comparison of energy inputs for inorganic fertilizer and manure based corn production, McLaughlin, N.B., et al. Canadian Agricultural Engineering, Vol. 42, No. 1, 2000.
9 Ibid.
10 US Fertilizer Use Statistics. http://www.tfi.org/Statistics/USfertuse2.asp
11 Food, Land, Population and the U.S. Economy, Executive Summary, Pimentel, David and Giampietro, Mario. Carrying Capacity Network, 11/21/1994. Résumé, Rapport complet
12 Ibid.
13 Op. Cit. See note 3.
14 Op. Cit. See note 7.
15 Ibid.
16 Op. Cit. See note 5.
17 Ibid.
18 Ibid.
19 Ibid.
20 Ibid.
21 Op. Cit. See note 11.
22 Ibid.
23 Ibid.
24 Ibid.
25 Op Cit. See note 3.
26 Op Cit. See note 11.
27 Ibid.
28 Ibid.
29 Ibid.
30 Op. Cit. See note 3.
31 Op. Cit. See note 5.
32 Op. Cit. See note 3.
33 Op. Cit. See note 11.
34 Food Consumption and Access, Lynn Brantley, et al. Capital Area Food Bank, 6/1/2001. http://www.clagettfarm.org/purchasing.html
35 Op. Cit. See note 11.
36 Ibid.
37 Op. Cit. See note 5.
38 Ibid. 39 Ibid.
40 Op. Cit. See note 11.
41 Op. Cit. See note 4.
42 Op. Cit. See note 40
Thank you for comments, adding to fav's - and your time :-)
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Here is my first published work even though i did it as a freebie its great seeing your work on a web site !
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Here is the flickr set
View On Black - - - Explore #226 on july 22nd 2010
brandhorst museum munich, germany (2008)
Bad Bruise, Deep Peach and Ruben’s Flesh
The polychromatic facade appears similar to a large, abstract painting. It is constructed of several layers. A layer of horizontally folded bi-coloured sheet-metal skin with fine perforations absorbs the traffic noise. 36,000 ceramic rods, glazed in 23 different colours, are hung in front of this element. They are arranged in three colour families (“Bad Bruise”, “Deep Peach” and “Ruben’s Flesh”) in such a way that the building appears to consist of three interlocking volumes.
The surface of the building alters as the observer moves. At the scale of the façade as a whole, the layering of horizontal and vertical lines along with the contrast and merging of colours create a general impression of oscillation in the closed exterior walls of the building – almost of dematerialisation.
Design team:
project team:
David Wegener (project leader), Peter Apel, Rasmus Jörgensen, Mareike Lamm, Jürgen Bartenschlag, Philip Engelbrecht, Andrea Frensch, Michaela Kunze
You are looking at the Bridal Veil Falls of the American (Niagara) Falls on the extreme right of this photo..This is the beauty of the American Falls as I saw it on Sunday. I'm happy with the sensor in this new little sony of mine ;) I hope you enjoy this wintery scenic view of Niagara Falls...USA. Each and every time we go I see the beauty no matter what the weather conditions. I like the sensor on this new little sony ;) camera.
Niagara Falls is Romantic, 'kitschy' and fun!!
"•The Falls at Niagara are about 12,000 years old
•Falls were formed when melting glaciers formed massive fresh-water lakes (the Great Lakes) one of which (Lake Erie) ran downhill toward another (Lake Ontario). The rushing waters carved out a river in their descent and at one point passed over a steep cliff like formation (the Niagara escarpment). From the original falls going over the Niagara Escarpment, the water began to wear its way back up the river. The path that it left is known today as the Niagara Gorge (a deeply-cut and very scenic river path).
•The word Niagara comes from the word "onguiaahra" which means "a thundering noise".
•An "Old Scow" (a steel barge) remains stranded a few hundred meters above the Falls and has been marooned there since August 6, 1918 when a near tragedy was averted by three men who opened the dumping hatches of the barge to let water in and ground the out-of control boat.
•Water that flows over the Falls at Niagara ultimately ends up in Lake Ontario - from there, water drains by way of the St. Lawrence River in to the Atlantic Ocean.
•One of the bloodiest battles of the War of 1812 took place on July 25, 1814 at Lundy's Lane in Niagara Falls, Ontario... A total of 7500 Americans and Canadians fought for six hours. At the end, 1,000 soldiers lay dead or wounded."
Best viewed LARGE.
[fr]: Une vieille maison médiévale de Paris, France
[image info]: HDR from 5 exposures - Sigma 10-20mm@10mm - EXIF from -2ev
[Level of Retouching]: 30% (HDR processing, levels, local curves) - total processing time: 30 minutes
enjoy BIGGER On Black | more of the set Paris.
See my most interesting pictures here or take some time to view the slideshow
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Model: Saga Siamese
Photographer: Justin Bonaparte
Better- View On Black
Annual Honesty (Lunaria annua) is a tall (height about 1 m), hairy-stemmed biennial plant native to the Balkans and south west Asia, and naturalized throughout Europe, North America, and parts of Asia. It has large, pointed oval leaves with marked serrations. The common name "Honesty" arose in the 16th century, and it may be due to the translucent seed-pods which are like flattened pea-pods and borne on the plant through winter. In South-East Asia and elsewhere, it is called the Money Plant, because its seed pods have the appearance of silver coins. In the United States it may also be known as "Silver Dollars," also because of the seed pods. In Denmark it is known as Judaspenge and in The Netherlands as Judaspenning (coins of Judas), an allusion to the story of Judas Iscariot and the thirty pieces of silver he was paid.
.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunaria_annua
Love this butterfly plant and these flowers reminded me of the shape of a butterfly in flight!
Have a wonderful Saturday!
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Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi
Following, a text, in english, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
The Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi or "Fountain of the Four Rivers" is a fountain in Rome, Italy, located in the Piazza Navona. Designed by Gianlorenzo Bernini, it is emblematic of the dynamic and dramatic effects sought by High Baroque artists. It was erected in 1651 in front of the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone, and yards from the Pamphilj Palace belonging to this fountain's patron, Innocent X (1644-1655).
The four gods on the corners of the fountain represent the four major rivers of the world known at the time: the Nile, Danube, Ganges, and Plate. The design of each god figure has symbolic importance.
Design
Bernini's design was selected in competition. The circumstances of his victory are described as follows:
So strong was the sinister influence of the rivals of Bernini on the mind of Innocent that when he planned to set up in Piazza Navona the great obelisk brought to Rome by the Emperor Caracalla, which had been buried for a long time at Capo di Bove for the adornment of a magnificent fountain, the Pope had designs made by the leading architects of Rome without an order for one to Bernini. Prince Niccolò Ludovisi, whose wife was niece to the pope, persuaded Bernini to prepare a model, and arrange for it to be secretly installed in a room in the Palazzo Pamphili that the Pope had to pass. When the meal was finished, seeing such a noble creation, he stopped almost in ecstasy. Being prince of the keenest judgment and the loftiest ideas, after admiring it, said: “This is a trick … It will be necessary to employ Bernini in spite of those who do not wish it, for he who desires not to use Bernini’s designs, must take care not to see them.”
Paraphrase from Filippo Baldinucci, The life of Cavaliere Bernini (1682)
Public fountains in Rome served multiple purposes: first, they were highly needed sources of water for neighbors in the centuries prior to home plumbing. Second, they were monuments to the papal patrons. Earlier Bernini fountains had been the Fountain of the Triton in Piazza Barberini, the fountain of the Moor in the southern end of Piazza Navona erected during the Barberini papacy, and the Neptune and Triton for Villa Montalto, whose statuary now resides at Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Each has animals and plants that further carry forth the identification, and each carries a certain number of allegories and metaphors with it. The Ganges carries a long oar, representing the river's navigability. The Nile's head is draped with a loose piece of cloth, meaning that no one at that time knew exactly where the Nile's source was. The Danube touches the Papal coat of arms, since it is the large river closest to Rome. And the Río de la Plata is sitting on a pile of coins, a symbol of the riches America could offer to Europe (the word plata means silver in Spanish). Also, the Río de la Plata looks scared by a snake, showing rich men's fear that their money could be stolen. Each is a river god, semi-prostrate, in awe of the central tower, epitomized by the slender Egyptian obelisk (built for the Roman Serapeum in AD 81), symbolizing by Papal power surmounted by the Pamphili symbol (dove). In addition, the fountain is a theater in the round, a spectacle of action, that can be strolled around. Water flows and splashes from a jagged and pierced mountainous disorder of travertine marble. A legend, common with tour-guides, is that Bernini positioned the cowering Rio de la Plata River as if the sculpture was fearing the facade of the church of Sant'Agnese by his rival Borromini could crumble against him; in fact, the fountain was completed several years before Borromini began work on the church.
The dynamic fusion of architecture and sculpture made this fountain revolutionary when compared to prior Roman projects, such as the stilted designs Acqua Felice and Paola by Fontana in Piazza San Bernardo (1585-87) or the customary embellished geometric floral-shaped basin below a jet of water such as the Fontanina in Piazza Campitelli (1589) by Giacomo della Porta.
Unveiling
he Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi was unveiled to the populace of Rome on 12 June 1651. According to a report from the time, an event was organised to draw people to the Piazza Navona. Beforehand, wooden scaffolding, overlaid with curtains, had hidden the fountain, though probably not the obelisk, which would have given people an idea that something was being built, but the precise details were unknown. Once unveiled, the full majesty of the fountain would be apparent, which the celebrations were designed to advertise. The festival was paid for by the Pamphili family, to be specific, Innocent X, who had sponsored the erection of the fountain. The most conspicuous item on the Pamphili crest, an olive branch, was brandished by the performers who took part in the event.
The author of the report, Antonio Bernal, takes his readers through the hours leading up to the unveiling. The celebrations were announced by a woman, dressed as the allegorical character of Fame, being paraded around the streets of Rome on a carriage or float. She was sumptuously dressed, with wings attached to her back and a long trumpet in her hand. Bernal notes that "she went gracefully through all the streets and all the districts that are found among the seven hills of Rome, often blowing the round bronze [the trumpet], and urging everyone to make their way to that famous Piazza." A second carriage followed her; this time another woman was dressed as the allegorical figure of Curiosity. According to the report, she continued exhorting the people to go towards the piazza. Bernal describes the clamour and noise of the people as they discussed the upcoming event.
The report is actually less detailed about the process of publicly unveiling the fountain. However, it does give ample descriptions of the responses of the spectators who had gathered in the Piazza. Once there, Bernal notes, the citizens of the city were overwhelmed by the massive fountain, with its huge life-like figures. The report mentions the "enraptured souls" of the population, the fountain, which "gushes out a wealth of silvery treasures" causing "no little wonder" in the onlookers. Bernal then continues to describe the fountain, making continuous reference to the seeming naturalism of the figures and its astonishing effect on those in the piazza.
The making of the fountain was met by opposition by the people of Rome for several reasons. First, Innocent X had the fountain built at public expense during the intense famine of 1646-48. Throughout the construction of the fountain, the city murmurred and talk of riot was in the air. Pasquinade writers protested the construction of the fountain in September 1648 by attaching hand-written invectives on the stone blocks used to make the obelisk. These pasquinades read, "We do not want Obelisks and Fountains, It is bread that we want. Bread, Bread, Bread!" Innocent quickly had the authors arrested, and disguised spies patrol the Pasquino statue and Piazza Navona
The streetvendors of the market also opposed the construction of the fountain, as Innocent X expelled them from the piazza. The Pamphilij pope believed they detracted from the magnificence of the square. The vendors refused to move, and the papal police had to chase them from the piazza. Roman Jews, in particular, lamented the closing of the Navona, since they were allowed to sell used articles of clothing there at the Wednesday market.
Navona Square (Piazza Navona).
Following, a text, in english, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Piazza Navona is a city square in Rome, Italy. It is built on the site of the Stadium of Domitian, built in first century AD, and follows the form of the open space of the stadium.[1] The ancient Romans came there to watch the agones ("games"), and hence it was known as 'Circus Agonalis' (competition arena). It is believed that over time the name changed to 'in agone' to 'navone' and eventually to 'navona'.
Defined as a public space in the last years of 15th century, when the city market was transferred to it from the Campidoglio, the Piazza Navona is a significant example of Baroque Roman architecture and art. It features sculptural and architectural creations: in the center stands the famous Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi or Fountain of the Four Rivers (1651) by Gian Lorenzo Bernini; the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone by Francesco Borromini and Girolamo Rainaldi; and the Pamphilj palace also by Rainaldi and which features the gallery frescoed by Pietro da Cortona.
The Piazza Navona has two additional fountains: at the southern end is the Fontana del Moro with a basin and four Tritons sculpted by Giacomo della Porta (1575) to which, in 1673, Bernini added a statue of a Moor, or African, wrestling with a dolphin, and at the northern end is the Fountain of Neptune (1574) created by Giacomo della Porta. The statue of Neptune in the northern fountain, the work of Antonio Della Bitta, was added in 1878 to make that fountain more symmetrical with La Fontana del Moro in the south.
At the southwest end of the piazza is the ancient 'speaking' statue of Pasquino. Erected in 1501, Romans could leave lampoons or derogatory social commentary attached to the statue.
During its history, the piazza has hosted theatrical events and other ephemeral activities. From 1652 until 1866, when the festival was suppressed, it was flooded on every Saturday and Sunday in August in elaborate celebrations of the Pamphilj family. The pavement level was raised in the 19th century and the market was moved again in 1869 to the nearby Campo de' Fiori. A Christmas market is held in the piazza.
Other monuments on the Piazza Navona are:
Stabilimenti Spagnoli
Palazzo de Cupis
Palazzo Torres Massimo Lancellotti
Church of Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore
Palazzo Braschi (Museo di Roma)
Sant'Agnese in Agone
Literature and films
The piazza is featured in Dan Brown's 2000 thriller Angels and Demons, in which the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi "The Fountain of the four rivers"(the Danube, the Gange, the Nile and the River Plate) is listed as one of the Altars of Science. During June 2008, Ron Howard directed several scenes of the film adaptation of Angels and Demons on the southern section of the Piazza Navona, featuring Tom Hanks.
The piazza is featured in several scenes of director Mike Nichols' 1970 adaptation of Joseph Heller's novel, Catch-22.
The Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi was used in the 1990 film Coins in the Fountain. The characters threw coins into the fountain as they made wishes. The Trevi Fountain was used in the 1954 version of the film.
A Fontana Dei Quattro Fiumi, é maior das três fontes, localizada no centro da praça. Na fonte dos rios, Bernini projetou quatro estátuas representando os rios dos quatro continentes: o Nilo, o Danúbio, o rio da Prata e o Ganges. As estátuas estão montadas sobre um obelisco egípcio, sendo circundadas por leões e outros animais fantásticos, tendo no cume uma pomba em bronze, símbolo da paz no mundo e da família Pamphili. Para realçar a rivalidade entre Bernini e Borromini, que fez a igreja de Santa Agnese, os romanos criaram uma lenda em torno da fonte dos rios, que fica em frente a esta igreja. Segundo os romanos, as estátuas duvidam da solidez do projeto de Borromini. A que retrata o rio da Prata, tem a mão erguida, a proteger o corpo do desabamento da igreja; a que retrata o Nilo, traz a cabeça coberta por um véu, a recusar a ver a obra de Borromini.
A seguir um texto, em português, da Wikipédia a Enciclopédia Livre:
Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi
Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fonte dos Quatro Rios), foi esculpida por Gian Lorenzo Bernini entre 1648 e 1651, artista do barroco italiano, foi concebida por uma ordem do Papa Inocencio X o Papa da familia Pamphili, cujo tinha sua casa nesta praça.
Esta localizada na Praça de Navona, em Roma. Ela representa os quatro principais continentes do mundo cortados por seus principais rios: Rio Nilo, na África; Rio Ganges, na Ásia, Rio da Prata, na América e o Rio Danúbio, na Europa.
A seguir, texto em português do site Wiki lingue:
A escultura da Fonte dos Quatro Rios, encontra-se na Piazza Navona de Roma (Itália) e foi criada e talhada pelo escultor e pintor Gian Lorenzo Bernini em 1651 baixo o papado de Inocencio X, em plena época barroca, durante o período mais prolífico do genial artista e cerca da que em outro tempo fué a Chiesa dei San Giacomo de gli Spagnoli
A fonte compõe-se de uma base formada de uma grande piscina elíptica, coroada em seu centro de uma grande mole de mármol, sobre a qual se eleva um obelisco egípcio de época romana, o obelisco de Domiciano .
As estátuas que compõem a fonte, têm umas dimensões maiores que na realidade e são alegorias dos quatro rios principais da Terra (Nilo, Ganges, Danubio, Rio da Prata), a cada um deles em um dos continentes conhecidos na época. Na fonte a cada um destes rios está representado por um gigante de mármol .
As árvores e as plantas que emergem da água e que se encontram entre as rochas, também estão em uma escala maior que na realidade. Os animais e vegetales, gerados de uma natureza boa e útil, pertencem a espécies grandes e potentes (como o leão, cavalo, cocodrilo, serpente, dragão, etc.). O espectador, girando em torno da fonte, descobre novas formas que dantes estavam escondidas ou cobertas pela massa rocosa. Com esta obra, Bernini quer suscitar admiração em quem olha-a, criando um pequeno universo em movimento a imitação do espaço da realidade natural.
A fonte foi submetida a restauração, um trabalho que se deu por concluído em dezembro de 2008. Constitui um dos palcos finque da novela e o filme Anjos e Demónios, à qual é arrojado um dos cardeais sequestrados, e Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) se lança à água para lhe salvar.
Os animais da fonte
A fonte apresenta figuras de sete animais, além de uma pequena pomba e o emblema dos Pamphili. Para poder observá-las basta com dar uma volta ao redor da fonte. As figuras são: um cavalo, uma serpente de terra (na parte mais alta, cerca do obelisco), uma serpente de mar, um delfín (que funciona também como desagüe), um cocodrilo, um leão e um dragão. Notar também a vegetación esculpida que parece real.
Praça Navona.
A seguir, um texto em português, da Wikipédia a Enciclopédia livre:
A Praça Navona (em italiano: Piazza Navona) é uma das mais célebres praças de Roma. A sua forma assemelha-se à dos antigos estádios da Roma Antiga, seguindo a planificação do Estádio de Domiciano (também denominado entre os italianos de Campomarzio, em virtude da natureza rude e esforçada dos exercícios - manejo de armas - e desportos atléticos que aí se realizavam). Albergaria até 20 mil espectadores sentados nas bancadas. A origem do nome deve-se ao nome pomposo que lhe foi dado ao tempo do Imperador Domiciano (imperador entre 81-96 d.c.): "Circo Agonístico" (do étimo grego Agonia, que significa precisamente - exercício, luta, combate). Actualmente o nome corresponde à corruptela da forma posterior in agone, depois nagone e finalmente navone, que por mero acaso significa também "grande navio" na língua italiana.
As casas que entretanto e com o passar dos anos foram sendo construídas sobre as bancadas, delimitariam e circunscreveriam até à actualidade o tão afamado Circo Agonístico.
A Navona passou de fato a caracterizar-se como praça nos últimos anos do século XV, quando o mercado da cidade foi transferido do Capitólio para aí. Foi remodelada para um estilo monumental por vontade do Papa Inocêncio X, da família Pamphili e é motivo de orgulho da cidade de Roma durante o período barroco. Sofreu intervenções de Gian Lorenzo Bernini (a famosa Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fonte dos Quatro Rios, 1651) ao centro); de Francesco Borromini e Girolamo Gainaldi (a igreja de Sant'Agnese in Agone); e de Pietro de Cortona, que pintou a galeria no Palácio Pamphilj, sede da embaixada do Brasil na Itália desde 1920.
O mercado tradicional voltou a ser transferido em 1869 para o Campo de' Fiori, embora a praça mantenha também um papel fundamental em servir de palco para espectáculos de teatro e corridas de cavalos. A partir de 1652, em todos os Sábados e Domingos de Agosto, a praça tornava-se num lago para celebrar a própria família Pamphili.
A praça dispõe ainda duas outras fontes esculpidas por Giacomo della Porta - a Fontana di Nettuno (1574), na área norte da praça, e a Fontana del Moro (1576), na área sul.
Na extremidade norte da praça, por debaixo dos edifícios, foram postas a descoberto ruínas antiquíssimas, a uma cota muito abaixo da actual, comprovando a primeva utilização daquele imenso terreiro. Outros monumentos com entrada para a praça:
Stabilimenti Spagnoli
Palazzo de Cupis
Palazzo Torres Massimo Lancellotti
Church of Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore
Curiosidades
Na Piazza Navona, está localizado o Palazzo Pamphilj, propriedade da República Federativa do Brasil, sede da Embaixada Brasileira e da Missão Diplomática do Brasil para a Itália.
From the Website
The Tower Hamlets Trayned Bandes were, of course, by their nature, a social as well as military organisation. This is also especially true of the re-created regiment, and is reflected in the civilian roles: craftsmen make useful items and repair equipment, musicians entertain us and the public, preachers watch out for our moral wellbeing, servants and clerks bring order to the lives of officers and goodwives and families lend their support and cater to the inner man!
Upcoming Events
14th/15th August 2010, Tattershall Castle, Lincolnshire
28th/29th/30th August 2010, Basing House, Hampshire (Major Muster)
11th September 2010, St John the Evangelist Church, Leeds.
Texture by
Sterling Silver
Skeletal Mess (bruised ego)
One of the machine is blowing artificial "snow", for the joy of the children :-) It's also safe for the cameras apparently ;-)
Part of "Le Grand Répertoire", a set on this exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris.
A little break from the California trip. This is from last evening on the VA side of Great Falls Park.
Sort of a 3 part story. The Good = this shot. I was happy with the location I found right down on the water coupled with the pretty tones in the sky. The Bad = the below shot. Not that it's terrible or anything, but I wish it were 'epic' or something along those lines, because I paid for it. The result of the below shot, was The Ugly. A cracked filter, and more painful, a cracked knee...it's an evening I won't soon forget.
A reminder that bad things can happen very very quickly. Stay safe out there...
Thanks for looking!
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Comments and constructive criticism always appreciated.
Looking northwest from Chandrashila...the visible peaks right to left
- Chaukhamba I (6854m, 22486ft), II (6995m/22949ft), III (7088m/23254ft), IV (7138m/23418ft) peaks
- Mandani(6190m/20308ft)
- Danesh Parbat(unk)
- Mahalaya(5970m/19586ft)
- KedarDome(6970m/22867ft)
and then moving on to the Gangotri-Bhagirathi group of peaks
Panorama created using 2 images stitched together manually. Each image an HDR with 3 different exposures.
See this image and the entire collection on a black background, visit the new CoSurvivor website.
View the Fan page on Facebook.
© 2010 Cosurvivor ~ / Rohit
I was going through my archives when I found this picture. It's a shot I took last winter at the end of the day when it was dark already.
ISO 800 - fill-in flash.
Have a great sunday!
The Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) is the largest canid of South America, resembling a dog with reddish fur.
The distribution includes southern Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia east of the Andes. It is an endangered species.
The Maned Wolf has often been described as "a Red Fox on stilts" due to its similar coloration and overall appearance, though it is a far larger animal and is not related to the genus Vulpes. The adult animal stands almost 1 m (3 ft) tall at the shoulder, and weighs 20 to 25 kg. (50 to 55 lb). Its fur is reddish brown to golden orange on the sides, with long, black legs and a distinctive black mane. The coat is further marked with a whitish tuft at the tip of the tail and a white "bib" beneath the throat. The mane is erectile, and is typically used to enlarge the wolf's profile when threatened or when displaying aggression.
Unlike other large canids (Wolves, African Hunting Dogs, Dholes) the Maned Wolf does not form packs.Monogamous pairs may defend a shared territory, though the wolves themselves may seldom meet, outside of mating. Several adults may congregate in the presence of a plentiful food source; a fire-cleared patch of grassland, for example, which would leave small vertebrate prey exposed to foraging wolves.
They use their urine to communicate. It has a very distinctive smell, which some people liken to just opened beer, or cannabis. The responsible substance is very likely a pyrazine, which occurs in both cannabis and hop (which is used in beer). In Rotterdam Zoo, the police even once searched for cannabis smokers because of this. (HA!)
The Maned Wolf is not closely related to any other canid. It is apparently a survivor from the Pleistocene fauna of large South American mammals; its closest relatives seem to be the dogs and wolves (genus Canis). Previously, some authorities placed it with the various South American foxes, others with the Bush Dog.
from Wikipedia
Fly high
“The reason birds can fly and we can't is simply that they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings” - James Matthew Barrie
I've been working with textures on my last 3 images, and is it's actually really addictive ;D. I took this shot last year whilst on a trip to Portsmouth harbour. The seagulls are a regular visitor here. Apologies for the over simplicity of this shot (i.e. no backdrop, just the sky). Hope you like it, non-the less!!
Shot details:
Camera: Canon 450D
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1000)
Aperture: f/6.3
Focal Length: 300mm (90-300mm)
ISO: 160
About:
View on Tautuku beach from Florence Hill lookout, Catlins. This is one of the many beautiful aspects of the Catlins: golden beaches.
Location:
Florence Hill Lookout near Papatowai, NZ
This image is also geotagged
Technical stuff:
Single RAW exposure, cropped to 16-9 format, changed brightness&contrast to boost the magnificent colors, sharpening and noise reduction in Lightroom.
Usage:
All my images are copyrighted, if you want to use it for anything contact me first.
Any comments, criticism and tips are welcome.View On Black
View On Black | My Photostream on Black | Desktop Background
It's always tricky trying to choose a good day to photograph the beach
especially when you live an hour away so a lot of it is based on Internet
research before making the trip. I have found that webcams can offer some
insight as to beach conditions and I have many bookmarked which I check
before making the choice to head to the beach. The weather is even more
difficult to judge. Many times I have left dramatic skies only to find the
clear skies over the Pacific. Then there are the surf conditions.
Granted there are sites that cover the surf but reading them is somewhat
tricky. Finally I use Google Earth with the weather maps and cloud maps
turned on. If I am going for the sunset, I will also take a peek at a free
program called The Photographer's Ephemeris which shows the angle and times
of the sunset. This can be very helpful in determining when and where the
sun will set in relation to the land. In the end though, there is still an
element of lucky. I've gone out on great days only to be shut down by a
storm on the beach. Other days I have gone out when the weather really
sucked and to find it open up and become perfect right at the sunset. On
those rare occasions I am often the only one on the beach. Not so on this
day. There was a group of photographers crowded along the beach. I
thought to stop and chat but was busy catching the last bits of light.
Turned out that there were several people there who I have listed as
contacts on Flickr. Perhaps next time.
Darv
© Darvin Atkeson
View On Black, or View my most interesting stream ON BLACK!
I started my day quite early, even before sunrise, driving around to explore downtown Boston. Unfortunately, I got lost and wasn't able to find anything exciting. Therefore, I decided to come back to the Seaport District where we briefly stopped by in the previous afternoon and saw how it looked in the early morning...
I walked from Fan Pier to the Courthouse. The water is calm, the sky is clear, the buildings look fabulous, and even the city is silent in the early morning. To me, it's a perfect way to start my day in Boston, or any big city! :-)
p.s. 歡迎光臨我新闢的部落格 光影、色彩、我，關於攝影二三事！
___________________________________________________
~波士頓，麻薩諸塞州，美國~
Boston, MA, USA
- ISO 50, F22, 10 sec, 19mm
- Canon 5D Mark II with EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L lens
- sunrise @ 5.11am / shot @ 5:45am, 2011//6/30
© copyright 2011 Hsiang Wei Chao
.|| This image may not be used for any purposes without the expressed, written permission of the photographer.
Thursday:
I've hit a slight writers block again but I'm slowly working through it and last night I actually slept which is just fantastic...I feel refreshed finally...My uncle has moved back in with us...um, I think...it's complicated and uncertain but with him it always is...Also next week we'll likely start decorating for Christmas and this year my mum wants to trees, our traditional one and another decked out with peacocks and peacock colors...and yes, this is about usual for us to start Christmas, it's a huge deal in our home...psychotic, but huge :D
Also, there's a reason for this photo...I'm sick to death of the amount of perverts on Flickr...here's the thing, I have zero problem with sex and sexuality and expressing it, no one would ever consider me a prude in fact many would tell you I've got the dirtiest mind of all...however there's a time and a place for it and a HUGE difference between an artistically nude photo, and butt-naked and spread eagle for a lens...I don't want to be linked back to such vulgarity so I delete and block people who add me without real photos (meaning screen shots from the internet and/or downright pornography) and I'm tired of having to do it...
I had one person write me this morning because I blocked a friend of hers...she suggested that I was against anyone who is "different" like her and her friend because they're transexuals...Are you serious? I have many friends who are transexuals, drag queens, gay, bi, straight and of every race, gender, creed and I don't care who sleeps in your bed as long as it's human...
I certainly don't want to gain some reputation for hating anyone for expressing their sexuality so if someone is offended by my blocking them, or one of their friends, get a life...I don't hate anyone but I refuse to be part of your porn collection in anyway which is often ridiculous since so many of my shots are makeup...still, I don't need the filth around me, so STOP where you are, BACK OFF, and shut up if you don't like my policy...thank you and have a peachy ass day :D
Per osare il futuro è necessario conoscere il presente, la storia che stiamo vivendo, la realtà in mezzo alla quale siamo immersi, le sfide che ci vengono dal sud e nord del mondo……. E’ necessario conoscere noi stessi, misurare le nostre forze, chiederci quali sono le motivazioni, i valori e le persone che ci sostengono nel nostro camminare di ogni giorno….. E’ necessario cambiare il cuore, convertirci, essere donne e uomini nuovi, liberarci da tutti quegli idoli che ci distraggono, ci confondono.
OSARE vuol dire avere il coraggio di fare una cosa di per sé pericolosa, rischiosa, temeraria o che, per un motivo qualsiasi, può essere considerata tale.
Osare vuol dire: permettersi, azzardarsi, arrischiarsi, ardire, rischiare, buttarsi, spingersi, avventurarsi, cimentarsi.
Il contrario di osare è: temere, esitare, titubare.
Allora non esitare, non temere, ma OSA, RISCHIA, BUTTATI… allora la tua vita e il mondo cominceranno a cambiare!!!
Best Viewed BLACK
Taken Saturday morning following our temple run..
Canal life has long been a part of Thai culture. The Europeans used to call Bangkok "Venice of the East". That was fifty years ago, when Bangkok still had hundreds of canals (klongs). In the mid-nineteenth century, the mighty Chao Phraya River flowed through a city with two-thirds of its residents living on floating houses. Then they started filling in and paving over the canals, to make roads.
Today there are many fewer klongs and most people take the roads instead of the waterways, but a klong is still an attraction. The many klongs that snake through Bangkok offer multiple opportunities and provide a unique look into the everyday lives of the population.
Many Thais live along the waterways, in small wooden houses that rise out of the water on wooden stilts. As you pass by, you can see them doing laundry or bathing while small children are playing. They are wonderful people..
Long flat boats can be seen laden with exotic produce and colorful fare plying the waterways as they have done for centuries. This pic depicts in some ways a feel for life as it was decades ago. Truly impressive ... and hot.. :-) enjoy my man in blue (MIB).. LOL..
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Prise lors de ma sortie de Samedi.. cette photo lance une mini serie sur la vie et les images que l'on peut trouver le long des canaux renommes de Bangkok.. On s'est bien amuse a marche sur pres de 6 Km. A vous maintenant de decouvrir et la serie continue.. ..
Bonne semaine a toutes et a tous.. :-)
Weather with me again so as i had planned the Winter will be coastal back to my passion !!! We were treated to one amazing cloud show after this was taken so moved down the beach for wet reflections. Did a small stop on the way home at Mewslade low tide some amazing rocks there , its 70 miles from home to get here , then the horrible steps down and even worse the climb back UP .
The 'Helvetia'
Rhossili shipwreck
The gales around the Gower coast on the morning of 1st November 1887 caused two ships, heavily laden with timber, to be stranded off Mumbles' Head. Unable to navigate the stormy seas to dock at Swansea Harbour, the struggling ships found themselves being blown down the Bristol Channel by the increasingly strong south-easterly winds. One ship luckily managed to reach the shelter of Lundy Island, but the oak-constructed barque of the Helvetia, struck the dangerous sandbank of Helwick Sands. With the next turbulent swell, the ship gained freedom from the shallow waters but was swept precariously around Worm's Head into the shallow waters of Rhossili Bay.
The captain of the Helvetia dropped anchor here and was taken ashore by the coastguard. However, he refused to abandon his ship altogether, leaving the crew aboard the barque, afraid that given the chance, someone might steal her. Unfortunately, the wind refused to die down and when it changed direction suddenly, it forced the ship to drag her anchor. With nightfall rapidly approaching, the decision was finally made for the crew to abandon ship. The tortured wreck of the Helvetia was discovered the next morning, laid to rest upon the sands and surrounded by her cargo of 500 tons of wood.
During the following weeks the timber was systematically collected from the beach and gathered for auction sale, where South Wales timber merchants purchased the cargo at a bargain price. Arrangements were made for the timber to be taken by ship during the summer months. It was during this phase of the wood clearance operation that the sea brought a second disaster to the area.
The steamboat Cambria, from Llanelli, and a small Mumbles sailing vessel, having loaded the Helvetia’s timber from the bay, were both caught short by the tide. The captain of the sailing vessel carried his anchor out to low water to assist in leaving the bay later, but the propeller driven Cambrian needed to wait for high tide.
As the tide came in, the wind picked up pace causing the waves to intensify and swell. As the Cambria started to float with the rising water, it unfortunately turned sideways onto the strengthening waves, and looked as if it would surely be wrecked. However, with the help from the coastguard, the ship was stabilized and the crew managed to sail away safely later the same day. The ship's anchor had been left behind, however, and so some local men were hired to carry the anchor over the sands at low water, to the nearby area of the bay known as Kitchen Corner. There they attached a buoy to the anchor, making it ready for collection when the ship returned later.
When the ship returned to the bay several months later, the Cambria’s master sent a boat ashore with some day-tripping landlubbers. After spending the day at the Rhossili public house 'The Ship Inn', these men finally recovered the anchor. Unfortunately, the weight of the anchor, accompanied by the weight of the six rescuers, proved too much for the boat, eventually causing it to capsize. All six men were thrown into the ocean. Only one of the men made it to the shore alive.
The wreck of the Helvetia itself was sold cheaply to a local man, but before he had a chance to strip the precious copper keel from the vessel, she had started to settle in the sand. Nevertheless, he made good salvage of the ship's deckboards by flooring his kitchen with its wood.
Rhossili was not a stranger to profit from shipwrecks, previous centuries had witnessed the violence of the Rhossili Wreckers - who lured in unsuspecting ships caught in troubled seas to be smashed against the rocks, in order to acquire their cargo. Such purposeful wrecking confined to the past, the locals would still always make good use of the wreckwood from the beaches, and nearly all of the surviving old farm buildings down the far end of the peninsula are constructed from such reclamation.
The ocean-stripped oak carcass of the Helvetia shipwreck is today an easily recognised landmark of Rhossili and must be one of the most photographed of objects on the Gower peninsula as a whole.
Plaça Major - Manresa, Barcelona (Spain).
Dancers of the Esbart Manresà performing "Lleis de l'Univers" (Universe laws).
Bailarinas del Esbart Manresà representando "Lleis de l'Univers" (Leyes del Universo).
ENGLISH
Contemporary scholars have suggested that one of the first written references to the Roma, under the term "Atsinganoi", (Greek), dates from the Byzantine era during a time of famine in the 9th century. In 800 CE, Saint Athanasia gave food to "foreigners called the Atsinganoi" near Thrace. Later, in 803 CE, Theophanes the Confessor wrote that Emperor Nikephoros I had the help of the "Atsinganoi" to put down a riot with their "knowledge of magic".
"Atsingani" was used to refer to itinerant fortune tellers, ventriloquists and wizards who visited the Emperor Constantine IX in the year 1054. The hagiographical text, The Life of St. George the Anchorite, mentions that the "Atsingani" were called on by Constantine to help rid his forests of the wild animals which were killing his livestock. They are later described as sorcerers and evildoers and accused of trying to poison the Emperor's favorite hound.
In 1322 CE a Franciscan monk named Simon Simeonis described people resembling these "atsinganoi" living in Crete and in 1350 CE Ludolphus of Sudheim mentioned a similar people with a unique language whom he called Mandapolos, a word which some theorize was possibly derived from the Greek word mantes (meaning prophet or fortune teller).
Around 1360, an independent Romani fiefdom (called the Feudum Acinganorum) was established in Corfu and became "a settled community and an important and established part of the economy."
By the 14th century, the Roma had reached the Balkans; by 1424 CE, Germany; and by the 16th century, Scotland and Sweden. Some Roma migrated from Persia through North Africa, reaching Europe via Spain in the 15th century. The two currents met in France. Roma began immigrating to the United States in colonial times, with small groups in Virginia and French Louisiana. Larger-scale immigration began in the 1860s, with groups of Romnichal from Britain. The largest number immigrated in the early 1900s, mainly from the Vlax group of Kalderash. Many Roma also settled in Latin America.
More info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_people
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CASTELLANO
La palabra "gitano" procede de "egiptano", porque en el siglo XV se pensaba que los gitanos procedían de Egipto. Cuando penetraron en Europa, muchos grupos de gitanos se presentaban a sí mismos como "nobles egipcianos"; así, en 1425, dos rom pidieron un salvoconducto al rey Juan II de Aragón, en el cual se hacían llamar "condes del Egipto Menor". La palabra "calé" parece proceder del indostaní "kâlâ", que significa "negro".
Dado que se pueden encontrar en multitud de estados de todo el mundo, existen una gran variedad de etnónimos. Los principales son los siguientes:
Zíngaros
Término derivado probablemente del griego Ατσίγγανος (literalmente intocable), nombre atribuido a una secta maniquea procedente de Frigia, aunque hay lingüistas que la consideran una falsa etimología. De este término provienen los derivados en alemán (Zigeuner), en húngaro (cigány), en italiano (zingaro) y en portugués (cigano). En francés se usa con doble ortografía (tzigane o tsigane). Los romaníes prefieren la forma sin z, porque esta letra recuerda al tatuaje empleado por los nazis en los campos de concentración para identificarlos, a pesar de lo cual es lo recomendado por la Academia Francesa.
Bohemios
Término utilizado en francés (bohémiens o boumians) por haber entrado los gitanos europeos en el siglo XV mediante un salvoconducto del rey de Bohemia.
Sin embargo, continúa siendo un desafío polémico para la antropología, la historia y la sociología a la hora de explicar sus orígenes, su evolución en el tiempo y sus estrategias de supervivencia en sociedades dentro de las cuales siempre son minoritarios.
La opinión más extendida afirma, a partir de análisis genéticos y lingüísticos y a la vista de los documentos conservados, que proceden del Punjab, en cualquier caso de alguna zona comprendida entre India y Pakistán. Los datos lingüísticos apuntan a que los antepasados de los gitanos vivieron en el noroeste de la India, antes de migrar al occidente pasando por la costa sur del Mar Caspio. Se desconoce si con anterioridad habían migrado de otro lugar aún más remoto. También se desconocen las causas exactas de su migración hacia el oeste, que se produjo en torno al siglo XI. Tras una estancia al norte de Persia, se desplazaron, nuevamente, hasta Asia Menor, donde se asentaron durante el siglo XIV. La inestabilidad política provocó el primer éxodo fielmente documentado hacia el oeste y el sur: una rama del pueblo gitano se internó en la Europa Central y otra descendió hasta el norte de África. La entrada de los gitanos en Europa se documenta a partir de los primeros años del siglo XV. A fines de ese siglo, la ruta del sur y la del norte ya se habrían unido en algún punto del sur de Europa (en Francia o España).
Más info: es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pueblo_gitano
I guess this title would make more sense if this was a dragon or some other fantasy creature, but it's simply an orchid. An outstanding orchid nonetheless, on display at the United States Botanic Garden. I thought this particular one had a very interesting look about it, and to me I can make out a mouth with curled lip, a tongue and various other body parts.
Hand held single exposure.
Thanks for looking!
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Comments and constructive criticism always appreciated.
HDR image processed from 5 exposures with Photomatix Pro.
From Alberta's lovely landscape back into the big city.
Saw this scenery in downtown Toronto a few weeks ago ... in a hurry to catch my 5 shots and not to get killed by a car :-)
To get all the details, maybe give it a try and check this one in Large and on Black!
Please don't use this image on any media without asking for permission.
© All rights reserved.
Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, With its origins in the aftermath of the French Revolution among ultra-Catholics and legitimist royalists, developed more widely in France after the Franco-Prussian War and the ensuing uprising of the Paris Commune of 1870-71. Though today it is asserted to be dedicated in honor of the 58,000 who lost their lives during the war, the decree of the Assemblée nationale, 24 July 1873, responding to a request by the archbishop of Paris by voting its construction, specifies that it is to "expiate the crimes of the communards". Montmartre had been the site of the Commune's first insurrection, and many hard-core communards were forever entombed in the subterranean galleries of former gypsum mines where they had retreated, by explosives detonated at the entrances by the Army of Versailles. Hostages had been executed on both sides, and the Communards had executed Georges Darboy, Archbishop of Paris, who became a martyr for the resurgent Catholic Church. His successor Guibert, climbing the Butte Montmartre in October 1872, was reported to have had a vision, as clouds dispersed over the panorama: "It is here, it is here where the martyrs are, it is here that the Sacred Heart must reign so that it can beckon all to come".
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilique_du_Sacr%c3%a9-C%c5%93ur,_...
© Eddie Chui
I've always been a big fan of large earthworks art and Olrick Thorson's Standing stones in Acasia California is one of the most impressive I've ever seen. The sheer size of this project is almost hard to believe. ( over 120 feet tall) The remote location near the Oregonian border in Northern Califronia makes it hard to visit, ten mile dirt road and then a hard scramble down to the shore. But once you make the hike, it's so worth it.
The dream of philanthropist William Waits, who grew up on a small dairy farm not far from this spot, the Balance Rocks is the work of famed Norwegian Sculpture Olrick Thorson. This project took almost two years of his life and cost what must be huge sums of money. (because the Waits foundation is completely private entity and wont disclose the cost, no one knows how much. Unbelieveably these are free standing rocks and are not attached at all. Apparently the sheer mass of the rock is far greater than the wind sheer forces of even the strongest winds and once the proper balance is acheived they are very hard to move at all. (I would still think twice about kayacking by on a windy day however!)
Thorson is known for his wry sense of humor and it shows here in his clever use of pre-carving the massive rocks to give them the shape of smaller river rocks one usually associates with these carrins. An entire village of japansese masons lived in the town of Acasia for a whole year preparing the rocks the shape of which were designed with hi tech computers to ensure the proper mass and and size for optimal balancing.
Tragically, Thorson's younger Brother Yanni was crushed to death in a freak accident early on in the carving process. A plaque dedicating the work to his memory sits at the end of the trail not far from where I took this picture. If you're ever in Acasia California, you gotta go check this thing out!
(In a strange coincidence note Olrick's Father Tor was a confidant of my great uncle arthur and they used to hunt mushrooms togeather.)
[main ver.] digi*ana*logue
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Come on a my 1st photograph exhibition!
2008/6/28(Sat) to 2008/7/12(Sat) Hours: 11:30-26:00 (Tuesday closed)
Closing Party: 2008/7/12(Sat) 19:00start to 23:00close
Door: 1500yen (petit food + 1drink)
Location: torse
Address: 2F, 2-20-9 Takaban , Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-0004 Japan. Tel: 03-6909-2336 Fax: 03-6909-2337 / Google Map
[main ver.] digi*ana*logue
*
私、ヨシダユキヒロの初の個展となる
写真展を開かさせて頂くことになりました！
場所は学芸大学駅から徒歩１分ぐらいの場所に
新しくできたtorse（トルス）というステキなカフェ＆ギャラリーです。
なお、この写真展がこのお店の展示のこけら落としでもあります！
ぜひ足をお運び頂き、ご高覧ください。
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【ヨシダユキヒロ 1st 写真展 「白い霧の向こう」】
2008/6/28(Sat)〜2008/7/12(Sat）@ 学芸大学駅前 "torse"
Closing Party 2008/7/12(Sat) 19:00〜23:00
1500yen (ちょっとしたフード＋１ドリンク)
白い夢のような世界。何かに傷ついても、また夢を見て、
もやもやしたその先へ踏み出したい。
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＊ 作者プロフィール
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ヨシダユキヒロ
カメラを持ってお散歩をしながらこの世の秘密を探っている旅人。
一見、水と油に見えるような対立する関係をデジタルとアナログに見立てて
いまの自分の世界の向こう側を探り、解け合って行きたいというコンセプ
トを持つ「digi*ana*logue」（デジタルとアナログの対話）というセルフ
ユニットにて活動中。
digi*ana*logue
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2005年04月 cubismo grafico, capsule, HALFBYがゲストDJ参加のイベントフライヤー用に写真提供
2005年06月 OOSP アナログ１２インチレコードジャケット用に写真提供
2005年08月 OOSP 1st アルバム ＣＤブックレット用に写真提供
2005年12月 DJ鈴木雅尭氏がゲストDJ参加の配布用MIXCDジャケットをデザイン+写真提供
2006年03月 名古屋造形芸術大学写真部展のＤＭをデザイン+写真提供
2005月10月 「カメラ日和 vol.4」2005年12月号に掲載
2007年10月 月刊「psiko」2007年11月号に掲載
2007年10月 「女子カメラ vol.4」2007年12月号に掲載
2008年05月 「カメラ日和 vol.19」2008年7月号に掲載
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＊ 場所の詳細
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torse（トルス）
〒152-0004
東京都目黒区鷹番2-20-9 torse 2F
東急東横線 学芸大学駅 徒歩1分
Tel:03-6909-2336 Fax:03-6909-2337
11:30-26:00
火曜定休
info@torse.jp
Googleマップ
＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊
＊ クロージングパーティ
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Closing Party 7/12(Sat) 19:00 - 23:00 @ torse
1500yen (ちょっとしたフード＋１ドリンク)
代官山のヨーロッパの女の子のお部屋をイメージしたセレクトショップBRIQUEのオーナー。またアクセサリーや洋服を中心としたブランド Lilimelliaデザイナーとして全国セレクトショップにて展開中。そしてフランス音楽、ジャズを中心としたラウンジ音楽イベントshamrock 他、音楽イベントのオーガナイザー。
60年代の音楽を中心にスピンするDJ。そしてDJと平行して歌手エルナ・フェラガ〜モの主宰するレーベルマドレーヌ・エージェンシーにてLes Petits名義で歌手としても活動している。年内スタート予定のラウンジイベントshamrockのメンバーでもある。
イラストレーター兼 DJ。現在エディトリアル媒体を中心に、企業広告、雑誌広告、音楽雑誌、CD カバーアート、Web 、クラブイベントにおいてイラストレーションを発表＆展開中。2002年から、イラストレーター・絵本作家・編集者などといったクリエーターを志望するための学校「パレットクラブ」にて「イラストコース」「イラスト基礎コース」の講師も始める。
Description from Specialty Produce in California:
www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Seville_Oranges_827.php
Description/Taste
Seville oranges are small to medium in size, averaging 7-8 centimeters in diameter, and are round to oblate in shape. The thick, yellow-orange rind is rough with a dimpled texture, exhibiting some prominent knobs and bumps. The rind also contains many oil glands that secret fragrant essential oils that are floral with a light bitter note. Underneath the rind, the white pith clings to the flesh and is spongy and bitter. The flesh ranges in color from yellow to deep orange and is soft, juicy, filled with many cream-colored seeds, and is divided into 10-11 segments by thin white membranes. When ripe, Seville oranges are aromatic with a sour, acidic, tangy, and somewhat bitter taste.
Seasons/Availability
Seville oranges are available in the winter through early spring.
Current Facts
Seville oranges, botanically classified as Citrus aurantium, are a bitter or sour variety that grows on evergreen trees and is a member of the Rutaceae or citrus family. A cross between a pomelo and a mandarin, Seville oranges earned their name from Seville, Spain, where they were introduced from Asia during the 12th century and became a symbol for the city. There are more than 14,000 bitter orange trees that line the streets of Seville, planted as urban landscape, and these trees provide greenery year-round and shade for the warm summer months. Though the Spanish city is lined with the orange trees, Seville oranges are predominately exported from Spain to England to make orange marmalade, and due to the sour nature of the oranges, they are also preferably used in cooked rather than fresh preparations.
Nutritional Value
Seville oranges are a good source of vitamin C, dietary fiber, and thiamine. They also contain potassium, phosphorus, vitamin A, calcium, and some antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Applications
Seville oranges are best suited for juicing and zesting as their bitter and sour flesh is unpalatable when used raw. The juice and rind are used for both sweet and savory applications, and the juice can be mixed into syrups, cocktails, vinaigrettes, aioli, sauces, marinades, or as a finishing touch on fish and white meats. The zest can be used to flavor sugars, salts, stews, cooked vegetables, and baked goods such as muffins, cakes, and bread. Seville oranges can also be used as a substitute for key limes or lemons in custards, tarts, or pies. The bitter rind and seeds are ideal for making candied orange peel and traditional marmalade, jams, and jellies as the seeds are high in pectin and naturally thicken the preserves. Seville oranges pair well with meats such as chicken, duck, pork, beef, veal, and white fish, garlic, onion, bay leaves, cilantro, oregano, thyme, cumin, serrano peppers, strawberries, broccoli, gin, whiskey, chocolate, and lemon juice. The fruits will keep up to one week when stored at room temperature and 2-4 weeks when stored in the refrigerator. Seville oranges can also be frozen whole and stored in the freezer for up to one year.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
Seville oranges are famously used for orange marmalade, which is a preserve made from the orange’s peel and juice, boiled with water and sugar until the fruit becomes broken down into a thick, soft consistency. In England, there is an annual festival held each March in Cumbria to commemorate the orange preserve. Known as the National Marmalade Festival, the one-day celebration has live music, food vendors, cooking demonstrations, and taste-testing booths of different orange marmalade recipes. The festival also hosts the marmalade awards, which is a competition with various categories that was established in 2005 to sample and judge orange marmalade recipes sent in from around the world. These awards were created to re-inspire the art of making orange marmalade and to encourage creativity in utilizing the spread on items beyond toast such as in sauces, desserts, baked goods, and on roasted meats.
Geography/History
Bitter oranges are native to southeastern Asia and have been growing wild since ancient times. The fruits were then introduced to Arabia in the 9th century and to regions in Europe in the 10th century via trade routes. The oranges were first recorded in Sicily just after the turn of the 11th century, and for the following five hundred years, they were the only orange variety grown in Europe. Bitter oranges were first cultivated in the 12th century in Seville, Spain, where they gained the name Seville oranges. From Spain, the Seville oranges were spread by Spanish explorers to Brazil, Mexico, Scotland, and England during the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Seville oranges are still primarily grown in Spain and are also found at farmer's markets and specialty grocers in regions of Europe, the United States, Mexico, South America, Asia, and Northern Africa.
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Seville Oranges. One is easiest, three is harder.
Everybody Likes Sandwiches Bitter Orange Ice Cream
Nourished Kitchen Whiskey and Honey Marmalade
TelegraphSeville Orange Tart
The British Larder Seville Orange and Vanilla Bean Marmalade
Delicious Magazine Seville Orange Tart
The Little Epicurian Orange Marmalade Cake with Orange Blossom Buttercream
Family SpiceAvocado and Crab Salad with Seville Oranges
Arctic Garden StudioVin d’Orange
One Tomato, Two TomatoSeville Blood Orange Marmalade
Cooking on the Weekends Seville Orange-Key Lime Pie with Cardamom Crust
Everyone's life is under someone's control - it might as well be under your own so that you can direct your destiny.
Harry Tucker
RSVP - Explore -
© Angela M. Lobefaro
taken on Lago Maggiore, Piedmont Italy
Lake Maggiore (in Italian: Lago Maggiore or Verbano, the Roman Lacus Verbanus) is the most westerly of the three large prealpine lakes of Italy and the second largest after Lake Garda. It lies approximately at [show location on an interactive map] 45°57′N 8°38′E / 45.95, 8.633.
Santa Caterina del Sasso
It has a surface area of about 213 km², a maximum length of 54 km and, at its widest, is 12 km. The lake basin has tectonic-glacial origins and its volume is 37 km³.
Its main tributaries are the Ticino, the Maggia, the Toce (by which it receives the outflow of Lake Orta) and the Tresa (which is the sole emissary of Lake Lugano). The rivers Verzasca, Giona, and Cannobino also flow into the lake. Its outlet is the Ticino which, in turn, joins the river Po just south-east of Pavia.
The lake’s jagged banks are surrounded by the Prealps of Piedmont and Lombardy. The western bank is in Piedmont (provinces of Novara and Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola) and the eastern in Lombardy (province of Varese), whereas the most northerly section extends thirteen kilometres into Switzerland, where it constitutes the lowest point above sea-level in that entire country.
The climate is mild in both summer and winter, producing Mediterranean vegetation, with beautiful gardens growing rare and exotic plants. Well-known gardens include those of the Isola Madre, Isola Bella and the Isole di Brissago, that of the Villa Taranto in Verbania, and the Alpinia botanical garden above Stresa.
from Wikipedia
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I am organizing again another fundraiser for this project: Stop AIDS at Birth
----therefore I have not much time for flickr... sorry my friends, I'll visit your streams as often as I can ---
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Please consider a donation to this project:
donazioni.cesvi.org/index-ing.asp
Thanks
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I haven't seen too many Monarch Butterflies this summer so far but when I do I wait for moments like this ;) This beauty happened my way last week and I forgot about it ;)
I must add that when I first joined flickr..I had never taken a photograph of a butterfly before. Seeing all the beautiful butterfly photographs on flickr got me hooked. It does require lots of luck and lots of patience.. However, I find it so much fun and we sure don't see butterflies in winter here in Southern Ontario..So I do enjoy shooting them whenever I can ;) Perhaps this may encourage some of you who don't normally shoot them to give it a try? Go on.....I dare ya! :)
The common name “Monarch” was first published in 1874 by Samuel H. Scudder because “it is one of the largest of our butterflies, and rules a vast domain."
Best viewed LARGE.
VIEW MY WEB SITE AND SHOP HERE
MY GETTY COLLECTION HERE
www.gettyimages.com/search/search.aspx?assettype=image&am...
Here is my first published work even though did it as a freebie its great seeing your work on a web site
www.thewhitehartvillageinn.com/index.html
Here is the flickr set
North of Keswick in the English Lake District and measuring over 3,000 ft is the mighty Skiddaw mountain. I shot both photos whilst on a hike within the eastern part of Whinlatter Forest (west of Keswick).
This was was my birthday weekend away and we had a pretty cool time.
You think that sounds good? Well, the previous year I was in Las Vegas, New Mexico and the year before I was in Tombstone, Arizona. Of course, we made up for it this year as I was in Fredericksburg Texas!
Three outta four ain't bad at all. . . . :))