View allAll Photos Tagged php
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
McGreer Hall is named in honour of Arthur Huffman McGreer (1883–1947), Principal from 1922 to 1947. Under his leadership, the curriculum in Arts was greatly strengthened, teaching in experimental science was initiated, enrolment was doubled and financial stability and academic autonomy achieved. The original central five bays of the Hall were constructed in 1846, and the Lodge at the west end was added in 1847 as the residence of the first Principal. Following the fire of 1876 which gutted the central block, the Hall was rebuilt with improved facilities, and in 1898, thanks to a fund established in memory of Robert Hamilton, it became possible to extend the third floor from the Lodge to the ante-chapel and to add the central tower. In 1908 the Lodge was converted to student and faculty use and in 1909 the Library wing was added.[...Wikipedia
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
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.
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.
Same as the earlier shot submitted to the pool but with a little lomo applied and rotated. Hope that's ok. I couldn't decide which one I preferred.
HBW!
Model: Saga Siamese
Photographer: Justin Bonaparte
[main ver.] digi*ana*logue
*
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。
＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊
【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。
＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊
＊ 作者プロフィール
＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊
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
＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊
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
＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊
＊ 場所の詳細
＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊
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
＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊ー＊
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。
My buddy Domino. She passed away in 2007, but lives on in my heart. I'm feeling nostalgic today.
(7 Feb. 2010) I got tagged, and this one's interesting: Who or what is the love of your life? List 14 reasons why. Well, I'm sentimental when it comes to pets (and animals in general), so it shouldn't surprise people who know me that Domino was/is the "love of my life" (and I'm man enough to admit it).
1. Domino was the first cat I ever adopted (after having had two dogs while growing up).
2. She had the sweetest disposition of any pet (dog or cat) that I've ever known.
3. When she was little more than a kitten, she accidentally pulled an unaffixed drawing tabletop down on top of herself, giving her a concussion. We drove her to the emergency vet at midnight; I held her in the passenger seat on a stiff piece of cardboard to try to keep her from being jostled. I talked to her the entire way to keep her with us. She was at the vet overnight, unconscious, with an IV in her leg, and they really didn't know how she'd come out of it. At 4am, the vet called and said she would be fine; she was just small enough that the table didn't do more than give her a good knock on the head (the tabletop's rails were just tall enough that she wasn't badly crushed by the tabletop). From that day forward, she was my buddy; I really think my talking to her created a strong bond. She never left my side after that.
4. She purred and it sounded so musical, unlike any other purr I've ever heard.
5. She was definitely the Yin to my other adopted cat Whisper's Yang. (Funny that Domino was mostly black and Whisper was all white.) Nothing at all against Whisper (the devilish little brat), but Domino was the "good" cat. :)
6. She was very, very social and loved everyone, which at the time I thought was rare for a cat.
7. She loved to be picked up and held (and purred while she was held).
8. She insisted on going outside on my balcony but was never angry if I took my time letting her out. I could always count on her to stay safely away from the edge.
9. She learned how to beg for food, but would be content after one tiny scrap of meat, after which she'd walk away from the table satisfied.
10. Domino loved eating unbuttered, unsalted popcorn. She daintily ate one piece at a time and never ate more than three pieces.
11. She loved other cats and even my family's dog.
12. She never complained (well, almost never), and she seemed very wise.
13. She never gave anyone a reason to dislike her.
14. She gave me joy every day I had her, and even now, nearly three years after her passing, I smile when I think of her. I love my current cat Lily Bean more than I can say, but Domino will always be what I told her she was: the best cat in the world.
www.algarvewildlife.com/reserves-guadiana.php
There are many reasons to visit this beautiful part of Portugal: in spring the wildflowers are wonderful, in autumn the fungi are fabulous, but whatever time of year you visit, the birds are brilliant, and this is what the region is most famous for.
The parque itself is designated as a SPA – Special Protection Area. (There is an explanation of conservation designations on the First Nature website...) It is a large area around the little town of Castro Verde, which lies off the western edge of the Parque.
The countryside is a mixture of wooded hills clad with pine or introduced eucalyptus, grasslands studded with holm oak trees under which the famous black pigs forage for acorns in the autumn, and the largest area of rolling steppes in Portugal – even in high summer when the overall impression is of a desert the landscape is unforgettable.
This outstanding natural park partly lies along the Portuguese border with Spain and is best accessed (from the Algarve) by driving to Castro Marim on the Spanish border and heading north along the IC27 and then Route 122 in the direction of Beja. Parque Natural do Vale do Guadiana is a huge area covering almost 700 square kilometres and, in order to see all that it has to offer, a stay of two or three days in the area would be ideal.
The Hotel Beira Rio in the lovely little town of Mertola is ideal. The hotel is in Rua Dr. Afonso Costa and well signed from all entry points into Mertola, although you should be ready for some interesting driving around the narrow, cobbled streets on the way! The hotel is simple but immaculately clean and comfortable and has excellent views up and down the River Guadiana, which it overlooks. Breakfast is available but there is no restaurant in the hotel for other meals. The staff supply a map with all the nearby restaurants marked, along with the main tourist attractions.
huge area covering almost 700 square kilometres and, in order to see all that
Access and Facilities
There are a number of routes of varying distances throughout and around the Parque which are easy to follow. The road (route 123) between Mertola and Castro Verde and then back via the IP2 (to Trinidade) and then the 122 returning to Mertola is a triangular route and will give you a really good feel for the area.
Another really enjoyable, and not too long, route is marked off the N267 as Circuto de Serras. It passes through some outstanding mountain scenery with several ideal spots to pause and admire the surroundings. Also, not too distant (about 31 kilometres) from Mertola, is Puolo do Lobo, which is an impressive waterfall on the River Guadiana. Considering how seldom one sees water in rivers in the Algarve, and bearing in mind that Parque Natural do Vale do Guadiana sits in the centre of the hottest and most arid region of Portugal with rain well below average, it is quite a surprise to see such a waterfall. Puolo do Lobo is accessed through gates around a kilometre before the waterfall which can be found at the bottom of a steep track. There are parking places and a vehicle turning area very close to the cascade.
Close to Castro Verde there is an Environmental Education Centre run by the Liga da Protectao da Natureza - see the paragraph below for more details.
The Birds of Parque Natural do Vale do Guadiana
Any description of the birdlife of Parque Natural do Vale do Guadiana has to include both the Little Bustard and the Great Bustard, although excessive pressure from birdwatchers has had a negative impact on the breeding success of these two species in recent years. Before attempting to find and photograph these birds it is a good idea to visit the LPN (Liga da Protecao da Natureza) Castro Verde Environmental Education Centre which lies about 10 minutes drive to the east of Castro Verde itself. The centre is open from 9am – 5pm except on Sundays and Mondays, and the English-speaking staff there will explain the various measures that should be adopted when observing Little Bustards and Great Bustards. There is also information available on all the bird-watching hotspots, including walking trails, that exist in the area.
Of the two species of Bustard to be found in the Parque, the Little Bustard is the more common of the two and most likely to be spotted from the roadside. In Spring the head of male bird, perched on its long black neck, can be seen protruding above the tall grasses as he patrols the nest in the absence of his mate. The Great Bustard is a much shyer bird and more rarely seen by the casual visitor to the area. At a weight of around 18 kilogrammes this monster is Europe's heaviest bird and it seems nothing short of a miracle that it is able to take to the air. Even more sensitive to habitat destruction than the Little Bustard, this amazing bird is on the Endangered List and afforded the highest levels of protection.
Many of the other birds to be found here are classified as rare or endangered. There are a few pairs of Bonelli’s Eagles and Golden Eagles for instance, and Great Spotted Cuckoos, Golden Oriels, Black-shouldered Kites and Blue Rock Thrushes can all be found in the Parque. A recent study of the presence of breeding Eagle Owls in the Parque revealed the highest density of these birds ever recorded. Azure-winged Magpies are common in the area and also many Lapwings, which have become so rare in other parts of Europe where they were once common birds. Other notable species present in the Parque include the European Roller, Bee Eater, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Montague’s Harrier, Calandra Lark, Common Crane, Lesser Kestrel, Eurasian Griffon Vulture and Eurasian Black Vulture. There have even been sightings of Spanish Imperial Eagles soaring over the area.
Other birds to look out for include the Rufous-tailed Robin, a Black-shouldered Kite, several Buzzards, Red Kites, and numerous Red-legged Partridges scurrying across the roads.
Less affected by visiting birdwatchers and naturalists than some of the rarer birds are the Storks - their nesting colonies are frequently found in trees on the roadsides of the Park. Although common throughout the Iberian Peninsula they nevertheless create huge interest for visitors from other parts of the world.
General Wildlife of Parque Natural do Vale do Guadiana
Although best known for being a mecca for bird watchers Parque Natural do Vale do Guadiana is also an excellent place to see many of the wildflowers that occur in southern Portugal, and in autumn, the Parque is an outstanding place to see numerous species of fungi.
One of the earliest of the spring flowers in the area is the cute-looking Friar's Cowl (Arisarum vulgare) which pops up from the base of the plant's arrowhead-shaped leaves as early as December or January. Once the flower season gets underway the roadsides and river banks are consumed with the yellows and purples of early sping as Jonquil, Yellow Hoop-petticoat Daffodil and Barbary Nut burst into flower. They are quickly followed by bright pink Catchflly (Silene colorata) and deep purple Viper's-bugloss (Echium vulgare). The grasslands are a paradise for various members of the pea family including the darkly beautiful Vicia Benghalensis with its thickly hairy stems. In spring the landscape resembles a view through a kaleidoscope with its ever-changing colour as one dominant species of wildflower gives way to the next and so on. By the end of May the extensive crop fields are ripe and golden, but once harvested, this arid area becomes almost desert-like with no indication of the glorious pageant of colour that has gone before. Despite being one of the more instensively farmed parts of the Algarve, the lower useage of herbicides and pesticides on the land than in other parts of Europe means that Mother Nature can still remind us of her power to beautify the countryside with a diversity of flowers and plants beyond the wildest imaginings of even the greatest of our garden designers.
Lying in wait for the first hint of autumn rains are the numerous species of fungi which pop up on the roadsides and in the woodlands of the Parque. One of the more obvious of them is the Parasol mushroom (Macrolepiota procera) which is particularly numerous on the edge of wooded roads throughout the area. It is particularly good to eat and, in a good year, locals sell their excess to passers-by. Chanterelles (Cantharellas cibarius) are another excellent edible species that can be found in both spring and autumn in the Algarve in vast numbers.
Although the temperatures in the Parque in mid summer are very high and the coastal sea breezes seldom penetrate so far inland, this vast open grassland area of the Algarve is well worth a visit at any time of year and provides a very different perspective of southern Portugal from the mainly over-developed coastal area where most of us spend our time on holiday.
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. . . . :))
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.)
Catedral de Barcelona @ Barcelona, Cataluña, España
On Black / Fondo Negro then press F11 / luego presiona F11
La Catedral de la Santa Cruz y Santa Eulalia (nombre oficial de la Catedral) es la catedral gótica de Barcelona, sede del Arzobispado de Barcelona, en Cataluña, España.
La catedral actual se construyó durante los siglos XIII a XV sobre la antigua catedral románica, edificada a su vez sobre una iglesia de la época visigoda a la que precedió una basílica paleocristiana, cuyos restos pueden verse en el subsuelo, en el Museo de Historia de la Ciudad. La finalización de la imponente fachada en el mismo estilo, sin embargo, es mucho más moderna (siglo XIX). El edificio es Bien de Interés Cultural y, desde el 2 de noviembre de 1929, Monumento Histórico-Artístico Nacional.
Está dedicada a la Santa Cruz y a Santa Eulalia, patrona de la ciudad de Barcelona (actualmente es más celebrada como tal es la Virgen de la Merced que, estrictamente, es patrona de la diócesis de Barcelona, pero no de la ciudad), una joven doncella que, de acuerdo con la tradición católica, sufrió el martirio durante la época romana. Una de tales historias cuenta que fue expuesta desnuda en el foro de la ciudad y que milagrosamente, a mitad de primavera, cayó una nevada que cubrió su desnudez. Las enfurecidas autoridades romanas la metieron en un barril con vidrios rotos, clavos y cuchillos clavados en él y lanzaron cuesta abajo el barril (de acuerdo con la tradición, se trataría de la calle Baixada de Santa Eulàlia, Cuesta de Santa Eulalia). Y así, hasta trece martirios diferentes, uno por cada año de edad de la santa. Finalmente, fue crucificada en una cruz en forma de aspa, que es el emblema de la catedral y la diócesis, así como el atributo iconográfico de la santa.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Cathedral of Santa Eulalia (official name) is the Gothic cathedral seat of the Archbishop of Barcelona, Spain. (Though sometimes inaccurately so called, the famous Sagrada Família is not a cathedral). The cathedral was constructed throughout the 13th to 15th centuries, with the principal work done in the 14th century. The cloisters enclosing the Well of the Geese (Fuente de las Ocas) were completed about 1450. The neo-Gothic façade was constructed over the nondescript exterior that is common to Catalan churches in the 19th century.
The cathedral was constructed over the crypt of a former Visigothic chapel, dedicated to Saint James, which was the proprietary church of the Viscounts of Barcelona, one of whom, Mir Gerberto, sold it in 1058 to bishop Guisleberto. Its site faced the Roman forum of Barcelona,
It is a hall church, vaulted over five aisles, the outer two divided into chapels. The transept is truncated. The east end is a chevet of nine radiating chapels connected by an ambulatory. The high altar is raised, allowing a clear view into the crypt.
The cathedral is dedicated to Eulalia of Barcelona, co-patron saint of Barcelona, a young virgin who, according to Catholic tradition, suffered martyrdom during Roman times in Barcelona. One story is that she was exposed naked in the public square and a miraculous snowfall in mid-spring covered her nudity. The enraged Romans put her into a barrel with knives stuck into it and rolled it down a street (according to tradition, the one now called 'Baixada de Santa Eulalia'). The body of Saint Eulalia is entombed in the cathedral's crypt.
The choir stalls retain the coats-of-arms of the knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece. In his first trip into Spain, Charles, the future Holy Roman Emperor, selected Barcelona as the site of a chapter of his Order. The king had arrived for his investiture as Count of Barcelona, and the city, as a Mediterranean port, offered the closest communication with other far-flung Hapsburg dominions, while the vast proportions of the cathedral would accommodate the grand ceremonies required. In 1518 the Order's herald, Thomas Isaac, and its treasurer, Jean Micault, were commissioned to prepare the sanctuary for the first sitting of the chapter in 1519. Juan de Borgonya executed the painted decoration of the sanctuary.
The wheel bug is poised to grab this honeybee. He will use his hooked legs to hold her and then impale the bee with his beak. The beak (rostrum) extends (folds out), impales and then injects toxin and digestive juices into prey. By reversing flow this beak then serves as a straw.
In this photograph the wheel bug's posture reminds me of Count Dracula trying to hypnotize a victim he plans to impale. It did not work as this time the bee escaped.
Rostrum: www.amentsoc.org/insects/glossary/terms/rostrum
The Wheel Bug Rap
Said (or sung) with a funky beat
Your nose is a hypodermic needle,
Your back has wings to fly,
Your legs have hooks to grasp your prey,
And hold them till they die.
(Chorus)
They call you wheel bug,
Cause your back is a wheel,
It's shape is kinda rough.
You're a real bug!
With wings, six legs,
And lots of other insect stuff.
Your head is shaped like two arrows,
Right On It ... a beak and three eyes,
With two feelers of red, you're a sight to dread!
Mr. Wheel Bug ... you're a scary guy.
(Chorus)
Your beak extends like a switch blade,
It's pointed and hollow and kills!
It's a real poison pen ... but there's more!
It's a straw to drink your meals.
(Chorus)
Wheel bug you're so ... prehistoric,
It's good you're only ... one inch long,
I'm glad you're a bug and I'm not one,
And that's the end of this song.
Link to the wheel bug rap: www.flickr.com/photos/drphotomoto/3002340775/
The church stands on a plain at the foot of the road. It is a building with a single nave with a semicircular apse oriented east, the two bodies together directly through the opening arc of the apse. The nave is covered with a barrel vault point, reinforced by two arcs that twist off a simple imposta. The apse is covered by a fourth round of a sphere. Four windows give light to the interior: two in front of the lunch, one in the west and the center of the apse, all with double-stroke and a round arch, the inner monolithic adovellat and a la outside. The entrance gate is located on one side of the south wall and is composed of two semicircular arches adovellats and degradation. The walls that enclose the sides of the ship lift and speaker, beyond the height of the roof with a gable double arc located on the west. This wall was a door open late to edge which was walled up in the restoration done by the Barcelona between 1970 and 1973, while reopening the door for lunch. The work is arranged in small blocks horizontal rows and tied with lime mortar rather sandy. Front door, a bastion of low wall was a small close where there is a sink stone named above were on the inside. We must remember that in the era of the house there are Santamaria anthropomorphic tombs that are part of the ancient necropolis of the church and is now hidden.
The first document which mentions Santa Maria is the consecration of the church of the monastery of San Lorenzo near Bagà, dated 21 November 983, in which the count of Cerdanya-Oliba Besalú and his wife Ermegarda donations made between some underwater the Sta. Maria has five houses, lands, tithes and first, and in a more clear: "Et in Avizano ecclesiam Sanctae Marie et hamlets V et terras et vineas, cum suas decimas et primitias (Parchment n. 1110, AM). The church was therefore within the limits of the old county of Berga and under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Bishop of Urgell, depending on the Benedictine monastery of San Lorenzo near Bagà. The 1003 Count Oliba Cabreta the cedi to the monastery of Santa Maria de Serrateix (which depended on St. Lawrence nearly Bagà). In the tenth century Bishop of Urgell religious communities became the rule of Saint Benedict, taking care of the Benedictine parishes dependents. For this reason, some historians believe that Santamaria's house, next to the church, could have been the seat of a monastery that women would care about the cult of the Virgin Mary. The year 1312 remained the category of the parish as confirmed at the deanery of Berga. Currently depends on the parish of St. Martí as a covered (BENEDICT, 1993). During the Civil War (1936-1939) was leaving the cult and was converted into storage until 1970, the Heritage Service of the Barcelona are carried out important restoration work, returning the cult on 14 May 1973 . From inside the church comes to the front altar of Santa Maria attributed to the Master of Avià, preserved in the National Art Museum of Catalonia and which n'exposa back inside the church . The Virgin Mary was venerated Avià of this church and was known as Our Lady of La Leche, because it calls for pregnant women to assist in the delivery and give them strength to have the baby milk (Joys of Santa Maria de Avià).
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.
Cunit, Tarragona (Spain).
ENGLISH
Already it is spring here, and it is not the one of the Corte Inglés (a Spanish chain of department store that always bosats to wear the seasons of the year before the others). It has arrived today at 6:48, and in Spain it is predicted that it brings cold to us…
I take advantage to dedicate to this photo to Maytevidri, that arrived at this world with spring, since tomorrow day 21 is its birthday. Congratulations Mayte!
By the way this one will be my last photo… until next Monday or Tuesday, when I come back. Happy Easter for all!
----------------------------
CASTELLANO
Ya está aquí la primavera, y no es la del Corte Inglés (una cadena española de grandes almacenes que siempre presume de estrenar las estaciones del año antes que los demás). Ha llegado hoy a las 6:48, y en España está previsto que nos traiga frío...
Aprovecho la ocasión para dedicar esta foto a Maytevidri, que llegó a este mundo con la primavera, ya que mañana día 21 es su cumpleaños. ¡Felicidades Mayte!
Por cierto que ésta será mi última foto... hasta el lunes o martes que viene. ¡Feliz Semana Santa a todos!
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..
===================================
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.. :-)
I now have two books of my work available...
The Feeding of the Birds... The photography of Allan Ellerby Book Preview
Click Here
Also available is the more comprehensive...
B:S:O - el puente sobre el rio kwai
Colera es un municipio y localidad de la comarca del Alto Ampurdán, provincia de Gerona, comunidad autónoma de Cataluña,
Censado por primera vez como municipio independiente en 1936, tras desagregarse del municipio de Portbou.
El término municipal de Colera limita al norte con el municipio de Portbou y Banyuls-sur-Mer (Francia). Al sur limita con el termino municipal de Llançà. Al este está el mar Mediterráneo. Al oeste limita con los términos municipales de Rabós y Llançà.
El término municipal de Colera tiene dos playas:
Playa de Garbet. Tiene una longitud de 650 metros y una anchura media de 140 metros. Dispone de zona de fondeo. Esta compuesta por piedra de ribera grande y pequeña. El oleaje suele ser moderado con viento de levante. Tiene aparcamiento en la misma playa, duchas, agua potable, papeleras y teléfono público. No están permitidos los animales.
Playa d'en Goixa. Tiene una longitud de 350 metros y una anchura media de 30 metros. Esta compuesta por piedra de ribera grande. El oleaje suele ser moderado con viento de levante. Tiene aparcamiento cercano, duchas, agua potable, papeleras, puerto deportivo, acceso a minusválidos y teléfono público. No están permitidos los animales.
Colera tiene un total de 601 habitantes, de los cuales 310 son hombres y 291 mujeres, según datos del INE 2006.
Esta foto es para curro vázquez y su Señora, ya que fuimos juntos a la "cazeria" de esta ave maravillosa.
Es un ave inconfundible dado su colorido, ya que tiene un plumaje multicolor. La parte superior es rojiza y amarilla, la parte inferior o ventral es verde azulada, y el cuello es de color amarillo. Su tamaño es algo menor que un mirlo común y su pico es largo y apuntado. Es un ave migradora que pasa la temporada estival en la península ibérica desde abril hasta septiembre regresando a sus cuarteles africanos cuando comienza el otoño.
Der im Durchschnitt ca. 28 cm große Bienenfresser ist einer der buntesten Vögel Europas. Er ist kaum zu verwechseln: Der Bauch- und Brustbereich ist türkisfarben, Scheitel- Nacken- und Rückenpartien sind rostbraun, die Flügel sind ebenfalls in beiden Farben gehalten, und über dem gelblichen Kinn befindet sich ein schwarzer Augenstreif. Charakteristisch sind auch der relativ lange, leicht gebogene Schnabel und die verlängerten mittleren Steuerfedern der Altvögel. Jungvögeln sind blasser, und ihnen fehlen diese verlängerten mittleren Schwanzfedern.
This species, like other bee-eaters, is a richly-coloured, slender bird. It has brown and yellow upper parts, whilst the wings are green and the beak is black. It can reach a length of 27-29 cm, including the two elongated central tail feathers. Sexes are alike.
This is a bird which breeds in open country in warmer climates. Just as the name suggests, bee-eaters predominantly eat insects, especially bees, wasps and hornets, which are caught in the air by sorties from an open perch. Before eating its meal, a European Bee-eater removes the sting by repeatedly hitting the insect on a hard surface. It eats some 250 bees daily.
Ahora sí que cambio de tercio, ahora toco un poco de otras cosas que no sean fotos de Cuenca, esta foto es de archivo, la tenía ya procesada, de ahí que tenga la firma antigua, como ya habré comentado alguna vez que otra, este tipos de fotos son las que más me gustan. Puerto De Mazarrón – Mazarrón (Murcia)
Nota: No Es HDR, procesado con objetos inteligentes, y procesado por zonas.
Cámara: D40
Modo De Exposición: Manual
ISO: 200
Velocidad: 1/50
Focal: 18.0 mm
F/ 22.0
Objetivo: 18.0-55.0 mm F/ 3.5 -5.6
Procesado: Light room 2
Camera Raw 4.3
Photoshop Cs 3
Foto Explere #429 - 3 Nov. 2009
View On Black || Explore || Become a Fan
Lonely on the land I walk,
Lonely cross the sea I sail,
Lonely air of beach I stroll:
This lonely life doth take its toll.
Lonely trek of woodland trail,
Lonely mist in haze o’ dawn,
Lonely spies the bird of prey
In lonely circles all astray.
Lonely be such dark of night
When sleep is but a yearning wish,
To dream of sweet companions close,
As wine would pair with diner's dish.
Lonely do these thoughts me make
That draw my blood of precious life:
Replace with stream of flowing pain
To bless my veins with coursing strife.
Lonely years are now my friends,
Lonely cries bereft of sound,
Lonely tears that cool my face:
In lonely life of sullen pace.
Mark R Slaughter
Nikon D90 | Nikkor 18-200mm @ 35 mm | 1/640 @ f/8.0 | ISO 160 | WB : Daylight
Place: Lake Saif Al Malook (جھیل سیف الملوک), Naran (Pakistan)
Built on top Colina da Penha or Penha Hill, also known as Bishop Hill because of the Bishop Residence, is a Chapel of Our Lady of Penha which was first built in 1622.
The first chapel was erected by the crew and passengers of a ship which had a narrow escape from the Dutch.
Later the chapel served as shrine for sailors embarking on often hazardous voyages.
The chapel today dates back to 1837 when it was completely rebuilt along with the Bishop's Palace.
It is open daily from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm.
The bell tower of the Church is very distinctive and can be seen anywhere from the harbor.
On one side of the large open courtyard fronting the church is a marble image of the Blessed Virgin Mary facing the border of China, as if praying for that magnificent land.
Her prayers are definitely bearing fruit because now thousands of Chinese tourist dutifully climb up her little hill.
At the foot of a flight of stone steps is a popular grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Along the grotto is also a nice garden with fountains, seating and children's playground.
Nearby is a bronze gravestone with Portuguese inscriptions indicating the resting place of Bishop John Bouner of Macau who was buried here on 18 February 1918
On a clear day the panoramic view from here includes not only Macau but across the Pearl River into China.
One can see the whole harbor and a great collection of old and modern architecture: the Chief Executive's Palace, other colonial residences, the Macau Tower, and the man-made lakes.
macauEvery year, on the 13th of May, thousand of faithful joins the image of Our Lady of Fatima for a pilgrimage and procession.
The procession begins from Sto. Domingo Church and meanders through the narrow streets of Macau.
The procession finally ends in the little courtyard of Penha Church.
Every year at this day, thousands of devotees coming from all over, never fails to accompany the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Pues hasta que no salga hacer fotos de nuevo sigo tirando de archivo, en este caso de la quedad en Estivella con los amigos del Call Of DutY, esta foto es en Karting, y le verdad que aunque sea una pequeña carrera, la concentración es indispensable, no me quiero imaginar una carrera de F1. Oropesa (Valencia)
Nota: El procesado, ha sido como suelo hacer los procesados para los retratos, para sacar mucho detalle con capas de sombras e iluminaciones, luego procesado en blanco y negro, una capa de curvas, y luego los detalles de color.
Cámara: D40
Modo De Exposición: Manual
ISO: 200
Velocidad: 1/400
Focal: 175.0 mm
F/ 5.6
Objetivo: 55.0-200.0 mm F/ 4.0-5.6
Procesado: Light room 2
Camera Raw 4.3
Photoshop Cs 3
'Pensée gitane' Large On Black
Voici mes premières photos argentiques (scannées) réalisées avec un Canon F1, commercialisé dans les années 70, avec un objectif 50mm 1-14 SSC, amicalement prêté par un ami .
cf : 35mm-compact.com/reflex/canonf1.htm
Ce sont mes premières "vraies" photos, et plus que d'éloges j'ai réellement besoin de vos avis, critiques et conseils, alors merci d'avance...
.......................................................................................................
Here my first silver photographs (scan) taken with a Canon F1, marketed in the Seventies, with an objective 50mm 1-14 SSC, and friendly lent by a friend .
cf : 35mm-compact.com/reflex/canonf1.htm
These are my first "true" photographs, and more than of the praises I need really your opinions, criticisms and councils, then thank you in advance...
Modèle : Léane
Natural light, not retouched, just framed
Mejor pincha aquí para ver en grande sobre negro o pulsa 'L'.
Better click here to view this large on black or press 'L'.
© Derechos de Autor. Esta fotografía no podra usarse sin mi consentimiento escrito.
© All rights reserved, don´t use this image without my permission.
Sevilla: Album/Set
Remembering old times...: Album/Set
Virados, B&W: Album/Set
Ahora puedes seguirme en:/ Now you can follow me in:
500px | Getty | Twitter | 123rf | fotolia | Tumblr | Fluidr | Flickriver | flickrhivemind | Darckr | Canonistas
Canon 450D + ZEISS Distagon T* 2,8/21, @21mm, 1/200 sec, f/5,6, ISO 100
No Tripod, Manual exposure, Date 08/5/2011 12:39:21
Explore: 19 October 2011 in # 3
Como se hizo: Imagen procedente de un sólo archivo RAW, pasada a blanco y negro con método ColorLab. No es HDR.
Quisiera dedicar esta foto a César, amigo y gran persona os invito a todos a visitar su galeria..
La Plaza de España de Sevilla constituye un conjunto arquitectónico encuadrado en el Parque de María Luisa, configura uno de los espacios más espectaculares de la arquitectura regionalista.
La Plaza de España constituyó el proyecto más emblemático de la Exposición Iberoamericana del año 1929, fue proyectada por el arquitecto sevillano Aníbal González, que también era arquitecto director del evento expositivo, fue ayudado por un buen conjunto de colaboradores, entre los que se encontraban el ingeniero José Luis de Casso y el arquitecto Aurelio Gómez Millán. Las obras de construcción comenzaron en el año 1914, resultando el proyecto más ambicioso y costoso de la Exposición, llegando a trabajar en su construcción mil hombres al mismo tiempo, puede resultar asombroso, cómo una ciudad en situación económica difícil en esos años, se embarcó en un proyecto de semejante magnitud. Algunos aspectos del proyecto suscitaron algunos rechazos, la Academia de Bellas Artes se opuso a la altura prevista de las dos torres que podían rivalizar con la Giralda y Forestier, diseñador del Parque de María Luisa rechazaba la construcción de la ría que rodea la plaza, para una ciudad con gran escasez de agua como Sevilla. En 1926, tras la dimisión de Aníbal González de su cargo de director de la Exposición, asume la finalización del proyecto el arquitecto Vicente Traver, que terminó los cerramientos del recinto y añadió la fuente del centro de la Plaza.
La plaza de España ha sido utilizada como escenario de algunas películas conocidas, entre ellas:
* En la película Lawrence de Arabia, la plaza representaba el cuartel general del Ejército británico en el Cairo
* En la película Star Wars Episodio II: El Ataque de los Clones de la saga de la Guerra de las Galaxias, la plaza representa el planeta Naboo, aunque el escenario de la filmación fue modificado digitalmente.
English:
Making off: Edited from a RAW file. BW with Color Lab method. No HDR.
This time I would like to dedicate this picture to my friend, César, i invite to view your photostream.
The Plaza de España ("Spain Square", in English) is a plaza located in the Parque de María Luisa (Maria Luisa Park), in Seville, Spain built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. It is a landmark example of the Renaissance Revival style in Spanish architecture.
In 1929 Seville hosted the Ibero-American Exposition World's Fair, located in the celebrated Maria Luisa Park (Parque de María Luisa). It was designed by Jean-Claude Nicolas Forestier. The entire southern end of the city was redeveloped into an expanse of gardens and grand boulevards. The centre of it is Parque de María Luisa, a 'Moorish paradisical style' with a half mile of: tiled fountains, pavilions, walls, ponds, benches, and exhedras; lush plantings of palms, orange trees, Mediterranean pines, and stylized flower beds; and with vine hidden bowers. Numerous buildings were constructed in it for the exhibition.
The Plaza de España, designed by Aníbal González, was a principal building built on the Maria Luisa Park's edge to showcase Spain's industry and technology exhibits. González combined a mix of 1920s Art Deco and 'mock Mudejar', and Neo-Mudéjar styles. The Plaza de España complex is a huge half-circle with buildings continually running around the edge accessible over the moat by numerous beautiful bridges. In the centre is a large fountain. By the walls of the Plaza are many tiled alcoves, each representing a different province of Spain.
Today the Plaza de España mainly consists of Government buildings. The Seville Town Hall, with sensitive adaptive redesign, is located within it. The Plaza's tiled 'Alcoves of the Provinces' are backdrops for visitors portrait photographs, taken in their own home province's alcove. Towards the end of the park, the grandest mansions from the fair have been adapted as museums. The farthest contains the city's archaeology collections. The main exhibits are Roman mosaics and artefacts from nearby Italica.
The Plaza de España was used for location shooting some scenes in the films Lawrence of Arabia and Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.
(Explore #145: Jul 14, 2009)
Source of two kinds of oil produced in Alberta, Canada: Canola oil and crude oil.
Pumpjacks (also known as nodding donkeys, pumping units, horsehead pumps, beam pumps, sucker rod pumps (SRP), grasshopper pumps, thirsty birds and jack pumps) are the overground drives for a reciprocating piston pump installed in an oil well. It is used to mechanically lift liquid out of the well if there is not enough bottom hole pressure for the liquid to flow all the way to the surface. The arrangement is commonly used for onshore wells producing relatively little oil. Pumpjacks are common in many oil-rich areas, dotting the countryside and occasionally serving as local landmarks.
Depending on the size of the pump, it generally produces 5 to 40 litres of a crude oil-water mixture (called emulsion) at each stroke. The size of the pump is also determined by the depth and weight of the oil to be removed, with deeper extraction requiring more power to move the heavier lengths of sucker rods (see diagram at right).
A pumpjack converts the rotary mechanism of the motor to a vertical reciprocating motion to drive the pump shaft, and is exhibited in the characteristic nodding motion. The engineering term for this type of mechanism is a walking beam. It was often employed in stationary and marine steam engine designs in the 1700s and 1800s.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumpjack
Have a great day and thanks for visiting!
El monasterio de Sant Cugat es una antigua abadía benedictina situada en la localidad catalana de San Cugat del Vallés (España). El monasterio, construido en el siglo IX, destaca por su impresionante claustro. Fue el monasterio de mayor importancia de todo el condado de Barcelona. Los orígenes del monasterio se sitúan en el siglo IX cuando se decidió unir la iglesia que contenía los restos de San Cucufate o San Cucufato (Cugat en catalán) con una fortificación anexa. La pequeña iglesia, construida en el siglo V, era un pequeño recinto de planta cuadrada alrededor de la que se cree existía ya una comunidad de monjes. Sin embargo, no se tienen noticias documentadas de la existencia de esta comunidad hasta el año 878. En los inicios del siglo X la importancia del monasterio empieza a ser notable. Los abades de San Cugat tomaban parte en actos de relevancia y las posesiones de la comunidad se amplían llegando a tener tierras desde la zona del Penedés hasta la del Montseny. En el año 985, el ataque de las tropas sarracenas capitaneadas por Almanzor afectó al monasterio aunque no causó daños excesivamente graves. El abad que regía el monasterio en esa época, Odón, inició las obras de reconstrucción del cenobio. A finales del siglo XI, Berenguer Ramón II dispuso que el monasterio quedara sometido al de San Ponce de Tomieres, en la zona de la Provenza, lo que creó discrepancias entre los monjes de Sant Cugat. El abad de San Ponce se trasladó hasta el monasterio catalán y aquellos monjes que estaban en desacuerdo con su gestión fueron expulsados. Sin embargo, el obispo de Barcelona reclamó sus derechos sobre el monasterio que volvió a quedar sometido a la diócesis barcelonesa. Fue en ese periodo cuando más se ampliaron los dominios de San Cugat. Quedaron sujetos al mismo los monasterios de Santa Cecília, el de Sant Llorenç del Munt, Sant Pau del Camp, Sant Pere de Clará y el de Sant Salvador de Breda. A mediados del siglo XII se iniciaron las obras de construcción de un nuevo monasterio. Se amplió la iglesia existente en una obra que se prolongó en el tiempo, ya que su construcción no finalizó hasta el año 1337.
En el año 1350 se iniciaron las obras de fortificación del monasterio. El rey Pedro III amplió esta fortificación añadiendo algunas torres de guardia. Sin embargo, en este periodo se inició el declive de Sant Cugat. El abad Pere Busquets suprimió la elección directa del abad por parte de los monjes del monasterio. Los nuevos abades eran nombrados desde la diócesis y algunos de ellos ni siquiera visitaban el monasterio. Aunque se siguieron realizando algunas obras, San Cugat ya no tenía el poder de antaño. Durante la Guerra de Sucesión Española, el monasterio fue ocupado por las tropas del Archiduque Carlos, ocupación que causó graves desperfectos en el edificio. Se llevó a cabo una restauración que finalizó en 1789.
En 1835 los monjes abandonaron el monasterio; el abandono fue causado en parte por la ley de desamortización que obligaba a las órdenes religiosas a abandonar sus pertenencias, y en parte por el asalto de un grupo de habitantes de la zona. Sant Cugat quedó abandonado hasta 1851, año en el que la Comisión de Monumentos Históricos decidió restaurarlo.En 1931 fue declarado Monumento Histórico Artístico.
Tal vez lo más destacado de todo el conjunto del monasterio de San Cucufato es su impresionante claustro. Se trata de un claro ejemplo del arte románico catalán y fue construido en el siglo XII. En el siglo XVI se le añadió un segundo piso y se construyó también el atrio de entrada. Con una longitud de más de 30 metros, el claustro es obra del artista Arnau Gatell. Su planta es casi cuadrada y tiene arcos de medio punto, apoyados sobre pares de columnas. Cada una de estas columnas está decorada con capitel es finamente elaborados, con detalles variados que van desde la representación de animales a las escenas bíblicas. Se pueden contra 72 pares de capitales. Otro elemento destacado es la basílica, construida en este caso en estilo gótico. El edificio, de 52 metros de largo por 23 de ancho, consta de tres naves cubiertas con bóvedas sostenidas por columnas. Llama la atención el rosetón de 8,2 metros de diámetro, muy parecido al de la catedral de Barcelona y a la de Tarragona. La iglesia contiene un retablo gótico, conocido como el retablo de Todos los Santos, realizado en 1375 por el artista Pere Serra.
The monastery of Sant Cugat is a former Benedictine abbey located in the Catalan town of Sant Cugat del Valles (Spain). The monastery, built in the ninth century, noted for its impressive cloister. It was the most important monastery throughout the county of Barcelona. The origins of the monastery is located in the ninth century when he decided to join the church containing the remains of St. Cucufate or San Cucuphas (Cugat in Catalan) with a fortification attached. The small church built in the V century, was a small square enclosure around which people believe there was already a community of monks. However, there are reports documented the existence of this community until the year 878. In the early tenth century the importance of the monastery began to be noticeable. The abbots of San Cugat took part in important events and possessions of the community is coming to have land extending from the Penedes area to Montseny. In the year 985, the attack of the troops commanded by Mansur Saracens hit the monastery but did not damage too severe. The abbot, who ruled the monastery at that time, Odo began the reconstruction of the monastery. In the late XI, Berenguer Ramon II decreed that the monastery becomes subject to St Ponce de Tomieres, in the Provence area, creating discrepancies between the monks of Sant Cugat. The abbot of St. Ponce moved to the Catalan monastery and the monks who disagreed with his administration were expelled. However, the bishop of Barcelona claimed their rights over the monastery which was once again subjected to the diocese of Barcelona. It was during this period when most were extended domains San Cugat. Were liable to the same monastery of Santa Cecilia, the Sant Llorenç del Munt, Sant Pau del Camp, Sant Pere de Clará and Sant Salvador de Breda. A mid-twelfth century began construction of a new monastery. Existing church was expanded in a work that lasted over time, since its construction was not completed until 1337.
In the year 1350, work began defense of the monastery. King Pedro III extended this fortification by adding a few guard towers. However, in this period began the decline of Sant Cugat. The abbot Pere Busquets abolished the direct election of the abbot by the monks. The new abbots were appointed from the diocese and some of them even visited the monastery. Although it continued to make some plays, San Cugat longer had the power of old. During the War of Spanish Succession, the monastery was occupied by troops of the Archduke Charles, an occupation that caused serious damage to the building. It undertook a restoration that ended in 1789.
In 1835 the monks left the monastery, the abandonment was caused in part by the law that forced confiscation of religious orders to abandon their belongings, and in part by the assault of a group of locals. Sant Cugat was abandoned until 1851, when the Landmarks Commission decided restaurarlo.En 1931 was declared a Historic Artistic Monument.
Perhaps the highlight of the whole of the monastery of San Cucuphas is its impressive cloister. This is a clear example of Catalan Romanesque art and was built in the twelfth century. In the sixteenth century added a second floor and also built the entrance hall. With a length of over 30 meters, the cloister is work by the artist Arnau Gatell. Its plan is almost square and has round arches, supported on pairs of columns. Each of these columns is decorated with capitals is finely produced, with detail varied, ranging from animals to represent biblical scenes. You can expect 72 pairs of capital. Another feature is the basilica, built in Gothic style in this case. The building, 52 meters long by 23 wide, has three naves covered with vaults supported by columns. It is striking rosette of 8.2 meters in diameter, much like the cathedral of Barcelona and Tarragona. The church contains a Gothic altarpiece, known as the altar of All Saints, made in 1375 by artist Pere Serra.
Made for Factions on Eurobricks.
Original Post: www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/180068-j...
Elsewhere, on the planet Imynusoph's vast savannas, Imperial-Officer-turned-big-game-hunter Jebel Corbett travels with his manservant Slyfoot in search of glorious prey. The aristocratic and selfish Corbett turns aside to his companion, a smile playing under his comparatively-small mustache.
"I've become so very good, don't you think Slyfoot? If only those rebels could see me now. A man of virtue! Honor!"
"I'm afraid I dont understand, sir."
"My habits! Entirely reformed, aren't they, Slyfoot? And in hindsight, I'm forced to admit it's for the better. I really was a ghastly sort of tyrant. Killing people and whatnot. I'm surprised to say that even the memory I can stomach no longer. A weak stomach for dispatching dissidents? Me? Ha! How things change, eh Slyfoot?"
"Indeed, sir. You've adapted quite well to your circumstances. And the...available pool of targets."
"I have, haven't I? And to my betterment! Being good is it's own reward, naturally, but it has its perks, too. Side effects, if you will."
"Like less blaster fire, sir?"
"Exactly, Slyfoot! Good lord, you stole it right out from under me. Indeed! You're spot on. The wildlife never shoots back! A most welcome benefit. Yes, turning over a new leaf is the best thing I ever did. Good lord, did you see that bird, Slyfoot? It was enormous! Come on, let's fill it with holes!"
________________________________________________________
To be continued!
© Angela M. Lobefaro - Explore -
© Angela M. Lobefaro
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
RIPRODUZIONE RISERVATA
dedicated to all my Flickr friends
taken in Phi Phi Island - Krabi - Thailand - Jun '08
My Most interesting photos for a guy called Isaias
The Phi Phi Islands (Thai: หมู่เกาะพีพี) are located in Thailand, between the large island of Phuket and the western Andaman Sea coast of the mainland. Phi Phi Don, the larger and principal of the two Phi Phi islands, is located at [show location on an interactive map] 7°44′00″N, 98°46′00″E. Both Phi Phi Don, and Phi Phi Leh, the smaller, are administratively part of Krabi province, most of which is on the mainland, and is located at [show location on an interactive map] 8°02′30″N, 98°48′39″E.
Ko Phi Phi Don ("ko" (Thai: เกาะ) meaning "island" in the Thai language) is the largest island of the group, and is the only island with permanent inhabitants, although the beaches of the second largest island, Ko Phi Phi Lee (or "Ko Phi Phi Leh"), are visited by many people as well. There are no accommodation facilities on this island, but it is just a short boat ride from Ko Phi Phi Don. The rest of the islands in the group, including Bida Nok, Bida Noi, and Bamboo Island, are not much more than large limestone rocks jutting out of the sea.
Phi Phi Don was initially populated by Muslim fishermen during the late 1940s, and later became a coconut plantation. The Thai population of Phi Phi Don remains more than 80% Muslim.But the actual population if counting laborers, especially from the north-east, from the mainland is much more Buddhist these days.
Ko Phi Phi Leh was the backdrop for the 2000 movie The Beach. Phi Phi Leh also houses the 'Viking Cave', from which there is a thriving bird's nest soup industry. There was criticism during filming of 'The Beach' that the permission granted to the film company to physically alter the environment inside Phi Phi Islands National Park was illegal. [1] The controversy cooled down however, when it was discovered that the producers had done such a decent job of restoring the place that it finally looked better than it had done before.
Following the release of The Beach, tourism on Phi Phi Don increased dramatically, and with it the population of the island. Many buildings were constructed without planning permission.[citation needed]
Ko Phi Phi was devastated by the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004, when nearly all of the island's infrastructure was wiped out. Redevelopment has, however, been swift, and services like electricity, water, Internet access and ATMs are up and running again, but waste handling has been slower to come back online.
My Most interesting photos for a guy called Isaias
Sin tí no soy nada - Amaral
Sin ti no soy nada,
Una gota de lluvia mojando mi cara
Mi mundo es pequeño y mi corazón pedacitos de hielo
Solía pensar que el amor no es real,
Una ilusión que siempre se acaba
Y ahora sin ti no soy nada
Sin ti niña mala,
Sin ti niña triste
Que abraza su almohada
Tirada en la cama,
Mirando la tele y no viendo nada
Amar por amar y romper a llorar
En lo más cierto y profundo del alma,
Sin ti no soy nada
Los días que pasan,
Las luces del alba,
Mi alma, mi cuerpo, mi voz, no sirven de nada
Porque yo sin ti no soy nada
Sin ti no soy nada
Sin ti no soy nada
Me siento tan rara,
Las noches de juerga se vuelven amargas
Me río sin ganas con una sonrisa pintada en la cara
Soy sólo un actor que olvidó su guión,
Al fin y al cabo son sólo palabras que no dicen nada
Los días que pasan,
Las luces del alba,
Mi alma, mi cuerpo, mi voz, no sirven de nada
Qué no daría yo por tener tu mirada,
Por ser como siempre los dos
Mientras todo cambia
Porque yo sin ti no soy nada
Sin ti no soy nada
Sin ti no soy nada
Amaral es un conjunto musical zaragozano (España) formado por Eva Amaral (vocalista y compositora) y Juan Aguirre (guitarrista y compositor). Su estilo musical se podría denominar Folk Rock, pero fusionado con ritmos latinos, sintetizadores, y con letras de alto contenido poético.
Amaral hasta la fecha (2008) ha vendido más de 2 millones de copias de sus 4 discos.
Amaral is a music group from Zaragoza, Spain. The band consists of Eva Amaral (vocalist) and Juan Aguirre (guitarist). They write their songs together. Eva Amaral started out as a drummer in another group until she set out with Aguirre to play her own material in 1997. Their musical style is often called pop rock, but it is often fused with Latin beats, folk rock, synthesizers, and complex poetic lyrics. Juan Aguirre was born in San Sebastián (also known as Donostia) in the Guipúzcoa province of Spain. He spent his childhood in the town of Gros and currently resides in Zaragoza.
In Wordpress In Blogger photo.net/photos/Reinante/ In Onexposure
www.algarvewildlife.com/reserves-guadiana.php
There are many reasons to visit this beautiful part of Portugal: in spring the wildflowers are wonderful, in autumn the fungi are fabulous, but whatever time of year you visit, the birds are brilliant, and this is what the region is most famous for.
The parque itself is designated as a SPA – Special Protection Area. (There is an explanation of conservation designations on the First Nature website...) It is a large area around the little town of Castro Verde, which lies off the western edge of the Parque.
The countryside is a mixture of wooded hills clad with pine or introduced eucalyptus, grasslands studded with holm oak trees under which the famous black pigs forage for acorns in the autumn, and the largest area of rolling steppes in Portugal – even in high summer when the overall impression is of a desert the landscape is unforgettable.
This outstanding natural park partly lies along the Portuguese border with Spain and is best accessed (from the Algarve) by driving to Castro Marim on the Spanish border and heading north along the IC27 and then Route 122 in the direction of Beja. Parque Natural do Vale do Guadiana is a huge area covering almost 700 square kilometres and, in order to see all that it has to offer, a stay of two or three days in the area would be ideal.
The Hotel Beira Rio in the lovely little town of Mertola is ideal. The hotel is in Rua Dr. Afonso Costa and well signed from all entry points into Mertola, although you should be ready for some interesting driving around the narrow, cobbled streets on the way! The hotel is simple but immaculately clean and comfortable and has excellent views up and down the River Guadiana, which it overlooks. Breakfast is available but there is no restaurant in the hotel for other meals. The staff supply a map with all the nearby restaurants marked, along with the main tourist attractions.
huge area covering almost 700 square kilometres and, in order to see all that
Access and Facilities
There are a number of routes of varying distances throughout and around the Parque which are easy to follow. The road (route 123) between Mertola and Castro Verde and then back via the IP2 (to Trinidade) and then the 122 returning to Mertola is a triangular route and will give you a really good feel for the area.
Another really enjoyable, and not too long, route is marked off the N267 as Circuto de Serras. It passes through some outstanding mountain scenery with several ideal spots to pause and admire the surroundings. Also, not too distant (about 31 kilometres) from Mertola, is Puolo do Lobo, which is an impressive waterfall on the River Guadiana. Considering how seldom one sees water in rivers in the Algarve, and bearing in mind that Parque Natural do Vale do Guadiana sits in the centre of the hottest and most arid region of Portugal with rain well below average, it is quite a surprise to see such a waterfall. Puolo do Lobo is accessed through gates around a kilometre before the waterfall which can be found at the bottom of a steep track. There are parking places and a vehicle turning area very close to the cascade.
Close to Castro Verde there is an Environmental Education Centre run by the Liga da Protectao da Natureza - see the paragraph below for more details.
The Birds of Parque Natural do Vale do Guadiana
Any description of the birdlife of Parque Natural do Vale do Guadiana has to include both the Little Bustard and the Great Bustard, although excessive pressure from birdwatchers has had a negative impact on the breeding success of these two species in recent years. Before attempting to find and photograph these birds it is a good idea to visit the LPN (Liga da Protecao da Natureza) Castro Verde Environmental Education Centre which lies about 10 minutes drive to the east of Castro Verde itself. The centre is open from 9am – 5pm except on Sundays and Mondays, and the English-speaking staff there will explain the various measures that should be adopted when observing Little Bustards and Great Bustards. There is also information available on all the bird-watching hotspots, including walking trails, that exist in the area.
Of the two species of Bustard to be found in the Parque, the Little Bustard is the more common of the two and most likely to be spotted from the roadside. In Spring the head of male bird, perched on its long black neck, can be seen protruding above the tall grasses as he patrols the nest in the absence of his mate. The Great Bustard is a much shyer bird and more rarely seen by the casual visitor to the area. At a weight of around 18 kilogrammes this monster is Europe's heaviest bird and it seems nothing short of a miracle that it is able to take to the air. Even more sensitive to habitat destruction than the Little Bustard, this amazing bird is on the Endangered List and afforded the highest levels of protection.
Many of the other birds to be found here are classified as rare or endangered. There are a few pairs of Bonelli’s Eagles and Golden Eagles for instance, and Great Spotted Cuckoos, Golden Oriels, Black-shouldered Kites and Blue Rock Thrushes can all be found in the Parque. A recent study of the presence of breeding Eagle Owls in the Parque revealed the highest density of these birds ever recorded. Azure-winged Magpies are common in the area and also many Lapwings, which have become so rare in other parts of Europe where they were once common birds. Other notable species present in the Parque include the European Roller, Bee Eater, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Montague’s Harrier, Calandra Lark, Common Crane, Lesser Kestrel, Eurasian Griffon Vulture and Eurasian Black Vulture. There have even been sightings of Spanish Imperial Eagles soaring over the area.
Other birds to look out for include the Rufous-tailed Robin, a Black-shouldered Kite, several Buzzards, Red Kites, and numerous Red-legged Partridges scurrying across the roads.
Less affected by visiting birdwatchers and naturalists than some of the rarer birds are the Storks - their nesting colonies are frequently found in trees on the roadsides of the Park. Although common throughout the Iberian Peninsula they nevertheless create huge interest for visitors from other parts of the world.
General Wildlife of Parque Natural do Vale do Guadiana
Although best known for being a mecca for bird watchers Parque Natural do Vale do Guadiana is also an excellent place to see many of the wildflowers that occur in southern Portugal, and in autumn, the Parque is an outstanding place to see numerous species of fungi.
One of the earliest of the spring flowers in the area is the cute-looking Friar's Cowl (Arisarum vulgare) which pops up from the base of the plant's arrowhead-shaped leaves as early as December or January. Once the flower season gets underway the roadsides and river banks are consumed with the yellows and purples of early sping as Jonquil, Yellow Hoop-petticoat Daffodil and Barbary Nut burst into flower. They are quickly followed by bright pink Catchflly (Silene colorata) and deep purple Viper's-bugloss (Echium vulgare). The grasslands are a paradise for various members of the pea family including the darkly beautiful Vicia Benghalensis with its thickly hairy stems. In spring the landscape resembles a view through a kaleidoscope with its ever-changing colour as one dominant species of wildflower gives way to the next and so on. By the end of May the extensive crop fields are ripe and golden, but once harvested, this arid area becomes almost desert-like with no indication of the glorious pageant of colour that has gone before. Despite being one of the more instensively farmed parts of the Algarve, the lower useage of herbicides and pesticides on the land than in other parts of Europe means that Mother Nature can still remind us of her power to beautify the countryside with a diversity of flowers and plants beyond the wildest imaginings of even the greatest of our garden designers.
Lying in wait for the first hint of autumn rains are the numerous species of fungi which pop up on the roadsides and in the woodlands of the Parque. One of the more obvious of them is the Parasol mushroom (Macrolepiota procera) which is particularly numerous on the edge of wooded roads throughout the area. It is particularly good to eat and, in a good year, locals sell their excess to passers-by. Chanterelles (Cantharellas cibarius) are another excellent edible species that can be found in both spring and autumn in the Algarve in vast numbers.
Although the temperatures in the Parque in mid summer are very high and the coastal sea breezes seldom penetrate so far inland, this vast open grassland area of the Algarve is well worth a visit at any time of year and provides a very different perspective of southern Portugal from the mainly over-developed coastal area where most of us spend our time on holiday.
اهل الخير - gold - اذاعة - القران الكريم - استضافة المواقع - مواضيع - الطفل - الاسرة - الديكور والازياء - الاخبار - الصحف الاسرائيلية - رياضة - المسلمة -الفتاة المسلمة - الاسلام - تاريخ -مأكولات وصحة - نكت وتسالي - فيديو - اغاني واناشيد - خطب - افلام - برامج - اناشيد - هكر - برامج -دليل المواقع - فلسطين - اليوتيوب - بنات الضفة - توبيكات - العاب - تصميم فلاش - تصميم فوتوشوب - معا - القدس - العاب - بلياردو - فيس بوك - عشاق الحور- منتدى- جوالات- جوال - عشاق- رسائل- استضافة- الدعم الفني-المصارعة-صور-الحياة الزوجية-الحور-منتديات فلسطينية-العاب 2011-مقالات - تقارير
Built for the SWFactions RPG. Original Post: www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/184215-l...
"Better poor on Aargau than rich anywhere else."
Nothing more than a slogan to entice visitors. There was more money on Aargau than almost anywhere in the galaxy, and it did not make it into the hands of the poor.
The fall of the Empire freed many planets from tyranny, but the civilized worlds suffered the most. Instability leads to fear, fear leads to hoarding, hoarding leads to desperation, and then there is violence, on both sides.
Any hint of unrest in the undercity, and the armed guards of the city elite pulled people from their homes. Anything to quell the rumors, to stabilize the markets. The weakest in the undercity began to disappear, and their value to the planet at large dwindled into nothing.
You were safer on Aargau walking around in Stormtrooper armor than hand-me-downs. The local remnant capitalized on this.
Late night visits to the houses still populated, brute squads culling the lower class for conscripts. Nobody would miss them.
I felt the same about the stormtroopers themselves.
I have become known by the denizens of the undercity as the Shagha, Aargauese for "vengeful spirit". At the very least, they understood what I was doing.
I move quickly and quietly, my years killing for Black Sun finally benefitting someone besides the Princes.
A slain trooper here, a headless guard there, and a legend begins to grow. I pray it gives the people hope. I cannot truly better their lot, but I can protect them until the wind changes, I can keep them in their homes and away from the brutality of war.
There is irony in my bringing brutality to their streets, instead. Only when it is useful.
I know little of morality and even less of good. My methods are not perfect; I am a kind of monster. I have long known this. But there are times in the past where it has been more true, and faced with the current situation, I cannot stand by. This is all I know to do. Perhaps I can yet earn some measure of peace.
- The "Shagha"
Die Kugelbake ist ein aus Holz errichtetes Seezeichen in Cuxhaven. Der Ausdruck Bake geht auf das Mittelalter zurück, in dem alle Seezeichen – also auch Leuchttürme – so genannt wurden. Sie ist das Wahrzeichen von Cuxhaven, und seit 1913 ist ihr Abbild im Wappen der Stadt vorhanden. Ein Vorgängerbauwerk diente auch als Leuchtturm; heute wird sie aber nur noch als Touristenattraktion nachts angestrahlt.
Sie steht an einem stark befahrenen Schifffahrtsweg in Cuxhaven-Döse und war ein wichtiger Orientierungspunkt für die Schifffahrt. Geographisch endet hier die Elbe, und es beginnt die Nordsee; aus nautischer Sicht trennt sie Außen- und Unterelbe. Die Elbmündung hat auf Höhe der Kugelbake eine Breite von etwa 18 km. Gleichzeitig markiert die Kugelbake den nördlichsten Punkt Niedersachsens. Symbolisch betrachtet, trennt das etwa 30 Meter hohe Seezeichen das Elbe- und das Weser-Mündungsgebiet voneinander.
Errichtet wurde die erste Kugelbake wahrscheinlich 1703 auf Veranlassung des Lotseninspektors Paul Allers, nachdem der bis zu dem Zeitpunkt dort vorhandene Peilpunkt, eine Gruppe von Bäumen, von einer heftigen Sturmflut fortgespült worden war.
Das Bauwerk ist aus Holz errichtet, die Lebensdauer war nie sehr lang, da Holzfäulnis, Witterung, Sturm und Flut der Bake heftig zusetzten, so dass sie spätestens nach 30 Jahren erneuert oder instandgesetzt werden musste. Die erste Erneuerung fand vermutlich 1737 statt.
1853 wurde das Kugelbakenlicht als nächtliche Orientierungshilfe eingerichtet, um die schwierige Fahrwasserkrümmung zu markieren. Es brannte in einer Hütte, die sich innerhalb der Kugelbake befand.
Bei Ausbruch des Deutsch-Französischen Krieges im Jahr 1870 wurde die Leuchthütte aus taktischen Gründen abgebaut, um dem Feind keinen Anhaltspunkt zu bieten. Auch zu Beginn des 1. Weltkriegs musste die Kugelbake weichen. 1924 wurde sie erneut errichtet. Allerdings wurden, anstelle der namengebenden Kugel, zwei runde rechtwinklig zusammengesetzte Scheiben an der Spitze angebracht.
Das Kugelbakenlicht wurde ab 1878 nur noch als Reserve benötigt, da ein Feuerschiff ganzjährig ausgelegt wurde.
Der berühmte Seefunkpionier Jonathan Zenneck versuchte um 1900 eine Funkverbindung zwischen dem Festland und den Schiffen auf der See herzustellen. Innerhalb der Kugelbake wurde eine Holzhütte errichtet, die mit den dafür notwendigen Antennen und technischen Geräten für die allererste Küstenfunkstelle ausgestattet war.
2001 gab die Wasser- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung die Kugelbake an die Bundesvermögensstelle zurück, da das Seezeichen seine nautische Bedeutung verloren hatte. Es wurde dann eine Stiftung zum Erhalt dieses historischen Wahrzeichens gegründet. So ist die Kugelbake seit 2002 im Besitz der Stadt Cuxhaven und steht unter Denkmalschutz. Die heutige Konstruktion stammt aus der Zeit nach 1945.
Another from Holloween day when Skylar and I picked up a couple beautiful action figures and then took them to Mitchell Canyon and hiked all over looking for good light in which to set them up and take photos.
It was a real collaborative effort ... he would scout the locations and set them up, and do things like pull blades of grass or move branches or change their positions, while I snapped away. What a wonderful way to spend Halloween together!
We had a magical time, and got quite a few magical pictures as well! Almost worth the terrible case of poison oak I got from laying on the ground in so many iffy locations.
View On Black and LARGE
Lowry Park Zoo
Tampa, Florida
The Vulturine Guineafowl (Acryllium vulturinum) is the largest and most spectacular of the guineafowl bird family. It is a resident breeder in northeast Africa, from southern Ethiopia through Kenya and just into northern Tanzania.
It breeds in dry and open habitats with scattered bushes and trees, such as savannah or grassland. It lays its usually 4-8 cream-coloured eggs in a well-hidden grass-lined scrape.
although all other guineafowl have unfeathered heads, this species looks particularly like a vulture because of the long bare neck and head.
The slim neck projects from a cape of long, glossy, blue and white hackles. The breast is cobalt blue, and the rest of the body plumage is black, finely spangled with white.
The sexes are similar, although the female is usually slightly smaller than the male and with smaller tarsal spurs. Young birds are mainly grey-brown, with a duller blue breast and short hackles.
Vulturine Guineafowl is a gregarious species, forming flocks outside the breeding season typically of about 25 birds. This species' food is seeds and small invertebrates. This guineafowl is terrestrial, and will run rather than fly when alarmed. Despite the open habitat, it tends to keep to cover, and roosts in trees. It makes loud chink-chink-chink-chink-chink calls.
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
Click Here To View Large On Black
caught up with the extremely busy mike calibre 16 and went up to north curly . the weather was bad and made it near impossible to keep the camera and filters dry . if it wasnt for the catching up with mike i would of stayed in bed . good to catch up though . ninos the poor bugger was busy working .
not happy with the blue coloring on the left hand side of the sky . it was the actual colors in the sky . so i decided to leave it in . on another not , i replaced the original photo today with a slightly bigger border .
loving this much needed rain . enjoy the rest of the weekend ;)
Best Viewed LARGE on Black: bighugelabs.com/onblack.php?id=3845191130&size=large&...
This wonderful small garden is in Bourton-on-the-hill in Gloucestershire, England near Moreton in Marsh. It was recently named Garden of the Year. Its creator is Monique Paice, who generously showed me around in May, 2007, and has a very deft eye for color and plant combinations. It received the prestigious Historic Houses Association/Christie's GARDEN OF THE YEAR award. I liked it so much I went back with my wife in July, 2008.
Sadly, I just discovered that it is now open to the public only for pre-booked group tours.
Here is a link to their excellent website:
www.bourtonhouse.com/index.htm
There is also an excellent DVD and companion book available here: