on black

I have climbed highest mountain

I have run through the fields

Only to be with you

Only to be with you

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for...

u2

Listen Death and the Maiden Quartet - Franz Schubert

The first news of which has its existence dates back to 978. Around the church of Sant Marti, as documented by the year 1088 began to wake up the first houses in this picturesque town that even today retains all its medieval charm.

Historically, work in the field was the main dedication of its people; particular importance was conreo of grapes, from the eighteenth century shifted more traditional forms of agriculture. This was a particularly arduous task given the characteristics of the mountainous terrain, settled in part by building jars at the foot of vineyards, which were used for the storage of must and grapes. Already into the nineteenth century, the phylloxera conditioned conreo and resulted in a significant decline in population. Another important task, until mid-twentieth century, was the development of charcoal, until such time as the electricity found their disappearance. Since then, its people were devoted to another kind of work in line with the changing times. It set up a textile factory in the early twentieth century, which was in operation until the year 1964. Logically, closing it was important socio-economic consequences on the lives of the people, determining the migration of population towards the industrial cities or to neighboring towns. Since then, the physiognomy of Mura se ha ido transforming into a large number of people with second homes, laying the groundwork for a tradition tourist potential. Precisely for the new work and revenue earned from tourism, was very relevant to the creation of the Natural Park Sant Llorenç del Munt i l'Obac, in 1972. Since then increased the number of tourists and visitors. Nobody is aware that, as in many other municipalities of Catalunya, tourism could ensure the future of the people so that asentare solidly its core population.

In Wordpress In Blogger photo.net/photos/Reinante/ In Onexposure

By Blackalicious

I am Jack's cold sweat

I'm starting a project- here's the first one.

Thank you, Madi for holding the lamp. I worked again today. Not as spectacular as yesterday, but still nice.

I'm goin to Katie's, and boy. Boy oh boy. I get to work again tomorrow. Instead of going to bumbershoot. Again.

Careful, careful with those ingredients

They could explode and blow up if you drop them

And they hit the

ground

Let it flow, yo, just let it go

get back C-O-H-O-2 wine water solution of calcium hydroxide

Slobbin it, C-A-O lime will make bleach powder

Galvanic metal beats stomp out louder

Dried ice, C-0 squared refrigerant

N-O-2 makes you laugh, it's laughing gas used by the dentists

I nearly added acid glue, I'm like oil of a toil, the king of chemicals

And the G heat gas waved all your mats

Chemical change, ice point, melt all your raps

www.chicagoarchitecture.info/Building/913/Aqua.php

2009

250 mtrs

Aqua is an 82-story mixed-use residential skyscraper in the Lakeshore East development in downtown Chicago designed in the Modern architectural style. The building's height of 819 ft (250 m), includes six levels of parking below ground. The building's eight-story, 140,000 sq ft (13,000 m2) base is topped by a 82,550 sq ft (7,669 m2) terrace with gardens, gazebos, pools, hot tubs, a walking/running track and fire pit. Each floor will cover approximately 16,000 sq ft (1,500 m2). The Aqua was named the Emporis 2009 skyscraper of the year.

Architect

Aqua is designed by Jeanne Gang, principal and founder of Studio Gang Architects, and it is her first skyscraper project. This is the largest project ever awarded to an American firm headed by a woman. Loewenberg & Associates are the architects of record, led by James Loewenberg.

Design

The Aqua Tower is located on the 200 block of North Columbus Drive, and is surrounded by high-rises. To capture views of nearby landmarks for Aqua's residents, Gang stretched its balconies outward by as much as 12 feet (3.7 meters).

The result is a building composed of irregularly shaped concrete floor slabs which lend the facade an undulating, sculptural quality. Gang cites the striated limestone outcroppings that are a common topographic feature of the Great Lakes region as inspiration for these slabs.

The building will contain 55,000 square feet (5,100 square meters) of retail and office space, in addition to 215 hotel rooms (floors 1-18), 476 rental residential units (floors 19-52), and 263 condominium units & Penthouses (floors 53-80).[14] Aqua will also be the first downtown building to combine condos, apartments and a hotel. Strategic Hotels & Resorts had agreed to acquire the first 15 floors of hotel space upon completion of the building, but terminated its $84 million contract for the space in August 2008, citing significant changes in the economic environment. On May 12, 2010, it was announced that Carlson Hotels Worldwide agreed to spend $125 million to open the first Radisson Blu hotel in the United States on 18 vacant floors of the highrise.

The name 'Aqua' was assigned to the building by Magellan Development Group LLC. It fits the nautical theme of the other buildings in the Lakeshore East development, and is derived from the wave-like forms of the balconies; the tower's proximity to nearby Lake Michigan also influenced the name.

Sustainability was also an important factor in Aqua's design. Gang and her team refined the terrace extensions to maximize solar shading, and other sustainable features will include rainwater collection systems and energy-efficient lighting. The green roof on top of the tower base will be the largest in Chicago. The tower will seek LEED certification.

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Oh, how I admire these marvelously engineered, composed and exposed hi-tech Strobist shots, such as of a floating CFL shining brightly without being mated to a socket or any wires visible. For example, this floating CFL, the Strobist explanation and the link to the article by David Hobby were an inspiration to try a lo-tech version.

Strobist Info:

Bulb is a 110V 5W as bought, with a red coating and old-fashioned tungsten filament. Although the thread and contact are dark and hard to see in this shot, no wires are attached to it. No photo editing, simply not needed. This is the image straight out of the camera, just cropped. No fancy floating either, this bulb just rests on the dark backdrop inside my small lightbox that is illuminated by a rainy day cloudy sky through the window shade pulled up about a hand wide. No flash used, no snooting. Why then Strobist? Well, the creative spirit of sharing explanations may have to do with it.

Before I bluntly share, can you guess how I lighted up that bulb? It is without wiring, without building an LED into it, with neither radio frequency transmission nor microwave energy, and not resorting to magic hands energy or wishful positive thinking, either.

Three visual cues:

1. the reflection on the Edison socket,

2. the reflection on the bulb body

3. a bit of light spill to the right side of the bulb. View On Black

Got an idea? The light source is (drum roll) a laser pointer, carefully aimed at the far side of the red globe. See that same little red light bulb when OFF.

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Today, I chilled on the couch all day. Why you may ask? I totally had a headache ALL DAY long. Still have one while I'm typing this. My headaches link to change in weather, so although I've been enjoying the rain, the changing weather is really messing up my head. :(

This weekend is going to be crazy because I have to cram a bunch of school assignments because I'm a procrastinator. :/

I sat around and watched all sort of videos such as:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvrcdQWzH-8

and

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgnRKyPLxng

Can I have both of those for pets?!? PLZ!!!!?

Anyways, cute videos make my head not hurt so badly.

Okay so this QOTD should be fun! :):

What is your FAVORITE Youtube video?

Here's some of mine (These are in no order):

WIZARD SWEARS:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqTHmzMk0Cw

This guy is an amazing pianist:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ0E3dsHRV4

SEVERAL gymnastics videos!!!

Mary Lou Retton:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uvxNzOTKNc

Shannon Miller:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTtR17QkZ_Y

Shawn Johnson:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qQq9lhNwHA

Mitchell Davis:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp7iOwRySwY

(I've met him, and Kyle for all you people who know lots about Mitchell)

Me meeting David Archuleta's family:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G96F00fGH0

Me, Madison and Cristen being really stupid a long time ago:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxwxipxGG5c

Hope you all enjoy! :D Give me one or more of your favorites!

ALSO I MADE A LIKE PAGE ON FACEBOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMGGG

like it please?!!! :)

www.facebook.com/pages/Holly-DeVane-Photography/128303547...

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Inside one of Las Vegas' casinos (I think it's the MGM, but not sure).

Part of my US West Coast set.

Please View Large On Black

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© All rights are reserved, please do not use my photos without my permission. Thanks !

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Type: Cruise Ship

Flag: Republic of Panama

Port of Registry: Panama

Owner: NEWCO Lirica S.A.Geneva, Switzerland

Operator: MSC Crociere S.A.Geneva

Year built: 2003

Built by: Alstom Chantiers de l'Atlantique, France

Length: 251.25m

Beam: 28.80m

Draft: 6.80m max.

Gross tonnage: 59 058 tons

Net tonnage: 33 747 tons

Engine type: Wärtsilä Series 38 diesel-electric

Drive: 2 pods propeller type Rolls-Royce Mermaid

Engine power: 20,000 kW

Speed​​: 21.5 knots max.

Crew: 750

Number of passengers: 1.565, max. 2.069

Callsign: HOPW

IMO: 9246102

Madrid (Spain).

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High, in the centre of town, ventilated and sunny.

Alto, céntrico, ventilado y soleado.

ENGLISH

The Plaza Mayor built during the Habsburg period is a central plaza in the city of Madrid, Spain. It is located only a few blocks away from another famous plaza, the Puerta del Sol. The Plaza Mayor is rectangular in shape, measuring 129 by 94 meters, and is surrounded by three-story residential buildings having 237 balconies facing the Plaza. It has a total of nine entranceways. The Casa de la Panadería, serving municipal and cultural functions, dominates the Plaza Mayor.

The origins of the Plaza go back to 1581 when Philip II of Spain asked Juan de Herrera, a renowned Renaissance architect, to devise a plan to remodel the busy and chaotic area of the old Plaza del Arrabal. Juan de Herrera was the architect who designed the first project in 1581 to remodel the old Plaza del Arrabal but construction didn't start until 1617, during Philip III's reign. The king asked Juan Gomez de Mora to continue with the project, and he finished the porticoes in 1619. Nevertheless, the Plaza Mayor as we know it today is the work of the architect Juan de Villanueva who was entrusted with its reconstruction in 1790 after a spate of big fires. Giambologna's equestrian statue of Philip III dates to 1616, but it was not placed in the center of the square until 1848. Amazingly enough if you go in there today you can still see the blood on the walls from some of the bull fights held there in earlier years.

The Plaza Mayor has been the scene of multitudinous events: markets, bullfights, soccer games, public executions, and, during the Spanish Inquistion, "autos de fe" against supposed heretics and the executions of those condemned to death. The Plaza Mayor also has a ring of old and traditional shops and cafes under its porticoes. Celebrations for San Isidro, patron saint of Madrid, are also held here. The Plaza Mayor is now a major tourist attraction, visited by thousands of tourists a year.

More info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaza_Mayor_of_Madrid

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CASTELLANO

La Plaza Mayor de Madrid está situada en el centro de la ciudad, a pocos metros de la plaza de la Puerta del Sol y de la Plaza de la Villa junto a la calle Mayor.

Los orígenes de la plaza se remontan al siglo XV, cuando en la confluencia de los caminos (hoy en día calles) de Toledo y Atocha, a las afueras de la villa medieval, se celebraba en este sitio, conocido como "Plaza del Arrabal", el mercado principal de la villa, construyéndose en esta época una primera casa porticada, o lonja, para regular el comercio en la plaza.

En 1580, tras haber trasladado la corte a Madrid en 1561, Felipe II encargó el proyecto de remodelación de la plaza a Juan de Herrera, comenzándose el derribo de las "casas de manzanas" de la antigua plaza ese mismo año. La construcción del primer edificio de la nueva plaza, la Casa de la Panadería, comenzaría en 1590 a cargo de Diego Sillero, en el solar de la antigua lonja. En 1617, Felipe III, encargó la finalización de las obras a Juan Gómez de Mora, quién concluirá la plaza en 1619.

La Plaza Mayor ha sufrido tres grandes incendios en su historia, el primero de ellos en 1631, encargándose el mismo Juan Gómez de Mora de las obras de reconstrucción. El segundo de los incendios ocurrió en 1670 siendo el arquitecto Tomás Román el encargado de la reconstrucción. El último de los incendios, que arrasó un tercio de la plaza, tuvo lugar en 1790, dirigiendo las labores de extinción Sabatini. Se encargó la reconstrucción a Juan de Villanueva, que rebajó la altura del caserío que rodea la plaza de cinco a tres plantas y cerró las esquinas habilitando grandes arcadas para su acceso. Las obras de reconstrucción se prolongarían hasta 1854, continuándolas, tras la muerte de Villanueva, sus discípulos Antonio López Aguado y Custodio Moreno.

La Plaza Mayor se convirtió desde sus inicios, no solo en el principal mercado de la villa, tanto de alimentación (surtida por los numerosos tablajeros vigilados por el Repeso) como de otros géneros (instalándose en sus soportales los principales gremios); sino también en el escenario de numerosos actos públicos, como corridas de toros, autos de fe, inmortalizando el pintor Francisco Ricci el celebrado en 1680, ejecuciones públicas, colocándose el patíbulo delante del portal de pañeros si la pena era de garrote; frente a la Casa de la Panadería, si era de horca, y ante la Casa de la Carnicería, si era de cuchillo o hacha. También se celebró en la Plaza Mayor la beatificación de San Isidro, santo patrón de Madrid.

La Plaza Mayor es actualmente un importante punto turístico, visitado por miles de turistas al año. En los locales comerciales ubicados bajo los soportales, abundan los comercios de hostelería, que instalan terrazas junto a los soportales de la plaza.

Todos los meses de diciembre, se celebra el tradicional mercado navideño, costumbre que se mantiene vigente desde el año 1860.

También se celebra todos los domingos y festivos por la mañana el mercado de Filatelia y Numismática.

Más info: es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaza_Mayor_de_Madrid

Engine: D70s + Nikkor DX 18-55mm VR

Location: Chemerong Waterfall,Hulu Terengganu.

Info :

Konservasi Chemerong Berembun Lasir

Lokasi : AT Chemerong, Gng. Berembun, AT Lansir

Tarikh : 7 – 9 Feb 2009 (3 Hari)

Kos : RM150

For others photos activity can be review here - markas.bintang3.net/viewtopic.php?t=2581

'Myths Dreams Symbols' On Black

Music: www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJOtktgAtjE

Magic - A power stronger than your ego; an unconscious force (repressed or forgotten events in your life that is overpowering)

Magician - As the trickster it may symbolize you are fooling yourself over some aspect in your life. It could be the unconscious trying to fool {repress} the conscious mind. See Trickster

Magnet - Something that is bringing you closer to your true self.

Man - A symbol of your self; wholeness, the inner self (spiritual). It could symbolize half of the whole self, with the other half being your feminine side. In a woman's dream it may represent her animus or her father.

Mandalas - A representation of the self; that is complete, whole, balanced. a disarranged manadala may represent that the healing power of the unconscious pyche is temporily out of action. Some destructive attitude - a guilt-and-anger or inferiority complex - is blocking the flow of the natural healing powers.

Marriage - A union of opposite forces. The bringing together of the masculine and feminine sides of your personality. Resolving conflicts in your life.

Mask - Your persona, the image you see yourself as (this is not the real you, only a part of your true self). Covering up the real you; covering up your true emotions about some aspect in your life.

The "starting point" for this image came from:

www.flickr.com/photos/architect4/124550446/?#comment72057...

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Bas-relief Number 3 from the 2nd century AD in the Tang-e Chowgan gorge by Bishapur is extremely worn by a flooding after an aqueduct was constructed in the gorge in the 1960s. The aqueduct wasn't removed until the 1970s, by which time a deep groove had formed throughout the gorge damaging this relief between the fourth and fifth register, near the bottom. Regardless of the damage, the rich detailing of its former glory can still clearly be distinguished.

There are many Sassanid bas reliefs in throughout the Sassanid Empire, with some excellent examples of 'vistory' and 'equestrian' reliefs found in Naqsh-e Rostam and Nasqsh-e Rajab (photos coming soon).

Bishapur' s 'Relief Number 3' is often referred to as Shapur's Victory. 'Triple Victory' would have been a more apt description. The great quantity of horsemen firmly makes this an equestrian victory relief, but the gift bearers are reminiscent of the Achaemenid Eastern Apadana Staircase reliefs in Persepolis, while the cavalries are similar to those depicted on Trajan's Column in Rome.

Sassanid King Shapur I is depicted at the heart of the relief, roughly in the centre of the third register, on his horse and victorious over three Roman Emperors.

The upper left first and second registers and lower left fourth and fifth registers the show the cavalry approaching from the left, as with all Sassanid reliefs. Notwithstanding the flood groove in the fifth register, the use of less well defined figures located on the lower registers would suggest this to represent lower orders of the cavalry.

The middle left third register shows the best defined horse riding figures, probably representing the courtiers and officers of the cavalry.

The upper right first and second registers depict people carrying tribute by way of gifts and offerings to Shapur. Unlike the identifyiable Eastern Apadana Staircase reliefs of Persepolis the graphical identitfication of the ethnicity of the gift bearers is somewhat open to speculation, but the most agreeable interpretation is that these figures depict Romans.

The middle right third register shows the well defined infantry section approaching Shapur from the right. Apart from he Romans there is also the curious presence of an elephant on the extreme right...

The lower right fourth and fifthe registers are damaged by the flooding, which makes identification of the gift bearing figures more difficult, but even before the erosion there has always been speculation about these figures

See also Bishapur Reliefs Number 1, Number 2, Number 4, Number 5, Number 6

Due to the challenging form and placement of this relief, this is not strictly speaking a photo (hence no EXIF metadata), but a rather composite, like the Chehel Sotun composite.

The uploaded version is a much lower resolution version than the actual composite, but seven detail shots are uploaded individually at about half the original resolution, while the centre piece featuring Shapur is uploaded at full resolution.

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The other day I was watching this male Mute Swan strut his stuff around two Trumpeter Swans. Every once and awhile he'd swim in circles and puff out his feathers........The two Trumpeter Swans tagged E90 and O38 would let out a few honks then go about their own business. The two Trumpeter Swans seemed completely uninterested in this lone Mute..I never saw his mate. Perhaps he's a lonely bachelor.........?? ;)

"The Mute Swan is reported to mate for life. However, changing of mates does occur infrequently, and swans will remate if their partner dies. If a male loses his mate and pairs with a young female, she joins him on his territory. If he mates with an older female, they go to hers. If a female loses her mate, she remates quickly and usually chooses a younger male."

Enjoy!! :)

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It’s my first time with texture and PS, so please, be placable =)

Saturday, 15.11.2009.

It was exceptional day, even if I felt so tired later.

It was day without sleep at night before (because I was afraid that I miss my (really!) morning train), 4 hours at train, than wonderful time with someone really special and than another 4 hours at bus on my way back home.

Some people make us smile, some make us happy, some make us special and some wake up to live and than keep us still alive.

Yep, that’s right: so close no matter how far and now nothing else matters.

Thank you my dear.

trust I seek and I find in you

every day for us something new

open mind for a different view

and nothing else matters

so close no matter how far

couldn't be much more from the heart

forever trusting who we are

no nothing else matters

/Metallica - Nothing else matters/

My heart is filled so full of doubt.

- The Ataris

I decided to finally explore textures. Holymygosh. They are SO much more fun than texture brushes! And you can manipulate them alot more. This feels very Jessi-esque to me.

Layer #1 is from James' Textures for Layers set, I used this one. Layer #2 is here.

I woke up at 5 this evening. Passed out last night at 930. My sleep schedule is driving me crazy.

My necklace from the jewelry party came in! This isn't the super awesome one I was talking about, but mom won't let me have it until my birthday. Which I think is pretty lame because I already know what it is and my birthday isn't until November. :( I asked if I could just use it for my 365 and she said yes. In November. Poop. :(

My whole body aches. My thighs are killing me from jumping in and out of this pose a million times yesterday. My neck is tense, I've got a massive headache and my sinuses have that itchy/allergy/pressured 'you might be getting sick, muahahaha' feeling. :(

View On Black

talk to me

A surrealist story:

It breaks my heart leaving my little tree (and her three new borns) every morning in the loneliness of my kitchen... When I arrive home she looks so unhappy with her fallen leaves... Then I give her some water and clean every leaf with a wet cloth, and at the same time I talk to her and tell her how hard my day was. In the end of this process, that lasts around 10', she looks happier and her leaves get crispy and alive...

I don't think I am the only person on earth doing this...

If I had a dog or a cat I would do the same! :)

May I suggest this view?

A very quick snapshot taken in Strasburg, Lancaster County PA last summer. This was from quite a distance and when I opened the file in the computer I was delighted to suddenly see that all three of the little boys were barefooted. The slight over-expusure and the somwhat muted color tones suggested a painting so I gave it that effect.

Please View On Black

MEJOR AQUÍ

Making Of - Time Lapse

Editando más fotos de aquella gran sesión que tuve con Johanna Romo.

JOHANNA - Más fotos (junto con Freddy y Jessica) fue mi primera incursión en el mundo de la iluminación artificial allá por 2007. Siempre es un placer contar con ella.

La podéis ver también en mi serie VIDEOGRAFÍAS

Peluquería/Maquillaje: www.facebook.com/EstherVegaEstilistas

Localización: www.fuenteacena.com/

uniform.wingzero.tw/high-school.php?id=209

模特兒:

陳世承

www.facebook.com/edward.chen.9803150?fref=ts

簡廷倪

www.facebook.com/ohninigerrr?fref=ts

湯思祈

www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004023167785&fref=ts

陳亭妤

www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001360149209&fref=ts

吳采倩

www.facebook.com/yoyo.0521?fref=ts

戴良銳

www.facebook.com/ray.ray.568?fref=ts

攝影師

張家偉

www.facebook.com/justatlantis

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© All rights are reserved, please do not use my photos without my permission. Thanks !

MS EUROPA 2 - Specifications

Year built: 2013

GT: 40,000

Built by STX Europe, St. Nazaire, France

Length / Width / Depth: 225.38 m/26, 7 m / 6.3 m

Total power: 24,000 kW

Speed: 21 knots

Stabilisers: Blohm + Voss, 2x 14m ² wing area

Passenger capacity: 516 to 7 decks

Suites: 251 Total Suites:

2 Owner's Suites including porch à 114 m²

2 Grand Penthouse suites including porch à 88 m²

16 spa suites including veranda, comprising 52 m²

24 Grand Suites, including veranda à 52 m² (including 2 for disabled)

59 Ocean suites including veranda of 35 m²

141 suites including porch veranda of 35 m²

7 Family Apartments including veranda of 2 x 27 m²

Language on board: German

Number of crew:> 370

Zodiacs (motorized boats): 12

Tender (150 seats): 4

Hospital: Yes

www.mseuropa2.de/

Ferrari 360 Modena On Black

The Ferrari 360 is a mid-engine midsize two-seater sports car produced from late 1999 until 2005. The 360 replaced the Ferrari F355 and was itself replaced by the fairly similar Ferrari F430. For the 360, Ferrari partnered with Alcoa to produce an entirely new all-aluminum space-frame chassis that was 40% stiffer than the F355, yet 28% lighter despite a 10% increase in overall dimensions. Along with the new frame was a new Pininfarina body styling that broke ranks with the last decade's sharp angles and flip-up headlights, replacing them with a rounded appearance that harkened to the 1960s. The new V8 engine, common to all versions, was only slightly larger and more powerful than the F355's at 3.6 litres and 400 bhp (300 kW) of power, but the lighter frame and added stiffness improved performance; the 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration performance improved from 4.6 to 4.4 seconds, . An engine replacement resulted in the V8 road model that followed, the F430 (internally referred to as the evoluzione or evo) which came out in 2004.

Wikipedia

I was on my way to the store where I bought my Nikon D90 to change the Nikon Camerabag, which was falling apart after only half a year, with a friend of mine when I saw this Ferrari appearing in my rearview mirrors.

I quicky grabbed my Nikon from the backseats and set the settings so I would be able to get some decent shots.

When I was to busy watching the traffic and trying to keep up with the yellow beast, I passed my camera to my friend which managed to get some shots too.

play

“Odio gli indifferenti. Credo che vivere voglia dire essere partigiani. Chi vive veramente non può non essere cittadino e partigiano. L’indifferenza è abulia, è parassitismo, è vigliaccheria, non è vita. Perciò odio gli indifferenti.

Sono partigiano, vivo, sento nelle coscienze della mia parte già pulsare l’attività della città futura che la mia parte sta costruendo. E in essa la catena sociale non pesa su pochi, in essa ogni cosa che succede non è dovuta al caso, alla fatalità, ma è intelligente opera dei cittadini. Non c’è in essa nessuno che stia alla finestra a guardare mentre i pochi si sacrificano, si svenano. Vivo, sono partigiano. Perciò odio chi non parteggia, odio gli indifferenti”.

Antonio Gramsci, 11 febbraio 1917

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en Biodiversidad virtual

y también en Twiter

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Aunque lleva un apellido de tierra Thecamoeba terricola es acuática y buceadora; ciertamente no es marciana y pisa con seguridad los fondos sumergidos y dulces de nuestro Planeta Azul, en este caso bajo las aguas verdosas del Lago de Sanabria.

Es tan lenta en sus movimientos que Thecamoeba parece una escultura de hielo que lentamente se va fundiendo al mismo tiempo que se congela, mientras que por su piel se dibujan finas estrías que guían los aludes licuados de su cuerpo de montaña. Por sus contornos y a diferentes alturas van asomando lenguas hialinas que son alcanzadas por otras hasta que desaparecen a saltos leves de nube rígida.

Además de su tamaño algo superior al de otras especies del género, Thecamoeba terricola suele presentar un núcleo elipsoidal grande, con varios fragmentos de nucleolo pegados al interior de la membrana, que en el ejemplar que hoy mostramos aquí, es perfectamente circular. Sobre él, como en la cima de una minúscula montaña de ochomiles de tan solo siete u ocho milésimas de milímetro de altitud, se abre, junto al borde del precipicio el cráter de un volcán, una vacuola contráctil, que expulsa hielo fundido, agua, hacia el exterior a ritmo lento de bombeo de corazón.

Caminando sobre el fondo, el cuerpo de Thecamoeba terricola se desliza silenciosamente, fundiéndose a cada paso con la transparencia de una gota de agua que se deshace a cada instante sobre el infinito acuático, mientras va disolviendo en su interior los rastros de vida verde que encuentra a su paso, pequeñas algas que han precipitado al fondo e incluso otras pequeñas amebas con caparazón, con las que se funde como si fueran su mismo cuerpo.

Cuando avanza, Thecamoeba extiende sus lisas lenguas sobre el fondo, como si fuese lava fría, barre así cualquier poso de vida que cayó a los sedimentos imitando una lluvia, lluvia incesante de pequeñas partículas de otros seres: bacterias, minúsculas algas que ahora se mezclan y fluyen en corrientes por su interior.

La ameba Thecamoeba no extiende su cuerpo en brazos al caminar como lo hacen otras de sus hermanas como Amoeba o Mayorella , camina por los raíles de su dorso, tres o cuatro repliegues rígidos que contienen su cuerpo dentro de una fina película completamente invisible.

Thecamoeba terricola es hermana de Thecamoeba quadrilineata y Thecamoeba striata, pero es de mayor tamaño y presenta múltiples pies y arrugas y pliegues más finos en su cubierta. Todas ella viven siempre sobre superficies húmedas o sumergidas a poca profundidad, con frecuencia sobre fondos de tierra cargados de sedimentos..

Thecamoeba terricola es una de las numerosas amebas que viven sobre los fondos del Lago de Sanabria de donde se cita por primera vez.

La fotografía de hoy, realizada a 400 aumentos empleando la técnica de contraste de interferencia, se ha tomado sobre una muestra recolectada a cinco metros de profundidad, el 30 de agosto de 2015, por Laura, Mª José y Tomás en las inmediaciones de la Isla de Moras en el Lago de Sanabria (Zamora), desde el catamarán Helios Sanabria el primer catamarán construido en el Planeta propulsado por energía eólica y solar.

Más información

presentación ponencia congreso internacional de Limnología

informes de contaminación en el Lago de Sanabria

informe de evolución de la contaminación en el Lago de Sanabria

vídeo

El Lago en TVE.

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- She was very much half-dressed

And big indiscreet trees

Threw out their leaves against the pane

Cunningly, and close, quite close.

Sitting half naked in my big chair,

She clasped her hands.

Her small and so delicate feet

Trembled with pleasure on the floor.

- The colour of wax, I watched

A little wild ray of light

Flutter on her smiling lips

And on her breast, - an insect on the rose-bush.

- I kissed her delicate ankles.

She laughed softly and suddenly

A string of clear trills,

A lovely laugh of crystal.

The small feet fled beneath

Her petticoat: "Stop it, do!"

- The first act of daring permitted,

Her laugh pretended to punish me!

- Softly I kissed her eyes,

Trembling beneath my lips, poor things:

- She threw back her fragile head

"Oh! come now that's going too far!...

Listen, Sir, I have something to say to you..."

- I transferred the rest to her breast

In a kiss which made her laugh

With a kind laugh that was willing...

- She was very much half-dressed

And big indiscreet trees threw

Out their leaves against the pane

Cunningly, and close, quite close.

- As translated by Oliver Bernard: Arthur Rimbaud, Collected Poems (1962)

Large Version (recommended) | Browse on Black | Slideshow

Madero Tango Show - Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires

Whoever goes to Buenos Aires just have to see a live tango show. The hardest part, on my opinion, is to choose the right one. There is a plethora of places in Buenos Aires that offer such shows so the choice is vast. We checked on Trip Advisor and we asked for some advice to the people where we were staying and we got pretty much opposite feedback. Weird.

We finally went to Madero Tango, despite some terrible critics on the web. I must confess that we were so happy with that choice. We did not take the dinner that is part of the dinner-show pack because we all know that this kind of place might be great to see a good show but certainly not for food. So I cannot say about the dinner but I can tell you that for the Tango, it’s more than worth the price.

The dancers were amazing, the music was loud and beautiful, the light was perfect and we were really impressed by the overall quality of the show. It just has nothing to do with the street tango dancers that one can see in the famous La Boca neighborhood. This is professional Tango.

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I've promised to some friends to show the roses of my rose garden ... here are some shots without post-production, a rough overview, just to bring you a ride!

Unfortunately I cannot upload their scent

Ho promesso ad alcuni amici che avrei fatto vedere loro alcune rose del mio roseto ....ecco qui alcuni scatti, un veloce e grezzo giretto tra la fioritura di maggio!

Sfortunatamente non son son riuscito a caricare pure il loro profumo ...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDiTuTQAvzo

[Gabriel Fauré - 'Impromptu' for Harp in D flat major (Catrin Finch)]

ROSA MOZART

Famiglia: synstylae

Ibrido: moschata

Ibridatore: Lambert (Germania)

Anno: 1937

Portamento: cespuglio

Altezza: 120 cm

Utilizzo: siepe media

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Jog Falls created by the Sharavathi River falling from a height of 253 meters (829 ft) is the highest plunge waterfall in India, Located in Shimoga District of Karnataka state, these segmented falls are a major tourist attraction. It is also called by alternative names of Gerusoppe falls, Gersoppa Falls and Jogada Gundi.

There are many waterfalls in Asia - and also in India - which drop from a higher altitude. But, unlike those falls, Jog Falls is untiered, i.e., it drops directly and does not stream on to rocks. Thus, it can be described as the highest untiered waterfalls in India. The waterfall database gives it 83 scenic points while Angel falls is at 97.

River Sharavathi splits up into four different tracks which are named in accordance with their perceived trajectories. Going from left to right respectively in the picture, the names and the reasons for naming are:

* Raja (King): Named so because of its apparently 'dignified' and 'serene' fall.

* Roarer: This stream appears out of a mass of rocks, making a tremendous amount of noise.

* Rocket: Consists of a large volume of water streaming out of a small opening at a very high speed.

* Rani (Queen), also called Lady: The stream has a winding, twisting trajectory, said to resemble the movements of a female dancer

Please View Large On Black

*

© All rights are reserved, please do not use my photos without my permission. Thanks !

Doop van kabellegger Stemat Spirit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHUKqqF3YrM

Type: Cable Installation Vessel

Flag: Netherlands

Port of registry: Rotterdam

Year built: 2010

Built by: Taizhou XingGang Shipbuilding,China

Owner: Stemat Marine Services

Operator: VSMC (Visser & Smit Marine Contracting)

Length: 90.00 m

Beam: 28.00m

Maximum draft: 4.70 m (7.00 ft bow thrusters down)

Minimum draft: (azimuth bow down 4.20 m) 1.90 m

Gross tonnage: 5.551 tons

Main engines: 2 x Caterpillar 3512HD

Total output main engines: 4516 kW

Stern thrusters: 2 x 1140 kW azimuth HPR 6111

Bow thruster: 2 x Caterpillar 3512B

2 x 1118 kW retractable azimuth HPR 6111

1 x Electric driven tunnel thruster 650 kW

Speed​​: 10 knots (maximum speed with minimum draft)

Auxiliary / Generators: 3 x 850 kW parallel running / PM system

Emergency / Harbour generator: 1 x 200 kW

Cranes, winches / anchors:

Mooring system: nos 6 ton 60 ton pull / hold 100, full CT

Drum capacity: 1,000 m Ø 48 mm anchor wire

Anchors: 6 nos 7 ton SSHP

Optional: 125 ton pull winch for plow operations

Hydraulic deck crane: 18 ton at 14 m radius

Main crane: Liebherr LR 1280

Turntable:

Loading capacity: 4,600 tons

Outer diameter: 24 m

Inner core diameter: 6.6 m

Height of turntable: 5.5 (Extendable up to 7 m)

Ring surface area: 420 m2

Cable speed range: 0 - 1000 m / hr (loading and laying)

Product max diameter: 450 mm

Max product weight: 150 kg / m

Cable lay equipment:

Cable tensioners: 2 x 5 or 10 ton (project specific)

Cable splice area: deck space is available for jointing activities

Accommodation: 60 beds (28 double cabins, 4 single cabins)

Call Sign: PBSO

MMSI: 246543000

IMO: 9496458

Luz Casal - Entre Mis Recuerdos

Cuando la pena cae sobre mí

el mundo deja ya de existir,

miro hacia atrás y busco

entre mis recuerdos

Para encontrar la niña que fui

y algo de todo lo que perdí

miro hacia atrás y busco

entre mis recuerdos

Sueño con noches brillantes al borde

de un mar de aguas claras y puras

y un aire cubierto de azahar.

Cada momento era especial

días sin prisas, tardes de paz,

miro hacia atrás y busco

entre mis recuerdos.

Yo quisiera volver a encontrar la pureza

nostalgia de tanta inocencia

que tan poco tiempo duró.

Con el veneno sobre mi piel

frente a las sombras de la pared

miro hacia atrás y busco

entre mis recuerdos,

vuelvo hacia atrás y busco

entre mis recuerdos.

Y si las lágrimas vuelven

ellas me harán más fuerte.

Yo quisiera volver a encontrar la pureza

nostalgia de tanta inocencia

que tan poco tiempo duró.

Cuando la pena cae sobre mí,

quiero encontrar aquello que fui,

miro hacia atrás y busco entre mis recuerdos.

Vuelvo hacia atrás y busco entre mis recuerdos...

Esta niña de aquí arriba vestida a la última moda, despeinada y con una liebre en la mano... soy yo!! jajajaja :D

Solamente aclarar que la liebre estaba viva, je. Era mi mascota. Pobrecita... menos mal que un día me decidí a soltarla en el monte y, por lo tanto, así pudiera ser libre. Como véis la fotografía es bastante antigua y la hizo mi madre con su reflex. El lugar de la fotogradí es mi casita del pueblo (Valdeavellano).

A veces, que bonito es mirar hacia atrás y buscar entre los recuerdos...

PD. Disculpar mi ausencia. Estoy bastante ocupada con el trabajo y estudiándo para los exámenes finales.

¡¡Besitos para todos/as!! : )

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See where this picture was taken. [?]

The only species of hummingbird that breeds in eastern North America, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird is found throughout the eastern deciduous and mixed forests. It flies nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico to winter in Central America.

Cool Facts

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird beats its wings 53 times a second.

The extremely short legs of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird prevent it from walking or hopping. The best it can do is shuffle along a perch. Nevertheless, it scratches its head and neck by raising its foot up and over its wing.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird does not show a strong preference for any particular color of feeder. Instead, it prefers specific feeder locations

Description

Size: 7-9 cm (3-4 in)

Wingspan: 8-11 cm (3-4 in)

Weight: 2-6 g (0.07-0.21 ounces)

Tiny bird.

Back iridescent green.

Hovers at flowers.

Male with brilliant iridescent red throat.

Sex Differences

Male with red throat, female with white. Female with white tips to tail feathers. Female larger.

Male

Gorget (throat) brilliant metallic red. Back and head metallic bronze-green. Tail feathers pointed and dark purplish or black. Wing feathers dark slate. Chin, malar region, around eyes, and auriculars black. Small white spot behind eyes. Chest dull brownish white, changing to darker brownish gray on breast and abdomen; sides and flanks darker and overlaid with bronze-green. Tufts on side of rump white. Undertail coverts brownish gray, edged with dull white.

Female

Back, top of head, and two central tail feathers metallic bronze-green. Three outer tail feathers on each side with broad white tips, black central portions, and bronzy green bases. Wing feathers dark. Small white spot behind eye. Auriculars dusky. Throat and underparts dull grayish white or brownish gray. Flanks and undertail coverts tinged with buffy. Tufts on side of rump white.

Immature

Similar to adult female. Male with dusky streaks on throat and a few metallic red feathers.

Similar Species

Male Black-chinned Hummingbird has purple gorget.

Female hummingbirds are difficult to distinguish.

Sound

Rapid squeaky chipping. Humming sound from wings.

Summer Range

Breeds from central Alberta eastward to Nova Scotia, southward from eastern North Dakota to eastern Texas and Florida.

Winter Range

Winters in southern Mexico and Central America south to Costa Rica.

Habitat

Breeds in mixed woodlands and eastern deciduous forest, gardens, and orchards.

Winters in tropical deciduous forest, tropical dry forests, scrubland, citrus groves, and second growth.

Food

Flower nectar, small insects, and tree sap. Comes to hummingbird feeders.

Foraging

Hovers at flowers and sap wells, catches insects in flight and plucks them from leaves, plucks spiders from their webs.

Nest Type

Nest an open cup placed on top of small tree branch. Made of thistle and dandelion down, held together with spider web and covered on outside with lichens. Placed at 6-50 feet height, average of 10-20 feet.

Egg Description

Color: White.

Size: 12.2–14.0 mm x 8.38-9.14 mm.

(0.48-0.55 in X 0.33-0.36 in)

Incubation period: 12-14 days.

Clutch Size

Usually 2 eggs. Range: 1-3.

Condition at Hatching

Helpless, naked, and black.

Chicks fledge in 18-20 days.

Conservation Status

Populations appear stable

Barra

Salvador

Bahia

Brasil

bighugelabs.com/dna.php

" A palmeira-imperial (Roystonea oleracea (Palmae) ou Oreodoxa oleracea), também chamada palmeira-real[2], é uma palmeira originária das Antilhas[3]. Pertence ao género botânico Roystonea da família Arecaceae. Foi aclimatada pelos franceses no jardim botânico La Gabrielle, instalado na Guiana Francesa e depois transferida para o Jardin de Pamplemousse, nas Ilhas Maurício[3].

No Brasil, o primeiro exemplar de Roystonea oleracea, a Palma Mater, foi plantada no Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro pelo príncipe regente dom João VI, em 1809 [4] [5]. Fora presenteada a dom João VI por um dos sobreviventes de uma fragata, o oficial da Armada Real Luís Vieira e Silva. Por um erro histórico, dizia-se que tinha sido trazida do Jardim Gabrielle, de onde vieram muitas plantas, principalmente durante as Guerras Napoleônicas. Porém o Jardim Gabrielle era nas Guianas e as primeiras plantas que chegaram ao Brasil, na verdade, vieram das Ilhas Maurício, do Jardim La Pamplemousse, obtidas clandestinamente por Luiz de Abreu Vieira e Silva, que as ofereceu a dom João VI. Quando foi plantada por dom João VI, a primeira Roystonea oleracea (Palmae) brasileira passou a ser conhecida como palmeira-imperial [6]. A Palma Mater floresceu pela primeira vez em 1829. Deste exemplar plantado em 1809, descendem todas as palmeiras-imperiais do Brasil, daí sua denominação de Palma Mater. A Palma Mater foi destruída por um raio em 1972.

Tinha, naquela época, 38,70 metros de altura. O tronco foi preservado e encontra-se em exposição no Museu Botânico. Em seu lugar, foi plantado outro exemplar, simbolicamente chamado de Palma Filia, oriunda de uma semente da palmeira original. Segundo Roseli Maria Martins d’ Elboux, mestre em história e fundamentos da arquitetura e do urbanismo, o plantio das palmeiras-imperiais se tornou comum no Rio de Janeiro em meados do século XIX, diante da "necessidade do fortalecimento simbólico do Segundo Império". Pode ser procedente a história segundo a qual as sementes da palmeira-imperial foram distribuídas aos súditos como sinal de proximidade ou lealdade ao poder central e tenham, assim, se tornado o "símbolo do Império". "Desse modo, depois de alguns anos, a espécie vincula-se definitivamente à imagem do poder monárquico, à ideia de nobreza, distinção e classe."

View On Black

Oda a mirar pájaros

Ahora

a buscar pájaros!

Las altas ramas férreas

en el bosque,

la espesa

fecundidad del suelo,

está mojado

el mundo,

brilla

lluvia o rocío, un astro

diminuto

en las hojas:

fresca

es la matutina

tierra madre,

el aire

es como un río

que sacude

el silencio,

huele a romero,

a espacio

y a raíces.

Arriba

un canto loco,

una cascada,

es un pájaro.

Cómo

de su garganta

más pequeña que un dedo

pueden caer las aguas

de su canto?

Facultad luminosa!

Poderío

invisible,

torrente

de la música

en las hojas,

conversación sagrada!

Limpio, lavado, fresco

es este día,

sonoro

como cítara verde,

yo entierro

los zapatos

en el lodo,

salto los manantiales,

una espina

me muerde y una ráfaga

de aire como una ola

cristalina

se divide en mi pecho.

Dónde

están los pájaros?

Fue tal vez

ese

susurro en el follaje

o esa huidiza bola

de pardo terciopelo

o ese desplazamiento

de perfume? Esa hoja

que desprendió el canelo

fue un pájaro? Ese polvo

de magnolia irritada

o esa fruta

que cayó resonando,

eso fue un vuelo?

Oh pequeños cretinos

invisibles,

pájaros del demonio,

váyanse

al diablo

con su sonajera,

con sus plumas inútiles!

Yo que solo quería

acariciarlos,

verlos resplandeciendo,

no quiero

en la vitrina

ver los relámpagos embalsamados,

quiero verlos vivientes,

quiero tocar sus guantes

de legítimo cuero,

que nunca olvidan en las ramas,

y conversar con ellos

en los hombros

aunque me dejen como a ciertas estatuas

inmerecidamente blanqueado.

Imposible.

No se tocan,

se oyen

como un celeste

susurro o movimiento,

conversan

con precisión,

repiten

sus observaciones,

se jactan

de cuanto hacen,

comentan

cuanto existe,

dominan

ciertas ciencias

como la hidrografía

y a ciencia cierta saben

dónde están cosechando

cereales.

Ahora bien,

pájaros

invisibles

de la selva, del bosque,

de la enramada pura,

pájaros de la acacia

y de le encina,

pájaros

locos, enamorados,

sorpresivos,

cantantes,

vanidosos,

músicos migratorios,

una palabra

última

antes

de volver

con zapatos mojados, espinas

y hojas secas

a mi casa:

vagabundos,

os amo

libres,

lejos de la escopeta y de la jaula,

corolas

fugitivas,

así

os amo,

inasibles,

solidaria y sonora

sociedad de la altura,

hojas

en libertad,

campeones

del aire,

pétalos

del humo,

libres,

alegres,

voladores y cantores,

aéreos y terrestres,

navegantes del viento,

felices

constructores

de suavísimos nidos,

incesantes

mensajeros del polen,

casamenteros

de la flor, tíos

de la semilla,

os amo,

ingratos:

vuelvo

feliz de haber vivido con vosotros

un minuto

en el viento.

Pablo Neruda

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A crop of an earlier upload for use in my upcoming magazine, World View Two.

See all 36 images in the magazine's set as a slideshow:

www.flickr.com/photos/p0ps/sets/72157626154871427/show/

Found on the east side of Norfolk just south of Rivington. I really like Judith Supine's work, admire his demo video.

This shot was an experiment in using my camcorder-calico method for making hi-res photos by pano-stitching together hundreds of lo-res video stills. Why don't I just buy a 10+ megapixel SLR? It would be too easy.

I shot this in motion video holding the camcorder about 18" from the wall, starting at the upper left corner, slowly panning to the right across the top, lowering it about half a row, panning left across, then a little lower, back across, etc. until I was crouched down at the bottom and people on the sidewalk were wondering what kind of perversion I was up to.

Then, back home, I imported the footage into iMovie, converting to an 8 frame per second image sequence of tiffs. By selecting every other image file by hand, I divided the resulting 1200+ stills into 2 folders of about 600 each, then divided each of those into 2 folders of about 300 each.

I loaded the first folder into Calico, the pano-stitcher made for Mac. After about an hour of aligning, Calico formed an incomprehensible pano that looked like a blurred horizontal strip.

I ran Photoshop actions on the 300 stills in the second folder to mildly increase the saturation, the contrast and sharpness. This took about an hour. Then I loaded them into Calico and after an hour of aligning it formed a pano which had a little more height than the first one, but was still not comprehensible, didn't contain all the imagery, so I moved on.

The third folder, I ran Photoshop actions on those 300 stills with harsh increase of saturation, contrast, sharpness and the watercolor filter. Calico understood that one and after another hour of aligning, the preview display showed a decent, complete pano, so I pushed the "make" button and two hours later had a 167 MB tiff showing the complete door that the art is painted on.

The shape distortion is slight and desirable.

I opened it in Photoshop, made a few duplicate layers and worked each one with image adjustments and filters, adjusting the opacity of each layer until I thought I had the clearest, best representative image, then combined the layers, making the 2048 pixel wide jpeg which I uploaded here.

The original is about twice this size and perhaps somebody may print from it someday.

As you can see from this method, I was able to spend about 6 hours making this image, 6 hours of being in my apartment with Ruth, listening to music, talking. If I just snapped a hi-res image with a big SLR and turned it into a jpeg for Flickr, I'd have been done in 10 minutes, missing all that fun.

Also, I don't need to do straight document of street art, Elisha Cook Jr., Jake Dobkins, otherthings and a few others are covering that beat very well.

Best On Black

This one is an out-take. I tied each glass together with a fishing line near the base. The idea was to pull over all three glasses at the same time (to the right), but when I pulled the line broke, and only the blue glass actually fell over. I kinda like it though. A happy accident.

Lighting Info: 580 EX II on full power camera right shot into an umbrella. SB 26 on full power camera left shot through an umbrella. I used a 3'x3' sheet of black acrylic for the table and some black velvet as the background. The "glasses" are actually plastic. Good thing too, because they ended up crashing to the ground multiple times.

Next time I'm planning to put up two sheets (or white shower curtains) on the sides to act as defusers (instead of using umbrellas). I don't like the reflections of the umbrellas in the sides of the glass.

Post Processing: I cleaned up a lot of small dust specks using the spot healing and clone stamp tools in Photoshop. I also selected the background and painted it black to remove any stray specks and the fishing line.

Large On Black or even better, in high-res, that really reveals the details :)

Panoramic HDR shot from the St. Andreas church in my hometown Westeremden, The Netherlands.

From a circa 1200 built, dedicated to Saint Andrew, not overarched church only the western part retained after a fire in 1238. After the completed reconstruction and expansion in 1259, the church was a Cross-type church with shallow transverse arms. The major thirteenth-century tower was demolished in 1808: the west wall of the church was then rebuild. The wind indicator added was a horse. The east facade of the church contains saving fields with varying decorative masonry. In the 15th century white chalked vaults and holy figures were provided. The north wall of the church is a damaged presentation of the Last Judgment. The church still has a nice interior with pulpit, screen and banks from the middle of the seventeenth century. (--> partly google translate, yes I'm lazy, if you don't get the translation please let me know).

Van een omstreeks 1200 gebouwde, aan Sint-Andreas gewijde, niet overwelfde kerk bleef na een brand in 1238 het westelijk deel bewaard. Na de in 1259 voltooide herbouw en uitbreiding was een kruiskerk met ondiepe dwarsarmen tot stand gekomen. De forse dertiende-eeuwse, met de kerk verbonden toren is in 1808 afgebroken: de westmuur van de kerk is toen opnieuw opgemetseld en de nok is van een dakruiter voorzien. De windwijzer daarop is een paard. De oostgevel van de kerk bevat spaarvelden met uiteenlopend siermetselwerk. In de vijftiende eeuw zijn de gewelven gewit en van heiligenfiguren voorzien. De noordmuur van het schip draagt een beschadigde voorstelling van het Laatste Oordeel. De kerk bezit een gave inrichting met preekstoel, koorhek en banken uit het midden van de zeventiende eeuw.

Click here to view larger size photo with more details

Common daily scene of people commuting to work using the Kiev Tramway in a snowy day of winter. People are dressed appropriately to deal with the rigorous winter temperatures. The old Tramway is not affected by the -15 to -20 degrees outside temperature of the day, unlike many modern technology transportation systems.

Nikon D700 and lens Leica Elmarit APO 180mm f/2.8.

make silly faces!

Like this!

So. Here we go again. I am SO determined to complete this project. I think this is my fourth try at it?

I had this really awesome shot lined up. I went out. I shot some selfies. I came home and edited for 3 hours. And it looked horrible. Mostly because I haven't had my glasses since January and my eyesight has gotten worse since them. I cannot see ANYTHING. Everything is blurry. So I can't aim my autofocus right and I can't manually focus properly. Hell, this shot is probably either blurry or over sharpened because since I can't see, I tend to overcompensate with the sharpening. Anyway. I scratched my first idea and pulled out my lamp to do head shots. And I kept getting these really out of focus shots! And now I can't tell if there's something wrong with my autofocus or if it's just my eyesight. I got really frustrated and almost gave up and then out of nowhere I started taking goofy silly faced pictures. And they came out! And you know what? It put me in a better mood. So when you feel upset or angry or frustrated, look in a mirror and make silly faces. I promise it will make you feel better!

Also - are there any other November starters?

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Not related to this photo, but I wanted to tell you about an interesting search that we were called out on, last night. It was for a 13-year old girl that had overdosed on her medications for bi-polar disease. We were unable to locate her, but we think that we covered the area around her house well and are fairly confident that she is not there.

The interesting part that I wanted to share is how we used technology to aid us in a thorough search. Coincidentally, I just happened to be playing with www.local.live.com to try to figure out where this photo, that my friend Denise had posted, was shot, when we got the call from the San Diego Police Department, and that is the tool we used on the search.

We had recently decided to keep Jan's laptop at the ready, so we scooped it up on the way out the door, and set it up when we arrived on scene. I plugged in our "air card", a device that lets us access the Internet, using regular cell phone connections, but we didn't need it, because there were about half a dozen wireless access points (which are much faster) available and the first one I tried was open, so I used that. As a side note, if you use a wireless router in your home, I urge you to be sure that you protect it, so that no one else can access it, without the key, because they can get into your computer if you don't. The laptop turned out to be an invaluable tool, because with the clarity that was available, we could easily see the open space around the house that the girl went missing from and plan where to send the teams, as well as debrief them when they returned, since they could just point to the areas that they covered.

Besides the laptop, we used the GPS units in our cars to give us spoken turn by turn directions to the house, handheld GPS to track where the teams had been (which could have been uploaded into the laptop to provide a better visual picture, had we needed that), commercial radios that were provided by a grant from a local philanthropic group, and cell phones to communicate with each other. Technology certainly made our jobs easier and enabled us to search safer and more efficiently.

[Update] The girl was found about an hour after we left. Fortunately, she was not in our search area.

Edited Aqua MODIS PR image of smoke from the Camp Fire burning in Paradise, California.

Image source: modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2018-1...

Original caption: By September, 2018, California’s destructive, wildfire season made new records when the Mendocino Complex Fire consumed more than 410,000 acres to become the largest wildfire in that state’s history. Ignited on July 27 and declared 100 percent contained on September 18. That fire also destroyed 157 homes, and killed a firefighter.

Less than 2 months later, a new fire has reached the record books as the most destructive fire in California’s history. As of November 10, the Camp Fire had charred 100,000 acres, destroyed 6,453 homes and 260 commercial buildings, with some early estimates of more than $2.9 billion in damages. Nine fatalities have been confirmed, although late on November 10 local media reported that Butte County government officials announced that 23 persons had been confirmed killed with 100 more missing. Prior to the Camp Fire, California’s most destructive fire was the Tubbs Fire which burned 36,807 acres in Napa and Sonoma counties and destroyed 5,636 structures. The Tubbs Fire burned in October 2017, killing 22 people. The most deadly fire in California history was the Tunnel Fire. In October, 1991, that fire killed 25 people as it burned in Alameda County.

On November 8, 2018, the Camp Fire erupted 90 miles (140 kilometers) north of Sacramento, California. Strong winds pushed the fire to the south and southwest overnight, tripling its size and spreading smoke over the Sacramento Valley. More than 2,000 personnel have been sent to fight the Camp Fire, which is predicted to be fully contained by Nov. 30. Firefighters are having difficulty containing it due to strong winds, which fan the flames and carry burning vegetation downwind. The area also has heavy and dry fuel loads, or flammable material.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite captured this true-color image on November 9. Heavy dark gray smoke rises from the large burn area and pours across the state and over the Pacific Ocean.

Many new fires have started in recent days in tinder-dry California with the flames fanned by high wind, low humidity, and warm temperatures. As of November 10, the National Interagency Fire Center reported five “major” fires burning across the state. These include the Camp Fire, the Alder and Mountaineer Fires in Sequoia National Forest, Eden Fire in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park, and the Woolsey and Hill Fires in Ventura County.

Image Facts

Satellite: Aqua

Date Acquired: 11/8/2018

Resolutions: 1km (54.6 KB), 500m (194.1 KB), 250m (635.8 KB)

Bands Used: 1,4,3

Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC

See where this picture was taken. [?]

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GHOSTS OF THE PRAIRIE

HAUNTED ILLINOIS

BLOODY HISTORY OF CAVE-IN-ROCK

The History & Hauntings of Southern Illinois

The rivers and waterways of southern Illinois have always played a dominant role in its history and folklore. The early settlers, like the French, established themselves along the rivers and later, farmers would come to realize how much more simple it was to use the river to transport grain to market. The era of the steamboat created towns like Chester, Elizabethtown, Cairo, Metropolis, Golconda and Shawneetown. These towns became shipping ports with flour and lumber mills and even an iron foundry in Grand Tower. Travelers came to the towns by boat and hotels and establishments on the riverfront flourished.

Many stories have emerged from the rivers and the towns surrounding them, of wrecks, lawlessness, pirates and even ghosts. Perhaps the most famous pirate location on the river was an outlaw hideout called Cave-in-Rock, which is located along the Ohio River at the southeastern edge of the state. The cave became the stronghold of pirates who plundered flatboats on the river and who murdered and robbed travelers. It was also here, around 1800, that a robber named Samuel Mason began operating a tavern and gambling parlor in the cave. He used whiskery, cards and prostitutes to lure travelers in off the river and many of these customers found themselves beaten, robbed and sometimes dead, after tying up at the crude wharf.

Cave-in-Rock, located close to the town of the same name, was a perfect place for criminal enterprises along the river. At that time, it boasted a partially concealed entrance and a wide view up and down the river. The cave is about one hundred feet deep, with a level floor and a vertical chimney that ascends to the bluff above.

Samuel Mason operated here for several years. He was said to be a man of gigantic size and possessing no conscience, he killed for both pleasure and profit. He also operated along the Mississippi River and on the fabled Natchez Trace, a series of trails in the south that became known as a haven for thieves and pirates. Eventually a reward was offered for Mason, $1000 dead or alive, and a hatchet was put into his back by one of his own men. This traitorous wretch never collected the reward though as he was in turn killed by other members of the gang. Mason’s cronies eventually scattered to the wind and other outlaws took their place at Cave-In-Rock.

The pirates were also said to have preyed upon ferryboat passengers at Ford’s Ferry, a few miles upriver. The ferryman himself, James Ford, was said to have been in league with the pirates. He was also said to be one of the “slave catchers” in the employ of John Hart Crenshaw. Ford eventually came under attack by the vigilante “Regulators” and this would lead to his demise. One night, in 1834, he was having dinner at the home of a Mrs. Vincent Simpson, the widow of one of Ford’s men. He was eating his food at the table and someone brought him a candle and asked that he read a letter aloud for him. Using the candle as a signal, the “Regulators” outside opened fire, aiming between the logs of the cabin. Ford died with 17 bullets in his body!

For years after his death, the slaves told stories about how Jim Ford had died and “landed in Hell head first”. At his funeral, attended only by his widow, a few family members, neighbors and some slaves, a terrible thunderstorm came up. Just as Ford’s coffin was being lowered into the ground, lightning flashed and a deafening clap of thunder filled the air, causing one of the slaves to loose his grip on the rope holding the coffin. The box dropped into the grave head first and wedged there at a strange angle. The heavy rain that began to fall made it impossible to move the casket, so it was covered over the way that it had fallen. This left Ford to spend eternity standing on his head.

Ford’s death would not bring an end to the thievery at Cave-in-Rock. Many of the remaining pirates continued to prey on travelers from the sanctuary of the cave, while others joined with villains like John Murrell and his “Mystic Band”. Murrell was a “slave catcher”, thief and murderer, who killed his first man when he was only sixteen. He later died after serving time in prison.

By the late 1830’s, most of the outlaws, pirates and counterfeiters were driven away from Cave-in-Rock and the bloody past of the place began to fade with time. As years passed, the cave became more of a recreation area than a den of thieves and remains a natural attraction in southern Illinois today. The legends have never died completely though and many still remember the area’s blood-soaked past... and the stories of ghosts. In years gone by, travelers passing on the river often claimed to hear the keening moans of the dead echoing out from the mouth of the cave. These same cries are still sometimes reported today. Do these eerie voices belong to the crime victims of long ago, who were lured to their death at Cave-in-Rock? That answer remains as mysterious as the history of the cave itself.

(C) Copyright 2002 by Troy Taylor. All Rights Reserved.

From Wikipedia:

The Cave

Cave-in-Rock's primary feature is a striking 55-foot-wide cave, formed by water. The first European to come across it was M. de Lery of France, who found it in 1739 and called it "caverne dans Le Roc".

History

From the 1790s to the 1870s the area around Cave-in-Rock was plagued by what historians as early as the 1830s referred to as the "Ancient Colony of Horse-Thieves, Counterfeiters and Robbers", and better known today due to Otto Rothert's history early in the 20th Century as the "Outlaws of Cave-in-Rock".

Other names for the cave include Rocking Cave, Rock-and-Cave and House of Nature.

In 1790 counterfeiters Philip Alston and John Duff (John McElduff) used the cave as some type of rendezvous, though details are scarce. Although folklore printed in 19th Century histories failed to establish a prior connection between the two men, both lived in the area of Natchez, Mississippi, at the start of the Revolutionary War.

By the arrival of Samuel Mason at the cave in 1797 Duff was living upriver a few miles either at Battery Rock, or across the Ohio River at what would become Caseyville, Kentucky. Mason had previously made Diamond Island and Red Banks his headquarters. In 1797 he moved his base of operations to the cave and made it the home of river pirates. Two of Mason's brothers had been business partners of Duff at Kaskaskia, Illinois, in the 1780s.

James Wilson is the next leader of the Cave-in-Rock band, and may have been the Wilson who married one of Capt. Mason's nieces. In 1799 he's remembered for installing a sign reading "Wilson's Liquor Vault and House of Entertainment" over the cave entrance. Rather than be the actual leader he may have simply been the front man for the operation.

By this time in either 1798 or in the spring of 1799 Duff and his associates had been making salt (or looking for silver) at the Great Salt Springs area along the Saline River in southeastern Illinois. Soldiers from Fort Massac captured him and three of his men named Blakely, Hazle and Hall. The soldiers took their captives by boat down the Saline River to the Ohio, and then down the Ohio to below the cave. Although the old histories don't explain why they stopped at the cave, subsequent events indicate it may have taken place during the spring of 1799 when Wilson was running his operation, thus making the stop one of refreshment and entertainment. During the stop Duff and his men escaped and captured the soldiers. They placed them tied up in the boat and pushed the boat into the river to float downstream to the fort.

The infamous Harpes also reached the cave region in the spring of 1799. They were Big Harpe and Little Harpe, who were considered by many historians to be brothers Micajah and Wiley Harpe, though some sources provide different names and indicate they were first cousins instead. Contemporary references often left off the (e) at the end of their name. They are associated with two separate stories at the cave and one at the infamous Potts Spring area to the north.

The first story involves them pushing a young couple off the top of the cliff. They survived. The second involves an act of piracy where only one man survived. Later he was forced off the cliff as well, this time involving a horse. The Potts Spring story is simply recalled as a murder of two or three hunters.

Mason and Wilson's time at the cave may have come to an end during the summer of 1799 when attacked by a group of bounty-hunters/vigilantes under the leadership of Capt. Young who called themselves, "The Exterminators".

No contemporary accounts show the cave occupied by river pirates in the first decade of the 19th Century, but the outlawry continued as the Harpes retreated back into Kentucky, Mason traveled downriver and began to focus on highway robbery along the Natchez Trace, and Duff was killed by assassins on June 4, 1799. By the middle of the decade church services were being held in the cave. These Christians eventually formed Big Creek Baptist Church, the first church organized in southeastern Illinois in 1807.

The next generation of outlaws in the region fall either under the Sturdivant Gang, a group of counterfeiters based at Sturdivant Fort on top of the bluffs overlooking the Ohio River at what is now Rosiclare, Illinois; or the Ford's Ferry Gang led by James Ford based a few miles upriver from the cave at what became known as Ford's Ferry, Kentucky. The Potts Inn stories take place during this time as well.

Law enforcement officials led three raids against Sturdivant Fort in 1822 and 1823. Although it's not clear what happened following the raids, the gang disappears from the area by 1830. The Ford's Ferry Gang was broken up following the mysterious deaths or murders of James Ford's two sons followed by his own assassination in 1833.

Even after the death of Ford, outlaws remained. Isaiah L. Potts operated Potts Inn on the Ford's Ferry Road in Illinois north of the cave where travelers checked in, but sometimes failed to check out. The legend of Billy Potts, the returning son murdered unknowingly by his father, likely took place in the months following Ford's assassination. Records show the elder Potts and his wife separating in 1834 or 1835.

Eason Bigsby or Bixby also took up counterfeiting in Hardin County in the decades following the Sturdivants. His attack on his wife Anna in an effort to find out where her first husband's money was buried dates to the early 1860s and led to the legends of Anna Bixby, her treasure and her ghost. She actually survived running off of a cliff in the dark. She's remembered in the 21st Century as the namesake for the Anna Bixby Women's Center in nearby Harrisburg, Illinois.

Although not completely connected to the Ancient Colony, the Logan Belt Gang terrorized Hardin County in the 1870s and 1880s until Belt himself was assassinated.

Pop Culture

Popular culture recalls the river pirate history in scenes from Walt Disney's Davy Crockett and the River Pirates, and the MGM classic How the West Was Won. Both filmed at the cave as well as Battery Rock. In 1997, The History Channel show, "In Search of History" also filmed at the site for an episode entitled "River Pirates"."

Geography

Cave-In-Rock is located at 37°28′12″N, 88°9′59″W (37.470050, -88.166297).GR1

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.1 km² (0.4 mi²). 1.0 km² (0.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (7.14%) is water.

Here's an intersting story about America's first serial killers that crossed this area many times:

www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/history/harpe_...

Explored #286 (7/17/2021). Thanks!

Delton'a a small village, between lakes that used to be resorts but are now mostly suburban. The town's certainly got a Central Business District--a supermarket, schools, a library, a church, a post office, bars, even a little industry--but the place lacks the row of red brick Main Street commercial buildings we usually associate with midwestern downtowns.

Four decades back my parents owned cottages on one of those lakes, so while Delton doesn't exactly feel like home, it's certainly more familiar to me than, say, Hastings.

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A year ago yesterday my brother unexpectedly landed in the hospital, for tests & observation, and I took this photo during a brief stop at Delton's supermarket on my way to visit him in Kalamazoo. Most of the day's photographs were taken from the hospital parking ramp, either of the lot itself or of the cemetery which neighbors the hospital campus. The best of the parking ramp pix became the 366 Snaps photo; under the thoroughly distracted circumstances, it was pretty good. This was the sort of day that kills photo-a-day projects.

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This photograph is an outtake from my 2012 photo-a-day project, 366 Snaps.

Number of project photos taken: 23

Title of "roll:" Borgess

Other photos taken on 10/15/2012: none, unless you count the color snaps at the end of the 366 Snaps roll I took of the year's last daylily after returning home.

View On Black

Crummock Water lays still, sentries guard her shore from ravages of approaching foe.

View On Black

Seventeen days. That's what it took for me to get these shots!

For over two weeks I'd been stalking this bird every single day ... under difficult conditions ... one of which has been particularly excrucriating. In that time, I'd gotten lots of images but hadn't uploaded any because they were taken from a distance and the quality was terrible ... you know, like those you see taken by a paparazzi of some celebrity or other from about a half mile away. :-) I even shot her on at least four separate occasions with fish that she caught ... again, taken from a distance and so not uploaded. Persistance finally paid off, though and I managed to get some shots I'm extremely happy with. These are just two of them.

By the way, I was curious to see how many times I've pushed the shutter on my Nikon D300, so I checked this particular shot. There have been quite a few more since, but this one was the 105,004 th. That's since December, 2008, so I suppose that's not too bad ... averages out to almost 77 shots per day. :-) This shot, though, considering the time and difficulty involved in getting it, is perhaps my favourite of the whole bunch ... or, if not, then it's definitely in the top five of those shots.

You'll perhaps notice that sexual dimorphism is reversed with these Kingfishers ... the female is more colorful than the male rather than the other way around.

Please check out the second shot, too, if you have time.

Ver grande sobre fondo negro I View large on black

Foto reproducida en la portada de la Revista-Anuario de la Cofradía Penitencial de Nuestra Señora de las Angustias.

Mas fotos en éste monográfico:

Valladolid Semana Santa 2007

Mas fotos en éste monográfico:

Valladolid

View Large On Black

A couple of yellow tulips stand together, with another patch of red tulips just off in the background. Photo taken in my neighbor's back yard this past weekend.

Like I said, I'm not good at taking flower photos. Nor, am I too sure about the cross processing I added here. But....in the spirit of Bokeh Wednesday, I decided to share this photo anyway.

HBW Everybody!!

De la sortida a Fornells amb el Suec i en Píxel.

Mejor en GRANDE

El meu Portfoli

Places / Germany / Baden-Wurttemberg / Tuebingen

Highest position: 255 on Friday, January 9, 2015

original!

bighugelabs.com/scout.php?mode=history&id=16041233569

Mondphase und Mondstand

am

8.1.2015

stand der Mond im Sternzeichen:

Löwe ♂

bei (Phase):

abnehmendem Mond (3. Viertel)

abnehmend bis

bis Dienstag 20.01.2015 -

--------

1. Vollmond:

2015

Schneemond

war am 5-1- 2015 - 6:00 Uhr

Nutzen Sie Voll- und Neumondtage als Fastentage ( z.B. Saftfasten o.ä.) bis zum Dienstag 20.01.2015.

Stimmt!

Effi

Auch wenn Sie Sportlernahrung oder Nahrungsergänzung zu sich nehmen, wird es wahrscheinlich nicht schaden, den Mond zu berücksichtigen ;-)

Raspberry ketone

Das Himbeer-Keton kommt auch im Tabakrauch vor, wobei es im Tabak selbst nicht gefunden wurde.

It is one of the most expensive natural flavor components used in the food industry. The natural compound can cost as much as $20,000 per kg.

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himbeerketon

4-(4-Hydroxyphenyl)butan-2-on, Frambinon, Oxyphenalon, Rheosmin

Summenformal: C-10 H-12 O-2

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Views about 10.000 clicks

tags/views10000/

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listed on

www.flickr.com/explore/2015/01/08

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THE EXPLORE GROUP

From Raw-file, ".CR2", aka "Canon-Raw-File"

converted by Faststone viewer IMG_2911

- hand-held

- with hands fixed on the wall,

- taken with the articulated display control

as good as it gets

Besser ging es nicht!

***

Jetzt bin ich mit der Canon SX60 d'accord.

Diese angemessene Qualität einer Bridge Kamera wollte ich unbedingt haben.

***

Canon PowerShot SX60 HS,

Canon, PowerShot, SX60, HS, Bridgecamera, bridge, camera, Canon PowerShot SX60, Canon SX60,Powershot SX60,SX60HS,eagle1effi, Powershot SX60,

Vorteil raw

Record Mode CR2+JPEG

Continuous Drive- Continuous 4.8 fps

postprocessing

Raw lässt sich 50% nachschärfen

JPG nur 15%

-

Camera Canon PowerShot SX60 HS

www.flickr.com/search/?q=sx60

Exposure 0.017 sec (1/60)

Aperture f/6.5

Focal Length 247 mm ~1365 mm analog 35 mm film

ISO Speed 100

Exposure Bias - 1/3 EV

..

daily

File Number 612-2911

...

How do you actually visit the full 500 Explore list of any past date?

December 2014

www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/2015/01/

aumentar

Ahora en Biodiversidad virtual y hace poco en El País -en pdf- gracias a Elisabet Sans. También en la web de la Fundación Biodiversidad

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*

Si ayer Netrium interruptum era el alga cebra , hoy el alga estrella Micrasterias , se asoma por la ventana de esta galería. Es posible, eso sí, que Micrasterias truncata sea una de las menos estrelladas junto con M. oscitans dentro de este grupo de pequeñas joyas que son los désmidos, pero eso apenas importa, pues todas ellas conservan su hermosura, desde que comienzan a formarse hasta que su alma verde se desvanece.

La mayoría de las especies hermanas del género Micrasterias viven en lagunas de aguas ácidas o en turberas y son extremadamente sensibles a la contaminación. La lluvia ácida y la presencia de diferentes compuestos químicos en el agua ha hecho que muchas de ellas hayan desaparecido en el norte y centro de Europa. Por fortuna, las lagunas de montaña, alejadas de fuentes de contaminación, atesoran todavía una gran variedad de estos organismos que se recortan como pequeños soles verdes entre las gotas de agua de las lagunas de montaña.

Micrasterias truncata es una de las especies de menor tamaño dentro del grupo y sus extremos casi planos y sin apenas dientes son características particulares a las que se debe el nombre específico de esta alga.

Hoy Micrasterias está a punto de completar su desarrollo después de haberse dividido. Son dos estrellas gemelas que flotan unidas hombro con hombro, no se independizarán hasta haber finalizado completamente su crecimiento. De momento seguirán así, juntas, ayudándose mutuamente para poder flotar, equilibradamente, este equilibrio de la simetría es una constante en su vida, sin él, posiblemente no habría estrellas.

Micrasterias truncata parece que no quiere despegarse de su alma gemela, necesitará todavía un tiempo madurar, cuando sus dos mitades pequeñas igualen a las grandes se harán independientes y brillarán en el firmamento de agua de las lagunas.

Micrasterias truncataha venido junto con otras estrellas desde la Laguna de Cebollera, en la vertiente soriana de dicha sierra, cerca de Molinos de Razón, para mostrarse aquí fotografiada a 400 aumentos con la técnica de campo oscuro.

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☁ la nube negra de una justicia pervertida en nuestro país, movida por la envidia y la venganza, permanecerá aquí, hasta que soplen los vientos limpios que todos necesitamos. La Justicia es uno de los cimientos necesarios para la Paz. Desde aquí todo nuestro apoyo al Juez Baltasar Garzón -el buen Juez de Saramago- y a las personas de buena voluntad como él que trabajan por la Justicia.

José Saramago: Ni leyes ni Justicia

Martín Pallín

Firmas de apoyo en Facebook

Radio Nacional Holandesa