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Norwegen / Buskerud - Hallingskarvet-Nationalpark
Prestholtseter
Hallingskarvet National Park (Norwegian: Hallingskarvet nasjonalpark) is a national park in central Norway that was established by the government on 22 December 2006. The park is located in the municipalities of Hol (Buskerud county), Ulvik and Aurland (both in Vestland county). More precisely, the park comprises the Hallingskarv plateau and the high mountain areas to the west of it. It includes the Vargebreen glacier as well as the valleys of Såtedalen, Lengjedalen, Ynglesdalen, and parts of Raggsteindalen.
The national park covers 450 square kilometres (170 sq mi) of the Hallingskarvet mountain range and hosts large stocks of wild reindeer, an important factor in the establishment of the park. The highest point in the national park is Folarskardnuten which reaches an elevation of 1,933 metres (6,342 ft) above sea level.
The landscape of Hallingskarvet was shaped by multiple ice ages. The park shows the geological history and the connection between this history and the variation in the species living there. It includes areas of special value and which are home to threatened or vulnerable species such as Draba cacuminum (whitlow-grass) and Botrychium lanceolatum (lance-leaf grapefern).
The Bergen Line runs along the southern boundary of the park. There is no road access to the southern side of the park, so Finse Station, a stop on the railway line, is one of the few ways that people can access this part of the park. The Norwegian County Road 50 runs near the northern boundary of the park.
Protection and use
The main objective of this national park is to preserve a large, unique, and largely untouched area in order to protect the landscape and the biome with its ecosystem, species and populations of, amongst others, the wild reindeer. The protection is designed to safeguard a characteristic element needed to understand the geological history of the Norwegian landscape. It is also designed to protect valuable elements of the cultural heritage.
The park is open to the traditional forms of outdoor activities which require little or no technical means.
Name
The first element is halling (inhabitant of the Hallingdal valley) and the last is the finite form of skarv (mountain or mountainous area without vegetation).
(Wikipedia)
Prestholtseter a farm cafe based on traditions. Prestholtseter is located by Hallingskarvet at 1242 m, by Hallingskarvet National Park. It is a popular destination both summer and winter. The café offers waffles, buns, the local specialties "lefsekling" (thin, sheet bread), "Rummebrød" (thin cakes made with sour cream), cakes, omelets, buns and rolls. In summer you can also get cured meats and tasty sour cream porridge By Prestholtseter you will find great hiking in the summer and cross country tracks in the winter. In summer you can hike on dirt roads or paths, either flat or the Prestholt stairs up to the top of Hallingskarvet Mountain. In summer the road goes all the way to Prestholtseter (toll road). In winter there are ski trails that are groomed daily, from Havsdalen and from Ustaoset. Prestholtseter offers catering for groups from 15 -100 people for dinner or lunch. A nice layer at the base of Hallingskarvet provides a unique and beautiful setting for the event. Prestholtseter was built in 1904 and has been in the family Uthus since. In the beginning it was a pure summer farm, where they sold products that they produced themselves. Opning hours 2017: Winter season: Starts week 7, 2017. The road usually opens around July 1st.
(visitnorway.com)
Der Hallingskarvet-Nationalpark (norwegisch Hallingskarvet nasjonalpark) ist ein südnorwegischer Nationalpark. Er umfasst das Hallingskarvet-Hochplateau und erstreckt sich über das Gebiet der Gemeinden Hol (Provinz Buskerud), Ulvik und Aurland (Provinz Vestland) gehört.
Gegründet wurde der Park am 22. Dezember 2006, um die dortige große, unverwechselbare und nahezu unberührte Bergregion, die Artenvielfalt von Flora und Fauna und die dort heimischen Bergrentiere zu schützen. Der Park grenzt an das Naturschutzgebiet Skaupsjøen/Hardangerjøkulen und das Biotop Finse.
Im Süden des Parkes führen sowohl die Bergenbahn als auch die Reichsstraße 7 vorbei.
Geologie, Landschaft und Geografie
Der Nationalpark umfasst größtenteils das Hallingskarvethochplateau, welches aufgrund der Kaledonischen Orogenese entstand. Das vorherrschende Gesteinsmaterial der Bergkette ist präkambrisches Pluton.
Der höchste Berg ist der Folarskardnuten mit 1.933 m. Im Hallingskarvet befindet sich auch Norwegens höchster See, der Flakavatnet, welcher auf 1.453 m Höhe liegt.
Flora
Die Pflanzenwelt gestaltet sich mit über 300 verschiedenen Arten sehr vielfältig. Die am weitesten verbreiteten Pflanzen sind der Weiße Silberwurz, Knöllchen-Knöterich und Herbst-Löwenzahn. In den höheren Lagen kommen vor allem Dreiblatt-Binsen, Polarsimsen, Moosheide und Gletscher-Hahnenfuß vor.
Fauna
Im Park gibt es an größeren Säugetieren Bergrentiere, Elche, Rehe, Polarfüchse und Schneehasen. Nördlich des Parks leben zudem Vielfraße.
Die größten Greifvögel sind Steinadler, Gerfalke, Turmfalke und Raufußbussard. Der Kolkrabe ist im Hallingskarvet ebenfalls heimisch.
Kulturerbe
Im Nationalpark wurden verschiedene Jagdutensilien gefunden, die auf eine prähistorische/historische Nutzung der Berge als Jagd- und/oder Siedlungsgebiet schließen lassen.
Im 17. bis 19. Jahrhundert lag der Park entlang einer wichtigen Handelsroute. Einfache Übernachtungshütten, sog. lægre, zeugen noch heute davon. Im Jahre 1880 ließ der englische Graf Lord Garvagh eine steinerne Jagdhütte, die Lordehytta, errichten, um in der näheren Umgebung auf Rentierjagd zu gehen.
Verwaltung und Tourismus
Der Norwegische Wanderverein unterhält im Park die Hütten Finsehytta im Süden und Geiterygghytta im Norden. Private Unterkünfte gibt es im Raggsteindalen und bei Haugastøl. Zwischen den Hütten gibt es markierte Wanderwege.
Zwischen Finse und Ustaoset verläuft ein Stück des Skarverennet durch den Park. Im Süden des Parks verläuft zudem der Rallarvegen.
(Wikipedia)
Mainau, Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg, Deutschland.
Mainau es una isla de Alemania, localizada en el Lago de Constanza y más precisamente en la parte noroccidental conocida como lago de Überlingen (Überlinger See). La isla está conectada por el sur con la tierra firme mediante un puente.
Mainau se encuentra comprendida en el territorio comunal de la ciudad de Constanza y de hecho la mejor forma de llegar a la misma es por medio del transporte urbano de esta ciudad, que tiene una línea de autobús con parada en el acceso a la isla. Ésta es un importante destino turístico gracias a su suave clima, merced al cual alberga una vegetación muy rica en especies, incluso subtropicales y tropicales.
La entrada a la isla se hace previo pago, pero su cuidada vegetación, los millones de flores que la decoran (como es evidente, fundamentalmente en los meses de primavera y verano), sus invernaderos de palmas y de mariposas - en el cual estas sobrevuelan libremente a los visitantes y son de gran variedad y grandes tamaños -, su espacio con variados tipos de columpios complejos, y su pequeña zona con diferentes animales, junto a otros detalles, son de un interés objetivo.
De acuerdo con todo lo anterior, el lugar también es denominado La isla de las flores.
Mainau is an island in Germany, located on Lake Constance and more precisely in the northwestern part known as Lake Überlingen (Überlinger See). The island is connected by the south with the mainland by means of a bridge.
Mainau is included in the communal territory of the city of Constanza and in fact the best way to get there is through the urban transport of this city, which has a bus line with stop at the access to the island. This is an important tourist destination thanks to its mild climate, thanks to which it shelters a vegetation very rich in species, even subtropical and tropical.
The entrance to the island is made after payment, but its careful vegetation, the millions of flowers that decorate it (as is evident, mainly in the months of spring and summer), its greenhouses of palms and butterflies - in which they fly over freely to visitors and they are of great variety and size - their space with varied types of complex swings, and their small area with different animals, together with other details, are of an objective interest.
In agreement with all the previous thing, the place also is denominated the island of the flowers.
Precisely one third of the 36 E400 hybrids at Stagecoach's Holbrook depot in Sheffield retain original green and white colours, meaning that they will presumably never receive standard beachball livery before being repainted into one of the 2020 colour schemes. YN62BCY (12163) is seen on Windmill Greenway in Mosborough whilst operating the 14:48 120 from Halfway cross-city to Ranmoor.
The Horsehead Nebula aswell as the Flame Nebula can be found in Orions belt, more precisely near the star Alnitak.
The Horsehead nebula is a darknebula, which you can only see, because its backlit by IC 434, a emissionnebula.
You can also see the Flamenebula (NGC 2024), its also an emission nebula. Both nebulae are star forming regions.
IC434 and NGC 2024 are about 1500 light years away.
Detail about equipment:
TS PHOTON 8" 1000mm f5
EQ6 PRO belt modded
ZWO ASI 1600MM PRO
ZWO ASI 120mini
ZWO EFW
Ts 80mm Guidescope 600mm
PegasusAstro Ultimate Powerbox V2
Bortle Class 3-4
Backyard in my own Observatory
Germany, Lower Bavaria
Image details:
250 x 3 minute lightframes
50x ZWO Luminance
50x ZWO Red
50x ZWO Green
50x ZWO Blue
50x ZWO Ha
Chandra's unique ability to precisely locate and resolve individual X-ray sources in 12 globular clusters in our Galaxy has given astronomers a crucial clue as to the origin of these sources. Two clusters, known as NGC 6266 (or M62) and NGC 7099 (or M30), are shown here in this 2003 image.
A globular cluster is a spherical collection of hundreds of thousands and even millions of stars buzzing around each other in a gravitationally bound stellar beehive that is about a hundred light years in diameter. The stars in a globular cluster are often only about a tenth of a light year apart. For comparison, the nearest star to the Sun, Proxima Centauri, is 4.2 light years away.
Most of the point-like sources in these images are binary star systems containing a collapsed star, such as a neutron star or a white dwarf star, that is pulling matter off a normal companion star. While direct, head-on collisions between stars are rare even in these crowded circumstances, close encounters occur and can lead to the formation of binary star systems containing a collapsed star.
The images illustrate a general trend observed for globular clusters. Clusters such as M62 where the stars are packed very closely together and the rate of close encounters is high have more X-ray binaries than those such as M30 in which close encounters occur less often. This is strong evidence that the X-ray binaries in globular clusters are formed by close encounters.
Image credit: NASA/CXC/MIT/D.Pooley et al.
#NASA #MarshallSpaceFlightCenter #MSFC #Marshall #chandraxrayobservatory #ChandraXRay #cxo #chandra #astronomy #space #astrophysics #nasamarshallspaceflightcenter #solarsystemandbeyond #globularcluster
I've been thinking about what to do with jet engines I got in a Chima set, and also thinking about building one more speeder to improve my building skills.
Today I came up with an idea of making a pod racer as in Star Wars: EP 1. However, the minifigure pilot I have is actually a resistance pilot, precisely appearing much later in the SW galaxy.
So I tried the speeder to be more like a EP 4 thing, rather than a streamlined naboo star fighter.
Probably the resistance appropriated the Pod Racer to their fighter speeder. :D
Nature. The most beautiful thing in the world is, precisely, the conjunction of learning and inspiration. Oh, the passion for research and the joy of discovery!
A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
The double spacecraft of ESA’s Proba-3 mission will become the most precisely controlled objects in space, maintaining a set distance from each other down to millimetre-level precision. An ESA cleanroom was turned into a hall of mirrors to test the laser-based measuring system that will maintain the pair in position for hours at a time.
“Due to launch in 2024, Proba-3 is ESA’s precision formation flying mission,” comments Damien Galano, ESA’s Proba-3 project manager. “By maintaining their relative position against one another for up to six hours per orbit at a nominal 144 m apart, the ‘Occulter’ spacecraft will cast a shadow onto its ‘Coronagraph’ counterpart to form an artificial solar eclipse in space, so that the Sun’s faint outer atmosphere or corona can be studied freely.
“But the satellite pair require a sophisticated metrology system to hold them in position – and we needed to test the flight hardware of the most precise element of this multi-faceted system, the laser-based ‘fine optical metrology’ system.”.
The project requested support from the Metrology Laboratory of ESA’s ESTEC Test Centre in the Netherlands, part of the biggest satellite test facility in Europe, operated for the Agency by European Test Services. The Lab's Ramon Vink explains: “Our challenge was to find a cleanroom long enough to encompass the full range of distances involved for the laser and its retroreflector, as far as 250 m apart.”
The team settled on the Vacuum Test Chamber-1.5 cleanroom, adds Steven Sablerolle of the Metrology Lab: “At 60 m in length the VTC-15 cleanroom was too small, so instead they installed a folding array of mirrors that could bounce the laser beam around the chamber to cross the full range of distance required.”
Jorg Versluys, Proba-3 System Engineer, says: “The Test Centre’s Metrology Lab assisted us in precisely aligning and mapping the mirrors’ positions, using their own laser trackers. The test campaign took about six weeks, mostly during the night to minimise unwanted perturbations from the rest of the busy site – even a lorry driving past on the road outside might show up in our results. This testing marked the first time the various parts of this fine optical metrology system were operated together, but the results were right in line with our previous models.”
For the testing, Proba-3’s laser-generating optic head was integrated onto the mission’s optic bench, then placed on a granite table for maximum stability. The laser was shone onto a laser retroreflector – which is a special kind of mirror, resembling reflective ‘cat’s eyes’ on a motorway, that possesses carefully-designed internal reflectivity to bounce back the laser light in the exact same direction that it has come from.
A photo diode on the optic head then recognises reflected laser light to calculate the number of wave oscillations the light has taken to bounce back, to derive its precise travel time and therefore distance between the two satellites. A second detector, a 2D array, is acquires the lateral position of the reflected laser beam to identify the lateral displacement of the retroreflector relative to the optic head.
This is the most precise of multiple metrology methods employed by the two Proba-3 satellites, each one around a cubic metre in scale. A continuous inter-satellite radio link is supplemented by Global Navigation Satellite System receivers. When the satellites come less than 250 m apart then cameras on the Occulter spacecraft will image and detect LEDs mounted on the Coronagraph spacecraft. Then the laser-based system will come into use to maintain precise satellite alignment.
“Our testing allowed us to map just how the metrology system responds as the target moves slightly up or down or side to side,” adds Jorg. “So we’ve ended up with a complete database of the two units’ movement down to pixels per millimetre scale that we can employ for real when we reach space.”
Proba-3’s laser operates at an infrared wavelength, invisible to the naked eye. So this photograph was actually acquired as a long exposure in infrared, with the path of the beam gradually traced using a sheet of white paper. The beam seen in the photo is where the paper scatters the infrared light of the laser beam.
Credits: ESA - J.Versluys
There’s nothing quite like sipping champagne at sunset on a luxury yacht, and Ivanna Wayne knows precisely how to match the moment with effortless glamor and undeniable style. For this radiant golden hour soirée, Ivanna turned heads in a sheer, crystal-studded azure pant set that sparkled as brilliantly as the sun on the water.
Her look features a sleek bralette and sheer high-waisted pants, allowing just the right amount of skin to peek through while keeping things sophisticated and summery. The matching headscarf adds a touch of old-Hollywood allure, reminiscent of seaside icons from a bygone era — think Grace Kelly meets modern mermaid.
This looks truly stunning because it blends resort wear with runway flair. The lightweight fabric floats with the breeze, while the shimmer creates a dreamlike aura against the sunset backdrop. Ivanna’s minimal accessories make the outfit speak for itself — calm, confident, and irresistibly chic.
Whether it’s a private yacht party or a summer beach gala, this look is a showstopper that says: “I came to celebrate, and I came in style.”
Pictured here is the Devil's Throat, the main part of the waterfall (or, more precisely, view from the walkway to it from the Brazilian side). The falls on river Iguazu (Iguacu), shared by Brazil and Argentina, is the most majestic natural phenomenon that I have ever seen with my own eyes. To call this site a 'waterfall', even the greatest one in the world, is the same as to call a nuclear bomb explosion a mere clap. The power and majesty of Nature here are so indisputable and impregnable, that was gasping in amazement despite all the information I have read and even the photos I have seen prior to my visit. Nothing in the world can prepare a man to the feelings he will experience upon seeing the true World Wonder!
На фото - Глотка Дьявола, центральная часть водопада (а если точно, вид с дорожки, ведущей к ней со стороны Бразилии). Водопад на реке Игуасу, расположенный на границе Бразилии и Аргентины, - пожалуй, самый величественный природный феномен, который мне когда-либо удостаивалось увидеть своими глазами. Назвать это место "водопадом", даже самым большим на планете, - всё равно что назвать взрыв атомной бомбы хлопком. Сила стихии и величество природы здесь настолько неоспоримы и непоколебимы, что в буквальном смысле дух захватывало, даже несмотря на то что заранее я начитался информации и даже насмотрелся фотографий. Ничто на свете не может подготовить человека к тем ощущениям, которые он испытатет, увидев это настоящее Чудо Света!
My life is merely a play, a play that never ends.
Everyone in it knows precisely how to play his role perfectly without any mistake whatsoever!
I try sometimes to go with the flow and cope with the players, but at times I realize how hard it is to dye the night's black sky in perfect ivory color.
I am neither an actor nor a philosopher, yet I can tell who wares the ornamented golden mask and who does not. Who is true to himself and who is not.
Being able to look through people's masks is not a gift as much as it is some sort of a damned curse that hunts my mortal life. I tend to judge the false masks despite how beautiful and perfect they may seem.
Masks can be in any shape and color depending on what it indicates. There is the white perfect one and the black broken one, the golden feathered angelic mask and the flamed red devilish mask, and the smiling yellow face and the cried eye blue face.
A mixture combined to survive an endless masquerade on a stage full of assorted colors of lights and shades called "Life".
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This was the story of my Nickname, I chose it after writing the above lines, I thought it was about time to finally share it with you guys ^^.
This is probably the most precisely straight partline I've ever done. It looks like stock, if stock scalps came with alpaca.
Vintage glamour, vintage lighting.
George Hurrell popularised this lighting style for glamour headshots as the chief portrait photographer for MGM studios in the 1930's and 40's.
Hurrell used the big Fresnel focused spotlights that were used on-set to light movies, which resulted in a similar glamourous look to his still shots. I used the same equipment for this shot. I can get the same effect with any small source including small flash, but using these incandescent spotlights makes it much easier to precisely place the light.
Model: Nicole Rayner
Boddam was originally owned by the Spence family whose main holdings were in Fife and Perthshire. Precisely when the family acquired the Boddam estate is unknown but it was probably around 1459 when Thomas Spence was appointed Bishop of Aberdeen.
The castle was built by the Keiths of Ludquharn, probably in the late 16th or early 17th century, several generations after they acquired the barony of Boddam.
Gilbert Keith, 3rd of Inverugie, added the estate of Ludquhairn or Ludquharn to his land holdings by marrying the Ogstoun heiress thereof, in the second half of the 15th century. Their eldest son inherited Inverugie and their 2nd son, John inherited Ludquharn, but having no sons of his own, it passed to the next son, Andrew. Andrew was father of Sir John Keith, 4th of Ludquhairn, who was killed at the Battle of Flodden in 1513.
The 5th laird was Gilbert Keith and his son and heir, Sir William Keith, topped up the family's levels of Keith blood by marrying Margaret Keith, sister of George, 5th Earl Marischal. Their son Sir William, 7th laird, perhaps influenced by the importance of his cousins, acquired a baronetcy for himself and would appear to have built Boddam Castle, to suit his enhanced status.
The 3rd baronet, another Sir Williams, supported the Stuart cause in the 1689 Jacobite Uprising and was forced to flee abroad, only returning after the Act of Indemnity (1703). His son meanwhile (another Sir William), held several commissions in North America including Surveyor General for the Southern District of the Americas and Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania. The father however, was implicated in the 1715 Jacobite Uprising which led him to financial ruin. When he died in 1718, the younger Sir William inherited his father's title, estates and his debts! He was never able to recover from the latter ultimately dying penniless in the Old Bailey debtors prison in 1749. The Ludquharn baronetcy was continued by his sons, but by then they no longer owned Boddam and the baronetcy became extinct in 1771.
In the years following the departure of the Keiths, Boddam Castle was abandoned and as we know from the Mazell's engraving, it was a complete ruin by 1784. It would seem likely that the new owners, in an age where defence and security were no longer paramount, moved inland, perhaps to the current site of Ludquhard Farm, where they could farm with proper farmland around them. As was so often the case elsewhere, most of the stone from the castle was carted off for use elsewhere.
For reference or comparison purposes, this photo -- excluding the mat and frame -- is cropped to precisely 8x10 format.
Did you know that a skipper is not precisely a butterfly, and it is not precisely a moth? It is its own creature.
don't let your vision get cloudy. don't be blinded by feelings and emotions. tell yourself the truth. live by that truth. believe that truth. remember that truth. because it will be your rock and foundation in your mind when the winds and storms of emotions start to flood your heart.
ALSO. thankyou so much for the testimonial, jordan (SepiaTonedGypsy) :) you are so sweet, thankyou♥
Shot almost precisely one year ago.
It was up for being deleted, but I thought I'd give the processing another go. By using 1:1 format and clone away numerous spots from dust on the sensor, (Nikon... ), it turned out OK
As far as I remember, it was past usable daylight and most of the tones were blue.
Thanks for stopping by.
All comments are appreciated.
Botany Bay Boneyard Beach
Charleston County, Lowcountry South Carolina
Accessed via Botany Bay Road
Date taken: March 20, 2013
Flickr Explore #269 on Saturday, April 6, 2013!
"The edge of the sea is a strange and beautiful place. All through the long history of Earth it has been an area of unrest where waves have long broken heavily against the land; where the tides have pressed forward over the continents, receded, and then returned. For no two successive days is the shoreline precisely the same. Not only do the tides advance and retreat in their eternal rhythms, but the level of the sea itself is never at rest.
On all these shores there are the echos of past and future; of the flow of time, obliterating yet containing all that has gone before; of the sea's eternal rythms--the tides, the beat of surf, the pressing rivers of the currents--shaping, changing, dominating; of the stream of life, flowing as inexorably as any ocean current, from past to unknown future.
Contemplating the teeming life of the shore, we have an uneasy sense of the communication of some universal truth that lies just below our grasp..the meaning haunts and even eludes us, and in its very pursuit we approach the ultimate mystery of life itself."
Rachael Carson, The Edge of the Sea
My mother, also a camera enthusiast, got a great shot on this particular morning as well. She was kind enough to make this particular trip to Charleston happen for me. Have a great Easter weekend folks!
Gear: Nikon D700 w/ 17-35mm f2.8
Locals know it, and that's precisely why many of us live here in the first place. Others are finding out about the abundant gifts the area offers to those who love the outdoors, and more and more of them are choosing the region for their vacation and recreation get-aways.
They're discovering what we already know: that Northeastern Washington provides affordable access to the varied terrain of river valleys and mountaintops, of forests, lakes, and streams, of developed recreation and wilderness experience -- with hidden treasures everywhere.
www.northeasternwashington.com
Image 1. Desert valley and high rock walls.
Image 2. Old school house.
Image 4. Old school house.
While I was home in New England, I did a little hiking in the Gile State Forest. It's not a popular or heavily trafficked area, which is precisely why I chose it. In fact, I had a hard time finding a way into the forest since it's not really marked from the main roads. I spent a glorious few hours roaming the woods, and didn't see or hear another soul the entire time. (I wish I could say the same for the ticks, which have become a major nuisance in recent years up there.)
While I was wandering along what appeared to be an old logging road, I spied this stream intersecting one of the many stone walls crisscrossing the woods. Early in its history, much of the state was cleared - primarily for sheep farming - and these walls were built using locally sourced rocks farmers would dig up in their fields.
I found it interesting that the edges of the stone wall came right up to the banks of the stream. Thanks to a dry summer, there wasn't a lot of water flowing through this stream, though I can't help but wonder if there might have been a small mill here in the distant past. Maybe not, but it's fun to wonder if the wall served any purpose beyond containing livestock.
Home developed using the FPP Unicolor C-41 kit, with edits in Affinity Photo and Exposure X5.
Norwegen / Buskerud - Hallingskarvet-Nationalpark
On the way back from Prestholtskarvet.
Auf dem Weg zurück vom Prestholtskarvet.
Hallingskarvet National Park (Norwegian: Hallingskarvet nasjonalpark) is a national park in central Norway that was established by the government on 22 December 2006. The park is located in the municipalities of Hol (Buskerud county), Ulvik and Aurland (both in Vestland county). More precisely, the park comprises the Hallingskarv plateau and the high mountain areas to the west of it. It includes the Vargebreen glacier as well as the valleys of Såtedalen, Lengjedalen, Ynglesdalen, and parts of Raggsteindalen.
The national park covers 450 square kilometres (170 sq mi) of the Hallingskarvet mountain range and hosts large stocks of wild reindeer, an important factor in the establishment of the park. The highest point in the national park is Folarskardnuten which reaches an elevation of 1,933 metres (6,342 ft) above sea level.
The landscape of Hallingskarvet was shaped by multiple ice ages. The park shows the geological history and the connection between this history and the variation in the species living there. It includes areas of special value and which are home to threatened or vulnerable species such as Draba cacuminum (whitlow-grass) and Botrychium lanceolatum (lance-leaf grapefern).
The Bergen Line runs along the southern boundary of the park. There is no road access to the southern side of the park, so Finse Station, a stop on the railway line, is one of the few ways that people can access this part of the park. The Norwegian County Road 50 runs near the northern boundary of the park.
Protection and use
The main objective of this national park is to preserve a large, unique, and largely untouched area in order to protect the landscape and the biome with its ecosystem, species and populations of, amongst others, the wild reindeer. The protection is designed to safeguard a characteristic element needed to understand the geological history of the Norwegian landscape. It is also designed to protect valuable elements of the cultural heritage.
The park is open to the traditional forms of outdoor activities which require little or no technical means.
Name
The first element is halling (inhabitant of the Hallingdal valley) and the last is the finite form of skarv (mountain or mountainous area without vegetation).
(Wikipedia)
Der Hallingskarvet-Nationalpark (norwegisch Hallingskarvet nasjonalpark) ist ein südnorwegischer Nationalpark. Er umfasst das Hallingskarvet-Hochplateau und erstreckt sich über das Gebiet der Gemeinden Hol (Provinz Buskerud), Ulvik und Aurland (Provinz Vestland) gehört.
Gegründet wurde der Park am 22. Dezember 2006, um die dortige große, unverwechselbare und nahezu unberührte Bergregion, die Artenvielfalt von Flora und Fauna und die dort heimischen Bergrentiere zu schützen. Der Park grenzt an das Naturschutzgebiet Skaupsjøen/Hardangerjøkulen und das Biotop Finse.
Im Süden des Parkes führen sowohl die Bergenbahn als auch die Reichsstraße 7 vorbei.
Geologie, Landschaft und Geografie
Der Nationalpark umfasst größtenteils das Hallingskarvethochplateau, welches aufgrund der Kaledonischen Orogenese entstand. Das vorherrschende Gesteinsmaterial der Bergkette ist präkambrisches Pluton.
Der höchste Berg ist der Folarskardnuten mit 1.933 m. Im Hallingskarvet befindet sich auch Norwegens höchster See, der Flakavatnet, welcher auf 1.453 m Höhe liegt.
Flora
Die Pflanzenwelt gestaltet sich mit über 300 verschiedenen Arten sehr vielfältig. Die am weitesten verbreiteten Pflanzen sind der Weiße Silberwurz, Knöllchen-Knöterich und Herbst-Löwenzahn. In den höheren Lagen kommen vor allem Dreiblatt-Binsen, Polarsimsen, Moosheide und Gletscher-Hahnenfuß vor.
Fauna
Im Park gibt es an größeren Säugetieren Bergrentiere, Elche, Rehe, Polarfüchse und Schneehasen. Nördlich des Parks leben zudem Vielfraße.
Die größten Greifvögel sind Steinadler, Gerfalke, Turmfalke und Raufußbussard. Der Kolkrabe ist im Hallingskarvet ebenfalls heimisch.
Kulturerbe
Im Nationalpark wurden verschiedene Jagdutensilien gefunden, die auf eine prähistorische/historische Nutzung der Berge als Jagd- und/oder Siedlungsgebiet schließen lassen.
Im 17. bis 19. Jahrhundert lag der Park entlang einer wichtigen Handelsroute. Einfache Übernachtungshütten, sog. lægre, zeugen noch heute davon. Im Jahre 1880 ließ der englische Graf Lord Garvagh eine steinerne Jagdhütte, die Lordehytta, errichten, um in der näheren Umgebung auf Rentierjagd zu gehen.
Verwaltung und Tourismus
Der Norwegische Wanderverein unterhält im Park die Hütten Finsehytta im Süden und Geiterygghytta im Norden. Private Unterkünfte gibt es im Raggsteindalen und bei Haugastøl. Zwischen den Hütten gibt es markierte Wanderwege.
Zwischen Finse und Ustaoset verläuft ein Stück des Skarverennet durch den Park. Im Süden des Parks verläuft zudem der Rallarvegen.
(Wikipedia)
Each morning at precisely 6 AM BC Place Stadium lights come on. The odd time the waters of East False Creek are calm and the stadium lights offer a decent water reflection.
And that is it for now. We leave today for Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam for a cruise on the Mekong River.
The trip ends in Siem Reap, Cambodia for a visit to some of the surrounding Wats, Angkor included.
See you all late December, Happy Holidays Flickrer's.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dublin
Dublin (Irish: Baile Átha Cliath) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. It is on the east coast of Ireland, in the province of Leinster, at the mouth of the River Liffey, and is bordered on the south by the Wicklow Mountains. It has an urban area population of 1,173,179, while the population of the Dublin Region (formerly County Dublin), as of 2016, was 1,347,359, and the population of the Greater Dublin area was 1,904,806.
There is archaeological debate regarding precisely where Dublin was established by the Gaels in or before the 7th century AD. Later expanded as a Viking settlement, the Kingdom of Dublin, the city became Ireland's principal settlement following the Norman invasion. The city expanded rapidly from the 17th century and was briefly the second largest city in the British Empire before the Acts of Union in 1800. Following the partition of Ireland in 1922, Dublin became the capital of the Irish Free State, later renamed Ireland.
Dublin is a historical and contemporary centre for education, the arts, administration and industry. As of 2018 the city was listed by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC) as a global city, with a ranking of "Alpha −", which places it amongst the top thirty cities in the world.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_Church_Cathedral,_Dublin
Christ Church Cathedral, more formally The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, is the cathedral of the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough and the cathedral of the ecclesiastical province of the United Provinces of Dublin and Cashel in the (Anglican) Church of Ireland. It is situated in Dublin, Ireland, and is the elder of the capital city's two medieval cathedrals, the other being St Patrick's Cathedral.
USS Enterprise (CVN-65),is a decommissioned US Navy aircraft carrier. In 1958, she became the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in the United States Navy, and the world, as well as the eighth United States naval vessel to bear the name. Like her predecessor of World War II fame, she is nicknamed "Big E". At 1,123 feet, she is the longest naval vessel ever built and the only ship of her class. Her 93,284-long-ton displacement ranks her class as the third-largest carrier class, after the Nimitz class and the Gerald R. Ford class. Enterprise had a crew of some 4,600 service members. This beautiful ship was my home for 4 years.
Prompt: Using Image 1 (reference photo of the USS Enterprise CVN-65) as the single Base image, generate one ultra-realistic digital fine art image that precisely preserves the ship’s identity, proportions, superstructure layout, flight deck markings, aircraft placement, and hull details exactly as shown, with no changes to the vessel itself. Depict the USS Enterprise navigating a rough Atlantic Ocean, emphasizing powerful rolling waves, whitecaps, and turbulent wake interacting naturally with the hull. Maintain an ultra-wide, horizontal composition with a cinematic perspective, as if captured from an elevated aerial vantage point slightly off the port bow. Match realistic daylight conditions with cool North Atlantic tones: crisp blue sky with light haze on the horizon, strong natural sunlight from above creating accurate highlights, shadows, and metallic reflections on the ship and water. Integrate physically correct scale, perspective, color balance, and shadowing so the carrier sits convincingly in the seascape with no halos, warping, or compositing artifacts. Style the result as museum-quality digital fine art while retaining strict photorealism—sharp textures, visible deck detail, realistic ocean motion, and atmospheric depth. Output a single image at 4K resolution, ultra-wide horizontal aspect ratio, same framing and proportions as the Base image, with no added text, logos, people, aircraft changes, filters, or stylistic distortions.
This digital fine art was created using OpenAI Sora AI and Photoshop
====The Bar====
*Set during Drury's incarceration in Blackgate*
Jules- September is the worst month.
Chancer- Yeah, I kinda have to agree. It's a real slog to get through.
Jules- Precisely! There's not even a single holiday!
Chuck- There's Labor Day.
Jules- Fuck Labor Day.
Blake- Thrilling... Len, I'll have your finest milk please!
Len- Right...
*Len disappears into the backroom, bucket in hand*
Blake- *Sniff* Hey, do you smell the salty tang of feminine tears?
Chancer- No, because I'm not an insatiable furry.
Blake- Your loss. *sniff* Smells good.
Chuck- Is it like a Hydra? Is that what it is? Kill one furry and two more shall take it's place?
Chancer- I'm going to the bar. I have to wash that image out of my head.
Blake- Bleach'll do it faster!
Chuck- You might be onto something Blake.
Blake- About the bleach?
Chuck- No, that patter about sad women...
*Chuck gestures to the Bar*
Blake- Well well well... Miranda Gaige...
Chuck- Miranda Walker isn't it?
Jules- I dunno, she's inconsistent about that.
Chuck- It's a sad thing really. Drury in Blackgate, Gar in Arkham, and- Blake?
Blake- Yeah?
Chuck- What are you wearing?
Blake- My lucky suit!
Jules- It smells of Karl Kyle.
Blake- You would know
Chuck- Blake, you're an amoral guy. I respect your carefree attitude... but come on.
Blake- Yeah, I could probably do better.
...
Chuck- No you couldn't. She's a bombshell
Blake- And I'm a nuke. Watch and learn.
*Blake sits at the bar inbetween Chancer and Miranda*
Blake- Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
Jules- Oh no Tom. No...
Chuck- He's still going!
Blake- yyyyyyyyy
Jules- It's commitment I suppose...
Blake- -yyyyyy-y. Hey.
Miranda- Blake.
Blake- I was just thinking if you wanted-
=======
Chuck- What do you think?
Chancer- "to tickle my hairball"
Chuck- "me to spend one of my nine lives with you"
=======
Blake- -Tickle my hairball.
Chuck- *sigh* You win.
Miranda- Are you for real?
Blake- I think so. Heh. Made you mad did I? Gonna spank-
*Miranda splashes her drink in Blake's face then leaves. Blake falls off his stool*
Abner- The stool is mine!
Blake- Hssssss! Hssss! Gimme a fucking towel!
Jules- Use my cape.
Blake- Thanks.
Jules- Don't feel too bad Thomas. It was never going to work-
*Blake throws his fellow misfits a death glare*
Jules- *Because* she's not good enough for you, right guys?
Chancer- Pushover.
Blake- Hmm. Why didn't it work...
Chuck- Because you hit on a grieving married woman?
*Death glare intensifies*
Jules- Ah, don't listen to them.
Blake- Who does she think she is? That girl has tangled with the wrong man! No one says "no" to Tom Blake!
Chancer- Except her.
Blake- Dismissed! Rejected! Publicly humiliated! Why, it's more than I can bear
Jules- More milk?
Blake- What for? Nothing helps. I'm disgraced
Jules- Who, you? Never! Blake, man, you've got to pull yourself together
*To the tune of Gaston*
Jules- Gosh, it disturbs me to see you, Catman
Looking so down in the dumps
Every guy here'd love to be you, Catman
Not counting *those* C-Lister chumps
There's no man in here as admired as you
You're ev'ryone's favorite guy
Ev'ryone's awed and inspired by you
And it's not very hard to see why
No one's slick as Catman
No one's quick as Catman
Chancer- No one's head's as incredibly thick as Catman's
Jules- Still, there's no man in town half as manly
Perfect, a pure paragon
You can ask any Bruce, Dick, or Alfie
And they'll tell you whose team they prefer to be on
Patrons- No one's big like Catman
A king pin like Catman
Jules- No one's got a swell cleft in his chin like Catman
Blake- As a specimen, yes, I'm intimidating
Patrons- My, what a guy, that Catman
Give five "hurrahs!"
Give twelve "hip-hips!"
Jules- Catman is the best
And the rest is all drips
Patrons- No one fights like Catman
Douses lights like Catman
In a wrestling match nobody bites like Catman
Patrons- For there's no one as burly and brawny
Blake- As you see I've got biceps to spare
Jules- Not a bit of him's scraggly or scrawny
Blake- That's right! And ev'ry last inch of me's covered with fur
Patrons- No one hits like Catman
Chancer- No one shits like Catman
Jules- In a spitting match nobody spits like Catman
Blake- I'm espcially good at expectorating -- Ptooey!
Chancer- What the fuck's wrong with Catman?
Blake- When I was a kit, I ate four dozen fish
Ev'ry morning to help me get large
And now that I'm grown, I eat five dozen fish
Chancer- So you're roughly the size of a barge?
Patrons- No one stabs like Catman
Chancer- No one dabs like Catman
Jules- Then goes tromping around wearing boots like Catman
Blake- I use dead mice in all of my decorating
Patrons- Say it again
Who's a man among men?
And then say it once more
Who's the hero next door?
Who's a super success?
Don't you know? Can't you guess?
Ask his fans and his five hangers-on
There's just one guy in town who's got all of it down
Jules- And his name's C-A-T--T--
C-A-T-E--
C-A-T-M-A-oh!
Chancer- Batman!
*Thump*
Death Valley, Morning Clouds. Death Valley National Park, California. March 28, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell - all rights reserved.
Morning sun shines through atmospheric haze and clouds above Death Valley
Death Valley is a very big place, and getting to locations sometimes requires a lot of driving. It also frequently calls for a very early wakeup call, and I'm often on my way someplace well before first light. Leaving during darkness, often for a place very different from where I'm staying, means I have to make some educated (and not so educated) guesses about what conditions might be like many miles away and at sometimes very different elevations. As result, I often do not know precisely what conditions I'll find when I arrive at an early morning location.
Such was the case on this morning. The destination was more than 6000' feet higher than where we were staying and many miles away. In the past I've arrived at this spot to find very strong winds and very cold temperature. This time the temperature wasn't so bad but we did have winds. Just before arrival at the final destination the sky lit up briefly, so we halted and photographed from that location before continuing on... and watching the light die as the sun rose. We consoled ourselves — we had caught a brief bit of good light and it was a beautiful spot to be in, photographs or not. Since we were there we went ahead and made a few photographs, and as we did so the conditions began to improve in somewhat dramatic fashion. The earliest hint of the afternoon's upcoming dust storm appeared in the distant milky haze through which beams of light passed. Higher clouds began to collect, and dramatic light cut across the face of the arid mountains below us.
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, "California's Fall Color: A Photographer's Guide to Autumn in the Sierra" is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.
My work photography (or my precisely my photography while at work) and my personal photography are definitely delineated by some pretty heavily blurred borders. Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between one and the other. For several years now I have been working on a project mostly associated with my work (let's say 65%) that involves shooting several rolls of every film we carry in inventory. I did it for personal reasons to begin with (I tended to just use the same film stocks over and over) but I also did it for professional reasons (I got tired of being asked about various films that I did not know personally and expertly how to describe). That project eventually became the basis for the whole Film Friday series we run at the shop every week. But it has grown into other tangential projects over the work years as well. We now have a small selection of sample prints we can show customers at the counter for any film they ask to see, not to mention all the sample images on the site and in our POS system for both customer and employee reference. I am slowly working on a small counter book that collects some of these sample images for every color film we have so that we can have a flip book to peruse as well. But lately me and our software engineer have been working on developing a whole new tool for the site that leans heavily on these years of using every film we have in stock. It is pretty exciting and fulfilling. And it reminds me of the value of being able to see value in work over a long long term. Those far horizons are sometimes the trickiest for us to keep our eyes on since our progress toward them can be so gradual, but the ground one covers in getting to those farther distances feels so much more significant.
In a very general sense, I would say it is also once again a great reminder to constantly experiment. This whole self-assignment was rooted in me wanting to experiment with every different film we have. And in doing so I have created more images than I can count because of those different films and am now once again turning that work into something I wouldn't have seen coming all those years ago when I set out. This image is a grand example. CatLABS X 320 Pro? Why would I use that when I could just go to my old stand by films? Well, because of the surprise and the discovery and the qualities that film brings that those familiar films do not. The deepy charcoal-esque shadows of that film just happened to line up quite well with my trying to catch the diamond glimmers of quartz in the sand dune.
Anyway, just wanted to share a bit of that.
Hasselblad 500C/M
CatLABS X Film 320 Pro
Vaudeville Games
A villainous study in 2 Actes.
Acte 1
When I first saw the two of them, I knew that they were up to something no good.
It had been a pleasant afternoon spent amusing myself by mixing in during a black-tied occasion haunted by a group of the ultra-rich.
The place was an elegantly large, leased Ballroom, where a wedding reception with what seemed like a thousand gaily attired attendees had been in progress most of the afternoon. I had been amazed, dazzled may be a better word, when I had first walked in as the guests had already begun to gather. I had never seen a such a beautifully sparkling display of lovely jewels being worn by the ladies and lassies in attendance to a mere wedding reception before. I thought I was at some sort of convention for a Tiffanies or DeBeers, with models in long flowing gowns of satin, silk, and taffeta, all loaded to the gills with enticing jewels.
Later I learned, to my benefit, that a good number of them would be attending a local catholic charities ball held at the Cathedral’s large main hall later that evenin. Which explains the total overkillin with the fancy dress, and baubles.
Now, with the females in attendance wearing ample jewels expensive enough that any piece would have been profitable, there would be a temptation even the most unskilled of thieves could not resist. This is precisely one of the reasons why I was there. And I was determined to make the most out of the situation in all ways possible!
I soon found meself shadowing an unsuspecting, rather dipsy, female partier, whose steady drinking habit had first piqued my interest. She was wearing too many jewels than was good for her ( in my opinion), totally taking away notice from the rather fetching long taffeta gown she was poshly wearing over her delightfully young figure. I caught up to her just as she was making yet another quick swirling turn , letting her brush up against me. Almost on que ( and with the help of a foot on her dress’s hem) she lost her balance and I held her gloved arm to help steady her up. In the process I snagged one of her vulgarly large diamond bracelets from her satin clad wrist, secreting it to my vest pocket in the commotion.
I walked away, realizing yet once again, that the thrill I used to receive when lifting a piece of jewelry from a lady had noticeably been diminishing over the course of the last couple of years. Like any profession that has been worked at for a while, it had almost become too routinely easy anymore; my almost ghostlike hovering over receptions, ballroom dances and the ilk. Admiring the rich gowns and dresses, and savoring their sparkling jewels were becoming almost mundane. Even the snagging of a flashy bauble or two along the way was losing its appeal. Even though it was my primary source for putting the bread on the table , I felt sometimes that I needed a break. Sure, I held a second, loosely related, profession to seem respectable to the outside world, but it did not pay nearly as much. I sighed deeply to myself, wallowing in my rather dubious self-pity as I made my way through the thickly congregated crowd of guests at the reception. I also was finding meself pining for my place of birth, Merry old England( or wales to be specific) and a sweet ginger haired lass who I had once known, and still kept in touch with for the 7 long years since I had left my homeland.
With those thoughts whirling about in me head, I made my way to the bar, deciding to now settled back to have a few free drinks and try to enjoy the show. Soon I found myself cheered up, even lazily toying with the idea of making a second score later that evening. And then, well now, given what valuables were being displayed, it was not surprising that soon I spotted a second source of amusement. For it was at that point that I saw the two of them making their way in.
There appeared to be only two of them, together; An older woman, grandmotherly in appearance, with long silver hair, and a foxy expression. Along with the “Grandmother” was what appeared to be her 16 year old granddaughter. “Granddaughter” was a slender sprite with a long sheet of freely hanging long silky blonde hair and deep enchantingly blue eyes, and a rather charming smile, with was noticeably pasted upon her impish face as she took it in all the splendor.
The grandmother wore a blue silk skirt and white silky top, ¾ sleeved. The granddaughter was wearing a tea length black satin skirt and a gold satin long sleeved blouse with ruffles and frills, which was uncharacteristic when compared to the dresses and long gowns of the other girls around her age in attendance. The “Grandmother” was adorned with silver chains, and earrings. The “Granddaughter” wore ruby earrings and matching necklace, like the kind of imitation jewelry one receives as a promotion when buying overpriced perfume. Both newcomers out of place with some of the fancier costumes and gems on display, worn by the older rich ladies as well as quite a number of their younger female issue’s as well.
The granddaughter also wore gold plated rings and bracelets, so pick pocketing was probably not her game; she was probably the “ferret” or the lure. But the grandmother on the other hand, had clean fingers, nimble and long and with nothing around her bare wrists, and decidedly was dressed for quick movements; she was probably the dip, or lift. They also did not appear to be known personally by any of the other guests in attendance, but in a gathering that large, with so many snobs ignoring everything that was going on outside their immediate area, this was not surprising. After all, I was there not really knowing anyone either, except for the ones who had hired me.
The pair split off on their own separate courses. The granddaughter soon began mingling with girls in her own age bracket, whom, as was typical of the very rich, were totally unsupervised by any adult. I noticed she was mingling with only those who displayed the most expensive clothing, then zeroing in upon those wearing the largest quantity of expensive jewelry. The Grandmother soon fell into step with a group of older ladies, whose blazing jewels had attracted her notice.
The playing field was getting too crowded I thought, and so I made myself content by watching the (pair) work the room. I wasn’t shocked: Hunting grounds this fertile were bound to attract multiple predators. The appetite of my curiosity was wetted and I drifted to a corner table with my refilled drink ( an old fashion) , where I could watch over them without notice.
The grandmother was ever watchful, as she chatted up her new, satin gowned, acquaintances, but did not appear to be posed to strike. Her eyes were relentlessly on the move, I figured she was on the look for something special, and was ready to pounce when the situation arose.
Meanwhile the granddaughter seemed to have hooked one. A shy fifteen-year-old clad in a eye-catching sky blue long satin sheath gown, with a matching cape that hung from her shoulders to her elbows. The cut of her gown, and her heavy makeup, made the 15 year old look far too much like an adult. Her dangling earrings were at least a full caret, a long thin gold chain dangling from her gowns neckline held diamond studded heart with a sapphire center that swished expensively against her soft gown. A matching ring and bracelet to the pendent rounded out her jewels. But her cape also had a sapphire pin that swayed, shooting out flames of fiery brilliance, whenever the lights caught it.
I looked for the grandmother, she was now chatting to a young be speckled twenty something, diamonds glittered from the thin necklace that hung shimmering down the front of her satin turtleneck like blouse, an ideal setup. A long, midnight black, tiered skirt fell flowing to her feet, with a diamond brooch centered on the satin sash that encircled her waist. Rings glittered from the fingers that nervously twirled a locket of long , hanging hair as she talked to the “Grandmother”, who had her hand (seemingly nonchalantly) upon the girl’s silken covered shoulder as she made conversation.
I turned my attention back to the “Granddaughter” locating her by the stage, whispering conspiratorially into her newly made friends ear, the girl’s dangling earring shining ever so richly. I watched as the pair left and started to wander towards the dance floor, where they started to watch the dancing couples assembling for the bands next piece. As they stood there the “grandmother” walked up to the pair, and the “granddaughter” introduced her to her new found friend in the shiny blue sheath gown.
As they did so, I looked around for the be speckled 20 something the “grandmother” had been chatting up, she couldn’t have gotten far. I soon spotted her on the dance floor, in the arms of a young man in a monkey suite. I quickly noticed that her necklace was noticeably no longer adorning the neckline of her pretty blouse. I had a good idea where it was, but how had it been accomplished, removed from around her neck without notice, ahh, that was the rub. I was sorry I had missed the performance of the disappearing necklace trick!
My analysis of the pairs game had been spot on, and it was obvious that they were not armatures by any means. It appeared that the “Grandmother was the expert, The younger looking “Granddaughter “ probably her protégé. I quickly looked back at the small group of three hovering on the edge of the dance floor not wanting to miss a trick.
The three were chitchatting on, the “grandmother” admiring the young ladies gown flowing liquidly down over her perky figure. As she then admired blue gowns glimmering necklace, the “granddaughter” had moved and positioned herself behind the unwary young lady. As the necklace was raised I saw her look about and reach up, pulling up and back the chain, efficiently unhooking it. The grandmother held onto the pendant with one hand as she lifted the unsuspecting girls satin gloved hand with her other , all the while chatting her up. Then ever so slowly the “Grandmother” pulled the necklace down freeing it from around the unsuspecting lass’s neck, letting it drop to the carpeted floor at her feet. The “granddaughter” scrunched down behind their cute victim, ( totally unaware that she was being robbed), and reaching around, scarfed the necklace up, stood and moved off. The “grandmother gave the unwilling girl a hug, and when they broke off I noticed the sapphire pin had been lifted, adding unwary insult to undiscovered injury. I saw the girl in the blue sheath look around for her new friend, but the “Granddaughter” had disappeared, moving off to greener pastures.
I soon spotted the “granddaughter” as she resurfaced, obviously she was on the move again, which was surprising, I would have not risked any further attempts so soon if I had been in her dainty heels. I watched, trying to spot her next victim. She headed over towards a table that she had passed earlier, on one of the chairs was a mink jacket, and another was a feathery boa that I had seen her admiring, fingering on the then deserted table.
But the chair that the mink was hanging from now had an occupant. A girl of about 15, wearing a soft velvet dress with long sleeves, had picked up the boa and was sitting on the chair wearing it. She was happily playing with the long feather boa, not a concern in the world. I looked her over, on one side of her dress was a diamond sunburst pin, and on her chubby fingers, were two diamond rings, small but real, and from her ears dangled a pair of long pear shaped diamonds suspended from diamond solitaries clasped to her earlobes.... I was amazed that she would have been trusted to wear such valuable trinkets, but I was not surprised that she was in all probability about to lose them!
The “granddaughter” came upon the girl and asked if she could try on the boa. The unsuspecting girl helped her happily on with it , then the “granddaughter picked up one end, tickling the richly clad lass with the fluffy feathers, then allowed the girl to do the same, eyeing her victims shimmering rings in the process.
The grandmother soon approached to join in the fun. She put on the boa next and tickled both girls with its ends, getting them to giggle uncontrollably. The two devious ladies’s routine had been well honed, as their chosen victim became caught up in the middle of the pair’s rapid fire bantering, and teasing. But it was not all play for two of the three! The 15 year olds diamond starburst pin was the first item to disappear! As the giggling girl, her eyes closed, was doubled over trying to catch a breath, the “Grandmother” took rude advantage of the situation by smoothly reaching under and unsnapping the shimmering pin from the bent over girl’s shiny dress as it had fallen loosely away from her chest for a few seconds. Soon the purloined pin was followed by her sparkling rings, slipped off her fingers when it was her turn to have her hands held behind her by the “Grandmother” and be tickled with the boa by the “Granddaughter” during the course of their horsing around. I thought the pair were finished at that point, but no, they were going for the full Tribeca!
The “Grandmother” held the young ladies attention by kneeling in front of the 15 year old, and helping her on with the boa, wrapping it around the girls neck. As this was being done, the “granddaughter busied herself with coolly slipping off each of the girls old fashioned dangling clasp earrings ! I watched in wonder as the laughing girls expensive earrings were each effortlessly plucked away. The giggling 15 year old clad in the velvet dress had been stripped (tickled) of all her jewels with surgical precision, as the boa was being wily used to its full feathery advantage, and she had never noticed a thing!
The “Grandmother” then stood and moved off to one side, as the girls continued to giggle and play. Unnoticed, she gingerly lifting the mink from the chair behind the now less shimmering 15-year-old, as said child was still being entertained by the “granddaughter”, who I saw had now her hand inside a purse laying on the table behind their cheerful victim. The “grandmother”, carrying the expensive mink over her arm, slipped around and out of sight down the hidden entrance to a side corridor that I knew led down to the building’s work area. The show was probably ending. The pair had acted swiftly, and I knew they would be fished out soon. But I waited; the “granddaughter” was still there, apparently in no hurry to follow the “Grandmother” and disappear down the corridor with her. So there may possibly be another act to their scoundrel like play I surmised, although it was risking it in my professional opinion.
End Acte 1
The Palazzo van Axel (more precisely Soranzo-Venier-Sanudo-van Axel-Barozzi) is surely one of the best conserved examples of a late gothic two family palazzo. The palazzo was built in 1473-79 by Nicolò Soranzo, with use of material of the predecessor pre-gothic palace of the Gradenigo family. After the Soranzo, the building was property of the Venier and Sanudo. In 1628, the van Axel family acquired the palazzo. As the name tells, the family was from Axel, near Gand in Holland. In 1919, Lord Dino Barozzi bought the building.
www.guidedtoursinvenice.com/index.php?option=com_content&...
Alaa is a democracy activist over 200 days into his 100 calorie a day hunger strike in prison in Egypt. In this photograph his two sisters, Mona Seif (left) and Sanaa Seif (right) hold placards for Alaa in front of a protest encampment on the pavement opposite Britain's Foreign Office.
Alaa Abd El-Fattah has endured much of the last twelve years in some of the worst prison conditions anywhere in the world, on account of his brave work in promoting democracy in Egypt. He was last arrested in September 2019 while attending Cairo's Dokki Police Station and in December last year was sentenced to five years imprisonment for "spreading false news undermining state security." More precisely, he had shared social media posts explaining the hell-hole reality of Egyptian prison conditions.
PROTEST OUTSIDE THE FOREIGN OFFICE
When this photo was taken Alaa's two sisters, Mona and Sana'a Seif, were staging a protest in London's King Charles Street outside the British Foreign Office in the hope that the Egyptian government can be pressured to release him, as media attention began to focus on the upcoming COP27 conference at Sharm El Sheikh on Egypt's Red Sea coast.
UPDATE AS OF WEDNESDAY 9 NOVEMBER 2022
Starting from Sunday 6 November, Alaa escalated his hunger strike, and stopped taking water. His sister Sanaa Seif took a flight the same weekend to attend the COP27 conference at Sharm El Sheikh in a last-minute effort to save Alaa's life.
For the latest on Alaa's situation listen to his sister's Sanaa Seif's speech to journalists attending the conference on Tuesday 8 November - "They are very happy for him to die. The only thing they care about is that it doesn't happen while the world is watching."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqXibJ7PUTY
TORA PRISON - "A DAY HERE, IS LIKE A YEAR IN BELMARSH"
In April, Alaa began his hunger strike in a cell in one of the most secure sections of Cairo's sprawling and notorious Tora Prison - a maze of grim high concrete walls and watch towers, which strike fear into even the thousands of commuters who have to pass daily.
In 2012, one young Londoner confined to one of the least uncomfortable and most survivable wings of Tora prison, contrasted it with his own previous experience at Britain's high security Belmarsh. I can never forget his exact words. "A day here, is like a year at Belmarsh!" A little over 12 months later, he died of TB - the prison authorities had refused to listen to the pleas of his aunt, who fell on her knees during a rare visit, begging that he be admitted to the prison hospital.
ALAA'S HUNGER STRIKE CONTINUES AT WADI EL NATRUN PRISON
More than 200 days have passed since Alaa started his hunger strike. He has now been moved to the Wadi El Natrun prison complex in the desert north of Cairo, dubbed by inmates as the "Valley of Hell."
He may not survive much longer. However, as he holds British-Egyptian nationality, one would hope that the British government would be doing everything they could to secure his immediate release and it would be reasonable to suppose that the Foreign Office could get an immediate pledge in this regard, especially given that the British companies, including the likes of British Petroleum and BP, are the biggest investors in Egypt.
NO CONSULAR ACCESS
However, the British government have failed even to get him any consular access - think about that. That's an outrage. Even a convicted mass murderer, if British, would be entitled to consular access while in prison. That meeting would obviously not take place in his cell - but in a designated room in the prison or the highly supervised prison visiting area.
British men and women convicted of drug smuggling and other crimes in Egypt have received consular visits, so why not Alaa? The answer is because Alaa's crime is that he dared to tell the truth about Egypt, and the injustice both inside and outside its many prison walls. Nobody knows exactly how many political prisoners Egypt now has, but the number is estimated to be at least 60,000.
ALAA WAS ONE OF THE LEADERS OF THE MOST INSPIRATIONAL DEMOCRATIC REVOLT THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN
Alaa Abd El-Fattah was one of the leaders of arguably the most inspirational democratic revolt the world has seen in the last hundred years. Although the first phase of the 2011 uprising in Egypt lasted just 18 days, and although it followed the toppling of the dictator Ben Ali in Tunisia - the streets and bridges around Tahrir Square became a deadly stage watched by the world, where protesters from every walk of life were pitted against Egypt's feared state security forces. Against all the odds, and at the cost of many lives, Egyptians refused to leave the square, sleeping in front of the tanks and fending off attacks from government militia.
The Egyptian people's initial success in toppling the dictator Mubarak led to further revolts not just across the Middle East (most notably in Libya, Bahrain, Yemen and Syria) - the highly organised Tahrir-Square sit-in provided the inspiration for strikes and workplace sit-ins against austerity across the United States and Europe and to the Occupy Movement of the same year. The people of Egypt showed that it does not matter how brutal, feared and authoritarian a government is, it can be toppled if people act collectively.
THE MILITARY BACKLASH
It's true that Egypt's flirtation with the path to greater freedom seemed to be only temporary - the Egyptian authorities deployed the usual divide and rule tactics - encouraging the less committed protesters to return home - and then rushed to elections without allowing time for genuinely democratic opposition parties to develop.
Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood won the presidential election in 2012 - the Brotherhood (contrary to the perception many people have here in the West) had genuinely progressive elements within it, but the chance for any transformative radical programme was prevented partly by the corruption and self-interest of some of the main political actors and partly by opposition to its democratic mandate from the deep state (the military, the Interior Ministry, State Security, the police etc.)
The army, seeing its chance, seized power in 2013, superficially in the name of the people, but in reality, to advance the interests of the generals. The new president, Abdel Fattah El-Sissi, moved quickly to crush all opposition, and ordering his security forces to attack Muslim Brotherhood supporters who had gathered in eastern Cairo at Rabaa al-Adaweya Square, killing at least 800 people - the bloodiest massacre of civilians in Egypt's modern history.
DON'T ALLOW EGYPT TO USE COP27 TO GREENWASH ITS REGIME - AND PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION TO SAVE ALAA
Now COP27 is scheduled to take place in Sharm El-Sheikh and Sisi has been given a golden opportunity to greenwash his murderous regime, which has also seen ever increasing levels inequality and corruption. While British representatives at COP27 will be given accommodation in the most luxurious five star hotels in Sharm El-Sheikh and fall asleep listening to the sound of the waves, another British citizen, Alaa Abdel El-Fatah is near death, on a painful hunger strike in the darkest of places - his dimly lit cell. The only thing he might hear at night is the desperate cry from some prisoner in another cell appealing for medical help which most likely never comes.
If we care for freedom, real democracy and justice, we can't allow the British Foreign Office to forget Alaa - especially if it's simply not to upset the highly profitable relationship British multinationals have with one of the world's most authoritarian and corrupt regimes - a relationship which only benefits the wealthiest of Egyptians.
If you live in London, please show your support at the protest at King Charles Street - and wherever you live please sign the petition -
www.change.org/p/help-free-my-brother-before-it-s-too-lat...
It is precisely my body which perceives the body of another, and discovers in that other body a miraculous prolongation of my own intentions, a familiar way of dealing with the world. Henceforth, as the parts of my body together compromise a system, so my body and the other’s are one whole, two sides of one and the same phenomenon.
Maurice Merleau-Ponty
"The least thing precisely, the gentlest thing, the lightest thing, a lizard's rustling, a breath, a whisk, an eye-glance—little maketh up the best happiness. Hush!”
~Friedrich Nietzsche
Seward, Alaska
So I kinda went AWOL on Flickr for a bit. I am currently training in a new job, while also keeping my old job, so I've been training on my 7 days off. Essentially, working almost everyday. In a few weeks though, I should be done and just working per diem at the new hospital. A nice set up to make some extra cash here and there (travel fund, perhaps?), just takes time initially. Anyway, in my limited spare time I have been committing myself to running and yoga, building my lungs back up since developing asthma. I'm happy to say, it's working! Photography has kinda gone by the wayside lately, but I hope to remedy that soon. :)
I hope you are well; keep on clicking those shutters!
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Outlining a Theory of General Creativity . .
. . on a 'Pataphysical projectory
Entropy ≥ Memory ● Creativity ²
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Study of the day:
Le passé ne cesse pas d'exister mais seulement d'être utile. Le rappel actif des souvenirs le fait bien voir : nous ne plongeons pas dans le passé comme dans un sac de pommes pour en tirer les souvenirs enfouis ; nous ne saisissons pas le passé depuis notre présent, par un acte d'imagination mais plutôt là où il est, en nous installant d'un coup dans l'être du passé tout entier. Or, cela signifie justement que c'est le passé qui est, et le présent qui devient. C'est le présent de l'action qui ne cesse de passer, tandis que le passé de l'activité latente ne cesse pas d'être¹.
¹ A nouveau, le passé se conserve en soi, et cela a pour conséquence notable que c'est l'oubli qu'il convient d'expliquer, bien davantage que la conservation du souvenir.
The past does not cease to exist but only to be useful. The active reminder of memories shows it well: we do not dive in the past as in a bag of apples seeking buried remembrances ; we do not seize the passed since our present, by an act of imagination but rather there where it is, installing ourselves immediately in the whole past of being. But this means precisely that this is the past which is, and the present which becomes. The present of action does not cease to pass, while the past of latent activity does not cease to be ¹.
¹ Again, the past is preseverating in itself, and this has the significant result that this is forgetting that has to be explained, much more that the preservation of memory.
( Elie During - Faux raccords, la coexistence des images )
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rectO-persO | E ≥ m.C² | co~errAnce | TiLt
Always a beautiful place to visit, which is precisely what I did that afternoon. Although it was not the best weather this National Trust house and grounds in Somerset still looked wonderful and brought back a lot of happy memories for me.
That's precisely how far these rolling hills of farmlands go on for. Last year, Tom & I visited Oregon, but before we did we visited the Palouse region of eastern Washington state. (That was part of the deal) :-)
This image was taken in the spring season from a vantage point on Steptoe Butte. I had been so motivated by other photographers who presented such phenomenal images of the fertile grounds ... with the ever-changing light, which "paints" the landscape with an ever-changing canvas. Like a kid in a candy store I was, not being able to shoot fast enough. If you haven't ever made a trip out there and are so inclined, I couldn't more highly recommend it. I doubt that it even matters the season ... ever-changing ... mile and miles.
I chose this image tonight because I will soon be heading out there. Can't wait to see what I can capture this time. :-) Also, tonight's blog post will present more images from the Palouse area. You know how it is when you psych yourself up for an upcoming trip. If you get a chance, feel free to check out the post.
Blog: www.tnwaphotography.wordpress.com
Website: www.tnwaphotography.com
© Debbie Tubridy / TNWA Photography
This photo is precisely the same age as me, well, within a day, and was coincidentally taken the day before England won the world cup! It shows the Stalham Yachting Station with a single BP pump outside. The building still exists in the present day but hard to get a decent view of it on Streetview. I think this is much the same view but it's hard to tell www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.7680385,1.5157814,3a,75y,173.18...
At 12 noon precisely Network Rail Track Tamping Machine DR73119 passes through Rugeley Trent Valley working service 605Q 09.46 Bletchley Civil Engineers Sidings to Crewe P.A.D.
I have long dreamed of visiting Russia precisely at the celebration of Victory Day on May 9th. In 2018, about 1 million people took part in the Immortal Regiment. The whole huge avenue turned into an endless stream of people, which like the main artery of the human body, filled with blood, flowed through the streets overflowing the heart. More than two hours did not stop this movement.
Я давно мечтала побывать в России именно на праздновании Дня Победы 9 Мая. И в этом году мне удалось прилететь в Санкт Петербург на праздничные каникулы.
Это незабываемое ощущение праздника со слезами на глазах. Я целый день снимала репортаж о жизни города, но когда я увидела как идёт по Невскому проспекту Бессмертный полк, у меня самой выступили слёзы на глазах. Весь огромный проспект превратился в нескончаемый поток людей, который как главная артерия человеческого организма, наполненная кровью, текла по улицам переполняя сердца. В этом году в Бессмертном полку принимали участие около 1 миллиона человек. Я не верила своим глазам, когда более двух часов не прекращалось это движение. Меня переполняли чувства, это незабываемое впечатление и энергетика.
Cold-Rolled Steel (also referred to as "1018") is not
as widely distributed as other (A-36 Steel / Hot Rolled) is.
As a result I ordered it from an-online-Metal-Supplier
in New Berlin, Wisconsin,
that "I thought" .....could cut it to my sizes- accurately, to save me the time- and clearly-
This was not the case.
In Metal Fabrication - 2-inches, means just that 2-inches- exactly.
Not a "schoonch" less, not just a "little bit" (MY ASS - a little bit!) more than 2".
TWO-FUCKIN-INCHES!
These "parts" are for The Legs, to support Wooden Cabinetry
on pair of high-end, Custom- Nightstands.
The date of the church’s construction was not precisely known until 1969, particularly as the pisanie (inscription) is partly deteriorated.
That year, the parish priest discovered a petition from the Christians of the Broșteni district to the Metropolitan of Ungro-Wallachia.
Authored by Manul "Cavaful", head of the shoemakers’ (cavafi) guild, the document asks permission for building a church on the land of the late Hagi Dumitrache Papazoglu, in accordance with his will.
It is dated July 1815, and construction probably started on August 15, a date mentioned on the inscription.
The structure was probably erected by summer 1816, and was completely finished by November 1817, as attested by a document of that date.
Repairs were carried out in 1868, 1891 and 1906, while the painting was redone in 1929.
Thorough repairs took place in 1949–1950 and 1957.
Repainting was done under Patriarch Justinian, whose portrait appears among the ktetors.
The 1930 parish house was demolished in 1985 to make way for the surrounding apartment blocks.
The church has two spires, one above the nave, the other, the bell tower, above the narthex.
The iconostasis is carved in wood and gilt.
The facades are simple, with a classical cornice and pediment on the western side, painted with three panels of saints’ icons.
Saint Haralambie, whose relics are here, awaits them every day.
The church, in the shape of a cross, was built between 1815 and 1817 on the land left by Hagi Dumitrache Papazoglu, by Maria and Manea Cavafu, the latter being the elder of the tanners in the Broşteni slum.
Over time, the church was repaired several times.
Among the objects of historical or documentary value, the very old icons stand out (the oldest is from the 17th century), but also the iconostasis, which is carved in wood and gilded.
The current painting dates from 1986, made by a certain Gheorghe.
This my nephew's cat Ramses in my garden or, more precisely, in my pine tree. I haven't seen much of Ramses recently although he lives in the neighbourhood. He has meanwhile grown into a big cat but is still full of mischief. He loves to climb, I guess he must have been a monkey in a past life, and that's why he ended up in my tree. The whole (photo) story in the comments. I hope you will enjoy it !
Shayenne (Stranger 25)
In the dark train station hall, a beam of light fell precisely on the spot where Shayenne was waiting for her boyfriend. I was there at the perfect moment, right on time. Shayenne's colored hair was beautifully lit, and I shouldn't have been much later; her boyfriend could arrive any minute. Everything seemed to be perfect—the color of her hair, the color of her glasses, even the background. And of course, Shayenne herself, who immediately cooperated and was willing to pose. Thanks so much!
This is already the 25th photo of the 5th round of the 100stangers project.
Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the group 100 Strangers | Flickr: www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/
A couple of days ago I looked out of the window and saw an unusually big bird sitting in the dead nettles but couldn't immediately see what it was. So I sneeked through the adjoining garage (of course with camera) to see what it was. It was hard to see because of the bright mid afternoon sun was shining precisely behind it. But then I realized what I was looking at; a female Bull Finch! Now for some this might not be a very special view but to me it is! We hardly see them here and photographing these shy little birdies was - up until now - an impossibility.
I quickly took some shots straight through the incredibly dirty garage door windows but you can guess the result. I opened the garage doors ever so gently and it stayed put! But still the heavy backlight spoiled it all. When the dogs came to investigate what I was doing on the ground just outside the garage door the bird flew off. But that was my chance!
I quickly grabbed my little camouflaged tent; put it up next to the garden with the sun behind me, locked the dogs inside (which they didn't particularly liked judging by the many paw marks on my windows), sat down and waited. It took a long time and the sun was turning golden and then orange. And all of a sudden, there it was again, posing perfectly in the last warm rays of the sun!!
Funny how little things can make you happy :-)
On October 11, 2023, I photographed Sangeeta N. Bhatia at her offices and lab at MIT, where she has spent her career pioneering innovations at the intersection of engineering, biology, and medicine. A scientist of extraordinary breadth and impact, Bhatia is a rare individual who has been elected to all three National Academies—of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine—an honor that reflects the transformative nature of her work across multiple disciplines.
Bhatia’s research is deeply rooted in the fusion of microtechnology and medicine. She is best known for her work in developing miniaturized models of human organs—so-called “organs-on-a-chip”—which provide a powerful tool for studying disease, drug interactions, and regenerative medicine. Her lab’s advances in liver tissue engineering have brought us closer to solving one of the most pressing challenges in transplantation: creating functional, lab-grown liver tissues that could one day replace the need for donor organs.
Beyond tissue engineering, her work in nanomedicine has paved the way for groundbreaking approaches to diagnosing and treating cancer. Bhatia and her team have designed nanoscale technologies that can home in on tumors, delivering drugs more precisely and enabling early detection of cancer through biomarkers that can be identified in urine. These innovations have the potential to make cancer treatment more effective and accessible, particularly in low-resource settings where traditional diagnostic tools are scarce.
Her impact extends far beyond the lab. As an educator and mentor, she has championed diversity in STEM, advocating for greater inclusion of women and underrepresented minorities in science and engineering. She is also a prolific entrepreneur, with multiple biotech startups translating her discoveries into real-world medical applications.
Bhatia embodies a rare combination of visionary thinking and practical problem-solving. She moves seamlessly between disciplines, seeing connections where others might see boundaries. Her work is not just about scientific breakthroughs—it is about reimagining what is possible in medicine, engineering, and human health.