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January 2020:
It’s nearly been a year since the dimensional encounter. Now that I’ve rejoined the Flickr Fighters under various circumstances, there has been the imminent threat I’ve been facing personally:
Salient. The same man I was but from another dimension, much more cruel, evil and tainted. I’ve had encounters with him since then.
Which leads me to think that I need to strengthen my team—the black ops, which I formed in the last half of 2019, June, precisely, but it never really got any team building since I was still on long vacation till Phorus and the actual Dr Gravestein showed up.
Doc: “1 missed call from Jacky. You’ve got a shipment to deliver from Anchorage.”
Multi: “Hold up on that one. Tell him to send it right now—the anti-contagion samples should be here.”
Doc: “I’m at John Hopkins. My research team is available anytime. We’re going to work on the cure for the homeless in no time. Get some break, John. Some sunshine.”
Multi: “I’m worn out from the mission. I need to head back to Advent City in two days.”
Doc: “I can’t accompany you. Ask Viva. She’s your designated AI. And remember to feed the dog. I left some food a week ago.”
Multi: “Alright, thanks man.”
Doc: “I gotta hang up now. You do you. Always welcome.”
I sigh, staring at the ceiling after doing my quick morning workout. Life is surely busy since the formation, and since my relocation to Baltimore. Doc got a nice transfer so I guess he’s got an official job for now.
My company split, but I still retained some of the employees, as we built a new one again here. Thankfully going to Advent City doesn’t require that long because I’ve got the teleporters working.
I wake up two days later, laying on my couch after a hard night’s work, and hanging out with my dog, Sonny and my AI, Viva.
Doc: Jon, with the last shipment we’ll be able to help out the last batch of people. Corona is in effect and this is worse than it’s supposed to be. I have no idea how you’re gonna we’re all gonna get through this though…
Multi: “Only one can hope.”
***
Late April, 2020:
Three months later, I’ve been caught up with the third season of Westworld. Our work doesn’t stop like giving cures. Bailey, Doc’s 8 year old niece, was left in my care as I was her godfather. Her mother is a technician, and her job often required last shifts like her brother. Since I was available when needed, I went over to her house for the day.
Bailey: Uncle Jon! Can I play with Sonny and video games?
Multi: “Have you finished your work yet?”
Bailey: “Yes!”
Multi: “Okay good, I’m almost done making dinner, you can play if you want.”
She starts up her PS4 as I bring the food and chips near the desk. We sit down on the floor as Viva, my AI computer, helps prepare with Sonny’s food.
Multi: “What are we playing today? A Lego game?”
Bailey: “Yeah, the complete saga. It’s my favourite!”
Multi: “I knew you liked superhero stuff. Same like me, we’re nerds but your uncle isn’t.”
Bailey: “He doesn’t like it, I know he has powers like you…but what about me?”
Multi: “Have you talked to your mom about it?”
Bailey: “Nah, she’d kill me if she finds out…the girls at school think I’m a weirdo anyways...I don’t have much friends.”
Multi: “Well that’s fair, I don’t have much as well but you gotta take steps to becoming a superhero, right?”
Bailey: “Yup. Uncle Jon, the food was pretty good, are you gonna play as Lando?”
Multi: “Yeah sure I’ll be Lando, but just play around first—I’ll be doing some dishes.”
Suddenly my comm rings as the screen shows a live feed of an explosion.
Multi: “Viva, take care of Bailey and everything else. There’s a villain in town.”
Viva: “Yes sir, that is noted.”
Bailey: “Stay safe, uncle Jon.”
Multi: “I will.”
I get through the backdoor and suit up as quick as possible, before jumping on a nearby roof. My watch scans for evidence, realizing Faceglass is in town for..a rematch?
He stands by a gas station, using his shards to blow it up and causing a big fire. I notify Doc about the situation as well as her mother to keep it handy.
Multi: “Dodds, you’re really slobbering on your appetizer like that? Why are you even here anyways?”
Faceglass: “Revenge, of course. I just took town a construction building, just for the sake of trying to get approved.”
Multi: “Oh well, that’s your etiquette anyways. I like the makeup though. Looks good on you.”
Faceglass: “I…shut up, Sharp!”
He hates the mockery about his face, that’s why. From the facial surgery to our battles, it’s quite never-ending. He came close to injuring me once when he used sand to pierce my body, and that did hella hurt.
But he can’t be here for revenge. It’s either for a bank robbery, whatever his narcissistic goals take him, or Salient’s plans. I guess I do need to ask him.
Multi: “C’mon Dodds, just explain to me why we’re doing this pointless exchange of glass and energy.”
Faceglass: “Plain old revenge. You know me.”
Multi: “I’m sorry is that every line you use in your job interviews?”
Faceglass: “I…no, no no! Of course not. I go after for handsome people like you, because stalking’s in my blood. Thos workers didn’t agree with my face.”
Multi: “Not the most plausible excuse, honestly. You’ve forgotten the therapy sessions we did a lot together as buddies…”
Faceglass: “I’m after a person who isn’t you, okay?! Not your face, it’s your friend!”
Multi: “The doctor?”
He launches a barrel of shards towards me as I generate an energy shield, managing to hold it off as turn invisible, unleashing my left hand’s energy punch and slams him across the road. A woman closely stands but I nod to her scared face as she runs away.
Amidst the flames, I walk towards his unconscious body. He seems to be knocked out from the effort but I realize a body emerging. I grab my gun from my pocket, only to see Doc kneeling over Dodds, his eyes in grey as he places his palm on his face.
What is even going on?
Multi: “Doc? What the heck are you even doing here?”
Doc: “I teleported all the way across. Rene’s back home now, so thanks for that.”
Multi: “How’d you do that anyways?”
Doc: “What do you mean?”
Multi: “Your eyes were white…it’s like you were draining him. Normally you don’t have that power and often you use gadgets or your physician skills.”
Doc: “No idea, Jon. I didn’t drain him like Rogue did, I just touched his face and he knocked out.”
Multi: “The heck?”
Doc: “We’ll talk about this when we get home. I’ve called the authorities…”
**Flickr Fighters base, Advent City, New York, 12:16: P.M**
Viva: “Sir, it shows no vital signs of Doc’s abilities have gone haywire. Though now it has turned his right arm permanently gray.”
Multi: “Right. I think we should contact Ethereal, no?”
Viva: “That would be a good idea. Perhaps, some meditation first?”
Multi: “In a bit.”
I walk down the aisles of the FF’s halls, with Doc behind me.
Recur: “Mr Sharp! You’re back! I hope quarantine has been treating you well.”
Flex: “Welcome home again!”
Rift: “We’re glad to see you here again, Multi. And Doc as well.”
I am surrounded with questions and greetings as my teammates from the black ops and the main group follow me around, which until it gets to lunchtime, I hang around at the cafeteria until deciding to attend to some…recent matters.
Viva says he’s been having an intake of food, so that’s good. Doc’s been experimenting on himself in the labs right after we landed, so I’d be checking on him.
Multi: “What’s up with you having those powers anyway?”
Doc: “I don’t know, I did my own self-diagnosis…it’s been going on for weeks.”
Multi: “And you haven’t bothered to tell me while we’re saving the world? Not even to Rene? Or Bailey?”
Doc: “I know my niece is developing something, my sister doesn’t…I thought I hadn’t been in line of passing powers on like her father.”
Multi: “Isn’t he dead? What about your parents?”
Doc: “I did a DNA sweep, there’s no genes in them. I asked Bailey to give a blood sample willingly to test for it. I don’t even know what’s that power but if I had a latent jumpstart, that’s what I’m doing.”
Multi: “So you hide these secrets behind me? I’m not taking credit alone for apprehending Dodds, but your power is unstable, we don’t know. It just looked like you took his life.”
Doc: “I didn’t mean to, okay? Jon, give me a break, I’m working on it, alright? Don’t worry…”
***
I sigh as I leave the hall and go to my room to meditate. Another session with the energy realm. Ethereal says that Doc’s power was also unknown to her as she couldn’t detect it. She says it might be a healing power, even if I could try to sense his, it won’t work because it’s a different set.
Half an hour later I receive a new alert for a mission again, in Prague. Bummer. I run to the assembly hall for the briefing. LC says it’s a black ops thing, so I assemble Sapphire, Rong0, Mystery and Milan for the mission. Doc’s staying out so I ask Viva to keep an eye on him, as well as LC.
Multi: “I hope he’s staying safe though, just don’t go building extra security cameras around, Ben.”
LC: “I value everyone’s privacy, of course. But yeah, I’ll let you know if Viva and I find anything.”
Multi: “Alright, see you later.”
(To be continued…..)
(This issue is also partially dedicated to me and my godmother’s favourite Pomeranian, Sonny, who passed away a month ago on the 10th.)
©All photographs on this site are copyright: DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2020 & GETTY IMAGES ®
No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) ©
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Photograph taken at an altitude of Zero metres in the golden hour around sunrise, (Sunrise was at precisely 06:48am), at 06:18am on Monday 3rd May 2018 off Botany Road and Foreness Close on the sandy shoreline of Botany Bay, the northern most of seven bays in Broadstairs , Kent, England.
Thanet offshore windfarm was officially opened on September 23rd 2010 and was for a time, the largest offshore windfarm project in the world. The eight lines of turbines, one hundred of them in total, run north-west to south-east, covering a total area of 35sq km off Foreness Point near Margate. Each turbine is 115 metres high with 44-metre blades, and the project cost between £780-900million
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Nikon D850 Focal length: 120mm Shutter speed: 1/80s Aperture f/9.0 iso64 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L 8256 x 5504 FX). Colour space Adobe RGB. AF-C focus 51 point with 3-D tracking. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto 0 white balance (4570K). Nikon Distortion control on. Vignette control Normal.
Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR. Phot-R ultra slim 77mm UV filter. Nikon EN-EL15a battery. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Manfrotto 055Xprob Carbon Fiber Tripod 3 Sections. Manfrotto 327RC2 Magnesium Ball Head. Manfrotto quick release plate 200PL-14. Jessops Tripod bag.
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LATITUDE: N 51d 23m 18.76s
LONGITUDE: E 1d 26m 15.32s
ALTITUDE: 0.0m
RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB (NEF 89.1MB)
PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 29.20MB
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PROCESSING POWER:
Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.01 (16/01/2018) LD Distortion Data 2.017 (20/3/18)
HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB SATA storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.2.11 15/03/2018). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.
Südafrika - Kleine Karoo
Red Stone Hills
Sunset - Sonnenuntergang
The Karoo (/kəˈruː/ kə-ROO; from a Khoikhoi word, possibly garo "desert") is a semi-desert natural region of South Africa. There is no exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo, and therefore its extent is also not precisely defined. The Karoo is partly defined by its topography, geology and climate — above all, its low rainfall, arid air, cloudless skies, and extremes of heat and cold. The Karoo also hosted a well-preserved ecosystem hundreds of million years ago which is now represented by many fossils.
The Karoo is sharply divided into the Great Karoo and the Little Karoo by the Swartberg Mountain Range, which runs east-west, parallel to the southern coastline, but is separated from the sea by another east-west range called the Outeniqua –Langeberg Mountains. The Great Karoo lies to the north of the Swartberg range; the Little Karoo is to the south of it.
The Little Karoo is separated from the Great Karoo by the Swartberg Mountain range. Geographically, it is a 290 km long valley, only 40–60 km wide, formed by two parallel Cape Fold Mountain ranges, the Swartberg to the north, and the continuous Langeberg-Outeniqua range to the south. The northern strip of the valley, within 10–20 km from the foot of the Swartberg mountains is most un-karoo-like, in that it is a well watered area both from the rain, and the many streams that cascade down the mountain, or through narrow defiles in the Swartberg from the Great Karoo. The main towns of the region are situated along this northern strip of the Little Karoo: Montagu, Barrydale, Ladismith, Calitzdorp, Oudtshoorn and De Rust, as well as such well-known mission stations such as Zoar, Amalienstein, and Dysselsdorp.
The southern 30–50 km wide strip, north of the Langeberg range is as arid as the western Lower Karoo, except in the east, where the Langeberg range (arbitrarily) starts to be called the Outeniqua Mountains.
The Little Karoo can only be accessed by road through the narrow defiles cut through the surrounding Cape Fold Mountains by ancient, but still flowing rivers. A few roads traverse the mountains over passes, the most famous and impressive of which is the Swartberg Pass between Oudtshoorn in the Little Karoo and Prince Albert on the other side of the Swartberg mountains in the Great Karoo. There is also the main road between Oudtshoorn and George, on the coastal plain, that crosses the mountains to the south via the Outeniqua Pass. The only exit from the Little Karoo that does not involve crossing a mountain range is through the 150 km long, narrow Langkloof valley between Uniondale and Humansdorp, near Plettenberg Bay.
(Wikipedia)
Die Karoo (auch Karroo, früher Karru; Khoisan für Halbwüste) ist eine Halbwüstenlandschaft in den Hochebenen des Landes Südafrika, nördlich der Großen Randstufe und im südlichen Namibia. Unterschieden werden Kleine Karoo, Große Karoo und Obere Karoo sowie Sukkulentenkaroo und Nama-Karoo. Mit einer Ausdehnung von 500.000 km² umfasst die Karoo fast ein Drittel des Territoriums Südafrikas. Die Sukkulentenkaroo gehört zu den Biodiversitäts-Hotspots der Erde und wird u. a. im Rahmen von BIOTA AFRICA systematisch kartiert.
Der Name Karoo kommt von kurú (trocken) aus der Sprache der San, die einst hier lebten und jagten. In Hinsicht auf die geographische Ausdehnung des Karoo-Begriffs sind die folgenden Teilaspekte zu beachten und voneinander zu unterscheiden.
Die Karoo als Landschaft im traditionellen Verständnis ist eine südafrikanische Trockenregion innerhalb der Provinzen Westkap, Ostkap und Nordkap sowie im Süden Namibias. Ihre spezifische kapländische Strauchvegetation weist sie als Halbwüste aus. Ursprünglich wird in zwei Regionen unterschieden: Große Karoo und Kleine Karoo.
Die Große Karoo besitzt eine West-Ost-Ausdehnung von über 750 Kilometern und eine Nord-Süd-Ausdehnung von etwa 110 Kilometern. Sie wird im Westen vom Massiv der Zederberge und im Osten durch die Winterberge begrenzt. Im Norden bilden die Bergketten vom Roggeveld-, Koms-, Nuweveldberge und Sneeuberg und im Süden die Höhenzüge der Witteberge, Groot Swartberge und die Groot Winterhoek die natürliche Begrenzung.
Südlich dieser Region schließt sich die Kleine Karoo an. Diese wird wiederum an ihrer südlichen Flanke von den küstennahen Langebergen und Outeniqua-Bergen begrenzt.
Anders als in dieser traditionellen Gliederung, wird die Karoo heute nach ökologischen Gesichtspunkten in einen östlichen Teil, die Nama-Karoo, und einen westlichen Teil, die Sukkulenten-Karoo, gegliedert, wobei auch die Gesamtausdehnung der Karoo nach diesem Konzept von jener der traditionellen Betrachtungsweise abweicht.
(Wikipedia)
Die Little Karoo (englisch, auf Afrikaans Klein Karoo) ist eine Region in der Western Cape Provinz in Südafrika.
Durch die Little Karoo zieht sich die Route 62.
Die Klein Karoo ist ein halbwüstenartiger Landstrich, der zwischen den Swartbergen im Norden und den Outeniqua-Bergen im Süden liegt. Die Gegend ist fruchtbar und nicht ganz so trocken wie die nördlich anschließende Große Karoo. Die Kleine Karoo ist bekannt für die Straußenzucht, allein in der Umgebung von Oudtshoorn gibt es angeblich über 400 Betriebe, landwirtschaftliche Nutztiere der Region sind auch Schafe und Angoraziegen.
Die Kleine Karoo ist das östlichste Weinbaugebiet Südafrikas. Muskatweine, Portweine und Desertweine gedeihen in dem recht trockenen Klima, ein Teil des Weines wird zu Brandy verarbeitet. Auch das hier angebaute Obst wird teilweise zu Schnaps verarbeitet, man bekommt aber auch überall recht preisgünstig getrocknete Früchte.
(wikivoyage.org)
Location: Berlin
Almost precisely 5 years after I've made this spot, Scuderias seem more valuable than ever. Special edition Ferrairs always have a certain exclusivity to them, even though I was lucky enough with 430s. This particular car could often be seen in Berlin and in addition to the matte gray wrap used also featured some Novitec head lights. Although the car was just wrapped like that, it did look quite stunning. Unfortunately, I haven't seen the car in a while now, it's probably gone or tucked away.
Karlu Karlu, also known as Karlwekarlwe or Devil's Marbles, is a holy site of Aborigines (more precisely of the Kayeteye, the Whyungu, the Anmatyerre and the Alyawarre) in the Australian desert. It is located about 100 kilometers south of Tennant Creek in Northern Territory in Central Australia (Red Center). The area includes a few thousand round granite rocks.
The meaning of the term Karlu Karlu is a round object. For the Aboriginals, however, the name includes more than a simple description of the situation. After your tradition, the rocks around the eggs of the rainbow snake are from the dreamtime. The site therefore plays a very important role in the ceremonies and legends of the indigenous people. In most associated rituals and stories, it is a secret knowledge that is not made accessible outer. It is known, however, that the indigenous people are convinced that beings live in the caves under stones from the dream time.
Read more: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/arlu_karlu
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Karlu Karlu, auch bekannt als Karlwekarlwe oder Devil’s Marbles (engl. Murmeln des Teufels), ist eine heilige Stätte der Aborigines (genauer der Kaytetye, der Warumungu, der Anmatyerre und der Alyawarre) in der australischen Wüste. Sie liegt etwa 100 Kilometer südlich des Ortes Tennant Creek im Northern Territory in Zentralaustralien (Red Centre). Das Gebiet umfasst einige tausend runde Granitfelsen.
Die Bedeutung des Begriffs Karlu Karlu ist rundes Objekt. Für die Aborigines umfasst der Name aber mehr als eine einfache Beschreibung der Sachlage. Nach ihrer Überlieferung handelt es sich bei den Felsen um die Eier der Regenbogenschlange aus der Traumzeit. Die Stätte spielt daher in den Zeremonien und Legenden der Ureinwohner eine sehr große Rolle. Bei den meisten damit in Verbindung stehenden Ritualen und Geschichten handelt es sich um geheimes Wissen, welches Außenstehenden nicht zugänglich gemacht wird. Bekannt ist jedoch, dass die Ureinwohner davon überzeugt sind, dass Wesen aus der Traumzeit in den Höhlen unter Steinen wohnen.
Mehr lesen: de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karlu_Karlu
Long tongue, long antennae, long-horned bee, Eucera longicornis. A European (or more precisely Eurasian) lover of legumes and things for which a long tongue makes sense to use upon. I look at distribution maps of bees like these and wonder about exactly how many of these bees emerge each year. Photo: James Poindexter II. Collector: T. Peeters. Collected in the Netherlands
Photo license: CC-BY-SA. This photo can be reused as you wish. When doing so, please credit the creator (USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab) and the source (Naturalis Biodiversity Center) and adaptations must be shared under the same terms.
The specimen in this photo is provided by Naturalis Biodiversity Center in The Netherlands. For inquiries please contact: Frederique Bakker, email: frederique.bakker@naturalis.nl.
This image is part of the photo series ‘Cool bees of The Netherlands’. For more information: marten.schoonman@naturalis.nl
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All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.
Photography Information:
Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200
We Are Made One with What We Touch and See
We are resolved into the supreme air,
We are made one with what we touch and see,
With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,
With our young lives each spring impassioned tree
Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range
The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.
- Oscar Wilde
You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML
Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:
Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:
Art Photo Book: Bees: An Up-Close Look at Pollinators Around the World:
www.amazon.com/Bees-Up-Close-Pollinators-Around-World/dp/...
Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:
bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf
Basic USGSBIML set up:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-_yvIsucOY
USGSBIML Photoshopping Technique: Note that we now have added using the burn tool at 50% opacity set to shadows to clean up the halos that bleed into the black background from "hot" color sections of the picture.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdmx_8zqvN4
Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus
www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/collections
PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:
Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:
plus.google.com/events/c5569losvskrv2nu606ltof8odo
or
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c15neFttoU
Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:
Contact information:
Sam Droege
sdroege@usgs.gov
301 497 5840
ENGLISH :
... and more precisely the diversity and wealth of pre-Columbian cultures that successively inhabited this continent.
Now I actually cannot say with certainty precisely which of Sam's builds inspired this - probably the Lotus-esque one, but that's good enough for me, so take that copyright police!
IRL the cow horns do not exist in trans, but conversely the solid ones should match the non-trans front nicely. Meanwhile digital gives us all the freedom which I believe we oughta use as appropriate.
Upon setting my eyes upon Grandfather I quickly drop down onto my left knee and kneel as he slowly approaches.
Damian: Master….
He says nothing, simply looking me in the eye with visible frustration on his face. It’s then that I realise my error and bow my head so that I look at the ground rather than at him. One may only gaze upon the Demon’s Head once permitted.
Ra’s Al-Ghul: Pick yourself up, the Demon's Heir should bow to no-one.
Without hesitation, I comply lifting myself slowly up off the ground but not taking my sight off the ground. He has not granted me that permission yet.
Kirigi: The cave is secure, Great One.
Ra’s Al-Ghul: And the motion sensors?
Kirigi: Activated precisely as you commanded.
Ra’s Al-Ghul: Good. See to it that our allies hold up to their part of our agreement.
Kirigi: Yes, master.
There’s then a long period of silence where all I can hear is the ventilation system refreshing the air in my cell. With my sight fixed down at the ground, I can’t see what signals Grandfather is doing but it’s clear that someone has drawn his attention to the other holding cells. The ones filled with the Santa Prisca mercenaries who helped me siege City Hall.
Ra’s Al-Ghul: Now what have we here?
Mercenary: El demonio!
Ra’s Al-Ghul: Peña Duro escapees. How unexpected.
Again, silence. But it quickly becomes clear that he is communicating with someone and there’s only one person in the League who never speaks. Nyssa.
Ra’s Al-Ghul: Yes, they might be.
She’s clearly pointed out the mercenaries to him and is now asking whether he is contemplating using them against Bruce and his allies.
Ra’s Al-Ghul: No. Disciples of Bane are of no use to me especially after what they did to my prison. You know what to do.
Purge the weak. Nyssa doesn’t even have to say a thing for me to know exactly what is meant. It takes merely a few seconds for the calm silence to descend into chaotic screams as she cuts them down one by one. The speed with which she silences them all is terrifying, but I expect no less from the Disgraced.
Having been removed from the Demon’s lineage, she’s little more than the sword she wields.
After the last mercenary falls silent, I hear two sets of footsteps approach my cell at a slow pace.
Once again, there’s a small period of complete silence which feels like eternity, but it becomes clear what’s being said when Grandfather responds.
Ra’s Al-Ghul: It would appear so. Curious that we happen to find both him and followers of Bane in the same cell.
…..
Ra’s Al-Ghul: No, they’ve not been dead long. At best I’d say they’ve been dead fifteen minutes if not less.
…..
Ra’s Al-Ghul: No. He’s ambitious but he’s loyal. A pity the same cannot be said of his parents.
……
Ra’s Al-Ghul: Move to phase 2. If we’ve not heard from Ubu then it can only mean that they’ve overcome the first hurdle. Go to the police department and show them what becomes of those who side with enemies of the League.
I hear the sound of footsteps as Nyssa presumably walks away to set the next part of Grandfather’s plan in motion. Just what does he have planned for all of Bruce’s followers? Hopefully it’s something painful.
Grandfather says nothing until the footsteps fade away and we're seemingly alone. But when he does speak, the disappointment in his voice in unmistakable.
Ra’s Al-Ghul: I must admit, I expected better of you, Damian.
For a brief moment I raise my head to look at him only to be reprimanded.
Ra’s Al-Ghul: Did I say you could raise your head?
As soon as he makes that comment, I immediately bow my head to look at the ground again. He’s very displeased with my failure.
Damian: Forgive me, Great One.
Ra’s Al-Ghul: You would do well to remember your place, boy. Your father had little respect for decorum either and look where he’s ended up.
I say nothing choosing simply to keep my eyes fixed on the ground.
Ra’s Al-Ghul: Did you underestimate him?
Damian: No, Master.
Ra’s Al-Ghul: Then why are you in here? Too much pride? Too much arrogance? You may be my heir, Damian, but that does not make you infallible. You of all people should know that.
Damian: I do, Grandfather.
Ra’s Al-Ghul: What did I say about calling me that?
Another consequence of Bruce's relationship with Mother. Grandfather now insists that the bond between master and apprentice is just that. One to wield the power and the other to learn it. Never should they be equals. For if they treat each as equals, the student may well corrupt the master and cause them to make a foolish mistake.
Nobody wants another Bruce Wayne.
Damian: Forgive me, Master.
He turns away from me and looks out into the open cave seemingly pondering his next move.
Ra’s Al-Ghul: So which was it? Pride? Or arrogance?
Damian: Both.
Ra’s Al-Ghul: Yes, I expected as much.
Once again, he says nothing. Choosing instead to look out upon the vast cave as if pondering his next actions.
Ra’s Al-Ghul: So, how was it?
Damian: How was what, Great One?
Ra’s Al-Ghul: Meeting your father.
Damian: Everything I dreamt of, and more.
Ra’s Al-Ghul: And what did you make of him?
Damian: He’s everything that you described and worse.
Ra’s Al-Ghul: Worse?
Damian: He believes that what he’s doing is for the greater good of this city. That….disgusts me…….He holds this city back from it's inevitable future and empowers the weak by preying on the strong. Not only is he weak, he’s stupid as well.
Ra’s Al-Ghul: Belief in one’s cause is not foolish, Damian. You would do well to remember that. It was that belief in his own actions which drew my attention to your father in the first place. Were it not for that, you wouldn’t be here today.
Fascinating. Never before have I heard Grandfather speak of Bruce in any semblance of a positive light. Whenever he’s spoken of him to me previously it’s always been about what a disappoint he was, and how he’s everything Grandfather wishes to eradicate. Maybe that was all intentional. A deliberate attempt by him to make me strive to be everything that Bruce is not.
Strong enough to take a life. Brave enough to do what is necessary. Kind enough to help liberate humanity from its self-imposed shackles.
Damian: I understand.
Without saying a word, Grandfather unsheathes his blade and slashes the control panel on my cell triggering the emergency release. As the door opens, I slowly walk up to him as he holsters his sword once more.
Ra’s Al-Ghul: Does your mother know?
Damian: Yes.
Ra’s Al-Ghul: *Sigh* She’ll never forgive me.
Damian: It had to be done.
Ra’s Al-Ghul: Maybe.
As we overlook what was once Bruce’s cave a small group of bats flies above us. Neither of us flinch, simply choosing to take in a pair of deep breaths. Much to my surprise though, after taking in that deep breath Grandfather suddenly starts to cough.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen him cough before. Understandably, he’s quick to correct and recompose himself. The League may demand loyalty to the Demon’s Head, but there has never been a time when it was clear that his death was inevitable. It’s a looming crisis without an heir to the title. That’s why Grandfather was determined to convince Bruce to take the mantle, and why he committed so much time and effort into preparing me for when the moment comes.
But unless I complete the final trial, and thus become a true member of the League, my claim to the title of Demon’s Head is no more credible than that of Bruce or Mother
.
Not wishing to offend Grandfather, I choose to say nothing and wait to be spoken to instead.
Ra’s Al-Ghul: Time is against us. We must move swiftly if your place is to be guaranteed.
Damian: Then we must find Wayne and destroy him.
Ra’s Al-Ghul: Do not worry, my child. Soon he will come to us.
Damian: How can you be so sure?
Ra’s Al-Ghul: I trained him well. He wouldn’t have abandoned you without taking precautions to alert him when you were liberated. Kirigi made sure to trip a few of this cave's motion sensors as we entered.
Damian: So that means….
Ra’s Al-Ghul: Your time is almost at hand. Are you prepared?
Damian: Yes, Master. I’ve been anticipating this day for a long time.
Ra’s Al-Ghul: As have I, Damian. As have I.
As we both stand looking out over the cave two of Grandfather’s followers approach carrying a large box. For a brief moment, I’m unaware of what it could possibly be. Then they open it to reveal the its contents.
The armour of the Crimson Knight.
Ra’s Al-Ghul: It is tradition for the Demon’s heir to wear the armour of the Crimson Knight into battle against his enemies. Let us hope that you deserve that title. Take your time. Ensure that you are prepared. I will not accept failure again, Grandson.
I’m taken by surprise to hear Grandfather refer to me with that name. For as long as I can remember he’s never used that name for me before and I quickly understand why.
With my heritage revealed, it’s likely that the eyes of the entire League now rest upon me. Failure has now become unacceptable. No heir of Ra’s Al-Ghul could possibly fail. So if I am to truly claim what is rightfully mine, I must complete my final trial.
I must kill my father, Bruce Wayne.
End of Act I
The Olympics begin today! I am excited. I love the Olympic games, or maybe more precisely, I love the idea that the Olympic Games embody. The rarity of the opportunity that the games bring for ordinary people to perform in extraordinary circumstances. The chance for countries that don't normally grab headlines to shine (think Kenya, Jamaica, South Africa).
I know. Many shrug off the Olympics or take a jaded, cynical approach to it. I don't completely disagree. I don't care much for the commercialization of the Olympics, or the media coverage of it. But you strip that away and get down to what the Olympics are really about - people - and I am enthralled. Can you imagine, training your whole life for this one opportunity, and in many cases, it really is just one chance. I remember growing up watching Dan Jansen fail.... and then succeed. I watched Michael Johnson, in a blur of gold... win gold. I saw Michael Phelps set Olympic history in stunning fashion. There was the excitement of nearly hometown girl, Mariel Zagunis winning gold too. This year will add Oscar Pistorius running in the Olympics (not the Paralympics) with no legs. There is Kerri Strug, Rulon Gardner, Eric "The Eel", Derek Redmond, Antonio Rebolloto (the archer who ignited the Olympic cauldron to start the Barcelona games). And these are just a few of the memories the Olympics have given me over my life.
Twice now I have been in cities in the months just prior to the Olympics, though I have yet to actually attend an Olympics personally. Even months before the games begin, there is an anticipation, a sense of energy that is prevalent just walking around. Someday I hope to attend a games (the winter Olympics given my choice). But for now, I am content to sit half a world away cheering and rooting for hundreds and thousands of ordinary people I don't know who are in the process of doing something extraordinary.
...wherever freedom is really exercised, this happens in stretching beyond all individual data into the ineffable, quiet, incomprehensible infinity of the primeval unity of all thinkable reality, in an anticipation of God. Thus we experience precisely in freedom what is meant by God. . . . God is not one of the many realities with which we are concerned in the freedom of our affirmation or rejection, but originally he is the infinite horizon which alone makes the free choice of individual things possible. As such a horizon God is always encountered in the free act and is present in it.
-The Future of Wisdom: Toward a Rebirth of Sapiential Christianity, Bruno Barnhart, Cynthia Bourgeault, and Cyprian Consiglio
Finally, I will start my new career as a software develop engineer on West Coast - more precisely in one of the dreaming cities for landscape photographers - Seattle!
Vitra Design Museum Collection
Nelson Marshmallow Sofa
VITRA DESIGN MUSEUM
For over two decades, the Vitra Design Museum has been making miniature replicas of milestones in furniture design from its collection. Exactly one sixth the size of the historical originals, the chairs are all true to scale and precisely recreate the smallest details of construction, material and color. The high standard of authenticity even extends to the natural grain of the wood, the reproduction of screws and the elaborate handicraft techniques involved. This has made the miniatures into popular collector's items as well as ideal illustrative material for universities, design schools and architects.
The original of the Marshmallow Sofa was designed by George Nelson in 1956 and it is produced as 1:1 model by the Herman Miller Furniture Company, Zeeland/Michigan/USA and the Vitra International AG, Basel/Switzerland since 1956.
The here offered miniature by Vitra (scale 1:6) consists of lacquered steel tube, aluminium and leather cushions.
Approximate size Height: 13 cm, Depth: 13.5 cm, Length: 22 cm
DESIGNER
George Nelson and Irving Harper, a young designer working in Nelson’s design firm, were approached by an inventor who had created an injection plastic disc that he insisted could be produced inexpensively and would be durable. The designers took a look and arranged 18 of them on a steel frame—the origin of the Marshmallow sofa.
The inventor’s cushions turned out to be impractical, but Nelson and Harper were intrigued by the design they had created so casually, and Herman Miller decided to manufacture the sofa.
By joining separate elements and making them appear to float on air, Nelson and Harper achieved this sofa’s unique appearance and eye-catching appeal, which led the way into the pop art style of the 1960s.
The colourful and quite unconventional sofa is not constructed from the typical long cushions but rather of a steel frame to which are attached 18 colourful round vinyl covered cushions. Cushions whose resemblance to marshmallows bequeath the Vitra sofa its name. And for those who need more space, or have a sweeter tooth an additional extension element consisting of six cushions is available. With his colourful designer sofa George Nelson both brought Pop Art into the living room and also re-invented the concept of the sofa.
Colours
Cushions: dark red, orange, green, purple and blue
Material
Frame: rectangular steel tubing, painted black
Cushion covers: vinyl in dark red, orange, green, purple and blue
Variants
Extension element with 6 cushions available on request
Function & properties
Extendible
Delivery includes
1 sofa consisting of frame and 18 round cushions
Care
To clean, wiping with a damp cloth and a mild detergent is recommended.
Koothu (Tamil: கூத்து), and alternatively spelt as kuttu, means dance or performance in Tamil, it is a folk art originated from the early Tamil country.[1][2] But more precisely Koothu refers to Therukoothu (Tamil:தெருக்கூத்து) that is street dance or street play or street drama[3] since it will be performed in the village squares.[4] At early age the art of entertainment reached its peak in Tamil country.[5] Mentioned in the Sangam literatures about the development of iyal (literature), isai (music) and natagam (drama). More than entertainment, therukoothu educates the rural people about religion and their history.[6]
Koothu is an informal dance structure, the performances generally depict scenes from ancient epics like Ramayana, Mahabharatha and Tamil classical epics. There will be no dialogues instead only songs. Artists are trained to sing in their own voice and in a high pitch to reach entire crowd, since no technology available that time. The artists dressed up with complex heavy costumes and have a very bright elaborated makeup. They put on high towering head dress, sparkling shoulder plates and wide colorful skirts. Usually the whole trope will be played by males, even female characters also be performed by males.
Types of koothu[4] includes Nattu Koothu, Kuravai Koothu, and Valli Koorhu, which are of about the state and culture of different peoples in Tamil country; Samaya Koothu showcasing religious topics, Porkaala Koothu, Pei Koothu, Thunangai Koothu about martial arts and war of the country. Another important art form viz, Chakyar koothu is very popular in Kerala. There is mention of this koothu in Silapathikaram.
In early stage there was no proper institution or nattuvanar (teacher) for koothu. Now to encourage the dying art there are some workshops for koothu called koothu pattarai.
It is very popular among the rural areas and through ages it stand without any modern trace. But got spread out into most of south India, the early Tamil country now the modern day Karnatakka, Kerala.
Avatharam a Tamil movie which well portrays about the art.
The deity at the Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram is known from the Sangam period as "Thillai Koothan", the cosmic dancer of Thillai; the Sanskrit translation of this is Nataraja.
-WiKi
Me all of January tbh
• “Dark Heart” pose pack by OG, located at GOTHCORE
• “Aiko Set” by FLUID, located at KINKY EVENT ⛓️
• “Black Rose Nails” by LOVEHOLIC, located at their mainstore 💓
"Precisely the least, the softest, the lightest, a lizard’s rustling, a breath, a wink, a blink of the eye – a little is the stuff of the best happiness."
Frederick Nietzsche, Thus Spake Zarathustra, 1893
This was an accidental find in one corner of a throw-away shot. Strictly SOOC apart from cropping and border. Maybe not worth saving, but it appealed in that moment.
Dear Botanical Garden
Of transcendental meditation
How often I have tried my foot (more precisely translated)
On the grainy sand of your quiet lanes.
Tom Jobim
Outdoor performance piece by Susannah Haight. A male performer holding an LED lighting system positioned and re-positioned himself at the edges of a wooden platform, as a female performer artfully arranged and re-arranged herself within a circle of 60 precisely placed stones. The powerful light appeared to operate as an artificial sun. As the light was moved, deep shadows and interesting shapes were cast across this clock space. Within this clock arrangement, the woman told a physical story of imagined time with her arms and legs. Nearby, two way traffic rolled past on Bathurst Street, and people came and went.
(further pictures and enormous amounts of information you can get by clicking on the link at the end of page!)
St. Stephen's Cathedral
Seat of the Archbishop (Cardinal) of Vienna, one of the most important buildings of the Central European High and Late Gothic, monumental example of the South-German-Austrian multi-naved church, landmark of Vienna. Characteristic is the independent lateral position of the towers, the inclusion of the romanesque western facade, the high Gothic hall choir and the mighty steep roof with colorful brick patterning.
History
1147
The first Romanesque church - from Passau founded (hence patron saint: saint Stephen Protomartyr) - is consecrated. It is located in a quarter of new settlements of merchants, which in the second half of the 12th Century was included in the city's fortifications (which is the part between Singerstraße and wool line (Wollzeile), the road to Hungary). It is located outside, to the southeast, of the oldest city area of the Roman fort, Vindobona. This building was in its dimensions already a large basilical complex, at its completion already including the floor plan of the Heath towers in the West.
1263
Re-consecration after the fire. The impacts on the Romanesque church are not precisely known. The huge gate was already previously rebuilt, when Vienna was for a short time residence of the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. In succession, the reconstruction of the west gallery and the expansion of the western towers (Heath towers) took place. From this period stem also most of the sculptures of the giant gate, the vaults, capitals and rose windows at the west gallery.
Stephansdom64.jpg (35605 bytes)
1304 -1340
Construction of the Gothic hall choir, Albertinian choir, named after the Habsburg Albert II (1330-1358).
The citizenship of Vienna initially purchased the required properties and "as the owner of the Gothic choir in the Zwettler (city in Lower Austria) documents of 1303 and 1304 Viennese citizens are testified".
This civic foundation was then converted by a princely.
The following indulgence certificate - in the original written on parchment and provided with a hanging seal - is in a sense the main historical document of the choir consecration and thus also to the architectural history of St. Stephen of great importance.
1340
Bishop Peter of Marchapolis gives, at the request of the parishioners, all who attend at the anniversary of the consecration of the choir of St. Stephen's Church, which was accomplished on the above day in his presence by Bishop Albert of Passau, or at the feasts of the altar patrons of the church, an indulgence of 40 days.
1359
Laying of the foundation stone for further Gothic reconstruction of the nave (south and north wall), the Singertor and the Bischofstor (gate) and the two double chapels laterally to the Romanesque western building. Furthermore, the construction of overall four towers was planned. In fact, only the southern transept tower (the "saint Stephen's Tower") was first started.
1365
Those conversion measures are associated with the efforts of Duke Rudolf IV to raise Vienna to the status of a diocese, and with the founding of the University of Vienna.
1395
Consecration of the chapel of Saint Catherine ("baptistery") on the east side of the south tower.
1404
Peter of Prachatitz is Dombaumeister (cathedral builder). The citizenship by providing financial support pushes ahead the expansion of the tower.
1417 - 1430
Establishment of the lower sacristy
1433
Completion of the south tower under Hans von Prachatitz
1440 - 1459
Completion of the High Gothic nave
1450
Planning and construction of the North Tower by Hans Puchsbaum
1459
At Hüttentag of Regensburg the mason's lodge of St. Stephen's in Vienna is designated the leading main lodge in Central Europe.
1466
Extension of the upper sacristy
1469
Under Frederick III. the Diocese of Vienna is built.
1474
The Chapel of St. Barbara in the north tower is completed according to the plans of Puchsbaum. Formerly this building extension in the North Tower was called: Urbanuskapelle (chapel).
1511
Suspension of the building at the north tower. It is higher than the nave walls, but lower than the ridge height of the choir roof. As a crowning feature of the tower stump an octagonal structure was set up, which was closed with a so-called "Welsh hood" of Kaspar and Hans Saphoy 1578. The Welsh hood is a into the Gothic transmitted dome shape".
The back of the St. Stephen's Cathedral with the North Tower
1514/1519
1514/1519 at the top of saint Stephen's tower an eight-rayed sun ("Star") was fitted with a crescent moon as a symbol of spiritual and temporal power. When the Viennese in the Turkish siege (1529) throughout in the camp of their enemies saw similar symbols, they raised first objections against the "haidnisch Zaichen (heathen signs)", yet remained the "Moonlight" on the tower. Only on the occasion of the second siege (1683 ) vowed Leopold I to replace the "ungodly and unworthy Turks coat of arms" by the sign of the cross, when the city was liberated by God's assistance.
The from saint Stephen removed moon. Book illustration, 18th century
The new, of copper wrought double cross ("Spanish Cross") was made by coppersmith Hans Adam Bosch. It was one and a half meters high and had a weight of 45.5 kg. On September 14th, the Kreuzerhöhungstag (day of the elevation of the Cross) (in the same time the anniversary of the moving in of Leopold into the liberated city), it was placed under great spectacle. However, it was not flexible enough and already on 14th December it fell down due to a violent storm. On 31st October 1687 followed the setting up of a new crowning. To the Spanish Cross now the imperial double-headed eagle and the initials of Leopold I had been added. Cross and eagle had a height of 2.45 m and a weight of 67 kg.
St. Stephen's Cathedral around 1530
1640
Bishop Friedrich Count Breuner the Baroquisation of the equipment of the St. Stephen's Cathedral as a manifestation of the Counter-Reformation had started. He commissioned the brothers Jacob and Tobias Pock from Konstanz with the construction of a new high altar.
1683
Damages caused by numerous cannonballs at the second Turkish siege.
1700
Second wave of Baroquisation: Gothic winged altars and also their early Baroque successors are replaced by baroque marble altars.
1711
July 21st, 1711. In front of a large audience the k.k. Stückgießer (specialized iron caster) Johann Achamer carries out the casting of the great bell of saint Stephen. The for this purpose required metal comes from stocks of the Imperial arsenal of captured Turkish cannons. After Pölzung (supporting) of the underground vaults under the streets that touches the train, the bell weighing more than 17 tons on a special car or a loop of 100 people is brought from the Leopoldstadt on 29th October to the cathedral. On December 15th, Bishop Rummel undertakes the consecration of the bell, then it is pulled up to the south tower. There it rests on two oak beams, which for ringing can be screwed off. When Charles VI. solemnly moved into Vienna after his imperial coronation on 26th January 1712, the Pummerin was rung for the first time, in the process only the 813 kg in weight clapper was moved.
1720
The so-called catacombs are set up as a burial site.
1735
The cemetery around the church is closed down and in 1783 completely removed
Stock-im-Eisen-Platz and St. Stephen's Square before the demolition of the houses
Coloured engraving of V.C. Schütz. 1779
1803
The Steffl gets air: Demolition of houses on Stephansplatz
October. The strong increase in population leads to an increased volume of traffic. As part of "traffic-appropriate" measures streets are widened, squares enlarged, arcades created and traffic regulations introduced such as, e.g., the first one-way at the Carinthian gates (1802). With the demolition of the last still in front of the cathedral facade standing houses yet another basic expansion and redesign of the Stephansplatz can be completed.
1809
Also in the French wars the Cathedral is damaged by artillery fire.
1810
Repair work on the South Tower
1831
Renovation of the roof at the Albertinian choir
1842
On the occasion of the two renewals of the tower helmet in the 19th century respectively in 1842 and 1864, again a new double-headed eagle with a double cross was set on the spire. This last crowning of 1864 still today adorns the top of saint Stephen's tower.
1853 - 1854
Expansion of the remaining Wimperge (gables) in the roof area of which Puchsbaum under Frederick III. only one had realized.
1863 - 1864
Cathedral architect Friedrich Schmidt heads the restoration of the tower helmet.
1945
St. Stephen's Cathedral, April 1945 © Press Agency Votava St. Stephen's Cathedral, April 1945
The roof of St Stephen's Cathedral
is on fire 8th April 1945
Friday 13 April: Dombrand (cathedral's fire) in the last days of World War II. The roof burns down, the vaults of the middle choir and the southern side choir collapse. The Pummerin plunges down and breaks. The cathedral is badly damaged.
1945 - 1952
Reconstruction of the roof and choir
Triumphant entry of the new Pummerin in Vienna. The in St. Florian/Oberösterreich (Upper Austria) cast bell to Vienna had a true triumphal procession behind herself.
From the ruins of the Pummerin 1952 in St. Florian, Upper Austria, a new bell was cast and consecrated on 26th April 1952 in Vienna. The other bells of St. Stephen's Cathedral also consistently bore names as Halbpummerin, Viertelpummerin, Councillor Bell, Mentioned bell (Genanntenglocke), Zwölferin, beer bell (Bierglocke) etc. Very few of them survived the year 1945.
1953
Construction of the Bishop tomb in the catacombs under the Apostle Choir
1954 - 1965
Restoration of the South Tower
1956
Renovation of the Ducal Crypt, construction of the lower church and the lapidary (collection of stone monuments)
Completion of the tower helmet at the north tower (Saphoy'sche hood) with housing of the Pummerin
1961
In 1961 the cathedral received a new peal of eleven bells.
1973
Consecration of the People's altar (makeshift solution)
1977 - 1998
Restoration of the North Tower
1989
Remodeling of the sanctuary and the consecration of the new People's altar (September 14)
1991
Consecration of the new cathedral organ (Servants - Madonna gets here her new stand)
Overall length: 107.2 m outside inside 91.8 m
Width of the nave: 38.9 m
Height of the South tower: (High Tower) 136.7 m
Height of the North tower: 60.6 m
Height of the Heathen towers 65.6 m
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.
The Trango Towers are a group of dramatic granite spires located on the north side of the Baltoro Glacier, in Baltistan, a district of the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan (formerly Northern Areas). They are part of the Baltoro Muztagh, a subrange of the Karakoram range. The Towers offer some of the largest cliffs and most challenging rock climbing in the world. The highest point in the group is the summit of Great Trango Tower, 6,286 m (20,608 ft). (Note: all elevations in this article are subject to significant uncertainty: it is not clear if they have ever been determined precisely, and sources vary.) The east face of the Great Trango Tower features the world's greatest nearly vertical drop.
Long tongue, long antennae, long-horned bee, Eucera longicornis. A European (or more precisely Eurasian) lover of legumes and things for which a long tongue makes sense to use upon. I look at distribution maps of bees like these and wonder about exactly how many of these bees emerge each year. Photo: James Poindexter II. Collector: T. Peeters. Collected in the Netherlands
Photo license: CC-BY-SA. This photo can be reused as you wish. When doing so, please credit the creator (USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab) and the source (Naturalis Biodiversity Center) and adaptations must be shared under the same terms.
The specimen in this photo is provided by Naturalis Biodiversity Center in The Netherlands. For inquiries please contact: Frederique Bakker, email: frederique.bakker@naturalis.nl.
This image is part of the photo series ‘Cool bees of The Netherlands’. For more information: marten.schoonman@naturalis.nl
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All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.
Photography Information:
Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200
We Are Made One with What We Touch and See
We are resolved into the supreme air,
We are made one with what we touch and see,
With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,
With our young lives each spring impassioned tree
Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range
The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.
- Oscar Wilde
You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML
Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:
Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:
Art Photo Book: Bees: An Up-Close Look at Pollinators Around the World:
www.amazon.com/Bees-Up-Close-Pollinators-Around-World/dp/...
Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:
bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf
Basic USGSBIML set up:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-_yvIsucOY
USGSBIML Photoshopping Technique: Note that we now have added using the burn tool at 50% opacity set to shadows to clean up the halos that bleed into the black background from "hot" color sections of the picture.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdmx_8zqvN4
Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus
www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/collections
PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:
Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:
plus.google.com/events/c5569losvskrv2nu606ltof8odo
or
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c15neFttoU
Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:
Contact information:
Sam Droege
sdroege@usgs.gov
301 497 5840
Departing precisely at 9:30 AM, the Mt. Washington Cog Railway's weekday, morning steam trip slowly crosses the base switch before throttling up for the steep climb to the roof of New England. With its cylinder cocks open, and traveling very slowly here, these engines do sound a bit like a typical steam locomotive. It is only once the engine clears the switch and the forward steam valve is fully opened, that the real show begins. With four cylinders going full tilt, the light chugging sound becomes just a steady din, punctuated by intermittent, blow-torch-like roars as the fireman opens the firebox door to throw another scoop of coal on the inferno inside. The departure of one of these steamers from Marshfield Station is typically pretty spectacular and has most of the folks who remain on the platform making video recordings with their cell phones.
On the morning of 11 December 2014, precisely one hour after sunrise, Italian 1915-built 'Mallet' articulated 0-4-4-0 tank 440.008, the sole serviceable locomotive of the original batch of the class supplied to the Eritrean Railway by Ansaldo from 1911, runs through the short afforested section and approaching the summit of the 950mm gauge line at 2,394 metres above sea level, heading a demonstration vintage freight towards the capital of Asmara.
© Gordon Edgar - All rights reserved. Please do not use my images without my explicit permission
The Aqueduct of Segovia (or more precisely, the aqueduct bridge) is a Roman aqueduct and one of the most significant and best-preserved ancient monuments left on the Iberian Peninsula. It is the foremost symbol of Segovia, as evidenced by its presence on the city's coat of arms [Wikipedia].
HDR from five bracketed exposures (1EV step) on a tripod.
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El Acueducto de Segovia es la obra de ingeniería civil romana más importante de España y uno de los monumentos más significativos y mejor conservados de los que dejaron los romanos en la península Ibérica. Se trata probablemente del símbolo más importante para los habitantes de Segovia, hasta el punto de figurar en su escudo [Wikipedia].
HDR generado de un horquillado de cinco exposiciones (paso de 1EV) sobre trípode.
Rauðasandur (Red Sand) is precisely that: a beach with endless red sand. Well, not endless but 10 km is a lot. The magnificent hues of the sand differ with daylight and weather, and the beach is the biggest pearl in a string of coves with sand ranging in colours from white through yellow through red to black, and in coarseness from very fine to sole-hurting chips of seashells. (visitwestfjords.is)
The Westfjords or West Fjords is a large peninsula in northwestern Iceland and an administrative district. It lies on the Denmark Strait, facing the east coast of Greenland. It is connected to the rest of Iceland by a 7-km-wide isthmus between Gilsfjörður and Bitrufjörður. The Westfjords are very mountainous; the coastline is heavily indented by dozens of fjords surrounded by steep hills. These indentations make roads very circuitous and communications by land difficult. In addition many of the roads are closed by ice and snow for several months of the year. (wiki)
While attempting to photograph the architecture of this town, people kept getting in the frame. This mail carrier went about her job methodically and precisely while the streets teemed with people. I found great interest in how one block can have non-stop Bourbon St revelry and the next block is a shockingly quiet residential setting. The Quarter is partying but I see people living there too.
I'm keeping my looks pretty simple at the moment; no tattoos or anything uber fancy. Sometimes simple is enough you know?
In fact, it's nice to let the skins speak for themselves, and that's precisely what I'm trying to do here with 'RILEY' the latest from AMARA BEAUTY. Like her previous release, 'AMELIA', there's a freckle option and I've kept it. It adds a sort of vintage 1950's feel to this look made with the excellent JUST BECAUSE dress and this cracking LAMB hair from this round of THE ARCADE. I've not blogged about THE ARCADE yet, suffice to say it's a pretty good round indeed and unfortunately, it's supplemented my cat addiction, yeah, thanks for that MUTRESSE! (Pictures of skybox cat havoc will be forthcoming imminently!) I'm loving the HUD for this skin, yet again, Shantia's nailed it with a number of eyeshadow options and lip colours in the HUD. The on/off button is there for freckles too, along with multiple shades for brow, along with a no brow option and a tintable one too.
Back to the happy snap- I'm trying to add more depth to my pictures by playing around with shadow settings. It really does make a difference, although I find that the windlight settings are a bit dark. To add a little light to the important bits I resort to adding that most reviled of Second Life accessories- A FACE LIGHT! *Gasp!* The horror! If you weren't around in the old days these things were despised, as basically they turned you into face-melting beacons of doom, and were the most unsubtle of lighting tools. Times have changed, and the one that I'm sporting actually comes with the LELUTKA 'Stella' head. I don't see the problem with them for snaps, provided you remember to take them off before you leave your platform and mooch about in public.
I think I look like I should be chewing gum, riding a bicycle and drinking milkshakes in a 1950's diner.
Kitty wears:
SKIN: AMARA BEAUTY ‘RILEY’CATWA applier /MAITREYA body applier in 03 Peach (no make-up options worn, kept this plain and simple) WE <3 ROLEPLAY
EYES: IKON ‘Sovereign' eyes in 'Field'
BODY: MAITREYA ‘Lara’
DRESS: JUST BECAUSE 'Zoey' tee dress in grey
HAIR: LAMB 'Loomer' (Variety/Ombre/Eccentric) THE ARCADE
NOSE RING: KUNST 'Septum Keeper' (Right)
Windlight setting: Shadows-Bright Day
Face Lamp used by LELUTKA (comes with 'Stella' mesh head)
Pose: MARUKIN - (Clinic) Black Eyed
The Overseas Highway is a 127.5-mile (205.2 km) highway carrying U.S. Route 1 (US 1) through the Florida Keys. Large parts of it were built on the former right-of-way of the Overseas Railroad, the Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railway. Completed in 1912, the Overseas Railroad was heavily damaged and partially destroyed in the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. The Florida East Coast Railway was financially unable to rebuild the destroyed sections, so the roadbed and remaining bridges were sold to the state of Florida for $640,000.[2]
History [edit]
Most of the original construction of the Overseas Highway used many of the bridges of the former railroad, including truss bridges, where the roadway was built on top of the trusses. A "contract for building 18 bridges on the new Overseas Highway to Key West" was awarded to Cleary Brothers Construction Co. of West Palm Beach in late April 1942; it called for completion of all bridge construction work on sections of the highway within the overseas road and bridge toll district, on the abandoned foundations of the old Florida East Coast railway line.[3] Most of these older bridges built for railroads have been replaced by more modern bridges that are able to accommodate more than two lanes of traffic. The highway included the Seven Mile Bridge, the Bahia Honda Bridge and the Long Key Bridge (although these three original bridges are no longer open to vehicular traffic, except for part of Seven Mile Bridge, they are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and are currently used as fishing piers).
While the Overseas Highway today runs along the former Overseas Railway right of way, portions of it did exist in a different alignment while the railroad was still operational. Known as State Road 4A, the original roadway mostly existed in two sections. One section ran from the mainland via the Card Sound Bridge to Lower Matecumbe Key, while the other ran from No Name Key to Key West. Ferry service connected the 41 mile gap between the two sections, as well as Marathon. The original road ran right alongside the railroad in some places, such as in Key Largo where the current northbound lanes run on the original roadway and the southbound lanes run on the former railroad.
Plans were made to connect the two portions of the original road in the early 1930s. A group of World War I veterans were employed for the construction, which had already begun at Lower Matecumbe Key when the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 struck the area, destroying the railroad. After the hurricane, construction was halted and plans were then made to use the railroad bridges instead, which had been acquired from the railroad. Just west of Lower Matecumbe Key at Mile Marker 73 on the current highway, eight concrete bridge piers that were to support the original bridge alignment remain to this day and are visible from the current highway. The full highway from the mainland to Key West was opened on March 29, 1938.
During World War II, the United States Navy, who had substantial operations in the Keys, sought improvements to the Overseas Highway to improve their access to the mainland. As a result, the original portions of the highway that coexisted with the railroad were rerouted onto the former railroad right of way in 1945, as it was a more direct route. This included the construction of the current alignment of the highway from Florida City to Key Largo via Jewfish Creek (known as the 18-Mile Stretch). The original Card Sound Bridge was closed after the realignment, and was subsequently destroyed by a fire. The Card Sound route was restored in 1969 with the opening of the current bridge.[4]
After the realignment in 1945 to its current entry onto Key Largo along the old railroad right-of-way, The Overseas Highway received the unsigned designation State Road 5, the same as the entirety of US 1 south of Jacksonville at that time.
The beginning of U.S. 1 in March 1951; U.S. 1 has since been extended to the Monroe County Courthouse in downtown Key West
Portions of the road were tolled until April 15, 1954; toll booths were located on Big Pine Key and Lower Matecumbe Key. Pigeon Key, roughly the midway point of the Seven Mile Bridge, served as the headquarters for the "Overseas Road and Toll District."[5] The toll for automobiles was $1, plus 25 cents per passenger.[6]
One of animated television's Wacky Races was The Overseas Hi-Way Race, which first aired on December 28, 1968, on CBS, covering the entire actual route from Key Largo to Key West. While Long Key was correctly portrayed, most of the other in-between keys were given fictional names, and Sombrero Key was actually five miles south of the highway in open water, according to the Florida Keys–East map.
The entire roadway of the Overseas Highway was substantially rebuilt in the 1980s. In recent years, Pigeon Key was used by the University of Miami as an oceanography laboratory, but current efforts to restore the buildings on the island have resulted in the establishment of a railroad museum there. The newer Seven Mile Bridge does not have direct access to Pigeon Key; people going there must walk on 2.2 miles (3.5 km) of the original Seven Mile Bridge from its northern end on Knight's Key, or take a shuttle bus, to reach the island.
Mile markers [edit]
Locations along the Overseas Highway from Key West to Key Largo are commonly given as mile markers. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) maintains mile marker signs every mile along the highway. Numbering starts in Key West, and increases towards the east and northeast up the path of the highway over the keys. Businesses along the highway began listing their locations by mile markers, adding decimal parts to more precisely indicate locations between mile marker signs. Outside of Key West and the City of Marathon, street addresses along the highway are based on the mile markers, using a four- to six-digit number (with no decimal point); the numbering pattern is as follows:[7]
The first three (or four) digits denote the approximate mile marker
The last two digits denote a particular address; an even digit denotes an address on the Atlantic Ocean side while an odd digit denotes an address on the Florida Bay/Gulf of Mexico side
As an example, the Tropical Research Laboratory of Mote Marine Laboratory has a physical address of 24244 Overseas Highway. The first three digits indicate that it is near mile marker 24.2 (it is located on Summerland Key) while the last two digits indicate that it is located on the Atlantic Ocean side of the highway.
This photograph was taken in the magic of The Golden Hour around Sunrise, (Sunrise was at precisely 07:39am), at an altitude of Three metres, at 07:44am on Thursday January 28th 2016 off Botany Road and Marine Drive, on the sandy shoreline of Botany Bay in Broadstairs, Kent, England.
I set off at 05:00am on a clear morning, the moon and the stars out to dazzle in temperatures around five degrees, on a pleasant hour and half long journey to enjoy a lovely sunrise. The seven bays in Broadstairs consist of: (From south to north) Dumpton Gap, Louisa Bay, Viking Bay, Stone Bay, Joss Bay, Kingsgate Bay and Botany Bay.
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Nikon D800 200mm 1/3200s f/5.6 iso640 RAW (14Bit) Nikon back focus button enabled. AF-C Continuous point focus with 3-D tracking. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto white balance. Nikon AF Fine tune set to +6.
Nikkor AF-S 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR. Power UP 95mm HD UV filter. Nikon MB-D12 battery grip. Two Nikon EN-EL batteries. Nikon DK-17M Magnifying Eyepiece. Nikon DK-19 soft rubber eyecup. Manfrotto MT057C3 057 Carbon Fiber Tripod 3 Sections (Payload 18kgs). Manfrotto MH057M0-RC4 057 Magnesium Ball Head with RC4 Quick Release (Payload 15kgs). Manfrotto quick release plate 410PL-14.Jessops Tripod bag. Optech Tripod Strap.Digi-Chip 64GB Class 10 UHS-1 SDXC. Lowepro Transporter camera strap. Lowepro Vertex 200 AW camera bag. Nikon MC-DC2 remote shutter release. Nikon GP-1 GPS unit.
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LATITUDE: N 51d 23m 18.63s
LONGITUDE: E 1d 26m 19.33s
ALTITUDE: 3.0m
RAW (TIFF) FILE SIZE: 103.00MB
PROCESSED (JPeg) SIZE: 27.81MB
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PROCESSING POWER:
Nikon D800 Firmware versions A 1.10 B 1.10 L 2.009 (Lens distortion control version 2)
HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU processor. AMD Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB SATA storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX2 Version 2.10.3 64bit. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit
(Color pencil on paper)
A randomly-edited selection of approximately 700 of my pictures may be viewed by clicking on the link below:
www.flickr.com/groups/psychedelicart/pool/43237970@N00/
Please click here to read my "autobiography":
thewordsofjdyf333.blogspot.com/
And my "profile" page may be viewed by clicking on this link:
www.flickr.com/people/jdyf333/
My telephone number is: 510-260-9695
That artist ...?
People who are struggling in the arts, are always able to be a magnet for others. In addition to his abilities, this person who is usually called an artist can anesthetize many people through his thoughts, creativity, work, voice or even life. Artists can also change the world, through everything they have.
Indeed, this opinion can never be strong without other supporting factors. But rest assured that the majority of people will argue the same. "Artists are not jobs, even just professions." More precisely is a way of expression, pouring thoughts that accumulate in the brain. Being an artist, is not necessarily based on always looking for money. But satisfaction. Yes, inner satisfaction, which is priceless by anything. Money, will flow along with the satisfaction of others who enjoy, watch, listen, feel and do it.
Artists never want to be far from their world. He never likes to stop working. He always wants to make others feel that they are all in the arts environment, also feel it together. Artists also always say that the world is art. Art that can finally make the world beautiful, not far from what is in the mind of the artist.
Sometimes, an artist is not much different from a crazy person. That's because his thoughts are not as logical as sane people in many communities. But thanks to his thinking, artists can create crazy things that are not thought of by many people. Also sometimes, sorry, like "tramp" and "scavenger". Because he often does not look "neglected", by maintaining what he was wearing at that time. Sometimes he doesn't eat, thinks of his work that is about to end, so that no one can block him. Sometimes he also "picks up" things or things that are no longer useful to many people, just to let them know that nothing is useless and can be used in this world, through the intellect that they have
Remember, "artists are not work". Artists want to tell that there is another world in the human subconscious, which so far has not been known and used by humans. But the majority of artists know and use it.
"Artists are not just a profession either." He just wants his voice, his work, his creativity, his abilities and all what he wants, to be appreciated by others. Nothing more than that. The rest, they want to be understood that an artist is also a human being, who also needs life.
Artists are not "beggars", who only hope for the mercy of others. Picking up rupiah by bowing your head without shame. Artists are also not willing to get compassion from others, because what is needed is nothing more than an appreciation and understanding.
Try to examine, what would life be like without artists as God's intermediaries to create musical instruments? Also dances, painting strokes, a beautiful poem and so forth. It's just, has the public examined it? The public's view of artists is like the wind. They just watch and listen, after that they go home and eventually they will forget. Or they are only limited to want to take part while as connoisseurs of art, after which disappeared no news.
Do you know what life is like for an artist? For one of his works, sometimes he needs a lot of food, to prop their stomachs for days. For one ability, sometimes they also need the same time as a baby to refer to standing alone, walking and running. For one appearance, he also always needs half of his life by risking his mind and endurance.
"Time". Yes, that's the life of an artist. That's also the essence of everything that an artist needs. But it is also time that artists can never have. Time always runs away leaving the artist so fast.
Do you know what will be the end of an artist's journey? The answer is still the same. "Time". The mass for an artist will be exhausted when his mind is full of millions of imaginations, which he will no longer have the chance to carry out. When his fingers are no longer able to write beautiful poems. When his voice began to discord unheard. Also his feet could not support his thin body. At that time, the mass of an artist was fairly over.
But not for his heart. He was still able to feel what was happening around him. He is still able to hear what beauty is. And finally, he will continue to feel happy even though in reality, the end of the mass of an always marginalized artist is also forgotten. An artist's happiness arises, when what he is doing, can make other people happy, "fuck" with himself. He will continue to wear his mask of happiness, and will continue to try to create it, until time no longer allows artists to keep breathing.
Then, what do you think about artists? Fill in the answers according to what you want about him, what you think about him, and what you think is all worthy of him. Obviously, artists are human ...
author: Panggih S.P
This photograph was taken in the magic of The Golden Hour around Sunrise, (Sunrise was at precisely 07:39am), at an altitude of Zero metres, at 08:32am on Thursday January 28th 2016 off Botany Road and Marine Drive, on the sandy shoreline of Botany Bay in Broadstairs, Kent, England.
The common whelk (Buccinum undatum), is a large edible marine gastropod in the family Buccinidae, which thrives in colder sea climates around the globe.
I set off at 05:00am on a clear morning, the moon and the stars out to dazzle in temperatures around five degrees, on a pleanst hour and half long journey to enjoy a lovely sunrise. The seven bays in Broadstairs consist of: (From south to north) Dumpton Gap, Louisa Bay, Viking Bay, Stone Bay, Joss Bay, Kingsgate Bay and Botany Bay.
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Nikon D800 58mm 1/125s f/2.8 iso100 RAW (14Bit) Nikon back focus button enabled. AF-C Continuous point focus with 3-D tracking. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto white balance. Nikon AF Fine tune set to +12.
Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED IF. Jessops 77mm UV filter. Nikon MB-D12 battery grip. Two Nikon EN-EL batteries. Nikon DK-17M Magnifying Eyepiece. Nikon DK-19 soft rubber eyecup. Manfrotto MT057C3 057 Carbon Fiber Tripod 3 Sections (Payload 18kgs). Manfrotto MH057M0-RC4 057 Magnesium Ball Head with RC4 Quick Release (Payload 15kgs). Manfrotto quick release plate 410PL-14.Jessops Tripod bag. Optech Tripod Strap.Digi-Chip 64GB Class 10 UHS-1 SDXC. Lowepro Transporter camera strap. Lowepro Vertex 200 AW camera bag. Nikon MC-DC2 remote shutter release. Nikon GP-1 GPS unit.
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LATITUDE: N 51d 23m 14.68s
LONGITUDE: E 1d 26m 25.85s
ALTITUDE: 0.0m
RAW (TIFF) FILE SIZE: 103.00MB
PROCESSED (JPeg) SIZE: 20.33MB
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PROCESSING POWER:
Nikon D800 Firmware versions A 1.10 B 1.10 L 2.009 (Lens distortion control version 2)
HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU processor. AMD Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB SATA storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX2 Version 2.10.3 64bit. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit
Much water has flowed since I feel like sharing with you my feelings about groups, that I created on Flickr. Hopefully to seek some advice. Maybe it waited to the times – not of peace (where is peace and where’re we), but of slightest hope for peace. Pressure is lower now, PTSD is easier to endure, and it’s spring all over the world. After not typical very, very warm winter in Russia. Because of this fucking war, I guess. Everything is exploding, burning, going to pieces, releasing much thermal energy from this shame, disaster and destruction. Just today I wrote one more two-line poem (I’m making hell of a lot pretty short art, in these times of helluva short lives, and pretty cheap, too; now we here, in poor Russia, know precisely the ultimate price in our regions, or else we could check it on the nearest billboard or advertising of the military contract at utility bills, it’s up to 4 million rubles in some regions, and for this cost one should die at the very short term with a highest probability; they’re buying deaths, not lives). The verse is this:
Не повезло с эпохой.
И похуй.
(Pretty much of my poetry is extremely obscene at these highly obscene times, with tremendously obscene leaders and politicians, especially those two goons and scary clowns from the deepest nations nightmares).
But back to the groups topic. See, they’re sort of my inner art labs and schools. Important part of my life. But. My hand does not rise to deny any photos without strong, completely subjective justification. I don’t want to discourage my brothers and sisters in arts. That’s why I created my favorite group, Just a few of infinity, which allowed just 1 submission per month. And its few members use even this possibility quite rare, thus make me incredibly happy. With this group I became even more allowing admin of all the other groups.
So, just a couple of days ago I created this one, Alice’s Lost Adventures: admin's choice, to let my own vision be as well, as yours. Maybe eventually I’ll start “director’s cuts” of all the groups. Though sometimes I’m tempted just to abandon some of them completely. I did that already, simply left them alone, allowing unlimited direct posting without any moderation whatsoever. But that’s the direct way to turn any good group into shithole, in my experience. And they have at least some sentimental values to me. So, I returned to them and cleaned all the shit several times. Which is tough job. Maybe the greatest and noblest Herculean task was the cleaning of an Augean stables.
So, what’s your advices about admining groups?
Amstel 09/12/2015 19h07
The levee in front of the Hermitage Museum is a beautiful location for a masterpiece. Also this year, a light star on the river banks of the Amstel.
Amsterdam Light Festival
The fourth edition for this Winter event in the city of Amsterdam. No longer do we have to dread the dark winter months in Amsterdam. Thanks to Amsterdam Light Festival, Amsterdam is transformed every year into a true city of lights with the help of contemporary (inter)national light artists. During this annual festival for young and old, both the residents of Amsterdam and the city’s many visitors are treated to a spectacle of light. At the same time, the festival offers talented (young) light artists a platform to present their latest work.
This year, the 55-day festival is dedicated to theme 'Friendship' and can be visited from 28 November 2015 to 17 January 2016. Water Colors will take place from 28 November 2015 to 17 January 2016 and the walking route Illuminade will take place from 10 December 2015 to 3 January 2016. Let's celebrate the winter together with art, light and water!
www.amsterdamlightfestival.com
The Uniting Lightstar
Artist: Venividimultiplex [ Design agency ]
Location: Amstel
Ranging from the biggest alliance to the most intimate gesture: the theme of the project The Uniting Lightstar by Venividimultiplex is clearly friendship. To begin with we see from afar a multangular, luminous object. More precisely a dodecahedron, which, in its turn, consists of twelve pentagonal surfaces.That number corresponds with the number of stars in the European flag. Getting closer, you see numerous strings of blue light which connect all the points of this artificial star and which represent the continual relationships between the European countries and their inhabitants. The Uniting Lightstar contains another characteristic of friendship, namely the human capacity to boost friendships and let them grow. The sculpture has been positioned in such a way that it is part of both the boat route and the walking route and the festival’s visitors collectively control the intensity of the radiance of this diamant. With The Uniting Lightstar Venividimultiplex, an Amsterdam collective consisting of Onne Walsmit, Dirk Schlebusch and Joost van Bergen, wants to convey the essence of friendship in an iconic manner.
Joost van Bergen, Dirk Schlebusch and Onne Walsmit met during their studies at the Academy of Architecture Amsterdam. Since 2012, they have been working together as Venividimultiplex, with the tagline ‘Let’s make things epic’. The design studio has worked on a range of projects in the fields of architecture, interior and conceptual design. With their interdisciplinary and interactive installations, Venividimultiplex attempts to push the boundaries.
Photograph taken at an altitude of Forty seven metres, prior to the magic of the Golden Hour around sunrise (Sunrise was at precisely 04:42am), at 03:13am on Thursday 19th June 2014 off Lullingstone Lane and Eagle Heights overlooking a blanket of morning mist as it rolled across Eynsford Viaduct in the village of Eynsford, Kent, England.
This impressive nine-arched red-brick viaduct is a prominent feature on the line to the 'Bat & Ball' station. The structure was built by the independent ''Sevenoaks Railway'', incorporated in 1859 to link the ''Chatham'' main line with the market town of Sevenoaks. And first services began on 2nd June 1862. The viaduct has nine arches of 30-foot span, and rises to a height of 75-feet above the valley and the River Darent.
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Nikon D800 14mm 1/6s f/2.8 iso200 RAW (14 bit) Mirror up. AF-S auto mode. Manual exposure. Matrix metering.Auto white balance.
Nikkor AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED IF. Nikon MB-D12 battery grip. Two Nikon EN-EL batteries. Nikon DK-17M Magnifying Eyepiece. Nikon DK-19 soft rubber eyecup. Manfrotto MT057C3 057 Carbon Fiber Tripod 3 Sections (Payload 18kgs). Manfrotto MH057M0-RC4 057 Magnesium Ball Head with RC4 Quick Release (Payload 15kgs). Manfrotto quick release plate 410PL-14.Jessops Tripod bag. Optech Tripod Strap.Digi-Chip 64GB Class 10 UHS-1 SDXC. Lowepro Transporter camera strap. Lowepro Vertex 200 AW camera bag. Nikon MC-DC2 remote shutter release. Nikon GP-1 GPS unit.
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LATITUDE: N 51d 22m 6.76s
LONGITUDE: E 0d 12m 11.12s
ALTITUDE: 47.0m
RAW (TIFF) FILE: 103.00MB
PROCESSED FILE: 30.24MB
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Processing power:
HP Pavillion Desktop with AMD A10-5700 APU processor. HD graphics. 2TB with 8GB RAM. 64-bit Windows 8.1. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. Nikon VIEWNX2 Version 2.90 64bit. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit
My classroom one.
Not precisely traditional since it doesn't have eight sections (a Japanese laquer candy tray)
A combo of traditional sweetened fruit items and candy. This year I bought a sampler pack of the candied fruits rather than individual bags.
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Candy Tray: The candy tray arranged in either a circle or octagon is called “The Tray of Togetherness” and has a dazzling array of candy to start the New Year sweetly. Each item represents some kind of good fortune. After taking several pieces of candy from the tray, adults places a red envelope (lai see) on the center compartment of the tray
*Candied melon - growth and good health
*Red melon seed - dyed red to symbolize joy, happiness, truth and sincerity
*Lychee nut - strong family relationships
*Kumquat - prosperity (gold)
*Coconut - togetherness
*Peanuts - long life
*Longnan - many good sons
*Lotus seed - many children
- from the Southwest Airlines Festival and Chinese Parade site
Sanaa and Mona Seif, sister of Alaa Abd El-Fattah, an imprisoned Egyptian-British democracy activist on hunger strike, talk to the press outside Britain's Foreign Office.
Alaa is over 200 days into his 100 calorie a day hunger strike in prison in Egypt. A candle-light vigil is planned for this Sunday 6 November at 4pm opposite 10 Downing Street.
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
Alaa's two sisters, Mona and Sana'a Seif, are currently 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 begins to focus on the upcoming COP27 conference at Sharm El Sheikh on Egypt's Red Sea coast.
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...
i don't like this photograph.
oh, you say, mrwaterslide, we know you; of course you like this photograph.
and of course, you would be right. this is a photograph of a beautiful woman bending over with her teats about to fall out of her blouse, and, what's not to like? of course mrwaterslide likes this photograph.
and that's precisely where we start to go off the track.
do you see all those dark shapes behind Miss Landis's head? those are shoes, military shoes, and pants legs. pants of men dressed in military uniforms. i would be willing to bet that the moment this photograph was taken, sex, the frisson of sex, was heavy in the air. those men think that they are in the presence of a, if not The, Goddess of Sex.
like mrwaterslide, those men see a beautiful woman, an available woman, The Girl Next Door who just happens to also be The Goddess of Sex, and she has flown thousands of miles to see them, only them, each one individually. here i am, she seems to say, fight on and you can have me. that's what she's saying.
the truth is (at least according to Wikipedia), Carole Landis appeared before more troops during World War II than any other person. not Bob Hope, not Jack Benny, not Martha Raye. Carole Landis. she even wrote a book about her experiences as a performer for the troops: "Four Jills And A Jeep," and then they made a movie out it, starring, yes, Carole Landis.
i suppose you probably think "teats" is sort of crude. Miss Landis was known as "The Chest," in some circles. maybe that doesn't sound quite as crude, though i doubt anybody ever called her that to her face. but i can certainly see some Army private rushing into where his buddies were and exclaiming "The Chest is gonna be here tomorrow," and somebody asking "Who?" and him saying, "The Chest. you know, Carole Landis."
she made a few movies, most of which you've probably never heard of. she was in "Alcatraz Island" and "Invisible Menace" and "Three Texas Steers." and then there were "Penrod's Double Trouble" and "One Million B.C." and "It Happened In Flatbush." a lot of her roles were uncredited. Wikipedia does say "In a time when the singing of many actresses was dubbed in, Landis's own voice was considered good enough and was used in her few musical roles." when she got a contract with Twentieth Century Fox and started sleeping with Darryl F. Zanuck. she got some decent roles, but then she stopped sleeping with Darryl F. Zanuck, and the roles after that weren't so good.
at some point not all that long after the war ended, Landis began an affair with the English actor Rex Harrison.
i've always kind of liked Rex Harrison. he was such a strong and commanding presence in "My Fair Lady." he won an Academy Award for that role. he was suave and debonair, he had that wonderful voice. i'm sure he was adept at lighting a woman's cigarette, i'm sure he knew what to say to the waiter. he was "fanatical" about wine; if the wine wasn't up to his standard, he oftentimes sent it back.
of course, inconveniently, Rex Harrison was already married when he and Carole Landis had their affair. she wanted him to get a divorce and marry her. Harrison said no, and broke off the affair.
her money was running out (her house was on the market), Rex Harrison wouldn't marry her (and she had three failed marriages already under her belt). she knew that someday, probably sooner rather than later, her looks would go and Hollywood would discard her. and oh, btw, she either suffered from endometriosis and couldn't have children (and one can imagine how that might have made her feel) or in an alternative narrative, she was pregnant as a result of her affair with Harrison, and he wanted her to have an abortion (you can find both stories told in different places). she was 29, but in a matter of months, she would be 30. the big 3 - 0, an unpleasant milestone for a woman in Hollywood.
so perhaps it's not surprising that, the day after the breakup, Carole Landis gathered up all the photographs and mementoes from her relationship with Rex Harrison, put them in a suitcase, and went over to a house where she knew he had gone and left them in the driveway. Then she went back to her house and got the Seconal out of the medicine cabinet, took forty tablets, and laid down on the bed to die.
at some point she may have changed her mind. when Harrison, finally sensing that something was amiss, showed up at her house, he found her in the bathroom, clutching the commode. allegedly, he felt her pulse and discovered she was still clinging to life. and so he called immediately for an ambulance.
no, actually, he didn't. again the stories vary as to what happened. one version has him taking half-an-hour to find her address book so he could call her personal physician. another version has him doing nothing for a couple of hours and then driving over to see Zanuck so together they could decide what to do. either way, by the time help arrived, Landis was dead.
and that's pretty much the end of the story. Harrison took his wife to the funeral. appearances were maintained. he was ostracized for a time, but soon enough he was back to making films. not that many years later he had his Academy Award.
so the Carole Landis story is a sad one, beyond tragic.
but mrwaterslide, why the intense reaction to a photograph that shows a beautiful, sexy young woman in the prime of her too-short life, doing good work, happy, perhaps, healthy, physically, if not mentally?
perhaps if i tell you (or remind you) that i am the son of a suicide, you will begin to understand. for someone like me, the revelations of the photograph are like biting into a hamburger and crunching down on a shard of glass. i probably don't need to say a lot more than that.
i don't like this photograph.