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The gardens of Eutin Castle in the district town of Eutin, with the Monopteros – a classical Greek-style rotunda – in the background, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Some background information:
The origins of the gardens of Eutin Castle date back to around the year 1500. By 1716, in line with the spirit of the time, luxurious French Baroque gardens were created. They were redesigned in the French style, becoming one of the largest Baroque gardens in the region alongside the gardens of Gottorf Castle. It was in this park in 1739 that Sophie Auguste Friederike of Anhalt-Zerbst, the niece of Friedrich August I and the future Russian czarina Catherine the Great, first met her unloved husband Karl Peter Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorf, the later Russian short-term czar Peter III.
However, just 60 years later, a major transformation and expansion began, turning it into an English landscape garden, which was becoming fashionable at the time – with numerous special trees from all over the world, winding paths, small temples, a waterfall, a Chinese bridge, and romantic vistas of the lake. The gardens have remained almost unchanged to this day, with the trees now having grown into magnificent giants. In a separate area, there is also a kitchen garden with an orangery. Today, the garden is a protected monument, recognized as one of the most significant garden art works in northern Germany.
Eutin Castle is a palace in the town of Eutin in the north German district of Eastern Holstein. It is both Eutin‘s cultural centre and nucleus. Taken together, this castle, Gottorf Castle and Glücksburg Castle form the most important group of courtly secular buildings in the Northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein.
Eutin Castle traces its origins to the bishop's manor of Gerold of Oldenburg. In 1156, he received these lands as a gift from the Adolf II, Count of Schauenburg and Holstein, who was also the founder of the city of Lübeck. The estate was expanded under Bishop Johannes of Tralau between 1260 and 1275, receiving a larger stone structure that now forms the core of the castle’s east wing. In 1293, the first castle chapel was built.
Little is known about the original design of the castle. It was likely a simple fortification of the time, surrounded by walls, with separate buildings that prioritized functionality over appearance. From 1277 to 1283 and again between 1299 and 1317, Bishop Burkhard of Serkem faced renewed disputes with Lübeck. As a result, the castle was expanded into a small fortress and was reinforced with a moat under his successors around 1350. From 1439 to 1486, additional structures were built in phases, including the core of the present gate tower. By the 16th century, the individual buildings had been joined together to form a modest Renaissance castle, giving rise to today’s irregular floor plan, particularly on the city-facing front side.
With the Reformation, the dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf gained control of Eutin in 1586 and provided the Prince-Bishops. During the Thirty Years’ War, the bishopric faced the threat of secularization, but Johann X, at that time prince-bishop of Lübeck, managed to prevent this by securing the prince-bishopric’s connection to the House of Gottorf. This alliance, however, caused ongoing conflicts with the Danish monarchy, culminating in 1705 with a Danish occupation and partial destruction of the castle. However, in 1689, both castle and town had already suffered significant damage due to a fire.
The palace reached its peak in the 18th and 19th centuries. Between the reigns of Christian August and Friedrich August I, it transformed into a Baroque princely court, and Eutin became a social center in the region. During this time, significant extensions were made to the castle, its interiors, and the gardens. Eutin became one of the few grand Baroque residences in Schleswig and Holstein. These works were overseen by the Swedish-Pomeranian court architect Rudolph Matthias Dallin from 1717 to 1727. Plans for an extensive reconstruction of the castle were considered but never realized due to financial constraints.
In 1773, the Lübeck Prince-Bishops gained the rank and title of Duke of Oldenburg due to the unification of their territory with Oldenburg and Delmenhorst under the Treaty of Zarskoje Selo. Friedrich August ruled from Eutin until his death in 1785. Following the secularization of the Bishopric of Lübeck in 1803, his successors moved their residence to Oldenburg Castle. Eutin, now part of an Oldenburg exclave, was used only as a summer residence but retained its prominence. During this time, the outdated Baroque garden was transformed into a modern landscape park.
In the early 19th century, Eutin earned the reputation of being the "Weimar of the North," thanks to the influence of artists like Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein, Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock, and Franz Anton von Weber, supported by the patronage of Duke Peter I. Around 1820, plans were made to redesign the outer castle courtyard in a Neoclassical style. The old courtyard was demolished, and an open palace square was created in 1828. But also the castle itself was given a Neoclassical interior makeover and an additional floor by 1845.
Until the abdication of Friedrich August II in 1918, Eutin remained a regular summer residence for the ducal family. After the abdication, the castle was no longer inhabited, and a museum was established within its walls. Both the city and the castle survived both World Wars unscathed. Toward the end of World War II, a wave of refugees from the eastern territories of Germany arrived, and the empty castle was repurposed as a refugee camp. At times, hundreds of people lived in the castle under dire conditions, with only four toilets in the entire building.
After extensive restoration, the castle was partially reopened to the public in 1957. It was also used as a filming location for parts of the 1972 movie "Cabaret" starring Liza Minnelli. Further renovations became necessary in the 1980s, with financial support from the state and federal government. In 1992, the ducal family transferred the castle and gardens to the newly established Eutin Castle Foundation. With the mission to preserve, open, and present the castle and its gardens, funded by state grants and self-generated income, the foundation also promotes education, research, and documentation.
Eutin is the capital of the Northern German district of Eastern Holstein in thd German state of Schleswig-Holstein. The town has about 17,300 inhabitants, is located about 40 km (25 miles) north of the city of Lübeck and nestles between three lakes: the Great Eutiner Lake, the Small Eutiner Lake and the Sibbersdorfer Lake. Eutin is the birthplace of the famous composer and pianist Carl Maria von Weber, who was born there in 1786.
In the 7th century, a settlement was founded by the Slavic Obotrites tribe that built a wooden castle on Pheasant Island in the Great Eutiner Lake. The Obotrites named their new village "Utin". In the 12th century, the settlement was populated by Dutch settlers and already in 1156, Eutin became a market town. Eutin’s further history is closely related to the one of its castle.
Every year, Eutin hosts two festivals: the Eutiner Festspiele in summer, where operas are performed in an open-air theatre in the gardens of Eutin Castle, and the Blues Fesitival in spring, which takes place in the town centre. Due to its proximity to the Baltic Sea resorts along the Bay of Lübeck, which have seen increased demand partly due to the trend toward domestic tourism, Eutin has also come into focus for the tourism industry in recent years.
Whence and whither... one of those is easier to define than the other. I'll give the short(er) version of it.
I think I am going to de-prioritize social media a tad for a little bit. I have been doing some thoughtful consideration behind the scenes for a bit. There is much I love about being on here and writing my posts but in the brutal mathematics that is daily life, it feels like this has reached the point where it is taking up an inordinate amount of time, even though the actual measure of that time really isn't that much. But I want divert even that relatively small amount to a couple of other projects for a bit, photo projects mind you.
And no, I will not leave completely. I will still post, it will just likely be less frequent. Who knows, maybe it will still be almost once a day but probably not. If I feel incredibly motivated this will likely be the first place that I turn to.
I admit though that I think about the mass amount of thought and writing I have put into Flickr over the past 10 years and while I never considered Flickr to be a permanent repository for all that effort I have still sunk an ungodly amount of time and words into this site and in the end I will have essentially no say in the continued existence of all that work. When one day Yahoo (or Verizon I guess now) shutters this, all that will be gone in a puff and a poof. I both accept that and don't. And so it is time for me to create something based off that work or maybe to transition to something that is more under my control. What will this be? Shrugging. It could be a few things. A blog on my own site seems the obvious answer. A book would be a better one. I like books.... I like tangibles. I still want to spend time and invest passion into Flickr probably for as long as it lives, but I also want to seriously think about putting more of that effort into something I own... I think... mostly.
Anyway, I will still be here. New photos will still show up. I still plan on using Instagram too, and that will likely continue close to a daily pace as I have to be on there for my work anyway. But if absences come up, I am still working away and when those other efforts bear fruit I will be sure to let you all know.
As far as this image goes, my old friend the Hasselblad helped me make this one up on the Olympic Peninsula.
23250 McKay Avenue
Maple Ridge, BC Canada
A Harbour Authority (HA) is a non-profit, locally controlled organization which operates under a head lease with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to operate and maintain a DFO-owned public commercial fishing harbour in the best interests of the commercial fishing fleet.
The harbour facility consists entirely of the property and water lots under the ownership of DFO – Small Craft Harbours (SCH).
An HA must operate the harbour as a public facility in accordance with the terms of the head lease and must at all times prioritize the needs of the commercial fishing industry above all else
Image best viewed in large screen.
Thank-you for your visit, and any comments or faves are always very much appreciated! ~Sonja.
July 18, 2023 The Hill Live brings together caregivers, patients, clinical experts, and lawmakers to answer these questions and more as we discuss the fight against Alzheimer’s and breakthroughs in providing relief to those who suffer from agitation and aggression.
Alzheimer’s disease affects about 55 million people worldwide, including 6.5 million Americans, and has no cure. Some patients with Alzheimer’s sometimes show signs of extreme aggression or become restless and anxious as their brains lose the ability to negotiate with new stimulus.
Agitation is a common neuropsychiatric symptom in Alzheimer’s dementia and one of the most complex and stressful aspects of caring for people living with the condition. It is reported in approximately half of people with Alzheimer’s dementia and is associated with earlier alternative living placement.
What do patients, caregivers and families navigating the complexities of agitation associated with Alzheimer’s need to know? How are researchers and doctors better understanding risk factors and diagnoses? What policy actions can prioritize research, detection and treatment? And what are the access considerations for patients and their caregivers as they navigate this difficult symptom?
LOCATION
National Press Club Holeman Lounge, 529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor, Washington, DC 20045
In June 2020, after experiencing a devastating spring due to COVID, New York State announced that certain businesses could begin partially opening again. New York City’s response included a program called Open Restaurants, which allowed restaurants to use sidewalks and parking spaces for outdoor, socially distant dining. Owners quickly built temporary enclosures in the streets in front of their businesses to try and recover from months of shutdown. Small stretches of Brooklyn in early 2021 display the variety and feel of these enclosures. Hopefully, the Open Restaurants initiative will help these businesses to survive and may even lead to a more permanent reorienting of streets to prioritize people over cars.
I'm still alive.... :) This is a vertorama of the Puyallup, WA fairgrounds. I took it early in the morning, and was hoping for some crazy colors. That didn't happen, but I still thought it was a cool shot so I decided to process and post it. The final product is a manually blended DRI using three different exposures (One for the sky, one for the roller coaster, and one for the foreground).
I've been out and about taking photos lately, so hopefully it won't be 1-2 months before I post another shot. Kudos to those of you that are able to take and process so many shots in such a short period of time. I suppose it's just a matter of prioritizing...
"Enough is Enough!"
Anti-UCP Rally
Edmonton, AB
From the event organizers:
"We're here to unite concerned citizens of Alberta in a movement against the current government, the United Conservative Party (UCP), because Enough is Enough.
We believe the UCP has let us down across various fronts, failing to prioritize the needs of everyday Albertans. Whether it's healthcare, electricity pricing, forest management, climate change, education, housing, the cost of living, renewables, or any other issue affecting our province, we share a common frustration: our government isn't working for us.
It's time for change. It's time for a government that truly represents the interests of all Albertans, present, and future. Join us as we mobilize and demand accountability. This is democracy in action.
Enough is Enough! Together, let's make our voices heard and build a better future for Alberta."
Ahhhh! I'm so busy today, tomorrow, this whole month!! 😱
Cousins sleeping over tonight so burger and pizza party (and tons of preparation before that).
Anywayss~
New week, new series!
Since it's Holy Week and it'll be Easter this Sunday...a hunt for the eggs?
I don't know how this will turn out.
I'm prioritizing work right now and things at home.
But my idea for this is hunting for eggs with the guide of "magical" beings. e.g. birds, hands...illustrated (cause magical?)
I've always been fascinated with mixed media stuff and somehow after my first try , I've been wanting to try it again.
Talk to you later.
May your week be wonderful and full of magical blessings too! <3
Don’t scoff at the humble wheelbarrow because even Lamborghini had its roots in industrial tractors!
This colorful and whimsical display is a lovely touch using common field tools, really caught my eye!
Recent interesting gear launches that caught my eye, in particular the Panasonic S 20-60mm f3.5-5.6 and the Fujifilm X-S10;
1) Panasonic S5 (714gms) and S 20-60mm f3.5-5.6 (350gms) launched 2 Sept 2020, in kit the lens is a mere $300 extra. The S5 uses the same 24mp sensor on the S1 which appears to perform a bit better (⅓ stop) at base ISO compared to the 24mp BSI sensor on the Nikon Z6. The S 20-60mm lens is probably the only FF standard zoom lens that extends into the ultra-wide angle range (wider than 24mm) and it also appears to be optimized at the wide end. This should be a great match with Panasonic’s upcoming S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6, just add a Sigma 85mm f1.4 DN for a 3 lens kit and perhaps the excellent Sigma 14-24mm f2.8 Art DN if one needs a UWA lens. Sigma DN lenses are 1st party since Sigma is part of the L mount consortium and their lens mount should also be changeable to Sony E mount if one decides to switch.
2) The newly launched Nikon Z5 however used the old 24mp non-BSI chip similar to the 8 years old Nikon D600. The Nikon Z5 is sold with a new kit lens Z 24-50mm f4-6.3 which seems to prioritize compactness over useful range and it’s also priced as an extra $300 even though it’s both slower and shorter at either ends of the focal length compared to Panasonic above. Nikon essentially re-released a mirrorless D750 in the Z5 and a DSLR Z6 in the D780 (sans IBIS).
[Update: the Z5 appears to be plagued by sluggish AF from early adopters’ experience, as usual the so called professional reviews made no mention of this issue.]
3) Nikon Z 50mm f1.2 S is a lens I’ve been looking out for since the announcement of the Z system but it’s significantly bigger (39% longer at 150cm vs 108mm) and heavier than Canon's version (1,090gms vs 950gms), even bigger and heavier than my old Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f2.8 G! Bigger than the Sigma 35mm f1.2 DN Art as well! It’s not difficult to make high resolving lenses if size is not a constraint as evidenced by Sigma’s massive “Art” lenses but even Sigma has started to turn the page with their most recent 85mm f1.4 DN Art lens. “The Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art pairs large-aperture, professional-caliber optical performance with a lightweight, sturdy, and compact body, a combination which has long been difficult to achieve”, per Sigma.
4) Sony a7C, this is probably for those who prioritize form over function, kinda pointless personally. While smaller, it’s nowhere small enough to be pocketable like a Ricoh GR which is a truly go anywhere camera, albeit APS-C instead of FF.
5) I’ve never used Fuji cameras but the new X-S10 appears to be a heck of a camera for just $1,000 with IBIS rated at 6EV and uses the same new sensor, same processor and same AF as the 8 months older flagship Fuji X-T4 ($1,700), plus it even has a built-in flash which is a rarity these days! The Fuji X-S10 has arguably the best APS-C sensor (26mp) currently with ½ a stop better DR than the one in Nikon’s new mirrorless APS-C Z50 (20mp). The main weakness of the X-S10 is its buffer, while it’s capable of 20fps, its buffer is only 11 frames with RAW+JPEG, cripple hammer at work since it used the same processor as X-T4. Something has to give at this price but it’s not an issue for stills shooters. Comparatively the E-M1 Mk3 is $1,400 (down from $1,800) and the X-S10 is even lighter at a mere 465gms! For completeness, Z50 is $860, has no IBIS and used a similar BSI sensor (20mp) as the D500, it is however weather-sealed while the X-S10 is not. For proper context the Sony a6400 (sans IBIS) is $900 while the a6600 is $1,400, a $500 premium mainly just for IBIS. X-T4=>X-S10 release is similar to the Panasonic S1=>S5, both quite apt in the era of the pandemic, offer a slightly lower specced camera at a really attractive price to draw new users to the system, the X-S10 looks to be a winner.
Effective Range: Medium
Classification: Intelligence / Recon
Armaments: (1) SMG-UZ01A, (1) HR-HIBMSU01
One reason why the New Earth Strategic Trust faction is such a dominant force in the Quorus Wars is due to their supreme tactics and efficient strategies and have outfitted specific units like the Eagle EWAC to prioritize recon and intelligence gathering.
The Eagle EWAC is actually based on the NESF-M05E Eagle, a standard combat type reFrame that is deployed in heavy combat areas and serve as a main unit in NEST Special Forces ranks. The EWAC (Early Warning And Control) unit allows for efficient intelligence gathering that is sent to NEST's tactical HQ as data to create up-to-date battle strategies. Extra thrusters were equipped on the Eagle EWAC to give it better mobility in order to move faster to key locations for data scanning as well as avoid enemy units. It is equipped with a light submachine gun (SMG-UZ01A) and a hand cannon mounted on its left arm for emergency combat purposes.
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Build notes:
You can find more about the build in my blog article :D
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More info, WIP details, and other LEGO mechs over at my blog:
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For those interested in LEGO mech building, I put out an eBook over at Amazon Kindle a while back called Mech Wars Instructional Primer. If you’re looking for a resource that could help you start or even improve your mech building skills, you might find this eBook useful :D
"Enough is Enough!"
Anti-UCP Rally
Edmonton, AB
From the event organizers:
"We're here to unite concerned citizens of Alberta in a movement against the current government, the United Conservative Party (UCP), because Enough is Enough.
We believe the UCP has let us down across various fronts, failing to prioritize the needs of everyday Albertans. Whether it's healthcare, electricity pricing, forest management, climate change, education, housing, the cost of living, renewables, or any other issue affecting our province, we share a common frustration: our government isn't working for us.
It's time for change. It's time for a government that truly represents the interests of all Albertans, present, and future. Join us as we mobilize and demand accountability. This is democracy in action.
Enough is Enough! Together, let's make our voices heard and build a better future for Alberta."
Entry 1 of 2 today, one of my beloved, overcomposed, secondary composition element riddled shortline wedges.
Although a trip to the G&U had been on my to-do list for years it never got prioritized due to a glut of great paint schemes to shoot elsewhere. Shortly before the spring trip began I saw a nice clean Blazejewski wedge of G&U using a rock wall as a leading element and I was sold!
I just so happened to be visiting Blaze this trip so on a mostly beautiful morning following a night of drinking we went up to North Grafton. The scanner was crackling as we got to town (Dave's, not mine. I run deaf) and after a couple hours of switch the train went south. We decided to forego the iconic church shot at Grafton to leave enough time to set up in this field a couple miles south. Satisfied after combing through the field for angles (there are many to choose from) I settled in to wait, and wait we did! What in the fuck! It's hot, there are gnats and we're pretty clearly standing somewhere that we're obviously not supposed to be. Now there's clouds moving in from the northeast and I'm holding it together but I'm starting to freak out a little because this is the only real nice wedge LOCATION on the railroad and we're gonna lose it because they stop and switch for an hour everywh....HORN! Fucking finally a fucking horn and everything is beautiful and it's sunny and I have puffy little clouds in the sky and Erie is happy and I'm standing in a beautiful New England hay field strewn with rock walls and everything is fuckin perfect!
I'm definitely coming back here again.
Thanks Blaze!
Lake Tekapo, Tekapo, South Island, New Zealand
One of my shooting protocols after the trip is to scan through every shot that I have and picked the potential one to do post-processing by giving the tagging in my entire album.
This particular shot has already been tagged but for some reason, I've missed out terribly, nearly 3 years buried in my storage. Luckily was doing some scanning photos in my album and suddenly saw this, quickly dig out and straight into editing mode.
I still remember this was the first place in our itinerary; the legendary The Church of The Good Shepherd. While we have our vehicle parked few kilometers away from the actual location, so we gotta walk and right before the church, we have to cross the bridge first.
Spotted a couple (I suppose) standing there right at the center of the bridge. Find it a fascinating angle with the natural lights on them and overall blended in perfectly. Without hesitation pressed the shuttle where my cameras were already on my shoulders.
Wanted to do our wefie photography, because we were too excited to rush towards the church and also too many crowds upcoming over the bridge so end up ditch the idea and move on to what we have been prioritizing first.
#d80
#nikon
#nztravel
#laketekapo
#nikoncontest
#nikkor10_20mm
#nikonphotography
Polygamy can be categorized into two main types:
1. Polygamy : Expressive and Transparent (Verified)
2. Concealed Polygamy, where one pretends to be monogamous to their lovers. (Unable to verify)
Type #1 Polygamy
www.flickr.com/photos/161478161@N05/53215091071
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Type #2 Concealed Polygamy
☑ Multiple Secret Lovers,
☑ Multiple Avatars, Multiple Accounts
☑ Created new avatars with the intention of forming Meaningful Relationships, rather than seeking casual encounters or "friends with benefits."
☑ Get married and pretend to be faithful (Monogamous) to their partners.
" They have many secret lovers, many secret girlfriends/boyfriends, many secret wives/husbands, and many children in separate accounts (avatars).
If you thought the first type of poly was bad, the second type is the worst (truly bad). I would like to call people like this impostors; there are many of them in SL."
☑ Most of them don't really know they are polygamous, don't accept it, and consider themselves as womanizers, badasses, or playboys, without viewing themselves realistically as cheaters, liars, unfaithful lovers, and the worst type of all a**holes.
☑ They deceive others by pretending to be faithful partners without feeling any guilt or shame for their actions at all.
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☑ They all agree that Poly isn't good and lacks three things.(heart, truth, happiness). They don't follow a Poly lifestyle; instead, they believe they are better than Poly. They feel superior to Poly because they prioritize loyalty, marriage, deep commitment, peaceful family, much respect, and treat their loved ones more kindly as a one-hearted lover.
They believe they possess larger hearts, are more truthful, and experience greater happiness due to their numerous monogamous relationships, which surpass the satisfaction of typical couples who engage in only one relationship at a time.
Most of them are so narcissistic, talented, charming, and exceedingly confident that they believe they are the smartest and happiest people.
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☑ Most of them firmly believe that they have a heart bigger than everyone else's.
Do you believe people who do this kind of polyamory lack genuine hearts?
The person who claims to love someone the most, tells another person that they are the only one they love, that they are the most important, and that they miss them the most. The person who also makes numerous promises and vows to all their secret lovers.
Do you believe people like them truly possess the big-heartedness they claim to have?
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☑ Most of them firmly believe that they possess truth and happiness.
They have the kind of truth their partner wants to hear. They said everything and believed it to be true.
They believe they are happier because they have more partners than those in pure monogamy.
Do you think that genuinely happy people could behave and lie like this without shame? Is this really the behavior of happy people?
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☑ They lack, just like all polys, but they can't even accept a truth about themselves. Most of them are too weak and narcissistic to dare to confront the truth about themselves. They believe they have bigger hearts than other good people and possess both truthfulness and happiness much better than polyamorous people.
☑ They live their lives pretending to be something they are not and think it is happiness.
☑ Many of them may see it as a rewarding way of life, yielding the greatest benefits. They were certainly convinced that they received more advantages than the first type of polyamory.
" Is it genuinely worth living as someone other than yourself just to maintain multiple lovers? Nevertheless, each day demands that you feign monogamy, playing the role of a faithful lover to keep your partners content. This charade incurs an immeasurable cost, gradually leading you to lose your true self and the authentic happiness of being who you truly are. "
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" Your loved ones don't truly love you! If they knew the truth about you, they wouldn't be able to accept who you are. It's not the real you they love; they love the character you've fooled them with, and it's not truly you, not even for a day. That means YOU're not genuinely loved, not even for a day.
Every day, you live as someone other than yourself, convinced that there's only gain and no loss. Unaware of the immeasurable cost of both losing and living your true self, you become the ultimate fool. "
Scarlett Saphira
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" Who genuinely gains and experiences true happiness from your pretense— you or your lovers?
Have you grasped the concept? Who attains greater genuine happiness? Your lover possesses a wonderful, faithful partner. However, you hold onto the confidence that you profit without any losses; is that truly the case? You work hard for your lover's happiness without realizing what you're sacrificing! "
I hope this helps!
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In June 2020, after experiencing a devastating spring due to COVID, New York State announced that certain businesses could begin partially opening again. New York City’s response included a program called Open Restaurants, which allowed restaurants to use sidewalks and parking spaces for outdoor, socially distant dining. Owners quickly built temporary enclosures in the streets in front of their businesses to try and recover from months of shutdown. Small stretches of Brooklyn in early 2021 display the variety and feel of these enclosures. Hopefully, the Open Restaurants initiative will help these businesses to survive and may even lead to a more permanent reorienting of streets to prioritize people over cars.
The RG Menzies Building 2 at the Australian National University (ANU) is a striking example of modernist architecture, designed with an emphasis on functionality and openness. Completed in the early 1970s, the building features brutalist-inspired elements, including exposed concrete surfaces, bold geometric forms, and large windows that allow natural light to permeate the interior. Its design prioritizes flexibility, with spacious, adaptable workspaces and an overall layout that fosters a collaborative academic environment. It was sesigned by architects John FD Scarborough and Partners in association with Collard Clarke and Jackson, 1963.
New Year’s Eve-2024
Ninety-nine percent of good railroad photography is just getting out the door with your camera. Once that’s accomplished, you still have one percent to work with. That was my thought when a FB private message from DC Hammon popped up on my phone. DC allowed that a westbound CSX empty hopper train was enroute from Kingsport to Loyall, with the Clinchfield heritage unit on the point. It was gloomy and misting rain, but after about ten seconds of pondering, I elected to engage the ninety nine percent part of the mission.
I haven’t been on FB much lately. Even though I had a flu vaccine a few weeks ago, on Saturday I was in the Ballad urgent care facility in Norton. I was coughing, congested, chilling, and with all the characteristics of something nasty. It wasn’t COVID, but a strain of flue that must have been a variant not included into blend of vaccines I had received earlier. That’s not unusual, of course, but it doesn’t often happen to me.
Wilma has also been sick, and Walnut has really been having a tough go of it (although in her case I think it’s just her declining age). We haven’t been much, if at all (except for a few runs to pick up essentials). At last, I was feeling more like myself, so this would be a good way to change the afternoon routine. I thought the experience of doing some train photography would be worth the effort, even if I wouldn’t come back home with some masterpiece of imagery worthy of a CRPA award (like that’s ever gonna happen!).
I encountered CSX 1902 West sooner than I had anticipated, at Duffield. I had left the house half thinking of going to Natural Tunnel, but I gave up on that when I realized I had left my wide angle lens at home. I wheeled through a crossover on US 23 and backtracked (no pun intended) until I could crank off a couple of “poke and hope” pacing shots in a short stretch where the highway paralleled the track without major obstructions. I mostly was trying to avoid veering into another lane in front of a semi---but traffic was very light.
Pushing ahead, the unexpected growth of lineside vegetation had erased some earlier “honey hole” spots, but I pulled up to a small clearing and got the train as it passed my spot at the passing track at Jasper. What next?
Photo locations on lines where you’ve photographed trains for decades are like a mental Rolodex, prioritized by train direction, lighting, foreground clutter, backgrounds, and on and on. I decided to drive in to “furnace dip” to get him dropping downgrade from East Stone Gap and across the short South Fork of Powell River Bridge. The weather was going from crummy to extra crummy.
After getting that shot, I drove out and headed home. As I was crossing the East 19th Street crossing, I reflexively looked right to see if the EOT was clear of the distant junction. Instead, I saw the head and ditch lights of an eastbound NS run. Instead of going over the hill toward the house, I drove to the old depot site to get a shot of my buddy Brian Richardson handling an eastbound coal train with three big NS units.
Happy New Year, Brian, and thanks for the tip, DC!
In fact, Happy New Year to everyone!
In June 2020, after experiencing a devastating spring due to COVID, New York State announced that certain businesses could begin partially opening again. New York City’s response included a program called Open Restaurants, which allowed restaurants to use sidewalks and parking spaces for outdoor, socially distant dining. Owners quickly built temporary enclosures in the streets in front of their businesses to try and recover from months of shutdown. A small stretch of Brooklyn in February 2021 showed the variety and feel of these enclosures. Hopefully, the Open Restaurants initiative will help these businesses to survive and may even lead to a more permanent reorienting of streets to prioritize people over cars.
Those dark clouds are not to play with! I recall being sick on this day, but it didn't deter me from doing photography. Life is, indeed, about making the correct prioritizations.
Meet James. He is my third face in 2016. James is a special little guy with two terrific people with hearts of gold as his mama and papa. His dad is one of my oldest friends and his mom has become dear to our family since she has come into our lives. I believe I will continue to be amazed at all the things James will do with his life as he grows. He is off to an impressive start already but, for now, he is just a tyke discovering the world in his own special way.
I also want to apologize for my sporadic interactions on Flickr of late. I am receiving far more notifications than I can possibly keep up with these days. I do not intend to be aloof. It is simply a matter of trying to balance life. I truly appreciate all the interest and kind comments people have expressed in my photos. Truthfully, I have prioritized my time with 52 weeks of 2016, my personal 100 faces project, and lending a hand with the Colours of group once a week. I may pick up other projects from time to time as creativity and motivation strike but personal and professional obligations will not allow for much more than those stated projects for 2016.
Last year I had the absolute pleasure to participate in the Dutch-Belgian LEGO Masters, with my best buddy Jaap Bijl (jaapxaap). Here's a compilation of our builds, from episode 1 all the way to the finale!
Descriptions left to right.
Top row:
Episode 4, Fashion. "Purple Reign". (episode winner!)
Episode 1, Parade wagon. "de Bijenkomst Bijeenkomst".
Episode 2, Underwater build. "het Vistival".
Episode 3, Guess the song title. "When the Lady Smiles - Golden Earring".
Middle row:
Behind the scenes. Me and Jaap in the 'quote room'
Episode 9, Finale. "Panorama Arabica". (3rd place winner!)
Episode 4, Fashion. Pre-build.
Bottom row:
Episode 5, Cut in Half. "a Safe Space".
Episode 6, Windmill. "Storm at Sea".
Episode 7, Movies. "Fast & the Food Chase". (episode winner!)
Episode 8, Above and below the clouds. "de Weertempel".
It's hard to put in words what our LEGO Masters journey has meant to us. We had tremendous fun, building fantastic pieces together while making terrible puns. ;) The times spent with our colleague builders, the production crew, and others that we've come to meet because of LM are truly precious. I'm incredibly thankful that I've got to experience all of it, as a builder, a friend and as a human!
---
Btw, it annoys me to post this so late, but I have reasons. Firstly, I really needed to focus on my graduation thesis. Secondly, gathering images from the episodes (not just the ones above) was a chore, particularly because I wanted to get them right. I prioritized building new stuff, but wanted to post chronologically on Flickr. More to come soon!
♦ Instructions available at Rebrickable ♦
"This is where the fun begins!"
My latest ship from the Prequel Trilogy has arrived, and it surely was a lot of fun to make: here's Obi Wan's Eta-2 Actis Interceptor from Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and The Clone Wars.
This small unit consists of 281 pieces (stand included), and has one major feature: true Minifig scale!
There's a handful of beautiful MOCs of this ship out there already, but most of them are based on the huge cockpit piece from the playsets, so they're drastically oversized. So here I am with a, dare I say, more accurately scaled version.
It does come with a drawback, you guessed it: you can't put a fig inside. A bit ironic I know, but I chose to go for a brick-built cockpit in order to get as close to the original design as I could, prioritizing accuracy over playability, as usual.
The wings were pretty challenging given the ridiculously small scale, and my goal was to have them as thin as possible without compromising the SNOT look.
I'm quite happy with the result and I think this makes a nice little display piece. It's also very swooshable despite the intricate wing design.
I'm usually not a fan of stickers, but I thought this one deserved some sweet markings. I used the sticker sheet from the playset - it is included in the parts list. The color scheme can be changed to red with only a few part swaps (see last page in the instructions).
► Instructions for the Eta-2 Actis Interceptor are available at Rebrickable!
ms Rotterdam and ms Zaandam are in the Bay of Panama. While waiting for what was to come the Zaandam captain shared some disturbing news.
10:50 March 27:
Captain’s Announcement:
"4 people on the Zaandam have died in the last few days. Two cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed today.
There are still people with symptoms showing up.
This is making for a very challenging situation".
By the time we docked in Ft. Lauderdale 03 April, and we were off the ship 8 people had perished - 1 heart attack, 7 COVID-19 including 1 crew member.
10 critically ill passengers were rushed to a local hospital for immediate care and another 45 who were unwell remained on board until they were cleared for travel.
27 March:
HAL HQ sent the following:
Zaandam will start transferring only healthy guest to the Rotterdam after Zaandam anchors beside the Rotterdam. Anchoring will begin approximately 11:30.
The transfer process will not start until the Rotterdam has been fuelled.
Those to be transferred today will receive a letter at the cabin door within the hour. They will prioritize those with inside cabins and those over 70.
No crew transfers will occur.
If you do not get a letter you will not be transferred today.
If this is successful transfers will continue over the weekend.
The ship is still waiting for a canal time and both ships will travel together.
A third of a mile of quad and lung burning goodness at the end of the Barton Creek Greenbelt. Austin, TX.
These vertical format photos are typically a stitch of 2 to 6 seperate photos. This allows different exposures, and tweaks to the saturation/contrast/levels for each seperately, giving a much greater range of values than would be possible otherwise. I try to get significant overlap between photos, allowing a smooth blend between each. Done using layers w/ gradient fill masks, and occasionally some hand work. Nothing too groundbreaking, but does help some. Not true HDR of course, but does allow incorporation of a broader range, and retains some value focal points, which often seem to get lost in HDR images.
I also like the format, since it allows me to shoot almost straight down at the ground, getting the cool little foreground details like gravel/grass/ripples in rich detail, and almost straight up into the sky. To me it results in kind of a story, with allot of interesting different things going on as your eye moves from the bottom to top, like a tapestry. The trick is to keep this range of focal points prioritized, (by acentuating some area towards center w/ value, composition, or color usually), so that the image as a whole can be enjoyed, as well as in parts. Depth or layers revealed upon closer examination, so to speak. This is something I'm obviously still working on. Often there is just to much going on of equal interest, so there is no priority of focal point, making the image less appealing.
Re-arranged and prioritized Star Wars IKEA Billy Bookcases
Kenner - Return of the Jedi and Hasbro - non-Original Trilogy Black Series re-arranged and prioritized
"To be truly transformative, the post-2015 development agenda must prioritize gender equality and women’s empowerment. The world will never realize 100 per cent of its goals if 50 per cent of its people cannot realize their full potential."
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on International Women's Day
Thanks, as always, for stopping by and for all of your kind comments -- I appreciate them all.
© Melissa Post 2015
All rights reserved. Please respect my copyright and do not copy, modify or download this image to blogs or other websites without obtaining my explicit written permission.
. . . True Power of Speedy Cars . . .
In Long-Term Domination, the Search for a Submissive is Like Finding a Reliable Car, Not a Joyride.
" Extreme Femdoms prioritize deep, powerful fetish experiences over superficial ones, which includes their extreme fetishes that are like powerful, rare engines in the relationship.
A good life is one that can be lived to the extreme and fullest every day, an engine that doesn't falter at any desired speed. If you want to overtake, you must do so. If you want to stop, you can do so any second you wish. How much do you want to change the speed? And for how long? Everything must be as desired. The best submissive is like a powerful engine that serves her at any speed... 💕"
🎧 Mood 🎶
www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0ciQf4HDxg
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Chapter: The Search for a Committed Submissive
She doesn't settle for showroom shine. Her heart seeks horsepower unseen.
Forget the polished exteriors, the chrome facade. She's not buying a car for the curb appeal. Her gaze cuts deeper, seeking the engine within. Is it a whisper-quiet sham, or a beast purring with potential?
Time and connection are precious investments, and she's no impulsive buyer. She demands a test drive, a journey into the core. Does it have the strength of character, the unwavering support? Or is it built on fumes, choked by empty promises?
Forget the manufactured charm, the carefully crafted persona. Let the hood come up, reveal the bare metal truth. Is it forged in integrity, driven by passion? Or does it sputter on self-interest, fueled by deceit?
She's not looking for a joyride, but a long haul companion. This machine carries her dreams, her vulnerabilities. It needs to be sturdy, reliable, capable of navigating life's winding roads.
So she chooses wisely, meticulously. Because under the hood, lies the truth of who you are. And that, my friend, is the most powerful engine of all... 💕
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Outfit: pOOnsh - Tiffany Jumpsuit (Fatpack)
✦ Legacy, Perky, Reborn, Waifus, LaraX
✦ IT INCLUDES Jumpsuit, Romper, HUD (14 colors + TintPicker for fatpack)
TRES CHIC (17 February - 10 March)
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tres%20Chic/176/118/21
POONSH store
Okay, so here's a question (as I'm not working until tonight, and so have some time to sit here in front of the computer, commanding the internet to entertain me):
Is it better for new photographers to use digital or film? Does it make a difference?
Been giving digital & film a lot of thought lately, obviously, and the other day I was talking it over with a friend who's not a photographer, explaining to him the differences, the different challenges and limitations of both.
I'm of the opinion, and this is of course colored by my own experience, that film is better for new folk, that it's the specific limitations of film that help a budding photographer prioritize, and through that, begin to carve out a style.
Having to decide what shots you just HAVE to take, because there's only 36 frames, which shots do you really want, which shots are the most important.
But i'm open to other points of view, as long as they agree with me 100%.
© yohanes.budiyanto, 2009
A resort better than the spectacular St. Regis Bali? Well, after a comprehensive personal review, the results finally showed that Conrad Suites Bali reigns supreme with an overall score of 91.6 (St. Regis achieved 91.1).
This is a prime example of a hotel that prioritize guests satisfaction. General Manager Michael Burchett works relentlessly to make sure everybody has a most wonderful time there. A 30-year veteran in the hospitality world, Mr. Burchett is a native Australian and has previously spent 17 years with the Four Seasons group, managing award-winning and critically-acclaimed hotels, including Four Seasons in Bali and Jakarta before calling The Conrad Bali home. Mr. Burchett is currently the Vice Chairman of Bali Hotels Association.
The Conrad Suites is an exclusive collection of 55 oversize suites, housed in a separate new wing adjacent to the Conrad's Main resort. Although guests at Conrad Suites has full access to the extensive facilities found at the main resorts, additional private facilities are also being offered exclusively, which includes private infinity-edged pools with luxuriously appointed garden Bales with its large 4 poster daybed; access to the Club Lounge; and a host of other value added benefits.
CONRAD SUITES BALI
Tanjung Benoa, Nusa Dua, Bali
Promotional Rates
Conrad Suite is offering a promotional rate of USD 450++ for a typical Suite (110 sq.m); while the 120 sq.m Ocean Suite is priced at USD 550++. Pool Suite is also available.
General Manager: Michael Burchett, Hotel Manager: Frederic Lebegue
Chef de Cuisine: Richard Millar
Architect: Wimberley Allison Tong & Goo (WATG)
Landscape: Belt Collins International
Interior: Lim Teo + Wilkes Designworks
A legacy of its military origins, the load-lifter's cockpit is cramped due a design that prioritized pilot survivability above all else.
note: rl is kicking my butt.. if you are part of my inner circle, you already know what is happening... if you do not, don't take offense. i will still be able to blog but, it will only be between certain hours, when i have access to the wifi. and, i am going to prioritize rl for this week. if you need me, find me on discord. thank.
The Maserati 250F is a symbol of 1950s motorsport, encapsulating the era's elegance and ambition. Unveiled to capitalize on the 1954 Formula 1 regulation changes, the 250F featured a tubular space frame. This deceptively simple design, prioritized balance and agility, making it a formidable contender on the racetrack for several years, not only for privateers, but also professionals. It's success culminated in the 5th and last F1 World Champion title for Juan-Manuel Fangio in 1957.
2.500 cc
6 In-line
240 - 270 hp
Maserati 110 Years
19/12/2024 - 23/02/2025
Autoworld
Brussels - Belgium
July 2024
"Area secure, no hostiles in sight."
"Wound channel massive, multiple vital organs shredded, extreme blood loss....sir, you shouldn't be standing....let alone alive, but..."
"STOP TOUCHING ME!!"
"Sir, I need to at least examine you or--"
"I'M FINE, FUCK OFF!!!"
NW1: "....."
NW2: "....."
NW3: "......"
"What the hell are you looking at? Were the civvies wasted?"
NW1: "I uh...sent the order out but we have no confirmation if anyone even did so. The female Bloodfall made herself known right after I gave the order and alot of the crew in the building prioritized her."
"And look at where those priorities got you!! We lost both of them when I had one cornered because you retards can't do anything right! YOU'RE ALL WORTHLESS!!!"
NW3: "........"
".....the fuck's his problem?!"
NW2: "...He uh...he pee'd himself, sir."
"Oh for fucks sakes, get out of here, GO!! Fucking faggot..."
NW1: "W-what's our next move now, sir?...."
"Our last attempts to claim ground in this city went to shit because that's where we were; ground. We need to go higher up...."
NW1: "A-uh....skyscraper?"
"Is the PLAD ready?"
NW1: "The Laser drone? I think so, if was delivered not long ago...."
"Good. Everyone return to base, we need to make our next move..."
" Within the confines of boundaries, the essence of beauty and self-worth unfolds. Embrace the limits, for within them, you discover your true radiance."
___ Scarlett Saphira
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. . . Femdom Tale . . .
Chapter - The Consequences of Unclear Boundaries
The life of Mistess who fails to maintain her own boundaries.
Boundary:
☑ Not clear
☑ Not strong
☑ Not strict
If these three things happen, men will realize that there are 'no boundaries' because men's brains tend to prefer processing information by grouping and evaluating things based on their overall composition rather than thinking separately in details.
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Perception:
☑ Insult / Looking down
☑ Disrespect
☑ Crossing your lines
When women don't set clear boundaries, it means they 'lack' a standpoint. No boundaries suggest a 'lack' of value, wisdom, and a compelling reason for a man to surrender, sacrifice, and show respect.
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Boundless = Worthless:
He will lose interest in chasing your game and instead make you play his game.
This is the root of these issues
☑ a sub who has power and control the game from below
☑ a sub domming from the bottom
She has to follow his game to gain acceptance, to be worthy of his love, to merit his flattery, to deserve his sweet words, to earn the title 'my Mistress,' 'my Queen,' 'my Princess', ' My dear Miss.' To be a perfect Miss for him, meeting all HIS standards.
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Become your submissive's beloved pet:
☑ Be loyal only to him, Be faithful, Wait him at home.
☑ Must not create problems, must have reasons, must listen to him, must always be available for him.
☑ Must be gorgeous and beautiful in the way they define Miss's beauty.
☑ Must control your emotions for him, must respect all his boundaries, and must support his sensitivity and insecurity as he instructs. Follow his guidance because he knows himself the best; you don't have that understanding, so it's essential to listen and act in a way that promotes his emotional well-being to maintain a healthy relationship with him.
☑ Never cross his lines to show that you are mature, can reason well, and have enough maturity to be his proper Miss (while all your boundaries are disrespectfully crossed daily by him).
He will make you believe that your boundaries are selfish. Starting from the fact that your boundaries were unclear, not strong, not strict, to the point where there were hardly any.
Now, he has brought it to the point where you feel 'guilty' if you dare to establish them in your relationship. You will no longer dare to set boundaries because you want to be a good, decent Miss for him.
" Making his Miss feel guilty and preventing her from daring to do what makes him irritated or unhappy without considering fairness is 'abuse.' In a Femdom relationship, you should not be the one receiving abuse, it should be you who gives it to him.
A man who fails to respect your boundaries attempts to overstep them, convincing you that this is an adjustment you, as a woman, should make in your life. However, you should firmly deny and clearly define your boundaries without caring whether you will have him in your life or not."
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Prioritizing Boundaries:
" The important thing is not to manage or judge whether he intends to or not, or whether he can be taught or changed. Whether disrespect is intentional or unintentional, it doesn't change the fact that it occurred. Mostly, the main core is because of his personality.
It's more important to know your boundaries, be brave enough to communicate and stand up for your boundaries, and courageously accept the reality if he can't respect them. Remove yourself from men like that with the belief that there is someone out there ready to respect you. You just have to find that person."
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Handling a Man Who Ignores Your Boundaries:
Queen: How Queens Handle Disrespectful Subs?
☑ Punishment (don't care, don't ask for his consent)
☑ Banishment
☑ Beheading
" A queen's response to disrespect is to promptly remove or banish those kinds of men from her life."
Miss Boss: How Miss Bosss Handle Disrespectful Subs?
☑ Punishment (explaining his faults, making him understand his wrongdoing)
☑ Strict with her boundaries and in control
☑ Teaches him to respect
" The real power lies in 'not caring' about others more than your own self and needs. "
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Miss Boss or a Real Queen
In June 2020, after experiencing a devastating spring due to COVID, New York State announced that certain businesses could begin partially opening again. New York City’s response included a program called Open Restaurants, which allowed restaurants to use sidewalks and parking spaces for outdoor, socially distant dining. Owners quickly built temporary enclosures in the streets in front of their businesses to try and recover from months of shutdown. Small stretches of Brooklyn in early 2021 display the variety and feel of these enclosures. Hopefully, the Open Restaurants initiative will help these businesses to survive and may even lead to a more permanent reorienting of streets to prioritize people over cars.
The Arulan Reaver units originated with a faulty 'cqc' script which led to the drone prioritizing close quarters combat over long range combat.
Though it was possible to fix the issue, several Arulan units opted to keep it. These units would lay the foundation for the infamous Arulan 'terror' squads, whose units would later be instrumental in the subsequent Arulan insurrection.
The population of the Caucasian-Anatolian squirrel is undeniably dwindling across the Northern Aegean region of Türkiye. Conversations with local olive growers reveal their observations of increased numbers of field mice and snakes this year, signaling potential ecological imbalances. While reports on the impacts of the climate crisis inundate newspapers and TV news, the actions taken by humanity to address these issues remain uncertain.
Amidst the global preoccupation with wars, viruses, and economic turmoil, humanity's role in preserving nature often takes a backseat. The sight of a female Caucasian-Anatolian squirrel perched atop a centuries-old olive tree holds profound significance for me. As I contemplate the precariousness of their existence in this natural habitat, I can't help but wonder how many more years these remarkable creatures will have to perpetuate their lineage.
The answer to this question may seem inconsequential to many, but for scientists and conservationists, it embodies the urgency of safeguarding biodiversity and mitigating the anthropogenic threats faced by vulnerable species like the Caucasian-Anatolian squirrel. As stewards of the Earth, it is our collective responsibility to prioritize environmental preservation and enact measures that ensure the continued coexistence of humans and wildlife.
The Caucasian-Anatolian squirrel, scientifically known as Sciurus anomalus, is a captivating species endemic to the lush woodlands of the Caucasus region and certain parts of Anatolia in Türkiye. Renowned for its striking appearance, this arboreal mammal boasts a distinct black and white fur pattern, making it easily recognizable amidst the verdant foliage of its habitat.
These agile creatures navigate their arboreal homes with remarkable dexterity, effortlessly traversing the canopy and executing gravity-defying leaps between branches. Their acrobatic prowess is not only a spectacle to behold but also serves as a testament to their evolutionary adaptations for life among the treetops.
Inhabiting predominantly forested areas, the Caucasian-Anatolian squirrel sustains itself through a varied diet consisting of nuts, seeds, fruits, and occasional insects. Their foraging activities play a crucial role in the dispersal of seeds, contributing to the regeneration and diversity of their forest ecosystems.
Despite their resilience, these enchanting squirrels face challenges stemming from habitat loss and fragmentation, primarily driven by human activities such as deforestation and urbanization. Conservation efforts aimed at preserving and restoring their natural habitats are imperative for safeguarding their populations and ensuring their continued existence in the wild.
Observing the antics of the Caucasian-Anatolian squirrel in its native habitat is not only a delightful experience for nature enthusiasts but also serves as a poignant reminder of the intricate ecological relationships that sustain life on our planet.
The Caucasian-Anatolian squirrel, belonging to the Sciuridae family, is a medium-sized rodent with a body length ranging from 20 to 25 centimeters and a distinctive bushy tail measuring approximately 15 to 20 centimeters in length. Its fur exhibits a striking contrast between jet black and pristine white, with the black coloration extending from the head down to the tail, while the underbelly and parts of the face and limbs showcase a pristine white hue.
These arboreal creatures possess sharp claws and robust hind limbs, facilitating their adept climbing and leaping abilities. Their keen senses, including sharp eyesight and acute hearing, aid in detecting predators and locating food sources amidst the dense foliage of their forested habitats.
Caucasian-Anatolian squirrels are primarily diurnal, meaning they are most active during the day, engaging in foraging expeditions and social interactions with other members of their species. However, they may exhibit some nocturnal activity, particularly during periods of abundant food availability or in response to environmental factors such as temperature fluctuations.
During the breeding season, which typically occurs in the spring months, male squirrels engage in spirited displays of courtship to attract potential mates. Following a gestation period of approximately 38 to 42 days, females give birth to litters of two to six offspring, known as kits. The young squirrels are nurtured in intricately constructed nests, known as dreys, meticulously woven from twigs, leaves, and moss high in the tree canopy.
The survival of the Caucasian-Anatolian squirrel is intricately intertwined with the preservation of its forest habitat, which provides not only essential food resources but also refuge from predators and adverse environmental conditions. Conservation efforts aimed at mitigating habitat destruction, implementing sustainable forestry practices, and raising awareness about the ecological importance of this species are vital for ensuring its long-term survival.
By celebrating the unique beauty and ecological significance of the Caucasian-Anatolian squirrel, we deepen our appreciation for the rich biodiversity of our planet and reaffirm our commitment to coexisting harmoniously with nature.
I've captured some memorable moments with my camera, and I genuinely hope you'll experience the same joy in viewing these images as I did in capturing them.
Thank you immensely for visiting my gallery, whether you leave comments, add favorites, or simply take a moment to look around. Your support means a lot to me, and I wish you the best of luck and beautiful light in all your endeavors.
Lens - With Nikon TC 14E II - hand held or Monopod and definitely SPORT VR on. Aperture is f8 and full length. All my images have been converted from RAW to JPEG.
I started using Nikon Cross-Body Strap or Monopod on long walks. Here is my Carbon Monopod details : Gitzo GM2542 Series 2 4S Carbon Monopod - Really Right Stuff MH-01 Monopod Head with Standard Lever - Really Right Stuff LCF-11 Replacement Foot for Nikon AF-S 500mm /5.6E PF Lense -
© All rights reserved by R.Ertug. Please refrain from using this image without my explicit written permission. If you're interested in purchasing or using it, feel free to contact me via Flickr mail.
Your comments and critiques are highly valued.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by and explore :)
July 18, 2023 The Hill Live brings together caregivers, patients, clinical experts, and lawmakers to answer these questions and more as we discuss the fight against Alzheimer’s and breakthroughs in providing relief to those who suffer from agitation and aggression.
Alzheimer’s disease affects about 55 million people worldwide, including 6.5 million Americans, and has no cure. Some patients with Alzheimer’s sometimes show signs of extreme aggression or become restless and anxious as their brains lose the ability to negotiate with new stimulus.
Agitation is a common neuropsychiatric symptom in Alzheimer’s dementia and one of the most complex and stressful aspects of caring for people living with the condition. It is reported in approximately half of people with Alzheimer’s dementia and is associated with earlier alternative living placement.
What do patients, caregivers and families navigating the complexities of agitation associated with Alzheimer’s need to know? How are researchers and doctors better understanding risk factors and diagnoses? What policy actions can prioritize research, detection and treatment? And what are the access considerations for patients and their caregivers as they navigate this difficult symptom?
LOCATION
National Press Club Holeman Lounge, 529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor, Washington, DC 20045
Heading home from Green Things with a red grapefruit plant on the backseat.
I captured these lovely A-10s from Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson through the passenger's windshield. I think we were stopped at a traffic light on Pima in Tucson, Arizona, USA. This is cropped from a moderate angle shot.
These A-10s are constantly in use for training. They are an amazingly effective anti-tank weapon for the Army. The Air Force keeps wanting to kill their budget. I believe we need an Army Air Force with its own budget.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_Republic_A-10_Thunderbolt_II
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Design
Overview
Side-view drawing of aircraft with cut-throughs showing crucial internal components
A-10 inboard profile drawing
The A-10 has a cantilever low-wing monoplane wing with a wide chord.[32] The aircraft has superior maneuverability at low speeds and altitudes because of its large wing area, high wing aspect ratio, and large ailerons. The wing also allows short takeoffs and landings, permitting operations from primitive forward airfields near front lines. The aircraft can loiter for extended periods and operate under 1,000-foot (300 m) ceilings with 1.5-mile (2.4 km) visibility. It typically flies at a relatively low speed of 300 knots (350 mph; 560 km/h), which makes it a better platform for the ground-attack role than fast fighter-bombers, which often have difficulty targeting small, slow-moving targets.[52]
The leading edge of the wing has a honeycomb structure panel construction, providing strength with minimal weight; similar panels cover the flap shrouds, elevators, rudders, and sections of the fins.[53] The skin panels are integral with the stringers and are fabricated using computer-controlled machining, reducing production time and cost. Combat experience has shown that this type of panel is more resistant to damage. The skin is not load-bearing, so damaged skin sections can be easily replaced in the field, with makeshift materials if necessary.[54] The ailerons are at the far ends of the wings for a greater rolling moment and have two distinguishing features: The ailerons are larger than is typical, almost 50 percent of the wingspan, providing improved control even at slow speeds; the aileron is also split, making it a deceleron.[55][56]
The A-10 is designed to be refueled, rearmed, and serviced with minimal equipment.[57] Its simple design enables maintenance at forward bases with limited facilities.[58][59] An unusual feature is that many of the aircraft's parts are interchangeable between the left and right sides, including the engines, main landing gear, and vertical stabilizers. The sturdy landing gear, low-pressure tires, and large, straight wings allow operation from short rough strips even with a heavy aircraft ordnance load, allowing the aircraft to operate from damaged airbases, flying from taxiways, or even straight roadway sections.[60]
The front landing gear is offset to the aircraft's right to allow placement of the 30 mm cannon with its firing barrel along the centerline of the aircraft.[61] During ground taxi, the offset front landing gear causes the A-10 to have dissimilar turning radii. Turning to the right on the ground takes less distance than turning left.[Note 1] The wheels of the main landing gear partially protrude from their nacelles when retracted, making gear-up belly landings easier to control and less damaging. All landing gears retract forward; if hydraulic power is lost, a combination of gravity and aerodynamic drag can lower and lock the gear in place.[56]
Durability
The A-10 is exceptionally tough, being able to survive direct hits from armor-piercing and high-explosive projectiles up to 23 mm. It has double-redundant hydraulic flight systems, and a mechanical system as a backup if hydraulics are lost. Flight without hydraulic power uses the manual reversion control system; pitch and yaw control engages automatically, roll control is pilot-selected. In manual reversion mode, the A-10 is sufficiently controllable under favorable conditions to return to base, though control forces are greater than normal. The aircraft is designed to be able to fly with one engine, half of the tail, one elevator, and half of a wing missing.[62]
The cockpit and parts of the flight-control systems are protected by 1,200 lb (540 kg) of titanium aircraft armor, referred to as a "bathtub".[63][64] The armor has been tested to withstand strikes from 23 mm cannon fire and some strikes from 57 mm rounds.[59][63] It is made up of titanium plates with thicknesses varying from 0.5 to 1.5 inches (13 to 38 mm) determined by a study of likely trajectories and deflection angles. The armor makes up almost six percent of the aircraft's empty weight. Any interior surface of the tub directly exposed to the pilot is covered by a multi-layer nylon spall shield to protect against shell fragmentation.[65][66] The front windscreen and canopy are resistant to small arms fire.[67]
The A-10's durability was demonstrated on 7 April 2003 when Captain Kim Campbell, while flying over Baghdad during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, suffered extensive flak damage. Iraqi fire damaged one of her engines and crippled the hydraulic system, requiring the aircraft's stabilizer and flight controls to be operated via the 'manual reversion mode.' Despite this damage, Campbell flew the aircraft for nearly an hour and landed safely.[68][69]
The A-10 was intended to fly from forward air bases and semi-prepared runways with a high risk of foreign object damage to the engines. The unusual location of the General Electric TF34-GE-100 turbofan engines decreases ingestion risk and allows the engines to run while the aircraft is serviced and rearmed by ground crews, reducing turn-around time. The wings are also mounted closer to the ground, simplifying servicing and rearming operations. The heavy engines require strong supports: four bolts connect the engine pylons to the airframe.[70] The engines' high 6:1 bypass ratio contributes to a relatively small infrared signature, and their position directs exhaust over the tailplanes further shielding it from detection by infrared homing surface-to-air missiles. The engines' exhaust nozzles are angled nine degrees below horizontal to cancel out the nose-down pitching moment that would otherwise be generated from being mounted above the aircraft's center of gravity and avoid the need to trim the control surfaces to prevent pitching.[70]
To reduce the likelihood of damage to the A-10's fuel system, all four fuel tanks are located near the aircraft's center and are separated from the fuselage; projectiles would need to penetrate the aircraft's skin before reaching a tank's outer skin.[65][66] Compromised fuel transfer lines self-seal; if damage exceeds a tank's self-sealing capabilities, check valves prevent fuel from flowing into a compromised tank. Most fuel system components are inside the tanks so that fuel will not be lost due to component failure. The refueling system is also purged after use.[71] Reticulated polyurethane foam lines both the inner and outer sides of the fuel tanks, retaining debris and restricting fuel spillage in the event of damage. The engines are shielded from the rest of the airframe by firewalls and fire extinguishing equipment. In the event of all four main tanks being lost, two self-sealing sump tanks contain fuel for 230 miles (370 km) of flight.[65][66]
Since the A-10 operates extremely close to enemy positions, where it is an easy target for MANPADS, surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), and enemy fighters, it can carry up to 480 flares and 480 chaff cartridges, which is more than any other fighter, but usually flies with a mix of both.[72]
Weapons
Although the A-10 can carry a considerable amount of munitions, its primary built-in weapon is the 30×173 mm GAU-8/A Avenger autocannon. One of the most powerful aircraft cannons ever flown, it fires large depleted uranium armor-piercing shells. The GAU-8 is a hydraulically driven seven-barrel rotary cannon designed specifically for the anti-tank role with a high rate of fire. The cannon's original design could be switched by the pilot to 2,100 or 4,200 rounds per minute;[73] this was later changed to a fixed rate of 3,900 rounds per minute.[74] The cannon takes about half a second to reach top speed, so 50 rounds are fired during the first second, 65 or 70 rounds per second thereafter. The gun is accurate enough to place 80 percent of its shots within a 40-foot (12.4 m) diameter circle from 4,000 feet (1,220 m) while in flight.[75] The GAU-8 is optimized for a slant range of 4,000 feet (1,220 m) with the A-10 in a 30-degree dive.[76]
Front view of the A-10's GAU-8 installation
The fuselage of the aircraft is built around the cannon. The GAU-8/A is mounted slightly to the port side; the barrel in the firing location is on the starboard side at the 9 o'clock position so it is aligned with the aircraft's centerline. The gun's 5-foot, 11.5-inch (1.816 m) ammunition drum can hold up to 1,350 rounds of 30 mm ammunition,[61] but generally holds 1,174 rounds.[76] To protect the GAU-8/A rounds from enemy fire, armor plates of differing thicknesses between the aircraft skin and the drum are designed to detonate incoming shells.[61][66]
The AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missile is a commonly used munition for the A-10, targeted via electro-optical (TV-guided) or infrared. The Maverick allows target engagement at much greater ranges than the cannon, and thus less risk from anti-aircraft systems. During Desert Storm, in the absence of dedicated forward-looking infrared (FLIR) cameras for night vision, the Maverick's infrared camera was used for night missions as a "poor man's FLIR".[77] Other weapons include cluster bombs and Hydra rocket pods.[78] The A-10 is equipped to carry GPS and laser-guided bombs, such as the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb, Paveway series bombs, JDAM, WCMD and glide bomb AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon.[79] A-10s usually fly with an ALQ-131 ECM pod under one wing and two AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles under the other wing for self-defense.[80]
Modernization
The A-10 Precision Engagement Modification Program from 2006 to 2010 updated all A-10 and OA-10 aircraft in the fleet to the A-10C standard with a new flight computer, new glass cockpit displays and controls, two new 5.5-inch (140 mm) color displays with moving map function, and an integrated digital stores management system.[18][43][44][81]
Since then, the A-10 Common Fleet Initiative has led to further improvements: a new wing design, a new data link, the ability to employ smart weapons such as the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser, as well as the newer GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb, and the ability to carry an integrated targeting pod such as the Northrop Grumman LITENING or the Lockheed Martin Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP). Also included is the Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver (ROVER) to provide sensor data to personnel on the ground.[43] The A-10C has a Missile Warning System (MWS), which alerts the pilot to whenever there is a missile launch, friendly or non-friendly. The A-10C can also carry an ALQ-184 ECM Pod, which works with the MWS to detect a missile launch, figure out what kind of vehicle is launching the missile or flak (i.e.: SAM, aircraft, flak, MANPAD, etc.), and then jams it with confidential emitting, and selects a countermeasure program that the pilot has pre-set, that when turned on, will automatically dispense flare and chaff at pre-set intervals and amounts.[82]
Colors and markings
Since the A-10 flies low to the ground and at subsonic speed, aircraft camouflage is important to make the aircraft more difficult to see. Many different types of paint schemes have been tried. These have included a "peanut scheme" of sand, yellow, and field drab; black and white colors for winter operations, and a tan, green, and brown mixed pattern.[83] Many A-10s also featured a false canopy painted in dark gray on the underside of the aircraft, just behind the gun. This form of automimicry is an attempt to confuse the enemy as to aircraft attitude and maneuver direction.[84][85] Many A-10s feature nose art, such as shark mouth or warthog head features.
The two most common markings applied to the A-10 have been the European I woodland camouflage scheme and a two-tone gray scheme. The European woodland scheme was designed to minimize visibility from above, as the threat from hostile fighter aircraft was felt to outweigh that from ground-fire. It uses dark green, medium green, and dark gray in order to blend in with the typical European forest terrain and was used from the 1980s to the early 1990s. Following the end of the Cold War, and based on experience during the 1991 Gulf War, the air-to-air threat was no longer seen to be as important as that from ground fire, and a new color scheme known as "Compass Ghost" was chosen to minimize visibility from below. This two-tone gray scheme has darker gray color on top, with the lighter gray on the underside of the aircraft, and started to be applied from the early 1990s.[86]
Operational history
Entering service
The first unit to receive the A-10 Thunderbolt II was the 355th Tactical Training Wing, based at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, in March 1976.[87] The first unit to achieve full combat-readiness was the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing at Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina, in October 1977.[1] Deployments of A-10As followed at bases both at home and abroad, including England AFB, Louisiana; Eielson AFB, Alaska; Osan Air Base, South Korea; and RAF Bentwaters/RAF Woodbridge, England. The 81st TFW of RAF Bentwaters/RAF Woodbridge operated rotating detachments of A-10s at four bases in Germany known as Forward Operating Locations (FOLs): Leipheim, Sembach Air Base, Nörvenich Air Base, and RAF Ahlhorn.[88]
A-10s were initially an unwelcome addition to many in the Air Force. Most pilots switching to the A-10 did not want to because fighter pilots traditionally favored speed and appearance.[89] In 1987, many A-10s were shifted to the forward air control (FAC) role and redesignated OA-10.[90] In the FAC role, the OA-10 is typically equipped with up to six pods of 2.75 inch (70 mm) Hydra rockets, usually with smoke or white phosphorus warheads used for target marking. OA-10s are physically unchanged and remain fully combat capable despite the redesignation.[91]
A-10s of the 23rd TFW were deployed to Bridgetown, Barbados during Operation Urgent Fury, the American Invasion of Grenada. They provided air cover for the U.S. Marine Corps landings on the island of Carriacou in late October 1983, but did not fire weapons as Marines met no resistance.[92][93][94]
Gulf War and Balkans
The A-10 was used in combat for the first time during the Gulf War in 1991, destroying more than 900 Iraqi tanks, 2,000 other military vehicles, and 1,200 artillery pieces.[10] A-10s also shot down two Iraqi helicopters with the GAU-8 cannon. The first of these was shot down by Captain Robert Swain over Kuwait on 6 February 1991 for the A-10's first air-to-air victory.[95][96] Four A-10s were shot down during the war by surface-to-air missiles. Another two battle-damaged A-10s and OA-10As returned to base and were written off. Some sustained additional damage in crash landings.[97][98] The A-10 had a mission-capable rate of 95.7 percent, flew 8,100 sorties, and launched 90 percent of the AGM-65 Maverick missiles fired in the conflict.[99] Shortly after the Gulf War, the Air Force abandoned the idea of replacing the A-10 with a close air support version of the F-16.[100]
U.S. Air Force A-10 aircraft fired approximately 10,000 30 mm rounds in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1994–95. Following the seizure of some heavy weapons by Bosnian Serbs from a warehouse in Ilidža, a series of sorties were launched to locate and destroy the captured equipment. On 5 August 1994, two A-10s located and strafed an anti-tank vehicle. Afterward, the Serbs agreed to return remaining heavy weapons.[101] In August 1995, NATO launched an offensive called Operation Deliberate Force. A-10s flew close air support missions, attacking Bosnian Serb artillery and positions. In late September, A-10s began flying patrols again.[102]
A-10s returned to the Balkan region as part of Operation Allied Force in Kosovo beginning in March 1999.[102] In March 1999, A-10s escorted and supported search and rescue helicopters in finding a downed F-117 pilot.[103] The A-10s were deployed to support search and rescue missions, but over time the Warthogs began to receive more ground attack missions. The A-10's first successful attack in Operation Allied Force happened on 6 April 1999; A-10s remained in action until combat ended in late June 1999.[104]
Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and recent deployments
During the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, the A-10s did not take part in the initial stages. For the campaign against Taliban and Al Qaeda, A-10 squadrons were deployed to Pakistan and Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, beginning in March 2002. These A-10s participated in Operation Anaconda. Afterward, A-10s remained in-country, fighting Taliban and Al Qaeda remnants.[105]
Operation Iraqi Freedom began on 20 March 2003. Sixty OA-10/A-10 aircraft took part in early combat there.[106] The United States Air Forces Central Command issued Operation Iraqi Freedom: By the Numbers, a declassified report about the aerial campaign in the conflict on 30 April 2003. During that initial invasion of Iraq, A-10s had a mission capable rate of 85 percent in the war and fired 311,597 rounds of 30 mm ammunition. A single A-10 was shot down near Baghdad International Airport by Iraqi fire late in the campaign. The A-10 also flew 32 missions in which the aircraft dropped propaganda leaflets over Iraq.[107]
In September 2007, the A-10C with the Precision Engagement Upgrade reached initial operating capability.[81] The A-10C first deployed to Iraq in 2007 with the 104th Fighter Squadron of the Maryland Air National Guard.[108] The A-10C's digital avionics and communications systems have greatly reduced the time to acquire a close air support target and attack it.[109]
A-10s flew 32 percent of combat sorties in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. The sorties ranged from 27,800 to 34,500 annually between 2009 and 2012. In the first half of 2013, they flew 11,189 sorties in Afghanistan.[110] From the beginning of 2006 to October 2013, A-10s conducted 19 percent of CAS missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, more than the F-15E Strike Eagle and B-1B Lancer, but less than the 33 percent flown by F-16s.[111]
In March 2011, six A-10s were deployed as part of Operation Odyssey Dawn, the coalition intervention in Libya. They participated in attacks on Libyan ground forces there.[112][113]
The USAF 122nd Fighter Wing revealed it would deploy to the Middle East in October 2014 with 12 of the unit's 21 A-10 aircraft. Although the deployment had been planned a year in advance in a support role, the timing coincided with the ongoing Operation Inherent Resolve against ISIL militants.[114][115][116] From mid-November, U.S. commanders began sending A-10s to hit IS targets in central and northwestern Iraq on an almost daily basis.[117][118] In about two months time, A-10s flew 11 percent of all USAF sorties since the start of operations in August 2014.[119] On 15 November 2015, two days after the ISIL attacks in Paris, A-10s and AC-130s destroyed a convoy of over 100 ISIL-operated oil tanker trucks in Syria. The attacks were part of an intensification of the U.S.-led intervention against ISIL called Operation Tidal Wave II (named after Operation Tidal Wave during World War II, a failed attempt to raid German oil fields) in an attempt to cut off oil smuggling as a source of funding for the group.[120]
On 19 January 2018, 12 A-10s from the 303d Expeditionary Fighter Squadron were deployed to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, to provide close-air support, marking the first time in more than three years A-10s had been deployed to Afghanistan.[121]
Future
The future of the platform remains the subject of debate. In 2007, the USAF expected the A-10 to remain in service until 2028 and possibly later,[122] when it would likely be replaced by the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.[38] However, critics have said that replacing the A-10 with the F-35 would be a "giant leap backwards" given the A-10's performance and the F-35's high costs.[123] In 2012, the Air Force considered the F-35B STOVL variant as a replacement CAS aircraft, but concluded that the aircraft could not generate sufficient sorties.[124] In August 2013, Congress and the Air Force examined various proposals, including the F-35 and the MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle filling the A-10's role. Proponents state that the A-10's armor and cannon are superior to aircraft such as the F-35 for ground attack, that guided munitions other planes rely upon could be jammed, and that ground commanders frequently request A-10 support.[110]
In the USAF's FY 2015 budget, the service considered retiring the A-10 and other single-mission aircraft, prioritizing multi-mission aircraft; cutting a whole fleet and its infrastructure was seen as the only method for major savings. The U.S. Army had expressed interest in obtaining some A-10s should the Air Force retire them,[125][126] but later stated there was "no chance" of that happening.[127] The U.S. Air Force stated that retirement would save $3.7 billion from 2015 to 2019. The prevalence of guided munitions allow more aircraft to perform the CAS mission and reduces the requirement for specialized aircraft; since 2001 multirole aircraft and bombers have performed 80 percent of operational CAS missions. The Air Force also said that the A-10 was more vulnerable to advanced anti-aircraft defenses, but the Army replied that the A-10 had proved invaluable because of its versatile weapons loads, psychological impact, and limited logistics needs on ground support systems.[128]
In January 2015, USAF officials told lawmakers that it would take 15 years to fully develop a new attack aircraft to replace the A-10;[129] that year General Herbert J. Carlisle, the head of Air Combat Command, stated that a follow-on weapon system for the A-10 may need to be developed.[130] It planned for F-16s and F-15Es to initially take up CAS sorties, and later by the F-35A once sufficient numbers become operationally available over the next decade.[131] In July 2015, Boeing held initial discussions on the prospects of selling retired or stored A-10s in near-flyaway condition to international customers.[42] However, the Air Force then said that it would not permit the aircraft to be sold.[132]
Plans to develop a replacement aircraft were announced by the US Air Combat Command in August 2015.[133][134] Early the following year, the Air Force began studying future CAS aircraft to succeed the A-10 in low-intensity "permissive conflicts" like counterterrorism and regional stability operations, admitting that the F-35 would be too expensive to operate in day-to-day roles. A wide range of platforms were under consideration, including everything from low-end AT-6 Wolverine and A-29 Super Tucano turboprops and the Textron AirLand Scorpion as more basic off-the-shelf options to more sophisticated clean-sheet attack aircraft or "AT-X" derivatives of the T-X next-generation trainer as entirely new attack platforms.[131][135][136]
In January 2016, the USAF was "indefinitely freezing" plans to retire the A-10 for at least several years. In addition to Congressional opposition, its use in anti-ISIL operations, deployments to Eastern Europe as a response to Russia's military intervention in Ukraine, and reevaluation of F-35 numbers necessitated its retention.[137][138] In February 2016, the Air Force deferred the final retirement of the aircraft until 2022 after being replaced by F-35s on a squadron-by-squadron basis.[139][140] In October 2016, the Air Force Material Command brought the depot maintenance line back to full capacity in preparation for re-winging the fleet.[141] In June 2017, it was announced that the aircraft "...will now be kept in the air force’s inventory indefinitely."[142][5]
Other uses
On 25 March 2010, an A-10 conducted the first flight of an aircraft with all engines powered by a biofuel blend. The flight, performed at Eglin Air Force Base, used a 1:1 blend of JP-8 and Camelina-based fuel.[143] On 28 June 2012, the A-10 became the first aircraft to fly using a new fuel blend derived from alcohol; known as ATJ (Alcohol-to-Jet), the fuel is cellulosic-based and can be produced using wood, paper, grass, or any cellulose based material, which are fermented into alcohols before being hydro-processed into aviation fuel. ATJ is the third alternative fuel to be evaluated by the Air Force as a replacement for the petroleum-derived JP-8 fuel. Previous types were a synthetic paraffinic kerosene derived from coal and natural gas and a bio-mass fuel derived from plant-oils and animal fats known as Hydroprocessed Renewable Jet.[144]
In 2011, the National Science Foundation granted $11 million to modify an A-10 for weather research for CIRPAS at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School[145] and in collaboration with scientists from the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology (SDSM&T),[146] replacing SDSM&T's retired North American T-28 Trojan.[147] The A-10's armor is expected to allow it to survive the extreme meteorological conditions, such as 200 mph hailstorms, found in inclement high-altitude weather events.[148]
Variants
YA-10A
Pre-production variant. 12 were built.[149]
A-10A
Single-seat close air support, ground-attack production version.
OA-10A
A-10As used for airborne forward air control.
YA-10B Night/Adverse Weather (N/AW)
Two-seat experimental prototype, for work at night and in bad weather. The one YA-10B prototype was converted from an A-10A.[150][151]
A-10C
A-10As updated under the incremental Precision Engagement (PE) program.[43]
A-10PCAS
Proposed unmanned version developed by Raytheon and Aurora Flight Sciences as part of DARPA's Persistent Close Air Support program.[152] The PCAS program eventually dropped the idea of using an optionally manned A-10.[153]
Civilian A-10
Proposed by the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology to replace its North American T-28 Trojan thunderstorm penetration aircraft. The A-10 would have its military engines, avionics, and oxygen system replaced by civilian versions. The engines and airframe would receive protection from hail, and the GAU-8 Avenger would be replaced with ballast or scientific instruments.[154]
Operators
The A-10 has been flown exclusively by the United States Air Force and its Air Reserve components, the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) and the Air National Guard (ANG). As of 2017, 282 A-10C aircraft are reported as operational, divided as follows: 141 USAF, 55 AFRC, 86 ANG.[155]
United States
United States Air Force
Air Force Materiel Command
514th Flight Test Squadron (Hill AFB, Utah) (1993-)
23rd Wing
74th Fighter Squadron (Moody AFB, Georgia) (1980-1992, 1996-)
75th Fighter Squadron (Moody AFB, Georgia) (1980-1991, 1992-)
51st Fighter Wing
25th Fighter Squadron (Osan AFB, South Korea) (1982-1989, 1993-)
53d Wing
422d Test and Evaluation Squadron (Nellis AFB, Nevada) (1977-)
57th Wing
66th Weapons Squadron (Nellis AFB, Nevada) (1977-1981, 2003-)
96th Test Wing
40th Flight Test Squadron (Eglin AFB, Florida) (1982-)
122nd Fighter Wing (Indiana ANG)
163d Fighter Squadron (Fort Wayne ANGS, Indiana) (2010-)
124th Fighter Wing (Idaho ANG)
190th Fighter Squadron (Gowen Field ANGB, Idaho) (1996-)
127th Wing (Michigan ANG)
107th Fighter Squadron (Selfridge ANGB, Michigan) (2008-)
175th Wing (Maryland ANG)
104th Fighter Squadron (Warfield ANGB, Maryland) (1979-)
355th Fighter Wing
354th Fighter Squadron (Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona) (1979-1982, 1991-)
357th Fighter Squadron (Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona) (1979-)
442nd Fighter Wing (AFRC)
303d Fighter Squadron (Whiteman AFB, Missouri) (1982-)
476th Fighter Group (AFRC)
76th Fighter Squadron (Moody AFB, Georgia) (1981-1992, 2009-)
495th Fighter Group (AFRC)
358th Fighter Squadron (Whiteman AFB, Missouri) (1979-2014, 2015-)
924th Fighter Group (AFRC)
45th Fighter Squadron (Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona) (1981-1994, 2009-)
47th Fighter Squadron (Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona) (1980-)
926th Wing (AFRC)
706th Fighter Squadron (Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona) (1982-1992, 1997-)
Former squadrons
18th Tactical Fighter Squadron (1982-1991)
23d Tactical Air Support Squadron (1987-1991) (OA-10 unit)
55th Tactical Fighter Squadron (1994-1996)
70th Fighter Squadron (1995-2000)
78th Tactical Fighter Squadron (1979-1992)
81st Fighter Squadron (1994-2013)
91st Tactical Fighter Squadron (1978-1992)
92d Tactical Fighter Squadron (1978-1993)
103d Fighter Squadron (Pennsylvania ANG) (1988-2011) (OA-10 unit)
118th Fighter Squadron (Connecticut ANG) (1979-2008)
131st Fighter Squadron (Massachusetts ANG) (1979-2007)
138th Fighter Squadron (New York ANG) (1979-1989)
172d Fighter Squadron (Michigan ANG) (1991-2009)
176th Tactical Fighter Squadron (Wisconsin ANG) (1981-1993)
184th Fighter Squadron (Arkansas ANG) (2007-2014)
353d Tactical Fighter Squadron (1978-1992)
355th Tactical Fighter Squadron (1978-1992, 1993–2007)
356th Tactical Fighter Squadron (1977-1992)[156]
509th Tactical Fighter Squadron (1979-1992)
510th Tactical Fighter Squadron (1979-1994)
511th Tactical Fighter Squadron (1980-1992)
Aircraft on display
Germany
A-10A
77-0264 – Spangdahlem AB, Bitburg[157]
South Korea
A-10A
76-0515 – Osan AB[158]
United Kingdom
A-10A
77-0259 – American Air Museum at Imperial War Museum Duxford[159]
80-0219 – Bentwaters Cold War Museum[160]
United States
YA-10A
71-1370 – Joint Base Langley-Eustis (Langley AFB), Hampton, Virginia[161]
YA-10B
73-1664 – Air Force Flight Test Center Museum, Edwards AFB, California[162]
A-10A
73-1666 – Hill Aerospace Museum, Hill AFB, Utah[163]
73-1667 – Flying Tiger Heritage Park at the former England AFB, Louisiana[164]
75-0263 – Empire State Aerosciences Museum, Glenville, New York[165]
75-0270 – McChord Air Museum, McChord AFB, Washington[166]
75-0293 – Wings of Eagles Discovery Center, Elmira, New York[167]
75-0288 – Air Force Armament Museum, Eglin AFB, Florida[168]
75-0289 – Heritage Park, Eielson AFB, Alaska[169]
75-0298 – Pima Air & Space Museum (adjacent to Davis-Monthan AFB), Tucson, Arizona[170]
75-0305 – Museum of Aviation, Robins AFB, Warner Robins, Georgia[171]
75-0308 – Moody Heritage Park, Moody AFB, Valdosta, Georgia[172]
75-0309 – Shaw AFB, Sumter, South Carolina. Marked as AF Ser. No. 81-0964 assigned to the 55 FS from 1994 to 1996. The represented aircraft was credited with downing an Iraqi Mi-8 Hip helicopter on 15 Feb 1991 while assigned to the 511 TFS.[173][174]
76-0516 – Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum at the former NAS Willow Grove, Horsham, Pennsylvania[175]
76-0530 – Whiteman AFB, Missouri[176]
76-0535 – Cradle of Aviation, Garden City, New York[177]
76-0540 – Aerospace Museum of California, McClellan Airport (former McClellan AFB), Sacramento, California[178]
77-0199 – Stafford Air & Space Museum, Weatherford, Oklahoma
77-0205 – USAF Academy collection, Colorado Springs, Colorado[179]
77-0228 – Grissom Air Museum, Grissom ARB (former Grissom AFB), Peru, Indiana[180]
77-0244 – Wisconsin Air National Guard Museum, Volk Field ANGB, Wisconsin[181]
77-0252 – Cradle of Aviation, Garden City, New York (nose section only)[182]
77-0667 – England AFB Heritage Park, Alexandria, Louisiana[183]
78-0681 – National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio[184]
78-0687 – Don F. Pratt Memorial Museum, Fort Campbell, Kentucky[185]
79-0097 – Warbird Park, former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina[186]
79-0100 – Barnes Air National Guard Base, Westfield, Massachusetts[187]
79-0103 – Bradley Air National Guard Base, Windsor Locks, Connecticut[188]
79-0116 – Warrior Park, Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, Arizona[189]
79-0173 – New England Air Museum, Windsor Locks, Connecticut[190]
80-0247 – American Airpower Museum, Republic Airport, Farmingdale, New York[191]
80-0708 – Selfridge Military Air Museum, Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Harrison Township, Michigan[192]
Specifications (A-10A)
Data from The Great Book of Modern Warplanes,[193] Fairchild-Republic A/OA-10,[194] USAF[81]
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 53 ft 4 in (16.26 m)
Wingspan: 57 ft 6 in (17.53 m)
Height: 14 ft 8 in (4.47 m)
Wing area: 506 ft2 (47.0 m2)
Airfoil: NACA 6716 root, NACA 6713 tip
Empty weight: 24,959 lb (11,321 kg)
Loaded weight: 30,384 lb (13,782 kg)
CAS mission: 47,094 lb (21,361 kg)
Anti-armor mission: 42,071 lb (19,083 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 50,000 lb[195] (22,700 kg)
Internal fuel capacity: 11,000 lb (4,990 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × General Electric TF34-GE-100A turbofans, 9,065 lbf (40.32 kN) each
Performance
Maximum speed: 381 knots (439 mph, 706 km/h) at sea level, clean[194]
Cruise speed: 300 knots (340 mph, 560 km/h)
Stall speed: 120 knots (138 mph, 220 km/h) [196]
Never exceed speed: 450 knots (518 mph,[194] 833 km/h) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m) with 18 Mk 82 bombs[197]
Combat radius:
CAS mission: 250 nmi (288 mi, 460 km at 1.88 hour loiter at 5,000 ft (1,500 m), 10 min combat
Anti-armor mission: 252 nmi (290 mi, 467 km), 40 nmi (45 mi, 75 km)) sea-level penetration and exit, 30 min combat
Ferry range: 2,240 nmi (2,580 mi, 4,150 km) with 50 knot (55 mph, 90 km/h) headwinds, 20 minutes reserve
Service ceiling: 45,000 ft (13,700 m)
Rate of climb: 6,000 ft/min (30 m/s)
Wing loading: 99 lb/ft2 (482 kg/m2)
Thrust/weight: 0.36
Armament
Guns: 1× 30 mm (1.18 in) GAU-8/A Avenger rotary cannon with 1,174 rounds (original capacity was 1,350 rd)
Hardpoints: 11 (8× under-wing and 3× under-fuselage pylon stations) with a capacity of 16,000 lb (7,260 kg) and provisions to carry combinations of:
Rockets:
4× LAU-61/LAU-68 rocket pods (each with 19×/7× Hydra 70 mm/APKWS[198] rockets, respectively)
6x LAU-131 rocket pods (each with 7x Hydra 70 rockets)[199][200]
Missiles:
2× AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles for self-defense
6× AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missiles
Bombs:
Mark 80 series of unguided iron bombs or
Mk 77 incendiary bombs or
BLU-1, BLU-27/B, CBU-20 Rockeye II, BL755[201] and CBU-52/58/71/87/89/97 cluster bombs or
Paveway series of Laser-guided bombs or
Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) (A-10C)[202] or
Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (A-10C)
Other:
SUU-42A/A Flares/Infrared decoys and chaff dispenser pod or
AN/ALQ-131 or AN/ALQ-184 ECM pods or
Lockheed Martin Sniper XR or LITENING targeting pods (A-10C) or
2× 600 US gal (2,300 L) Sargent Fletcher drop tanks for increased range/loitering time.
Avionics
AN/AAS-35(V) Pave Penny laser tracker pod[203] (mounted beneath right side of cockpit) for use with Paveway LGBs (currently the Pave Penny is no longer in use)
Head-up display (HUD)[31]
Notable appearances in media
Main article: Aircraft in fiction § A-10 Thunderbolt II
Nicknames
The A-10 Thunderbolt II received its popular nickname "Warthog" from the pilots and crews of the USAF attack squadrons who flew and maintained it. The A-10 is the last of Republic's jet attack aircraft to serve with the USAF. The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was nicknamed the "Hog", F-84F Thunderstreak nicknamed "Superhog", and the Republic F-105 Thunderchief tagged "Ultra Hog".[204] The saying Go Ugly Early has been associated with the aircraft in reference to calling in the A-10 early to support troops in ground combat.[205]
See also
Craig D. Button – USAF pilot who crashed mysteriously in an A-10
190th Fighter Squadron, Blues and Royals friendly fire incident
1988 Remscheid A-10 crash
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Ilyushin Il-102
Northrop YA-9
Sukhoi Su-25
Related lists
List of attack aircraft
List of active United States military aircraft
References
Notes
With the inner wheel on a turn stopped, the minimum radius of the turn is dictated by the distance between the inner wheel and the nose wheel. Since the distance is less between the right main wheel and the nose gear than the same measurement on the left, the aircraft can turn more tightly to the right.
America’s global leadership and national security require a foundation of fiscal sustainability and economic growth. The Coalition for Fiscal and National Security — a highly distinguished, bipartisan group of former senior government officials, chaired by Admiral Mike Mullen — has just released a second statement to draw our country’s attention to how our fiscal health is fundamentally linked to our national security, and to the urgent need to update and re-prioritize our defense and foreign policy strategies to reflect a changing security environment. New York Times national security correspondent David Sanger (left) led a discussion among Admiral Mullen (right), Coalition chairman, and two of the Coalition’s members, former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and former Senator Sam Nunn.
Watch the video: youtu.be/DwoZpR_hjZ8
July 18, 2023 The Hill Live brings together caregivers, patients, clinical experts, and lawmakers to answer these questions and more as we discuss the fight against Alzheimer’s and breakthroughs in providing relief to those who suffer from agitation and aggression.
Alzheimer’s disease affects about 55 million people worldwide, including 6.5 million Americans, and has no cure. Some patients with Alzheimer’s sometimes show signs of extreme aggression or become restless and anxious as their brains lose the ability to negotiate with new stimulus.
Agitation is a common neuropsychiatric symptom in Alzheimer’s dementia and one of the most complex and stressful aspects of caring for people living with the condition. It is reported in approximately half of people with Alzheimer’s dementia and is associated with earlier alternative living placement.
What do patients, caregivers and families navigating the complexities of agitation associated with Alzheimer’s need to know? How are researchers and doctors better understanding risk factors and diagnoses? What policy actions can prioritize research, detection and treatment? And what are the access considerations for patients and their caregivers as they navigate this difficult symptom?
LOCATION
National Press Club Holeman Lounge, 529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor, Washington, DC 20045
The Days We Wear Masks 20210226
People age 60 and older and health care workers among some 2.4 million people currently prioritized to receive the vaccines can make their appointments online to get the jab at one of the eight community vaccination centers or 18 outpatient clinics across Hong Kong.
(20210226 The Standard)
In June 2020, after experiencing a devastating spring due to COVID, New York State announced that certain businesses could begin partially opening again. New York City’s response included a program called Open Restaurants, which allowed restaurants to use sidewalks and parking spaces for outdoor, socially distant dining. Owners quickly built temporary enclosures in the streets in front of their businesses to try and recover from months of shutdown. Small stretches of Brooklyn in early 2021 display the variety and feel of these enclosures. Hopefully, the Open Restaurants initiative will help these businesses to survive and may even lead to a more permanent reorienting of streets to prioritize people over cars.
An aerial photo shows a small section of the atoll that has slipped beneath the water line only showing a small pile of rocks at low tide on Majuro Atoll in the Marshall Islands on Nov. 8, 2015. For decades, the tiny Marshall Islands has been a stalwart American ally. Its location in the middle of the Pacific Ocean has made it a key strategic outpost for the U.S. military. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith, File)
___________
AP NEWS
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — For decades, the tiny Marshall Islands has been a stalwart American ally. Its location in the middle of the Pacific Ocean has made it a key strategic outpost for the U.S. military.
But that loyalty is being tested amid a dispute with Washington over the terms of its “Compact of Free Association” agreement, which expires soon. The U.S. is refusing to engage the Marshallese on claims for environmental and health damage caused by dozens of nuclear tests it carried out in the 1940s and ’50s, including a huge thermonuclear blast on Bikini Atoll.
The dispute has some U.S. lawmakers worried that China might be willing to step into the breach, adding to a bruising competition for geopolitical dominance between the two superpowers.
Since World War II, the U.S. has treated the Marshall Islands, along with Micronesia and Palau, much like territories. On the Marshall Islands, the U.S. has developed military, intelligence and aerospace facilities in a region where China is particularly active.
In turn, U.S. money and jobs have benefited the Marshall Islands’ economy. And many Marshallese have taken advantage of their ability to live and work in the U.S., moving in the thousands to Arkansas, Hawaii and Oklahoma.
But this month, 10 Democratic and Republican members of the House of Representatives wrote to President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, about the U.S. compact talks with the Marshalls, Micronesia and Palau.
“It is distressing that these negotiations do not appear to be a priority — there have been no formal meetings since this Administration began — even as our international focus continues shifting to the Indo-Pacific,” they wrote.
The lawmakers said the delays were putting the U.S. in a weaker position, and “China is all too ready to step in and provide the desperately needed infrastructure and climate resiliency investment that is sought by these long-time partners.”
China’s Foreign Ministry said the U.S. should face up to its responsibility to restore the environmental damage it caused with its nuclear tests. It said China was willing to engage with the Marshall Islands and other Pacific island nations on the basis of mutual respect and cooperation under the “One China Principle,” in which Taiwan is viewed as part of China.
“We welcome efforts to boost economic relations and improve the quality of life between the sides,” the ministry said in a statement.
China has steadily poached allies from Taiwan in the Pacific, including Kiribati and the Solomon Islands in 2019. Just this week, angry protesters in the Solomons set fire to buildings and looted stores in unrest that some have linked to the China switch.
James Matayoshi, the mayor of Rongelap Atoll on the Marshall Islands, said he and hundreds of others have remained displaced from their atoll since the nuclear tests and want to see it revitalized. He said officials have been talking with potential investors from Asia, after a previous proposal by a Chinese-Marshallese businessman fell through.
“It would be a business transaction. We don’t advocate for war or any superpower influence,” Matayoshi said. “But we want to be able to live in our backyard, and enjoy life here.”
Like many others on the Marshall Islands, Matayoshi believes a U.S. settlement of $150 million agreed to in the 1980s fell well short of addressing the nuclear legacy. He said his late mother was pregnant at the time of one massive nuclear blast and got exposed to radiation that was the equivalent of 25,000 X-rays before giving birth to a stillborn baby.
But the U.S. position has remained static for more than 20 years, the last time the compact came up for renegotiation. The U.S. maintains that nuclear compensation was dealt with in a “full and final settlement” and cannot be reopened.
Marshallese Senator David Paul — who is on the islands’ negotiating committee and also represents Kwajalein Atoll, which is home to a major U.S. military base — said continuing high cancer rates and the displacement of people remain huge issues.
“Everyone knows the negotiations at that time were not fair or equitable,” Paul said. “When you look at the total cost of property damage and the ongoing health issues to date, it’s a drop in the bucket. It’s an insult.”
Various estimates put the true cost of the damage at about $3 billion, including for repairs to a massive nuclear waste facility known as the Cactus Dome which environmentalists say is leaking toxic waste into the ocean.
A report to Congress last year from the U.S. Department of Energy said the dome contains over 100,000 cubic yards (76,000 cubic meters) of radioactively contaminated soil and debris but the structure wasn’t in any immediate danger of failing. The report concluded that any contaminated groundwater flowing beneath the structure was not measurably impacting the environment.
As it did in earlier compact negotiations, the U.S. has stonewalled discussions on the nuclear legacy, something that American officials acknowledge.
“We know that’s important, but there is a full and final settlement, and both sides agreed to it,” said a senior U.S. official who wasn’t authorized to publicly discuss the issue and spoke on condition of anonymity. “So, that issue is just not subject to being reopened. But, we’re still quite willing to work with the (Marshallese) on the broader issues that are important to us and that’s what we hope to do.”
The U.S. State Department said the Indo-Pacific is central to U.S. foreign policy.
“We are prioritizing achieving success in the negotiations related to the Compacts with the Freely Associated States as a regional foreign policy objective,” the department said.
The frustrations of the Marshallese were apparent in a letter sent last month by Foreign Minister Casten Nemra to Rep. Katie Porter, a California Democrat who chairs the House Natural Resources Committee’s oversight and investigations panel.
“The State and Interior Department officials involved have been unwilling to discuss an agenda for the talks and tried to confine the discussion to their own limited proposals,” Nemra wrote. “The nuclear issue clearly was one reason. All issues raised by the Marshall Islands were met with assertions that they did not have authority to discuss the matters without any indication that they would seek it.”
Sen. Paul said the American approach needs to change.
“I believe the U.S. has the legal and moral obligation to make sure they clean up this debris,” Paul said. “We want to make sure we get a better deal this time around. As they say, the third time is a charm.”
In Life There Is Time For Everything,,,The Worst Thing That Happens Is Many Do Not Know How To Allot It... Prioritize It,,,And Spend Time On Creativity & Selfless Service To Less Privileged.
So Dear Friends , NOW Is The THE TIME To Enjoy And Share Your JOY Especially With People Who
Need Your Attention And Assistance.
Here's another from my recent Minnesota trip that was on my wish list. When we were here in May we only got one train here at the 37th Avenue crossing and it wasn't the classic head on view of a train coming south under the DMIR docks, so I prioritized that this time.
This is an interesting stretch of track because it sees trains of four different Class 1s operate on it, owner BNSF, and trains of CPKC, UP, and CN which are successors to legacy Twin Ports carriers Soo, CNW, and DMIR. Dating from 1892 the tracks here were once owned by the short Duluth Transfer Railway, a Northern Pacific subsidiary. Note the twin mileposts with the 2.51 at right being the BNSF's ex NP/DTRR mileage and the 0 at left which is the beginning of CN's ex Missabe mainline. To learn more about the NP and the Duluth Transfer check out this tremendous link: zenithcity.com/archive/historic-industry/the-northern-pac...
Just about to cross Merrit Creek and 37th Avenue is a CN Proctor Yard job bringing a string of ore hoppers down to the waterfront presumably for limestone loading at CN-Hallett Dock 5. The train is led by a pair of rebuilt tunnel motors bracketing an SD40-2, BLE 903, IC 6261, and DMIR 408 all in CN dress.
In the background at right berthed up beside CN's ex DMIR Dock 6 taking on a load of iron ore is the Interlake Steamship Company's M/V Mesabi Miner. The self unloading bulk carrier was laid down in 1975 by American Shipbuilding of Lorraine, OH and christened in 1977 to honor the men and women of Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range. She has always been part of the Interlake fleet and at 1004 ft long she was the 4th thousand footer on the Great Lakes and one of 13 still sailing (including one which is technically and ITB).
Duluth, Minnesota
Sunday October 8, 2023
In June 2020, after experiencing a devastating spring due to COVID, New York State announced that certain businesses could begin partially opening again. New York City’s response included a program called Open Restaurants, which allowed restaurants to use sidewalks and parking spaces for outdoor, socially distant dining. Owners quickly built temporary enclosures in the streets in front of their businesses to try and recover from months of shutdown. Small stretches of Brooklyn in early 2021 display the variety and feel of these enclosures. Hopefully, the Open Restaurants initiative will help these businesses to survive and may even lead to a more permanent reorienting of streets to prioritize people over cars.
He has this sinking feeling…………
This is rather long and somber, I would skip reading it :)
His performance review at his place of employment is coming up within the next month. He is an architect and he loves his job. The job has a built in renewal and variety because each project is different and each typically has a relatively short time frame. He is able to explore emotional, physical and spiritual connections in conceptual design. He engages in technical and administrative problem solving during documentation. He wings it during the free-for-all that is construction. A project goes through all of the phases and then the next project starts anew.
He learns something new every single day. Although he still has much to learn, he has his moments where he is good at his job. He has been working on construction administration for the past two years on a single project, which is much longer than usual but the project is much larger. He has an acute understanding of the need for efficiency in his work, proper prioritization and the importance of highlighting potential construction and/or liability issues to his firm. This protects the firm financially and legally – which provides him with a salary and job security. It also protects his personal time which provides him with a well-rounded life – time to spend with her and the boys, time to play with pictures and time to do laundry.
His review one year ago was excellent. This is about to change this year – and he was forewarned in his mid-year review. The focus is shifting from his performance. His firm is instituting ‘performance management’. This is more of a cultural phenomenon than an architectural one. She is a speech language pathologist, also is facing some aspects of this at her place of employment and he has heard of other industries incorporating this as well.
‘Performance Management’ first establishes your job description. Part of your review is based on your ability to achieve your job requirements. Then you must then establish personal / professional goals that fall outside of the scope of your job description. Goals that increase the marketability of the firm and directly benefit the firm are greatly encouraged. Reviews to track goal achievement status are held bi-monthly.
Essentially what this means is that you have to do work for and on behalf of your firm on your personal time.
The emotionally intelligent response is to find goals that are mutually beneficial to you and the firm. At this particular stage in his life, however, he does not have any available free time to devote to extra work projects. Either she, the boys or personal hygiene would need to be sacrificed. Maybe he should stop showering until his new ‘personal’ goals have been attained.
One of the reasons that he loves working at his firm is that they are very smart and have excellent processes. Intelligence is something that he values greatly, but they have totally dropped the ball on this issue. They present this nonsense to him as if they are doing this for his benefit and that it is in his best interest – although he does not need help deciding how to use his free time.
Unemployment in the United States is an issue, particularly in architecture. Now he is in a difficult position. He can choose to sacrifice his personal life to maintain his standing in his firm and keep his job. Or he can play the survival game of trying to get through bi-monthly reviews that highlight his lack of achievement for as long as he can until his job is lost. There are many qualified candidates out there – and many of those would gladly devote their free time to the firm in exchange for being employed.
Choosing between having a life and working to survive isn’t much of a choice. It is simple, crass exploitation. It’s disappointing. He thought we were better than that – he guesses we are not.
And he has this sinking feeling…………..