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Lady Gaga
ARTRAVE THE ARTPOP BALL
FT LAUDERDALE (FL)
May 4th, 2014
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Alexis Mag Vol.004
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Photography: Shavonne Wong (zhiffyphotography)
Styling: Raudhah Hanafi
Assistants: Jeslin Lee
Hair and Makeup: Julyen Z L.
Model: Amanda Tataryn (Mannequin)
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Il rapper americano Machine Gun Kelly arriva in Italia per un’imperdibile data al CarroPonte di Sesto San Giovanni, Milano il 20 giugno.
Richard Colson Baker, meglio noto come Machine Gun Kelly o MGK, è un rapper, chitarrista e attore statunitense.
Machine Gun Kelly inizia la sua carriera musicale da teenager, pubblicando il suo primo mixtape nel 2006. Produce poi negli anni altri quattro mixtape, fino ad attirare l'attenzione nazionale nel 2010. MGK ha poi firmato un contratto con la Bad Boy e la Interscope Records nel 2011. Il suo album di debutto con una major, Lace Up, uscito nell'Ottobre 2012, contiene singoli come "Wild Boy", "Invincible", "Stereo" e "Hold On (Shut up)", e ha debuttato nella Billboard 200 in quarta posizione. La Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) ha successivamente confermato che l'album ha venduto più di 178000 copie. Nel 2015, produce i singoli "Till I Die" e "A Little More", che anticipano il suo secondo album ufficiale in studio, "General Admission", distribuito nell'Ottobre 2015.
Machine Gun Kelly, 26 anni, è il rapper americano del momento. Viene dall’Ohio e ha rilasciato il suo primo album Lace Up nel 2012 via Interscope Records. La sua ultima hit Bad Things (cantata in collaborazione con Camila Cabello, ex-membro delle Fifth Harmony) è in testa alle classifiche mondiali (certificata Platino negli Stati Uniti).
Il 2016 è stato un anno fortunato per Kelly che ha esplorato altri orizzonti oltre alla musica, prendendo parte a diversi progetti. Ha infatti recitato come attore nella serie firmata da Cameron Crowe Roadies, nel film indipendente Punk Is Dead, Nerve (con Dave Franco ed Emma Roberts) e in The Land (con Erykah Badu). Ha inoltre firmato con la Wilhelmina Modeling Agency, sfilando durante la settimana della moda di Londra e la NYFW.
Machine Gun Kelly è una stella in ascesa, spinto dalla determinazione e dalla passione a raggiungere gli obiettivi. “Ho cominciato dal basso” - dichiara - “ho sempre incoraggiato i giovani a migliorare sé stessi, cogliendo le opportunità che la vita ci offre e provando cose nuove. Chiunque tu sia, devi sapere che puoi farcela lavorando sodo ed essendo determinato. Non bisogna mai smettere di crederci.”
This shot was published in the January 2008 issue of Digital Photogrpaher Issue #65. Here is a link to the online version of the magazine: Digital Photographer
Lady Gaga
ARTRAVE "THE ARTPOP BALL"
Boardwalk Hall
Atlantic City, NJ
June 28th, 2014
© 2014 LEROE24FOTOS.COM
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED,
BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
Published by the American Crayon Company, Sandusky Ohio. A division of the Joseph Dixon Crucible Company. Founded by Cyrus W. Knouff. Most of the 16 or so editions I have were credited to Edward Adams for the visuals, concept, design, and typography.
This particular edition is credited to Robert Kostka for both text and design. This edition is on the Prairie School, and is largely on Frank Lloyd Wright, but it also showcases William E. Drummond, Walter Burley Griffin, and William Gray Purcell. These publications are a find.
Published: 1959 Author: E. M. Belknap; Publisher: New York; Crown Publishers; Hardback. Fifth printing. 338pp. Filled with over 440 b/w photographs. An almost entirely photographic guide to Milk Glass.
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Gli America tornano in Italia per un’imperdibile data il 15 ottobre presso il Teatro Dal Verme di Milano.
Una di quelle notizie che mobilitano intere generazioni di appassionati, a ogni latitudine e longitudine: uno dei gruppi che ha fatto la storia di un genere, che ha sancito usi e costumi di una generazione, influenzando inevitabilmente le altre a seguire.
"A horse with no name", "Ventura highway", "I need you", "Tin man", "Don't cross the river", "You can do magic", "Lonely People" e "Sister Golden Hair", alcune delle loro hit mondiali riconoscibili al primo accordo, che, oggi come allora, sono inevitabilmente nelle playlist di qualsiasi radio in giro per l'etere dell'universo. Un mix di folk e rock inconfondibile, capace di accendere l'entusiasmo di coloro che hanno "vissuto" gli America in quegli anni e in chi li scopre ogni volta che si avvicina al loro repertorio "west coast", unico per quantità e qualità, che sconfina in tanti generi musicali. Solo "Ventura highway" ha uno degli intro più campionati nella storia della musica più recente...
Da sempre, gli America sono Gerry Beckley e Dewey Bunnell (il terzo membro, Dan Peek, è scomparso anni fa), compagni di liceo nella Londra di fine anni '60, capaci di scrivere alcune delle pagine più armoniose del rock e di trovarsi, oltre quaranta anni dopo, a fare musica insieme, girando il mondo ed entusiasmando il pubblico con il loro suono senza tempo.
Vincitori di Grammy (nel 1972 come "Migliore Nuovo Artista"!) e di innumerevoli dischi d'oro e di platino, prodotti da Geoff Emerick, George Martin (Beatles), gli America debuttano con "A horse with no name" alla fine del 1971, che arriva al primo posto in USA e in mezzo mondo. Segue "I need you", un altro grande successo. “Ventura highway" è il primo singolo realizzato con la collaborazione di Neil Young, numero uno nel dicembre 1972. Da lì una serie di dischi memorabili e di tour mondiali.
Gli America sono un gruppo capace di superare i confini con la sua musica edificante e un messaggio positivo. Abbracciando un arcobaleno di culture divergenti, il pubblico americano continua a crescere, comprendendo una fedele legione di fan di prima, seconda e terza generazione, tutti testimoni del duraturo appeal del gruppo.
"Penso che gli ingredienti del sound degli America siano i fondamentali di base che si traducono a livello internazionale", spiega Beckley. "Gli italiani sono grandi fan della musica da ballo, ma amano anche una ballata, sono romantici nel cuore, è la stessa cosa in Estremo Oriente, molte volte in questi paesi, vediamo gente che canta e loro non sanno davvero cosa significano le parole, la musica è veramente la lingua internazionale.”
Gerry Beckley – lead and backing vocals, keyboards, guitars, bass, harmonica
Dewey Bunnell – lead and backing vocals, guitars, percussion
Current touring musicians
Richard Campbell – bass, vocals
Ryland Steen – drums, percussion
Andy Barr – guitars, banjo, keyboards, backing vocals
The Postcard
A postally unused carte postale published by Ern. Thill of Brussels.
Ostend
Ostend (Dutch: Oostende, French: Ostende) is a coastal city located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium.
On the 19th. September 1826 the local artillery magazine exploded. At least 20 people were killed and a further 200 injured. The affluent quarter of d'Hargras was levelled, and scarcely a building in the city escaped damage. Disease followed the devastation, leading to further deaths.
Ostend became a transit harbour to England in 1846 when the first ferry sailed to Dover.
Important for the image of the town was the attention it started to receive from the Belgian kings Leopold I and Leopold II. Both monarchs liked to spend their holidays in Ostend.
Important monuments and villas were built to please the Royal Family, including the Hippodrome Wellington horse racing track and the Royal Galleries. The rest of aristocratic Belgium followed, and soon Ostend became known as:
"The Queen of Belgian
Seaside Resorts".
Ostend (in common with nearly the entirety of the country) was occupied by German forces and used as an access point to the sea for submarines and other light naval forces for much of the duration of the Great War. As a consequence the port was subjected to two naval assaults by the British Royal Navy.
World War II involved a second occupation of the town by Germany within a period of little more than twenty years; an occupation which it shared this time with most of northern Europe.
Both conflicts brought significant destruction to Ostend. In addition, other opulent buildings which had survived the wars were later replaced with structures in the modernist style.
The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a large species of lizard found in the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang, and Padar. A member of the monitor lizard family Varanidae, it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of 3 metres in rare cases and weighing up to approximately 70 kilograms.
Their unusually large size has been attributed to island gigantism, since no other carnivorous animals fill the niche on the islands where they live. However, recent research suggests the large size of Komodo dragons may be better understood as representative of a relict population of very large varanid lizards that once lived across Indonesia and Australia, most of which, along with other megafauna, died out after the Pleistocene. Fossils very similar to V. komodoensis have been found in Australia dating to greater than 3.8 million years ago, and its body size remained stable on Flores, one of the handful of Indonesian islands where it is currently found, over the last 900,000 years, "a time marked by major faunal turnovers, extinction of the island's megafauna, and the arrival of early hominids by 880 ka [kiloannums]."
As a result of their size, these lizards dominate the ecosystems in which they live. Komodo dragons hunt and ambush prey including invertebrates, birds, and mammals. It has been claimed that they have a venomous bite; there are two glands in the lower jaw which secrete several toxic proteins. The biological significance of these proteins is disputed, but the glands have been shown to secrete an anticoagulant. Komodo dragon group behaviour in hunting is exceptional in the reptile world. The diet of big Komodo dragons mainly consists of deer, though they also eat considerable amounts of carrion. Komodo dragons also occasionally attack humans in the area of West Manggarai Regency where they live in Indonesia.
Mating begins between May and August, and the eggs are laid in September. About 20 eggs are deposited in abandoned megapode nests or in a self-dug nesting hole. The eggs are incubated for seven to eight months, hatching in April, when insects are most plentiful. Young Komodo dragons are vulnerable and therefore dwell in trees, safe from predators and cannibalistic adults. They take 8 to 9 years to mature, and are estimated to live up to 30 years.
Komodo dragons were first recorded by Western scientists in 1910. Their large size and fearsome reputation make them popular zoo exhibits. In the wild, their range has contracted due to human activities, and they are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. They are protected under Indonesian law, and a national park, Komodo National Park, was founded to aid protection efforts.
ETYMOLOGY
The Komodo dragon is also known as the Komodo monitor or the Komodo Island monitor in scientific literature, although this is not very common. To the natives of Komodo Island, it is referred to as ora, buaya darat (land crocodile), or biawak raksasa (giant monitor).
EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY
The evolutionary development of the Komodo dragon started with the Varanus genus, which originated in Asia about 40 million years ago and migrated to Australia. Around 15 million years ago, a collision between Australia and Southeast Asia allowed the varanids to move into what is now the Indonesian archipelago, extending their range as far east as the island of Timor. The Komodo dragon was believed to have differentiated from its Australian ancestors 4 million years ago. However, recent fossil evidence from Queensland suggests the Komodo dragon evolved in Australia before spreading to Indonesia. Dramatic lowering of sea level during the last glacial period uncovered extensive stretches of continental shelf that the Komodo dragon colonized, becoming isolated in their present island range as sea levels rose afterwards.
DESCRIPTION
In the wild, an adult Komodo dragon usually weighs around 70 kg, although captive specimens often weigh more. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, an average adult male will weigh 79 to 91 kg and measure 2.59 m, while an average female will weigh 68 to 73 kg and measure 2.29 m. The largest verified wild specimen was 3.13 m long and weighed 166 kg, including undigested food. The Komodo dragon has a tail as long as its body, as well as about 60 frequently replaced, serrated teeth that can measure up to 2.5 cm in length. Its saliva is frequently blood-tinged, because its teeth are almost completely covered by gingival tissue that is naturally lacerated during feeding. This creates an ideal culture for the bacteria that live in its mouth. It also has a long, yellow, deeply forked tongue. Komodo dragon skin is reinforced by armoured scales, which contain tiny bones called osteoderms that function as a sort of natural chain-mail. This rugged hide makes Komodo dragon skin poorly suited for making into leather.
SENSES
As with other Varanids, Komodo dragons have only a single ear bone, the stapes, for transferring vibrations from the tympanic membrane to the cochlea. This arrangement means they are likely restricted to sounds in the 400 to 2,000 hertz range, compared to humans who hear between 20 and 20,000 hertz. It was formerly thought to be deaf when a study reported no agitation in wild Komodo dragons in response to whispers, raised voices, or shouts. This was disputed when London Zoological Garden employee Joan Proctor trained a captive specimen to come out to feed at the sound of her voice, even when she could not be seen.
The Komodo dragon can see objects as far away as 300 m, but because its retinas only contain cones, it is thought to have poor night vision. The Komodo dragon is able to see in color, but has poor visual discrimination of stationary objects.
The Komodo dragon uses its tongue to detect, taste, and smell stimuli, as with many other reptiles, with the vomeronasal sense using the Jacobson's organ, rather than using the nostrils. With the help of a favorable wind and its habit of swinging its head from side to side as it walks, a Komodo dragon may be able to detect carrion from 4–9.5 km away. It only has a few taste buds in the back of its throat. Its scales, some of which are reinforced with bone, have sensory plaques connected to nerves to facilitate its sense of touch. The scales around the ears, lips, chin, and soles of the feet may have three or more sensory plaques.
BEHAVIOUR AND ECOLOGY
The Komodo dragon prefers hot and dry places, and typically lives in dry, open grassland, savanna, and tropical forest at low elevations. As an ectotherm, it is most active in the day, although it exhibits some nocturnal activity. Komodo dragons are solitary, coming together only to breed and eat. They are capable of running rapidly in brief sprints up to 20 km/h, diving up to 4.5 m, and climbing trees proficiently when young through use of their strong claws. To catch out-of-reach prey, the Komodo dragon may stand on its hind legs and use its tail as a support. As it matures, its claws are used primarily as weapons, as its great size makes climbing impractical.
For shelter, the Komodo dragon digs holes that can measure from 1–3 m wide with its powerful forelimbs and claws. Because of its large size and habit of sleeping in these burrows, it is able to conserve body heat throughout the night and minimize its basking period the morning after. The Komodo dragon hunts in the afternoon, but stays in the shade during the hottest part of the day. These special resting places, usually located on ridges with cool sea breezes, are marked with droppings and are cleared of vegetation. They serve as strategic locations from which to ambush deer.
DIET
Komodo dragons are carnivores. Although they eat mostly carrion, they will also ambush live prey with a stealthy approach. When suitable prey arrives near a dragon's ambush site, it will suddenly charge at the animal and go for the underside or the throat. It is able to locate its prey using its keen sense of smell, which can locate a dead or dying animal from a range of up to 9.5 km. Komodo dragons have been observed knocking down large pigs and deer with their strong tails.
Komodo dragons eat by tearing large chunks of flesh and swallowing them whole while holding the carcass down with their forelegs. For smaller prey up to the size of a goat, their loosely articulated jaws, flexible skulls, and expandable stomachs allow them to swallow prey whole. The vegetable contents of the stomach and intestines are typically avoided. Copious amounts of red saliva the Komodo dragons produce help to lubricate the food, but swallowing is still a long process (15–20 minutes to swallow a goat). A Komodo dragon may attempt to speed up the process by ramming the carcass against a tree to force it down its throat, sometimes ramming so forcefully, the tree is knocked down. To prevent itself from suffocating while swallowing, it breathes using a small tube under the tongue that connects to the lungs. After eating up to 80% of its body weight in one meal, it drags itself to a sunny location to speed digestion, as the food could rot and poison the dragon if left undigested for too long. Because of their slow metabolism, large dragons can survive on as little as 12 meals a year. After digestion, the Komodo dragon regurgitates a mass of horns, hair, and teeth known as the gastric pellet, which is covered in malodorous mucus. After regurgitating the gastric pellet, it rubs its face in the dirt or on bushes to get rid of the mucus, suggesting, like humans, it does not relish the scent of its own excretions.
The largest animals eat first, while the smaller ones follow a hierarchy. The largest male asserts his dominance and the smaller males show their submission by use of body language and rumbling hisses. Dragons of equal size may resort to "wrestling". Losers usually retreat, though they have been known to be killed and eaten by victors.
The Komodo dragon's diet is wide-ranging, and includes invertebrates, other reptiles (including smaller Komodo dragons), birds, bird eggs, small mammals, monkeys, wild boar, goats, deer, horses, and water buffalo. Young Komodos will eat insects, eggs, geckos, and small mammals. Occasionally, they consume humans and human corpses, digging up bodies from shallow graves. This habit of raiding graves caused the villagers of Komodo to move their graves from sandy to clay ground and pile rocks on top of them to deter the lizards. The Komodo dragon may have evolved to feed on the extinct dwarf elephant Stegodon that once lived on Flores, according to evolutionary biologist Jared Diamond.
The Komodo dragon drinks by sucking water into its mouth via buccal pumping (a process also used for respiration), lifting its head, and letting the water run down its throat.
SALIVA
Auffenberg described the Komodo dragon as having septic pathogens in its saliva (he described the saliva as "reddish and copious"), specifically the bacteria E. coli, Staphylococcus sp., Providencia sp., Proteus morgani, and P. mirabilis. He noted, while these pathogens can be found in the mouths of wild Komodo dragons, they disappear from the mouths of captive animals, due to cleaner diets and the use of antibiotics. This was verified by taking mucous samples from the external gum surfaces of the upper jaws of two freshly captured individuals. Saliva samples were analyzed by researchers at the University of Texas, who found 57 strains of bacteria growing in the mouths of three wild Komodo dragons, including Pasteurella multocida. The rapid growth of these bacteria was noted by Fredeking: "Normally it takes about three days for a sample of P. multocida to cover a Petri dish; ours took eight hours. We were very taken aback by how virulent these strains were". This study supported the observation that wounds inflicted by the Komodo dragon are often associated with sepsis and subsequent infections in prey animals. How the Komodo dragon is unaffected by these virulent bacteria remains a mystery.Research in 2013 suggested that the bacteria in the mouths of komodo dragons are ordinary and similar to those found in other carnivores. They actually have surprisingly good mouth hygiene. As Bryan Fry put it: "After they are done feeding, they will spend 10 to 15 minutes lip-licking and rubbing their head in the leaves to clean their mouth... Unlike people have been led to believe, they do not have chunks of rotting flesh from their meals on their teeth, cultivating bacteria." The observation of prey dying of sepsis would then be explained by the natural instinct of water buffalos, who are not native to the islands where the Komodo dragon lives, to run into water when attacked. The warm, feces filled water would then cause the infections. The study used samples from 16 captive dragons (10 adults and six neonates) from three U.S. zoos.
VENOM
In late 2005, researchers at the University of Melbourne speculated the perentie (Varanus giganteus), other species of monitors, and agamids may be somewhat venomous. The team believes the immediate effects of bites from these lizards were caused by mild envenomation. Bites on human digits by a lace monitor (V. varius), a Komodo dragon, and a spotted tree monitor (V. scalaris) all produced similar effects: rapid swelling, localized disruption of blood clotting, and shooting pain up to the elbow, with some symptoms lasting for several hours.
In 2009, the same researchers published further evidence demonstrating Komodo dragons possess a venomous bite. MRI scans of a preserved skull showed the presence of two glands in the lower jaw. The researchers extracted one of these glands from the head of a terminally ill specimen in the Singapore Zoological Gardens, and found it secreted several different toxic proteins. The known functions of these proteins include inhibition of blood clotting, lowering of blood pressure, muscle paralysis, and the induction of hypothermia, leading to shock and loss of consciousness in envenomated prey. As a result of the discovery, the previous theory that bacteria were responsible for the deaths of Komodo victims was disputed.
Kurt Schwenk, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Connecticut, finds the discovery of these glands intriguing, but considers most of the evidence for venom in the study to be "meaningless, irrelevant, incorrect or falsely misleading". Even if the lizards have venom-like proteins in their mouths, Schwenk argues, they may be using them for a different function, and he doubts venom is necessary to explain the effect of a Komodo dragon bite, arguing that shock and blood loss are the primary factors.
Other scientists such as Washington State University's Biologist Kenneth V. Kardong and Toxicologists Scott A. Weinstein and Tamara L. Smith, have stated that this allegation of venom glands "has had the effect of underestimating the variety of complex roles played by oral secretions in the biology of reptiles, produced a very narrow view of oral secretions and resulted in misinterpretation of reptilian evolution". According to these scientists "reptilian oral secretions contribute to many biological roles other than to quickly dispatch prey". These researchers concluded that, "Calling all in this clade venomous implies an overall potential danger that does not exist, misleads in the assessment of medical risks, and confuses the biological assessment of squamate biochemical systems".
REPRODUCTION
Mating occurs between May and August, with the eggs laid in September. During this period, males fight over females and territory by grappling with one another upon their hind legs, with the loser eventually being pinned to the ground. These males may vomit or defecate when preparing for the fight. The winner of the fight will then flick his long tongue at the female to gain information about her receptivity. Females are antagonistic and resist with their claws and teeth during the early phases of courtship. Therefore, the male must fully restrain the female during coitus to avoid being hurt. Other courtship displays include males rubbing their chins on the female, hard scratches to the back, and licking. Copulation occurs when the male inserts one of his hemipenes into the female's cloaca. Komodo dragons may be monogamous and form "pair bonds", a rare behavior for lizards. Female Komodos lay their eggs from August to September and may use several types of locality; in one study, 60% laid their eggs in the nests of orange-footed scrubfowl (a moundbuilder or megapode), 20% on ground level and 20% in hilly areas. The females make many camouflage nests/holes to prevent other dragons from eating the eggs. Clutches contain an average of 20 eggs, which have an incubation period of 7–8 months. Hatching is an exhausting effort for the neonates, which break out of their eggshells with an egg tooth that falls off soon after. After cutting themselves out, the hatchlings may lie in their eggshells for hours before starting to dig out of the nest. They are born quite defenseless and are vulnerable to predation. Sixteen youngsters from a single nest were on average 46.5 cm long and weighed 105.1 grams. Young Komodo dragons spend much of their first few years in trees, where they are relatively safe from predators, including cannibalistic adults, as juvenile dragons make up 10% of their diets. The habit of cannibalism may be advantageous in sustaining the large size of adults, as medium-sized prey on the islands is rare. When the young approach a kill, they roll around in fecal matter and rest in the intestines of eviscerated animals to deter these hungry adults. Komodo dragons take approximately three to five years to mature, and may live for up to 50 years.
PARTHENOGENESIS
A Komodo dragon at London Zoo named Sungai laid a clutch of eggs in late 2005 after being separated from male company for more than two years. Scientists initially assumed she had been able to store sperm from her earlier encounter with a male, an adaptation known as superfecundation. On 20 December 2006, it was reported that Flora, a captive Komodo dragon living in the Chester Zoo in England, was the second known Komodo dragon to have laid unfertilized eggs: she laid 11 eggs, and seven of them hatched, all of them male. Scientists at Liverpool University in England performed genetic tests on three eggs that collapsed after being moved to an incubator, and verified Flora had never been in physical contact with a male dragon. After Flora's eggs' condition had been discovered, testing showed Sungai's eggs were also produced without outside fertilization. On 31 January 2008, the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas, became the first zoo in the Americas to document parthenogenesis in Komodo dragons. The zoo has two adult female Komodo dragons, one of which laid about 17 eggs on 19–20 May 2007. Only two eggs were incubated and hatched due to space issues; the first hatched on 31 January 2008, while the second hatched on 1 February. Both hatchlings were males.
Komodo dragons have the ZW chromosomal sex-determination system, as opposed to the mammalian XY system. Male progeny prove Flora's unfertilized eggs were haploid (n) and doubled their chromosomes later to become diploid (2n) (by being fertilized by a polar body, or by chromosome duplication without cell division), rather than by her laying diploid eggs by one of the meiosis reduction-divisions in her ovaries failing. When a female Komodo dragon (with ZW sex chromosomes) reproduces in this manner, she provides her progeny with only one chromosome from each of her pairs of chromosomes, including only one of her two sex chromosomes. This single set of chromosomes is duplicated in the egg, which develops parthenogenetically. Eggs receiving a Z chromosome become ZZ (male); those receiving a W chromosome become WW and fail to develop, meaning that only males are produced by parthenogenesis in this species.
It has been hypothesized that this reproductive adaptation allows a single female to enter an isolated ecological niche (such as an island) and by parthenogenesis produce male offspring, thereby establishing a sexually reproducing population (via reproduction with her offspring that can result in both male and female young). Despite the advantages of such an adaptation, zoos are cautioned that parthenogenesis may be detrimental to genetic diversity.
HISTORY
DISCOVERY BY THE WESTERN WORLD
Komodo dragons were first documented by Europeans in 1910, when rumors of a "land crocodile" reached Lieutenant van Steyn van Hensbroek of the Dutch colonial administration. Widespread notoriety came after 1912, when Peter Ouwens, the director of the Zoological Museum at Bogor, Java, published a paper on the topic after receiving a photo and a skin from the lieutenant, as well as two other specimens from a collector. The first two live Komodo dragons to arrive in Europe were exhibited in the Reptile House at London Zoo when it opened in 1927. Joan Beauchamp Procter made some of the earliest observations of these animals in captivity and she demonstrated the behaviour of one of these animals at a Scientific Meeting of the Zoological Society of London in 1928. The Komodo dragon was the driving factor for an expedition to Komodo Island by W. Douglas Burden in 1926. After returning with 12 preserved specimens and 2 live ones, this expedition provided the inspiration for the 1933 movie King Kong. It was also Burden who coined the common name "Komodo dragon." Three of his specimens were stuffed and are still on display in the American Museum of Natural History.
STUDIES
The Dutch, realizing the limited number of individuals in the wild, outlawed sport hunting and heavily limited the number of individuals taken for scientific study. Collecting expeditions ground to a halt with the occurrence of World War II, not resuming until the 1950s and 1960s, when studies examined the Komodo dragon's feeding behavior, reproduction, and body temperature. At around this time, an expedition was planned in which a long-term study of the Komodo dragon would be undertaken. This task was given to the Auffenberg family, who stayed on Komodo Island for 11 months in 1969. During their stay, Walter Auffenberg and his assistant Putra Sastrawan captured and tagged more than 50 Komodo dragons. The research from the Auffenberg expedition would prove to be enormously influential in raising Komodo dragons in captivity. Research after that of the Auffenberg family has shed more light on the nature of the Komodo dragon, with biologists such as Claudio Ciofi continuing to study the creatures.
CONSERVATION
The Komodo dragon is a vulnerable species and is on the IUCN Red List. There are approximately 4,000 to 5,000 living Komodo dragons in the wild. Their populations are restricted to the islands of Gili Motang (100), Gili Dasami (100), Rinca (1,300), Komodo (1,700), and Flores (perhaps 2,000). However, there are concerns that there may presently be only 350 breeding females. To address these concerns, the Komodo National Park was founded in 1980 to protect Komodo dragon populations on islands including Komodo, Rinca, and Padar. Later, the Wae Wuul and Wolo Tado Reserves were opened on Flores to aid with Komodo dragon conservation.
Komodo dragons avoid encounters with humans. Juveniles are very shy and will flee quickly into a hideout if a human comes closer than about 100 metres. Older animals will also retreat from humans from a shorter distance away. If cornered, they will react aggressively by gaping their mouth, hissing, and swinging their tail. If they are disturbed further, they may start an attack and bite. Although there are anecdotes of unprovoked Komodo dragons attacking or preying on humans, most of these reports are either not reputable or caused by defensive bites. Only a very few cases are truly the result of unprovoked attacks by abnormal individuals, which lost their fear towards humans.
Volcanic activity, earthquakes, loss of habitat, fire, loss of prey due to poaching, tourism, and illegal poaching of the dragons themselves have all contributed to the vulnerable status of the Komodo dragon. Under Appendix I of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), commercial trade of skins or specimens is illegal.
On Padar, a former population of the Komodo dragon became extinct, of which the last individuals were seen in 1975. It is widely assumed that the Komodo dragon died out on Padar after a strong decline of the populations of large ungulate prey, for which poaching was most likely responsible.
IN CAPTIVITY
Komodo dragons have long been great zoo attractions, where their size and reputation make them popular exhibits. They are, however, rare in zoos because they are susceptible to infection and parasitic disease if captured from the wild, and do not readily reproduce. As of May 2009, there were 13 European, 2 African, 35 North American, 1 Singaporean, and 2 Australian institutions that kept Komodo dragons.
The first Komodo dragons were displayed at London Zoo in 1927. A Komodo dragon was exhibited in 1934 at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., but it lived for only two years. More attempts to exhibit Komodo dragons were made, but the lifespan of these animals was very short, averaging five years in the National Zoological Park. Studies done by Walter Auffenberg, which were documented in his book The Behavioral Ecology of the Komodo Monitor, eventually allowed for more successful managing and reproducing of the dragons in captivity.
A variety of behaviors have been observed from captive specimens. Most individuals are relatively tame within a short time, and are capable of recognizing individual humans and discriminating between familiar keepers. Komodo dragons have also been observed to engage in play with a variety of objects, including shovels, cans, plastic rings, and shoes. This behavior does not seem to be "food-motivated predatory behavior".
Even seemingly docile dragons may become unpredictably aggressive, especially when the animal's territory is invaded by someone unfamiliar. In June 2001, a Komodo dragon seriously injured Phil Bronstein, the then husband of actress Sharon Stone, when he entered its enclosure at the Los Angeles Zoo after being invited in by its keeper. Bronstein was bitten on his bare foot, as the keeper had told him to take off his white shoes and socks, which the keeper stated could potentially excite the Komodo dragon as they were the same color as the white rats the zoo fed the dragon. Although he escaped, Bronstein needed to have several tendons in his foot reattached surgically.
IN POPULARE CULTURE
Komodo dragons are used as a main theme in Komodo (1999), Curse of the Komodo (2004) and Komodo vs. Cobra (2005).
The comedy team of Bob and Ray performed a popular sketch entitled "The Komodo Dragon Expert."
The plot of the 1990 film, The Freshman, involves a university freshman, an aging mobster and a Komodo dragon.
In the 2012 James Bond film Skyfall, one of the Chinese henchmen in a casino that Bond visits in Macau is overtaken, dragged off and presumably killed by a Komodo dragon.
WIKIPEDIA
This photograph was published in the Illustrated Chronicle 22 Aug 1916 p7.
During the Great War the Illustrated Chronicle published photographs of soldiers and sailors from Newcastle and the North East of England, which had been in the news. The photographs were sent in by relatives and give us a glimpse into the past.
The physical collection held by Newcastle Libraries comprises bound volumes of the newspaper from 1910 to 1925. We are keen to find out more about the people in the photographs. If you recognise anyone in the images and have any stories and information to add please comment below.
Table of Logarithms by Charles Babbage, 1827
Babbage’s logarithms tables, first published in 1827, had a reputation for exceptional reliability. Babbage did not compute the tables from scratch but used reputable tables by Francois Callet as the starting point. Nine separate stages of painstaking checking were used to verify correctness. The results were stereotyped and the volume remained in print for over a century. This volume was published in 1912.
The Babbage Engine
"Charles Babbage (1791-1871), computer pioneer, designed the first automatic computing engines. He invented computers but failed to build them. The first complete Babbage Engine was completed in London in 2002, 153 years after it was designed. Difference Engine No. 2, built faithfully to the original drawings, consists of 8,000 parts, weighs five tons, and measures 11 feet long."
www.computerhistory.org/babbage/
Computer History Museum
Mountain View, CA
(6830)
CROP REPORT - A nice-looking potato crop marches off toward the bottom of the Manitoba Escarpment near Morden, Man.
- Jordyn Jones Photo | Photo Published by Social Media www.facebook.com/jordynonline/photos/a.1160112900683739.1... | Website: www.jordynonline.com - www.jordynjonesofficial.com | Tags: #jordynjones #actress #model #singer #dancer #designer
Photo Published in "Tail Fins and Chrome" magazine; Vol. 3, Issue 2:
Several movies have been filmed in Georgetown, including 1973 horror film The Exorcist, which was set in the neighborhood and partially filmed there. In the movie's climactic scene, the protagonist is hurled down the 75-step staircase at the end of 36th Street NW, which connects Prospect Street with M Street below. The staircase has come to be known as the "Exorcist Steps". A false front was built onto the house at the top of the steps so that the bedroom windows would immediately overlook the steps. The real structure is considerably set-back.
This photograph was published in the Illustrated Chronicle on the 2nd of August 1915.
During the Great War the Illustrated Chronicle published photographs of soldiers and sailors from Newcastle and the North East of England, which had been in the news. The photographs were sent in by relatives and give us a glimpse into the past.
The physical collection held by Newcastle Libraries comprises bound volumes of the newspaper from 1910 to 1925. We are keen to find out more about the people in the photographs. If you recognise anyone in the images and have any stories and information to add please comment below.
Copies of this photograph may be ordered from us, for more information see: www.newcastle.gov.uk/tlt Please make a note of the image reference number above to help speed up your order.
Probably won't find this in your Dentist office waiting room, but maybe in your town hall. Circulation of around 80,000. Plus they sent me $250.00!
It is ironic when you try to escape your destiny and in your escape you encounter it. As old as civilization, mankind has always feared this fate: "Is there such a thing called Destiny?" and if the answer is "yes" do we possess the power to change it. In its simplicity this theme becomes epic. From Sophocles to the Wachowski Brothers the "hero" has always tried to be stronger than his destiny. I tried to mix all these epic ancient questions with a dark texture, typical of noir cinema in the first half of XX century.
But in the end, one critical question remains: Would it have really happened if we didn´t know it?
Fondude
Arlene's Grocery
New York City
April 8th, 2016
© 2016 LEROE24FOTOS.COM
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED,
BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
© sergione infuso - all rights reserved
follow me on www.sergione.info
You may not modify, publish or use this photo without written permission and consent.
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Dopo il successo di Reservoir, disco di debutto datato 2009, i Fanfarlo tornano sulla scena musicale con un nuovo disco, Rooms Fiiled With Light. Prodotto da Ben Allen (Animal Collective, Deerhunter, Gnarls Barkley) e mixato da David Wrench (Bat For Lashes, Everything Everything, Beth Orton) Rooms Filled With Light uscirà il 28 febbraio e arriverà in Italia in primavera. Anticipato dal singolo Deconstruction, il nuovo disco si scosta completamente dall’album di debutto. Ad uno stile alternative-pop-rock si inseriscono chiari rimandi alla Talking Heads ed Arcade Fire, dove le chitarre acustiche sono state sostituite da quelle elettriche, mentre sintetizzatori e campionatori hanno preso il posto di mandolini e campanelli.
Adorati da David Bowie (“I Fanfarlo hanno quella particolare capacità di creare una musica esaltante, che al tempo stesso è benedetta da una deliziosa malinconia”) la band è in grado di coniugare le melodie pop scandinave di Simon Balthazar (cantante, inglese di adozione ma di origini scandinave) con un’impronta americana ed albionica, creando un pop orchestrale dai sussulti wave.
Atmosfere ipnotiche ed eleganti, minimalismo ed improvvisazione caratterizzano la nuova vena artistica dei Fanfarlo, alla ricerca di intense sperimentazioni sonore. Come definisce lo stesso Simon “To me the record is really about what a weird and intense experience it is just to be alive and try to make sense of the modern world with all its bewildering pressures and possibilities” .
Amos Memon - batteria, percussioni, voce
Cathy Lucas - violino, tastiere, mandolino, voce
Justin Finch - basso elettrico, voce
Leon Beckenham - tromba, tastiere, glockenspiel, melodica, voce
Simon Balthazar - voce, chitarra, tastiere, mandolino, sassofono, clarinetto
A card published by the Western Mail Ltd. bearing an image of Evan Roberts at the height of his popularity.
The card was posted in Ruabon on Thursday the 11th. May 1905 to:
Miss S.E. Lloyd,
37, Hill Street,
Lodge,
Brymbo,
Wrexham
What Miss Lloyd read on the back of the card over a century ago is as follows:
"Thursday.
I shall come and see you on Saturday.
Am singing at Rhosddu on Sunday and
having a cab to take me home.
Can you come here same time along
with me. It will cost you nothing.
Harriet".
Harriet would almost certainly have been singing in St. James's Church in Rhosddu, the foundation stone of which was laid in 1874.
Born in 1878, the subject of the card Evan John Roberts was the charismatic leader of the Welsh Religious Revival of 1904-1905, a 'spiritual awakening' which saw more than 100,000 people in Wales pledge their faith in Christianity.
The 27 year old became a huge celebrity, and the year-long religious upsurge he inspired is now seen as the instigator of the world-wide Pentecostal Movement which today numbers approximately 115 million people.
Yet after little more than a year in the public eye, in 1906 he suffered a physical and emotional collapse and retired exhausted. He recuperated in England where he lived for several years before returning to Wales to live quietly in Cardiff until his death in 1951. The 73 year old never married.
He is buried in a family plot behind the Moriah Chapel in Loughor, South Wales. This chapel was the birthplace of the Welsh Revival.
Lady Gaga
ARTRAVE "THE ARTPOP BALL"
Madison Square Garden
May 13th, 2014
© 2014 LEROE24FOTOS.COM
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED,
BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
[Taken in Paris (France) - 22Nov07]
Published on www.rue89.com - "Dans les facs et les lycées, la mobilisation ne faiblit pas".
See all my sold, published, and exhibited photos in this collection : [Sold - Published - Exhibited Works]
See all the photos of this demonstration in this set : 22Nov07 - Student Demonstration [Event]
See all the "law enforcement" photos in this set : [Law Enforcement]
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You may not modify, publish or use any files on
this page without written permission and consent.
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Il rocker italiano in concerto con una tripla data a San Siro
Vasco stesso, la prima volta, aveva anticipato il suo grande ritorno con un post sulla sua pagina ufficiale di Facebook, un post che aveva mandato i tre milioni di fans iscritti al social network in fibrillazione. Il Komandante ripartiva con il suo tour, il Live Kom. Forte del successo del brano L'uomo più semplice, il rocker, neanche a dirlo, ha riempito gli stadi di mezza Italia. Poi si è rinchiuso in sala d'incisione, ha lasciato passare un anno e poi... e poi eh già, io sono ancora qua, direbbe lui. Il Blasco è pronto a ritornare sulla scena live, intenzionato a far rivivere i più grandi successi e i nuovi inediti del tanto atteso Live Kom 014, a partire dal singolo Cambia-Menti. Vasco continua ad andare al massimo.
Vasco Rossi nel suo tour canterà senza il suo storico chitarrista Maurizio Solieri.
Ad annunciarlo è stato il produttore di 'Blasco', Guido Elmi che in un post sul social network, il cui titolo è 'Cambiamenti', spiega: "La decisione di aggiornare la formazione della band che accompagnerà Vasco Rossi nei sette concerti evento dell'estate 2014 è stimolata dalla 'urgenza artistica' di ottenere rinnovati arrangiamenti con sonorità più heavy riff-oriented".
Cambiamenti
La decisione di aggiornare la formazione della band che accompagnerà Vasco Rossi nei sette concerti evento dell’estate 2014 è stimolata dalla “urgenza artistica" di ottenere rinnovati arrangiamenti con sonorità più heavy riff-oriented" La batteria, il basso e la chitarra ritmica dovranno interagire e muoversi come una cosa sola, essere ancora di più le fondamenta su cui costruire musicalmente lo spettacolo.
Nasce da questa volontà di rinnovamento l’esigenza di avere in formazione una sola chitarra solista oltre ad avvalersi di un batterista più in linea con la nuova direzione dello show.
La band:
Per la batteria abbiamo chiesto in prestito a Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society) e agli Evanescence Will Hunt, che porterà on stage il suo set personalizzato con tanto di doppia cassa.
Al basso ci sarà Claudio Golinelli che ha sempre tenuto prestazioni di grande impatto. Dotato di un innato senso del ritmo e di un suono inconfondibile, è una colonna portante della band.
Alla chitarra solista Stef Burns ci farà ancora sognare con i suoi assoli melodici e stilisticamente impeccabili. Dove serve saprà anche potenziare ed incalzare il tessuto ritmico dei brani oltre a produrre arpeggi di grande atmosfera.
Alla chitarra ritmica una nuova entrata: Vince Pastano. Oltre ad avere una cura maniacale del suono e una particolare e aggiornata predisposizione per le divisioni ritmiche, è un ottimo chitarrista acustico.
Ad Alberto Rocchetti sono affidati il pianoforte e le tastiere. Quest’anno si presenterà con un set rinnovato e avrà la possibilità di esibirsi in assoli di orientamento progressive. Frank Nemola è colui che tranquillizza tutti, è un bravo corista, tastierista e un eccellente trombettista.
Clara Moroni è la tessitrice dei cori che adornano le canzoni, oltre a cantare lei stessa con grande intensità.
Sassofonista e flautista di grande qualità, Andrea Innesto completa a meraviglia le parti corali perché dotato di un tipo di voce molto utile ad assecondare quella di Vasco.
The Postcard
A mother looking fondly at her baby boy on a postcard published by Jerome who claimed to have "Branches Everywhere".
The back of the card is date-stamped 30th. January 1932. This day was a Saturday.
On the back of the card someone (presumably the mother herself) has written "To Barbara, from Rose and Baby Dennis".
If Rose had had a quick hand-wash prior to the photo being taken it wouldn't have gone amiss.
It is a sobering thought that if Dennis survived WW2 and kept in good health, he would now be in his eighties.
Lady Mary Bowes-Lyon
So what else happened on the 30th. January 1932?
Well, the day marked the birth of Mary Cecilia Colman (née Bowes-Lyon).
Mary was an English socialite, philanthropist, and extra lady-in-waiting to Princess Alexandra, the Honourable Lady Ogilvy.
The daughter of Michael Bowes-Lyon and Elizabeth Margaret Cator, her paternal aunt was Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and she was thus a first cousin to Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon.
-- Mary Bowes-Lyon - The Early Years
Mary Cecilia Bowes-Lyon was born at Gastlings, the Bowes-Lyon family home in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire.
Her father, Michael Bowes-Lyon (1893 – 1953), was the fifth son of Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th. Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne and Cecilia Bowes-Lyon, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne (née Cavendish-Bentinck).
Mary's mother, Elizabeth Margaret Cator (1899–1959), was a great-granddaughter of Charles Yorke, 4th. Earl of Hardwicke.
Mary had a twin sister, Patricia Maud, later Lady Patricia Tetley, an older brother, Fergus Michael Claude, later Fergus Bowes-Lyon, 17th. Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, and a younger brother, Michael Albemarle.
Mary was also a godmother to Diana, Princess of Wales.
Mary attended Hatherop Castle School as a child. In 1949, a coming-out ball was held for her and her twin sister Patricia at Londonderry House, which was attended by their aunt, the Queen, and their cousins, The Princess Elizabeth and The Princess Margaret.
-- Marriage and Children
On the 10th. November 1951 at St Bartholomew-the-Great in London, Mary married at the age of 19 the then-Lieutenant Timothy Colman, son of the cricketer Geoffrey Colman. Timothy's family had set up mustard manufacturer Colman's of Norwich.
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret were guests at their wedding at St Bartholomew-the-Great at Smithfields in London.
In the earlier years of their marriage, the Colmans lived in Dorset, whilst Timothy served with the Royal Navy. Later, they moved to Norfolk, where they purchased Bixley Manor.
Together, they had five children:
-- Sarah Rose Colman (born 3rd. May 1953). She married Peter John Charles Troughton in 1977 and had 3 children.
-- Sabrina Mary Colman (born 4th. February 1955). She married Christopher Arthur Penn in 1976 and had 2 children.
-- Emma Elizabeth Colman (born 10th. February 1958). She married Richard Henry Ramsbottom in 1986 and had 1 child.
-- James Russell Colman (born 12th. January 1962). He married Sasha Cotterell in 1994 and had 2 children.
-- Matthew Geoffrey Colman (born 10th. July 1966). He married Jane Johnstone in 1997 and had 2 children.
-- Mary Bowes-Lyon - The Later Years
In 1970, Mary was appointed an Extra Lady-in-waiting to another of the Queen's first cousins, Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Lady Ogilvy.
After her elder brother succeeded their cousin as 17th. Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, she received the title and precedence of a daughter of an earl by royal warrant of precedence in 1974.
In 1998, Mary began serving as the President of the Eastern Daily Press's "We Care 2000" Appeal, which aims to support unpaid carers for the work they do.
She also worked with other charities including the British Red Cross, and served as president of the Norfolk Autistic Society for 26 years, from 1975 until her retirement in 2001.
She also ran a dried flower business, called "Flora Dessica".
-- The Death of Mary Bowes-Lyon
Lady Mary died at her home in Bixley, Norfolk on the 2nd. January 2021 at the age of 88.