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Formerly the Unitarian Church (1898)--a back door of--and long since part of the university campus, now used for music and dance studies. The small sign on the door reads: "Dance". The California redwood of the shingles and doors will last a long time, although the painted bits need some attention.
History of the building:
berkeleyheritage.com/berkeley_landmarks/1unitarian.html
"It was the creation of architect A.C. Schweinfurth of the office of A. Page Brown & Co. of San Francisco and New York. He had been instructed to use only the best materials for each purpose. Bernard Maybeck, then a young member of the congregation and eventually a famous California architect, worked in the same offices and may have helped with the church’s design. It was an excellent early example of the Bay Area Shingle style. "
Happy Stairs Saturday!
217 MHK displayed at the Eastern National Heritage Bus Day 2023. Held at the Museum of Power, Langford, near Maldon, Essex.
Information from the programme says that 217 MHK was new to Basildon and went on to serve at Southend-On-Sea and Chelmsford. Stayed in service until early 1977.
Seeing not only black and white, but all the colors, all the nuances.
Not being afraid to face bright light, even if staying in the shadows appears safer.
Shedding the clingy, blurry film of preconceptions.
Developing.
That is my purpose.
- For the Self Portrait Sunday theme "Purpose".
© This photograph is a copyrighted image. Please do not download this image to use or distribute for any other purpose without my expressed consent.
Use without permission is ILLEGAL.
These gears pass some the energy provided by the operator turning a crank to the rear section of Tide Predicting Machine No. 2, a special purpose mechanical analog computer for predicting the height and time of high and low tides.
The U.S. government used Tide Predicting Machine No. 2 from 1910 to 1965 to predict tides for ports around the world. The machine, also known as “Old Brass Brains,” uses an intricate arrangement of gears, pulleys, chains, slides, and other mechanical components to perform the computations.
A person using the machine would require 2-3 days to compute a year’s tides at one location. A person performing the same calculations by hand would require hundreds of days to perform the work. The machine is 10.8 feet (3.3 m) long, 6.2 feet (1.9 m) high, and 2.0 feet (0.61 m) wide and weighs approximately 2,500 pounds (1134 kg). The operator powers the machine with a hand crank.
Thanks for all your comments and faves, much appreciated.
Petra, Jordan
HOW TO LIVE BEAUTIFUL LIFE
You can do it easily with these 5 daily questions.
Make a habit to wake up daily and write down the answers to these five questions.
Keep your daily journal with answers – and you’ll be amazed how different your life is.
You are going to see something that has been LOST ON PURPOSE.
1. How would I live this day if I knew it is my last day?
2. What should I be thankful for in my life?
3. What I can do today to make my life more meaningful?
4. What can I do today to add some joy to my life?
5. How can I help somebody today?
Be compassionate!
Serve other people faithfully.
Only when you give something to others you can be truly happy man.
Start this easy practice today, do this daily, and create your new, positive and beautiful life!
Special thanks to Tania, for your great inspiration.
Thanks Isna for your quick comment
(Permission granted for journalism outlets and educational purposes. Not for commercial use. Must be credited.) Photo courtesy of South Dakota Public Broadcasting.
©2013 SDPB
La Défense is Europe's largest purpose-built business district with its 560 hectares area, its 72 glass and steel buildings and skyscrapers, its 180,000 daily workers, and 3.5 million square metres (37.7 million sq ft) of office space. Around its Grande Arche and esplanade ("le Parvis"), La Défense contains many of the Paris urban area's tallest high-rises, and is home to no fewer than 1,500 corporate head offices, including 15 of the top 50 companies in the world.
The classification of this bird has been much in flux, being put into several bird families. The American Ornithologists' Union now places it in with the "Old World Babblers", giving it the distinction of being the only known babbler in the New World.
Morro Bay State Park, San Luis Obispo County, California, USA.
The use of any of my photos, of any file size, for any purpose, is subject to approval by me. Contact me for permission. Image files are available upon request. My email address is available at my Flickr profile page. Or send me a FlickrMail.
A purpose built 'super carrier' (houses two mobile frame squads) designed for the Terran Expeditionary Marines of the Solar Union. Diplomacy class ships are intended as the flag ship at the heart of an offensive task force, launching its frames deep into the heart of enemy formations from the forward mounted catapults, or directly from the side mounted hangar bays. An extensive network of comms arrays, radars, and antenna allows for the Diplomacy Class to carefully monitor the battlespace and coordinate allied actions for maximum effectiveness.
The Diplomacy class is designed to inspire cooler heads to prevail when it transits in-system, and more than one unruly colony has laid down its arms at the sight of 16 of the most advanced mobile frames, with the Solar Union's most veteran pilots in the cockpits, dropping down the gravity well to politely but firmly inquire why the colony is behind on its tithes.
For a richer experience this image is best when you View On Black
Even an ugly ship wreck belched up from the belly of the sea can look beautiful under the right set of circumstances. All of the conditions and elements for making this image memorable were present at this moment (sun, fog, wet sand, surf, scenic background and reflections of both the wrecked sail boat and the shimmering sun in the wet sand). I'm delighted with the way this image and several others in the set turned out.
Nikon D60 Tamron 18-250 mm lens. Focal length 35 mm Exposed at 1/200 of a second at f7.1 ISO 100. As shot in the camera. No HDR or Photoshop and only some very minor post processing with Picnik to control the contrast level.
This image is copyrighted and owned by me. It cannot be used, modified, or reproduced for any purpose without my express permission. Prints may be available for purchase.
Thank you all for the many comments, awards and faves. I'm overwhelmed (pleasantly so) by the response this image is receiving.
After several fires the building has become structurally unsound. There's no money for demolition so I expect the council is hoping for the building to collapse.
"We all have something that we are meant to do.
Your genius will shine through, and happiness will fill your life, the instant you discover your higher purpose and then direct all your energies towards it."
(From "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" by Robin Sharma)
This man was sitting at Sheetla Ghat along the Ganges in Varanasi (Benaras).
© All photographs are copyrighted and all rights reserved.
Please do not use any photographs without permission (even for private use).
The use of any work without consent of the artist is PROHIBITED and will lead automatically to consequences.
Faun Kraka at the Oldtimermarkt Bockhorn.
The Kraka was a small multi-purpose vehicle used by the Bundeswehr.
Mostly it was used to carry supplies, but it were also used as field ambulance.
There were also armed versions, equipped with TOW or HOT launchers or a single barreled AA gun.
Photographed in Lake Ndutu, Tanzania on day 3 of our 2018 trip to Africa
=> Please click on the image to see the largest size. <=
We always enjoyed seeing Secretary Birds in various locations during our trip. We would usually see two birds, walking with a purpose through open fields_on the hunt, sometimes speeding up when they saw movement of some creature that might be a meal and then returning to their steady pace.
=====================
From Wikipedia: The secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius) is a very large, mostly terrestrial bird of prey. Endemic to Africa, it is usually found in the open grasslands and savannah of the sub-Saharan region. Although a member of the order Accipitriformes, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, hawks, vultures, and harriers, it is given its own family, Sagittariidae.
It appears on the coats of arms of Sudan and South Africa.
Taxonomy:
In 1769 Vosmaer was the first European to describe the secretarybird in one of the pamphlets later collected as his Regnum Animale, naming it Sagittarius for its gait which was thought to resemble an archer's. He also mentioned that it was known as the Secretarius by farmers at the Cape of Good Hope who had domesticated it to combat pests around homesteads. In 1779 English illustrator John Frederick Miller also described it as secretarybird, and it was soon after assigned to its own genus Sagittarius by French naturalist Johann Hermann in his Tabula Affinitatum Animalium. It was not until 1935 that the species was moved to its own family, distinct from all other birds of prey—a classification confirmed by molecular systematics. Recent cladistic analysis has shown Sagittariidae to be an older branch of the diurnal birds of prey than Accipitridae and Falconidae, but a younger divergence than Cathartidae. Sometimes, the enigmatic bird Eremopezus is classified as an early relative of the secretarybird, though this is uncertain as the bird is only known from a few fragmentary body parts such as the legs. The earliest fossils associated with the family are two species from the genus Pelargopappus. The two species, from the Oligocene and Miocene respectively, were not discovered in Africa but France. The feet in these fossils are more like those of the Accipitridae; it is suggested that these characteristics are primitive features within the family. In spite of their age, it is not thought that the two species are ancestral to the secretary bird.
Though strongly convergent with the modern secretarybird, the extinct raptor Apatosagittarius is thought to be an accipitrid.
Description:
The secretarybird has distinct black feathers protruding from behind its head.
The skull of secretarybird at Museum of Natural History at University of Wrocław
The secretary bird is instantly recognizable as a very large bird with an eagle-like body on crane-like legs which increases the bird’s height to as much as 1.3 m (4.3 ft) tall. This bird has an eagle-like head with a hooked bill, but has rounded wings. Height can range from 90 to 137 cm (35 to 54 in). Total length from 112 to 152 cm (44 to 60 in) and the wingspan is 191–220 cm (75–87 in). Body mass can range from 2.3 to 5 kg (5.1 to 11.0 lb) with 20 birds from southern Africa found to weigh an average of 4.02 kg (8.9 lb). Other attempts to estimate the mean weight range for secretary birds correspondingly lie between 3.5 and 4.2 kg (7.7 and 9.3 lb). The tarsus of the secretary bird averages 31 cm (12 in) and the tail is 57–85 cm (22–33 in), both factor into making them both taller and longer than any other species of raptor since these features are not as long in any other living raptor. The neck is not especially long, and can only be lowered down to the inter-tarsal joint, so birds reaching down to the ground or drinking must stoop to do so.
From a distance or in flight it resembles a crane more than a bird of prey. The tail has two elongated central feathers that extend beyond the feet during flight, as well as long flat plumage creating a posterior crest. Secretary bird flight feathers and thighs are black, while most of the coverts are grey with some being white. Sexes look similar to one another as the species exhibits very little sexual dimorphism, although the male has longer head plumes and tail feathers. Adults have a featherless red face as opposed to the yellow facial skin of the young.
Distribution and habitat:
Secretary birds are endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa and are non-migratory, though they may follow food sources. Their range extends from Mauritania to Somalia and south to the Cape of Good Hope. These birds are also found at a variety of elevations, from the coastal plains to the highlands. Secretary birds prefer open grasslands and savannas rather than forests and dense shrubbery which may impede their cursorial existence. While the birds roost on the local Acacia trees at night, they spend much of the day on the ground, returning to roosting sites just before dark.
Behaviour and ecology:
Diet:
Unlike most birds of prey, the secretary bird is largely terrestrial, hunting its prey on foot. Adults hunt in pairs and sometimes as loose familial flocks, stalking through the habitat with long strides. Prey may consist of insects, mammals ranging in size from mice to hares and mongoose, crabs, lizards, snakes, tortoises, small birds, bird eggs, and sometimes dead animals killed in grass or bush fires. Larger herbivores are not generally hunted, although there are some reports of secretary birds killing young gazelles and cheetah cubs. The importance of snakes in the diet has been exaggerated in the past, although they can be locally important and venomous species such as adders and cobras are regularly among the types of snake preyed upon. Secretary birds are kept as pest controllers by farmers to rid of snakes.
Prey is often flushed out of tall grass by the birds stomping on the surrounding vegetation. It also waits near fires, eating anything it can that is trying to escape. They can either catch prey by chasing it and striking with the bill and swallowing (usually with small prey), or stamping on prey until it is rendered stunned or unconscious enough to swallow. Larger or dangerous prey, such as venomous snakes, are instead stunned or killed by the bird jumping onto their backs, at which point they will try to snap their necks or backs. There are some reports that, when capturing snakes, the secretary birds will take flight with their prey and then drop them to their death, although this has not been verified. Even with larger prey, food is generally swallowed whole through the birds' considerable gape. Occasionally, like other raptors, they will tear apart prey with their feet before consuming it.
Young are fed liquefied and regurgitated insects directly by the male or female parent and are eventually weaned to small mammals and reptile fragments regurgitated onto the nest itself. The above foodstuffs are originally stored in the crop of the adults.
The secretarybird has a relatively short digestive tract in comparison to other large African birds such as the kori bustard. As the foregut is specialized for digesting large amounts of meat in a short amount of time, there is little need for the physical breakdown of food within the digestive tract over extended time spans. The crop of the secretarybird is dilated and the gizzard is nonmuscular in comparison to other birds. The large intestine lacks a cecum as there is little need for fermentative digestion of plant material.
In hunting and feeding on small animals and arthropods on the ground and in tall grass or scrub, secretary birds occupy an ecological niche similar to that occupied by peafowl in South and Southeast Asia, roadrunners in North and Central America and seriemas in South America.
6D6A1373-1_fCAFlkr
The purpose of the prominent blue veins is to direct insect pollinators to where the pollen and nectar are. You may have noticed that many flowers have such veins, usually in blue, purple, or red, to reflect the ultraviolet light that insects evolved to see.
We have a lot of these on our two acre property. Coincidentally, a man stopped by this morning and offered to get rid of them and all of our wildflowers with toxic chemicals.
© This photograph is a copyrighted image. Please do not download this image to use or distribute for any other purpose without my expressed consent.
Use without permission is ILLEGAL.
Photographed taking part in 2018's Easter Kirkby Stephen & Brough vintage vehicle rally is Lawrence Mc Duff's fabulous Willowbrook (badged Duple) AEC Reliance. Dual purpose LUS 524E had been new in 1968 to that legendary provider of transport in and around the Scottish Highlands, Macbraynes. Since retirement, it has lead a life where its wanted for nothing, owned by a doting enthusiast and as a result is a joy to both see and ride in.
For the first time in years the Kirkby Stephen event was cancelled this year (2020) as the Covid situation rendered its operation impossible. The photo here was taken as LUS paused at the bus stop for passengers wishing to visit Kirkby Stephen (East) station and its preserved railway. Next stop at the top of the hill would be Kirkby Stephen's remaining station on the national network (West as was) which forms the terminus of the free bus service for the event.
Hudson River (Bear Mountain Area). Spinner 360. Unknown 400ASA color film (converted).
This photo cannot be used for any commercial purpose by any person, company or other entity under any circumstance.
Schweiz / Wallis - Rhonetal
Riederalp
Riederalp (German pronunciation: [ˈʁiːdɐʔalp]) is a municipality in the district of Raron in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It was created in 2003 through the merger of Goppisberg, Greich and Ried-Mörel.
Geography
Riederalp has an area, as of 2011, of 21 square kilometers (8.1 sq mi). Of this area, 27.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 42.0% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 3.0% is settled (buildings or roads) and 27.3% is unproductive land.
The mid-mountain resort sits on a south-facing terrace, south of the 23 km (14 mi) long Aletsch Glacier—Europe's largest, in the Bernese Alps. The altitude of the village (1,930 m [6,330 ft]) allows good view of the Pennine Alps with some of its highest summits such as the Fletschhorn, Dom and Matterhorn.
Demographics
Riederalp has a population (as of December 2020) of 438.[5] As of 2008, 10.6% of the population are resident foreign nationals.[6] Over the last 10 years (2000–2010 ) the population has changed at a rate of -3.9%. It has changed at a rate of -3.9% due to migration and at a rate of 3.6% due to births and deaths.
Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks German (95.6%) as their first language, Serbo-Croatian is the second most common (1.9%) and French is the third (0.8%).
As of 2008, the population was made up of 479 Swiss citizens and 57 non-citizen residents (10.63% of the population). As of 2000, children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 23.9% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 59.4% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 16.7%.
As of 2009, the construction rate of new housing units was 9.3 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, in 2010, was 1.33%.
Sights
The entire villages of Goppisberg and Greich are designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.
Sport
Beginners and intermediate skiers have the bulk of the 30 km (19 mi) of pistes, while expert skiers and snowboarders have a choice of off-piste at the top of the mountain.
Riederalp is a traffic-free village (cable car access) with a small number of permanent residents who are dwarfed by the influx of in-season tourists. Seven ski lifts operate over the 30 km (19 mi) of Riederalp and adjoining Bettmeralp's slope. In addition, there are 19 km (12 mi) of cross-country trails.
There are about 25 km (16 mi) of winter walking paths around the village. There is also a sports centre, and an indoor swimming pool at Bettmeralp.
Skilift system
Riederalp can be reached via two Aerial tramways or Gondola lifts from Mörel.
(Wikipedia)
Riederalp ist eine durch Fusion entstandene Munizipalgemeinde im Bezirk Östlich Raron im Schweizer Kanton Wallis. Sie liegt südöstlich des Aletschwaldes, im Bereich der seit 2002 zum UNESCO-Weltnaturerbe erklärten Bergregion Jungfrau-Aletsch, und ist damit Teil des Aletschgebiets.
Geschichte
Die Gemeinde wurde auf den 1. November 2003 durch die Fusion der bis dahin selbständigen Gemeinden Goppisberg, Greich und Ried-Mörel gegründet.
Tourismus
Riederalp ist autofrei und lebt primär vom Tourismus. Im Winter stehen den Wintersportlern im Skigebiet Aletsch Arena rund 104 km Pisten und 34 Anlagen zur Verfügung. Seit dem 5. Dezember 2009 ist eine neue 4er-Sesselbahn Hohfluh, seit 2015 ein Neubau der Gletscherbahn Moosfluh in Betrieb. Im Sommer ist die Gemeinde Ausgangsort für Wanderer und Biker. Als Attraktion gilt die im Sommer 2008 eröffnete Hängebrücke, die Riederalp mit Belalp verbindet. Der 9-Loch Golfplatz auf Riederalp ist der höchstgelegene in Europa.
Verkehr
In Mörel befindet sich ein Bahnhof der Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn (MGB, Fahrplanfeld 142).
Riederalp ist mit der Grosskabinenbahn Mörel–Riederalp-Mitte oder der 6er-Gondelbahn Mörel–Ried-Mörel–Riederalp-West erreichbar.
Am 14. Dezember 1996 um 9:40 Uhr ereignete sich bei der Gondelbahn Riederalp–Moosfluh ein Seilbahnunglück. Die Achse der Umlenkscheibe in der Talstation brach und mehrere Kabinen schlugen infolge des erheblich vergrösserten Seildurchhanges auf dem Boden auf. Ein Passagier starb, 18 Passagiere erlitten Verletzungen.
Sehenswürdigkeiten
Villa Cassel
Aletschwald
der Berg Moosfluh (2340 m)
(Wikipedia)
Als Rhonetal (auch Walliser Rhonetal, Schweizer Rhonetal, einheimisch auch Rottental; französisch vallée du Rhône; rätoromanisch val dal Rodan) wird das Tal der Rhone von Brig-Glis bis Saint-Maurice bezeichnet.
Geographie
Das Schweizer Rhonetal ist das Haupttal des Kantons Wallis. Es handelt sich um ein Trogtal, das vom Rhonegletscher gebildet wurde.
Der flussaufwärts liegende Bezirk Goms wird ebenso wie das flussabwärts zwischen Saint-Maurice und dem Genfersee liegende Chablais nicht als Rhonetal bezeichnet, obwohl auch diese Gebiete von der Rhone durchflossen werden.
Sprachgebiete
Im oberen Teil des Rhonetals (und des Wallis generell) wird Deutsch gesprochen, im unteren Teil Französisch. Die Sprachgrenze liegt bei Siders (französisch Sierre).
Verkehr
Das Tal ist mit der Hauptstrasse 9 und der Autobahn A9 sowie mit der Eisenbahn (Simplonstrecke) erschlossen. Durch den Lötschbergtunnel mit Autoverlad sowie dem Lötschberg-Basistunnel kann das Tal ganzjährig vom Berner Oberland her erreicht werden, ohne dass man den Zugang vom Genfersee her benutzen müsste. Über die Simplonpassstrasse und den Simplon-Eisenbahntunnel sowie dem Grosser St. Bernhard-Pass und dem Grosser-St.-Bernhard-Strassentunnel ist das Tal mit Italien verbunden.
(Wikipedia)
Now one of the most rural canals in our area, the Daw End branch was built with an industrial purpose. Constructed in about 1800, this canal allowed boats to carry limestone flux to the smelting furnaces in the Black Country.
A new, purpose-built, covered stadium in Hobart, for $750,000 does not pass the "sniff test". There is no business case for it. In reality, paying for the stadium and an AFL team would cost nearly $1 billion.
Imagine this. These are per person adult and concession ticket prices.
CATEGORY Adult Concession
CATEGORY 1 $435.00 $370.00
CATEGORY 2 $424.00 $360.00
CATEGORY 3 $392.00 $333.00
CATEGORY 4 $361.00 $307.00
Imagine driving nearly 10 hours round trip from Smithton in northern Tasmania to Hobart to watch an AFL game, plus paying $157.52 for fuel, plus food at the game and probably a meal en route. So, two adults and two teenage children for a Category 4 (cheap seats) would set a family back well over $1,500.
So, who does the Tasmanian government expect to fill the stadium with? Cashed up folks from interstate and well off locals who maybe would not have to drive further than an hour. The government expects us taxpayers to fund this nonsense.
IF the business case was so great and AFL CEO Gillan McLachlan's claims about returns were truthful, then why doesn't the AFL fund it? Why doesn't the private sector/investors jump on board to fund it, yesterday? Why? Because it is all complete bullshit!
IF "a meeting of around 300 people at Hobart Town Hall on Wednesday unanimously expressed their opposition to the project", doesn't send a clear message, including Liberal and Independent Senator, then nothing will.
A majority of Tasmanians are doing it financially tough, the cost of living and petrol, diesel and gas keep going up, wages increases are just not keeping up, and you want to tax us for someone else's dream?
There are other priorities. The PHS needs fixing, urgently. The hospitals are a mess. The nurses are over-worked, short-staffed. There not enough GPs. The roads are potholed and some have needed sealing for decades, but the State government wants to waste hard-to-come-by money (nearly a billion of it) on building a stadium and securing an AFL team. Let's put it into perspective, if I sold one of my books for $54.95 every day, it would take me nearly 50,000 years to make $1 billion in sales.
Think of all the other ways Tasmania could be improved, if that money was spent on the PHS, social housing, roads that need to be sealed, like the B11 Marlborough Highway between Miena and Bronte Park . . . Imagine a washboard dirt road called a "highway". It is dangerous. The single lane bridge just our side Miena is dangerous and needs to be widened. We need a telephone tower on Table Mountain, north of Bothwell, so telephone coverage can be extended line-of-sight toward Arthurs Lake, Saint Patrick Plains, and Hollow Tree Road. Each Telstra tower costs $1 million. There is so much that Tasmania and Tasmanians needs that would improve everyone's lives.
How will a stadium improve my life and my fellow Tasmanians, in the immediate future?
A gentle reminder about copyright and intellectual property-
Ⓒ Cassidy Photography (All images in this Flickr portfolio)
Kairos; The Overseer. The deity of time. A being whose sole purpose is to make beings of other worlds interact. To create small pocket universes that house copied species and persons from other worlds into his own. He starts by creating a standard world filled with lush green environments, then gazing upon a lists of planets, star systems, universe, choosing what he deems to be the most interesting. If he finds a person of interest or a species, he copies that being from that exact moment to prevent altering timelines. He creates an exact copy, without the copy realizing it, and puts them on his planet. Dozens, hundreds, thousands, he keeps adding until the planet can no longer sustain itself or he gets bored with his progress. If the fate of the world becomes the latter, he descends down to a lower plain of existence to personally exterminate what he had created with is massive hammers. The hammers are used to create his worlds and are used for their destruction, as well.
His personality is a patient one. He takes his time searching through worlds to see what can make his own more interesting. Like a chef rummaging his cupboards for the right spice or ingredient. When the selected being is copied, they perceive the copy as an otherworldly event that knocks them out, to then be awaken in the new world, without question. Kairos chose those who would be friendly at first, then adds conflict to his world to watch it crumbles. His goal is to study interactions of other beings, and report back to his commander, Lady Void. Kairos is seen as more-or-less an outcast among his kind. He acts like a god for the powers he possesses and gives him an ego that is unfitting for his race. Due to his dimension-hopping, he is hard to pinpoint, making his actions under the radar and dangerous to Lady Void. The Migrator is currently in pursuit of this being, and will be put to death once found.
Check out my YouTube for more MOCs like this!
goo.gl/1axFRH
The Origins and Purpose of Street Art and Graffiti — A Historical Essay.
Prehistoric and Ancient Beginnings (40,000 BCE – 500 CE)
Graffiti’s origins stretch back to humanity’s earliest visual culture. Prehistoric cave paintings — including hand stencils created by blowing pigment through tubes — functioned as some of the earliest “tags,” marking presence and identity. These date from 40,000–10,000 years ago.
By the classical era, graffiti was widespread across Ancient Greece and Rome, where people scratched messages, jokes, political commentary, and personal boasts into walls. The oldest known written graffito dates to around 500 BCE.
In Pompeii, graffiti served as advertising, satire, political slogans, and everyday communication, revealing the lives of ordinary people rather than elites.
Purpose in this era:
1. Marking presence (“I was here”)
2. Social commentary
3. Recording daily life
4. Religious or political expression
5. Communication by non‑elites otherwise absent from written history
Medieval to Early Modern Graffiti (500–1800 CE)
Graffiti continued through the medieval period, especially in religious and rural landscapes. In the Middle East, the Safaitic inscriptions — scratched onto rocks across Syria, Jordan, and Arabia — are the only surviving record of an ancient Arabic dialect.
In Europe, travellers, workers, and even antiquarians carved names and messages into castles, churches, and monuments. At Stonehenge, 18th‑century visitors left carved signatures, showing graffiti as a record of presence and identity.
Purpose in this era:
1. Recording travel or pilgrimage
2. Personal memorialisation
3. Folk expression by ordinary people
4. Documentation of labourers and craftsmen
The Birth of Modern Graffiti (1950s–1970s)
Modern graffiti culture emerged in Philadelphia in the 1950s, led by figures like Cornbread, who pioneered tagging as a form of self‑promotion and identity.
By the late 1960s and early 1970s, graffiti exploded in New York City, especially on subway trains. Writers such as TAKI 183 and others transformed tagging into a competitive, stylised art form.
This era marks the shift from simple inscriptions to complex lettering, murals, and large-scale public visibility.
Purpose in this era:
1. Personal identity and fame (“getting up”)
2. Reclaiming public space
3. Youth expression in marginalised communities
4. Resistance to social and economic exclusion
The Rise of Street Art (1980s–2000s)
Street art evolved from graffiti but expanded into stencils, wheat‑paste posters, stickers, installations, and murals. Artists like Keith Haring, Jean‑Michel Basquiat, and later Banksy brought street art into global consciousness.
Street art differed from graffiti by focusing less on lettering and more on imagery, political messages, and public commentary.
According to The Art Story, street art grew from the belief that art should be:
1. Accessible to everyone
2. Outside traditional institutions
3. Democratic and empowering
4. A counter‑attack against advertising and corporate messaging
5. Purpose in this era:
6. Political protest
7. Social commentary
8. Challenging authority and capitalism
9. Beautification and community identity
Artistic experimentation outside galleries
Contemporary Street Art and Graffiti (2000s–Present)
Today, graffiti and street art occupy a complex space between vandalism, public art, activism, and cultural heritage.
Graffiti remains illegal in many contexts, yet it is also recognised as a vital form of urban storytelling, especially for marginalised voices.
Street art, meanwhile, is often commissioned by cities, festivals, and cultural institutions, blurring the line between rebellion and acceptance.
Current purposes:
1. Urban regeneration
2. Tourism and cultural branding
3. Community identity
4. Political resistance
5. Artistic innovation
Street art and graffiti are not modern inventions — they are part of a 40,000‑year human tradition of marking presence, expressing identity, and challenging power. From Roman jokes to New York subway tags to global street murals, they remain one of the most democratic and immediate forms of public expression.
I am posting two different versions of the same photo this evening with the second photo being a bit of a crop to show where I launch my canoe. I took the photo merely to show the colors in the sky in the north as there were some subtle color to be seen in the sky. I never intended to use it for any other purpose, but will try to add a bit more about the bayou system while I am on the subject.
A bit of an explanation will point you in another direction and allow you explore Armand Bayou which extends north from this point and snakes its way along for rough 4.75 miles. That doesn’t sound like a great distance but it does take some to paddle up in that direction and explore all of the nooks and crannies of Armand Bayou. If you stop and take photos like I do, you could easily spend an entire day along that stretch of the bayou. You can launch the canoe or kayak and paddle under the bridge and be on your way to explore another waterway. Just stay to the left where the bayou splits you’ll enjoy the trip a lot more.
The white structure that you see just to the right of center in the crop is a floating dock that I use to launch my canoe. Most people slide their canoes into the water on the boat ramp that you see in the far right of the scene. It adds a lot of scratches to the underside of the canoe, and so I never use it. A bit harder to launch from the floating dock, but my canoe is much happier when I treat it nicely. My last canoe lasted 33 years and is still in good working order still useable.
I’ll stop blabbering away an be on my way. It’s a nice place to enjoy with endless possibilities.
DSC01397ulc
Allied Spyrius Colonies transport
Spaceship Kitiara is new flagship of Spyrius. Main purpose is transport of both machinery and crew and support of smaller spacecraft in space. She can also serve as a small space station. The ship is operated by crew of 15 and there are currently 41 passangers.
The front is equipped with various sensors; main communication antennae and shields generators are on the roof. In the front section are two hangar bays openned to one side and moonbase airlock connector on the other side. Middle section has entrance ramp, crew rooms, cantina and kitchen on port side. On starbord side is bathroom, infirmary, computer workstations and relaxation room with swimming pool. On the rear is engine maintenance room with elevator to the control tower where are pilots and the captain. On the wings are FTL engines and on the hull are main sublight thrusters.
About the build:
Length:155 studs
Width: 76 studs
height: 45 bricks
Originally I planned to do this SHIP for Shiptember 2019 but one month was way too short. Since my last ship was 130 studs long, I wanted to make this one bigger. Also I wanted to feature asymetric design, spaceous open hangar bay with rised catwalk, full interier with bar/restaurant. I was playing with the shape for a while when finally this long design with two hangar bays, glass bubble and a control tower came up on my paper.
Main structure is from technic beams which make the ship very sturdy but it cannot be separated in smaller parts. Smaller technic frame is also in the middle part supporting the side rooms.
Interior is fuly furnished and almost fully accessible (both for human and figs, except the control tower, which has fake elevator for figs). Most of the roofs and also the rooms in second floor can be removed to access the lower deck.
There are currently all my space figs (cca 50+) and there is still some room left for more.
Concorde G-BOAC (204)
G-BOAC, also known as "Alpha Charlie," was one of the iconic Concorde supersonic airliners. Here are some key facts about the aircraft:
"Registration and Name:
Its registration, G-BOAC, was a nod to the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), the forerunner of British Airways. This made it the "flagship" of the British Airways Concorde fleet.
Firsts and Records:
It made its maiden flight on February 27, 1975.
G-BOAC was the aircraft chosen to launch the Washington D.C. service on May 26, 1976.
On September 1, 1975, it became the first aircraft to make four Atlantic crossings in one day.
On December 19, 1985, it reached a ground speed of 1,488 mph, a record for a commercial airliner.
Technical Details:
It was the oldest Concorde in the British Airways fleet and was also the heaviest due to design modifications that were made to later-built aircraft to reduce weight.
G-BOAC flew a total of 22,260 hours and made 7,730 landings during its service.
It completed 6,761 supersonic flights.
A Temporary New Identity:
From January 1979 to August 1980, it was temporarily re-registered as G-N81AC / N81AC to comply with American registration requirements for a joint operating agreement with Braniff Airways.
Final Flight and Preservation:
G-BOAC's last flight was on October 31, 2003, from London Heathrow to Manchester Airport. It is now on display in a purpose-built hangar at Manchester Airport's Runway Visitor Park."
2025 Keith Jones All Rights Reserved
1st place: Flora
Taken in Parkville
dnr.maryland.gov/photocontest
Maryland DNR is authorized to use these images online and in print, and may distribute them for non-commercial purposes with photo credits -- including but not limited to educational and news purposes -- to other media, print, digital, online services and television for their use.
Just posting this 'old' photo for record purpose as I realized that I haven't done so previously. Folded this back in 2013. Can't remember the size of the paper, probably 30-40cm square? Paper used was kind of a thickish Unryu paper, about 70gsm but not really great for folding even after resizing. BTW, this is a modified version of the horse diagrammed in Licence to Fold.
Ron and I submitted a bigger rendition of this horse folded from Elephant Hide paper to an ad agency as they wanted to pitch for a Chinese New Year job - 2014 was the year of the horse. Too bad they didn't get the job - the client chose a non-origami one.
I think I prefer this fold to the EH one despite the paper being not too easy to work with. The 'balance' in this one seems better. Would like to revisit this someday with better paper or EH again ....... perhaps before 2026? :p
©Harris Brown-ALL rights reserves. This image may not be used for ANY purpose without written permission.
Berks County Heritage Center, PA. USA.
Nikon D7200 with 500mm f4 G ED VR lens and 1.4 converter with fill flash.
1/320 f5.6 ISO 250
Greetings all and Happy New Year. My wife (Frances Brown 266 ) and I ended the year with a bang-a birding bang that is, by getting a “lifer”. For the previous 5 days, ebird had been reporting a Pacific-slope Flycatcher at the Berks County Heritage Center, about a 1 and ¾ hour drive to the west. This is only the third time this species has been reported in Pennsylvania. We got up early on New Year’s Eve and made the easy ride. Friends who had been there the day before gave us directions to the hedgerow where the bird was seen. We hadn’t been there 10 minutes when the flycatcher came out of the thickets, went to the ground to get an insect and returned to his perch, as all flycatchers do. He continued this behavior from one end of the hedgerow to the other, about ¼ mile, for the 3 hours we were there. He was very cooperative and allowed for some great images (we would have been very happy just to see the bird-the images were a bonus). The Pacific-slope Flycatcher is a small yellowish/greenish bird found in warm, humid lowland coniferous forests (usually pine-oak) and dense second-growth woodlands of the Pacific Coast states. A distinguishing feature is that the white eye ring extends to the back in a tear-drop shape. It is nearly identical in appearance to the Cordilleran Flycatcher, and the two forms were formally considered to be the same species, known as the “Western Flycatcher.” A word about ebird. If you are a “birder” at any level, I encourage you to become a citizen-scientist and record your birds using ebird. It’s free and easy and administered by Cornell Lab. More info here: ebird.org/content/ebird/about/
All my images are protected by copyright, Please do not use for any purpose without my specific written permission.
More experimentation with Silver Efex Pro - I'm loving it!!!
This is "Bibby Polaris" and it is a multi purpose dive support and offshore construction vessel. The picture was taken at 2pm and already the best of the daylight had gone.
A purpose built ship of war, this frigate is designed completely around the reactor and particle cannon at its heart. Fast but lightly armored, it traditionally lurks around the flanks of hardier allies, waiting for the opportune moment to dive in and strike. It also benefits immensely from picket scouts reporting enemy positions in order to situate itself for maximum effect.
The main purpose of this visit was to see this species.
As written earlier, I ignored the weather forecast which was very inaccurate and in spite of travel problems it was a fantastic visit. There were many of the butterflies.
I am uploading a few today but took so many photos of a species I only see once a year that I will upload more tomorrow.
A ventral view is much harder to get and I really only got any just before leaving. The males and females are identical (to me at least) from this view.
Lanz D 7.506 All-purpose tractor
A farm tractor and traction engine used by motorized armyband engineering units, It burns diesel fuel, paraffin oil, brown-coal tar oil, shale oil and kerosine.
The rainbow flag has become the worldwide banner of the LGBT community because the major colors of the visible spectrum represent diversity among the entire human population. Humankind is one species, but we come in a wide range of shapes, sizes, and colors. We have two basic genetic and anatomical sexes with a small minority that are in between or have some characteristics of both.
Then it gets more complicated. For reproductive purposes, most people are attracted to the opposite sex; however, a fairly big minority is attracted to the same sex, both sexes, or neither, and those attractions may change over the course of a person's life. Gender identity and expression for most people is related to their biological sex but not rigidly tied to it. How a person feels, acts, and presents themselves is part internal and part cultural, so it is subject to change, especially across space and time. Human society is not uniform throughout our planet, and it changes over the years, so is it any surprise that gender appearance, identity, social roles, and behavior can change and vary from person to person?
Unfortunately, some social groups, political organizations, ethnic groups, religious cults, families, and bigoted individuals try to force everybody to conform to rigid sexual conduct, gender roles, and outward appearance. Those who do not conform are branded as evil, perverted, or crazy and either forced to conform, expelled, beaten up, imprisoned, or killed.
In the United States, LGBT folks are fighting for our CIVIL RIGHTS. We are gaining some ground, but so-called "social conservatives" in some state and local governments are trying to erect new legal obstacles in our path. Some of them publicly call for our extermination. Hate crimes against us continue, and a few days ago in Orlando, a major terrorist attack by a lone gunman murdered at least 49 people at a gay nightclub.
2016 is an election year and one of the most vicious ever. In general, the same people who preach hatred against LGBT people are the same crowd who promotes hatred against people of color, opposes reproductive freedom for women, denies Climate Change and opposes meaningful measures to mitigate it, opposes environmental protection, opposes financial regulation, opposes Internet Neutrality, opposes an increase in the minimum wage, opposes election reform, but they approve of CORPORATE GREED, unlimited exploitation of our natural resources, unending overseas conflict, the militarization of our police forces, the expansion of private prisons, and a continued expansion of domestic surveillance without any accountability.
This particular graphic was copied from one of the many LGBT political action groups I subscribe to, and since it is a commonly used banner, this constitutes Fair Use.
In 'clean' configuration for display purposes, Royal Air Force No.228 OCU McDonnell-Douglas Phantom FGR.2 XT895/CJ makes a fast 're-heat' pass during the 'TVS' sponsored Airshow - Boscombe Down, 9th June 1990
Scanned print
With War Monger version 3.1 (New feet and hands) - view from behind. MPPS has her thumb up.
Album link for close-ups and other poses:
www.flickr.com/photos/128489916@N07/albums/72157664827039676
Hey Guys…
“What did you expect...?”
“I am burdened with Glorious Purpose!”
-Loki
Here is the “Vote Loki for President” pin from the Disney Plus Original Series Loki.
I had a ton of fun building this up and messing around with the letters. In the end, I also decided to build up a stand for the pin and incorporate Loki's infamous horned crown into its design to give it that extra mischievous flare.
For all time, Always
-God Bless
Carculio