Detail of one of the doors of the Archbishop`s palace in Passau. Rich wood tones contrast with the gilt door furniture.

Unlike last year’s submissions, when I challenged myself to triple alliterations and puns, this year I simply tried to make a quadrant kaleidoscopes out of each picture from last year. It worked for all but 2 of last year’s photos, so I found 2 new subjects.

John Wilcox used this quadrant on his voyages from Madison to New York and the Connecticut River in the early 1800's to about 1860. A quadrant was a forerunner of the sextant and measured the altitude of heavenly bodies for navigation.

Brass and ivory fitted ebony frame with the maker's name and compass degrees engraved on ivory set into the frame. Colored glass filters used in the sighting device. Quadrant fits into oak box with partial label of William Davenport, instrument dealer in Philadelphia. Cut side of box is painted yellow and has faint traces of a star and "JOHN WILCOX" painted on it. Made by Spencer, Browning & Rust, London England c. 1800.

Found in collection.

15" X 13 3/4" X 3 1/2"

ACC# 79.680.1-2

See more museum items at flic.kr/s/aHskgxX9We.

(Photo credit Bob Gundersen www.flickr.com/photos/bobphoto51/albums)

- www.kevin-palmer.com - I went to Bear Butte, South Dakota, to try to capture the Quadrantid Meteor Shower. But it was cloudy most of the night. I did see a few between 2 and 3 AM when the sky cleared briefly. I later learned the meteor shower peaked earlier than expected, which favored observers in Europe.

Unlike last year’s submissions, when I challenged myself to triple alliterations and puns, this year I simply tried to make a quadrant kaleidoscopes out of each picture from last year. It worked for all but 2 of last year’s photos, so I found 2 new subjects.

Vancouver, BC Canada

 

c. 1966 Signal IV

c. 2001 Sea Imp XV

c. 2012 Quadrant Recruit

 

Year Built: 1966

Place: New Westminster, BC

Measurement:29.3' x 12.9' x 6.3'

Builder: John Manly Ltd.

Hull:Steel

Gross Tonnage:12.48

Type 1: Tug

Registered Tonnage: 8.49

Engine: 220bhp diesel engine (1966)

Propulsion: Screw

 

In 1966-1973 she was owned by Signal Towing Ltd., New Westminster BC.

 

In 1974-1990 she was owned by Empire Tug Boats Ltd., New Westminster BC.

 

In 1991-1993 she was owned by Roman Wengryniuk, North Vancouver BC.

 

In 1994 she was owned by Sandra L. Leblanc, Sechelt BC.

 

In 1995-1999 she was owned by Susan A. Reynolds, Black Creek BC.

 

In 2001-2012 she was owned by Catherwood Towing Ltd., Mission BC.

 

In 2013-2019 she was owned by Quadrant Investments Ltd., Coquitlam BC.

 

Reference: nauticapedia.ca

 

This image is best viewed in Large screen.

 

Thank-you for your visit, and any faves or comments are always greatly appreciated.

 

Sonja

USS Taylorholic Durant

 

On a exploratory mission to chart Sector 008E of the Delta Quadrant, the Durant was pulled into a temporal vortex and exited in the Alpha Quadrant, above earth's Norway in the year 931 AD. Detecting an advanced signal from the surface, the bridge crew beamed down disguised as Norsemen to investigate.

 

The USS Taylorholic Durant is considered to be the Flagship of the United Federation Starfleet . We are honoured to have Admiral Mike Calhoun as our former CO and as a current crew member, as well as other luminaries.

 

We are para-RPers and storytellers. Using live, in-the-moment chat, we listen, read, respond, and create a new story as a collective of writers jamming on a theme. We are given a context – a place to begin and then improvise together what happens next, and what happens after that… and where does that take us.

 

That sense of being in fellowship with other creative people who understand the overall context and environment while writing a story that is vibrant and alive creates a sense of enjoyment and togetherness. Our goal on Durant is to foster that sense of belonging, to embrace good RP etiquette, and to have tons of fun!

 

Roleplay Times: Saturdays 9:00am SLT

Commanding Officer: Evelyn Rieko

Executive Officer: Hal Jordan (Greenlantern Excelsior)

 

Where : maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/UF%20Starfleet%20Headquart...

 

www.ufstarfleet.org

SFU Academic quadrant. Designed by Arthur Erickson. Commonly referred to as a "concrete prison" design by people, its controversial because it's designed by the award winning Arthur Erickson in 1965.

158702 & 158722 pass a splendid array of semaphore signals at Keith, as they depart with the 1A48, 09:03 ex Inverness to Dyce service on Thursday 17th May 2018.

Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)

Adult

Family: Thrushes

Price Twp--JMC Quadrant

Monroe County, PA

2015/10/24

ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S25554354

Vancouver, BC Canada

 

c. 1966 Signal IV

c. 2001 Sea Imp XV

c. 2012 Quadrant Recruit

 

Year Built: 1966

Place: New Westminster, BC

Measurement: 29.3' x 12.9' x 6.3'

Builder: John Manly Ltd.

Hull:Steel

Gross Tonnage:12.48

Type 1: Tug

Registered Tonnage: 8.49

Engine: 220bhp diesel engine (1966)

Propulsion: Screw

 

In 1966-1973 she was owned by Signal Towing Ltd., New Westminster BC.

 

In 1974-1990 she was owned by Empire Tug Boats Ltd., New Westminster BC.

 

In 1991-1993 she was owned by Roman Wengryniuk, North Vancouver BC.

 

In 1994 she was owned by Sandra L. Leblanc, Sechelt BC.

 

In 1995-1999 she was owned by Susan A. Reynolds, Black Creek BC.

 

In 2001-2012 she was owned by Catherwood Towing Ltd., Mission BC.

 

In 2013-2019 she was owned by Quadrant Investments Ltd., Coquitlam BC.

 

Reference: nauticapedia.ca

 

This image is best viewed in Large screen.

 

Thank-you for your visit, and any faves or comments are always greatly appreciated.

 

Sonja

365.204

Rom - Pincio

 

View to St. Peter's Basilica

 

Blick zum Petersdom

 

The Pincian Hill (/ˈpɪnsiən/;; Italian: Pincio pronounced [ˈpintʃo]; Latin: Mons Pincius) is a hill in the northeast quadrant of the historical center of Rome. The hill lies to the north of the Quirinal, overlooking the Campus Martius. It was outside the original boundaries of the ancient city of Rome, and was not one of the Seven hills of Rome, but it lies within the wall built by Roman Emperor Aurelian between 270 and 273.

 

Several important families in Ancient Rome had villas and gardens (horti) on the south-facing slopes in the late Roman Republic, including the Horti Lucullani (created by Lucullus), the Horti Sallustiani (created by the historian Sallust), the Horti Pompeiani, and the Horti Aciliorum. The hill came to be known in Roman times as Collis Hortorum (the "Hill of Gardens"). Its current name comes from the Pincii, one of the families that occupied it in the 4th century AD.

 

The Pincio as seen today was laid out in 1809-14 by Giuseppe Valadier; the French Academy at Rome had moved into the Villa Medici in 1802. The orchards of the Pincian were laid out with wide gravelled allées (viali) that are struck through dense boschi to unite some pre-existing features: one viale extends a garden axis of the Villa Medici to the obelisk (illustration, left) placed at the center of radiating viali. The obelisk was erected in September 1822 to provide an eye-catcher in the vistas; it is a Roman obelisk, not an Egyptian one, erected under the Emperor Hadrian in the early 2nd century, as part of a memorial to his beloved Antinous outside the Porta Maggiore. The Piazza Napoleone— in fact Napoleon's grand urbanistic example was set from a distance, as he never visited Rome— is a grand open space that looks out over Piazza del Popolo, also laid out by Valadier, and provides views to the west, and of the skyline of Rome beyond. Valadier linked the two spaces with formal staircases broken by generous landings, (illustration) and a switchback carriageway.

 

In 1873 a hydrochronometer on the 1867 design of Gian Battista Embriaco, O.P. inventor and professor of the College of St. Thomas in Rome was built on the Pincian Hill in emulation of the one at the College of St. Thomas. Another version stands in the Villa Borghese gardens. Embriaco had presented two prototypes of his invention at the Paris Universal Exposition in 1867 where it won prizes and great acclaim.

 

In the gardens of the Pincian, it was Giuseppe Mazzini's urging that lined the viali with busts of notable Italians.

 

Though the Villa Ludovisi was built over at the turn of the 20th century, several villas and their gardens still occupy the hill, including the Borghese gardens, linked to the Pincio by a pedestrian bridge that crosses the via del Muro Torto in the narrow cleft below; the Muro Torto is the winding stretch of the Aurelian Wall, pierced by the Porta Pinciana.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

Der Pincio (auch Monte Pincio; lateinisch Mons Pincius) ist ein Hügel im nördlichen Stadtgebiet von Rom. Er zählt nicht zu den Sieben Hügeln Roms und gehörte zur 7. augusteischen Region.

 

Der Hügel lag ursprünglich außerhalb der antiken Stadt. In der späten Republik wurden dort große Villen und Gärten angelegt. Die von Lucius Licinius Lucullus angelegten Horti Luculliani, in denen Messalina, die Frau des Claudius, getötet wurde, gingen später ebenso in kaiserlichen Besitz über wie die nordwestlich davon gelegenen Horti Pompeiani und die Horti Sallustiani des Historikers Sallust direkt südlich des Pincio. Der Hügel wurde wegen dieser Anlagen, zu denen auch die Horti Aciliorum der Acilii Glabriones gehörten, collis hortulorum („Gartenhügel“) genannt, in der Kaiserzeit in das Stadtgebiet einbezogen (bei der Erweiterung des Pomeriums durch Claudius) und dicht bebaut. Auf dem Hügel stand das Grabmal der Domitii, in dem die Asche Neros beigesetzt wurde. Nach dem Pincio benannt ist die Porta Pinciana der Aurelianischen Stadtmauer.

 

Der heutige Name des Hügels geht möglicherweise auf die Familie der Pincii zurück, die in der Spätantike dort ein großes Anwesen besaß (domus Pinciana), das später in kaiserlichen Besitz überging.

 

Im Osten der Piazza del Popolo führen Treppen zum Pincio-Park. Der Weg ist von einem kleinen künstlichen Wasserfall gesäumt. Etwas weiter südlich führt die Spanische Treppe des Architekten Francesco De Sanctis auf den Pinciohügel. Direkt angrenzend befindet sich der Park Villa Borghese.

 

An der Viale dell’Obelisco befindet sich der Antinous-Obelisk mit einer Höhe von 9,25 Metern.

 

(Wikipedia)

La Ferté-Saint-Aubin is a commune in the Loiret department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France .

 

It is the commune that occupies the largest area of ​​land in the Loiret. La Ferté-Saint-Aubin was formed by the union of two villages, La Ferté further north, and Saint-Aubin further south.

 

The town alone constitutes the urban unit of La Ferté-Saint-Aubin

 

The old French ferté is the popular form corresponding to "firmness", learned form. Both words are from Low Latin firmitate . Ferté is used in toponymy in the old sense of “fortified place”.

 

Originally, La Ferté and Saint-Aubin were two neighboring parishes which juxtaposed their names to give the name of the commune after the French Revolution 3 .

 

The town successively bore the names of the owner of the castle: La Ferté-Nabert , La Ferté-Saint-Nectaire , La Ferté-Senneterre , La Ferté-Lowendal 4 . It also bore the name of La Ferté-Cosson during the Revolution

 

The commune of La Ferté-Saint-Aubin is in the south-western quadrant of the Loiret department, in the agricultural region of Sologne 6 and the urban area of ​​Orléans . As the crow flies , it is located 20.7 km from Orléans 7 , prefecture of the department and 54 km northeast of Blois .

 

The nearest municipalities are: Ménestreau-en-Villette (6.6 km ), Marcilly-en-Villette (8 km ), Ardon (8.2 km ), Jouy-le-Potier (10.1 km ), Yvoy -le-Marron (11.5 km , in Loir-et-Cher ), Vouzon (12 km , in Loir-et-Cher ), Chaumont-sur-Tharonne (12.1 km , in Loir-et-Cher ), Ligny-le-Ribault (12.5 km ), Saint-Cyr-en-Val (12.7 km ) and Lamotte-Beuvron (14.6 km )

 

Between theJanuary 29and theFebruary 8, 1939, more than 2,800 Spanish refugees fleeing the collapse of the Spanish republic before the troops of Franco , arrive in Loiret . Faced with the insufficiency of reception facilities in Orléans , 46 rural reception centers are open 49 , including one in La Ferté-Saint-Aubin 50 . The refugees, mainly women and children (the men are disarmed and retained in the South of France), are subject to strict quarantine , vaccinated , the mail is limited, and the supply, if it is little varied and cooked à la française, is however insured 51. Some of the refugees returned to Spain, encouraged by the French government which facilitated the conditions of return, those preferring to stay were grouped together at the Aydes glassworks camp, in Fleury-les-Aubrais 50 .

 

The Bellefontaine memorial , at the northern entrance to the city on the RN20, recalls the presence of Resistance maquis in Sologne, victims of the repression of the Nazi occupiers at the end of the Second World War , in particular the massacre of 41 high school students from the corps franc Liberté at the By farm (located near the By pond 47° 43′ 35″ N, 1° 58′ 46″ E ) on June 10, 1944 .

 

Valéry Giscard d'Estaing , then President of the French Republic , visited one of the first families to benefit from the newly created personalized housing assistance at La Ferté-Saint-Aubin in July 1977

 

The Centre-Val de Loire Listen (called Center untilJanuary 16, 20151 ) is an administrative region in the Center West of France which brings together three historical provinces : Berry , Orléanais ( including the Blésois and Dunois and Vendômois countries ), as well as Touraine . The north-northwest end of the territory was part of a fourth province: Perche ; the south-eastern end of a fifth province: Bourbonnais . Part of the region is located in the Val de Loire natural region .

 

Seventh region by area, Centre-Val de Loire extends over 39,151 km 2 and has 2.58 million inhabitants in1st of January 2014, or 4% of the metropolitan population. Its population density is 66 inhabitants/km 2 , half that of mainland France , making it a sparsely populated region. The population density is higher on the Loire axis where half of the population lives.

 

The region is made up of six departments: Cher , Eure-et-Loir , Indre , Indre-et-Loire , Loir-et-Cher and Loiret. It has only two municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants: Tours , ranked 26th among the most populous municipalities in France with 135,787 inhabitants in 2017, and the regional prefecture Orléans , ranked 34th with 114,644 inhabitants. The other prefectures of the departments, Bourges , Blois , Châteauroux and Chartres , have a population of between 38,000 and 67,000 inhabitants.

 

The Centre-Val de Loire presents a multitude of natural regions of which the Loire Valley constitutes the structuring axis. Geologically 2 , 3 , this region, mainly plain, covers the southern part of the Paris Basin ( Beauce , Berry , Brenne , Drouais , Gâtinais , Orléanais , Pays-Fort , Perche , Puisaye , Sancerrois 2 , 4 , Sologne , Thimerais , Touraine 5 ) and a small part of the north of the Massif Central ( Boischaut , Marche). The lands are aged from the Paleozoic ( Variscan chain ) to the Quaternary, including the Mesozoic and the Cenozoic .

 

The most recent geological formations are the Quaternary fluvial alluvium of the Loire and its tributaries ( Beuvron , Cher , Cosson , Indre , Sauldre ) as well as other rivers ( Anglin , Arnon , Claise , Creuse , Sauldre , Yèvre ) . There are also loess deposits in Beauce , synonymous with fertile soils suitable for intensive cereal agriculture.

 

The Cenozoic formations present a variety of sedimentary rocks of marine and continental origin (lacustrine, fluviatile, alterites) mainly occupying the natural regions of Beauce , Sologne , Brenne and Gâtines.

 

The Mesozoic formations also include sedimentary rocks of marine and continental origin whose ages vary from south to north, from the oldest rocks of the Triassic ( Boischaut , Marche, Val de Germigny ) to the most recent of the Cretaceous ( Drouais , Gâtinais) . , Pays-Fort , Perche , Touraine ) through those of the Jurassic ( Berry , Blancois , Richelais , Sancerrois ).

 

Finally, the Paleozoic formations are composed of magmatic and metamorphic rocks ( Boischaut , Marche) belonging to the Massif Central and formed during the Variscan orogeny .

 

The geodiversity of the Centre-Val de Loire region has largely influenced the different landscapes, the latter having been developed by humans over the centuries. For example, the clay-sandy subsoil of Sologne has favored the establishment of thousands of artificial ponds, just like in Brenne . Man has also been able to take advantage of the mineral resources of the regional subsoil with the famous tuffeau stone 6 , 7 , the faluns of Touraine, the limestone of Beauce 8 , the flints of Grand-Pressigny or the “ gunflints » of the Cher valley ( Meusnes , Couffy ). Oil is still exploited in the Loiret in Cretaceous sands at around 600 m depth 9 .

 

Like all French regions, the Centre-Val de Loire benefits from a continuous inventory of geological sites of heritage interest, as part of the National Inventory of Geological Heritage (INPG) 10 . Geodiversity coupled with biodiversity constitutes natural heritage. To date, 127 geological sites of heritage interest have been identified by the Regional Geological Heritage Commission of Centre-Val de Loire (CRPG) 11 . The list of sites can be consulted on the website of the National Inventory of Natural Heritage (INPN)

 

The relief that emerges on either side of its bed is made up of plains and plateaus with different geographical characteristics. The slightly undulating limestone plateau of Berry Champagne , in the south-east, is followed by Brenne (“land of a thousand ponds”), and the clayey plateaus of Touraine in the south-west.

 

To the south and east there are cuestas with limestone plateaus and clayey depressions on the edge of the Massif Central ( Motte d'Humbligny (Sancerrois hills), 429 m ). To the north and center extend the plateaus of Beauce , Sologne and the Orléans forest. In Sologne , the nature of the soil has favored the establishment of thousands of artificial ponds, as well as moors and coppices. It is a paradise for birds and game.

 

The Centre-Val de Loire is crossed by the longest river in France (the Loire , 1,006 km ) which experiences very irregular flow rates. In addition, numerous and diverse tributaries join it.

 

The Centre-Val de Loire is subject to three types of floods, some of which have marked the history of the region (e.g. 1856, 1866):

 

floods of oceanic origin characterized by a slow rise in water from depressions coming from the west;

floods of Cevennes origin characterized by intense and long precipitation occurring in the upper basins of the Loire and Allier ;

so-called “mixed” floods mixing the two origins.

 

Beyond the images of large cereal areas, the Centre-Val de Loire has a great diversity of landscapes and natural environments: forests, ponds, dry limestone lawns, moors, peat bogs, and the Loire and its sandbanks and alluvial forests.

 

The region is home to the largest national forest in France, the Orléans forest which extends over more than 35,000 ha north of the Loire and Orléans.

 

23% of the regional territory 13 , or 900,000 hectares , is covered by forests and other woodlands, mainly the Orléans forest, Sologne and the east of the Perche forest . The vast majority of forests are private (85%) 13 .

 

In addition, the region hosts more than 5% of the known wetlands on the national territory [ ref. desired] concentrated especially in Brenne with its 1,300 ponds and in Sologne with its 3,000 ponds. Over the last ten years, more than 10% of marsh or peatland areas have nevertheless disappeared.

 

Wildlife

The juxtaposition of closed and open environments promotes great biological diversity, from large mammals such as red deer , roe deer , wild boar , woodland birds such as the European nightjar , black woodpecker and hoary woodpecker . The forest has been home to osprey nesting since the 1980s , marking the return of the raptor to France after decades of decline 14 . Disappearing from mainland France during the 19th century , the raptor found a final refuge in Corsica where only three pairs remained in 1974.

 

Regional wetlands contain a great diversity of insects and are an important resource for many species of the five classes of vertebrates.

 

Flora

Although still incomplete depending on the departments, the floristic inventories of the Centre-Val de Loire show a great diversity of environments, from large forest areas like Sologne to large plains like Beauce . The Loiret department, for example, is home to almost a third of French flora with more than 1,450 species 15 .

 

Protected areas

The regional territory is home to three regional natural parks : Brenne , Loire-Anjou-Touraine and Perche .

 

Impacts on natural environments

Fragmentation of environments

The region is ecologically very fragmented . In 2010, DREAL and the Region launched 16 the development of the Regional Ecological Coherence Scheme (SRCE), aiming to restore a more functional ecological network in the region . In 2001, a first mapping of the green and blue network and natural environments was carried out which will make it possible to prepare the SRCE, administrative translation of the European Green and Blue Network project ( pan-European, national and regional ecological network for the six departments of this region, within the framework of the Grenelle II law and the new national strategy for biodiversity (2010-2011).

 

Development and operation

River development disrupts river dynamics with the eventual disappearance of wetlands and alluvial valleys. Aggregate extraction areas have increased, for example, by 30% in ten years (16% nationally). This disappearance leads to the reduction of the biodiversity of the region. Fish populations reflect the degradation of the aquatic environment and remain mostly (61%) disturbed or degraded.

 

Agriculture

In 2023, Greenpeace lists 103 factory farms in the regional territory, concentrating between them 6.8 poultry, more than 117,000 pigs, 550 dairy cows and 2,050 calves and other cattle 17 .

 

Axes of communication and transport

Numerous motorways cross the Centre-Val de Loire and connect - Paris to Lyon ( A6 ) - to Bordeaux ( A10 ) - to Clermont-Ferrand ( A71 ) - to Rennes and Nantes ( A11 ) - to Nevers ( A77 ) - to Toulouse ( A20 ). Three transverse motorways, Orléans - Sens ( A19 ), Vierzon - Tours - Angers ( A85 ) and Tours - Le Mans - Rouen ( A28 ), complete the network.

 

On the rail transport side, the regional council finances the TER Centre-Val de Loire network , the management of which it delegates to the SNCF .

 

On the air transport side, a small airport project is underway in Châteaudun. Moreover, the Grand Châteaudun has scheduled three public meetings in May on the theme of the future of the Châteaudun aerodrome (Eure-et-Loir).

 

After the first three meetings which were organized in Cloyes-les-Trois-Rivières , Brou and Châteaudun, in October 2021 , the Grand Châteaudun wishes to go back to meet its inhabitants in order to report on the progress of the reconversion project of the Châteaudun civil aerodrome (ICAO: LFOC) 18 .

 

Tourism

Chartres Cathedral is one of the major attractions of the region, and can be observed from a distance by hikers due to the very smooth terrain. It is visible from the Pays Chartrain Vélorail , a 12.5 km round trip on an old railway line from the Centre-Val de Loire 19 , the Paris-Chartres axis via Gallardon 19 . The Pays Chartrain Vélorail has participated in the craze for “original and fun means of transport” which is “on the rise” 20 .

 

The town of Châteaudun has tourist attractions with its castle, its caves, its museum of fine arts and natural history and its flea markets 21 .

 

In addition, the region is known throughout the world for the castles of the Loire , most of which are world heritage sites , among the best known are those of Chambord , Chenonceau , Blois , Cheverny , Loches , Chaumont- sur-Loire , Azay-le-Rideau , Clos Lucé , Amboise , Ussé , etc.

 

Related article: List of castles in the Center region .

In addition to castles and mansions , the region has numerous monuments such as the Briare aqueduct or the one over the Sauldre , or the Chanteloup pagoda , for example.

 

The region is also home to the Beauval zoo , near Saint-Aignan ( Loir-et-Cher ).

 

Historically, the departments of Centre-Val de Loire were generally made up of three historical provinces :

 

Orléanais ( Loiret , Eure-et-Loir , Loir- et -Cher );

Berry ( Cher and Indre ) ;

Touraine ( Indre-et - Loire ).

These entered the royal domain very early ( Orléans having, with Paris , constituted the original nucleus of this domain), to the formation of which they contributed very largely: the castles of the Loire - from Gien to Chinon , in passing through Chambord , Blois , Chenonceau , Azay-le-Rideau , La Ferté-Saint-Aubin … testify to a common heritage.

 

The fire of Sunday June 20, 1723 in Châteaudun had a big role in the history of Châteaudun, because it destroyed a large half of the town. The fire broke out in the Faubourg Saint-Valérien around 2 p.m. in the house of a winegrower known as Pierre Clément dit le Beau, during a period of dry and hot weather. If several causes were mentioned throughout history concerning the trigger of the disaster, Arnaud Carobbi showed that these hypotheses were only rumors which had never been supported by facts. A shifting wind blowing today appears to have fanned the flames and spread the fire in several different directions throughout the city. The fire became very widespread because most of the materials used for the construction of houses were combustible such as thatch or wood. In addition, the town of Châteaudun being located on a rocky outcrop, there was no obstacle to protect it from the wind. Ultimately, the disaster destroyed a thousand buildings and left more than 80% of the population homeless.

 

The extent of the damage made it possible to obtain royal aid to rebuild the city. In total more than 900,000 pounds will be released from royal funds. The architect Jules Hardouin was responsible for drawing the plans for the new city and provided it with an important central square (now known as Place du 18-Octobre ) and wide streets. The city center was also rebuilt in stone to prevent the risk of fire. Reconstruction work began the following spring and was officially completed in 1733. In fact, many buildings were still to be built in 1773, like the town hall which would not be completed until 1779.

 

When the fire broke out most of the emergency services, that is to say the officers of the cavalry companies, were attending a party in Droué and so as not to spoil the festivities, no one warned them. The fire slows down as it reaches the towers of the city gate.

 

The terrible fire of 1723 marked the history of the town of Châteaudun . This is why Fabien Verdier, Mayor of Châteaudun, decided to celebrate the 300th anniversary , which will be commemorated from June 17 to 30, the opportunity to remember that this fire transformed the architecture of the city of Dun 22 .

 

The region was the birthplace or host of many literary celebrities: Honoré de Balzac , René Descartes , François Rabelais , Pierre de Ronsard , George Sand , Charles Péguy , Marcel Proust , Jules Romains , Anatole France , Max Jacob , Maurice Genevoix , Gaston Couté , François Villon , Alain-Fournier , Étienne Dolet, Guillaume de Lorris , Alfred de Vigny, Voltaire, Beaumarchais, etc.

Dave, DAVE! someone has parked on the pavement again!

 

PG72AB is a British Army EKA heavy lifting 8x8 mahine

 

www.ekalimited.com/downloads/supercompact.pdf

N465 on a V/line passenger service to Shepparton passes the outer lower quadrant signal at Wallan on 14-5-2018

Unlike last year’s submissions, when I challenged myself to triple alliterations and puns, this year I simply tried to make a quadrant kaleidoscopes out of each picture from last year. It worked for all but 2 of last year’s photos, so I found 2 new subjects.

Highbury, Islington, North London.

 

I used to (temporarily) live in one of these houses and loved it...

John Wilcox used this quadrant on his voyages from Madison to New York and the Connecticut River in the early 1800's to about 1860. A quadrant was a forerunner of the sextant and measured the altitude of heavenly bodies for navigation.

Brass and ivory fitted ebony frame with the maker's name and compass degrees engraved on ivory set into the frame. Colored glass filters used in the sighting device. Quadrant fits into oak box with partial label of William Davenport, instrument dealer in Philadelphia. Cut side of box is painted yellow and has faint traces of a star and "JOHN WILCOX" painted on it. Made by Spencer, Browning & Rust, London England c. 1800.

15" X 13 3/4" X 3 1/2"

Found in collection.

ACC# 79.680.1-2

See more museum items at flic.kr/s/aHskgxX9We.

(Photo credit Bob Gundersen www.flickr.com/photos/bobphoto51/albums)

Brighton Road, Sutton

Topical is the 224 to Mumbles though in front is MK63 WZW of SWT urging us to enjoy Swansea bay.The last First Cymru in Barbie livery is there,TZF and one of the X10 Scanias.Busy as usual eh!!

A real attraction at Weybourne, North Norfolk Railway is the lower quadrant signal at the Holt end of the station.

 

330_P1010691CE

N473 rushes the morning passenger service from Albury to Melbourne past the lower quadrant signals at Broadford on 14-5-2018

I start witn an original "Quadrant Kaleidoscope" and further manipulate the image with the GIMP software, using Filters --> Distorts --> Kaleidoscope. I vary the preset settings to achieve a different effect with 4 or more reflections.

 

Upper left to right: Karl Marx (1818 - 1883), Adam Smith (1723 - 1790), G.W. Hegel (1770 - 1831);

Lower left to right: Thorstein Veblen (1857 - 1929). Gyorgy Luckacs (1885 - 1971), J.M. Keynes (1883 - 1946), Milton Friedman (1912 - 2006).

 

Abstract - PhD (2013) - Quadralectics

Christopher W. Smithmyer

Nova Southeastern University, 2015 - 752 pages

 

Quadralectics is a study of the magnitude of conflict that occurs when a society shifts from one socio-economic phase to another. The purpose of this study is to quantify levels of conflict due to societal shifts in order to better prepare for the results of the conflict. This study uses a hybridization of qualitative meta-synthesis (QMS), recursive frame analysis (RFA), and Grounded Theory (GT) research methodologies to survey the historical record for instances of social change and then comparatively analyzes the resultant conflict. The heart of the Quadralectic study is the Quadralectic paradigm which integrates four dialectic models to create a four-dimensional space in which known forms of socio-economic phenomenon exist. The model is similar to a house with rooms, each room is a socioeconomic phenomenon, and the further rooms are from each other, the more conflict is created by the change. We call these movements transitions. Once in place, the Quadralectic model can be used to forecast conflict during periods of social upheaval and allow for the domestic and international community to be better prepared to respond to said conflict.

---

Smythmyer’s Quadralectics - A Reply – by Marten Kuilman - September 2018.

 

Every occurrence of the word ‘quadralectics’ arouses my interest since I coined the word in the early nineteen-eighties of the previous century. I had busied myself for a couple of years with an intellectual quest to understand the complexities of life. After several failed efforts, the penny dropped (on the 31st of March 1984): division and movement are the crucial components in every communication. And a four-division in a circular environment would be the most practical tool to understand the ever-expanding brine of information known as knowledge. A further theoretical examination resulted in the birth of a ‘quadralectic philosophy’ (KUILMAN, 2009/ 2011).

 

The kernel of the new approach consisted of two theoretical four-divisions shifting along each other. Measurable shift-values were produced at the intersection of the division lines (of the various quadrants). The sixteen values formed a sequence, which can be expressed in a graph. This graph represents the receding and approaching actions that take place between communication partners in any conceivable interchange based on a four-division.

 

It took another sixteen years – after the introduction of the internet in my life (Dec, 1999) – to start a worldwide search for ‘soul mates’. The initial harvest at the start of the new millennium was poor. The oldest referral to the term ‘quadralectics’ was traced back to 1996 when the term was used in an (anonymous) article about the enigmatic writer Thomas Pynchon and his novel “The Crying of Lot 49’ (1966). Two years later there was also a lead to Taoist sources as recorded by Roger T. Ames (1998, p. 169).

 

Kent PALMER (2000) mentioned the term for the first time in a scientific environment in several articles and later in his Ph.D. (Quadralectics of Design, 2009/2010). He was a system engineer, who put an emphasis on non-dual forms of thinking. It was clear - although I could not follow some of his terminologies - that he was concerned with the same widening of thinking as proposed in my quadralectic endeavors.

 

Over the years the use and occurrence of the word ‘quadralectics’ on the internet grew steadily – not only due to my own contributions. At present (2018) some 38.200 results are recorded (in 0,50 seconds). And Smythmyer’s Ph.D. on ‘Quadralectics’ was in 2013 a new star in the quadralectic firmament (SMYTHMYER, 2013).

 

A shining star, well written and a great piece of work. It was a pleasure to read such a clear display of socio-economic currents and individuals (with Marx as their leading actor) from the past to the present – capped off by the introduction of the ‘infant theory’ of quadralectics. Maybe the title of the Ph.D. is slightly misleading since the main subject of study is not the quadralectic method itself, but the application of a particular modus operandi (four-fold way of thinking) in the field of economy and sociology.

 

Smythmyer indicated (p. 51) that he moved on new ground when he coined the title ‘Quadralectics’: ‘Hegel and Marx thought in two dimensions, this model worked in four. As a tribute to their works, I selected the title Quadralectics, as a symbol of a system with four parts in a four-dimensional matrix. Now all that was left was to create a way to take this theorem and forge it into a theory.'

 

In the next part of this essay, I will try to incorporate Smythmyer’s understanding and utilization of the term ‘Quadralectics’ into my own interpretation of this particular form of four-fold thinking.

 

The reading started off on the wrong foot. Shivers went down my spine when, early in the book (Ch. I), the word ‘quadralectics’ was connected with conflict and proposed as a tool to measure and predict the magnitude of aggressive encounters. Furthermore, quadralectics is seen as an integration of four dialectic models. Both descriptions are way-out of the interpretation of ‘my’ quadralectics (KUILMAN, 1996/2011).

 

In fact, the roots of my epistemology can be found in the critical rejection of historical writing in terms of conflict. The rhetorical question: ‘is it possible to write history without the unsavory markers of conflict?’, was asked early in my life. And my subsequent intellectual development was geared towards finding an answer to that question. One of the achievements of a quadralectic worldview (as I see it) is its ‘neutral’ character – in contrast to lower forms of division thinking.

 

Therefore the ‘conflict’, which is present in every communication (or ongoing history) is incorporated in quadralectics – but it is not the leading agent. ‘Conflict’ has to make a cognitive move from its common dualistic understanding to a quadralectic environment. The nature of conflict is rooted in a misunderstanding of division thinking between the communication partners. Its cause has to be redefined in terms of incomprehension rather than the measure of the implementation of force.

 

After the initial shock of Smythmyer’s introduction, it soon became clear that our mutual suppositions (as expressed in the name ‘quadralectics’) had – as far as the basic mechanism goes – a lot in common. He describes ‘conflict’ as a ‘transition within a paradigm of interconnected socioeconomic elements’ (p. 14). This definition leads directly to the importance of ‘shift’. Displacement, as a result of movement, played a crucial role in the conception of ‘my’ quadralectics in the 1980s. The transition/shift can be measured, either within the paradigms and/or the division environment (the Technological Coefficient versus the Communication Coefficient).

 

I wholeheartedly underwrite Smythmyer’s stimulating objective (p. 20): ‘By increasing the objective capabilities of defining socio-economic paradigms and status shifts within those paradigms, quadralectics will be more useful for the analysis of current socio-economic shifts, thus allowing for better preparation in the case of any conflict that may or may not happen’.

 

The literature review (Ch. II) is the Master Template in which the great names in socio-economic history provide the substratum of research. Smythmyer’s idea, I presume, is to find ‘the beginning’ in communication with thinkers like Hegel, Marx, Friedman, Luckacs, Veblen (my favorite) and many others (including Adolf Hitler and Ross Perot). Most of these thinkers operate in the realm of lower division thinking (dialectic) and are therefore unable to see the potential of the area ‘in-between’. Many of their theories and observations are the result of creative thinking, but only within the limits and the confinement of an oppositional straightjacket.

 

Smythmyer’s intention to ‘broaden the lens’ away from a dialectic research and a bifurcated universe is exactly the viewpoint I took in the early stages of my research of the four-fold. However, to see ‘Quadralectics’ (only) as the relationship between conflict and social change (p. 51) is, in my opinion, to narrow a view. The ‘four parts in a four-dimensional matrix’, as envisaged by Smythmyer, are bound to become the essential tools of modern, post-dialectic thinking. The choice of this epistemology is appropriately chosen. But the application of a general and a specific form of quadralectics – as a philosophical framework - should be noted.

 

The use of ‘quadralectics’ (or even ‘quadralectic theory’, p. 124) in the socio-economic context is just one of the many fields of knowledge were the specific way of four-fold thinking (quadralectics proper) can be applied. The very moment the X-as (first dimension) is divided in Anarchy, Feudalism, Capitalism, Socialism and Communism and the Y-axis (second dimension) in Plutocracy, Hegemony, Capitalism, Populism and Communalism a (subjective) valuation frame is introduced (based on either control of means of production or the control structure of wealth).

 

There is nothing wrong with these choices, as long as it is realized that the divisions follow a linear trend from maximum to minimum. Capitalism is on both X- and Y-axis nicely tucked in the middle - implicit pointing to the Golden Mean, the zenith of beauty, consisting of symmetry, proportion and harmony. When ‘hegemony’ is ‘near the middle of the paradigm’ (p. 194/195) it implies close to be ‘good’ and versatile. This viewpoint might be true, but only within a dialectic inspired discours.

 

This bickering should not disguise the fact that Smythmyer gave a brilliant and clear exposé of the various human organisations and their power structures. But I have the feeling – mainly because of the linear character of the subdivisions – that the ‘neutral’ side of (theoretical) quadralectics is ignored.

 

Quadralectics - as a specific form of four-fold thinking - requires a different perception. It poses a cyclic nature versus the linear disposition (of the dialectic). The different mindset implies that dialectic notions, like the beginning, middle and end and such notions as ‘a Golden Mean’, need a new understanding: there is no beginning, middle and end on a divided circular line. We can only speak of a ‘First’ and ‘Last’ visibility – and have to understand what that visibility means. Also the ‘Golden Mean’ as a comparison of two lengths of lines becomes redundant in a circular setting. Dialectics uses the two-division as its guideline (and tool of analogy), while a quadralectic communication applies the (arithmetical) result of a shift between two four-divisions as its base for valuation. The difference is immense, but if one is unable to see outside the dualistic framework, it is neglectable. A comparison with Newton’s approach to physics and Einstein’s improvement (by introducing the speed of light) is relevant.

 

The statement (p. 169) ‘Marxism is the key tool in the Quadralectic paradigm’ looks, with good will, like a facsimile of the dialectic encounter of the two four-divisions in an embryonal quadralectic environment. It cannot be denied that the quadralectic model pays tribute and incorporates the two-division in its genetic history. Division and movement (shift) are the basic elements of its being, but not necessarily in an evolutionary way. Dialectic evolution is completely different from quadralectic evolution. The first is a line, the second is a graph. However the phrase ‘to create an interrelated structure to explain and predict social changes within the socioeconomic paradigm’ is also feasible in the operational phase of a quadralectic epistemology.

 

A further visualization of two types of control (of the masses) is given in Chapter XIII. The five-fold control of means of production (X-axis) meets the five-fold control of the structure of wealth (Y-axis). They form the first and second dimension, A reinterpretation of Aristotle’s Forms, in Part IV, makes up the third dimension. The Forms represent ‘a pattern of known socioeconomic phenomenon’ (p. 218). In particular the action of ’filling up the gaps (,,,) to fit into the quadralectic paradigm’ is a sound piece of original work, despite the fact that the methodology can be criticized from a (theoretical) quadralectic point of view. The full picture (on the Z-axis) consists of a nine-fold division (from simple to complex): tyranny, monarchy, meritocracy, technocracy, aristocracy, egalitarianism, mob rule, democracy and polity.

 

The above-mentioned lattice (or three-dimensional arrangement) moves through time to bring in the fourth dimension. Or, like Smythmyer put it (p. 220): 'we will see how they require only a temporal element to become a complete four-dimensional model.’ In Part V (not in the list of contents, but given as Part VI) the long-awaited moment was about to happen: the calculation of the conflict coefficient. The introduction of the Ph.D. (p. 20) promised a magic wand, which could predict the magnitude of a conflict within the socio-economic paradigm. If only that could be achieved then the world would be a better place…

 

The introduction of Morgan’s three stages (savagery - barbarianism - civilization) comes as a deception. (MORGAN, 1877). The descriptions in terms of a condition humaine is prehistoric and simplistic. On the other hand, the ten-fold scale of conflicts (with a linear increase in violence) can be helpful. The actual calculation from the shift in a socio-economic phenomenon towards a real conflict number (using -1, 0 and +1) is, in my opinion, insufficiently described. The map in the appendix (as promised ‘for those of you who are visually oriented’, p. 303) is not given. Maybe it helps to clarify the number of spaces (shift) ‘a society moves through the paradigm to figure out its conflict number’.

 

Despite these shortcomings (for me), I understand the principles behind the generation of the ‘conflict number’. There are reminiscences to a quadralectic approach (of shifting four-divisions), but I would not call the procedure of the creation of a conflict number ‘quadralectics’. Values are still generated in a linear environment (and often based on a subjective understanding of ‘high’ and ‘low’ and entities like minimum and maximum and the rigid digital world of plus (+) and minus (-). Three (linear) axes moving in time do not make a quadralectic cosmos. The quadralectic (scientific) reality consists, in my view, of an observer who used the universal communication graph (CF-graph) in the changeability of the partners in a the communication.

 

The universal character implies that any juxtaposition between whatever sort of topic can be put to the quadralectic test. So, a comparison between certain socio-economic manifestations and the occurrence and intensity of a conflict and subsequent violence is a viable research option. All we have to know are the boundaries of visibility in place and time of the communication units. A form of ‘intensity’ can be measured as soon as these boundaries are established. The place on the CF-graph provides (by analogy) a fairly confident picture (within the given communication) what is going to happen. So it is not the actual figure (CF-value) which determined its worth, but the place on the graph. Place is in the end more important than time. Although in the understanding of quadralectics the place (on the graph) is also the time…

 

A glance on the Theorems of Quadralectics (Appendix I) gives a certain preoccupation for (Neo)Darwinistic ideas. One cannot fail to notice statements about survival (2, 6), choice of desirable traits (3, 8), genetic material (5), natural selection (9) and sexual selection (11, 12). I have no clue as to what these theorems contribute to the subject at hand. Is it an effort to understand the nature of conflict? Is it a revival of the survival of the fittest? It is hard to say, but whatever explanation: it has little to do with quadralectics.

 

A closer look at the bibliography is relevant. The writings of the classical, communistic leaders are out in force (Lenin, 13 entries), Mao (29), Marx (15) and Stalin (14). Fortunately Stephen Gould, a much more amicable researcher, got 7 entries. Thornstein Veblen ’Theory of the Leisure Class’ (1899), Michael Young’s ‘The Rise of the Meritocracy‘ (1951) and James Burnham’s ‘The Managerial Revolution’ (1941) are sadly missed. Maybe their writings did not fit into the ‘conflict’ model.

 

All in all, Smythmyer’s Ph.D. is a refreshing study, which gives a deeper insight into the way human beings live together. The outset to combine expressions of conflict with a particular socio-economic phenomenon is challenging. The intention to use a wider scope is prize-worthy, but the name ‘quadralectic’ is not fully appropriate.

  

Suggested literature

  

AMES, Roger T. (Ed.) (1998). Wandering at Ease in the Zhuangzi. Albany: State University of New York Press, ISBN 0-7914-3921-6/3922-4.

 

BURNHAM, James (1941). The Managerial Revolution. What is Happening in the World? New York: John Day Co.

 

KUILMAN, Marten (1996/2011). Four. A Rediscovery of the ‘Tetragonus mundus’. Falcon Press, Heemstede. ISBN 978-90-814420-1-5

tetragonusmundus.wordpress.com/inhoud/

 

KUILMAN, Marten (2009/2011) Visions of Four Notions. Introduction to a Quadralectic Epistemology. Falcon Press, Heemstede. ISBN 978-90-814420-2-2

wordpress.com/view/visionsoffour.wordpress.com

 

MORGAN, Lewis H. (1877/1974). Ancient Society, or Researching the lines of Human Progress from Savagery through Barbarian In to Civilization. Gloucester MA, Peter Smith.

 

PALMER, Kent D. (1994). The Fragmentation of Being and the Path Beyond the Void. Apeiron Press, Orange.

archonic.net/apeiron.htm

works.bepress.com/kent_palmer/2

 

- (2000). Reflexive Autopoietic Dissipative Special Systems Theory: An Approach to Emergent Meta-systems through Holonomics.

archonic.net/autopoiesis.html

dialog.net/htdocs/homepage.02/autopoiesis.html

 

- (2010). Emergent Design. Explorations in Systems Phenomenology in Relation to Ontology, Hermeneutics and the Meta-dialectics of Design. A thesis submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Electrical and Information Engineering Division of Information Technology, Engineering, and the Environment University of South Australia, 28 September 2009.

 

SMYTHMYER, Christopher W. (2013). Quadralectics. Nova Southeastern University, 2015. The Seven Swords of Strategic Business: Companion Book.

 

VEBLEN, Thorstein (1899). The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of Institutions.

 

YOUNG, Michael (1951). The Rise of the Meritocracy.

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Additional remarks

 

Table of Contents does not mention the Chapters.

The latter are introduced on p. 18ff.

Chapters and parts become a confusing mix (for me).

 

My reconstruction of the table of contents is as follows:

 

Part I - ?

 

Introduction

Ch I - no heading, just description under ‘Chapters’

Ch II - Literature review

Ch. III - Methodology

 

Part II - Theory – is not mentioned in the text (p. 65) but called ‘in Chapters’

 

Introduction of Theory

 

At p. 67ff a division in parts (I – IV) is given

Part I – Marx

Part II – Plutocracy etc.

Part III – Aristotle

Part IV – Technological Coefficient

 

But where do these parts fit into the table of contents?

 

Ch. IV - Of the Applied Methodology

Ch. V - Theoretical Overview

 

Part III - Of the Marxist Dialectic - is not mentioned in the Contents as Part III.

 

Ch. VI - General Principles

Ch. VII - Of Anarchy

Ch. VIII - Of Feudalism

Ch. IX - Of Capitalism

Ch. X - Of Socialism

Ch. XI - Of Communism

Ch. XII - Conclusion Dialectics = Conclusion of the dialectic

 

Part III Quadralectic Vertices = Part IV in the text (p. 170)

 

A figure to show the outlay and division of the X and Y-axes would have been helpful. ‘Quadralectic vertices’ point to four (4) vertices (tetrahedron), but the text continues with a five division (Plutocracy, Hegemony, Capitalism, Populism and Communalism)

 

Ch. XIII - Introduction = Introduction to the Quadralectic Dialectic.

Ch. XIV - Of Plutocracy

 

What happened to Ch XV – XVI?

 

Ch. XVII - Hegemony

Ch. XVIII - Of Capitalism

Ch. XIX – Of Populism

Ch. XX – Of Communalism

 

Part IV Aristotle – In text: Aristotle’s Form

 

Ch. XVI - Introduction - should be Ch. XXI (see above)

Ch. XVII - Tyranny - should be Ch. XXII

Ch. XVIII - Monarchy - should be Ch. XXIII

Ch. XIX - Meritocracy - should be Ch. XXIV

Ch. XX - Technocracy - should be Ch. XXV

Ch. XXI - Aristocracy - should be Ch. XXVI

Ch. XXII - Egalitarianism - should be Ch. XXVII

Ch. XXIII - Mob Rule - should be Ch. XXVIII

Ch. XXIV - Democracy - should be Ch. XXIX

Ch. XXV - Polity - should be Ch. XXX

Ch. XXVI - Development - should be Ch. XXXI

Ch. XXVII - Conclusion

 

Part V - Missing

Part VI - TC - is part VII in text

Part VI - Navigating

Part VII – Catharsis

----

Corrections

 

p. 22 - p. Chapter 1 (Arabic) is written as Chapter I (Roman)

p. 22 - White et al – capital W

p. 22 - Freidman - Friedman

p. 23 - duel = dual

p. 24 - as Maritian states – who is Maritian?

p. 38 and p. 39 - Freidman = Friedman

p. 40 - these there element = these three elements

p. 95 - by an large = by and large

p. 102 - destabilize = destabalize

p. 103 - form of society

p. 105 - pleas not = please not

p. 106 - Doctor = doctor

p. 109 - maintianed is = maintained its

p.112 - now = no law or rule

p.114 - 369 sensence unclear

De Dion diamonds – de Beer diamonds?

p. 119 - her = here is an article

p. 129 - There is not real strong king = there is no real strong king

p. 131 - invasion – s

p. 132 - Myan = Mayan

p. 134 - structure – s

p. 139 - Di Vinci = Da Vinci

p. 148 - for person gain = for personal gain

p. 151 - not test = no test

p. 159 - many socialism = socialists

doe = do

p. 175 - heav?

p. 180 - can buy out a for profit corporation

p. 188 - A excellent example = An excellent exemple

p. 189 - duel = dual

p. 193 - Brittan = Britain

p. 201 - the people thought he building = through the building

p.205 - the focus in on keeping – the focus is on keeping

p. 214 - at out disposal – at our disposal

p. 218 - filling the in the blank – filling in the blank

p. 246 - have and have not’s

p. 252 - in a capitalism (2x)

p. 254 - Velbin = Veblin

p. 257 - a intrinsic worth = an intrinsic worth

p. 260 – as simple as

p. 293 - Out western civilization = our

p. 294 - ho = how

p. 296 - the survival or the artisan = survival of the artisan

p. 297/299 - Brittan = Britain

p. 300 - one the decline = on the decline

p. 328 - Jon Elster = John Elster

   

Oil on canvas, 2008, 48" x 56"

sassafras-lane.com/collections/all/products/quadrant-cour...

Growing Mesocyclone SW Quadrant

I’m estimating this young developing Mesocyclone is 70 miles distant/ 50 miles wide. Relatively small for a Rotating mesocyclone. It was growing at the time. The sunset for that day is ongoing exactly behind me in about 15 minutes from this capture. There are just plain intense downpours under these storms sometimes. Depending on how fast they are moving makes you lucky or flooded locally lol. These only rain on a few percent of the ground area up here. Spotty! The ground under them becomes totally soaked if the storm doesn’t move.

We had a summer Mesocyclone years back that sat over us and dumped 4.5 inches of rain in 45 minutes. Water was sheet washing down the hill behind my home and skirting around the house. Almost nothing got in but that slope was angle deep in sheet wash. I have since re-landscapes using mounds to redirect any potential sheet wash off the long hill to our back. It’s only been a problem once in 20 years.

That was a rough storm. Tragically a local cowboy from a nearby ranch was killed in that storm. A truck full of locals went out to see what the 100 year water dump did, drove to one of their herds to check them, road was fine. Drove back the road had washed out. That cowboy was a passenger in that truck. County Emergency Management called me to close the road off from my side of the washout. The runoff went through a major country road that literal gully washer did. It was a major culvert to replace and a big job. We couldn’t get to the highway from that road for a while.

Location: Bliss Dinosaur Ranch, Wyoming/Montana borderlands.

Title: Growing Mesocyclone SW Quadrant

  

blissphotographics.com/growing-mesocyclones-sw-quadrant/

DEC 20 2021

Everything in its place

Well now, that surely is a fine display in celebration of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee on Alma Place in Coleraine.

 

Think that J. McQuillan - shop doorway on left behind gaggle (or giggle?) of children - is a Flesher! Not as sinister as it sounds... But with a lot of sharp knives about, wonder if that's Mr McQuillan leaning on the cart with a heavily bandaged hand in a sling?

 

Asked if anyone could cast any light on the triangular "flag" just above the image of Queen Victoria? Upper left quadrant has an apparent upside down ankh, while the upper right has a fish. Turned out that "upside down ankh" was a sword - Coleraine coat of arms. Thanks Niall McAuley and derangedlemur.

 

Date: June 1897 (but can we narrow it down further?)

 

NLI Ref.: L_CAB_07089

Taken with my ZWO Asi183 camera and SkyWatcher 180mm Maksutov-Cassegrain reflector telescope with its 2700mm focal length, 0° 17' x 0° 11' field of view, and 0.18 arc-seconds/pixel resolution (330 metres on the Moon/pixel).

John Wilcox used this quadrant on his voyages from Madison to New York and the Connecticut River in the early 1800's to about 1860. A quadrant was a forerunner of the sextant and measured the altitude of heavenly bodies for navigation.

Brass and ivory fitted ebony frame with the maker's name and compass degrees engraved on ivory set into the frame. Colored glass filters used in the sighting device. Quadrant fits into oak box with partial label of William Davenport, instrument dealer in Philadelphia. Cut side of box is painted yellow and has faint traces of a star and "JOHN WILCOX" painted on it. Made by Spencer, Browning & Rust, London England c. 1800.

15" X 13 3/4" X 3 1/2"

Found in collection.

ACC# 79.680.1-2

See more museum items at flic.kr/s/aHskgxX9We.

(Photo credit Bob Gundersen www.flickr.com/photos/bobphoto51/albums)

I did not ask what he was doing or what his function was, and I did not care. Besides, he did not look like he was in any mood to talk.

I started with an original "Quadrant Kaleidoscope" and further manipulated the image with the GIMP software, using Filters --> Distorts --> Kaleidoscope. I vary the preset settings to achieve a different effect with 4 or more reflections.

 

iPhone 4S + Dynamic Light + ScratchCam + Pic Grunger + Grungetastic + DXP