View allAll Photos Tagged scale(s)
I've been itching for a while, especially since Babalas posted his own, to build a simple prop-job civil aircraft.
This is my first attempt at a minifig-scale aircraft, and I'm pretty pleased. I don't really have a name for it, but used some photos of the Cessna 180 as reference for a few details. On the whole, though, I mostly went my own way with the project. It should end up in AFOLOKC's display in December.
There's a couple pieces I need to replace for proper coloring, but thought it good enough for a couple pictures, at least.
Here's a shot from the mid '40's when the Ladies Bridge Club finally got busted. No comment as to what they were actually up to but I'm sure a few of the old timers down at Clem's garage could tell you all about it.
Of course Elsie the cow had to mosey on by to see what all the fuss was about. She always liked getting her picture taken. We sure miss the old girl!
The featured players are the Franklin Mint 1940 Duesenberg SJ Convertible Town Car, the Franklin Mint 1946 Chevy Suburban Sheriff's Wagon, the Franklin Mint 1933 Duesenberg SJ "Twenty Grand" and of course "Elsie" as "The Photobomber".
These are all 1/24 scale cars and cow against a real background. No animals were harmed in the making of this photograph.
Another online buy, an old Kemtron 4-2-0 brass kit built locomotive. These are fairly scarce now and always sell well when listed properly. This one was just listed as "Unknown" so it was a bargain. This is the seller's photo. These were made in the 1950's, unfortunately, the mold which they used to cast the brass boiler halves was broken, so they have not been available for roughly 50 years. Precision Scale Models owns the remaining molds and still produces some parts, but the entire model is not available. Precision Scale purchased the Kemtron line after the death of Levon Kemalyan the founder of Kemalyan Electronics (Kem-tron) after it had passed through ownership by others for around 15 years.
In this episode of Car Tunes, we go back to the early days of television. There are two pieces of music that fit this image. That’s right, it’s a two for one special.
Can you guess the song names based on clues in the picture?
As always, if you know the answer, we appreciate if you respond with a clever yet indirect way of telling us you know, so other folks can play along as well.
This is a 1/24 scale car, motorcycle and buildings, props, etc. against a real background.
The 'behind-the-scenes' set up photo for this can be seen here: www.flickr.com/photos/one24thscale/36862888153/in/datepos...
Using 1/6th scale miniatures, some of which are handmade, I try to represent a more "current" view of Barbie's lifestyle.
From the Series, "Barbie Trashes Her Dreamhouse."
It's Malibu P.J. with Twist 'n Turn Waist. Bendable Legs. Poseable from Mattel! 1975. A very pretty Barbie! P.J. is in the Regent Miniatures 1:6 Scale Barn built by Ken Haseltine of www.regentminiatures.com.
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Her writing desk was a gift from her beloved grandmother, who resides in Italy. Bronte pens a letter to her nonna almost every week. The framed silhouette above the desk is of Jane Austen, one of Bronte’s favorite authors.
Vessel: "Celebrity Summit" - huge horizon-beast!
Key West Harbor - Key West, Florida U.S.A.
Autumn 2022 - November 25th, 2022
*[left-click for a closer-look - pool-deck big-screen-movie]
*[taken from the "Commotion on the Ocean" Fury Catamaran
Sunset Cruise in Key West Harbor with the Cory Heydon Band]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebrity_Summit
www.celebritycruises.com/cruise-ships
i -think- this qualifies as 1:24th scale? it's about half inch wide.....really tiny to make, would have been impossible without my cousin's gift of the magnifying glass ^ ^
i like it lots!
Handcrafted, OOAK, fashion doll furniture in 1:6 scale from Abigail's Joy.
Please visit my website Abigail's Joy
Photographed in the Regent Mansion by Ken Haseltine. Audrey Hepburn repainted, re-rooted and restyled dressed as she appeared in My Fair Lady.
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Photos by Steve McKinnis of stevemckinnis.com
Juniper's cat came along to check out the doll party. He was a bit suspicious of those small people and came along to inspect them.
Vintage Kenner Blythe
Skipper dress, stockings, top
Blythe Sarah Shades boots
Hallmark Barbie ornament cases and mini dolls
Red case - vintage Barbie
Vintage pink dog: vintage Barbie
Cat: Schleich
Table: Sindy
Lampshade and brick wall: made by me
Dreamhouse - assembled by me (created by Minita)
Armoire - Barbie repainted
Carpet - felt
Background - Barbie Dream House
This image from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and ground-based optical telescopes shows an extremely long beam, or filament, of matter and antimatter extending from a relatively tiny pulsar, as reported in our latest press release. With its tremendous scale, this beam may help explain the surprisingly large numbers of positrons, the antimatter counterparts to electrons, scientists have detected throughout the Milky Way galaxy.
The panel on the left displays about one third the length of the beam from the pulsar known as PSR J2030+4415 (J2030 for short), which is located about 1,600 light years from Earth. J2030 is a dense, city-sized object that formed from the collapse of a massive star and currently spins about three times per second. X-rays from Chandra (blue) show where particles flowing from the pulsar along magnetic field lines are moving at about a third the speed of light. A close-up view of the pulsar in the right panel shows the X-rays created by particles flying around the pulsar itself. As the pulsar moves through space at about a million miles an hour, some of these particles escape and create the long filament. In both panels, optical light data from the Gemini telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii have been used and appear red, brown, and black.
Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Stanford Univ./M. de Vries; Optical: NSF/AURA/Gemini Consortium
#NASAMarshall #Chandra #astronomy #solarsystemandbeyond #pulsar
One of Vermeer's most beautiful paintings, in my opinion.
I love how it balances light and dark, the woman's peaceful countenance, the brilliant blue cloth, the warm shades of her jewelry box and her skirt, and the crisp white of her bonnet.
A print of this and a print of "Girl with a Pearl Earring", along with other Vermeers, decorate my walls.
Despite the themes of judgment and fate that are obvious in this painting (the "Last Judgment" painting on the wall, the "Justice"-type woman), whenever I see this painting I just get such a feeling of peace.
Ahhh....the beauty of a Vermeer!
Sometimes, the one24th scale team stumbles into a great location to shoot.The night before this shoot, Google satellite images were used to scout the foothills west of metro Denver for somewhere we had not yet been. It had to be low enough in altitude that the trees still had green leaves and near enough to a road or parking lot that two old men did not have to haul all their toys too far.
In the background, you can see a ridge of rock that looked promising. We met at the parking lot of the fabulous Fort Restaurant for ease of navigation. We took one look at that horizon and decided to shoot some pictures where we were.
That worked out well because, it turned out, there was no place close to that distant ridge to set up.
If you are ever in the area, the Fort is a local institution. The building is a replica of Bent’s Old Fort on the Santa Fe Trail. You can enjoy all sorts of wild game and exotic delicacies like, Rocky Mountain Oysters or Rattlesnake, maybe some whiskey with gunpowder…
As to the car in this image, in any scale, it is a Duesy!
This is a forced perspective photograph of a 1/32 scale die-cast model car in front of a real background.
Signature Models 1934 Duesenberg Lagrande Phaeton
20201204_9074_7D2-40 Rio Grande (D&RGW) SD40T-2 5359 & 5371
Another of my simulated evening shots of my friend Dave's new Scale Trains locos on his layout on what is the penultimate running session before the layout is dismantled (house is up for sale shortly).
This was a 20 second exposure with four flashes at 1/128th power to give a little fill light. The flash was fired manually during the exposure.
#12347
He stood on the edge of the world, a lone figure suspended between sky and stone. Before him sprawled New Zealand's Southern Alps, their peaks — Poseidon, Sarpedon, Amphion — rising like silent arguments carved from light and ice. The glacier unfurled its pale tongue, an ancient current arrested mid-sentence, its surface rippled with the memory of motion. The air shimmered, crystalline and unrepentant, a cold clarity that cut to the marrow.
Lake Agnes lay below, a still pool, dark and sharp as polished obsidian. It absorbed the landscape without a ripple, the reflection a perfect inversion—mountains upside down, the sky swallowed by earth. The scene was a paradox: immensity caught in a whisper, time paused on the brink of collapse. He felt the grass brittle beneath his boots, the wind threading through the crevices of his jacket—a touch neither warm nor cruel, merely indifferent.
For three days he had wrestled through the entrails of the land. The rainforest had closed around him with a suffocating lushness, roots coiling like serpents beneath the moss. Streams foamed with a glacial bite, the waters quick and thoughtless, bruising his ankles as he waded through. Thorned thickets tore at his skin with the intimacy of old grudges. He climbed slopes slick with rain, his body folded into painful angles, the horizon always receding. When he reached this place, the fog had been thick enough to erase the contours of the world. His tent had trembled in the night winds, the cold seeping in like an unwelcome thought.
But then dawn came, unburdened and lucid. The veil lifted, and the mountains revealed themselves in their raw articulation. They did not posture or proclaim—they simply were, immutable and unscripted. The glacier’s silence was more profound than any roar; the peaks did not loom so much as exist beyond scale.
Here, in this distilled emptiness, the trivial machinery of the world he had fled seemed absurd. The restless striving, the ceaseless revolutions of ambition and vanity—all of it shrank to the size of a pebble lost in a chasm. There was no wheel here to turn, no circuit to complete. Only the landscape, bare and relentless in its honesty.
He filled his lungs, the air sharp enough to taste. It was an act of quiet rebellion, this deliberate witnessing. In that breath, he found not freedom, but a dissolution of need. The lines between man and mountain wavered, softened by the sheer scale of indifference. If he stayed long enough, perhaps he too would become part of this tableau—his form dissolving into lichen and shadow, his presence no more than a pause in the wilderness’s endless thought.
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To explore more of these captured moments and woven words, visit the artist and writer at their sanctuary of creation: www.coronaviking.com
1:12th scale commission requested by a customer who saw the 1:6th scale Mid-Century Modern bedroom set.
The pink lamp is a gift from Kathy. She made a pair for my Suzy Goose vanity. They came in handy for this tiny set.
Leura, Blue Mountains,
New South Wales, Australia.
Elevation: 985m
Population: 4,400 approx.
The village of Leura is one of the most popular attractions in the Blue Mountains.
On the weekends it’s a regular getaway for Sydneysiders & Leura Mall is packed with luxury cars & 4WD’s.
The numerous tourist buses add to the hustle & bustle with tourists visiting the cafes & boutique shops.
Just a short trip south of Leura down Cliff Drive is a completely different world, away from the shops & the crowds.
The natural world of rainforests with ancient trees, waterfalls & cascades, wildflowers, orchids & fungi.
The forests around Leura are abundant with wildlife - here the only noises you’ll hear are the sound of birds,
the rustle of the wind in the trees and the sound of cascading water.
This area is a mecca for bushwalkers, birdwatchers & photographers.
Leura Cascades.
A short walk from the car park brings you to one of the most popular & photographed landmarks in the Blue Mountains.
The cascades run for a few hundred metres. Near the car park you’ll also find the upper Leura cascades.
Bridal Veil Falls.
The end of the cascades brings you to the top of the escarpment with stunning views across the Jamison Valley to Mount Solitary.
Here is the first glimpse of Bridal Veil Falls. A steep descent via some metal ladders takes you to the base of the falls.
Bridal Veil falls are not easy to photograph due to their large scale & close proximity of the vantage point below them.
Either a very wide-angle lens is required or shooting a multi- level panorama.
It’s more easier to document smaller sections of the waterfall.
Leura Weeping Rock.
Slightly below Bridal Veil is one of the hidden gems of the Blue Mountains - Leura’s Weeping Rock.
Though the falls are quite small they are quite picturesque & the area is quite atmospheric.
The area below this point is recommended for experienced walkers only!
Beyond Weeping Rock if you traverse to the right you will pass a large amphitheatre, before arriving at the lovely Fern Bower.
Turn left & towards the lower section of Fern Bower, you will find Lila Falls, Linda Falls, then further down - Margeurite Cascades.
Downstream from Weeping Rock, Leura Falls can be visited along with Adelina Cascades directly below the falls.
Below the cascades is Leura Forest - one of the most beautiful spots in the area with a Lord of the Rings-like charm.
This area can be accessed via the Fern Bower track or more directly downstream from Weeping Rock via a high metal ladder.
Caution must be taken if using this ladder as its dangerous, especially if you are carrying camera gear & a tripod.
Extended bushwalks - some ideas for further exploration for the fit & experienced:
Leura - Katoomba.
From the base of the escarpment, near Leura forest, are two tracks that take you to Katoomba (and beyond).
The Federal Pass or the Dardenelles Pass wind their way along the base of the cliffs and eventually form one route.
The Federal Pass track can be followed as far as even Mt Solitary or the Ruined Castle.
Exit points could be the Grand Stairway or the Scenic Railway or even the Golden Stairs at Narrow Neck.
Leura - Wentworth Falls.
At the base of Leura Falls is the legendary Lindeman Pass track which will bring you to near The Valley of the Waters at Wentworth falls area.
This is not really a track, but a negotiable route & is not sign-posted & is quite rough - some scrambling & route-finding involved.
Exit points include Gladstone Pass or Roberts Pass (both require exposed scrambling).
Allow for a full day to get to Valley of the Waters.
Do not attempt this route unless you have experience with off-track walking & rugged terrain!
Leura - Kings Tableland - Wentworth Falls.
It is possible to follow an old route that was used by workers to get to the decommissioned Sewerage plant at Leura.
This is a fairly long walk to the Kedumba Valley near Mount Solitary, followed by a steep climb up Kedumba Pass to the top of Kings Tableland.
From the top of Kings Tableland there is a fire trail that will take you back towards the Wentworth Falls area.
The 2nd half of the walk across the plateau can be done on walking tracks including the Charles Darwin walk.
Enjoy!
Prue knew it was only a matter of time before the mistress of the house made a slip up with the new arrival in the house, and when it happened, she would be ready to pounce!
The theme for "Looking Close… on Friday" for the 22nd of November is "not a real one". This theme was perfect for me, as I have so many things within easy grasp that are not really what they seem. Anyone who follows my photostream knows that I love and collect 1:12 size miniatures which I photograph in realistic scenes. The artifice of recreating in minute detail items in 1:12 scale always amazes me, and it’s amazing how the eye can be fooled. Therefore for this week’s theme, I have used all 1:12 size miniatures to create an image, and nothing in it is real, not the sofa, the painting and its frame, the floral arrangement, the cat on the sofa, nor its unwitting prey! I hope you like my choice of subject for this week’s theme and that it makes you smile!
The cat sitting on the sofa is an antique curio made of porcelain produced in Germany in the 1880s that I have had since I was a teenager. I found it at a flea market. The gold satin upholstered sofa was made by the high-end miniature furniture maker, Bespaq. The coffee table in the foreground is made by the high-end miniature furniture maker, Creal. The floral arrangement and the painting in the gilt frame came from Kathleen Knight’s Dolls’ House Shop in the United Kingdom, as did the bird in the wicker cage in the foreground. The gold flocked Edwardian wallpaper is beautiful hand impressed paper given to me by a friend.
Into the gloomy distance go the intrepid RAF Voyager and a Finnish Air Force F-18 Hornet at RIAT 2023. A symbol of NATO cooperation for now and into the future. It’s hard to believe that the closest to the camera of the two aircraft is the Hornet.
St. Paul's Episcopal Church was organized in 1852. Chattanooga had been founded only eighteen years earlier and had a population of 2,500. Colonel James Anderson Whiteside (1803-61), a Kentucky attorney, landowner, legislator, and entrepreneur settled in Chattanooga in 1835 and built turnpikes and railroads and became a banker. Whiteside also led the movement to unite the town's Episcopalians; a congregation was organized at his house on Poplar Street on January 17, 1853. The Rev. John Sandels became the first rector. By 1858 there were twelve families attending the church, and they began to consider building a permanent meeting house. After many tribulations a substantial brick church was completed on a lot on the corner of Eighth and Chestnut streets in circa 1861. During the Civil War the Union Army occupying Chattanooga commandeered all of the church buildings in the city. St. Paul's served first as a hospital and later as a warehouse. After the war, the parish was reorganized and the church building continued to be used, despite floods and yellow fever epidemics, until the present St. Paul's was completed in 1888.
While the Rev. George William Dumbell was rector, the congregation raised funds to erect a new church building; the increase in the size of the parish had dictated this action. W. Halsey Wood, who was born on the Isle of Man, designed the new church and its attached rectory and parish house. He had been inspired by an abbey which he had seen on his native island and had also participated in the design of St. John the Divine Church in New York City. Since St. Paul's was (and still is) considered the "mother parish" of all the Episcopal parishes and missions in southeastern Tennessee and northern Georgia, it was appropriate that Wood design a church which symbolized stability and permanence. The sturdiness of the Romanesque Revival style of architecture admirably conveys this image. And, after the completion of Wood's design, the congregation laid the cornerstone on September 7, 1886, and the building was completed at a cost of less than $50,000 twenty months later in May 1888.
St. Paul's is one of the oldest and most impressive churches in Chattanooga. A church of similar architectural design has not been found in the state. The distinctive elements of the building are the polychrome brick interior, with its cruciform king posts, galleries, and stained glass windows, and the massive brick and stone tower which has been described as English Norman Gothic in style. Over the years, St. Paul's has been enlarged to satisfy the needs of a growing membership; these changes were appropriate in scale and materials. The congregation will celebrates its 171st anniversary this year, and the church building has been a landmark in Chattanooga for 136 years. Considerable care has been taken to preserve the church, and the congregation plans to maintain and to continue holding services in the building for the foreseeable future.
St. Paul's Episcopal Church was determined to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on September 1, 1978 for its significance in the areas of Architecture and Religion. All of the information above was found on the original documents submitted for listing consideration and can be viewed here:
npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/6400ea15-5d16-43fe-ac8...
Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D7200 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.
"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11
The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the following link: www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/
This month's LUGNuts challenge is called My first wheels and is all about building a LEGO car inspired by a toy car. Earlier this month I completed a BMW inspired by a 1/24 scale Bburago model. Whilst digging through my box of old toy cars, I also came across a fairly battered looking 1/60 Majorette Citroën CX, which inspired this latest model.
It's the zero adjustment on his bathroom scale :-) Arthur C. Clarke
HBW!!
hemlock bluffs nature preserve, cary, north carolina
Impruneta (FI) * Toscana * Italia
Interno del campanile che la chiesa apre al pubblico una sola volta l'anno in occasione della fiera di S. Luca
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Tutto il materiale nella mia galleria NON PUO' essere riprodotto, copiato, modificato, pubblicato, trasmesso e inserito da nessuna parte senza la mia autorizzazione scritta.
© ALL RIGHT RESERVED©
All material in my gallery MAY NOT be reproduced, copied, edited, published, transmitted or uploaded in any way without my permission.
“SPACE SHUTTLE VISITS CONSTRUCTION FACILITY --- This artist’s concept depicts a Space Shuttle orbiter (right) as it visits a construction facility in space. The maze of latticework and other hardware exemplify the formidability of scale required by a solar power satellite, the subject addressed by JSC Director Christopher C. Kraft, Jr., in his presentation to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics last spring. This frame, a rendering by artist John J. Olson, was used in the presentation.”
Something I've never noticed before; the fictitious company name/logo on the Boeing HLLV is different than that of my black & white version (linked to below), and all (what few) others I’ve come across:
(USI) UNITED SPACE…INDUSTRIES(?), INCORPORATED(?), INSTITUTE(?)
vs.
SUNSAT SPACEWAYS INC.
This would then appear to be a unicorn of an image.
I wonder why there were two variants (or more?), and, which one came first?
Interesting, to me.
I’m surprised the NASA photo clowns recognized/attributed the artwork...something almost exclusively reserved for those by Robert McCall.
This is the wonderfully named Cat's-eye Sapphire– the only one we saw on our trip to Brazil.
The genus Lasaia contains 14 species, all of which are found exclusively in the neotropics. They are small butterflies, averaging about 30mm in wingspan. Males have extremely reflective wing scales, shimmering in metallic turquoise, blue or steely grey according to species. Females are rarely seen. They are generally a dull earthy brown colour. Both sexes have a similar pattern of black spots.
Lasaia species can be difficult to tell apart, so close attention has to be paid to the configuration of the black spots, and to the markings on the underside. The "cat's eye" marking on the leading edge of the hindwings is found in three species - meris, pseudomeris and arsis. In pseudomeris the black spots on the hindwings are greatly reduced in size. The other 2 species arsis and meris can be told apart by the shape of the hindwing, which is more convex in arsis.
Lasaia arsis is found in Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. This butterfly was seen in the grounds of the Cristalino Jungle Lodge in the Amazon rainforest near Alta Floresta, Brazil.
Thanks for your visit and any comment you make on my photographs – it is greatly appreciated and encouraging!
© Roger Wasley 2015 all rights reserved. Unauthorized use or reproduction for any reason is prohibited.
Created for Down Under Challenge No. 1244, starting with Gillian Everett's Challenge image. The egg scale image is mine (see below).
Peter Duesberg is a "scientist" who is widely recognised as being one of the foremost idiots who thinks that HIV does not cause AIDS. He thinks that everyone gets it from taking ARVs and doing too much poppers and too many recreational drugs. Celia "Thats why they put blood on my face" Farber has spent an awful long time defending this lunatic "faith".
A new Harvard study has claimed that the deaths of around 330,000 South Africans occured as a direct result of Mbeki's HIV denial.
Peter Duesberg was on Mbeki's AIDS panel, so advised him in his murderous denial.
Of course I am not pointing the finger directly at Duesberg as the buck stopped with Mbeki and his health minister Dr Beetroot, and the policies they enacted.
However it would be wrong to completely ignore the role that Duesberg and others played in the deaths of all of these people.
Duesberg is currently employed by the University of California Berkeley. Maybe in light of this new evidence they should seriously consider his position within their (ANY!) teaching institution.
Mbeki Aids policy 'led to 330,000 deaths'
Sarah Boseley Thursday November 27 2008 00.01 GMT
The Aids policies of former president Thabo Mbeki's government were directly responsible for the avoidable deaths of a third of a million people in South Africa, according to research from Harvard University.
South Africa has one of the most severe HIV/Aids epidemics in the world. About 5.5 million people, or 18.8% of the adult population, have HIV, according to the UN. In 2005 there were 900 deaths a day.
But from the late 90s Mbeki turned his back on the scientific consensus that Aids was caused by a viral infection which could be combated, though not cured, by sophisticated and expensive drugs. He came under the influence of maverick scientists known as Aids-denialists, most prominent among whom was Peter Duesberg from Berkeley, California.
In 2000 Mbeki called a round-table of experts, including Duesberg and his supporters but also their opponents, to discuss the cause of Aids. Later that year, at the international Aids conference in Durban, he publicly rejected the accepted wisdom. Aids, he said, was indeed brought about by the collapse of the immune system - but not because of a virus. The cause, he said, was poverty, bad nourishment and general ill-health. The solution was not expensive western medicine but the alleviation of poverty in Africa.
In a new paper Harvard researchers have quantified the death toll resulting from Mbeki's stance, which caused him to reject offers of free drugs and grants and led to foot-dragging over a treatment programme, even after Mbeki had taken a vow of silence on the issue.
"We contend that the South African government acted as a major obstacle in the provision of medication to patients with Aids," write Pride Chigwedere and colleagues from the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
They have made their calculations by comparing the scale-up of treatment programmes in neighbouring Botswana and Namibia with the limited availability of drugs in South Africa from 2000-2005.
Expensive antiretrovirals came down in price dramatically as a result of activists' campaigning and public pressure. In July 2000 the pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim offered to donate its drug nevirapine, which could prevent the transmission of HIV from mother to child during labour. But South Africa restricted the availability of nevirapine to two pilot sites a province until December 2002.
Eventually, under international pressure, South Africa did launch a national programme for the prevention of mother to child transmission in August 2003 and a national adult treatment programme in 2004. But by 2005, the paper's authors estimate, there was still only 23% drug coverage and less than 30% prevention of mother to child transmission.
By comparison, Botswana achieved 85% treatment coverage and Namibia 71% by 2005, and both had 70% mother to child transmission programmes coverage.
The authors estimate that more than 330,000 people died unnecessarily in South Africa over the period and that 35,000 HIV-infected babies were born who could have been protected from the virus but would now probably have a limited life.
Their calculations will withstand scrutiny, they say. "The analysis is robust," said Dr Chigwedere. "We used a transparent and accessible calculation, publicly available data, and, where we made assumptions, we explained their basis. We purposely chose very conservative assumptions and performed sensitivity analyses to test whether the results would qualitatively change if a different assumption were used."
The authors conclude: "Access to appropriate public health practice is often determined by a small number of political leaders. In the case of South Africa, many lives were lost because of a failure to accept the use of available ARVs to prevent and treat HIV/Aids in a timely manner."
Since Mbeki's ousting from the leadership of the African National Congress in September South Africa has urgently pursued new policies to get treatment to as many people as possible under a new health minister, Barbara Hogan.
November 26, 2008
Study Cites Toll of AIDS Policy in South Africa
By CELIA W. DUGGER
www.nytimes.com/2008/11/26/world/africa/26aids.html?_r=1
JOHANNESBURG — A new study by Harvard researchers estimates that the South African government would have prevented the premature deaths of 365,000 people earlier this decade if it had provided antiretroviral drugs to AIDS patients and widely administered drugs to help prevent pregnant women from infecting their babies.
The Harvard study concluded that the policies grew out of President Thabo Mbeki’s denial of the well-established scientific consensus about the viral cause of AIDS and the essential role of antiretroviral drugs in treating it.
Coming in the wake of Mr. Mbeki’s ouster in September after a power struggle in his party, the African National Congress, the report has reignited questions about why Mr. Mbeki, a man of great acumen, was so influenced by AIDS denialists.
And it has again caused soul-searching about why his colleagues in the party did not act earlier to challenge his resistance to broadly accepted methods of treating and preventing AIDS.
Reckoning with a legacy of such policies, Mr. Mbeki’s’s successor, Kgalema Motlanthe, acted on the first day of his presidency two months ago to remove the health minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, a polarizing figure who had proposed garlic, lemon juice and beetroot as AIDS remedies.
He replaced her with Barbara Hogan, who has brought South Africa — the most powerful country in a region at the epicenter of the world’s AIDS pandemic — back into the mainstream.
“I feel ashamed that we have to own up to what Harvard is saying,” Ms. Hogan, an A.N.C. stalwart who was imprisoned for a decade during the anti-apartheid struggle, said in a recent interview. “The era of denialism is over completely in South Africa.”
For years, the South African government did not provide antiretroviral medicines, even as Botswana and Namibia, neighboring countries with epidemics of similar scale, took action, the Harvard study reported.
The Harvard researchers quantified the human cost of that inaction by comparing the number of people who got antiretrovirals in South Africa from 2000 to 2005 with the number the government could have reached had it put in place a workable treatment and prevention program.
They estimated that by 2005, South Africa could have been helping half those in need but had reached only 23 percent. By comparison, Botswana was already providing treatment to 85 percent of those in need, and Namibia to 71 percent.
The 330,000 South Africans who died for lack of treatment and the 35,000 babies who perished because they were infected with H.I.V. together lost at least 3.8 million years of life, the study concluded.
Epidemiologists and biostatisticians who reviewed the study for The New York Times said the researchers had based their estimates on conservative assumptions and used a sound methodology.
“They have truly used conservative estimates for their calculations, and I would consider their numbers quite reasonable,” James Chin, a professor of epidemiology at the University of California at Berkeley’s School of Public Health, said in an e-mail message.
The report was posted online last month and will be published on Monday in the peer-reviewed Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.
Max Essex, the virologist who has led the Harvard School of Public Health’s AIDS research program for the past 20 years and who oversaw the study, called South Africa’s response to AIDS under Mr. Mbeki “a case of bad, or even evil, public health.”
Mr. Mbeki has maintained a silence on his AIDS legacy since his forced resignation. His spokesman, Mukoni Ratshitanga, said Mr. Mbeki would not discuss his thinking on H.I.V. and AIDS, explaining that policy decisions were made collectively by the cabinet and so questions should be addressed to the government.
The new government is now trying to hasten the expansion of antiretroviral treatments. The task is urgent. South Africa today is home to 5.7 million people who are H.I.V.-positive — more than any other nation, almost one in five adults. More than 900 people a day die here as a result of AIDS, the United Nations estimates.
Since the party forced Mr. Mbeki from office and some of his loyalists split off to start a new party, rivalries have flared and stories about what happened inside the A.N.C. have begun to tumble out, offering unsettling glimpses of how South Africa’s AIDS policies went so wrong.
From the first year of his presidency in 1999, Mr. Mbeki became consumed with the thinking of a small group of dissident scientists who argued that H.I.V. was not the cause of AIDS, his biographers say.
As president he wielded enormous power, and those who disagreed with him said they feared they would be sidelined if they spoke out. Even Nelson Mandela, the revered former president, was not immune from opprobrium.
In a column in The Sunday Times of Johannesburg on Oct. 19, Ngoako Ramatlhodi, a senior party member now running the party’s 2009 election campaign, recounted how Mr. Mandela, known affectionately as Madiba, was humiliated during a 2002 A.N.C. meeting after he made a rare appearance to question the party’s stance on AIDS.
Mr. Ramatlhodi described speakers competing to show greater loyalty to Mr. Mbeki by verbally attacking Mr. Mandela as Mr. Mbeki looked on silently. “After his vicious mauling, Madiba looked twice his age, old and ashen,” Mr. Ramatlhodi wrote.
Mr. Ramatlhodi himself acknowledged in a recent interview that in 2001 he sent a 22-page letter, drafted by Mr. Mbeki’s office, to another of Mr. Mbeki’s most credible critics, Prof. Malegapuru Makgoba, an immunologist who was one of South Africa’s leading scientists. The letter accused Professor Makgoba of defending Western science and its racist ideas about Africans at the expense of Mr. Mbeki.
In 2000 Mr. Mbeki had provided Professor Makgoba with two bound volumes containing 1,500 pages of documents written by AIDS denialists. After reading them, Professor Makgoba said in an interview that he wrote back to warn Mr. Mbeki that if he adopted the denialists’ ideas, South Africa would “become the laughingstock, if not the pariah, of the world again.”
But Mr. Mbeki indicated last year to one of his biographers, Mark Gevisser, that his views on AIDS were essentially unchanged, pointing the writer to a document that, he said, was drafted by A.N.C. leaders and accurately reflected his position.
The document’s authors conceded that H.I.V. might be one cause of AIDS but contended that there were many others, like other diseases and malnutrition.
The document maintained that antiretrovirals were toxic. And it suggested that powerful vested interests — drug companies, governments, scientists — pushed the consensus view of AIDS in a quest for money and power, while peddling centuries-old white racist beliefs that depicted Africans as sexually rapacious.
“Yes, we are sex crazy!” the document’s authors bitterly exclaimed. “Yes, we are diseased! Yes, we spread the deadly H.I. virus through our uncontrolled heterosexual sex!”
In 2002, after a prolonged outcry over Mr. Mbeki’s comments about AIDS and the government’s policies, Mr. Mbeki agreed to requests from within his party to withdraw from the public debate. That same year, the Constitutional Court ruled that the government had to provide antiretroviral drugs to prevent the infection of newborns. And in 2003, the cabinet announced plans to go forward with an antiretroviral treatment program.
“We did an enormous amount of good in the early days in South Africa, not because of the Health Ministry, but in spite of the Health Ministry,” said Randall L. Tobias, who was appointed by President Bush in 2003 to lead the United States’ $15 billion global AIDS undertaking.
In the same years, former President Clinton and his foundation were also deeply involved in helping South Africa get a treatment program going. Mr. Clinton attended Mr. Mandela’s 85th birthday celebration in Johannesburg in 2003. During the dinner, he and Mr. Mbeki slipped away to talk about AIDS, Mr. Clinton recalled in a recent interview.
Mr. Clinton said he told Mr. Mbeki how antiretroviral treatment had reduced the AIDS mortality rate in the United States and reminded him, “I’m your friend and I haven’t joined in the public condemnation.” That evening, when Mr. Clinton offered to send in a team of experts to help the country put together a national treatment plan, Mr. Mbeki took him up on it.
The Clinton Foundation helped devise a plan and mobilized 20 people to travel to South Africa in 2004 to help carry it out. But the South African government never invited them, Mr. Clinton said. So the foundation, which had projects all over Africa, was to have none in South Africa.
Changes since Mr. Mbeki’s fall from power have prompted many to hope for forceful South African political leadership on AIDS. Mr. Mbeki’s rival and successor as head of the party, Jacob Zuma, who is expected to become president after next year’s election, himself made a famously questionable remark about AIDS.
In his 2006 rape trial, in which he was acquitted of sexually assaulting a family friend, he testified that he sought to reduce his chances of being infected with H.I.V. by taking a shower after sex. Nonetheless, he seems to have more conventional views on the pandemic.
“Who would have thought Jacob Zuma would be better than Mbeki, but he is,” said Richard C. Holbrooke, the former ambassador to the United Nations in the Clinton administration who heads a coalition of businesses fighting AIDS. “The tragedy of Thabo Mbeki is that he’s a smart man who could have been an international statesman on this issue. To this day, you wonder what got into him.”
For South Africans who watched the dying and were powerless to stop it, the grief is still raw. Zackie Achmat, the country’s most prominent advocate for people with AIDS, became sick during the almost five years he refused to take antiretrovirals until they were made widely available. He cast Mr. Mbeki as the leading man in this African tragedy.
“He is like Macbeth,” Mr. Achmat said. “It’s easier to walk through the blood than to turn back and admit you made a mistake.”
Mbeki's opposition to ARVs cost 330,000 lives, shows study
Michael Carter, Thursday, November 27, 2008
www.aidsmap.com/en/news/97BFC49D-E43C-4028-8E4D-CACF15F82...
The refusal of the Mbeki government to roll-out antiretroviral therapy and treatment to prevent mother-to child transmission in South Africa resulted in 330,000 needlessly premature HIV-related deaths and 35,000 avoidable case of mother-to-child HIV transmission according to estimates published in the December 1st edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.
South Africa is one of the countries hardest hit by HIV. UNAIDS estimates that 19% of the adult population is HIV-positive, some 5.5 million individuals. In 2005, an estimated 320,000 individuals died because of HIV.
President Thabo Mbeki’s government consistently resisted the provision of antiretroviral therapy. The first important evidence of this was in 1999 when, under pressure to provide AZT monotherapy to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, President Mbeki announced that the drug was dangerous and that it would therefore not be provided by his government. This was followed by Mbeki publicly questioning that HIV caused AIDS and the efficacy of antiretroviral therapy. The Mbeki administration then resisted the use of nevirapine to prevent mother-to-child transmission and obstructed the acquisition of grants from the Global Fund.
US investigators estimated the lost benefits resulting from the Mbeki government’s opposition to provision of antiretroviral therapy and treatment to prevent mother-to-child transmission. To do this, they compared the actual number of people who received HIV treatment or therapy to prevent mother-to-child transmission between 2000 and 2005 and compared this to the number that could feasibly have been treated during this period. This difference was multiplied by the average efficacy of antiretroviral treatment and treatment to prevent mother-to-child transmission to give the lost benefits consequent upon the South African government’s decision to prevent access to anti-HIV drugs.
“Our overriding values in choosing methods were transparency and minimization of assumptions and we were purposely conservative”, write the investigators.
When estimating the number of people who could reasonably have been provided with antiretroviral therapy or treatment to prevent mother-to-child transmission, the investigators noted that HIV treatment became significantly more accessible between 2000-2005. This was because:
* The price of anti-HIV drugs fell significantly in this period.
* More money was available for donor organisations, such as the Global Fund and PEPFAR, to purchase antiretroviral drugs.
Nevertheless, the South African government still maintained opposition to the provision of HIV drugs.
To estimate the number of people who should have been eligible to receive antiretroviral therapy, the investigators obtained from UNAIDS the number of HIV-related deaths in South Africa between 2000-2005. Patients who died of HIV without receiving anti-HIV drugs lost the entire potential benefits of antiretroviral therapy.
Next, the investigators obtained figures showing how many individuals received antiretroviral therapy in the same period. Their sources were UNAIDS and the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) “3 x 5” antiretroviral treatment access programme. These figures showed that fewer than 3% of patients received antiretroviral treatment in 2000, increasing to approximately 10% in 2003 and 23% in 2005.
The researchers considered it reasonable that South Africa could have treated no more than 5% of eligible patients with HIV in 2000. However, because drugs became less expensive and more international funding became available, “ramping up” access to treatment was feasible, meaning that by 2005, 50% of HIV-positive patients in South Africa should have been receiving antiretroviral therapy. They note that the maximum of 50% treatment coverage is significantly lower than the 71% achieved by Namibia and the 85% achieved by Botswana.
Finally they estimated the number of life years that would be gained per patient due to antiretroviral therapy. They used the most conservative estimate of 6.7 years.
Their calculations showed that 330,000 lives and 2.2 million person years were lost because the Mbeki government resisted the implementation of a reasonable antiretroviral treatment programme.
They tested their model using a number of other assumptions. For example, if they reduced the number of patients who could reasonably be expected to receive antiretroviral therapy in 2005 to 40%, then the number of lives lost fell to 226,800 or 1.5 million person years.
Consequences of opposition to treatment to prevent mother-to-child transmission
The researchers' model to test the impact of the Mbeki administration’s opposition to treatment to prevent mother-to-child transmission also included a number of conservative assumptions.
First, they calculated the number of children infected with HIV vertically. They looked at a number of sources and selected the lowest estimate of 68,000 per year and revised this down to 60,000 to take into account the high adult HIV population and marginal increase in population growth in South Africa during this period.
A number of sources suggested that in 2005, coverage of treatment to prevent mother-to-child transmission was 30%, having increased from below 3% before 2000.
To estimate the proportion of women who could have received treatment to prevent mother-to-child transmission, they considered that treatment would have been free during this period, that it is easy to administer and that 84% of pregnant women in South Africa receive antenatal care.
Based on these assumptions, the investigators calculated that no more than 5% of women would have received treatment to prevent mother-to-child transmission in 2000, but that this could have increased to 55% by 2005.
Next the investigators estimated the efficacy of such therapy, taking as their benchmark the HIVNET 012 study which showed that single-dose nevirapine reduced the risk of transmission by 47% compared to short-course AZT amongst women who breastfeed.
Finally, they assumed an average life-expectancy at birth of 48 years, and subtracted from this the average three year life-expectancy of infants infected with HIV at birth.
The investigators therefore estimated that 35,000 cases of mother-to-child transmission (or 1.6 million life years) were the result of the Mbeki administration’s policies.
One again, the investigators tested their results using other assumptions. If they accepted 40% coverage of treatment as acceptable, then the excess number of babies infected because of government policies was 18,000, a loss of 800,00 life years. However, had there been 70% coverage (still below what was achieved in Namibia and Botswana), then HIV infections in 44,000 babies (or 2 million life years), would have been avoided.
When the investigators combined their two estimates – years of life lost because of opposition to antiretroviral treatment, and life years lost because of the failure to provide treatment to prevent vertical transmission – they found that some 3.8 million life years were lost because of the Mbeki administration’s policies.
They conclude, “in the case of South Africa, many lives were lost because of failure to accept the use of available antiretrovirals to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS in a timely manner.”
Reference
Chigwedere, P. et al. Estimating the lost benefits of antiretroviral drug use in South Africa. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 49: 410-15, 2008.
The first time ED-209 walked into frame in the original Robocop I thought it was one of the most terrifying and badass robots I’d ever seen. When I began to create MOCS I knew one day I wanted to make my own ED.
Standing 25cm high, weighing over 1kg and made of 1473 pieces here is my UCS scale ED-209. He can be posed slightly as his head rotates on a large turntable and his arms move in and out.
Instructions for ED can be found on Rebrickable at: bit.ly/3lrAfu1
He is made almost entirely of commonly available pieces and a recent BrickLink pricing came in at £138.15 (including shipping) from 5 sellers in the UK.
This is a big, complex model with balanced weight distribution that makes him very stable on his feet if built correctly. He is a display piece intended for adult builders and will shoot anyone who doesn’t comply with him within 20 seconds.
Many thanks for your visits, faves and comments. Cheers.
Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo
Scientific Name: Chalcites basalis
Description: Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo is an olive-brown above with pale scaling and a bronze to green sheen on the back and upper tail. It has a prominent dark-brown eyestripe, with a contrasting white eyebrow stripe above, with both curving down the sides of the neck. The throat is white with fine dark mottling.The underbody is white to cream with dark-brown barring at the sides, with the bars joining in the middle on the upper breast only. The undertail is grey with brown and white barring at the tip and sides. The tail is edged rufous (orange-brown) and the undertail is rufous when spread. Juveniles are similar but duller with faint or no barring on sides of body.
Similar species: Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo is similar to the Gould's, Shining and Little Bronze-Cuckoos, but these all have distinctive barring right up the throat; The Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo's throat is mottled or plain and the barring of the underbody is incomplete. The dark eyestripe combined with white eyebrow extending to neck also distinguishes it from other bronze-cuckoos. The similarly patterned Black-eared Cuckoo can be distinguished by its broader, black eyestripe, a lack of rufous in the tail and no barring on the underbody. It is also larger (19 cm - 20 cm) and has a different call.
Distribution: In Australia, Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo is found in all regions, including some islands. It is widespread on the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, and is found down through New South Wales and Victoria to Tasmania and South Australia, but not on the Nullarbor Plain. Widespread in the Northern Territory and Western Australia except in the most arid areas (also found on Ashmore Reef). It is also found from the Malay Peninsula to the lesser Sundas, Indonesia and, rarely, Aru Island and southern New Guinea.
Habitat: The Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo is found in many wooded habitats (such as open and dry woodland and forest) with a range of understoreys from grasses to shrubs or heath. Sometimes found near clearings and in recently logged or burnt forests. Found in farmland with some trees, orchards, vineyards and urban parks and gardens.
Seasonal movements: The species is a partial migrant, oving to breeding areas in south-eastern Australia during winter and spring and leaving in late autumn. Resident in northern Australia.
Feeding: Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo feeds mostly on insects and their larvae, especially hairy caterpillars, although it may sometimes eat plant matter. It forages on the ground and in trees, and may sometimes feed in the air on caterpillars lowering themselves to the ground by sticky threads.
Breeding: Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo is a nest parasite, like many other cuckoos. It usually parasitises bird species that build dome nests such as fairy-wrens and thornbills, but may also parasitise the open cup nests of other species, such as the White-fronted Chat. The female lays one egg in the host's nest. This egg can sometimes resemble the host's eggs in markings, but not necessarily. If the egg is laid before those of the host, the host bird may build over or abandon the cuckoo egg. Otherwise, the female cuckoo removes one of the host's eggs, or the newly hatched young cuckoo ejects the eggs or nestlings of the host. The host parents incubate the cuckoo egg and feed the young, up to several weeks after it fledges.
Calls: Descending, high-pitched whistle:'fee-ew' or 'tseeeeuw'. Also: 'chirrup' like sparrow or pipit. Cuckoos are very noisy during the breeding season but are mainly silent at other times of the year.
Minimum Size: 17cm
Maximum Size: 18cm
Average size: 18cm
Average weight: 26g
Breeding season: July to February in south; all months except April and July in north.
Clutch Size: 1
Incubation: 12 days
Nestling Period: 16 days
(Source: www.birdsinbackyards.net)
© Chris Burns 2018
__________________________________________
All rights reserved.
This image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying and recording without my written consent.
Miner's Glow (4852)
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A long exposure night photo of an old mining operation with some bold large-scale guerilla art of a miner with a pickaxe, located in the mountains of the Mojave Desert. The long exposure night photo shows the perceived movement of the stars over a long period of time. I lit the exterior with a warm white light and the interior with a red light using a handheld ProtoMachines LED2 light painting device while hanging out with George Loo, creator of the ProtoMachines, as well as Tim Little and Steve McIntyre during a fun weekend of night photography.
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IG, Facebook, 500px, Flickr: kenleephotography
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Nikon D750/Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 lens. 16 minutes total "stacked"; each image 4 minutes f/8 ISO 320. October 2019.
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#kenlee #kenleephotography #lightpainting #longexposure #nightphotography #slowshutter #amazing_longexpo #longexphunter #longexpoelite #longexposure_shots #supreme_nightshots #ig_astrophotography #super_photolongexpo #nightscaper #MyRRS #ReallyRightStuff #feisol #westbysouthwest #travelzoo #mojavedesert #abandoned #urbex #urbanexploration #MyFujiFilmLegacy #YourShotPhotographer #nikon
"Rock music is a genre that typically uses electric guitars, bass guitars, drums, and keyboards. Chords are the building blocks of rock music, and they are typically played on electric guitars. There are many different scales that can be used for rock music, but the most common one is the major scale. The major scale is a seven-note scale that consists of-"
Hey, Announcer Guy!
"Hm?"
What are you talking about?
That's Ben Grimm, the Thing, on the stage.
And his Mini-Me?
And his Mini-Me's Mini-Me?
"Ah, yes, so it is. Pardon me, I was speaking of the wrong scales of rock."
Would it be a Mini-MeMe?
No, it wouldn't be two 'me's.
Maybe Mini-Mini-Me?
*AHEM!* "So, Toy Biz released The Thing as part of the Fantastic Four line of 5 inch figures in conjunction with the animated series in 1994."
How about Mini-Mini-Me-Me?
That's way too long.
"Seeking to capitalize in every way on the popularity of their Marvel lines, Toy Biz released the same figures in a 2.5" diecast metal form as the Heavy Metal Heroes series. Mr. Grimm here was actually closer to 3 inches."
Look, it should be Mini-Me Mini-Me.
Why can't it just be Mini-Me for both of them, and the bigger Mini-Me can say, 'This is MY Mini-Me.'
Because it has to make sense for us, not them!
"Toy Biz also released the figures in a 10 inch scale called 'Deluxe Edition' and included an accessory. For Mr. Grimm this was the helmet that he wore in the then current comics story arc where Wolverine had slashed his face."
Well, we need to decide on something because-
"HEY!"
Yikes! Yes??
"Yes, Mr. Grimm?"
"I dunno who's annoyin' me the most. the announcer that keeps yammerin' on about toys, or that front row that can't shup up about mini whatsahootsits! But I'm about to clear all of ya outta here!"
Shutting up now.
*ahem* "Yes, thank you Mr. Grimm. That concludes this performance."
═════════════════════════════════════
A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.
Toy Biz
The Fantastic Four
The Thing
1994
Toy Biz
Heavy Metal Heroes
The Fantastic Four
The Thing
1998
Toy Biz
Deluxe Edition
The Fantastic Four
The Thing
1994
I did want to find out more about 'whatsahootsit'. That sounds scrumptious!
From seemingly nowhere, spilled glowing lava like cords of orange neon-lighting. In the blackness that engulfed the night, electric heat lit flowing streams that fell into the sea, disappearing in a cloud of steam with a sizzling splash.
Perhaps one of the most surreal and mind blowing experiences I've had as a photographer happened on this early morning at Kalapana. The hike in was quite exciting. Everything was blanketed in darkness, but an orange glow in the distance guided my way in. I wasn't alone, I had two of the best lava photographers with me and I could see why they were excited by every opportunity they got to photograph this phenomenon. When we eventually made our way to the cliff's edge, There was a rising plume of orange and yellow smoke. Everything else was consumed by it's vastness. Over the course of the next few hours, I witnessed the plume dance rhythmically in the wind, and in brief spells when the winds calmed, I saw molten lava entering the ocean, trickling down an 80 foot cliff. There were moments when an arriving wave would collide with its counterpart of fire, and cause an explosion that flew high into the air before depositing debris all around. I photographed several exposures catching this phenomenon. In terms of technical difficulty, this has to be one of the hardest images I've ever captured and processed. They lava was so bright that it blew out if the exposure was too long (pun intended). The explosions needed a slightly longer shutter speed and the land was pitch dark, so getting detail there meant waiting for morning twilight to arrive. This image is a blend of atleast 4 exposures if I remember correctly. Also, without that daring human standing atop the cliff, there is a sense of scale that is missing, atleast for me.
P.S : During the 4 hour window I just mentioned, I heard an almighty crack near the lava flow. A part of the cliff gave way and the lava began to spout out like a fire hose. It was one of the craziest, I repeat craziest things I have ever seen in my life.
It's been a while since I had time to play with my toys. Hooray for holiday weekends.
If Cobra can be headquartered in a Kre-O Terrordrome and Shredder can live in a Mega Bloks Technodrome, then I figured it was cool if the Playmobil Stay-Puft terrorized the Ghostbusters. He scales nicely, I think.
Scale is everything. Some snowflake are fractions of a millimeter, some are giants. This one? Well, it lets you see the difference!
The large snowflake, from left to right-most edges measures just under 1cm in diameter – pretty much as big as they come! The smaller ones are remarkably smaller – one is obvious in the lower left, but can you find all four smaller crystals in this image? One is incredibly hard to locate. A Where’s Waldo search in a snowflake!
These large crystals are incredibly rare. When snowflakes get this big, their fragility dramatically increases. Only the most stable, calm air can create them. Every time I have encountered a snowflake this large, it was when there was no weather forecast calling for snow, and nothing on the radar. During this shoot, it was actually sunny outside! Thankfully the place where I photograph snowflakes was in shade, but consider this an odd “sun shower” of snow.
The real beauty of a large crystal like this is the puzzle-piece connections in the middle of the snowflake. Some branches grow faster to fill in empty space, and most of the pockets of open air eventually get completely covered by crystal growth. If there is an open space in the middle of the snowflake, air and water vapour can pass through this space, allowing the crystals to grow further and further into it until there is almost no space left.
This snowflake was photographed at only 2.2:1 magnification, whereas most of my snowflakes are shot at much smaller sizes: 5x and beyond. If you encounter a behemoth of a snowflake such as this, you’d only need a regular macro lens on a micro fourth thirds camera, or a set of extension tubes on a larger-sensor camera to make magic. No specialized lenses beyond this! Sad that they are so rare, but they are easy to shoot in terms of equipment.
For all of my snowflake photographs, I use a ring flash. It allows me to change the angle of the camera to change the angle of light in a run-and-gun type scenario, where time is incredibly important. Get the right angle with this diffuse light source, and you’ll get the surface of the snowflake to send “glare” back to the camera. That’s what makes it shine here. What ring flash should you choose? Rather than recommend the Canon MR-14EX II, I’d point people towards the Yongnuo YN-14EX: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1125848-REG/yongnuo_yn_14e... . A fraction of the cost and every bit as good. If you shoot Nikon, I just recently learned that K&F Concept have a ring flash that appears to contain Xenon flash tubes instead of LEDs, and I’ll be getting one soon to test it out and confirm personally: www.kentfaith.com/KF22.008_kf150-ttl-flash-macro-ring-lit...
The Nikon flash is especially interesting because Nikon doesn’t even make a ring flash, and the only other one is a pricey Sigma model. Regardless of e-TTL or iTTL, these flashes can be operated in manual mode on ANY camera body – I’ve used my ring flashes on all types of Lumix bodies and they work just fine.
Want to learn more about the photography and science of snowflakes? Check out Sky Crystals, where you can buy either the book or the poster print: www.skycrystals.ca/
Former attack bomber, "Orbital Lance" class, designed for scouting in the outer atmosphere, blasting away defences with two autocannons and dropping whatever kind of bomb it has loaded. Decommissioned and sold as a recreationel vehicle for the very, very rich. The current owner refitted it with guns, tried to pass it off as a medical craft and gave it an all-caps name to further piss of any registering authorities. He is currently leaving a refueling station in a hurry with resupply lines dangling about.
This thing was a huge pain to take photos of, I feel like I only have to look at it too much and it will fall apart. I noticed too late in the game that some connections were very flimsy and that my light box was way too small. It was my most challenging build so far, not only because of the many differently angled polygons.
All in all it was very fun to build, I overcame many obstacles and now feel more confident to build bigger ships (this one measures 70 studs after all).
Despite it's rough looks and the mediocre photography I hope you all like this and/or maybe you have some advice on how to identify stability issues early in the build?
Oh and props go to Matt Rowntree whose amazing entry for SHIPtember 2017 gave me the idea of building in technic scale.
At the dawn of the Nineteenth Century, Christmas was hardly celebrated – at least, not in a way we would recognise today. Many businesses didn't consider it to be a holiday. Gift giving had traditionally been a New Year activity, but moved as Christmas became more important to the Victorians. By the end of the century, Christmas had become the biggest annual celebration in the British calendar. Victorian advancements in technology, industry and infrastructure – as well as having an impact on society as a whole – made Christmas an occasion that many more British people could enjoy. From Christmas cards to decorated trees and Christmas crackers, many of our best-known Christmas traditions are products of the Victorian era.
The theme for "Smile on Saturday" for the 21st of December is "get in the festive mood". Anyone who follows my photostream knows that I love and collect 1:12 size miniatures which I photograph in realistic scenes. The artifice of recreating in minute detail items in 1:12 scale always amazes me, and it’s amazing how the eye can be fooled. I have created such a scene here, where everything is comes from my 1:12 miniatures collection. Therefore I have decided to use them to illustrate a very Victorian Christmas, which I think exemplifies being in the festive mood. I hope you like my choice for this week's theme, and that it makes you smile!
As this is the last "Smile on Saturday" before Christmas, I should just like to take this opportunity to wish everyone in the group a very happy Festive Season. May it be filled with happiness and joy for you all.
This scene is comprised of 1:12 miniatures from my 1;12 miniature collection, ranging from artisan pieces acquired in the last couple of years, to items I have had since my childhood. Fun things to look for in this tableau include:
The Christmas tree is a 1:12 artisan miniature made by an unknown artist. I bought it via E-Bay from a seller in the United States. The tree came full dressed, complete with little gold angel on top, the apron at its bottom and all the baubles and bows between.
The Christmas presents you see beneath the Christmas tree and scattered around the room were made by husband and wife artistic team Margie and Mike Balough who own Serendipity Miniatures in Newcomerstown, Ohio. The Christmas garland hanging from the fireplace was also made by them.
The New Year cards you see on the mantlepiece of the fireplace are all 1:12 size miniatures made by the British miniature artisan Ken Blythe. Most of his work that I have come in the form of books, which he has made may be opened to reveal authentic printed interiors. In some cases, you can even read the words, depending upon the size of the print! I have quite a large representation of Ken Blythe’s work in my collection. What might amaze you is that all Ken Blythe’s opening books are authentically replicated 1:12 scale miniatures of real volumes. As well as books, he also designed other paper based artistic items. This includes these New Year cards which are 1:12 copies of genuine Victorian New Year cards! To create something so authentic to the original in such detail and so clearly, really does make them all miniature artisan pieces. Ken Blythe’s work is highly sought after by miniaturists around the world today and command high prices at auction for such tiny pieces, particularly now that he is no longer alive. I was fortunate enough to acquire pieces from Ken Blythe prior to his death about four years ago, as well as through his estate via his daughter and son-in-law. His legacy will live on with me and in my photography which I hope will please his daughter.
The other Christmas cards seen around the room are artisan miniatures made by an unknown artist and came in their own presentation box. They came from kathleen Knight's Doll's House Shop in the United Kingdom.
The delicious looking plate of iced and decorated Christmas biscuits, which is a miniature artisan piece gifted to me by my dear Flickr friend and artist Kim Hagar (www.flickr.com/photos/bkhagar_gallery/), who surprised me with it last Christmas.
The antique velvet drawing room suite with its button-back upholstery I have had since I was a child of eight. The sofa, grandfather armchair and grandmother slipper chair were a gift to me that Christmas. The small salon chair in the back right-hand corner of the photo also comes from my childhood and I have had it since I was about ten.
The tall Dutch style chest of drawers to the far left of the photo was one of the first pieces of miniature furniture I ever bought for myself. I chose it as payment for several figures I made from Fimo clay for a local high street toy shop when I was eight years old. All these years later, I definitely think I got the better end of the deal!
The two wine tables and the demi-lune tables come from Kathleen Knight's Doll's House Shop in the United Kingdom.
The two cottages orné pastille burners sitting on the demi-line table have been hand made, painted and gilded by Welsh miniature ceramist Rachel Williams who has her own studio, V&R Miniatures, in Powys. The ornate Victorian ruby glass epergne between them is an artisan miniature made of real spun glass and came from Beautifully Handmade Miniatures in Kettering.
The gilt Art Nouveau tea set, featuring a copy of a Royal Doulton leaves pattern, comes from a larger tea set which has been hand decorated by beautifully Handmade Miniatures in Kettering as well.
The ornate white plaster fireplace with its wide mantle, the fire screen in front if it, and the hand embroidered pole fire screen to the left of the fireplace, the black leaded fire surround and brass fire tools also come from Kathleen Knight's Doll's House shop in the United Kingdom.
The grey marble French barrel clock on the mantlepiece is a 1:12 artisan miniature made by Hall’s Miniature Clocks, supplied through Doreen Jeffries Small Wonders Miniatures in England.
The two ornate fluted Victorian ruby glass vases standing to either side of the clock between the New Year cards are artisan miniatures made of real spun glass and came from Kathleen Knight's Doll's House shop in the United Kingdom.
The family photos on the mantlepiece and on the walls are all real photos, produced to high standards in 1:12 size on photographic paper by Little Things Dollhouse Miniatures in Lancashire. The frames are from various suppliers, but all are metal.
The four miniature silhouettes featuring a Georgian era gentleman and lady, and two top hatted Victorian gentlemen come from Lady Mile Miniatures in the United Kingdom.
The central portrait of an old Victorian woman in its gold frame also comes from Kathleen Knight's Doll's House shop in the United Kingdom, whilst the Regency portrait of the gentleman to the right-hand side of the photograph was made by Maria Makes Miniatures in the United Kingdom.
The wallpaper is William Morris’ ‘Poppies’ pattern, featuring stylised Art Nouveau poppies. William Morris papers and fabrics were popular in the late Victorian and early Edwardian period before the Great War.
The miniature Victorian style rug on the floor is made by hand by Pike and Pike in the United Kingdom.
The Waikato River, New Zealand's longest river, moves gracefully north from Lake Taupo between banks 100 metres apart. Just before the Huka Falls it enters a shallow ravine of hard volcanic rock. The effect is nature's large-scale equivalent of a fire hose feeding into a very fine nozzle.
The previously placid waters roar and rumble at great speed along the ravine before bursting into space out over Huka Falls to crash into the turbulent pool 11 metres below. This shot was taken from a foot bridge at the top of the falls, a prime position to get up close and witness the frightening display of more than 220,000 litres of water blasting by every second. (Source: www,newzealand.com)
I would have added this shot to the location map, but it shows no sign of the Falls, or Huka Falls Road, whereas Google Maps clearly shows both; ah well, never mind, does anybody (apart from me) ever look at these things anyway.
This 11-foot lumpy lizard was a bit annoyed with my presence and made his feelings know. No hissing on his part, but he did want to make himself appear to be a bit more intimidating. He eventually settled down and returned to the head down position and continued to warm himself on the bank of Horsepen Bayou.
I am sitting in the main channel of the bayou and he’s basking on a small part of the bank of the bayou. The water behind the reeds can be quite shallow at times, but the tides on this day were extremely high.
A7R00740uls
Built for RebelLUG's Blaster collaboration "So Uncivilized", this blaster first appeared in Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, but is more prominently known for being a weapon option for assault class in Star Wars: Battlefront II.
This model is built in a 1:1 scale and has a functional trigger mechanism built entirely out of LEGO parts.
Make sure to check out the rest of the collaboration on RebelLUG's YouTube channel! www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO-ist8mSSM
If you'd like to see more close-ups of the CR-2 you can check out the full showcase video: youtu.be/9j4tLX7sTmI
#RLBlasterCollab
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"Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst" - Henri Cartier-Bresson
I certainly have mixed feelings about this. Have been trying something new in post-processing and this is the result.
Wasn't sure if I like it or hate it. Any thoughts would be appreciated!
Image taken at Scale Haw Force, one of the many waterfalls in the Yorkshire Dales. I took a step back to pay more attention down the stream instead of the waterfall itself.
Focus stacking and blended in the long exposure. Dodge and burn to add light, colour adjustments, added the Orton effect and finished off with a subtle vignette.
Men's Fashion/Fashions (robes) by the amazing Ryan Liang of SHANTOMMO. Shop the fashions at shantommo.com.
You can also follow Shantommo on instagram at: www.instagram.com/shantommo/
Rock Hudson and James Dean by Mattel as Repainted and added hair that was also restyled for www.myfarrah.com by Noel Cruz of www.ncruz.com.
Regent Miniatures diorama by Ken Haseltine.
More repainted art by Noel Cruz are featured in the 1Sixth Winter Hardbound Edition available in Hardback/imagewrap or paperback cover. Also as a PDF or eBook. Order here: www.blurb.com/b/9320555-1sixth
eBook: www.blurb.com/b/9320555-1sixth?ebook=690084
Photos by Steve McKinnis of stevemckinnis.com
Hey guys!
Here is my latest creation. I decided it was time to upgrade my jeep a bit, so I did. I personally prefer the smaller scale since it feels much better in minifig scale, but that is just me. The jeep can fit a driver, gunner and passenger. Tagged people who inspired me. I'm still learning the ropes of my new camera, so pardon the limited focus.
Also, a question: Do you prefer lightbox or outdoor shots?
Cheers,
-Vicky
:)