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For other uses, see Androgyny (disambiguation).

 

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Androgyny is the combination of masculine and feminine characteristics into an ambiguous form. Androgyny may be expressed with regard to biological sex, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual identity.

 

When androgyny refers to mixed biological sex characteristics in humans, it often refers to intersex people. As a gender identity, androgynous individuals may refer to themselves as non-binary, genderqueer, or gender neutral. As a form of gender expression, androgyny can be achieved through personal grooming or fashion. Androgynous gender expression has waxed and waned in popularity in different cultures and throughout history.

  

Contents

1Etymology

2History

3Symbols and iconography

4Biological

5Psychological

5.1Bem Sex-Role Inventory

5.2Personal Attribues Questionnaire

6Gender identity

7Gender expression

7.1Androgyny in fashion

8Alternatives

9Contemporary trends

10See also

11References

12External links

Etymology[edit]

Androgyny as a noun came into use c. 1850, nominalizing the adjective androgynous. The adjective use dates from the early 17th century and is itself derived from the older French (14th Century) and English (c. 1550) term androgyne. The terms are ultimately derived from Ancient Greek: ἀνδρόγυνος, from ἀνήρ, stem ἀνδρ- (anér, andr-, meaning man) and γυνή (gunē, gyné, meaning woman) through the Latin: androgynus,[1] The older word form androgyne is still in use as a noun with an overlapping set of meanings.

 

History[edit]

See also: Sexuality in ancient Rome § Hermaphroditism and androgyny

Androgyny among humans – expressed in terms of biological sex characteristics, gender identity, or gender expression – is attested to from earliest history and across world cultures. In ancient Sumer, androgynous and hermaphroditic men were heavily involved in the cult of Inanna.[2]:157–158 A set of priests known as gala worked in Inanna's temples, where they performed elegies and lamentations.[2]:285 Gala took female names, spoke in the eme-sal dialect, which was traditionally reserved for women, and appear to have engaged in homosexual intercourse.[3] In later Mesopotamian cultures, kurgarrū and assinnu were servants of the goddess Ishtar (Inanna's East Semitic equivalent), who dressed in female clothing and performed war dances in Ishtar's temples.[3] Several Akkadian proverbs seem to suggest that they may have also engaged in homosexual intercourse.[3] Gwendolyn Leick, an anthropologist known for her writings on Mesopotamia, has compared these individuals to the contemporary Indian hijra.[2]:158–163 In one Akkadian hymn, Ishtar is described as transforming men into women.[3]

 

The ancient Greek myth of Hermaphroditus and Salmacis, two divinities who fused into a single immortal – provided a frame of reference used in Western culture for centuries. Androgyny and homosexuality are seen in Plato's Symposium in a myth that Aristophanes tells the audience.[4] People used to be spherical creatures, with two bodies attached back to back who cartwheeled around. There were three sexes: the male-male people who descended from the sun, the female-female people who descended from the earth, and the male-female people who came from the moon. This last pairing represented the androgynous couple. These sphere people tried to take over the gods and failed. Zeus then decided to cut them in half and had Apollo repair the resulting cut surfaces, leaving the navel as a reminder to not defy the gods again. If they did, he would cleave them in two again to hop around on one leg. Plato states in this work that homosexuality is not shameful. This is one of the earlier written references to androgyny. Other early references to androgyny include astronomy, where androgyn was a name given to planets that were sometimes warm and sometimes cold.[5]

 

Philosophers such as Philo of Alexandria, and early Christian leaders such as Origen and Gregory of Nyssa, continued to promote the idea of androgyny as humans' original and perfect state during late antiquity.”[6] In medieval Europe, the concept of androgyny played an important role in both Christian theological debate and Alchemical theory. Influential Theologians such as John of Damascus and John Scotus Eriugena continued to promote the pre-fall androgyny proposed by the early Church Fathers, while other clergy expounded and debated the proper view and treatment of contemporary “hermaphrodites.”[6]

 

Western esotericism’s embrace of androgyny continued into the modern period. A 1550 anthology of Alchemical thought, De Alchemia, included the influential Rosary of the Philosophers, which depicts the sacred marriage of the masculine principle (Sol) with the feminine principle (Luna) producing the "Divine Androgyne," a representation of Alchemical Hermetic beliefs in dualism, transformation, and the transcendental perfection of the union of opposites.[7] The symbolism and meaning of androgyny was a central preoccupation of the German mystic Jakob Böhme and the Swedish philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg. The philosophical concept of the “Universal Androgyne” (or “Universal Hermaphrodite”) – a perfect merging of the sexes that predated the current corrupted world and/or was the utopia of the next – also plays a central role in Rosicrucian doctrine[8][9] and in philosophical traditions such as Swedenborgianism and Theosophy. Twentieth century architect Claude Fayette Bragdon expressed the concept mathematically as a magic square, using it as building block in many of his most noted buildings.[10]

 

Symbols and iconography[edit]

 

The Caduceus

In the ancient and medieval worlds, androgynous people and/or hermaphrodites were represented in art by the caduceus, a wand of transformative power in ancient Greco-Roman mythology. The caduceus was created by Tiresias and represents his transformation into a woman by Juno in punishment for striking at mating snakes. The caduceus was later carried by Hermes/Mercury and was the basis for the astronomical symbol for the planet Mercury and the botanical sign for hermaphrodite. That sign is now sometimes used for transgender people.

 

Another common androgyny icon in the medieval and early modern period was the Rebis, a conjoined male and female figure, often with solar and lunar motifs. Still another symbol was what is today called sun cross, which united the cross (or saltire) symbol for male with the circle for female.[11] This sign is now the astronomical symbol for the planet Earth.[12]

  

Mercury symbol derived from the Caduceus

 

A Rebis from 1617

 

"Rose and Cross" Androgyne symbol

 

Alternate "rose and cross" version

Biological[edit]

See also: Sex differences in humans

Historically, the word androgynous was applied to humans with a mixture of male and female sex characteristics, and was sometimes used synonymously with the term hermaphrodite.[13] In some disciplines, such as botany, androgynous and hermaphroditic are still used interchangeably.

 

When androgyny is used to refer to physical traits, it often refers to a person whose biological sex is difficult to discern at a glance because of their mixture of male and female characteristics. Because androgyny encompasses additional meanings related to gender identity and gender expression that are distinct from biological sex, today the word androgynous is rarely used to formally describe mixed biological sex characteristics in humans. [14] In modern English, the word intersex is used to more precisely describe individuals with mixed or ambiguous sex characteristics. However, both intersex and non-intersex people can exhibit a mixture of male and female sex traits such as hormone levels, type of internal and external genitalia, and the appearance of secondary sex characteristics.

 

Psychological[edit]

Though definitions of androgyny vary throughout the scientific community, it is generally supported that androgyny represents a blending of traits associated with both masculinity and femininity. In psychological study, various measures have been used to characterize gender, such as the Bem Sex Role Inventory, the Personal Attributes Questionnaire.[15]

 

Broadly speaking, masculine traits are categorized as agentic and instrumental, dealing with assertiveness and analytical skill. Feminine traits are categorized as communal and expressive, dealing with empathy and subjectivity.[16] Androgynous individuals exhibit behavior that extends beyond what is normally associated with their given sex.[17] Due to the possession of both masculine and feminine characteristics, androgynous individuals have access to a wider array of psychological competencies in regards to emotional regulation, communication styles, and situational adaptability. Androgynous individuals have also been associated with higher levels of creativity and mental health.[18][19]

 

Bem Sex-Role Inventory[edit]

The Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI) was constructed by the early leading proponent of androgyny, Sandra Bem (1977).[20][better source needed] The BSRI is one of the most widely used gender measures. Based on an individual's responses to the items in the BSRI, they are classified as having one of four gender role orientations: masculine, feminine, androgynous, or undifferentiated. Bem understood that both masculine and feminine characteristics could be expressed by anyone and it would determine those gender role orientations.[21]

 

An androgynous person is an individual who has a high degree of both feminine (expressive) and masculine (instrumental) traits. A feminine individual is ranked high on feminine (expressive) traits and ranked low on masculine (instrumental) traits. A masculine individual is ranked high on instrumental traits and ranked low on expressive traits. An undifferentiated person is low on both feminine and masculine traits.[20]

 

According to Sandra Bem, androgynous individuals are more flexible and more mentally healthy than either masculine or feminine individuals; undifferentiated individuals are less competent.[20] More recent research has debunked this idea, at least to some extent, and Bem herself has found weaknesses in her original pioneering work. Now she prefers to work with gender schema theory.

 

One study found that masculine and androgynous individuals had higher expectations for being able to control the outcomes of their academic efforts than feminine or undifferentiated individuals.[22]

 

Personal Attribues Questionnaire[edit]

The Personal Attributes Questionnaire (PAQ) was developed in the 70s by Janet Spence, Robert Helmreich, and Joy Stapp. This test asked subjects to complete to a survey consisting of three sets of scales relating to masculinity, femininity, and masculinity-femininity. These scales had sets of adjectives commonly associated with males, females, and both. These descriptors were chosen based on typical characteristics as rated by a population of undergrad students. Similar to the BSRI, the PAQ labeled androgynous individuals as people who ranked highly in both the areas of masculinity and femininity. However, Spence and Helmreich considered androgyny to be a descriptor of high levels of masculinity and femininity as opposed to a category in and of itself.[15]

 

Gender identity[edit]

An individual's gender identity, a personal sense of one's own gender, may be described as androgynous if they feel that they have both masculine and feminine aspects. The word androgyne can refer to a person who does not fit neatly into one of the typical masculine or feminine gender roles of their society, or to a person whose gender is a mixture of male and female, not necessarily half-and-half. Many androgynous individuals identify as being mentally or emotionally both masculine and feminine. They may also identify as "gender-neutral", "genderqueer", or "non-binary".[23] A person who is androgynous may engage freely in what is seen as masculine or feminine behaviors as well as tasks. They have a balanced identity that includes the virtues of both men and women and may disassociate the task with what gender they may be socially or physically assigned to.[24] People who are androgynous disregard what traits are culturally constructed specifically for males and females within a specific society, and rather focus on what behavior is most effective within the situational circumstance.[24]

 

Many non-western cultures recognize additional androgynous gender identities. Jewish culture recognizes the Tumtum and Androgynos genders. In Chinese culture exists the Yinyang ren gender. The Bugis of Indonesia recognize five genders, Bissu representing the androgynous category. In Hawaiian culture, the third gender Māhū is recognized. In Oaxacan Zapotec culture, the Muxe are recognized as a third gender. In India, the Hijra is the third androgynous gender. Samoans accept Fa’afafine as a third gender. Native American culture includes Two Spirit as a general third gender.

 

Gender expression[edit]

Gender expression, which includes a mixture of masculine and feminine characteristics, can be described as androgynous. The categories of masculine and feminine in gender expression are socially constructed, and rely on shared conceptions of clothing, behavior, communication style, and other aspects of presentation. In some cultures, androgynous gender expression has been celebrated, while in others, androgynous expression has been limited or suppressed. To say that a culture or relationship is androgynous is to say that it lacks rigid gender roles, or has blurred lines between gender roles.

 

The word genderqueer is often used by androgynous individuals to refer to themselves, but the terms genderqueer and androgynous are neither equivalent nor interchangeable.[25] Genderqueer is not specific to androgynes, and does not denote gender identity. It may refer to any person, cisgender or transgender, whose behavior falls outside conventional gender norms. Furthermore, genderqueer, by virtue of its ties with queer culture, carries sociopolitical connotations that androgyny does not carry. For these reasons, some androgynes may find the label genderqueer inaccurate, inapplicable, or offensive. Androgneity is considered by some to be a viable alternative to androgyn for differentiating internal (psychological) factors from external (visual) factors.[26]

 

Terms such as bisexual, heterosexual, and homosexual have less meaning for androgynous individuals who do not identify as men or women to begin with. Infrequently the words gynephilia and androphilia are used, and some describe themselves as androsexual. These words refer to the gender of the person someone is attracted to, but do not imply any particular gender on the part of the person who is feeling the attraction.[citation needed]

  

Louise Brooks exemplified the flapper. Flappers challenged traditional gender roles, had boyish hair cuts and androgynous figures.[27]

Androgyny in fashion[edit]

Throughout most of twentieth century Western history, social rules have restricted people's dress according to gender. Trousers were traditionally a male form of dress, frowned upon for women.[28] However, during the 1800s, female spies were introduced and Vivandières wore a certain uniform with a dress over trousers. Women activists during that time would also decide to wear trousers, for example Luisa Capetillo, a women's rights activist and the first woman in Puerto Rico to wear trousers in public.[29]

  

Coco Chanel wearing a sailor's jersey and trousers. 1928

In the 1900s, starting around World War I traditional gender roles blurred and fashion pioneers such as Paul Poiret and Coco Chanel introduced trousers to women's fashion. The "flapper style" for women of this era included trousers and a chic bob, which gave women an androgynous look.[30] Coco Chanel, who had a love for wearing trousers herself, created trouser designs for women such as beach pajamas and horse-riding attire.[28] During the 1930s, glamorous actresses such as Marlene Dietrich fascinated and shocked many with their strong desire to wear trousers and adopt the androgynous style. Dietrich is remembered as one of the first actresses to wear trousers in a premiere.[31]

  

Yves Saint Laurent, the tuxedo suit "Le Smoking", created in 1966

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the women's liberation movement is likely to have contributed to ideas and influenced fashion designers, such as Yves Saint Laurent.[32] Yves Saint Laurent designed the Le Smoking suit and first introduced in 1966, and Helmut Newton’s erotized androgynous photographs of it made Le Smoking iconic and classic.[33] The Le Smoking tuxedo was a controversial statement of femininity and has revolutionized trousers.

 

Elvis Presley, however is considered to be the one who introduced the androgynous style in rock'n'roll and made it the standard template for rock'n'roll front-men since the 1950s.[34] His pretty face and use of eye makeup often made people think he was a rather "effeminate guy",[35] but Elvis Presley was considered as the prototype for the looks of rock'n'roll.[34] The Rolling Stones, says Mick Jagger became androgynous "straightaway unconsciously" because of him.[35]

 

However, the upsurge of androgynous dressing for men really began after during the 1960s and 1970s. When the Rolling Stones played London's Hyde Park in 1969, Mick Jagger wore a white "man's dress" designed by British designer Mr Fish.[36] Mr Fish, also known as Michael Fish, was the most fashionable shirt-maker in London, the inventor of the Kipper tie, and a principal taste-maker of the Peacock revolution in men's fashion.[37] His creation for Mick Jagger was considered to be the epitome of the swinging 60s.[38] From then on, the androgynous style was being adopted by many celebrities.

  

Annie Lennox was known for her androgyny in the 1980s

During the 1970s, Jimi Hendrix was wearing high heels and blouses quite often, and David Bowie presented his alter ego Ziggy Stardust, a character that was a symbol of sexual ambiguity when he launched the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and Spiders from Mars.[39] This was when androgyny entered the mainstream in the 1970s and had a big influence in pop culture. Another significant influence during this time included John Travolta, one of the androgynous male heroes of the post-counter-culture disco era in the 1970s, who starred in Grease and Saturday Night Fever.[40]

 

Continuing into the 1980s, the rise of avant-garde fashion designers like Yohji Yamamoto,[41] challenged the social constructs around gender. They reinvigorated androgyny in fashion, addressing gender issues. This was also reflected within pop culture icons during the 1980s, such as David Bowie and Annie Lennox.[42]

 

Power dressing for women became even more prominent within the 1980s which was previously only something done by men in order to look structured and powerful. However, during the 1980s this began to take a turn as women were entering jobs with equal roles to the men. In the article “The Menswear Phenomenon” by Kathleen Beckett written for Vogue in 1984 the concept of power dressing is explored as women entered these jobs they had no choice but to tailor their wardrobes accordingly, eventually leading the ascension of power dressing as a popular style for women.[43] Women begin to find through fashion they can incite men to pay more attention to the seduction of their mental prowess rather, than the physical attraction of their appearance. This influence in the fashion world quickly makes its way to the world of film, with movies like "Working Girl" using power dressing women as their main subject matter.

 

Androgynous fashion made its most powerful in the 1980s debut through the work of Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo, who brought in a distinct Japanese style that adopted distinctively gender ambiguous theme. These two designers consider themselves to very much a part of the avant-garde, reinvigorating Japanism.[44] Following a more anti-fashion approach and deconstructing garments, in order to move away from the more mundane aspects of current Western fashion. This would end up leading a change in Western fashion in the 1980s that would lead on for more gender friendly garment construction. This is because designers like Yamamoto believe that the idea of androgyny should be celebrated, as it is an unbiased way for an individual to identify with one's self and that fashion is purely a catalyst for this.[citation needed]

 

Also during the 1980s, Grace Jones's a famous singer and fashion model gender-thwarted appearance in the 1980s which startled the public, but her androgynous style of heavily derivative of power dressing and eccentric personality has inspired many, and has become an androgynous style icon for modern celebrities.[45] This was seen as controversial but from then on, there was a rise of unisex designers later in the 1990s and the androgynous style was widely adopted by many.

 

In 2016, Louis Vuitton revealed that Jaden Smith would star in their womenswear campaign. Because of events like this, gender fluidity in fashion is being vigorously discussed in the media, with the concept being articulated by Lady Gaga, Ruby Rose, and in Tom Hooper's film The Danish Girl. Jaden Smith and other young individuals, such as Lily-Rose Depp, have inspired the movement with his appeal for clothes to be non-gender specific, meaning that men can wear skirts and women can wear boxer shorts if they so wish.[46]

 

Alternatives[edit]

[icon]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2009)

An alternative to androgyny is gender-role transcendence: the view that individual competence should be conceptualized on a personal basis rather than on the basis of masculinity, femininity, or androgyny.[47]

 

In agenderism, the division of people into women and men (in the psychical sense), is considered erroneous and artificial.[48] Agendered individuals are those who reject genderic labeling in conception of self-identity and other matters.[49] [50][51][52] They see their subjectivity through the term person instead of woman or man.[49]:p.16 According to E. O. Wright, genderless people can have traits, behaviors and dispositions that correspond to what is currently viewed as feminine and masculine, and the mix of these would vary across persons. Nevertheless, it doesn't suggest that everyone would be androgynous in their identities and practices in the absence of gendered relations. What disappears in the idea of genderlessness is any expectation that some characteristics and dispositions are strictly attributed to a person of any biological sex.[53]

 

Contemporary trends[edit]

 

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Jennifer Miller, bearded woman

 

X Japan founder Yoshiki is often labelled androgynous, known for having worn lace dresses and acting effeminate during performances[54]

 

South Korean pop star G-Dragon is often noted for his androgynous looks[55][56]

Androgyny has been gaining more prominence in popular culture in the early 21st century.[57] Both fashion industries[58] and pop culture have accepted and even popularised the "androgynous" look, with several current celebrities being hailed as creative trendsetters.

 

The rise of the metrosexual in the first decade of the 2000s has also been described as a related phenomenon associated with this trend. Traditional gender stereotypes have been challenged and reset in recent years dating back to the 1960s, the hippie movement and flower power. Artists in film such as Leonardo DiCaprio sported the "skinny" look in the 1990s, a departure from traditional masculinity which resulted in a fad known as "Leo Mania".[59] This trend came long after musical superstars such as David Bowie, Boy George, Prince, Pete Burns and Annie Lennox challenged the norms in the 1970s and had elaborate cross gender wardrobes by the 1980s.[citation needed] Musical stars such as Brett Anderson of the British band Suede, Marilyn Manson and the band Placebo have used clothing and makeup to create an androgyny culture throughout the 1990s and the first decade of the 2000s.[60]

 

While the 1990s unrolled and fashion developed an affinity for unisex clothes there was a rise of designers who favored that look, like Helmut Lang, Giorgio Armani and Pierre Cardin, the trends in fashion hit the public mainstream in the 2000s (decade) that featured men sporting different hair styles: longer hair, hairdyes, hair highlights.[citation needed] Men in catalogues started wearing jewellery, make up, visual kei, designer stubble. These styles have become a significant mainstream trend of the 21st century, both in the western world and in Asia.[61] Japanese and Korean cultures have featured the androgynous look as a positive attribute in society, as depicted in both K-pop, J-pop,[62] in anime and manga,[63] as well as the fashion industry.[64]

 

See also[edit]

List of androgynous people

Bigender

Epicenity

Futanari

Gender bender

Gender dysphoria

Gender neutrality

Gonochorism

Gynandromorph

Gynomorph

Hermaphrodite

List of transgender-related topics

Non-binary gender

Pangender

Postgenderism

Sexual Orientation Hypothesis

Third gender

Transsexualism

Trigender

True hermaphroditism

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^ Jump up to: a b Galupo, M. Paz; Pulice-Farrow, Lex; Ramirez, Johanna L. (2017). "Like a Constantly Flowing River": Gender Identity Flexibility Among Nonbinary Transgender Individuals. pp. 163–177. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-55658-1_10. ISBN 978-3-319-55656-7.

^ Johanna Schorn. "Taking the "Sex" out of Transsexual: Representations of Trans Identities in Popular Media" (PDF). Inter-Disciplinary.Net. Universität zu Köln. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2017.

^ Galupo, M. Paz; Henise, Shane B.; Davis, Kyle S. (2014). "Transgender microaggressions in the context of friendship: Patterns of experience across friends' sexual orientation and gender identity". Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. 1 (4): 462. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.708.6228. doi:10.1037/sgd0000075.

^ Sumerau, J. E.; Cragun, R. T.; Mathers, L. A. B. (2015). "Contemporary Religion and the Cisgendering of Reality". Social Currents. 3 (3): 2. doi:10.1177/2329496515604644.

^ Erik Olin Wright (2011). "In defense of genderlessness (The Sex-Gender Distinction)". In Axel Gosseries, Philippe Vanderborght (ed.). Arguing about justice. Louvain: Presses universitaires de Louvain. pp. 403–413. ISBN 9782874632754. Retrieved 6 February 2017.

^ Ian Chapman, Henry Johnson, ed. (2016). Global Glam and Popular Music: Style and Spectacle from the 1970s to the 2000s. Routledge. pp. 203–205. ISBN 9781317588191.

^ "Move over, Psy! Here comes G-Dragon style". The Independent. 17 August 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2015.

^ "K-pop: a beginner's guide". The Guardian. 3 March 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2015.

^ "Androgyny becoming global?". uniorb.com. Archived from the original on 26 December 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2010.

^ Wendlandt, Astrid. "Androgynous look back for spring". Reuters. Retrieved 17 December 2010.

^ Peter Hartlaub (24 February 2005). "The teenage fans from 'Titanic' days jump ship as Leonardo DiCaprio moves on". sfgate.com. Retrieved 17 December 2010.

^ Cavendish, Marshall (2010). Sex and Society, Vol 1. Paul Bernabeo. p. 69.

^ "Androgynous look catches on". The Himalayan Times. 13–16 September 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2010.

^ "Harajuku Girls Harajuku Clothes And Harajuku Gothic fashion Secrets". Tokyo Top Guide. Retrieved 17 December 2010.

^ "Profile of Kagerou". jpopasia.com. Retrieved 17 December 2010.

^ Webb, Martin (13 November 2005). "Japan Fashion Week in Tokyo 2005. A stitch in time?". The Japan Times. Retrieved 17 December 2010.

External links[edit]

Look up androgyny in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Androgyny.

Androgyny: study and collection of articles

Androgyne Online

Sandra Bem and androgyny

The Two-Spirit Tradition

  

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Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) topics

Authority control Edit this at Wikidata

BNE: XX538802 BNF: cb11960041p (data) GND: 7654104-6

Categories: AndrogynyNon-binary genderHuman appearanceFashion aestheticsLGBT

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Androgyny

Massive upload incoming!

 

- - - little disclaimer - These images are shot for specific scenes that fit in the story on my blog - - -

 

It's done and published! I am so happy it's finally done, it was one helluva job! Please take a peak at it over at SkyrimTales, the story is really written in a nice detailed style. And drop some feedback, critique if you feel like it!

 

Tordis - The Lone Strider of Bruma - Part I

 

And with this I would also like to show off my new fancy blog design. SkyrimTales got a sleek new look, thanks to Blogger and my wife for assisting me with all those means and nasty codes! <3 Love you!

 

This is the Collab project I was working on all this time, and it's finally finished. We wanted to do something with Tordis and Uther for a long time. We will probably make a second part that you will hopefully see appear around next week.

 

We hope you really enjoyed it and I hope you guys all have a great weekend. :)

Written from nowhere, no specific time.

Addressed to unspecific person.

Unclear defined subject.

 

The final chapter, the last question to be asked: Is this world worth to be saved? Yes, at least for those poor urang utangs in Indonesia and the wailing whales in the ocean.

How about human beings? Yes, the majority of our mankind is a decent one. So what are you going to do with the rest, de-cell or de-atom them ?, make them not to spread the diseases further more on earth? I do not know.

 

Nevertheless, one thing I am certain that we have guardian angels everywhere on earth like trees or rocks. They live in different forms more than you could imagine. My human one is aged 81 years now. He was speechless on his last birthday. His pride and will are even stronger to protect the goodness and justice.

 

The problem is………… these guardian angels are fatigue. They would not live very long.

Who is going to come out next to protect our broken blue world?

 

I hopelessly guess it may be “YOU”

  

Here we are in a pandemic and terrible climate change. A specific site that I like to focus on is the forest, a place where trees were buried, water crept in and minerals stayed. One of the signature gifts from the earth herself. The forest breathes, listens and answers. Beautiful forest kept and calm designed by nature to cherish living things that may not be able to survive outside of their habitat. A place where it is meant for no man to enter and destroy. However, with every cause of disaster is a cry for help from mother nature, man ignores and continues for their own benefit. Forest fires, landslides, poaching, climate change, deforestation and the list goes on but man kept silencing mother nature’s cries for mercy.

 

Maybe if we cared a little more and helped the earth, we would still be able to save the earth. Ask yourself how many more times the earth will cry out to us before she finally goes silent? As true as me and you and all we ever knew, our world will fall away if we let it.

 

I’m Siti Nur Sajidah from Institute of Technical Education (ITE), Higher Nitec in Chemical Technology. I drew my masterpiece using Staphylococcus aureus on Baird Parker Agr (BPA) because the bacteria will form distinctive black colonies on the yellow agar due to tellurite reduction. Additionally, I grew some bread mould at home and cultivated the mould on top of the forest canopy. Upon incubation, the artwork turned out amazing! The deer and forest are black due to growth of S. aureus, with a tinge of greyish-white from the bread mould, which looked like the aftermath from the forest fire. Wildfire seasons were larger than in previous history, with increased extreme weather caused by climate change strengthening the intensity and scale of fires. I hope my art can build awareness on forest fire. Let us heal the planet and make it a better place to live in!

Specific_️‍️

This visualization uses specific colors to describe which areas on the sun cooled or heated over a 12-hour period. The use of reds and yellows imply that higher temperatures dominated earlier in the time period, while lower temperatures dominated later, meaning that the area showed steady cooling over time, but any heating happened too quickly and impulsively to be measured. The image compares wavelength 211 (which shows material in the 2 million K range) to wavelength 171 (which shows material about ten times cooler).

 

Credit: NASA/Viall

 

To read more go to: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/colorful-science...

 

NASA image use policy.

 

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.

 

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Definitely my favorite photo series. They are all related to specific events. I thought I had the complete "Am" series, but Brett had found this one. After long searches I was able to find my copy which had been on sale for more than 10 years well hidden on the internet. I also got my hands on a new copy that I had never seen.

 

It seems that there was no raid during the month of April. Here is the balance sheet of that of 28.5.1918. With as always the summary of the attack experienced by the French side.

Some peculiarities:

- soldiers from the 4 Bavarian Landwehr Infantry Regiment

- the use of gas before the attack (a soldier equipped with an additional filter)

- the French had taken action and inflicted losses against the Stosstrupp

 

Another element that goes in the direction of the Sturm Abteilung of the first landwehr division.

 

Mike's postcard says: 1 Officers, 40 Men and 4 MGs

 

Text from the French JMO of the 106 RI:

"Toxic shells are reported

from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. bombardment, less intense on the 1st lines, continued on the regions of the Patte d'Oie Bathelémont and Bauzemont batteries

at 4 p.m. Lt Colonel Cdt of the Sub Sector reports on the situation:

"CR Gypse reports 2 wounded by toxic shells (Artois)

"Bauzemont reports 5 wounded by toxic shells

"Cap. Bebert, Cap Famelart, seriously wounded at Bauzemont as well as a few men

He asks Colonel Cdt for the I.D.

1°/that the units of the 49th BCP made available to the sub-sector for the improvement of GCs do not go to work until further notice.

2°/ in order to counter any eventuality that the security measures prescribed by note 1659 of the 56th D.I. of May 3, 1918, are applied this night with regard to the units in line

 

from 6 p.m. to 6.20 p.m. 15 105 shells fell on Walhey and its surroundings, some wounded. The village is evacuated according to the set alert order.

6:30 p.m. an enemy plane flies over the Marne and Yser region at low altitude.

7 p.m. The Colonel Commandant of the I.D. prescribes the application of the note concerning the withdrawal of units in line

7:30 p.m. order transmitted to the Commander of the CR Gypse

10 p.m. the bombardment resumes with violence on the whole of the sub-sector. The enemy attacks the G.C. Arras & Yser

10:15 p.m. Our roadblock is triggered.

10:30 p.m. Concentration of fire in front of Arras and Yser.

from 10:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. less enemy artillery activity

 

from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. The bombardment redoubles in intensity on the 1st position Patte d'Oie Bathelemont region - hill 273

5:30 a.m. The Commander of the C.R Gypse reports that the occupation troops of the G.C. came into contact with enemy fractions in Arras-Yser at the time of the reoccupation, some corpses of the 4th Bavarian Landwehr are found on the ground.

5:55 am Order is given to the Commander of CR Gypse

1°/ to restore order in its units

2°/ to determine in a precise way the locations occupied by the enemy

3°/ to carry out the cleaning of the ground by teams of grenadiers.

6:05 A Cie du Btn in reserve of D.I (II/106) is alerted

8:00 a.m. The Commander of CR Gypse reports that GC Arras and Yser are reoccupied.

The bombardment of the 1st position and the battery areas continued intermittently throughout the day, especially on P.A. Marne & Yser.

The 3rd & 1st Companies (the latter reinforced by a section of the 2nd) finish clearing the ground during the day and reoccupy their old locations where these documents are found:

"1 staking panel. 1 sign with fraction of illustrated newspaper and 1 playing card (10 of hearts)

"1 packet of bandages - 1 handkerchief - 1 rosary - 1 notebook - 1 postcard giving the address of the family of the person concerned

"1 list of the men composing column n°3, commanded by this NCO."

A quick study of these documents shows that the coup de main carried out was led by an important Stosstrupp and that the material means employed (staking panels) were to be used for a prolonged occupation of the land.

On the other hand, the interrogation of the men of the 1st & 3rd Companies of the Reiment who participated in the defense shows that the fight was very hard, degenerating at certain points into violent hand-to-hand combat (blood-stained gratings, traces of blood in shelters and on weapons etc.)

 

Not having been reach early enough by the withdrawal order, the GC garrison in accordance with the instructions in the event of an attack, defended itself heroically until the last extremity inflicting serious losses on the enemy, not not allowing it to fulfill its mission of occupation.

The measures of individual and collective protection against gases observed thanks to a strong discipline, avoided serious losses and made it possible to firmly hold the ground.

The 1st, 3rd 10th Companies and the CM1 behaved particularly well.

Casualties: Killed: Lieut Javouhey 7 soldiers

Wounded: Cap Bebert, Famelou (died of his wounds, Lieut Grosfils. Troop 45 + 7 of the C. I.D.

Missing: 1 Officer S.Lieut Fourmestraux

39 troops

"

 

Maurice Julien Louis Adam, 2e Classe, né le 20 Février 1895 à Saint-Symphorien-le-Valois dans la Manche

Georges Théodore François Boulay, 2e Classe, né le 20 Août 1896 à Champfleur dans la Sarthe

André Emmanuel Léon Javouhey, Lieutenant, né le 9 Mai 1888à Pagny-le-Ville en Côte d'Or

Roger Adrien Lauby, 2e Classe, né le 5 Mars 1897 à Moustier-Ventadour en Corrèze

Valentin Julien Marie Le Nicardour, 1re Classe, né le 13 Janvier 1890 à Vannes dans le Morbihan

François Jacques René Remoue, 2e Classe, né le 18 Septembre 1898 à La Chappelle-sur-Oudon dans le Maine-et-Loire

 

All postcards about this unit are gathered here: flic.kr/y/3Kb4Qyd

 

REF: 15-75-9

Engage tendency

Merged physically

Psychological resonances

 

This specific sculpture on the memorial depicts a seated woman holding a child, symbolizing grief and protection, and is one of the two sculptural groups flanking the main inscription.

  

The memorial was dedicated in 1913 and was created by sculptor Attilio Piccirilli, with the architecture by Harold Van Buren Magonigle. It honors New York City firefighters who have died in the line of duty.

I've been creating images in a specific area of local woodland for a couple of years now. I have a number of ongoing studies I'm working on.

 

The seasonal changes are quite apparent within the different sets of images I have created, although I do tend to work more on 'micro landscapes' where the changes are more delicate.

 

It was nice to find this hint of Autumn passed, represented by last season's leaves still clinging to the wet sandstone rock faces.

 

The green backdrop a nod to the promise of things to come.

 

© Rich Clark 2015

 

Find me at:

 

www.facebook.com/richclarkimages

 

I'm on Twitter too !

@richclarkimages

The Rovingian Lunar Evocations by Daniel Arrhakis (2026)

  

The Lunar Evocations of Rovingian Animism

 

The Rovingian Lunar Evocations is a ritualistic and practical guide composed of:

 

Lunar Prayers: General and specific prayers for the four phases of the Moon, structured in three quatrains with eight-syllable poetic meter to maintain cadence and rhythmic musicality.

 

Objective: Focused on transformation, symbolic death, and spiritual renewal.

 

Protection Mantras: Verses to be repeated during nighttime journeys. These are particularly useful for Rovingian monks on walks that extend into the night, something common on the shorter winter days.

  

1. General Prayer to the Moon

 

For continuous guidance, balance between light and shadow, and connection with the cosmos.

  

O moon that shines up in the sky,

You guide my steps where I may go.

Your changing veil lets daylight die,

To let the dark of evening grow.

 

In shadows giving us a shield,

Your ancient bond is now revealed.

The soul undresses from its fear,

To keep the secret you hold dear.

 

In dance of death and life reborn,

Guided by you, we face the morn.

The cosmos wakes inside our heart,

In this eternal, long depart.

  

2. Evocation of the Crescent Moon

 

Phase of expansion, movement, germination of the seed and strengthening of nomadic consciousness.

  

Your growing arc of light will gleam,

The strength of earth begins to sprout.

The cos-mos weaves inside our dream,

The trail that leaves the moonlight out.

 

The mind expands within the dark,

Our step is safe, our path is clear.

The leaf that seeks the seeded spark,

As life moves forward without fear.

 

The soul awakens from the shell,

To scare the empty ghost away.

Inside the dance we know so well,

The strength comes inside us to stay.

  

3. Evocation of the Full Moon

 

Phase of fullness, spiritual peak, mental clarity and absolute union with the All.

  

You brighten up the deepest night,

The world receives your mantle bright.

Your white light floods into the dark,

The soul now leaves its wondering spark.

 

The body and the space are one,

The earth awaits the rising sun.

In nights that sing and stay awake,

Our vision path is right to take.

 

A mystery the chest will show,

The night when heaven starts to glow.

For life is pure and full of grace,

The spirit finds its holy place.

  

4. Evocation of the Waning Moon

 

Phase of recollection, inner emptying, silence and detachment from the past.

  

Your arc of light now fades away,

The silent night invites us near.

The world inside goes sleeping gray,

Inside this space that I see clear.

 

The mind releases all the past,

The heavy weight we used to bear.

The leaf falls from the branch at last,

The soul returns to work and care.

 

The waning brightness teaches well,

The strength that time has destined now.

In ending cycles we can dwell,

And peace pours in to clear my brow.

  

5. Evocation of the New Moon

 

Phase of mystical death, primordial void, rest of the ego and promise of rebirth.

  

The sky is dressed in mystery,

The cloak of night has faded out.

In realms of your great empery,

The world has ceased its form and doubt.

 

In death that heals the guilty wound,

The resting soul forgets its pride,

Deep inside the darkness womb,

The strength of world begins to hide.

 

The nothingness is sacred space,

The cradle where the soul is free.

And life returns to start its race,

In faithful, long eternity.

  

Lunar Walking Mantras

 

1. General Walking Mantra

 

To attune the body to the continuous rhythm of the universe during the journey.

 

The road runs under foot and bone,

The cosmos guides the way I know.

 

My soul walks upright, not alone,

Within the breath’s unbroken flow.

  

2. Waxing Moon Mantra

 

To generate energy, overcome fatigue, and expand strength with each step.

  

With every step, in peace I rise,

Strength rises from the earth below.

 

I leave my weariness and sighs,

Upon the road where new winds blow.

  

3. Full Moon Mantra

 

To expand the perception of the senses and merge the body with the surrounding landscape.

 

My mind beholds the open space,

The moonlight leads me through the night.

 

One with the world, I pace in grace,

Along the shining path of light.

  

4. Waning Moon Mantra

 

To ease mental burden, purify the spirit, and practice detachment during the journey.

 

The weight of what has passed away,

I set it free upon the wind.

 

I walk more lightly on my mind,

With steady heart and quiet sway.

  

5. New Moon Mantra

 

To walk through absolute darkness with faith in intuition and invisible wisdom.

  

In the dark where nothing is clear,

My spirit shines, a beacon bright.

 

The earth calms my deep fear,

In the night that prepares the light.

  

Nomadic Practice Guide: Rhythm and Breath

 

Four-beat rhythm: each verse should cover exactly four steps—two with the left foot and two with the right.

 

Breathing: inhale during the first two lines, accumulating air and energy; exhale during the last two, releasing sound and focus.

  

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

  

As Evocações Lunares do Animismo Rovingiano

 

As Evocações Lunares Rovingianas é um guia ritualístico e prático composto por:

 

Preces Lunares: Orações gerais e específicas para as quatro fases da Lua, estruturadas em três quadras com métrica de oito sílabas poéticas para manter a cadência e musicalidade rítmica.

Objetivo: Focado na transformação, morte simbólica e renovação espiritual.

 

Mantras de Proteção: Versos para serem repetidos durante deslocamentos noturnos. Estes são particularmente úteis para os monges rovingianos em caminhadas que se estendem pela noite, algo comum nos dias mais curtos de Inverno.

  

1. Oração Geral da Lua

 

Para orientação contínua, equilíbrio entre luz e sombra e conexão com o cosmos.

  

Ó lua que brilhas no céu,

Guias meu passo na terra.

Teu ciclo de luz é o véu,

Que a noite escura descerra.

 

Na sombra que traz o abrigo,

No brilho do teu laço antigo,

A alma se despe do medo,

Tu guardas o grande segredo.

 

Na dança de morte e renovo,

Guiados por ti, somos povo,

O cosmos em nós ganha vida,

Na longa e eterna partida.

   

2. Evocação da Lua Crescente

 

Fase de expansão, movimento, germinação da semente e fortalecimento da consciência nómada.

  

Teu arco de luz vai crescendo,

A força da terra a brotar.

O cosmos em nós vai tecendo,

O trilho que ganha o luar.

 

A mente expande no escuro,

O passo se torna seguro,

Na folha que busca a semente,

A vida caminha em frente.

 

A alma desperta o casulo,

Espanta o fantasma do nulo,

Na dança que vai começar,

A força nos vem habitar.

   

3. Evocação da Lua Cheia

 

Fase de plenitude, ápice espiritual, clareza mental e união absoluta com o Todo.

   

Clareia a noite profunda,

O mundo recebe o teu manto.

A tua luz branca inunda,

A alma que quebra o espanto.

 

O corpo e o cosmos são um só,

Na noite que canta esplendor.

Desata o mais profundo nó,

Na Terra livre de pavor.

 

Mistério que o peito revela,

Na noite que o céu acende,

A vida que é pura e bela,

O espírito enfim compreende.

   

4. Evocação da Lua Minguante

 

Fase de recolhimento, esvaziamento interior, silêncio e desapego do passado.

  

Teu arco de luz vai sumindo,

A noite convida ao silêncio.

O mundo em nós vai dormindo,

No espaço que agora presencio.

 

A mente liberta o passado,

O peso que foi carregado,

Na folha que cai do galho,

A alma regressa ao trabalho.

 

O brilho que míngua ensina,

A força que o tempo destina.

No ciclo que aceita o fim,

A paz se derrama em mim.

   

5. Evocação da Lua Nova

 

Fase de morte mística, vazio primordial, repouso do ego e promessa de renascimento.

  

O céu se vestiu de mistério,

O manto da noite apagou.

No reino do teu grande império,

A forma do mundo cessou.

 

Na morte que cura a ferida,

A alma repousa esquecida.

No ventre do escuro profundo,

Esconde-se a força do mundo.

 

O nada é o berço sagrado,

O espaço que foi libertado.

A vida que volta ao início,

No eterno e fiel sacrifício.

  

Mantras de Caminhada Lunar

 

1. Mantra da Caminhada Geral

 

Para sintonizar o corpo com o ritmo contínuo do universo durante o trajeto.

 

A estrada corre sob o pé,

O cosmos guia a direção.

 

A minha alma segue em pé,

No ritmo da respiração.

  

2. Mantra da Lua Crescente

 

Para gerar energia, vencer o cansaço e expandir a força a cada passo.

 

A cada passo cresço em paz,

A força sobe do meu chão.

 

Os meus cansaços deixo atrás,

No rumo da renovação.

  

3. Mantra da Lua Cheia

 

Para expandir a perceção dos sentidos e fundir o corpo com a paisagem ao redor.

 

A minha mente vê o espaço,

O luar me conduz.

 

Unido ao mundo sou o passo,

No caminho da luz.

  

4. Mantra da Lua Minguante

 

Para aliviar a carga mental, purificar o espírito e praticar o desapego durante a viagem.

 

O peso do que já passou,

Eu deixo livre pelo vento.

 

Caminho leve como sou,

Bem seguro e com alento.

  

5. Mantra da Lua Nova

 

Para caminhar no escuro absoluto com fé na intuição e na sabedoria invisível.

 

No escuro onde nada vejo,

O meu espírito é o farol.

 

A terra guia o meu desejo,

Na noite que prepara o sol.

  

Guia de Prática Nómada: Ritmo e Respiração

  

Passada de quatro tempos: cada verso deve cobrir exatamente quatro passadas — duas com o pé esquerdo e duas com o direito.

 

Respiração: inspire durante as duas primeiras linhas, acumulando ar e energia; expire durante as duas últimas, libertando som e foco.

Picture Taken Of Brand New NYPD Car #5952-16 - 2016 Dodge Charger Assigned To The Highway Patrol Unit. It Is Not Assigned To Any Specific Highway Patrol Unit But Is Escorting United Nations Delegates Around New York City During The United Nations 72nd General Assembly. Photo Taken Tuesday September 19, 2017.

 

IMG2153

 

iPhone 7 Plus

Please note: DEPICTION IS NOT ADVOCACY!

  

(Made with a Nikon FE 35mm SLR camera + amber light + close-up lens) (1993) (Berkeley, California)

 

("For the first time, the General Social Survey--a large, national survey conducted every two years and widely considered to represent the gold standard for public opinion research--shows a majority of Americans favoring the legalization of marijuana."

 

---Christopher Ingraham, the Washington Post, 3.4. 2015.)

  

(I subscribe to a free official California state website run by the Department of Cannabis Control, which can be found here:

 

cannabis.ca.gov/resources/cannabis-recalls-and-safety-notices/

  

I think their testing of cannabis products is far, far too limited, in that there are many toxic and possibly toxic substances that they are not testing for. Still, there is value in receiving their email warnings, because I am not seeing these warnings about specific products being widely posted anywhere by the online media, and I do not see such warnings being publicly posted at cannabis stores. Below is a warning I received today.

  

"Notification of Mandatory Product Recall

June 25, 2024

 

The Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) is issuing this consumer advisory for a single CUREpen PREMIUM THC OIL Vape Cartridge product due to the presence of the pesticide chlorfenapyr.

 

Consumers who purchased this product are urged to check their packaging for the UID and batch number listed below."

 

The notification also mentions that the recalled product was "Packaged by: Alkhemist DM LLC".)

  

(The website of the large cannabis dispensary Harborside in Oakland, California has a "Seizure-Safe" setting that "clears flashes and reduces color".)

 

(In May 2011, "DistantEchoes" commented on reddit dot com that viewing my art "may cause seizures and brain damage.")

 

("...video games with rapidly changing images or highly regular patterns can produce seizures, and video games have increased in importance as triggers as they have become more common."

 

---from the Wikipedia page "Photosensitive Epilepsy".)

  

("...in November 2017, two months before legal sales were to begin...the California Department of Food and Agriculture released rules that shocked the farming community: The state would allow legal pot farms to grow as large as they want."

 

"Glass House Farms, one of the state’s biggest cultivators, grows cannabis in a 2 million-square-foot greenhouse facility that was financed by a $100 million loan."

 

---Lester Black, 11.17. 2024, SFGATE.

  

["Glass House reported its cost of production at $139 per pound. The company also stated that it sold the equivalent of over 90,000 pounds of dried biomass in the second quarter of 2023 at an average price of $340 per pound."

 

---cannabis benchmarks dot com, 8.22. 2023.]

  

["...we’re the largest cannabis flower brand in the largest market in the world."

 

---glass house brands dot com, 11.19. 2024. The site also says that Glass House has a six million square-foot "state of the art greenhouse footprint".]

  

[On their website, Glass House tells people how to buy stock in Glass House Brands, even providing links to brokers like Charles Schwab.])

  

"'Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,' Biden said in December. 'Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It's time that we right these wrongs.'"

 

---from a 4.30. 2024 CBS News article "Justice Dept will move to reclassify marijuana in a historic shift, sources say". ("Robert Legare and Willie James Inman contributed to this report.") "The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have wide ripple effects across the country."

 

(During the course of my career in non-profit quality control, I smoked marijuana every day for 29 of the past 42 years. I found that it often inspired me.

  

***Burning plants and then inhaling the smoke very, very obviously seems like an unhealthy thing to do since there are so many, many possibly toxic substances in the smoke!***

  

[“'On Jan. 1, 2014 in Denver, 1/8 ounce of Bubba Kush was the USA’s first legal sale of this for recreational purposes,' the host said."

 

"One of the $2,000 challenges on a recent episode was to identify the first part of the name of a 'well-known hallucinogen' that ends 'acid diethylamide.' The contestant said 'lysergic,' as in LSD."

 

---Kyle Jaeger, 5.12. 2019, marijuanamoment dot net, writing about the mainstream television game show "Jeopardy".]

 

As of early 2022, there are said to be 779 different strains of marijuana being sold.

 

My favorite imported kinds of marijuana were Punta Roja Colombian, "Thai sticks", and Mexican from Oaxaca. Some of the Cannabis Sativa grown in Hawaii that I smoked was not only potently psychedelic, but also WONDERFULLY TASTY.

 

I also enjoyed some of the hashish that came from Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Nepal. The hashoil I smoked that came from Morocco greatly lifted my spirits and provided unique insight. "Bubble Hash" made in Berkeley gave me colorful visions.

 

I even quaffed Hi-Brew Beer [early 1980s marijuana/alcohol beverage].

  

To celebrate my 70th birthday I smoked a potent "sativa hybrid" strain of marijuana called "Runtz". [29.1% THC, .05% CBD, 33.8% total cannabinoids. Total terpenes: 1.5%. Top 3 terpenes: caryophyllene, limonene, and myrcene. Packaged 9.6. 2021. Tested by Belcosta Labs. Distributed by a company in North Hollywood, California.]

  

[In the 1970s I trimmed MANY pounds of marijuana. One of my associates, a taxi driver who claimed that he had “rolled so many joints I don’t have any fingerprints left” was so impressed that he borrowed my scissors and had them plated with gold.]

  

['Miron had stolen a big pile of wedding invitations... and we would use them to make filters for joints."

 

---Etgar Keret, translated from the Hebrew by Miriam Shlesinger and Sondra Silverston, in his 2002 collection of short stories THE NIMROD FLIPOUT. When I was arrested in 1985 the police seized a small box of filters from me that I had made by cutting some of my business cards into strips. I called them "jay-spacers" and had labeled the box. In 1986 when I went in front of the parole board, they (not knowing what a "jay-spacer" is) made a big deal out of the filters. "You had almost a hundred jay-spacers!" they said very accusingly...]

  

["I was able to access memories I didn't even know I had in extreme detail!!"

 

---Idefe, describing "Peanut Butter Breath", a hybrid strain of marijuana. Leafly dot com, 2019. Idefe gave "Peanut Butter Breath" the highest possible rating. I AGREE!]

  

[And yet:

 

In late April 2021, Facebook warned me that when it comes to illegal drugs, on my Facebook page I am NOT allowed to admit "personal use" without acknowledgment of or reference to recovery, treatment, or other assistance to combat usage...]

  

Surfing on a toke--and when the bowl of the pipe looks like the Grand Canyon, I know I've almost had enough...

  

[Stoner humor: Photo of a marijuana cigarette. Over the first four-fifths of the marijuana cigarette is written "I love nature so much...what a beautiful day." Over the last fifth is written "The raccoons work for the CIA."]

  

[Willie Nelson won 10 Grammy awards, and has appeared in 37 movies and TV shows. More than 40 million copies of his more than 100 albums have been sold. He has smoked marijuana for MANY years. Nelson is an outspoken advocate for the drug and has been arrested several times for possession of marijuana. He was arrested in 2006 for possessing marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms. His latest song is titled "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die".

 

---from an Associated Press news report, 4.21. 2012.]

  

["I smoke two joints in the morning

I smoke two joints at night

I smoke two joints in the afternoon

It makes me feel all right"

 

"I smoke two joints in time of peace

And two in time of war

I smoke two joints before I smoke two joints

And then I smoke two more"

 

---Chris Kay and Michael Kay, in their 1983 song "Smoke Two Joints", which was recorded by The Toyes.]

  

["Things Get Grounded When There's Chemistry"

 

"Cannabis Connects"

 

"Life In Color" (over a rainbow of colors)

 

---from a billboard advertisement for cannabis oil cartridges, edibles, and tinctures made by a company named Chemistry. I saw the billboard, which has a lavender background and depicts two women on a rug smiling at each other, on Telegraph Avenue at 63rd street in Oakland, California in June 2019.]

  

[The first cannabis label that I remember seeing (printed in black ink on blue paper) was "STONY RIDGE" brand marijuana. It was on a one-pound bag of American-grown product that I obtained from Richard Krech in 1972.]

  

["One toke over the line sweet Jesus

One toke over the line"

 

"Waitin' for the train that goes home sweet Mary

Hopin' that the train is on time

Sittin' downtown in a railway station

One toke over the line"

 

---Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley, in their 1970 song "One Toke Over The Line". Vice President Spiro Agnew did not like the song and called it "subversive". After being investigated on suspicion of conspiracy, bribery, extortion, and tax fraud, Agnew was convicted of felony tax evasion and forced to resign.]

  

["California's cannabis-growing nuns pray for profits"

 

---BBC News headline, late October 2022.]

  

["He said 'drugs make you too pleased with everything.'"

 

---Sarah Seiter, associate curator of Natural Sciences at the Oakland Museum of California, quoting David Hockney on the connection between drugs and creativity. Seiter was quoted by Paul Kilduff in an interview about a current show, "Altered State: Marijuana in California". The East Bay Monthly, July 2016 issue.

 

I think I somewhat understand what Hockney said, and I think there is truth in his statement. I also think that I often find great value and much joy in seeing beauty in both the wheat AND the chaff!]

  

[After many years of refusing to go to marijuana stores, I made my first purchase at one in 2020. (I now must purchase my cannabis at a store since, because of my extreme poverty, it is not [and has never been] possible for me to grow marijuana, and since it is no longer safe for me to continue, as I did for decades, to purchase black market marijuana. I enjoy interacting with the many helpful and kind people working at the local cannabis store. It makes me very happy to see them working there!)]

  

Here is a list of some of the cannabis products I have used [and a few that I have not used, or do not remember the effects of using] that were obtained from marijuana stores in the San Francisco bay area. [From labels I saved]:

  

"Jeeter" brand "Mai Tai" [sativa] pre-roll one gram joint of indoor-grown marijuana "infused" with THCA "diamonds" and kief. "MFG/PKG date: June 23RD, 2023" "Total THC: 42.5%, delta-9 THC: 1.69%, THCA: 46.5%"

 

["...a class action lawsuit against DreamFields Inc., and Med for America Inc., on behalf of California consumers who purchased cannabis products with inaccurate THC content labels.

 

The lawsuit alleges that defendants, who make, sell, and market 'Jeeter' brand cannabis products, overcharged consumers by illegally selling products whose THC content was substantially lower than the amounts listed on the label."

 

---from a October 2022 press release.]

 

Blueberry

Tsunami

Outdoor Rom

Trainwreck

Orange Hill Special

Red Widow

Smoothelove

Dutch Passionkush

Northern Green

Spice

Nor Kali Black Spice

Sensi Star

Organic Main Wreck

Sour Diesel ["22.73% THC" (2019)]

Sour Diesel [26.22% THC, .8% CBD, 27.72% total cannabinoids (2021)]

Ice Ice

Fruity Bliss

Organic Remedy

NYC Diesel

S1-5

Organic Super Silver Haze

Morning Star

Sun Grown Purple OG

Jedi

Sweet Nightmare

Kosher Strawberries

Dirty Little Pig

Durbin Poison

Oracle

Space Cowboy

Bubble Haze

White Widow

Mountain Kick

Snow White

Sun Grown Diesel

Yumbolt

Co-op

Organic Flo

Candyland

Silvercratic

Sun Grown Chocolope

Pineapple Kush

Goo-5

Nor Kali Kaui Kola

Dynomite

Nor Kali Buddha's Haze

Old Grand Huck

Grape Ape

Sour Diesel Lemon

Buddha's Sister

Super Jack

Organic Rom Thai

Third Eye

Pink Champagne

World Wide Widow

Afgootiva

Greased Lightning

Outdoor Organic Humboldt

Herijuana

Cherry Pie

Peak 19

Organic Mazar

Outdoor Train Crossing

Organic Shaman

Super Star

Rhino

Burmese

Double Dream

Jelly

Caramel

Kahuna

Shiva's Tears

Organic A-10

Purple Burmese

Lemon Skunk x Royal Orange

Mendo Blendo

The Sativa

Organic Hawaiian Snow

Purple Kush Domina

Organic Ultra Skunk

Sage 'n' Sour

Outdoor Organic Kam

Tree-W

Da Kind

Jack Frost

Pot O' Gold

Shiva Afghani

Gorilla's Mist

Strawberry Cough

Sativa 2

Organic Jane

Organic Purple Way

Outdoor Organic Bonkers

Organic Purps

Outdoor Organic Goo

Juicy Fruit

Mind Eraser

Pearly Baker

Lavender Goo

Titan OG

White Russian

Sonoma Coma

Organic Sticky Nurple

MK Ultra

Outdoor Organic Trainwreck x White Widow

Organic Sweetleaf

Organic Purple Ice

Jack Herer

Zlushie Kush

God's Gift

Outdoor Organic Purple Mendo

Organic Ogre

Organic Trance

William's Wonder x Northern Lights

Blue Ogre

Organic Lamb's Bread

Champagne

Black Bunanna

Super Chunk

Organic Rom Cross

Sun Grown Goji Jack

Rom Hottie

Organic Slider

Animal Cookies

Sunshine Grown Green Dragon

El Bueno

Jakki

Organic Time Warp

Durban Dream

Organic Mist

Cookie Pie

Mantanuska TF

Pineapple Trainwreck

Organic Mantanuska Mist

Organic Mothership

Traincrash

Swazi Haze

Grape Pop

Golden Goo

Organic Trance

Jack'l Berry

Outdoor Mysty

Purple Peak 19

AK-47

Sage

Motor City

Purple Erkel

Crazy Hazy

Bright Star

Green Crack

Power Plant

Organic Cindy 99

Skunk #2

Organic Bonana

Outdoor Organic Hash Plant

Baby Blues

Cat Piss

Mr. Nice (G 13 x Hash Plant)

Girl Scout Cookie

Outdoor Organic Blue Dot

Sour Daze

Thin Mint

Grand Daddy Purple

Spicy Jack

Outdoor Organic Pure Rezin

Old Mother Sativa

Master Yoda Kush

Mountain Girl

Green Ribbon

Ice Cream Cake #5

Super Wreck

Sapphire Star

Grenadine

Bombshell

Also Known As

Pea Soup

Razzlez

Pirate's Kush

Purple Tangie

Leda Una

Cloud Berry

Northern Lights x Big Bud

All Star Organic Oaktown Wreck

Animal Punch

805 Glue

Sunset Sherbet

Forbidden Fruit

Cookie Monster

Blue Dream [Blueberry x Santa Cruz Haze] [26.64% THC, .1% CBD] ["AlphaPinene: 0.51%, BetaCaryophyllene: 0.25%, BetaMyrcene: 0.95%, BetaPinene: 0.23%, Bisabolol: 0.03%, CBC: 0.06%, CBD: 1.08mg/g, CBDa: 1.23mg/g, CBG: 0.07%, CBGA: 0.26%, CBN: 0.02%, Humulene: 0.1%, Limonene: 0.1%, Linalool: 0.06%, THC: 266.45mg/g, THC9: 19.57mg/g, THCA: 281.51mg/g" (Information posted by the Harborside cannabis store in San Leandro, California on 10.23. 2024 about "Dime Bag" brand Blue Dream marijuana flowers.)]

Berry Haze [26.8% THC, .1% CBD, 28.51% total cannabinoids] ["AlphaPinene: 0.03%, BetaCaryophyllene: 0.49%, BetaMyrcene: 0.05%, BetaPinene: 0.06, CBD: 1.02mg/g , CBDa: 1.17mg/g, CBG: 0.06%, CBGA: 1.31%, CBN: 0.02%, Humulene: 0.16%, Limonene: 0.35%, Linalool: 0.1%, THC: 267.97mg/g, THC9: 5.87mg/g, THCA: 298.85mg/g" (Information posted by the Harborside cannabis store in San Leandro, California on 10.23. 2024 about "Dime Bag" brand Berry Haze marijuana flowers.)]

Jelly Cake [27.4% THC, .14% CBD]

Cherry Popperz [28.85% THC]

Blue Face [Face Off OG x Animal Mints (Blue Pheno)] [32.90% THC, .05% CBD]

Orange Tree [27.08% THC, .06% CBD, 28.84% total cannabinoids]

Bubblegum Runtz [32.5% THC]

Starberry Cough [21.51% THC, 21.62% total cannabinoids]

Apple Fritter [37.1% THC]

Girl Scout Cookies [36.58% THC]

Organic Purple Haze

Purple Haze [34.5% THC, .043% CBD, 35.2% total cannabinoids]

Z x Georgia Pie [27.8% THC, 29.1% total cannabinoids]

Space Lollipops [31.42% THC, .12% CBD, 32.1% total cannabinoids]

Snow Runtz [37.34% THC]

Sour Tangie [25.05% THC, 25.29% total cannabinoids]

Rainbow Smacks [indoor shake] [23.37% THC, .01% CBD, 34.64% total cannabinoids (15.4% delta-9 THC)]

Platinum Gelato [18.17% THC, .07% CBD]

Blueberry Space Cake [31.98% THC, 33.6% total cannabinoids] [Said to be a 90% indica-10% sativa hybrid. Packaged on 8.31. 2023.]

 

[I am thinking of legally changing my name to Blueberry Space Cake...]

 

Gooberry [30.43% THC, .1% CBD, 31.75% total cannabinoids]

Lemonwreck [34% THC]

Balance [31% THC]

Chill [34% THC]

Platinum Scout [26.90% THC, .07% CBD, 27.60% total cannabinoids]

Cadillac Cookies [38.79% THC, 39.11% total cannabinoids] [infused with THCA "diamonds"] [With the image of an American flag:"Veteran owned and operated since 2017."]

Woah-Si-Woah [41.7% THC, 42.07% total cannabinoids] [infused with THCA "diamonds"]

Grapes N Cream [27.05% THC, .05% CBD]

Space Mamba [32.14% THC, .14% CBD, 32.71% total cannabinoids]

Blue Horchata Mintz [30.44% THC, .08% CBD, 35.78% total cannabinoids]

Triangle Cookies [19.49% THC, .07% CBD (21.22% total cannabinoids: 14.93% THCA, 6.40% delta-9 THC) (1.32% terpenes, including .69% b-caryophyllene and .21% humulene)]

GMO Fuel [Girl Scout Cookies x Chemdawg] [33.1 % THC, .06% CBD, 35.4% total cannabinoids] [A mostly indica strain that has a strong taste and smell reminding some people of things like "garlic, mushrooms, and onions" aka "GMO". (NOT genetically-modified, at least not in the conventional meaning of the term...)] I smoked GMO Fuel to celebrate becoming 72 years old in 2023.

Obama Runtz [30.61% THC, .09% CBD, 31.02% total cannabinoids]

Headband [OG Kush x Sour Diesel] [37% THC]

Jetfuel [31% THC]

GMO [28.7% THC]

Rainbow Belts [Moonbow x Zkittlez] [32% THC}

Wet Dream [Blue Dream x Ocean Beach Haze] [28.65% THC, 28.94% total cannabinoids]

Animal Mints [Thin Mint GSC x Fire OG] [25.03% THC, .03% CBD, 26.62% total cannabinoids]

Mixed Berry Runtz [30.6% THC, .07% CBD, 32.7% total cannabinoids]

Gello [21.4% THC, .04% CBD, 22.15% total cannabinoids] ["Indoor Sugar-Trim"]

Bernie Hana Butter [24.65% THC]

Prism [25.17% THC, 30.06% total cannabinoids]

Delirium [29% THC, 35% total cannabinoids]

Pave [29.9% THC, 30.9% total cannabinoids]

Astro Funk [21.2% THC] [Pre-ground indoor-grown flower shake] [Limited amounts of this surprisingly potent marijuana were being legally sold in California cannabis stores in May 2023 for fifty cents per gram as marijuana "extender"...]

Lemonchello Gelato [33.205% THC] ["Main Terpenes: limonene, caryophyllene, humulene"] A FAVORTE!

Gush Mints [27.32% THC]

Gush Mints [18.6% THC] ["indoor sugar-trim"]

OG Legend Littles [23.11% THC, .06% CBD]

Cherry Chem [21.16% THC, .04% CBD]

Dosilato [27.32% THC]

Cereal Milk [24.5% THC]

Fuji Ice [Apple Fritter x Ice Bx2] [31.44% THC]

White Cherry Gelato [25.07% THC]

Peanut Butter Gelato [Do-Si-Dos x Mendo Breath] [28% THC]

Toffee [26.6% THC]

Maui Cheesecake [24% THC]

Wedding Cake "Sugar Shake" [30.31% THC]

Kush Mints "Sugar Shake" [24.32% THC, 26.46% total cannabinoids]

Apple Sauce [33.84% THC, 37.91% total cannabinoids]

Early Bird [34.71% THC, 38.16% total cannabinoids]

Purple Cake Batter [25.82% THC, .06% CBD, 31.21% total cannabinoids]

True OG [26.4% THC, 27.2% total cannabinoids]

Magic City Mango [Platinum Cookies x GDP x Blue Power x Gelatti] [26.4% THC, .07% CBD, 31.3% total cannabinoids]

Cookie Dawg [26.89% THC, .07% CBD, 31.79% total cannabinoids]

Lemon Jack [25.86% THC, .06% CBD, 30.90% total cannabinoids]

Hawaiian Haze [25.56% THC, .07% CBD, 30.65% total cannabinoids]

Marshmallow OG [24.99% THC (22.49% THCA, 5.25% THCD9), 1.06% CBD, 29.16% total cannabinoids, 4.6% terpenes (1.72% Limonene, .82% B-Caryophyllene, .47% Myrcene, .35% B-Pinene, .30% Linalool, .25% a-Humulene, .24% a-Pinene, .23% Nerolidol) (indoor-grown)]

GMO Crasher [Wedding Crasher x GMO] [24.7% THC, .062% CBD, 26.46% total cannabinoids]

Black Diamond [28.26% THC, .08% CBD, 34.51% total cannabinoids]

Bubba Berry [36.57% THC, .11% CBD, 44.47% total cannabinoids]

Cookies and Cream [26.6% THC, .08% CBD, 32.7% "total active cannabinoids"]

Blue Cookies [38.25% THC, .15% CBD, 46.77% total cannabinoids]

Snowcap [38.96% THC, 41.35% total cannabinoids] [Packaged in May 2022 with an image of people dancing and the words "a Party in every Bag!"]

Hawaiian Dream [26.71% THC, .8% CBD, 31.97% total cannabinoids]

Cookies Kush [27.66% THC, .08% CBD, 32.72% total cannabinoids]

White Kush [26.06% THC, .07% CBD, 34.60% total cannabinoids]

Papaya Punch [28.10% THC, .07% CBD, 33.02% total cannabinoids]

Royal Kush [24.47% THC, .07% CBD, 29.31% total cannabinoids]

Platinum Cake [31.63% THC, .11% CBD, 38.23% total cannabinoids]

Gorilla Breath [22.33% THC, .16% CBD, 23.56% total cannabinoids]

French Cookies [Girl Scout Cookie x Chemdawg] [21.44% THC, .06% CBD, 26% total cannabinoids]

Bubba Hash [34.32% THC, .16% cbd, 35.68% total cannabinoids]

Dank You [26.57% THC, .06% CBD, 31.86% total cannabinoids]

Sugar Plum [27.87% THC, .23% CBD, 28.64% total cannabinoids]

Mazar Kush [36.86% THC, .16% CBD, 38.25% total cannabinoids]

Blackberry Hashplant [26.09% THC, .06% CBD, 31.19% total cannabinoids]

Kali Mist [26.24% THC, .08% CBD, 31.47% total cannabinoids]

Gumball No. 3 [29.73% THC, 35.73% total cannabinoids]

Gumball No. 4 [27.93% THC, 28.31% total cannabinoids]

Wedding Pie [28.13% THC, 32.72% total cannabinoids]

E85 [Jetfuel OG x Biscotti] [32.99% THC, 2.11% CBD, 2.56% terpenes, 35.1% total cannabinoids]

Super Lemon Cherry [31.4% THC, 36.6% total cannabinoids, 2.3% terpenes "white ash, no black ash, all organic, 14-day flush, slow cure"] Sour Jack [24.24% THC, .2% CBD, 25.23% total cannabinoids]

Sweet Diesel [34.3% THC, .06% CBD, 34.41% total cannabinoids]

Banana Dream [25.2% THC, .09% CBD, 30.5% total cannabinoids]

Banana Bread [Banana OG x Maui Bread] [34.98% THC, 42.2% total cannabinoids]

Kush Mountains [30.2% THC, .07% CBD, 35.19% total cannabinoids]

Hindu Kush [24.1% THC, .04% CBD, 28.79% active cannabinoids]

Hindu Kush [24.99% THC, .07% CBD, 29.92% total cannabinoids]

Biscotti Cookies [22% THC]

LA Pop Rocks [27% THC, 31% total cannabinoids]

OCC [17.87% THC, 20.38% total cannabinoids]

Sundae Driver [24% THC]

Flow White [22.14% THC, 0.056% CBD]

Slurricane [22.57% THC, 0.065% CBD]

Super Silver Haze [24% THC, 0.07% CBD, 1.30% total terpenes]

Super Silver Haze [27.87% THC, .16% CBD, 29.98% total cannabinoids]

Space Cakes [31.96% THC]

Gorilla Goo [23.24% THC]

King Louis [20.82% THC, 25.77% total cannabinoids]

Turquoise Jeep [23.6% THC]

OG Kush [22.0% THC]

Kush Mint Cookies [31.36% THC]

Willie's Kush [23.97% THC]

Chem Reserve [38.56% THC]

Petrol Kush [20.73% THC]

Mimosa [24.8% THC, .1% CBD]

Mimosa [27.05% THC, .14% CBD, 27.99% total cannabinoids]

Mimosa [28.49% THC, 0% CBD]

Clout Cake [26.14% THC, .06% CBD] ["Friends Don't Let Friends Smoke Mids"]

Cali Cherry Pie [20.60% THC, .08% CBD]

PR OG [16.51% THC]

Meat Breath [21.26% THC, 26.56% total cannabinoids]

Orange Cookies [19.90% THC]

White Fire [29.1% THC, .07% CBD, 34.5% total cannabinoids]

Motorbreath [15.42% THC]

805 Sour [20.72% THC]

Cherry Dosido [Cherry Cheesecake x Dosido] [29.98% THC]

Cherry Do-Si-Do [24% THC]

Super Chem [Sour 2.0 x Chem] [21.28% THC, 26.17% total cannabinoids]

Orange [20.08% THC]

Malawi Dream [20.4% THC, .19% CBD]

Purple Cake [18.34% THC]

Strawberry Banana [20.59% THC, .19% CBD]]

Peanut Butter Breath [18.18% THC]

Peanut Butter Breath [27.7% THC, .05% CBD, 32.8% total cannabinoids]

Alien OG [20.18% THC]

Garanimal Cookies [20.64% THC, .03% CBD]

Dark Karma [Dutch Treat x Strange Love] [25.71% THC, .04% CBD]

China White [26.42% THC]

Gushers [20.65% THC]

Gushers [36.08% THC]

Los Angeles Kush [23.05% THC]

Triple Scoop Gelato [27.7% THC]

Purple Punch [26.44% THC]

Trifi Cookies [21.99% THC]

Rollins [24.36% THC]

Wedding Chemz [24.2% THC] [from a cannabis company founded by Grateful Dead percussionist Mickey Hart]

Han Solo Burger [GMO Cookies x Larry F8] [More than 30% THC]

Cereal Milk [29% THC, 31.12% total cannabinoids] [A hybrid strain that is distributed in glass jars with VIVIDLY colorful reflective metallic labels containing 28 pre-rolled filter-tipped marijuana cigarettes. Each marijuana cigarette contains .5 gram "greenhouse hydroponic" cannabis.

 

One of the warnings on the label:

 

"Smoking cannabis increases your cancer risk and during pregnancy exposes your child to delta-9-THC and other chemicals that can affect your child's birth weight, behavior, and learning ability."]

 

Ice Cream Cake [22.2% THC] ["Honest Flower" brand "Indica" from Eden Enterprises. "Flower You Can Trust" 3.5 grams in a small child-resistant plastic container from Calyx Containers. "Made in USA"]

Humboldt OG ["17.76% THC" hybrid pre-roll. Cultivator: "Grouse Mountain Green" in Humboldt County, California. Distributor: "Emerald Family Farms" 2019]

Ghost OG ["22.49% THC .05% CBD" hybrid "Manufactured and distributed by Flora California" from "Sessions Supply Co." pre-roll]

Wedding Cuvee ["21.60% THC .05% CBD" hybrid "Manufactured and distributed by Flora California" from "Sessions Supply Co." "Time For Blast Off" (On package containing 3.5 grams) 2019]

Jungle Glue ["Krush Kingz" pre-roll by "Berkeley Pharmz" 2019]

Orange Mango ["19.8% THC" "Distributed by Black Oak Gallery" 2019]

Ziablo [Grown by IC Collective.] [2019] [The jars containing 3.5 grams feature one of my favorite labels, a very colorful skeleton-skull!]

Now and Laters ["20.51% THC" "Sativa" Grown in Shasta County, California, and distributed by Ember Valley, 2019.]

Ghost Mints ["23.31% THC, 0.9% CBD". "...may be habit forming." "This product may be unlawful outside of Washington State." from "Green Fire Production, Inc."]

Extreme Jack [16.49% THC "even hybrid" "greenhouse-grown" "Warning: This product can expose you to chemicals including arsenic, which is known to the state of California to cause cancer. For more information, go to www.p65warnings.ca.gov&quot; from Foxworthy Farms, 2019.]

Blackout ["Inspire featuring limonene 7.84% THC, 8.05% CBD. From Abatin Farms, 2018]

Cherry Vortex [Sativa-dominant."17.46% THC". From Headwaters. Source: UPI Supply Systems, Inc. Origin: Carpenteria, CA. Packaged 12. 14. 2018. Expiration date: 12. 13. 2019. "WARNING: Cancer and Reproductive harm."]

Wedding Cake ["14.36% THC" pre-roll from "Humboldt Growers". 2019] [Also: from Marley Natural, "grown in Trinity County, California." "16.3% THC" 2019] [Also: "from Sublime, in Oakland, California." "Fuzzies" brand pre-roll, "infused with cannabis concentrate, kief, and terpenes" "25% THC and 1% CBD" 2019] [Also: from Pacific Stone in Santa Barbara, California 2019]

Blueberry Muffin ["15.94% THC" pre-roll from "Humboldt County Indoor". Harvested 12.1. 2018]

Unicorn Tears [indoor Sativa"blend"] "22.8% THC", 1 gram pre-roll from Sunset Connect in San Francisco, 2024.

Raspberry Diesel ["18.2% THC", grown by "Fleur d'elite"]

Banjo [hybrid pre-roll from "Just Chief"]

Banjo [2 gram bottle from "Coastal Sun Farm". Package date: 8.28. 2019. "26% THC. 30.9% total cannabinoids". "Consciously Grown." "Healthy Plants Heal Humans".]

Banjo ["16.49% THC "sativa" from Pacific Stone in Santa Barbara, California.

Wifi43 [pre-roll from State Flower Cannabis Company, San Francisco 2019 "19.63% THC"]

Dolato [hybrid pre-roll from "Just Chief"]

Miss U.S.A. [1 gram all flower Indica pre-roll from Lowell Smokes. 18% THC. In a glass tube. "Test: Cannasafe 01. 19. 19"]

Royal Blend ["Krush Kings" brand pre-roll from "Industry Standard Group, Inc." 18.74% THC "hybrid-indica" "Your Royal Highness"]

San Fernando Valley OG ["The Weed Brand pre-roll. 1 gram."]

Shark Shock ["The Weed Brand pre-roll. 1 gram." "grown by Caliber." "Harvested 4.20. 2019." "19.5% total cannabinoids"]

Gelato 45 [The Weed Brand preroll. Harvest date: 7.23. 2018. Packed: 9.24. 2018. "Best Buy": 7.23. 2019. 16.9% THC. 0.26% CBD.]

Banana Bubble [1 gram pre-roll. 160 mg THC. Manufactured by Marigold. Packaged in Santa Rosa, California. 9.28. 2018. "Cultivation with a conscience"]

Fire OG [1 gram pre-roll. 29.23% THC. "infused with oil and kief". From Jeeter.] Pure Kush [Indica. pre-roll. 133 mg THC. "Harvested 7.6. 2018. Best by 10.3. 2019."]

Grizzly Bones [Hybrid. 1 gram pre-roll. Indoor-grown. 155 mg THC. "Grown by Grizzly Peak Farms."]

"Lifted" brand .7 gm "House Cone Fortified with Hash Oil"]

"Cookies" brand "Triple Scoop Infused Blunt" [1 gram flower, .25 gram BADDER, and .25 gram THCA] [hemp wrap and glass tip.]

Super Silver Haze [infused pre-roll] [29.26% THC]

Chocolate Hashberry [Grown in downtown Los Angeles. "Manufactured by Purple Heart Compassionate, Inc."]

Orange Citron ["19.19% THC, 0.02% CBD" "Packaged 4.24. 2019" from "Molecular Farms" in California.]

El Fuego [from "Molecular Farms"]

Key Lime Pie ["Humboldt Farms" "Premium Flower-Hybrid" "15.2% THC, 0.00% CBD" "Harvested on July 2018, Packaged on July 2018" "One-Eighth Ounce" in a clear glass jar with a stopper made of wood. The label has a 1" x 2" colorful detailed image of tall trees and small flowers and a small white Volkswagen van. Printed with metallic ink. After smoking some Key Lime Pie I decided that, in my opinion, this extremely appealing image is the best illustration I have seen on a cannabis label.]

Taffie [This medical cannabis strain is sold in cork-lined light-proof well-labeled tins, each containing 5 joints. The tins come sealed in a bag that contains a Boveda 2-way humidity control packet. This product is distributed by Humboldt Legends, and is labeled Steelhead Sativa. Organically grown in sunlight and harvested by hand. The label has the name (and a copy of the handwritten signature) of the person who grew the marijuana (Scott Davies). Also the batch number and the percentages of THC (19.5%) and CBD (0.0%). The label on the back of the tin states that the group of cultivators who call themselves "Humboldt Legends" have been growing marijuana for "forty years". A warning note states that marijuana is a “Schedule 1 controlled substance”. And that “Smoking this product will expose you and those in your immediate vicinity to marijuana smoke...known to the State of California to cause cancer.” “Keep out of reach of children and animals.” "This product may impair the ability to drive or operate machinery." Obtained in the San Francisco bay area, 2017. (After I smoked some of this marijuana in a dark room, I closed my eyes and saw beautiful hallucinations that were extremely complex, with uniquely vivid colors. When I opened my eyes I had a VERY strong urge to write poetry.)]

Juicee Fruit ["bud-only pre-roll. 1 gram. Cultivated 7.28.18. Packaged 7.16.18. Batch ID 6-15-18-JF.] THC 21.14%. 211.4 mg/serving. 0mg CBD/serving V.H.H.C. Juicy Fruit $9.99+Tax" Seven Leaves brand, packaged in black plastic child-proof tube]

"Top Shelf Rainbow Diesel Minis [Sativa]" [small joints]

"Top Shelf Hell OG Minis [Indica]" [small joints]

"Maui Wowie" [infused flowers] 25.20% Delta-9 THC, 41.75% total cannabinoids [from Baby Jeeter]

"Blue Poison" indoor-grown ground Sativa flower infused with solventless cannabis oil [45.1% THC, 47.8% total cannabinoids]

"Pineapple Express" hybrid indoor cannabis-infused 51.17% THC prerolls, live resin-infused, kief-coated, and terp-enhanced. Five prerolls in a glass jar from Stiiizy. Each pre-roll weighs .5 gram.

"Mericanna" hybrid [small joint] "16.79% THC" [2018]

"Pacific Remedy Shatter joint, hand-rolled in California" "Blue Russian flower, Kosher Kush, BHO Snake" "Indica-dominant" [2017]

"Heshies" brand pre-rolls "Selfies" [small joints] [2019]

"Sour Diesel X Sherbet" [Hybrid pre-roll. 19.97% THC.] [2019] [From Pacific Sunset.]

"Sublime King Fuzzies", pre-roll terpene-enhanced "top shelf bud, CO2 wax/kief", "Indica OG Kush" "THC 253 mg". [2017]

"Watermelon" ["Fuzzies" infused pre-roll, 54.72% THC]

"Trix Bubble" [concentrate]

"Fire Walker" [Raw Garden brand .5 gram pre-roll infused with "Crushed Diamonds" from fresh frozen whole flower. 42.4%

cannabinoids]

ZAZA flower pre-rolls [65% THC, .84% CBD "infused with dual refined distillate, rolled in golden kief"]

"Shiva Crystals" [hashish]

"Pineapple Fruz" [52.56% THC] "Diamond-infused select flowers" in a glass jar containing 2.5 grams of flowers, plus one gram "diamond". [Pineapple Fruz flowers are totally covered with THC "diamond" that looks like dense confectioner's powdered sugar.]

Bombed Buzz [36.46% THC, 36.30% total cannabinoids] ["ingredients: cannabis flwers, THCa, terpene blend"] The packaging features a colorful and vivid cartoon of a bee wearing aviator goggles, smoking a joint while kicked-back on a red bomb falling through the clouds, with these words: "Our mission is to achieve federal legalization for veterans. Your purchase helps fund our lobbying efforts to pressure Congress and the White House to make it happen ASAP. Thank YOU for YOUR support. Let's Roll!" [From the "American Weed Company"]

"Biscotti" [Indica] [Half gram THC pods, for vaping.] [88.24% THC.] [2019] [From STIIIZY. Made by Ironworks Collective.]

"Juicy Melon" [Half gram pods, for vaping.] [41.05% THC, 1:1 CBD] [2020] [From STIIIZY] "This product can expose you to chemicals including Beta-myrcene, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm."

"Sky Diver" ["Refined raw resin. 84.68% THC .29% CBD" ["Indica hybrid" cartridge made by "Raw Garden" "100% fresh frozen whole flower terpenes and cannabis oil" 2019]

Jack Herer brand 1 ml cannabis oil cartridge 83.98% THC, .16% CBD, 89.49% total cannabinoids

"Yogi Berries"["Refined raw resin. 81.99% THC."] ["Indica hybrid" cartridge made by "Raw Garden" 2019]

"Skydoggie" ["Refined raw resin. 83.33% THC 0.2% CBD"] ["Indica" cartridge made by "Raw Garden" 2019]

"Chemberry" ["Refined raw resin. 81.65% THC .35% CBD"] ["Indica" cartridge made by "Raw Garden" 2019]

"Chem Walker" ["Refined raw resin. 81.82% THC" ["Indica hybrid" cartridge made by "Raw Garden" 2019]

"Lemon Haze" [Distilled CO2 extract.] ["90.63% THC 1.64% CBD".] [Made by "Clear Day". 2019]

"Mendo Breath" [CO2- extracted cannabis oil. 78.2% THC.] [From by Marley Natural.] [2019]

"Mango Kush" [Cannabinoid extract plus terpene blend cartridge] [2019] [Made by "Pure Extracts".]

"Select" brand "Mimosa" "cannabis oil vape cartridge" [125 doses per cartridge] 3.5 mg THC per dose. [from the "Select" brand label: "Curating the Science of Feeling" [2018]

Cali Gold H20 [extracted cannabis resin]

"Emerald Dream" ["Single Origin"] [Trinity County, CA] [58% THC] cannabis oil extracted with CO2 [cartridge for use with "Highlighter" vapor pen]

Garlic Cookies [Raw Zen solvent-less cannabis extract. 72.45% THC. One gram in a small glass jar.] [2019]

"Chemdawg" ["terpene rich distillate" by Bakked. 81% THC. 1.14% CBD.]

"XJ-13" [distillate. 88.08% THC. ]

"Granddaddy Purple" ["Flavored Cannabis Extract" cartridge, for vaping, by "Naked Extracts"] ["Indica] ["Ingredients: Cannabis Extract, Non-Cannabis Terpene Blend, Natural Flavors"] [2019]

"Granddaddy Purple" "cured resin" [79.6% THC, 82.1% total cannabinoids]

"Green Crack" [distillate. 88.13% THC.]

[Concentrates:

Banana Kush 95.25% THC

Banana OG 79% THC

Skywalker OG 91.62% THC

Alien OG 87.76% THC

Sour Cookies 89.53% THC

King Louis XIII 85.85% THC

King Louis XIII 90.76% THC

King Louis XIII 92.28% THC

Blue Valley 77.54% THC, .23% CBD

Acapulco Gold 87% THC, .18% CBD, 92% total active cannabinoids

Lemon Tree 90% THC

OG Kush 91.68% THC

Purple Punch 91.7% THC

Super Silver Haze 79.46% THC [live resin]

Electric Blue 78.69% THC [live resin]

Dutch Treat Haze 84% THC, .20% CBD

Blackberry Kush 82.4% THC

SFV OG (San Fernando Valley OG) 78% THC

Crunch Berries Crumble 88.96% THC, 89.09% total cannabinoids

Apple Jack 88% THC

Strawberry Shortcake 91% THC

Dream Queen 87% THC

Star Chaser 89.42% THC

Berry Blast 88.13% THC

Jack Herer 90.83% THC

Blackberry Diesel 91.1% THC

Beach Party 2 83.07% THC

God's Gift 90.8% THC

Mango Dream 86% THC

Strawnana 92.25% THC

Stawberry Shortcake 91% THC

Melonade 91% THC

Incredible Hulk [Green Crack x Jack Herer] 88.93% THC

Strawberry Cough 85.47% THC

Mendo Clouds 83.77% THC

Golden Kiwi 82.84% THC

Do-Si-Dos 91.35% THC

Cookies 84% THC

Blue Beary 83.91% THC

Birthday Cake 83.15% THC

Birthday Cake 87.72% THC

Watermelon Z 71.45% THC

Watermelon OG 91% THC

Cannis Major x Milky Way 65.6% THC, 67.9% total cannabinoids

Double Platinum Cookies 73.27% THC

Gorilla Cookies 77.65% THC

Orange Cookies #12 83.89% THC

Yoda OG 90.43% THC

Blueberry Cookies 85.0% THC

Grapefruit Romulan 92.2% THC

Limeade 83.20% THC

Premium Jack 90.5% THC

Dosi Lemonade 81.62% THC

White Fire 93% THC

Fruity Pebble OG 92.0% THC

Slurmberry 82.71% THC

Pineapple Express 92.82% THC

Georgia Peach 90.63% THC, .23% CBD

"Raw Garden" brand "Forbidden Fruit" "liquified diamonds and botanical terpenes" [87.98% THC, 92.81 total cannabinoids] ***Ocean Beach .5 gram "dry flower" vape cartridge from Cookies (November 2021): 35.3% delta-9 THC, 59.3% total THC, THCA 27.3%. Total terpenes: 7.53%, 1.8% Limonene, 1.08% Linalool, 1.54% Betacaryophyllene***

"hybrid cannabis" from Space Monkey Meds.

Chemdawg + Gelato "Sativa cannabis flowers" distributed in 2019 by "Papa's Herb", 3.5 grams in a lightproof ziplock bag.

  

"Green Crack" cannabis flowers bought at High Fidelity, a marijuana store next to Amoeba Music on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, several blocks from the University of California campus. "Grown by: Blue Nose. Harvested: 10.18. 2018. THC: 16.42%." High Fidelity motto: "Your supreme source for herbal inspiration and higher education."

(After smoking this marijuana, I ate a bag of HIPPEAS brand Bohemian Barbecue Flavor organic chickpea puffs. "Store in a dry and, like, totally cool place.")

 

("UC Berkeley synthetic biologists have engineered brewer's yeast to produce marijuana's main ingredients--mind-altering THC and non-psychoactive CBD--as well as novel cannabinoids not found in the plant itself. Feeding only on sugar, the yeast are an easy and cheap way to produce pure cannabinoids that today are costly to extract from the buds of the marijuana plant..."

 

---Robert Sanders, "Yeast Produce Low-Cost High-Quality Cannabinoids", news.berkeley.edu, 2.27. 2019).

  

"THC-Indica" transdermal patch 18.4 mg THC per patch. By Mary's Medicinals. [Made: 2.4. 2019. Expires: 2.4. 2021.] I have also tried the CBD version.

 

"Releaf Patch" Transdermal patch by Papa & Barkley. "18.56 mg THC plus 18.61 mg CBD" Mfg. date: 7.15. 2019 Best by date: 8.5. 2020

 

Oh, Yes! [cannabis extract + aloe vera] [for vaginal use] [from Quim]

  

[A few times I have gone for months without smoking marijuana, and then smoked a potent joint. On more than one such occasion I have experienced intense fearful disorientation, acute paranoia, and horrible physical distress including nausea and a sudden loss of consciousness. CAUTION IS ESSENTIAL!]

  

I have eaten a variety of cannabis preparations sold at marijuana stores in Berkeley, including:

 

"Emerald Bay Extracts" ["a women owned company"] brand 25 mg THC tablets. [Each of these tablets is said to contain 25 mg of THC from RSO "full spectrum" marijuana oil extracted from a very potent strain of Cannabis Indica called "Afgoo". (The strain is so-named because it is very resinous and is genetically related to marijuana from Afghanistan.) RSO "full spectrum" marijuana oil is named for a Canadian, Rick Simpson, who claimed in 2003 that "full spectrum" marijuana oil can cure a variety of ailments. RSO is VERY easily made by soaking dried and cured marijuana flowers in ethyl alcohol, then filtering out the flowers by pouring the alcohol/marijuana oil mixture through a coffee filter, then removing the alcohol from the alcohol/marijuana oil mixture by heating, leaving the "full spectrum" marijuana oil in the bottom of the container.

 

"Full spectrum" marijuana oil can be made from any strain of marijuana. I first made "full spectrum" marijuana oil more than 51 years ago. Over the decades I made and smoked quite a bit of it. I remain convinced that "full spectrum" marijuana oil made using pure food-grade ethyl alcohol as a solvent yields a product that gets me higher when I smoke it than any other marijuana oil I have tried that was made by any other method.

 

I never ate any of the "full spectrum" marijuana oil I made because I thought it was too difficult to accurately measure the dosage.

 

I find these easily dividable tablets to be EXTREMELY potent.

 

["Emerald Bay Extracts" also produces 25 mg THC tablets containing RSO "full spectrum" marijuana oil extracted from a very potent and, to me, very mind-active strain of Cannabis Sativa, "Blue Dream". Also 25 mg THC tablets containing RSO "full spectrum" marijuana oil extracted from a powerful and, to me, dreamy strain of Cannabis Indica, "Grand Daddy Purple". Also 25 mg THC tablets containing RSO "full spectrum" marijuana oil extracted from what to me is a wonderfully sensual strain of Cannabis Sativa, "Super Sour Diesel". Also 25 mg tablets containing RSO "full spectrum" marijuana oil extracted from a mysterious and exotic strain of Cannabis Sativa known as "Blackberry Sour". Also 25 mg tablets containing RSO "full spectrum" marijuana oil extracted from a strain of Cannabis Indica, "Ice Cream Cake". Also 25 mg THC tablets containing RSO "full spectrum" marijuana oil extracted from a (what I often find to be trippy) strain of indica-dominant hybrid cannabis, "Trifi Cookies". Also 25 mg tablets containing RSO "full spectrum" marijuana oil extracted from a strain of hybrid cannabis, "Banana Kush". Also 25 mg tablets containing RSO "full spectrum" marijuana oil extracted from a strain of Cannabis Sativa, "Lemon Zest". Also 25 mg tablets containing RSO "full spectrum" marijuana oil extracted from a thrillingly tasty strain of indica-dominant hybrid cannabis called "Dosilato" that seems to make art come alive. Also 25 mg tablets containing tasty RSO "full spectrum" marijuana oil extracted from a hybrid strain of Cannabis Sativa, "Lemon Cherry Gelato" ("Sunset Sherbet" x "Girl Scout Cookies"). Also 25 mg tablets containing RSO "full spectrum" marijuana oil extracted from a hybrid strain, "Runtz". The indescribable mental effects I experience after taking "Banana Kush" tablets are INTENSE.]

 

["Emerald Bay Extracts" gave me a free tin of small tablets. The rainbow-colored tin contained 20 tablets made in a variety of colors. Each 5 mg THC tablet contained RSO "full spectrum" marijuana oil extracted from a strain of marijuana called "XXX". "Pride Pack", April 2021.]

 

["Emerald Bay Extracts" also produces stronger 50 mg THC tablets containing RSO "full spectrum" marijuana oil extracted from a fascinatingly dreamy strain of Cannabis Indica, "Biscotti". I was given a free 20-tablet tin of these stronger doses at a cannabis store on 4.20. 2023..."WARNING! SUPER POTENT!"]

 

"Plus" brand vegan "10:1 Calm Mango" gummies, each containing 1 mg THC, 10 mg CBD, and a blend of terpenes. [20 gummies per container]

"Froot" brand orange tangie-flavored cannabis-infused "chews", each containing 10mg of THC. "sativa" [10 "chews" per package]

"Froot" brand blue razz dream-flavored cannabis-infused "chews", each containing 10mg of THC. "hybrid" [10 "chews" per package]

"Pax" brand wild strawberry-flavored cannabis-infused live rosin gummies containing 10mg THC. [10 gummies per package]

"Park Jams" brand coconut-flavored cannabis-infused gummies containing 10 mg THC. [10 gummies per package]

"Kiva" brand peppermint pattie-flavored dark chocolate-coated cannabis-infused "bites" containing 5 mg THC from "solventless cold water hash". [20 "bites" per container]

"Yummi Karma" brand "Wicked Apple Drops". Each bottle contains 30 milliliters of fractionated coconut oil, "whole plant cannabis extract" said to contain 1000 mg THC, flavors and sweetener. Each one milliliter dose is said to contain 32.89 mg THC, .08 mg CBD, .89 mg CBG, and .42 mg CBC. [San Francisco bay area in California, 2022]

"Uncle Arnie's" brand "Blueberry Night Cap" cannabis-infused beverage. Each 59 ml bottle contains cannabis oil containing 100 mg THC and 25 mg CBN.

"High Power" brand "Watermelon "cannabis-infused THC tincture", 250 mg THC per bottle.

"Korova" brand "Cannabis-Infused Tincture", said to contain 1000 milligrams of [what I experience as VERY POTENT] "THC distillate" per bottle. With "Midnight Guava" flavoring, water, etc. ["DRINK ME. MIX ME. MICRODOSE. MACRODOSE."]

"Butter Brothers" brand Brownies, Phat Mints, Blackberry Streusel, Ginger Snaps, Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Peanut Butter Cookies.

"Absolute Extracts" brand Sleepy Time blueberry lavender cannabis-infused gummies containing "Ice Water Cannabis Extract, CBN, terpenes", etc. [5 mg THC plus 2.5 mg CBN per gummy] [2023]

"Dr. Norm's" brand SleepWell gummies containing "nanotized THC, nanotized CBN & long acting THC" [10 mg nano THC blend, 5 mg nano CBN, and 1 mg CBD per gummy] [2023]

"Chill" brand chocolate bar with finely crushed espresso coffee beans and 100 mg THC.

"Pura Vida" brand Ocean Spray, Happy Trails, Chocolate Jubilee, and Chocolate Chip Protein Bar.

"Ganja Candy" brand Caramel, Blackberry, and Dr. Pepper.

"Tainted" brand Thin Mints

"Dank" candy

"420 Grand" candy

HealTHCare "Private Reserve OG" [cannabis tincture in vegetable glycerin base]

"Double-Strength Medi Pills" [cannabis oil capsules]

"Shiva Candy" [hashish candy]

"Auntie Dolore's Medical Cannabis Glazed Pecans"

"Hashey's 200 mg Indica Bar" [made with dark chocolate In Santa Cruz]

"Rhino Pellet" [tiny cookie]

"Potlava" [vegan cannabis baklava]

"Enjoyable Edibles" brand cannabis-infused Snickerdoodle cookies. ["10.8 mg THC" per cookie. Each package contains 10 cookies. Made with "full-spectrum cannabis extract" by Ironworks Collective. 2019]

"Habit" brand "Sparkling Pineapple Cooler". 10 doses of THC in each 12.6 fl. oz. bottle. Made in Los Angeles by Canna Healthcare, Inc.

"Orange Zest Awakening Mints" [sublingual 10 mg THC tablets]

"Drivn" brand watermelon-flavored cannabis-infused gummies, 10 mg THC per gummy.

"Breez" brand mints [sublingual 5 mg THC tablets]

"Kiva" brand Blackberry Dark Chocolate [cannabis oil candy]

"Black Cherry Gummi" [cannabis oil candy]

"Wyld" brand Elderberry gummies [10 mg THC and 5 mg CBN per piece] For sleeping. "It's a little like watching sheep count you."

"Absolute Extracts" brand Blueberry Lavender gummies [5 mg THC and 2 mg CBN per piece] For sleeping.

"Original PLUS Super Potent Hybrid Cannabis-Infused Gummies" ["20 mg THC"]

"PureCure Sativa Strips" [preparation for oral use] [from the label: "EXTREMELY STRONG!"]

"Dr. Norm's Extra Strength medical cannabis cookie" "Chocolate Chip Therapy" 25 mg THC per cookie. hybrid.

"Full Extract Cannabis Oil" [Indica-dominant strain, for oral use. Full-plant extracted with ethyl alcohol. Dated 12.1. 2015 and provided in a 3 milliliter oral syringe marked for 0.1 milliliter doses. "THC 37.05%"]

"Stokes" brand "Mint Micros" [Sativa-strain] [small tablets, each containing 5 mg of cannabis extract] [I have used 2 different flavors: Mint and Watermelon]

OMedibles brand "Tree Hugger Medical Cannabis Cinnamon Maple" [high CBD extract mixed with nuts and spices]

Utopia Farms brand "Medical Cannabis Raspberry Macaroons"

"Cafe Attitude THCoffee" 40 mg THC per 8 oz. bottle ["70% Sativa, 30% Indica"]

 

"Evil Aunt Emily's Seriously Psychotic Suckers" [cannabis oil candy] ["79 mg cannabis oil" per sucker])

 

("'Remember when Abigail got her prescription for medical marijuana and we all went to the top of Doheny and sucked on those marijuana lollipops and watched the sun set?'

 

'That was a perfect day', Cheryl says definitely."

 

---A.M. Homes, portraying some young people in Los Angeles in a short story in her book DAYS OF AWE.)

 

"Sprig" brand citrus soda containing 45 mg THC per can. Made in California. [2017]

Petra "Moroccan mint"-flavored medical cannabis tablets, each containing 2.5 mg THC plus matcha tea. Produced in 2017 by Kiva, a not-for-profit collective. Lab tested by CW Analytical. "A micro-dosed blend." Packaged in tins containing 42 tablets.

 

Kiva "Lost Farm" cannabis-infused fruit chews, 10mg THC from "live resin" per piece. These fruit chews are strain-specific. My favorite so far is BLUEBERRY.

 

["CW uses its best efforts to deliver high-quality results and to verify that the data contained therein are based on sound scientific judgement. However, CW makes no warranties or claims to that effect and further shall not be liable for any damage or misrepresentation that may result from the use or misuse of this data in any way."

 

---from a disclaimer issued by CW Analytical. (found outside of a warehouse in Berkeley in 2019.)]

  

"KushyPunch" brand plum flavor Cannabis Indica gummies. Each gummy contains 10 mg THC + 0.1 mg CBD + 0.8 gm sugar. "Feel the power of the punch"

"Korova" brand Peanut Butter Dip cookie, containing 100 mg THC.

"OmEdibles" brand Sour Apple flavor cannabis gummies. Each gummy contains 10 mg THC. Distributed in plastic boxes containing 6 gummies each.

"OmEdibles" brand Lychee Blossom flavor cannabis gummies, packaged the same as the above.

"CuriouslyCannabis" brand "Rayne Drops" berry, orange, and lemon flavor cannabis pastilles. Each pastille contains 5 mg THC. Distributed in tins containing 20 pastilles each.

"Emerald Sky" brand Alpine Strawberry cannabis-infused licorice. 10 mg THC per piece [Cannabis Sativa]. 10 pieces per container.

"Emerald Sky" brand Creme Filled Chocolate cannabis infused cookies. 10 mg THC per cookie [hybrid cannabis]. 10 cookies per box.

Kanha "Enhanced Nanomolecular Gummies" made from hybrid cannabis 10 mg THC in each "Blueberry Blast"-flavored dose. 2019.

"Cannabis-Infused" organic microwave popcorn, 44.5 gram pop-up bag containing 10 mg THC and less than 2 mg CBD. Made in Berkeley in 2019 by "Type 7 Manufacturing, Inc". "Movie Night's New Best Friend".

"Somatik" brand "Sparks" cannabis-infused chocolate coffee beans. 3 mg THC per bean. 25 beans per container. '"Lovingly made by A Tribe of Us Collective". "Turn Your Magic On".

"Smokiez Edibles" brand Cannabis Infused Watermelon Fruit Chews. 10 mg THC per piece.

"Smokiez Edibles" brand Cannabis Infused Peach Fruit Chews. 10 mg THC per piece.

"Smokiez Edibles" brand Cannabis Infused Green Apple Fruit Chews. 10 mg THC per piece.

Kaneh Co. brand Mango Chile fruit jellies. 5 mg THC per serving. Manufactured by Xtracta.

Distribution, Inc. Made and packaged 3.6. 2019. Best by 7.6. 2019. Tested 3.15. 2019 by Infinite Chemical Analysis.

Kaneh Co. brand Raspbery Lime fruit jellies. 5 mg THC per serving.

"Edible Cannabis Oil" batch 030119-MUT-5-01 [4.30. 2019] by CalVape Collective.

"Chew & Chill" Blueberry Dream + Sky Og Indica "LIVE RESIN" gummies, 10 mg THC per gummy

"MC Farma" brand "Full Spectrum Oil" capsules "THC 90 + THCV" ["THC 80.11 mg + CBD 20.35 mg + THCV 29.09 mg + CBG 2.98 mg" per capsule. Cannabinoids, lipids, fats, and terpenes remain in full spectrum extraction, which "enhances efficacy and is known as the 'entourage' effect." Each package contains 10 capsules. Manufactured in 2020 in Marin County, California.

Also: "MC Farma" brand "Full Spectrum Oil" capsules "THC 60" [" THC 62.86 mg + CBD .38 mg + THCV 2.92 mg +CBN 1.66 mg + CBG 3.63 mg" per capsule.]

Glowing Buddha brand grape flavor cannabis candy, 10 mg THC per piece. Made in Santa Rosa, California. 2020

 

[It is not uncommon for people to have EXTREMELY negative experiences after they have eaten too much of a product containing cannabis. CAUTION IS ESSENTIAL!])

  

(The cannabinoid cannabidiol [CBD], along with the cannabinoid tetrahydrocannabinol [THC], is produced by many marijuana [cannabis] plants. Bottled water containing CBD is currently [2021] being sold over-the-counter ["AN EXTREMELY EXTREME VALUE"] at my local grocery store, where it apparently is frequently purchased by schoolkids. [From the "CBD Living Water" label: "Consult your physician before use if you are pregnant, lactating, have a medical condition or are taking any medication. CANNABIDIOL USE MAY BE HARMFUL. KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN. These staements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease."] Last night I saw an ad for "Harrelson's Own CBD" on national TV: "When Life Gets Crazy...It Just Makes Everything About My Day Better")

  

("...the dudebros continue to pile into pot. Perhaps their worst public showing was when a bunch of them traversed the convention floor during MJ Bizcon wearing t-shirts that read 'Buy Weed From Rich White Men'. This was supposedly a response to the Buy Weed From Women movement, which has popular t-shirts of its own."

 

---Dan Mitchell, in his article "Low Times-2022: the year of stunts and desperation", East Bay Express, 12.28. 2022.)

  

("...marijuana is not legal."

 

---Ed Rosenthal, interviewed by Paul Kilduff, The Monthly, December 2014.)

  

("Indeed, positive hits for pathogenic mold are already changing grower operations. 'You smoke ten random samples of cannabis and you've most likely smoked aspergillus [mold],' said Dave, one of the lab's two founders. 'It's in there, often at unacceptable levels. Now it's up to the industry to respond. We also are not in a position where we want to make enemies and piss people off. We want to see it happen in the best way for the movement and the industry to kind of just naturally evolve.'

While the distributed nature of California's cannabis supply network obviously benefits mom-and-pop growers, it doesn't encourage quality assurance. Consequently, Dave and his peers believe that some pot consumers are in danger.

'It's expensive to test every single thing that comes through the door — that's the price you pay with a decentralized supply system,' Dave said. 'But that's what you've got. You've got five pounds coming from here and two from there and one individual. I mean, a dog walks in the grow room, and wags its tail — anything can be coming off that dog's tail. It's gross. Fertilizers with E. coli. Compost teas that they don't make right, anaerobic tea that has elevated levels of E. coli and salmonella...There's no way that this is sustainable. All it takes is one story of immune-compromised people dying from aspergillus infection. The myth that cannabis hasn't killed a single person in 3,000 years is allowed to go on. Well, it's not cannabis that kills people, it's all the shit that's in it.'

 

[From "The Manhattan Project of Marijuana", David Downs, the East Bay Express, 3.4. 2009.])

  

(Steep Hill Lab says eighty-five percent of the medical marijuana samples it tests "show traces of mold".

 

---Peter Hecht, "Pot Lab Fills Need for Oversight", the Sacramento Bee, 4.6. 2010. The owners of Steep Hill Lab in Oakland California [which is NOT a federally-certified laboratory] are extremely in favor of medical marijuana...)

  

("We find e.coli in hash. We're seeing pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacteria that's found in filth."

 

---Robert Martin, of the Association of California Cannabis Labs. Martin was quoted by David Downs in the East Bay Express, 4.11. 2012.)

  

("It's a nasty little secret in the medical marijuana world that many growers spray their plants liberally with pesticides..."

 

---Robert Gammon, the East Bay Express, 7.28. 2010.)

  

(In places like Berkeley in 2018, where cannabis production is encouraged, much cannabis waste is generated. Some of the waste is toxic if consumed. Moldy marijuana, marijuana contaminated with chemicals, contaminated hashish, and contaminated cannabis concentrates do not seem to be rare. Some homeless people, alcohol addicts, and methamphetamine addicts find these sometimes poisonous contaminated cannabis products in garbage containers and sell them on the streets...)

  

("A 2015 study published in The Journal of Toxicological Sciences found that more than 80 percent of the concentrate samples were contaminated by residual solvents."

 

"In the same 2015 study, pesticides were detected in one-third of the concentrate samples."

 

---Kathleen Richards, The East Bay Express, 3.21. 2018, in an article about vaping cannabis.)

  

("...the true danger in untested cannabis comes from the potential pathogens--pseudomonas, aspergillis, and E. coli are routinely found by our laboratory [CW Analytical]."

 

---David Egerton, in a letter to the editor of the East Bay Express, 7.18. 2012.)

  

("...Anresco Laboratories conducted tests on all of the cannabis featured at the HempCon Festival held in San Francisco in August 2017. The San Francisco-based laboratory discovered that 80 percent of the cannabis at the festival was contaminated with unhealthy levels of solvents, pesticides, molds, fungus, or various bacteria."

 

---John Geluardi, East Bay Express, 9.20. 2017.)

  

(Over the decades, I have seen MANY careless and ignorant people with hands contaminated by perfume, cologne, cosmetics, grease, oils [and a number of other toxic substances] use their fingers to prepare marijuana for smoking. I am dismayed by the amount of marijuana I have had to throw away because of toxic substances that stupid and/or careless people have allowed marijuana to come into contact with!)

  

("Illegal Vapes are Killing People. Blame the 'Legal Market'"

 

---title of an article by Dan Mitchell, 9.11. 2019, East Bay Express. This San Francisco bay area newspaper is extremely pro-marijuana.

 

"Legal cannabis has created a market for manufactured products like vapes and gummies. If not for that legal market, there would likely be far fewer pirates out there making what look like legal vapes--complete with legit-looking packaging--but were actually made half-assedly by random cretins. When it comes to vapes, half-assed production can mean illness and death."

 

There is a full color ad for the Magnolia dispensary in Oakland on the same page as the article. "Dab Bar and Vape Lounge Open 7 Days 9AM--9PM".)

  

("People like to make poison. If you don't understand this, you will never understand anything."

 

---Margaret Atwood, in a short story, quoted by Jia Tolentino in her review of Atwood's 2019 novel THE TESTAMENTS, a sequel to THE HANDMAID'S TALE. The review was in the 9.16. 2019 issue of The New Yorker.)

  

("Mycobutanil...was found in a product recently recalled by Mettrum Ltd., a Toronto-based medical marijuana company."

 

Mycobutanil, used to control mildew, is said to emit hydrogen cyanide gas when heated.

 

"The Mettrum discovery was made recently, when a random screening of the company's products by Health Canada turned up the unauthorized use of pyrethrin, a pesticide...that is also not approved for medical cannabis..."

 

---Grant Robertson, The Globe and Mail, 3.10. 2017.)

  

("While I am grateful for access to the pot clubs...I am at a bit of a loss to understand why, given the virtual absence of risk in producing and distributing pot, it is still so expensive."

 

"What we have...are facilities charging the high end of street prices to people who are already ostensibly facing hardship."

 

["An ounce for $300 to $400..."]

 

"...besides basic capitalist greed, why does it still cost so much? Most of the truly disabled and terminally ill are on a fixed income, rendering the cost of pot not at all that compassionate."

 

--- Quotes from a letter written by Steve Stevens to the editor of the San Francisco Weekly, 1.20. 2010.)

  

("...in the Wild West of recreational marijuana consumption roamed by pandemic-stressed adults."

 

---Valeriya Safronova, The New York Times, 5.23. 2021. Article title: "Big Candy Is Angry". Some cannabis companies make drug-infused candy that is packaged to look similar to popular brand-name mainstream candy.)

  

("Each one-gram of flower is packaged in a wine bottle-shaped tin, topped with a version of Coppola's signature label and an embossed pot leaf. Each tin will retail for $99 and comes with a branded pipe and rolling papers."

 

---Katie Shapiro, Forbes.com, 11.2. 2018, describing marijuana grown in California's Humboldt County that will be sold by Francis Ford Coppola, who directed the 1972 film The Godfather.)

  

("According to Rand Corporation estimates...legalized...high-grade pot would cost just $20 per pound to produce. And low-grade weed would cost only $5 per pound."

 

---David Downs, East Bay Express, 10.9. 2013.)

  

(Since May 2011, four marijuana stores in Richmond, California [near Berkeley and Oakland] "...have paid $486,390 in police fees."

 

"To some, the situation evokes...the protection racket."

 

---David Downs, East Bay Express, 8.28. 2013)

  

(Daniel Rush, the former chair of Berkeley's Medical Cannabis Commission, was charged with 15 criminal counts, including extortion, fraud, and money-laundering. He later pleaded guilty to three felony counts.

 

["...federal authorities charged him for offering special treatment to one of the applicants for Berkeley's fourth dispensary spot."

 

---Frances Dinkelspiel, Berkeleyside, 6.23. 2017.])

   

First West Yorkshire - Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 MMC - YX66 WKH is seen here in Ilkley operating service X84 to Leeds City Bus Station on November 12th 2016.

 

Since this photograph was taken, it has gained specific X84 branding.

Sculpture by Sayaka Ganz. She utilized a lot of discarded household items to make all the exhibits for this show. In this case, kitchen utensils.

 

All rights are owned by the artist. I only own the rights to this specific image as I did a helluva lot of Photoshop to remove the other, more colorful art pieces next to the sculpture of the horses running out of the wall.

Trichocentrum longicalcaratum in situ, avec taches dans les pétales et les sépales. L'imagination de la nature n'a pas de limite pour s'adapter á des centaines d'habitats particuliers avec des microclimats spécífiques, créant des especes d'orchidées les plus surprenantes les unes que les autres de par leurs formes, couleurs et parfums. Colombie.

 

Trichocentrum longicalcaratum in situ, with dots on the petals and sepals. Imagination of nature has no limit to adapt to hundreds of particular habitats with specific microclimate, creating more astounding orchid species one than the other by their shapes, colors and fragrances. Colombia.

 

Trichocentrum longicalcaratum in situ, con manchas en los pétalos y sépalos. La imaginación de la naturaleza no tiene límite para adaptarse a cientos de hábitats particulares con microclimas específicos, creando especies de orquídeas más asombrosas una que la otra por sus formas, colores y fragancias. Colombia.

Vaudeville Games

A villainous study in 2 actes.

Acte 1

 

When I first saw the two of them, I knew that they were up to something no good.

  

It had been a pleasant afternoon spent amusing myself by mixing in during a black-tied occasion haunted by a group of the ultra-rich.

  

The place was an elegantly large, leased Ballroom, where a wedding reception with what seemed like a thousand gaily attired attendees had been in progress most of the afternoon. I had been amazed, dazzled may be a better word, when I had first walked in as the guests had already begun to gather. I had never seen a such a beautifully sparkling display of lovely jewels being worn by the ladies and lassies in attendance to a mere wedding reception before. I thought I was at some sort of convention for a Tiffanies or DeBeers, with models in long flowing gowns of satin, silk, and taffeta, all loaded to the gills with enticing jewels.

  

Later I learned, to my benefit, that a good number of them would be attending a local catholic charities ball held at the Cathedral’s large main hall later that evenin. Which explains the total overkillin with the fancy dress, and baubles.

  

Now, with the females in attendance wearing ample jewels expensive enough that any piece would have been profitable, there would be a temptation even the most unskilled of thieves could not resist. This is precisely one of the reasons why I was there. And I was determined to make the most out of the situation in all ways possible!

  

I soon found meself shadowing an unsuspecting, rather dipsy, female partier, whose steady drinking habit had first piqued my interest. She was wearing too many jewels than was good for her ( in my opinion), totally taking away notice from the rather fetching long taffeta gown she was poshly wearing over her delightfully young figure. I caught up to her just as she was making yet another quick swirling turn , letting her brush up against me. Almost on que ( and with the help of a foot on her dress’s hem) she lost her balance and I held her gloved arm to help steady her up. In the process I snagged one of her vulgarly large diamond bracelets from her satin clad wrist, secreting it to my vest pocket in the commotion.

  

I walked away, realizing yet once again, that the thrill I used to receive when lifting a piece of jewelry from a lady had noticeably been diminishing over the course of the last couple of years. Like any profession that has been worked at for a while, it had almost become too routinely easy anymore; my almost ghostlike hovering over receptions, ballroom dances and the ilk. Admiring the rich gowns and dresses, and savoring their sparkling jewels were becoming almost mundane. Even the snagging of a flashy bauble or two along the way was losing its appeal. Even though it was my primary source for putting the bread on the table , I felt sometimes that I needed a break. Sure, I held a second, loosely related, profession to seem respectable to the outside world, but it did not pay nearly as much. I sighed deeply to myself, wallowing in my rather dubious self-pity as I made my way through the thickly congregated crowd of guests at the reception. I also was finding meself pining for my place of birth, Merry old England( or wales to be specific) and a sweet ginger haired lass who I had once known, and still kept in touch with for the 7 long years since I had left my homeland.

  

With those thoughts whirling about in me head, I made my way to the bar, deciding to now settled back to have a few free drinks and try to enjoy the show. Soon I found myself cheered up, even lazily toying with the idea of making a second score later that evening. And then, well now, given what valuables were being displayed, it was not surprising that soon I spotted a second source of amusement. For it was at that point that I saw the two of them making their way in.

  

There appeared to be only two of them, together; An older woman, grandmotherly in appearance, with long silver hair, and a foxy expression. Along with the “Grandmother” was what appeared to be her 16 year old granddaughter. “Granddaughter” was a slender sprite with a long sheet of freely hanging long silky blonde hair and deep enchantingly blue eyes, and a rather charming smile, with was noticeably pasted upon her impish face as she took it in all the splendor.

  

The grandmother wore a blue silk skirt and white silky top, ¾ sleeved. The granddaughter was wearing a tea length black satin skirt and a gold satin long sleeved blouse with ruffles and frills, which was uncharacteristic when compared to the dresses and long gowns of the other girls around her age in attendance. The “Grandmother” was adorned with silver chains, and earrings. The “Granddaughter” wore ruby earrings and matching necklace, like the kind of imitation jewelry one receives as a promotion when buying overpriced perfume. Both newcomers out of place with some of the fancier costumes and gems on display, worn by the older rich ladies as well as quite a number of their younger female issue’s as well.

  

The granddaughter also wore gold plated rings and bracelets, so pick pocketing was probably not her game; she was probably the “ferret” or the lure. But the grandmother on the other hand, had clean fingers, nimble and long and with nothing around her bare wrists, and decidedly was dressed for quick movements; she was probably the dip, or lift. They also did not appear to be known personally by any of the other guests in attendance, but in a gathering that large, with so many snobs ignoring everything that was going on outside their immediate area, this was not surprising. After all, I was there not really knowing anyone either, except for the ones who had hired me.

  

The pair split off on their own separate courses. The granddaughter soon began mingling with girls in her own age bracket, whom, as was typical of the very rich, were totally unsupervised by any adult. I noticed she was mingling with only those who displayed the most expensive clothing, then zeroing in upon those wearing the largest quantity of expensive jewelry. The Grandmother soon fell into step with a group of older ladies, whose blazing jewels had attracted her notice.

  

The playing field was getting too crowded I thought, and so I made myself content by watching the (pair) work the room. I wasn’t shocked: Hunting grounds this fertile were bound to attract multiple predators. The appetite of my curiosity was wetted and I drifted to a corner table with my refilled drink ( an old fashion) , where I could watch over them without notice.

  

The grandmother was ever watchful, as she chatted up her new, satin gowned, acquaintances, but did not appear to be posed to strike. Her eyes were relentlessly on the move, I figured she was on the look for something special, and was ready to pounce when the situation arose.

  

Meanwhile the granddaughter seemed to have hooked one. A shy fifteen-year-old clad in a eye-catching sky blue long satin sheath gown, with a matching cape that hung from her shoulders to her elbows. The cut of her gown, and her heavy makeup, made the 15 year old look far too much like an adult. Her dangling earrings were at least a full caret, a long thin gold chain dangling from her gowns neckline held diamond studded heart with a sapphire center that swished expensively against her soft gown. A matching ring and bracelet to the pendent rounded out her jewels. But her cape also had a sapphire pin that swayed, shooting out flames of fiery brilliance, whenever the lights caught it.

  

I looked for the grandmother, she was now chatting to a young be speckled twenty something, diamonds glittered from the thin necklace that hung shimmering down the front of her satin turtleneck like blouse, an ideal setup. A long, midnight black, tiered skirt fell flowing to her feet, with a diamond brooch centered on the satin sash that encircled her waist. Rings glittered from the fingers that nervously twirled a locket of long , hanging hair as she talked to the “Grandmother”, who had her hand (seemingly nonchalantly) upon the girl’s silken covered shoulder as she made conversation.

  

I turned my attention back to the “Granddaughter” locating her by the stage, whispering conspiratorially into her newly made friends ear, the girl’s dangling earring shining ever so richly. I watched as the pair left and started to wander towards the dance floor, where they started to watch the dancing couples assembling for the bands next piece. As they stood there the “grandmother” walked up to the pair, and the “granddaughter” introduced her to her new found friend in the shiny blue sheath gown.

  

As they did so, I looked around for the be speckled 20 something the “grandmother” had been chatting up, she couldn’t have gotten far. I soon spotted her on the dance floor, in the arms of a young man in a monkey suite. I quickly noticed that her necklace was noticeably no longer adorning the neckline of her pretty blouse. I had a good idea where it was, but how had it been accomplished, removed from around her neck without notice, ahh, that was the rub. I was sorry I had missed the performance of the disappearing necklace trick!

  

My analysis of the pairs game had been spot on, and it was obvious that they were not armatures by any means. It appeared that the “Grandmother was the expert, The younger looking “Granddaughter “ probably her protégé. I quickly looked back at the small group of three hovering on the edge of the dance floor not wanting to miss a trick.

  

The three were chatted on, the “grandmother” admiring the young ladies gown flowing liquidly down over her perky figure. As she then admired blue gowns glimmering necklace, the “granddaughter” had moved and positioned herself behind the unwary young lady. As the necklace was raised I saw her look about and reach up, pulling up and back the chain, efficiently unhooking it. The grandmother held onto the pendant with one hand as she lifted the unsuspecting girls satin gloved hand with her other , all the while chatting her up. Then ever so slowly the “Grandmother” pulled the necklace down freeing it from around the unsuspecting lass’s neck, letting it drop to the carpeted floor at her feet. The “granddaughter” scrunched down behind their cute victim, ( totally unaware that she was being robbed), and reaching around, scarfed the necklace up, stood and moved off. The “grandmother gave the unwilling girl a hug, and when they broke off I noticed the sapphire pin had been lifted, adding unwary insult to undiscovered injury. I saw the girl in the blue sheath look around for her new friend, but the “Granddaughter” had disappeared, moving off to greener pastures.

  

I soon spotted the “granddaughter” as she resurfaced, obviously she was on the move again, which was surprising, I would have not risked any further attempts so soon if I had been in her dainty heels. I watched, trying to spot her next victim. She headed over towards a table that she had passed earlier, on one of the chairs was a mink jacket, and another was a feathery boa that I had seen her admiring, fingering on the then deserted table.

  

But the chair that the mink was hanging from now had an occupant. A girl of about 15, wearing a soft velvet dress with long sleeves, had picked up the boa and was sitting on the chair wearing it. She was happily playing with the long feather boa, not a concern in the world. I looked her over, on one side of her dress was a diamond sunburst pin, and on her chubby fingers, were two diamond rings, small but real, and from her ears dangled a pair of long pear shaped diamonds suspended from diamond solitaries clasped to her earlobes.... I was amazed that she would have been trusted to wear such valuable trinkets, but I was not surprised that she was in all probability about to lose them!

  

The “granddaughter” came upon the girl and asked if she could try on the boa. The unsuspecting girl helped her happily on with it , then the “granddaughter picked up one end, tickling the richly clad lass with the fluffy feathers, then allowed the girl to do the same, eyeing her victims shimmering rings in the process.

  

The grandmother soon approached to join in the fun. She put on the boa next and tickled both girls with its ends, getting them to giggle uncontrollably. The two devious ladies’s routine had been well honed, as their chosen victim became caught up in the middle of the pair’s rapid fire bantering, and teasing. But it was not all play for two of the three! The 15 year olds diamond starburst pin was the first item to disappear! As the giggling girl, her eyes closed, was doubled over trying to catch a breath, the “Grandmother” took rude advantage of the situation by smoothly reaching under and unsnapping the shimmering pin from the bent over girl’s shiny dress as it had fallen loosely away from her chest for a few seconds. Soon the purloined pin was followed by her sparkling rings, slipped off her fingers when it was her turn to have her hands held behind her by the “Grandmother” and be tickled with the boa by the “Granddaughter” during the course of their horsing around. I thought the pair were finished at that point, but no, they were going for the full Tribeca!

  

The “Grandmother” held the young ladies attention by kneeling in front of the 15 year old, and helping her on with the boa, wrapping it around the girls neck. As this was being done, the “granddaughter busied herself with coolly slipping off each of the girls old fashioned dangling clasp earrings ! I watched in wonder as the laughing girls expensive earrings were each effortlessly plucked away. The giggling 15 year old clad in the velvet dress had been stripped (tickled) of all her jewels with surgical precision, as the boa was being wily used to its full feathery advantage, and she had never noticed a thing!

  

The “Grandmother” then stood and moved off to one side, as the girls continued to giggle and play. Unnoticed, she gingerly lifting the mink from the chair behind the now less shimmering 15-year-old, as said child was still being entertained by the “granddaughter”, who I saw had now her hand inside a purse laying on the table behind their cheerful victim. The “grandmother”, carrying the expensive mink over her arm, slipped around and out of sight down the hidden entrance to a side corridor that I knew led down to the building’s work area. The show was probably ending. The pair had acted swiftly, and I knew they would be fished out soon. But I waited; the “granddaughter” was still there, apparently in no hurry to follow the “Grandmother” and disappear down the corridor with her. So probably there may possibly be another act to their scoundrel like play I surmised, although it was risking it in my professional opinion.

 

End Acte 1

  

**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

 

I attended AllFord at Alford this afternoon Sunday 19th August 2018, its a yearly event attended by Ford car lovers and owners displaying their cherished vehicles within the grounds of Grampian Transport Museum in Alford, Aberdeenshire .

 

I had my Nikon D750 with me, I walked the grounds capturing cars that caught my eye or have a specific interest for me, after the event had ended I stayed around to watch the cars leave etc, climbing over the barrier and up a small hill I noticed a row of Aston Martins all parked together, excitement overtook me and I snapped away capturing each car in detail, finally I whipped out my iphone to capture the scene on video, this file is the result.

 

Aston Martin DB5

 

The Aston Martin DB5 is a British luxury grand tourer that was made by Aston Martin and designed by the Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera. Released in 1963, it was an evolution of the final series of DB4. The DB series was named honouring Sir David Brown (the owner of Aston Martin from 1947 to 1972).

 

Although not the first in the DB series, the DB5 is famous for being the most recognised cinematic James Bond car, first appearing in the James Bond film Goldfinger (1964).

 

Design

The principal differences between the DB4 Series V and the DB5 are the all-aluminium engine, enlarged from 3.7 L to 4.0 L; a new robust ZF five-speed transmission (except for some of the very first DB5s); and three SU carburettors.

 

This engine, producing 282 bhp (210 kW), which propelled the car to 145 mph (233 km/h), available on the Vantage (high powered) version of the DB4 since March 1962, became the standard Aston Martin power unit with the launch in September 1963 of the DB5.

 

Standard equipment on the DB5 included reclining seats, wool pile carpets, electric windows, twin fuel tanks, chrome wire wheels, oil cooler, magnesium-alloy body built to superleggera patent technique, full leather trim in the cabin and even a fire extinguisher. All models have two doors and are of a 2+2 configuration.

Like the DB4, the DB5 used a live rear axle.

 

At the beginning, the original four-speed manual (with optional overdrive) was standard fitment, but it was soon dropped in favour of the ZF five-speed.

 

A three-speed Borg-Warner DG automatic transmission was available as well.

The automatic option was then changed to the Borg-Warner Model 8 shortly before the DB6 replaced the DB5.

 

Standard coupé:

* Engine: 3,995 cc (243.8 cu in) Inline-6

* Power: 282 bhp (210 kW) at 5,500 rpm (210) Net HP

* Torque: 288 lb·ft (390 N·m) at 3,850 rpm

* Weight: 1,502 kg (3,311 lb)

* Top Speed: 143 mph (230 km/h)[8]

* 0–60 mph (97 km/h) Acceleration: 8 s

 

James Bond's DB5

 

Two Aston Martin DB5s were built for production, one of which had no gadgets.

The Aston Martin DB5 is one of the most famous cars in the world thanks to Oscar-winning special effects expert John Stears, who created the deadly silver-birch DB5 for use by James Bond in Goldfinger (1964). Although Ian Fleming had placed Bond in a DB Mark III in the novel, the DB5 was the company's latest model when the film was being made.

 

The car used in the film was the original DB5 prototype, with another standard car used for stunts. To promote the film, the two DB5s were showcased at the 1964 New York World's Fair, and it was dubbed "the most famous car in the world",and subsequently sales of the car rose.[12] In January 2006, one of these was auctioned in Arizona; the same car was originally bought in 1970 from the owner, Sir Anthony Bamford, by a Tennessee museum owner.[13] A car, mainly used for promoting the movie, is now located in the Louwman Museum, Netherlands.

 

The first DB5 prototype used in Goldfinger with the chassis number DP/216/1 was later stripped of its weaponry and gadgetry by Aston Martin and then resold. It was then retrofitted by subsequent owners with nonoriginal weaponry. The Chassis DP/216/1 DB5 was stolen in 1997 from its last owner in Florida and is currently still missing.

Within the universe of James Bond, the same car (registration BMT 216A) was used again in the following film, Thunderball, a year later.

 

A different Aston Martin DB5 (registration BMT 214A) was used in the 1995 Bond film, GoldenEye, in the which the car is Bond's personal vehicle. Three different DB5s were used for filming. A variation of the registration number (BMT2144) was used on the BMW 750IL in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and was set to make a cameo appearance in the Scotland-set scenes in The World Is Not Enough (1999), but these were cut in the final edit. Yet another DB5 appeared in Casino Royale (2006), this one with Bahamian number plates and left-hand drive (where the previous British versions had been right-hand drive).

 

Another silver-birch DB5 with the original registration BMT 216A is used in the 23rd James Bond film, Skyfall, during the 50th anniversary of the release of the first James Bond film Dr. No.

 

In the film "M" (Judi Dench) describes the car as "not very comfortable". The DB5 is destroyed in the film's climactic finale. It is seen again in Spectre, firstly in Q's underground workshop in various stages of rebuild, and at the film's ending, fully rebuilt, with Bond driving away with it.

 

On 1 June 2010, RM Auctions announced the upcoming auction of a DB5 used in both Goldfinger and Thunderball. The owner (Jerry Lee, president/owner of WBEB Radio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) originally bought the car from the Aston Martin company in 1969. At the auction, the DB5 was sold for £2.6 million.

 

In popular culture

 

Although the DB5 is often credited as being the first car James Bond drives in the movies, it is in fact not. The first "Bond car" was a 1962 Sunbeam Alpine Series II used in the very first movie Dr. No. The DB5 is however unquestionably the most recognised cinematic James Bond car.

 

It was also used by actor Roger Moore, as he played a James Bond parody character in the film The Cannonball Run. Moore plays Seymour Goldfarb, Jr., a man who believes himself to be both Roger Moore and James Bond, who participates in a madcap, cross-country road race. The registration number BMT 216A, and the original bond car in its original dark red paintjob also appear in "The Noble Sportsman", a 1964 episode of "The Saint" TV series starring Roger Moore.

 

The 1983 reunion telefilm The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Fifteen Years Later Affair includes a brief cameo by George Lazenby as "JB", a white-tuxedoed British man shown driving an Aston Martin DB5, who assists Napoleon Soloduring a car chase. "It's just like On Her Majesty's Secret Service," enthuses a female character at the conclusion of the cameo. This special came out in 1983, the same year as Octopussy and Never Say Never Again.

 

It appears in several video games such as 007 Racing, Driver San Francisco (Deluxe Edition), James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire, From Russia with Love, and James Bond 007: Blood Stone. The From Russia with Love movie was released in 1963, one year before Goldfinger (in which the DB5 used the first time), but the video game used the car.

 

It appeared in animated form in James Bond Jr. in the very first episode "The Beginning". In the episode it was able to transform into a plane and could be driven by remote control. The car was destroyed in a plane crash and its remains recycled into a red sports car, which the PAL VHS cover identifies as the "Aston Martin Super".

A version of the car appeared in Grand Theft Auto: London 1969, being called a "James Bomb".

 

Leonardo DiCaprio was seen driving one in Catch Me If You Can, imitating Bond (even down to the suit) in Goldfinger.

In 2003, it appears in the action comedy film Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, driven by Bernie Mac's character, Jimmy Bosley. It is only seen once in which Bosley is driving a witness, Max Petroni (portrayed by Shia LaBeouf) to his mother's house, to be safe from the O'Grady Crime Syndicate.

 

The 2004 French spy comedy film, called Double Zéro (directed by Gérard Pirès) also showed a DB5. It can be seen once in the film, when the two main characters go to meet the parody of Q.

 

In 2011, an Aston Martin DB5 appeared in heavily stylized form as "Finn McMissile", a British secret agent voiced by Michael Caine in the 2011 Pixar film Cars 2. The car character was a homage to the Bond DB5 although has also been known to bear resemblance to the Volvo P1800, as used by the fictional British secret agent Simon Templar in The Saint.

 

In 2013, Grand Theft Auto V featured a car called the "JB 700" that heavily alluded to being a DB5, or was based on the DB5; specifically the one used by James Bond. Need for Speed: Most Wanted released a DLC named "Movie Legends" that featured the car.

 

The music video for the Usher song Burn, features a DB5. The exact same car with the same registration number appears a number of times in the short lived TV series Fastlane, it later turned out to be fake.

 

In the 2015 TV series Thunderbirds Are Go a DB5 can be seen as Lady Penelope gets into Fab 1 in the first episode Ring Of Fire.

Every part in specific color is available to buy so it can be built in real life. The light in windows are computer generated glowing 1x1 plates. The raw digital model and lights were rendered with the same program in which the whole buildings were created.

 

A tribute to my all time favourite buildings - The Twin Towers - World Trade Center. I finished this project a few months ago but I still will be updating it with some details. I'm planning to build these in real life one day.

R.I.P. To all innocent people who lost their lives on Sep 11, 2001.

Whilst not based on any specific prototype, this image is representative of the many road vehicles utilised by British Railways for collection and delivery work. The Loadstar was the second incarnation of Austin K4, which, in original form, was commonly known as the Birmingham Bedford because of its similarity to the contemporary Bedford O-Series. In this Mk II form, it gained its own identity with a stylish new cab and bonnet assembly, used also on the 4x4 Austin K9. There was to be one further iteration of the K4 with long-nosed Mk III. The base image is an Austin Loadstar, preserved in the livery of RC Jeffrey but now with a subsequent owner, photographed on the 2015 Tyne Tees Run but transplanted onto a new background (18-Nov-16).

 

All rights reserved. Follow the link below for terms and conditions, additional information about my work; and to request work from me:

www.flickr.com/photos/northernblue109/6046035749/in/set-7...

Taken from kayak in the Kitty Hawk Woods Coastal Reserve. This area had a great kayak-specific launch space, we went both directions from the dock. One direction was into a thick woods, the other was out onto the bay. Next trip we'll probably head out to the bay & do a little island hopping. . . . . . #3991 (7)

 

Click 'til Large! . . . . . . . . . . . .(or press 'L' key). . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ### .

 

Dutch Nature........

 

Vorms die afwijzen van de standaard morfologie hebben meestal meer specifieke namen, zoals " bolete ", " puffball ", " stinkhorn " en " morel ", en gegrilde paddenstoelen worden vaak " agarics " genoemd met betrekking tot hun gelijkenis met Agaricus of hun orde agaricales . Bij uitbreiding kan de term "paddenstoelen" ook de gehele schimmel aanduiden wanneer ze in cultuur zijn; de thallus (een mycelium genoemd ) van soorten die de vruchtlichamen vormen paddenstoelen genoemd; of de soort zelf.

................................................................................................................

Forms deviating from the standard morphology usually have more specific names, such as "bolete", "puffball", "stinkhorn", and "morel", and gilled mushrooms themselves are often called "agarics" in reference to their similarity to Agaricus or their order Agaricales. By extension, the term "mushroom" can also designate the entire fungus when in culture; the thallus (called a mycelium) of species forming the fruiting bodies called mushrooms; or the species itself.

While the mall doesn't have a specific photo policy on its website or posted at the mall, Macy's is pretty clear about no photography. The store has a fair amount of people walking about, so I am not really interested in flouting this rule. Even still, I managed to grab this shot just open entering from the upper level of the Macy's parking deck.

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Tri-County Center opened on September 26, 1960. When it opened, the open-air center contained such stores as Shillito's, Pogue's, Kroger, a Kresge 5 and 10, and over 45 other stores. The center was enclosed by 1968 and renamed Tri-County Mall. Sears came to the mall around that same time. Between 1989 and 1992, the mall saw the addition of a second floor, along with the construction of MacAlpin's as a fourth anchor.

 

Today, Sears is the only mall anchor that has not had a name change. Shillito's became Shillito Rikes in 1982 when the two stores combined. In 1986, the store became a Lazarus; it was known as Lazarus-Macy's in 2003, then simply Macy's in 2005. Pogue's was renamed L.S. Ayres in 1983 and was closed in 1988. J.C.Penney took over that space, closing in July 2005. Today, the former J.C.Penney store is the site of an additional mall entrance, B.J.'s Restaurant & Brewhouse, Ethan Allan Furniture, and several smaller stores. The upper level of the former J.C.Penney became an indoor theme park, which is no longer open. McAlpin's became Dillard's in 1998. The Dillard's store was "downgraded" to a clearance center in 2013 and closed in 2015. As of today, that space is still vacant.

:O

 

Description: The individual portrayed is a male of Odontomachus sp., possibly Odontomachus bauri as this is one of the most common species in this specific area of distribution and my suspicions shot skywards when I saw a picture of a male of Odontomachus bauri which I provided below, containing the same thorax designs and features. They belong in the order Hymenoptera, suborder Apocrita, infraorder Aculeata, superfamily Formicoidea, family Formicidae, subfamily Ponerinae and tribe Ponerini. They are commonly known in Brazil as a whole as "formigas-de-estalo" and specifically in the Northwestern states as "trinca-cunhão".

 

The males of Odontomachus differ incredibly from the females, which possess very strong jaw muscles and very large, elongate trap-jaws which stays open horizontally similar to open scissors at 180º when they are seeking prey. The trap is triggered when the prey touches the frontal trigger setae beneath the mandibles; the jaws click shut at incredible speeds and force. In fact, this is the fastest movement ever measured in any animal. Kinematic data indicate that the force of the jaws closure in Odontomachus scales positively with body size, while acceleration scales inversely with body size. The reason to this nature for foraging is still unknown. The workers generally feel their prey with their antennae, proceeding to withdraw the antennae and snaps the mandibles shut on the prey, which is held in the mandibles and lifted off the substrate, stung, and then transported to the nest. The stinging part is sometimes not necessary. This behaviour can suffer changes depending on the prey, and multiple mandibular strikes can be used to stun or dismember prey. Workers are very cautious during prey capture, especially when they are dealing with potentially dangerous prey. A few workers learned to avoid overly dangerous prey.

 

Some Odontomachus conduct rapid mandibular strikes for other uses, with the force being used to bounce to safety or onto intruders or eject intruders away. They can also use their mandibles for basic tasks such as nest construction and brood care.

 

Males (the subject portrayed) lack the intimidating appearance of the females and lack their trap-jaws. The antennal segment count of males reach a number of thirteen, while a worker's count reaches twelve. The male and the worker's antennal club are absent. Dental count on workers are between 3 and 20, while on males that count reaches zero. The mandibles are reduced and non-opposable. Their genital capsule is not fully retractile and the cerci are well developed and conspicuous. The petiolar node in Odontomachus males is more or less conical, with narrowly rounded or even pointed apex. Counting the stretched antennae, the subject portrayed measured approximately 1,3cm in length and possessed well developed wings. The head is broad, with half to just about all of the sides of the head occupied by large compound eyes with, generally, weak emarginate mesal margins in frontal (dorsal) view and weak emarginate lateral margins as seen from the sides. The clypeus is small and convex, with convex or nearly straight anterior free margin. The ocelli are large and close to each other, normally situated on an eminence. The mandibles are small and narrow with acute to bluntly rounded apices. The labrum is small, bilobed, with a median cleft, fitting into the space between the mandibles. The antennae have a short, cylindrical scape and even shorter pedicel. The trunk is rather robust. Pygidium produced as a sharp, slender downcurved spine in all known Odontomachus males. The hypogygium is linguiform, with parallel sides and rounded or subtruncate apex. The legs and tarsal claws are slender with or without a small submedian tooth. More information on the source provided below.

 

In addition to the incredibly powerful trap-jaws, Odontomachus also feature a stinger at the apex of the abdomen which is also used to harm prey. Salticidae spiders of the genus Enoplomischus SEEM to mimic Odontomachus ants.

 

Most species can be found in tropical and subtropical zones, but some can be found in temperate and even semi-desert zones. The nesting behaviour of Odontomachus often include the construction of nests in the soil, rotting wood, arboreally or in abandoned termite nests.

 

In general they prey arthropods, but some specialize on certain prey such as termites. Still, Odontomachus are carnivorous ants. The colony size varies a lot between species. Most species possess typically winged queens, but some do possess wingless queens. Some queens perform tasks that are typical to workers, such as foraging outside of the nest. It's possible to hear a clicking sound when the traps are triggered due to the incredible speed and force that the jaws shut close. Bites and stings from females of Odontomachus are painful and can cause local burning, which can be intense. Moments later, a skin swelling that varies in duration and that can be very itchy might appear. They are harmless to the life of humans and animals, though.

 

They are leaf litter ants that forages individually most of the time underneath the leaf litter. The Odontomachus bauri is distributed throughout the Neotropical zone. Colonies establish foraging territories and tend to avoid conspecific territories of neighboring nests, but are normally found in forests of many kinds, suburban habitats and even urban habitats.

 

Text revision by Marina de Azevedo Guerra (www.facebook.com/marina.guerragymnopaedist)

 

Subfamilies of Formicidae:

 

Aenictinae

Aenictogitoninae

Agroecomyrmecinae

Amblyoponinae

Aneuretinae

† Armaniinae (extinct)

† Brownimeciinae (extinct)

Cerapachyinae

Dolichoderinae

Dorylinae

Ecitoninae

Ectatomminae

† Formiciinae (extinct)

Formicinae

Heteroponerinae

Leptanillinae

Leptanilloidinae

Martialinae

Myrmeciinae

Myrmicinae

Paraponerinae

Ponerinae

Proceratiinae

Pseudomyrmecinae

† Sphecomyrminae (extinct)

 

Incertae Sedis:

 

† Calyptites (extinct)

Condylon

† Cretopone (extinct)

† Curticorna (extinct)

† Eoanictites (extinct)

† Eoformica (extinct)

† Fonsecahymen (extinct)

† Gerontoformica (extinct)

† Klondikia (extinct)

† Kohlsimyrma (extinct)

† Myanmyrma (extinct)

† Petropone (extinct)

 

Tribes within Ponerinae:

 

Platythyreini

Ponerini

Thaumatomyrmecini

Incertae Sedis

 

Genera within Ponerini:

 

Anochetus

† Archiponera (extinct)

Asphinctopone

Belonopelta

Bothroponera

Centromyrmex

† Cephalopone (extinct)

Cryptopone

† Cyrtopone (extinct)

Diacamma

Dinoponera

Dolioponera

Emeryopone

Feroponera

Harpegnathos

Hypoponera

Leptogenys

Megaponera

† Messelepone (extinct)

Myopias

Odontomachus

Odontoponera

Pachycondyla

Phrynoponera

Paltothryreus

Plectroctena

Ponera

Promyopias

† Protopone (extinct)

Psalidomyrmex

Simopelta

Streblognathus

Austroponera (?)

Ectomomyrmex (?)

Iroponera (?)

Parvaponera (?)

Pseudoponera (?)

Rasopone (?)

 

Sources:

 

Picture of a male of Odontomachus bauri, one of the most common species in this specific area of distribution, containing thorax designs and a few other traits that can be compared to the subject in my picture: doidoporformigas.blogspot.com.br/2010/12/odontomachus-bau...

 

Ant Wiki (Odontomachus): www.antwiki.org/wiki/Odontomachus

 

Ant Wiki (New World Ponerinae key): www.antwiki.org/wiki/Key_to_New_World_Genera_of_Ponerinae

 

Wikipedia (PT): pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odontomachus

 

Wikipedia (EN): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odontomachus

 

Lackluster Wikipedia article in Portuguese showcasing the Brazilian common name of trap-jaw ants but without further reliable details and explanations: pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formiga-de-estalo

 

Feeding type: Predator.

 

PROJECT NOAH (Português): www.projectnoah.org/spottings/1747050567

WEEK 25 – Columbus Kmart Closing, Set 2

 

We end this week on a straight-on shot of one portion of the rear wall, this specific section graced with a patch of red paint and also – more importantly – on that pole in front of the red, one of this store’s crown jewels: a surviving 90s triangle-style price scanner sign. I explained this before on my first visit to this store, but to repeat: we’re all familiar with the triangle signs on the walls of practically every Kmart store out there, hailing from the 90s just prior to the Big Kmart experiment; what you may not be familiar with is that all the department signs once featured the same triangle motif, price scanner signs included, before later being replaced with the more familiar green and blue signs that we all know and love (okay, maybe just “know” XD ) once the Big Kmart concept and décor finally did roll out later in that same decade.

 

(In effect, Big Kmart left the walls alone, if I’m understanding correctly… which means either most stores already had the previous triangle décor, which makes for a really quick turnaround remodel-wise [surely this didn’t help the company as it hurdled toward bankruptcy in 2002…!]; or, alternatively, the wall-mounted triangle signs were simply retained in the full Big Kmart design, and installed new in stores that didn’t have them yet. That’s actually fun to think about, if true. Can you name any interior décor elements that have transcended across design eras? Best I can come up with are the similarities between Target’s P04 and P09…)

 

More from this store in two weeks, so be sure to stay tuned for that! In the meantime, next week – beginning our other major, five-week summer tour…

 

(c) 2020 Retail Retell

These places are public so these photos are too, but just as I tell where they came from, I'd appreciate if you'd say who :)

 

The name for this dolmen is steeped in Basque pagan mythology - myths and living stories that are certainly deeply medievalist while being distanced from the original early Neolithic signification of around 4,500 ybp. Whilst the rough translation of its name - 'Soriginetxe' - is 'witches hut', the Basque category for witch - Sorgin - is quite specific, and is best detached from more 'traditional' ideas of pagan witches. In Basque myths, Sorgina are mostly female assistants to the Godess Mari - mischievous and even nasty 'spirits' that helped people navigate complexity and in-conclusion and provided spice for evening story telling and a shiver for when walking past certain stones or gullies. Contrast this with the pagan witch - local women that people visited freely or paid fees for herbal advice, ritual prescription, general advice, protection and prediction. Witches (sorcières) were common in rural communities, certainly offering advice up to the first world war. They existed in a gray zone between belief, the open armed shrug and stern advice to keep away. These women worked outside of the church and might attract significant and polarized community reactions, with, at times, real cues forming as visitors arrived from far and wide (an example recounted from living memory).

 

The Catholic inquisitions against 'witches' (1538 ... 1610 ...) were generalist terror strategies and often served to upset Protestant or Moorish influences and reduce local Pagan decentralization and nuance. In the Basque region of this dolmen and beyond into the hills and valleys of the Sorgina, the witch hunts spilled up from Spain and down from France with thousands of local people turned towards distress and hundreds of women and even children murdered with public cruelty and private torture.

 

To the north, in a area currently in France, joyful and technical traditional dances occurred around the light and heat of a wood fire - protected from the rhythms of the Basque rain in a large cave mouth. These local gatherings were stigmatized as witch rituals with a resulting loss of life after lengthy periods of community stress. To the south of this dolmen, the town of Logroño hosted a series of trials, once again with a barbarous loss of life.

 

The dolmen itself retains a resolute synergy with the natural landscape - proof of existence weighted with lightness : standing taller than some of the miseries of history.

 

AJM 01.02.17

 

As I was strolling around with my camera, without any specific purpose really, I was attracted by two colourful chairs placed over some snow. There was not any snow anywhere around, so naturally, I become curious.

 

As it happened, the chairs were part of an exhibition in Gallery Kalleria in Kallio /Berghäll, a suburb of Helsinki.

Through the display window, I saw paintings on the floor, and except for a young man sitting at a dest and a dog underneath, there was no one else inside, so I decided to walk in.

 

Lucas, the young man, and his one year old dog, Dalí, greeted me welcome. I asked for permission to make pictures and we started talking. We conversed first in Finnish but switched almost immediately into Swedish as soon as we understood that we both were more fluent in the latter language.

 

Lucas Vogt, 34y/o, is an artist, exhibiting currently with his friend Walter Götsch who wasn't present at the moment.

Their paintings were bright and very colourful. I got the feelings that those two were playful and enjoying to create their cheerful art.

I had to watch my steps in that tiny gallery, as I've mentioned, all the painting were scattered on the floor, but Lucas was friendly and made me feel comfortable, so we had a long conversation.

 

When I asked him to think about an advice he might want to give to his younger self, he thought for a moment and then said: "I think I would rather ask my younger self to give me an advice."

That was something really new to hear; I can't recall a single similar answer in all my years of interviewing strangers.

 

"I've lived through many different phases, and there are definitely some that were unnecessarily weighed down by fears. To the 10 year younger me I wouldn't say much. That Lucas had lots of vitality and curious defiance, which my current self could do good to be reminded of."

 

"What does life mean to you, Lucas?"

"As far as the meaning of life goes I quite like the Kafka quote, "The meaning of life is that it stops". Or, ends, rather. To me the realization that something is transient can be intimidating at first, but ultimately it is what helps me appreciate the rareness and uniqueness about being alive."

 

"What inspires you in life? What do you love about yourself?"

"The complexity and nuances the world is full of. Perhaps it astonishes more than inspires, but the astonishment is inspiring. I like it when people are active together and collaborate. I love when I manage to facilitate such group ventures and chain reactions."

 

"What would you say to the world if you could send a message out there?"

"Prioritize playfulness! Fit as much of it into your daily tasks and routines as you can!"

 

"What do you like to do in your spare time / hobbies?"

"I like running, laughing with friends, and sleeping with my arms and legs completely spread out."

 

lucasvogt.com/

 

lucasvogt.com/

 

This is my 836th submission to The Human Family group.

Visit the group here to see more portraits and stories: The Human Family

 

Sheep (pl.: sheep) or domestic sheep (Ovis aries) are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term sheep can apply to other species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated sheep. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Numbering a little over one billion, domestic sheep are also the most numerous species of sheep. An adult female is referred to as a ewe (/juː/ yoo), an intact male as a ram, occasionally a tup, a castrated male as a wether, and a young sheep as a lamb.

 

Sheep are most likely descended from the wild mouflon of Europe and Asia, with Iran being a geographic envelope of the domestication center. One of the earliest animals to be domesticated for agricultural purposes, sheep are raised for fleeces, meat (lamb, hogget or mutton) and milk. A sheep's wool is the most widely used animal fiber, and is usually harvested by shearing. In Commonwealth countries, ovine meat is called lamb when from younger animals and mutton when from older ones; in the United States, meat from both older and younger animals is usually called lamb. Sheep continue to be important for wool and meat today, and are also occasionally raised for pelts, as dairy animals, or as model organisms for science.

 

Sheep husbandry is practised throughout the majority of the inhabited world, and has been fundamental to many civilizations. In the modern era, Australia, New Zealand, the southern and central South American nations, and the British Isles are most closely associated with sheep production.

 

There is a large lexicon of unique terms for sheep husbandry which vary considerably by region and dialect. Use of the word sheep began in Middle English as a derivation of the Old English word scēap. A group of sheep is called a flock. Many other specific terms for the various life stages of sheep exist, generally related to lambing, shearing, and age.

 

Being a key animal in the history of farming, sheep have a deeply entrenched place in human culture, and are represented in much modern language and symbolism. As livestock, sheep are most often associated with pastoral, Arcadian imagery. Sheep figure in many mythologies—such as the Golden Fleece—and major religions, especially the Abrahamic traditions. In both ancient and modern religious ritual, sheep are used as sacrificial animals.

 

History

Main article: History of the domestic sheep

The exact line of descent from wild ancestors to domestic sheep is unclear. The most common hypothesis states that Ovis aries is descended from the Asiatic (O. gmelini) species of mouflon; the European mouflon (Ovis aries musimon) is a direct descendant of this population. Sheep were among the first animals to be domesticated by humankind (although the domestication of dogs probably took place 10 to 20 thousand years earlier); the domestication date is estimated to fall between 11,000 and 9000 B.C in Mesopotamia and possibly around 7000 BC in Mehrgarh in the Indus Valley. The rearing of sheep for secondary products, and the resulting breed development, began in either southwest Asia or western Europe. Initially, sheep were kept solely for meat, milk and skins. Archaeological evidence from statuary found at sites in Iran suggests that selection for woolly sheep may have begun around 6000 BC, and the earliest woven wool garments have been dated to two to three thousand years later.

 

Sheep husbandry spread quickly in Europe. Excavations show that in about 6000 BC, during the Neolithic period of prehistory, the Castelnovien people, living around Châteauneuf-les-Martigues near present-day Marseille in the south of France, were among the first in Europe to keep domestic sheep. Practically from its inception, ancient Greek civilization relied on sheep as primary livestock, and were even said to name individual animals. Ancient Romans kept sheep on a wide scale, and were an important agent in the spread of sheep raising. Pliny the Elder, in his Natural History (Naturalis Historia), speaks at length about sheep and wool. European colonists spread the practice to the New World from 1493 onwards.

 

Characteristics

Domestic sheep are relatively small ruminants, usually with a crimped hair called wool and often with horns forming a lateral spiral. They differ from their wild relatives and ancestors in several respects, having become uniquely neotenic as a result of selective breeding by humans. A few primitive breeds of sheep retain some of the characteristics of their wild cousins, such as short tails. Depending on breed, domestic sheep may have no horns at all (i.e. polled), or horns in both sexes, or in males only. Most horned breeds have a single pair, but a few breeds may have several.

 

Sheep in Turkmenistan

Another trait unique to domestic sheep as compared to wild ovines is their wide variation in color. Wild sheep are largely variations of brown hues, and variation within species is extremely limited. Colors of domestic sheep range from pure white to dark chocolate brown, and even spotted or piebald. Sheep keepers also sometimes artificially paint "smit marks" onto their sheep in any pattern or color for identification. Selection for easily dyeable white fleeces began early in sheep domestication, and as white wool is a dominant trait it spread quickly. However, colored sheep do appear in many modern breeds, and may even appear as a recessive trait in white flocks. While white wool is desirable for large commercial markets, there is a niche market for colored fleeces, mostly for handspinning. The nature of the fleece varies widely among the breeds, from dense and highly crimped, to long and hairlike. There is variation of wool type and quality even among members of the same flock, so wool classing is a step in the commercial processing of the fibre.

  

Suffolks are a medium wool, black-faced breed of meat sheep that make up 60% of the sheep population in the U.S.

Depending on breed, sheep show a range of heights and weights. Their rate of growth and mature weight is a heritable trait that is often selected for in breeding. Ewes typically weigh between 45 and 100 kilograms (100 and 220 lb), and rams between 45 and 160 kilograms (100 and 350 lb). When all deciduous teeth have erupted, the sheep has 20 teeth. Mature sheep have 32 teeth. As with other ruminants, the front teeth in the lower jaw bite against a hard, toothless pad in the upper jaw. These are used to pick off vegetation, then the rear teeth grind it before it is swallowed. There are eight lower front teeth in ruminants, but there is some disagreement as to whether these are eight incisors, or six incisors and two incisor-shaped canines. This means that the dental formula for sheep is either

0.0.3.3

4.0.3.3

or

0.0.3.3

3.1.3.3

There is a large diastema between the incisors and the molars.

 

In the first few years of life one can calculate the age of sheep from their front teeth, as a pair of milk teeth is replaced by larger adult teeth each year, the full set of eight adult front teeth being complete at about four years of age. The front teeth are then gradually lost as sheep age, making it harder for them to feed and hindering the health and productivity of the animal. For this reason, domestic sheep on normal pasture begin to slowly decline from four years on, and the life expectancy of a sheep is 10 to 12 years, though some sheep may live as long as 20 years.

 

Skull

Sheep have good hearing, and are sensitive to noise when being handled. Sheep have horizontal slit-shaped pupils, with excellent peripheral vision; with visual fields of about 270° to 320°, sheep can see behind themselves without turning their heads. Many breeds have only short hair on the face, and some have facial wool (if any) confined to the poll and or the area of the mandibular angle; the wide angles of peripheral vision apply to these breeds. A few breeds tend to have considerable wool on the face; for some individuals of these breeds, peripheral vision may be greatly reduced by "wool blindness", unless recently shorn about the face. Sheep have poor depth perception; shadows and dips in the ground may cause sheep to baulk. In general, sheep have a tendency to move out of the dark and into well-lit areas, and prefer to move uphill when disturbed. Sheep also have an excellent sense of smell, and, like all species of their genus, have scent glands just in front of the eyes, and interdigitally on the feet. The purpose of these glands is uncertain, but those on the face may be used in breeding behaviors. The foot glands might also be related to reproduction, but alternative functions, such as secretion of a waste product or a scent marker to help lost sheep find their flock, have also been proposed.

 

Comparison with goats

Sheep and goats are closely related: both are in the subfamily Caprinae. However, they are separate species, so hybrids rarely occur and are always infertile. A hybrid of a ewe and a buck (a male goat) is called a sheep-goat hybrid, known as geep. Visual differences between sheep and goats include the beard of goats and divided upper lip of sheep. Sheep tails also hang down, even when short or docked, while the short tails of goats are held upwards. Also, sheep breeds are often naturally polled (either in both sexes or just in the female), while naturally polled goats are rare (though many are polled artificially). Males of the two species differ in that buck goats acquire a unique and strong odor during the rut, whereas rams do not.

 

Breeds

The domestic sheep is a multi-purpose animal, and the more than 200 breeds now in existence were created to serve these diverse purposes. Some sources give a count of a thousand or more breeds, but these numbers cannot be verified, according to some sources. However, several hundred breeds of sheep have been identified by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), with the estimated number varying somewhat from time to time: e.g. 863 breeds as of 1993, 1314 breeds as of 1995 and 1229 breeds as of 2006. (These numbers exclude extinct breeds, which are also tallied by the FAO.) For the purpose of such tallies, the FAO definition of a breed is "either a subspecific group of domestic livestock with definable and identifiable external characteristics that enable it to be separated by visual appraisal from other similarly defined groups within the same species or a group for which geographical and/or cultural separation from phenotypically similar groups has led to acceptance of its separate identity." Almost all sheep are classified as being best suited to furnishing a certain product: wool, meat, milk, hides, or a combination in a dual-purpose breed. Other features used when classifying sheep include face color (generally white or black), tail length, presence or lack of horns, and the topography for which the breed has been developed. This last point is especially stressed in the UK, where breeds are described as either upland (hill or mountain) or lowland breeds. A sheep may also be of a fat-tailed type, which is a dual-purpose sheep common in Africa and Asia with larger deposits of fat within and around its tail.

 

Breeds are often categorized by the type of their wool. Fine wool breeds are those that have wool of great crimp and density, which are preferred for textiles. Most of these were derived from Merino sheep, and the breed continues to dominate the world sheep industry. Downs breeds have wool between the extremes, and are typically fast-growing meat and ram breeds with dark faces. Some major medium wool breeds, such as the Corriedale, are dual-purpose crosses of long and fine-wooled breeds and were created for high-production commercial flocks. Long wool breeds are the largest of sheep, with long wool and a slow rate of growth. Long wool sheep are most valued for crossbreeding to improve the attributes of other sheep types. For example: the American Columbia breed was developed by crossing Lincoln rams (a long wool breed) with fine-wooled Rambouillet ewes.

 

Coarse or carpet wool sheep are those with a medium to long length wool of characteristic coarseness. Breeds traditionally used for carpet wool show great variability, but the chief requirement is a wool that will not break down under heavy use (as would that of the finer breeds). As the demand for carpet-quality wool declines, some breeders of this type of sheep are attempting to use a few of these traditional breeds for alternative purposes. Others have always been primarily meat-class sheep.

 

A minor class of sheep are the dairy breeds. Dual-purpose breeds that may primarily be meat or wool sheep are often used secondarily as milking animals, but there are a few breeds that are predominantly used for milking. These sheep produce a higher quantity of milk and have slightly longer lactation curves. In the quality of their milk, the fat and protein content percentages of dairy sheep vary from non-dairy breeds, but lactose content does not.

 

A last group of sheep breeds is that of fur or hair sheep, which do not grow wool at all. Hair sheep are similar to the early domesticated sheep kept before woolly breeds were developed, and are raised for meat and pelts. Some modern breeds of hair sheep, such as the Dorper, result from crosses between wool and hair breeds. For meat and hide producers, hair sheep are cheaper to keep, as they do not need shearing. Hair sheep are also more resistant to parasites and hot weather.

 

With the modern rise of corporate agribusiness and the decline of localized family farms, many breeds of sheep are in danger of extinction. The Rare Breeds Survival Trust of the UK lists 22 native breeds as having only 3,000 registered animals (each), and The Livestock Conservancy lists 14 as either "critical" or "threatened". Preferences for breeds with uniform characteristics and fast growth have pushed heritage (or heirloom) breeds to the margins of the sheep industry. Those that remain are maintained through the efforts of conservation organizations, breed registries, and individual farmers dedicated to their preservation.

 

Diet

Sheep are herbivorous mammals. Most breeds prefer to graze on grass and other short roughage, avoiding the taller woody parts of plants that goats readily consume. Both sheep and goats use their lips and tongues to select parts of the plant that are easier to digest or higher in nutrition. Sheep, however, graze well in monoculture pastures where most goats fare poorly.

 

Ruminant system of a sheep

Like all ruminants, sheep have a complex digestive system composed of four chambers, allowing them to break down cellulose from stems, leaves, and seed hulls into simpler carbohydrates. When sheep graze, vegetation is chewed into a mass called a bolus, which is then passed into the rumen, via the reticulum. The rumen is a 19- to 38-liter (5 to 10 gallon) organ in which feed is fermented. The fermenting organisms include bacteria, fungi, and protozoa. (Other important rumen organisms include some archaea, which produce methane from carbon dioxide.) The bolus is periodically regurgitated back to the mouth as cud for additional chewing and salivation. After fermentation in the rumen, feed passes into the reticulum and the omasum; special feeds such as grains may bypass the rumen altogether. After the first three chambers, food moves into the abomasum for final digestion before processing by the intestines. The abomasum is the only one of the four chambers analogous to the human stomach, and is sometimes called the "true stomach".

 

Other than forage, the other staple feed for sheep is hay, often during the winter months. The ability to thrive solely on pasture (even without hay) varies with breed, but all sheep can survive on this diet. Also included in some sheep's diets are minerals, either in a trace mix or in licks. Feed provided to sheep must be specially formulated, as most cattle, poultry, pig, and even some goat feeds contain levels of copper that are lethal to sheep. The same danger applies to mineral supplements such as salt licks.

 

Grazing behavior

Sheep follow a diurnal pattern of activity, feeding from dawn to dusk, stopping sporadically to rest and chew their cud. Ideal pasture for sheep is not lawnlike grass, but an array of grasses, legumes and forbs. Types of land where sheep are raised vary widely, from pastures that are seeded and improved intentionally to rough, native lands. Common plants toxic to sheep are present in most of the world, and include (but are not limited to) cherry, some oaks and acorns, tomato, yew, rhubarb, potato, and rhododendron.

 

Effects on pasture

Sheep are largely grazing herbivores, unlike browsing animals such as goats and deer that prefer taller foliage. With a much narrower face, sheep crop plants very close to the ground and can overgraze a pasture much faster than cattle. For this reason, many shepherds use managed intensive rotational grazing, where a flock is rotated through multiple pastures, giving plants time to recover. Paradoxically, sheep can both cause and solve the spread of invasive plant species. By disturbing the natural state of pasture, sheep and other livestock can pave the way for invasive plants. However, sheep also prefer to eat invasives such as cheatgrass, leafy spurge, kudzu and spotted knapweed over native species such as sagebrush, making grazing sheep effective for conservation grazing. Research conducted in Imperial County, California compared lamb grazing with herbicides for weed control in seedling alfalfa fields. Three trials demonstrated that grazing lambs were just as effective as herbicides in controlling winter weeds. Entomologists also compared grazing lambs to insecticides for insect control in winter alfalfa. In this trial, lambs provided insect control as effectively as insecticides.

 

Behavior

Sheep are flock animals and strongly gregarious; much sheep behavior can be understood on the basis of these tendencies. The dominance hierarchy of sheep and their natural inclination to follow a leader to new pastures were the pivotal factors in sheep being one of the first domesticated livestock species. Furthermore, in contrast to the red deer and gazelle (two other ungulates of primary importance to meat production in prehistoric times), sheep do not defend territories although they do form home ranges. All sheep have a tendency to congregate close to other members of a flock, although this behavior varies with breed, and sheep can become stressed when separated from their flock members. During flocking, sheep have a strong tendency to follow, and a leader may simply be the first individual to move. Relationships in flocks tend to be closest among related sheep: in mixed-breed flocks, subgroups of the same breed tend to form, and a ewe and her direct descendants often move as a unit within large flocks. Sheep can become hefted to one particular local pasture (heft) so they do not roam freely in unfenced landscapes. Lambs learn the heft from ewes and if whole flocks are culled it must be retaught to the replacement animals.

 

Flock behaviour in sheep is generally only exhibited in groups of four or more sheep; fewer sheep may not react as expected when alone or with few other sheep. Being a prey species, the primary defense mechanism of sheep is to flee from danger when their flight zone is entered. Cornered sheep may charge and butt, or threaten by hoof stamping and adopting an aggressive posture. This is particularly true for ewes with newborn lambs.

 

In regions where sheep have no natural predators, none of the native breeds of sheep exhibit a strong flocking behavior.

 

Herding

Farmers exploit flocking behavior to keep sheep together on unfenced pastures such as hill farming, and to move them more easily. For this purpose shepherds may use herding dogs in this effort, with a highly bred herding ability. Sheep are food-oriented, and association of humans with regular feeding often results in sheep soliciting people for food. Those who are moving sheep may exploit this behavior by leading sheep with buckets of feed.

 

Dominance hierarchy

Sheep establish a dominance hierarchy through fighting, threats and competitiveness. Dominant animals are inclined to be more aggressive with other sheep, and usually feed first at troughs. Primarily among rams, horn size is a factor in the flock hierarchy. Rams with different size horns may be less inclined to fight to establish the dominance order, while rams with similarly sized horns are more so. Merinos have an almost linear hierarchy whereas there is a less rigid structure in Border Leicesters when a competitive feeding situation arises.

 

In sheep, position in a moving flock is highly correlated with social dominance, but there is no definitive study to show consistent voluntary leadership by an individual sheep.

 

Intelligence and learning ability

Sheep are frequently thought of as unintelligent animals. Their flocking behavior and quickness to flee and panic can make shepherding a difficult endeavor for the uninitiated. Despite these perceptions, a University of Illinois monograph on sheep reported their intelligence to be just below that of pigs and on par with that of cattle. Sheep can recognize individual human and ovine faces and remember them for years; they can remember 50 other different sheep faces for over two years; they can recognize and are attracted to individual sheep and humans by their faces, as they possess similar specialized neural systems in the temporal and frontal lobes of their brains to humans and have a greater involvement of the right brain hemisphere. In addition to long-term facial recognition of individuals, sheep can also differentiate emotional states through facial characteristics.[68][69] If worked with patiently, sheep may learn their names, and many sheep are trained to be led by halter for showing and other purposes. Sheep have also responded well to clicker training. Sheep have been used as pack animals; Tibetan nomads distribute baggage equally throughout a flock as it is herded between living sites.

 

It has been reported that some sheep have apparently shown problem-solving abilities; a flock in West Yorkshire, England allegedly found a way to get over cattle grids by rolling on their backs, although documentation of this has relied on anecdotal accounts.

 

Vocalisations

Sounds made by domestic sheep include bleats, grunts, rumbles and snorts. Bleating ("baaing") is used mostly for contact communication, especially between dam and lambs, but also at times between other flock members. The bleats of individual sheep are distinctive, enabling the ewe and her lambs to recognize each other's vocalizations. Vocal communication between lambs and their dam declines to a very low level within several weeks after parturition. A variety of bleats may be heard, depending on sheep age and circumstances. Apart from contact communication, bleating may signal distress, frustration or impatience; however, sheep are usually silent when in pain. Isolation commonly prompts bleating by sheep. Pregnant ewes may grunt when in labor. Rumbling sounds are made by the ram during courting; somewhat similar rumbling sounds may be made by the ewe, especially when with her neonate lambs. A snort (explosive exhalation through the nostrils) may signal aggression or a warning, and is often elicited from startled sheep.

 

Lamb

In sheep breeds lacking facial wool, the visual field is wide. In 10 sheep (Cambridge, Lleyn and Welsh Mountain breeds, which lack facial wool), the visual field ranged from 298° to 325°, averaging 313.1°, with binocular overlap ranging from 44.5° to 74°, averaging 61.7°. In some breeds, unshorn facial wool can limit the visual field; in some individuals, this may be enough to cause "wool blindness". In 60 Merinos, visual fields ranged from 219.1° to 303.0°, averaging 269.9°, and the binocular field ranged from 8.9° to 77.7°, averaging 47.5°; 36% of the measurements were limited by wool, although photographs of the experiments indicate that only limited facial wool regrowth had occurred since shearing. In addition to facial wool (in some breeds), visual field limitations can include ears and (in some breeds) horns, so the visual field can be extended by tilting the head. Sheep eyes exhibit very low hyperopia and little astigmatism. Such visual characteristics are likely to produce a well-focused retinal image of objects in both the middle and long distance. Because sheep eyes have no accommodation, one might expect the image of very near objects to be blurred, but a rather clear near image could be provided by the tapetum and large retinal image of the sheep's eye, and adequate close vision may occur at muzzle length. Good depth perception, inferred from the sheep's sure-footedness, was confirmed in "visual cliff" experiments; behavioral responses indicating depth perception are seen in lambs at one day old. Sheep are thought to have colour vision, and can distinguish between a variety of colours: black, red, brown, green, yellow and white. Sight is a vital part of sheep communication, and when grazing, they maintain visual contact with each other. Each sheep lifts its head upwards to check the position of other sheep in the flock. This constant monitoring is probably what keeps the sheep in a flock as they move along grazing. Sheep become stressed when isolated; this stress is reduced if they are provided with a mirror, indicating that the sight of other sheep reduces stress.

 

Taste is the most important sense in sheep, establishing forage preferences, with sweet and sour plants being preferred and bitter plants being more commonly rejected. Touch and sight are also important in relation to specific plant characteristics, such as succulence and growth form.

 

The ram uses his vomeronasal organ (sometimes called the Jacobson's organ) to sense the pheromones of ewes and detect when they are in estrus. The ewe uses her vomeronasal organ for early recognition of her neonate lamb.

 

Reproduction

Sheep follow a similar reproductive strategy to other herd animals. A group of ewes is generally mated by a single ram, who has either been chosen by a breeder or (in feral populations) has established dominance through physical contest with other rams. Most sheep are seasonal breeders, although some are able to breed year-round. Ewes generally reach sexual maturity at six to eight months old, and rams generally at four to six months. However, there are exceptions. For example, Finnsheep ewe lambs may reach puberty as early as 3 to 4 months, and Merino ewes sometimes reach puberty at 18 to 20 months. Ewes have estrus cycles about every 17 days, during which they emit a scent and indicate readiness through physical displays towards rams.

 

In feral sheep, rams may fight during the rut to determine which individuals may mate with ewes. Rams, especially unfamiliar ones, will also fight outside the breeding period to establish dominance; rams can kill one another if allowed to mix freely. During the rut, even usually friendly rams may become aggressive towards humans due to increases in their hormone levels.

 

After mating, sheep have a gestation period of about five months, and normal labor takes one to three hours. Although some breeds regularly throw larger litters of lambs, most produce single or twin lambs. During or soon after labor, ewes and lambs may be confined to small lambing jugs, small pens designed to aid both careful observation of ewes and to cement the bond between them and their lambs.

  

A lamb's first steps

Ovine obstetrics can be problematic. By selectively breeding ewes that produce multiple offspring with higher birth weights for generations, sheep producers have inadvertently caused some domestic sheep to have difficulty lambing; balancing ease of lambing with high productivity is one of the dilemmas of sheep breeding. In the case of any such problems, those present at lambing may assist the ewe by extracting or repositioning lambs. After the birth, ewes ideally break the amniotic sac (if it is not broken during labor), and begin licking clean the lamb. Most lambs will begin standing within an hour of birth. In normal situations, lambs nurse after standing, receiving vital colostrum milk. Lambs that either fail to nurse or are rejected by the ewe require help to survive, such as bottle-feeding or fostering by another ewe.

 

Most lambs begin life being born outdoors. After lambs are several weeks old, lamb marking (ear tagging, docking, mulesing, and castrating) is carried out. Vaccinations are usually carried out at this point as well. Ear tags with numbers are attached, or ear marks are applied, for ease of later identification of sheep. Docking and castration are commonly done after 24 hours (to avoid interference with maternal bonding and consumption of colostrum) and are often done not later than one week after birth, to minimize pain, stress, recovery time and complications. The first course of vaccinations (commonly anti-clostridial) is commonly given at an age of about 10 to 12 weeks; i.e. when the concentration of maternal antibodies passively acquired via colostrum is expected to have fallen low enough to permit development of active immunity. Ewes are often revaccinated annually about 3 weeks before lambing, to provide high antibody concentrations in colostrum during the first several hours after lambing. Ram lambs that will either be slaughtered or separated from ewes before sexual maturity are not usually castrated. Objections to all these procedures have been raised by animal rights groups, but farmers defend them by saying they save money, and inflict only temporary pain.

 

Homosexuality

Sheep are the only species of mammal except for humans which exhibits exclusive homosexual behavior. About 10% of rams refuse to mate with ewes but readily mate with other rams, and thirty percent of all rams demonstrate at least some homosexual behavior. Additionally, a small number of females that were accompanied by a male fetus in utero (i.e. as fraternal twins) are freemartins (female animals that are behaviorally masculine and lack functioning ovaries).

 

Health

Sheep may fall victim to poisons, infectious diseases, and physical injuries. As a prey species, a sheep's system is adapted to hide the obvious signs of illness, to prevent being targeted by predators. However, some signs of ill health are obvious, with sick sheep eating little, vocalizing excessively, and being generally listless. Throughout history, much of the money and labor of sheep husbandry has aimed to prevent sheep ailments. Historically, shepherds often created remedies by experimentation on the farm. In some developed countries, including the United States, sheep lack the economic importance for drug companies to perform expensive clinical trials required to approve more than a relatively limited number of drugs for ovine use. However, extra-label drug use in sheep production is permitted in many jurisdictions, subject to certain restrictions. In the US, for example, regulations governing extra-label drug use in animals are found in 21 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) Part 530. In the 20th and 21st centuries, a minority of sheep owners have turned to alternative treatments such as homeopathy, herbalism and even traditional Chinese medicine to treat sheep veterinary problems. Despite some favorable anecdotal evidence, the effectiveness of alternative veterinary medicine has been met with skepticism in scientific journals. The need for traditional anti-parasite drugs and antibiotics is widespread, and is the main impediment to certified organic farming with sheep.

 

Many breeders take a variety of preventive measures to ward off problems. The first is to ensure all sheep are healthy when purchased. Many buyers avoid outlets known to be clearing houses for animals culled from healthy flocks as either sick or simply inferior. This can also mean maintaining a closed flock, and quarantining new sheep for a month. Two fundamental preventive programs are maintaining good nutrition and reducing stress in the sheep. Restraint, isolation, loud noises, novel situations, pain, heat, extreme cold, fatigue and other stressors can lead to secretion of cortisol, a stress hormone, in amounts that may indicate welfare problems. Excessive stress can compromise the immune system. "Shipping fever" (pneumonic mannheimiosis, formerly called pasteurellosis) is a disease of particular concern, that can occur as a result of stress, notably during transport and (or) handling. Pain, fear and several other stressors can cause secretion of epinephrine (adrenaline). Considerable epinephrine secretion in the final days before slaughter can adversely affect meat quality (by causing glycogenolysis, removing the substrate for normal post-slaughter acidification of meat) and result in meat becoming more susceptible to colonization by spoilage bacteria. Because of such issues, low-stress handling is essential in sheep management. Avoiding poisoning is also important; common poisons are pesticide sprays, inorganic fertilizer, motor oil, as well as radiator coolant containing ethylene glycol.

 

Common forms of preventive medication for sheep are vaccinations and treatments for parasites. Both external and internal parasites are the most prevalent malady in sheep, and are either fatal, or reduce the productivity of flocks. Worms are the most common internal parasites. They are ingested during grazing, incubate within the sheep, and are expelled through the digestive system (beginning the cycle again). Oral anti-parasitic medicines, known as drenches, are given to a flock to treat worms, sometimes after worm eggs in the feces has been counted to assess infestation levels. Afterwards, sheep may be moved to a new pasture to avoid ingesting the same parasites. External sheep parasites include: lice (for different parts of the body), sheep keds, nose bots, sheep itch mites, and maggots. Keds are blood-sucking parasites that cause general malnutrition and decreased productivity, but are not fatal. Maggots are those of the bot fly and the blow-fly, commonly Lucilia sericata or its relative L. cuprina. Fly maggots cause the extremely destructive condition of flystrike. Flies lay their eggs in wounds or wet, manure-soiled wool; when the maggots hatch they burrow into a sheep's flesh, eventually causing death if untreated. In addition to other treatments, crutching (shearing wool from a sheep's rump) is a common preventive method. Some countries allow mulesing, a practice that involves stripping away the skin on the rump to prevent fly-strike, normally performed when the sheep is a lamb. Nose bots are fly larvae that inhabit a sheep's sinuses, causing breathing difficulties and discomfort. Common signs are a discharge from the nasal passage, sneezing, and frantic movement such as head shaking. External parasites may be controlled through the use of backliners, sprays or immersive sheep dips.

 

A wide array of bacterial and viral diseases affect sheep. Diseases of the hoof, such as foot rot and foot scald may occur, and are treated with footbaths and other remedies. Foot rot is present in over 97% of flocks in the UK. These painful conditions cause lameness and hinder feeding. Ovine Johne's disease is a wasting disease that affects young sheep. Bluetongue disease is an insect-borne illness causing fever and inflammation of the mucous membranes. Ovine rinderpest (or peste des petits ruminants) is a highly contagious and often fatal viral disease affecting sheep and goats. Sheep may also be affected by primary or secondary photosensitization. Tetanus can also afflict sheep through wounds from shearing, docking, castration, or vaccination. The organism also can be introduced into the reproductive tract by unsanitary humans who assist ewes during lambing.

 

A few sheep conditions are transmissible to humans. Orf (also known as scabby mouth, contagious ecthyma or soremouth) is a skin disease leaving lesions that is transmitted through skin-to-skin contact. Cutaneous anthrax is also called woolsorter's disease, as the spores can be transmitted in unwashed wool. More seriously, the organisms that can cause spontaneous enzootic abortion in sheep are easily transmitted to pregnant women. Also of concern are the prion disease scrapie and the virus that causes foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), as both can devastate flocks. The latter poses a slight risk to humans. During the 2001 FMD pandemic in the UK, hundreds of sheep were culled and some rare British breeds were at risk of extinction due to this.

 

Of the 600,300 sheep lost to the US economy in 2004, 37.3% were lost to predators, while 26.5% were lost to some form of disease. Poisoning accounted for 1.7% of non-productive deaths.

 

Predators

A lamb being attacked by coyotes with a bite to the throat

Other than parasites and disease, predation is a threat to sheep and the profitability of sheep raising. Sheep have little ability to defend themselves, compared with other species kept as livestock. Even if sheep survive an attack, they may die from their injuries or simply from panic. However, the impact of predation varies dramatically with region. In Africa, Australia, the Americas, and parts of Europe and Asia predators are a serious problem. In the United States, for instance, over one third of sheep deaths in 2004 were caused by predation. In contrast, other nations are virtually devoid of sheep predators, particularly islands known for extensive sheep husbandry. Worldwide, canids—including the domestic dog—are responsible for most sheep deaths. Other animals that occasionally prey on sheep include: felines, bears, birds of prey, ravens and feral hogs.

 

Sheep producers have used a wide variety of measures to combat predation. Pre-modern shepherds used their own presence, livestock guardian dogs, and protective structures such as barns and fencing. Fencing (both regular and electric), penning sheep at night and lambing indoors all continue to be widely used. More modern shepherds used guns, traps, and poisons to kill predators, causing significant decreases in predator populations. In the wake of the environmental and conservation movements, the use of these methods now usually falls under the purview of specially designated government agencies in most developed countries.

 

The 1970s saw a resurgence in the use of livestock guardian dogs and the development of new methods of predator control by sheep producers, many of them non-lethal. Donkeys and guard llamas have been used since the 1980s in sheep operations, using the same basic principle as livestock guardian dogs. Interspecific pasturing, usually with larger livestock such as cattle or horses, may help to deter predators, even if such species do not actively guard sheep. In addition to animal guardians, contemporary sheep operations may use non-lethal predator deterrents such as motion-activated lights and noisy alarms.

 

Economic importance

Main article: Agricultural economics

Global sheep stock

in 2019

Number in millions

1. China163.5 (13.19%)

2. India74.3 (5.99%)

3. Australia65.8 (5.31%)

4. Nigeria46.9 (3.78%)

5. Iran41.3 (3.33%)

6. Sudan40.9 (3.3%)

7. Chad35.9 (2.9%)

8. Turkey35.2 (2.84%)

9. United Kingdom33.6 (2.71%)

10. Mongolia32.3 (2.61%)

World total1,239.8

 

Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organization

Sheep are an important part of the global agricultural economy. However, their once vital status has been largely replaced by other livestock species, especially the pig, chicken, and cow. China, Australia, India, and Iran have the largest modern flocks, and serve both local and exportation needs for wool and mutton. Other countries such as New Zealand have smaller flocks but retain a large international economic impact due to their export of sheep products. Sheep also play a major role in many local economies, which may be niche markets focused on organic or sustainable agriculture and local food customers. Especially in developing countries, such flocks may be a part of subsistence agriculture rather than a system of trade. Sheep themselves may be a medium of trade in barter economies.

 

Domestic sheep provide a wide array of raw materials. Wool was one of the first textiles, although in the late 20th century wool prices began to fall dramatically as the result of the popularity and cheap prices for synthetic fabrics. For many sheep owners, the cost of shearing is greater than the possible profit from the fleece, making subsisting on wool production alone practically impossible without farm subsidies. Fleeces are used as material in making alternative products such as wool insulation. In the 21st century, the sale of meat is the most profitable enterprise in the sheep industry, even though far less sheep meat is consumed than chicken, pork or beef.

 

Sheepskin is likewise used for making clothes, footwear, rugs, and other products. Byproducts from the slaughter of sheep are also of value: sheep tallow can be used in candle and soap making, sheep bone and cartilage has been used to furnish carved items such as dice and buttons as well as rendered glue and gelatin. Sheep intestine can be formed into sausage casings, and lamb intestine has been formed into surgical sutures, as well as strings for musical instruments and tennis rackets. Sheep droppings, which are high in cellulose, have even been sterilized and mixed with traditional pulp materials to make paper. Of all sheep byproducts, perhaps the most valuable is lanolin: the waterproof, fatty substance found naturally in sheep's wool and used as a base for innumerable cosmetics and other products.

 

Some farmers who keep sheep also make a profit from live sheep. Providing lambs for youth programs such as 4-H and competition at agricultural shows is often a dependable avenue for the sale of sheep. Farmers may also choose to focus on a particular breed of sheep in order to sell registered purebred animals, as well as provide a ram rental service for breeding. A new option for deriving profit from live sheep is the rental of flocks for grazing; these "mowing services" are hired in order to keep unwanted vegetation down in public spaces and to lessen fire hazard.

 

Despite the falling demand and price for sheep products in many markets, sheep have distinct economic advantages when compared with other livestock. They do not require expensive housing, such as that used in the intensive farming of chickens or pigs. They are an efficient use of land; roughly six sheep can be kept on the amount that would suffice for a single cow or horse. Sheep can also consume plants, such as noxious weeds, that most other animals will not touch, and produce more young at a faster rate. Also, in contrast to most livestock species, the cost of raising sheep is not necessarily tied to the price of feed crops such as grain, soybeans and corn. Combined with the lower cost of quality sheep, all these factors combine to equal a lower overhead for sheep producers, thus entailing a higher profitability potential for the small farmer. Sheep are especially beneficial for independent producers, including family farms with limited resources, as the sheep industry is one of the few types of animal agriculture that has not been vertically integrated by agribusiness. However, small flocks, from 10 to 50 ewes, often are not profitable because they tend to be poorly managed. The primary reason is that mechanization is not feasible, so return per hour of labor is not maximized. Small farm flocks generally are used simply to control weeds on irrigation ditches or maintained as a hobby.

 

Shoulder of lamb

Sheep meat and milk were one of the earliest staple proteins consumed by human civilization after the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture. Sheep meat prepared for food is known as either mutton or lamb, and approximately 540 million sheep are slaughtered each year for meat worldwide. "Mutton" is derived from the Old French moton, which was the word for sheep used by the Anglo-Norman rulers of much of the British Isles in the Middle Ages. This became the name for sheep meat in English, while the Old English word sceap was kept for the live animal. Throughout modern history, "mutton" has been limited to the meat of mature sheep usually at least two years of age; "lamb" is used for that of immature sheep less than a year.

 

In the 21st century, the nations with the highest consumption of sheep meat are the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, New Zealand, Australia, Greece, Uruguay, the United Kingdom and Ireland. These countries eat 14–40 lbs (3–18 kg) of sheep meat per capita, per annum. Sheep meat is also popular in France, Africa (especially the Arab world), the Caribbean, the rest of the Middle East, India, and parts of China. This often reflects a history of sheep production. In these countries in particular, dishes comprising alternative cuts and offal may be popular or traditional. Sheep testicles—called animelles or lamb fries—are considered a delicacy in many parts of the world. Perhaps the most unusual dish of sheep meat is the Scottish haggis, composed of various sheep innards cooked along with oatmeal and chopped onions inside its stomach. In comparison, countries such as the U.S. consume only a pound or less (under 0.5 kg), with Americans eating 50 pounds (22 kg) of pork and 65 pounds (29 kg) of beef. In addition, such countries rarely eat mutton, and may favor the more expensive cuts of lamb: mostly lamb chops and leg of lamb.

 

Though sheep's milk may be drunk rarely in fresh form, today it is used predominantly in cheese and yogurt making. Sheep have only two teats, and produce a far smaller volume of milk than cows. However, as sheep's milk contains far more fat, solids, and minerals than cow's milk, it is ideal for the cheese-making process. It also resists contamination during cooling better because of its much higher calcium content. Well-known cheeses made from sheep milk include the feta of Bulgaria and Greece, Roquefort of France, Manchego from Spain, the pecorino romano (the Italian word for "sheep" is pecore) and ricotta of Italy. Yogurts, especially some forms of strained yogurt, may also be made from sheep milk. Many of these products are now often made with cow's milk, especially when produced outside their country of origin. Sheep milk contains 4.8% lactose, which may affect those who are intolerant.

 

As with other domestic animals, the meat of uncastrated males is inferior in quality, especially as they grow. A "bucky" lamb is a lamb which was not castrated early enough, or which was castrated improperly (resulting in one testicle being retained). These lambs are worth less at market.

 

In science

Sheep are generally too large and reproduce too slowly to make ideal research subjects, and thus are not a common model organism. They have, however, played an influential role in some fields of science. In particular, the Roslin Institute of Edinburgh, Scotland used sheep for genetics research that produced groundbreaking results. In 1995, two ewes named Megan and Morag were the first mammals cloned from differentiated cells, also referred to as gynomerogony. A year later, a Finnish Dorset sheep named Dolly, dubbed "the world's most famous sheep" in Scientific American, was the first mammal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell. Following this, Polly and Molly were the first mammals to be simultaneously cloned and transgenic.

 

As of 2008, the sheep genome has not been fully sequenced, although a detailed genetic map has been published, and a draft version of the complete genome produced by assembling sheep DNA sequences using information given by the genomes of other mammals. In 2012, a transgenic sheep named "Peng Peng" was cloned by Chinese scientists, who spliced his genes with that of a roundworm (C. elegans) in order to increase production of fats healthier for human consumption.

 

In the study of natural selection, the population of Soay sheep that remain on the island of Hirta have been used to explore the relation of body size and coloration to reproductive success. Soay sheep come in several colors, and researchers investigated why the larger, darker sheep were in decline; this occurrence contradicted the rule of thumb that larger members of a population tend to be more successful reproductively. The feral Soays on Hirta are especially useful subjects because they are isolated.

 

Domestic sheep are sometimes used in medical research, particularly for researching cardiovascular physiology, in areas such as hypertension and heart failure. Pregnant sheep are also a useful model for human pregnancy, and have been used to investigate the effects on fetal development of malnutrition and hypoxia. In behavioral sciences, sheep have been used in isolated cases for the study of facial recognition, as their mental process of recognition is qualitatively similar to humans.

 

Cultural impact

Sheep have had a strong presence in many cultures, especially in areas where they form the most common type of livestock. In the English language, to call someone a sheep or ovine may allude that they are timid and easily led. In contradiction to this image, male sheep are often used as symbols of virility and power; the logos of the Los Angeles Rams football team and the Dodge Ram pickup truck allude to males of the bighorn sheep, Ovis canadensis.

 

Counting sheep is popularly said to be an aid to sleep, and some ancient systems of counting sheep persist today. Sheep also enter in colloquial sayings and idiom frequently with such phrases as "black sheep". To call an individual a black sheep implies that they are an odd or disreputable member of a group. This usage derives from the recessive trait that causes an occasional black lamb to be born into an entirely white flock. These black sheep were considered undesirable by shepherds, as black wool is not as commercially viable as white wool. Citizens who accept overbearing governments have been referred to by the Portmanteau neologism of sheeple. Somewhat differently, the adjective "sheepish" is also used to describe embarrassment.

 

In heraldry

In British heraldry, sheep appear in the form of rams, sheep proper and lambs. These are distinguished by the ram being depicted with horns and a tail, the sheep with neither and the lamb with its tail only. A further variant of the lamb, termed the Paschal lamb, is depicted as carrying a Christian cross and with a halo over its head. Rams' heads, portrayed without a neck and facing the viewer, are also found in British armories. The fleece, depicted as an entire sheepskin carried by a ring around its midsection, originally became known through its use in the arms of the Order of the Golden Fleece and was later adopted by towns and individuals with connections to the wool industry. A sheep on a blue field is depicted on the greater/royal arms of the king of Denmark to represent the Faroe Islands. In 2004 a modernized arms has been adopted by the Faroe Islands, which based on a 15th century coat of arms.

 

Religion and folklore

In antiquity, symbolism involving sheep cropped up in religions in the ancient Near East, the Mideast, and the Mediterranean area: Çatalhöyük, ancient Egyptian religion, the Cana'anite and Phoenician tradition, Judaism, Greek religion, and others. Religious symbolism and ritual involving sheep began with some of the first known faiths: Skulls of rams (along with bulls) occupied central placement in shrines at the Çatalhöyük settlement in 8,000 BCE. In Ancient Egyptian religion, the ram was the symbol of several gods: Khnum, Heryshaf and Amun (in his incarnation as a god of fertility). Other deities occasionally shown with ram features include the goddess Ishtar, the Phoenician god Baal-Hamon, and the Babylonian god Ea-Oannes. In Madagascar, sheep were not eaten as they were believed to be incarnations of the souls of ancestors.

 

There are many ancient Greek references to sheep: that of Chrysomallos, the golden-fleeced ram, continuing to be told through into the modern era. Astrologically, Aries, the ram, is the first sign of the classical Greek zodiac, and the sheep is the eighth of the twelve animals associated with the 12-year cycle of in the Chinese zodiac, related to the Chinese calendar. It is said in Chinese traditions that Hou ji sacrificed sheep. Mongolia, shagai are an ancient form of dice made from the cuboid bones of sheep that are often used for fortunetelling purposes.

 

Sheep play an important role in all the Abrahamic faiths; Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and King David were all shepherds. According to the Biblical story of the Binding of Isaac, a ram is sacrificed as a substitute for Isaac after an angel stays Abraham's hand (in the Islamic tradition, Abraham was about to sacrifice Ishmael). Eid al-Adha is a major annual festival in Islam in which sheep (or other animals) are sacrificed in remembrance of this act. Sheep are occasionally sacrificed to commemorate important secular events in Islamic cultures. Greeks and Romans sacrificed sheep regularly in religious practice, and Judaism once sacrificed sheep as a Korban (sacrifice), such as the Passover lamb. Ovine symbols—such as the ceremonial blowing of a shofar—still find a presence in modern Judaic traditions.

 

Collectively, followers of Christianity are often referred to as a flock, with Christ as the Good Shepherd, and sheep are an element in the Christian iconography of the birth of Jesus. Some Christian saints are considered patrons of shepherds, and even of sheep themselves. Christ is also portrayed as the Sacrificial lamb of God (Agnus Dei) and Easter celebrations in Greece and Romania traditionally feature a meal of Paschal lamb. A church leader is often called the pastor, which is derived from the Latin word for shepherd. In many western Christian traditions bishops carry a staff, which also serves as a symbol of the episcopal office, known as a crosier, which is modeled on the shepherd's crook.

 

Sheep are key symbols in fables and nursery rhymes like The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, Little Bo Peep, Baa, Baa, Black Sheep, and Mary Had a Little Lamb; novels such as George Orwell's Animal Farm and Haruki Murakami's A Wild Sheep Chase; songs such as Bach's Sheep may safely graze (Schafe können sicher weiden) and Pink Floyd's "Sheep", and poems like William Blake's "The Lamb".

Outside the Honolulu Museum of Art are a pair of horses by Deborah Butterfield.

  

From the Honolulu Museum of Art website:

  

The site-specific sculptures, made from bronze casts of found wood, were designed to work with a large tree on the owners’ property. “One echoes the tree, and the other complements the first horse,” explained Butterfield as she oversaw placement of the sculptures at the museum. “They are a yin and yang.”

  

Weighing 2,000 pounds each, it took our entire installation and maintenance crews and an outsize forklift to move the horses from a moving van to the lawn, carefully arranging them according to Butterfield’s instructions.

  

Butterfield and her husband, artist John Buck, divide their time between Bozeman, Montana, and Holualoa, Hawai‘i Island. She now also maintains a studio in Walla Walla, Washington, where she has her bronze casting done by the Walla Walla Foundry. It is there that over the last two years, “I’ve done my best work in a long time,” said Butterfield.

  

In Montana, “my materials are covered with snow in winter,” said Butterfield. “That’s why we started working in Hawai‘i. Nature makes different decisions in a tropical climate, compared to Montana. When we are in Hawai‘i, we find it a recharging of our sensitivity to nature. It’s a reset button for your brain. And Montana does the same when we return from Hawai‘i. We’re so fortunate to be able to work in both places.”

  

One horse is made using wood found along rivers in Washington and Montana, such as the Snake and Gallatin rivers, the other uses manzanita, juniper, cedar and a little ohia. “A long time ago I shipped ohia from the Big Island, it blends well. It’s a multigeographical piece,” said Butterfield. She first creates the horses out of the found wood, documents them, then disassembles them. She then makes a mold for each stick, burns out the wood, and pours in molten bronze.

  

A lifelong equestrian (she’s an accomplished dressage rider), Butterfield knows horses intimately, and the way she translates wood and other rigid found materials into the graceful, stately lines of a horse’s conformation is extraordinary. Her bronzes flow in a way that make the material seem light and ethereal."

Drawing is a form of visual art in which a person uses various drawing instruments to mark paper or another two-dimensional medium. Instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, various kinds of erasers, markers, styluses, various metals (such as silverpoint) and electronic drawing.

 

A drawing instrument releases small amount of material onto a surface, leaving a visible mark. The most common support for drawing is paper, although other materials, such as cardboard, plastic, leather, canvas, and board, may be used. Temporary drawings may be made on a blackboard or whiteboard or indeed almost anything. The medium has been a popular and fundamental means of public expression throughout human history. It is one of the simplest and most efficient means of communicating visual ideas.[1] The wide availability of drawing instruments makes drawing one of the most common artistic activities.

In addition to its more artistic forms, drawing is frequently used in commercial illustration, animation, architecture, engineering and technical drawing. A quick, freehand drawing, usually not intended as a finished work, is sometimes called a sketch. An artist who practices or works in technical drawing may be called a drafter, draftsman or a draughtsman.[2]

Drawing is one of the major forms of expression within the visual arts. It is generally concerned with the marking of lines and areas of tone onto paper/other material, where the accurate representation of the visual world is expressed upon a plane surface.[3] Traditional drawings were monochrome, or at least had little colour,[4] while modern colored-pencil drawings may approach or cross a boundary between drawing and painting. In Western terminology, drawing is distinct from painting, even though similar media often are employed in both tasks. Dry media, normally associated with drawing, such as chalk, may be used in pastel paintings. Drawing may be done with a liquid medium, applied with brushes or pens. Similar supports likewise can serve both: painting generally involves the application of liquid paint onto prepared canvas or panels, but sometimes an underdrawing is drawn first on that same support.

  

Madame Palmyre with Her Dog, 1897. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

 

Galileo Galilei. Phases of the Moon. 1616.

Drawing is often exploratory, with considerable emphasis on observation, problem-solving and composition. Drawing is also regularly used in preparation for a painting, further obfuscating their distinction. Drawings created for these purposes are called studies.

 

There are several categories of drawing, including figure drawing, cartooning, doodling, free hand and shading. There are also many drawing methods, such as line drawing, stippling, shading, the surrealist method of entopic graphomania (in which dots are made at the sites of impurities in a blank sheet of paper, and lines are then made between the dots), and tracing (drawing on a translucent paper, such as tracing paper, around the outline of preexisting shapes that show through the paper).

 

A quick, unrefined drawing may be called a sketch.

 

In fields outside art, technical drawings or plans of buildings, machinery, circuitry and other things are often called "drawings" even when they have been transferred to another medium by printing.

 

History[edit]

Drawing as a Form of Communication Drawing is one of the oldest forms of human expression, with evidence for its existence preceding that of written communication.[5] It is believed that drawing was used as a specialised form of communication before the invent of the written language,[5][6] demonstrated by the production of cave and rock paintings created by Homo sapiens sapiens around 30,000 years ago.[7] These drawings, known as pictograms, depicted objects and abstract concepts.[8] The sketches and paintings produced in prehistoric times were eventually stylised and simplified, leading to the development of the written language as we know it today.

 

Drawing in the Arts Drawing is used to express one's creativity, and therefore has been prominent in the world of art. Throughout much of history, drawing was regarded as the foundation for artistic practise.[9] Initially, artists used and reused wooden tablets for the production of their drawings.[10] Following the widespread availability of paper in the 14th century, the use of drawing in the arts increased. At this point, drawing was commonly used as a tool for thought and investigation, acting as a study medium whilst artists were preparing for their final pieces of work.[11][12] In a period of artistic flourish, the Renaissance brought about drawings exhibiting realistic representational qualities,[13] where there was a lot of influence from geometry and philosophy.[14]

 

The invention of the first widely available form of photography led to a shift in the use of drawing in the arts.[15] Photography took over from drawing as a more superior method for accurately representing visual phenomena, and artists began to abandon traditional drawing practises.[16] Modernism in the arts encouraged "imaginative originality"[17] and artists' approach to drawing became more abstract.

 

Drawing Outside the Arts Although the use of drawing is extensive in the arts, its practice is not confined purely to this field. Before the widespread availability of paper, 12th century monks in European monasteries used intricate drawings to prepare illustrated, illuminated manuscripts on vellum and parchment. Drawing has also been used extensively in the field of science, as a method of discovery, understanding and explanation. In 1616, astronomer Galileo Galilei explained the changing phases of the moon through his observational telescopic drawings.[16] Additionally, in 1924, geophysicist Alfred Wegener used illustrations to visually demonstrate the origin of the continents.The medium is the means by which ink, pigment or color are delivered onto the drawing surface. Most drawing media are either dry (e.g. graphite, charcoal, pastels, Conté, silverpoint), or use a fluid solvent or carrier (marker, pen and ink). Watercolor pencils can be used dry like ordinary pencils, then moistened with a wet brush to get various painterly effects. Very rarely, artists have drawn with (usually decoded) invisible ink. Metalpoint drawing usually employs either of two metals: silver or lead.[20] More rarely used are gold, platinum, copper, brass, bronze, and tinpoint.

 

Paper comes in a variety of different sizes and qualities, ranging from newspaper grade up to high quality and relatively expensive paper sold as individual sheets.[21] Papers can vary in texture, hue, acidity, and strength when wet. Smooth paper is good for rendering fine detail, but a more "toothy" paper holds the drawing material better. Thus a coarser material is useful for producing deeper contrast.

 

Newsprint and typing paper may be useful for practice and rough sketches. Tracing paper is used to experiment over a half-finished drawing, and to transfer a design from one sheet to another. Cartridge paper is the basic type of drawing paper sold in pads. Bristol board and even heavier acid-free boards, frequently with smooth finishes, are used for drawing fine detail and do not distort when wet media (ink, washes) are applied. Vellum is extremely smooth and suitable for very fine detail. Coldpressed watercolor paper may be favored for ink drawing due to its texture.

 

Acid-free, archival quality paper keeps its color and texture far longer than wood pulp based paper such as newsprint, which turns yellow and become brittle much sooner.

 

The basic tools are a drawing board or table, pencil sharpener and eraser, and for ink drawing, blotting paper. Other tools used are circle compass, ruler, and set square. Fixative is used to prevent pencil and crayon marks from smudging. Drafting tape is used to secure paper to drawing surface, and also to mask an area to keep it free of accidental marks sprayed or spattered materials and washes. An easel or slanted table is used to keep the drawing surface in a suitable position, which is generally more horizontal than the position used in painting.

 

Technique[edit]

 

Raphael, study for what became the Alba Madonna, with other sketches

Almost all draftsmen use their hands and fingers to apply the media, with the exception of some handicapped individuals who draw with their mouth or feet.[22]

 

Prior to working on an image, the artist typically explores how various media work. They may try different drawing implements on practice sheets to determine value and texture, and how to apply the implement to produce various effects.

 

The artist's choice of drawing strokes affects the appearance of the image. Pen and ink drawings often use hatching—groups of parallel lines.[23] Cross-hatching uses hatching in two or more different directions to create a darker tone. Broken hatching, or lines with intermittent breaks, form lighter tones—and controlling the density of the breaks achieves a gradation of tone. Stippling, uses dots to produce tone, texture or shade. Different textures can be achieved depending on the method used to build tone.[24]

 

Drawings in dry media often use similar techniques, though pencils and drawing sticks can achieve continuous variations in tone. Typically a drawing is filled in based on which hand the artist favors. A right-handed artist draws from left to right to avoid smearing the image. Erasers can remove unwanted lines, lighten tones, and clean up stray marks. In a sketch or outline drawing, lines drawn often follow the contour of the subject, creating depth by looking like shadows cast from a light in the artist's position.

 

Sometimes the artist leaves a section of the image untouched while filling in the remainder. The shape of the area to preserve can be painted with masking fluid or cut out of a frisket and applied to the drawing surface, protecting the surface from stray marks until the mask is removed.

 

Another method to preserve a section of the image is to apply a spray-on fixative to the surface. This holds loose material more firmly to the sheet and prevents it from smearing. However the fixative spray typically uses chemicals that can harm the respiratory system, so it should be employed in a well-ventilated area such as outdoors.

 

Another technique is subtractive drawing in which the drawing surface is covered with graphite or charcoal and then erased to make the image.[25]

 

Tone[edit]

 

Line drawing in sanguine by Leonardo da Vinci

Shading is the technique of varying the tonal values on the paper to represent the shade of the material as well as the placement of the shadows. Careful attention to reflected light, shadows and highlights can result in a very realistic rendition of the image.

 

Blending uses an implement to soften or spread the original drawing strokes. Blending is most easily done with a medium that does not immediately fix itself, such as graphite, chalk, or charcoal, although freshly applied ink can be smudged, wet or dry, for some effects. For shading and blending, the artist can use a blending stump, tissue, a kneaded eraser, a fingertip, or any combination of them. A piece of chamois is useful for creating smooth textures, and for removing material to lighten the tone. Continuous tone can be achieved with graphite on a smooth surface without blending, but the technique is laborious, involving small circular or oval strokes with a somewhat blunt point.

 

Shading techniques that also introduce texture to the drawing include hatching and stippling. A number of other methods produce texture. In addition to the choice of paper, drawing material and technique affect texture. Texture can be made to appear more realistic when it is drawn next to a contrasting texture; a coarse texture is more obvious when placed next to a smoothly blended area. A similar effect can be achieved by drawing different tones close together. A light edge next to a dark background stands out to the eye, and almost appears to float above the surface.

 

Form and proportion[edit]

 

Pencil portrait by Ingres

Measuring the dimensions of a subject while blocking in the drawing is an important step in producing a realistic rendition of the subject. Tools such as a compass can be used to measure the angles of different sides. These angles can be reproduced on the drawing surface and then rechecked to make sure they are accurate. Another form of measurement is to compare the relative sizes of different parts of the subject with each other. A finger placed at a point along the drawing implement can be used to compare that dimension with other parts of the image. A ruler can be used both as a straightedge and a device to compute proportions.

 

When attempting to draw a complicated shape such as a human figure, it is helpful at first to represent the form with a set of primitive volumes. Almost any form can be represented by some combination of the cube, sphere, cylinder, and cone. Once these basic volumes have been assembled into a likeness, then the drawing can be refined into a more accurate and polished form. The lines of the primitive volumes are removed and replaced by the final likeness. Drawing the underlying construction is a fundamental skill for representational art, and is taught in many books and schools. Its correct application resolves most uncertainties about smaller details, and makes the final image look consistent.[26]

 

A more refined art of figure drawing relies upon the artist possessing a deep understanding of anatomy and the human proportions. A trained artist is familiar with the skeleton structure, joint location, muscle placement, tendon movement, and how the different parts work together during movement. This allows the artist to render more natural poses that do not appear artificially stiff. The artist is also familiar with how the proportions vary depending on the age of the subject, particularly when drawing a portrait.

 

Perspective[edit]

Linear perspective is a method of portraying objects on a flat surface so that the dimensions shrink with distance. Each set of parallel, straight edges of any object, whether a building or a table, follows lines that eventually converge at a vanishing point. Typically this convergence point is somewhere along the horizon, as buildings are built level with the flat surface. When multiple structures are aligned with each other, such as buildings along a street, the horizontal tops and bottoms of the structures typically converge at a vanishing point.

  

Two-point perspective drawing

When both the fronts and sides of a building are drawn, then the parallel lines forming a side converge at a second point along the horizon (which may be off the drawing paper.) This is a two-point perspective.[27] Converging the vertical lines to a third point above or below the horizon then produces a three-point perspective.

 

Depth can also be portrayed by several techniques in addition to the perspective approach above. Objects of similar size should appear ever smaller the further they are from the viewer. Thus the back wheel of a cart appears slightly smaller than the front wheel. Depth can be portrayed through the use of texture. As the texture of an object gets further away it becomes more compressed and busy, taking on an entirely different character than if it was close. Depth can also be portrayed by reducing the contrast in more distant objects, and by making their colors less saturated. This reproduces the effect of atmospheric haze, and cause the eye to focus primarily on objects drawn in the foreground.

 

Artistry[edit]

 

Chiaroscuro study drawing by William-Adolphe Bouguereau

The composition of the image is an important element in producing an interesting work of artistic merit. The artist plans element placement in the art to communicate ideas and feelings with the viewer. The composition can determine the focus of the art, and result in a harmonious whole that is aesthetically appealing and stimulating.

 

The illumination of the subject is also a key element in creating an artistic piece, and the interplay of light and shadow is a valuable method in the artist's toolbox. The placement of the light sources can make a considerable difference in the type of message that is being presented. Multiple light sources can wash out any wrinkles in a person's face, for instance, and give a more youthful appearance. In contrast, a single light source, such as harsh daylight, can serve to highlight any texture or interesting features.

 

When drawing an object or figure, the skilled artist pays attention to both the area within the silhouette and what lies outside. The exterior is termed the negative space, and can be as important in the representation as the figure. Objects placed in the background of the figure should appear properly placed wherever they can be viewed.

  

Drawing process in the Academic Study of a Male Torso by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1801, National Museum, Warsaw)

A study is a draft drawing that is made in preparation for a planned final image. Studies can be used to determine the appearances of specific parts of the completed image, or for experimenting with the best approach for accomplishing the end goal. However a well-crafted study can be a piece of art in its own right, and many hours of careful work can go into completing a study.

 

Process[edit]

Individuals display differences in their ability to produce visually accurate drawings.[28] A visually accurate drawing is described as being "recognized as a particular object at a particular time and in a particular space, rendered with little addition of visual detail that can not be seen in the object represented or with little deletion of visual detail”.[29]

 

Investigative studies have aimed to explain the reasons why some individuals draw better than others. One study posited four key abilities in the drawing process: perception of objects being drawn, ability to make good representational decisions, motor skills required for mark-making and the drawer's own perception of their drawing.[29] Following this hypothesis, several studies have sought to conclude which of these processes are most significant in affecting the accuracy of drawings.

 

Motor function Motor function is an important physical component in the 'Production Phase' of the drawing process.[30] It has been suggested that motor function plays a role in drawing ability, though its effects are not significant.[29]

 

Perception It has been suggested that an individual's ability to perceive an object they are drawing is the most important stage in the drawing process.[29] This suggestion is supported by the discovery of a robust relationship between perception and drawing ability.[31]

 

This evidence acted as the basis of Betty Edwards' how-to drawing book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.[32] Edwards aimed to teach her readers how to draw, based on the development of the reader's perceptual abilities.

 

Furthermore, the influential artist and art critic John Ruskin emphasised the importance of perception in the drawing process in his book The Elements of Drawing.[33] He stated that "For I am nearly convinced, that once we see keenly enough, there is very little difficult in drawing what we see".

 

Visual memory has also been shown to influence one's ability to create visually accurate drawings. Short-term memory plays an important part in drawing as one’s gaze shifts between the object they are drawing and the drawing itself.[34]

I had to follow an online tutorial to learn how to make a librarian villager in minecraft.

 

Minecraft librarians are a specific type of villager who, surprisingly, deal with books and other book-related items. Librarians are one of the best places to find rare enchanted books, so having them around can be quite handy.

 

Minecraft is a 3D survival sandbox game developed and published by Mojang. The game has no specific goals to accomplish, allowing players a large amount of freedom in choosing how to play the game. Players must acquire resources to build the world. The game world is composed of voxels—cubes, commonly called "blocks"—representing various materials, such as dirt, stone, ores, tree trunks, water, and lava, which are arranged in a 3-dimensional grid. Gameplay revolves around picking up and placing these objects as the player pleases, while being able to move freely around the world.

 

Chrash course 'How to make a librarian'

Find sugar canes to make paper. Find ink. Learn how to make books.

Find trees to cut down for wood. Saw trees into logs, Cut logs into boards,.

Combine boards and books to make a bookshelf. Combine boards and bookshelf into a lectern.

Find an 'unemployed' villager. Place lectern next to unemployed villager. The unemployed villager will turn into a librarian.

 

We're here visiting Libraries and librarians

 

Site-specific перформанс Ірини Плотнікової "IceDora" на фестивалі сучасного мистецтва Гогольфест 2016, Київ, Україна © repor.to/popenko

. . . the natural make-up of the women is called Thanaka. It is a cream made out of the bark of specific trees. Thanaka cream has been used by Burmese women for over 2000 years. It has a fragrant scent somewhat similar to sandalwood. The creamy paste is applied to the face in attractive designs, the most common form being a circular patch on each cheek, nose, sometimes made stripey with the fingers known as thanaka bè gya, or patterned in the shape of a leaf, often also highlighting the bridge of the nose with it at the same time. It may be applied from head to toe (thanaka chi zoun gaung zoun). Apart from cosmetic beauty, thanaka also gives a cooling sensation and provides protection from sunburn. It is believed to help remove acne and promote smooth skin. It is also an anti-fungal. The active ingredients of thanaka are coumarin and marmesin.

______________________________________

 

Yangon (Burmese: ရန်ကုန်, MLCTS rankun mrui, pronounced: [jàɴɡòʊɴ mjo̰]; formerly known as Rangoon, literally: "End of Strife") is the capital of the Yangon Region of Myanmar, also known as Burma. Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government relocated the capital to the purpose-built city of Naypyidaw in central Myanmar. With over 7 million people, Yangon is Myanmar's largest city and is its most important commercial centre.

 

Yangon boasts the largest number of colonial-era buildings in the region, and has a unique colonial-era urban core that is remarkably intact. The colonial-era commercial core is centred around the Sule Pagoda, which reputed to be over 2,000 years old. The city is also home to the gilded Shwedagon Pagoda — Myanmar's most sacred Buddhist pagoda. The mausoleum of the last Mughal Emperor is located in Yangon, where he had been exiled following the Indian Mutiny of 1857.

 

Yangon suffers from deeply inadequate infrastructure, especially compared to other major cities in Southeast Asia. Though many historic residential and commercial buildings have been renovated throughout central Yangon, most satellite towns that ring the city continue to be profoundly impoverished and lack basic infrastructure.

 

ETYMOLOGY

Yangon (ရန်ကုန်) is a combination of the two words yan (ရန်) and koun (ကုန်), which mean "enemies" and "run out of", respectively. It is also translated as "End of Strife". "Rangoon" most likely comes from the British imitation of the pronunciation of "Yangon" in the Arakanese language, which is [rɔ̀ɴɡʊ́ɴ].

 

HISTORY

EARLY HISTORY

Yangon was founded as Dagon in the early 11th century (c. 1028–1043) by the Mon, who dominated Lower Burma at that time. Dagon was a small fishing village centred about the Shwedagon Pagoda. In 1755, King Alaungpaya conquered Dagon, renamed it "Yangon", and added settlements around Dagon. The British captured Yangon during the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824–26), but returned it to Burmese administration after the war. The city was destroyed by a fire in 1841.

 

COLONIAL RANGOON

The British seized Yangon and all of Lower Burma in the Second Anglo-Burmese War of 1852, and subsequently transformed Yangon into the commercial and political hub of British Burma. Yangon is also the place where the British sent Bahadur Shah II, the last Mughal emperor, to live after the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Based on the design by army engineer Lt. Alexander Fraser, the British constructed a new city on a grid plan on delta land, bounded to the east by the Pazundaung Creek and to the south and west by the Yangon River. Yangon became the capital of all British-ruled Burma after the British had captured Upper Burma in the Third Anglo-Burmese War of 1885. By the 1890s Yangon's increasing population and commerce gave birth to prosperous residential suburbs to the north of Royal Lake (Kandawgyi) and Inya Lake. The British also established hospitals including Rangoon General Hospital and colleges including Rangoon University.

 

Colonial Yangon, with its spacious parks and lakes and mix of modern buildings and traditional wooden architecture, was known as "the garden city of the East." By the early 20th century, Yangon had public services and infrastructure on par with London.

 

Before World War II, about 55% of Yangon's population of 500,000 was Indian or South Asian, and only about a third was Bamar (Burman). Karens, the Chinese, the Anglo-Burmese and others made up the rest.

 

After World War I, Yangon became the epicentre of Burmese independence movement, with leftist Rangoon University students leading the way. Three nationwide strikes against the British Empire in 1920, 1936 and 1938 all began in Yangon. Yangon was under Japanese occupation (1942–45), and incurred heavy damage during World War II. The city was retaken by the Allies in May 1945.

 

Yangon became the capital of Union of Burma on 4 January 1948 when the country regained independence from the British Empire.

 

CONTEMPORARY YANGON

Soon after Burma's independence in 1948, many colonial names of streets and parks were changed to more nationalistic Burmese names. In 1989, the current military junta changed the city's English name to "Yangon", along with many other changes in English transliteration of Burmese names. (The changes have not been accepted by many Burmese who consider the junta unfit to make such changes, nor by many publications, news bureaus including, most notably, the BBC and foreign nations including the United Kingdom and United States.)

 

Since independence, Yangon has expanded outwards. Successive governments have built satellite towns such as Thaketa, North Okkalapa and South Okkalapa in the 1950s to Hlaingthaya,

 

Shwepyitha and South Dagon in the 1980s. Today, Greater Yangon encompasses an area covering nearly 600 square kilometres.

 

During Ne Win's isolationist rule (1962–88), Yangon's infrastructure deteriorated through poor maintenance and did not keep up with its increasing population. In the 1990s, the current military government's more open market policies attracted domestic and foreign investment, bringing a modicum of modernity to the city's infrastructure. Some inner city residents were forcibly relocated to new satellite towns. Many colonial-period buildings were demolished to make way for high-rise hotels, office buildings, and shopping malls, leading the city government to place about 200 notable colonial-period buildings under the Yangon City Heritage List in 1996. Major building programs have resulted in six new bridges and five new highways linking the city to its industrial back country. Still, much of Yangon remains without basic municipal services such as 24-hour electricity and regular garbage collection.

 

Yangon has become much more indigenous Burmese in its ethnic make-up since independence. After independence, many South Asians and Anglo-Burmese left. Many more South Asians were forced to leave during the 1960s by Ne Win's xenophobic government. Nevertheless, sizable South Asian and Chinese communities still exist in Yangon. The Anglo-Burmese have effectively disappeared, having left the country or intermarried with other Burmese groups.

 

Yangon was the centre of major anti-government protests in 1974, 1988 and 2007. The 1988 People Power Uprising resulted in the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands of Burmese civilians, many in Yangoon where hundreds of thousands of people flooded into the streets of the then capital city. The Saffron Revolution saw mass shootings and the use of crematoria in Yangoon by the Burmese government to erase evidence of their crimes against monks, unarmed protesters, journalists and students.

 

The city's streets saw bloodshed each time as protesters were gunned down by the government.

 

In May 2008, Cyclone Nargis hit Yangon. While the city had few human casualties, three quarters of Yangon's industrial infrastructure was destroyed or damaged, with losses estimated at US$800 million.

 

In November 2005, the military government designated Naypyidaw, 320 kilometres north of Yangon, as the new administrative capital, and subsequently moved much of the government to the newly developed city. At any rate, Yangon remains the largest city, and the most important commercial centre of Myanmar.

 

GEOGRAPHY

Yangon is located in Lower Burma (Myanmar) at the convergence of the Yangon and Bago Rivers about 30 km away from the Gulf of Martaban at 16°48' North, 96°09' East (16.8, 96.15). Its standard time zone is UTC/GMT +6:30 hours.

 

CLIMATE

Yangon has a tropical monsoon climate under the Köppen climate classification system. The city features a lengthy wet season from May through October where a substantial amount of rainfall is received; and a dry season from November through April, where little rainfall is seen. It is primarily due to the heavy rainfall received during the rainy season that Yangon falls under the tropical monsoon climate category. During the course of the year 1961 to 1990s, average temperatures show little variance, with average highs ranging from 29 to 36 °C and average lows ranging from 18 to 25 °C.

 

CITYSCAPE

Until the mid-1990s, Yangon remained largely constrained to its traditional peninsula setting between the Bago, Yangon and Hlaing rivers. People moved in, but little of the city moved out. Maps from 1944 show little development north of Inya Lake and areas that are now layered in cement and stacked with houses were then virtual backwaters. Since the late 1980s, however, the city began a rapid spread north to where Yangon International airport now stands. But the result is a stretching tail on the city, with the downtown area well removed from its geographic centre. The city's area has steadily increased from 72.52 square kilometres in 1901 to 86.2 square kilometres in 1940 to 208.51 square kilometres in 1974, to 346.13 square kilometres in 1985, and to 598.75 square kilometres in 2008.

 

ARCHITECTURE

Downtown Yangon is known for its leafy avenues and fin-de-siècle architecture. The former British colonial capital has the highest number of colonial period buildings in south-east Asia. Downtown Yangon is still mainly made up of decaying colonial buildings. The former High Court, the former Secretariat buildings, the former St. Paul's English High School and the Strand Hotel are excellent examples of the bygone era. Most downtown buildings from this era are four-story mix-use (residential and commercial) buildings with 4.3 m ceilings, allowing for the construction of mezzanines. Despite their less-than-perfect conditions, the buildings remain highly sought after and most expensive in the city's property market.

 

In 1996, the Yangon City Development Committee created a Yangon City Heritage List of old buildings and structures in the city that cannot be modified or torn down without approval. In 2012, the city of Yangon imposed a 50-year moratorium on demolition of buildings older than 50 years. The Yangon Heritage Trust, an NGO started by Thant Myint-U, aims to create heritage areas in Downtown, and attract investors to renovate buildings for commercial use.

 

A latter day hallmark of Yangon is the eight-story apartment building. (In Yangon parlance, a building with no elevators (lifts) is called an apartment building and one with elevators is called a condominium. Condos which have to invest in a local power generator to ensure 24-hour electricity for the elevators are beyond the reach of most Yangonites.) Found throughout the city in various forms, eight-story apartment buildings provide relatively inexpensive housing for many Yangonites. The apartments are usually eight stories high (including the ground floor) mainly because city regulations, until February 2008, required that all buildings higher than 23 m or eight stories to install lifts. The current code calls for elevators in buildings higher than 19 m or six stories, likely ushering in the era of the six-story apartment building. Although most apartment buildings were built only within the last 20 years, they look much older and rundown due to shoddy construction and lack of proper maintenance.

 

Unlike other major Asian cities, Yangon does not have any skyscrapers. Aside from a few high-rise hotels and office towers, most high-rise buildings (usually 10 stories and up) are "condos" scattered across prosperous neighbourhoods north of downtown such as Bahan, Dagon, Kamayut and Mayangon. The tallest building in Yangon, Pyay Gardens, is a 25-story condo in the city's north.

 

Older satellite towns such as Thaketa, North Okkalapa and South Okkalapa are lined mostly with one to two story detached houses with access to the city's electricity grid. Newer satellite towns such as North Dagon and South Dagon are still essentially slums in a grid layout. The satellite towns - old or new - receive little or no municipal services.

 

ROAD LAYOUT

Downtown Yangon's road layout follows a grid pattern, based on four types of roads:

 

Broad 49-m wide roads running west to east

Broad 30-m wide roads running south to north

Two narrow 9.1-m wide streets running south to north

Mid-size 15-m wide streets running south to north

 

The east-west grid of central was laid out by British military engineers Fraser and Montgomerie after the Second Anglo-Burmese War. The city was later developed by the Public Works Department and Bengal Corps of Engineers. The pattern of south to north roads is as follows: one broad 30 m wide broad road, two narrow streets, one mid-size street, two more narrow streets, and then another 30 m wide broad road. This order is repeated from west to east. The narrow streets are numbered; the medium and broad roads are named.

 

For example, the 30 m Lanmadaw Road is followed by 9.1 m-wide 17th and 18th streets then the medium 15 m Sint-Oh-Dan Road, the 30-foot 19th and 20th streets, followed by another 30 m wide Latha Road, followed again by the two numbered small roads 21st and 22nd streets, and so on.

 

The roads running parallel west to east were the Strand Road, Merchant Road, Maha Bandula (née Dalhousie) Road, Anawrahta (Fraser) Road, and Bogyoke Aung San (Montgomerie) Road.

 

PARKS AND GARDENS

The largest and best maintained parks in Yangon are located around Shwedagon Pagoda. To the south-east of the gilded stupa is the most popular recreational area in the city – Kandawgyi Lake. The 61-ha lake is surrounded by the 45-ha Kandawgyi Nature Park, and the 28-ha Yangon Zoological Gardens, which consists of a zoo, an aquarium and an amusement park. West of the pagoda towards the former Hluttaw (Parliament) complex is the 53-ha People's Square and Park, (the former parading ground on important national days when Yangon was the capital.) A few miles north of the pagoda lies the 15-ha Inya Lake Park – a favorite hangout place of Yangon University students, and a well-known place of romance in Burmese popular culture.

 

Hlawga National Park and Allied War Memorial at the outskirts of the city are popular day-trip destinations with the well-to-do and tourists.

 

Yangon Book Plaza, the first and biggest book shop in Myanmar was opened on February 26, 2017 on the fifth floor of Than Zay Market in Lanmadaw Township, Yangon.

 

ADMINISTRATION

Yangon is administered by the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC). YCDC also coordinates urban planning. The city is divided into four districts. The districts combined have a total of 33 townships. The current mayor of Yangon is Maung Maung Soe. Each township is administered by a committee of township leaders, who make decisions regarding city beautification and infrastructure. Myo-thit (lit. "New Towns", or satellite towns) are not within such jurisdictions.

 

TRANSPORT

Yangon is Burma's main domestic and international hub for air, rail, and ground transportation.

 

AIR

Yangon International Airport, located 19 km from the centre, is the country's main gateway for domestic and international air travel. The airport has three terminals, known as T1, T2 and T3 which is also known as Domestic. It has direct flights to regional cities in Asia – mainly, Doha, Dubai, Dhaka, Kolkata, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Beijing, Seoul, Guangzhou, Taipei, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Kunming and Singapore. Although domestic airlines offer service to about twenty domestic locations, most flights are to tourist destinations such as Bagan, Mandalay, Heho and Ngapali, and to the capital Naypyidaw.

 

RAILWAYS

Yangon Central Railway Station is the main terminus of Myanmar Railways' 5,403-kilometre rail network whose reach covers Upper Myanmar (Naypyidaw, Mandalay, Shwebo), upcountry (Myitkyina), Shan hills (Taunggyi, Lashio) and the Taninthayi coast (Mawlamyaing, Dawei).

 

Yangon Circular Railway operates a 45.9-kilometre 39-station commuter rail network that connects Yangon's satellite towns. The system is heavily utilized by the local populace, selling about 150,000 tickets daily. The popularity of the commuter line has jumped since the government reduced petrol subsidies in August 2007.

 

BUSES AND CARS

Yangon has a 4,456-kilometre road network of all types (tar, concrete and dirt) in March 2011. Many of the roads are in poor condition and not wide enough to accommodate an increasing number of cars. The vast majority of Yangon residents cannot afford a car and rely on an extensive network of buses to get around. Over 300 public and private bus lines operate about 6,300 crowded buses around the city, carrying over 4.4 million passengers a day. All buses and 80% of the taxis in Yangon run on compressed natural gas (CNG), following the 2005 government decree to save money on imported petroleum. Highway buses to other cities depart from Dagon Ayeyar Highway Bus Terminal for Irrawaddy delta region and Aung Mingala Highway Bus Terminal for other parts of the country.

 

Motor transportation in Yangon is highly expensive for most of its citizens. As the government allows only a few thousand cars to be imported each year in a country with over 50 million people, car prices in Yangon (and in Burma) are among the highest in the world. In July 2008, the two most popular cars in Yangon, 1986/87 Nissan Sunny Super Saloon and 1988 Toyota Corolla SE Limited, cost the equivalent of about US$20,000 and US$29,000 respectively. A sports utility vehicle, imported for the equivalent of around US$50,000, goes for US$250,000. Illegally imported unregistered cars are cheaper – typically about half the price of registered cars. Nonetheless, car usage in Yangon is on the rise, a sign of rising incomes for some, and already causes much traffic congestion in highway-less Yangon's streets. In 2011, Yangon had about 300,000 registered motor vehicles in addition to an unknown number of unregistered ones.

 

Since 1970, cars have been driven on the right side of the road in Burma, as part of a military decree. However, as the government has not required left hand drive (LHD) cars to accompany the right side road rules, many cars on the road are still right hand drive (RHD) made for driving on the left side. Japanese used cars, which make up most of the country's imports, still arrive with RHD and are never converted to LHD. As a result, Burmese drivers have to rely on their passengers when passing other cars.

 

Within Yangon city limits, it is illegal to drive trishaws, bicycles, and motorcycles. Since February 2010, pickup truck bus lines have been forbidden to run in 6 townships of central Yangon, namely Latha, Lanmadaw, Pabedan, Kyauktada, Botahtaung and Pazundaung Townships. In May 2003, a ban on using car horns was implemented in six townships of Downtown Yangon to reduce noise pollution. In April 2004, the car horn ban was expanded to cover the entire city.

 

RIVER

Yangon's four main passenger jetties, all located on or near downtown waterfront, mainly serve local ferries across the river to Dala and Thanlyin, and regional ferries to the Irrawaddy delta. The 35-km Twante Canal was the quickest route from Yangon to the Irrawaddy delta until the 1990s when roads between Yangon and the Irrawaddy Division became usable year-round. While passenger ferries to the delta are still used, those to Upper Burma via the Irrawaddy river are now limited mostly to tourist river cruises.

 

DEMOGRAPHICS

Yangon is the most populous city by far in Burma although estimates of the size of its population vary widely. All population figures are estimates since no official census has been conducted in Burma since 1983. A UN estimate puts the population as 4.35 million in 2010 but a 2009 U.S. State Department estimate puts it at 5.5 million. The U.S. State Department's estimate is probably closer to the real number since the UN number is a straight-line projection, and does not appear to take the expansion of city limits in the past two decades into account. The city's population grew sharply after 1948 as many people (mainly, the indigenous Burmese) from other parts of the country moved into the newly built satellite towns of North Okkalapa, South Okkalapa, and Thaketa in the 1950s and East Dagon, North Dagon and South Dagon in the 1990s. Immigrants have founded their regional associations (such as Mandalay Association, Mawlamyaing Association, etc.) in Yangon for networking purposes. The government's decision to move the nation's administrative capital to Naypyidaw has drained an unknown number of civil servants away from Yangon.

 

Yangon is the most ethnically diverse city in the country. While Indians formed the slight majority prior to World War II, today, the majority of the population is of indigenous Bamar (Burman) descent. Large communities of Indians/South Asian Burmese and the Chinese Burmese exist especially in the traditional downtown neighborhoods. A large number of Rakhine and Karen also live in the city.

 

Burmese is the principal language of the city. English is by far the preferred second language of the educated class. In recent years, however, the prospect of overseas job opportunities has enticed

 

some to study other languages: Mandarin Chinese is most popular, followed by Japanese, and French.

 

RELIGIONS

The primary religions practiced in Yangon are Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam. Shwedagon Pagoda is a famous religious landmark in the city.

 

MEDIA

Yangon is the country's hub for the movie, music, advertising, newspaper and book publishing industries. All media is heavily regulated by the military government. Television broadcasting is off limits to the private sector. All media content must first be approved by the government's media censor board, Press Scrutiny and Registration Division.

 

Most television channels in the country are broadcast from Yangon. TV Myanmar and Myawaddy TV are the two main channels, providing Burmese-language programming in news and entertainment. Other special interest channels are MWD-1 and MWD-2, MRTV-3, the English-language channel that targets overseas audiences via satellite and via Internet, MRTV-4 and Channel 7 are with a focus on non-formal education programs and movies, and Movie 5, a pay-TV channel specializing in broadcasting foreign movies.

 

Yangon has three radio stations. Myanmar Radio National Service is the national radio service and broadcasts mostly in Burmese (and in English during specific times.) Pop culture oriented Yangon City FM and Mandalay City FM radio stations specialize in Burmese and English pop music, entertainment programs, live celebrity interviews, etc. New radio channels such as Shwe FM and Pyinsawaddy FM can also be tuned with the city area.

 

Nearly all print media and industries are based out of Yangon. All three national newspapers – two Burmese language dailies Myanma Alin (မြန်မာ့အလင်း) and Kyemon (ကြေးမုံ), and the English language The New Light of Myanmar — are published by the government. Semi-governmental The Myanmar Times weekly, published in Burmese and in English, is mainly geared for Yangon's expatriate community. Over twenty special interest journals and magazines covering sports, fashion, finance, crime, literature (but never politics) vie for the readership of the general populace.

 

Access to foreign media is extremely difficult. Satellite television in Yangon, and in Burma, is very expensive as the government imposes an annual registration fee of one million kyats. Certain foreign newspapers and periodicals such as the International Herald Tribune and the Straits Times can be found only in a few (mostly downtown) bookstores. Internet access in Yangon, which has the best telecommunication infrastructure in the country, is slow and erratic at best, and the Burmese government implements one of the world's most restrictive regimes of Internet control. International text messaging and voice messaging was permitted only in August 2008.

 

COMMUNICATION

Common facilities taken for granted elsewhere are luxury prized items in Yangon and Burma. The price of a GSM mobile phone was about K1.1 million in August 2008. In 2007, the country of 55 million had only 775,000 phone lines (including 275,000 mobile phones), and 400,000 computers. Even in Yangon, which has the best infrastructure, the estimated telephone penetration rate was only 6% at the end of 2004, and the official waiting time for a telephone line was 3.6 years. Most people cannot afford a computer and have to use the city's numerous Internet cafes to access a heavily restricted Internet, and a heavily censored local intranet. According to official statistics, in July 2010, the country had over 400,000 Internet users, with the vast majority hailing from just two cities, Yangon and Mandalay. Although Internet access was available in 42 cities across the country, the number of users outside the two main cities was just over 10,000.

 

LIFESTYLE

Yangon's property market is the most expensive in the country and beyond the reach of most Yangonites. Most rent outside the centre and few can afford to rent such apartments. (In 2008, rents for a typical 60 to 70 m2 apartments in the centre and vicinity range between K70,000 and K150,000 and those for high end condos between K200,000 and K500,000.)

 

Most men of all ages (and some women) spend their time at ubiquitous tea-shops, found in any corner or street of the city. Watching European football (mostly English Premier League with occasional La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga) matches while sipping tea is a popular pastime among many Yangonites. The average person stays close to his or her residential neighbourhood. The well-to-do tend to visit shopping malls and parks on weekends. Some leave the city on weekends for Chaungtha and Ngwesaung beach resorts in Ayeyarwady Division.

 

Yangon is also home to many pagoda festivals (paya pwe), held during dry-season months (November – March). The most famous of all, the Shwedagon Pagoda Festival in March, attracts thousands of pilgrims from around the country.

 

Yangon's museums are the domain of tourists and rarely visited by the locals.

 

Most of Yangon's larger hotels offer some kind of nightlife entertainment, geared towards tourists and the well-to-do Burmese. Some hotels offer traditional Burmese performing arts shows complete with a traditional Burmese orchestra. The pub scene in larger hotels is more or less the same as elsewhere in Asia. Other options include karaoke bars and pub restaurants in Yangon Chinatown.

 

Due to the problems of high inflation, the lack of high denomination notes, and the fact that many of the population do not have access to checks, or credit or debit cards, it is common to see citizens carrying a considerable amount of cash. (The highest denomination of Burmese currency kyat is 10 000 (~US$10.)) Credit cards are only rarely used in the city, chiefly in the more lavish hotels. Credit cards are also accepted in the major supermarket and convenience store chains.

 

SPORTS

As the city has the best sporting facilities in the country, most national-level annual sporting tournaments such as track and field, football, volleyball, tennis and swimming are held in Yangon. The 40,000-seat Aung San Stadium and the 32,000-seat Thuwunna Stadium are the main venues for the highly popular annual State and Division football tournament. Until April 2009, the now defunct Myanmar Premier League, consisted of 16 Yangon-based clubs, played all its matches in Yangon stadiums, and attracted little interest from the general public or commercial success despite the enormous popularity of football in Burma. Most Yangonites prefer watching European football on satellite TV. Teams such as Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City are among the favorite European teams among the Yangonites. It remains to be seen whether the Myanmar National League, the country's first professional football league, and its Yangon-based club Yangon United FC will attract a sufficient following in the country's most important media market.

 

Yangon is also home to annual the Myanmar Open golf tournament, and the Myanmar Open tennis tournament. The city hosted the 1961 and 1969 South East Asian Games. During colonial times, cricket was played mostly by British officials in the city. First-class cricket was played in the city in January 1927 when the touring Marylebone Cricket Club played Burma and the Rangoon Gymkhana. Two grounds were used to host these matches, the BAA Ground and the Gymkhana Ground. These matches mark the only time Burma and Rangoon Gymkhana have appeared in first-class cricket, and the only time first-class cricket has been played in Burma. After independence cricket all but died out in the country.

 

Yangon has a growing population of skateboarders, as documented in the films Altered Focus: Burma and Youth of Yangon. German non-profit organization Make Life Skate Life has received permission from the Yangon City Development Committee to construct a concrete skatepark at Thakin Mya park in downtown, and plans to complete the park in November 2015.

 

ECONOMY

Yangon is the country's main centre for trade, industry, real estate, media, entertainment and tourism. The city represents about one fifth of the national economy. According to official statistics for FY 2010–2011, the size of the economy of Yangon Region was 8.93 trillion kyats, or 23% of the national GDP.

 

The city is Lower Burma's main trading hub for all kinds of merchandise – from basic food stuffs to used cars although commerce continues to be hampered by the city's severely underdeveloped banking industry and communication infrastructure. Bayinnaung Market is the largest wholesale centre in the country for rice, beans and pulses, and other agricultural commodities. Much of the country's legal imports and exports go through Thilawa Port, the largest and busiest port in Burma. There is also a great deal of informal trade, especially in street markets that exist alongside street platforms of Downtown Yangon's townships. However, on 17 June 2011, the YCDC announced that street vendors, who had previously been allowed to legally open shop at 3 pm, would be prohibited from selling on the streets, and permitted to sell only in their townships of residence, presumably to clean up the city's image. Since 1 December 2009, high-density polyethylene plastic bags have been banned by city authorities.

 

Manufacturing accounts for a sizable share of employment. At least 14 light industrial zones ring Yangon, directly employing over 150,000 workers in 4,300 factories in early 2010. The city is the centre of country's garment industry which exported US$292 million in 2008/9 fiscal year. More than 80 percent of factory workers in Yangon work on a day-to-day basis. Most are young women between 15 and 27 years of age who come from the countryside in search of a better life. The manufacturing sector suffers from both structural problems (e.g. chronic power shortages) and political.

 

problems (e.g. economic sanctions). In 2008, Yangon's 2500 factories alone needed about 120 MW of power; yet, the entire city received only about 250 MW of the 530 MW needed. Chronic power shortages limit the factories' operating hours between 8 am and 6 pm.

 

Construction is a major source of employment. The construction industry has been negatively affected by the move of state apparatus and civil servants to Naypyidaw, new regulations introduced in August 2009 requiring builders to provide at least 12 parking spaces in every new high-rise building, and the general poor business climate. As of January 2010, the number of new high-rise building starts approved in 2009–2010 was only 334, compared to 582 in 2008–2009.

 

Tourism represents a major source of foreign currency for the city although by south-east Asian standards the number of foreign visitors to Yangon has always been quite low - about 250,000 before the Saffron Revolution in September 2007. The number of visitors dipped even further following the Saffron Revolution and Cyclone Nargis. The recent improvement in the country's political climate has attracted an increasing number of businessmen and tourists. Between 300,000 and 400,000 visitors that went through Yangon International in 2011. However, after years of underinvestment, Yangon's modest hotel infrastructure - only 3000 of the total 8000 hotel rooms in Yangon are "suitable for tourists" - is already bursting at seams, and will need to be expanded to handle additional visitors. As part of an urban development strategy, a hotel zone has been planned in Yangon's outskirts, encompassing government- and military-owned land in Mingaladon, Hlegu and Htaukkyant Townships.

 

EDUCATION

Yangon educational facilities has a very high number of qualified teachers but the state spending on education is among the lowest of the world. Around 2007 estimate by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies puts the spending for education at 0.5% of the national budget. The disparity in educational opportunities and achievement between rich and poor schools is quite stark even within the city. With little or no state support forthcoming, schools have to rely on forced "donations" and various fees from parents for nearly everything – school maintenance to teachers' salaries, forcing many poor students to drop out.

 

While many students in poor districts fail to reach high school, a handful of Yangon high schools in wealthier districts such as Dagon 1, Sanchaung 2, Kamayut 2, Bahan 2, Latha 2, and TTC provide the majority of students admitted to the most selective universities in the country, highlighting the extreme shallowness of talent pool in the country. The wealthy bypass the state education system altogether, sending their children to private English language instruction schools such as YIEC or more widely known as ISM, or abroad (typically Singapore or Australia) for university education. In 2014, international schools in Yangon cost at least US$8,000 a year.

 

There are over 20 universities and colleges in the city. While Yangon University remains the best known (its main campus is a part of popular Burmese culture e.g. literature, music, film, etc.), the nation's oldest university is now mostly a graduate school, deprived of undergraduate studies. Following the 1988 nationwide uprising, the military government has repeatedly closed universities, and has dispersed most of undergraduate student population to new universities in the suburbs such as Dagon University, the University of East Yangon and the University of West Yangon. Nonetheless many of the country's most selective universities are still in Yangon. Students from around the country still have to come to study in Yangon as some subjects are offered only at its universities. The University of Medicine 1, University of Medicine 2, Yangon Technological University, University of Computer Studies and Myanmar Maritime University are the most selective in the country.

 

HEALTH CARE

The general state of health care in Yangon is poor. According to a 2007 estimate, the military government spends 0.4% of the national budget on health care, and 40% to 60% on defense. By the government's own figures, it spends 849 kyats (US$0.85) per person. Although health care is nominally free, in reality, patients have to pay for medicine and treatment, even in public clinics and hospitals. Public hospitals including the flagship Yangon General Hospital lack many of the basic facilities and equipment.

 

Wealthier Yangonites still have access to country's best medical facilities and internationally qualified doctors. Only Yangon and Mandalay have any sizable number of doctors left as many Burmese doctors have emigrated. The well-to-do go to private clinics or hospitals like Pun Hlaing International Hospital and Bahosi Medical Clinic. Medical malpractice is widespread, even in private clinics and hospitals that serve the well-to-do. In 2009 and 2010, a spate of high-profile deaths brought out the severity of the problem, even for the relatively well off Yangonites. The wealthy do not rely on domestic hospitals and travel abroad, usually Bangkok or Singapore, for treatment.

 

WIKIPEDIA

If there is a specific sculpture for which people remember the Collegiate Church of San Pedro, it would surely be for the praying sculpture of Don Cristóbal de Rojas y Sandoval by Juan de Arfe. Don Cristóbal de Rojas y Sandoval was Archbishop of Seville and uncle of the Duke of Lerma and as he was buried in the town of Lerma, the Duke of Lerma decided to move the bronze sculpture to the Collegiate Church in 1608. When the figure was moved to the Collegiate Church, a pedestal was built to place the figure. In the figure, Don Cristóbal de Rojas y Sandoval is praying, kneeling and looking at the main altar. He is in pontifical dress and with a cape decorated with images of the Transfiguration and the Apostles. He wears gloves that cover his hands although they show very little of his fingers. A very curious fact is that this sculpture appears as that of a man younger than he was at the time of his death and is far from the face shown in some old paintings. On the prie-dieu rests a book, the staff and the mitre.

A site specific work by Patrick Dougherty. Built of locally collected red maple and sweet gum saplings the whimsical installation was built on site in a two story gallery space overlooking the garden of the Gibbs Museum in Charleston, South Carolina. The spire look forms were inspired by the distinctive church spires of Charleston.

For “Knowledge is Golden” the inspiration was specific to the area which the mural was done. San Francisco is seeing its second gold rush with information and knowledge being the currency of today. SOMA, being slated to be developed as the new downtown of San Francisco with technology leading the transformation, is why we chose this location for our message.

Gold miners have been replaced by tech innovators. Pickaxes and shovels have been replaced with laptops and desktops. Though the times have changed, the human thirst for chasing opportunity remains prevalent in these times. And with this influx of new people, San Francisco culture as we know it will never be the same.

 

www.artandarchitecture-sf.com/tag/ghost-signs

Specific Perfection ENB www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/62978/?

 

Joy of Ship www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/61808/?

 

No snow Under roof www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/51188/?

Specific Perfection ENB www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/62978/?

 

CAD25 texture pack www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/49241/?

 

W.A.T.E.R v. 2.02 -------couldn't find the link :/

 

Joy of Ship www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/61808/?

Joé Juneau: Team Canada's 1992 Olympic Star

 

This image captures Canadian ice hockey player Joé Juneau in his iconic Team Canada uniform, wearing jersey number 9. This specific jersey style, featuring the large maple leaf crest, was worn by the Canadian National Men's Hockey Team during the early 1990s, most notably at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. This specific photograph is an autographed piece of memorabilia, commemorating his time as an Olympic hero.

 

Juneau postponed his professional NHL career to represent his country, a decision that proved historic. At the 1992 Games, he was the standout player, leading the entire tournament in points with six goals and nine assists in just eight games. His exceptional play was a key factor in Canada winning a silver medal, the nation's first Olympic hockey medal in 24 years.

 

Player Profile

 

Full Name: Joseph "Joé" Juneau

Position: Centre

Nationality: Canadian

Olympic Achievement: Silver Medal (1992 Winter Olympics)

Notable Career Fact: In his rookie NHL season immediately following the Olympics, Juneau set an NHL record for assists by a left winger and amassed an incredible 102 points with the Boston Bruins. He earned a degree in aeronautical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, known for balancing high academics with elite athletics.

 

LINK to video - 1992 Gold Medal Hockey Game - Canada vs Unified Team Albertville winter Olympics - www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjDV8fGWQ5c

 

LINK to video - Great Canadians: Joé Juneau - www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_x9tBqL1eQ

 

Joé Juneau played a total of 78 games for Team Canada (including exhibition and Olympic tournament play) across the years 1989 to 1992. He famously led Canada to a silver medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, where he was the tournament's leading scorer.

 

1989/90 - 3 games

1990/91 - 7 games

1991/92 - 60 games

1992 - Winter Olympics - 8 games

The uniform he is wearing is not from the 1992 Winter Olympics Games - Does anybody know where and when this photo was taken? And what the advertisement on the boards says - BE / ANT / BRA ?

 

Joé Juneau was an ice hockey star. In 1991, the native of Pont-Rouge, Quebec postponed a confirmed trip to the National Hockey League so he could play on Canada’s national team. Clutching a new degree in aeronautical engineering, Juneau suited up for Team Canada and his impact was immediate. In 60 exhibition games, Juneau scored 69 points – but only a prelude to the Olympic tournament in 1992. At the Olympic Winter Games that year in Albertville, France, Juneau led a team composed of amateur players. Canada won a silver medal and not only did Juneau lead the team in points, he led the entire tournament. In eight games, the centre had six goals and nine assists for 15 points. LINK - develop.olympic.ca/2009/09/10/all-about-joe-juneau/

 

In the NHL, Juneau carved a memorable career. In his rookie season of 1992-1993, Juneau scored 102 points as a member of the Boston Bruins. His professional hockey career took him through Washington, Buffalo, Ottawa, Phoenix and Montreal. Juneau played in the Stanley Cup final twice, in 1998 with Washington and in 1999 with Buffalo. Upon retiring in 2004, Juneau had amassed 156 goals and 572 points in 828 career games.

 

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

At the 1992 Olympic Winter Games in Albertville, France, Juneau led a team composed of amateur players.Canada won a silver medal and not only did Juneau lead the team in points, he led the entire tournament – in eight games, the centre had six goals and nine assists for 15 points.

 

In his NHL rookie season of 1992-1993, Juneau scored 102 points as a member of the Boston Bruins.

 

His professional hockey career took him through Washington, Buffalo, Ottawa, Phoenix and Montreal. Juneau played in the Stanley Cup final twice, in 1998 with Washington and in 1999 with Buffalo.

 

Upon retiring in 2004, Juneau had amassed 156 goals and 572 points in 828 career games.

Rovingian Council - Spiritual Stabilization and Balance Rituals - Importance Of Colors - Genius Loci by Daniel Arrhakis (2026)

 

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Rovingian Council - Spiritual Stabilization and Balance Rituals - Importance Of Colors - Genius Loci

  

Clothing and body paint function as a vibrational armor. When the Genius Loci—the soul or guardian spirit of a place—is disturbed, the ritualist cannot present themselves as just an ordinary individual; they need to "wear" the balance they wish to restore.

 

The colors in the clothing are not merely aesthetic, but resonance tools to act on these imbalances:

 

- White (Purity and Connection): Essential for neutralizing dense energies and restoring the original harmony of the place. It acts as a receptacle of light to attract spiritual guides and promote vibrational equality in the space.

 

- Blue (Spirituality and Calm): Used to calm tempestuous forces and restore the peace and personal balance necessary to deal with malevolent entities. Deep blue is linked to leadership and confidence, essential for those who "command" the ritual.

 

- Green (Healing and Ecology): The color of truth and regeneration. In ecological rituals, green promotes adaptation to the environment and the vitality of the body, serving as a direct bridge to the healing of the earth.

 

- Violet (Transmutation): Represents the balance between thought and feeling, being the ideal color to transform negative energies into positive ones and achieve deep meditative states.

 

- Orange is the result of the fusion between Red (fire, life force, instinct) and Yellow (light, intellect, clarity). In a vibrational armor, it acts as the Great Mediator.

 

The Point of Balance between Heaven and Earth

 

In the chakra system (which often informs the symbolism of ritual body painting), orange governs the Svadhisthana.

 

- The Function: Governs our relationships and our connection with others.

 

- The Ritual: By using orange before a disturbed genius loci, the ritualist is saying: "I recognize your connection with me; I re-establish our fluid and harmonious relationship."

 

Face painting, by concealing personal identity, prevents intimidating forces from attacking the practitioner's ego, allowing them to become a pure channel for the restoration of the Genius Loci.

Frequently, these colors and pigments are extracted from nature itself (such as bark and leaves), reinforcing the intrinsic connection with the ecosystem that one intends to protect.

  

Thus, the transformation into a "living statue" is not merely aesthetic; it is a depersonalization technique that allows the monk to:

 

- Serve as a Driver: Act as a lightning rod for environmental imbalance without his or her own psyche being corrupted.

 

- Absolute Neutrality: The covered face removes identity, allowing the local entity (the spirit of the place) to interact with a neutral force, rather than an intruder.

 

- Spiritual Protection: The complete concealment of the hands and face ensures that the monk cannot be "marked" or pursued by the anomaly after the ritual is complete. The facial paint is not merely decorative; it is a tactical tool.

 

In the presence of a genius loci, being recognized as a specific human being is a vulnerability. The paint acts as a "mask of the spirit," allowing the monk to interact with the entity on equal footing.

 

Sometimes, black patterns may be necessary for absorbing negativity and protection. Black acts as a shield that consumes shadows and the forces of stagnation, symbolizing the depth of the spiritual abyss.

  

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Conselho Rovingiano - Rituais de Estabilização e Equilíbrio Espiritual - A Importância das Cores - Genius Loci

  

As roupas e a pintura corporal funcionam como uma armadura vibracional. Quando o Genius Loci — a alma ou o espírito guardião de um lugar — é perturbado, o ritualista não pode apresentar-se como um indivíduo comum; precisa de "vestir" o equilíbrio que deseja repor.

 

As cores nas roupas não são meramente estéticas, mas ferramentas de ressonância para atuar sobre estes desequilíbrios:

 

- Branco (Pureza e Conexão): Essencial para neutralizar as energias densas e restaurar a harmonia original do local. Atua como um recetáculo de luz para atrair guias espirituais e promover a igualdade vibracional no espaço.

 

- Azul (Espiritualidade e Calma): Utilizado para acalmar as forças tempestuosas e restaurar a paz e o equilíbrio pessoal necessários para lidar com entidades malévolas. O azul profundo está ligado à liderança e à confiança, essenciais para aqueles que "comandam" o ritual.

 

- Verde (Cura e Ecologia): A cor da verdade e da regeneração. Nos rituais ecológicos, o verde promove a adaptação ao meio ambiente e a vitalidade do corpo, servindo de ponte direta para a cura da Terra.

 

- Violeta (Transmutação): Representa o equilíbrio entre o pensamento e o sentimento, sendo a cor ideal para transformar energias negativas em positivas e alcançar estados meditativos profundos.

 

- O Laranja é o resultado da fusão entre o Vermelho (fogo, força vital, instinto) e o Amarelo (luz, intelecto, clareza). Numa armadura vibracional, atua como o Grande Mediador.

 

O Ponto de Equilíbrio entre o Céu e a Terra

 

No sistema de chakras (que frequentemente influencia o simbolismo da pintura corporal ritualística), o laranja rege o Svadhisthana.

 

- A Função: Governa as nossas relações e a nossa ligação com os outros.

 

- O Ritual: Ao usar o laranja perante um genius loci perturbado, o ritualista está a dizer: "Reconheço a tua ligação comigo; restabeleço a nossa relação fluida e harmoniosa."

 

- A pintura facial, ao ocultar a identidade pessoal, impede que forças intimidatórias ataquem o ego do praticante, permitindo que este se torne um canal puro para a restauração do Genius Loci.

Frequentemente, estas cores e pigmentos são extraídos da própria natureza (como cascas e folhas), reforçando a ligação intrínseca com o ecossistema que se pretende proteger.

  

Assim a transformação numa "estátua viva" não é meramente estética; é uma técnica de despersonalização que permite ao monge:

 

- Servir como um condutor: Atuar como um para-raios para o desequilíbrio ambiental sem que a sua própria psique seja corrompida.

 

- Neutralidade absoluta: O rosto coberto remove a identidade, permitindo que a entidade local (o espírito do lugar) interaja com uma força neutra, em vez de um intruso.

 

- Proteção espiritual: O completo ocultamento das mãos e do rosto garante que o monge não possa ser "marcado" ou perseguido pela anomalia após a conclusão do ritual. A pintura facial não é meramente decorativa; é uma ferramenta tática.

 

Na presença de um genius loci, ser reconhecido como um ser humano específico é uma vulnerabilidade. A pintura atua como uma "máscara do espírito", permitindo ao monge interagir com a entidade em pé de igualdade.

 

Por vezes, podem ser necessários padrões pretos para absorver a negatividade e para proteção. O preto atua como um escudo que consome as sombras e as forças da estagnação, simbolizando a profundidade do abismo espiritual.

   

Anunakis meeting point.

To see it bigger click here

Processed with VSCO with oc preset

"The key to faking out the parents is the clammy hands. It’s a good non-specific symptom…I'm a big believer in it. A lot of people will tell you that a good phony fever is a dead-lock, but, uh, you get a nervous mother, you could wind up in the doctor's office...That's worse than school."- Ferris Bueller's Day Off

 

Yeah, so I'm sooooo not feeling school tomorrow...maybe I can fake being sick? Chicken Pox maybe? I mean I did have them like 4 times as a kid...it was excessive enough to maybe think that I really never grew an immunity to it...lol!

 

Well, since I can't go cry to my mommy and fake it...I guess I'll just have to go!

 

Sarah Dee Actions: Star Bright 40% and Pretty Vintage 50%

Just another working-class hero from my collection of vintage badges/credentials.

109, a red Caterham Seven - FV03 CMF - entered by Graham Sinclair, seen in the paddock during practice at Doune Hill Climb, September 2018.

 

Any additional information clarifying the vehicle's make, model, modifications made and its specific history will be welcomed.

 

Press "L" to view large.

"Save the girl child campaign by SOCIAL GEOGRAPHIC"

Photo: Firoz Ahmad Firoz

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According to one United Nations estimate, 113 to 200 million women are “demographically missing” from the world today. That is to say, there should be 113 to 200 million more women walking the earth, who aren’t. By that same estimate, 1.5 to 3 million women and girls lose their lives every year because of gender-based neglect or gender-based violence and Sexual Violence in Conflict ( Read more about UN Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict www.stoprapenow.org/ ). We can point a finger at poverty. But poverty alone does not result in these women’s deaths; the blame also falls on the social system and attitudes of the societies.

 

India alone accounts for more than 50 million of the women who are “missing” due to female foeticide - the sex-selective abortion of girls, dowry death, gender-based neglect and all forms of violence against women.

 

Since the late 1970s when the technology for sex determination first came into being, sex selective abortion has unleashed a saga of horror in India. Experts are calling it "sanitized barbarism".The 2001 Census conducted by Government of India, showed a sharp decline in the child sex ratio in 80% districts of India. The Census Report of 2001 reveals a highly skewed child sex ratio (0-6 year-olds), that fell from 945 females per 1,000 males in 1991 to an all-time low of 927 in 2001. The ratio even dropped further to 800:1,000 in some specific parts of the country. Additional data from the India’s birth and death registration service indicates that the figures have further fallen to fewer than 900 females per 1,000 men over the last few years.

 

The decline in the sex ratio and the millions of Missing Women are indicators of the feudal patriarchal resurgence. Violence against women has gone public – whether it is dowry murders, honour killings, sex selective abortions or death sentences awarded to young lovers from different communities by caste councils, it is only women’s groups who are protesting – the public and institutional response to these trends is very minimal.

 

More women are working now than ever before, but they are also more likely than men to get low-productivity, low-paid and vulnerable jobs, with no social protection, basic rights nor voice at work according to a new report by the International Labour Office (ILO) issued for International Women’s Day 2008.

 

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Say no to sex selection and female foeticide!

Say no to dowry and violence against women!!

Say yes to Women’s Resistance, Education and Empowerment!!!

Rotterdam - Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, the world’s first fully accessible art depot, will open its doors in September 2021 at Museumpark in the centre of Rotterdam. With this construction completion, now the museum and the users can start to inhabit the building and fill its spaces with priceless art. Although it will take another year before the real opening, the completion is a special moment . 7,000 lucky persons can make a safe quick visit in 3 days in September 2020.

 

The assignment for MVRDV Architects was to offer a glimpse behind the scenes of the museum world and make the whole art collection accessible to the public. The reflective round volume responds to its surroundings. The Depot features exhibition halls, a rooftop garden, and a restaurant, in addition to an enormous amount of storage space for art and design.

Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen is the first depot in the world that offers access to a complete collection. The dynamics of the depot are different from those of the museum: no exhibitions are held here, but you can - independently or with a guide - browse through 151,000 art objects. You can also take a look at, for example, conservation and restoration.. Surface 15,000 m²

 

MVRDV has completed the bowl-like Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam's Museumpark, which is covered in mirrored glass and topped by a rooftop forest. The art storage facility, which will open to the public in autumn 2021, has been built to house the art collection of the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in one place for the first time since 1935. Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen contains a mix of storage spaces alongside areas for art maintenance, both of which will be made accessible to visitors after the artwork has been moved there. This makes the facility the first publicly accessible art depot in the world, according to MVRDV Architects, and will offer a new type of experience for museum-goers in the Netherlands.

 

The Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen measures 12 metres in height and encompasses 15,000 m2. The budget was € 55,000,000. To help reduce its visual impact, MVRDV clad the depot in 1,664 reflective glass panels so that it blends in with its surroundings in the OMA-designed Museumpark. Its bowl-shape was also developed to minimise its footprint. The rooftop features 75 birch trees. Its reflective facade wears the trappings of whatever surrounds it: people passing by, Museumpark's leafy grounds, the clouds, and Rotterdam's dynamic city skyline. Thanks to this reflection, the building is already fully integrated into its surroundings, despite its not insignificant size.

 

Inside, the building contains several storage spaces alongside studios for the curators and areas for the maintenance of the art. The storage spaces are divided into five different climate zones so that the artefacts can be stored and exhibited according to their specific temperature and humidity requirements, which can vary depending on the materials used to make them. According to MVRDV, the focal point of the depot is its central atrium, which is filled with overlapping staircases and suspended glass display cases that will eventually be filled with art chosen by the museum's curators. This atrium will connect the storage and exhibition spaces to the curators' studios, and offer visitors rare access and insights into how the museum cares and maintains its collection. Once open to the public, the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen's artwork will be displayed throughout the entire building, including on its rooftop restaurant and sculpture garden. The rooftop forest is covered with 75 tall birch trees and was incorporated by the studio to make up for the lost green space and provide views across the city.

 

MVRDV is an architecture studio based in Rotterdam, which was founded by Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries in 1991. The studio won a competition to design the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen in 2014.

It was developed by the studio with BAM Bouw & Techniek and will be made open to the public after its interiors are completed and the artwork has been moved inside.

 

Specific Moorish arabesques.

Scenic route from County Antrim in Northern Ireland.

 

This photo is offered under a standard Creative Commons License - Attribution 3.0 Unported. It gives you a lot of freedom to use my work commercially as long as you credit and link back to this image on my Flickr page.

 

Flickr resolution: 1800 x 1200 px

 

Also available for download at 5000 x 3333 px on my Patreon page, an ever-growing collection of high res images for one low monthly subscription fee. You can find this specific photo at the following post:

www.patreon.com/posts/scenic-antrim-25381976