View allAll Photos Tagged speculation
Even on a sunny day these shallow, mossy waters are rather creepy.
They always remind me of the 'Dead Marshes' from Lord of the Rings:
"Dreary and wearisome. Cold, clammy winter still held sway in this forsaken country. The only green was the scum of livid weed on the dark greasy surfaces of the sullen waters. Dead grasses and rotting reeds loomed up in the mists like ragged shadows of long forgotten summers."
—The Two Towers, "The Passage of the Marshes"
There's always been speculation about Tolkien's inspiration for the Dead Marshes, his experiences in the trenches of WW1 being one, although he always denied it. Perhaps it could have been here at Stoke Common, not so far away from Oxford.
Often the subject of intense speculation and heady anticipation in railfan circles, business trains are among the rarest sights on the rails. Despite this, I've still somehow managed to snag pictures of two over the years, both by complete accident.
Driving to Whistler for an unrelated trip in August 2019, my radio picked up CN 3224 south announcing its approach to Mile 25. Never one to pass up a train, I set up at Brunswick Beach (~Mile 20). Imagine my surprise to see the classy dark green and yellow of the CN business train! Hell yea.
There has been much speculation for a while now, that Wrexham depot will shortly become a all single deck operation, and thus removing the quite impressive ADL E400City's off routes 1 and 5, a shame really.
They say things go in cycles, and this reminds me when the impressive R-AEY batch of Volvo Olympians were on route 1 and ended up been moved away and replaced by Darts, to make the depot single deck.
A very fast moving scene here, 1008 heads for Wrexham, whilst sister 1007 CX17 BYJ heads for Chester in the background. I did get some better focused scenes of these here, but I'll post this one due to two sisters working in the same scene. I was awaiting a target Pulsar on the X4 service (I'll post at some point).
Loadings do look poor here, but looks can be deceiving. Most passengers flows at this point were heading to Chester, whilst the Wrexham bound run would load up well in the villages between Chester and Wrexham. I have sampled these quite a bit over the years and quite like them due to been different, but for some reason wasn't as keen on the CX14/15 plate examples on the traditional E400 bodywork.
Eastern Sierra, CA.
Forecasted by: Escaype
Peace cannot be attained by false judgement and speculations. Promote LOVE instead of promoting your destructive opinion.
The flower offered of itself
And eloquently spoke
Of Gods
In languages of rainbows
Perfumes
And secret silence...
~Phillip Pulfrey, from "Love, Abstraction and other Speculations"
Kryssia (Kryssia_28) I hope you have a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TODAY, dear friend!
Kryssia, espero que tenga un muy feliz cumpleaños hoy!
Thank you friends for all your visits, comments and faves. Each one of you is appreciated so much! You're the BEST!
FP & Explore #11
NO PRIVATE GROUPS
Si en algún momento te ves identificado apareciendo en alguna de mis fotos y no quieres por los motivos que sean que tu imagen este publicada en la red , por favor comunícamelo por email y quitare inmediatamente la foto de mi galería Mi unica finalidad es plasmar la realidad que nos rodea con el máximo respeto posible
Correo electrónico:albertohendrix56@yahoo.es
JENDRIX EN LA WEB
flickriver-lb-1710691658.us-east-1.elb.amazonaws.com/phot...
in Spotify...Jendrix Garcia
Well after much anticipation and speculation it would appear we do have little ones this year, which is a relief after the disappointment of last years failure :-)
Shriveled Hands.
Flammes mystérieuses visions sombres magnifique méditation significations amères spéculations pensées couvrant des circonstances confuses souvenirs,
أفواه مهجورة أقدام مظلمة قنوات الظلام تنجرف ليال قاتمة المياه سباح السامي الماس فضول العقول متفاوتة,
rührkammern zerschmetterten pläne trommeln sorgen aufrechte richtungen beschleunigen schrecken gelöste teile eifrige herzen unvorstellbare aufregungen,
nepažįstamų žmonių juokas suvokiant mirtį išniekinimas manieros neaiškūs šešėliai pavojingos aistros fantastiški sprogimai prieštaringi tarifai,
efectos acusadores bailando confianza gusanos poderosos porciones importantes narración mordida absurda escuela tonos metafísicos,
絶え間ない目極端なマーク自然な興味深い説明過度の疑い補償の挿入挿入安心繊細さ繊細さは確かに控えめな賛辞を位置づけます確かに.
Steve.D.Hammond.
A seductive young white-throated sparrow flashes a little bare leg, getting the attention of the paparazzi and creating wide spread speculation as to if she is wearing anything at all under those feathers.
Located between N. Conti St. and N. Miro St. in New Orleans, La. 70119.
"The unique New Orleans hotel that is La Belle Esplanade was built in the 1883 as a Creole answer to the mansions on Saint Charles Avenue. The three houses at 2212, 2216, and 2222 Esplanade Avenue were all built by the successful cotton broker Julius Weiss. A native of Germany, Weiss arrived in New Orleans after spending a few years as an itinerant peddler in Mississippi and northern Louisiana. Weiss never lived in any of these houses, instead he built them on speculation as the area was undergoing an extensive redevelopment to satisfy the tastes of wealthy Creole merchants relocating from the French Quarter, and a growing wealthy Greek immigrant community.
The property lines of these three lots do not match the street grid, but instead follow the original plantation lines that were laid out perpendicular to the high point of Esplanade Ridge, which is Bayou Road. For this reason the rear of the properties are narrow pie slices wedged into the middle of the block, creating a unique configuration for the back gardens.
Unlike most homes built for speculation, Julian Weiss did not construct these inexpensively or exactly alike. Though they share architectural elements, each was designed to be a stand-alone, unique masterpiece. You have to look closely to see the similarities. 2212 is built along Swiss cottage lines. 2216 is a traditional Queen Anne two-family manor. 2222 is Italianate. The interiors of all three feature 14 foot ceilings, classic New Orleans porches to served as outdoor hallways, and transoms to allow for the free flow of air during humid New Orleans summers.
Esplanade Avenue was one of the city’s main thoroughfares, and a streetcar line ran down the middle of the neutral ground from 1861 to 1934. It was the first streetcar line to run through the “back of town,” testimony to the importance of commerce and the vitality in the surrounding neighborhoods.
During the 1960s this fashionable neighborhood began to experience hard times. The three homes in the middle of Esplanade Avenue’s 2200 block were divided into apartments and they fell victim to neglect, much like the other stately manors that line the avenue. In the 1970s, a preservationist spirit took hold in New Orleans, and the legacy of Esplanade Avenue’s architectural legacy was documented by the Historic New Orleans Commission.
In 1986, a local attorney and preservationist, James Derbes, purchased 2216 Esplanade Avenue, the location of La Belle Esplanade, with the intent of turning it into a bed and breakfast. Through an investment of sweat equity, Mr. Derbes restored this building to its original glory with an eye toward preserving all of its period details and charms. While working on 2216 Esplanade Ave., Mr. Derbes was presented with the opportunity of purchasing its neighbor at 2222, which had also experienced a period of neglect. Due to his foresight and efforts, both properties were restored and their rear gardens joined into a charming setting with the fountain that stands to this day.
Under Mr. Derbes’ direction, 2216 became the Esplanade Villa a popular and successful bed and breakfast that operated in conjunction with the Benachi House, which he also restored, across the street. During Hurricane Katrina, in 2005, when the failed federal levees flooded New Orleans, the house did not sustain water damage. Though New Orleans’ landscape appears to be flat, Esplanade Avenue runs atop Esplanade Ridge, one of the higher points in the city. For this very reason, Bayou Road, New Orleans’ oldest street, crosses Esplanade Avenue at the 2200 block.
Soon after Katrina, Esplanade Villa stopped functioning as a New Orleans bed and breakfast, and reverted to apartments. In 2012, Mr. Derbes was gracious enough to part with the building which he worked so hard to restore. La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast is operated by La Belle Esplanade, LLC with the mission to make the real New Orleans, the way New Orleanians experience their city, available to visitors." -labelleesplanade.com
I'm Shiga-plateau in Nagano-prefecture by long photography travel in autumn.
A picture is taken and it's beyond Shibu-pass in a border between prefectures (for an altitude, 2172m).
Just before Kusatsu Shirane-mountain from which even beauty of the colored leaves is learned about
yoshigaflat who feels NI is wide big was visited.
But, unfortunately, colored leaves, already, already, the end, wow.
please, I shifted to the winter scenery which waits for snow.
But the red sunset will be dusk, and strikes in the surface of a mountain.
When they began, entourage changed completely and defoliated completely.
The trees of a delicate birch are applied the center at all,
It's transformed into the view of the late fall when it's full of emotion like the picture I got.
It was done.
There`s a lot of speculation that first group will lose the TPE contract so is this a sign of the future, Drs`s Chiltern liveried 68010 "Oxford Flyer" approaches Gascoigne wood sidings on a light engine move from Crewe Gresty bridge (0Z13) 08/02/2023.
After setting up camp and having some well deserved freeze-dried food there was plenty of discussion and reflection on the trip so far. Looking back down the valley had never looked so good as when the sun was setting.
The real focus of our discussions though was the glacier up ahead. From our camp the glacier still looked to be at least a couple of kilometres away leaving plenty of mystery around it inviting much speculation on it's condition. There was a certain glean to the surface though that seemed to indicate the surface was icier than first expected.
The route up the glacier looked to wind around between some big rocky outcrops that posed somewhat of a threat and consideration was given to how much time we would need to spend roped up and placing protection through this section. There was one thing we knew though, that falling on ice that leads to a big rocky drop would not end well.
But just how we would attack this section would be tomorrow's challenge. For now we could only imagine ourselves up there and dream of what tomorrow held.
There was a lot of fuss at this crane festival about the "white" one. Only "one" amongst thousands of grey sandhill cranes, thought to be a crossbreed, not a true albino.
Speculation from the locals is a whooping crane and sandhill crane mix, from a few years back when 3 whooping cranes were seen traveling with this migration.
After many months of rumors, speculation and high level decision making, P&W sent SD70M-2 4302 north to NECR's portable paint shop in St. Albans for its new G&W colors. Wearing its second paint scheme in less than a year, 4302 leads NECR train 611 arriving at Barretts siding, just north of Palmer, MA on Wednesday afternoon June 14, 2017.
An odd little building in the graveyard at Saul Church. One theory proposed that it was a medieval port-hole shrine containing the remains of St Patrick, St Brigid & St Columba. This was ruled out by a 2014 excavation by Queen's University which found that it was built in the late 16th or early 17th century. Its purpose remains open to speculation.
The Count of Monte Cristo was my favorite novel.
Edmond Dantès' epic adventure and revenge became the standard by which all adventure novels, thrillers, and detective novels read after him were compared.
I had read this novel dozens of times, so I thought I knew it very well.
But one day... I realized that the story I knew of The Count of Monte Cristo was a simplified, edited version for children.
for example
After Edmond Dantès escapes from the prison island, he accumulates wealth because he discovers hidden treasures. However, Alexandre Dumas used the treasure as seed money to start a business for Edmond, and the business did well, writing in detail how he accumulated a huge amount of wealth. In other words, Dantes records in detail the process of acquiring assets through real estate speculation, diamond smuggling and black trading, and even drug trafficking. Perhaps the editor who planned the children's novel deleted that part because he thought it was not good for children's emotions.
So, was the count's love affairs leniently overlooked?
It is said that Dumas had romantic relationships with numerous women both before and after his marriage, and the names of the women officially mentioned amount to 40.
The hero of his own life's masterpiece would be the author's persona. Therefore, even a three-year-old child can guess that Dumas's views on women and love were expressed through the Count.
So, after much thought, I decided to read the original.
Since I don't know any French, I got the English translation of the Penguin version.
But when I saw the enormous thickness of the book, I immediately gave up reading.
In fact, even Dumas said that he did not have time to read this novel he wrote, so he did not read it until just before his death.
And when he realized that his death was near, he finished reading his book and said this.
“Hmm.. well written.. this book is a masterpiece.”
The Namib Naukluft Park in Namibia harbors a group of wild horses that are becoming perplexing. Nobody knows for sure where they came from but speculation is that they escaped from the communal tribal areas, that the horses brought by the Germans for duty in the diamond mines escaped, that abandoned horses at the end of the First World War gathered here, folks just don't know.
These horses are evolving into not a different species but different habits. They go longer without water, sometimes up to 5-7 days, they eat a lot less as the vegitation in the desert is spase but it has ten times the food value of normal grass, they graze on whatever is available including leaves on the few trees that inhabit the desert leaving a distinct browse line and on and on. Some have spider webbing on their rumps much like the distinctive markings of the Appaloosa Horse. They all look similar to thoroughbreds but are they descended from them?
We have worked on these horses and they appear in our book, ALL THE WILD HORSES, available through Voyager Press. What a fun project to cover wild horses of the world!
These Namib Naukluft horses live in an almost surreal moonscape. Our thanks should go to Tommy Hall, a Luderitz Game Warden in the Namibian Department of Conservation, who after many attempts finally made a watering hole and observation area for these treasures. If you ever journey to Namibia, check out these horses between Klein Aus and Gorab on the Keetmanshoop to Luderitz highway.
(Highest Explore #6, thanks!)
PCA 149 - 6-word Story
Mar 20-Apr 3, 2011 (2 weeks)
Image Tag: pca149
Assignment: It is said that Ernest Hemingway was once asked to write a complete story in six words. There is speculation that maybe this was to settle a bar bet or perhaps as a challenge to other writers. In either case, this challenge is the basis for the assignment.
Many critics state that a good photograph has to tell a story in order to connect to the viewer. For this assignment I’d like you to compose a visual interpretation of a six-word story. Although I encourage you to write your own story, feel free to use the many six word stories available that could be the basis for your image.
There is definitely a chicken/egg aspect to this assignment depending on how you approach your creativity. Which comes first, the image or the story? A compelling photo composed through your creative eye may have enough depth to provide the seed for several six-word stories. On the other hand, a clever six-word story could be creatively interpreted by several different photographic concepts. There is no right or wrong way to approach the assignment.
By the way, Hemingway’s story is: "For sale: baby shoes, never used."
WIT: I love this train graveyard. I've been here before. I could spend all day here, but I only stopped for a few minutes this time. This little trolly is my favorite, so broken and battered, but still worth photographing. I think this was part of a private collection that was originially going to be a museum, then the owner died and now these trains and trollys have been left to rust on the roadside. Quite a sad end to its life. I'm sure many people road on this trolly, had conversations, ate their meals and maybe even made business deals.
Excerpt from luminatofestival.com:
For the second time Luminato Festival will install Canadian artist Michel de Broin’s One Thousand Speculations, a 7.9 metre in diameter ball made up of 1,000 mirrors — the world’s largest mirror ball. Originally commissioned by Luminato for the 2013 Festival, this time it will not be suspended from a crane over David Pecaut Square but will hang inside the Hearn Generating Station. It is a meeting of superlatives. Turned on, it will transform the space into a futuristic spectacle, letting us dream about what could be. For Michel, the piece renders and recreates the starry sky. We will bring the starry sky inside the Hearn, reminding us that our sense of wonder is endless through inspiration. It will make us see the space of the Hearn in an ever-changing way and highlight detail after detail as the 1,000 rays slowly scan the space in circular motion.
With speculation that Amtrak 606 will soon lose its fizz I took another crack at it today at Baltimore County Fire Department Station 54 in Chase, MD.
I would have preferred this weather: www.flickr.com/photos/jimkleeman/16769120776/in/photolist...
The stone rows of Ménec, one of the three major groups of stone rows at the megalithic sites of Carnac, Brittany, France
Some background information:
The Carnac stones are an exceptionally dense collection of megalithic sites near the south coast of Brittany in in the French department of Morbihan. They consist of stone alignments, dolmens (stone tombs), tumuli (burial mounds) and single menhirs (standing stones). More than 3,000 prehistoric standing stones were hewn from local granite and erected by the pre-Celtic people of Brittany and form the largest such collection in the world. Most of the stones are within the Breton municipality of Carnac, but some to the east are within neighboring La Trinité-sur-Mer. The stones were erected at some stage during the Neolithic period, probably around 3300 BC, but some may date to as early as 4500 BC.
There are three major groups of stone rows – Ménec, Kermario and Kerlescan, which altogether are known as the alignments of Carnac. Another much smaller group of stones, the Petit-Ménec alignments, can be found in the neigbouring village of La Trinité-sur-Mer. These four groups may have once formed a single group but have been split up as stones were removed for other purposes. The standing stones are made of weathered granite from local outcroppings that once extensively covered the area.
The Ménec alignments near the village of Le Ménec consist of eleven converging rows of menhirs stretching for 1,165 by 100 metres (3,822 by 328 feet). At either end the remains of stone circles can still be seen. The largest stones, around 4 metres (13 feet) high, are at the wider, western end. The stones then become as small as 0.6 metres (2 feet 0 inches) high along the length of the alignment before growing in height again toward the extreme eastern end.
The Kermario alignments consists of 1029 stones in ten columns, about 1,300 m (4,300 feet) in length. At their eastern end, where the stones are shorter, a stone circle was revealed by aerial photography. The Kerlescan alignments are a smaller group of 555 stones, further to the east of the other two sites. They are composed of 13 lines with a total length of about 800 metres (2,600 feet), ranging in height from 80 cm (2 feet 7 inch) to 4 m (13 feet). At the extreme west, where the stones are tallest, there is another stone circle which has 39 stones.
There are several dolmens scattered around the area. These dolmens are generally considered to have been tombs. However, the acidic soil of Brittany has eroded away the bones. They were constructed with several large stones supporting a capstone, then buried under a mound of earth. In many cases, the mound is no longer present, sometimes due to archeological excavation, and only the large stones remain, in various states of ruin.
At the end of the 18th century, the alignments of Carnac were attributed to druidic gatherings. But just a few years later, it was claimed that they represent stars in the sky. A later theory from 1887 argued for a connection between the rows of stones and the directions of sunsets at the solstices. More recent studies assume an astronomical purpose or support the concept of a geometric megalithic yard. However, the most modern theory suggests that the stone rows belonged to some kind of defensive structure against preternatural menaces originating from the nearby sea. Anyway, a generally valid theory regarding the purpose of the alignments has not been agreed on yet.
Since 1996, the alignments of Carnac – or to be more precise – the Ménec alignments are part of the UNESCO tenative list, a list of worldwide architectural and cultural heritage sites, which are considered to become UNESCO world heritage sites sometime. If you plan a visit there, please be aware that Carnac can be overcrowded by tourists at certain hours of the day. There are also several touristic offers of clever tradespeople that cost money. However, you can still eplore the alignments on your own, although it’s no longer possible to stroll around between the stone rows as they are protected from regardless visitors by having been fenced in for quite some time.
A night out and about with Moore Camera Club trying new things and learning new skills and causing speculation in the Mulberry Tree pub as to why all those people with cameras are outside!!
There has been much speculation surrounding the mysterious objects discovered in the skies above Alaska, Northwestern Canada, and Lake Huron in recent days following an earlier downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina.
A number of theories have circulated regarding the origins of these UFOs, from more spy balloons to the release of an oversized helium balloon that had escaped from the film set of the sequel to the film UP.
However, what is not yet widely known is the fact that one of the objects was carrying this alien life form!
It has been christened ‘Orchis’, from the Ancient Greek ὄρχις, meaning "testicle", by General Francis Drebbin commander of the North American Aerospace Defence Command as he referred to the press leak as a ‘complete balls up!’
Born To Catch Air!
Des hauts dénigrants illustrant des calomnies explorant des délices la luminosité montre des spéculations introductions apparaît d'anciens essais orientation historique,
opiniones críticas persuasivo penetrante análisis elementos esenciales artículos críticos materiales continuos que expresan propósitos particulares,
camymddwyniadau â hawl disgyblaethau credadwy disgyblaeth ffuglen eiddigeddus amheuon bwriadau cwympo preifat diwrnodau adennill gwleddoedd graeanog,
entregues aberturas modeladas trabalhos peças excelentes conteineth ações antecedentes melhorias aventuras tormentos dolorosos recolhendo favores,
οι ανάγκες που πλησιάζουν τα καλάμια κρυμμένες νύχτες που τρέμουν τις μάχες, καθότι έκαναν μπλουζές πληγές λιωμένες avantage,
切り詰められた地面くすぶっている畝間怒鳴り声を上げて反逆したトウェイン防波堤は傲慢かもしれません喜んでしばしば無限のスプライトドラゴンを明るく.
Steve.D.Hammond.
Here is a less-stormy view of the rock at Point Lobos, California made about 20 minutes after #3. No HDR.
Free wallpaper for over 100 of my images in 6 different screen sizes is now available!
See the 1200 pixel version!
www.flickr.com/photos/patrick-smith-photography/460662340...
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Settings etc.:
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Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 17-40L @20
1/4-second exposure @F16
LEE soft ND grad (100x150mm - 4x6in) 0.9 + 0.75 (5 1/2 stops total)
Lee foundation kit filter holder with Lee 77mm adapter ring
No polarizer.
ISO 200
Joby Gorillapod (flexible tripod so I could lay down and not fall off the cliff!)
RAW file processed with Capture One by Phase One
TIFF file processed with Photoshop
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The Story
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After shooting for about 30 minutes, the sun began to set so I got back here as the clouds began to evaporate. Fortunately they hung around long enough to add a warm glow to the sky. So I bumped up the ISO to 200 to keep the 1/4-sec exposure and angled the dark part of the filters over the brightest part of the sky. I took about 25 photos in total on this evening including 5 around this time. The trick to getting this water color is to wait until the water calms down, which makes it a deep grenish-blue because the bubbles have risen to the top and evaporated. Then shoot just when the first nice wave curls around the rock. If you do not wait, the water will be churned up and too bright to photograph!
(Here is the rest of the description from #3.)
Point Lobos, at the north end of Big Sur just south of Carmel, California (100 miles - 160km south of San Francisco) could keep a photographer busy for months or even years. It is a peninsula that has been sculptured by large Pacific waves over millions of years and the results are stunning. This is one of the western-most points of rock and is probably 50 feet tall at high tide. Sometimes waves wash over the entire rock and they did during a big set just after this photo was made. This is a wider view with more light striking the cliff face and sea than my previous attempt which is in the 2010 Nature Conservancy calendar for November.
www.flickr.com/photos/patrick-smith-photography/275016883...
The biggest hazard is getting low enough to have the tops of the rock rise above the horizon. Then you must literally hang off the cliff to get an open view around the right foreground rock. So the Gorillapod allowed me to lay on the rock and not fall in! Also, I had to wait for a seagull to land on the top of each rock, though I made some with no seagull just in case. In a big print, the seagull really helps.
The map shows exactly where this is. It is an easy <1 mile hike from a small parking lot.
See my Flickr profile for a link to my newly designed website.
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Resources:
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Google Earth
Simply the best way to scout out locations that there is. You can see sun angles and pre-visualize light under lots of different conditions. Sometimes you can actually pre-compose your shots! This has saved me many thousands of vertical feet of climbing by avoiding spots with blocked views etc.
Satellite imagery (choose 'National' for a local US region or use your fave website)
www.wrh.noaa.gov/satellite/?wfo=mtr
Tide charting and preditions: (chose your area in US, other countries have similar websites)
tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/tide_predictions.shtml?gid=235
Wave Heights (I choose 'North Pacific from Global')
polar.ncep.noaa.gov/waves/main_int.html
Or Here:
www.opc.ncep.noaa.gov/shtml/RP1bw.gif
Photos of every inch of the California coastline from a small plane. Excellent for close in detailed views.
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Rum Spring Pool
Sony ImageStation POD
Up Down Strange Charm Bottom Top
Ква́нтовая тео́рия по́ля
Кварк 7:34
Пустота 23:00
Гравитационное поле 35:00
Стандартная модель 37:35
Формула 41:41
Francis Crick, in his autobiographical book What Mad Pursuit, described how he was influenced by Schrödinger's speculations about how genetic information might be stored in molecules.
The Concept of Mass - with Jim Baggott
The Search for the Theory of Everything - with John Gribbin
Speculation time: If TLG had jumped onto the Aliens bandwagon. Vehicles and play-sets inspired by (but not direct reproductions of) those seen in and around Hadley's Hope. I've been watching some of the New York Toy Fair coverage this week, so I decided to have my own little toy fair in my room.
And speaking of Toy Fair, (this is the optional rant section, you can opt out here if you like) is there a noticeable lack of things like vehicles and play-sets currently? No shortage of action figures for sure, but vehicles and play-sets? Are they old-fashioned somewhat now? I mean, apart from Lego sets, I don't remember seeing, you know, a big Nidavellir pay-set with Thor and Eitri or Tony Stark's mansion, for example. Lego seems to do most of the heavy lifting in regards to things like temples, outposts, bases, vehicles and secret lairs. Granted, there's some things that work in TLG's favour, like interchangeable bricks, which are more cost-effective to make rather than separate, one-off vehicles and buildings that each demand a different mould and paint application, etc.
Pacific Rim would've seemed like a great opportunity to make 15 inch mecha with pilots inside to battle kaiju. Instead, NECA made smaller, action-figure sized Jaegers. Maybe kids don't want giant robots to fight with giant monsters anymore?
The up-coming Snake Eyes movie will be a litmus test, I think, to see if GI Joe, once a bastion of great toy vehicle design, will continue it's legacy or will they focus on the characters only?
Maybe, growing up in the 80s means we were spoilt with the toys that we got. We got a flooded with so many toy lines, tonnes of original narratives and concepts. We grew up thinking that that was pretty normal for toys but maybe it was just a blip. Maybe we're just boomers after all!
I don't know anything for sure, maybe I'm just a toy-obsessed manchild who dreamed a little too hard, but it really makes me appreciate Lego all the more these days.
This was the last remaining of the litter. It's speculation that coyotes seen in the vicinity the evening before may have taken the others in the litter. Often the mother will move the kits to another den so I'm hoping this was the case.
I got this capture a rainy night last summer, at the window of my balcony. It is actually exciting to play with the multiple levels of focus and perspectives that are created inside bright spots of bokeh. Recommended to experiment with. Just remember to aim diagonally with a steep angle towards the glass.
My warmest wishes to all of you for everything good in this new year!
Copyright © Ioannis Lelakis.
All rights reserved.
... I’m not so religious in traditional manner, not serving any of world religious confessions but respect them all. I’m just human been and I believe in God, who created all our world, all around us and, of course, us - humans as well as other live creatures... Unfortunately it’s not so much of justice in our world, that’s why the fate of any person and especially of all population can’t leave us indifferent...
Barrio Santa Crus... It’s the most picturesque and delightful part of the Seville, with narrow winding cobbled streets and whitewashed houses, where you can sit outside a bar, enjoy some tapas and watch the world go by, or wander through centuries-old gardens and relax on beautiful tiled benches. Up to the end of 15th century it was the Jewish quarter; some of the churches were originally synagogues. The covered passageway heading off the Patio de Banderas (part of the Alcázar) called the Judería...
An ancient tradition places Jews in Seville at the time of the destruction of the first Temple (586 BCE). In fact, several influential Jewish families of Seville claim to be descendants of King David. Amazingly, there is even some speculation that Jews settled in this region as far back as the 11th century B.C.E. The source of this belief rests on the identification of Seville with the distant port of Tarshish which is mentioned in the Bible... There is no doubt that a Jewish settlement existed during the period of Visigothic rule in the peninsula. During the Ummayad Caliphate, Seville prospered and the Jews who lived there were engaged in commerce, medicine and the dyeing industry. Under the Almoravides, the Jewish community in Seville was big enough, but as in other parts of Andalusia, the Almohade conquest brought death and destruction. When Seville was reconquered by the Christians (1248), the Jews welcomed them with open arms. They presented Ferdinand III with a key to the city, which has been preserved in the cathedral treasury. For a period of time, the Jewish community was revived. Though they were taxed heavily, they received real estate, and good land for farming. Those who participated in annual fairs and were granted freedom to trade and exemption from taxes. Gradually, as the reconquest succeeded, and the Christians no longer needed money, or help from the Jews, live became increasingly more difficult. An important turning point came with the anti-Jewish activities of archdeacon Martinez, who was the confessor to the child king's mother. Though he was repeatedly ordered to stop his diatribes, Martinez succeeded in arousing passionate hatred among the masses. In 1391, disaster struck in Seville. The entire Jewish community was nearly destroyed and the synagogues were converted to churches. Historians say many Jews converted to Christianity on the spot to save their lives, while women and children were sold as slaves. Once vibrant community never recovered and along with the other Jews of Andalusia, they were exiled in 1483...
Spots of the sunshine, cat on the roof screwing up one’s eyes, bright flowers everywhere - calm, peaceful atmosphere... All is not history in the Juderia. This is a neighborhood which pulses with life. As it was for the Jews for 1000 years, it is still a residential area. The Barrio of Santa Cruz, which encompasses much of the ancient Jewish Quarter, is considered one of the poshest neighborhoods of Seville and only names of the streets and “J” on the walls of houses remind about the people who lived here long time ago...
Much better viewed large View On Black
In folklore, often used to predict the coming Winter weather. The longer the orange colored band, the milder the Winter! Whether there is any merit to this is a matter for speculation. However, we who have been brought up on this bit of folklore, subscribe to its veracity! If this critter is correct, we will have a slightly milder Winter.
Thought I'd change it up a bit and bring a mammal into the picture. These guys are but one of the speculations for the Golden Eagle being on the decline in SoCal. We used to have a fare amount in San Diego's surrounding Mountain range, high desserts and grasslands. But the drought in this area and cunning ability of the coyote has been devastating to the Golden's as they make a living off the same prey as these resourceful animals. Look at the intense concentration he has as he stalks a rabbit.
Thanks again for all the interest you have had and continue to have in my work. I really appreciate it.