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Very successful business man. Worked his way up from the bottom. He really knows business and this success leads him to think he's an expert about everything, which he isn't. Not an unkind person, but really doesn't know when to mind his own business.
After seeing all of the great entries for the BrickWarriors Forum Halloween Contest I was inspired to try to make a creepy vignette myself.
When I was sifting through my different minifig parts I came across that hat and it just screamed "Serial Killer" to me, so then I built the scene around that.
BW Parts used: Minotaur Head, Buffalo Rifle (on top of freezer), Bowie Knife
it was so foggy this a.m., when I headed out back for my walk.
As I was coming down the path, heading toward the soccer field, I must have frightened this fox in the little patch of woods to my left. I caught his movement out of the corner of my eye, and saw him take off. I knew he'd cut across the path in front of me,to get back to the main woods on the right so I quickly tried to focus on the opening ahead of me.
Sure enough, he came jetting past....two clicks and he was gone. Obviously I had interrupted his breakfast.
People say it is a successful trip to the mountains if you can catch one day of good light during a week’s stay. That day came on Day 3 of our Glacier National Park boot camp with attendees Alan and Aaron.
After spending a seemingly interminable night mostly in the parking lot of Logan Pass due to night time road closures, we managed to get over an hour of sleep in our cabin before setting out to our sunrise location. Two hours before sunrise, the sky was mostly cloudy with a few small openings. The sunrise conditions were looking promising. Fast forward to thirty minutes prior to sunrise, the clouds moved swiftly and mostly cleared out of the area leaving behind crystal clear skies. Having been skunked the past two days, we were on the verge of getting demoralized watching the clouds evaporate before our eyes. However, sometimes, a little patience and faith are needed to capture the light.
Mother Nature gave us a glimmer of hope as the leading edge of a storm approached from the west. They seemed too distant to reach us by sunrise time. To our luck the clouds moved and they poured over the scene within 15 minutes. Just like that the scene went from being monotonous clear blue to dramatic and textured. Moments later, the sun rose above the clouds on the horizon and lit the scene with beautiful dynamic warm light. Though not the pinks and reds of fiery sunrises, I really enjoyed seeing the warm golden yellow light burst from the horizon and illuminating the mountains. Upon seeing this light, we were practically jumping with joy. Our excitement got the better of us until our encounter…
In the midst of all the shooting and being glued to the backs of our viewfinders, Aaron noticed something moving in the distance and all of a sudden yelled out “holy sh*t!” A young adult grizzly bear popped its head up from behind the tree trunks for a look. Realizing who we were, the bear was stunned and quickly galloped across the slope not 40 feet in front of us! Perhaps it was a bit too much action for so early in the morning.
Stay tuned for more to come.
PS – The grizzly bear head is visible in the background of the photo.
Canon 5D Mark II
EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II
Having successfully survived Valentines Day yesterday, I decided to celebrate today with a photo shoot...
I was planning to head south of Half Moon Bay, but as I approached Route 92 I hit the dreaded it's-a-3-day-weekend-let's-all-go-to-the-beach traffic. I made a U-turn and headed back towards San Francisco. While driving I debated if I should just go home and play Call of Duty, or stop at Fort Funston to catch the sunset. I decided to hit Fort Funston.
I was planning to take a photograph from the bluffs, but couldn't find a good comp, and ended up wandering down to the beach. I wasn't exactly excited to shoot the often-photographed pilings, again, but figured I'd give it a try. After eating a granola bar, I set up my tripod rather early, strategically using a piling to block the setting sun. There were only light clouds in the sky, so I wasn't expecting a dramatic sunset. I was wrong. As the sun descended to the horizon the sky exploded with color.
I had my mind set on a vertical composition, and my eyes were glued to my LCD screen. When I finally looked up I was amazed to see really nice clouds that were out of frame in the vertical orientation. Needless to say, I quickly switched to horizontal, leveled the horizon, and shot away. By the way, not anticipating getting into the water, I had neglected to wear my rubber boots, and was standing in the water up to my knees, in my hiking shoes. Luckily, it was warm, I had also decided to wear shorts, so this was actually quite enjoyable.
I wrapped up shortly after this shot and decided to just enjoy the sunset. The sky subsequently lit up with pinks and reds. I fought the urge to set up my camera again and just enjoyed the sunset for a couple of minutes before hiking back up to the car.
Single exposure with Lee 0.9H grad ND.
a successful salesman always keeps his important documents on the passenger seat.
check out the lith print.
on an outing with sol exposure.
nikon fa
nikkor 50mm f/1.2 ais
ilford hp5+@1600
xtol 1:1, 18 minutes, 20 ℃
30 sec continuous agitation initially, 2 inversions / min
Successful morning walk - pine, palm, and yellow-rumped warblers, tree swallows, bluebirds, redwing blackbirds, great blue heron, and yellow-bellied sapsuckers.
Pine Warbler is a lifer
Still experimenting, I took the 7D2 and 400mm lens to the Cedar Lake Osprey Nest. (Iowa DNR actually let me name it, since I was the one who documented it.)
Sometimes there is action at the nest, often not. From a distance I could see two heads sticking out above the nest, which is atop a 140' cell tower sitting on high ground. That was enough to keep me approaching.
There was nothing happening, and of course no angle into the nest, but I was sure that patience would be a virtue in this case. I parked myself a ways away, sat down, and waited. After perhaps ten minutes, I saw wings open, and fired off some shots at the nest. Soon, one of the Osprey took off and flew towards the river. I was sure it would return, so remained in place.
After another wait, it did fly back, fish in talons. Snapped off some shots as it approached and then entered the nest. Nothing else happened.
Checking the photos afterwards, I discovered that this Osprey male hunter had a very special pre-hunt routine, which took place only a minute before he launched. The top comment box documents that behavior...surprising one indeed.
Unfortunately, this outing further convinces me that I'm no longer able to handhold a long lens which lacks any stabilization. I can get the shot with a fast shutter speed, but not the sharpness. A different lens is needed, or some way to haul a tripod to places like this. )o;
Engineers successfully fired a 2-foot-diameter, subscale solid rocket booster June 1, 2022, at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The test, conducted in Marshall’s East Test Area, produced 92,000 pounds of thrust and was done as part of the booster obsolescence and life extension (BOLE) program, providing an upgraded booster design for the evolved configuration of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for Artemis IX and beyond. The BOLE booster will be a larger and more powerful solid rocket motor to make the SLS rocket capable of sending heavier payloads to the Moon and beyond.
Image Credit: NASA/Samuel Lott
#MoontoMars #NASAMarshall #nasasls #artemis #NASA #NASAMarshall #MSFC #MarshallSpaceFlightCenter #SpaceLaunchSystem
The Palm House is an exquisite, painstakingly restored Victorian glasshouse imported from Bremen, Germany in 1875. It is thought to be the only one of its kind still in existence, a must-see at Adelaide Botanic Garden.
The Palm House was designed by German architect Gustav Runge and the sophisticated engineering techniques used in its construction make it a benchmark in glasshouse design. The hanging glass walls are similar to those used in today's city buildings and were very advanced for the time. This sophistication, and Adelaide's dry climate, probably account for the building's survival.
In 1986 corrosion of iron glazing bars made the Palm House unsafe for public use and it was closed. A conservation study carried out in early 1991 recommended full restoration and after a successful public appeal, and a donation from the federal government, this was carried out.
The Palm House now features a wonderful collection of plants from the island of Madagascar. The plants require warm and dry growing conditions, which also aids in the conservation of the building.
Ref: Botanic Gardens of South Australia
...on the food swing.
Western Jackdaws☻ (Corvus monedula) ☻ Dohle
Erfolgreiche Landung ...
... auf der Futterschaukel.
Photo of the Painted Hills captured via Minolta MD Zoom Rokkor-X 24-50mm F/4 lens and the bracketing method of photography. Near the Observation Point. John Day Fossil Beds National Monument: Painted Hills Section (managed by the National Park Services). John Day/Clarno Uplands Area. Blue Mountains Region. Wheeler County, Oregon. Early April 2017.
Exposure Time: 1/320 sec. * ISO Speed: ISO-100 * Aperture: F/8 * Bracketing: +1 / -1
NASA successfully launched a NASA Terrier-Improved Orion suborbital sounding rocket carrying student experiments with the RockOn/RockSat-C programs at 6 a.m., today
More than 200 middle school and university students and instructors participating in Rocket Week at Wallops were on hand to witness the launch.
Through RockOn and RockSat-C students are learning and applying skills required to develop experiments for suborbital rocket flight. In addition, middle school educators through the Wallops Rocket Academy for Teachers (WRATS) are learning about applying rocketry basics in their curriculum.
The payload flew to an altitude of 71.4 miles and descended by parachute into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Wallops. Payload recovery is in progress.
The next launch from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility is a Black Brant IX suborbital sounding rocket currently scheduled between 6 and 10 a.m., July 7.
For more information on NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, visit: www.nasa.gov/wallops
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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Successful marriage takes love, devotion, patience, laughter, hard work, and support of friends and family.
I took this candid shot while the "official" wedding photographer was setting up for a group picture. Lucisart.
Explore / Interestingness #10 - 22 May 2007 - Thank you!
View large - 'We're behind you all the way!' On Black
View my - Most Interesting according to Flickr
Castle Drogo is a country house and mixed-revivalist castle near Drewsteignton, Devon, England. Constructed between 1911 and 1930, it was the last castle to be built in England. The client was Julius Drewe, the hugely successful founder of the Home and Colonial Stores. Drewe chose the site in the belief that it formed part of the lands of his supposed medieval ancestor, Drogo de Teigne. The architect he chose to realise his dream was Edwin Lutyens, then at the height of his career. Lutyens lamented Drewe's determination to have a castle but nevertheless produced one of his finest buildings. The architectural critic, Christopher Hussey, described the result: "The ultimate justification of Drogo is that it does not pretend to be a castle. It is a castle, as a castle is built, of granite, on a mountain, in the twentieth century".
The castle was given to the National Trust in 1974, the first building constructed in the twentieth century that the Trust acquired. The castle is a Grade I listed building. The gardens are Grade II* listed on the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.
In 1910 Julius Drewe bought about 450 acres (1.8 km2) south and west of the village of Drewsteignton in the belief that he was descended from the Drewe family that once lived here.[2] Born Drew, the son of George Smith Drew and his wife Mary, née Peek, both from substantial families of grocers, Drewe added the "e" to his surname later in life.[3] At the age of 18, Drewe was sent to China as a tea-buyer by his uncle, Francis Peek (c.1836–99), a partner in Liverpool tea-merchants Peek and Winch. Julius's great uncle, Richard Peek (1782–1867), one of the three brothers who founded Peek and Winch, was an abolitionist and philanthropist who was on the organising committee of the anti-slavery conventions held in London in 1840 and 1843. The Peek and Winch company later expanded into coffee, cocoa, rubber and spices, and owned plantations in the Dutch East Indies. In 1878, Drewe returned to Liverpool and opened the Willow Pattern Tea Store. In 1883, Drewe and John Musker (1846–1926) founded the Home and Colonial Trading Association (later Home and Colonial Stores), which sold teas selected in India by Drewe, alongside other groceries. By 1903, the company had 500 stores. By the time of his death in 1931 he had bought up an estate of 1,500 acres. Around 1910 he asked Edwin Lutyens to build him a castle.[4] According to his son Basil, he did so on the advice of Edward Hudson, proprietor of Country Life magazine, who was both a patron and a champion of Lutyens. Drewe was now 54 years old, but he still had time, energy and money to create his new family seat. The budget was £50,000 for the castle, and a further £10,000 for the garden.[5] Lutyens wrote privately of his concern over Drewe's ambitions; "I do wish he didn't want a castle but just a delicious loveable house with plenty of good large rooms in it".[6] On 4 April 1911, Drewe's 55th birthday, the first foundation stone was laid.[7]wikipedia
Built in High Victorian style in 1878 for successful gold miner Robert Wright, Billilla mansion was originally a thirteen room mansion erected on seven and a half acres of land.
When economic boom turned to bust in the 1880s, the property was purchased in 1888 by wealthy New South Wales pastoralist William Weatherly who named it Billilla after his land holdings and established a home there for his wife Jeannie and their children Violet, Gladys and Lionel.
The house was substantially altered by architect Walter Richmond Butler in 1907, extending the house beyond its original thirteen rooms and adding the Art Nouveau façade seen today.
After William Weatherly's death in 1914, his wife, who was much younger, remained living there until her own death in 1933. She bequeathed the property to her daughter, Violet, who maintained the home with reduced staff until her own death in 1972.
The property was purchased in 1973 by the Bayside Council who subsequently used Billilla as a historical house with guided tours, a wedding and events venue, a school and finally in 2009 as an artist's precinct in the property's outbuildings. Billilla is a beautiful heritage property retaining many of its original features thanks to its long private ownership still incorporating a stately formal garden and the magnificent historic house.
Billilla, at 26 Halifax Street, Brighton, is one of Melbourne’s few remaining significant homesteads, built on land which had originally been owned by Nicholas Were. The house has a mixture of architectural styles, featuring a Victorian design with Art Nouveau features and has exquisite formal gardens, which retain much of their original Nineteenth Century layout.
Billilla retains many original Victorian elements and a number of outbuildings still stand to the rear of the property including the butler’s quarters, dairy, meat house, stable garden store and coach house.
Billilla was opened to the general public as part of the Melbourne Open House weekend 2022.
Billilla was used as a backdrop in the 1980 Australian Channel 10 miniseries adaptation of Sumner Locke Elliott's "Water Under the Bridge". It was used at the Sydney harbourside home of Luigi, Honor and Carrie Mazzini.
I am floating on air as i have today obtained the next level at the Royal Photographic society for this panel&can now use the letters ARPS after my name. In order to get this level the RPS say that they must be "images of 'exceptional standard' This is a significant step up from the LRPS. At this stage a creative ability and a personal style (what makes your work unique to you), along with complete control of the technical aspects of photography must be evident."
a week or so ago I posted The female humming bird incubating some eggs on this nest.... Looks like a success. I would have loved to see mom feeding the babies but I didn't want to hang around too much.
This is the last photo I will upload of my Nightgate Inn Moc, I've saved it for last as the whole reason I chose to build this moc was so that I could try this technique I've been thinking about for a long time. The whole concept came to me strangely enough when I was watching Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke from the scene set in the realm of the spirit of the forrest. In this scene there is a body of stagnant completely clear water with an underwater environment. This got me thinking about how I would build something similar, so I decided that I would build an underwater environment and then cover it with trans clear bricks. Unfortunately it wasn't as successful as I had of thought, however it was a good learning experience.
What worked
- If you looked over the lake you can see the bottom of the lake
What didn't work
- It was difficult to see through the bricks, however at a certain angle it was fairly visible
- A lot of people didn't even notice what was underneath the surface
Things that could be done to improve visibility
- LED lights, this would light up the base of the lake and refract to create equal light ( tried this, it worked)
-The lake could be deepened
- Instead of trans clear 1x2s 6x6 trans clear panels could be used
This is a technique I hope to explore in the future, I hope you guys found this interesting
-Thanks Tristan
After successfully fielding Apache gunships off the deck of the HMS Ocean in 2004, the Royal Navy became increasingly interested in how to expand the breadth of its expeditionary helicopter operations. More importantly, the UK's Special Boat Service (SBS) was keen on being part of that action and coordinating operations with faster tempos and deeper penetration into enemy territory. After some restructuring following the Nordic Defense Council-led PKO (peacekeeping operation) in Al Dabir, the SBS began taking on roles that contravened its original purpose, i.e. directing and utilizing British maritime assets for full effect in littoral environments. Undeterred, however, the SBS kept to its motto of By Strength and Guile to become a leader in counter-terror operations, deep-insertion offensive actions, and local coalition building in territories near and beyond the sea. Nevertheless, the SBS wouldn't be able to do such missions without a swift and sturdy workhorse to carry them to and fro.
Cue the Eurocopter 875 Reaver, a tandem rotor helicopter built specifically for the Special Boat Service. Although the SBS originally intended to simply operate a modified version of the AW159 series already in service with the British Army and the Royal Navy, the helicopter's marginal internal capacity and limited range would really stunt the operational capabilities of the SBS. With this in mind, the Special Boat Service then began eyeballing the vehicles in service with its couterparts in the United States, particularly the US Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR). The Nightstalkers principally employ modified CH-47 Chinooks--which are also in service with the British Army--and UH-60 Blackhawks. Although each are tried and true platforms, the SBS decided it wanted something in between the two. The former helicopter offers tremendous load and range, but has a gargantuan footprint that would eat up too much valuable deck space when aboard vessels like the aforementioned HMS Ocean. Likewise, the Blackhawk simply didn't allow for small vehicles to be internally carried, something the SBS would come to insist upon after internal field reports concerning Al Dabir were accounted for. Another option was the MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor, but concerns hearkening back to those surrounding the Chinook once again emerged.
So with the existing off-the-shelf choices practically extinguished, a tender was put out by the Royal Navy to find the SBS a loyal, original airborne steed. Ultimately, Eurocopter would lead the way in meeting the Boat Service's requirements and the Reaver was rushed into service at the behest of the outfit. Roughly the size of the US Marine Corps' retired CH-46, the EC875 is a moderately-sized tandem rotor helicopter capable of keeping the SBS engaged in operations in and around heavily contested territory. This is achieved in several fashions. For starters, the EC875 is the first bird built around the ATEC T900 dual-spool engine. With one T900 capable of generating 3,000 shaft horsepower, the inclusion of another gives the Reaver unparalleled strength. Furthermore, the T900 requires less fuel and maintenance than its predecessors, meaning the EC875 is mechanically more reliable than many of Britain's other legacy rotorcraft. Marry this fact with a refueling boom and the Reaver can stay in the air more or less indefinitely.
Not only that, but the 875 has scores of passive and active defenses meant to bring its servicemen home safely regardless of mission. Although much of the literature describing the Reaver's defense suite is classified, visual indicators suggest the helicopter integrates a common missile warning system (CMWS) with a laser warning system, radio frequency countermeasures, and dark flares at the very least. These are all likely slaved to an onboard AI to enhance reaction times and keep the pilots focused on navigating three-dimensional space, especially when traveling over drastic topography during nap-of-the-earth flights. Atop that, the Reaver also has a reduced cross-section and thermal signature achieved via angling, special materials, and advanced cooling/heat filtration systems. Leaked documents from the Ministry of Defense also suggest future variants of the EC875 may sport direct-energy weapons (to either dazzle or destroy incoming projectiles) and plasma-based RCS technology not dissimilar from that implemented on the Su-233.
Regardless of the details, the eight Reavers presently in service are promised to serve until 2050 at the very least. Given the aircraft features open architecture for further advancements in avionics, defenses, powerplants, etc., the EC875 will likely have a shelf life much greater than what's predicted. And the SBS seems pretty okay with that considering there have been no complaints about the aircraft despite conducting numerous arduous response missions in Ukraine and the Near East. So, the Reaver is likely to be a common feature aboard Her Majesty's many vessels for the foreseeable future.
Huge shout-out to Wayne for decaling this bird. And another shout-out to Kit Bricksto and his amazing EC-635 model for the cockpit.
What would become the most, if not the most successful transport aircraft in aviation history had rather humble beginnings in the rivalry between U.S. airlines in the early 1930s. At that time, saying that competition in the airline industry was fierce would've been quite an understatement.
As technology continued moving forward, airlines began switching to airliners with all-metal construction. These aircraft could fly higher, faster, and were much safer than their predecessors. The first successful of these new all-metal airliners was the Boeing 247D, but United Airlines had exclusive rights to the first production run. As a result, Transcontinental and Western Airlines (TWA) convinced Douglas Aircraft to build a rival aircraft, the Douglas DC-2. American Airlines, being left behind by United, TWA, and Pan American’s flying boats, needed something to capture the public’s attention, and the airline asked Douglas to build them a "Flying Pullman Railway Car" or, in other words, a revised version of the DC-2 to replace their fleet of Curtiss Condor II biplanes.
This new design would make minor changes to the wings and tail, have more powerful engines, and have ten sleeping berths for overnight flights. As many airlines, even United and TWA, were still using daytime-only flights, with passengers opting to travel overnight having to take the train, this would give American Airlines the edge—except for fueling stops; it could fly nonstop from coast to coast. At first, Douglas was reluctant to build the Douglas Sleeper Transport (DST) as they didn't see much money in it, but they went ahead with the order anyway.
After the DST’s first flight in December of 1935, Douglas considered that other airlines might be interested in a DST with the sleeping berths replaced by 21 passenger seats and marketed this as the DC-3. American ordered DC-3s as well, with revenue service beginning in June of 1936, and was quickly followed by other airlines; KLM in the Netherlands also bought DC-3s, intrigued by its range, and flew them from Amsterdam to Sydney, the longest route of any airline in the world when it began. Sales outstripped the Boeing 247D and other types rapidly as the DC-3’s reputation as a reliable, easy-to-fly, and long-ranged aircraft spread. The large numbers of DC-3s in service by the beginning of World War II had already revolutionized passenger travel, making it possible for anyone to fly commercially—a luxury open only to the wealthy and upper class before 1935.
Given the success of the DC-3 in the civilian market, it was inevitable that it would also find employment in the military field. With World War II underway, the USAAF realized it would need reliable transport, especially as the U.S. Army had begun forming paratrooper regiments. Time was of the essence, so the USAAF ordered DC-3s directly off the production line, adding a large cargo door, reinforcing the floor, and adding cargo hooks beneath the fuselage to carry extra equipment; these were designated C-47 Skytrains.
When the United States entered World War II, the production of civilian DC-3s halted, and Douglas went over to build C-47s—thousands of them. The type rapidly became the main workhorse of the Allied air forces, serving as general transports, paratroop carriers, medical evacuation aircraft, and even staff transports. The USAAF also took possession of ex-civilian airliners and converted them to C-47 standards. However, aircraft taken from different airlines were given different designations, leading to a bewildering 22 different versions of the basic C-47/DC-3 design. It was also extensively Lend-Leased: in British Commonwealth service, it gained the name Dakota (based on the acronym DACOTA, standing for Douglas Aircraft Company Transport Aircraft). It became virtually the only transport available to Commonwealth forces. C-47s were also Lend-Leased to the Soviet Union, who obtained a license to build their own as the Lisunov Li-2. (Ironically enough, before the war, Shōwa Aircraft of Japan had also received a license to build the DC-3 as the Shōwa/Nakajima L2D—making the DC-3 the principal transport of one of the Axis powers as well. This variant was given the Allied code name "Tabby" in WWII).
The C-47s would participate in nearly every theater of the war and were instrumental in such campaigns as Operation Torch, the invasion of Sicily, the Normandy invasion, the disastrous Operation Market Garden, and flying missions over the “Hump” of the Himalayas to supply China. When production of the C-47 ended, over 10,600 aircraft had been built, to which one could add nearly 5,000 Li-2s and up to 500 L2Ds.
While Douglas turned to larger airliners, thousands of DC-3s and C-47s were now surplus and quickly bought up by airlines worldwide. Before the war, these would continue the air transport revolution and serve as starter aircraft for new and well-established airlines. Nor did the C-47 leave military service: the USAF would continue to use the type well into the Vietnam War, and turboprop-modified C-47s still fly with USAF special operations units. Finding replacements for the C-47 was very hard, and many aircraft companies tried with mixed success; only the C-130 Hercules came close in longevity and production numbers. DC-3s/C-47s continue in worldwide service, with even first-generation air forces still using it, to say nothing of airlines and smaller cargo operations. More than 400 DC-3/C-47s are still flying, and many are still in revenue service. Even over 80 years later, Douglas’ ubiquitous design seems to be immortal. However, this number continues to slowly dwindle due to expensive maintenance and a lack of spare parts.
This C-47A, BuNo 42-23668, was built in 1943. It flew with various units during World War II and may have seen European service. It was retired in 1946 but was reactivated in 1949 for Air National Guard service. It began with the 123rd Fighter Group (Tennessee ANG) at Louisville, KY, where it acted as a transport and support aircraft for the unit's F-51D Mustangs. After a year's stop with the 131st Composite Group (Missouri ANG) at St. Joseph, MO, 42-23668 made its way further north in 1951 and active duty, this time with the 179th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (later 343rd FG) at Duluth, Minnesota. In 1971, it was assigned to the Air Force Logistics Command headquarters at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio; when 42-23668 was finally retired in 1974, it was one of the last remaining C-47s in USAF service and had been converted to a C-47D after retirement. In 1984, 42-23668 was placed on display at the Beale AFB Museum until 2001, when it was moved to the Yanks Air Museum and restored as a D-Day C-47 with invasion stripes.
Italian postcard by Rotalfoto, Milano, no. 490. Collection: Marlene Pilaete.
Sophia Loren (1934) rose to fame in post-war Italy as a voluptuous sex goddess. Soon after, she became one of the most successful stars of the 20th Century, who won an Oscar for her mother role in La ciociara/Two Women (Vittorio De Sica, 1960).
Sophia Loren was born Sofia Villani Scicolone in the charity ward of a Roman hospital in 1934. She was the illegitimate daughter of construction engineer Riccardo Scicolone and piano teacher and aspiring actress Romilda Villani. Riccardo was married to another woman and refused to marry Romilda, leaving her without support. Romilda, Sofia, and sister Maria returned to Pozzuoli to live with Sofia's grandmother. Pozzuoli was a small town outside Naples and one of the hardest hit during World War II. The family shared a two-room apartment with the grandmother and several aunts and uncles. The shy, stick-thin girl regularly went hungry and had to flee from bombings. At 14, Sofia had a voluptuous figure and entered a beauty contest. She was selected as one of the finalists but did not win. In 1950, she was one of the contestants at the Miss Italia competition. She earned the 2nd place and was awarded ‘Miss Eleganza’. While attending the Miss Rome beauty contest, earlier in 1950, she had met judge Carlo Ponti, an up-and-coming film producer, 22 years her senior. Ponti had helped launch Gina Lollobrigida's career and now began grooming Sofia for stardom. He hired an acting coach to tutor her. At 16 she was in her first film, the Totó comedy Le Sei Mogli di Barbablù/Bluebeard’s Six Wives (Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia, 1950) under the name Sofia Lazzaro. She also appeared as an extra in Luci del varietà/Lights of the Variety (Federico Fellini, 1950), the smash hit Anna (Alberto Lattuada, 1951) and Quo Vadis (Mervyn Leroy, 1951). During the early 1950s, she secured work modelling for fumetti magazines. These comic-like magazines used actual photographs. The dialogue bubbles were called 'fumetti' - hence the popular name. At 17, she was cast by Ponti in her first larger role as the commoner who caught the prince's eye in the filmed opera La Favorita/The Favorite (Cesare Barlacchi, 1952). The next year she earned third billing after Silvana Pampanini and Eleanora Rossi-Drago in La Tratta Delle Bianche/The White Slave Trade (Luigi Comencini, 1953) and she played, complete with blackface and an Afro, the lead in another filmed opera, Aida (Clemente Fracassi, 1953) by Giuseppe Verdi. Her singing was dubbed by Renata Tebaldi. Ponti eventually changed her name to Sophia Loren.
Sophia Loren appeared for the first time with Marcello Mastroianni in the romantic comedy Peccato che sia una canaglia/Too Bad She's Bad (Alessandro Blasetti, 1954). They would make 13 films together, including Tempi nostri/A Slice of Life (Alessandro Blasetti, Paul Paviot, 1954), La bella mugnaia/The Miller's Wife (Mario Camerini, 1955), and La fortuna di essere donna/What A Woman (Alessandro Blasetti, 1956). L'Oro di Napoli/Gold of Naples (Vittorio de Sica, 1954), an anthology of tales depicting various aspects of Neapolitan life, was distributed internationally. At AllMovie, Jason Ankeny writes that in reviews "Loren was singled out for the strength of her performance as a Neapolitan shopkeeper, surprising many critics who had dismissed her as merely another bombshell". The film established her persona as a sensuous working-class earth mother. It also began a fruitful, career-long collaboration with De Sica. Sophia’s first film to find international success was La Donna del Fiume/The River Girl (Mario Soldati, 1955), in which she danced sensually the Mambo Bacan. Hal Erickson at AllMovie: "Through it all, Sophia Loren looks like a million lire - and she even gets to sing and dance!". She came to the attention of Stanley Kramer who offered her the female lead in The Pride And The Passion (Stanley Kramer, 1957) opposite Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra. Sophia played a Spanish peasant girl involved in an uprising against the French. This was the turning point in her career, and the film proved to be one of the top US box office successes of the year. Her next English-language film was Boy on a Dolphin (Jean Negulesco, 1957) with Alan Ladd, where she was memorable mostly for emerging from the water in a wet, skin-tight, transparent dress. With her va-va-va-voom image, she became an international film star and got a five-picture contract with Paramount Pictures. Among her Paramount films were Desire Under the Elms (Delbert Mann, 1958) with Anthony Perkins and based upon the Eugene O'Neill play, Houseboat (Melville Shavelson, 1958), a romantic comedy co-starring Cary Grant, and the Western Heller in Pink Tights (George Cukor, 1960) in which she appeared for the first time with blonde hair (a wig). Most of these films were received lukewarmly at best.
In 1960 Sophia Loren returned to Italy to star in the biggest success of her career, La Ciociara/Two Women (Vittorio De Sica, 1960). She played a widow desperately trying to protect her daughter from danger during WW II, only to end up in a destructive love triangle with a young radical (Jean Paul Belmondo). Hal Erickson at AllMovie: "A last-minute replacement for Anna Magnani, Sophia Loren brought hitherto untapped depths of emotion to her performance in Two Women; she later stated that she was utilizing 'sensory recall,' dredging up memories of her own wartime experiences." Loren won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance, and also the Cannes, Venice ánd Berlin Film Festivals' best performance prizes. Next, she played in Spain Samuel Bronston's epic production of El Cid (Anthony Mann, 1961) with Charlton Heston, followed by the De Sica episode of the anthology Boccaccio '70 (Vittorio De Sica, Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti, 1962). On the strength of her Oscar win, she also returned to English-language fare with Five Miles to Midnight (Anatole Litvak, 1963), followed a year later by The Fall of the Roman Empire (Anthony Mann, 1964), for which she received $1 million. Among Loren's other films of this period are The Millionairess (Anthony Asquith, 1960) with Peter Sellers, It Started in Naples (Melville Shavelson, 1960) with Clark Gable, Lady L (Peter Ustinov, 1965) with Paul Newman, Arabesque (Stanley Donen, 1966) with Gregory Peck, and Charlie Chaplin's final film, A Countess from Hong Kong (1967) with Marlon Brando. Despite the failure of many of her films to generate sales at the box office, she invariably turned in a charming performance and she wore some of the most lavish costumes ever created for the cinema. Her best Italian films include the triptych Ieri, oggi, domani/Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow (Vittorio De Sica, 1963), a comedy that poked fun at a Catholic priest and gently mocked the Italian law on birth control, and Matrimonio all' Italiana/Marriage Italian Style (Vittorio De Sica, 1964) with Loren as the hooker who lures Mastroianni into marriage.
After several miscarriages and a highly-publicized struggle to become pregnant, Sophia Loren gave birth to son Hubert Leoni Carlo Ponti in 1968. She started to work less and moved into her 40s and 50s with roles in films like De Sica's war drama I Girasoli/The Sunflowers (Vittorio De Sica, 1972), Il Viaggio/The Voyage (Vittorio De Sica, 1974) opposite Richard Burton, and reuniting with Marcello Mastroianni in the mob comedy La Pupa del Gangster/Get Rita (Giorgio Capitani, 1975). An artistic highlight was Una giornata particolare/A Special Day (Ettore Scola, 1977) which earned a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film. Loren played a bored housewife on the day of the first meeting between Mussolini and Hitler. Left alone in her tenement home when her fascist husband runs off to attend the historic event, Loren strikes up a friendship with her homosexual neighbour (Marcello Mastroianni). As the day segues into night, Loren and Mastroianni develop a very special relationship that will radically alter both of their outlooks on life. When a dubbed version of Una giornata particolare/A Special Day found favour with American audiences, Hollywood again came calling, resulting in a pair of thrillers, The Brass Target (John Hough, 1978) and Firepower (Michael Winner, 1979) which offered her a central role as a widow seeking answers in the murder of her chemist husband. In 1980, Loren portrayed herself, as well as her mother, in Sophia Loren: Her Own Story (Mel Stuart, 1980), a made-for-television biopic adaptation of her autobiography. Actresses Ritza Brown and Chiara Ferrari played Loren at younger ages. She made headlines in 1982 when she served an 18-day prison sentence in Italy on tax evasion charges, a fact that didn't damage her career or popularity. In her 60s, Loren ventured into various areas of business, including cookbooks, eyewear, jewelry, and perfume. In honour of her lengthy career, Loren was the recipient of a special Oscar in 1991. She also made well-received appearances in her final film with Mastroianni, Prêt-à-Porter/Ready to Wear (1994), Robert Altman's take on the French fashion scene, and in the comedy hit Grumpier Old Men (Howard Deutch, 1995) playing a femme fatale opposite Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon. In 1995 she received the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award. At the age of 72, she appeared scantily-clad in the 2007 edition of the famous calendar of Italian racing tire giant Pirelli. It made her the oldest model in the calendar's history. The photos by Dutch photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin proved that she was still a major international sex symbol. In 2007 Carlo Ponti died. It had been controversial in her native Italy when Sophia Loren had married her mentor Ponti in 1957. Not only was he 45 to her 23, but he had been married previously, and neither the Catholic Church nor the Italian government recognised his Mexican divorce. Ponti was charged with bigamy, but the charges were dropped when they had their marriage annulled. They continued living together - scandalous at the time - and remarried after his legal problems had been cleared. Ponti and Loren made three dozen films together. They had two children, symphony conductor Carlo Ponti Jr. and film director Edoardo Ponti. After four years off the big screen, Sophia Loren co-starred in a film version of the Broadway musical Nine (Rob Marshall, 2009). She played the mother of famous film director Guido Contini, portrayed by Daniel Day-Lewis. According to Jason Ankeny at AllMovie, "Loren proved she still had movie star charisma with a role in Chicago director Rob Marshall's Nine - a lavish tribute to all things Italian." Loren made a two-part television biopic of her early life titled La Mia Casa È Piena di Specchi/My House Is Full of Mirrors (Vittorio Sindoni, 2010), based on of the memoir written by her sister Maria Scicolone. At 80, Sophia Loren returned to the screen in Human Voice (2014) directed by her son Edoardo Ponti. At the presentation Tribeca Film Festival in New York, 'the timeless beauty' stunned the press once again when she walked on the red carpet in a chic red pantsuit hand-in-hand with her 41-year-old son to promote the short film. Human Voice is based on the play by iconic French playwright Jean Cocteau and sees La Loren play a woman in her twilight years facing revelations from her past. In late 2014, she also presented her first memoir, Ieri, oggi, domani. La mia vita/Today and Tomorrow: My Life as a Fairy Tale. It includes old pictures, letters, and notes detailing encounters with Cary Grant and other film partners. In 2020, La Loren returned to the screen as Madame Rosa in a new film adaptation of Romain Gary's 'La vie devant soi', La vita davanti a sé/The Life Ahead (Edoardo Ponti, 2020).
Sources: Jason Ankeny (AllMovie), Hal Erickson (AllMovie), Shyam Dodge (Daily Mail), Jenny (IMDb), Wikipedia, NNDB, TCM, and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
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After a successful launch on Feb. 15, six NASA science instruments and technology demonstrations continue their journey to the Moon aboard Intuitive Machines’ lander named Odysseus. The company confirmed communications contact with its mission operations control in Houston, and its lander continues to perform as expected.
Known as IM-1, Intuitive Machines successfully transmitted its first images back to Earth on Feb. 16. These were captured shortly after separation from SpaceX’s second stage, on Intuitive Machines’ first journey to the Moon as part of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative and Artemis campaign.
All powered NASA science instruments on board the Intuitive Machines Odysseus lander have completed their transit checkouts, received data, and are operating as expected, including LN-1 (Lunar Node 1). LN-1 has made three successful passes with NASA’s Deep Space Network, establishing real-time communications with ground stations on Earth. The anticipated landing time is now 4:24 p.m. EST on Thursday, Feb. 22.
This image is a view of Earth captured by a 186-degree wide field of view camera aboard Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lunar. The start of this image sequence occurred 100 seconds after separation and lasts for two hours.
Credit: Intuitive Machines
#NASAMarshall #NASA #NASA #moon #CLPS #CommercialLunarPayloadServices #Lander #RoboticLander
Read more about NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services)
In September, I went on an adventure to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. It's something that I've been planning for a while, and I finally got around to it. I was successful and over the next few weeks I'll slowly be sharing the photos from the trip (in Chronological order). It was definitely a long way to get there, first stop was a layover in London!
This Dark-eyed Junco and mate made a nest in a dark corner near the ground in our backyard, They worked hard and had three successful fledglings. Unfortunately they must have scared away a hummingbird since we see two deserted tiny white eggs in a tiny nest above where the Juncos made their nest.
The Nikon F was enormously successful and showed the superiority of the SLR and of the Japanese camera manufacturers. It was the first SLR system to be adopted and used seriously by the general population of professional photographers, especially by those photographers covering the Vietnam War, and those news photographers using motor-driven Nikon Fs with 250-exposure backs to record the various launches of the space capsules in the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space programs, all in the 1960s. After the introduction of the Nikon F the more expensive rangefinder cameras (those with focal plane shutters) became less attractive. It was originally priced at US$186 with 50 mm f/2 lens; in November 1963 the US price was $233 for the body with a standard prism plus $90 for the 50 mm f/2 lens or $155 for the 50 mm f/1.4.
A combination of design elements made the Nikon F successful. It had interchangeable prisms and focusing screens; the camera had a depth-of-field preview button; the mirror had lock-up capability; it had a large bayonet mount and a large lens release button; a single-stroke ratcheted film advance lever; a titanium-foil focal plane shutter; various types of flash synchronization; a rapid rewind lever; a fully removable back. It was well-made, durable, and adhered closely to the successful design scheme of the Nikon rangefinder cameras.
There are only two outstanding historical events connected with Turnberry. The first was a meeting of the Scottish nobles held here in 1286, to take steps towards promoting Bruce's claim to the Scottish throne. And the second was the above-mentioned attempt made by Bruce in the spring of 1307, to recover the Castle from the English into whose hands it had fallen. This attempt was only partially successful, although ultimately it led to the withdrawal of the intruders.
There is very little of the old building left now. Still it is interesting to mark the ditch which defended the castle on the landward side, and to put one's fingers into the groove of the old portcullis which in those days did duty for a gate, and to scramble down into the cave which leads out into the sea, and which must have served the castle inmates as a harbour. A modern Lighthouse now occupies the place where once armed warriors marched, and watchful sentries stood. But it needs little effort of imagination to people the spot again with all its martial life, even to the little toddling steps of him who was one day to become Scotland's greatest king.
Here is Arriva Buses Wales VDL Pulsar CX58 EXG 2915 is at a bus waiting area at Bangor bus station and this is having problems with starting her up only about a minute starting up as the announcement says "Service Preform Successfully" about 3 times while starting it's engine, but its not in service as it's returning back to depot.
I watched this Eagle from the time it left its nesting area, until it returned there with its Catfish catch. It didn't waste ANY time. Immediately flew over the lake, did ONE higher altitude pass, dove right down to the lake, grabbed the catfish and headed STRAIGHT home. Imagine how happy I was when I saw that that return path brought it right towards me.