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My computer desk chair has a back made of a fabric with large holes in it, making it very useful for the cats (Archie demonstrates here) to grab onto it and basically render themselves impossible to move away from the chair.
"The Little Red Wonder Book;" A First Book of Religion for Little Children by Lewis Gilbert Wilson. Illustrated by Clara E. Atwood. Copyright 1917, The Beacon Press, Boston.
Jupiter-11 (1:4/135)
The Jupiter lenses perform astonishingly well, even on the 36MP A7r! Biggest advantages of this tele are it's character and it's compact size and weight. (102x47mm and an amazing 277gr).
The Jupiter-11 is build according to a pre war Zeiss design.
The small but useful staircase at Blijkpolder. Taken at 22.00 hours in the evening and the photo was very blue. Edited in Photoshop and selected "Cloudy" as whitebalance in the RAW editor.
This is one of the easiest lakes to dive in, but I laughed my ass off when we both went offcourse and lost the way. (I forgot to set my compass). We did see a nice Chinese crab on the way back.
** Explored on 11-08-2014, #450 **
At Green County (Wisconsin) Cheese Days 2018. Wisconsin is known as 'America's Dairyland.' If a farmer owns a large herd of cows, they not only produce milk but also other by-products usually classified as waste. But wait! With this tractor-drawn device, the farmer can readily dispose of that other, low-value product by spreading it into his field. Doing so also has the effect of improving crops. That's a win-win by most measures.
Good advice is all over the place. As is bad advice. The key to success lies in knowing the difference between the two. 'A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man so just be yourself' is good advice. 'A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man so just be yourself' - unless you can be id-iom, in which case, be id-iom' is great advice.
Once you've added that most cromulent advice to a map of Dorking and the surrounding area you've got yourself something that is educational, useful and inspirational all at the same time. And it can be yours. All you have to do is drop us a line and we can get our guys to speak to your guys and work something out...
Cheers
id-iom
After major building works at the North West Museum of Road Transport, St Helens, an AEC Matador still proves its worth helping to repatriate non-runners back from temporary storage. In this case its towing former Warrington Leyland Titan PD1 DED797.
Danbo poses atop a pedestal of "Really Useful Boxes", embodying this week's Toy Sunday group theme, "boxes".
The ever useful Real Time Trains allowed us to plan a shot of this working from the West Highland line on 23 May 2018. As may be seen from the running-in board we were at Dumbarton Central to capture the 08.07 Fort William to North Blyth working, hauled on this occasion by GBRf Class 66 numbered 66733.
Most Dramatic Space Missions of 2016 ( The Journey of Space Missions in 2016 )
It's been a busy year of transition around the solar system. Some spacecraft crashed on distant planets, while others were found after we thought they were lost. And some cool stuff began to happen with new missions, such as exploring Jupiter and figuring out how useful inflatable structures will be in space. Here are some of the mission transitions of 2016.
1. Philae
2. Schiaparelli
4. Hitomi/ASTRO-H/New X-ray Telescope (NeXT)
5. Falcon 9 rocket + Amos-6
6. Tiangong-1
7. Juno
8. ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter
9. BEAM (International Space Station)
10. International Space Station one-year mission
11. Cassini
12. Russia's Progress resupply vehicle
Here you go:
1. Philae had quite the ride after separating from its parent spacecraft, Rosetta, in November 2014. The little lander bounced on its first contact with Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko and flew for an incredible two hours, finally coming to rest in a spot too shady to charge its solar-powered self. Philae did a few dozen hours of science, went into hibernation, and only gave a few peeps in the months afterwards until the European Space Agency gave up trying to contact it.Philae was found in one of the suspected landing zones.
www.seeker.com/philae-found-rosetta-spies-dead-comet-land...
2. STEREO-B : One of the twin Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatories (STEREO-B) stopped transmitting in October 2014, then, this August, NASA's Deep Space Network finally locked on to the spacecraft.Unfortunately, NASA couldn't recover the spacecraft because it was uncontrolled and far away from Earth, at about two Earth-sun distances. With the limited data the agency had, it tried to stabilize the spacecraft,but failed.
stereo-ssc.nascom.nasa.gov/behind_status.shtml
3. Schiaparelli : Schiaparelli separated from the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter and made its descent as planned on Oct. 19, but something happened along the way and it crashed. What exactly happened is still being figured out by an investigation board
www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/ExoMars/Schiapar...
4. Hitomi/ASTRO-H/New X-ray Telescope (NeXT) : Hitomi was an X-ray astronomy satellite from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, which was supposed to look at high-energy processs across the universe. The spacecraft made it into space as planned on Feb. 17, but controllers lost contact with it permanently on March 26.
5. Falcon 9 rocket and Amos-6 : On Sept. 1, a Falcon 9 rocket by SpaceX was on the pad undergoing a standard static fire test, before launching Amos-6 — an Israeli communications satellite. The rocket exploded and took the satellite with it, luckily causing no injuries at Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40.
www.seeker.com/spacex-elon-musk-falcon-rocket-explosion-l...
6. Tiangong-1 : Tiangong-1 was China's first space station — not a full station, but a small prototype to expand its space program in the future. It launched as a one-piece station in September 2011 and was visited by three spacecraft: Shenzhou 8 (uncrewed), Shenzhou 9 (crewed) and Shenzhou 10 (crewed)
7. Juno : Juno arrived at Jupiter on July 4 and has been making scientific observations for the past few months.More detailed findings will come after Juno has been active for a while.
www.seeker.com/computer-glitch-nixes-juno-science-run-at-...
8. ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter : The new Trace Gas Orbiter, which arrived at Mars in October, is designed to look at trace gases in the Red Planet's atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is the major force on Mars, but there are smaller portions of the atmosphere that are less understood. One famous example is methane, which has been measured in different abundances by different telescopes, orbiters and even NASA's Curiosity rover.
TGO is highly elliptical right now, but over time it will use aerobraking — skimming through the thinnest part of Mars' atmosphere — to lower itself into a science orbit about 400 kilometers from the surface.
www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/ExoMars/How_TGO_...
9. ISS BEAM : BEAM was inflated on May 26, but the attempt was called off because there was more air pressure than expected inside the module (possibly caused by fabric layers sticking together). A second attempt on May 28 was successful. Astronauts have entered BEAM a few times since to collect air samples and do some other routine monitoring, but for the most part it just sits by itself, attached to the Tranquility node.
The International Space Station is an excellent location to do long-term research in everything from plants to human physiology. It's also a great spot for companies to test out new processes and ideas. One recent one is the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, also known as BEAM. Bigelow has two inflatable mini-space stations that have been in orbit for several years to test how inflatables behave in low-Earth orbit. The next step for the company was to install an inflatable module to the ISS.
www.seeker.com/space-station-now-has-inflatable-digs-1832...
10. ISS one-year mission : While a lot of astronauts have spent six months on the station, NASA hopes to have longer missions to prepare for a possible journey to Mars in the coming decades. In 2015, Mikhail Kornienko (Roscosmos) and Scott Kelly (NASA) blasted off to spend nearly a year on the orbiting complex. It was the first time humans had spent so long in space since the Mir space station era of the 1990s. The two arrived safely on Earth again in March.
Kelly got most of the press in the United States — he's a twin, a great photographer and was charmingly laconic and funny on Twitter. Kelly's twin brother, Mark, was also an astronaut and volunteered to take part in the same genetic studies so that investigators could take advantage of a unique opportunity. It will take years for all the data to be processed and analyzed, but Kelly's and Kornienko's flight is expected to help scientists learn more about the effects of space on the human body.
11.Cassini : The Cassini spacecraft has provided an incredible perspective on Saturn and its system for the past 12 years. We've seen water jets from Enceladus, lakes on Titan and strange vertical structures in Saturn's rings. The spacecraft is now low on fuel after exploring the solar system since 1997, however, and investigators want to steer Cassini into Saturn so it doesn't accidentally hit a potentially habitable moon.
Cassini will gradually move between Saturn and its rings — a first in space exploration — to better understand some of the structures of the particles that make up Saturn's crown. In September 2017, it will make a last swan dive into Saturn, taking atmospheric measurements as long as possible so that investigators can learn more about the planet's interior structure.
12. Russia's Progress resupply vehicle : On Dec. 1, Russia lost contact with its unmanned Progress space station resupply vehicle shortly after launch from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The cargo ship was carrying 2.4 tons of food, supplies and equipment and officials confirmed that it failed to reach its proper orbit, ultimately succumbing to gravity and burning up in the atmosphere. Though obviously a huge setback for the Russian space agency and space station operations, the orbiting outpost had a good level of supplies in reserve. This was the second failed Progress launch in less than two years. The failure of the April 2015 Progress mission was blamed on a problem with the Soyuz launch system.
www.seeker.com/russia-progress-spacecraft-launch-fails-bu...
This is End !!!
Mars is a tough place to land on — just ask any of the various groups that have tried to send landers over the years, and failed (such as NASA, the former Soviet Union and the European Space Agency). While ESA thought it had learned the lessons of the Beagle 2 failed landing in 2003, it turned out that another landing demonstrator called Schiaparelli didn't make it to the surface.
Credit : NASA
Quality prints, greeting cards and many useful products can be purchased at >> kaye-menner.pixels.com/featured/spider-with-dinner-prepar...
Macro photograph of a yellow garden spider, argiope aurantia early evening in my garden. This is the colorful underbelly of the spider where he is storing his captured prey or evening dinner.
THE FINE ART AMERICA LOGO / MY WATERMARK WILL NOT APPEAR ON PURCHASED PRINTS OR PRODUCTS.
Order: Araneae
Family: Araneidae
Genus: Argiope
[Wikipedia]
The spider species Argiope aurantia is commonly known as the yellow garden spider, black and yellow garden spider, golden garden spider, writing spider, corn spider, or McKinley spider. It is common to the contiguous United States, Hawaii, southern Canada, Mexico, and Central America. It has distinctive yellow and black markings on the abdomen and a mostly white cephalothorax. Its scientific Latin name translates to "gilded silver-face" (the genus name Argiope meaning "silver-face", while the specific epithet aurantia means "gilded"). Males range from 5–9 mm (0.20–0.35 in); females range from 19–28 mm (0.75–1.10 in). These spiders may bite if disturbed or harassed, but the venom is seemingly harmless to humans.
This is one of the most useful modern soft focus lenses made for 35mm format, in my opinion. At 85mm, its ideal for both landscape and portraits and with the variable diffusion, the photographer has both a sharp and a soft lens at hand.
It is composed of six elements in five groups and is based on Japanese Patent granted in 1975, JP15454075A. Introduced in 1978, it had a short production life which ceased in 1993 or 1994. These lenses are somewhat rare and I have the impression they were primarily sold in the Japanese market. There must have been some sales directed elsewhere, however, as mine came with an English language instruction sheet. I am the second owner of this particular lens, wielding it since about 1986.
It will focus to 2.6 feet, has apertures from f/2.8 to f/16, essentially, all you would need under any circumstance except low light. It uses a 55mm filter and weighs just under a pound. Because the lens is both multi-coated and fairly deeply recessed, a hood is rarely required. The barrel length changes with the softness setting, shortest at the “3” setting
Although designed for 35mm format, it performs perfectly on the larger Fuji GFX format of 33 x 44mm as these images attest. A Fotodiox adapter mounted it to the GFX body.
Quoting from the manual: “… diffuses light passing through it by intentionally introducing a controlled amount of spherical aberration. This causes every point on the subject to be images as a sharp point surrounded by a diffuse halo.’ Any true soft focus lens operates on these basic principles, which cannot be duplicated by a filter which simply degrades the image.
A ring marked 0, 1, 2, 3, determines the degree of diffusion with “0” being none and “3” being the maximum. As the manual notes, “When the diaphragm is set for apertures of f/5.6 or smaller, the diffusion-causing spherical aberration will be eliminated regardless of the softness settings … ‘ As a result I did not test this lens past f/5.6 except for an example at f/16 and “0”.
The Dassault-Breguet "Super Etendard" ("Banner" in French) is a light embarked fighter bomber , successfully tested in combat, on various attack missions in Argentina, Iraq, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and recently in Libya.
It is a development of the Dassault Étendard IV attack aircraft in parallel with the new "Air-surface" version of the Aérospatiale anti-ship missile, the AM 39 "Exocet". The first test prototype flew on October 28, 1974. The French Navy initially ordered 60 units of the new model, which were delivered in June 1978.
The Argentine Navy acquired 14 "Super Etendard" in 1980, after the US. UU. He denied the possibility of replacing his A-4Q "Skyhawk's" with the new F-18 naval fighters and being able to continue, the operations embarked from the light aircraft carrier ARA Twenty-fifth of May, whose remaining useful life was calculated in 10 years. They were enrolled from 0751/3-A-201 to 0764/3-A-214, and were assigned to the 2nd Hunting and Attack Aircraft Squadron of the Naval Aviation Command.
Argentine pilots trained in France between November 1, 1980 and August 31, 1981, used similar Navy aircraft, completing their training from the Aircraft Carrier (R-98) "Clemenceau".
On December 7, 1981 they officially join the 2nd Squadron with the reception, in Argentina of the first 5 devices of the series, together with 5 missiles AM-39 "Exocet".
By April 2, 1982, at the start of the Falklands War, they had received only 45 hours of flight in this type of aircraft and the integration by French technicians of the interface between the plane and the missile was pending.
Although the French technicians returned to their country due to pressure from England and NATO, the Argentine Navy personnel managed to complete the assembly work. Finally, during the Falklands War, operating from the Admiral Hermes Quijada Air Base, in Río Grande Tierra del Fuego.
MISSION OF THE UNIT: Execute Offensive Naval Air Operations, destroying or neutralizing surface units, in order to contribute to the defense of the MALVINAS ISLANDS. Participating aircraft: 4 SUPER ETENDARD (3-A-202; 3-A-203; 3-A-204 and 3-A-205).
April 1: The take-off and landing race tests were started with the configuration planned before the possibility of operating on short tracks such as PUERTO ARGENTINO.
April 10: A flight refueling practice was carried out with a FAA KC-130 aircraft. The commissioning of the AM-39 system was completed, completing all the tests for the four aircraft that stood out.
April 12: Aerospatiale staff visit canceled.
April 15 and 16: Attack practices were carried out on the Destroyer ARA "SANTISIMA TRINIDAD" analyzing the capabilities of the enemy's radar and how to evade its detection. Recall that this ship was twin at Type 42, the backbone of the Royal Navy's air defense.
April 17: The practice of a complete mission with two planes was carried out. It was resupplied from a KC-130 aircraft located 300 MN from the take-off airfield with an attack on the Destroyer mentioned in the previous paragraph located 230 MN from the tank. The position was given by an S-2E, 15 minutes before launch.
On April 18, the NAVAL AVIATION COMMAND ordered the deployment of the four airplanes to the ALMIRANTE AERONAVAL BASE QUIJADA in order to complete their training, now in the area of operations.
On 19, a section (3-A-202/204) was highlighted to the south and 20 the other section (3-A-203/205). Maintenance personnel and spare parts were transported in transport aircraft.
On May 1, when hostilities began, the radar of PUERTO ARGENTINO reported the presence of three targets at 095º and 15 miles. The NAVAL AVIATION COMMAND ordered the Squadron to carry out an attack, for which 3-A-204 (CC COLOMBO) and 3-A-203 (TF MACHETANZ) were enlisted. The maneuver began without inconvenience, but the 3-A-204 began to have a loss of fuel that endangered the mission, so it had to be canceled.
On May 4, a classic mission of efficient coordination of exploratory aircraft (2-P-112) and attack aircraft (3-A-202 and 3-A-203) was accomplished, which caused the sinking of the HMS Destroyer "SHEFFIELD ". flying at low altitude to not be detected, it launched two Exocet AM / 39 missiles of which one hit HMS Sheffield and, although it did not explode, caused an uncontrollable fire with the fuel it was carrying and had not yet been consumed. The ship's wrecks sank on May 10, 1982.
On May 25, by the method of analyzing the movement of airplanes on its radar, PUERTO ARGENTINO reported the presence of a large target and 5 mediums at latitude 50º55 '(S) longitude 56º00' (W). This mission was accomplished with 3-A-203 (CC CURILOVIC) and 3-A-204 (TN BARRAZA). The target turned out to be container ship MV Atlantic Conveyor, being attacked at 4:41 p.m. Two "Exocet" AM / 39 missiles hit the port near the stern, causing an opening in the hull the size of a house and large fires on board. It sinks on May 28, 1982.
On the 26th they returned to COMPORANTE ESPORA on 3-A-203 and 3-A-204.
On May 30 PUERTO ARGENTINO reported the position of a British GT at latitude 51º42 (S) longitude 54º40 '(W). He also reported the possible presence of a picket at 160º and 60 miles, the composition of the force being unknown.
The execution of a double refueling in flight was planned with detailed precision. For its part, the ARGENTINE AIR FORCE Command expressed its desire to carry out the operation jointly, for which the participation of 4 A4-C planes in this attack was requested. The two KC-130 took off on May 30 to 1125 from RIO GALLEGOS and the six attackers, to 1243 from RIO GRANDE, heading towards the established meeting point.
The fifth missile was launched against the HMS Invincible aircraft carrier, failing the target according to the English and damaging it according to the Argentines. Of the four Air Force A-4Cs, two were shot down and the other two pilots continued their attack on the aircraft carrier, carrying out the ground bombardment and subsequent evasion maneuvers. When they dropped their bombs, they observed a large fire on board. First Lieutenant URETA and Ensign ISAAC, separately, said they had attacked a large ship, with a flat deck and starboard superstructure, which was damaged and was throwing smoke.
On June 1, both planes returned to COMPORANTE ESPORA to meet the rest of the Squadron because the last "EXOCET" had already been launched.
Finally, on June 13, it was ordered to highlight a section to RIO GRANDE for Guiding Attack Groups, but this order was canceled on 14.
After the Falklands War, the Naval Aviation Command (COAN) of the Argentine Navy received the remaining Super Étendard units previously requested, which completed the 14 aircraft requested.
After the reforms in the light aircraft carrier (PAL) ARA Twenty-five of May (V-2) (POMA), they began to operate, forming part of their GAE (Embarked Air Group), on April 18, 1983, Captain Corvette Augusto Bedacarratz, first landed on the aircraft carrier May 25 (POMA).
Until mid-1988 they continued to be part of the GAE, together with the Grumman S-2 Tracker and the Douglas A-4Q "Skyhawk", on that date the POMA entered a period of reforms that were never completed and the ship was finally scrapped to late 90s, in Alang India.
Standing near the entry to a mountain bike trail; this old shed makes a good changing room or shelter in the rain.
Awhitu Peninsula, New Zealand.
Fujica GS645W on Cinestill 50D film
Title / Titre :
The British Almanac of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge… [fore-edge painting of a Spanish frigate] /
The British Almanac of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge… [peinture sur gouttière représentant une frégate espagnole]
Description :
Fore-edge painting of a Spanish frigate. /
Peinture sur gouttière représentant une frégate espagnole.
Creator(s) / Créateur(s) : Unknown / Inconnu
Date(s) : 1863
Reference No. / Numéro de référence : OCLC 1019211618
bac-lac.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1019211618
Location / Lieu : Unknown / Inconnu
Credit / Mention de source :
Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. London : Knight and Co., 1863. Library and Archives Canada, IMG_2701 /
Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. London : Knight and Co., 1863. Bibliothèque et Archives Canada, IMG_2701
The world class boanical collections in Waimea Valley owe there existence to Mir. Keith Woolliams, a dedicated botanical horticulturist who was trained at the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew, on the outskirts of London.
Keith led a rich life traveling around the globe studying botanical collections in England, Japan, Papua New Guinea and Bermuda. He brought to Hawaii his expertise and knowledge of uncommon horticultural treasures, and he acquired seeds, plants, and cuttings from remote places and botanical gardens all over the world. In pre-internet days dozens of letters and packages were dispatched and received daily.
His theme of "Conservation Through Cultivation" resulted in a balance of rare and useful native and Polynesian-introduced plants among exotic horticultural specimens.
What was once an ungroomed valley, filled with koa haole and ravaged by feral cattle was transformed into what you see today by Keith and the many dedicated people he inspired. They oversaw the design, landscaping and construction of the pathways, stone walls and stairs that frame the gardens. Keith's high standards for record keeping and signage persist to this day. He left us in 1998 with a library full of his propagation knowledge, cultivation practices and plant lore which survives to ensure that the precious life forms brought to this valley will thrive here long into the future.
Keith was an inspiring advocate for Hawatian plant conservation and he influenced many young people across the state. He connected Waimea with state, federal and international agencies such as the Center for Plant Conservation, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and the Botanical Gardens Conservation International - partnerships that Waimea Valley continues to uphold today.
Keith was instrumental in bringing in critically endangered plants from Japan's Ogasawara Islands, hibiscus relatives from all over the world, and with international colleagues he tried to assemble wild-source collections of every species of Erythrina in the world. In the periodical, "Notes from Waimea Arboretum and Botanical Garden" published twice a year until 1992 he stated "Waimea is a labeled and documented collection of plants for educational and scientific purposes, a living gene pool for future generations".
It is with great honor and gratitude that we remember Mr. Keith Woolliams and his dedication to Waimea Valley.
A useful aerial view of the Sanatorium and the Town Hall overlooking the Upper Gardens with War Memorial and fountain. Also visible is Richmond Hill Congregational (United Reformed) Church (bottom right), Commercial Road and the London Hotel (bottom left) which was demolished in 1932, Avenue Road with Lyall Road branching off just above the site of the infamous tram disaster in 1908. Alongside the 1921 Braidley Road bridge is the Grand Hall, part of the Town Hall that was used for popular functions, replaced by the Town Hall extension c.1990.
Aerial view by Surrey Flying Services, Croydon, postally unused.
113/120 - Useful - 120 Pictures in 2020
38/100 - Close to Home COVID-19 Quarantine - 100x: The 2020 Edition
It's our 59th day in self-quarantine. Staying at home except for walks with our dog and weekly trips to the supermarket. Almost 80 days since my last haircut and it's been looking a bit shaggy. Hair salons and barber shops are still closed. So I ordered one of these hair clippers from Amazon and checked out a few do-it-yourself haircut videos on YouTube. Thought about it for a few days and decided today was the day. Figured the worst case situation is that my hair would look short and crappy instead of long and shaggy. Just in case, I had a hat ready to go. To my surprise, it was relatively easy and my hair looks half-way presentable. Not that there's anyplace I can go where I need to look presentable!
An unusual red phone box with a stamp machine and letter box incorporated. This is one of only 50 ever made!
It stands on the platform of the Bolton Street railway station in Bury, Lancashire.
A George V postbox would have been installed between 1910-1936.
As you might observe the lower panes have been vandalised - it was ever thus!
My thanks to Claude Ball for his comment which includes this useful detail -
It's a K4 - 4th designed standard telephone kiosk.See: www.britishtelephones.com/k4.htm
for more information.
Many girls wish to have bigger breasts, without resorting to plastic surgeon’s scalpel. Herbal remedies will be, in some circumstances, efficient. For those that need bigger breasts naturally, can attempt one of many strategies beneath, however their success depends upon every physique...
www.isbeautytips.com/some-useful-tips-to-have-bigger-brea...
Awakening from the dream of conceptual thinking follows a certain route and process. The Zen Circle of Enlightenment is a useful way of understanding this. This post does not cover the practices that help this evolve. It simply shows the route and process of what happens for freedom from the conceptual world to be directly experienced and lived. Click here to download this graphic: Zen Circle of Enlightenment
Zero Degrees – The Beginning
We begin in this map at zero degrees. We are completely attached to our thoughts. We see the world and ourself completely through thoughts, concepts and beliefs. We don’t yet realize that these are just abstractions of reality and not reality itself. We believe this conceptual world IS reality. We believe our thoughts ARE reality. In spiritual terms we might say we are living completely in a dream or illusion.
90 Degrees – The First Step Toward Freedom
When we begin a spiritual practice, we move to 90 degrees on this map. We start learning new concepts, spiritual concepts. We leave some of our old concepts and beliefs behind and pick up new ones. If we read and study The Heart Sutra, for instance, we might now say that Form is Emptiness and Emptiness is Form, where at zero degrees we were believing that Form is Form and Emptiness is Emptiness.
We can get very excited about our new discoveries. They feel very liberating. We find new friends who are also practicing these new ways of thinking and experiencing. We find new teachers who lead us deeper into these new ideas and beliefs. It’s a very exciting time. But it can also be a little frustrating. We’ve got all these new and exciting concepts and beliefs, but somehow we’re still not awake. Somehow we still experience suffering in our lives. We may even tell ourselves that we are free and awake because we’ve had some amazing experiences, but deep inside we know this is not true. Deep inside, we still experience an incompleteness.
That’s because, even though these are new and exciting thoughts and beliefs, they are still only thoughts and beliefs. Reality is completely beyond all thoughts and beliefs, even spiritual ones. Given the powerful conditioning we’ve all undergone, it may be hard to accept this. But eventually, through frustration and continued suffering if nothing else, we break through. We break through the barrier of thought.
180 Degrees – The First Glimpse of Freedom
In Zen koan practice, we call this The First Gate. The purpose of our koan practice is to introduce this impossible impasse, barrier or gate that the mind of thought cannot get through. No matter how hard we try, none of our usual mental strategies work. The only way through is without the mind. Finally, in that great breakthrough, body and mind drop away. Because this is beyond the mind, there is nothing we can say about it. None of our mental labels can describe what this is. In Zen, we call this Emptiness. It is completely beyond all words and thoughts. It is not nothing. It is not everything. It is not inside. It is not outside. It is not duality. It is not nonduality. It is not self. It is not other. It is not existing, nor is it not existing. There is absolutely nothing we can say about this.
Now we have come face to face with reality, but we don’t yet know what this is. All our words, concepts, beliefs, knowledge and previous experiences cannot touch this. All the spiritual knowledge and experiences we accumulated at 90 degrees cannot touch this at all. We are completely emptied out and all there is is reality itself.
Quite often people become a little unsettled and resistant to this complete freedom at first. They may quickly resort to thoughts in an attempt to exert at least a little imagined control. That’s unfortunate, but it’s the nature of the conditioned mind. The longer we stay in this freedom from thought, the more wonderful we realize it is. Here we are directly experiencing life, reality, without any thoughts getting in the way. The longer we stay here, the more we realize that this is the very source of the peace, love, contentment, freedom, creativity and wisdom we have been seeking. This is it. This is our True Self, even if there is not a thing we can say about it.
Because this freedom from thought is so liberating, we can also become attached to this stage and not move on and embody it in the world for the benefit of all beings. Eventually most of us do want to do this. We realize we are not separate from any being, unconditional love is our very nature, and so we move on.
270 Degrees – Embodying Freedom
At 270 Degrees, we’re free to use language, concepts, and thoughts without any attachment to them. They’re just language, concepts and thoughts. They have no reality or validity beyond that. When they’re useful, beneficial and appropriate, we use them. Otherwise we remain silent. Great creativity flows through some of us in this stage. But we’re not attached to it. It doesn’t even feel like we’re doing anything. It’s simply happening by itself. It’s simply life happening.
Some us find ourselves as spiritual teachers here. We feel called to help others discover this great freedom and liberation from suffering. Although people may become attached to our words, we never are. And we do our best to encourage them to see all our words as merely pointers to something beyond words and thoughts. It is never the words we are pointing towards. It is always the freedom beyond words and thoughts.
Although we’ve learned to use words and concepts again to communicate, the underlying emptiness and freedom remains. In the Zen tradition teachers often say things that sound like nonsense to the conditioned mind in an effort to help serious students break free of the prison of their conditioned thoughts. That’s the purpose of Zen koans. When we’re free of the conceptual dream world, what appeared as nonsense is completely understood as pointing directly at reality. It’s often a time of great hilarity, without any thoughts about why it’s so funny.
Here we’re free to use words, thoughts and actions in any way they are truly beneficial without having the slightest attachment to them. It’s like being a bucket without a bottom. Whatever pours in immediately leaves without a trace. In this way, we live in freedom. In the Christian bible, it’s called living in the world but not of it.
360 Degrees – Returning Home As Freedom
At 360 degrees on this circle, we have returned home. We live fully in the world, but without any attachment or resistance to any of it. We live in complete freedom. Now we can say that “mountains are mountains” without any attachment or belief in these words. The difference between saying “mountains are mountains” at zero degrees with attachment and belief and saying “mountains are mountains” at 360 degrees with complete freedom is profound. From the outside, it may appear that these are the same, but they are not at all. No longer imprisoned by our thoughts, no longer imprisoned by a sense of separation, we are free to be fully in the world and act in the highest benefit for all beings.
That doesn’t mean our journey has ended. In one sense it has just begun. But it’s no longer a personal self with needs and goals taking this journey. The journey is happening by itself. In every moment it is unfolding fresh, new and alive. Whatever arises in each moment is the journey. And each moment is fully complete in and of itself. There is no longer a desire to get something or get somewhere. The fullness of life is revealed in every moment. What more could be asked for? This is returning home.
Abstract view of orange minerals of a hot spring geyser thermal feature in Yellowstone National Park. Useful for backgrounds
Uses: Anything relating to finance and money.
Free Creative Commons Finance Images... I created these images in my studio and have made them all available for personal or commercial use. Hope you like them and find them useful.
To see more of our CC by 2.0 finance images click here... see profile for attribution.
Uses: Anything relating to finance or savings.
The Ever Useful container ship travels under the Golden Gate Bridge on a foggy day in San Francisco, California.
Historic abandoned house in Clayton, NC. Built 1837. It has since been restored and the owners are living in it. TwistedBrush Pro Studio textures and much thanks to rubyblossom for the use of her beautiful texture.
Useful put-to-together for a wrist ______. Basically, I've used it for trying multiple things, but I like having the bayonet as some sort of "laser."
The U-Clip gives it a way to click on to the minifigure's hand, the spike gives it some cool "round/middle" piece, and the part that you use on top is up to you! Be creative. :)
Building operations in connection with the Wool Bay Institute have been commenced, and the contractor is pushing things along as quickly as possible: Wool Bay means to keep in step with the progress of other parts. [Ref: Pioneer 8-4-1911]
Wool Bay Hall opening
A number of Yorketown residents journeyed to Wool Bay on Friday, to attend the opening of the hall there.
The Mayor of Edithburgh (Mr W Baker) performed the ceremony. He congratulated the residents on their enterprise in having erected so solid and useful a structure. The hall is built of stone and is capable of seating 150 people.
The Government is to be approached on the question of leasing the building for State school purposes. The cost was £215.
A cricket match was played between the lime burners and stone carters. The former won by 10 runs.
An enjoyable tea was held, and a splendid programme of vocal and instrumental music was given in. the evening. The proceeds amounted to £40.
The Baptist Mission will use the hall for religious purposes. [Ref: Register 17-12-1912]
Wool Bay School Concert
On Friday evening last the Wool Bay Hall was packed almost to overflowing when the scholars of the school gave a first class concert. The teachers (Miss E A Whitehead) and Mrs C Farrow are to be congratulated on the result of their efforts in training the youthful soloists and elocutionists.
The contributions by the children were excellent and quite above the average.
The school boys and girls also rendered some pretty selections in verse and dialogue. [Ref: Pioneer 28-6-1913]
Wool Bay Fair
A very successful Tulip Fair was held at Wool Bay on Friday March 5th.
The fair was opened by Rev E R Ledger and brisk business was done throughout the afternoon and evening.
In the evening a promenade concert was held.
The ladies of Wool Bay are to be congratulated upon the success of the fair. The net proceeds amounted to over £26. The proceeds were in aid of the hall funds.
Recently a room has been added to the premises, and there is now an excellent hall and convenient buildings and the bank overdraft is very light. [Ref: Pioneer 20-3-1915]
Diphtheria Outbreak Wool Bay
About three weeks ago a case diphtheria occurred at Wool Bay.
Notwithstanding the fact the patient was immediately isolated, another case made its appearance last Friday, and on Saturday and Monday five more cases were reported. The patients range from 5 to 20 years of age and are mostly school children. The Education department closed the school.
Acting on the advice of the medical officer the patients were all removed to the local institute, and Nurse Lindschau, late charge nurse of the diphtheria ward of the Adelaide hospital, who was in the district at the time, kindly undertook to look after them.
Great credit is due to the Chairman and Clerk of the Dalyrmple District-Council for their prompt action in making the necessary arrangements, and Mr Plaisted and other residents of Wool Bay for their untiring efforts to prepare the Wool Bay institute hall for the use of the patients. The commonsense of the parents in allowing their children to be placed in the hall helped the doctor considerably.
No new cases have been reported since Monday. One or two of the cases were very serious, but the patients are now out of danger. The sister-in-charge will be pleased to receive any old comic papers or books suitable for children. If they are left at the Pioneer office they will be promptly sent to the Bay, [Ref: Pioneer 24-3-1917]
Concert at Wool Bay
A splendid concert was given at Wool Day on Friday, October 22 by the scholars of the State School, under the conductorship of the teacher, Miss Jacka.
Every item was a star and every performer an artist.
The teacher and the accompanist (Mrs Farrow) are to be congratulated on the result of their efforts. The proceeds were in aid of the school funds. At the close of the school concert a supper and dance was held in aid of the Hall Piano Fund. [Ref: Pioneer 13-11-1920]
Wool Bay
The steamer Quorna arrived here on Wednesday with general cargo and loaded 700 bags of lime. The ketch John Lewis is loading barley. The crushing machinery at Klein's Point was delayed for a time owing to a slight accident but is now in full swing again.
A happy gathering took place at the Wool Bay Hall on May 22, when a number of friends assembled and gave a surprise party to Mr Norman Plaisted to celebrate his twenty-first birthday. The evening was spent in playing games and dancing. A real good supper was provided by the friends. [Ref: Pioneer 3-6-1922]
From Wool Bay
A long night dance was held in the Wool Bay Hall on November 30 which brought the dancing season to a close and many dancers were present.
Supper was served by the ladies. A few friends from Kingscote were present. [Ref: Mail 15-12-1923]
Bathing House
The new ladies' bathing house is now open for use. Several of the local ladies used it for the first time on Sunday morning December 13. [Ref: Pioneer Sat 26-12-1925]
Wool Bay
This popular little seaport has been well patronized during the holidays. The weather has been glorious for holiday makers. Bathers of both sexes, young and old, in varied coloured costumes and caps have been having a great time. The new bathing house proved its worth to the ladies and was well taxed every day.
Mr and Mrs N H Eichner and Mrs Stan Grabia have been camping on the beach in tents. The members of both families had a happy time on the sands, even the domestic cat was brought along for the change. Mr Eichner also had his wireless plant erected. An electric light added a home-like effect.
Men's Bathing House
On Wednesday a successful dance was held in the hall for the purpose of raising funds for the erection of a men's bathing house. There was a good attendance. Arrangements are to be made for a series of dances for the above object. [Ref: Pioneer 16-1-1926]
WOOL BAY - Saved by a Fishing Line WHAT A CATCH!!
On Tuesday February 9, the two sons of Mr R Scott, Bob and Arthur, aged 11 and 6 years, were on the Wool Bay jetty fishing when Arthur tripped and fell overboard at the outer end of the jetty.
There was no one about to help them, so Bob tried to hook him with his fishing line and was successful as the lad came up the second time.
He tied the line to the jetty, ran and got the lifebuoy and threw it over to Arthur, who managed to get hold of it.
Bob then dragged him to shallow water and waded out and brought him to safety.
Neither of the boys were any the worse for the experience.
During this week Bob was helper in saving another young lad who had got beyond his depth.
Shipping has been very brisk during the last fortnight. Ketches have been coming in every few days. They are making the wheat and barley stacks look very small. [Ref: Pioneer 20-2-1926]
Obituary
Mr Charles Farrow, of Riverton, a former resident of Wool Bay, died suddenly at Curramulka on Monday morning.
He was in his 72nd year and was a frequent visitor to Yorke Peninsula.
The late Mr Farrow was well-known throughout YP, and prior to 1926 had resided at Wool Bay for about 20 years. During that time he was largely responsible for the building of the Wool Bay Institute.
Before its erection the Baptist services were held at his homestead. [Ref: Pioneer 25-9-1936]