Visually distilling what a family get-together can look like, for me Part 2. Canon 5D Classic + Sigma ART 35mm F1.4 EF

A group of blind and visually impaired performers from Morocco, Togo, United Kingdom, and Switzerland performed during a cultural event on October 6, 2016 organized by WIPO and the Government of Morocco​. The cultural event also included an exhibition entitled "The Centenary of Industrial Property in Morocco."

The event was held on the sidelines of the WIPO Assemblies, which met in Geneva from October 3 to 11, 2016.

Copyright: WIPO. Photo: Violaine Martin. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 IGO License.

A visually striking & unmistakable moth that flies from June to August. Most frequently found in open woodland and scrub, but also found in gardens, orchards & parkland.

Trapped in my Suffolk garden - July 2014.

Visually distilling what a family get-together can look like, for me.

Canon 5D Classic + Canon EF 50mm F1.8 v1

Visually terrifying; the oil fields in Taft, CA as seen through these eyes of this photographer

March Point. Padilla Bay/Fidalgo Bay. "The Washington population of the Black Oystercatcher is estimated to be roughly 400 birds. This number is probably not significantly different from the historical population, as these birds require fairly specialized habitat, which is not evenly distributed. Oystercatchers are highly vulnerable to human disturbance, oil spills, and pollution of the intertidal zone. Numbers of Black Oystercatchers on the outer coast may be higher than in the past, in part due to decreased human disturbance resulting from lighthouse automation. Numbers in inland areas, however, have declined in response to increased human activity. The Northern Pacific Coast Regional Shorebird Management Plan has identified the Black Oystercatcher as a regional species of high concern."

"The Black Oystercatcher is restricted in its range, never straying far from shores, in particular favoring rocky shorelines. It has been suggested that this bird is seen mostly on coastal stretches which have some quieter embayments, such as jetty protected areas. It forages in the intertidal zone, feeding on marine invertebrates, particularly molluscs such as mussels, limpets and chitons. It will also take crabs, isopods and barnacles. It hunts through the intertidal area, searching for food visually, often so close to the water's edge it has to fly up to avoid crashing surf. It uses its strong bill to dislodge food and pry shells open."

A diverse and visually interesting collection of vintage Mobiloil advertising badges that showcase the Company's earliest trademarks - the Gargoyle and Pegasus motifs.

When Standard Oil broke up in 1911, a phenomenal amount of companies evolved, one of which was Socony (Standard Oil Company of New York) who registered the name 'Mobiloil' as a trademark in 1920. Mobiloil lubricants for both motor cars and motorcycles were available in Britain from the 1920s but Mobil petrol did not appear until 1954; in 1955 a change of name resulted in the formation of the Mobil Oil Company Ltd.

When Socony and the Vacuum Oil Company fully merged in 1931, an affiliation with the Magnolia Petroleum Company gave way to the adoption of the Pegasus trademark. The Pegagsus badge above dates to the early 1950s, 'The New Mobiloil is here' to the 1920s, 'Mobiloil Banishes Oil-Drag' to the 1930s and the 'Mobiloil D' to the 1930s.

In 2000, Mobil merged with Exxon to form ExxonMobil.

Photography, layout and design: Argy58

(This image also exists as a high resolution jpeg and tiff - ideal for a variety of print sizes

e.g. A4, A3, A2 and A1. The current uploaded format is for screen based viewing only: 72pi

From Wikipedia:

The Australian water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii), which includes the eastern water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii lesueurii ) and the Gippsland water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii howittii ) subspecies, is an arboreal agamid species native to eastern Australia from Victoria northwards to Queensland. There may be a small introduced population on the south-east coast of South Australia. The Gippsland Water Dragon is generally the more southern of the two species and the more cold adapted and heat sensitive. Visually distinguishing the Gippsland Water Dragon from the Eastern Water Dragon is relatively easy, as long as their skin is reasonably clean and not stained from the water, as identification of the two subspecies depends largely on observable differences in colours and patterns.

Australian water dragons are extremely shy in the wild, but readily adapt to continual human presence in suburban parks and gardens. They are fast runners and strong climbers. When faced with a potential predator, they seek cover in thick vegetation, or drop from an overhanging branch into water. They are able to swim totally submerged, and rest on the bottom of shallow creeks or lakes for up to 90 minutes, to avoid detection.

Both males and females display typical agamid behaviour such as basking, arm-waving and head-bobbing. Fast arm-waving signals dominance, while slow arm-waving signals submission. Males are territorial, and in areas of higher population density, males exhibit displays of aggression toward other males including posturing, chasing and fighting.

This visually stunning water tower at Finedon in Northamptonshire was built in 1904 & cost £1500. It is right beside the A6 & takes your breath away when it comes into view! The Victorians didn't do things by halves!

Tenuous Link: water tower

Connected (in the Connect group): six sided tower.

ABCs & 123s: 6 sides (hexagonal)

Venus Transits, though not really visually impressive, are extremely rare astronomical events and not to be missed by any astronomy hobbyists. The transits normally occur every 100+ years, in pairs separated by 8 years.

The last two transits were in June 2004 and June 2012 and I witnessed both. Out of the pair, I took the 2012 one more seriously since it would be the last chance in my lifetime. Apart from me, 5 other Malaysian hobbyists took it equally seriously. We travelled all the way down southern to the state of Northern Territory in Australia for best weather, though the event was perfectly visible from Peninsula Malaysia.

The weather god was very kind to us five crazy buggers. We were blessed with crystal clear sky throughout the 6-hour-long transit. We documented the entire show in both white light and H-alpha, stills and time lapses. The H-alpha image posted here is my collaborative work with @William Chin. The sun was a little bit more active compared to June 2004, with some decent sunspots and prominences showing up.

To be honest, watching the transit gets kind of boring after the 1st and 2nd contacts finish. You basically sits there under harsh sunlight for hours, simply waiting for the last contacts. However, you do get some fun if you prepare a big piece of solar film and cover your entire face. By doing this, you see nothing but the sun, dotted with the tiny silhouette of Venus, in your view. You get a feeling you are floating in empty space, and you really can get a sense of how far away the two objects are and how orbital positioning plays a part in such celestial alignments.

Don't forget to mention this trick to your grandchildren, so that they won't get too bored watching the next Venus Transit in 2117 : )

therefractedlight.blogspot.com

Visually seen and captured at 4:02 AM. Milky Way above the meteor. Mars is to the left of the Saguaro cactus and Saturn and Jupiter to the right of the cactus, all three planets in a straight line.

The meteor last 1-2 seconds and moved very fast. This is a 10 second exposure so the meteor is photographically less bright in appearance than the visual observation.

Tighter crop but this is very close to my field of vision and what I saw sitting on my Televue astronomy stool watching. enjoying the wee hours before dawn.

I have an amazing set of four Momo "Ronel" alloy rims that were on my Alfa Romeo Spider when I bought it in 1986. Soon thereafter I replaced the mags with the standard steel rims and no longer needed these. Since then, these rims have been safely stored, wrapped in plastic in a dry cellar in Pretoria.

They have never been resprayed and are almost as fresh as when they left the factory in Italy in the early-80's. This is an opportunity to get your hands on a set of rare, period rims that have not been molested. Sure, they have some light wear from everyday use, but have never been seriously curbed, and the coating is almost immaculate. As you will see from the images, they are visually impressive, and the only spanner-rash is in the wheel-nut sockets. I doubt whether you're going to find a set of +30 year alloy rims in better condition.

I have advertised these alloy rims on Gumtree in South Africa - please see the advert here: bit.ly/2aSDWGh

Additional Information:

* Codes in the metal on the wheels read 6Jx14H2 and ET38

* Written on the inside of one of the wheels is the text: CA 1460-108G

* Stickers on the inside of three of the four wheels say: 108 Interasse Bolt Circle

* An additional sticker on the inside of a wheel reads: 108 Ford Interasse Bolt Circle

I am currently abroad and will only be back in South Africa in about October. Nevertheless, these wheels are accessible in my absence and will have to be collected from an address in Pretoria East. Grab yourself a bargain, and give your classic Alfa or Ford that real, period look they're crying out for!

Visually, a bona fide steel boot kick in the ass. I love great geometry in architecture, nature, photography and especially in design. 32 inches wide x 18 inches dep x 30 inches tall.

The Hand of God is a visually symbolic piece representing a life journey filled with all kinds of strong emotions. Created by Italian sculptor Lorenzo Quinn, the large-scale public installation features a giant hand reaching out from the ground and supporting a slouched, possibly downtrodden, figure resting atop the palm.

This is one of a series of photo's taken on Christmas day - I took a ride around central London in the morning on my motor cycle. It is a great opportunity to get some shots without the usual traffic disruption.

Kingscote Station was opened in 1882, and was constructed by the London Brighton and South Coast Railway. The stations on the line were designed to visually appeal to Victorian London-commuters, who had travelled into the Sussex countryside looking for either a commuter property, or country cottage for the weekend.

Located in an area remote from any significant residential or commercial development, the station became known as the quietest on the LB&SCR. Were it not for the wood and logging trade which was undertaken on leased land within the station site, it is likely that the Southern Railway would have closed the loss making station to passengers in the 1920s. However closure did come in May 1955 with the tracks were lifted 1963, after which the site was sold to the original land owner. In the 1970s, the station was redeveloped as a fully residential house, with the downside platform demolished to allow substantial landscaping for a garden

The majority of the former station site was acquired by the Bluebell Railway Extension Company Ltd (the legal vehicle used by the charitable Bluebell Railway Society to buy the former land on which the railway had run, and undertake reconstruction of the line northwards), in the 1980s.

After a public enquiry into the lines extension plans north from Horsted Keynes, and having gained planning permission for the whole redevelopment to East Grinstead, the railway was first extended to a loop just north of the now demolished West Hoathly to allow rebuilding of Coombe Down bridge. This gave access to the station site at Kingscote, where an initial run-around loop was installed. After reconstruction of the former downside No.2 platform, the station was reopened in 1994. To comply with the extensions planning permission, the station has no public car parking.From its reopening in 1994 to 2013, the station acted as the northern terminus of the Bluebell Railway, until the extension to East Grinstead was opened

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingscote_railway_station

Among the most visually impactful projects that a city/regional planner gets to take part in is a facade rehabilitation program. This is a 9-image composite [that took way too long to Photoshop together] of the north side of the 300-block of East Main Street in downtown Ottumwa.

Approximately $1 million of private and public funds went into transforming an entire city block from a blighted, unsafe eyesore into a place where people will actually want to be. The visual results are immediate and the economic results undoubtedly will follow.

The full album of before & after pictures is available on my "other" Flickr account:

www.flickr.com/photos/the_urbanvironmentalist/sets/721576...

*This is a much compressed image so that it is manageable for viewing on the web. The full-size composite file pushes 57MB and is 29,831 pixels wide by 3,367; which at 72 DPI equates to approximately 414.3" x 46.8".

The single storey visually attractive Prince Edward Hotel was first licensed in 1864. The business continues to be supported by 'locals' and visitors to the town due to the hotels old world charm & relaxing character. At times it has also been known as the Prince of Wales Hotel.

This visually stunning Art Deco enamel badge, promotes the famous tyre brand, Avon Tyres. It bears the company's early 1908, registered trademark which is a stylised Trilithon (Stonehenge) structure, made up of two large vertical stone posts supporting a third stone that lies horizontally across the top. On this badge, the horizontal stone announces the company name, Avon. From 1908, through to the 1930s, the Trilithon was either used as a focal point within advertisements, or as a refined logo within a corner of an advertisement. Beneath the Trilithon trademark the phrase 'Symbols of Endurance' appeared.

Within the early advertisements, before and just after the 1920s, a car and driver, with Avon tyres, would be portrayed passing through a mighty Trilithon. The adoption of this Trilithon trademark was explained by the company as follows: ".......this noble and historical trademark was decided upon in full consciousness of the high standard of excellence which such an emblem implied … because Avon products, in addition to other noble characteristics, possessed in a remarkable degree the two skills of strength and durability."

Of course, another reason for adopting the Trilithon device was linked to the company's location in Wiltshire, the home of Stonehenge. The badge uses the company's distinctive, somewhat spikey, upper case font, and this was first used in the late 1920s through to the 1960s. By the 1970s the signature logotype 'Avon' was changed to a modernist sans serif design with the letter 'o' rendered in solid red.

Avon started making rubber based products as far back as 1885 and by 1890 the business operated entirely from Melksham. At this point the Avon India Rubber Company Ltd was formed and in 1906 Avon car tyres were advertised for the first time along with their already established line in cycle tyres. Throughout WW1, Avon Tyres were used on forces bicycles, motorcycles, cars, trucks, aeroplanes and ambulances. Other Avon rubber products such as tubing and hoses were used to extract water from waterlogged trenches.

By the late 1920s, Avon had a number of tyre distribution centres across Britain and their product range diversified to include carriage and pram tyres, rubber soles and heels for footwear, household bath mats and rubber carpets. In 1933 the Avon 'cooled duo-tread tyre' was chosen by Rolls Royce as a standard feature on their cars. Avon's racing pedigree gained momentum in the 1920s and continued through to the mid-century period, building up strong relationships with international riders and drivers.

Avon maintained a high profile in the rubber based product market and the post WW11 period witnessed rapid growth through a number of acquisitions and further product diversification. Cooper Tire & Rubber Company (Ohio, USA), purchased Avon Tyres in 1997 in an agreement that allowed the company to focus on its core automotive components, technical products and protective equipment. The Avon brand remains within the Cooper Tire & Rubber Company portfolio and the Melksham, Wiltshire plant remains active today.

Photography, layout and design: Argy58

(This image also exists as a high resolution jpeg and tiff - ideal for a

variety of print sizes e.g. A4, A3, A2 and A1. The current uploaded

format is for screen based viewing only: 72pi)

The Peacock chair was inspired by a traditional Windsor chair. Wegner exaggerated the arched back, creating a high backed, yet airy chair. The back spindles are flattened in the approximate area of a person's shoulder blades, the visual result of which evokes a birds tail plumage

Visually similar to London Country's ill starred RC class was my personal favourite in the Pooles Coachways fleet, DRF 133E. Unlike the RC's in mechanical specification, it was powered by AEC's 590 cu in engine with six speed manual gearbox and rode on leaf leaf springs rather than air bags. Bought new in 1967, the bus survived to the end of operations with the Poole family and passed to the Mc Cready group who acquired the business. Withdrawal came shortly afterwards and after a degree of procrastination I narrowly missed buying it, finding it to have been scrapped the week before I tentatively inquired. The Willowbrook (Duple Midland) bodied Reliance was to be Poole's last new AEC. It's seen here on a winter Saturday afternoon outside their Alsagers Bank premises.

£10.95 at Notcutts Dukeries Garden Centre, Worksop, Nottinghamshire.

Small piece of fish in a fish shape, about 12 chips and the smallest pot of peas I've ever had. Good job I only wanted a light lunch.

Very poor value. Ive had better at almost half that price.

Best Large-A visually stunning sight as night begins to fall is the Canadian tower overlooking the misting Niagara Falls. The tower itself has an eerie outline to it and the colors of sunset add to the dramatics, here in a textured background.

Standing on the Precipice (JHWatkins)

Standing on the precipice-

balanced at junctions,

space and time-

there are no excuses here

no explanations or rhymes.

Locked in lavish rhythm

far beyond the brink-

hid from help or rescue-

on jagged edge distinct.

Weighty voices-

tomorrows bearing-

form forces by the day...

Wound tight

in folds of failure-

by faltering historic foray.

Naked standing truth-

whirl winded and filleted-

open now -

body bleeding-

clean by choice-

ruthless rights parlayed.

Ring round the

restless righteous-

tormented tongues

twisted and advanced.

Weapons trained-

fitting filled-

hopelessness entranced.

New toys

for large little boys-

clicking clocks

in finest fashion.

Positioned perspective-

poisoned possessive power-

from places unimagined.

Whining women-

worn-out white wheezers-

talking days on end-

endless hours

of wasted words-

useless air-

precious spent.

Children torn

apart at seams-

families drugged

and drenched...

Callous toned

nightmares

running wild-

seeds scattered

in the wind.

Lost by generation's

darkened doubt-

aflame

the fearless world-

tossed aside by

hellish schemes-

now rampant-

flags unfurled.

Gone the green

and yearning years-

foundations

fairly laid-

of priceless pearl

in wisdom grown,

crown jewelry

on parade.

But new

the turning earth begins-

choice

once again delayed.

Come cold and calm

courageous men-

run boldly

to your fate.

And stand in

earnest errand bare,

an era

at the end-

now bind yourselves

betrothed and braced-

to finish

without fear. (James watkins 2004)

Marilyn Rushton, a well-known Burnaby citizen, is awarded with the province’s newest honour, the Medal of Good Citizenship.

Rushton is honoured for her for inspirational life of service to the visually impaired community, her contributions to families with blind and visually impaired children, and her energetic support for the musical community.

Learn more: news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2016IGR0025-001407

I lost my like of Pretty.

The most visually striking item on the menu this past Saturday was veggie kebabs. My girlfriend Leslie Anne said she was fixing salmon and green beans for the grill, so I decided not to repeat the asparagus from the weekend before. Eggplant and tomatoes for the grill was an option, but I decided to experiment with veggie kebabs.

My new HEB Grocery store had pre-packaged kebabs with three skewers of mushroom, red and green bell peppers, yellow and zucchini squash, and red onion. With the cutting already done, all I had to do was add olive oil and Montreal Steak Seasoning. Although they grilled just fine, the problem was geometry. Getting enough oil and spices on all the veggies of three skewers was a problem as was cooking them in this colorful manner.

Next time I'll pull out the skewers before dumping the veggies into the plastic bag with oil and spices. That will save me a lot of oil and spices that went to waste. The veggies also cook at different rates. Onion and bell peppers take the most time and should be skewered together. Squash takes an intermediate amount of time on the grill. Mushrooms cook very quickly and should go on last along with some tomato slices that weren't included in the assortment shown here.

I've eaten grilled veggie kebabs before cooked by others, but this was my first attempt. You can also see cornbread, grilled salmon, and grilled green beans. The grilled salmon always works out fine, but the grilled green beans were the best ever. More about those items and my new dress later..

In the seed processing plant at Bidasem, a worker visually examines and manually sifts maize seed on a conveyor belt, picking out material such as damaged or spoiled seed or pieces of cob. After initial cleaning and sorting, all seed that goes through the plant passes through quality control. If a sample from a batch is found to more have more than 2% impurities, they are either separated out by hand like this or using a gravity table. The batch is then resampled to ensure a clean bill of health to continue processing.

Bidasem is a small seed company based in the central Mexican plains region known as the Bajío. It produces approximately 10,000 bags of maize seed a year, each holding 22.5kg, as well as producing wheat and oat seed and marketing seed of other crops. Despite their small size, Bidasem and similar companies play an important role in improving farmers’ livelihoods. “Our aim is to provide farmers with quality seed at accessible prices, that is adapted to the conditions we have here in the Bajío. It’s a great satisfaction, when farmers achieve the yields they need,” says director general María Esther Rivas.

“Without CIMMYT, we couldn’t exist,” says Rivas. She sells four different maize hybrids, all formed from freely-available CIMMYT parent lines. “Really the most important thing is to produce your own hybrids, and for us it wouldn’t be possible if we didn’t have the germplasm from CIMMYT. What we’re currently producing is 100% CIMMYT.” The relationship between Bidasem and CIMMYT is now deepening through participation in the MasAgro initiative, which includes training courses for seed companies and collaborative trials to evaluate the best seed.

Photo credit: X. Fonseca/CIMMYT.

For more on seed production at Bidasem, and CIMMYT's role in providing the best seed, see CIMMYT's 2012 e-news story The seed chain: producing better seed for small farmers, available online at: www.cimmyt.org/en/newsletter/598-2012/1398-the-seed-chain....

Fairly faint and hardly visually spectacular, Messier 71 is one of the nearest globular clusters to us at 13000 LY and is relatively young at about 10 billion years old.

Admiral Smyth described it in 1844 as… “of a very feeble light”.

It lies fairly close to the edge of the Milky Way so the stellar background is quite crowded which reduces contrast.

For many years, astronomers thought it looked more like an small open cluster than a globular until high resolution spectroscopy confirmed it was a globular.

This was my first image since March with my Esprit 120 scope. I had a lot of trouble with it out of the box back then with a faulty mechanical focuser and pinched optics from an overtightened lens unit - it took me most of last season to sort that out.

Given a 68% waning Moon, scudding cloud, a gusty wind and Saharan sand in the atmosphere (!), I thought I should go for something straightforward and its always nice to bag another Messier object!

I'd planned to get 30 x 2 minute subs over an hour but strong gusts of wind and scudding cloud left me with 25 x subs over 2 hours.

I'm just happy that my stars are round instead of hexagonal and the focuser was flawless.

Technical Card

840/120mm f/7 SkyWatcher Esprit 120ED triplet refractor.

SkyWatcher 1.0 x FF with 2 inch IDAS LPS P3 filter

ZWO ASI2600MC; 25 x 120 second subs, Gain 100, Offset 25, Temp = -10c.

EQ6 pro mount with Rowan belt drives. EQMOD control. Pegasus Astro Focus Cube electronic focuser.

Session control; SharpCap 4.0 on laptop with WiFi link to IPad.

Automated plate solving GOTO via ASTAP (4 secs exp at Gain 350)

FWHM multistar focusing - the best FWHM reading I could get was 4.3 - I didn't know it but next morning, the media had lots of pictures of dusty sunsets all over the UK - Saharan sand suspended in the atmosphere.

40 dark frames

60 flat frames (electroluminescent panel, 3000ms exposure at Gain 0).

Post processed in PixInsight 1.8.9.2.

Light Pollution and Weather:

Gusts of wind and scudding cloud. About half of all subs were discarded.

SQM (L) not measured due to waning Moon.

Polar Alignment:

PoleMaster alignment

Error measured by PHD2= 3.1 arc minute.

RA drift + 3.85 arcsec/min

Dec drift + 0.78 arcsec/min

Guiding:

PHD2 guiding with ZWO ASI290mm/Primalucelab

240/60mm guider.

RA RMS error 0.77 arcsec

Dec RMS error 0.74 arcsec

This deteriorated later in the evening as it got windier.

I'm thinking of changing to a 320mm f4 guide scope - I understand guide FL should be about 1/3 of scope FL.

Astrometry:

Focal distance: 862.40 mm

Pixel size: 3.76 um

Resolution: 0.9 arcsec/pxl.

Field of view:55' 34.6" x 34' 45.5"

Image centre: RA: 19 53 44.124 Dec: +18 46 01.89

A unique and highly collectible philatelic item: an official First Day Cover (FDC) issued by the Isle of Man Post Office Authority on March 12, 1976, featuring the genuine autograph of renowned British humanitarian and author Sir Terry Waite.

This cover was issued to commemorate the American Revolution Bicentennial and honors Colonel William Christian of Virginia. However, its primary value lies in the unique, confirmed signature from Terry Waite, a famous public figure known for his exceptional work in hostage negotiation and his own survival of five years in captivity in Beirut.

Colonel William Christian was a respected Virginia military officer, planter, and politician who commanded the Virginia militia during the 1776 Cherokee Expedition. He was the brother-in-law of Patrick Henry and was killed in 1786 while leading an expedition against Native American tribes near what is now Indiana.

The signature is a confirmed match to examples found in his best-selling autobiography, Taken On Trust. This is a one-of-a-kind piece that bridges philately with modern humanitarian history.

A unique and highly collectible philatelic item: an official First Day Cover (FDC) issued by the Isle of Man Post Office Authority on March 12, 1976, featuring the genuine autograph of renowned British humanitarian and author Sir Terry Waite.

This cover was issued to commemorate the American Revolution Bicentennial and honors Colonel William Christian of Virginia. However, its primary value lies in the unique, confirmed signature from Terry Waite, a famous public figure known for his exceptional work in hostage negotiation and his own survival of five years in captivity in Beirut. The signature is a confirmed match to examples found in his best-selling autobiography, Taken On Trust. This is a one-of-a-kind piece that bridges philately with modern humanitarian history.

The Signer: Sir Terry Waite

The handwritten signature on the cover has been visually authenticated as belonging to Sir Terry Waite CBE, a prominent British humanitarian, author, and former special envoy for the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Background: Terry Waite is famous for his work in conflict resolution and hostage negotiation in the Middle East during the 1980s. Captivity and Fame: In 1987, he was taken hostage in Beirut and spent 1,763 days in solitary confinement. His story of survival and subsequent humanitarian work made him an international public figure after his release in November 1991. Autobiography: He authored the bestselling book Taken On Trust, which was published in 1993 and composed in his mind while captive.

Context of the Signature: The signature is a valuable personal addition to the collectible item. It is highly unlikely that Sir Terry Waite signed this cover on its issue date in 1976, as he was not yet a public figure. It is probable he signed it as a piece of memorabilia for a collector or for a charity event at some point after his release from captivity in 1991. The signature gives the item a unique provenance not shared by standard, unsigned versions of the cover, which are generally of low market value.

LINK to video - The Secret Story of Terry Waite - PBS Frontline 1991 - www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-VHaUk1hC4

Toute reproduction sur un support imprimé ou publication sur internet devra faire l'objet d'une demande expresse auprès du service communication de la Fédération Française Handisport.

–

Toute utilisation ainsi autorisée devra mentionner le crédit photo (voir nom du fichier ci-dessus : “©…” ou métadonnées de la photo dans sa taille originale).

–

Contact : photos [at] handisport.org

Museum Tower, at 560 feet tall and 42 stories costing $200 million dollars, is under construction with completion expected in late 2012. The rendering of Museum Tower in this photo shows what an incredible addition the tower will make on the Downtown Dallas cityscape. Museum Tower has been described as a "shaft of light".

Museum Tower, from this particular view, is visually located to the north of the Sacred Heart Catholic Cathedral, JP Morgan Chase Tower, 2100 Ross Avenue Tower, and the Trammell Crow Center with One Arts Plaza to the east. The explosive growth of dozens of skyscrapers and highrises in Downtown Dallas' Uptown District are immediately to the north of Museum Tower and are not seen in this image.

As seen in the rendering, Museum Tower is literally surrounded by the 68-acre, 19 contiguous block world class Dallas Arts District with its numerous cultural facilities in the heart of Downtown Dallas. The Dallas Arts District is now perceived as the finest in the country, surpassing the Kennedy and Lincoln Centers in New York City: www.flickr.com/photos/52949402@N03/5128988435/in/set-7215...

The 5.2 acre Woodall Rodgers Urban Park is under construction; the park's construction is not seen in this image. The Woodall Rodgers Urban park is creating a "Central Park" like setting amidst the skyscrapers of Downtown Dallas and will be the "front lawn" to Museum Tower.

The Woodall Rodgers Urban Park is costing $110 million dollars and completion is expected in 2012. The Park will seamlessly connect the traditional Downtown Dallas Financial District to the skyscrapers and highrises in its Uptown District just immediately to the north into one continuous whole.

Woodall Rodgers Freeway is becoming the new 21st century "Main Street" of Downtown Dallas with the intense development that has occurred fronting Woodall Rodgers Freeway from both the south (the traditional Dallas Financial District) and the north (Downtown Dallas' Uptown District) sides of the freeway.

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Here is a fantastic video of Downtown Dallas from 07-24-10 driving along I-35 on the west side of Downtown that shows the wonderful density that has developed in the Downtown core with its Uptown District from 2006 to 2010. Select 720p HD and full screen. If you pause at 13 seconds into the video, right in the middle of the image between Hunt Oil and One Arts Plaza Towers, will be where the under construction $200 million dollar Museum Tower in the traditional Downtown Financial District will make its presence known. The construction crane seen center left at a 13 second pause is for the 17 story $185 million dollar Perot Museum of Nature and Science that is also currently under construction on the north side of Woodall Rodgers, a couple blocks away from Museum Tower's location on the side side of Woodall. Woodall Rodgers is the new 21st century "Main Street" of Downtown Dallas. Museum Tower's almost 600 foot tall 42 story presence once completed in late 2012 is going to make a huge impact on the Downtown Dallas cityscape as it will stretch the Financial District so far north that it will completely meld into Uptown and vice versa:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao4gZRTDMyM&NR=1

This is another fantastic video shot from a helicopter circling Downtown Dallas on 07-09-10. Select 720p HD and full screen. The video generally focuses on the traditional Downtown Dallas Financial District, but if you look on the left hand side middle screen while the video is playing you will again see the incredible dense development that has literally sprung up almost overnight in Downtown's Uptown District (between 2006 and 2010). From between 5 and 13 seconds at the beginning of the video you can see how impressive the Uptown skyscrapers are from just seeing the edge of Uptown that is directly facing the Financial District across Woodall Rodgers. Also from around 35 to 40 seconds into the video is when you can see the dense Uptown development from a bit broader perspective. Woodall Rodgers is the new 21st century "Main Street" of Downtown Dallas. Also, Museum Tower's almost 600 foot tall 42 story presence once completed in late 2012 is going to make a huge impact on the Downtown Dallas cityscape as it will stretch the Financial District so far north that it will completely meld into Uptown and vice versa:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIks-YVYlj8

This is another great aerial video that literally offers a birdseye, multi-thousand foot view of Downtown Dallas shot on 10-24-10, in a jet flying over Downtown on its landing approach to DFW International Airport. Select 720p HD and full screen. For purposes of this discussion, freeze the video anywhere from 1 second to 10 seconds. The large mass of buildings in the very center of the video is Downtown Dallas, which includes all of the skyscrapers and highrises in Uptown as well as those in the more traditional Financial District which today forms the largest urban core in the nation outside of NYC, LA and Chicago with over 50,300,000 square feet of office space. The explosive growth of dense urban development in Uptown has vigorously extended Downtown Dallas northward. Downtown Dallas is now a long rectangle, anchored on its northern border by the CityPlace East (42 story) and Azure (31 story) skyscrapers with the mass of buildings stretching from the northern border southward through the traditional Financial District to just past I-30 to include the dense cluster of new developments in The Cedars District (the new City of Dallas Police Headquarters, the new Beat Condominium Tower, South Side on Lamar, and the just announced coup for Downtown Dallas of the NYLO Hotel South Side, etc.) . The W Hotel (31 stories) and The House Condominiums (29 stories) along with the Hyatt Regency Hotel (30 stories), Reunion Tower (50 stories) and the new half billion dollar Omni Convention Hotel (27 stories) clearly anchor the western side of Downtown running along Stemmons Freeway. One Arts Plaza (24 stories) and the dense Downtown Dallas Arts District along with the Sheraton Hotel's twin towers (42 stories and 31 stories) and the Comerica Bank Headquarters Tower (60 stories) run along Central Expressway anchoring the eastern side of Downtown, and which then extends just a little further eastward to include the massive Baylor Medical District complex (seen in the video as the large mass of white highrises farthest east of the Financial District). Like a beautiful necklace extending just immediately north of Uptown/Downtown in the video, one can see the long chain of highrise apartment and condominium towers in the Turtle Creek area of Dallas tracking the large swath of greenbelt just immediately north of the CityPlace East and Azure skyscrapers. As a pre-cursor for continued vibrant Downtown Dallas growth, a major keystone development that heralds future massive and dense urban development for Downtown can be seen in the video in the form of the instantly iconic new Calatrava Bridge spanning the Trinity River, which will bring billions in new development by extending Downtown Dallas' golden corridor, Woodall Rodgers Expressway, to the west side of the Trinity River. Woodall Rodgers has become the new 21st century "Main Street" for Downtown Dallas as it sets right in the middle of the bustling skyscrapers located on both the north and south sides of it. In the next ten to twenty years Turtle Creek, Uptown, Victory, Baylor, Deep Ellum, the Design District, the Financial District, The Cedars, and the newest urban frontier of West Dallas will seamlessly meld together to form a super dense core of the most dynamic and largest urban center in the nation outside of New York City and Los Angeles, and rivaling Chicago.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQPosFieMg8&feature=related

This cool video from 08-30-10 further reinforces the explosive growth of around 13,000,000 square feet in new Class A and Class AA office space that Downtown Dallas has seen in the last few years in its Uptown and Victory Districts from 2006 to 2010. Select 1080p HD and full screen. The video is shot from the same exact spot throughout but shifts its main focal point from the Financial District to Uptown at 14 seconds. From 0 to 13 seconds the focus of the video is the northern edge of the traditional Financial District with the bustling heavy traffic of Woodall Rodgers Freeway. During this segment one can imagine the imposing and impressive addition to the cityscape that the almost 600 foot tall 42 story Museum Tower will make as it will literally be positioned right behind Hunt Oil Tower, which is unmistakably dressed in its state-of-the-art LED lighting (blue at the time of the video). Still filmed from the exact same spot, from 14 seconds to the end, the focus of the video shifts slightly north looking across Woodall Rodgers Freeway to reveal just a small slice of the significant density of skyscrapers and highrises erected in Uptown mostly since around 2006. Woodall Rodgers is the new 21st century "Main Street" of Downtown Dallas. The construction crane that is clearly visible in this portion of the video is for the 17 story $185 million dollar Perot Museum of Nature and Science that is currently under construction:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP47TYaB7nQ&feature=related

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Downtown Dallas is experiencing a renaissance from more than $14 billion in new development that is currently underway in and near the Downtown core. As a result, Downtown Dallas is on the verge of a renewed greatness because of the billions in investment it has made in its Downtown core in general but also in its newest premier district, the Downtown Dallas Arts District.

An article published in the October 2010 "D Magazine" discusses how the relocation of corporate headquarters and businesses into Downtown Dallas is at an all time high. The level of interest in doing so (from out of state, in state and in town corporations) has also reached the highest level ever:

www.dmagazine.com/Home/D_CEO/2010/October/The_Rejuvenatio...

Dallas will surpass Chicago as the 3rd largest metro in the nation by 2030 or sooner, published 03-15-10 in The Dallas Morning News:

www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/columnists/chall...

And another significant recognition and accolade from Forbes Magazine, published 09-02-09, naming Dallas as a "World Capital of the Future" that highlights Dallas' worldwide reach and influence and its growing significance on the world stage:

www.forbes.com/2009/09/02/world-capitals-cities-century-o...

Budgets - Personal Finance Manager to track your spending money visually

subkernel.com/budgets/

itunes.apple.com/us/app/budgets-personal-finance-manager/...

Budgets is a powerful personal finance app that helps to track your expenses in a simple and elegant way. It tells you how much you can spend each day. and, you can export your transactions to Apple Numbers app.

As well, it’s beautiful.

...Tea for thee.

This isn't a technically proficient photo, nor is it even visually interesting, but it shows off a little bit of my very limited culinary skills. And it gives you a little peek into a ritual that I've performed for Mrs SmileMoon now for twenty-plus years. It's gotten to the point that I can make her tea for her better than she can now (or so she says). Practice makes perfect, I guess. That and maybe just a little bit of spit. (Shhh - our secret, okay?)

In this week's challenge for the Get Pushed!! group, I was paired with the talented and entertaining Amanda Jaeger . You've got to check out her photos, because she's got a great sense of humor and the fun shows in her pictures. Also, you should totally make a contribution to her grocery fund! Yay, Amanda!

Anyway, Amanda wrote to me: "I've come up with a challenge to you that was inspired by the photo of your wife's foot (with your handwriting). I loved two major things about it. 1) The play on words (sole-soul) and 2) It shows a bit of an intimate part of your lives together. So here's my challenge to you:

I want you to create another photo that shows intimacy. It doesn't have to be embarrassing or show anything that you're not willing to. But, I'd like for it to show something about you and your life that I wouldn't know about looking at your other photos.

I hope Amanda will agree that we now all know a little bit more (than we really wanted to know) about me and Mrs SmileMoon. Anybody else want some tea? :-D

Also seen in 111 pictures in 2011 as my selection for "hot".

1. buttons

2. romantic

3. dessert (as in food)

4. icicle/cold

5. spicy

6. boat

7. memories

8. web

9. puddles

10. favourite season

11. old building

12. sad

13. handmade

14. blurr

15. Holiday/vacation

16. damaged

17. new

18. street

19. high viewpoint

20. low viewpoint

21. light and shadow

22. black and white

23. Two/twins

24. the written word

25. bridge

26. happiness is :

27. fruit

28. vegetable

29. leaf

30. up

31. down

32. steps/stairs

33. fence

34. sky

35. bokeh

36. water

37. small

38. big

39. earth

40. wind

41. fire

42. glass

43. numbers

44. sand

45. hand(s)

46. useless

47. humor

48. spooky

49. lock/key(s)

50. rustic

51. candle

52. sugar & spice

53. white on white

54. view from the window

55. minimal

56. distance

57. wood

58. metal

59. texture

60. relaxation

61. body

62. books

63. game

64. vintage

65. flowers

66. hobby

67. still life

68. motion

69. night shot

70. blue

71. red

72. orange

73. green

74. black

75. jewelry

76. clothing

77. childrens toy

78. vehicle

79. bicycle

80. machinery

81. household appliance

82. sunset/sunrise

83. self

84. straight line

85. curved line

86. converging lines

87. square

88. round

89. food

90. drink

91. portrait

92. celebration

93. flag

94. seat/bench

95. drip/drop/splash

96. pattern

97. tree

98. stranger

99. family

100. friend

101. bird

102. pet

103. in the workplace

104. household task

105. hot

106. favourite photographic topic/style

107. in the water

108. reminder of old times

109. unusual angle

110. on the road

111. the end

One of the visually stunning things a coral reef has to offer are the diverse patterns on corals and other invertebrates.

Check out my really funny blog blog about underwater photography & life and my book about marine life, diving and all things Pacific.

Tactile paving enables blind and visually impaired people who are white cane users to travel around independently. There are 2 main types of tactile-paving patterns. First, there are the domes (or bumps). The purpose of these is to warn and notify. Here, the domes ran along the edge of the sidewalk, warning me that the sidewalk ends here and the crossing across the road begins. Then, there are the lines. The purpose of these is to lead and show the way. By feeling the lines with my white cane I was able to safely find the spot where the bumps in the ground marked the spot with an audio-signal equipped traffic light on it and I could safely cross the road using a zebra crossing.

Description of the photo:

The black-and-white photo shows the tactile paving on the ground. The tactile paving seen on the photo has bumps and a part of it has lines. The two other patterns are the zebra crossing at the top of the photo and the paving in the lower left corner of the photo.

Keep the comments clean! No banners, awards or invitations, please!

Visually, the finished look is one of pure line with few design elements. The atmosphere is one of pure tranquillity during the day; the reflection of sky in the water and very little to distract the eye. At night the lighting scheme creates a magical pathway fading into the distance, and always there is the gentle sound of running water.

Part of a larger scheme, these clients wanted an ultra-simple, minimalist waterfeature on two levels. The main material used was a pale cream Travertine detailed with a dark slate-grey.

At the lower level, a canal runs across the garden. The main steps are accessed by stepping stones across the water.

The upper level features two rills. Water flows away from the house and cascades via two stainless steel waterfalls onto the lower level beyond, aerating and purifying. The paving features LED flush lighting to highlight the edge of the scheme and the steps and all three bodies of water are floodlit discreetly below the water surface.

The only plant material is six ball-shaped box trees, providing a simple, sculptural look to this otherwise angular scheme.

22/365

proberbly not the most visually exciting today but yet again, it was pouring down for most of it.

sooo, when i'm stuck inside and have the day to myself, i use it to learn. be it PS, photography or lighting, i tend to zone out and get very engrossed in some training or other. in fact, lili just had to turn on the light for me cause i'd been sat here in the dark for the last half an hour or so... proberbly best get something to eat.

anyway, one of the things i've been doing today, as i've been sat inside, is practicing making textures. its something i find fascinating but am not great at... yet! practice makes perfect as they say, so expect many not so great textures coming your way ;-)

Feel free to use this for any of your own creations.

to see what you've done with it!

ODC- inside (there is an actual shot underneath all of the processing... i promise!)

Toute reproduction sur un support imprimé ou publication sur internet devra faire l'objet d'une demande expresse auprès du service communication de la Fédération Française Handisport.

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Toute utilisation ainsi autorisée devra mentionner le crédit photo (voir nom du fichier ci-dessus : “©…” ou métadonnées de la photo dans sa taille originale).

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Contact : photos [at] handisport.org

Finally got around to finishing this game. One of the most pleasurable and visually stunning games to capture. Hence it took me so long. All taken in photomode on XboxOneX

The Triumph TR5 was a sports car built by the Triumph Motor Company in Coventry, England, between August 1967 and September 1968.

Visually similar to the Michelotti-designed TR4 open two-seater it was derived from, the TR5 replaced Triumph's 78 kW SAE Standard inline-four engine with the much more powerful Lucas mechanical fuel-injected 110 kW Triumph 2.5-litre straight-6. Price pressures and tighter emissions standards in the U.S. resulted in a much less powerful carburetted version, the TR250, being sold on the North American market.

At the time, fuel injection was uncommon in road cars. Triumph claimed in their sales brochure that it was the "First British production sports car with petrol injection".

The Triumph TR250 was built during the same period for the North American market. Price pressures and tighter emission regulations resulted in twin Zenith-Stromberg carburettors being fitted instead of the TR5's Lucas fuel injection system. Otherwise it is nearly identical.

The TR250's engine delivered 81 kW, 29 kW less than the TR5; 0–60 mph acceleration took 10.6 s. The TR250 was also available with the Surrey Top system.

In 1968, the TR250 sold in the USA for approximately US$3,395, with wire wheels an $118 option, overdrive $175, and air conditioning $395.

Source: Wikipedia

Taken at Gärdesloppet 2024-05-26.

For full resolution click on the image twice.

Toute reproduction sur un support imprimé ou publication sur internet devra faire l'objet d'une demande expresse auprès du service communication de la Fédération Française Handisport.

–

Toute utilisation ainsi autorisée devra mentionner le crédit photo (voir nom du fichier ci-dessus : “©…” ou métadonnées de la photo dans sa taille originale).

–

Contact : photos [at] handisport.org

The DB4 is a sports car sold by Aston Martin from 1958 until 1963. It was an entirely different car from the DB Mark III it replaced, though the 3.7 L engine was externally visually related to the 2.9 L unit found in that car. The DB4's unique design and performance would later form the basis for future Aston Martin classics, such as the DB4 GT Zagato, the Lagonda Rapide 4-door saloon, and its ultimate replacement the Aston Martin DB5.

A convertible was introduced in 1962. It featured in-house styling similar to the Touring saloon, and an extremely rare factory hardtop was also available. In total, 70 DB4 convertibles were made from a total DB4 production run of 1,110 cars. 30 of these were Series IV, with the remaining 40 belonging to the Series V. 32 of the total convertibles built (11 and 21 of the different series respectively) were equipped with the more powerful Vantage engine. Top speed for the regular version is about 136 mph.

(Wikipedia)

Marilyn Rushton, a well-known Burnaby citizen, is awarded with the province’s newest honour, the Medal of Good Citizenship.

Rushton is honoured for her for inspirational life of service to the visually impaired community, her contributions to families with blind and visually impaired children, and her energetic support for the musical community.

Learn more: news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2016IGR0025-001407