A lovely spheroidal dwarf galaxy. Visually, the younger, bluer stars appear near the center, while an older, redder population appears on the outskirts. Interesting. I think this is typical for these spheroidal dwarfs, but I haven't taken much notice to it.

 

I tried to include as much as I could on the right, but unfortunately the nice data is cut off right about there. The galaxy continues more or less symmetrically to the right. Note the IR data did not cover the entire image, so the parts in the upper left and lower left that look kind of yellow and lack red are where that ended.

 

Apparently I already processed this one a while back but I forgot. Well it looks way better with Meredith's data, that's for sure.

 

This was put together using some custom drizzled data made by Meredith Durbin, attribution as follows:

NASA/ESA/Meredith Durbin/Judy Schmidt

 

That data came from these proposals:

ACS Nearby Galaxy Survey

A Calibration Database for Stellar Models of Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars

 

Red: WFC3/IR F110W+WFC3/IR F160W

Green: ACS/WFC F606W

Blue: ACS/WFC F475W

  

North is 32.32° clockwise from up.

Visually busy alley-facing sides of some buildings in Adelaide, encountered during a poodlewalk.

The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separated from the eastern edge of the square mile of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill. It was founded toward the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest. The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078 and was a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new Norman ruling class. The castle was also used as a prison from 1100 (Ranulf Flambard) until 1952 (Kray twins), although that was not its primary purpose. A grand palace early in its history, it served as a royal residence. As a whole, the Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat. There were several phases of expansion, mainly under kings Richard I, Henry III, and Edward I in the 12th and 13th centuries. The general layout established by the late 13th century remains despite later activity on the site.

 

The Tower of London has played a prominent role in English history. It was besieged several times, and controlling it has been important to controlling the country. The Tower has served variously as an armoury, a treasury, a menagerie, the home of the Royal Mint, a public record office, and the home of the Crown Jewels of England. From the early 14th century until the reign of Charles II in the 17th century, a procession would be led from the Tower to Westminster Abbey on the coronation of a monarch. In the absence of the monarch, the Constable of the Tower is in charge of the castle. This was a powerful and trusted position in the medieval period. In the late 15th century, the Princes in the Tower were housed at the castle when they mysteriously disappeared, presumed murdered. Under the Tudors, the Tower became used less as a royal residence, and despite attempts to refortify and repair the castle, its defences lagged behind developments to deal with artillery.

 

The zenith of the castle's use as a prison was the 16th and 17th centuries, when many figures who had fallen into disgrace, such as Elizabeth I before she became queen, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Elizabeth Throckmorton, were held within its walls. This use has led to the phrase "sent to the Tower". Despite its enduring reputation as a place of torture and death, popularised by 16th-century religious propagandists and 19th-century writers, only seven people were executed within the Tower before the world wars of the 20th century. Executions were more commonly held on the notorious Tower Hill to the north of the castle, with 112 occurring there over a 400-year period. In the latter half of the 19th century, institutions such as the Royal Mint moved out of the castle to other locations, leaving many buildings empty. Anthony Salvin and John Taylor took the opportunity to restore the Tower to what was felt to be its medieval appearance, clearing out many of the vacant post-medieval structures.

 

In the First and Second World Wars, the Tower was again used as a prison and witnessed the executions of 12 men for espionage. After the Second World War, damage caused during the Blitz was repaired, and the castle reopened to the public. Today, the Tower of London is one of the country's most popular tourist attractions. Under the ceremonial charge of the Constable of the Tower, operated by the Resident Governor of the Tower of London and Keeper of the Jewel House, and guarded by the Yeomen Warders, the property is cared for by the charity Historic Royal Palaces and is protected as a World Heritage Site.

 

Architecture

The Tower was oriented with its strongest and most impressive defences overlooking Saxon London, which archaeologist Alan Vince suggests was deliberate. It would have visually dominated the surrounding area and stood out to traffic on the River Thames. The castle is made up of three "wards", or enclosures. The innermost ward contains the White Tower and is the earliest phase of the castle. Encircling it to the north, east, and west is the inner ward, built during the reign of Richard I (1189–1199). Finally, there is the outer ward which encompasses the castle and was built under Edward I. Although there were several phases of expansion after William the Conqueror founded the Tower of London, the general layout has remained the same since Edward I completed his rebuild in 1285.

 

The castle encloses an area of almost 12 acres (4.9 hectares) with a further 6 acres (2.4 ha) around the Tower of London constituting the Tower Liberties – land under the direct influence of the castle and cleared for military reasons. The precursor of the Liberties was laid out in the 13th century when Henry III ordered that a strip of land adjacent to the castle be kept clear. Despite popular fiction, the Tower of London never had a permanent torture chamber, although the basement of the White Tower housed a rack in later periods. Tower Wharf was built on the bank of the Thames under Edward I and was expanded to its current size during the reign of Richard II (1377–1399).

 

White Tower

The White Tower is a keep (also known as a donjon), which was often the strongest structure in a medieval castle, and contained lodgings suitable for the lord – in this case, the king or his representative. According to military historian Allen Brown, "The great tower [White Tower] was also, by virtue of its strength, majesty and lordly accommodation, the donjon par excellence". As one of the largest keeps in the Christian world, the White Tower has been described as "the most complete eleventh-century palace in Europe".

 

The White Tower, not including its projecting corner towers, measures 36 by 32 metres (118 by 105 ft) at the base, and is 27 m (90 ft) high at the southern battlements. The structure was originally three storeys high, comprising a basement floor, an entrance level, and an upper floor. The entrance, as is usual in Norman keeps, was above ground, in this case on the south face, and accessed via a wooden staircase which could be removed in the event of an attack. It was probably during Henry II's reign (1154–1189) that a forebuilding was added to the south side of the tower to provide extra defences to the entrance, but it has not survived. Each floor was divided into three chambers, the largest in the west, a smaller room in the north-east, and the chapel taking up the entrance and upper floors of the south-east. At the western corners of the building are square towers, while to the north-east a round tower houses a spiral staircase. At the south-east corner there is a larger semi-circular projection which accommodates the apse of the chapel. As the building was intended to be a comfortable residence as well as a stronghold, latrines were built into the walls, and four fireplaces provided warmth.

 

The main building material is Kentish ragstone, although some local mudstone was also used. Caen stone was imported from northern France to provide details in the Tower's facing, although little of the original material survives as it was replaced with Portland stone in the 17th and 18th centuries. Reigate stone was also used as ashlar and for carved details. Its location, in the lower courses of the building and at higher levels corresponding to a building break, suggest it was readily available and may have been used when access to Caen stone was restricted. As most of the Tower's windows were enlarged in the 18th century, only two original – albeit restored – examples remain, in the south wall at the gallery level.

 

The tower was terraced into the side of a mound, so the northern side of the basement is partially below ground level. As was typical of most keeps, the bottom floor was an undercroft used for storage. One of the rooms contained a well. Although the layout has remained the same since the tower's construction, the interior of the basement dates mostly from the 18th century when the floor was lowered and the pre-existing timber vaults were replaced with brick counterparts. The basement is lit through small slits.

 

The entrance floor was probably intended for the use of the Constable of the Tower, Lieutenant of the Tower of London and other important officials. The south entrance was blocked during the 17th century, and not reopened until 1973. Those heading to the upper floor had to pass through a smaller chamber to the east, also connected to the entrance floor. The crypt of St John's Chapel occupied the south-east corner and was accessible only from the eastern chamber. There is a recess in the north wall of the crypt; according to Geoffrey Parnell, Keeper of the Tower History at the Royal Armouries, "the windowless form and restricted access, suggest that it was designed as a strong-room for safekeeping of royal treasures and important documents".

 

The upper floor contained a grand hall in the west and residential chamber in the east – both originally open to the roof and surrounded by a gallery built into the wall – and St John's Chapel in the south-east. The top floor was added in the 15th century, along with the present roof. St John's Chapel was not part of the White Tower's original design, as the apsidal projection was built after the basement walls. Due to changes in function and design since the tower's construction, except for the chapel little is left of the original interior.[20] The chapel's current bare and unadorned appearance is reminiscent of how it would have been in the Norman period. In the 13th century, during Henry III's reign, the chapel was decorated with such ornamentation as a gold-painted cross, and stained glass windows that depicted the Virgin Mary and the Holy Trinity.

 

Innermost ward

The innermost ward encloses an area immediately south of the White Tower, stretching to what was once the edge of the River Thames. As was the case at other castles, such as the 11th-century Hen Domen, the innermost ward was probably filled with timber buildings from the Tower's foundation. Exactly when the royal lodgings began to encroach from the White Tower into the innermost ward is uncertain, although it had happened by the 1170s. The lodgings were renovated and elaborated during the 1220s and 1230s, becoming comparable with other palatial residences such as Windsor Castle. Construction of Wakefield and Lanthorn Towers – located at the corners of the innermost ward's wall along the river – began around 1220. They probably served as private residences for the queen and king respectively.

 

The earliest evidence for how the royal chambers were decorated comes from Henry III's reign: the queen's chamber was whitewashed, and painted with flowers and imitation stonework. A great hall existed in the south of the ward, between the two towers. It was similar to, although slightly smaller than, that also built by Henry III at Winchester Castle. Near Wakefield Tower was a postern gate which allowed private access to the king's apartments. The innermost ward was originally surrounded by a protective ditch, which had been filled in by the 1220s. Around this time, a kitchen was built in the ward. Between 1666 and 1676, the innermost ward was transformed and the palace buildings removed. The area around the White Tower was cleared so that anyone approaching would have to cross open ground. The Jewel House was demolished, and the Crown Jewels moved to Martin Tower.

 

Inner ward

The inner ward was created during Richard the Lionheart's reign, when a moat was dug to the west of the innermost ward, effectively doubling the castle's size. Henry III created the ward's east and north walls, and the ward's dimensions remain to this day. Most of Henry's work survives, and only two of the nine towers he constructed have been completely rebuilt. Between the Wakefield and Lanthorn Towers, the innermost ward's wall also serves as a curtain wall for the inner ward. The main entrance to the inner ward would have been through a gatehouse, most likely in the west wall on the site of what is now Beauchamp Tower. The inner ward's western curtain wall was rebuilt by Edward I. The 13th-century Beauchamp Tower marks the first large-scale use of brick as a building material in Britain, since the 5th-century departure of the Romans. The Beauchamp Tower is one of 13 towers that stud the curtain wall. Clockwise from the south-west corner they are: Bell, Beauchamp, Devereux, Flint, Bowyer, Brick, Martin, Constable, Broad Arrow, Salt, Lanthorn, Wakefield, and the Bloody Tower. While these towers provided positions from which flanking fire could be deployed against a potential enemy, they also contained accommodation. As its name suggests, Bell Tower housed a belfry, its purpose to raise the alarm in the event of an attack. The royal bow-maker, responsible for making longbows, crossbows, catapults, and other siege and hand weapons, had a workshop in the Bowyer Tower. A turret at the top of Lanthorn Tower was used as a beacon by traffic approaching the Tower at night.

 

As a result of Henry's expansion, St Peter ad Vincula, a Norman chapel which had previously stood outside the Tower, was incorporated into the castle. Henry decorated the chapel by adding glazed windows, and stalls for himself and his queen. It was rebuilt by Edward I at a cost of over £300[36] and again by Henry VIII in 1519; the current building dates from this period, although the chapel was refurbished in the 19th century. Immediately west of Wakefield Tower, the Bloody Tower was built at the same time as the inner ward's curtain wall, and as a water-gate provided access to the castle from the River Thames. It was a simple structure, protected by a portcullis and gate. The Bloody Tower acquired its name in the 16th century, as it was believed to be the site of the murder of the Princes in the Tower. Between 1339 and 1341, a gatehouse was built into the curtain wall between Bell and Salt Towers. During the Tudor period, a range of buildings for the storage of munitions was built along the inside of the north inner ward. The castle buildings were remodelled during the Stuart period, mostly under the auspices of the Office of Ordnance. In 1663, just over £4,000 was spent building a new storehouse (now known as the New Armouries) in the inner ward. Construction of the Grand Storehouse north of the White Tower began in 1688, on the same site as the dilapidated Tudor range of storehouses; it was destroyed by fire in 1841. The Waterloo Block, a former barracks in the castellated Gothic Revival style with Domestic Tudor details, was built on the site and remains to this day, housing the Crown Jewels on the ground floor.

 

Outer ward

A third ward was created during Edward I's extension to the Tower, as the narrow enclosure completely surrounded the castle. At the same time a bastion known as Legge's Mount was built at the castle's northwest corner. Brass Mount, the bastion in the northeast corner, was a later addition. The three rectangular towers along the east wall 15 metres (49 ft) apart were dismantled in 1843. Although the bastions have often been ascribed to the Tudor period, there is no evidence to support this; archaeological investigations suggest that Legge's Mount dates from the reign of Edward I. Blocked battlements (also known as crenellations) in the south side of Legge's Mount are the only surviving medieval battlements at the Tower of London (the rest are Victorian replacements). A new 50-metre (160 ft) moat was dug beyond the castle's new limits; it was originally 4.5 metres (15 ft) deeper in the middle than it is today. With the addition of a new curtain wall, the old main entrance to the Tower of London was obscured and made redundant; a new entrance was created in the southwest corner of the external wall circuit. The complex consisted of an inner and an outer gatehouse and a barbican, which became known as the Lion Tower as it was associated with the animals as part of the Royal Menagerie since at least the 1330s. The Lion Tower itself no longer survives.

 

Edward extended the south side of the Tower of London onto land that had previously been submerged by the River Thames. In this wall, he built St Thomas's Tower between 1275 and 1279; later known as Traitors' Gate, it replaced the Bloody Tower as the castle's water-gate. The building is unique in England, and the closest parallel is the now demolished water-gate at the Louvre in Paris. The dock was covered with arrowslits in case of an attack on the castle from the River; there was also a portcullis at the entrance to control who entered. There were luxurious lodgings on the first floor. Edward also moved the Royal Mint into the Tower; its exact location early on is unknown, although it was probably in either the outer ward or the Lion Tower. By 1560, the Mint was located in a building in the outer ward near Salt Tower. Between 1348 and 1355, a second water-gate, Cradle Tower, was added east of St Thomas's Tower for the king's private use.

 

Foundation and early history

Victorious at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, the invading Duke of Normandy, William the Conqueror, spent the rest of the year securing his holdings by fortifying key positions. He founded several castles along the way, but took a circuitous route toward London; only when he reached Canterbury did he turn towards England's largest city. As the fortified bridge into London was held by Saxon troops, he decided instead to ravage Southwark before continuing his journey around southern England. A series of Norman victories along the route cut the city's supply lines and in December 1066, isolated and intimidated, its leaders yielded London without a fight. Between 1066 and 1087, William established 36 castles, although references in the Domesday Book indicate that many more were founded by his subordinates. The Normans undertook what has been described as "the most extensive and concentrated programme of castle-building in the whole history of feudal Europe". They were multi-purpose buildings, serving as fortifications (used as a base of operations in enemy territory), centres of administration, and residences.

 

William sent an advance party to prepare the city for his entrance, to celebrate his victory and found a castle; in the words of William's biographer, William of Poitiers, "certain fortifications were completed in the city against the restlessness of the huge and brutal populace. For he [William] realised that it was of the first importance to overawe the Londoners". At the time, London was the largest town in England; the foundation of Westminster Abbey and the old Palace of Westminster under Edward the Confessor had marked it as a centre of governance, and with a prosperous port it was important for the Normans to establish control over the settlement. The other two castles in London – Baynard's Castle and Montfichet's Castle – were established at the same time. The fortification that would later become known as the Tower of London was built onto the south-east corner of the Roman town walls, using them as prefabricated defences, with the River Thames providing additional protection from the south. This earliest phase of the castle would have been enclosed by a ditch and defended by a timber palisade, and probably had accommodation suitable for William.

 

Most of the early Norman castles were built from timber, but by the end of the 11th century a few, including the Tower of London, had been renovated or replaced with stone. Work on the White Tower – which gives the whole castle its name – is usually considered to have begun in 1078, however the exact date is uncertain. William made Gundulf, Bishop of Rochester, responsible for its construction, although it may not have been completed until after William's death in 1087. The White Tower is the earliest stone keep in England, and was the strongest point of the early castle. It also contained grand accommodation for the king. At the latest, it was probably finished by 1100 when Bishop Ranulf Flambard was imprisoned there. Flambard was loathed by the English for exacting harsh taxes. Although he is the first recorded prisoner held in the Tower, he was also the first person to escape from it, using a smuggled rope secreted in a butt of wine. He was held in luxury and permitted servants, but on 2 February 1101 he hosted a banquet for his captors. After plying them with drink, when no one was looking he lowered himself from a secluded chamber, and out of the Tower. The escape came as such a surprise that one contemporary chronicler accused the bishop of witchcraft.

 

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that in 1097 King William II ordered a wall to be built around the Tower of London; it was probably built from stone and likely replaced the timber palisade that arced around the north and west sides of the castle, between the Roman wall (to the east) and the Thames (to the south). The Norman Conquest of London manifested itself not only with a new ruling class, but in the way the city was structured. Land was confiscated and redistributed amongst the Normans, who also brought over hundreds of Jews, for financial reasons. The Jews arrived under the direct protection of the Crown, as a result of which Jewish communities were often found close to castles. The Jews used the Tower as a retreat, when threatened by anti-Jewish violence.

 

The death in 1135 of Henry I left England with a disputed succession; although the king had persuaded his most powerful barons to swear support for the Empress Matilda, just a few days after Henry's death Stephen of Blois arrived from France to lay claim to the throne. The importance of the city and its Tower is marked by the speed at which he secured London. The castle, which had not been used as a royal residence for some time, was usually left in the charge of a Constable, a post held at this time by Geoffrey de Mandeville. As the Tower was considered an impregnable fortress in a strategically important position, possession was highly valued. Mandeville exploited this, selling his allegiance to Matilda after Stephen was captured in 1141 at the Battle of Lincoln. Once her support waned, the following year he resold his loyalty to Stephen. Through his role as Constable of the Tower, Mandeville became "the richest and most powerful man in England". When he tried the same ploy again, this time holding secret talks with Matilda, Stephen had him arrested, forced him to cede control of his castles, and replaced him with one of his most loyal supporters. Until then the position had been hereditary, originally held by Geoffrey de Mandeville, but the position's authority was such that from then on it remained in the hands of an appointee of the monarch. The position was usually given to someone of great importance, who might not always be at the castle due to other duties. Although the Constable was still responsible for maintaining the castle and its garrison, from an early stage he had a subordinate to help with this duty: the Lieutenant of the Tower.[70] Constables also had civic duties relating to the city. Usually they were given control of the city and were responsible for levying taxes, enforcing the law and maintaining order. The creation in 1191 of the position of Lord Mayor of London removed many of the Constable's civic powers, and at times led to friction between the two.

 

Expansion

The castle probably retained its form as established by 1100 until the reign of Richard I (1189–1199). The castle was extended under William Longchamp, King Richard's Lord Chancellor and the man in charge of England while he was on crusade. The Pipe Rolls record £2,881 1s 10d spent at the Tower of London between 3 December 1189 and 11 November 1190, from an estimated £7,000 spent by Richard on castle building in England. According to the contemporary chronicler Roger of Howden, Longchamp dug a moat around the castle and tried in vain to fill it from the Thames. Longchamp was also Constable of the Tower, and undertook its expansion while preparing for war with King Richard's younger brother, Prince John, who in Richard's absence arrived in England to try to seize power. As Longchamp's main fortress, he made the Tower as strong as possible. The new fortifications were first tested in October 1191, when the Tower was besieged for the first time in its history. Longchamp capitulated to John after just three days, deciding he had more to gain from surrender than prolonging the siege.

 

John succeeded Richard as king in 1199, but his rule proved unpopular with many of his barons, who in response moved against him. In 1214, while the king was at Windsor Castle, Robert Fitzwalter led an army into London and laid siege to the Tower. Although under-garrisoned, the Tower resisted and the siege was lifted once John signed the Magna Carta. The king reneged on his promises of reform, leading to the outbreak of the First Barons' War. Even after the Magna Carta was signed, Fitzwalter maintained his control of London. During the war, the Tower's garrison joined forces with the barons. John was deposed in 1216 and the barons offered the English throne to Prince Louis, the eldest son of the French king. However, after John's death in October 1216, many began to support the claim of his eldest son, Henry III. War continued between the factions supporting Louis and Henry, with Fitzwalter supporting Louis. Fitzwalter was still in control of London and the Tower, both of which held out until it was clear that Henry III's supporters would prevail.

 

In the 13th century, Kings Henry III (1216–1272) and Edward I (1272–1307) extended the castle, essentially creating it as it stands today. Henry was disconnected from his barons, and a mutual lack of understanding led to unrest and resentment towards his rule. As a result, he was eager to ensure the Tower of London was a formidable fortification; at the same time Henry was an aesthete and wished to make the castle a comfortable place to live. From 1216 to 1227 nearly £10,000 was spent on the Tower of London; in this period, only the work at Windsor Castle cost more (£15,000). Most of the work was focused on the palatial buildings of the innermost ward. The tradition of whitewashing the White Tower (from which it derives its name) began in 1240.

 

Beginning around 1238, the castle was expanded to the east, north, and north-west. The work lasted through the reign of Henry III and into that of Edward I, interrupted occasionally by civil unrest. New creations included a new defensive perimeter, studded with towers, while on the west, north, and east sides, where the wall was not defended by the river, a defensive ditch was dug. The eastern extension took the castle beyond the bounds of the old Roman settlement, marked by the city wall which had been incorporated into the castle's defences. The Tower had long been a symbol of oppression, despised by Londoners, and Henry's building programme was unpopular. So when the gatehouse collapsed in 1240, the locals celebrated the setback. The expansion caused disruption locally and £166 was paid to St Katherine's Hospital and the prior of Holy Trinity in compensation.

 

Henry III often held court at the Tower of London, and held parliament there on at least two occasions (1236 and 1261) when he felt that the barons were becoming dangerously unruly. In 1258, the discontented barons, led by Simon de Montfort, forced the King to agree to reforms including the holding of regular parliaments. Relinquishing the Tower of London was among the conditions. Henry III resented losing power and sought permission from the pope to break his oath. With the backing of mercenaries, Henry installed himself in the Tower in 1261. While negotiations continued with the barons, the King ensconced himself in the castle, although no army moved to take it. A truce was agreed with the condition that the King hand over control of the Tower once again. Henry won a significant victory at the Battle of Evesham in 1265, allowing him to regain control of the country and the Tower of London. Cardinal Ottobuon came to England to excommunicate those who were still rebellious; the act was deeply unpopular and the situation was exacerbated when the cardinal was granted custody of the Tower. Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford, marched on London in April 1267 and laid siege to the castle, declaring that custody of the Tower was "not a post to be trusted in the hands of a foreigner, much less of an ecclesiastic". Despite a large army and siege engines, Gilbert de Clare was unable to take the castle. The Earl retreated, allowing the King control of the capital, and the Tower experienced peace for the rest of Henry's reign.

 

Although he was rarely in London, Edward I undertook an expensive remodelling of the Tower, costing £21,000 between 1275 and 1285, over double that spent on the castle during the whole of Henry III's reign. Edward I was a seasoned castle builder, and used his experience of siege warfare during the crusades to bring innovations to castle building. His programme of castle building in Wales heralded the introduction of the widespread use of arrowslits in castle walls across Europe, drawing on Eastern influences. At the Tower of London, Edward filled in the moat dug by Henry III and built a new curtain wall along its line, creating a new enclosure. A new moat was created in front of the new curtain wall. The western part of Henry III's curtain wall was rebuilt, with Beauchamp Tower replacing the castle's old gatehouse. A new entrance was created, with elaborate defences including two gatehouses and a barbican. In an effort to make the castle self-sufficient, Edward I also added two watermills. Six hundred Jews were imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1278, charged with coin clipping. Persecution of the country's Jewish population under Edward began in 1276 and culminated in 1290 when he issued the Edict of Expulsion, forcing the Jews out of the country. In 1279, the country's numerous mints were unified under a single system whereby control was centralised to the mint within the Tower of London, while mints outside of London were reduced, with only a few local and episcopal mints continuing to operate.

 

Later Medieval Period

During Edward II's reign (1307–1327) there was relatively little activity at the Tower of London. However, it was during this period that the Privy Wardrobe was founded. The institution was based at the Tower and responsible for organising the state's arms. In 1321, Margaret de Clare, Baroness Badlesmere became the first woman imprisoned in the Tower of London after she refused Queen Isabella admittance to Leeds Castle and ordered her archers to target Isabella, killing six of the royal escort. Generally reserved for high-ranking inmates, the Tower was the most important royal prison in the country. However it was not necessarily very secure, and throughout its history people bribed the guards to help them escape. In 1323, Roger Mortimer, Baron Mortimer, was aided in his escape from the Tower by the Sub-Lieutenant of the Tower who let Mortimer's men inside. They hacked a hole in his cell wall and Mortimer escaped to a waiting boat. He fled to France where he encountered Edward's Queen. They began an affair and plotted to overthrow the King.

 

One of Mortimer's first acts on entering England in 1326 was to capture the Tower and release the prisoners held there. For four years he ruled while Edward III was too young to do so himself; in 1330, Edward and his supporters captured Mortimer and threw him into the Tower. Under Edward III's rule (1312–1377) England experienced renewed success in warfare after his father's reign had put the realm on the backfoot against the Scots and French. Amongst Edward's successes were the battles of Crécy and Poitiers where King John II of France was taken prisoner, and the capture of the King David II of Scotland at Neville's Cross. During this period, the Tower of London held many noble prisoners of war. Edward II had allowed the Tower of London to fall into a state of disrepair, and by the reign of Edward III the castle was an uncomfortable place. The nobility held captive within its walls were unable to engage in activities such as hunting which were permissible at other royal castles used as prisons, for instance Windsor. Edward III ordered that the castle should be renovated.

 

When Richard II was crowned in 1377, he led a procession from the Tower to Westminster Abbey. This tradition began in at least the early 14th century and lasted until 1660. During the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 the Tower of London was besieged with the King inside. When Richard rode out to meet with Wat Tyler, the rebel leader, a crowd broke into the castle without meeting resistance and looted the Jewel House. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Simon Sudbury, took refuge in St John's Chapel, hoping the mob would respect the sanctuary. However, he was taken away and beheaded on Tower Hill. Six years later there was again civil unrest, and Richard spent Christmas in the security of the Tower rather than Windsor as was more usual. When Henry Bolingbroke returned from exile in 1399, Richard was imprisoned in the White Tower. He abdicated and was replaced on the throne by Bolingbroke, who became King Henry IV. In the 15th century, there was little building work at the Tower of London, yet the castle still remained important as a place of refuge. When supporters of the late Richard II attempted a coup, Henry IV found safety in the Tower of London. During this period, the castle also held many distinguished prisoners. The heir to the Scottish throne, later King James I of Scotland, was kidnapped while journeying to France in 1406 and held in the Tower. The reign of Henry V (1413–1422) renewed England's fortune in the Hundred Years' War against France. As a result of Henry's victories, such as the Battle of Agincourt, many high-status prisoners were held in the Tower of London until they were ransomed.

 

Much of the latter half of the 15th century was occupied by the Wars of the Roses between the claimants to the throne, the houses of Lancaster and York. The castle was once again besieged in 1460, this time by a Yorkist force. The Tower was damaged by artillery fire but only surrendered when Henry VI was captured at the Battle of Northampton. With the help of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (nicknamed "the Kingmaker") Henry recaptured the throne for a short time in 1470. However, Edward IV soon regained control and Henry VI was imprisoned in the Tower of London, where he was probably murdered. In 1471, during the Siege of London, the Tower's Yorkist garrison exchanged fire with Lancastrians holding Southwark, and sallied from the fortress to take part in a pincer movement to attack Lancastrians who were assaulting Aldgate on London's defensive wall. During the wars, the Tower was fortified to withstand gunfire, and provided with loopholes for cannons and handguns: an enclosure called the Bulwark was created for this purpose to the south of Tower Hill, although it no longer survives.

 

Shortly after the death of Edward IV in 1483, the notorious murder of the Princes in the Tower is traditionally believed to have taken place. The incident is one of the most infamous events associated with the Tower of London. Edward V's uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester was declared Lord Protector while the prince was too young to rule. Traditional accounts have held that the 12-year-old Edward was confined to the Tower of London along with his younger brother Richard. The Duke of Gloucester was proclaimed King Richard III in June. The princes were last seen in public in June 1483;[105] it has traditionally been thought that the most likely reason for their disappearance is that they were murdered late in the summer of 1483. Bones thought to belong to them were discovered in 1674 when the 12th-century forebuilding at the entrance to the White Tower was demolished; however, the reputed level at which the bones were found (10 ft or 3 m) would put the bones at a depth similar to that of the Roman graveyard found, in 2011, 12 ft (4 m) underneath the Minories a few hundred yards to the north. Opposition to Richard escalated until he was defeated at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 by the Lancastrian Henry Tudor, who ascended to the throne as Henry VII. As king, Henry VII built a tower for a library next to the King's Tower.

 

Changing use

The beginning of the Tudor period marked the start of the decline of the Tower of London's use as a royal residence. As 16th-century chronicler Raphael Holinshed said the Tower became used more as "an armouries and house of munition, and thereunto a place for the safekeeping of offenders than a palace roiall for a king or queen to sojourne in". Henry VII visited the Tower on fourteen occasions between 1485 and 1500, usually staying for less than a week at a time. The Yeoman Warders have been the Royal Bodyguard since at least 1509. In 1517 the Tower fired its cannon at City crowds engaged in the xenophobic Evil May Day riots, in which the properties of foreign residents were looted. It is not thought that any rioters were hurt by the gunfire, which was probably meant merely to intimidate the mob.

 

During the reign of Henry VIII, the Tower was assessed as needing considerable work on its defences. In 1532, Thomas Cromwell spent £3,593 on repairs and imported nearly 3,000 tons of Caen stone for the work. Even so, this was not sufficient to bring the castle up to the standard of contemporary military fortifications which were designed to withstand powerful artillery. Although the defences were repaired, the palace buildings were left in a state of neglect after Henry's death. Their condition was so poor that they were virtually uninhabitable. From 1547 onwards, the Tower of London was only used as a royal residence when its political and historic symbolism was considered useful, for instance each of Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I briefly stayed at the Tower before their coronations.

 

In the 16th century, the Tower acquired an enduring reputation as a grim, forbidding prison. This had not always been the case. As a royal castle, it was used by the monarch to imprison people for various reasons, however these were usually high-status individuals for short periods rather than common citizenry as there were plenty of prisons elsewhere for such people. Contrary to the popular image of the Tower, prisoners were able to make their life easier by purchasing amenities such as better food or tapestries through the Lieutenant of the Tower. As holding prisoners was originally an incidental role of the Tower – as would have been the case for any castle – there was no purpose-built accommodation for prisoners until 1687 when a brick shed, a "Prison for Soldiers", was built to the north-west of the White Tower. The Tower's reputation for torture and imprisonment derives largely from 16th-century religious propagandists and 19th-century romanticists. Although much of the Tower's reputation is exaggerated, the 16th and 17th centuries marked the castle's zenith as a prison, with many religious and political undesirables locked away. The Privy Council had to sanction the use of torture, so it was not often used; between 1540 and 1640, the peak of imprisonment at the Tower, there were 48 recorded cases of the use of torture. The three most common forms used were the infamous rack, the Scavenger's daughter, and manacles. The rack was introduced to England in 1447 by the Duke of Exeter, the Constable of the Tower; consequentially it was also known as the Duke of Exeter's daughter. One of those tortured at the Tower was Guy Fawkes, who was brought there on 6 November 1605; after torture he signed a full confession to the Gunpowder Plot.

 

Among those held and executed at the Tower was Anne Boleyn. Although the Yeoman Warders were once the Royal Bodyguard, by the 16th and 17th centuries their main duty had become to look after the prisoners. The Tower was often a safer place than other prisons in London such as the Fleet, where disease was rife. High-status prisoners could live in conditions comparable to those they might expect outside; one such example was that while Walter Raleigh was held in the Tower his rooms were altered to accommodate his family, including his son who was born there in 1605. Executions were usually carried out on Tower Hill rather than in the Tower of London itself, and 112 people were executed on the hill over 400 years.[119] Before the 20th century, there had been seven executions within the castle on Tower Green; as was the case with Lady Jane Grey, this was reserved for prisoners for whom public execution was considered dangerous. After Lady Jane Grey's execution on 12 February 1554, Queen Mary I imprisoned her sister Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth I, in the Tower under suspicion of causing rebellion as Sir Thomas Wyatt had led a revolt against Mary in Elizabeth's name.

 

The Office of Ordnance and Armoury Office were founded in the 15th century, taking over the Privy Wardrobe's duties of looking after the monarch's arsenal and valuables. As there was no standing army before 1661, the importance of the royal armoury at the Tower of London was that it provided a professional basis for procuring supplies and equipment in times of war. The two bodies were resident at the Tower from at least 1454, and by the 16th century they had moved to a position in the inner ward. The Board of Ordnance (successor to these Offices) had its headquarters in the White Tower and used surrounding buildings for storage. In 1855 the Board was abolished; its successor (the Military Store Department of the War Office) was also based there until 1869, after which its headquarters staff were relocated to the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich (where the recently closed Woolwich Dockyard was converted into a vast ordnance store).

 

Political tensions between Charles I and Parliament in the second quarter of the 17th century led to an attempt by forces loyal to the King to secure the Tower and its valuable contents, including money and munitions. London's Trained Bands, a militia force, were moved into the castle in 1640. Plans for defence were drawn up and gun platforms were built, readying the Tower for war. The preparations were never put to the test. In 1642, Charles I attempted to arrest five members of parliament. When this failed he fled the city, and Parliament retaliated by removing Sir John Byron, the Lieutenant of the Tower. The Trained Bands had switched sides, and now supported Parliament; together with the London citizenry, they blockaded the Tower. With permission from the King, Byron relinquished control of the Tower. Parliament replaced Byron with a man of their own choosing, Sir John Conyers. By the time the English Civil War broke out in November 1642, the Tower of London was already in Parliament's control.

 

The last monarch to uphold the tradition of taking a procession from the Tower to Westminster to be crowned was Charles II in 1661. At the time, the castle's accommodation was in such poor condition that he did not stay there the night before his coronation. Under the Stuart kings the Tower's buildings were remodelled, mostly under the auspices of the Office of Ordnance. Just over £4,000 was spent in 1663 on building a new storehouse, now known as the New Armouries in the inner ward. In the 17th century there were plans to enhance the Tower's defences in the style of the trace italienne, however they were never acted on. Although the facilities for the garrison were improved with the addition of the first purpose-built quarters for soldiers (the "Irish Barracks") in 1670, the general accommodations were still in poor condition.

 

When the Hanoverian dynasty ascended the throne, their situation was uncertain and with a possible Scottish rebellion in mind, the Tower of London was repaired. Most of the work in this period (1750 to 1770) was done by the King's Master Mason, John Deval. Gun platforms added under the Stuarts had decayed. The number of guns at the Tower was reduced from 118 to 45, and one contemporary commentator noted that the castle "would not hold out four and twenty hours against an army prepared for a siege". For the most part, the 18th-century work on the defences was spasmodic and piecemeal, although a new gateway in the southern curtain wall permitting access from the wharf to the outer ward was added in 1774. The moat surrounding the castle had become silted over the centuries since it was created despite attempts at clearing it. It was still an integral part of the castle's defences, so in 1830 the Constable of the Tower, the Duke of Wellington, ordered a large-scale clearance of several feet of silt. However this did not prevent an outbreak of disease in the garrison in 1841 caused by poor water supply, resulting in several deaths. To prevent the festering ditch posing further health problems, it was ordered that the moat should be drained and filled with earth. The work began in 1843 and was mostly complete two years later. The construction of the Waterloo Barracks in the inner ward began in 1845, when the Duke of Wellington laid the foundation stone. The building could accommodate 1,000 men; at the same time, separate quarters for the officers were built to the north-east of the White Tower. The building is now the headquarters of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. The popularity of the Chartist movement between 1828 and 1858 led to a desire to refortify the Tower of London in the event of civil unrest. It was the last major programme of fortification at the castle. Most of the surviving installations for the use of artillery and firearms date from this period.

 

During the First World War, eleven men were tried in private and shot by firing squad at the Tower for espionage. During the Second World War, the Tower was once again used to hold prisoners of war. One such person was Rudolf Hess, Adolf Hitler's deputy, albeit just for four days in 1941. He was the last state prisoner to be held at the castle. The last person to be executed at the Tower was German spy Josef Jakobs who was shot on 15 August 1941. The executions for espionage during the wars took place in a prefabricated miniature rifle range which stood in the outer ward and was demolished in 1969. The Second World War also saw the last use of the Tower as a fortification. In the event of a German invasion, the Tower, together with the Royal Mint and nearby warehouses, was to have formed one of three "keeps" or complexes of defended buildings which formed the last-ditch defences of the capital.

 

Restoration and tourism

The Tower of London has become established as one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country. It has been a tourist attraction since at least the Elizabethan period, when it was one of the sights of London that foreign visitors wrote about. Its most popular attractions were the Royal Menagerie and displays of armour. The Crown Jewels also garner much interest, and have been on public display since 1669. The Tower steadily gained popularity with tourists through the 19th century, despite the opposition of the Duke of Wellington to visitors. Numbers became so high that by 1851 a purpose-built ticket office was erected. By the end of the century, over 500,000 were visiting the castle every year.

 

Over the 18th and 19th centuries, the palatial buildings were slowly adapted for other uses and demolished. Only the Wakefield and St Thomas's Towers survived. The 18th century marked an increasing interest in England's medieval past. One of the effects was the emergence of Gothic Revival architecture. In the Tower's architecture, this was manifest when the New Horse Armoury was built in 1825 against the south face of the White Tower. It featured elements of Gothic Revival architecture such as battlements. Other buildings were remodelled to match the style and the Waterloo Barracks were described as "castellated Gothic of the 15th century". Between 1845 and 1885 institutions such as the Mint which had inhabited the castle for centuries moved to other sites; many of the post-medieval structures left vacant were demolished. In 1855, the War Office took over responsibility for manufacture and storage of weapons from the Ordnance Office, which was gradually phased out of the castle. At the same time, there was greater interest in the history of the Tower of London.

 

Public interest was partly fuelled by contemporary writers, of whom the work of William Harrison Ainsworth was particularly influential. In The Tower of London: A Historical Romance he created a vivid image of underground torture chambers and devices for extracting confessions that stuck in the public imagination. Ainsworth also played another role in the Tower's history, as he suggested that Beauchamp Tower should be opened to the public so they could see the inscriptions of 16th- and 17th-century prisoners. Working on the suggestion, Anthony Salvin refurbished the tower and led a further programme for a comprehensive restoration at the behest of Prince Albert. Salvin was succeeded in the work by John Taylor. When a feature did not meet his expectations of medieval architecture Taylor would ruthlessly remove it; as a result, several important buildings within the castle were pulled down and in some cases post-medieval internal decoration removed.

 

Although only one bomb fell on the Tower of London in the First World War (it landed harmlessly in the moat), the Second World War left a greater mark. On 23 September 1940, during the Blitz, high-explosive bombs damaged the castle, destroying several buildings and narrowly missing the White Tower. After the war, the damage was repaired and the Tower of London was reopened to the public.

 

A 1974 bombing in the White Tower Mortar Room left one person dead and 41 injured. No one claimed responsibility for the blast, but the police investigated suspicions that the IRA was behind it.

 

In the 21st century, tourism is the Tower's primary role, with the remaining routine military activities, under the Royal Logistic Corps, having wound down in the latter half of the 20th century and moved out of the castle. However, the Tower is still home to the regimental headquarters of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, and the museum dedicated to it and its predecessor, the Royal Fusiliers. Also, a detachment of the unit providing the King's Guard at Buckingham Palace still mounts a guard at the Tower, and with the Yeomen Warders, takes part in the Ceremony of the Keys each day. On several occasions through the year gun salutes are fired from the Tower by the Honourable Artillery Company, these consist of 62 rounds for royal occasions, and 41 on other occasions.

 

Since 1990, the Tower of London has been cared for by an independent charity, Historic Royal Palaces, which receives no funding from the Government or the Crown. In 1988, the Tower of London was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, in recognition of its global importance and to help conserve and protect the site. However, recent developments, such as the construction of skyscrapers nearby, have pushed the Tower towards being added to the United Nations' Heritage in Danger List. The remains of the medieval palace have been open to the public since 2006 where visitors can explore the restored chambers. Although the position of Constable of the Tower remains the highest position held at the Tower, the responsibility of day-to-day administration is delegated to the Resident Governor. The Constable is appointed for a five-year term; this is primarily a ceremonial post today but the Constable is also a trustee of Historic Royal Palaces and of the Royal Armouries. General Sir Gordon Messenger was appointed Constable in 2022.

 

At least six ravens are kept at the Tower at all times, in accordance with the belief that if they are absent, the kingdom will fall. They are under the care of the Ravenmaster, one of the Yeoman Warders. As well as having ceremonial duties, the Yeoman Warders provide guided tours around the Tower.

 

Garrison

The Yeomen Warders provided the permanent garrison of the Tower, but the Constable of the Tower could call upon the men of the Tower Hamlets to supplement them when necessary. The Tower Hamlets, aka Tower Division of Middlesex's Ossulstone Hundred was an area, significantly larger than the modern London Borough of the same name, which owed military service to the Constable in his ex officio role as Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets.

 

The earliest surviving reference to the inhabitants of the Tower Hamlets having a duty to provide a guard for the Tower of London is from 1554, during the reign of Mary I, but the relationship is thought to go back much further. Some believe the connection goes back to the time of the Conqueror. The duty is likely to have had its origin in the rights and obligations of the Manor of Stepney which covered most or all of the Hamlets area.

 

Crown Jewels

The tradition of housing the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London probably dates from the reign of Henry III (1216–1272). The Jewel House was built specifically to house the royal regalia, including jewels, plate, and symbols of royalty such as the crown, sceptre, and sword. When money needed to be raised, the treasure could be pawned by the monarch. The treasure allowed the monarch independence from the aristocracy and consequently was closely guarded. A new position for "keeper of the jewels, armouries and other things" was created, which was well rewarded; in the reign of Edward III (1327–1377) the holder was paid 12d a day. The position grew to include other duties including purchasing royal jewels, gold, and silver, and appointing royal goldsmiths and jewellers.

 

In 1649, during the English Commonwealth following Charles I's execution, the contents of the Jewel House were disposed of along with other royal properties, as decreed by Cromwell. Metal items were sent to the Mint to be melted down and re-used, and the crowns were "totallie broken and defaced".

 

When the monarchy was restored in 1660, the only surviving items of the coronation regalia were a 12th-century spoon and three ceremonial swords. (Some pieces that had been sold were later returned to the Crown.) Detailed records of old regalia survived, and replacements were made for the coronation of Charles II in 1661 based on drawings from the time of Charles I. For the coronation of Charles II, gems were rented because the treasury could not afford to replace them.

 

In 1669, the Jewel House was demolished and the Crown Jewels moved into Martin Tower (until 1841). They were displayed here for viewing by the paying public. This was exploited two years later when Colonel Thomas Blood attempted to steal them. Blood and his accomplices bound and gagged the Jewel House keeper. Although they laid their hands on the Imperial State Crown, Sceptre and Orb, they were foiled when the keeper's son turned up unexpectedly and raised the alarm.

 

Since 1994, the Crown Jewels have been on display in the Jewel House in the Waterloo Block. Some of the pieces were once regularly used by Queen Elizabeth II. The display includes 23,578 gemstones, the 800-year-old Coronation Spoon, St Edward's Crown (traditionally placed on a monarch's head at the moment of crowning) and the Imperial State Crown.

 

Royal Menagerie

There is evidence that King John (1166–1216) first started keeping wild animals at the Tower. Records of 1210–1212 show payments to lion keepers.

 

The Royal Menagerie is frequently referenced during the reign of Henry III. Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II presented Henry with three leopards, c. 1235, which were kept in the Tower. In 1252, the sheriffs were ordered to pay fourpence a day towards the upkeep of the King's polar bear, a gift from Haakon IV of Norway in the same year; the bear attracted a great deal of attention from Londoners when it went fishing in the Thames while tied to the land by a chain. In 1254 or 1255, Henry III received an African elephant from Louis IX of France depicted by Matthew Paris in his Chronica Majora. A wooden structure was built to house the elephant, 12.2 m (40 ft) long by 6.1 m (20 ft) wide. The animal died in 1258, possibly because it was given red wine, but also perhaps because of the cold climate of England.

 

In 1288, Edward I added a lion and a lynx and appointed the first official Keeper of the animals.[179] Edward III added other types of animals, two lions, a leopard and two wildcats. Under subsequent kings, the number of animals grew to include additional cats of various types, jackals, hyenas, and an old brown bear, Max, gifted to Henry VIII by Emperor Maximilian.[180] In 1436, during the time of Henry VI, all the lions died and the employment of Keeper William Kerby was terminated.

 

Historical records indicate that a semi-circular structure or barbican was built by Edward I in 1277; this area was later named the Lion Tower, to the immediate west of the Middle Tower. Records from 1335 indicate the purchase of a lock and key for the lions and leopards, also suggesting they were located near the western entrance of the Tower. By the 1500s that area was called the Menagerie. Between 1604 and 1606 the Menagerie was extensively refurbished and an exercise yard was created in the moat area beside the Lion Tower. An overhead platform was added for viewing of the lions by the royals, during lion baiting, for example in the time of James I. Reports from 1657 include mention of six lions, increasing to 11 by 1708, in addition to other types of cats, eagles, owls and a jackal.

 

Natural History Museum

By the 18th century, the menagerie was open to the public; admission cost three half-pence or a cat or dog to be fed to the lions. By the end of the century, that had increased to 9 pence. A particularly famous inhabitant was Old Martin, a large grizzly bear given to George III by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1811. An 1800 inventory also listed a tiger, leopards, a hyena, a large baboon, various types of monkeys, wolves, and "other animals". By 1822, however, the collection included only a grizzly bear, an elephant, and some birds. Additional animals were then introduced. In 1828, there were over 280 representing at least 60 species as the new keeper Alfred Copps was actively acquiring animals.

 

After the death of George IV in 1830, a decision was made to close down the Menagerie on the orders of the Duke of Wellington. In 1831, most of the stock was moved to the London Zoo which had opened in 1828. This decision was made after an incident, although sources vary as to the specifics: either a lion was accused of biting a soldier, or Ensign Seymour had been bitten by a monkey. The last of the animals left in 1835, relocated to Regent's Park. The Menagerie buildings were removed in 1852 but the Keeper of the Royal Menagerie was entitled to use the Lion Tower as a house for life. Consequently, even though the animals had long since left the building, the tower was not demolished until the death of Copps, the last keeper, in 1853.

 

In 1999, physical evidence of lion cages was found, one being 2x3 metres (6.5x10 feet) in size, very small for a lion that can grow to be 2.5 meters (approximately 8 feet) long. In 2008, the skulls of two male Barbary lions (now extinct in the wild) from northwest Africa were found in the moat area of the Tower. Radiocarbon tests dated them from 1280 to 1385 and 1420–1480. In 2011, an exhibition was hosted at the Tower with fine wire sculptures by Kendra Haste.

 

In folklore

The Tower of London has been represented in popular culture in many ways. As a result of 16th and 19th century writers, the Tower has a reputation as a grim fortress, a place of torture and execution.

 

One of the earliest traditions associated with the Tower was that it was built by Julius Caesar; the story was popular amongst writers and antiquaries. The earliest recorded attribution of the Tower to the Roman ruler dates to the mid-14th century in a poem by Sir Thomas Gray. The origin of the myth is uncertain, although it may be related to the fact that the Tower was built in the corner of London's Roman walls. Another possibility is that someone misread a passage from Gervase of Tilbury in which he says Caesar built a tower at Odnea in France. Gervase wrote Odnea as Dodres, which is close to the French for London, Londres. Today, the story survives in William Shakespeare's Richard II and Richard III, and as late as the 18th century some still regarded the Tower as built by Caesar.

 

Anne Boleyn was beheaded in 1536 for treason against Henry VIII; her ghost supposedly haunts the Church of St Peter ad Vincula in the Tower, where she is buried, and has been said to walk around the White Tower carrying her head under her arm. This haunting is commemorated in the 1934 comic song "With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm". Other reported ghosts include Henry VI, Lady Jane Grey, Margaret Pole, and the Princes in the Tower. In January 1816, a sentry on guard outside the Jewel House claimed to have witnessed an apparition of a bear advancing towards him, and reportedly died of fright a few days later. In October 1817, a tubular, glowing apparition was claimed to have been seen in the Jewel House by the Keeper of the Crown Jewels, Edmund Lenthal Swifte. He said that the apparition hovered over the shoulder of his wife, leading her to exclaim: "Oh, Christ! It has seized me!" Other nameless and formless terrors have been reported, more recently, by night staff at the Tower.

PC filter combined with motion blur. Originally a bowl of venison :))

Probably my favourite movie ever. Visually beautiful and full of atmosphere, this was my biggest inspiration for the Dark Isle Saga along side Rareware's Donkey Kong Country trilogy on the Snes. So i'd be lying if I said I hadn't been planning to do this for a while now and have one scene complete and another nearly finished.

I'm looking at 8 mocs for this and maybe a few extra's. So far I have planned the following scenes:

The Windmill

Van Tassle's Manor House

The Tree Of The Dead

The Witches Cave in the woods

Large complete Sleepy Hollow Village

 

They are the more bigger mocs and obviously the complete village is gonna be huge and probably something I will take to shows this year. Ive been wanting to build another village for ages now, so will really be going all out on that one. I have managed to get some plans of the original village design to work from, so should be lots of fun!

Hopefully going to post the first moc next month BUT they wont be in order as they appear in the movie. Mainly because I need that new Lego pumpkin head for a few scenes and its not out yet.

 

So if there's any other fans of this movie among you, rest assured I shall do my best to do it justice.

Artwork for the new ‘Studio’ album. Influenced by 1970s & 80s rock & roll, the album features legendary drummer Steve Ferrone. Visually the artwork displays the vintage ‘Studio’ neon sign along Granville Street. The album streams on all platforms at: hypeddit.com/pennanbrae/studio

If you take a wonder through my stream you will see that I LOVE colour, so I thought this Hans Hofmann quote was perfect for the ODC theme "The whole world as we experience it visually, comes to us through the mystic realm of color".

 

This was another one I took yesterday for the quoted theme, but I was unsure of the composition of it when I transferred it to Lightroom, something just did not look right to me, but I did love the colour and the quote, hence I have decided to post it anyway.

 

I hope you are all having a fantastic Thursday x

via New Hotel Travel ift.tt/20uS9bB Helsinki: A Visually Stunning and Culturally Stimulating Destination

The Grand Canyon is known for its visually overwhelming size and its intricate and colorful landscape. Geologically, it is significant because of the thick sequence of ancient rocks that are well preserved and exposed in the walls of the canyon. These rock layers record much of the early geologic history of the North American continent.

 

Nearly two billion years of Earth's geological history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted. While some aspects about the history of incision of the canyon are debated by geologists, several recent studies support the hypothesis that the Colorado River established its course through the area about 5 to 6 million years ago. Since that time, the Colorado River has driven the down-cutting of the tributaries and retreat of the cliffs, simultaneously deepening and widening the canyon.

 

For thousands of years, the area has been continuously inhabited by Native Americans, who built settlements within the canyon and its many caves. The Pueblo people considered the Grand Canyon a holy site, and made pilgrimages to it. The first European known to have viewed the Grand Canyon was García López de Cárdenas from Spain, who arrived in 1540.

 

U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt visited the Grand Canyon in 1903. An avid outdoorsman and staunch conservationist, Roosevelt established the Grand Canyon Game Preserve on November 28, 1906. Livestock grazing was reduced, but predators such as mountain lions, eagles, and wolves were eradicated. Roosevelt along with other members of his conservation group, the Boone and Crockett Club helped form the National Parks Association, which in turn lobbied for the Antiquities Act of 1906 which gave Roosevelt the power to create national monuments. Once the act was passed, Roosevelt immediately added adjacent national forest lands and redesignated the preserve a U.S. National Monument on January 11,1908. Opponents such as land and mining claim holders blocked efforts to reclassify the monument as a U.S. National Park for 11 years. Grand Canyon National Park was finally established as the 17th U.S. National Park by an Act of Congress signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson on February 26, 1919.

 

The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and attains a depth of over a mile (6,093 feet or 1,857 meters).(wiki) Arizona, USA

Sadly not a patch on previous times I've been. Visually less of everything across the board. It's clear reenactors, stall holders, vintage vehicles etc., have given it a miss in advance.

The event organisers [Pike and Shot] say 80% of the groups let them down. Cant blame the groups for the mass exodus. You're the organisers, they have supported this event for over 10 years. The fault is on your doorstep.

 

I was watching and listening to the fella firing up the Rolls Royce engine. He was furious to put it mildly (as seen in my video). He received a call to start it earlier than scheduled. He had to! He did with reluctance and was subsequently drowning out the singers nearby. When he challenged the staff about it they were not so sympathetic. Awful for him. To his credit he apologised to the small crowd of what happened that he was instructed to start the engine early. So for me, this was a live example of the organisers causing unrest as the event unfolded.

Having been to several 1940s events this year, this was the bottom of the pile. When I spoke with quite a few visitors and stall holders etc., they were expecting so much more, as in the past.

 

Singer: Miss Trixie Holiday

The other singer, not in this video, was Ricky Hunter. Decided not to include him in my video because he spent way too much time looking at his phone, playlist, drinking water, while singing, rather than entertain the crowd. He was a last minute guest singer anyway. He had not been invited for over 5 years.

 

Entrance fee was £10! (reduced to £4 very late on into the second day). No concessions. No signposting to the event. No map or itinerary. Limited parking. A bare bones event. Purely the fault of the organisers and Rufford Abbey Estate collectively.

 

Without Prejudice.

The July 2018 Wrightbus Streetlite WF with Factory Built bodywork snapped in the Coastlands carpark in Paraparaumu on Tuesday, 24 July 2018.

 

Operator - Uzabus

Depot - Kapiti

Fleet Number - 9010

Registration – LMQ674 (first NZ rego 10 July 2018)

Chassis Type - Wrightbus Streetlite WF

Chassis No. - SA9DSRXXN18141010

Body Manufacturer - Wrightbus

Body Date - 2018

Seating Codes - B29DW

Livery - Metlink

 

A REVIEW OF WRIGHTBUS FROM AUSTRALASIAN BUS AND COACH

By Paul Aldridge

Wrightbus may not be a brand on everybody’s lips in Australasia just yet, but with its innovative and tidy-looking StreetLite midibus packing a big micro-hybrid punch it soon just might be. We took one for quick spin and came away well impressed. Visually the Streetlite is distinctive from front to back.

 

It takes a few moments to fathom what great exports Northern Ireland has produced, but once the penny drops it’s a quality list of who’s who. There’s F1 ace Eddie ‘Irv the Swerve’ Irvine; pro golfer Rory McIlroy – who once formed a sporting power couple with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki; and who could forget the legendary Manchester United footballing icon George Best – who famously quipped, "I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars – the rest I just squandered."

With reputations for doing things that stand out like that, it’s no doubt Northern Ireland’s Wrightbus has high expectations to meet. And it does so with oodles of class and style.

 

In terms of buses, Wrightbus is best known for that updated version of the London Routemaster double-deck – or so-called ‘Boris Bus’ – but with units like its micro-hybrid Streetlite midibus on the market here now it’s well placed to make its equally indelible mark.

Recently, we were handed the keys to test drive a Streetlite WF 8.8m (Wheel Forward) and good impressions were instant. Visually the Streetlite is distinctive. The large, round-based front window goes extremely low. This definitely is a positive for driver visibility and gives the bus a modern, open appearance that makes this bus easily recognisable as a Wrightbus.

The internals echo the front round window shape with a curved roofline and rear window.

 

Overall internally, the curved roofline gives the appearance of more headroom and tall occupants should feel right at home here.

The Streetlite 8.8m as tested had a seating capacity of 33 and a maximum standing capacity of 39 passengers and is a wheel-forward model. What’s that, you may ask?

This allows for a flatter floor area that offers more flexibility with seating options. This option is great particularly in the smaller buses, as passenger capacity and comfort can be maximised.

One safety feature that we hadn’t seen before was the emergency exit door placed halfway back on the driver’s side. This could be used for front or side collisions if they impacted on the normal exits, or if quick evacuation of passengers was needed. It’s a feature you’d hope to never use, but would certainly be welcomed in emergency situations.

 

A comfort feature that was impressive is the padded backrest that is placed for use by wheelchair users. The area has a safety bar that can be placed in securely by the driver for extra protection and passenger stability. This padded backrest would be both a good comfort feature, as the back of the chair is placed against it. It would give passengers somewhere to rest their head and this would give extra protection in case of collision or harsh braking. Often wheelchair provisions are adequate and safe, but comfort isn’t a consideration.

LOOKS TO THRILL

Externally, the placement of the headlamps outside the impact zone, the one-piece bumper and top-mount wipers are all design features part of the Wrightbus ethos to achieve low lifetime operational costs. Nice one!

Driver daily checks are made simpler with the addition of service accessibility doors while the fuel tank access is height improved with a raised, simple-to-reach access point. Drivers that fuel up will understand why this feature is beneficial for what can often be an uncomfortable job. The driver’s area is what you would expect from a route bus – basic but comfortable and spacious enough for long legs.

We got the chance to have a substantial drive through suburban areas, just as this bus would be expected to do on routes.

 

The Daimler OM906LA Euro 6 engine is quite powerful for a four-cylinder at 208hp. Although unloaded, uphill there was plenty of torque and it was quiet zippy, so you could feel that the capacity was certainly there to have plenty of power when fully loaded. The Voith gearbox changes were seamless and smooth, no complaints here. Suburban Melbourne has many narrow laneways and so maneuvering was easy, the Streetlite certainly passing the suburban driving test with aplomb.

Overall, the Streetlite was definitely as expected and does not disappoint.

LOCAL INPUT?

While we do like to see Australian-made components or features on a bus or coach and local knowledge and craftsmanship utilised, this British-built bus certainly is impressive by what it brings to our industry. When you drive some buses or coaches it is what you see that is impressive, but with the Streetlite the small details behind the economy of this vehicle show that Wrightbus thinks way beyond just the visual. Yes, it is an every-day route bus, it’s not built to be luxurious and impressive, but the impact of features to lifetime running costs and economy would certainly help operators looking at a vehicle in this class make a smart financial long-term choice.

WHO BRINGS IT IN?

Patico Automotive was founded in 2006. Originally named Irizar Oceania, it was founded with the distribution rights for its very first imported product, the luxury Spanish coach brand made in Brazil called Irizar.

Managing director of Patico Automotive Tony Fairweather said: "We introduced the first of these coaches in 2008 and from that initial product we have grown the business into a range of other luxury and niche-type bus products. When we started to take on other brands we had the name change to Patico."

Part of Patico’s philosophy is to represent high-quality, proven products that can be aimed at a mid-market price point. Fairweather said, "Our intention is to be able to introduce products to the Australian market that bring advanced safety features, total cost of ownership-type models. We like to bring styling and options not available on other Australian buses to the market; we are a niche importer and distributer – we like to offer a point of difference to operators."

GETTING IT WRIGHT

Wrightbus, explains Fairweather, is primarily a UK company founded in Northern Ireland by Robert Wright in 1946. It’s a 100 per cent family-owned business with a very unique culture for a business of its size. Initially locally produced, it now has major manufacturing facilities in south-east Asia, so it is building lots of double-deckers for Hong Kong and Singapore.

Eventually it will supply product out of its Malaysian facility to Australia and New Zealand, though it still has a big plant in Ireland.

"As well as their product being progressive and market leading, they are a very ethical and moral company. They invest a lot back into the local communities; uniquely they have a church on site, which is their church and one of the Wrights is the minister of the church – a very unique business for modern times and they aren’t just in business to make money. They want to make a difference to the world through their products and profits.

"We focus on the specific criteria of safety features and total cost of ownership. For the Wrightbus products, they are world leaders in this category.

"The UK manufacturers in both route bus and city bus arguably are, too – they all make integrated CBU products that focus on lowering costs of manufacturing and have low operational costs for the life of vehicle. So the total cost of ownership, life of products, cost for the UK models are – arguably on a per passenger transfer basis – significantly cheaper than the standard models used in Australia," Fairweather explained.

"What these products offer operators is size flexibility. The CBU products (Completely Built Up) mean you can build at eight-, nine-, or 10-metre and … can adapt your fleet to suit your route requirements opposed to a ‘one product fits all’.

"To use an analogy, you don’t see Qantas running 747s between Sydney to Melbourne, they have smaller, more-economical planes to do these routes. Arguably, operators globally need that flexibility in terms of fleet, and UK manufacturers offer that flexibility," he continued.

TECHNOLOGY VERSUS COSTS

Fairweather explains why Wrightbus fills the price gap for operators while current technologies are developing.

"In particular they have a proprietary driveline technology that is extremely unique. They have recognised that electrics and hydrogen, of which they do produce technologies, are still currently expensive and when you look at the total cost of ownership model they have developed micro-hybrid technology, which is still using the highly efficient diesel engine (Euro 6 Daimler).

"They have taken it to a form of electrification, which is not a battery-style electrification; it is an ancillary electrification, which means that by fitting extra alternators the electricity is being generated by the diesel engine."

He continued: "They have also electrified key components that are typically operated off the diesel engine – to me one of the most impressive examples is the power-steering pump. In a rear-engines bus, like we are driving today, you fundamentally have the power steering being powered from down the back by the diesel engine and the hydraulics having to run all that distance and back again.

"On a typical diesel engine it’s using diesel fuel to run the engine to be able to run the hydraulics, where as in the case of an electrification process the power steering is actually electrified and operated [from] the alternator and only being used when power steering is needed when you turn a corner.

"Subsequently, it’s using a lot less energy – in this case of the diesel engine, diesel fuel for operation."

"Wrightbus are getting with their proprietary micro-hybrid technology an extra 18 per cent fuel efficiency over the standard diesel engine," Fairweather said.

"Another benefit is it’s not substantially more expensive to fit this technology in comparison to a full hybrid.

"In terms of total cost of ownership of a bus, at the moment the micro hybrid is world class. It’s cheaper than electric. We do have electric trucks and I believe that electric is the future in buses, but it is still a few years away for the economics of it to stack up. That’s why we have chosen Wrightbus," said Fairweather.

This makes understandable financial sense, as with all new technologies they often are not initially cost effective, but time and volume of sales usually change that.

GREEN MACHINE

When he was asked about the green technologies being used by Wrightbus, Fairweather explained: "Of all the manufacturers in green technologies, they [Wrightbus] have options in everything, and I mean everything. They have two different types of hybrid – parallel and series, they have electric and hydrogen options – alternative fuels are their thing! But they and the operators keep coming back to the micro hybrid at the moment for lifetime costs of ownership, it’s what stacks up. They are developing all these other technologies and as they transition – and it will, 100 per cent electric will become viable – they have it ready, proven and tested.

"They have a big order going into Scotland at the moment for electrics, but they are fully government subsidised so financially they stack up."

This interim technology is adopted because the Streetlite model we are test driving would currently be close to double the purchase cost if fully electric.

PREMISES AND SUPPORT

"For smaller volume orders they are fully built in Northern Ireland, but for larger orders they will be fulfilled by the Malaysian facilities.

"All Australian orders are currently from Ireland. Malaysia is their other primary manufacturing facility and in future this will have the added cost savings of duty-free arrangements we have here with Malaysia," Fairweather explained.

"Ordering time is four-five months from initial order – that can be from one to 30, even up to 50 units all have the same order time".

Asked whether the Streetlite had any Australian made componentry or features he said, "It comes fundamentally ready to roll, just small components like CCTV cameras can be added, but Wrightbus do offer many variations and optional extras so they come ready to operate.

"The intention with Wrightbus is to deploy in volume. Where we deploy volume we will have mobile technicians established. We have this same commitment in New Zealand; there currently are 14 going into Wellington and we will have a mobile technician there. We have one in Auckland as well," said Fairweather.

 

Specs:

DISTRIBUTOR: Patico Automotive

MAKE: Wrightbus

MODEL: Streetlite WF 8.8m

ENGINE: Daimler four-cylinder OM934 Euro 6

POWER: 208hp/155kW

TRANSMISSION: Voith 824.6 four-speed fully automatic

 

The visually intriguing bend of 'The Emery' apartments in 'SoWa' (South Waterfront) breaks up the rigidity of right planes of its surrounding neighbors.

4th January is World Braille Day. Braille is a system of writing that enables blind and visually impaired people to read and write. I learned Braille 10 years ago and I've been using it regularly ever since. It's a fantastic system that makes reading and writing a uniquely tactile experience that enriches your life in a way that nothing else can. Next time you hold a box of medicine with a Braille label on it in your hand or walk by a tactile sign, feel the Braille under your fingertips and you'll feel something magical! I think that sometimes, we just depend too much on our eyes and on the visual. Exploring the world through our other senses (touch and hearing) therefore offers a whole new level of experiencing the world.

 

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

Sadly not a patch on previous times I've been. Visually less of everything across the board. It's clear reenactors, stall holders, vintage vehicles etc., have given it a miss in advance.

The event organisers [Pike and Shot] say 80% of the groups let them down. Cant blame the groups for the mass exodus. You're the organisers, they have supported this event for over 10 years. The fault is on your doorstep.

 

I was watching and listening to the fella firing up the Rolls Royce engine. He was furious to put it mildly (as seen in my video). He received a call to start it earlier than scheduled. He had to! He did with reluctance and was subsequently drowning out the singers nearby. When he challenged the staff about it they were not so sympathetic. Awful for him. To his credit he apologised to the small crowd of what happened that he was instructed to start the engine early. So for me, this was a live example of the organisers causing unrest as the event unfolded.

Having been to several 1940s events this year, this was the bottom of the pile. When I spoke with quite a few visitors and stall holders etc., they were expecting so much more, as in the past.

 

Singer: Miss Trixie Holiday

The other singer, not in this video, was Ricky Hunter. Decided not to include him in my video because he spent way too much time looking at his phone, playlist, drinking water, while singing, rather than entertain the crowd. He was a last minute guest singer anyway. He had not been invited for over 5 years.

 

Entrance fee was £10! (reduced to £4 very late on into the second day). No concessions. No signposting to the event. No map or itinerary. Limited parking. A bare bones event. Purely the fault of the organisers and Rufford Abbey Estate collectively.

 

Without Prejudice.

 

Sadly not a patch on previous times I've been. Visually less of everything across the board. It's clear reenactors, stall holders, vintage vehicles etc., have given it a miss in advance.

The event organisers [Pike and Shot] say 80% of the groups let them down. Cant blame the groups for the mass exodus. You're the organisers, they have supported this event for over 10 years. The fault is on your doorstep.

 

I was watching and listening to the fella firing up the Rolls Royce engine. He was furious to put it mildly (as seen in my video). He received a call to start it earlier than scheduled. He had to! He did with reluctance and was subsequently drowning out the singers nearby. When he challenged the staff about it they were not so sympathetic. Awful for him. To his credit he apologised to the small crowd of what happened that he was instructed to start the engine early. So for me, this was a live example of the organisers causing unrest as the event unfolded.

Having been to several 1940s events this year, this was the bottom of the pile. When I spoke with quite a few visitors and stall holders etc., they were expecting so much more, as in the past.

 

Singer: Miss Trixie Holiday

The other singer, not in this video, was Ricky Hunter. Decided not to include him in my video because he spent way too much time looking at his phone, playlist, drinking water, while singing, rather than entertain the crowd. He was a last minute guest singer anyway. He had not been invited for over 5 years.

 

Entrance fee was £10! (reduced to £4 very late on into the second day). No concessions. No signposting to the event. No map or itinerary. Limited parking. A bare bones event. Purely the fault of the organisers and Rufford Abbey Estate collectively.

 

Without Prejudice.

Visually a descendent of the SP1 Striker, but sized more like the Galactic Peacekeeper.

 

I'm still not totally sure about that cagelike take on the prisoner transport pod, but it mostly works.

 

And I actually managed semi-retractable undercarriage.

Boletus pinophilus ---- Pine Bolete ---- Pinewood king bolete ----

Der Kiefern- oder Rothütige Steinpilz[1] (Boletus pinophilus) ist ein Ständerpilz aus der Gattung Dickröhrlinge. Der Kiefern-Steinpilz bildet große Fruchtkörper mit Hutdurchmessern von 8–25, in Ausnahmefällen bis 30 cm sowie 4–12 cm langen, 2–6 cm dicken Stielen. Der Hut ist halbkugelig bis polsterförmig und bleibt auch bei alten Exemplaren meist stark gewölbt, seine Farbe reicht von dunkel braunrot bis purpurrot, die Randzone ist glatt und wellig-runzelig, selten weiß. Die Röhren sind anfangs weiß und werden bei zunehmender Reife schnell gelb und später grüngelb. Der dicke, bauchige Stiel ist nuss- bis rötlichbraun, längsfaserig, das den Stiel bedeckende feine Netz ist an der Stielspitze weißlich, darunter hellbräunlich. Das Fleisch ist weiß, unter der Hutoberseite gelegentlich weinrötlich, bei Bruch oder im Anschnitt nicht verfärbend und ohne besonderen Geruch. Wie alle Arten der Gattung Boletus ist der Kiefern-Steinpilz ein Mykorrhiza-Pilz. In der Regel ist er mit Kiefern vergesellschaftet, sehr selten werden auch Funde unter Fichten gemeldet. Er besiedelt Kiefernwälder oder Wälder, in denen Kiefern eingestreut sind, er benötigt nährstoffarme, saure bis neutrale, sandige, trockene bis mäßig frische Böden. Auch wenn einzelne Exemplare schon relativ früh im Jahr (ab Juni) gefunden werden können, liegt die Hauptfruktifikationszeit im frühen Herbst. --------------------------

Boletus pinophilus, commonly known as the pine bolete or pinewood king bolete, is a basidiomycete fungus of the genus Boletus found throughout Europe. For many years, Boletus pinophilus was considered a subspecies or form of the porcini mushroom B. edulis. In 2008, B. pinophilus in western North America were reclassified as a new species, Boletus rex-veris. Boletus pinophilus is edible, and may be preserved and cooked.

 

The fungus grows predominantly in coniferous forests, forming symbiotic ectomycorrhizal associations with living trees by enveloping the tree's underground roots with sheaths of fungal tissue. The fungus produces spore-bearing fruit bodies above ground in summer and autumn. The large, edible fruiting bodies known as mushrooms appear under pine trees, generally in summer and autumn. It has a matte brown to maroon-coloured cap and its stem is often large and swollen, and the overall colour may have an orange-red tinge. As with other boletes, the size of the fruiting body is variable.

The fruiting body has a convex-shaped cap, at first small in relation to its stipe, expanding in volume as it matures. The skin of the cap is dry, matte and can be coloured from maroon to chocolate brown with a reddish tint. These characteristics distinguish it visually from relatives such as Boletus edulis, Boletus reticulatus and Boletus aereus. The young, immature cap may have a pale pink colour and a white, powdery flush. Measuring 4–10 cm (1.6–4 in) tall by 3–8 (1.2–2.2–in) cm wide, the bulbous stipe is often large, swollen and imposing, bearing a network. The overall colour may have an orange-red tinge which is more obvious in the lowest parts, although this is also common in other species. As with all boletes, the size of the fruiting body can be very variable. The cap diameter can be as much as 30 cm (12 in) and stem height 15 cm (6 in), but cap diameter 50 cm (20 in) and stem 25 cm (10 in) are reported. [9][14]

 

Like other boletes, Boletus pinophilus has small pores on the underside of its cap rather than gills. These are coloured white at first, becoming yellow with age and olivaceous-brown at full maturity. The spores are cylindric-ellipsoid, smooth, with oil drops and dimensions 15.5–20 by 4.5–5.5 µm. They produce an olive-brown spore print.

The Boletus pinophilus is edible,[20][21][22] and may be used fresh, preserved, dried and cooked in a manner similar to that of other edible boletes.[20][21] It is highly regarded and can be quite expensive in central Mexico, and is often sold dried there.[23] The flesh is white, soft in mature specimens and does not change colour upon bruising. The taste and smell is pleasant.[20] People of La Malinche have likened the flavour to pork and pork crackling.[23] It is easily misidentified as the porcini Boletus edulis, due to the similar habitat and appearance.

 

More info and languages available at:

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiefern-Steinpilz

A blind man relaxes in the changing room of Unión Nacional de Ciegos del Perú, a social club for the visually impaired in Lima, Peru. Unión Nacional de Ciegos del Perú, one of the first societies for disabled in Latin America, was established in 1931 to provide a daily service for blind and partially sighted people from the capital city. The range of activities includes reading books in a large Braille library, playing chess or using a computer adapted for visually impaired individuals. As the majority of the blind does not have a regular job, the UNCP club offers them an opportunity to learn and lately, to provide massages to the club visitors and thus generate some income. © Jan Sochor Photography

I found this visually impaired man playing guitar in the Historic Center of Quito, Ecuador.

 

Visually Inspired Behavior

 

“The primary cause of disorder in ourselves is the seeking of reality promised by another.”

― Krishnamurti

 

We teach our students content that makes sense but we do not teach skills in how to prepare for situations that do not make sense. Society works hard to present normality as that without disorder. That is to you know where you are; what you are expected to do; and that the flowers you pass every day are the same flowers. However, we do not teach students, to see different flowers on each passing and that the river is not the same. If one in every five adults experience mental illness why is it that schooling is predominately about 'promised' normality and not preparing for the disorder 'of the promise'. One in every four individuals will suffer from a mental health condition in their lives. Schooling for anxiety, depression, attention deficit disorder, post-traumatic stress, psychosis, and schizophrenia is required. Society could do well by flipping the school. Every student has a story to tell. School as a check-in rather than a check-out.

 

Are our students simply learning how to follow the path set by our teachers to prepare them for the path set by employers? Is it possible that schooling could be about enabling students to carve a new path that is not set by curriculum and teachers? Where students learn through trial and error and learn how to deal with success and failure? Where it is about making harmony within the wilderness? Where students are not learning about conventions but schools are learning about authentic self-expression as students create their own meaning?

 

As a tourist, I usually follow a designated tourist path, designed by the cultural perceptions of tourist authorities and like-minded tourists, and I take photos of the same artifact as taken by other tourists over and over again. Even though we pride ourselves on our capitalist freedoms and individualism we chose culturally similar destinations. Even when the pursuit of attaining personal goals is the backbone of capitalist democracies our behaviors are so much the same. Our systems sell us individualism but our perceptions are constructed on the best practices to succeed. Schools covertly teach individualism within their governing systems. That is, understanding individuality in regards to societal opportunity. The outcome is that capitalist society invests in the merit of acquisition. To access acquisitional power meritocratic individualism is gained via quantification, test-scoring, and qualifications. Whilst teachers work towards virtues such as developing intellectual abilities and moral values, the systematization of education is merit to consume.

 

A highly individualized society works against encouraging community development where collectives discuss problems, seek solutions, and disperse choice. Those in power and are the minority of people that form the top levels of the hierarchy contain the resources and provide the decision-making pathways that the majority travel. Schools formalize the process through 'soft' prison-like rules and regulations and via manipulation of choice. Those in power know that community voice is not best for a the economic freedoms of an individualist based capitalist democracy. Those in power know where the best tourist sites are and where to get the best selfie at the most photogenic location.

 

I am not writing about coercion and authoritarianism, I am writing about the freedom to acquire what is available. In the big picture, I am writing about designing pathways to secure corporation profitability or as William Sumner wrote in 1881 supporting the "...competition of man with man in the effort to win a limited supply." If individualism is the basis of civilization and capitalist civilization requires profit, herding is an absolute necessity. The herd becomes the resource.

 

Populations are herded through the promise of gaining individual freedom. The wilderness is clear-felled to make orderly sense.

Choice options are enabled by individual proximity to wealth.

Continuation of knowledge based on inter-generational understandings of societal power.

 

Similarity - herds are formed and based on the fear that if you operate outside of the system you are vulnerable.

Closure and satisfaction are guaranteed as unknown reckless risk-taking has been removed.

 

Visual psychological boundaries have been set into place by authorities to guide user behavior and expectations. What is perceived is governed by a consistent belief that there is a promised reality. What isn't understood and prepared for, is when ourselves our wilderness is once again experienced, and the external promise is seen as the disorder.

 

Read more: www.jjfbbennett.com/2020/07/visually-inspired-behavior.html

 

One-off sponsorship: www.paypal.me/bennettJJFB

Sadly not a patch on previous times I've been. Visually less of everything across the board. It's clear reenactors, stall holders, vintage vehicles etc., have given it a miss in advance.

The event organisers [Pike and Shot] say 80% of the groups let them down. Cant blame the groups for the mass exodus. You're the organisers, they have supported this event for over 10 years. The fault is on your doorstep.

 

I was watching and listening to the fella firing up the Rolls Royce engine. He was furious to put it mildly (as seen in my video). He received a call to start it earlier than scheduled. He had to! He did with reluctance and was subsequently drowning out the singers nearby. When he challenged the staff about it they were not so sympathetic. Awful for him. To his credit he apologised to the small crowd of what happened that he was instructed to start the engine early. So for me, this was a live example of the organisers causing unrest as the event unfolded.

Having been to several 1940s events this year, this was the bottom of the pile. When I spoke with quite a few visitors and stall holders etc., they were expecting so much more, as in the past.

 

Singer: Miss Trixie Holiday

The other singer, not in this video, was Ricky Hunter. Decided not to include him in my video because he spent way too much time looking at his phone, playlist, drinking water, while singing, rather than entertain the crowd. He was a last minute guest singer anyway. He had not been invited for over 5 years.

 

Entrance fee was £10! (reduced to £4 very late on into the second day). No concessions. No signposting to the event. No map or itinerary. Limited parking. A bare bones event. Purely the fault of the organisers and Rufford Abbey Estate collectively.

 

Without Prejudice.

Gomphrena globosa, commonly known as globe amaranth, is an edible plant from the family Amaranthaceae. The round-shaped flower inflorescences are a visually dominant feature and cultivars have been propagated to exhibit shades of magenta, purple, red, orange, white, pink, and lilac. Within the flowerheads, the true flowers are small and inconspicuous.

 

Gomphrena globosa is native to Central America including regions Panama, and Guatemala, but is now grown globally. As a tropical annual plant, G. globosa blooms continuously throughout summer and early fall. It is very heat tolerant and fairly drought resistant, but grows best in full sun and regular moisture. The plant fixes carbon through the C4 pathway. At maturity, the flowerheads are approximately 4 centimetres (1.6 in) long and the plant grows up to 24 inches (61 cm) in height.

 

Gomphrena globosa is an outcrossing species that is pollinated by butterflies, bees, and other insects. Floral volatiles likely play a significant role in the reproductive success of the plant by promoting the attraction of pollinators.

 

Uses

In Hawaii, it is commonly used in long-lasting leis since it retains its shape and color after drying.

 

In Nepal, the flower is known commonly as makhamali ful and is used to make a garland during Bhai Tika, last day of Tihar festival. The garland is put around the brother's neck by their sister for protection. The slow withering character of the flower symbolizes a long life for the brother. The flower was included in the gift sent to Britain by Jung Bahadur Rana in 1855. This flower is known as Rakta Mallika in Sanskrit.

 

This plant is common in landscape design and cutting gardens for its vivid colors and color retention.

 

The edible plant G. globosa has been used in herbal medicine.

 

The flowers of G. globosa are rich in betacyanins which have a wide range of applications as additives and supplements in the food industry, cosmetics, and livestock feed. Stable between pH 3 and 7, the betacyanins in globe amaranth are well suited to be used as natural food dye and have a red-violet color.

 

Chemical properties

Phytochemicals

At least twenty-seven phytochemicals have been detected in G. globosa including six phenolic acid derivatives and fifteen specific flavonoids. The most abundant phenolic compounds present are flavonoids. A major phenol was found to be kaempferol 3-O-rutinoside based on chromatographic and mass spectrometry techniques. Gomphrenol derivatives also contribute to phenolic content. Other flavanols include quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin derivatives.

 

Betacyanins

The major betacyanins identified in globe amaranth are gomphrenin, isogomphrenin II, and isogomphrenin III. These compounds are stored in vacuoles in the plant.

 

Volatiles

Cultivars of G. globosa vary in the identity of floral volatiles but the volatile compounds of nonanal, decanal, geranyl acetone, and 4,8,12-tetradecatrienal, 5,9,13-trimethyl, were commonly detected by chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. The cultivar ‘Fireworks’ has a high abundance of volatile esters such as geranyl propionate, geranyl isovalerate, benzyl isovalerate, and benzyl tiglate. The floral volatile emission of this cultivar of G. globosa was found to exhibit a diurnal pattern independent of light. Emission of floral volatiles can be regulated by phytohormone and defense signaling molecules. Experimentally, the ethylene inhibitor silver thiosulphate increased volatile emission of molecules derived from the terpenoid pathway. Defense signaling molecules can have temporal effects on floral volatile emission such as increased emission after four hours and reduced emission of volatiles after 24 hours in time studies analyzed with chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Sadly not a patch on previous times I've been. Visually less of everything across the board. It's clear reenactors, stall holders, vintage vehicles etc., have given it a miss in advance.

The event organisers [Pike and Shot] say 80% of the groups let them down. Cant blame the groups for the mass exodus. You're the organisers, they have supported this event for over 10 years. The fault is on your doorstep.

 

I was watching and listening to the fella firing up the Rolls Royce engine. He was furious to put it mildly (as seen in my video). He received a call to start it earlier than scheduled. He had to! He did with reluctance and was subsequently drowning out the singers nearby. When he challenged the staff about it they were not so sympathetic. Awful for him. To his credit he apologised to the small crowd of what happened that he was instructed to start the engine early. So for me, this was a live example of the organisers causing unrest as the event unfolded.

Having been to several 1940s events this year, this was the bottom of the pile. When I spoke with quite a few visitors and stall holders etc., they were expecting so much more, as in the past.

 

Singer: Miss Trixie Holiday

The other singer, not in this video, was Ricky Hunter. Decided not to include him in my video because he spent way too much time looking at his phone, playlist, drinking water, while singing, rather than entertain the crowd. He was a last minute guest singer anyway. He had not been invited for over 5 years.

 

Entrance fee was £10! (reduced to £4 very late on into the second day). No concessions. No signposting to the event. No map or itinerary. Limited parking. A bare bones event. Purely the fault of the organisers and Rufford Abbey Estate collectively.

 

Without Prejudice.

Visually, the Cutlass most resembles the F/A-137D Longsword interceptor, used by the West Terrastralian Air Force (WTAF). Unlike its Air Force counterpart however, the Cutlass features folding wings, strengthened landing gear and an arrester hook. These modifications come at a cost, however; the Cutlass was forced to sacrifice one of is weapon hardpoints to save weight. Nevertheless, those that fly it have only praise to direct towards their mount.

Tomorrow is 15th October, which is White Cane Safety Day. "The mission of White Cane Day is to educate the world about blindness and how the blind and visually impaired can live and work independently while giving back to their communities, to celebrate the abilities and successes achieved by blind people in a sighted world and to honor the many contributions being made by the blind and visually impaired. " (www.whitecaneday.org)

 

When you lose your sight, white cane becomes a big part of your life. It offers you independence and enables you to travel safely. While it looks simple, the white cane is actually quite a sophisticated tool. Firstly, it enables you to feel what's in front of you when you walk. Secondly, it alerts you to a change in the ground surface with sound (the tip of the cane makes different sounds when you drag it across different kinds of surfaces). Thirdly, it lets the people around you know that you're blind or partially sighted.

 

However, instead of embracing the chance of independence and safety offered by the white cane, many blind or visually impaired people feel embarrassed and refuse to use it. They prefer to rely on other people's help to get around. That is so unnecessary. White cane is a wonderful tool that gives you back some of the independence you had before losing sight.

 

And, finally, here's some information on my new white cane that you can see on the photo. I got it a few days ago and it's great! It's a folding cane, it folds into 4 parts (three parts are white and one is red). The handle is made of black rubber, which offers a very good and solid grip. The cane has a marshmallow tip, which spins around, offering good tactile and audio information about the ground surface. The tip is made of a sturdy material, which doesn't wear out easily, but can easily be replaced when it does. The cane itself is made of aluminum, which means that it is sturdy and light. A tough elastic connects the cane parts inside the cane. This means that I just have to grab the handle and let the rest of the cane "drop down" and the elastic makes the parts "jump" together and connect instantly so that the cane can be used immediately.

 

So, to sum things up:

If you suffer from sight loss or blindness, don't hesitate to talk to your doctor about the possibility of getting a white cane! You might have to go through a mobility training to learn to use the white cane correctly first, but after that you will be able to move around independently and safely. And that's the most important thing!

 

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

 

The information counter and the eatery are like floating at this perspective.

The total yardsale take for this week. The parts in color, that is. The desaturated stuff is stuff that was already in our house. (Our house is very visually busy. I edited the picture to be less ambiguous.)

 

Bart Simpson, Chef Smurf, Gir, Homer Simpson, Milhouse Van Houten, Nelson Muntz, Papa Smurf, The Joker, Venom.

BBQ fork, BBQ thermometer, Bart Simpson action figure, Chef Smurf action figure, Fly Bart Simpson action figure, Homer Simpson action figure, I Heart Cupcakes! shirt, Invader Zim purse, Invader Zim shirt, Milhouse Van Houten action figure, Monster Croquet, NCIS board game, Nelson Muntz action figure, Papa Smurf action figure, Puerto Rico board games, Radioactive Homer Simpson action figure, The Joker action figure, Venom bank, accordian shelf, body oil, bowling ball, croquet, dish drainer, dish rack, essential oil, pool chair, power cable, scissors, stepstool, water, wrapping paper.

cartoon: Batman. cartoon: Smurfs. cartoon: The Simpsons. comics: Spider-Man.

edited.

 

upstairs, Clint and Carolyn's house, Alexandria, Virginia.

 

May 30, 2015.

  

... Read my blog at ClintJCL at wordpress.com

... Read Carolyn's blog at CarolynCASL at wordpress.com

 

... Read my yard sale-related blogposts at clintjcl dot wordpress dot com/category/yard-sales/

  

BACKSTORY: Got up around 7:00 AM, made it out driving by 7:38 AM and wentout until [forgot:estimating 12:38PM] for a total of about 4 hours, 25 minutes (because we spent ~35 minutes eating).

 

Spent $54.67 plus ~$8.53 gas for 46.7 miles of driving (15 mpg @ $2.74/G), for a total cost of $63.20.

 

We drove to 29 yard sales, stopping at 19 (66%) of them [but one was a 50-vendor boy scouts sale, so this count is deceptive].

 

We made 36 purchases (28 items) for a total estimated value of $436.61, leading to a profit/savings of $373.41.

 

So in essence, we multiplied our $63.20 investment by 6.9X.

 

(Also, if you think about it, the profit counts for even more when you consider that we have to earn $~427 on the job, pre-tax, in order to take home the $373 in cash that we saved. How long does $ of disposable income take to earn, vs the 4.41666 hrs we spent here?)

 

Anyway, this works out to a *post-tax* "wage" of $84.55/hr asa couple or $40.27/hr per person.

 

THE TAKE:

  

$12.00: camping chair, Sport-Brella XTR chair, attached umbrella and footrest, blue (EV:$$41.40). Talked down from $15.

 

$8.00: shelf unit, accordian, black, 20 adjustable shelves, can open and close, 29x34.375x6.5625"(EV:$14.99)

 

$5.00: water art, Homedics Aquascape Dancing Showers, CP-AQDANC, 2003 (EV:$20.50)

 

$3.00: game, NCIS, Pressman, shrink-wrapped (EV:$19.99 price tag). Talked down from $5.

 

$3.00: pool chair, long lounge chair, orange & white (EV:$33.00)

 

$2.00: step stool, Rubbermaid, Roughneck, purple, 071691134664, 12.5x15.5x9.25" (EV:$8.89)

 

$2.00: trading cards, G.I. Joe, 1991, Impel (EV:$3.50)

 

$2.00: game, Puerto Rico, Rio Grande Games, 2002 (EV:$24.00)

 

$2.00: leather care systems (2), Miracle Seal Plus, leather cleaner, conditioner (8 containers, 8 fl oz each), ink & lipstick remover (2 containers, 2.5 oz each), sponge (2, 1 new, 1 used), cloth (2, 1 new, 1 used) (EV:$31.59)

 

$1.00: bbq fork/thermometer, Maverick Bar-B-Fork, Electronic Food Probe Thermometer Deluxe, 011502100556(EV:$12.60)

 

$1.00: shirt, Invader Zim, black, I Heart Cupcakes!, Mighty Fine, XXL (EV:$6.39)

 

$3.00: purse, Invader Zim, Gir (EV:$18.00)

 

$1.00: "poster", X-Men, Havok, Psylock, Jubilee, Wolverine, 22x34(EV:$1)

 

$1.00: "poster", X-Men, The Legend Continues. Mutant Genesis, Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine, Psylock, Gambit, Beast, Colossus, Rogue, ArchAngel, Polaris, Multiple Man, Havok, Guido, Wolfsbane, Nightcrawler, Domino, Kitty Pryde, Cable 13.375x~37(EV:$1)

 

$1.00: "poster", X-Men, X-Men#1 cover, 10.125x25.5"(EV:$1)

 

$1.00: "poster", X-Men, X-men on vacation, 10.125x13"(EV:$1)

 

$1.00: "poster", X-Men, Jean Grey, Storm, Rogue, Psylock, Jubilee, 10.125x13 (EV:$1)

 

$1.00: bowling ball, Brunswick Axis AML7824, green & purple swirl (EV:$43.95)

 

$1.00: blanket, Indian style, gray, black and white (EV:$4.99)

 

$1.00: strainer, with handle, 8" diameter (EV:$2.99)

 

$0.50: dish drainer, with separate bottom water catcher piece, Sterilite, 17.5x13x4" (EV:$12.57)

 

$0.50: bank, Venom, Monogram Int'l Inc, AN07-11E22, 7x7.5x6.5" (EV:$19.99)

 

$0.50: air pump, hand, Athletic Works, 6" inflation hose, AA-245NSP, Wal-Mart, 725033605724 (EV:$9.99)

 

$0.50: wrapping paper, (6) rolls, christmas (EV:$1.00 each=$6)

 

$0.38: action figure, Simpsons, Milhouse, Burger King, 2011, astronaut Halloween costume, 3" (EV:$3.75)

 

$0.38: action figure, Smurf, Papa Smurf, spy glass, 3" (EV:$5.10)

 

$0.38: action figure, Smurf, Chef Smurf, 3" (EV:$3.99). Given to Paul to remind him there can never be "Too Many Cooks".

 

$0.38: action figure, Simpsons, Nelson, Burger King, 2007, sitting on trash can, pointing, 3.25" (EV:$4.00)

 

$0.38: action figure, Simpsons, Homer, Burger King, 2007, with cowboy hat, says "Yee Haw", 4x4" (EV:$11.24), but that was NRFB.

 

$0.38: action figure, Batman, Joker, 5 joints, purple suit with card symbols spades hearts diamonds clubs, K3684, 4.5" (EV:$5.95)

 

$0.38: action figure, Simpsons, Homer, Burger King, 2011, Radioactive Homer, light-up machine, 4" (EV:$5.98)

 

$0.38: action figure, Simpsons, Bart, standing, rubbery, 3.375" (EV:$7.85)

 

$0.38: action figure, Simpsons, Bart, Burger King, May-Aug 2011, The Fly version with light up insect eyes and muscular chest, 3" (EV:$7.49)

 

$0.25: power cable, generic computer cable with velcro holder (EV:$2.44)

 

$FREE: scissors, black handle, 7" (EV:$1.00)

 

$FREE: essential oil, Cool Water, .5 fl oz, Spectrum (EV:$30.00 printed on it)

 

$FREE: body oil, Sex On The Beach, .5 fl oz, Sunflower Cosmetics (EV:$7.49)

...seen here along with a Silver-spotted Skipper, which is one of the largest skippers in North America with a wingspan of 1 3/4 - 2 5/8 inches (4.4 - 6.6 cm) so it should give you a good idea for how large this swallowtail is.

 

The Giant Swallowtail is widely distributed throughout the North American continent. Its range extends from southern New England across the northern Great Lakes states, into Ontario, Canada, through the southern portions of the Central Plains to the Rocky Mountains. The species ranges southward to Florida and the Caribbean, into the southwestern United States, and on through Mexico to Central and South America. In the United States it is mainly found in the south and eastern part of the country.

 

It is the largest butterfly in Canada and the United States with a wingspan of 3.9 - 6.3 inches (10 - 16.1 cm). Distinction between males and females is very difficult as both sexes are similar, however, females tend to have larger wingspans than males. With both gender the body and wings are dark brown to black with yellow bands. There is a yellow "eye" in each spoon shaped wing tail that can be seen from above or below. The abdomen has bands of yellow along with the previously mentioned brown. Adults are quite similar to the adults of another Papilio species, being P. thoas, which is mainly confined to the southwestern part of the United States.

 

Giant Swallowtails fly between May and August where there are 2 broods in the north and 3 in the south. But in some areas of the southern United States such as Texas and Louisiana, they may be seen as late as October.

 

Habitat is mostly deciduous forest and citrus orchards in the south where they are considered an occasional pest due to the host plants for the larvae being trees and herbs of the citrus family (Rutaceae) including Citrus species, prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum), hop tree (Ptelea trifoliata), and Common Rue (Ruta graveolens).

 

Giant Swallowtail caterpillars, nicknamed "orange dogs" visually appear much like large bird droppings on plants. If predators are not fooled by their appearance, the caterpillars can extend their V-shaped osmeterium and release a foul odor to drive away predators.

 

All giant swallowtails have a distinctive flight pattern which generally looks as if they are "hopping" through the air. Females tend to beat their wings slowly but move quickly. Because females have such large wings, each wing beat will carry it a long way. They can glide long distances before needing to beat their wings again. Males however, tend to have more of a darty flight and beat their wings rapidly but move slower than females because their wings are smaller and each beat doesn't carry them far. Giant swallowtails in general fly fast and high.

 

ISO400, aperture f/8, exposure .003 seconds (1/400) focal length 300mm

 

I'd never intended to post these photos. 'Always wanted the Zeppelin print to just stand on it's own as a mysterious little pinhole "gem".

However,

Nine months ago while I was in the hospital undergoing chemotherapy and my stem cell transplant, 3 stooges set out to diss and debunk the Zeppelin image as not a pinhole image but, photoshopped (ugh). So, now in my defense (like, I should even have to...)

The location: Denver Public Works Building. I was attracted to this building from it's original construction. With it's German industrial look and saluting stormtroopers sculpture on the bridge, it seemed only right to have some form of airship in the image. I'd originally thought of an Albatros DIII (german biplane) or an Me-262 (german jet) but always fancied dirigibles.

The Zeppelin: LZ 129 Hindenburg 1:720 scale (about 13 inches or 33cm long) Revell 04802

The Boom (to suspend the zeppelin): Made of wood strips, angle aluminum, hardware, monofilament and mounted on a tripod.

The Camera: Polaroid pinhole conversion. 35mm focal length with 9mm rise. I converted this camera specifically for this project. Can be seen here.

Film: Polaroid Type 665 positive/negative.

Other notes: I had to pack everything in on my bike as the location was accessible by bike path only.

Total time and expense to final neg.: I'd rather not think about it.

 

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

 

Back to the stooges: kevinolson44, Airships and SouthWestDreams. You can read their comments here or at the Zeppelin image.

By the way, not one of them have a single pinhole image in their photostream.

  

kevinolson44 says:

The last Zeppelin that looked like this was destroyed in 1940. Please explain how you managed to photograph it in 2006.

Posted 10 months ago. ( permalink | delete )

 

Stefan G. Pro User says:

Very adequate way to capture a Zeppelin!

Posted 10 months ago. ( permalink | delete )

 

kevinolson44 says:

Doesn't anyone want to know how he shot this in 2006? Zeppelins like this no longer exist and have not existed in this form in 69 years! Also judging by the size of the "Zeppelin" in the shot it appears to be over the river. Where's the reflection in the water? Come on people, this is obviously Photoshop'd.

Posted 9 months ago. ( permalink | delete )

 

Gary M Pro User says:

Looks like many of the blimps that fly over the NYC/NJ area to me. Just looks like a fabulous pinhole camera image to me.

Posted 9 months ago. ( permalink | delete )

 

rustman Pro User says:

8^)

Posted 9 months ago. ( permalink | delete )

 

Airships Pro User says:

Sorry to spoil anyone's fun, but this is not a pinhole photograph taken in 2006, or any photograph taken in 2006.

 

The airship in this image looks nothing at all like a modern blimp. According to the shape of its hull, its size, and the location and design of its control gondola and engine cars, if this is a real airship at all (as opposed to a model or a computer generated image) it can only be one of two airships ever built, either the LZ-129 Hindenburg, or its near sister, the LZ-130 Graf Zeppelin II (and in either case, with the swastika flags digitally removed from the vertical stabilzers). The Hindenburg crashed in 1937, and the LZ-130 was dismantled in 1940.

 

It is still a very cool image, and I like it a lot, but it was made with Photoshop, not an oatmeal box.

Posted 9 months ago. ( permalink | delete )

 

Gary M Pro User says:

www.modern-airships.info/en/home.html The blimp is moving since it is a pinhole camera image. Probally a several second exposure. I see several ships posted that look similar in the link i posted. I hope the photographer chimes in on the discussion. I see nothing fake.

Posted 9 months ago. ( permalink | delete )

 

Airships Pro User says:

@ Gary:

 

This photo is almost certainly a fake.

 

Unless the photographer somehow came across a very large,

historically accurate, and flyable remote-control model (and I believe

I would be aware of any such model in existence), this is not a

pinhole photograph, but a digitally (or otherwise artificially)

contrived creation, using a photograph of the LZ-129 Hindenburg or its near sister ship, LZ-130. The zeppelin in this image can be no other ship.

 

Take a look for yourself.

 

Enlarge the photo. (Click "All Sizes").

 

And here is a photograph, and a drawing, of Hindenburg for comparison:

 

www.airships.net/wp-content/uploads/lz129-pro file.jpg

 

www.airships.net/wp-content/uploads/hindenb-f light051web.jpg

LZ-129

 

Now, look slightly to the left of the control car in the "pinhole photo." On both sides of the hull; you will see the "ledge" that was the promenade area on "A Deck" of the Hindenburg.

 

www.airships.net/wp-content/uploads/passenger s-arriving-1...

 

www.airships.net/hindenburg/interiors

 

Next, look a little father aft; you will see the four engine cars of the Hindenburg, two on either side of the hull.

 

www.airships.net/hindenburg/design-tec hnology)

 

Compare the engine cars in the "pinhole photo" to the engine cars in the photo and drawing of Hindenburg.

 

You said that you see blimps which look similar in the link you posted, but no modern airship (and none of the airships depicted in the link you posted) have external engine cars, nor could they structurally support them.

 

Now, look at the whole hull; you will see lines running the length of the hull, from bow to stern, which were the longitudinal girders of Hindenburg's internal duralumin frame.

 

FInally, look at the stern, at the shape of the fins, and also compare the size of the fins to the overall size of the hull, to get a sense of the length of the ship; Hindenburg was four times longer than the largest modern blimp.

 

The zeppelin in the "pinhole photo" is either the LZ-129 (destroyed in 1937) or the LZ-130 (dismantled in 1940); it can be no other airship.

 

I still think this is a great image, and my congratulations to its creator; he has a great artistic sense, and some great technical skills.

 

But it's not a pinhole photo.

Posted 9 months ago. ( permalink | delete )

 

Henry [6*3=?] Pro User says:

A fake ? So what ? It's a wonderful picture *a*n*y*w*a*y

Posted 9 months ago. ( permalink | delete )

 

Airships Pro User says:

@ Henry... as I said at the end of my post. :-)

Posted 9 months ago. ( permalink | delete )

 

kevinolson44 says:

@ Airships

Thanks for making this clear that the photo was a Photoshop creation. It annoys me that so many people bought into this fake. Does anyone really believe that there's a giant Zeppelin flying around in Colorado or Nebraska? And with no visible name anywhere to be seen? Wouldn't the presence of this draw a crowd? The bridge is completely deserted. Check any photos of actual Zeppelins and there are people crowding the rooftops to get a look. Wake up everyone!

Posted 9 months ago. ( permalink | delete )

 

guruveee says:

Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Pinholers, and we'd love to have this added to the group!

Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink | delete )

 

B.l.u.e.S.k.y. Pro User says:

fantastic... real or unreal...=))))

Posted 6 months ago. ( permalink | delete )

 

bob merco Pro User says:

Fuck em czak. this is one of your best. !!!

Posted 4 months ago. ( permalink | delete )

 

lepoSs says:

well the so long and never ending debate about photography = reality...

 

I really appreciate your picture from any way you did it.

It's poetic, futuristic (yes!), so well processed and even... neo-post-avantgardist ;-)

Posted 4 months ago. ( permalink | delete )

 

sixtåriis Pro User says:

Hi, I'm an admin for a group called je ne regrette rien (by invitation), and we'd love to have this added to the group!

Posted 3 months ago. ( permalink | delete )

 

SouthWestDreams Pro User says:

masterful! I can't imagine this scene looking better expressed any other way

Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink | delete )

 

skellum Pro User says:

damn, very cool, such a sharp image with apinhole

Posted 4 weeks ago. ( permalink | delete )

 

D.Ingraham Pro User says:

Had to revisit this one. One of your more epic shots.

Posted 4 weeks ago. ( permalink | delete )

 

D.Ingraham Pro User says:

Had to revisit this one. a real masterpiece.

Posted 4 weeks ago. ( permalink | delete )

 

kevinolson44 says:

If a photographer claims to have photographed something, pinhole camera or otherwise, and it turns out to be a Photoshop creation, he should say so. Since these airships don't exist it goes without saying that this is a Photoshop creation.

Posted 2 days ago. ( permalink | delete )

 

SouthWestDreams Pro User says:

Sad lie. I am revising my post from a masterful photo to a masterful CREATION. You need not have deceived and lied to enhance the image.

Posted 2 days ago. ( permalink | delete )

The Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution and is said to be the most visually stunning government building in Washington, D.C. It serves as the research arm of Congress and is the largest library in the world with more than 162 million items.

  

Sadly not a patch on previous times I've been. Visually less of everything across the board. It's clear reenactors, stall holders, vintage vehicles etc., have given it a miss in advance.

The event organisers [Pike and Shot] say 80% of the groups let them down. Cant blame the groups for the mass exodus. You're the organisers, they have supported this event for over 10 years. The fault is on your doorstep.

 

I was watching and listening to the fella firing up the Rolls Royce engine. He was furious to put it mildly (as seen in my video). He received a call to start it earlier than scheduled. He had to! He did with reluctance and was subsequently drowning out the singers nearby. When he challenged the staff about it they were not so sympathetic. Awful for him. To his credit he apologised to the small crowd of what happened that he was instructed to start the engine early. So for me, this was a live example of the organisers causing unrest as the event unfolded.

Having been to several 1940s events this year, this was the bottom of the pile. When I spoke with quite a few visitors and stall holders etc., they were expecting so much more, as in the past.

 

Singer: Miss Trixie Holiday

The other singer, not in this video, was Ricky Hunter. Decided not to include him in my video because he spent way too much time looking at his phone, playlist, drinking water, while singing, rather than entertain the crowd. He was a last minute guest singer anyway. He had not been invited for over 5 years.

 

Entrance fee was £10! (reduced to £4 very late on into the second day). No concessions. No signposting to the event. No map or itinerary. Limited parking. A bare bones event. Purely the fault of the organisers and Rufford Abbey Estate collectively.

 

Without Prejudice.

Series of provinces and peoples were a distinctively Roman way of representing their empire visually, and reflect a distinctively Roman and imperial mode of thought. Such images are most familiar to us in sculpture from the reliefs that decorated the temple of Hadrian in Rome, and on coins from the 'province' series of Hadrian and Antoninus Pius. Recently, the discovery of such a series in relief at Aphrodisias, there called “ethne” (peoples), allows us for the first time to see what an early imperial group of this kind looked like. The ethne are each personified as single, standing, draped women, each well differentiated by drapery and pose, and some by attributes no doubt intended to characterize that ethnos. The ethne are stylistically homogeneous and among the best of the Sebasteion reliefs in quality, both as regards their finish and the assuredness of their form and design. The ethnos reliefs were carved from single blocks of marble, H: c. I72, W: I40, D: c. 42 cm.

Ethonos of the Piroustae Piroustae.

Relief. The personified ethnos stands frontally, weight on her right leg, head looking evenly three-quarters to her left, that is, in the same direction as the mask on the base. She wears a helmet, cloak and belted dress, and carries a small shield on her left arm. The shield band is shown below, on the underside of the forearm. The right hand was held away from her right side, carrying a spear or similar attribute. The shield is given its full three-dimensional value and is cut off at the background. Both helmet and shield are 'ideal' types, that is, they are recognizable versions of old classical Greek armor no longer worn in reality. The round shield is of diminished hoplite type. The helmet is of basic 'Corinthian' form, but worn, as usually by ideal figures in the Roman period, as if permanently pushed back from the face. The short element in relief above the front peak is a vestigial nose-piece of Corinthian type, while the crest is borrowed from the 'Attic' type.

Base. A bearded mask below supports the garland swags, looking towards the viewer's right in partial three-quarter view. It is of indeterminate ideal/divine iconography

 

Source: Smith R.R., Simulacra Gentium: The Ethne from the Sebasteion at Aphrodisias

 

Roman bas-relief

Claudius – early Nero age: approx. 41 - 60 AD

Aphrodisias, Archaeological Museum

Aphrodisias, Caria, Turkey

 

Pulling hard on the stick and looking to visually acquire his teammates across the canopy, Blue Angel #4, Lt. Col. Brandon Wilkins, begins to execute a rejoin maneuver after the Blue Angel Delta Breakout. Reconstituting the diamond formation after formation splits and breakout maneuvers is one of the more difficult things the pilots on this team have to do. They must quickly acquire the aircraft that they must chase down visually, which is typically the Boss (BA1), while also keeping track of where the other wingmen are, so as to avoid collisions. In doing so, they also have to manage energy such that the rejoin happens in a timely fashion but also avoid high closure rates on the other aircraft, which could be dangerous. This is where the months of practice begin to pay off. After a while, everybody knows exactly where to look for the other aircraft, and things come together more quickly and smoothly.

 

The conical vapor trails seen coming off the leading-edge extensions on these F-18s are a common phenomenon when the aircraft are maneuvering aggressively. These vapor trails, or "vapes" are generated at high angles of attack, when the pressure differential between the underside and top side of the leading-edge extensions is very high, resulting in the formation of a vortex, very similar to a tornado. The air pressure in that swirling cone of air drops significantly, cooling the air inside below the dewpoint, resulting in visible moisture in the cone. The phenomenon is most pronounced in very humid air, such as that which existed on this particular day.

 

This image was captured in July of 2026 at the Great State of Maine Airshow over the Brunswick Executive Airport in Brunswick, Maine. If the name sounds familiar, this is the former Brunswick Naval Air Station, which is now an uncontrolled civilian field.

  

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

  

Some background:

The OV-10 Bronco was initially conceived in the early 1960s through an informal collaboration between W. H. Beckett and Colonel K. P. Rice, U.S. Marine Corps, who met at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California, and who also happened to live near each other. The original concept was for a rugged, simple, close air support aircraft integrated with forward ground operations. At the time, the U.S. Army was still experimenting with armed helicopters, and the U.S. Air Force was not interested in close air support.

The concept aircraft was to operate from expedient forward air bases using roads as runways. Speed was to be from very slow to medium subsonic, with much longer loiter times than a pure jet. Efficient turboprop engines would give better performance than piston engines. Weapons were to be mounted on the centerline to get efficient aiming. The inventors favored strafing weapons such as self-loading recoilless rifles, which could deliver aimed explosive shells with less recoil than cannons, and a lower per-round weight than rockets. The airframe was to be designed to avoid the back blast.

 

Beckett and Rice developed a basic platform meeting these requirements, then attempted to build a fiberglass prototype in a garage. The effort produced enthusiastic supporters and an informal pamphlet describing the concept. W. H. Beckett, who had retired from the Marine Corps, went to work at North American Aviation to sell the aircraft.

The aircraft's design supported effective operations from forward bases. The OV-10 had a central nacelle containing a crew of two in tandem and space for cargo, and twin booms containing twin turboprop engines. The visually distinctive feature of the aircraft is the combination of the twin booms, with the horizontal stabilizer that connected them at the fin tips. The OV-10 could perform short takeoffs and landings, including on aircraft carriers and large-deck amphibious assault ships without using catapults or arresting wires. Further, the OV-10 was designed to take off and land on unimproved sites. Repairs could be made with ordinary tools. No ground equipment was required to start the engines. And, if necessary, the engines would operate on high-octane automobile fuel with only a slight loss of power.

 

The aircraft had responsive handling and could fly for up to 5½ hours with external fuel tanks. The cockpit had extremely good visibility for both pilot and co-pilot, provided by a wrap-around "greenhouse" that was wider than the fuselage. North American Rockwell custom ejection seats were standard, with many successful ejections during service. With the second seat removed, the OV-10 could carry 3,200 pounds (1,500 kg) of cargo, five paratroopers, or two litter patients and an attendant. Empty weight was 6,969 pounds (3,161 kg). Normal operating fueled weight with two crew was 9,908 pounds (4,494 kg). Maximum takeoff weight was 14,446 pounds (6,553 kg).

The bottom of the fuselage bore sponsons or "stub wings" that improved flight performance by decreasing aerodynamic drag underneath the fuselage. Normally, four 7.62 mm (.308 in) M60C machine guns were carried on the sponsons, accessed through large forward-opening hatches. The sponsons also had four racks to carry bombs, pods, or fuel. The wings outboard of the engines contained two additional hardpoints, one per side. Racked armament in the Vietnam War was usually seven-shot 2.75 in (70 mm) rocket pods with white phosphorus marker rounds or high-explosive rockets, or 5" (127 mm) four-shot Zuni rocket pods. Bombs, ADSIDS air-delivered/para-dropped unattended seismic sensors, Mk-6 battlefield illumination flares, and other stores were also carried.

Operational experience showed some weaknesses in the OV-10's design. It was significantly underpowered, which contributed to crashes in Vietnam in sloping terrain because the pilots could not climb fast enough. While specifications stated that the aircraft could reach 26,000 feet (7,900 m), in Vietnam the aircraft could reach only 18,000 feet (5,500 m). Also, no OV-10 pilot survived ditching the aircraft.

 

The OV-10 served in the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Navy, as well as in the service of a number of other countries. In U.S. military service, the Bronco was operated until the early Nineties, and obsoleted USAF OV-10s were passed on to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms for anti-drug operations. A number of OV-10As furthermore ended up in the hands of the California Department of Forestry (CDF) and were used for spotting fires and directing fire bombers onto hot spots.

 

This was not the end of the OV-10 in American military service, though: In 2012, the type gained new attention because of its unique qualities. A $20 million budget was allocated to activate an experimental USAF unit of two airworthy OV-10Gs, acquired from NASA and the State Department. These machines were retrofitted with military equipment and were, starting in May 2015, deployed overseas to support Operation “Inherent Resolve”, flying more than 120 combat sorties over 82 days over Iraq and Syria. Their concrete missions remained unclear, and it is speculated they provided close air support for Special Forces missions, esp. in confined urban environments where the Broncos’ loitering time and high agility at low speed and altitude made them highly effective and less vulnerable than helicopters.

Furthermore, these Broncos reputedly performed strikes with the experimental AGR-20A “Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System (APKWS)”, a Hydra 70-millimeter rocket with a laser-seeking head as guidance - developed for precision strikes against small urban targets with little collateral damage. The experiment ended satisfactorily, but the machines were retired again, and the small unit was dissolved.

 

However, the machines had shown their worth in asymmetric warfare, and the U.S. Air Force decided to invest in reactivating the OV-10 on a regular basis, despite the overhead cost of operating an additional aircraft type in relatively small numbers – but development and production of a similar new type would have caused much higher costs, with an uncertain time until an operational aircraft would be ready for service. Re-activating a proven design and updating an existing airframe appeared more efficient.

The result became the MV-10H, suitably christened “Super Bronco” but also known as “Black Pony”, after the program's internal name. This aircraft was derived from the official OV-10X proposal by Boeing from 2009 for the USAF's Light Attack/Armed Reconnaissance requirement. Initially, Boeing proposed to re-start OV-10 manufacture, but this was deemed uneconomical, due to the expected small production number of new serial aircraft, so the “Black Pony” program became a modernization project. In consequence, all airframes for the "new" MV-10Hs were recovered OV-10s of various types from the "boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.

 

While the revamped aircraft would maintain much of its 1960s-vintage rugged external design, modernizations included a completely new, armored central fuselage with a highly modified cockpit section, ejection seats and a computerized glass cockpit. The “Black Pony” OV-10 had full dual controls, so that either crewmen could steer the aircraft while the other operated sensors and/or weapons. This feature would also improve survivability in case of incapacitation of a crew member as the result from a hit.

The cockpit armor protected the crew and many vital systems from 23mm shells and shrapnel (e. g. from MANPADS). The crew still sat in tandem under a common, generously glazed canopy with flat, bulletproof panels for reduced sun reflections, with the pilot in the front seat and an observer/WSO behind. The Bronco’s original cargo capacity and the rear door were retained, even though the extra armor and defensive measures like chaff/flare dispensers as well as an additional fuel cell in the central fuselage limited the capacity. However, it was still possible to carry and deploy personnel, e. g. small special ops teams of up to four when the aircraft flew in clean configuration.

Additional updates for the MV-10H included structural reinforcements for a higher AUW and higher g load maneuvers, similar to OV-10D+ standards. The landing gear was also reinforced, and the aircraft kept its ability to operate from short, improvised airstrips. A fixed refueling probe was added to improve range and loiter time.

 

Intelligence sensors and smart weapon capabilities included a FLIR sensor and a laser range finder/target designator, both mounted in a small turret on the aircraft’s nose. The MV-10H was also outfitted with a data link and the ability to carry an integrated targeting pod such as the Northrop Grumman LITENING or the Lockheed Martin Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP). Also included was the Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver (ROVER) to provide live sensor data and video recordings to personnel on the ground.

 

To improve overall performance and to better cope with the higher empty weight of the modified aircraft as well as with operations under hot-and-high conditions, the engines were beefed up. The new General Electric CT7-9D turboprop engines improved the Bronco's performance considerably: top speed increased by 100 mph (160 km/h), the climb rate was tripled (a weak point of early OV-10s despite the type’s good STOL capability) and both take-off as well as landing run were almost halved. The new engines called for longer nacelles, and their circular diameter markedly differed from the former Garrett T76-G-420/421 turboprop engines. To better exploit the additional power and reduce the aircraft’s audio signature, reversible contraprops, each with eight fiberglass blades, were fitted. These allowed a reduced number of revolutions per minute, resulting in less noise from the blades and their tips, while the engine responsiveness was greatly improved. The CT7-9Ds’ exhausts were fitted with muzzlers/air mixers to further reduce the aircraft's noise and heat signature.

Another novel and striking feature was the addition of so-called “tip sails” to the wings: each wingtip was elongated with a small, cigar-shaped fairing, each carrying three staggered, small “feather blade” winglets. Reputedly, this installation contributed ~10% to the higher climb rate and improved lift/drag ratio by ~6%, improving range and loiter time, too.

Drawing from the Iraq experience as well as from the USMC’s NOGS test program with a converted OV-10D as a night/all-weather gunship/reconnaissance platform, the MV-10H received a heavier gun armament: the original four light machine guns that were only good for strafing unarmored targets were deleted and their space in the sponsons replaced by avionics. Instead, the aircraft was outfitted with a lightweight M197 three-barrel 20mm gatling gun in a chin turret. This could be fixed in a forward position at high speed or when carrying forward-firing ordnance under the stub wings, or it could be deployed to cover a wide field of fire under the aircraft when it was flying slower, being either slaved to the FLIR or to a helmet sighting auto targeting system.

The original seven hardpoints were retained (1x ventral, 2x under each sponson, and another pair under the outer wings), but the total ordnance load was slightly increased and an additional pair of launch rails for AIM-9 Sidewinders or other light AAMs under the wing tips were added – not only as a defensive measure, but also with an anti-helicopter role in mind; four more Sidewinders could be carried on twin launchers under the outer wings against aerial targets. Other guided weapons cleared for the MV-10H were the light laser-guided AGR-20A and AGM-119 Hellfire missiles, the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System upgrade to the light Hydra 70 rockets, the new Laser Guided Zuni Rocket which had been cleared for service in 2010, TV-/IR-/laser-guided AGM-65 Maverick AGMs and AGM-122 Sidearm anti-radar missiles, plus a wide range of gun and missile pods, iron and cluster bombs, as well as ECM and flare/chaff pods, which were not only carried defensively, but also in order to disrupt enemy ground communication.

 

In this configuration, a contract for the conversion of twelve mothballed American Broncos to the new MV-10H standard was signed with Boeing in 2016, and the first MV-10H was handed over to the USAF in early 2018, with further deliveries lasting into early 2020. All machines were allocated to the newly founded 919th Special Operations Support Squadron at Duke Field (Florida). This unit was part of the 919th Special Operations Wing, an Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the United States Air Force. It was assigned to the Tenth Air Force of Air Force Reserve Command and an associate unit of the 1st Special Operations Wing, Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). If mobilized the wing was gained by AFSOC (Air Force Special Operations Command) to support Special Tactics, the U.S. Air Force's special operations ground force. Similar in ability and employment to Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC), U.S. Army Special Forces and U.S. Navy SEALs, Air Force Special Tactics personnel were typically the first to enter combat and often found themselves deep behind enemy lines in demanding, austere conditions, usually with little or no support.

 

The MV-10Hs are expected to provide support for these ground units in the form of all-weather reconnaissance and observation, close air support and also forward air control duties for supporting ground units. Precision ground strikes and protection from enemy helicopters and low-flying aircraft were other, secondary missions for the modernized Broncos, which are expected to serve well into the 2040s. Exports or conversions of foreign OV-10s to the Black Pony standard are not planned, though.

  

General characteristics:

Crew: 2

Length: 42 ft 2½ in (12,88 m) incl. pitot

Wingspan: 45 ft 10½ in(14 m) incl. tip sails

Height: 15 ft 2 in (4.62 m)

Wing area: 290.95 sq ft (27.03 m²)

Airfoil: NACA 64A315

Empty weight: 9,090 lb (4,127 kg)

Gross weight: 13,068 lb (5,931 kg)

Max. takeoff weight: 17,318 lb (7,862 kg)

 

Powerplant:

2× General Electric CT7-9D turboprop engines, 1,305 kW (1,750 hp) each,

driving 8-bladed Hamilton Standard 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) diameter constant-speed,

fully feathering, reversible contra-rotating propellers with metal hub and composite blades

 

Performance:

Maximum speed: 390 mph (340 kn, 625 km/h)

Combat range: 198 nmi (228 mi, 367 km)

Ferry range: 1,200 nmi (1,400 mi, 2,200 km) with auxiliary fuel

Maximum loiter time: 5.5 h with auxiliary fuel

Service ceiling: 32.750 ft (10,000 m)

13,500 ft (4.210 m) on one engine

Rate of climb: 17.400 ft/min (48 m/s) at sea level

Take-off run: 480 ft (150 m)

740 ft (227 m) to 50 ft (15 m)

1,870 ft (570 m) to 50 ft (15 m) at MTOW

Landing run: 490 ft (150 m)

785 ft (240 m) at MTOW

1,015 ft (310 m) from 50 ft (15 m)

 

Armament:

1x M197 3-barreled 20 mm Gatling cannon in a chin turret with 750 rounds ammo capacity

7x hardpoints for a total load of 5.000 lb (2,270 kg)

2x wingtip launch rails for AIM-9 Sidewinder AAMs

  

The kit and its assembly:

This fictional Bronco update/conversion was simply spawned by the idea: could it be possible to replace the original cockpit section with one from an AH-1 Cobra, for a kind of gunship version?

 

The basis is the Academy OV-10D kit, mated with the cockpit section from a Fujimi AH-1S TOW Cobra (Revell re-boxing, though), chosen because of its “boxy” cockpit section with flat glass panels – I think that it conveys the idea of an armored cockpit section best. Combining these parts was not easy, though, even though the plan sound simple. Initially, the Bronco’s twin booms, wings and stabilizer were built separately, because this made PSR on these sections easier than trying the same on a completed airframe. One of the initial challenges: the different engines. I wanted something uprated, and a different look, and I had a pair of (excellent!) 1:144 resin engines from the Russian company Kompakt Zip for a Tu-95 bomber at hand, which come together with movable(!) eight-blade contraprops that were an almost perfect size match for the original three-blade props. Biggest problem: the Tu-95 nacelles have a perfectly circular diameter, while the OV-10’s booms are square and rectangular. Combining these parts and shapes was already a messy PST affair, but it worked out quite well – even though the result rather reminds of some Chinese upgrade measure (anyone know the Tu-4 copies with turboprops? This here looks similar!). But while not pretty, I think that the beafier look works well and adds to the idea of a “revived” aircraft. And you can hardly beat the menacing look of contraprops on anything...

The exotic, so-called “tip sails” on the wings, mounted on short booms, are a detail borrowed from the Shijiazhuang Y-5B-100, an updated Chinese variant/copy of the Antonov An-2 biplane transporter. The booms are simple pieces of sprue from the Bronco kit, the winglets were cut from 0.5mm styrene sheet.

 

For the cockpit donor, the AH-1’s front section was roughly built, including the engine section (which is a separate module, so that the basic kit can be sold with different engine sections), and then the helicopter hull was cut and trimmed down to match the original Bronco pod and to fit under the wing. This became more complicated than expected, because a) the AH-1 cockpit and the nose are considerably shorter than the OV-10s, b) the AH-1 fuselage is markedly taller than the Bronco’s and c) the engine section, which would end up in the area of the wing, features major recesses, making the surface very uneven – calling for massive PSR to even this out. PSR was also necessary to hide the openings for the Fujimi AH-1’s stub wings. Other issues: the front landing gear (and its well) had to be added, as well as the OV-10 wing stubs. Furthermore, the new cockpit pod’s rear section needed an aerodynamical end/fairing, but I found a leftover Academy OV-10 section from a build/kitbashing many moons ago. Perfect match!

All these challenges could be tackled, even though the AH-1 cockpit looks surprisingly stout and massive on the Bronco’s airframe - the result looks stockier than expected, but it works well for the "Gunship" theme. Lots of PSR went into the new central fuselage section, though, even before it was mated with the OV-10 wing and the rest of the model.

Once cockpit and wing were finally mated, the seams had to disappear under even more PSR and a spinal extension of the canopy had to be sculpted across the upper wing surface, which would meld with the pod’s tail in a (more or less) harmonious shape. Not an easy task, and the fairing was eventually sculpted with 2C putty, plus even more PSR… Looks quite homogenous, though.

 

After this massive body work, other hardware challenges appeared like small distractions. The landing gear was another major issue because the deeper AH-1 section lowered the ground clearance, also because of the chin turret. To counter this, I raised the OV-10’s main landing gear by ~2mm – not much, but it was enough to create a credible stance, together with the front landing gear transplant under the cockpit, which received an internal console to match the main landing gear’s length. Due to the chin turret and the shorter nose, the front wheel retracts backwards now. But this looks quite plausible, thanks to the additional space under the cockpit tub, which also made a belt feed for the gun’s ammunition supply believable.

To enhance the menacing look I gave the model a fixed refueling boom, made from 1mm steel wire and a receptor adapter sculpted with white glue. The latter stuff was also used add some antenna fairings around the hull. Some antennae, chaff dispensers and an IR decoy were taken from the Academy kit.

 

The ordnance came from various sources. The Sidewinders under the wing tips were taken from an Italeri F-16C/D kit, they look better than the missiles from the Academy Bronco kit. Their launch rails came from an Italeri Bae Hawk 200. The quadruple Hellfire launchers on the underwing hardpoints were left over from an Italeri AH-1W, and they are a perfect load for this aircraft and its role. The LAU-10 and -19 missile pods on the stub wings were taken from the OV-10 kit.

  

Painting and markings:

Finding a suitable and somewhat interesting – but still plausible – paint scheme was not easy. Taking the A-10 as benchmark, an overall light grey livery (with focus on low contrast against the sky as protection against ground fire) would have been a likely choice – and in fact the last operational American OV-10s were painted in this fashion. But in order to provide a different look I used the contemporary USAF V-22Bs and Special Operations MC-130s as benchmark, which typically carry a darker paint scheme consisting of FS 36118 (suitably “Gunship Gray” :D) from above, FS 36375 underneath, with a low, wavy waterline, plus low-viz markings. Not spectacular, but plausible – and very similar to the late r/w Colombian OV-10s.

The cockpit tub became Dark Gull Grey (FS 36231, Humbrol 140) and the landing gear white (Revell 301).

 

The model received an overall black ink washing and some post-panel-shading, to liven up the dull all-grey livery. The decals were gathered from various sources, and I settled for black USAF low-viz markings. The “stars and bars” come from a late USAF F-4, the “IP” tail code was tailored from F-16 markings and the shark mouth was taken from an Academy AH-64. Most stencils came from another Academy OV-10 sheet and some other sources.

Decals were also used to create the trim on the propeller blades and markings on the ordnance.

 

Finally, the model was sealed with a coat of matt acrylic varnish (Italeri) and some exhaust soot stains were added with graphite along the tail boom flanks.

  

A successful transplantation – but is this still a modified Bronco or already a kitbashing? The result looks quite plausible and menacing, even though the TOW Cobra front section appears relatively massive. But thanks to the bigger engines and extended wing tips the proportions still work. The large low-pressure tires look a bit goofy under the aircraft, but they are original. The grey livery works IMHO well, too – a more colorful or garish scheme would certainly have distracted from the modified technical basis.

Detail of the Screen Colonnade highlighting the ellipsoidal section of the columns. The long axis has almost the same diameter as the large spirally-fluted columns of the Marble Court, while the short axis corresponds to the smaller columns of the pavilions. Thus in dimensions as well as visually, the Screen Colonnade was carefully related to the Marble Court.

Until the fifth century, the screen colonnade structure stood as described. Then a Byzantine rubble wall was built between the columns up to the first storey level. Three central entrances were made between the four central columns, and the column bases were partially hacked away to make the doors. This change radically altered the concept of the architectural unit; where there had been one long colonnade through which the Marble Court could be seen or entered at any point, now all movement was funneled through an axial center.

 

Source: Nancy L. Hirschland, "The Head-Capitals of Sardis"

 

Sardis, The Screen Colonnade and the Marble Court

 

I have always been interested in visual things and consider myself a visually orientated person. As a kid I draw a lot and later on my path led me into graphics design, which I learned without formal education (I'm sure that's actually a pretty common in these days, but I highly respect those who have had some sort of formal education to it, because they learn their craft in a broader cultural and societal perspectives). I’ve played with painting, 3D-modelling and so on. Naturally one would think that I would have gone into photography pretty early. I was, but there were more than one false start before I got seriously started with it which was pretty late. Most of my false starts were related to using real film and analog cameras, but there were other reasons too.

 

I still have couple of rolls of film in our fridge from the old days. Color films plus B&W stuff, which I don’t have much use for. Now when I look back I can recognize three different reasons why I didn't get it started with photography. First reason was the film. Being a youngster of digital age I didn't glue at all with analog cameras which seniors where trying to introduce me into. Film just didn't fit in into paradigm of digital which I had learned working with computers, software, files etc. And most of the early digital cameras I tried were compromised. With them I only learned what I cannot do, like try to take pictures indoors without built in flash. Photography felt pretty difficult and full of 'physical problems' which were non-existent in digital world. Second reason was that I never had many photography friends that I could share my experiences and enthusiasm. My interest in photography was hibernating until one of my close friends bought a pretty serious DSLR-camera. Together we learned to do panoramas, HDR-pictures and all sort of other experiments which guided me back into photography, but this time through a backdoor called post processing. Finally the third reason why I didn't start photography earlier was that I didn't recognize my need to photograph and capture life in its uniqueness. Only after Aura was born I realized that life was very much worth of photographing it.

 

I can live with the first two reasons, but the third is something I find myself sometimes regretting. In some ways we are just stories which we are able to tell of ourselves. There isn’t a lot of pictures of me and my life when I was younger. If I only had started earlier I would have all sort of photographs of my life – a different and larger repertoire which to use for telling a story of myself.

 

Year of the Alpha – 365 Days of Sony Alpha Photography: www.yearofthealpha.com

Sadly not a patch on previous times I've been. Visually less of everything across the board. It's clear reenactors, stall holders, vintage vehicles etc., have given it a miss in advance.

The event organisers [Pike and Shot] say 80% of the groups let them down. Cant blame the groups for the mass exodus. You're the organisers, they have supported this event for over 10 years. The fault is on your doorstep.

 

I was watching and listening to the fella firing up the Rolls Royce engine. He was furious to put it mildly (as seen in my video). He received a call to start it earlier than scheduled. He had to! He did with reluctance and was subsequently drowning out the singers nearby. When he challenged the staff about it they were not so sympathetic. Awful for him. To his credit he apologised to the small crowd of what happened that he was instructed to start the engine early. So for me, this was a live example of the organisers causing unrest as the event unfolded.

Having been to several 1940s events this year, this was the bottom of the pile. When I spoke with quite a few visitors and stall holders etc., they were expecting so much more, as in the past.

 

Singer: Miss Trixie Holiday

The other singer, not in this video, was Ricky Hunter. Decided not to include him in my video because he spent way too much time looking at his phone, playlist, drinking water, while singing, rather than entertain the crowd. He was a last minute guest singer anyway. He had not been invited for over 5 years.

 

Entrance fee was £10! (reduced to £4 very late on into the second day). No concessions. No signposting to the event. No map or itinerary. Limited parking. A bare bones event. Purely the fault of the organisers and Rufford Abbey Estate collectively.

 

Without Prejudice.

 

YouTube:

Rufford Abbey At War. Nottingham. Sept 2019

youtu.be/ZV5DaUL_XAA

Shinjuku, Tokyo, is a dynamic district that perfectly encapsulates the essence of modern Japan. This image showcases the vibrant energy of Shinjuku, a place where tradition meets innovation. The towering buildings, adorned with a plethora of colorful advertisements and neon lights, create a visually stimulating environment that is both captivating and overwhelming. The architecture in Shinjuku is a testament to Japan's rapid modernization, with sleek skyscrapers standing alongside older, more traditional structures. This juxtaposition highlights the district's historical significance and its role as a hub of contemporary culture. Shinjuku is not just a commercial center; it is also steeped in history. The area has been a significant part of Tokyo since the Edo period, serving as a post town on the Koshu Kaido, one of the five routes of the Edo period. Today, Shinjuku Station is one of the busiest railway stations in the world, a testament to the district's enduring importance. The streets are lined with a variety of shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues, offering something for everyone. From high-end department stores to quirky boutiques, Shinjuku is a shopper's paradise. Food enthusiasts can indulge in a wide range of culinary delights, from traditional Japanese cuisine to international fare. The district is also home to numerous entertainment options, including theaters, karaoke bars, and nightclubs. Shinjuku's unique blend of history, culture, and modernity makes it a must-visit destination for anyone exploring Tokyo. Whether you're interested in shopping, dining, or simply soaking in the urban atmosphere, Shinjuku offers an unparalleled experience that captures the essence of modern Japan.

Greg Mitchell Photography and Tactile Photo are exclusively represented by Hammond Art Consuting Services: for consultation, design, delivery and installation on commercial, healthcare and hospitality projects, please contact Alan Hammond at (916) 205-3925 or visit their website at www.hammondartconsulting.com

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

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

“The Great Pyramid” 162 units

2-fold view.

Several years ago I actually started a tetrahedral-symmetry equivalent of my model, “Incomprehensible”, but abandoned for no reason other than a lack of enthusiasm at the time. I left a half completed model sitting on my table and finally decided to renew the concept recently. I had to restart the project, as the paper did not age well, but that just gave me an opportunity to expand the original design’s complexity and improve the visual appearance. Someday I might consider a dodecahedral equivalent of this, but honestly, making these Self-similar Edge Expansion compounds visually distinct from each other is difficult, and I fear that such a construction would end up looking like “Supernova”. I’m looking for something more visually distinct.

Designed by me.

Folded out of copy paper. (7 different proportions)

 

The Bible is full of plot twists. I have attempted to visually encapsulate the gospel message (a major twist) using twists. The apple and serpent represent original sin in the Garden of Eden. The white (righteous) twist tie Jesus died on the Chocolate Twizzler cross for our sins. The sinner (black twist tie figure) can be reconciled to God only by bowing the knee to Jesus. I have uploaded four different iterations of this theme. I had to pick one for the Macro Mondays Group, but let me know which you like best. 1 Peter 2:24 does a good job of summarizing the gospel in words.

Video:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNcxsaQgpUE&feature=youtu.be

 

*Make lists....

-Keeping track of your goals can help you budget your time wisely. But it can also aid you in seeing what you have already accomplished. By seeing progress with your goals, you will be more motivated to continue working towards them.

-Decide what kind of "to do" list works for you. What fits your lifestyle and schedule? Monthly, weekly, daily goals, etc? You don't want to over plan and feel bad about yourself when you don't have time/energy to get around to doing things on your list. So it's important to be realistic with yourself and your expectations. I personally find monthly goals work best for me since my schedule fluctuates, but I can still stay on track with getting things done.

-Keep other lists for more detailed tasks. For instance, say you want to wash a bunch of your dolls. Write "wash dolls" on your master "to do" list. But then have a separate checklist for each doll. This way you can keep track of who has or hasn't been cleaned. I do this with projects that can't all be done in one session, and need more time/attention.

-Write down any extra stuff you manage to accomplish in your set time frame. Sometimes we don't get around to everything on our lists because we get side tracked. By writing down the other things you did, you can still feel like you were productive.

-Break your lists down into categories. This will depend on what you want to accomplish with your doll collection. For me, I break my "to do" lists into four categories: Youtube, Flickr, "Dolly Maintenance," and "Extras." This enables me to make sure I'm dividing my time evenly between social media projects and things I need to do just for my dolls. It can also be a good way to see how certain tasks overlap. For instance, when my doll displays need dusting, it might be an ample time to film a collection video of all of them while they are off their shelves. This one task can actually turn into two different ones! Everyone's categories will be different. Perhaps you need to keep track of things you are selling, things you need to buy, dolls you need to clean, etc. It's also a good way to separate out your priorities--maybe some tasks are more important than others.

-Whiteboards can be a very handy way to write down very small, insignificant tasks that don't need real estate on your master "to do" list, but still need to get done. Sometimes I realize I need to re-shoot a photograph, or that a doll just got a new piece to her outfit. I will jot these notes down on my whiteboard as a quick reminder so I can take care of the task sooner. It also can be a placeholder for where I left off with editing, replacing photos, etc.

 

*Set small goals...

-Far too often we are over ambitious about what we want to get done. For instance, having a huge goal like wanting to reorganize ALL your doll stuff can be overwhelming. That's why having smaller goals that build up to the bigger one are more reasonable. For instance, if you want to reorganize all your doll stuff in the long run, start with one container, one type of accessory, etc.

-As you accomplish each smaller goal, you will see the progress towards completing the larger one. If you don't set realistic steps in place, then you will be too burdened and overwhelmed to do anything. It's better to do something small than nothing at all.

-Small goals will help you feel like you've achieved something, and will motivate you to keep taking the steps to accomplish your main, larger goal.

 

*Make it visually appealing...

-Let's be honest, we all like to look at pretty things. When a room, work space, or "to do" list is visually appealing, we are more likely to want to spend time with it. I like to surround my space with dolls and items that make me happy. As for my "to do" lists, I like to decorate the notebook they are in. Using different colors and fonts makes me enjoy writing and using my lists more.

-Don't over complicate things though! While I enjoy having an aesthetically pleasing "to do" list, I don't want to spend a ridiculous amount of time planning things...I'd rather spend that time working towards the actual goals. If you aren't a particularly creative person, or if you are like me and would rather actually do stuff than plan it, keep it simple. Using a notebook that is already visually appealing and not over decorating is a good middle ground.

-Be practical about what you need. Not all of us require a huge, fancy agenda/planner for our "to do" lists. If you need to carry it around with you or you don't have much space, keep your lists in a small book. I personally like to use sketchbooks, because I prefer to work without lines, and they are thin, but durable. They also are all blank, giving me the ability to create whatever I need out of the pages. But if you prefer to work in a book that already has pre-planned pages, than go for it! Tailor this to your specific needs.

 

*Stay organized...

-Set up things in advance! Since my "to do" lists are monthly, I will designate a page in my notebook for each month, and write my main four categories down in advance. This way I don't have to spend the time doing so each month. Rather, I can simply plan my goals quickly and get on doing them! So you can pre-plan sections for your day, week, month, etc...whatever works for you.

-Keep your lists in an accessible place. Nobody wants to dig under a pile of books and debris to get a notebook out. If you have the notebook or lists somewhere you can access them quickly on a daily basis, you are more likely to use the lists. There is no point in making lists or keeping track of your achievements if you aren't utilizing them regularly. I keep mine in a little slot on my desk, right by my computer. This is where I do most of my dolly computer work, and also it is in my doll room, where I complete many of my doll related tasks.

-Set aside time for cleaning and small tasks. Usually once a week I will go in my dolly room and pick up any debris leftover from projects. Even five minutes of this a few times a week can keep clutter under control. Sometimes it is as simple as putting books back in place, moving dolls off your work surface, sweeping the floor where some hair collected when you brushed your dolls, etc. The more often you do little tasks, the less deep cleaning you will have to do. Plus you can tackle very small tasks like dressing a doll, redoing someone's hair, putting away new stuff, etc.

-A clear space equals a clear mind. Nobody feels motivated when they have to climb over piles of junk or smell something icky. Have a special space that is clean and clear of debris to work on.

-Designate spots for projects. It's easy to make your desk or the floor a place to shove all the stuff you are working on, but haven't completed. I find that having a basket for dolls that need things done, a bin for mending, and a small case for clothes/accessories that were being worn by dolls that are currently being cleaned (or who just haven't been dressed up yet) is very handy. This prevents things from getting lost. Sometimes leaving a pile of doll clothes or a broken piece of their jewelry out can result in these things going missing. Just ask my Ocean Friends Kira where her fanny pack went after I left it out on the dining room table! Having designated spots can also prevent clutter on your main workspace. Somethings take longer to get around to doing, for instance mending clothes can be time consuming. Plus you don't have to worry about moving piles of dolls off your bed if you didn't have time to put them all back on display after dusting! Having a place just for these things ensures that you know where they are at all times, but these items aren't cluttering up your work area/mind.

Ring flash above head

2x Speed lights one over left shoulder / Right shoulder

Goal: To visually represent a sermon series about the different masks we put on when we face others.

Audience: Student ministry

Direction: I went in a different direction than traditional masks because I was having a hard time incorporating and uniting differing kinds of masks (gas mask, drama mask, etc) in a visually appealing way. I used photos of people because I though that represented more realistically the way we wear our masks - through fake smiles, through our clothes, makeup, etc.

Project: Student ministry sermon series

Other important info: My youth pastor chose to use a graphic with masks (as I was describing before) instead.

A day trip to the GCR Loughborough with the Long Buckby Blind and Visually Impaired group. Not many photo opportunities, and absolutely none in the sun! At the end of the day, I thought it would be rude not to have any railway related shots, so here is D5830 ahead of it`s train, which will be the last service to Leicester North. 20th August 2015. A bit of a mono HDR effect experiment.

Visually very similar, but I added some demons to one of them.

 

Made for a new group called Repeating Myself. The group is meant for photos you have had in explore (subsequently dropped ok) that are similar in some way.

Publication:

Bethesda, MD : U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Health & Human Services, [2010]

 

Language(s):

English

 

Format:

Still image

 

Subject(s):

Persons With Hearing Impairments

Visually Impaired Persons

Women

Bridgman, Laura Dewey, 1829-1889.

 

Genre(s):

Portraits

 

Abstract: Image of a black and white photograph of Laura Bridgman in her late forties, engaged in crochet work which she sold to visitors for pocket money. Her hair, parted in the middle, is arranged in a tight bun, and she is wearing glasses. She is dressed in a long-sleeved dress with a high collar. Life and education of Laura Dewey Bridgman, fronspiece.

 

Related Title(s):

Hidden treasure

Is part of: Life and education of Laura Dewey Bridgman, the deaf, dumb, and blind girl; See related catalog record: 8202700

 

Extent:

1 online resource (1 image)

 

NLM Unique ID:

101602143

 

NLM Image ID:

A033237

 

Permanent Link:

resource.nlm.nih.gov/101602143

 

NLM Hidden treasure p. 134

resource.nlm.nih.gov/101569502