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Cuatro artistas: Cristina Almodóvar, Lucie Geffré, Paula Anta y Rafael Díaz, exponen sus creaciones en O_LUMEN, una iglesia transformada en espacio para el diálogo con el arte contemporáneo. Presentan instalaciones, escultura, pintura y fotografía junto a textos poéticos en diferentes formatos, para transmitir optimismo y esperanza. Fascinados por la belleza de la vida, artistas y comisarios dejan entrever que en la fragilidad también reside la fortaleza.
www.dominicos.org/noticia/espacio-o_lumen-acoge-vulnerables/
Adapted to petitpoint from a painting by P.D Breeding Black. 20" by 28". 18 mesh canvas, This is 324 tiny stitches per square inch, all worked by hand with one strand of Persian wool. I painted and stitched this piece in 1995. Back when my eyes could see much better!!! Why am I putting up pics now? Because I want to do Evies portrait in petitpoint.
Cuatro artistas: Cristina Almodóvar, Lucie Geffré, Paula Anta y Rafael Díaz, exponen sus creaciones en O_LUMEN, una iglesia transformada en espacio para el diálogo con el arte contemporáneo. Presentan instalaciones, escultura, pintura y fotografía junto a textos poéticos en diferentes formatos, para transmitir optimismo y esperanza. Fascinados por la belleza de la vida, artistas y comisarios dejan entrever que en la fragilidad también reside la fortaleza.
www.dominicos.org/noticia/espacio-o_lumen-acoge-vulnerables/
+++ 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 North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by North American Aviation (NAA) in response to a requirement of the British Purchasing Commission. The Purchasing Commission approached North American Aviation to build Curtiss P-40 fighters under license for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Rather than build an old design from another company, North American Aviation proposed the design and production of a more modern fighter. The prototype NA-73X airframe was rolled out on 9 September 1940, 102 days after the contract was signed, and first flew on 26 October.
The Mustang was originally designed to use the Allison V-1710 engine, which, in its earlier variants, had limited high-altitude performance. It was first flown operationally by the RAF as a tactical-reconnaissance aircraft and fighter-bomber (Mustang Mk I). Production of the P-51B/C began at North American's Inglewood California plant in June 1943 and P-51s started to become available to the 8th and 9th Air Forces in the winter of 1943–1944. The addition of the Rolls-Royce Merlin to the P-51B/C model transformed the Mustang's performance at altitudes above 15,000 ft, allowing the aircraft to compete with the Luftwaffe's fighters. Among the almost 4.000 Mustangs of this variant built a quarter was supplied under Lend-Lease to the RAF as the Mustang Mk III. The definitive version, the P-51D, was powered by the Packard V-1650-7, a license-built version of the two-speed, two-stage-supercharged Merlin 66, and was armed with six .50 caliber (12.7 mm) AN/M2 Browning machine guns.
The P-51 offered an excellent performance, but North American kept trying to improve, and developed a number of lightweight versions. The lightweight Mustangs had a new wing design and airfoils designed to give less drag than the previous NAA/NACA 45-100. In addition, the planform was a simple trapezoid, with no leading-edge extension at the root.
In 1943, North American submitted a proposal to redesign the P-51D as model NA-104, from an enquiry by the USAAF as to why British aircraft were lighter than American ones. NAA engineers had examined the various components and equipment fitted to Spitfires, and through thorough inspection of airframes and construction plans NAA found that British load factors were less than American ones, and working to the lower load factors helped the design team reduce structural weight wherever possible. Exploiting the structural potential and lightening or reducing other equipment, the NA-104’s revised design was in total some 1,600 lb (730 kg) lighter than the P-51D. Modifications to save weight and improve performance included a thinner laminar flow wing, streamlining changes to the cowling, a simplified undercarriage with smaller wheels and disc brakes (necessitated by the thinner wings), a different canopy, and an armament of only four 0.5” Brownings, even though the ammunition supply was changed to 400 rounds per gun.
The lightweight NA-104 was powered by the new V-1650-9 engine, a redesigned "slimline" version of the Merlin 100-series. The engine’s design was modified to decrease frontal area to a minimum and was the first Merlin series to use down-draught induction systems. The coolant pump was moved from the bottom of the engine to the starboard side, and the engine featured a two-speed, two-stage supercharger and an S.U. injection carburetor. The V-1650-9 not only delivered an increased constant output of 1,380 hp (1,030 kW), it also featured a water-methanol injection that could temporarily boost the engine’s emergency power to 2,218 hp (1.655 kW). The exhaust arrangement was revised, too, exploiting the engine’s residual thrust to gain even more speed. An “uncuffed” three-blade Aeroproducts propeller unit with deeper blades was fitted, to better cope with the higher power output and the higher blade speeds
.
Unlike later lightweight Mustang versions/prototypes the NA-104‘s ventral radiator fairing remained the same shape and size, just as the main landing gear and its covers, both were, despite improved designs on the prototyoe workbench, retained to promote a quick production introduction. The former V-1650-7’s carburetor chin intake was relocated into the right wing’s root, and the cowling was modified and streamlined. The modified nose section was slightly longer than on previous Mustang versions, and to compensate for a resulting slight center of gravity shift forward the rear fuselage was slightly extended with a plug in the rear fuselage, just front of the tail surfaces, what increased the NA-104’s overall length by ~10 inch. As a side effect the longitudinal stability improved, so that the NA-104 did not require the stabilizing fin fillet that had been introduced on the P-51D and some late production P-51B/Cs, too.
In test flights, the NA-104, with optimized fuel load and a highly polished finish, achieved 491 mph (790 km/h) at 21,000 ft (6,400 m). In September 1944 the NA-104 was accepted by the USAAF as a high-performance interceptor under the designation P-51E. 500 aircraft were ordered, primarily for operations in Europe, specifically for the 8th and 9th Air Force, to protect the Allied airfields in Great Britain and as long-range escort fighters for Allied bomber raids against Germany. An option for 1.000 more was signed, too, to be delivered from August 1945.
The first P-51Es arrived in Great Britain in January 1945. However, large-scale combat between 8th Fighter Command and the Luftwaffe interceptor force had become virtually nonexistent after 28 May 1944 but, in August, contact had been made for the first time with both rocket-propelled and jet-propelled interceptors. While themselves a harbinger of a tactical change by the Luftwaffe, the contacts also indicated that the Germans were husbanding their fighter aircraft for sporadic reaction against Allied bomber attacks.
Operational tasks for the USAAFs P-51Es included the support of bomber attacks against German ground transportation during the Allied counter-offensive in the Ardennes in early 1945, strafing ground targets daily. However, on 14 January, strategic bombing resumed with attacks on oil installations near Berlin, and Mustangs were frequently tasked with protecting B-17s, employing a variation of the escort tactic called the "Zemke Fan", designed to lure in interceptors.
The Luftwaffe’s Jagdverbände, severely depleted, turned to jet interceptions beginning 9 February 1945 in an attempt to stop the onslaught of Allied heavy bombers. The Allies countered by flying combat air patrol missions over German airfields, intercepting Me 262s and Ar 234s as they took off and landed, the moment when these fast aircraft were most vulnerable. The tactic resulted in increasing numbers of jets shot down and controlled the dangerous situation, particularly as the amount of German-controlled territory shrank daily.
Another threat was the V-1 flying bomb attacks that had begun in mid-June 1944. The only aircraft with the low-altitude speed to be effective against it was the Hawker Tempest, but by that time fewer than 30 Tempests were available, assigned to No. 150 Wing RAF. Early attempts to intercept and destroy V-1s often failed, but improved techniques soon emerged. These included using the airflow over an interceptor's wing to raise one wing of the V-1, by sliding the wingtip to within 6 in (15 cm) of the lower surface of the V-1's wing. If properly executed, this maneuver would tip the V-1's wing up, over-riding the gyro and sending the V-1 into an out-of-control dive. At least sixteen V-1s were destroyed this way, the first by a P-51 piloted by Major R. E. Turner of 356th Fighter Squadron on 18 June 1944. Once available, the USAAF’s P-51Es were frequently assigned to V-1 interception duties over the Channel and the southern coast of England, alleviating RAF units.
However, with the end of hostilities in Europe in May 1945 the P-51E contract was cancelled, as well as the option for more aircraft. Altogether only 363 lightweight P-51Es were completed and reached frontline units, exclusively operating with the 8th and 9th Fighter Command.
General characteristics:
Crew: 1
Length: 33 ft 3 in (10,15 m)
Wingspan: 37 ft 0 in (11,28 m)
Height: 13 ft 4½ in (4,08 m)
Wing area: 234 sq ft (21,81 m²)
Airfoil: NACA 66(2)-215
Empty weight: 5,792 lb (2.630 kg)
Loaded weight: 7,268 lb (3.300 kg)
Max. take-off weight: 9,559 lb (4.340 kg)
Maximum fuel capacity: 419 US gal (349 imp gal; 1,590 l)
Powerplant:
1× Packard V-1650-9 liquid-cooled V-12 with 2-stage intercooled supercharger,
delivering 1,380 hp (1,030 kW), 2,218 hp (1,655 kW) WEP with Water methanol injection,
driving a Hamilton Standard constant-speed, variable-pitch three blade propeller with
a 11 ft 2 in (3.40 m) diameter
Performance:
Maximum speed: 472 mph (760 km/h; 410 kn) at 21,200 ft (6,500 m)
Cruise speed: 362 mph (315 kn, 580 km/h)
Stall speed: 100 mph (87 kn, 160 km/h)
Range: 1,650 mi (1,434 nmi, 2,755 km) with external tanks
Service ceiling: 41,900 ft (12,800 m)
Rate of climb: 3,200 ft/min (16.3 m/s)
Wing loading: 39 lb/sqft (192 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.18 hp/lb (300 W/kg)
Lift-to-drag ratio: 14.6
Recommended Mach limit 0.8
Armament:
4× 0.50 caliber (12.7mm) AN/M2 Browning machine guns with 400 RPG
A pair of underwing hardpoints for a pair of drop tanks
or bombs of 100 lb (45 kg), 250 lb (113 kg) or 500 lb (226 kg) caliber
The kit and its assembly:
A project that was more complex than obvious at first glance. The plan was to create a “missing link” between the WWII P-51D and its lightweight sibling P-51H, which came too late in WWII to take seriously part in any combat. There actually were some “interim” designs, which paved the way (the F, G and J models), with lightweight hulls or different engines. My plan was to adopt some details of these aircraft to create the fictional P-51E.
For a look that subtly differs from the well-known P-51D I decided light-headedly to bash two Academy models together: a P-51D hull, mixed with the wings and tail from a P-51B/C kit, plus some inter-kit and external donors. What sounds simple turned out to be a major surgery task, though, because both kits are totally different, produced with individual moulds and few interchangeable parts! Even details which you’d expect to me identical (e. g. wing tip and tail shape) differ markedly.
For the P-51E kitbash the fuselage with cockpit, engine and radiator bath was taken from the P-51D, while the tail and the wings were taken from the P-51B/C, because they were slightly bigger, “edgier”, lacked the fin fillet and featured only four machine guns in the wings. Mating these parts called for many adaptations and massive PSR, though. To change the look further I removed the small wing leading edge extensions, for a completely straight edge, and the cowling was changed to look like a mix of the P-51F and J prototypes. The carburetor intake disappeared and a part of the P-51D spinner was used to extend the fuselage a little. A completely new three-blade propeller was scratched, using a Yokosuka D4Y spinner, a piece from an ESCI Ka-34 Hokum main rotor, and clipped blades from a Hasegawa F5U. A styrene tube was added to hold the propeller’s new metal axis. To compensate for the longer nose the rear fuselage a 2mm section of the P-51D hull was retained in front of the transplanted P-51B/C tail (which is a separate hull section, the -D has an integral tail).
The original exhausts were replaced with resin aftermarket pieces for P-400 Airacobra from Quickboost - for which the nose extension paid out, because the V-1710 exhaust arrangement is longer than the Merlin's.
Painting and markings:
I wanted a typical, potentially colorful USAAF livery from early 1945 for this what-if aircraft model. This meant that the aircraft would have a NMF livery, and Invasion Stripes or other ID markings were already removed or not applied to new aircraft anymore. Camouflage had been omitted from 1945, too. As squadron markings I went for the 357th FG red-and-yellow nose markings; these came with Academy’s P-51B/C kit, but I replaced them with decals from a Mistercraft/Intech kit from The Stash™ because their shape was simpler and would (probably) better match the modified lower nose. Searching for later P-51Ds of this group revealed that the aircraft hardly carried any other colorful marking, though – just the tactical code, and maybe some personal markings.
To keep in style I adapted this basis, using a tone called “White Aluminum (RAL 9006)” from a Duplicolor rattle can as an overall basis, but added a thin red edge to the olive drab (Revell 46) anti-glare panel, created with generic decal stripes. The rudder as well as the wing tips were painted in red, an official 363rd FS ID marking, as a counterbalance to the prominent nose, too.
The propeller spinner was painted free-handedly, in an attempt to match the checker decal's colors. Some hull panels were painted in a darker shade of aluminum to make the model look mo0re lively, and some post-shading with Humbrol Matt Aluminum Metallizer was done to improve that effect, too. Cockpit and landing gear wells were painted in a bright green zinc chromate primer tone.
Decals and markings were puzzled together from various sources. Finding a suitable 'B6' code fpr the 363rd FS was tough, but I was eventually able to scratch it from 'P9' codes from two Academy P-47D kits/sheets! BTW, the horizontal bar above the aircraft's individual letter was a real world marking for a second aircraft that bore this tactical code within the unit. The nose art/tag was also donated from an Academy P-47, the yellow font matches the rest of the unit colors well.
The anti glare panel and the propeller blades received a matt varnish coat, while the rest of the hull was covered with a mix of matt and a little semi-gloss varnish - contemporary Mustang photos from 1945 suggest that, despite being bare metal, the aircraft were not polished or shiny at all, yet the aluminum would have some reflections. I think that the final overall finish looks quite good. As a final step I added some light soot stains behind the exhausts and the machine gun orifices, and dry-brushed some silver on edges/areas where paint could have flaked in real life. Not much, but it adds to the overall impression of a used aircraft.
A more demanding project than meets the eye. Bashing the two Mustang kits for a fictional new one might have been a smart idea, but it turned out to be a nightmare because the two 1:72 Mustand Academy kits are totally incompatible. Additionally, the mods I made are VERY subtle, it takes a keen eye to recognize the lengthened hull, the modfied cowling and the cleaner tail. The three-blade prop is the most obvious thing, and with it, from certain angles, the P-51E reminds somewhat of a Yak-9? Probably due to the intake-less cowling and the (for a Mustang) unusual prop? The livery looks plausible and colorful, though. :D
I just want to hide myself away... Maybe if I pretend to be confident and strong, I'll start to believe it... most of the time I just feel like I'm falling apart, and the whole world sees me drowning. Sometimes it's all I can do to pick myself up and keep trying, even though I know the things I want just don't come easy.
But I'm still here, enduring...surviving...falling.
WHINY SELF-PORTRAIT
Sri Lankan rusty-spotted cat at Rare Species Conservation Centre, Kent.
Prionailurus rubiginosus phillipsi (Pocock, 1939)
Felidae
Carnivora
"Each #device #vulnerable to adversarial compromise, inflates & bolsters exploitable #cyberattack surface that can be leveraged against targets,& every enslaved device grants adversaries #CarteBlanche access that can be utilized to #parasitically entwine #malware..."-James Scott, Senior Fellow, ICIT, CCIOS and CSWS
#device #vulnerable #cyberattack #CarteBlanche #malware
looking back at my latest photos, i'm noticing that i photograph my vulnerability. this shocks me, frankly. i am very anti-vulnerability. i get frustrated with my body because i have a weak heart and poor blood pressure. i'm probably also hypoglycemic. what it all amounts to is that i can't run for a long time, stand up or sit down quickly, bound out of bed in the mornings... it's a very personal pain for me, who still struggles with this fallen world and wants everything to be perfect anyway. somehow photography is getting past that. it's featuring myself, and symbolically many times, my heart. interesting.
[please do not use, reuse, change, distribute, sell in any way shape or form, or snitch my work... it's not good enough and you'd look silly for one. and for another i may or may not have vicious winged monkeys at my disposal.]
first entry for the "why art?" contest.
my only explanation is this:
it expresses the things that i can no longer articulate. after years of trying words as an outlet, i've found a lack of the emotion within it. with an image, you can visibly feel and interpret what is being said, with total anonymity and no explanation. i've found that self portraits are probably the only true form of expression i feel satisfied with.
that's why.
Cheetah. Kruger National Park. South Africa. Jan/2020
Cheetah
The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus; /ˈtʃiːtə/) is a large cat of the subfamily Felinae that occurs in North, Southern and East Africa, and a few localities in Iran. It inhabits a variety of mostly arid habitats like dry forests, scrub forests, and savannahs. The species is IUCN Red Listed as Vulnerable, as it suffered a substantial decline in its historic range in the 20th century due to habitat loss, poaching for the illegal pet trade, and conflict with humans. By 2016, the global cheetah population has been estimated at approximately 7,100 individuals in the wild. Several African countries have taken steps to improve cheetah conservation measures.
The cheetah was formally described by Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber in 1775 and is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx. Its yellowish tan or rufous to greyish white coat is uniformly covered with nearly 2,000 solid black spots. Its body is slender with a small rounded head, black tear-like streaks on the face, deep chest, long thin legs and long spotted tail. It reaches 70–90 cm (28–35 in) at the shoulder, and weighs 21–72 kg (46–159 lb).
The cheetah breeds throughout the year, and is an induced ovulator. Gestation lasts nearly three months, resulting in a litter of typically three to five, in rare cases up to eight cubs. They are weaned at the age of about six months. After siblings become independent from their mother, they usually stay together for some time. It is active mainly during the day, with hunting its major activity. It is a carnivore and preys mainly upon antelopes. It stalks its prey to within 100–300 m (330–980 ft), charge towards it and kill it by tripping it during the chase and biting its throat to suffocate it to death. Female cheetahs are solitary or live with their offspring in home ranges. Adult males are sociable despite their territoriality, forming groups called coalitions.
African cheetahs may achieve successful hunts only running up to a speed of 64 km/h (40 mph) while hunting due to their exceptional ability to accelerate; but are capable of accelerating up to 112 km/h (70 mph) on short distances of 100 m (330 ft). It is therefore the fastest land animal. Because of its prowess at hunting, the cheetah was tamed as early as the 16th century BC in Egypt to kill game at hunts. Cheetahs have been widely depicted in art, literature, advertising and animation.
Source: Wikipedia
Guepardo ou Chita
O guepardo ou chita (Acinonyx jubatus) é um animal da família dos felídeos (Felidae), ainda que de comportamento atípico, se comparado com outros da mesma família. É a única espécie vivente do gênero Acinonyx. Tendo como habitat a savana, vive na África, península Arábica e no sudoeste da Ásia. Também é conhecido pelos nomes de cheetah, cheetah-africana, lobo-tigre, leopardo-caçador ou onça-africana. Fisicamente, o guepardo ou chita é significativamente parecido com o leopardo. As almofadas das patas da chita têm ranhuras para se moverem melhor em alta velocidade, e sua longa cauda serve para lhe dar estabilidade nas curvas em alta velocidade. Cada chita pode ser identificada pelo padrão exclusivo de anéis existentes em sua cauda, tem uma cabeça pequena e aerodinâmica e uma coluna incrivelmente flexível, são habilidades que ajudam bastante na hora da perseguição.
É um animal predador, preferindo uma estratégia simples: caçar as suas presas através de perseguições a alta velocidade, em vez de táticas como a caça por emboscada ou em grupo, mas por vezes, pode caçar em dupla. Consegue atingir velocidades de 115 km/h, por curtos períodos de cada vez (até 500 metros de corrida), sendo o mais rápido de todos os animais terrestres.
Fonte: Wikipedia
Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers an area of around 20,000 square kilometres in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in northeastern South Africa, and extends 360 kilometres (220 mi) from north to south and 65 kilometres (40 mi) from east to west.
Source: Wikipedia
Parque Nacional Kruger
O Parque Nacional Kruger é a maior área protegida de fauna bravia da África do Sul, cobrindo cerca de 20 000 km2. Está localizado no nordeste do país, nas províncias de Mpumalanga e Limpopo e tem uma extensão de cerca de 360 km de norte a sul e 65 km de leste a oeste.
Os parques nacionais africanos, nas regiões da savana africana são importantes pelo turismo com safári de observação e fotográfico.
O seu nome foi dado em homenagem a Stephanus Johannes Paul Kruger, último presidente da República Sul-Africana bôere. Foi criado em 31 de Maio de 1926
Fonte: Wikipedia
Scientific name: Aepyceros melampus
Location: The Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
Description: A dawn hot air balloon ride offered a unique perspective on smaller African wildlife. Here I captured a male Impala, running across the grasslands. Hanging as far out of the balloon as I could, I tracked the Impala as it bounded over the grasslands.
Notes: From a hot air balloon at sunrise
Cuatro artistas: Cristina Almodóvar, Lucie Geffré, Paula Anta y Rafael Díaz, exponen sus creaciones en O_LUMEN, una iglesia transformada en espacio para el diálogo con el arte contemporáneo. Presentan instalaciones, escultura, pintura y fotografía junto a textos poéticos en diferentes formatos, para transmitir optimismo y esperanza. Fascinados por la belleza de la vida, artistas y comisarios dejan entrever que en la fragilidad también reside la fortaleza.
www.dominicos.org/noticia/espacio-o_lumen-acoge-vulnerables/
Pastor Bernd Siggelkow and his team fighting poverty, in particular that of children, in Germany. Here in Berlin-Hellersdorf, children can come and get something warm to eat, clothing, help with homework or just hang out with friends all under the umbrella of Bernd, a pastor who has made it his mission to help those most vulnerable in society.
It took more than 200 Los Angeles Firefighters less than 90 minutes to control a massive non-injury blaze sparked by a welder's torch in a condominium building under construction in the Warner Center area of Los Angeles on March 24, 2008. © Photo by Juan Guerra