viernes, 30 de septiembre de 2011

Bike_Nights_29_09_2011_image_0828

photo

Bike_Nights_29_09_2011_image_0828

Weston Bike Night 29 09 2011

This weekly Thursday meet during the summer is based at the sea front in the sea side resort of Weston Super Mare, North Somerset, UK.

It is organised by the Riders Branch of the British legion, all bikes donate 1 to enter and all proceeds go the charity "The Poppy Appeal".

This image can be obtained for a donation of 5 per image, the full image will then be e-mailed to you.

Either send donation via paypal stating the images wanted to bikenightphotos@btinternet.com or send a e-mail to bikenightphotos@btinternet.com with your request and a paypal invoice will be e-mailed to you allowing you to make a secure donationn via debit/credit card.

All proceeds will go to the charity being supported by the event "The Poppy Appeal".

For further assistance about these images e-mail bikenightphotos@btinternet.com

Show your support for the event and make a donation for any images you like. Full size images are 3888 X 2592

Please note the images put onto this site are reduced in quality/ size.

Further Information

The Riders Branch of the Royal British Legion

www.rblr.co.uk/content/

Membership open to all who have a love of motorcycling and are in agreement with the aims of the British Legion

Weston Bike Night Website

westonbikenight.rblr.co.uk/

Tags

MOTO

MOTORBIKE

MOTORCYLE

BIKESHOW

ROYAL

BRITISH

LEGION

WSM

WESTON

SUPER

MARE

CHARITY

SEA

FRONT

NORTH

SOMERSET

BIKERS

MAG

RBLR

sea side resort, poppy appeal, weston super mare, somerset uk, north somerset, bike night, rblr, quality size, paypal, british legion, sea front, e mail, uk content, btinternet, motorcycling, invoice, proceeds, bikes, charity, aims

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miércoles, 28 de septiembre de 2011

Flying Costa Quebrada

photo

Flying Costa Quebrada

Cala El Madero

Nikon D7000
ISO 100
1/20''
f11
Tokina 11-16mm a 15mm
Kenko Zeta CPL
Hitech Reverse GND 0.9

Tags

costa

quebrada

cantabria

liencres

coast

shore

seascape

dramatic

sky

tokina

black

white

Silver

Efex

flying

fly

vuelo

volando

sea

beach

playa
Flickr.com

A la orilla del embalse

photo

A la orilla del embalse

Tags

pesca

caa

fisherman

tormes

tranquilidad

trees

water

rboles

verde

spain

embalse

santateresa

salamanca

relax

personas

nubes

hierba

green

grass

espaa

clouds

cielo

cespedosa

campa

blue

agua
Flickr.com

2011-09_Giro_del_Lago_di_Lugano_123

photo

2011-09_Giro_del_Lago_di_Lugano_123

09/2011 - Vuelta en barco al Lago de Lugano, parte Suiza e Italiana. :)

es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lago_de_Lugano (Castellano)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Lugano (English)

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geotagged

Suiza

Lugano

Tesino

Switzerland

Ticino

Lago

Lake

Europe

Europa

Melide

Campione d'Italia

Ponte Tresa

Lombarda

Varese

Como

Mendrisio

Italia

Italy geo:lat=45.98625440 geo:lon=8.96998890 geotagged Suiza CHE

lake lugano, barco, wikipedia online, lon

Flickr.com

martes, 27 de septiembre de 2011

Naissance de mystrieuses Sentinelles Alchimiques DDC_9072

photo

Naissance de mystrieuses Sentinelles Alchimiques DDC_9072

Les Sentinelles Alchimiques de la Demeure du Chaos sont dsormais une des plus grandes installations statuaires en Europe.

Elles sont au nombre de 99, faites d’acier brut de 10 mm (50 tonnes) soudes pour former un triangle quilatral parfait. Chacun des 3 pans (2m x 1m) constituant une Sentinelle Alchimique, est lui mme dcoup pour laisser entrevoir une mystrieuse meurtrire, elle mme en forme de triangle quilatral, donnant ainsi une gomtrie Euclidienne au regard du visiteur.

Ces 99 Sentinelles Alchimiques sont chacune des points d’nergies particuliers de la Demeure du Chaos sur 9000 m2. Certaines se dissimulent par la vgtation ou les reliefs naturels ou bien en cho aux autres uvres, d’autres sont dans les espaces privatifs ou professionnels.

Dans mon travail alchimique dmarr le 9 dcembre 1999, les trois portes disposes en triangle quilatral, dont un sommet est dirig vers le haut, forment le delta lumineux. Elle sont les trois corps sur lesquels l’alchimiste va uvrer. Ces trois corps sont le soufre, le mercure et le sel.

Soulignons que les trois corps prsents dans la Materia Prima ou Chaos alchimique sont troitement mlangs. Le triangle de point est aussi la marque des philosophes par le feu.

Le triangle quilatral reposant sur sa base, la manire des trois points, est le symbole de l’lment feu, l’un des quatre lments avec lequel l’alchimiste travaille au laboratoire.

Les proprits gomtriques du triangle quilatral relvent de la perfection absolue par sa force spirituelle, son symbolisme de la nuit des temps notamment dans l’ancienne Egypte, il est force, beaut et harmonie.
Ces 99 Sentinelles Alchimiques seront les gardiennes du Sanctuaire que reprsente la Demeure du Chaos. Je les ai conus comme de vritable puits d’nergie quantique que je pose avec patience et sagesse sur l’ensemble de la Demeure du Chaos. Elles resteront durant mille ans comme les tmoins d’une civilisation disparue par la folie des hommes

Tags

Sentinelles

Alchemist

alchemy

alchimia

al-kimia

khemeia

Philosopher stone

Alchemical

Magnum opus

Great Work

Nigredo Albedo

Citrinitas

Rubedo

Corpus Jabirianum

Summa perfectionis

Nicolas Flamel

alchimie spculative

Oswald Wirth

le mystre des cathdrales

Les Demeures philosophales

Fulcanelli

Eugne Canseliet

La Tourbe des Philosophes

spagyrie

Andr Breton

Grand oeuvre

Don de Dieu

Materia prima

voie sche

voie humide

Liber Paragranum

Albert le Grand

Basile Valentin

Rosarius philosophorum

Jung

Graal

L'oeuvre au noir

Paulo Coelho

Alchemical symbol

Gnosticism

History of alchemy

Nuclear transmutation

Abode of Chaos

l'Esprit de la Salamandre

Salamander Spirit

Demeure du Chaos

thierry Ehrmann

DDC

999

organ museum

facteur cheval

palais ideal

sanctuaire

sanctuary

Artprice

portrait

painting

France

Museum

art royal

sculpture

secret

symbol

Franc-maconnerie

Free-Massonery

contemporary art

Apocalypse

Apocalyps

vanitas

ruins

prophecy

prophtie

mystery

Donum Dei

Finis

nuit des temps, la marque, reliefs, acier, brut, portes, 1m, tonnes, cho, de la nuit, chaos, triangle, patience, forme, m2, pose, delta, la nuit des temps, regard, ces

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lunes, 26 de septiembre de 2011

Circular Quay

photo

Circular Quay

Tags

circular

quay

sydney

australia

bus

stop

leica

m6

1.4

50mm

summilux

pre

asph

geoff

roberts

fuji

neopan

400

r09

rodinal

rotary

processed

night
Flickr.com

domingo, 25 de septiembre de 2011

The North Sea

photo

The North Sea

Somewhere between Harwich and Esbjerg...

Tags

sea

North Sea
Flickr.com

Rotunda at the National Museum of Natural History HDR

photo

Rotunda at the National Museum of Natural History HDR

There are so many beautiful domes in DC. I spent about an hour in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History yesterday before I bothered to look up. Once I did I couldn't stop taking pictures of the dome. It is simply amazing. I ended up with 10 HDR images from different angles. I will be posting some of my other compositions later. Throughout all of my compositions I was striving for symmetry but it was so, incredibly difficult because the center of the floor in the rotunda is occupied by an elephant.

This picture is composed of 5 images merged to HDR in Photomatix Pro.

Follow me on: Twitter | Flickr | Google+ | YouTube | Blog

Tags

11-16mm

D300

DC

HDR

Museum

Nikon

Photomatix

Tokina

Washingtondc

smithsonian museum of natural history, hdr images, national museum of natural history, museum of natural history, google, flickr, rotunda, domes, compositions, symmetry, angles, elephant

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sábado, 24 de septiembre de 2011

viernes, 23 de septiembre de 2011

Grss Gott!

photo

Grss Gott!

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ludwigsburg

deutschland

germany

europe

nikon

d40

sigma

hsm

10-20mm

f/4-5.6

10-20mm f/4-5.6

deutsch

brown

text

sign

door

german
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jueves, 22 de septiembre de 2011

Bike

photo

Bike

Bloemendaal aan Zee, The Netherlands

Tags

netherlands

nederland

sea

zee

strand

beach

bloemendaalaanzee

fietsen

bicycles

noordzee

northsea
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miércoles, 21 de septiembre de 2011

Always on my mind

photo

Always on my mind

Two of Sydney's most famous landmarks: The opera house and the Harbour Bridge. Photo taken in Sydney, Australia.

View large at www.juanpg.com/photography/667

Tags

australia

bridge

harbour bridge

invierno

oceania

opera house

soh

sydney

winter

black_and_white

water

metal

columns

house

architecture

art

landmark

bridge photo, famous landmarks, harbour bridge, sydney australia, opera house, photography, ebook download

Flickr.com

Opel Classic Europe (70935)

photo

Opel Classic Europe (70935)

Opel Tigra V6 concept car (1995)

Tags

Tigra

V6

1995

Adam

Opel

Werkstour

Werksbesichtigung

Factory

Tour

Classic

Museum

hr-info

Oldtimer

Youngtimer

PKW

Car

Auto

Voiture

Automobil

Automobile

Wagen

Vintage

Concept

Studie

Prototype

Werk

Rsselsheim

Hessen

Germany

K6

Nikon

D200

Tamron

17-50

geotagged

tigra v6, opel tigra, classic europe, concept car

Flickr.com

martes, 20 de septiembre de 2011

Matterhorn Monday!

photo

Matterhorn Monday!

Matterhorn
Fantasyland
Disneyland
Anaheim, California
July 8, 2011

Tags

Katie

PirateTinkerbell

Nikon

D5000

D-SLR

Nikon D5000

Nikkor

18

55

VR

Nikkor 18-55mm VR

AF-S dx Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR

Nikkor lens

7/8/2011

7/8/11

2011

11

7/8

7/11

7/2011

July

Friday

July 8

July 8, 2011

Friday, July 8, 2011

July 2011

Disney

Disneyland

DLR

Disneyland Resort

Disneyland Park

CA

Anaheim

California

DL

Anaheim, California

Anaheim, CA

Disney Parks

Disney 2011

Disney Parks 2011

Disneyland 2011

Fantasy

Fantasyland

World of Fantasy

Land of Fantasy

Matterhorn

mountain

snow

Matterhorn Mountain

ride

coaster

roller

roller coaster

bobsled

sled

fantasyland, matterhorn, nikkor, dx

Flickr.com

lunes, 19 de septiembre de 2011

all dirt and rocks...

photo

all dirt and rocks...

If you see a whole thing - it seems that it's always beautiful. Planets, lives... But up close a world's all dirt and rocks. And day to day, life's a hard job, you get tired, you lose the pattern.
~Ursula K. Le Guin

Tags

Island

Nex5

Philippines

Rock

Sony

Taal

Volcano

crater

lake

monochrome

volcanic

water

hard job, planets online, dirt, rocks

Flickr.com

domingo, 18 de septiembre de 2011

sábado, 17 de septiembre de 2011

4 friends @ grundsee . ltschental

photo

4 friends @ grundsee . ltschental

Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my written permission.
© Toni_V. All rights reserved.

see more in LARGE

Tags

L1003906

leica

leica-m9

m9

rangefinder

messsucher

fullframe

vollformat

35lux

summilux-m

35mm/f1.4asph

hiking

ltschental

grundsee

fafleralp

lake

bergsee

mountain-lake

reflections

alps

alpen

switzerland

schweiz

suisse

europe

landscape

nature

©Toni_V

2011

11-09-11

fafleralp-anenhtte
Flickr.com

viernes, 16 de septiembre de 2011

O.M.G ! Encore des paparazzi !

<a href=photo" width="640" height="426">

O.M.G ! Encore des paparazzi !

O.M.G ! Paparazzi angain !

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Notre photo du jeudi : www.unnuageenbouteille.fr/blog/notre-photo-du-jeudi-55

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Camera: Nikon D3
Lense: Nikkor AF-S VR 70-200mm f/2.8 G ED-IF
Focal Length: 170mm
Aperture: f/2.8
Speed: 1/125s
ISO: 6400
Tripod: No
Filter: None

Lighting: "Natural light"

Processing: Adobe Lightroom

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Press 'L' to enjoy it big on black / Appuyez sur 'L' pour apprcier la photo en grand sur fond noir.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Toutes vos critiques, commentaires et fav sont les bienvenus !
All criticisms, comments, and fav are welcome !

Si vous souhaitez utiliser une de mes photos merci de me contacter.
If you plan to use one of my picture, thanks to contact me before.

Merci / Thanks

Tags

Freemont Street

Las Vegas

Marilyn Monroe

Nikkor AF-S VR 70-200mm f/2.8 G

Street photography

Baracuda

D3

Mister-T

Nevada

Nikon

Sosis

Street

US

USA

adobe lightroom, nofilter, nikkor, paparazzi, vr, nikon, fr, blog ebook download, photos, photo

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jueves, 15 de septiembre de 2011

The Lighted Way

photo

The Lighted Way

Tags

Simple

Flower

Pond

elegant

white

lilly

pads

nature

stunning

picture

landscape

paint

water

colors

rose

reflection

pointandshoot

new

fresh

alderson

three

one

frame

San Deigo

Southern California

beach

japanese

garden

park
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miércoles, 14 de septiembre de 2011

Riverside Centre

photo

Riverside Centre

Brisbane, QLD, Australia

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Brisbane

Queensland

Australia

selectively coloured

architecture

B&amp;W

black & white photos

black & white pics

monotone

monochrome

blue

purple

lights

phunnyfotos

Canon

Canon PowerShot

Canon powershot s2 is

powershot s2, powershot s2 is ebook download, amp

Flickr.com

martes, 13 de septiembre de 2011

Barcelona , The Majestic Hotel

photo

Barcelona , The Majestic Hotel

A long exposure night shot of the Majestic Hotel in Barcelona.

| My Website | My blog | My Twitter | My G+ | My Facebook | My 500px |

Tags

Barcelona

Barcelone

spain

espagne

europe

cataluna

Catalonia

catalogne

europa

city

ville

ciudad

stadt

night

nuit

noche

light

lumire

luz

long exposure

long

exposure

canon

550 d

flickr

eos

images.goole.com

images.yahoo.com

picturesq

yahoo.com

google.com

search

best

thebest

perfect

images

image

goldstaraward

photoshop

cartepostale

com

www

photo

photos

view

flickaward

topic

shot

shots

postcard

architecture

art

dolwolfianphotography.com

dolwolfian

photography

travel

sky

water

majestic hotel in barcelona, facebook, hotel in barcelona, twitter, blog, yahoo

Flickr.com

lunes, 12 de septiembre de 2011

Santa Coloma, Andorra la Vella, Andorra

photo

Santa Coloma, Andorra la Vella, Andorra

Pont de madrid (La Margineda), Santa Coloma, Andorra la Vella, Andorra, Pyrenees

Tags

Andorra

Andorra la Vella

Europe

Iberia

Iberian Peninsula

La Margineda

Pirineos

Pirineus

Pont de Madrid (La Margineda)

Pyrenees

Pyrenen

Santa Coloma

Sommer

agost

agosto

architectura

architecture

architektur

arquitectura

august

baixa

baukunst

below

bild

bridge

brcke

capital

city

ciudad

ciutat

estiu

foto

fotografie

gebirge

hauptstadt

iberische Halbinsel

image

imagen

imatge

modern

montanas

mountains

muntanyes

photo

photography

picture

pont

puente

summer

town

unten

verano

santa coloma, madrid

Flickr.com

domingo, 11 de septiembre de 2011

2011-09-05 Sacramento 121 Capitol Park

photo

2011-09-05 Sacramento 121 Capitol Park

Tags

Foto

photo

image

picture

Bild

flickr

high

resolution

hi-res

jpg

jpeg

geotagged

geo

Stockphoto

cc

Sony

SLT-A55

Alpha

55

A55

2011

Sommer

summer

August

California

Kalifornien

USA

Amerika

America

californian

Sacramento

capital

city

downtown

old

historic

Sakramento
Flickr.com

Sunrise at Wells

photo

sunrise at Wells

Well worth waking up at 5am for - sunrise seen from the beach at Wells Next The Sea - stunning, if slightly cold!

Tags

UK

England

Norfolk

North Norfolk Coast

Wells Next The Sea

beach

sand

blue skies

coast

Canon

450D

Sigma 10-20mm

sunrise

sea

blue

wells next the sea, 5am, sunrise

Flickr.com

sábado, 10 de septiembre de 2011

Seadog II

photo

Seadog II

Iceland, June 10th, 2011 - Day of Birds

Tags

65N18W

Europe

Events

Grmsey

Iceland

Vacation 2011

Where
Flickr.com

viernes, 9 de septiembre de 2011

Greece's Recession Deepens

ATHENS—Greece's economy sank deeper into recession in the second quarter than previously forecast, with gross domestic product contracting by 7.3% on the year, data from the Hellenic Statistical Authority showed Thursday.

Plunging domestic consumption was mostly responsible for the steep contraction rate in a trend likely to continue in the coming months, economists said, and offsetting gains for a strong year from the country's tourism sector.

Last month, a flash estimate provided by the statistics agency showed that Greece's annual economic output contracted 6.9% in the second quarter, compared with a decline of 8.1% in the first three months of the year.

"The difference of 0.4% in the GDP growth rate, compared with the flash estimate announced on Aug. 12, is due to the availability of new data, mainly on the turnover in the services sector," the agency said in a statement. The figures are nonseasonally adjusted.

Total economic activity in Greece in the April-to-June period reached €40.7 billion ($56.8 billion), down from €43.9 billion in the same period last year, according to the statistics agency. Investment activity for the same period plummeted 17.9%, it added.

Consumption, a key component of the Greek economy, fell 6.8% on an annual basis, easing from a drop of 7.4% in the first three months of the year. But economists say that the slightly smaller decline in second quarter consumption may be short lived and attributed it to the timing of Easter holidays this year that straddled the first and second quarters.

With consumers bracing for the implementation of further austerity measures, promised in exchange for a fresh bailout to Greece, spending will continue its downward course.

"The tourism sector will provide support to the economy in the third quarter, but it is insufficient to offset an accelerated drop in domestic demand," said , senior economist at National Bank of Greece.

—Nikos Magginas

In late June, Greece introduced a raft of tax rises and spending cuts as part of a five-year budget plan for 2011-2015 in exchange for a fresh aid package from the European Union and International Monetary Fund.

The latest austerity plan followed fiscal measures gradually adopted since May 2010 when the country received an initial €110 billion EU/IMF bailout to stave off default.

With many reforms taking effect this month, Greek public and private sector workers launched Thursday a barrage of strike action that is set to continue in coming days.

Taxi owners walked off the job for 24 hours, opposing the deregulation of their profession, while doctors joined dentists in staging the first day of a 48-hour walk out in opposition to health sector changes. Tax office employees and customs officials are also scheduled to strike on Monday and Tuesday over cuts to benefits.

Additionally, Athens garbage collectors will launch 48-hour rolling strikes starting Monday and teachers will stay home on Sept. 22.

Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos recently revised lower Greece's official economic forecast for 2011. The government now sees the economy contracting by 5.3% this year—against a previous forecast of a 3.9% decline.

Mr. Venizelos also acknowledged that the recession could continue into 2012, where previously the government was expecting an upturn.

Uncertainty over Greece's debt burden and deteriorating labor market conditions have knocked consumer sentiment to record lows.

Data showed Thursday that Greece's unemployment fell to 16% in June from 16.6% in May, but remained sharply above the rate of 11.6% a year earlier.

An estimated one million Greeks will be jobless by the end of this year, up from some 793,000 currently, Greece's private sector umbrella union GSEE said Thursday in a report.

austerity measures, contraction rate, gdp growth rate, national bank of greece, greek economy, first three months, domestic consumption, bank of greece, statistical authority, statistics agency, downward course, easter holidays, investment activity, economic output, mdash, bailout, months of the year, gross domestic product, economic activity, raft

Online.wsj.com

jueves, 8 de septiembre de 2011

Turkey Takes a Harder Line Abroad

ISTANBUL—Turkey is showing signs of trading its vaunted "zero problems with neighbors" foreign policy for a more muscular approach to its bid to become the leading power in the Middle East and North Africa.

The shift, analysts and diplomats say, could trigger clashes with Israel and force Washington to choose between its closest allies in the region.

In recent weeks the policy change has been on display as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to deploy his country's navy in a dispute with Israel, approved a major aerial bombing campaign against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq and pressed Egypt to let him make a politically provocative visit to Hamas-run Gaza.

A Turkish cabinet minister also threatened that Turkey would use its navy to prevent Cyprus and Israel from developing offshore natural gas fields without the involvement of Turkish-backed Northern Cyprus.

On Monday, Mr. Erdogan departs for high-profile visits to Egypt, Tunisia and Libya—three core battlegrounds in the wave of popular revolutions that have swept the Arab world in the past year.

Turkey isn't shifting from soft power to hard, says Ibrahim Kalin, senior adviser to Mr. Erdogan, but is using "smart power" by turning to force where necessary. "The soft power is still there," he says.

The Arab Spring forced Turkey to retool its foreign policy, analysts and diplomats say, after the revolutions rocked the regimes of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Libya's Col. Moammar Gadhafi—partners in Turkey's "zero problems" approach—and for a time put Ankara in conflict with popular Arab sentiment.

Mr. Assad's crackdown also drove Ankara into more direct competition with Syrian ally Iran, whose regime Turkey had courted assiduously. Last week, Ankara agreed to host the forward radar for a North Atlantic Treaty Organization missile-defense system directed at Iran.

While the Obama administration has expressed alarm over the confrontational approach to Israel, U.S. officials said they have been coordinating closely with Turkey in responding to political upheavals in Arab countries—and Washington views Ankara as central to any efforts to stabilize the Mideast.

Turkish officials see the Arab upheavals of 2011 as playing to Turkey's strengths as a model Muslim democracy. They say their "zero problems" policy remains in tune with the Arab Spring, because it shares the same values as the protesters.

The officials now feel ready to press those advantages with Mr. Erdogan's trip next week. "We have made it clear we never had any kind of imperial intentions, but there is demand from the Arab street," Mr. Kalin said in a phone interview on Thursday.

How much Turkish leadership Arab leaders will accept remains an open question. Mr. Erdogan pushed hard, for example, to secure Egyptian permission to cross its border into Gaza, where he would likely receive a hero's welcome for his vocal opposition to Israeli policy. Egypt so far appears to have refused permission for the trip.

So far there is little sign that Israel will bow to threats and meet Turkey's demand that it should apologize for the deaths of nine people in the seizure of the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara ship in May 2010.

Nor does Cyprus appear to be rushing to compromise in reunification talks, while Syria's President Assad has so far rebuffed pressure to reform from Ankara, as well as from other capitals. Israel sees Turkey's campaign for an end to the blockade of Gaza as part of a strategic decision to gain prominence in the Muslim world at the expense of their old strategic alliance.In Iran, ex-justice minister Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi complained that Turkey is promoting "liberal Islam."

The policy shift doesn't have universal appeal at home, either. Turkey's main opposition party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu caused a storm of protest from government officials on Wednesday when he said Turkey's foreign policy had turned from one of zero problems to "zero gains."

For now though, surveys suggest Mr. Erdogan is the most popular leader in the Middle East.

In Egypt, a new zeal for revolutionary change has cast Mr. Erdogan's more confrontational attitude toward Israel and his moderate approach toward political Islam as a model for the democratic experiment. Activists are reportedly planning a welcome party to greet Mr. Erdogan's arrival.

Egyptian foreign-policy institutions are less likely to look to Turkish regional leadership with the same enthusiasm, said an official in Egypt's ministry of foreign affairs. "Egypt is not in the business of following," he said.

Mr. Erdogan, in a speech at Cairo University on Monday, will set out Turkey's vision for the region's future, one defined by "not occupation, not authoritarianism, not dictatorship," said Mr. Kalin.

Mr. Erdogan will also sign bilateral energy and other economic agreements, attend a high-level joint political-security council, meet representatives of the prodemocracy movement and address a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers, according to Mr. Kalin.

Yet Mr. Erdogan's outreach to the Arab world comes with a visibly tougher approach to foreign policy. That includes a series of warnings to Cyprus and Israel in recent days against drilling offshore for natural gas without the involvement of Turkish-backed Northern Cyprus.

"That's what naval forces are for," Egemen Bagis, Turkey's Europe minister told the Sunday's Zaman newspaper.

"In this game of brinksmanship accidents can happen, not least because parts of the Israeli government are prone to high risk-taking," says Professor Ilter Turan, professor of international relations at Istanbul's Bilgi University.

Mr. Turan sees the Turkish government's more aggressive stance as part of a wider confidence that is the result of the ruling Justice and Development Party's sweeping re-election in June.

In a sign of that confidence, Ankara—once careful to court the European Union—this summer threatened to freeze relations with the bloc over Cyprus reunification talks.

Then, in August, Turkey's once all-powerful generals effectively admitted defeat in a power struggle with the government; a new slate of top commanders appears to have accepted civilian control, boosting government confidence.

It isn't clear how far Turkey will go. For example, while Ankara has threatened to send out naval patrols, it has yet to do so. The assault on bases of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party, known as the PKK, is only the first in several years and hasn't expanded into a land campaign.

According to Henri Barkey, Turkey specialist and professor of international relations at Lehigh University, Pennsylvania, Turkey is using the latest conflict with Israel in "a bid to recover lost prestige in the Arab world" after the Arab Spring. At the same time, he said, Ankara is bidding for regional leadership and challenging the U.S. to choose between its two closest regional allies.

"It's a very high stakes approach, but they are also very confident," he said.

—Joshua Mitnick in Tel Aviv, Matt Bradley in Cairo and Jay Solomon in Washington contributed to this article.

recep tayyip erdogan, prime minister recep tayyip, bashar al assad, prime minister recep tayyip erdogan, missile defense system, mr assad, moammar gadhafi, ibrahim kalin, offshore natural gas, atlantic treaty organization, north atlantic treaty organization, kurdish rebels, syrian president bashar al, northern cyprus, confrontational approach, zero problems, smart power, policy analysts, president bashar, cabinet minister

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miércoles, 7 de septiembre de 2011

Miss Columbia reprimanded for not wearing panties

going commando under her gowns. Photo by Getty Images" alt="Miss Colombia 2010, Catalina Robayo, has been going commando under her gowns. Photo by Getty Images" src="http://phugcus.zenfs.com/phugc/0c67cd03b1937cad34ae53b080568300/photos/e7f574376716c6d3be91dc53d3faddcb/mr_d6cb0331e7e1c1.jpg" height="400" width="267"/>

Miss Colombia 2010, Catalina Robayo, has been going commando under her gowns. Photo by Getty Images

Eighty-nine pageant winners from around the world have arrived in Sao Paulo, Brazil to compete in the annual Miss Universe pageant, and while it's hard to predict a beauty queen,  Miss Colombia has been getting a lot of attention. Catalina Robayo, 22, has been accused of going commando under her pageant gowns and officials are not pleased to say the least.

A source told Fox News, &quot;Colombia had to be spoken to and told she needed to wear underpants as what she was doing was totally inappropriate. People have been pretty upset by it; there have been photos and media appearances where she has completely had her crotch out." Yikes. If that's true that's one heck of a wardrobe malfunction.

Paula Shugart, President of the Miss Universe Organization attempted to shed light on the situation, telling Fox News,  "There were several girls in short dresses which is was (sic) a little concerning, but when I saw the [commando] picture on the front page of one of the local papers and was very, very surprised...Our supervisors talked to all of the contestants about dressing appropriately, and one of our PR people spoke to [Robayo] and apparently she said she was wearing underwear. But regardless, it created quite a stir here for a few days."

To be honest, we don't think it's terrible for a pageant girl to go sans underwear in some of her clingy dresses, as long as nothing can be seen. That said, a seamless thong would probably do the job just as well. But Robayo's panty situation is not the only wardrobe scandal at the Miss Universe competition. Apparently the bikini bottoms provided by sponsor Catalina Brasil Swimwear were returned after being deemed inappropriate for TV. Shugart told Fox News, "The costumes were beautiful, but they sent us the first round of competition suits and being by a Brazilian designer they were definitely a lot smaller than we’re used to or most of the contestants are used to. We delayed our shoot so we could add material to the bottom; otherwise we were going to have serious problems on television. [The designers] were a little surprised, they knew we were a little more conservative but…they took them back and they turned out really well."

Maybe if there was such a problem with the bikinis there shouldn't be a swimsuit competition at all! The whole thing just sounds confusing. Where do you draw the line between revealing and raunchy? Sexy and sleazy? One pageant photographer told Fox News that the competitions have become less uptight over the years, but part of us have always found pageants to be degrading. Besides, with all the scandals surrounding pageant winners being de-crowned for various reasons, perhaps we shouldn't be looking to this women as role models in the first place.

Related links:
Teen pageant winner decrowned after dyeing hair brown
Bald beauty queen competes for Miss America, while Miss England will deploy for Afghanistan
New “Project Runway” cast member: Miss Universe contestant with a sex tape
Soldier and pageant contestant Katrina Hodge fights for ban on swimsuit competitions
10 weirdest beauty pageants in recent history

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Chocolate Frozen Yogurt

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martes, 6 de septiembre de 2011

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the last quarter

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la Garde-Gurin en Lozre

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lunes, 5 de septiembre de 2011

Touch the lens

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Telling stories in dance

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domingo, 4 de septiembre de 2011

Time to reflect

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Tidal pools, Sandymouth beach. Located on the north Cornish coast.

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sábado, 3 de septiembre de 2011

Poppies Samui

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Chaweng Beach - Koh Samui - Thalande

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viernes, 2 de septiembre de 2011

Gibson Wails On Raid Over Wood

Gibson Guitar Corp., a big user of ebony and other scarce woods, for years has allied itself with Greenpeace and other environmental groups to show it was serious about preserving forests.

That didn't stop the Nashville-based company, whose guitars are used by such musicians as B.B. King and Angus Young of AC/DC, from running afoul of U.S. authorities over allegedly illegal imports of wood. Though no charges have been filed, Gibson factories have been raided twice, most recently last week, by federal agents who say ebony exported from India to Gibson was "fraudulently" labeled to conceal a contravention of Indian export law.

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Federal agents with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service shut down the Gibson Guitar factory in Memphis Aug. 24 to serve search warrants.

GIBSON

GIBSON

Henry Juszkiewicz, chief executive officer of the closely held company, said in an interview that a broker probably made a mistake in labeling the goods but that the sale was legal and approved by Indian authorities.

Gibson's predicament, which raises concerns for musical instrument makers and other importers of wood, illustrates the pitfalls of complying with U.S. law while dealing with middlemen in faraway countries whose legal systems can be murky.

The law ensnaring Gibson is the Lacey Act of 1900, originally passed to regulate trade in bird feathers used for hats and amended in 2008 to cover wood and other plant products. It requires companies to make detailed disclosures about wood imports and bars the purchase of goods exported in violation of a foreign country's laws.

Leonard Krause, a consultant in Eugene, Ore., who advises companies on complying with the Lacey Act, is telling clients they should hire lawyers in countries where they obtain products. "How many people know the statutes in India?" Mr. Krause said. "The net effect is that it raises everybody's cost of doing business."

Federal agents first raided Gibson factories in November 2009 and were back again Aug. 24, seizing guitars, wood and electronic records. Gene Nix, a wood product engineer at Gibson, was questioned by agents after the first raid and told he could face five years in jail.

"Can you imagine a federal agent saying, 'You're going to jail for five years' and what you do is sort wood in the factory?" said Mr. Juszkiewicz, recounting the incident. "I think that's way over the top." Gibson employees, he said, are being "treated like drug criminals."

Mr. Nix hasn't been accused of any wrongdoing. He couldn't be reached for comment.

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Gibson models include Les Paul and the Flying V. Above, testing and tuning in the Memphis, Tenn., factory.

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A Justice Department spokesman declined comment. While Justice Department officials pursue what they say is a possible criminal case against Gibson, they and the company are battling in federal district court in Nashville over whether materials seized in the 2009 raid should be returned to Gibson. That civil fight provides indications of the case the government is trying to make against Gibson.

Mr. Nix went to Madagascar in June 2008 on a trip organized by environmental groups to talk to local officials about selling responsibly harvested wood to makers of musical instruments. Afterward, in emails later seized by the government, he referred to "widespread corruption and theft of valuable woods" and the possibility of buying ebony and rosewood from Madagascar on "the grey market."

In a June 4 court filing, Jerry Martin, U.S. Attorney for central Tennessee, quoted the emails, and said "Nix knew that the grey market meant purchasing contraband."

Gibson has denied the allegation and said Mr. Nix's emails were quoted out of context.

The government has focused on a March 2009 shipment of ebony from Madagascar intended for guitar fingerboards. Madagascar law bars the export of certain unfinished wood products, according to both Gibson and the government. Gibson says the ebony had been cut into pieces and that local officials approved the export as a legal sale of finished goods.

U.S. officials described the wood as "sawn timber" and said Madagascar officials were "defrauded" by a local exporter about the nature of the product.

Gibson says the government is trying to "second guess" the Madagascar government. "The U.S. government's startling position smacks of something from an Orwell novel," Gibson said in a July 15 court filing in federal district court in Nashville.

After the 2009 raid, Gibson stopped buying wood from Madagascar. Gibson continued to use suppliers in India for ebony and rosewood.

As for last week's raid, the government said it had evidence that Indian ebony was "fraudulently" labeled in an attempt to evade an Indian ban on exports of unfinished wood.

"It is very possible that a broker made the mistake in filling out a form," Mr. Juszkiewicz said. Gibson says the ebony was partially finished for use as fingerboards and that Indian officials have endorsed such exports as legal. A spokesman for India's commerce ministry had no immediate comment.

After the 2009 raid, Mr. Juszkiewicz resigned from the board of the Rainforest Alliance, which seeks to preserve tropical forests. He said he didn't want to tar the nonprofit with bad publicity. A Rainforest Alliance spokeswoman said he wasn't pressured to step down, and the group continues to praise Gibson's efforts to promote responsible harvesting of wood.

Scott Paul, a Greenpeace official in New York responsible for forestry issues, said Gibson for years has done "great work" to promote better forestry practices. The question, he said, is whether Gibson did everything possible to avoid buying wood from dubious sources. "We have no idea," he said.

—Amol Sharma contributed to this article.

Write to James R. Hagerty at bob.hagerty@wsj.com and Kris Maher at kris.maher@wsj.com

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jueves, 1 de septiembre de 2011

Western Beach Sunset #2, Cape Leveque, Dampier Peninsula WA

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Western Beach Sunset #2, Cape Leveque, Dampier Peninsula WA

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