#2016-2024 vintages

[trendynewsnow]

Rediscovering Chianti Classico Riserva: A Journey of Appreciation

It’s hard to believe that a decade ago, I would be here championing the remarkable qualities of Chianti Classico Riserva. Yet, as the years have passed, my perspective has evolved, and now I find myself celebrating this exquisite wine. My affection for Chianti Classico has always been strong, and it remains one of the most underrated and overlooked wines in the world. However, I was once hesitant…

[xoxodivalicious444]

July Aesthetic

[forest-fairy-01]

april is ending and here are my favorites

old dslr camera

keychain and notebook

shimmer fragrance mist (heavenly smell)

little notebook i made myself

[taylorswiftstyle]

Chiefs vs Broncos | Kansas City, MO | November 10, 2024

Versace ‘Tweed Masculine Blazer’ - $3,350.00 David Yurman 'Chatelaine Heart Stud Earrings in Garnet' - $800.00 Victoria's Secret ‘Classic Silk Corset’ - $34.99 (clearance) Louis Vuitton 'Tambour Watch' - $54,000.00 Retrouvai ‘Ruby and Diamond Heirloom Bezel Ring’ - $32,970.00 Effy Jewelry ‘Ruby Royale Ruby and Diamond Crossover Ring’ - $3,060.00 David Yurman 'Petite Pavé Pinky Ring' - $2,400.00 Versace ‘Tweed Mini Skirt’ - $1,695.00 Versace ‘Medusa 95 Small Tote Bag’ - $2,190.00 Versace ‘Medusa 95 Leather Knee High Boots’ - $1,990.00

This entire outfit, chic knee high boots included that perfectly sandwich-style her bustier top and bag, was an immediate copy + paste for me. Very well played.

I also have to say I love the “tension” in this look. You have very ladylike elements here like a preppy chic Heathers/Clueless blazer/skirt set paired with a ladylike French twist updo that are juxtaposed with boldly confident details like a (yet another TTPD-approved) bustier and pointed stiletto heeled knee high boots. And it all works! This blazer/skirt set absolutely has my heart - an immediate copy + paste for me personally.

You may note the number of Medusa pieces that Taylor is wearing or carrying here in this outfit. Historically, the Medusa motif is iconic within the house of Versace and is one of their longest-standing logos. Gianni Versace was inspired by the story of Medusa thanks to the Italian ruins he grew up by that often featured her visage. Versace is a house built on a sensual, mystical allure and their designs are often marked by opulence and glamour. Elevating the Greek myth Medusa and her uncompromising story of “eternal beauty, defiance, and strength” as one of the most enduring parts of the Versace house history, Gianni Versace said he selected Medusa because “she has come to represent unapolotetic authority and female empowerment.” In a sense, I love that Taylor’s game day fashion has evolved a ways from the unassuming white tank top, denim shorts, and sneakers we first saw in September 2023. Her choices continue to reflect a growing boldness, confidence, and ease in taking up space.

Taylor previously carried this bag while on vacation in Lake Como, Italy over the summer.

Over the last year, Taylor has upped her jewelry game and has explored the art of the stack in various cateegories (necklaces, earrings, bracelets). But one category that is entirely new to her? Watches. In my memory, the only time I can recall Taylor coming close to watches is when they were formatted into different settings like, say, a vintage watch face restrung onto a necklace pendant.

The Medusa motif is not only isolated to this particular moment for Taylor. As part of the Eras Tour, the show opens with Taylor wearing a series of Versace bodysuits that are styled with coordinating necklaces - including a Medusa chain.

Repeating motifs is all part of developing an era’s consistent, recognizable style. The item of this era? Easily the bustier/corset. It immediately tickled my brain that this particular corset is nearly indistinguishable from another black satin one that Taylor wore to another Chiefs game last season also against the Denver Broncos. That particular one had a zipper front, but the seam lines are incredibly similar. If intentional, what an incredible way to build a “slideshow” demonstrating her ongoing presence at these games and how far yet consistent she’s been in her attendance over the last year.

The brand here was also nostalgia overload for me. Taylor previously performed at two past Victoria’s Secret Fashion Shows (2013 and 2014) and in 2016 wore a ton of gear from the brand’s athletic line. The price tag here also taps into one of Taylor’s signature style pillars: the high/low.

Photo by David Eulitt via Getty Images

[alphynix]

April Fools 2024: The Curious Case Of The Chunky-Necked Ceratopsians

Much like the aquatic Compsognathus featured here a couple of years ago, not every novel idea that came out of the Dinosaur Renaissance was a winner.

And one of the oddest examples came from author/illustrator John C. McLoughlin.

His 1979 book Archosauria: A New Look at the Old Dinosaur featured an unusual interpretation of ceratopsian dinosaurs' characteristic bony frills, proposing that they were actually muscle attachment sites for both powerful jaw muscles and enormous back muscles to help hold up their large heavy heads. This would have completely buried the frill under soft tissue, giving the animals massive thick necks and humped shoulders, and resulted in an especially weird reconstruction of Triceratops with a grotesque sort of wrinkly sewn-together appearance.

This concept didn't entirely originate from McLoughlin – three years earlier in 1976 he'd illustrated Ronald Paul Ratkevich's book Dinosaurs of the Southwest, which seems to have been the inspiration for Archosauria's fleshy-frilled ceratopsians. A few paleontologists had also proposed jaw muscles attaching onto the frills during the 1930s and 1950s, and there's even a book from as far back as 1915 that also shows the top of a Triceratops' frill connected to its back! But McLoughlin's Archosauria image is still by far the most extreme and infamous version of the idea.

There were a lot of things in Archosauria that were actually very forward-thinking for the time period, such as putting fuzz and feathers on small theropods and depicting non-avian dinosaurs as active fast-moving animals. The unique ceratopsian reconstructions, however, never caught on for several big reasons:

Firstly, all that hefty muscle tissue would have locked ceratopsians' heads firmly in place, unable to move at all, which just doesn't make sense biomechanically. Then there was the lack of skeletal evidence – muscles that big should have left huge visible attachment scars all over the frill bones, and there was no sign of anything like that on any fossil specimens. Finally, it turns out the ceratopsian head-neck joint was actually highly mobile, suggesting their heads were free to make a wide range of motions in life.

As wrong as they were even at the time, McLoughlin's ceratopsians were still an interesting speculative idea, and notable for advocating for fleshier dinosaur reconstructions at a time when paleoart was trending towards shrinkwrapping.

Further reading under the cut:

A Very Alternative View of Horned Dinosaur Anatomy, Revisited – https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/11/22/alternative-view-of-horned-dinosaur-anatomy

Trope of the Buffalo-Backed Dinosaur – https://tetzoo.com/blog/2020/11/27/trope-of-the-buffalo-backed-dinosaur

Vintage Dinosaur Art: Archosauria - Part 3 – https://chasmosaurs.blogspot.com/2013/10/vintage-dinosaur-art-archosauria-part-3.html

Vintage Dinosaur Art: Dinosaurs of the Southwest – https://chasmosaurs.blogspot.com/2016/11/vintage-dinosaur-art-dinosaurs-of.html

The Forgotten John C. McLoughlin Book – https://www.manospondylus.com/2021/03/the-forgotten-john-c-mcloughlin-book.html

[k-hippie]

NEW ABSTRACT MONOCHROME ARTWORKS & PAINTINGS

So ... to complete our Artwork section, something we wanted to do for a long long time, say hello to some new monochromatic art :)

- 2 sets ( of 11 each ) of square-abstrakt-artworks - 2 sets ( of 11 each ) of vertical-artwork-impasto - 1 set ( x11 ) of square-vintage-astrogeo illustrations ... and to finish, a second set of 11 Fantastic Beasts related artworks

Abstract Art can bring a unique and dynamic energy to any space, making it an excellent addition to a home's déco ! and Vintage ? well, how to resist to timeless things and stuff ? ;)

Abstract Art often eschews realistic representation in favor of expressing emotions, ideas, and concepts through form, color, and composition. This allows viewers to interpret the artwork in their own way, sparking curiosity, contemplation, and introspection :D

Abstract Artworks can serve as captivating focal points in a room, drawing the eye and anchoring the space. Whether displayed prominently above a fireplace, on a feature wall, or in a gallery-style arrangement, abstract art adds visual interest and dynamism to any interior ...

Overall, incorporating Abstract Art into your home not only enhances the aesthetic appeal of your space but also enriches your daily life by stimulating creativity and inspiring contemplation ... The addition of artworks can transform your home into a sanctuary of beauty ;)

More pictures on our website / download pages :)

And now the Vintage ...

All about Astronomy and Geography :D 2 subjects I'm in love with ;)

The 2nd set of Fantastic Beasts Artworks come from forgotten but re-found pictures we had for a long time in the deep guts of our Hard Drives :D And indeed the most beautiful posters of the movies : the Chinese illustrations made in 2018 for the Crimes of Grindenwald ...

We added some other posters too ;) And those 11 Artworks completes the first set of 7 posters we released in November 2016 :)

Next week, we should have finished our update of our old artworks ( Malevitch, Magritte, and few other things & stuff )

We are currently working on some kitchen stuff ( counters and islands ) ... stay tuned ;)

xoxo

These objects don't override anything, work fine in-game, and are new meshes 🙂

Send caffeine please: ko-fi // paypal 

Made with Sims4Studio and S4PE Date of Release: February 16th, 2024 Expansions: Base Game Category : Buy > Decoration > Paintings / Sculptures Price: 400§

download square abstract impasto here

download vertical abstract impasto here

download square vintage astro & geography here

download fantastic beasts and where to find them here have fun :)

[seriesdepelicula]

Colección series vintage, hoy STAR TREK : THE ORIGINAL SERIES (TOS) , en español se llamó VIAJE A LAS ESTRELLAS y también LA CONQUISTA DEL ESPACIO. Es una serie de TV de ciencia ficción creada por Gene Roddenberry y que salió al aire en tres temporadas entre los años 1966/1969 y con 80 capítulos con 29 para la 1ra , 26 para la 2da y 24 para la tercera y última, mas un capítulo extra en el año 1988. La serie esta ambientada en el siglo XXIII y sigue las aventuras de la nav e espacial ENTERPRISE NCC-1701 al mando del Capitan JAMES T.KIRK (𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿), su primer oficial el Sr SPOCK (𝗟𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗡𝗶𝗺𝗼𝘆), el oficial medico en jefe LEONARD McCOY (𝗗𝗲𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗞𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘆), la oficIal en comunicaciones NYOTA UHURA (𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝘀), los pilotos SULU Y CHEJOV (𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗶 y 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝗼𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗴) y el ingeniero de a bordo SCOTTY (𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗗𝗼𝗼𝗵𝗮𝗻), todos ellos convertidos en celebridad con el paso del tiempo, algunos mas otros menos. Cuando la serie se estreno en 1966 no fue un éxito de inmediato pues la audiencia era baja y también los ingresos por publicidad e incluso antes de finalizar la 1ra temporada ya se hablaba de una cancelación.Su productor original Gene Roddenberry se alejó en la 3ra temporada y al final de esta, la serie fue cancelada. Sin embargo la serie fue extremadamente popular luego de una redifusión en la década del 1970, tanto que fue seguida de 10 series más y algunas de pronto estreno.

1-Star Trek: La serie animada: Se emitió entre 1973 y 1974.  2-Star Trek: The Next Generation: Se emitió entre 1987 y 1994.  3-Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Se emitió entre 1993 y 1999.  4-Star Trek: Voyager: Se emitió entre 1995 y 2001.  5-Star Trek: Enterprise: Se emitió entre 2001 y 2005.  6-Star Trek: Discovery: Se emitió entre 2017 y 2024k.  7-Star Trek: Picard: Se emitió entre 2020.  8-Star Trek: Lower Decks: Estreno 2020 y concluye a final 2024. 9-Star Trek: Prodigy: Se emitió entre 2021 y 2024. 10-Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Estreno 2022 y aún al aire.   11-Star Trek: Starfleet Academy: Se estrenará en 2025.

Obviamente que la franquicia no se quedo solo en la creación y emisión de series, sino que también se crearon películas, que hasta la fecha son 6 con los personajes de la serie original, el Capitán Kirk, Spock, Uhura y otros.

1-Star Trek:The Motion Picture (1979). 2-Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). 3-Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984). 4-Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986). 5-Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989). 6-Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991).

Con el resurgimiento de la franquicia, gracias a una nueva serie llamada Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), llegaron otra saga de películas con el Capitán Picard (𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝘁), que en total fueron estas 4:

1-Star Trek: Generations (1994). 2-Star Trek: First Contact (1996). 3-Star Trek: Insurrection (1998). 4-Star Trek: Némesis (2002).

La franquicia se tomo unos años de descanso, hasta que en el 2009, Lanza una película, que fue finalmente trilogía, con el Capitán Kirk mas joven, interpretado por 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝗣𝗶𝗻𝗲.Las películas fueron:

1-Star Trek (2009).   2-Star Trek Into Darkness (2013). 3-Star Trek Beyond (2016).

También habra una película nueva, que retomará el personaje de la emperadora Philippa Georgiou, interpretado por la actriz 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗼𝗵, cuyo personaje apareció en la serie Star Trek Discovery (2017):

1-Star Trek: Section 31 (2025).

Quedo grabado para siempre en nuestros oidos el introito de la serie original y todas las demás, la voz de su capitán que decía “El espacio: la ultima frontera. Estos son los viajes de la nave estelar «Enterprise», en una misión que durara cinco años, dedicada a la exploración de mundos desconocidos, al descubrimiento de nuevas vidas y nuevas civilizaciones, hasta alcanzar lugares donde nadie ha podido llegar antes”. Mi puntaje para esta icónica serie es 8/10.

[muppet-facts]

hi! sorry if this is too vague, I was just wondering how you find the sources you use? Im interested in reading up on muppet history but I have no idea where to start (aside from the links you use as sources on your posts ofc). I was just wondering, do you just watch a segment of the show and get curious about something and look it up? What is your process?

Not too vague at all!! I love this question!

There are several books on the subject, but not many from scholarly press, but even if they are popular press, they are still interesting and good reads!

I also like looking at Henson archive posts, like the Jim Henson's Red Book posts on Henson.com. Big fan of archivist Karen Falk's work with the Henson company. Also oral history interviews on The Television Academy Foundation from cast and crew are very insightful. The oral history with Joan Ganz Cooney, although 4 hours long is very good!

But yeah, sometimes I do just go "oh I wonder about XYZ" and just start looking in various directions.

Some reading recs:

Cole, Charlotte F., and June H. Lee. The Sesame Effect: The Global Impact of the Longest Street in the World. New York: Routledge, 2016.

Greene, Bryan. “The Unmistakable Black Roots of ‘Sesame Street.’” Smithsonian Magazine, November 7, 2019. Accessed March 20, 2024. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/unmistakable-black-roots-sesame-street-180973490/.

Jensen, Helle Strandgaard. Sesame Street: A Transnational History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2023.

Lesser, Gerald S. Children and Television: Lessons From Sesame Street. New York: Vintage Books, 1974.

Long, Loretta. “Sesame Street: A Space Age Approach to Education for Space Age Children,” doctoral dissertation. Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts, August 1973. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3815&context=dissertations_1.

Morrow, Robert W. Sesame Street and the Reform of Children’s Television. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006.

Sorry all the reading is basically all Sesame Street related! It's what I've been working on lately lol

[lamaisongaga]

FASHION CREDITS: LADY GAGA BY ETHAN JAMES GREEN FOR VOGUE US OCTOBER ISSUE

I was highly expecting for Lady Gaga to land a Vogue cover and here we are, covering the October issue of the American Vogue. The photoshoot, which is highly inspired by her role as Harley Quinn in "Joker: Folie à Deux", was lensed by Ethan James Green.

Styling: Alex Harrington, makeup: Sarah Tanno-Stewart, hair: Frederic Aspiras, nails: Kim Truong using Glitterbels, tailors: Hailey Desjardins and Egle Paulauskaite, set design: Marla Weinhoff.

Photographed during her stay in Paris in July this year, the cover photo showcases Gaga in the blue embroidered trompe-l’œil synthetic hair coat made in collaboration with hairstylist Gary Gill from Balenciaga‘s 53rd Fall/Winter 2024 Haute Couture collection!

An iconic silhouette by now, Gaga rocks a pair of her favorite Marc Jacobs Fall/Winter 2016 Kiki buckled black leather platform boots!

The mixture of couture, high-end designers and emerging talent is immense in this editorial as Gaga wears the grunge-inspired Hodakova Fall/Winter 2024 argyle double knit sweater in this hauntingly beautiful shot.

Hyperventilating is an UNDERSTATEMENT. I fell in love the moment John Galliano sent out his girls down the dramatic runway and ever since I was hoping to catch Gaga in one of the designs. Never would‘ve thought she‘d even get a whole custom look!

Gaga poses in custom Maison Margiela Spring/Summer 2024 Artisanal Haute Couture.

White cotton caisetted cape cut with the memory of an ulster coat, worn over a patinaed knitted silk bodysuit matching Gaga’s skin tone underpinned by a corset covered in jersey and a silicone hip prothèse.

A taped reverse swatching hat in white foam and caisetted cotton, patinaed knitted silk stockings and gloves, and custom Christian Louboutin for Margiela white patent leather criss-cross platform pumps with torn stocking overlay.

One thing you should know about Gaga is that she loves to layer multiple runway pieces to merge a whole new look.

From Dior‘s Resort 2025 collection, a love letter to Scotland, she wore a knitted argyle sweater with cut-outs, a tartan wool maxi dress which she layered underneath a mesh and metallic lace dress, and some argyle socks.

The Hodakova sweater makes a return, this time accessorized with an antique hand-painted plaque, ruby and diamond in 18kt gold brooch, and a smoky quartz and pearl in 18k gold brooch, both from Tony Duquette!

A shoe that changed herstory. Vivienne Westwood‘s infamous Fall/Winter 1993 Super Elevated Gillie platform shoes make a return, acquired from Pechuga Vintage. You might remember Gaga wearing a boot version of these for her 2010 Elle spread!

A firework of excitement ransacked my body when I first found out that Alessandro Michele would depart from Gucci to head over to Valentino as the new creative director.

LG is, to my knowledge, the first celebrity to rock a piece from the Resort 2025 "Avant Les Debuts" (Before the Beginning) collection – a pale yellow chiffon mini dress with high collar, tiered ruffle puff sleeves and floral sequin embroidery all over!

Paired with custom Maison Margiela distressed stockings and custom Christian Louboutin platform heels.

Gaga is working it in a bi-colored statuesque coat seen on Yohji Yamamoto‘s Fall/Winter 2024 "A Seamless Parable on Cubism" runway.

Rather than canvas and paint, Yamamoto’s medium is fabric and more than ever, it felt like he let his instinctual side take the wheel. Case in point: He said he couldn’t talk about how he’d arrived at these silhouettes. "During fittings, I can change, I can touch", he said with finality.

The look was crowned with a custom Vivienne Bow hat made of voluminous moiré fabric by emerging designer Andrew James!

One of the "Antwerp Six" designers, Dries Van Noten bid farewell earlier this Summer and decided to leave the fashion scene with a bang by celebrating his legacy at his final Spring/Summer 2025 collection where this epic embroidered cashmere coat is from.

Both her plaque-embellished black beanie...

...and double-breasted boxy oversized coat with peaked lapel are from The Row's Resort 2025 lookbook!

Gaga is the first ever person to wear this vintage Givenchy by Alexander McQueen Fall/Winter 1999 "Execution of Lady Jane Grey" Haute Couture chinoiserie embroidered silk balloon sleeve coat and bespoke black dress, both sourced from LILY et Cie.

In 1999, McQueen was going through, in his own words, "an emotional turmoil" both professionally and personally. But instead of relieving himself, he ventured into his own despair to understand his inner demons more poignantly. This painful journey led Lee to Paul Delaroche’s tragic but beautiful 1833 painting, "The Execution of Lady Jane Grey".

Like a painter to a blank canvas, McQueen filled an empty room with extravagant offerings: romantic silk ensembles with floral embroidery, 16th-century fur-trimmed tunics, luxurious velvet coats, as well as the designer’s signature leather suits, cowl-neck dresses, and even a heightened-for-couture bouffant piece that paid homage to his plaid.

Dialing in on his inspiration, McQueen presented his clothes not on models but on fiber-glass-headed mannequins that emerged from trap doors in batches, as if the audience were in an art gallery rather than a fashion show.

It's almost unrecognizable but Gaga is draping this Chanel Fall/Winter 2024 Haute Couture black silk taffeta opera coat around her torso. This piece, which served as the show's opening number, features a ruffled neck, bejeweled buttons and a voluminous cut.

[jellogram]

"Happy" by Mitski (2016)/// The Stepford Wives (1975)/// "Good Luck Babe" by Chappell Roan (2024)/// Vintage ad for Schlitz beer (1952)/// "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1892)/// Vintage ad for Serax antidepressants (1967)/// "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan" by Marianne Faithfull (1974)/// Thelma & Louise (1991)/// "The Housewife" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (c. 1911)

[forgeline]

The car that started it all (sort of). It was Dave Schardt's experience racing in the Speedvision Cup and World Challenge series that revealed the need for a new made-in-USA custom forged racing wheel manufacturer and inspired the Schardt family to first start the Forgeline brand, way back in 1994. And the most famous of Dave's racecars from the Speedvision era is this 1997 Hikari Racing Toyota Supra. This car was sold in 2001, but Dave found it for sale in 2016 (still wearing its original 1990s livery!), and he bought it back again, restored it, and still races it in SVRA vintage racing events. In 2024, it won the Race Car class at the Dayton Concours d'Elegance. It's powered by a 650HP turbocharged 2JZ straight-six and rides on Motion Control Suspension double-adjustable shocks, Titan sway bars, Brembo brakes, Pirelli P-Zero racing slicks, and 18x10/18x11.5 Forgeline forged three piece GW3R wheels finished with Satin Black centers & Polished outers! See more at: https://www.forgeline.com/customer-gallery-david-schardt/cgk2782

[usafphantom2]

RUSSIA: With the only aircraft carrier stopped in reform, MiG-29K embarked fighters were sent to the war in Ukraine

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 23/01/2024 - 08:49in Military, War Zones

The Russian navy embarks its new Mikoyan MiG-29KR fighters aboard its only aircraft carrier. But the elderly - and unreliable - Admiral Kuznetsov has been under renovation since 2017. So the Russian Navy gave new use to the jets of the embarked squadron.

The 1980 vintage flattop aircraft carrier of 58,000 tons may never return to frontline service, effectively stranding its twin-engine supersonic MiGs.

The Navy may have found another use for some of the approximately 22 MiG-29KR survivors of the 24 that the fleet acquired from 2013: according to the Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies, it unfolded them to Crimea. From there, they supposedly hunt Ukrainian navy boats.

The new MiGs, which have multifunctional capability with modern air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, were left out of the first 18 months of Russia's 23-month broader war against Ukraine. Perhaps already last fall, at least two MiG-29KR belonging to the 100º Independent Ship Fighter Aviation Regiment were flying from the Saky air base in Russia-occupied Crimea.

The medium-weight MiGs allegedly flew alongside Russian navy Sukhoi Su-30SM heavy fighters on patrols in search of Ukrainian navy boats operating in the western Black Sea.

After sinking the frigate Hetman Sahaydachniy, the Ukrainian navy no longer has large armed warships. What it has are many missiles, air and sea drones and small fast boats.

Manned boats carry Ukrainian commands in attacks on Russian-controlled territory. Robotic boats loaded with explosives infiltrate the ports to attack Russian warships.

A supersonic fighter versus a small boat may seem like an unfair fight, but the crews of Ukrainian boats usually carry ground-to-air missiles fired in the shoulder. In August, a Ukrainian crew hit a Russian Sukhoi fighter, apparently damaging it and forcing it to return to the base.

Despite the danger, do not be shocked to see more MiG-29KRs in the sky of Ukraine. Some of the Russian navy's MiG-29KR patrol the Russian Arctic, but most of the force - more than a dozen jets - may be available for wartime operations.

And it's not as if the MiGs need to board Kuznetsov anytime soon. Although the Kremlin optimistically projects that the aircraft carrier may return to the fleet this year, it is possible that the review will extend until 2025.

There is even a remote chance that Kuznetsov will never return to the fleet. The aircraft carrier has very little real combat power - perhaps too little to justify the risk that the crew must accept every time the geriatric ship sails.

The last time Kuznetsov unfolded off the coast of Syria to attack Syrian rebels in 2016, his air wing lost a MiG-29 and a Su-33 due to faulty detention equipment. The fleet leaders decided that Kuznetsov was not safe for flight operations before the planned overhaul and transferred its air wing - including the surviving MiGs - to an air base in Syria.

Source: Forbes

Tags: Military AviationMiG-29Kaircraft carrierWar Zones - Russia/Ukraine

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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[duhragonball]

I am not sure why you decided to cover Evangelion all of a sudden, but I am hella old like you and haven't watched it for whatever reason either. (which was strange because it was all the rage back at school thousands of years ago)

Not sure why this series eluded you also, but anyway I just want to thank you for this opportunity as I have decided to watch along. Looking forward to seeing more of your analysis.

Do you have any other bucket list 90s anime series that you have some interest in covering? I recently got around to Martian Successor Nabisco myself because the theme song is amazing

PS: You're a chemist right? Please make some crazy chemical that will make oldness go away for your sake and mine, it's 2024 I can't believe we haven't invented immortality yet

Thank you for reading.

I don't remember exactly when I first heard of NGE, but I'm pretty sure it was in the late 90s, probably in the Diamond Previews or Wizard Magazine. As I got deeper into comic book collecting, I bought both of those publications, and as anime started to gain a foothold in North American nerd culture, I started to see more and more anime/manga products referenced or advertised in Wizard and Previews.

I pretty much despised anime in the early 90s, mostly thanks to poor localizations of shows like Superbook and Speed Racer, which made the whole genre look like a bad joke. I remember those ads for "Japanimation" that tried so hard to make it sound badass and cool, but the ads were so corny that they ended up making the stuff look even dumber. By 1997 or so I had kind of learned to tolerate it as a concept, although I still had no interest in it. Sailor Moon was on Toonami, but it seemed like they only put it in the block to add a certain variety to the show. Vintage superhero fare, Thundercats, Sailor Moon, and that Johnny Quest show with CGI. Then they added an obscure show called Dragon Ball Z to the lineup, and that slowly won me over.

By 2000 I was tuning into Toonami mainly for Batman and Superman TAS, and getting hooked on DBZ and Tenchi Muyo! at the same time. I refer to these as the "Four Horsemen of Toonami" for that reason. In 2001 I started writing a Superman/Tenchi crossover, which basically cemented my status as a huge weeb. (Luffa is just a continuation of my effort to do fanfics of the Four Horsemen block of Toonami.*)

Anyway, somewhere in this period I probably started seeing merch for Rei and Asuka in their plugsuits or whatever they're called. I might have seen the Evas but let's be real, a mech wouldn't have stood out much in a genre full of giant robots. I'd see ads for things like Eva and Revolutionary Girl Utena and wonder just what the hell these things were about, but I also just shrugged and accepted that I would probably never find out, since anime was expensive and difficult to find, and I wasn't going to go out of my way just to satisfy idle curiosity. Back in those days, anime was an investment, and I wasn't going to pay thirty bucks for three episodes of something unless I knew it would be good. I tried a few things like Noir and Excel Saga, but only because I had a fairly decent idea what I was getting into.

By 2016, I had more disposable income, and this blog was pretty well established as a way to spend my free time, so I started looking for new things to watch. I checked out Hellsing Ultimate mostly so I'd be able to understand the jokes in Hellsing Ultimate Abridged. I checked out JJBA because it was red hot at the time, and everyone was talking about who their favorite Jojo was, and I wanted to know what that meant. I checked out Utena because I got a tip that it was available for free on YouTube, and I watched the first season of Sailor Moon. I didn't do all of that in 2016. It probably took me until 2018 to get all that watched.

So it was probably somewhere in there that I gave serious thought to tracking down Neon Genesis Evangelion, because it's one of those that I always wondered about, and now I had the means to actually find it and watch it, and I had enough anime experience that I felt reasonably confident that I could appreciate it. I suspect that I could have screened it between 1997 and 2010 I just would have been confused. But I've seen people talk about it for a lot of years, and probably a lot of that's been on tumblr, and it's just one of those things that's been on the fringes of my pop culture awareness.

I think NGE finally became available on Netflix in 2020 or something? But there were fans complaining about the dubs and the subs, so I thought I should hold off for a while. In 2021 I finally just said "fuck it" and bought a used copy of the "Perfect Collection" on DVD. My thing was, if I was going to watch this, I wanted to get it right the first time. I've savored Dragon Ball for decades by watching the dub, then the subs, but if I'm going to try out new stuff I don't want to have to keep going back to get the "true" experience.

I'm doing it now mainly because I hadn't had time before. I've been caught up in other things, and 2024 looked wide open, so I started thinking about things I've been putting off that I really wanted to do, and this was one of the first things I thought of. I just want to scratch that itch, and even if this show turns out to be awful, at least I can have the satisfaction of knowing I finally saw for myself.

As far as other old anime titles, I don't have any immediate plans. I still need to watch the Akira movie, but I read the manga so that sort of damped my interest in checking out the movie version. Galaxy Express 999 is on my bucket list, kind of for the same reasons as Evangelion and Utena, where I used to see ads for it and wondered what it was about. Fist of the North Star also interests me, because it has a kickass theme song, and I'm pretty sure it had a profound influence on the early years of JJBA. But I probably won't get around to them for a while.

Ultimately, there's only so much I can do with the time I have on this planet. There is no elixir of life, and unless they let you watch anime in heaven, I have to set priorities. One gripe with anime that I still retain from my youth is that it's pretty damn impenetrable. What I mean by that is that you can't even remotely judge a title by its cover, and so much of this stuff runs together that it's impossible to tell what would appeal to me and what isn't worth my time. I think that's why I've let popular culture and memes guide me in recent years. Stuff like JoJo Fridays and "Bitch, I Drink People" are tips that these shows had lasting appeal, and you don't make an impression like that without having a solid story. They can put a bunch of boobs on a DVD cover, but they can't draw a picture of the stuff that counts.

[digitalnewberry]

Bonne année and gelukkig nieuwjaar

If you're feeling like having a very international 2024, why not get it started with our latest vintage postcard coloring book, featuring the phrase "Happy New Year" in five different languages?

This book was inspired by the annual coloring festival #ColorOurCollections, launched by The New York Academy of Medicine Library in 2016. Every February, libraries, museums, archives and other cultural institutions around the world share free coloring content featuring images from their collections.

See more winter & holiday items at Newberry Winter Fest

Explore all of Newberry Digital Collections

[saintalectoshomeforwaywardgirls]

1/30/2024: More Locked Tomb Jammie January content to round out the month.

Dulcie (in Samantha's BeForever nightgown), Camilla (in the sweatshirt from the 2000 Urban Outfit and a pair of generic gray leggings), and Pal (in a pair of pajamas sold by carsynn2007 on eBay) are just having a snuggle. Your honor they are in love.

Marta has finally arrived to keep her necromancer Judith company! She's a Truly Me 80 with a ZazouCustomDolls wig and she is absolutely beautiful. She's in the 2016 Holiday Penguin PJs, while Jody is in the 2009 Winter Pajamas (also penguin-themed). They're just vibing.

Surprise! Lilith, our 2014 tumblr girl original character do not steal, is in fact a backdoor Locked Tomb OC. She's Mercy's half-sister and best friend besides Cristabel; further introductions are forthcoming, but she's the eternal witness to the other two's long-winded courtship.

As seen here: Mercy (a Rebecca doll rewigged with another ZazouCustomDolls wig: on the couch, in pink pajamas by sewcutemap on eBay) is totally in love with Cris (Lea, who might eventually be rewigged or might not, we haven't decided; on the floor, in an AG cami and someone's bloomers) and Cris is totally in love with Mercy. Lilith (a Truly Me 90 in the 2000 Stars and Stripes Sleep Set, which is one of the outfits from @toriasimmons' childhood collection) is just looking into the camera like she's on The Office.

And finally...

This isn't how it happens.

Harrow (in skeleton pajamas by 2debsadorables on eBay) and Gideon (in a generic tank top and tiger shorts made by @incomprehensiblelentils' mother) get snuggly on the couch while Abigail (in a vintage nightgown/nightcap) observes ominously.

[peakwealth]

Beasts of Burden

Parked on a street in Chinatown, Bangkok. Vintage unknown. It has been there for decades, has licence plates and is in driveable condition as far as I can tell.

. . . .

It is easy to get nostalgic about old Land Rovers. Everything about them contradicts the 21st century. They are or were basic machines with heavy steel frames and aluminium bodies that were riveted together. The passing of time did not seem to affect them.

Introduced in 1948 and made in what was then the heartland of English car manufacturing (Coventry, Solihull), they stood for a less complicated time when everything was mechanical and nothing was virtual.

Eventually economic reasoning caught up and production was halted in 2016. I remember wistfully looking at some of the last remaining models sitting in dealers' showrooms in such remote places as Ponta Delgado (in the Azores) or Suva (in Fiji). By then Land Rover was no longer very British. Ownership of the brand had shifted to BMW in 1994, then to Ford before being sold to the Indian Tata conglomerate in 2008.

. . . .

The real thing, Santanas, in Andalusia.

Classic Land Rovers are in essence farm vehicles. As such they have remained a common sight in the countryside of southern Spain, their colour the same as the dry Andaluz soil at the height of summer. Wherever olives grow you will find Land Rovers, especially the Spanish variant which was built for many years under license by Santana.

Long before production ended, Land Rovers had also become yuppie toys, often in gleaming black. Worse, the new owners of the brand decided that even if the vehicle no longer made commercial sense, the name and the outdoorsy mystique were worth preserving.

Imagine my irritation when I was confronted, some weeks ago, with this reality, the ultimate in urban sophistication on wheels, parked on a street in Nagoya, Japan (above). Notice the subtle pastel paint job which actually refers to the early production models, painted the same green as commercial aircraft before delivery. It was the only paint they could find in postwar Britain, the legend goes.

I suppose it was inevitable that Land Rovers would go the way of the Range Rover. It started off more than fifty years ago as a country squire's all terrain vehicle, designed to take the bumps. Although it was a definite step up from the Land Rover, it still had solid axles front and rear, and a manual gearbox. But over the years it evolved to its current status as the rich person's SUV-limousine of choice with price tags exceeding a quarter of a million euros. But the old ones are still around, farm vehicles once more, popular with sheep farmers and wine growers.

Object of enduring fantasy. Vintage Land Rover Defender with all the trimmings on a street in Turin, Italy, June 2024.