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newstfionline · 3 years ago

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Tuesday, May 25, 2021

12 killed, dozens wounded in weekend shootings across U.S. (NBC News) At least 12 people were killed and dozens more were wounded over the weekend in gun violence and mass shootings in five states. The shootings in Minnesota, Ohio, New Jersey, Georgia and South Carolina come amid a yearlong rise in nationwide gun violence and record firearm sales. It isn’t clear why the number of shootings over the last year has risen so dramatically. Experts have said the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on mental and physical health, social services and more are likely to have played a significant role.

Southern Baptist decline continues, denomination has lost more than 2 million members since 2006 (Religion News Service) The nation’s largest Protestant denomination continues to get smaller. There were 14 million Southern Baptists in 2020, according to a new report released Thursday (May 20) by Lifeway Christian Resources, which compiles official denominational statistics. That number is down 435,632 members since 2019 and 2.3 million from 2006, when the Southern Baptist Convention reached 16.3 million members. The biggest decline in the report was seen in baptisms, a key measure for the evangelical denomination. In 2020, baptisms were down by about half, to 123,160, the lowest number since 1919. Southern Baptists, long known for denominational infighting, have seen several high-profile departures of leaders in the past year, including Bible teacher Beth Moore, ethicist Russell Moore, and a number of Black pastors.

NYC mayor: Public schools will be all in person this fall (AP) New York City schools will be all in person this fall with no remote options, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday. The roughly 1 million students who attend traditional public schools will be in their classrooms with some version of the coronavirus protocols that have been in place in the current academic year, including mask wearing and COVID-19 testing, de Blasio said. “It’s time. It’s really time to go full strength now,” he said. The mayor said parents would be invited to visit their children’s schools starting in June to get “reacclimated” to the idea of in-person school.

Mexican parents clean reopening schools where thieves took even toilet doors (Reuters) Wiping away dust from bookshelves and mopping grimy floors, teachers and parents across Mexico are sprucing up vandalised schools ahead of the nationwide reopening on June 7. Mexico has kept state schools shut since March 2020, when students and teachers abandoned them after the coronavirus pandemic triggered the first nationwide lockdown. Since then, between 40% to 50% of all Mexican schools have reported vandalism or theft, according to trade union officials. Alfonso Cepeda Salas, secretary general of the National Educational Workers Syndicate trade union, or SNTE, told newspaper Excelsior last week that power lines, computers, screens, and even doors to toilets have been stolen. "We come to support the school so that everything is clean for the return of children to classes," said Rosa Miron, one of several mothers cleaning a school in Mexico City.

Why you may see a NYPD motorcade in Sao Paulo's streets (AP) Stunned by the swirl of red lights and blaring sirens, confused pedestrians who spot a New York City Police Department motorcade screaming down the streets of Brazil's biggest city may need a second to get their bearings. Behind the spectacle is a group of Brazilian fans obsessed with one of the world's most recognizable police forces, whose hobby is refurbishing NYPD cars and motorcycles, inspired by nostalgia for cop movies and shows such as "Law & Order." "To tell you the truth, it creates some confusion sometimes," said Fabio Denzin, who owns not just a Ford Crown Victoria painted as a NYPD car, but also a van and motorcycle. "People even think that it is the real police from New York on patrol, as if they came to Brazil to help the local police."

EU calls for probe after plane diverted to arrest journalist (AP) Western leaders decried the diversion of a plane to Belarus in order to arrest an opposition journalist as an act of piracy and terrorism. The European Union and others on Monday demanded an investigation into the dramatic forced landing of the Ryanair jet, which was traveling between of the bloc’s two member nations. The airline said Belarusian flight controllers told the crew there was a bomb threat against the plane as it was crossing through the country’s airspace and ordered it to land in the capital of Minsk. A Belarusian MiG-29 fighter jet was scrambled to escort the plane. Raman Pratasevich, who ran a popular messaging app that played a key role in helping organize massive protests against Belarus’ authoritarian president, was on board and he and his Russian girlfriend were led off the plane shortly after landing. The plane, which began its journey in Athens, Greece, was eventually allowed to continue on to Vilnius, Lithuania. Western leaders forcefully condemned the move. A group of the chairs of the foreign affairs committees of several Western countries’ legislative bodies called it an act of piracy. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the plane’s diversion was “shocking,” while Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called it a “state-sponsored terror act.” (Washington Post) European leaders on Monday agreed to impose sectoral sanctions on Belarus and to bar E.U. airlines from flying over the country’s airspace, dealing a potentially crushing blow to the economy. E.U. leaders asked the bloc’s foreign policy team to draw up a list of targeted economic sanctions to impose “without delay," and said that the country’s national airline would be barred from the European Union.

Turkey’s drones (Foreign Policy) Poland become the first NATO member to purchase Turkish drones, Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Saturday. The contract for 24 armed Bayraktar TB2 drones is due to be signed by Polish President Andrzej Duda when he travels to Turkey next week. The sale underlines Turkey’s status as the world’s fourth largest drone producer and comes after its unmanned aircraft were seen as crucial in securing victory for Azerbaijan in its war with Armenia last year.

India virus death toll passes 300,000 (AP) India crossed another grim milestone Monday of more than 300,000 people lost to the coronavirus as a devastating surge of infections appeared to be easing in big cities but was swamping the poorer countryside. India’s death toll is the third-highest reported in the world, accounting for 8.6% of the nearly 34.7 million coronavirus fatalities globally, though the true numbers are thought to be significantly greater. From the remote Himalayan villages in the north, through the vast humid central plains and to the sandy beaches in the south, the pandemic has swamped India’s underfunded health care system after spreading fast across the country.

Samoa’s first female leader locked out of her own swearing-in ceremony (Washington Post) The first woman elected prime minister of Samoa showed up for her swearing-in ceremony on Monday to find her opponents had locked the doors to prevent her from taking office. Fiame Naomi Mata’afa and her followers pitched a tent on the statehouse lawn, where she took the oath of office instead. The bizarre scenes capped six weeks of election turmoil that escalated into a constitutional crisis over the weekend as Mata’afa’s fierce rival refused to cede power. “This is an illegal takeover of government,” Mata’afa said Sunday of the efforts to keep her from office. “Because it’s a bloodless coup, people aren’t so concerned or disturbed by it.” “Samoa is a young democracy,” said Iati Iati from Victoria University of Wellington. “What you have then is a number of institutions whose power has not been accurately defined, so you have the head of state pushing the limits of his power, you’ve got the speaker coming in with his, you’ve got the courts asserting their power and you’ve got the prime minister saying he won’t listen to the courts.”

Regret (CJR) Ronen Bergman reports, for the New York Times, that some Israeli officials privately now regret the decision to bomb the building housing the AP’s offices last weekend. “In light of the international furor over the airstrike, some high-ranking officials in government and the military now call it a mistake, arguing that Israel needs the media to be open to hearing its version of events, and the bombing made that harder,” Bergman writes. “One official said that while the airstrike was justified militarily, the doubters had been right, and the harm done to Israel’s international standing outweighed any benefit from destroying the Hamas equipment” officials say was inside the building [and which everyone except the Israeli military denies was present].

Before Rage Flared, a Push to Make Israel’s Mixed Towns More Jewish (NYT) Years before the mixed Arab-Jewish city of Lod erupted in mob violence, a demographic shift had begun to take root: Hundreds of young Jews who support a religious, nationalist movement started to move into a mostly Arab neighborhood with the express aim of strengthening the Israeli city’s Jewish identity. A similar change was playing out in other mixed Arab-Jewish cities inside Israel, part of a loosely organized nationwide project known as Torah Nucleus. For decades, hard-line Israeli nationalists have sought to shift the demographics of the occupied West Bank by building Jewish settlements, undermining the prospect of a two-state solution to the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict. With West Bank settlement firmly entrenched—about 450,000 Jews now live among more than 2.6 million Palestinians—Torah Nucleus supporters see Israeli cities as a new horizon. Most of the world considers Jewish settlements in the occupied territories a violation of international law, but this was an attempt to create change within Israel’s recognized boundaries. And many cast it as the new Zionism.

For Gaza shop owners, building back could take years (Washington Post) Naji Dwaima’s family is known as “the watch family” in Gaza. On Sunday morning, he sat on a folding chair and stared at the spot where his watch store used to be. It was buried under 12 stories of rubble, destroyed by Israeli missiles. Gaza was already one of the poorest corners of the region. Before the coronavirus and airstrikes hit, an estimated 80 percent of the population relied on international aid, according to Oxfam International. Youth unemployment, estimated at 50 percent, was perhaps the highest in the world, the group said. More than 525 businesses were damaged or destroyed in the fighting, the Geneva-based Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor estimated, including at least 50 factories and hundreds of small businesses, the backbone of Gaza’s commercial life. Rebuilding those will take international aid and the willingness of owners to start over. Dwaima, 46, said he came to sit by his ruined shop in part because he didn’t know, after 26 years of 13-hour days, six days a week, how else to spend his time. “This is as much my home as my home,” he said. “All of my impressions, all of my dreams are attached to this place.”

Volcanic eruption, ensuing chaos kill at least 15 in Congo (AP) Torrents of lava poured into villages after dark in eastern Congo with little warning, leaving at least 15 people dead amid the chaos and destroying more than 500 homes, officials and survivors said Sunday. The eruption of Mount Nyiragongo on Saturday night sent about 5,000 people fleeing from the city of Goma across the nearby border into Rwanda, while another 25,000 others sought refuge to the northwest in Sake, the U.N. children’s agency said Sunday. Goma ultimately was largely spared the mass destruction caused by the volcano’s last eruption in 2002. Hundreds died then and more than 100,000 people were left homeless. But in outlying villages closer to the volcano, Sunday was marked by grief and uncertainty.

Pope to Vatican’s own media workers: Who reads your news? (AP) Pope Francis challenged the Vatican’s own media employees Monday to essentially justify their continued work, asking them how many people actually consume their news in a critique of the office that costs the Holy See more than all its embassies around the world combined. Francis appeared to use the occasion to lay down the gauntlet at a fraught financial time for the Holy See. Facing a major pension funding shortage and a projected 50 million euro ($61 million) deficit this year, Francis has ordered salary cuts from 3% to 10% for Vatican employees, both lay and religious. In his visit with media employees, he said their work was good, their offices nice and organized, but that there was a “danger” that their work doesn’t arrive where it is supposed to. He warned them against falling prey to a “lethal” functionality where they go through the motions but don’t actually achieve anything.

#headlines #news

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isolaradiale · 5 years ago

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Welcome to SpiraleFES!

A word of warning first: this is not an event and does not count as event participation towards ranking up. This is merely a bunch of fun activities that persist throughout July if you’d like to use them for threads.

The city is decorated festively from top to bottom, each and every ward sporting streamers, festive music, and providing a number of fun events. These can be used for threads throughout July, and so we encourage you to make use of them for some interesting interaction ideas! The list of events is as follows:

FIBONACCI WARD

NO PLACE LIKE HOME DECOR Do you find yourself missing that touch of something from home you just can’t seem to find in the city, no matter how hard you look? Well, search no more! Around the parks in various levels of the ward are vendors from familiar places, toting those little somethings from where you came from. Finally, you can find some clothes and other household items that aren’t easily accessible here. And if you look hard enough, you may find one of your personal treasures and trinkets that didn’t travel with you--a music box, a locket, maybe a ring from a family member… Don’t worry, it’ll have your name on it. NOTE: Weapons and other combat items will not be for sale in any of the bazaars.

A ROARIN’ BOREALIS SKATING RINK From the city streets, it looks like a bright ribbon of rainbow light, not unlike the famed Northern Lights. But ride the platform up to the top and see that the shimmering lights are actually a massive skating rink, with a figure 8 loop around the upper tiers of Fibonacci City. You can bring your own skates, or visit the kiosk to rent some LiteSkates--which leave a four-foot trail of light behind you in the color of your choice. There are guard rails around the arena, but even the clumsiest of skaters will be alright. After all, if you fall off the arena, a drone will pick you up and put you back on the ring. NOTE: Available during nighttime only.

ANDROID HELL … or the Ofiuco Rave, by any other name. A series of Radiocats seem to have flocked up to the lower floors of Level 3, and any discrimination towards those who seem like they may not belong has been, luckily (though no doubt only temporarily) shoved aside. Is it the Radiocats that set up the series of bright neon, backlit raves that have crowded varying floors on this level? … who knows. What everyone does know is that they’re certainly jamming out to some, as they say, “sick beats”, and large crowds have been drawn to the fluorescent party. It may be hard to move from place to place, but with the technology here being what it is, if you can see through the strobe for long enough, you’re bound to enjoy yourself! Ofiuco certainly is. NOTE: Ofiuco is immune to all attacks, charms, and other phenomena

CRAFT PUNK Outside of Fibonacci’s towering skyscrapers, nestled in the resident district, is an event with tinkerers in mind. Blending with the steampunk atmosphere is a foundry where your muse can learn the arts of robotics and machines. Classes range from building your own remote-control cars to making toys and household appliances (you know, like those little circular vacuum cleaners? Or a Super Toaster?) For those of you who are particularly adept in the art of machinery, you can enter the Scrap Battle Showdown--a competition to make a battle robot no bigger than a 3ft cube using only the supplies available in the foundry. If you’re caught using any materials from home, you’ll be kicked out!

COTES WARD

FOXKIND MUSIC FESTIVAL Within the confines of the Fox Village of all places, a month long celebration of music will be held. Many stages are set up and all genres of music are welcome. Whether you wish to perform or observe, you don’t want to miss this!

FISHING ON THE LAKE OF THE KOI The Lake of the Koi has been temporarily cleaned up by the kappa that live nearby in hopes of raking in a profit during SpiraleFES. They guarantee the more violent denizens of the lake will be kept at bay as otherworlders and NPCs use the body of water for fishing for a small fee of course. Just make sure you throw back what you catch, and make sure you aren’t the catch yourself!

SEED-GROWING CEREMONY The giant seed within the grounds of the Castle of the Koi has been seen stirring since the events of the Fantasia War. To those ends, the locals have been having regular traditional ceremonies to promote growth in the seed. Come dressed up in personal, formal wear and partake in the ceremony by dumping some of the water from the surrounding lake at the base of the seed.

CANDLE LIGHTING FOR THE LOST While the Lake of the Koi will be used for fishing during the day, during the night you can visit and purchase a candle and tiny raft. Placing this raft on the lake while considering well wishes for a resident of the city has since left is thought to bring them good fortune... wherever they are.

GOLDEN WARD

REFRESHING FRUITS A boon of the token fruits of summer. At sunset, the beach’s parking lot transforms into a cute little market selling and showcasing everything melon! Vendors selling melon-themed snacks and drinks ranging from fun to wacky, melon carving contests, melon-themed clothes and other commercial goods, and lots of activities and games... And melon plants, of course! There's bound to be something for everyone.

NOBODY’S BORED! WALK The Boardwalk is offering free admission for the duration of SpiraleFES! Not only that, but it’s open until midnight instead of closing solely at nightfall, and at 10pm each Sunday there’s a fireworks display. With a variety of little games and activities with fun prizes to be won, there’s a guarantee you definitely won’t be running out of things to do any time soon! Drop by at 6pm any night for a free barbecue.

CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL A cruise ship has docked, decked out in festive banners and balloons for the festivities. Open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with free admission and free souvenirs, there’s a different themed activity on each of those nights! Monday night sports access to the ship’s nightclub, Wednesday sports a murder mystery starting at 8pm, and Friday sports a series of different escape rooms once the sun sets! The cruise ship may or may not be decked out solely in a variety of golden decorations, however.

THE CHILLIN’ VILLAIN A nightclub and lounge has mysteriously popped up on the border of the shadier part of Golden, and goodie two-shoes need not walk through its doors. With a temporary in-house ceasefire, all sorts of villains and antagonists are welcome to share a drink, a dance, and tell of the heists and plots they've devised. And if you'd rather keep your identity hidden, masks will be provided to you at a cost (it's a villain's lounge, not a charity!). NOTE: The ceasefire is mandatory, and all weapons and powers are deactivated upon entering the building

ARCHIMEDES WARD

ARTE FESTE (MULTIFACETED) All creative minds are welcome to join this massive booth dedicated to arts and crafts. All sorts of classes will be held over the span of the month--from common forms of painting and pottery to the unique art forms of metalworking and glassblowing. Whatever you create in the booth can be taken home, given to a loved one, or sold at the vendor’s tent. Any necessary supplies will be rented to you, but if you break it, you buy it. If performance arts are more your thing, stop by for any of the open mic sessions held at Calliope Theater. NPCs will be hosting plays and short skits that you may be dragged into as an unfortunate audience member, but citizens of Spirale are encouraged to take the stage and wow the crowd with words! Comedy sketches, poetry, and any other magnificent talents of yours are welcome at the stage! Please pay no attention to the guy selling tomatoes to throw. He doesn’t work for us. We don’t know where he came from.

TOO POOL FOR SCHOOL The Water of Styx, while always open to the public, has been decorated much like the rest of the wards. An assortment of pool toys and games have been set up and laid out for all to use as they see fit, including but not limited to some of the largest pool noodles you’ll ever see, a variety of pool floats in all shapes and sizes, and a volleyball net set up toward one end of the pool for all to enjoy a game. Refreshments and snacks provided! Some of the smaller pools around the ward have similarly been decked out in a multitude of fun pool supplies, but not nearly to the extent as the Water of Styx.

FLASH FASHION (THE DEPARTMENT WOULDN’T LET US NAME IT “FLASHION”) Highlighting the summer fashion scene is this joint-event, perfect for participants of all levels of experience. Those skilled in the art of the cloth can showcase their designs both on mannequins or in person in the display booth. There are all sorts of categories to enter your pieces into, so don’t be shy to show what you’re made of! Those that have an eye for photography are encouraged to come and snap some photos of the spectacle; the fashion, the models, the contestants--even the guests! The display booth has a wireless printer and a corkboard for pinning your snapshots to. For those of you who would rather keep things fun and casual, there’s a photo trail with plenty of fantastic views of the ward to take that sweet, sweet selfie in.

TASTE OF HOME Sometimes the best kind of cookin’ is home cookin’. That’s why for the entire month, Star Street has taken a turn for the familiar and has branched into cuisine not common to the island itself. There’s bound to be a booth on the street that makes something your muse used to chow down on from where they came from. It’s a great opportunity to have your friends come by for a home cooked meal… with no dishes to clean up!

#spiralefes

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gegenji · 4 years ago

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Advent of an Amazing Aether-Administrating Apparatus!

RP Partner: @onehundredplumblossoms Date: 24 June 2020

Nenemo Nemo evaluates the Namazu, the exterior hull holding fast against the furious storm that rocked Gloam not long ago. The town is already starting to look more orderly, apart from the numerous windows under repair and waterlogged furniture in the street waiting to be broken down and replaced. For an independent community Gloam is relatively well off, due to the ceruleum, so it isn't damage they can't bounce back from. Continuous storms however, who could say. Nenemo Nemo: > For her part, Seseka seems satisfied that the submersible hasn't been severely compromised in any way, and only needs to send her mammets scurrying about the hull to check for anything out of the ordinary. Very little but cosmetic damage is found. She clutches a cigar between her fingers, running a hand through her shortened hair.

Chachanji Gegenji peered awkwardly into the warehouse, draped in an azure-hued rain slicker that was likely rather new - though perhaps not unwarranted given the weather he's had to deal with around Gloam in his past outings here. Seeing Seseka and her mammets inspecting the Namazu, he pushes his way in - and into conversation with the older Lalafell - with awkward steps and equally awkward small-talk. "So... ah... h-how's th' Namazu lookin'? All th' gadgets still in one piece after th' storm?"

Nenemo Nemo: "Ah? Oh, yes yes, she's quite fine. Your construction was solid. Nothing but scratches so far. I can't perceive any damage to the propeller either." Nenemo Nemo puffs a small cloud of cigar smoke. Her recent infirmity doesn't seem to dissuade her any.

Chachanji Gegenji: "Tha's good!" he chirps, meandering in closer and looking over the vessel a little himself. "I did bring back s'more'a me tools in case any repairwork'r anythin' needs done, 'long wit all th' stuff on th' list Ms. Aya gave me." And Virara, but given Seseka's reaction to his wanting to bring her in the first place... he figured omitting that part was probably for the best right now.

Nenemo Nemo: "I don't have any use for you right now. If it so comes that Miss Foxheart has a need of another modification, however, your craftsmanship will no doubt be called upon again." Nenemo Nemo states with her low, somewhat raspy voice. She seems slightly unfocused. It might be the effect of her mammets. Judging from what was alluded to before, some 'part' of Seseka seemed invested in them all, especially the red one. It might be that she's in the midst of 'multitasking' even now.

Chachanji Gegenji: "'n I'll be 'ere ta do it if'n it's needed..." Chachan reassured, tapping lightly on the more armored chest-piece of his rain slicker. Protection against rain and zombie sahagin, from the looks of things. He watched the mammets go about their business in silence for a couple moments, a couple wary glances sent Seseka's way, before he spoke again. "Um... w-were ya able ta put t'gether those... um... thin's tha'd keep th' zombie fishmens away?"

Nenemo Nemo: "Yes. I've had my boys set them up about the beaches and shorelines of this island. With any luck they will be prevented from entering Gloam again. However, I would not expect that we would be able to continue producing such devices with reckless abandon. After all, I was only able to make a surplus of disruptors here because the island is privy to a large supply of surplus Imperial communicators and parts. What with the circumstances of their independence." Nenemo Nemo muses without looking at him.

Nenemo Nemo: "Should the cultured drone problem spread beyond the vicinty of Dagon and Hydra itself, I doubt even the Empire proper could produce enough disruptors to keep every shoreline of Eorzea free of them."

Chachanji Gegenji: "Well, hopef'lly we'll be able ta deal wit th' pro'lem at th' source once we're down there... Right?" Chachan offered, though the question at the end rather clearly belied his own uncertainty of that. He fidgeted a bit, scratched at his cheek. Another awkward little silence. "Um... s-so... given all th' parts 'n stuff 'ere... ah... c-could ya be able ta make another'a of a diff'rent gadget? I-if'n ya wanted ta, a'course."

Nenemo Nemo blinks, shutting her eyes momentarily and leaning back. Some tension seems to leave her body before her eyes flutter open again. Thus unoccupied, her concentration also broken, she turns to Chachanji. "I was wondering when you'd get around to asking me whatever it was you really wanted. No one comes to an old coot like me for anything but to make a request. Well, what is it?" Nenemo Nemo places her cigar in a round glass ash tray in front of her.

Chachanji Gegenji: "Th-tha's not true! I... I wanted ta make sure ya were akay, too," he stated, silently admitting he had a request. "I... jus' didn't know which would be th' easier ta bring up first... 'n both ended up bein' kinda... difficult." He rubs at the back of his neck. "S-still, since we're on th' topic of gadgets 'n makin' stuff... I-I figgered thi' would be th' best one ta... um... start wit?" He gives an awkward shrug and smile.

Nenemo Nemo rolls her eyes. "Get on with it. I'll try to help you as best I can. It's the least I can do for your superb service."

Chachanji Gegenji: "A-akay..." He nods before taking a deep breath. "Um... w-would ya be able ta make 'nother one'a those um... aether-pullin' gadgets tha' ya used ta help me back when we were testin' those potions'a yers? Y'know, me 'n th' folks from th' Roadhouse? Ya... um... saw what extra aether does ta me 'n... I-I dun want ta risk somethin' like tha' happenin' while we're down there. I mean... g-given th' bigger zombie fishmen we saw, I-I 'spose it COULD be handy? But... I can't really... control it well."

Nenemo Nemo presses her bronzed spectacles up with her pinkie. "Ah yes, your condition. I remember it well. But that wasn't a device for "clearing aether," so much as improvising via the effects of an existing trinket I simply had on hand. More study would be needed to understand the vagaries of your physiology, such that I have a grasp exactly of what your bodily transformation entails." Nenemo Nemo: "In particular, I find it curious that you are able to gain mass so easily, yet lose it all without any discarded matter. It is a strange characteristic." Nenemo Nemo seems to mean matter as in any solid substance in this case...

Chachanji Gegenji: "A-ah... w-well, I dun really understand it meself..." he admitted, rubbing at the back of his neck again. "Jus'... whenev'r I take in extra aether... tha' happens. I thought it'd jus' last until I actively used it up 'r it was taken outta me but... ah... some recent events have shown me tha' jus'... after enough time... I go back ta normal. Still... it's th' fact tha' it happens tha's th' pro'lem... 'n if'n somethin' caused it while we were down there..." He looks down at the warehouse floor. Chachanji Gegenji: "I... I could put ev'ryone in danger."

Nenemo Nemo: "If it concerns you so much, then don't go. Why must it be you who risks yourself for the safety of others?" Nenemo Nemo questions him, a clear, calm look in her eyes.

Chachanji Gegenji: "Well, fer one... I... thin' I hafta go 'cuz otherwise Ms. Ririco might not work wit us?" He scratched at his cheek. "I mean, ya were th' one tha' said tha'." A pause. "But... I... I want ta be able ta help, too. Ta try 'n make sure ev'ryone tha's goin' down there comes back safe. Ms. Aya, Ms. Portia, you, 'n those we're goin' down there ta find. I dun thin' I could stand it if'n I stayed behind... 'n I find out ya guys got hurt. Or worse. When I coulda been there. Done somethin'."

Nenemo Nemo: "That. That there. Worrying about things you can't help. That's what I mean when I ask this of you." Nenemo Nemo points at him with the stub of her sizzling cigar. Nenemo Nemo: "I think the little brat would probably assist us so long as you delivered on your promise. I don't expect that she will lie, as... fixated as she is. But even so, you talk about this like it's something only you can do. Why?" Nenemo Nemo doesn't seem hostile, more that she's genuinely curious.

Chachanji Gegenji: "'s... not tha' it's somethin' only I can do," he admits, quietly. "Honestly, wit Virara comin' along... she could prolly handle th' fishmen all by herself. But..." A longer pause. "I want ta help. I want ta be there fer me friends. I want ta be able ta tell th' captain tha' he's got friends... a family waitin' fer 'im back in Limsa. I want ta do me best ta protect ev'ryone, ta see ev'ryone come back safe." He turns and places a hand on the Namazu. "I dun doubt th' Namazu can get ev'ryone down-- Chachanji Gegenji: --there. 's what's waitin' down there, tha' unknown... it worries me."

Nenemo Nemo: ".... Hm." Nenemo Nemo seems unimpressed. However, she slips off her stool to the ground, brushing off her sooty coat, pausing momentarily to sneeze. Nenemo Nemo: "PSCH!..."

Chachanji Gegenji: "I mean... ev'n me condition could be useful if'n I could -control- it," he insists. "But... oh, ah, bless ya."

Nenemo Nemo: "Alright fine. I don't know why you're so particular about this. It seems to me that any number of people could do what you intend to do. You don't need to put yourself in such needless danger on their behalf. But if it's what you seek out, I suppose I could cobble something together."

Chachanji Gegenji: "Mebbe they could... 'n mebbe better than I ever could. But... I'd still want ta try. Ta be there if'n I can be, ta help if'n I can. Protect who I can." He scratches at his cheeks, which have reddened a bit in embarrassment. "I... want ta see ev'ryone safe, 'n be able ta do all I can ta make tha' happen."

Nenemo Nemo: "It is a shame you cannot put that motivation forward towards your own personal goals. That aside, such a device would likely need to adhere to your body to properly channel aether into it, in the manner of a focus, attuned to your body's frequency much like that of a portable aethryte crystal. Not suitable for teleportation, but other wavelengths of energy can be funneled through it." Nenemo Nemo: "The problem is regulating that flow. I would have to study your body more carefully, but I suspect the issue is a cascading effect in which the body's massive conduciveness to aether pulls in greater and greater amounts until it can contain no more. It is a marvel you haven't exploded yet." Nenemo Nemo notes with disarmingly casual ease.

Chachanji Gegenji: "It -is- me personal goal, though. Ta see ev'ryone down there. Ta see them safely back. If'n th' captain's down there... if'n yer student's down in th' other one. I want ta see them back safely. Whether fer joyous reunion 'r..." A quiet pause. "... fer proper burial."

Nenemo Nemo: "Chachanji dear. You want these things, but not for yourself. You're only considering the needs of those around you. Believe me. I am an expert on selfishness. I have spent my life fleeing from my responsibilities, over and over again. I even faked my own death to get away from them."

Nenemo Nemo 's tone takes on a quiet, sullen tone. Nenemo Nemo: "Wanting to protect others is admirable. But you must value your own life as well. Only then can you weigh properly when and where you mean to sacrifice it." Nenemo Nemo: "A device like this could be considerably dangerous for you."

Chachanji Gegenji shakes his head. "I... do want these thin's fer meself, though," he admits. "'ve nearly lost me family ta the razin'a Doma. Me brother to a coma. A girl I onced loved 'cuz I was too afraid tha' I was more hindrance than help. I... I don't want ta lose anyone. Not if'n there's somethin' I can do about it."

Nenemo Nemo: "..."

Chachanji Gegenji: "I... want ta know I can protect people. Save people. Maybe not be a 'hero' but... at least try ta be somethin' close."

Nenemo Nemo sighs, narrowing her eyes. Nenemo Nemo: "But you're still talking about others. Have you ever considered what you'll be doing years from now? What of your trade? How do you want to advance it? Is it really just to save others' lives, and nothing else?"

Chachanji Gegenji: "But tha's the purpose of a crafter, ain't it? Ya make thin's fer others," he states. "Sure, some folks do it jus' fer profit but... there are those who make thin's 'cuz they want to see others usin' them. Ta see their lives bettered by it. Tha's what I want ta do wit me trade 'n... well... wit meself as well."

Nenemo Nemo shakes her head. "... What a waste. If nothing else, you might make a decent test subject. I can't teach those who aren't willing to learn." She doesn't seem terribly upset, however. Nenemo Nemo: "Fine, I'll make your little gadget. Don't blame me when you draw in so much aether you pop like a balloon."

Chachanji Gegenji gives an awkward chuckle. "S-speakin'a test subject... I... kinda was one a'fore, 'n I thought mebbe th' results'a tha' might help." He reaches into the bag at his side, pulling out a thin lockbox and - from that - he produces what looks like an Arcanist's codex. "There was... um... an alchemist tha' wanted ta try'n replicate what I do. Ta make super soldiers 'r somethin'. These are her notes. If'n they can help... 'n-n if'n ya need ta study me proper... tha's fine too."

Nenemo Nemo pulls the notes into her grasp rather hastily. "Give them here. What are their credentials?" Seseka questions, apparently forgetting her own are rather dubious, so long as she remains unrecognized and a fugitive from Sharlayan. "No, don't bother telling me. I'll discern them for myself. These could perhaps serve my purpose well without needing to do partial biopsy."

Chachanji Gegenji: "A-ah... sh-she is - or was - a member'a th' Alchemists' Guild?" he offers quickly when she all but snatches the tome from him. "'n-n she was able ta kinda-sorta replicate th' results wit 'er assistant so... I-I guess she figgered at least part'a it out?" He scratches at his cheek, though it pauses at 'biopsy.' He didn't really know what the word meant but... perhaps it was the rabbit that was his spirit animal... he had a feeling that it wasn't a very good word in regards to his own well-being.

Nenemo Nemo: "Drawing ambient aether into the body without proper training or a suitable focus is highly dangerous. It could potentially result in overaspecting, or aether poisoning, or the suffusion of your body with other aetheric maladies. Not to mention the surrounding environment could suffer a catastrophic loss of aether as a result, depending on how depleted it already is. I will have to account for this with the device. A tomestone might be capable of acting as a regulator." Nenemo Nemo: "Many allagan devices are designed to be able to efficiently self-regulate aetherflow such that they cannot exceed capacity, storing the aether away in containers until they can be safely disposed of. I could perhaps re-purpose such a circuit to your needs, and allow for an infusion. Transforming back will be trickier. And most likely, the device would restrict you to an infusion that doesn't exceed the healthy limits your aetherpool could sustain for a short duration." Nenemo Nemo: "In other words, you would only be able to grow so large. Has that dissuaded you enough?"

Chachanji Gegenji: "W-well, if'n it helps... 've had a lotta... practice wit it recently," he offers, a bit of a grimace crossing his features of memories that were obviously a little bittersweet. "So, hopef'lly tha' should help?" He paused as she continued, trying to follow along with her jargon as best as he could. To what success was debatable. "W-wait, so thi' wouldn't jus' be a device tha'd keep me from changin' ev'ry time I get too much aether, but let me activate it 'n control it?" Chachanji Gegenji's eyes grow wide with awe upon seeing you. Chachanji Gegenji had obviously not been dissuaded at all.

Nenemo Nemo: "Practice? How so?" Nenemo Nemo nods. Nenemo Nemo: "It would be an aetheric regulator, similar to that which keeps Allagan devices from overloading. The excess would be stored for use in giving you a safe, regulated infusion of aether, such that for a brief amount of time, you could perhaps grow in size." Nenemo Nemo: "After a certain amount of time, or when you have completed your use of it, the excess aether would be siphoned off of you and stored in a crystal, to be discarded or kept with you as needed."

Chachanji Gegenji: "I made friends wit some... well... they called 'emselves Pixies. They're like Sylphs but more... person-lookin'?" he explained. "'n they liked playin' pranks 'n stuff. 'n tha' included messin' wit me condition once they knew'a it. Tha' 'n... sometimes their pranks backfired 'n needed help dealin' wit th' mess. Which often tended ta be large, too. So... yeah... a lotta practice." A sigh, then a shake of the head. As if to dismiss the negative memories and focus more on the positives of the-- Chachanji Gegenji: --here-and-now. "I... thin' I get what yer sayin' 'n... tha'd be really impressive if'n it can do tha'. I... still ain't wholly comfortable -usin'- th' ability but... I can't lie tha' there's been times I thought it woulda be useful. Like durin' th' storm when th' larger zombie fishmen showed up." Chachanji Gegenji: "But... wit th' difficulty I have usin' it... 'n worryin' 'bout gettin' too big 'n causin' more pro'lems or fear... I hesitated, y'know?"

Nenemo Nemo tilts her head to the side Nenemo Nemo: "... Pixies? I know not of such an organism. Don't you mean sylphs?" Nenemo Nemo thinks to herself. "They sound like sylphs."

Chachanji Gegenji: "I mean, they looked a lot like Sylphs. They jus' called themselves Pixies." He shrugs.

Nenemo Nemo: "Are you sure they weren't just sylphs under a different name?"

Chachanji Gegenji: "'s possible, I jus' went 'long wit it ta try'n keep them happy. Upsettin' 'em jus' meant more pranks."

Nenemo Nemo 's mouth flattens into a thin line. "It would be useful to dissect one. Already deceased, of course. Then I could determine if any physiological differences exist. I believe the sylphs have more in common with seedkin than beastkin or spoken... which are really just beastkin who talk... This categorization really needs to be revised. If only I had been able to continue at the academy..." Nenemo Nemo mutters to herself.

Chachanji Gegenji gets a bit of a worried look, uncertain how the likes of Gria would take to offering up one of their own - deceased or not - for such practices. "W-well, anyroad, 'cuz'a them I spent a lot more time big then I had since... well... since gettin' th' ability ta begin wit. So I 'spose I have them ta thank fer all th' practice."

Nenemo Nemo: "Hm. It will be useful. You may have an inherent feel for how much your aetherpool is able to accommodate of foreign aether." Nenemo Nemo stretches her arms out at her sides. "Much like the limitations of holding one's breath, or straining your muscles to their limit.

Chachanji Gegenji: "Tha's... a neat way ta put it," the little smith admits.

Nenemo Nemo smiles and taps her fist against her chest. Nenemo Nemo: "Immaterial and material are my fields of study. The aetherpool, and by extension, one's anima, are waveforms, true, like an invisible aura of energy within ourselves, but they are as much 'you' as your flesh and blood. And I am quite familiar with manipulating that immaterial half of you." She glances at her mammets. Nenemo Nemo: "People speak of it as a spiritual energy, like a soul, but I believe one day body and 'spirit' will be as manipulable as one's clothing."

Chachanji Gegenji: "'s still 'me', huh...?" he echoes quietly to himself, a soft smile drifting across his features. The phrase reminding him of a more pleasant collection of memories. "Chagenji is Chagenji," he murmurs quietly with a chuckle before looking back up at Seseka. Seemingly having missed the last part about the goals of body and spirit manipulation in the process. He awkwardly tries to cover that fact, though. "W-well, seems like I was right tha' ya'd be th' best person ta ask fer help on thi'."

Nenemo Nemo: "Of course I am. I am a professor of aetherochemistry, and far more versed in these matters than any of my tedious peers. Aside from perhaps Loloki. But nevermind that ruin-diving, dust-encrusted scarab." Nenemo Nemo recounts her peer with a faint tone of amusement.

Chachanji Gegenji: "... Loloki?" he echoes, the name seeming... vaguely familiar. Perhaps he had encountered her once? "W-well, if'n thi' gadget will be able ta do all th' thin's I thin' yer sayin' it can... 's ev'n more than what I was hopin' fer."

Nenemo Nemo: "I will need to do some limited testing on you, but I expect I should be able to succeed. In return, I only ask you work hard procuring any materials I require for the construction of a device. Oh, and out of curiosity, how did you manage a solution to the matter of well, your clothes?"

Chachanji Gegenji: "Oh, ah... tha's a bit of a group effort, act'lly," Chachan admitted. "I know a tailor who's partner changes size - though not ta th' degree I do - 'n made special cloth ta accommodate 'er. Tha' plus th' runic leatherworkin' I learned from th' Nu Mou 'n... well, 've managed ta make at least some outfits tha' scale wit me ta some degree. I hafta wear them fer a bit, a'course. 'Soulbindin'' I thin' was th' term fer it."

Nenemo Nemo: "Hmm... Nu Mou? You've been to some strange places. I've not heard of these people either. A leatherworking cooperative?" Nenemo Nemo: "I will have to draw upon your knowledge to make certain my methods of adapting the device to fit you properly aren't inconsistent with theirs."

Chachanji Gegenji: "Cooperative's prolly a good word," Chachan stated with a chuckle. "They 'pparently REALLY liked bein' able ta help others. 'course, they were SUPER strict 'bout the rules of th' exchange. Like... if they asked fer three frog legs fer their work, they wanted EXACTLY three. No more, no less. Got... kinda scary 'bout it, honestly..." A brief shiver. "A-anyroad, yer helpin' me out a lot wit all thi', so I'll help ya wit as much of it as I can."

Nenemo Nemo: "Yes, yes that's fine. I will get to work immediately with the immediate research needed to plan the specifications of this regulator, so for the time being, shoo!" Nenemo Nemo ushers Chachanji off hastily, clearly more obsessed with the idea of putting together the device now than anything else she was previously working on. Hopefully she won't be TOO distracted from her work maintaining the submersible until it is used again.

Chachanji Gegenji: "A-ah... w-wait, there was th' other reason tha' I came too... th-th' one tha' wasn't jus' lookin' fer a favor!" he interjected quickly as he's being Lalafellhandled out towards the door. "I-I mean it tha' I want ta see all'a ya akay! 'n-n I saw Mr. Alec say somethin' ta ya tha' seemed ta freak ya out! S-so... um..." A pause at the door, since she had managed to jostle him all the way there. "I-if'n yer in trouble, 'r... 'r jus' need an ear ta bend. Lemme know, akay?"

Nenemo Nemo grins toothily. "Don't you worry about it dear. Worst comes to worst, I'll just put him to sleep with one of my lectures!" Nenemo Nemo: "But thank you."

Chachanji Gegenji pouts, but relents. "I-if'n ya say so. Jus'... wanted ta put tha' offer out there, is all. We're all in thi' t'gether, right?"

Nenemo Nemo: "Of COURSE we are. Don't sweat the details, Chachanji darling. It's just a bit of old people chattering about, that's all. I won't divulge the secrets of my research to him so easily."

Chachanji Gegenji nods before heading out the door. "Akay. Jus' know yer one'a th' ones I want ta keep safe too, Ms. Seseka." He adjusted his bag. "A-anyroad, I should get these spices ta Ms. Aya. Let me know if'n ya need me!"

Nenemo Nemo: "Go already! I have to get to work on your device! Don't make me boot you out the door!"

Chachanji Gegenji: "'m goin', 'm goin'!"

Nenemo Nemo shooes him away, all but booting him bodily from the warehouse.

#ffxiv screenshots #ffxiv rp #rp log #seseka #chachanji

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csnews · 6 years ago

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Whale watching could boost tourism in Whakatāne

Taroi Black - November 2, 2018

Snapshots from a drone have captured the first Southern Right Whale recorded to travel off the coast of Whakatāne. Local experts have also stated there’s an increasing number of baleen whales now sighted in the past month. Photographer David Marshall captured the Southern Right Whale off the coast of Ohope Beach, providing more data for the tourism industry. Diveworks Dolphin and Seal Encounters owner Phil van Dusscholet says, “There’s more Pilot, Dolphin, Seal, Orca, Humpback and now the Southern Right Whale seen on a regularly basis, due to the abundance of food such as krill.”

Since the October 3 a number of Bryde's Whales, Sei Whales, Fin Whales and Humpback Whales have been identified. White Island Tours, managed by Ngāti Awa Group Holdings Limited, has also recorded other species of baleen whales in the Bay. “This is very rare, we don’t usually see that many species of baleen whales in our bay in one month. They usually follow the krill down to the South Island and onto Antarctica but I guess it may be the tides flowing differently which is creating this spectacle.”

Tourists travelling to the sunny Bay of Plenty town could tick whale watching off their bucket list. The Department of Conservation states no one is to disturb, harass or make loud noises near marine mammals. They also urge the public to avoid sudden or repeated changes in speed or direction of any vessel or aircraft near the animals.“This is uncommon in Whakatāne but as long as we uphold the regulations things will be run smoothly.”

#news #wild #cetacean #whale #whale watching #tourism

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howyoutalktostrangers · 4 years ago

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So,

In the weeks following his late night rendezvous with the ghostly apparition that claimed to be his mother, Shuswap Joe kept his eyes pointed heavenward.

He scanned the clouds while he worked, while he rested, while he napped in the lazy current of upper Adams River with his fingers interlaced behind his head. Your salvation will come from the sky. Salmon sluiced playfully around his bobbing body as he meditated on the meaning of his mother’s words. Her spirit had gone into the river when she died, and he heard her voice any time his ears were submerged. The river’s susurrus was a plaintive prayer that only he could understand. He thought of the song he’d invented the night she appeared on the opposite riverbank, after gorging on mushrooms. The river gave me life and the river taught me death. My mother gave me nothing and that’s all that I’ve got left. But that wasn’t true anymore. Now he had a fearful hope, a nagging suspicion that she’d sacrificed herself for some greater purpose that one day he would understand. Maybe his life wasn’t over yet.

Joe was always careful to swim to shore long before the final bend that led down to the raging rapids of the Canyon, otherwise known to locals as “The Body Gobbler”. It was there that he would’ve died as an infant, were he not saved by the Indigenous fisherman who flung him to safety from the current. This particular stretch of river was once Nanor’s domain, but there was no sign of Joe’s shape-shifting nemesis these days. The forest was crowded with loggers’ tents now, and nearby a large manor was being built that overlooked the Lion’s Head rapid, which required another hundred working men to be camped nearby. There were lumberjacks with headlamps tromping through the darkness all night long, drunks pissing everywhere they pleased, impromptu card games that lasted for days, brouhahas that ended with bloodied faces. There were stills everywhere, struggling to compete for the territory he’d once held, but he felt no animosity for these men who would’ve once been his competitors. Joe wasn’t meant to be a criminal, not really.

He was much happier living a simple life with the trees. And the river.

“I heard this was the place to find you, if one were so inclined,” said a man in a three-piece suit, standing by the river’s edge as Joe floated into the shallows on his back. The stranger had a finely oiled moustache, a magnificent round gut and a perfectly poised bowler hat that was tipped slightly to one side. “What an interesting leisure activity you’ve found for yourself.”

Joe frowned, rising from the water like a moose. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I feel like I would remember you.”

The man chuckled good-naturedly. “I’m going to choose to take that as a compliment. You, sir, happen to be quite memorable yourself. I’ve heard stories about your prowess — which is why I’ve gone to considerable trouble to meet you here today. I’m Charley Cochrane, but you can call me Big Chuck.”

Joe sighed. The longer he toiled amidst the grubby loggers of the Skmana Lake log flume, the more he came to be regarded as worthy of grudging reverence for his supernatural skill sets. The work crews would watch in rapturous wonder as he scaled trees hundreds of feet high, whispered into their bark to hear the secret song of the woods, then single-handedly sent these moss-bearded behemoths crashing to the forest floor with a few solid swings of his red-tipped axe. But he wasn’t doing it for recognition; he just needed the cash. Impressing people meant bringing undue attention to his status as a wanted man.

“Now, I don’t know if anyone’s informed you, but in three weeks time we’re going to be hosting the largest lumberjack games ever held in the Shuswap, right nearby in Lee Creek,” Big Chuck said.

“I represent certain members of the community who volunteered to sponsor you for the event. My client is willing to pay for all your food, travel and living expenses from now and through the duration of the competition.”

Joe considered this. “Who’s your client?”

Chuck shrugged theatrically. “As it happens, he prefers to remain anonymous at this point. But suffice to say that he’s quite the admirer of yours.”

“I didn’t know I had admirers. I keep to myself mostly.”

“Yes, you’ll find I’ve done my homework. I know just about everything there is to know about you, Joe, including the fact that the newly installed Scotch Creek Police Department has now cleared you of all suspicion and charges related to the distillery explosion in 1927,” he said. “Courtesy of my client.”

Joe glanced upwards, to where a solitary eagle circled lazily above the treetops. The shadows were a deep purple, the surface of the water orange from the setting sun. He was still thigh-deep in the Adams River, and water drizzled from his beard as he pondered this turn of events. He’d gotten used to the idea of being a hermit, an outsider, an anonymous drone in the hive of the logging industry. His bootlegging business had been successful beyond his wildest dreams, but his ambitions had led to the deaths of people he loved. Sometimes he felt like he didn’t deserve any sort of redemption, that he should grovel the rest of his life in penance. But now the river had brought him this ridiculous man, who was unclasping his briefcase excitedly.

“You’ll see here that I have prepared all the necessary paperwork. There are just a few papers for you to sign. My client will take care of everything else,” he said. “This time next week your face will be on posters all over the Shuswap. Gamblers from all around will be traveling to see this. My client is expecting spectacle, and that’s what he’ll get.”

“Your client must have deep pockets,” said Joe, walking up on to the beach. “And a soft spot for wanted criminals.”

Chuck grinned. “You might call him a philanthropist. He’s a man with his own secrets, someone who remembers your days at the River Eel Saloon. He’s developed a certain respect for your skill sets, and he thinks you deserve a second act. A second act that’s going to be splashed across the front page of the Scotch Creek Mirror on Monday morning.”

“The newspaper?”

“Beloved bootlegger becomes lumberjack champion,” Chuck said, waving his arm like a newsie. “Shuswap Joe’s triumphant return, something like that. It’s a chance to reinvent yourself, to write a new chapter of your story. And once you’ve signed these papers, I could drive you into town myself. We already have a reporter lined up.”

Joe frowned. Could this be a hallucination? Why would this benefactor want to remain anonymous? Was the universe playing some sort of trick on him, offering up a perfect solution to his troubles? He wondered if Nanor was behind all of this somehow, just as he’d been behind the distillery deaths, but he didn’t sense his presence. Big Chuck was standing right at the water’s edge now, holding out his fountain pen, his mouth open in anticipation. Did he really trust everything this guy was saying? Joe thought of all the decisions he had to make while navigating the river, the way he had to anticipate obstacles and keep his fear in check. There was no use fighting upstream — you have to use the current to your advantage.

Joe reached out and took the pen. “Well, Mr. Cochrane, I think you just bought yourself an athlete.”

The Literary Goon

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robertmcangusgroup · 8 years ago

Text

The Daily Thistle

The Daily Thistle – News From Scotland

Sunday 12th March 2017

"Madainn Mhath” …Fellow Scot, I hope the day brings joy to you…. Well it’s a perfect week end with people on the beaches with, restaurants and cafes full .. and the weather, just like the travel brochure says.. Perfect! A lot of the people came due to the Motor Sport event the “Estepona Hill Climb” and all sorts of exotica could be seen and touched as the front promenade had been set aside as the “Pits” for the cars, and then they would be taken through the town to the start of the climb.. Bella seemed to enjoy the spectacle as Sandra and I walked through the event….

UFOs LIGHT UP THE SCOTTISH SKY… John Macdonald was driving at night through rural Scotland when suddenly, he says, an amazing circular bright object appeared in the sky. Macdonald, 65, estimated the object — displaying several rows of brilliant lights — was less than 100 yards from him, hovered for a few minutes, and then vanished near his Perthshire home around 11 p.m. on Feb. 28. “I don’t know whether I frightened it or not with the flash of the camera, because in the beat of a heart, it was gone,” Macdonald told The Courier last week. He claimed the UFO was louder than his Jeep. “My Jeep is quite noisy, but this sounded like a thousand hoovers,” he said. “When I phoned my friend, who’s a shepherd, he said, ‘Don’t worry about it, we get this up here quite a lot.’” According to a local Civil Aviation Authority spokesman, it most likely wasn’t a drone that Macdonald encountered. “It’s possible to fly a drone in darkness,” the spokesman said in a statement, “but you have to keep it in your line of sight at all times. Even though it has lights, you won’t be able to see it sufficiently well to control it. At night, you can’t see obstacles because the obstacles aren’t lit.” Drone pilot Jonathan Hall doesn’t think the unusual object was a drone. “I have flown quite a lot at night and the size and shape of the lights look like no drone I have ever seen before,” the Daily Mail reports. Drone or no drone, Macdonald is convinced he saw something otherworldly. “There is no doubt in my mind. I know what I saw. It’s definitely a spacecraft of some sort.”

‘PSYCHIC’ BUS DRIVER FIRED FOR REFUSING TO PICK UP SCHOOL KIDS… Bet he never saw this coming: An allegedly psychic bus driver in Dundee, Scotland, has been fired after refusing to pick up some school kids. The unidentified driver told his bosses that he had a good reason for leaving the kids by the side of the road. Apparently, he is clairvoyant and sensed that something would go wrong if he didn’t keep driving, the Daily Record reported. Apparently, he had no such premonition about his job prospects. His employer, National Express, fired him after learning about the situation and the reasoning behind it, the Evening Telegraph reported. The driver plans to appeal the decision, but didn’t tell the paper if it would be successful. Predictably, school officials such as Stewart Hunter, the Dundee City Council’s education convener, are happy with the company’s decision to fire the driver. “It’s important for kids to be able to get to school on time. If the bus doesn’t stop then that’s something that would concern me,” he told the Express. “It’s good National Express has taken action and I’m sure they would be concerned too about kids not being picked up.” The driver’s decision to ignore one of the most basic tenets of his job — picking people up — is being ridiculed by many, but he is getting some support from fellow alleged clairvoyants, Ewan Irvine, a spiritual medium at the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre in Edinburgh. “Although I don’t know much about the case itself, it is entirely possible that the man had a psychic sense something bad was going to happen,” Irvine told Deadline News. “Speaking from personal experience, I know that when I get that weird, edgy feeling, I normally listen to it because it means something is going to happen, whether it be good or bad. “Rather be safe than sorry.”

FRANCIS KELLY CHARGED FOR FEEDING POLICE HORSES SAUSAGE ROLLS… When Francis Kelly fed Scottish police horses some delicious sausage rolls, the officers said, “NAAAAA-AAA-AY.” The 41-year-old Glasgow man was charged with breach of the peace on Sept. 26 for feeding cops’ horses despite their demands to cut it out, the BBC learned today. According to police documents, Kelly behaved in a “threatening or abusive manner” and got aggressive when officers denied his edible gifts. It’s yet unclear how he came in contact with the horses in the first place. Kelly denies the crime. He is scheduled to stand trial at Glasgow’s Justice of the Peace court in February. A source close to the case told STV that “His view is simply that he thought the horses looked hungry, daft as that sounds.”

WORLD’S OLDEST TWINS ARE 102-YEAR-OLD SCOTTISH SISTERS EDITH RITCHIE AND EVELYN MIDDLETON Edith Ritchie and Evelyn Middleton turned 102 on November 15, but they had to wait until this week for the real present. Guinness World Records has named the centenarian sisters, who hail from Aberdeenshire, Scotland,the world’s oldest twins. “Edith and Evelyn are a remarkable pair,” said Guinness World Records Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday in a press release. “When they were born, the likes of Mark Twain and Florence Nightingale were still alive, and we had yet to conquer the South Pole. They’re not just the oldest in the UK, they hold the world title. They’ve clearly benefitted from good genes, and a solid life-long friendship that only twins can truly understand.” The sisters just edged out the previous record holders Ena Pugh and Lily Millward, who are still alive and kicking, just six weeks younger. Although there are claims of 107-year-old twins living in the Ukraine, the Scottish sisters’ claim remains the only record verified by Guinness officials, reported the Metro.co.uk. The twins are not identical, but their mother always dressed them exactly the same, with bows in their matching long brown plaits, according to the Daily Mail. After leaving school, the sisters worked on farms before leaving to start their own families. Evelyn married William Middleton and had four children, 12 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren. Edith, married Nathaniel Ritchie and had four children, nine grandchildren, 21 great grandchildren, and three great-great grandchildren. The sisters have remained close throughout their life and now live together at Bonnyton House, an assisted living facility in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and Edith credits their long life to three things: “Simple living, hard work and a good husband.”

AND FINALLY… SCOTLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS GIVE GOLDFISH VIKING FUNERAL… Students at an elementary school in Scotland honored their class goldfish by sending them off in a Viking funeral. The two class pets Bubbles and Freddy died as Primary 3 and 4 students at Papdale School in Kirkwall were learning about Vikings, their gods and Valhalla, and their teachers decided to bring their lessons to life by having them build special ships to send the pets off. "We worked in teams of two or three to create Viking Long Ships suitable to send to Valhalla," a post on the school's blog stated. "We knew that the Vikings would only have sent the most beautiful ships to be burned for important people in their communities." The students then shared memoirs they had written for the goldfish, that were given to the class as Christmas gifts, before sending the boats sailing down a stream. Each of the students placed their boats to float down the stream and set the ship containing Bubbles and Freddy aflame to send them to the afterlife. "While we will miss Freddy and Bubbles, we certainly enjoyed giving them a good send off to Valhalla," the blog post stated.

On that note I will say that I hope you have enjoyed the “Slightly Different” news from Scotland today,

Our look at Scotland today is by Graham Findlay, of Peterhead, who spotted two sheep in either end of the bale near Cruden Bay in Aberdeenshire, so drove home to get his camera. One still had its head inside when he returned. Mr Findlay, 57, told BBC Scotland: "You try to put your best pictures out there and then a quirky one like this goes 'whoosh'.".. Well I love it and it's in keeping with the news today "Different"....

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Sunday 12th March 2017 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in ….. Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus

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voyagista · 5 years ago

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Flores est l’une des nombreuses iles que compte l’Indonésie. Flores fait partie de l’archipel de la Sonde située à l’Est de Bali. Le vol pour Maumere dure 1h40 depuis Bali, on n’est alors plus très loin de la Papouasie et très, très éloigné des masses touristiques de Bali. Ici le tourisme est encore à l’état embryonnaire ce qui est franchement rafraichissant surtout pour aller à la rencontre de la population. Cela l’est un peu moins niveau transport car les routes y sont extrêmement sinueuses et les kilomètres défilent très lentement. Nous avons commencé notre road trip à Maumere et nous avons mis 6 jours pour rejoindre Labuan Bajo avec au programme volcans, villages traditionnels, rizières et puis partout un super accueil des locaux qui ne voient jamais de petits occidentaux.

Arrivée sur Flores à Maumere

Aussitôt sortis de l’aéroport, nous avons tout de suite réalisé que nous étions arrivés dans un autre monde, dans un monde encore épargné par le tourisme où la vision de petit J du haut de ses 15 mois a limite créé une émeute. Cela sera d’ailleurs le cas pendant tout le voyage, au point de franchement le traumatiser car les locaux ont la mauvaise habitude de lui pincer ses bonnes grosses joues de bébé. Après 6 jours à ce régime, petit J d’habitude peu sauvage ne voulait plus voir personne d’autre que ses parents (et on le comprend). Pour commencer en douceur nous séjournons dans le très joli petit hôtel Coconut Beach Garden où nous avons bullé sur la plage et admiré le superbe coucher du soleil avant d’entamer un road trip magnifique mais pas de tout repos…

Où dormir à Maumere ?

L’hôtel Coconut Beach Garden (pour réserver c’est ici, comptez 1.150.000 la nuit, soir environ 70 euros) est charmant mais attention ici vous êtes dans des contrées où le tourisme balbutie : la clim ne marche pas super bien, le wifi est intermittent, nous étions ravis mais je préviens les gens un peu exigeants. Il faut réserver les bungalows située au premier rang pour avoir vue sur la mer. La nourriture est très bonne et l’accueil chaleureux.

Entre Maumere et Kelimutu

L’aventure commence avec notre première grosse journée de voiture pour nous rendre à Kelimutu. Nous comprenons vite que vu les routes et vu notre chauffeur nous allons rarement dépasser les 50km/h… Heureusement il y a une pause sympa après une heure et demi de route : la plage de Koka. La route d’accès est abimée mais il faut persévérer car le site est de toute beauté. Koka est constituée de deux baies presque identiques avec des eaux d’un bleu transparent et absolument personne sauf quelques écoliers rentrant de l’école qui nous ont sauté dessus. Il faut absolument monter sur le promontoire (tout petit frais d’entrée de 5000 IRD soit 0.3 euros) qui sépare les deux plages, la vue est de toute beauté. Nous en avons profité pour déjeuner dans la petite gargote au bord de la plage, rien d’incroyable mais l’accueil était sympa (et puis après, impossible de manger avant le Kelimutu). Prudence car les vagues et le courant étaient forts sur l’une des plages.

Après cet arrêt fort sympathique, nous voilà repartis pour presque 2 heures de route de montagne avant d’arriver à notre hôtel au pied du Kelimutu. Nous avons vraiment l’impression d’être dans un endroit isolé et vierge, un sentiment en fait assez unique que nous ressentirons tout au long de ce voyage.

Kelimutu

4h du mat, tout le monde debout car il faut se lever super tôt pour aller voir le lever du soleil sur les lacs multicolores du Kelimutu. Il faut compter une bonne demi-heure pour arriver au parking puis il faut finir à pied. La randonnée est plutôt facile mais mieux vaut avoir une lampe de poche parce que les lumières censées borner le chemin ne semblent pas fonctionner. Arrivés au sommet des escaliers, il faut tourner à gauche et ne surtout pas s’arrêter au premier belvédère sur la droite mais continuer (vous verrez les lumières des gens au loin) bien jusqu’à la fin du chemin. Le lever de soleil est un instant magique : le site est incroyable car les cratères sont des lacs colorés. Toute la famille a vraiment accroché et nous sommes restés longtemps admirer le paysage.

Petit aparté, nous sommes tombés sur des blogueurs qui ont passé une bonne heure à se prendre en photo sous toutes les coutures, avec appareil, drone, téléphone… bref ils n’ont pas passé une seconde à se poser et juste profiter de l’instant… Je me suis vraiment dit qu’autant j’aimais bloguer, autant je le faisais à ma sauce et à ma vitesse sans céder à la dictature de la popularité et d’Instagram (en même je n’y suis pas populaire du tout…). Les lacs du Kelimutu changent de couleur selon les années lorsque la composition chimique change. Tout ça est bien expliqué dans le petit visitor center du parking : d’ailleurs jusqu’en 1995, un des lacs était rouge alors qu’en 2018 ils étaient entre bleus et noirs. Nous redescendons du volcan tranquillement en profitant des vues que l’on ne pouvait pas voir de nuit car la route est très mignonne avec de beaux paysages de rizières

Où dormir vers le Kelimutu ?

Vue de l’hôtel

Si vous n’êtes pas en mode routard, il n’y a vraiment qu’un seul choix c’est le Kelimutu Crater Lakes Eco Lodge (pour réserver c’est ici). Le lodge est charmant et les vues sur les rizières alentours sont magnifiques, vous pouvez d’ailleurs faire une petite marche dans les rizières, demandez à la réception ils vous expliqueront. Je vous recommande vraiment de réserver les bungalows situés après le restaurant, ils ont des jolies vues, sont spacieux et il y a la possibilité d’avoir deux chambres connectées. En plus vous ne subirez pas le bruit des voitures des gens qui partent plus tôt que vous pour le volcan. Ce n’est pas le grand luxe mais franchement vu l’éloignement j’ai trouvé que c’était pas mal du tout…

Entre Kelimutu et Bajawa

La route est plutôt longue pour aller à Bajawa mais là encore les paysages valent le coup. Un conseil, faites un petit arrêt sur la route au premier col après le lodge pour acheter des fruits aux nombreux étals au bord de la route parce qu’ il n’y aura rien jusqu’à Ende.

Nous n’avions pas prévu de nous arrêter à Ende mais la chance était de notre côté. Notre chauffeur, prévenu par son frère, nous a proposé d’aller voir un spectacle de Caci. Le caci est une danse traditionnele Manggarai où les danseurs se battent avec des fouets. Le déroulement exact était plutôt difficile à comprendre surtout qu’aussitôt arrivés les gens nous ont sauté dessus et nous nous sommes retrouvés à chanter et danser avec les spectateurs en marge du spectacle officiel. Je pense que c’était une des expériences les plus marquantes du voyage et j’ai fait de jolies photos… voilà donc à quoi ressemble un spectacle de Caci.

Juste après Ende, nous avons déjeuné aux plages de galets bleus (au premier restaurant sur la gauche mais il y en un autre plus loin). Le service était super lent mais le repas délicieux. Je ne suis par contre pas sure que la plage puisse garder son nom bien longtemps : les galets bleus sont récoltées et vendues en grande quantité le long de la route.

La plage de galets bleus

La route fut ensuite longue et sinueuse pour arriver à Bajawa avec quelques beaux volcans à admirer au passage. Nous avons mis plus de 5 heures depuis Kelimutu sans compter les arrêts, autant vous dire que nous étions contents d’arriver.

Sur la route

La région de Bajawa

Tout de suite je sais que j’ai bien fait de faire une pause dans ce coin tranquille au pied du volcan Inerie, la vue depuis la terrasse de notre logement pour les prochaines deux nuits est complètement magique. Comme nous avons le temps, nous flânons et notre visite du village traditionnel de Bena dure plus longtemps que prévue, rallongée par un match de foot endiablé où les enfants du village se sont mesurés à petit G et petit A.

Après Bena direction Tololela (le village de Gurusina également intéressant avait brulé en 2018 et était en reconstruction), un village beaucoup moins touristique car un peu difficile à atteindre. Il faut normalement marcher quelques kilomètres de montée… sauf lorsqu’on a un chauffeur un peu fou comme le nôtre (ou un chauffeur un peu bleu…) qui nous a conduit jusqu’au village. Franchement la route est en super mauvais état et on était inquiets que la voiture ne casse pas… Au village nous tombons sur deux volontaires d’une ONG qui essaient d’aider au développement touristique du village (ça n’a pas d’ailleurs l’air de super bien marché pour le moment car nous étions seuls) qui miracle parlent anglais et qui du coup nous servent d’interprètes et nous baladent dans ce village entouré de montagnes dans un site magique. Nous finissons la journée avec une baignade (et un riz frit pas top du tout) aux sources d’eaux chaudes de Malanage au milieu de tout plein d’enfants qui s’éclataient bien.

Où loger dans la région de Bajawa ?

Vue depuis la terrasse

Je vous recommande vraiment le Manulalu Bed and Breakfast (pour réserver c’est ici) avec sa terrasse magique et ses bons petit plats (remarquables pour le coin…) Les chambres coutent dans les 40 USD et subissent un peu l’humidité (l’état des douches n’est franchement pas top mais les lits sont hyper confortables) mais Manulalu a ouvert des petites cabanes privatives non loin (dans les 80 USD la nuit) juste avant qu’on arrive (du coup on n’a pas pu y séjourner) qui ont l’air top et que je vous recommande.

Ruteng : entre rizières et hommes préhistoriques

La route est de nouveau longue et sinueuse pour rejoindre Ruteng aussi nous décidons d’aller nous balader dans les rizières de Ruteng pour nous dégourdir les jambes. Les rizières, je ne le savais pas parce que il n’y a rien sur internet, à côté de Ruteng « déchirent ». Situées dans une espèce d’amphithéâtre gigantesque, elles s’étendent à perte de vue. C’est magnifique et il n’y a personne pour en profiter car le coin n’est absolument pas touristique.

L’autre zone de rizières super connue juste après Ruteng c’est le Lingko Spiderweb (Les toiles d’araignées de Lingko) que l’on peut admirer après une petite montée sèche sur une colline (il faut payer la montée qui ne coute franchement pas grand-chose). La vue est à couper le souffle avec ces rizières à perte de vue en forme de toile d’araignée.

Ruteng c’est le royaume des rizières mais c’est également un lieu historiquement important car c’est juste à côté, à Liang Bua, que l’on a trouvé l’homme de Florès. L’homme de Flores est une nouvelle espèce humaine inconnue jusque-là et qu’on a surnommé Hobbit du fait de sa petite taille. On peut visiter la grotte où il a été découvert et visiter un petit musée en son honneur, musée plutôt intéressant mais vraiment paumé.

Dernière option que nous n’avons pas testée par manque de temps: le village de Wae Rebo, un village traditionnel vraiment magnifique. Je vous laisse le découvrir ici.

Où loger à Ruteng ?

Un peu en dehors de Ruteng, nous avons dormi dans une petite maison Airbnb tenue par une locale revenue au pays après un mariage malheureux avec un australien. La chambre n’est vraiment pas chère et l’hôte parle parfaitement anglais, ce qui est plutôt agréable dans le coin (par contre niveau cuisine ce n’est pas incroyable, aller en ville si vous avez un moyen de locomotion). Elle peut organiser des ballades dans les rizières, ce que je recommande vraiment car nous en aurions bien plus profité avec elle comme accompagnatrice.

Rencontres…

Le road trip se termine par une autre longue journée de conduite vers Labuan Bajo où nous retrouvons le tourisme et l’anarchie. Après ces quelques jours au milieu de nulle part, cela nous fait un choc de nous retrouver dans un coin pleins de backpackers, nous avons hâte de partir en croisières dans les iles de Komodo. (qui vont être l’occasion d’un autre récit sur le blog)

Quelle itinéraire pour visiter l’ile de Flores?

Nous avons traversé une grosse partie de Flores en 6 jours et 5 nuits, un rythme assez soutenu mais gérable avec des enfants. Vous pouvez y apporter des variantes en faisant des sauts de puce en avion (par exemple faire marche arrière à Bajawa pour aller prendre l’avion à Ende vers Labuan Bajo). Nous n’avons pas regretté d’avoir tout fait en voiture et de nous arrêter à Ruteng, une étape très sympa. Vous pouvez également rallonger un peu pour aller vous poser sur les plages de Riung (attention en 2019 pas d’hôtel super sympa là-bas) Prenez bien en compte qu’il faut compter une vitesse moyenne de 50km/heure à Flores, on met très longtemps à se déplacer. Si vous voulez ralentir un peu le rythme, je recommanderai de passer deux nuits au Kelimutu pour se reposer après la rando et faire la longue route vers Bajawa le lendemain.

Voici notre programme :

Jour 1 – Arrivée et après midi tranquille sur la plage de Maumere Jour 2 – Départ vers le Kelimutu en s’arrêtant à la plage de Koka puis repos à l’hôtel Jour 3 – Lever à 4H du matin pour voir le lever du jour au sommet du Kelimutu puis route jusqu’à Bajawa (attention grosse journée) Jour 4 – Visite des villages de la zone de Bajawa et repos à l’hôtel Jour 5 – Route jusqu’à Ruteng et marche dans les rizières de Ruteng Jour 6 – Visite de Hobbit Cave, des rizières en toile d’araignée et route vers Labuan Bajo

Dans quel sens faire le road trip ?

J’ai l’impression que pas mal de gens l’ont fait dans l’autre sens en rentrant à Maumere, à mon avis un peu dommage car c’est sympa après tous ces kilomètres quand même crevants de se reposer dans les iles Komodo

Quel moyen de transport pour traverser Flores ?

Vous pouvez faire la traversée de Flores en bus mais vous ne pourrez pas aller visiter facilementun certain nombre de sites et vous devrez oublier les arrêts photos. Mieux vaut donc prendre un chauffeur. Votre chauffeur devrait faire toute la route depuis Labuan Bajo pour venir vous récuperer à Maumere, un gros trajet pour lui… du coup il faut lui payer son aller-retour mais je n’ai pas trouvé cela très cher.

Nous avons contacté Pedro de [email protected] qui nous a trouvé quelqu’un pour 4,5 Millions de IDR (380 euros) pour l’itinéraire décrit ci-dessus pour une voiture pour nous 5 et le chauffeur (les bagages sont accrochées sur le toit). Il faut être très clair sur l’itinéraire, les logements et les horaires lorsque vous réservez et les recontacter quelques jours avant le départ pour bien reconfirmer.

Le chauffeur était très sympa mais son anglais était super limité donc il ne va pas trop vous donner des conseils restos ou visites. Il nous a quand même amené à un spectacle de Caci et a poussé le dévouement jusqu’à nous monter en voiture au village de Tololela alors qu’il aurait pu abimer la voiture. Nous avons juste eu un petit problème un jour où il s’est pointé en retard pour nous récupérer parce qu’il était occupé avec sa famille qui habitait dans le coin. Il faut bien établir les règles et ne pas hésiter à râler si jamais cela arrive car vu le tourisme à Flores, les chauffeurs sont souvent des gens qui font ça de temps en temps, ils ne sont pas professionnels. On a été plutôt contents et on lui a donné un bon pourboire pour le remercier.

La meilleure saison pour aller à Flores ?

La meilleure saison est d’Avril en Octobre qui est la saison sèche, au début de la saison sèche les paysages sont encore très verts alors que quand nous y sommes allés tout était super sec et jaune. En Juillet et Aout vous aurez beaucoup de monde mais le reste du temps c’est raisonnable. En gros donc les deux meilleures saisons sont soit d’Avril à Juin, soit de Septembre à début Novembre Nous y étions fin Octobre, début Novembre et nous avons eu le premier jour de la saison des pluies lors de notre dernier jour. L’ile était très jaune et toute sèche, il était temps qu’il pleuve. Nous n’avons pas eu un jour de pluie mais il faisait très chaud lorsque nous n’étions pas dans les montagnes. Au Kelimutu ou à Bajawa les températures étaient agréables.

Des blog sympas pour organiser son voyage à Flores

Quelques personnes m’avaient déjà parlé de Flores mais à l’époque le manque total d’hôtels un peu sympas m’avait découragé et puis c’est finalement Camille qui m’a poussé à tenter le coup suite à son récit sur son blog. Merci Camille!

Quelques autres blogs parlent de Flores mais ce sont en général des blogs plus routards. Si vous cherchez des infos pour ce type de voyages, ces deux blogs sont très sympas: Les droners ou Mi Fugue Mi raison

Les enfants à Flores

Flores c’est quand même pas mal de temps dans la voiture car même si les distances sur la carte ne semblent pas si grandes que cela on met beaucoup de temps à se déplacer. Du coup pour les enfants il faut prévoir des pauses et de quoi les distraire. Le dernier jour ils en avaient vraiment marre de la voiture. Heureusement nous avons ensuite passé 5 nuits tranquilles dans les iles Komodo.

Les visites par contre sont intéressantes pour les enfants, ils ont adoré le Kelimutu surtout en y montant la nuit, une vraie petite aventure…

L’accueil pour les enfants est incroyable, il y a encore très peu de tourisme à Flores du coup les gens sautaient sur petit J, les plus grands ont été plus épargnés mais les locaux les approchaient, ils ont joué au foot avec les enfants, ils étaient amis avec les adultes… Par contre pour une fois les enfants ne nous ont pas aidés à pouvoir faire des portraits, les gens nous demandaient de les prendre en photo, un truc qui ne m’était jamais arrivé.

Tu connais Flores? Des bons plans à partager?

Road Trip sur l’ile de Florès en Indonésie Flores est l’une des nombreuses iles que compte l’Indonésie. Flores fait partie de l’archipel de la Sonde située à l’Est de Bali…

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eddiejpoplar · 7 years ago

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BMW Sponsors Creators of World’s First Flying Sculpture for Art Basel

BMW has been a partner of the world famous Art Basel in Miami for years now and the collaboration between the two is entering a completely new phase this year with the unveiling of a flying sculpture. FRANCHISE FREEDOM is a sculpture put together by the people from Studio Drift and it definitely is an innovative take on what shapes art can take if you’re creative enough. In addition, the new work of BMW Art Journey winner Max Hooper Schneider will be on display at the BMW Lounge.

FRANCHISE FREEDOM – a flying sculpture by Studio Drift in partnership with BMW” is a performative artwork at the interface between technology, science, and art. An autonomous flying swarm of 300 drones, each equipped with a light source, will imitate the natural phenomenon of a flock on December 6, 9 PM on the beach of Miami above the sea between 32nd and 33rd Street off Collins Avenue behind the Faena Hotel Miami Beach.

Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta, founders of Studio Drift.

This is the first time that a flock on this scale is presented by machines working with decentralized algorithms. Inspired by the spectacle of starlings clustering together in massive flocks and exposing the tension between individual freedom and safety in numbers, Studio Drift questions the delicate balance between the group and the individual. Studio Drift’s first research on this project dates back to 2007. To create “FRANCHISE FREEDOM”, Studio Drift studied the natural flight patterns of starlings and translated them into software that were specially developed and embedded in the drones.

“We were impressed by the courage of BMW to get involved here, as an artwork of this scope and scale has never even been tested before. They believed in our idea because they fully comprehend how complicated and intricate those innovative processes are,” says Lonneke Gordijn, co-founder of Studio Drift, Amsterdam.

Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta, founders of Studio Drift.

“Studio Drift and BMW both subscribe to a symbiosis of innovation and beauty. I congratulate Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta for the perseverance in turning their endeavor into a reality. ‘FRANCHISE FREEDOM’ is both a technological wonder and an aesthetic experience to behold,” said Hildegard Wortmann, Senior Vice President Brand BMW.

BMW has a 50-year global track record of recognizing and enabling talent in the arts. The company makes artistic visions come true and honors the full creative freedom of any artist or institution they collaborate with. When Studio Drift sought a dialogue with BMW in regard to their ambitious project, the company, as long-term partner of Art Basel, could not pass on the challenge. For the period of over half a year, discussions ensued between BMW and Studio Drift – just as they did with artists like Jeff Koons, Olafur Eliasson, and Cao Fei beforehand.

The article BMW Sponsors Creators of World’s First Flying Sculpture for Art Basel appeared first on BMW BLOG

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chloeandgregoztravels · 7 years ago

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After 7 wonderful months in Sydney, it was time to leave and start our travels up the East Coast. With literally no plans, just a vague idea of some places we want to stop and the ending point is just ‘somewhere north of Cairns’, this really is as spontaneous as I’ve ever been!

For those who aren’t up to date with our adventures, we already travelled as far as Coff’s Harbour over the Easter long weekend, so we only had a few places to see before there.

FEED ME!

First port of call was in the Central Coast, just taking in the beautiful beach views and heading up to watch a pelican feeding at ‘The Entrance’ which we thought sounded very ominous (yes that is the name of the town). This is a daily free event run by locals who try to raise money for the coastal rescue service so we donated as you never know when you will need them! Thankfully we arrived early as loads of people showed up and we had front row seats, this does mean you get sprayed by sea water as they leap up to the platform and Greg was hit in the face by flapping wings several times haha. The feeding frenzy was great to watch, definitely worth going to, seeing them up close you could see the scratches in their bills from either fighting over food or maybe their food fighting back.

Pelican’s ready for the dinner

We finished our evening at the historic jetty to watch the sunset, it was the perfect spot and even had these cute wooden deckchairs built for two.

Stunning sunset at the jetty

A sculpture about birth

Unknown Flower

Waking up early, we drove back on ourselves to see the Mount Penang gardens in Gosford, I’m still unsure on why it’s named this but the gardens were lovely and it did had a rather strange sculpture garden. The sculptures were mostly from a symposium in 1979 where artists from around the world came together to make work about the world, but it seemed to us to be a lot more sexual than spiritual with depictions of sex, pregnancy and childbirth by rather Aztec looking creatures.We drove up to Newcastle that afternoon but everything that we wanted to see was closed so we decided to go to the cinema and treat ourselves to a date night!

Sleepy Koala

The following morning we woke up early and started at ‘Blackbutt reserve’, a wildlife sanctuary with a small variety of animals but I was amazed it was free! They had cute little koalas, wombats (our recent favourites), lots of birds and reptiles.

Before we left Newcastle we visited Fort Scratchley, a WW2 artillery barracks and spectacular modern day lookout, Newcastle has always been a very industrious city and was of course a target for Japanese submarine attacks. One attack saw a number of shells fired into the port at Newcastle

Nothing in there…

but it took them some time in spotting them and firing back, the Japanese escaped, but the Aussies were lucky as the shells were old British shells and only 2 of 8 exploded. We went for a walk along the beach at Fingals Bay and took a steep hike up to Tomaree Head for the views of the sunset and some potential whale spotting but no such luck.

For something completely different we bought discount vouchers to go sand boarding in Port Stephens, which is known for both its dunes and a good place to spot dolphins. We were driven out to the dunes in a 4WD bus,

Sand Dunes

then an instructor gave us a brief run down of the rules and we were left to our own devices. We swiftly took off our socks, grabbed a board and raced up the dune, the first time I felt quite nervous as it looks a long way down but after the first slide I was addicted! It was great fun, but we were covered in sand, face, mouth, hair… After taking some silly photos, we caught the bus back to our car as we were starving.

Greg then took me for a game of crazy golf or putt putt as they call it here and my first attempt on a driving range. I really enjoyed the crazy golf- with beginners luck behind me I even beat him by a few points haha! However the driving range I found much harder, never did it occur to me that it might be difficult to hit a golf ball but it’s harder than it looks and I was very impressed with Greg.

Adamant that we would spot some whales or dolphins, we spent Sunday relaxing on the beach, the weather was starting to warm up but not enough to be without a jacket. With no luck still we did a large stint of driving up to our next camping spot near Yamba.

Our plan had been to go cliff jumping at the Angourie pools but unfortunately a recent bloom of blue-green algae in the water makes it hazardous for people and animals to swim as it can make you really sick. So instead we took in the scenery and chilled out by the beach all day till the sun went down. Finally our luck changed and we saw some whales, they were about 500 metres away from the shore and I was so excited!

First wild Humpback Whale sighting

We spent a while watching them until they went out of sight, we decided we’d rush over to a break wall but the whales had gone, so we sat at the side patiently waiting for another glimpse. Then out of nowhere right next to us we heard a blow of water, dolphins were right next to us! We chased alongside them as they swam into the estuary and eventually we lost sight, but for the next hour we were treated to numerous encounters as they fished for their dinner right next to us. It was a shame the sun was setting as we couldn’t get the best photos, but the experience was amazing, the moment I won’t forget was when a dolphin smacked a fish clean out of the water about 3 metres away from me, it was so loud I thought I would have a heart attack!

As the dark and cold enclosed on us we headed back to the car, this was definitely the best evening so far.

Sunset in Yamba

We had breakfast at Razorback lookout near ‘Evans Head’, the weather is starting to warm up but the views are still just as stunning.

Wild dolphins

Having read about the whale watching in Ballina (bal-inner) we made our way to a breakwater off the Richmond river and were treated to an incredible amount of humpback sightings, as soon as one group had made it past us another was right behind and there were lots of locals out to watch the spectacle. Greg even managed to get his drone up for some aerial shots about 300m out.

Wild Humpback

What a fantastic first week we’ve had up the East Coast and we can’t wait for this adventure to continue! For photos from this blog please go to my Flickr page HERE!

Sand Between Our Toes- our first week travelling the East Coast. After 7 wonderful months in Sydney, it was time to leave and start our travels up the East Coast.

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