Scribbled In Chalk

Click Title Link & View Original Post to listen to tracks © Karine Polwart Shop 2009 All rights reserved TheTamshee: listened to this fine scottish folk singer today, her smooth tones are very easy on the wing-nuts. Karine Polwart (born 1971) is a Scottish singer-songwriter. She writes and performs music with a strong folk and roots feel, her songs dealing with a variety of issues from alcoholism to genocide. She has been most recognised for her solo career, winning three awards at the BBC Folk Awards in 2005, and was previously a member of Malinky and Battlefield Band.

Hernan Cortes "Spanish Explorer"

Never has there been a conflict as unfair as the fight between the Aztecs and the Spanish conquistadors, click "Here" to discover more about the great Spanish explorer Hernan Cortes

Dr Who " Matt Smith"

So the first glimpse of the new Doctor, Matt Smith, filming on set in boots, rolled-up trousers and a bow tie, has sparked huge interest. TheTamshee says: the teeny fans will be squealing into their Iphones.
Surely the Doctor is auditioning for an head & shoulders advert

President @ IKEA

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iranian President

" We have no secrecy, we work within the framework of the IAEA"

TheTamshee says: surely he means IKEA

Dutch Boats In A Gale

Charged with emotion: Turner's Bridgewater sea piece Photo: Tate Britain

TheTamshee: marvels at the talent of this great artist:

Wind Turbines Part Two

Photo: by Lex Hazelbag
TheTamshee: gets plenty of opportunities to see the finished offshore wind farms. The photo above gives a better insight into the foundation construction required to support the turbines on the seabed. The pre-fabricated base is transported by the Gaint 4 barge to the desired location-in this case offshore Nyborg, which is situated on the East side of Funen, Denmark. During the submerging operation in +/- 14 meters water depth. The barge ballast tanks are flooded in a controled manner. This then allows the concrete base to be lowered, positioned and secured to the seabed.

Wind Turbines Part One

TheTamshee say: wind power is big business in Denmark. While parked at the quayside, we are getting surrounded by these gaint wind turbines. After construction they are transported to the dock with these clever wagons which have the conventional truck cab and hoisting trailer at the front, with an additional tail section-which is totally independant, and operated by remote control for the offloading operation. The turbine gearbox assembly is sandwiched between the two trailer sections, then lifted clear of the ground with the use of hydraulic pistons.
Thus, No cranes required to offload these gearbox assemblies. This is good for the trucking company because the driver does not have to hang around waiting for a harbour crane.

Night Sky Esbjerg

TheTamshee: enjoys watching the changing sky at night. Esbjerg harbour. The Drifting Clouds have the ability to hypnotize the tired mind. Relax & Enjoy

Trumpet & Peep

Artist Jason Hackenwerth has turned a children's party trick of twisting balloons together to form animal shapes into an art form by creating highly complex sculptures. Article by Murray Wardrop Photo by BNPS. TheTamshee likes this: click on title link for more colourful sculptures
The American artist has created a portfolio of inflatable works using ordinary party balloons, which resemble menacing deep sea creatures. Mr Hackenwerth spends up to three days building each piece by inflating the balloons and twisting them together to make the unusual shapes. Balloon twisting sculptures by Jason Hackenwerth
Some of his designs are so big and ambitious that the 39-year-old has to "wrestle" the balloons into place – his largest sculpture was over 40ft long. Mr Hackenwerth, from New York, gets through so many balloons that he has to buy them in bulk, ordering 5,000 at a time. He started using balloons for his art after becoming skilled in using them as a street performer during his university years. He said: "I spend lots of time sketching and planning the sculptures I make. The ideas come from all over. "Actually building the sculptures is very difficult and labour intensive work. I sometimes use thousands of balloons." Jason builds the sculptures by simply twisting the balloons together and then photographs them on beaches and in forests. He added: "I wouldn't say I set out to make underwater creatures but that's what people seem to see in them most often." "I repeat the form and add more inner structure and pull the shape in or out. "There's a kinship between this and the process of the shells sea creatures form."

Vintage Rally @ Lindean

TheTamshee: would love to be taking this little beauty to the vintage rally at Lindean tomorrow. I came across this 1926 Model T-Ford, wooden wheels and all, while calling into the Melville Inn for some fine quisine.

The Iron Man

TheTamshee says: my wee man O steel just loves his latest bedtime story book. The Iron Man by Ted Hughes. This is a 60's classic describes the unexpected arrival in England of a giant "metal man" of unknown origin who rains destruction on the countryside by attacking industrial farm equipment, before befriending the small boy "Hogarth" and defending the world from an apparent dragon from outer space.
Many years later ( 1993) Hughes wrote The Iron Woman as the sequel to the novel The Iron Man.
The plot revolves around environmental themes, with the Iron Woman deciding to teach humanity a lesson for polluting the marsh where she lives.

Central Park NYC

TheTamshee says: Sal, the missus is doing the tourist thing in Central Park today. Maybe in the colder months I'll get the chance to skate on this very same pond. Photo dated: 1862

The Mannahatta Project

Mannahatta/Manhattan. All images courtesy Wildlife Conservation Society
Mannahatta/Manhattan: A Natural History of New York City May 20 through Oct 12
When Henry Hudson and a small crew of Dutch and English sailors rode the flood tide up a great estuarine river on the North American continent on September 12, 1609, they were looking for a passage to Oriental riches. Instead, they found something much more valuable. Mannahatta's natural wealth—the old growth forests, stately wetlands, rolling hills, abundant wildlife, people who lived in tune with nature—was prodigious and deep. The local people called the island "Mannahatta," which may have meant "island of many hills." It would later be known as Manhattan and would become as densely filled with people and avenues as it once teemed with trees and streams.
Mannahatta/Manhattan: A Natural History of New York City is presented in collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society. For more information about the Mannahatta Project, visit http://themannahattaproject.org/ TheTamshee says: Sal's in town, doing the museum trail with like minded friends.

Happy Birthday "Mum"

TheTamshee says: Birthday wishes to "Mum" or Scottish Gran as the kids would say. Still got the puff to blow out the candles. Have a great day

"Somehow we always say the least to those we love the best And hope our thoughts are understood. Although they're unexpressed -That's why it means so very much, when days like this are here, To say how very much you're loved each day throughout the year"

New York City

TheTamshee says: did you know that about one third of all of the battles of the Revolutionary War took place New York. NY became an independent state on July 9, 1776 and enacted its constitution in 1777. The state ratified the United States Constitution on July 26, 1788 to become the 11th state.

The pre-9/11 skyline of Lower Manhattan, August 2001

Hubble Telescope

Hubble image shows stars bursting to life in the chaotic Carina Nebula Photo: NASA
Nasa has unveiled the first deep space photos taken by Hubble since its billion dollar repair mission earlir this year. The work included installing two new cameras, other science instruments and replacing broken parts. The images of galaxies and nebulas are sharper than previous photos taken of the same places by Hubble before the upgrade.
Some of the colorful images have brilliant glows of light that give them halos that to some people can appear heavenly. Earlier this summer, Hubble took pictures of Jupiter when an asteroid or comet hit it. TheTamshee says: "there's life out there Jim---but not as we know it"

Kiss The Fish "Art Studio"

TheTamshee says: the Pol-Meister is all excited because she is going to a birthday party at Kiss The Fish Studio. Located in Stockbridge, Edinburgh we are both a gift shop and an arts and crafts studio. Children and adults can drop in at any time and choose from a range of wonderful objects - animals, photo frames, boxes and more - to decorate with paints, funky papers, glitter, sparkles and more.

Spider "DavidBowie"

Photo: Senckenberg Museum of Natural History

The Heteropoda davidbowie has been discovered in Malaysia. It is distinguished by its large size and yellow hair, and is only found in parts of Malaysia. Bowie was apparently selected for the honour because of his musical contribution to arachnid world – the 1972 concept album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Peter Jäger, the German spider expert who discovered the Heteropoda davidbowie, said that naming spiders after celebrities helped draw attention to the marginal status of many species as human activity destroys their habitats.
Environmental authorities have traditionally proved reluctant to include spiders on lists of endangered animals, but campaigners like Mr Jäger argue that their decline undermines nature's genetic diversity. “It is working against time,” he told The Observer. “We are also quickly losing genetic resources that have evolved over more than 300 million years.”
Last year the Rameshwaram Parachute Spider was among thousands of creatures included on a "red list" of endangered species complied by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Less than 500 of the spiders are though to remain, as their woodland habitats on the Indian island of Rameshwaram, close to Sri Lanka, are cleared to make room for hotels and tourist resorts. TheTamshee: doesn't like the look of the spider but Bowie was my all time musical hero. Aladdin Sane being the first album i ever purchased.

Tropical Fish

TheTamshee: has added some new additions to the tropical fish tank today - a Siamese Fighting fish and 5 x Opaline Gourami's Only lost one white mountain cloud since the tank was set up in February. Grand total of 31 all living in harmony at the present time. Thanks to all for this great birthday prezzy.

Traquair House

Dating back to 1107, Traquair was originally a hunting lodge for the kings and queens of Scotland. Later a refuge for Catholic priests in times of terror the Stuarts of Traquair supported Mary Queen of Scots and the Jacobite cause without counting the cost. Visitors are invited to enjoy the house, extensive grounds, maze, craft workshops, 1745 Cottage Restaurant and the famous Traquair House Brewery housed in the eighteenth century wing and producing the world famous Traquair House Ales. TheTamshee says: you have to be a connoisseur of odd ales to appreciate this bottled beer. Does not tickle my taste buds.

Moon Rock "Fake"

The Dutch national museum says one of its prized possessions, a rock supposedly brought back from the moon by U.S. astronauts, is just a piece of petrified wood. The museum acquired the rock after the death of a former prime minister, who received it in 1969 from the then-U.S. ambassador during a visit by the Apollo 11 astronauts. (AP Photo/Rijksmuseum ) TheTamshee says: the yanks, how could they "Hoax" click link to read all about "Big Muley"

Antichrist

Antichrist depicts the anguished reaction of a couple to the death of their son, who falls from a window while they are having sex. They go to stay in a cabin in the woods, named Eden, in an attempt to escape their grief but their efforts to recuperate end in disaster. The wife attacks her therapist husband with a block of wood before drilling a hole in his leg. She commits an act of genital self mutilation with a pair of scissors and is finally strangled by her husband who sets fire to her body. At least four people fainted during the film’s preview screening at Cannes and the director faced an angry crowd at the official press conference. The British media have labelled the film ‘torture porn’ and questioned whether it should have been granted an 18 classification without cuts. TheTamshee says: Lars von Trier is probably the most ambitious and visually distinctive filmmaker to emerge from Denmark since Carl Theodor Dreyer his work is cutting edge, featuring strong real sex scenes, bloody violence and self-mutilation. Willian Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg play the lead roles. Not for the faint hearted. You are warned.

NASA Archive 2009

TheTamshee: likes to keep up to date with the latest Nasa news, click link for the latest offerings