Royal Windsor Horse Show 2013

Costume Side Saddle Concours D’Elegance

 

Judging of Costume Side Saddle is based on the impression of elegance presented by horse and rider and the “way of going” in period costume, at walk, trot, and canter. Historical Side Saddle is judged at the walk. Costume Side Saddle classes also differ in that the costumes and the horse’s tack are not inspected in detail for historical accuracy when the class is lined up. Neither is it necessary to submit any brief resumes about their apparel; but the horse’s tack must be safe.

 

Appaloosa Horses

In Hand And Ridden

 

Best known for their colourful leopard spotted coat pattern, spotted horses were seen in cave paintings dating back to pre historic times, and also in Ancient Greek art. They existed in Persia, China and Egypt. Also in Spain and Mexico and North America where they, alongside the American mustang were caught by the Nez Perce Indians who lived by the Palouse River, leading to the breed name “A Palouse.” This progressed to the modern day version Appaloosa. The horses were captured by the US army in 1938 and officially recognised as a breed.

The Appaloosa is both courageous and versatile and yet also of docile temperament. It is used for general riding, ranch work, trail riding, as circus horse and in movies. Today it is one of the most popular horses in the US and was named the “Official State House of Idaho” in 1975.

 

The Meet Of Hounds

Bloodhounds, Foxhounds and Eton Beagle Packs

 

Copyright: Europa’s Icewolf 2013

 

Royal Windsor Horse Show 2013

Bahrain Desert Arabians

Bahrain Arab Horse Display

Flown into the UK specifically for the Royal Windsor Horse Show, seen here for the very first time, the beautiful Bahrain Desert Arabian stallions. 

(CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE)     

These pure bred Arab horses displayed at the Royal Windsor Horse Show 2013 are part of a unique collection preserved on the island of Bahrain for 200 years by the rulers of Bahrain, the Al Khalifa family and today by the Bahrainian king His Majesty Shaikh Hamad Bin Isa al Khalifa.

The Bahrain Arabians are famous for their beautiful and highly unusual coats which all have a unique, glowing sheen. Even the stallions are exceptionally gentle, and are easily handled with nothing more than a rope halter.

 

Spanish Andalusian Horses 

– Pure Bred And Part Bred Ridden

 

(CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE)

Originating from their ancestral home on the Spanish Iberian Peninsula the Spanish Andalusians are renowned throughout history as great war horses. They were prized by nobility and known as, “The Horse of Kings.” Also referred to as “Spanish horse,” and “Pura Raza Espanola” (PRE) they are closely related to the Portuguese Lusitano horses and they have contributed extensively to the development of other breeds.

They can be summarised as strong, compact and elegant with characteristically long flowing manes and tails. Though they exist in a vast variety of colours they are pre-dominantly grey. Docile, sensitive and intelligent horses they were originally used for classic dressage, carriage driving and bullfighting. Today they are still used for carriage driving and dressage, but also for show jumping.

Copyright: Europa’s Icewolf 2013

 

Breaking Dawn! Full Moon Rising!

Breaking Dawn! Catching even a hint of a glimpse of a Moon…any moon!…had fast become a distant memory … a legendary event howled about across the inter-space wolf-ways – “galactic gateways” between worlds… interstellar highways travelled by the star wolves, the callers of the moon song. Full Moon Hunt magic was all but lost, shrouded in the shadows of dark and threatening skies… overcast by angry clouds and the mysteries of the void.

                                           

 

So! It was nothing short of a miracle when, on the purchasing of a shiny new camera with a little more “kick” than the dinky digi-cam’ … Wolfie padded out of the den at silly hour of the morning and greeted by this miraculous sight! >>> At the break of day… The Moon was dawning! It was the day before Full Moon…Wolfie was very late for work that morning!! 

 

 

 

The view at late night silly hour the same day… such sightings are becoming a rarity of late so best to get as up close and personal with Earth’s one and only satellite (moon) as possible! Around the time of Full Moon is not a good time to try your paw at astropawtography because of the excessive light entering the camera lens at this time…but I wasn’t displeased with these results… And once you’ve got the results it’s always good to find ways to utilise them!

 

 

 

EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE!

Icewolfie does not do awards…lol… but sometimes I make exceptions…

That does not mean that Wolfie will be following the rules however! Not possible! Rules were made to be broken lol

Wolfie thanks to Misbehavedwoman for this awesome “Dragon’s Loyalty Award.” I have a notoriously Wolfie soft spot for ye magical dragons

Can’t say the same for “THE RULES” but I have followed one or two of them I guess

The rules are:

1- Display the Award Certificate on your website.

2-Announce your win with a post and link to whoever presented you with the award.

3-Present 15 awards to deserving bloggers.

4- Drop them a comment to tip them off after you have linked them in the post.

5-Post 7 interesting things about yourself.

https://misbehavedwoman.wordpress.com

 

The “I Am A Part Of The WordPress Family Award” given by my lovely and very genuine friend Gigoid – Howling my Wolfie thanks to you!

I haven’t done very well with these rules either…lol

Rules:

1. Display the award logo on your blog. 

2. Link back to the person who nominated you.  

3. Nominate 10 others you see as having an impact on your WordPress experience and family.  

4. Let your 10 Family members know you have awarded them….

5. That is it. Just please pick 10 people that have taken you as  a friend, and spread the love

http://gigoid.me/2013/04/24/too-bad-so-sad-my-bad/

 

My thanks to everyone who has thoughtfully and generously nominated me for awards along the way I don’t usually accept awards simply because I cannot stick to “The Rules” lol but after reading another awesome friend’s (iamforchange) post, I realised that perhaps it was time to review my own “rules” as regards awards and give it a go  

You can read all about it here on iamforchange’s blog!

Just follow the link below

http://iamforchange.wordpress.com/awards-page-and-nominations-thank-you-i-am-so-honored-and-grateful/

 

And finally, just because it’s good to blow your own trumpet sometimes…I thought I’d add this one for good measure!

There’s a few more of you than that now but i would like to thank everybody both for the follow and also for all the great blogs I have had the pleasure to discover here on WordPress since you guys arrived in my blogging world.

The Law Of The Jungle by Rudyard Kipling

 

Poetry Classics

Rudyard Kipling was born in Bombay on December 30th 1865, son of John Lockwood Kipling, an artist and teacher of architectural sculpture, and his wife Alice. His mother was one of the talented and beautiful Macdonald sisters, four of whom married remarkable men, Sir Edward Burne-Jones, Sir Edward Poynter, Alfred Baldwin, and John Lockwood Kipling himself.

The Law of the Jungle 

Now this is the Law of the Jungle — as old and as true as the sky; And the Wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the Wolf that shall break it must die.
As the creeper that girdles the tree-trunk the Law runneth forward and back —
For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.

 

Wash daily from nose-tip to tail-tip; drink deeply, but never too deep; 

And remember the night is for hunting, and forget not the day is for sleep.
The Jackal may follow the Tiger, but, Cub, when thy whiskers are grown,
Remember the Wolf is a Hunter — go forth and get food of thine own.
Keep peace with the Lords of the Jungle — the Tiger, the Panther, and Bear.
And trouble not Hathi the Silent, and mock not the Boar in his lair.

When Pack meets with Pack in the Jungle, and neither will go from the trail,
Lie down till the leaders have spoken — it may be fair words shall prevail.
When ye fight with a Wolf of the Pack, ye must fight him alone and afar,
Lest others take part in the quarrel, and the Pack be diminished by war.

The Lair of the Wolf is his refuge, and where he has made him his home,
Not even the Head Wolf may enter, not even the Council may come.
The Lair of the Wolf is his refuge, but where he has digged it too plain,
The Council shall send him a message, and so he shall change it again.

If ye kill before midnight, be silent, and wake not the woods with your bay,
Lest ye frighten the deer from the crop, and your brothers go empty away.
Ye may kill for yourselves, and your mates, and your cubs as they need, and ye can;
But kill not for pleasure of killing, and seven times never kill Man!

 
If ye plunder his Kill from a weaker, devour not all in thy pride;
Pack-Right is the right of the meanest; so leave him the head and the hide.
The Kill of the Pack is the meat of the Pack. Ye must eat where it lies;
And no one may carry away of that meat to his lair, or he dies.

The Kill of the Wolf is the meat of the Wolf. He may do what he will;
But, till he has given permission, the Pack may not eat of that Kill.
Cub-Right is the right of the Yearling. From all of his Pack he may claim
Full-gorge when the killer has eaten; and none may refuse him the same.

Lair-Right is the right of the Mother. From all of her year she may claim
One haunch of each kill for her litter, and none may deny her the same.
Cave-Right is the right of the Father — to hunt by himself for his own:
He is freed of all calls to the Pack; he is judged by the Council alone.

Because of his age and his cunning, because of his gripe and his paw,
In all that the Law leaveth open, the word of your Head Wolf is Law.
Now these are the Laws of the Jungle, and many and mighty are they;
But the head and the hoof of the Law and the haunch and the hump is — Obey!

Watching the sunset on another world 150 light years from Earth….

What would it look like?

Osiris

HD 209458 b (Osiris) is a large exoplanet or extrasolar planet that orbits the Sun-like star HD 209458 in the constellation Pegasus, some 150 light-years from Earth’s solar system. First discovered on November 5, 1999 during “Spectroscopic studies.”

Osiris is a 7th magnitude world, visible from Earth with good binoculars or a decent telescope. Osiris (HD209458b), 150 Ly from Earth orbits very closely to its sun. Measured by the Spitzer Infrared Space Telescope on March 23. 2005 it had an atmospheric temperature of around 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,800 degrees Fahrenheit) it’s year lasts just 3.5 Earth days long. Very bad for the aging process!

Osiris Firsts:

HD 209458 b was the first transiting extrasolar planet discovered:

• Known to have an atmosphere
• Observed to have an evaporating hydrogen atmosphere
• Found to have an atmosphere containing oxygen and carbon
• One of the first two extrasolar planets to be directly spectroscopically observed
• The first extrasolar planet found to have water vapour in its atmosphere. (April 2007)

(Sunset On HD 189733 – Osiris)

Osiris doesn’t actually have as surface on which to sit peacefully watching an alien sunset but for the purposes of this post we will pretend it does. What it does have however is an atmosphere, which when passed through by the light from its star (sun) – it does this every so often when Osiris passes between Earth and its own sun (transits)– allows the scientific types here on sunny Earth to figure out in a scientific way mostly beyond the understanding of the average Earthling, exactly which colours its sun would set in, should Osiris have a surface – as already stated it doesn’t but… and we were spending a happily romantic evening sitting on the (make-believe) surface.

I said it HASN’T got one!!! So don’t try it!! It won’t be any good for you!!

In the image to the right Osiris’s sunset can be seen as it would appear if having travelled at light speed to reach it, you were floating 6,200 miles/10,000 km above the planetary surface – preferably not in a deckchair unless you’re wearing a heavy duty space suit a space station would do nicely.

The Osirisian sun- HD 209458- it’s star, is, much like Earth’s Sun, white – yes I know…The Sun is yellow…but if there was no atmosphere it would look white – not that we would see it because without an atmosphere life on Earth would have survived for approx. 20 seconds before exploding into instant extinction.

An alien sunset on Osiris really does look alien – unlike Earth’s. Osiris’s atmosphere consists of sodium which when starlight (sunlight) zips through it, absorbs the red light. (think prisms and colours of rainbows when white light is split) This results in the remaining starlight appearing blue. It makes perfectly good sense if you were paying attention in your school science lessons. If you weren’t then it’s your own fault and you should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself!!

As back home on Earth the blue light from the star is scattered (“Rayleigh scattering,” a mechanism also responsible for the Earth’s sky being blue) creating a progressive change through the blue end of the spectrum through to a pretty green and later a deep, dark shade of green as its star dips further beneath the horizon.

In such colours you should be able to get a good view of Osiris’s sun without going instantly blind in which case you will notice it looks oddly flat around the southern half. The same effect occurs when we watch the sun setting from Earth. This is the consequence of diffraction (light bending) and nothing to worry about..

Whilst you are relaxing in the Osirisian sunset you can reflect on the little snippet of mythology attached to it’s title… Osiris was an Egyptian god, usually identified as the god of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead. He was classically depicted as a green-skinned man with a pharaoh’s beard, partially mummy-wrapped at the legs, wearing a distinctive crown with two large ostrich feathers at either side, and holding a symbolic crook and flail. His green skin is symbolic of new birth. This image is based on New Kingdom tomb paintings.

    

      AND FOR COMPARISION PURPOSES, THE SUNSET ON HD 189733 b

    Sunset on HD 189733 b looks like an especially awesome Earth sunset when the sky is very clear and there is only a small amount of dust in the atmosphere. HD 189733 b is much closer to its star (sun) than Earth is to our Sun so its star looks considerably bigger 25 times larger than Earth’s sun when viewed at sunset compared.

HD 189733 b’s sun is orange and nowhere near as hot as Earth’s Sun and consequently is coloured orange as oppose to the white of our Sun. Instead of undergoing a gradual change of colour as it sets, this alien sun transforms straight from its original orange colour to deepest red in the thick layers of the lower atmosphere.

HD 189733b discovered in 2005 is an extrasolar planet of similar size to Jupiter. It orbits a star (it’s sun) in a binary system called HD 189733 in the constellation of Vulpecula in two Earth days. The aging process on this world would be terribly fast in our terms and those wrinkles would appear in a frighteningly super-smart short time!! The star system itself one of the closest planet-star systems known making it extremely hot. It is located near the Dumbell Nebula, approximately 62 light years from Earth and is known as a “Hot Jupiter.”

HD 189733b shares many similar characteristics as HD 209458b (a.k.a. “Osiris) Although HD 189733b’s atmosphere isn’t thought to be evaporating like Osiris’, atmospheric gases extend far beyond it and out into space. This is significant in that starlight can also pass through meaning that scientists have been able to figure out that the atmosphere contains water and methane resulting in the probability that HD 189733b may have a blue hue, reminiscent of Uranus.

The atmosphere also contains iron, silicate and aluminium oxide particles. These would seem to collect in HD 189733b’s upper atmosphere, forming a thin, hazy, reflective cloud in the exosphere. This leads to the natural conclusion that the weather on HD 189733b is hot and cloudy.

Thanks to the Spitzer telescope it was discovered in February 2007 for the first time that the atmosphere of exoplanet HD 209458b (Osiris) is relatively dry, thick and dusty. Osiris even contains grains of sand (silicates).

Although it is not suitable for the existence of alien life it is an exciting step on the road to discovery of such worlds.

Sources:

PhysOrg.com

Prof. Frédéric Pont

ExoClimes.com

Reactor Explosions and Fires

Japan Nuclear Disaster And Earthquake-Tsunami 2011~2013

“I bowed and begged them to stay…”

Two years ago today the Japanese people were reeling from the nightmare of the 8.9-magnitude earthquake – the most powerful one ever recorded in Japan, and the 30-foot wave tsunami that crashed as much as 6 miles inshore on March 11 2011; It was a nightmare that killed in the region of 20,000 people and triggered the world’s worst nuclear crisis since the Chernobyl disaster 27 years ago.

Whilst the atomic accident at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant did not actually claim any lives it has left tens of thousands of people driven from their homes in a mass evacuation and reduced whole towns to an uninhabitable state as a consequence of the dangerous radiation levels. A situation that will probably last for many decades to come.

                        

A report compiled by America’s Institute of Nuclear Power Operations highlights the heroism of workers at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in the disaster’s aftermath, which saw three reactors go into full nuclear meltdown…

“The plant’s back-up generators also failed, leaving most of the facility with no power. Workers struggled to cool the overheating reactors in ‘complete darkness’ while hundreds of aftershocks rocked the area, including two of greater than 7.0 magnitude. The workers persisted in their efforts despite ‘elevated and continuously changing dose rates and contamination levels,’ the report said. Food shortages meant they were given only a biscuit for breakfast and a bowl of noodles for dinner. Many slept on the floor. Some of the workers had lost their homes and families to the tsunami, but continued to toil at the crippled nuclear plant. Some operators volunteered to perform dangerous jobs, the report notes, while many had no formal training for the tasks they were attempting. They relied on "creativity" and "unconventional or unique methods to deal with ‘conditions that were beyond the design basis for the station.’ “ ~ America’s Institute of Nuclear Power Operations

No. 2 reactor at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant suffered an explosion when cooling systems in the Unit failed and pressure inside the reactor soared. Reactor Units Nos. 1 and 3 were blasted by hydrogen explosions which blew the roof off No. 1 unit and tore No 3 reactor apart, and a fire broke out in reactor No. 4 spent fuel storage pond.

                  

   

Masao Yoshida then Fukushima Daiichi plant chief told state broadcaster NHK: "In the first week immediately after the accident I thought a few times ‘I’m going to die.”

Making reference to the explosion of hydrogen that ripped the buildings around rectors 1 and 3 to shreds, he added: "I thought it was all over.”

In a provisional report released by the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) Masao described how he was forced to face the fact that they had a full blown disaster on their hands “When lights flickered and went out, including those on the control panels.”

"I came to realise a tsunami had hit the site as one of the workers rushed into the room, shouting ‘Sea water is gushing in!’ I felt totally at a loss after losing power sources. Other workers appeared anxious. They argued, and one asked: ‘Is there any reason for us to be here when there is nothing we can do to control (the reactors)?’ I bowed and begged them to stay.”

As immobilised electrical and cooling systems at the nuclear power plant ground to a halt the largely unsung heroes – the heroic plant workers – in a terrifyingly high risk situation took life-threatening health risks in a desperate, punishing bid to prevent a worse nuclear disaster.

The beleaguered, under fire operator of Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant released accounts from the plant workers’ themselves describing some of their most desperate moments as they struggled and fought to bring the stricken nuclear plant under control…

                   

• Overwhelming challenges as workers endeavoured to manually open a ventilation valve in a vital effort to discharge pressure from a reactor container.

"We put on the full protection gear but couldn’t possibly let young workers do the task, as we had to go into an area where the radiation levels were high. When I got to the place to open the valve, I heard eerie, deep popping noise from the torus (a donut-shaped structure at the bottom of the reactor). When I put one of my feet on the torus to reach the valve, my black rubber boot melted and slipped (due to the heat).” one worker recalled.

• Dire working conditions as they strove relentlessly to combat the dangerously unstable and crippled nuclear plant.

"We experienced big aftershocks, and many times we had to run up a hill in desperation (fearing a tsunami) with the full-face mask still on,” one worker said.

• Race against time to set down power cables and reinstate the electric supply:

"We finished the work (in one section) in several hours, although it usually requires one month or two. It was an operation we had to do in puddles, fearing electrification,” the worker said.

• Explosions and fires at the plant give a free rein to the release of critically hazardous radiation levels, compelling TEPCO to evacuate all but a handful of brave and desperately needed workers, out of a nuclear workforce of hundreds.

                      

Those workers became known as the "The Fukushima Fifty”, but the final numbers of workers risking lives and health to join the battle increased by thousands who were also joined by partner company technicians, the likes of Toshiba and Hitachi.

They undertook the commission of ensuring the steady flow of cooling water streaming into the six plant reactors, three of which none-the-less were later to undergo overheating and ultimate melted down.

Cooling System Failures at Japan’s Power Plants

“Reactors 1, 2 and 3 experienced a full meltdown in the wake of an earthquake and tsunami in March” ~ Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters (Japan}

“Nuclear fuel rods in reactors 2 and 3 probably melted during the first week of the nuclear crisis whilst fuel rods at the heart of reactor No. 1 melted almost completely in the first 16 hours after the disaster struck.”

“We Came Close To Losing Northern Japan”

~Tokyo Electric Power Co.