Partners. “Castellers”
This is my contribution to this Week Photo Challenge: Partners
These are a group of “castellers”, that is, a group of people who build human “castles”. I think this perfectly reflects the concept of partners.
A castell (castle) is a human tower built traditionally in festivals at many locations within Catalonia. At these festivals, several colles castelleres (group of people who do these towers) often succeed in building and dismantling a tower’s structure. On November 16, 2010, castells were declared by UNESCO to be amongst the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
Castellers
A castell is considered a success when stages of its assembling and disassembling, can be done in complete succession. The assembly is complete once all castellers have climbed into their designated places, and the enxaneta climbs into place at the top and raises one hand with four fingers erect, in a gesture said to symbolize the stripes of the Catalan flag. The enxaneta then climbs down the other side of the castell, after which the remaining levels of castellers descend in highest-to-lowest order until all have reached safety.
Castellers
Aside from the people who climb to form the upper parts of the tower, others are needed to form the pinya, or bottom base of the castell, to sustain its weight. Members of the pinya (most often men) also act as a ‘safety net’ if the tower structure collapses, cushioning the fall of people from the upper levels. It is not uncommon—when not in competitions—for other colles to assist in the pinya when a small colla is attempting a specially demanding structure in terms of people needed.
More info: Wikipedia
time for love
Harsh and cold
autumn holds to it our naked trees:
If only you would free, at least, the sparrows
from the tips of your fingers
and release a smile, a small smile
from the imprisoned cry I see.
Sing! Can we sing
as if we were light, hand in hand
sheltered in shade, under a strong sun?
Will you remain, this way
stoking the fire, more beautiful than necessary, and quiet?
Darkness intensifies
and the distant light is our only consolation —
that one, which from the beginning
has, little by little, been flickering
and is now about to go out.
Come to me. Closer and closer.
I don’t want to know my hand from yours.
And let’s beware of sleep, lest the snow smother us.
Distant light
by Walid Khazindar
Walid Khazindar was born in 1950 in Gaza City. He is considered one of the best Palestinian poets; his poetry has been said to be “characterized by metaphoric originality and a novel thematic approach unprecedented in Arabic poetry.” He was awarded the first Palestine Prize for Poetry in 1997.
Let’s go!
This photo was taken in front of the Louis Vuitton store on 5th Avenue in New York City.
Taking advantage of the post title, I leave you a beautiful dance song also titled “Let’s go”,
“Let’s Go” is a song by Scottish DJ Calvin Harris, featuring vocals from American recording artist Ne-Yo. The track was released in the United Kingdom on 22 April 2012 as the third single from Harris’s third studio album 18 Months (2012). On 29 April 2012, precisely a week after its release, “Let’s Go” debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart for the week ending dated 5 May 2012— marking Harris’ third consecutive number two hit.
As of July 2012, the song has sold 376,000 downloads in the United States. It also appeared on the deluxe version of Ne-Yo‘s fifth studio album, R.E.D. The song received a nomination for Best Dance Recording at the 55th Grammy Awards held in February 2013.
The song was used for a Pepsi and Pepsi Max advert that features Lionel Messi, Didier Drogba, Fernando Torres, Wojciech Szczęsny, Frank Lampard, Sergio Agüero and Jack Wilshere.
More in Wikipedia
Tea time
Afternoon tea is a light meal typically eaten between 4 pm and 6 pm. Observance of the custom originated amongst the wealthy classes in England in the 1840s. Anna Maria Russell, Duchess of Bedford, is widely credited as transforming afternoon tea in England into a late-afternoon meal whilst visiting Belvoir Castle. By the end of the nineteenth century, afternoon tea developed to its current form and was observed by both the upper and middle classes. It had become ubiquitous, even in the isolated village in the fictionalised memoir Lark Rise to Candleford, where a cottager lays out what she calls a “visitor’s tea” for their landlady: “the table was laid… there were the best tea things with a fat pink rose on the side of each cup; hearts of lettuce, thin bread and butter, and the crisp little cakes that had been baked in readiness that morning.”
American afternoon tea finger foods.
For the more privileged, afternoon tea was accompanied by delicate savouries (customarily cucumber sandwiches or egg and cress sandwiches), bread and butter, possibly scones (with clotted cream and jam, as for cream tea), and usually cakes and pastries (such as Battenberg cake or Victoria sponge). The sandwiches usually have the crusts removed, and are cut into small segments, either as triangles or fingers (also known as tea sandwiches). Biscuits are not usually served.
Nowadays, a formal afternoon tea is more of a special occasion, taken as a treat in a hotel. The food is often served on a tiered stand; there may be no sandwiches, but bread or scones with butter or margarine and optional jam or other spread, or toast, muffins or crumpets. Afternoon tea as a treat may be supplemented with a glass of Champagne or a similar alcoholic drink.
A less formal establishment is known as a tearoom, similar to a coffee shop. These used to be common in the UK, but these establishments have declined in popularity since World War II. A.B.C. tea shops and Lyons Corner Houses were successful chains of such establishments, and played a role in opening up possibilities for Victorian women.
A tea party is a social gathering around this meal – not to be confused with the Boston Tea Party, an incident at the beginning of the American Revolution, or the modern political party named after it.
More in Wikipedia.
Do you want to talk to my snake?
Tell me wise but I never would bring a snake into my house. If you decide otherwise you should first follow the advice of Pet Snakes.
Before you even think of bringing a snake home you need to know as much as you can about them…
At minimum you want to be able to answer basic questions like these:
- How big will it get?
- How big of a cage does it need?
- What does it eat?
- Do snakes have any diseases?
- Does it need special lighting or heating?
- How much will the snake and everything else cost?
The point isn’t to know just answers to a few generic questions but to know as much as you possibly can.
Extracted from “Convincing your family about a pet snake” by Pet Snakes who says about them: “We are just a few like-minded folks who enjoy learning about and discussing snakes. We love all reptiles, but the purpose of our blog is to focus on snakes”.
Broken man
There are hints of a past life, a possibly known identity for the Broken man. However, pretty much everything here is speculative in nature. We are mere observers.
The Broken man carries a briefcase of unknown content. Perhaps the answer is within.
His face reveals much more than suffering. Anyway his eyes forward thinking, tells us that he does not want to desist in his efforts, despite his precarius situation…
This is my contribution to this Week Photo Challenge: Face
Broken man. Complete body (?!)
Bus
This capture was taken in a NYC bus. It shows a big ad from a television series Blindspot.
Blindspot is an American crime drama television series created by Martin Gero, starring Sullivan Stapleton and Jaimie Alexander. The series was ordered by NBC on May 1, 2015, and premiered on September 21, 2015. A back nine order was given on October 9, 2015, bringing the first season to a total of 22 episodes, plus an additional episode bringing the order to 23 episodes. On November 9, 2015, NBC renewed Blindspot for a second season.
Blindspot focuses on a mysterious tattooed woman who has lost her memory and does not know her own identity. The FBI discovers that each tattoo contains a clue to a crime they will have to solve.
Boy looking at the antiques
Boy looking at the antiques
Photo taken at the Portobello Market in London.
Hidden
Hidden
Harley-Davidson
I like all motorbikes or motorcycles, and I’ve done thousands of miles in them. One of the most charismatic is the Harley-Davidson.
Harley-Davidson Inc, often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers (Indian being the other) to survive the Great Depression. Harley-Davidson also survived a period of poor quality control and competition from Japanese manufacturers.
From 1977 to 2014 the only motorcycles sold to the public under the Harley-Davidson brand were heavyweight cruiser motorcycles, with engine displacements greater than 700 cc. Harley-Davidson motorcycles, or “Harleys”, are noted for the tradition of heavy customization that gave rise to the chopper style of motorcycle. Except for the modern VRSC and Street model families, current Harley-Davidson motorcycles reflect the styles of classic Harley designs. While Harley-Davidson’s attempts to establish itself in the light motorcycle market have met little success and have largely been abandoned since the 1978 sale of its Italian Aermacchi subsidiary, the company re-entered the middleweight market in 2015 with its Street series of motorcycles.
More info in Wikipedia
Harley-Davidson
Pedaling under palm trees
Pedaling under palm trees
Claude Denson Pepper (1900 – 1989) was an American politician of the Democratic Party, and a spokesman for left-liberalism and the elderly.
bCL Photography 