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Unforgiveness is the Cause
UNFORGIVENESS IS THE CAUSE by Father Al Lauer Presentation Ministries
"Forgive as the Lord has forgiven you." --Colossians 3:13
When I was first ordained a priest, I believed that over 50 percent of all problems were due to unforgiveness. After ten years in ministry, I revised my estimate and maintained 75 to 80 percent of all health, marital, family, and financial problems came from unforgiveness. Now, after almost twenty years in ministry, I have concluded that over 90 percent of all problems are rooted in unforgiveness.
If most problems come from unforgiveness, we can understand why Jesus emphasizes forgiveness to an extreme degree. When Peter suggested to Jesus that we should forgive seven times, he was correct. (Mt 18:21) Seven in the Bible stands for an indefinite number of times, so Peter was saying we should forgive indefinitely. This is the correct answer but not the correct emphasis. Jesus proclaims we should forgive "seventy times seven," indefinitely times indefinitely. (Mt 18:22) Jesus further emphasizes forgiveness by saying God's kingdom is a matter of forgiveness and those who do not forgive are handed over to torturers. (Mt 18:23, 34) And when the disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray, Jesus told them to pray they be forgiven as they forgive. (Mt 6:12) This means prayer will hurt rather than help us if we do not forgive. This is the only point in the Lord's prayer on which Jesus commented. He reiterated: "If you forgive the faults of others, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours. If you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive you." (Mt 6:14-15) Jesus insists on forgiveness. We must pass on the forgiveness He has given us by the shedding of His blood on Calvary.
Why do we refuse to forgive? Are we punishing the other person and protecting ourselves from further harm? Not really. Our enemies suffer minimally from our unforgiveness compared with the damage we do to ourselves. The verdict we pass on others is passed on us. (Mt 7:2) Unforgiveness is a fatal poison which cuts us off from forgiveness (Mk 11:24-25), and worship. (Mt 5:23-24)
Then, when we are separated from the graces, we are handed over to the torturers. (Mt 18:34) These torturers are not people, but worse. They are such experiences as fear, depression, frustration, anxiety, self-hatred and loneliness. As these and other torturers work over us, we deteriorate to a level of existence which is characterized by fruitless, compulsive, escapist activities.
We must forgive others and ourselves or destroy ourselves. Yet it is humanly impossible to forgive. "To err is human, to forgive is divine." Only God can forgive. To forgive another is more miraculous than healing someone in the most advanced stages of cancer. But God will do this miracle for us.
However, many times we do not ask for the miracle of forgiveness be- cause we are deceived by the devil into thinking we have already forgiven another. Many people help deceive themselves by re-defining forgiveness to be the control of hostile feelings instead of a merciful expression of love. Forgiveness is not a feeling but a decision to let go of hurt due to an offense and to express this by extending loving mercy to those who have hurt us. The Lord calls us to forgive affection- ately, generously, and mercifully, as the father of the prodigal son did. (Lk 15:20ff) The following diagnostic questions can help us know if we've deceived ourselves about forgiving others.
1) Am I conscious that God gave me the grace to forgive and that I did not do it myself? If you are not aware that God did it, He may not have.
2) Have I forgiven but not forgotten? If God is working, He will give you the grace both to forgive and forget.
3) Can I picture myself embracing the other person? (see Lk 15:20)
4) Do I appreciate Confession (the Sacrament of Reconciliation) and celebrate it frequently? If we are forgiving graciously and lovingly, we are being forgiven in this way in the sacrament. This would attract us to Confession.
A "No" answer to on of these questions doesn't mean we've not forgiven but it's a bad sign.
The essence of forgiveness by God's standards is the giving of mercy. Mercy means to treat others better than they deserve. When we extend mercy to those who have offended us, we kiss prodigal sons, give presents to offenders, and have special celebrations in honor of our enemies. These people don't deserve this, but we have mercy on them anyway. We don't deserve the redemptive death of God's Son, the shedding of His blood, and the promise of eternal happiness. But He has given them to us anyway because of His mercy.
The Lord expects us to pass on to others the merciful forgiveness we have received from Him. We are reluctant to do this because of the high cost of extending mercy. Although Jesus has paid the price for mercy by His death on Calvary, He lets us share in His sufferings. (see Col 1:24) For example, if someone hits your car, you can have mercy on them and pay for it yourself. That mercy may cost you $800.00. That is some of the cheapest mercy you'll ever give. What if your husband told you he had committed adultery but that he would never do it again? He wanted you to take him back and help put your marriage back together. If you have mercy on him, you will take a tremendous emotional, psychological, and spiritual loss. Even if you don't have mercy, you will suffer. But you feel like making your husband pay for his adultery as much as possible because you don't have to pay for it as much if you take it out on him.
Mercy is so expensive that we don't want to think of it. Pope John Paul II taught: "The present day mentality, more perhaps than that of people in the past, seems opposed to a God of mercy, and in fact tends to exclude from life and to remove from the human heart the very idea of mercy. The word and the concept of 'mercy' seems to cause uneasiness in man." (_Rich In Mercy_, 2) In a world of gross injustices, we feel embarrassed to talk of mercy to victims of violence, rape, abuse, and racism. But when we have mercy, we are not condoning sin but loving sinners. In fact, the more we love sinners, the more we hate the sin that degrades them. We must follow the example of Jesus, the most victimized Person Who has ever lived. He said" "Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing." (Lk 23:34) Then He extended His mercy by promising the good thief that he would be in paradise that very day. (Lk 23:43) Even as Jesus died, He poured forth the abundant stream of mercy.
In the Old Testament, the gold plate over the ark of the covenant was called the "propitiatory," or "mercy-seat." Here Yahweh sat in all His mercy. The New Testament fulfillment of the mercy-seat is the tabernacle. Come before the tabernacle, into the presence of the eucharistic Jesus. Ask for mercy to come to you and through you. You may even put out your hand and touch the tabernacle, the new mercy-seat. With that touch, you can receive what the hemorrhaging woman experienced when she touched the hem of Jesus' robe. (see Lk 8:46) You will experience God's power and the miracle of mercy.
If we see that we have not forgiven by extending God's mercy, we should repent and simply ask the Lord to do the miracle of forgiveness. Our prayerful decision to forgive and God's grace is all that's necessary. Our prayer will be answered immediately.
But sometimes our prayer does not seem to work because we are only mouthing the words and deep down don't want to forgive. We are like the unforgiving brother of the prodigal son (Lk 15:28) or like Jonah in his hatred of the Ninevites. (Jon 3:10--4:1) In this case, we should back our prayer up a step and pray not from where we should be but from where we are. Before we pray to forgive, we should pray to be willing to forgive. Otherwise, our hearts will contradict our words. God will give us the willingness and then the forgiveness. We should then celebrate this forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
The sign of forgiveness is outstretched arms. The forgiving father threw his arms around the neck of the prodigal son and kissed him. (Lk 15:20) Jesus received the embrace and kiss of Judas, and forgave him. (Mk 14:45) Finally, Jesus stretched out His arms on the cross and would have embraced us all if we had not nailed His arms to the cross. Right now, imagine embracing someone you need to forgive. By God's grace and in God's mercy, say to this person: "I forgive you."
Now go, embrace these people. If this is impossible, call or write them without delay. If they are aware of problems in their relationship with you, apologize to them and ask them to forgive you for not forgiving them. Then give them a gift. (see Lk 15:22ff) Show the mercy of our forgiving Father. If those you need to forgive have died or are not able to be contacted, ask Jesus to contact them and pass on your forgiveness. Don't lose any time. (Mt 5:25) Receive the miracle of forgiveness now. -- Printed with ecclesiastical permission, Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Reproduced with permission.


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I always wondered where some of those stock market symbols came from.
To Europe now. Portugal's finance minister - the architect of the country's economic bailout deal with the European Union - has resigned. In stepping down, he cited the backlash against the policies he imposed at the urging of European lenders.
NPR's Lauren Frayer reports on this latest turn in the debate over whether severe budget austerity does more harm than good.
LAUREN FRAYER, BYLINE: Of all the bailed-out countries in Europe, Portugal has been the good student - taking the austerity medicine its lenders prescribe. Portuguese Finance Minister Vitor Gaspar took it even further - doubling budget cuts and tax hikes. Last year, he predicted the shock of austerity would actually create jobs.
VITOR GASPAR: We want to implement the agenda of structural transformation as fast as we possibly can.
FRAYER: But this was the result.
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Chanting in Portuguese)
FRAYER: Last week, hundreds of thousands of workers held a general strike - including Joao Vasconcelos.
JOAO VASCONCELOS: The recipe is not working, unemployment is high. Every measure had a boomerang effect. So we're fighting for some dignity.
FRAYER: Citing such public backlash, Finance Minister Gaspar resigned on Monday.
Economist Arlindo Oliveira says Portugal's experience shows that austerity alone doesn't work.
ARLINDO OLIVEIRA: The prescription itself was wrong. The government took it too far - was too good a student. I think it was bad for Portugal and ultimately will be bad for Europe.
FRAYER: On word of Gaspar's resignation, the European Union called on Portugal to stick with austerity. But another bailout might be necessary.
For NPR News, I'm Lauren Frayer. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

subset: commoncrawl


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24 comments:
- Acquired Objects said...
Loving the soothing look to this room!!!
- August 18, 2010 at 7:08 AM
- ChYmEc!nDy** said...
So unique and beautiful!
- August 18, 2010 at 7:38 AM
- Lilacandgrey said...
IN LOVE with that gold end table :)
<3 Cara - August 18, 2010 at 8:06 AM
- Will @ Bright.Bazaar said...
I like the double windows and they grey bedframe. A very generously sized bedroom!
- August 18, 2010 at 8:07 AM
- Mrs Modern Country said...
Ooh, that bed looks as though you could hop right in! I LOVE the bedside light. Gorgeous!
- August 18, 2010 at 8:30 AM
- Stacey said...
Beautiful room!I love the mix of period pieces too. Happy Wednesday to you.
- August 18, 2010 at 8:45 AM
- Janell @ House of Fifty said...
I've really been drawn to so many of the images being shown recently of spaces done in variations of whites...which includes grays, taupes, etc. Very restful. Janell
- August 18, 2010 at 8:51 AM
- Julie Holloway said...
I love this room....fits my mood today.
- August 18, 2010 at 9:13 AM
- for the love of a house said...
I adore this bedroom!
- August 18, 2010 at 10:40 AM
- Brandi@ Flights of Whimsy said...
Love this shade of gray, perfection!
- August 18, 2010 at 11:01 AM
- Teresa Hatfield ~ Splendid Sass said...
I love this room!
Teresa (Splendid Sass) - August 18, 2010 at 11:38 AM
- FrenchBlue said...
Awwwwwww simply the B.E.S.T.!!!!!!!!!!!
xo - August 18, 2010 at 1:03 PM
- Mona Thompson said...
Lovely in a messy kind of way! Congrats on the nice mention on Cote de Texas yesterday. You always have my very favorite take on gray!
- August 18, 2010 at 1:08 PM
- Kathysue said...
This room looks like a room for a Sunday morning paper and coffee read and then all day reading of design magazines and a great nap!! Kathysue
- August 18, 2010 at 1:16 PM
- Unknown said...
Amazing mix of style and pieces...taking notes!
- August 18, 2010 at 1:30 PM
- style chronicle said...
I love the lighter hue! It reflects the natural light.
- August 18, 2010 at 6:47 PM
- Kim@Chattafabulous said...
Gorgeous, Donna! And congrats on your blog mention on Cote de Texas!!! xxoox
- August 18, 2010 at 9:32 PM
- Glamour Drops said...
Love the glimmer of gold that sets off the cool grey. Great combination - utterly timeless and utterly glamourous.
- August 19, 2010 at 12:46 AM
- L'Elégante said...
J'aime beaucoup votre blog.
J'aime cette couleur, sobre et chic.
J'aime les modifications qu'apportent une coleur dans un espace donné.
Cette couleur venue de la décoration du 18ème siècle, permet de se délester du poids du temps. De s'allèger.
Vivre dans un endroit qui développe l'imaginaire.
C'est beau.
In english :
I like very much your blog.
I like this color, sober and smart.
I like the modifications that bring a coleur in a given space.
This color came the decoration of the 18th century, allows to off-load the weight of time. To lighten.
Live in a place which develops the imagination.
It is beautiful.
Fine. - August 19, 2010 at 1:41 AM
- Charlotta Ward said...
Gorgeous! The light, the white, the darker anchors and a touch of gold..! Totally up my alley!
xx C - August 19, 2010 at 2:59 AM
This room is the definition of tranquil.
Eddie & Jaithan - August 19, 2010 at 7:36 AM
- nelya said...
It's really beautiful, all of it. But the leggy gold table is stunning!
- August 19, 2010 at 8:43 AM
- VICTORIA said...
Oh my Gosh!!!White has a wonderful flow that almost feels restful and dreamy to me,Bedrooms are great!!!well that's just about everything!So airy feeling..great post!.thanks for sharing!
- August 23, 2010 at 12:05 AM
- Jenna @ Mi Vida Bonita said...
This is such a lovely space!
- August 26, 2010 at 12:14 AM


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Aim To Please
Gingerr was relaxing and having some ice cream when Preston walked up to press his luck. He flashed a wad of cash after he broke the ice with her and she decided to let him tag along while she shopped for a bit. The flirting continued until Preston suggested they find somewhere else to get to know each other a little more. Gingerr could not agree more and she went off and hopped into his car with him. They got frisky and Ginferr licked and sucked his cock for quite some time. Preston got the genius idea to go to this house that had been abandoned for months in that area. Gingerr really let her inner vixen out once they were somewhere more secluded. Preston even offered this knockout redhead an apartment completely paid for so that he could pass by and get him some Gingerr any time he felt the need. Something tells me he will be over her new apartment very often.


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Join Us
The primary purpose of Communities is to better assemble members with common interests so as to facilitate planning, communication, and coordination of programs and services.
Beginning a Community: A potential new Community starts by with submission of an application to the ISPA board. This application will include Community name, justification, interests/scope, proposed activities, founding Leader and Vice-Leader names and contact information, and names and contact information for 10 supporting ISPA members. A Community will be officially recognized after an approval vote of the ISPA board.
Ending a Community: Communities can end due to: 1) inactivity; or 2) request. Communities will be dissolved if inactive for two consecutive calendar years. The ISPA Board will annually review the health and activity of each current Community to insure they are meeting this requirement. The membership of a community can request it be dissolved if they feel it no longer serves a useful purpose within ISPA.
Expectations of a Community: Each community should be active in meeting the needs of its members and ISPA. Activities of each community can vary according to need but should include:
- Hold an Annual Community Meeting (either at the ICPA, a virtual meeting, or otherwise as arranged by Community Leadership)
- Conduct an election of Community Leadership at the Community Meeting in alternate years.
- Have a minimum of 10 ISPA members identified as community members at the end of each calendar year.
- Maintain a webpage with current information on the ISPA site.
- Organize a minimum of one oral session, technical tour, workshop, or event at each ICPA or other appropriate venue every two years.
Membership: Once a community is formed, any ISPA member will be able to join through their account on the ISPA website. Each member may affiliate with as many communities as they desire.


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GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - In a season of difficult losses, this might have been the toughest one yet for the Tennessee Titans.
Jake Locker was sacked seven times, the defense gave up its most points in more than three years and it took Tennessee until 1:39 left in the game to avoid a shutout in 55-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday that more than one of the Titans described as "embarrassing.''
"That's just not acceptable and we let it happen,'' coach Mike Munchak said. "Thank God we have that (game next week) because I wouldn't want this to be our last game of the year.''
The Titans (5-10) finish the season next week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and owner Bud Adams promised he'll move quickly afterward to make sure Tennessee doesn't endure another season like this.
A year after finishing 9-7 and missing the playoffs on a tiebreaker, the Titans came up short this season, suffering an insurmountable number of injuries.
They have lost six of their past eight, and given up 51 or more points in two of those defeats. Green Bay's 55 points were the most Tennessee has allowed since being shut out 59-0 by the New England Patriots on Oct. 18, 2009.
Aaron Rodgers threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, Ryan Grant scored twice and Green Bay (11-4) scored on nine of its first 12 drives.
"We can't keep losing games like we lost today, and I mean it,'' the 90-year-old Adams told TitanInsider.com in a phone call from his Houston home.
"We've played some good games and looked pretty good at times. But we just need to sit down and go over everything, which I'm not making any decision now. I have to sit down with them and get their views and their points on things and go from there.''
The Titans thought they had some momentum after Monday night's win over the New York Jets, especially against a Packers team that's struggled to put away inferior opponents.
But Rodgers was on his game, finishing 27 of 38, and matched his season high with 342 yards passing despite sitting for most of the fourth quarter.
He connected with Randall Cobb (20 yards), Greg Jennings (1) and James Jones (12) for touchdowns, and also ran 6 yards for Green Bay's first score. The Packers also cracked the 100-yard rushing mark for the sixth time in the past seven weeks, and their four touchdowns on the ground were one less than they've managed the rest of the season combined.
It was the most points scored by the Packers since they put up the same number against Tampa Bay on Oct. 2, 1983, and their largest margin of victory since a 52-3 win over New Orleans on Oct. 9, 2005.
"It got uglier than it needed to,'' Munchak said. "We needed to make a stand somewhere and we didn't. I would never have thought this possible because I felt we had been playing better. But today we did not. Obviously we took a step back as a team.''
Green Bay's defense, meanwhile, made life miserable for Locker and the Titans.
Tennessee's offensive line has been decimated by injuries - it started its fifth combination Sunday - and the Titans also were without leading receiver Kendall Wright. But Locker didn't help matters. He was sacked seven times - he tripped over his own feet on one - and picked off twice, and finished 13 of 30 for 140 yards.
Tennessee managed to cross midfield just three times during the game, and only avoided the shutout on Kenny Britt's 2-yard catch with 1:39 left.
"It seems like a trend all year is we either do good or we do real bad. It's something that we have to change,'' said Chris Johnson, who was held to 28 yards on 11 carries. "We're in a situation where we're all playing for ourselves and we're playing for everybody in this locker room. ... We've just got to go to practice this week, work hard and try to end this season on a positive note.''
NOTES: Johnson said he's fine after injuring his ankle and sitting out one series in the first half. .. With 100 yards on seven catches, Jones has at least one 100-yard game in each of his six seasons. His 722 yards also tops his previous season best. ... A.J. Hawk's two sacks tied his career best. ... Seven of the Titans' 10 losses have been by 14 points or more. ... Fifteen different Packers have had a full sack this season, matching the franchise high.


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What is the proper response to the gospel?
The answer to that question will, of course, depend on how you define the gospel. Last week I wrote a bit about how Scot McKnight contends that the Good News isn't the "Steps to Salvation." Rather, the gospel is the declaration that Jesus is Lord, that the Kingdom of God has been inaugurated in Jesus of Nazareth. This is why Jesus himself preached the gospel, well before his crucifixion. For example, after his baptism in the book of Mark Jesus is observed preaching the gospel:
Mark 1.14-15What is the gospel according to Jesus? It is the declaration that "the kingdom of God has come near." Similarly, when Jesus sends out his disciples in Luke 10 they proclaim the same message:
After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!"
Luke 10.8-11As I reflected on this during Advent I began to wonder if we need to rethink the "proper response" to the gospel. Specifically, the soterian gospel has tended to emphasize a response of faith. Cognitive assent. But when we come to see the gospel as the declaration that the "kingdom of God has come near" the issue is less about belief than repentance. Jesus declares in Mark "Repent and believe the good news." The primacy of repentance is even more clear in the gospel of Matthew:
"When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 'Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.'
Matthew 4.17The role of repentance is also highlighted at the very beginning of Mark (and echoed in Matthew and Luke) when we take in the message of John the Baptist:
From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."
Mark 1.1-5The message of the Baptist is what caught my attention during Advent. Prior to Jesus's entrance John is "preparing the way for the Lord" by "preaching a baptism of repentance." To be sure, faith is a prerequisite for all this. Obviously, you'd have to believe John's message before undergoing his baptism of repentance. But this is banal. Such a faith doesn't, in itself, constitute a full and proper response to the gospel. Rather, the response we see is a repentance for the forgiveness of sins. This is how the heart is properly prepared for responding to the kingdom coming.
The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
"I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way"—
"a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
'Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.'"
And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
This makes sense if we consider the gospel to be, as Scot McKnight has argued, the declaration that Jesus is King. Kings don't demand belief or faith. You don't believe in kings. No, you obey kings. You give a king allegiance. So when the kingdom comes the proper response is behavioral, a reconfiguration of loyalties. A new apocalyptic reality has been revealed and we are called upon to readjust our lives to this new reality. This is why the ministry of John the Baptist was necessary.
Why has the role of repentance been deemphasized in many sectors of Christianity? One answer, I think, has to do with what Scot McKnight has pointed out: We've reduced the gospel to salvation. Thus, the crux of Christian life becomes cognitive assent (i.e., faith) rather than readjusting our lives in the face of the gospel--that Jesus is Lord and the rule/kingdom of God has broken upon us. As I described above, it's so much easier to believe that Jesus is King than to obey him as King. The point being, for great swaths of Christianity the message and ministry of John the Baptist has no place. We don't tell people that, to accept the gospel, they need to prepare themselves. All you need to do is believe in Jesus and say the Sinner's Prayer. Compare that with John's baptism of repentance and his message:
Luke 3.10-14When people ask "What must I do to be saved?" Christians don't, as a rule, say things like "If you have two shirts give one to the poor." We don't see that action--giving away excess possessions--as an example of responding to the gospel. But it is. It's readjusting your life to the new rule of God.
"What should we do then?" the crowd asked.
John answered, "Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same."
Even tax collectors came to be baptized. "Teacher," they asked, "what should we do?"
"Don't collect any more than you are required to," he told them.
Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?"
He replied, "Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely—be content with your pay."
A second and related reason for the eclipse of repentance is that repentance has become a morbid concept. Christians are ashamed of repentance because it doesn't sell well with the public. And this is understandable. If you've grown up with toxic, guilt-driven fundamentalism the word repentance conjures up notions of shame, self-loathing, and a wrathful, judgmental God. When we hear "Repent!" many of us hear "You're going to hell ya damned sinner!"
But this is where I think the ideas of preparation and allegiance come in handy. Repentance is preparing for the reign of God. It's not about getting down on yourself. It's about clearing out the rubbish and clutter of our lives. Sort of like spring cleaning. (Literally, at times, a spring cleaning. To the point of going through your stuff and giving it away.) More, repentance is about loyalty and allegiance. It's about hearing the declaration of the gospel and switching sides. It has less to do with guilt than about joining up with a new team.


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Debut of Nikon F3
Evolution of electronic cameras and Nikon F3
Electronic SLR cameras and lower-price models
Production of single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras in Japan reached the 7.56 million mark in 1980 from the 2.76 million mark in 1974, having reached the peak of its popularity. (Fig. 6-5).
This was the result of the SLR cameras becoming increasingly electronized, so that they were coming out with varied exposure control options, improved ease of operation for photography with the program AE (automatic exposure control), reduced size and lower prices.
Electronic SLR cameras became popular around 1965 with the introduction of electronic shutters for automatic exposure control. The circuit configuration was initially a small-scale analog design. Around 1975, digital control became available with a large-scale circuit configuration with a microcomputer to allow shutter control using a crystal oscillator (quartz).
The downsizing of SLR cameras accelerated from 1975 onwards with the emergence in 1973 of compact and lightweight 135-format SLR cameras weighing 470 g.
In keeping with the trend toward electronic and compact SLR cameras, we released Nikomat EL (weighing 780 g) with an electronic shutter in 1972, and Nikomat ELW in February 1976.
The Nikomat ELW inherited the aperture-priority automatic exposure control of EL and newly incorporated the coupling and electric contact point for automatic film winding with the auto-winder AW-1, and a power switch on the ring around the shutter release button in addition to that on the film advance lever.
The Nikomat ELW with the auto-winder AW-1 won the Good Design Mark in 1976.
Our SLR cameras with the TTL exposure meter adopted the full-aperture metering for exposure measurement. However, it was then necessary to let the exposure meter on a camera learn different maximum apertures depending on the lens used by turning the aperture ring to the full and returning it to the original position, after mounting the lens to engage the shoe on the aperture ring and the exposure meter coupling pin on the camera body.
Then, we marketed AI (Automatic Maximum Aperture Indexing) System in 1977 to provide automatic correction of the maximum aperture once a lens was mounted, and released the AI System-integrated cameras in succession as follows by redesigning the existing models:
In March 1977, Nikon F2 Photomic A from Nikon F2 Photomic S, and Nikomat FT3 from Nikomat FT2;
In May in the same year, Nikon EL2 as an upgraded version based on the integration of Nikomat EL and ELW; and
In July of the same year, Nikon F2 Photomic AS from Nikon F2 Photomic SB.
The AI System involved changes in the design of the lens diaphragm mechanism; next, we focused lens production on AI Nikkor. The AI Nikkor lenses were compatible with our existing SLR cameras (F mount), and most of the existing Nikkor lenses were made to accommodate the AI System through some modifications.
In April 1976, the shutter speed-priority AE SLR camera which offered features such as a microcomputer (configured with CPU in the form of a single module on a flexible board), unitized internal mechanisms, 50 mm f/1.4 standard lens, and prices far below 100,000 yen appeared in the home market. In response to this, the market trend of AE SLR cameras was directed towards low-end models.
In order to accommodate the trend toward compact size (142 x 89.5 x 60 mm), reduced weight (590 g) and lower prices, we brought out an AI-compatible new model Nikon FM (the model with 50 mm f/2, put on sale at a suggested retail price of 81,000 yen) in May 1977.
The Nikon FM sold well, though its shutter was mechanical and involved manual exposure control, and then, in April in the next 1978, the aperture-priority AE SLR camera Nikon FE (with a 50 mm f/1.8 at 95,000 yen) with the electronically controlled shutter went on sale.
The FE was favorably received and the sales increased, reaching the sales volume of 250,000 per year and a total turnover of 10 billion yen for three years from FY 1979 to FY 1981, which made this model a mainstay of the sales in Nippon Kogaku K.K.
Specifications of Nikon FE
Type | Electronically controlled 35 mm single-reflex lens focal-plane shutter camera |
Exposure control | A (aperture-priority automatic) and Manual |
Focusing screen | Split micro design (K type), interchangeable with B / E types |
Metering system | TTL center-weighted full-aperture metering, Metering range EV1 to 18 with ASA/ISO 100 film Film speed setting ASA/ISO 12 to 4,000 |
Exposure compensation range | +2 to -2EV |
Exposure lock (AE lock) | Available with self-timer lever |
Shutter | Automatic: 8 to 1/1,000 sec. (step-less), Manual: B and M90 (1/90 sec.), 8 to 1/1,000 sec. (16 steps), For B and M90, mechanical shutter speed selection |
Flash sync | X setting only, built-in ready-light for use with the optional Speedlight unit synchronized at 1/125 sec. or less |
Dimensions & Weight | (Approx.) 142x89.5x57.5 mm; 590 g (body alone) |
In addition, in response to the request by the U.S. market for lower-priced models, the compact-sized (134.5x 86 x 54 mm) and lightweight (460 g) AE SLR camera Nikon EM was introduced in March 1979 for beginners and women, and the export was started.
We commissioned Giorgetto Giugiaro (1938- ), a famous Italian car and industrial designer, to take charge of the final design of the exterior of EM similarly as in the case of the exterior design of the flagship model Nikon F3.
A year after its introduction, also in Japan in March 1980, Nikon EM (with 50 mm f/1.8, 60,000 yen) went on sale in conjunction with the release of the flagship model Nikon F3, and the sales volume of EM in FY 1980 exceeded 400,000 in total both at home and abroad.
The EM kept gaining favor and the sales volume reached 1.53 million in total at the end of 1984.
In response to the introduction of the low-end EM, also for the lenses, a new lower-priced Nikon Lens Series E was brought out at home in Japan with the three models (50 mm f/1.8, 35 mm f/2.5, and 100 mm f/2.8), and in May 1980 Zoom 75 - 150 mm f/3.5 was added.
In May of 1981, all models of Nikon Lens Series E, which had been marketed at home in Japan, were refreshed in the exterior and standardized to the AI Nikkor lenses.
In addition, in July 1980 NIKONOS IV-A was released as a successor to NIKONOS III through a complete change of the mechanisms involving the substitution of mechanical shutter by the electronically controlled type, incorporation of TTL metering aperture-priority AE and ease of film changing by opening/closing the back cover.
Such a series of model lineups helped increase the number of Nikon fans and as a result, the sales of Nikon products doubled to 74 billion yen in FY 1980 from 36.4 billion yen in FY 1974.
Development of Nikon F3
Once the production of Nikon F2 (1971) was put on track, the designer team got down to product concept for the next-generation flagship model, later known Nikon F3.
The Nikon F2 adopted the electronic circuits for exposure control and other mechanisms, though the shutter was the mechanically controlled, which had gained the absolute trust of professional photographers.
However, based on the concept that "without introduction of electronic technologies, only so much can be accomplished in terms of developing multifunctional cameras and at the same time further enhancing reliability", we cast aside the then prevailing concept that high-end single-lens reflex cameras should be manual (for exposure control), and decided to develop an electronically controlled shutter for the next-generation flagship model by applying the electronic technologies which had been demonstrated to be sufficiently reliable in the development of Nikomat EL, to the mechanical design of Nikon F2 as possible.
This was backed up by our confidence that even the professional photographers who had been distrustful of electronically controlled cameras, would favorably receive any highly reliable, multifunctional flagship model, if we could implement it successfully.
In addition, one of the key features of the Nikon F3 included the motor drive, which had been designed based on the concept that it was not an accessory but rather it was considered an integral part of the camera. The motor drive speed increased to 6 frames/sec. from 4 frames/sec. in the Nikon F2, to satisfy the requests by professional photographers. This enhancement was implemented free from any voltage increase with the adoption of a coreless motor, and thanks to the increased efficiency of the gear train for the film winding system and the resultant reduced load on the motor. An additional provision was also made for noise reduction.
The development of electronic Nikon F3 was started , using only analog circuits. However, the information volume to be processed was too large for handling by the analog ICs (integrated circuits) of the existing level. Then, the direction was reversed and the display circuit was to be digitized. We planned to adopt the liquid crystal (display element) for reduced power consumption than the LED (light emission diode) which was commonly used for cameras in those days. The liquid crystal (LC) had been put into practical application only for a few years for watches and other some articles, though we decided to adopt the LC after due consideration to durability.
It was in March 1977 when the design was started formally after the product conception and organization of the prototype through integration of trial-manufactured parts.
The design philosophy consisted of implementing three objectives, 1) high quality and high reliability, 2) ease of operation and versatility, and 3) automatic operation, on the basis of the inherited philosophy of F2. In addition, electronically control capabilities and energy saving facilities were included.
For the F3 shutter, a modular design of our original horizontal-travel titanium foil shutter was selected. In the first year, a thorough analysis was carried out on the accuracy and durability of the shutter to ensure adequate mechanical reliability. During the process, a governor was developed that automatically allows precise adjustment of shutter operation electrically for improved efficiency of assembling operation.
For F3, the VE (value engineering) methodology was applied to reduce the weight and the number of component parts used, and a prototype was completed in November 1978.
In the fall of 1978 when the development of F3 reached the completion of prototype, we were asked by NASA to supply the cameras for the first space shuttle (Space Transportation System: STS) to be launched in 1981. This request came based on our track record of supplying Nikon Photomic FTN for Apollo Program and Skylab Program in 1970s.
NASA provided the exacting specifications that the automatic exposure control cameras should be supplied in one year and a half and that the camera should be able to take a total of 250 pictures and allow film changing even during photography. However, we accepted the order believing that we could fulfill the requirements by applying the technical know-how for F3 under development and drawing on the experience at the Apollo Program. We succeeded as scheduled and developed a "Big" camera for the long 250-exposure film, and a "Small" camera for 72-exposure "thin film", and delivered the two models "Big" and "Small" in May 1980.
The cameras successfully passed the tests carried out at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The small camera was loaded in the space shuttle Columbia launched in April 1981, and accomplished the mission satisfying the expectations for 100% reliability without preparation of any backup camera.
The Nikon F3, which was under commercialization in conjunction with the development of the NASA specifications-based cameras, was released in March 1980 as the flagship electronically controlled aperture-priority AE SLR camera. The body color was black only, and the suggested retail price was 175,000 yen (with 50 mm f/1.4).
The exterior of the integrated camera body and motor drive MD-4 was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro. The novel design aiming at a simple form with a concave section on the front of the body for gripping and the impressive red vertical line exerted a large influence on subsequent camera designs.
The specifications of Nikon F3 at the time of release are listed below.
Specifications of Nikon F3
Type | Electronically controlled 35 mm single-lens reflex (SLR) focal-plane shutter camera |
Exposure control | A (aperture-priority automatic), Manual |
Viewfinder | Eye-level finder DE-2 as standard, interchangeable with 3 other types Split micro design (Type K) of focusing screen provided as standard, interchangeable with 19 other types |
Metering system | TTL center-weighted full-aperture metering Metering range: EV 1 to 18 with ASA/ISO 100 film Film speed setting: ASA/ISO 12 to 6,400 |
Shutter | Automatic: From 8 to 1/2,000 sec. (step-less), Manual: 8 to 1/2,000 sec. (18 steps) including T, B and X (1/80 sec.) Mechanical shutter at T, Mechanical setting (1/60 sec. or T) available with the backup mechanical release lever when batteries become weak or exhausted |
Flash sync | X setting only, Speedlight unit synchronized at X (1/80 sec.) or less TTL automatic flash exposure control available with the dedicated Speedlight SB-12 or SB-11 (with use of TTL flash exposure control cord SC-12) |
Dimensions & Weight | (Approx.) 148.5 x 96.5 x 65.5 mm; 700 g (body alone) |
The 1.55V G13 silver oxide battery (currently known as SR44 silver battery) was not available for backup in some districts in those days. Then, in order to prevent a shooting block due to depleted batteries, the mechanical control shutter speed of 1/60 sec. remained available.
The flagship electronic SLR camera F3 introduced by our designer team based on the foresight and technical know-how was favorably received also by professional photographers from the very beginning of release and sold well. In March 1982, Nikon F3 High-Eyepoint furnished with the high-eyepoint finder DE-3 as standard was added to the lineup, and the total sales volume exceeded 751,000 (as of September 1992).
In 2000, discontinuance of the production was announced.
For the Nikon F2 Series, the production was discontinued in June 1980, with a total production of the 816,000 units.
Incorporation of high technology
Nikon F3 came with many more functions, surpassing the F2 series. It was designed with a higher-precision exposure control, and the TTL metering through viewfinder was replaced by the TTL through-body metering.
The reflex mirror was a newly developed "pinhole mirror" which contained about 50,000 pinholes (20 µm x 30 µm (micrometer) elliptical non-deposit section) on the mirror surface to form the translucent central part.
The TTL through-body metering system was adopted because of the following advantageous features.
First of all, the TTL automatic flash exposure control was able to detect the light rays reflected from the film surface at the same light sensor as used for exposure measurement, using the dedicated Speedlight SB-12.
Also, there was no need for exposure compensation even after changing viewfinders or focusing screens.
Thus, a cameras compatible with this system could be used with up to 4 types of viewfinders (5 types when the High-Eyepoint finder DE-3 was included) and up to 20 types of focusing screens.
Adoption of the liquid crystal display (LCD) was one of the innovations. Among the cameras by Nippon Kogaku, F3 was the first to provide exposure data on the LCD.
The shutter speed control, the heart of the exposure control mechanism, was based on the digital circuits which provided the control on the basis of the constant normal frequency of quartz (crystal oscillator). The accuracy of the shutter speeds in the low range in particular was increased considerably.
The shutter release button was the electromagnetic release type, which eliminated the junction (engagement) with any mechanical parts of the shutter and made possible the electrical interlock with the motor drive.
In addition, the use with the motor drive MD-4 allowed using the power supply (size AA battery x 8 or NiCd battery MN-2) for MD-4 to power the F3 body, which helped save the consumption of the two 1.55V SR44 (former known as G13) silver batteries installed for the camera unit. In this way, the increased efficiency of the driving system and power-saving design with the use of the LCD contributed to the achievement of the energy-efficient camera.
In 1982, the titanium body Nikon F3/T was released.
The first use of titanium for the camera body was in 1979, when titanium materials were used for the pentaprism cover, top cover and bottom cover of the Nikon F2 to increase their strength and corrosion resistance.
In 2001, it was announced that production of the Nikon F3 series was discontinued.
Consumer-oriented marketing
As an increasing number of cameras with electronic controls, compact design, and lower prices were introduced, the number of users increased also, and at the same time the market competition among manufacturers became intense. We planned the sales strategy described below based on our understanding that, in the saturated camera market, we could not have an advantage over competitors by relying only on the fact that high-end SLR cameras had a broad base of support among users:
- 1.Broadening the product line
- 2.Increasing the sales promotion and advertising activities
- 3.Reinforcing the training programs for sales personnel and improving the customer service organization
We then worked to promote consumer-oriented marketing.
Among the points of our strategy, the sales promotion and advertising activities were especially accelerated starting around 1980 when the domestic sale of Nikon EM was started.
Consumer-oriented product strategy
With the completion of 4 different product lineups of F3, FE, FM, EM targeting different classes of users, our brand image changed from "Nikon, the manufacturer of high-end SLR cameras" to "Nikon, the all-round single-lens reflex (SLR) manufacturer".
The 4 product lines were referred to as Super Nikon, Simple Nikon, Compact Nikon, and Little Nikon, respectively, and the product strategy was successfully established to accommodate a wide variety of consumers from beginners to professional photographers.
For the interchangeable lenses, a newly designed wide zoom 28 - 45 mm f/4.5 of retrofocus type was released in August 1975 as the world's first full-fledged wide zoom lens.
Our consumer-oriented attitude was clearly demonstrated by the fact that the lens mount remained unchanged when the AI System was adopted for all models of SLR cameras for ease of operation, showing consideration for the users of a total of over 5 million Nikkor lenses. We also gave consideration to modify the conventional lenses to accommodate the AI System in response to requests by users of conventional lenses, and in fact, we made most of the conventional lenses compatible with the AI System.
For this reason, a total of 23 service persons were dispatched to the U.S., Europe, Near and Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Oceania between February and August in 1977 to adapt the conventional lenses to AI System.
In addition, in order to meet the long-standing request by users that they wished to enlarge the films shot by Nikon cameras with Nikon enlarging apparatus, in November 1975 we introduced Nikon Enlarger RA-350 Auto Focus specifically designed for 35 mm format film.
The RA-350 was configured with the mechanical type of automatic focusing mechanism which eliminated the need for later focusing, once proper focus was attained. The enlarger provided higher repeatability with proper number control attained by using it with the provided enlarging lens EL-Nikkor 50 mm f/2.8.
The light source provided the condenser-diffuser-type illumination using spherical reflector, of original design, to suppress possible uneven illumination.
Production of RA-350 was discontinued in December 1980.
Stepping up sales promotion and advertising activities
As Nikon FM, FE and other compact and/or lightweight models were released, different sales promotion and advertising activities were implemented according to the regular users of the different models.
The new catalog for FE was well received because of its urban-oriented editing using the jazz musician Sadao Watanabe as image character model.
In March 1975 Nikon World was published as a revised edition of the Nikkor Lens Handbook. This was renamed New Nikon World in September 1979 and presented to the Nikon camera users as a guidebook to make full use of Nikon SLR cameras.
In January 1979, the monthly magazine Top Eye was published focusing on the camera circles in the senior high schools across the country for sales promotion of FE and FM.
In addition, a total of 100 meetings and events were held every year including new product exhibitions, product demonstrations, indoor picture taking events, and camera inspections.
Furthermore, as the lower-priced model Little Nikon = Nikon EM was brought out, the sales promotion and advertising activities were completely modified to actively conduct a campaign to improve the image of Nikon, so as to increase its appeal for young people.
In August 1980, the magazine-like guidebook EM IMAGE was published as a sales promotion of Nikon EM. In conjunction with this, the EM monitor campaign was started to invite student monitors and group monitors of junior and senior high school camera circles, and the number of applicants from all parts of the country exceeded 80,000 individuals and 3,000 schools.
In December, a Miss Smile Contest was held to promote the ease-of-operation of EM, and it became the focus of public attention as the photo contest of smiling faces rather than a beauty contest, with a total number of photo submissions exceeding 20,000. The ads announcing the results of the contest were placed in camera magazines for young people including "Sharaku" (Shogakukan Inc.) and "CAMERAMAN" (Motor Magazine Sha) for a total of 11 times in about a year.
In August 1981, the "Nikon Young Girls Contest" was announced to improve the image and brand name of EM.
TV advertising was also active. The CF of EM gave people a lot to talk about due to the unique contents involving the appearance of school camera circle members, the presidents of student councils, and other members of the general public.
Introducing automatic focusing into SLR cameras
1/4,000 sec. technology
Subsequent to Nikon FM, Nikon FE, and Nikon F3, the next technical challenge the R&D staff was urged to deal with was the "high-speed shutter."
The high-speed shutter was intended to speed the travel of the shutter foil up to the maximum extent possible in order to increase the Speedlight synchronization speed compared to 1/125 sec. for the existing 35 mm (135) format focal-plane shutters. A shutter speed of 1/4,000 sec. was attained for the focal-plane shutters, two times faster than the then highest speed of 1/2,000 sec.
In 1977, the camera designer team addressed the challenge based on the basic plan to minimize any increase in driving power and reduce the weight of light-shielding components. A focal-plane shutter with a vertical-travel blade (up-down movement) lighter in weight was adopted, and industrial-grade pure titanium "TP35" was selected for the material of the blade. In order to obtain a lightweight and highly rigid blade, the lightening area and depth were determined based on careful consideration of the relationship between the blade flexural rigidity and lightening depth, processing accuracy of lightening, and frequency of occurrence of pinholes.
The honeycomb design (lightweight and robust structure due to the lightening, like an hexagonal honeycomb) was adopted because it offered the advantage of increasing blade rigidity while ensuring proper flatness, and minimizing the friction between the blades. In addition, other measures were implemented including depositing a nitride film on the blade surface to harden it.
As a result, the weight of the light-shielding members was decreased to two-fifths of the conventional weight (to 1.13g from 2.72g), and the travel speed of the shutter foil was also accelerated to 6.7 m/sec. (3.6 ms) from 3.4 m/sec. (7 ms), about two times faster.
In March 1982, Nikon FM2 went on sale with the mechanically controlled focal-plane shutter featuring the world's first maximum speed of 1/4,000 sec., and the Speedlight synchronization speed of 1/200 sec. In addition, Nikon FE2 (March 1983) and Nikon New FM2 (March 1984) with the electronically controlled focal-plane shutter featuring a synchronization speed increased to 1/250 sec. were released in succession, opening the era of SLR cameras with a shutter speed of 1/4,000 sec.
In October 1982, the technology was awarded the Technology Development Award (the award following the spirit of the Okoshi Memorial Award) by the Precision Engineering Association (the present Japan Society for Precision Engineering, JSPE). One of the reasons cited for the award was "the establishment of a technology for mass production of honeycomb-shaped lightening of titanium foil."
In addition, Nikon FM2 was awarded the Nikkei FY1982 Product of the Year sponsored by Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Inc.
Enhanced metering performance and automatic exposure control
In addition to the development of the high-speed shutter, there was another technical challenge or enhancement of the metering performance. Around 1965, when we introduced the TTL metering system, we adopted the averaged brightness measuring system, which was eventually replaced by the center-weighted exposure measurement in 1967 because correct exposure could be achieved even if the subject and the background have different levels of brightness.
Nevertheless, if the brightness of the subject is very different from that of the background, such as in the case of backlighting, exposure compensation is necessary in some cases to ensure correct exposure. Automatic control of the exposure compensation was the other technical challenge.
We started taking on the challenge in 1977, and were successful in developing the so-called AMP (automatic multi-pattern) metering system which automatically provides correct exposure with a greater accuracy by measuring exposures independently at 5 separate segments on a finder image, and processing the exposure measurements with a microcomputer. In September 1983, we released Nikon FA which incorporated the world's first AMP metering system.
In the (5-segments) multi-pattern metering for Nikon FA, exposure measurements obtained by 5 light sensors are subjected to elimination of higher and lower brightness values, and then the optimum exposure value is calculated by a 4-bit microcomputer. During the process, pattern analysis is carried out based on the maximum brightness value, difference in brightness, the number of eliminated brightness values, and the information about individual positions and where they belong, either the dark side or the light side, to select any one of 4 exposure-determining methods for microcomputer processing. The processing program was selected through the data processing of over 10,000 actual shooting data by a large mainframe computer. This metering system is highly regarded for meeting the photographic purposes of professional photographers.
The Nikon FA came equipped with the multi-pattern metering system, 1/4,000 sec. high-speed shutter, and Nikon's first shutter speed-priority automatic exposure control mode.
In addition, the high-speed automatic mode selection was also incorporated to prevent possible camera-shake during the mounting of telephoto lenses with a focal length of 135 mm or more, which made this model a new and powerful SLR camera to answer a variety of needs from shutterbugs to professionals.
Nikon FA won the Camera Grand Prix '84. The Camera Grand Prix, first awarded in that year, was the first authoritative prize in the Japanese world of cameras to commend one model of the best camera every year among the still cameras sold in the home market.
To commemorate the prize, we offered 2,000 Nikon FA Gold cameras (at 500,000 yen for a set of body and AI 50 mm f/1.4S lens) as a limited model.
In May 1982, Nikon FG (with AI 50 mm f/1.8S, at a suggested retail price of 81,000 yen) was released incorporating the program AE with the instant stop-down exposure metering, manual exposure control, and TTL automatic flash exposure control for the Speedlight in the body of Nikon EM.
The FG featured the LED (light emission diode) display of shutter speed on the viewfinder.
In March 1984, the even lower-priced SLR camera Nikon FG-20 (with AI 50 mm f/1.8S, 68,000 yen), with auto and manual focusing, went on sale with the catchphrase "Users at all levels of expertise from beginners to professionals can enjoy taking pictures."
The FG-20 model (body alone at 48,000 yen) featured the program AE, TTL automatic flash exposure control and other functions eliminated from the FG (body alone at 61,000 yen), with the shutter speed display on the viewfinder based on the meter indication design similar to the EM (body alone at 40,000 yen).
Nikon F-301 (with AI Zoom Nikkor 35 - 70 mm f/3.3 - 4.5S, 107,000 yen) released in September 1985 was Nikon's first built-in motor drive AE SLR camera featuring automatic winding and continuous shooting (2.5 frames/sec.).
This model was the first among Nikon's SLR cameras to adopt the easy-load feature (simplified film loading), and it had a good reputation for its ease of operation comparable to compact cameras and thus helped increase the sales in the SLR camera market that at the time was in the doldrums.
In the area of interchangeable lenses, zoom lenses became prevalent from around 1975, and the ratio of zoom lenses to the total production of interchangeable lenses for 35 mm format cameras exceeded 50% in 1982 and reached 79.7% in 1985, from 19.8% in 1975 (based on the data by the Japan Camera Industry Association, JCIA).
We were quick to introduce the zoom lenses for 35 mm cameras to the market in 1959, after which we continued supplying a variety of zoom lenses intended primarily for professional photographers. Based on these real accomplishments, we were urged to offer higher performance to meet the demands of professional photographers even for zoom lenses, which were useful although they offered lower image quality compared to the single focal-length lenses. Then, we pushed ahead with the plan to supply wide-angle zoom lenses and successfully released the new Zoom-Nikkor 28 - 45 mm in 1975 and AI Zoom-Nikkor 25 - 50 mm in 1979. In 1982 we introduced a total of 6 models of zoom lenses including the AI Zoom-Nikkor ED360 - 1200 mm f/11S that provided enhanced performance through the use of ED glass, after which we continued adding different zoom lens models year after year.
In 1986, the sales volume of zoom lenses exceeded 50% of that of lenses for Nikon F.
Also, for all-weather amphibious cameras (all-weather cameras), we incorporated electronics into the NIKONOS IV-A released in July 1980 and implemented the aperture-priority automatic exposure control.
In April 1984, NIKONOS-V was released with two exposure control systems, aperture-priority automatic and manual, and also the TTL automatic flash exposure control. When coupled with the specifically designed Speedlight, NIKONOS-V made it possible to take pictures in water even at a distance as short as 30 cm using the TTL automatic flash exposure control. The NIKONOS-V soon became the flagship underwater camera for eliminating the difficulties of underwater photography to a reasonable extent.
Discontinuance of sales of NIKONOS-V was announced in 2001.
Incorporating the AF into SLR cameras
For the development of AF-integrated SLR cameras, we conducted a survey to identify what is most required for AF that takes advantage of the SLR.
As a result, one of the objectives of the development included using AF to make it possible to capture a moving subject difficult to keep in focus by manual focusing (e.g., bringing a moving object quickly into focus with a telephoto lens), and the basic design was based on the following 4 objectives:
- 1.Adoption of TTL phase-difference detecting method (detection of displacement of image): Less susceptible to contrast.
- 2.Quick response: Available instant focusing, suited to capture moving objects, compatible with motor drive
- 3.AF detecting mechanism integrated in the finder, and
- 4.Easy to operate
In accordance with the objectives, the engineering team took on the challenge of developing the AF mechanism and in April 1983, the Nikon F3AF was released. This was an AF camera based on the body of Nikon F3, containing a signal contact in the body for signal transmission and power supply through the body between the eye-level type AF finder DX-1 (with 1.5V R03 battery x 2) and the driving motor built-in AF lens.
The Nikon F3AF enabled the quick response to focusing by instant focus detection through real-time information processing by the analog circuit, using an SPD (Silicon Photo Diode) array as the sensing element.
For the AF lens, two models were developed, the AI AF Nikkor 80 mm f/2.8S and AI AF Nikkor 200 mm f/3.5 IF-ED. Both lenses contained the coreless micromotor-based operating unit on the periphery of the lens barrel and achieved the operating speeds of 0.6 sec. from infinity to 1 m for the 80 mm lens, and 1.7 sec. from infinity to 2 m for the 200 mm lens, taking advantage of the IF (Internal Focusing).
For a lens having a longer focal length, the large and heavy lens has to be moved in order to bring a subject into focus based on the all-element focusing method. Our IF methodology contributed to make the focusing operation light and smooth and improved the lens holding balance by moving a limited number of elements in the lens system.
The suggested retail price of Nikon F3AF was 250,000 yen for the body alone (with AF finder DX-1) and 330,000 yen for the model with AI AF Nikkor 80 mm F2.8S.
In February 1985, the domestic compact-sized AF SLR cameras appeared on the market and became popular with the lens motor drive built-in in the body of a new lens mount design. This caused the industry to predict that the shipment of SLR cameras to the home market in FY 1986 would consist of more AF models than manual focus models.
Under the circumstances, we hurried to implement the body-powered AF SLR camera and successfully released the body-powered automatic focusing camera Nikon F-501 (body alone at 89,000 yen) in April 1986, by inheriting the F mount.
This AF camera incorporated the distance-measuring element based on the previously developed TTL phase difference detecting method, and thus implemented highly accurate, faster and reliable focusing by means of the two AF modes, single and continuous, and by manual focusing, with the focus aid (FA) showing the correct focusing by indication in the viewfinder in the case of any AF Nikkor lens or a lens with an f-number of f/4.5 or smaller.
June 1987, the body-powered AF SLR camera Nikon F-401 (body alone at 64,000 yen), developed as a lower-priced model to deal with the yen appreciation, went on sale.
F-401 was the world's first AF SLR camera with the TTL automatic flash exposure control Speedlight, and it was cost (price) effective with the single AF servo (AF-priority allowing the shutter to be pressed when the subject comes into focus) and 4 exposure modes.
In April 1986, when Nikon F-501 was released, the AI AF Nikkor 50 mm f/1.8S, AI AF35 - 70 mm f/3.3 - 4.5S and 3X telephoto zoom AI AF 70 - 210 mm f/4S went on sale and in July AI AF 35 - 105 mm f/3.5 - f/4.5S was placed on the market.
Additional models were later introduced, and in March 1988 the AI AF Nikkor lens series reached a total of 20 models.
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Camera Chronicle
Archives of corporate history subject matter related to Nikon cameras, including rare materials, as well as product photos of cameras and lenses.


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The Man Who Foresaw the Final Pope?
In the modest settlement of Armagh, in the beautiful, sweeping, emerald lands of Northern Ireland, in the year 1094, a nobleman and chief by the name of Lector Ua Morgair and his well-cultured wife celebrated the dawning of new life in their son, Máel Máedóc Ua Morgair. Neither of them could have known how the tiny boy they had just delivered would become a central figure in End-Times prophecy.Little Máel Máedóc Ua Morgair (anglicized to the more modern "Malachy") lived his early, boyish days skipping amidst the comfortable sounds and familiar, candlelit ambiance of the Armagh Cathedral.
He remained educated under the personal tutelage of his learned father, Lector of Armagh, until the fateful day of Lector's death in the year 1102. Malachy and his brother and sister were then raised by his mother alone, a woman who had been described as "A dutiful, Christian woman"[i] by St. Bernard de Clairvaux.As the years progressed, Malachy continued his studies under the mentorship of Imar (also spelled "Imhar") O'Haglan: a man who focused his teachings on renouncing earthly pleasures to preserve the eternal soul.
Following in O'Haglan's ascetical footsteps, Malachy showed astute perception within the walls of the cathedral and the shabby cell beneath where O'Haglan spent his days like a hermit. Despite the protests of his sister and school acquaintances when self-flagellation, penance, and other religious practices grew to be ultimately more important than becoming an inspired professor like his father before him, Malachy continued searching for opportunities to express his passion for the Church and the life he believed he was chosen to lead. Drawing everyday nearer to the effects of O'Haglan's authority and vision, Malachy soon introduced Gregorian chants into his regime, and a zeal for Church reform.
By the age of twenty-two, the archbishop Cellach of Armagh (also spelled "Ceollach" and "Celsus"), a good acquaintance to O'Haglan, found such promise and exception in the young man that he put aside canonical law and ordained the youth as a deacon three years prior to custom. In 1119, he declared Malachy vicar-general and entrusted him with the duty of reforming the diocese while he was away. The changes observed in the diocese were immediate and extraordinary. Malachy's sermons of penance ignited a passion in the common people and stirred the laity to respect canonical rules of the Church.
Eventually Malachy headed to Lismore to revise and sharpen his knowledge of the canon under the teaching and advice of well-known scholar Bishop Malchus. (St. Bernard writes that Bishop Malchus was "an old man, full of days and virtues, and the wisdom of God was in him."[ii] He goes on to further explain that the bishop was later acknowledged as performing two miracles, one wherein he healed a young boy of a mental disorder who later became his porter, and another wherein "when the saint put his fingers into his ears on either side he perceived that two things like little pigs came out of them."[iii] These distinctions of Bishop Malchus' reputation are of importance to St. Bernard, "that it may be known to all what sort of preceptor Malachy had in the knowledge of holy things."[iv] Needless to say, Malachy worked and studied with associates whose names circulated within the Church as significant.)
Though his trip to Lismore was meant for a time of quiet learning, Malachy's was not idle there, taking opportunities to speak out on current affairs within the Church that concerned him, and was often sent by Malchus himself "to preach the word of God to the people and to correct many evil practices which had developed over the years. He achieved notable success. To reform the clergy he instituted regulations concerning celibacy and other ecclesiastical discipline, and reinstituted the recitation of the canonical hours. Most importantly, he gave back the sacraments to the common people, sending good priests among them to instruct the ignorant. He returned to Armagh in 1123."[v]
This same year, Malachy was appointed Abbot of Bangor where he assisted in helping rebuild the abbey and establish a seminary. More importantly, from this time forward, a series of miracles and the gift of prophecy were attributed to him. One notable prophecy, especially hard to chalk up to pure coincidence, finds fulfillment in the twentieth century:
Ireland will suffer English oppression for a week of centuries [700 years], but will preserve her fidelity to God and His Church. At the end of that time she will be delivered, and the English in turn must suffer severe chastisement. Ireland, however, will be instrumental in bringing back the English to the unity of Faith.
Complete Anglo-Norman domination of Ireland was achieved a century after Malachy's prediction. Independence for the southern part of Ireland came 700 years later in the early 20th century. If this utterance is not apocryphal, then it predates the schism between the Church of England and the Catholic faith by four centuries and implies that Anglicanism will falter sometime in our near future when the final pope finishes his reign.[vi]
Yet, Yves DuPont argues this began in the twelfth century and ended after WW2. He says, "The liberation has come in stages: World War I, independence within the British Empire; World War II, complete independence. Thus, Ireland was under British rule for seven centuries."[vii] However, it just as likely applies to the rampant secularism in England ultimately being conquered by Christianity.
At thirty years of age, Malachy became Bishop Malachy of Down and Connor. John Hogue says of Malachy's new position: "The bishopric was considered one of Ireland's blackest holes for the faith. Malachy would face a moratorium on church tithes, a shortage of priests and an even greater shortage of celibate clerics; he would wince at the improvised performances of the sacraments based on the rejection of canon law in favor of native and often semi-pagan Irish rituals."[viii] With passion, yet still humble as a true servant of God, Malachy spoke out about Church reform and continuously brought more and more attention to himself as a true trailblazer.
Never before had Malachy seen such lax cohesion to the laws of God within the walls of the Church. Discipline, offering, tithing, giving of the first-fruits, and going to confession were things of the past; marriages were made illegally. Christians behaved like pagans. "Never had he found men so shameless in regard of morals, so dead in regard of rites, so impious in regard of faith, so barbarous in regard of laws, so stubborn in regard of discipline, so unclean in regard of life."[ix] Nevertheless, believing that he was a "shepherd and not a hireling,"[x] Malachy fought the issues head-on and in his enthusiasm, discovered followers who were willing to flock to his side to reestablish devotion to the rituals.
About this time according to legend, Malachy had a dream in which a woman appeared to him and revealed her identity as Archbishop Cellach's wife. She handed Mallachy a pastoral staff, and then disappeared. He shared this with those in his company and it was esteemed important because for approximately fifteen generations by this time in Armagh, people high up in both secular politics and the Church had maintained office within family hierarchies. As a result, it was normal to nominate a successor to the seat of the archbishop by heritage instead of Church works. Archbishop Cellach, however, impressed by Malachy's ministry, rejected the expectations of his family in this regard. Hoping that Malachy could bring new life and hope to the Church, and wanting to put a stop to hereditary succession of the office, Cellach charged those under him with the task of spreading word that Malachy would be given his seat as Archbishop of Armagh. When the word reached Malachy, it came as no surprise after the dream he'd had, and just days after Cellach passed away, Malachy received Cellach's staff (the one from his dream), and a letter confirming the news of his latest promotion.
Cellach's family was outraged. Feeling usurped by his decision to appoint someone outside the family as archbishop, tension rose between them and Malachy. Cellach's cousin, Murtagh (also spelled " Murtough" and "Muirchetrach"), fancied himself worthy of the role, and his family stood behind him in his campaign to become archbishop, ready even to use force to claim the position if necessary. The people of the Church fell in support of Malachy, equally ready for the hereditary succession of the office to end.
Three years passed while Malachy remained at the monastery, not refusing the archbishopric but unwilling to participate in a war between Murtagh and the Church. The papal legate eventually became revolted enough by Murtagh's tyranny that the Church ordered Malachy, by threat of impending excommunication, to take his position. Malachy conceded and in response to the order, accepted his bishopric from a distance to avoid the mayhem of political/religious war. He made a deal with the legate that if the Church was ever fully restored to freedom in matters of succession, in return he wanted a leave from leadership so that he might find time to be alone in his studies and away from obligatory office. Remaining safely just outside the city, he maintained governance as the acknowledged Archbishop of Armagh, without immediately taking possession of his See.
When Murtagh passed away in 1134, he revealed that Niall, Cellach's brother, would be his successor. During this time, the people generally believed that anyone in possession of the crosier of St. Patrick (the Bachal Isu, of "Staff of Jesus") and the Book of Gospels (or Holy Book) was the true archbishop. In lieu of this, Niall saw and seized his opportunity to appear the legitimate and rightful archbishop by stealing these two artifacts from the cathedral of Armagh. Although history is cloudy when it comes to the issue of retrieving the stolen artifacts from Niall (most records point to a small war between the two sides, which was rumored to be brought to an end by diplomacy from Malachy, followed by his purchasing the artifacts back from Niall), Malachy did eventually get them back and take his place as primate in the cathedral city of Armagh. "In 1138, having broken the tradition of hereditary succession, rescued Armagh from oppression, restored ecclesiastical discipline, re-established Christian morals, and seeing all things tranquil, Malachy resigned his post as originally agreed."[xi] Malachy retired to Bangor to live in rest for a time, among the camaraderie of his fellow monks, but with few demands on his schedule or solitary study.
Eventually Malachy felt the need to gain meeting with Pope Innocent II in Rome to officially recognize the archbishops (and the Sees) of Armagh and Cashel with a pallium, an official woolen cloak of authority, for each to signify the bishopric jurisdiction over the ecclesiastical provinces and to gain favor and blessing from the papal for the developments within the Church. In 1139, he gathered a few travelling companions and pack animals and headed to Rome through Scotland, England, and France. It was during his travels that he arrived at the Cistercian Abbey of Clairvaux, where he met the future-saint Bernard (who would later be his central biographer). Resting there for a short time, Malachy became enchanted with the Abbey and made a very close friendship with its abbot. Abbot Bernard was unusual in his approach to ministry. He maintained fitness of the body by practicing martial arts and kept those in his presence ready at all times to be counted upon for defending the Church at all costs. He proved to be such a wellspring of religious passion for Malachy that when the time came for him to leave the abbey and continue his pilgrimage to Rome, Malachy made a secret plan to ask for retirement in the seclusion of Clairvaux.
Sixteen months after the journey began Malachy finally arrived in Rome, his heart and mind lifted and hopeful. Quickly, he was brought to Pope Innocent II for official audience. Innocent approved Malachy's request for the pallia but with strict conditions: Malachy would take on new responsibilities. He was now the Papal Legate of Ireland with all of its ensuing political intricacies. This was not what he had wanted; he so desperately desired the peace and serenity of the Abbey. It was upon leaving the seven-hilled city so frustrated, framed by the breathtaking Western view from Janiculum Hill that it came upon him. Because of the impiety of the popes, Rome would burn.
As the legend goes, Malachy experienced what is today considered a famous vision commonly called "The Prophecy of the Popes." The prophecy is a list of Latin verses predicting each of the Roman Catholic popes from Pope Celestine II to the final pope, "Peter the Roman," whose reign would end in the destruction of Rome. According to this ancient prophecy, the very next pope (following Benedict XVI) will be the final pontiff, Petrus Romanus or Peter the Roman.
The final segment of the prophecy reads:
In persecutione extrema S. R. E. sedebit Petrus Romanus, qui pascet oves in multis tribulationibus: quibus transactis civitas septicollis deruetur et judex tremendus judicabit populum. Finis.[xii]
Which is rendered:
In extreme persecution, the seat of the Holy Roman Church will be occupied by Peter the Roman, who will feed the sheep through many tribulations; when they are over, the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the terrible or fearsome Judge will judge his people. The End.[xiii]
The Good News and the Bad News
After studying the history of the prophecy of the popes and the surrounding scholarly literature, we have some good news and some very bad news, which we will begin discussing in the next entry.
Also Read :
- The Vladimir Putin Timeline
Source : Raidersnewsupdate


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Original 31"x22"
Remembering my hike in Wyoming at Legend Rock and the amazing petroglyphs there. Contact us for pricing of original painting. Prints and cards are now available
Product Info
In the original artwork Ms Graden pulls and pigments cotton rag in the paper studio and then applies mixed media to create her art. Often, images emerge from the paper as she works and her technique is a truly creative process. All prints are made from a high-resolution digital source produced from professional photography of the original artwork. The greeting cards are 5x7 and come in sets of six with the selected artwork. Sales tax is included in the item price.
The original artwork and prints are provided unframed.
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Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed! Once your artwork arrives, if you are unhappy for any reason, we will provide a full refund within 30 days after receipt. Customer pays return shipping costs.
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All original drawings and prints will be processed and shipped 7-10 business days following receipt of payment. All art is professionally packaged with great care to insure safe delivery. Shipping and Handling is included in the price of the artwork within the continental US. Please contact us for international shipping costs.


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Posts Tagged 'Michael Nygard'
The team behind JAOO was kind enough to let me attend the speakers dinner at JAOO this year where the charming Kevlin Henney took this photo of me with my two favorite JAOO speakers: Dan North and Michael Nygard.
It's true – blondes really do have more fun.
Sometimes you have to remember to do something good for your blog readers (and twitter followers) and because I have been behind the scenes at JAOO the last few years, I was able to negotiate a good discount for the JAOO IT-conference.
So if you want to go to JAOO in Aarhus and hear some great speakers like Tim Bray, Oren Eini (Ayende), Dan North, Erik Meijer, James Gosling, Mary Poppendieck, Michael Nygard, Dan Ingalls, Dave Thomas and many more, you can get a 20 % discount using the discount code "jaoovip2010" when signing up.
If you have questions about going to the conference, feel free to ask. You can leave a comment on this blog or write to me on twitter @qedtherese.
Working behind the scenes at the JAOO conference the last few years has been a great inspiration for me. I have met great conference speakers like Linda Rising, Michael Nygard, Mary Poppendieck, Jim Coplien, Ola Bini, Dan North and many more that I really respect and admire. This year I left JAOO for a glamorous job as a full-time programmer and even though I can't wait to go back and experience JAOO from the other side of the fence I must say that looking at this years JAOO speaker lineup, I am less than impressed. My favorite speaker Linda Rising is not coming and even though the usual suspects seems to be there except Linda I'm just not as excited as I have been the other years I have attended JAOO.
One of the first things I noticed was that in general there is not many female speakers on the program this year. I would have liked to see names like Rachel Davies, Aino Vonge Corry, Linda Rising, Rebecca Parsons, Amanda Laucher, Gabrielle Benefield and maybe even some new female names up there with all the guys. And usually there is quite a few female speakers at JAOO – even a few obscure cool female geeks and not just the cool authors of geek books – just not this year. Weird. And yes, I know I'm one of the few that notice this gender disparity but as a geek girl you are always looking for new geeky role models.
The second thing I noticed was that JAOO doesn't seem to be featuring a lot of talks about topics from every day life as a programmer. I am a Java programmer by day and a C# programmer by night and both C# and Java seems to take a backseat to the more obscure languages at this years JAOO (but you could argue that this is a continuing trend from the last few years). There is no pure .NET-track this year but a "mainstream languages" track where Java, Javascript and C# can battle for the presentation slots. And they couldn't even fill one track with mainstream languages – they put F# in there too. I could only count 9 presentations tagged with .NET but a few of them can't be called .NET-topics – they are just vaguely related. The Java side of things looks a bit better with Spring-topics, Android and of course all the languages built to run on the JVM like Clojure and Scala.
Of course this is all concerns I have with the conference schedule as it is now – things can look quite different in October when the conference starts. There is still open presentation slots on the schedule. And even with a less than JAOO average lineup this years conference will probably be much better than the other developer conferences. I love JAOO!
See you there?
P.S. I will even forgive the team behind JAOO for chosing a pink venus sign as the logo for my usergroup Ada Aarhus, but only because we haven't chosen a logo for the group yet. The sign of venus is just a bit too cliche to use for a usergroup of geek girls.
P.P.S. I call Ada Aarhus my usergroup because I co-founded the group back in December '09.


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Trump calls America's story 'the greatest political journey'
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump celebrated the story of America as "the greatest political journey in human history" in a Fourth of July commemoration before a soggy but cheering crowd of spectators, many of them invited, on the grounds of the Lincoln Memorial. Supporters welcomed his tribute to the U.S. military while protesters assailed him for putting himself center stage on a holiday devoted to unity.
As rain fell on him, Trump called on Americans to "stay true to our cause" during a program that adhered to patriotic themes and hailed a mix of history's heroes, from the armed forces, space, civil rights and other endeavors of American life.
Trump largely stuck to his script, avoiding diversions into his agenda or reelection campaign . But in one exception, he vowed, "Very soon, we will plant the American flag on Mars," actually a distant goal not likely to be achieved until late in the 2020s if even then.
A late afternoon downpour drenched the capital's Independence Day crowds, and Trump's speech unfolded in occasional rain. The warplanes and presidential aircraft he had summoned conducted their flyovers as planned, capped by the Navy Blue Angels aerobatics team.
By adding his own one-hour "Salute to America" production to capital festivities that typically draw hundreds of thousands of people anyway, Trump became the first president in nearly seven decades to address a crowd at the National Mall on the Fourth of July.
Protesters objecting to what they saw as his co-opting of the holiday inflated a roly-poly balloon depicting Trump as an angry, diaper-clad baby.
Trump set aside a historic piece of real estate — a stretch of the Mall from the Lincoln Monument to the midpoint of the reflecting pool — for a mix of invited military members, Republican and Trump campaign donors and other bigwigs. It's where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I have a dream" speech, Barack Obama and Trump held inaugural concerts and protesters swarmed into the water when supporters of Richard Nixon put on a July 4, 1970, celebration, with the president sending taped remarks from California.
Aides to the crowd-obsessed Trump fretted about the prospect of empty seats at his event, said a person familiar with the planning who was not authorized to be identified. Aides scrambled in recent days to distribute tickets and mobilize the Trump and Republican social media accounts to encourage participation for an event hastily arranged and surrounded with confusion.
Back at the White House, Trump tweeted an aerial photo showing an audience that filled both sides of the memorial's reflecting pool and stretched to the Washington Monument.
"A great crowd of tremendous Patriots this evening, all the way back to the Washington Monument!" he said.
Many who filed into the sprawling VIP section said they got their free tickets from members of Congress or from friends or neighbors who couldn't use theirs. Outside that zone, a diverse mix of visitors, locals, veterans, tour groups, immigrant families and more milled about, some drawn by Trump, some by curiosity, some by the holiday's regular activities along the Mall.
Protesters earlier made their voices heard in sweltering heat by the Washington Monument, along the traditional parade route and elsewhere, while the VIP section at the reflecting pool served as something of a buffer for Trump's event.
In the shadow of the Washington Monument hours before Trump's speech, the anti-war organization Codepink erected a 20-foot-tall (6-meter-tall) Trump baby balloon to protest what activists saw as his intrusion in Independence Day and a focus on military might that they associate with martial regimes.
"We think that he is making this about himself and it's really a campaign rally," said Medea Benjamin, the organization's co-director. "We think that he's a big baby. … He's erratic, he's prone to tantrums, he doesn't understand the consequences of his actions. And so this is a great symbol of how we feel about our president."
The balloon remained tied down at the Mall because park officials restricted the group's permission to move it or fill it with helium, Benjamin said.
Protesters also handed out small Trump baby balloons on sticks. Molly King of La Porte, Indiana, a 13-year-old Trump supporter in sunglasses and a "Make America Great Again" hat, happily came away with one.
"They're making a big stink about it, but it's actually pretty cute," she said. "I mean, why not love your president as you'd love a baby?"
A small crowd gathered to take pictures with the big balloon, which drew Trump supporters and detractors.
"Even though everybody has different opinions," said Kevin Malton, a Trump supporter from Middlesboro, Kentucky, "everybody's getting along."
But Daniela Guray, a 19-year-old from Chicago who held a "Dump Trump" sign, said she was subjected to a racial epithet while walking along the Constitution Avenue parade route and told to go home.
She said she did not go to the Mall to protest but ended up doing so.
"I started seeing all the tanks with all the protests, and that's when I said, 'Wait, this is not an actual Fourth of July,'" she said. "Trump is making it his day rather than the Fourth of July."
Trump had sounded a defensive note Wednesday, tweeting that the cost "will be very little compared to what it is worth." But he glossed over a host of expenses associated with the display of military might, including flying in planes and tanks and other vehicles to Washington by rail.
Not since 1951, when President Harry Truman spoke before a large gathering on the Washington Monument grounds to mark the 175th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, has a commander in chief made an Independence Day speech to a sizable crowd on the Mall.
Pete Buttigieg, one of the Democrats running for president , said, "This business of diverting money and military assets to use them as a kind of prop, to prop up a presidential ego, is not reflecting well on our country." Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is a Navy Reserve veteran who served in Afghanistan in 2014.
Two groups, the National Parks Conservation Foundation and Democracy Forward, want the Interior Department's internal watchdog to investigate what they say may be a "potentially unlawful decision to divert" national parks money to Trump's "spectacle."
Trump has longed for a public display of U.S. military prowess since he watched a two-hour procession of French military tanks and fighter jets in Paris on Bastille Day in July 2017 .
Washington has held an Independence Day celebration for decades, featuring a parade along Constitution Avenue, a concert on the Capitol lawn with music by the National Symphony Orchestra and fireworks beginning at dusk near the Washington Monument.
Trump altered the lineup by adding his speech, moving the fireworks closer to the Lincoln Memorial and summoning the tanks and warplanes.
Amid all the theatrics, Trump did pay tribute to the reason for the holiday: the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
"With a single sheet of parchment and 56 signatures," Trump said, "America began the greatest political journey in human history."
Associated Press writers Kali Robinson, Zeke Miller, Kevin Freking, Matthew Daly and Ellen Knickmeyer contributed to this report.
Follow Darlene Superville on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dsupervilleap


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Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Walking (In a Winter Wonderland)
Tis the season around here, and with a fresh foot of snow I headed out into the tundra to gather snow related samples for the library, here's a bit of what I cooked up:
I started off with some fresh snow footsteps
Then Moved into some grass & snow footsteps.
As well as some moonwalking in the snow.
With the standards out of the way, I really wanted to try for some good snow impacts, so I dug out an old boat anchor and proceded with the thumping and cooked up a really fine impact in the snow.
I shook the tall grass a bit, for good measure.
And, just to make sure anyone watching on as I labored away in the cold got a good show, I decided to swing some giant sticks around to get a few good swooshes a bit, for good measure.
A very healthy session, that has left me with some good creative bit's to apply!
Good luck to you, on your sound expeditions in the New Year!
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Legendary Games - Items tagged as "Mythic"
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Some Legendary Games products are available in both PRINT and PDF formats so be sure to choose carefully when placing an order.


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The Shulchan Aruch (OC 139:4) discusses the potential issue that a listener might think that the blessings for an aliya are actually written in the Torah scroll. Different suggestions are offered for when and how to deal with this (rolling up the scroll, facing away etc.).
I'm wondering if anyone discusses this in the context of the original minhag Ashkenaz to say the Akdamut poem on the first day of Shavuot after the first verse of the Torah reading, or more relevantly, in the context of saying the poem Yitziv Pitgam during the haftorah for the second day of Shavuot when reading from a scroll.
Does anyone know of any sources that discuss this? Alternatively, has anyone been to a synagogue where this issue arose (ie they read Akdamut during the aliya or they read the haftara from a scroll), and if so was it dealt with and how?