This morning, San Francisco:
Keaney St. at Bush, ISO-400, 1/1600 at f/5, 131mm
The V and A, Kensington, London:
6 November 2010, ISO-100, 1/500 at f/5.6, 74mm
Tuomiokirkko (The Lutheran Cathedral), Helsinki, Finland:
30 June 2010, ISO-100, 1/160 s. at f/14.
Via the WGN Weather Blog, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has produced a mongo cool video showing the tornadic activity in North America in April:
The National Storm Prediction Center reports a staggering 1,425 tornados so far this year, with 519 reported deaths. For comparison, the three-year averages are 1,376 tornados and 64 deaths for the entire year, putting this year at 248% and 1946% of average for events and deaths, respectively.
So, remember how the anthropogenic climate change hypothesis predicts increasing extreme weather? Yeah. Welcome to the new world.
The Arch at Washington Square Park, New York:
This is the complement to an earlier shot I posted. I'm not sure which I prefer.
12 February 2011, ISO-1600, 1/15 at f/5.6, 18mm.
Another reprise, this time of Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg:
Again, the differences may not be apparent. Here's the first publication from last July:
The revised image has a smidge more contrast and a skeech more saturation, and I dodged out some of the darker areas a snape or two. Unlike some other shots I've put up recently, this one came from a large (6 Mpix) digital original, so further refinements should be easy and effective.
Civil unions became legal today in Illinois, with the first ceremonies scheduled for tomorrow. The Cook County Clerk's office has a FAQ on Civil Unions for anyone interested in the procedure:
Illinois will begin offering Civil Union licenses at county clerk offices on Wednesday, June 1. The Cook County Clerk’s office will open its downtown office early to mark the momentous occasion. “I’m thrilled this day has finally come,” Clerk David Orr said. “This will be a joyous day for all couples – gay and straight – who want to make history as part of the inaugural group of civil unions.”
Illinois is now the 10th state-level jurisdiction, including the District of Columbia, to allow gay marriage or same-sex civil unions.