Many, many months ago, the Northern California Friends of the Aces held an event featuring P-40 aces, and we local IPMS guys did a model display. Actually, Marty Sanford and Mark Joyce held a model display, Marty with his stellar P-40E in factory-fresh early 1942 colors, which was in the IPMS Journal a while back, and Mark with four beautiful P-40s in an assortment of schemes. I managed to bring one P-40L in 1:72, that being Alva Temple’s 99th FS plane that got me started on my Tuskegee Airmen research. I’d planned to build one of the panelist’s models, that belonging to Jim Morehead, and had made a start of it, but my crippling case of AMS (advanced modelers syndrome) meant I missed the deadline to complete the model. As it turned out, I only missed the deadline by about a year and a half.

The P-40E is done now, and its completion was far less difficult than the P-47D. It started life as an Academy kit, which I received as a birthday present from Woody Yeung several years ago. The spinner and main gear struts were taken from a Hasegawa kit; you can find these cheap on vendor tables at contests and they’re worth it to improve these parts. The interior is from True Details, with some Eduard assistance. The metal parts are really useful on the P-40, if for nothing more than the ring and bead sights, the actuator on the rudder and some other small parts, which are actually visible. I used the Eduard seat as-is, since the real seat was unpainted; I initially wanted to swing the shoulder straps over the side of the plane, but instead I glued them to the seat.

The hard part, as I described in this post, was getting the side panels in place. I won’t revisit that self-inflicted hassle, but once it was done I was able to proceed pretty quickly to painting. The kit fits well and the first coat of paint showed only a couple spots where panel lines needed to be re-scribed to complete them.

The base colors were olive drab 41 and neutral gray 43. The OD 41 was a home brew, made by adding 12 drops of insignia red to a bottle of olive drab 612 and shaking it very well. The neutral gray was the outstanding but extinct AeroMaster color. The colors went on like a dream and were followed by a gloss coat of water-based Varathane to prepare for decals and a wash.

The photo of Morehead’s plane in Schiffer’s Protect and Avenge: the 49th Fighter Group in World War II shows that the national insignia had their red centers painted out, but 1:1 scale painters face the same problem we 1:72 or 1:48 builders face: white does a bad job of covering red. The centers were muted but still visible on Morehead’s P-40, especially on the fuselage. To replicate this, I used a circle template and my airbrush to apply a pinkish tinge to the center of several stars in disks on an AeroMaster sheet of insignia. On a few of these, I smudged the pink with a fingertip or an X-Acto knife blade. The four best ones were applied to the model.

The other markings were very simple. The plane originally had a black “209” on it in a rounded font; I used similarly-shaped numbers from British serials for this. Over this on the tail and on the nose was “44” in yellow. There was an exact match for this in the serials of one of the unused schemes on the sheet I used for my latest Thunderbolt; since I’d goofed up and had two sheets, I had four “44s!” The “U.S. ARMY” legend in the appropriate blue came from the recent sheet mentioned here.

A wash of Paynes gray watercolor paint was slopped on the model and removed with a damp towel. On went the flat coat, followed by the next bit of weathering. The photo of Morehead’s tipped-up P-40 showed a lot of chipping on the wing roots, so I attacked the model with a silver prismacolor pencil. I also added some yellow to replicate areas where the paint had chipped off the primer. Chipping was continued with a lighter touch around the ammunition trays, fuselage and wing leading edges. A streak of pastels was pulled back with a blending stump from the exhausts.

The canopy came from a Falcon vacuformed set, and I masked and painted each angle separately. That is, I did the vertical braces first, then the horizontal braces, then each of the small angles on the individual panes. It was tacked in place with white glue.

The gear was added next; the mounting points were sadly weak and I had to drill and pin both struts after the pins on the Hasegawa parts simply broke off. Before I installed them, I added brake lines and used the Eduard set’s retraction struts instead of the kit’s large single strut.

At about this point, I realized that the photo I’d stared at for so long showed no antenna mast, but I still had a big hole where the kit part would go. I had to plug the hole with styrene rod and CA glue, then sand it down and carefully re-paint the top of the model! The clear areas were masked with Post-It notes and the process went shockingly smoothly!

The wingtip lights were painted chrome silver, then overpainted with clear red and clear green. The aerials were made with fibers from a smoke-colored pair of panty hose; I drilled a hole in the leading edge of the tail and inserted a fine steel rod, then drilled and added insulators on the fuselage made from brass wire. These were painted white, then I glued a fiber to the tail post and stretched it around the insulator on one wing tip. This was fixed with a drop of CA. The other wingtip aerial was added next, followed by the fuselage aerial.

The last step was to add the rudder actuator and the ring and bead sights – all tiny photoetched parts. I find that Testors Dullcote makes a neat glue for such things; I applied a small drop to a newspaper, then dragged the bottom of each pat through it and carefully held it against the model. This was extremely easy and left no glue marks, since the Dullcoat dries tight against the surface of the paint.

Done! This model depicts the P-40E that Morehead flew on April 25, 1942, when he shot down three G4M1 bombers attempting to attack Darwin. The plane took a single 7.62mm round in the right wing, which snapped the landing gear mechanism, so that after Morehead landed the plane’s right gear collapsed. This fluke damage allowed me to replicate the weathering accurately – so some good finally came of it!

Traian Basescu 32,2 %
Mircea Geoana : 31,7%
Crin Antonescu :21,8 %
Vadim Tudor : 4,1 %
Kelmen Hunor 3,6%
Sorin Oprescu 3,5%
George Becali 1, 7%
Rmus Cernea 0,4%
Eduard Manole 0,2%
Constantin Potirca 0,1%
Constantin Rotaru 0,1%
Ovidiu Iane 0,1 %

Participarea la vot ( pana la 19:00)
-La referendum 46,8 %
-La Alegeri Prezidentiale 49,8 %

Referendum : -76 % parlament unicameral
-85,4 % reucerea numerelor de parlamentari

It’s been a while since my last post of things carrying on, rather than finishing, so, let’s see where I am!

The 1/144 Minicraft P-51D Mustang has been almost finished for a long time, and remains in this almost stage! The aircraft is in silver, or, Revell 66 rather. The tail, and the propellor tops, are in Revell yellow, whilst the cowling is in olive drab (I can’t remember which one, Humbrol 116 I think). The spinner is in Tamiya white. I should point out that I tend to use the most convenient paint, rather than anything specific, unless I am really going full tilt on a model. Unfortunately I damaged the decals, but, luckily, I had the same decals from an earlier one I guess I destroyed years ago.

The Eduard 1/144 BF-109 has been sprayed in Humbrol 65 enamel, both underside and sides. Likewise the Academy BF-109 was sprayed the same, at the same time. Unfortunately, I forgot that I was holding the model by the tail, so, it wasn’t sprayed! Since then, I’ve also brush painted the tail. I use Humbrol enamel 65 because I have some, because enamel makes a lovely finish, and because it’s similar to RLM 65, which is the correct colour. I’ve also partially masked it, that is, using thin strips, I’ve outlined the areas to be masked, on the sides of the model (the RLM 65 sides extend upwards, to almost the top of the fuselage). Using thin strips allows one to turn the masking easier, to follow a contour, or, as in this case, to bend, as the prototype scheme did. Had a small accident with the propellor, where some paint thinner splashed onto it, and took off some of the paint. Guess it’s back to the paintshop for that!

The other models I had been working on were two Hasegawa P-40’s. These are carrying on nicely, but then, they are Hasegawa kits! Hasegawa kits in 1/72 anyway tend to follow the pattern of a the underside of the mainplanes being one unit, along with some of the fuselage. The problem with this method is that it means that the unit has fit in several planes, perfectly. Many kits result in ’steps’ at the back (where it joined the back of the fuselage), especially as one tries to make the wingroots perfect. This is not the case with these kits. A quick swipe with a sanding stick sort out some irregularities, and, then, a perfect fit. Really quite remarkable!

If the under-wing unit is a characteristic of the Hawegawa kits of this era, then, the other is moulding in too much, such as antenna, pitit tubes, gun barrels, and even aiming devices. Whilst potentially a good idea, reducing fiddly work load, it’s actually bad for two reasons. Firstly, they easily break off, and secondly, if one if sanding down an item, they can get in the way. This was the case with the P-40, where I found it difficult to get around the gun aimer, to smooth in the join. With another Hasegawa kit, a Shinden ‘George’, I broke off the antenna.

This kit was made for the Finescale Forum’s Mad Weekend Group Build. A Group Build is where modellers on a forum, follow a thread (usually) where they post posts and pictures of their build, that follow a theme, usually with start and finish dates. I found this Hasegawa N1K2-J Shinden ‘George’ for just £3 at my local hobby shop (often called an LHS on forums), because it was sans instructions. Still, a very simple kit, like the P-40’s, so I reckoned I could finish it in a weekend. Well, I might have, if I had worked at it properly, and not used enamel paints!

The first part went well, and it fitted nicely. However, I soon found that Gunze Sangyo acrylic paints do not brush nicely. I was using no.58, interior green, as it seemed to be fairly close to reality. Yet, the paint didn’t go down nicely. In had to sand it down, a couple of times, and thin the paint, thence, a few coats. One nice touch is that the cockpit can be fitted from underneath a completed fuselage. Not much interior, but it does come with a decal instrument panel. I used some light dry brushing of silver to bring out the seat, but I managed to forget to put in seat belts (I realise as I write this!).

The engine went on well. I painted it in black, then, over painted it in silver. I know that’s backwards, but it looks good! One major change I made during the build was to use Slater’s Mek-Pak. It’s weird stuff, which sometimes produces a great bond, and sometimes doesn’t! I apply it using an ear bud (not a used one!), to both parts to be enjoined. Still it flows well, but it dries so quickly! In places, I used some Zap-A-Gap instead, where it had to be an excellent join, or there was a slight gap.

The fuselage around the cockpit wasn’t as good a join as could be expected, but the wing roots were perfect! Yellow strips painted on (Revell yellow again), with a few coats. A slight sanding turns them matt, which is perfect. Next up, the underside, which is either natural metal, or light grey, but I’m going for the latter, for which I plan to use Revell SM371. This time, it’s because it’s close, not because it’s an opened tin (it’s not). Topside will be an Imperial Japanese Navy olive, probably Humbrol 116. Props will be Revell ‘military brown’, which is similar to Humbrol 10, plus flashes of yellow.

The Eduard 1/144 ME-262/C-92 kits (three of) are progressing with the seats/cockpits painted in Xtracylix RLM66, and the seat cushions in Humbrol 186 (because it happened to be available!) which is a decent dark leather. Next up: seat-belts (in 1/144, strewth!). This is for the Finescale Forum ‘ME-262′ Group Build.

Finally, some work on the Eduard Roland, that is, I painted the engine in Metalcote aluminium. Not much!

Next time, some more progress, and some pictures too…!

Numai de campania electorala auzi la TV, la radio si pe unde te uiti.

Hell … ieri a fost concert Iris pentru Oprescu. Daca as sti ca acel concert nu e facut din bani publici m-as simti mai bine.

Revenind, eu l-am remarcat pe Eduard Manole ca un candidat ce ar putea sa ma reprezinte, e om cu carte, a studiat filozofia si astronomia, e un om de afaceri implinit, majoritatea firmelor sale regasindu-se in afara granitelor tarii, asadar interesele lui nu prea sunt in RO.

M-am decis sa-l votez pe omul asta, are un stil fresh si oricum as prefera un sobolan sau vierme inelat in locul acelorasi marionete < stiu ca e un cliseu cuvantul … dar asta e, nu am avut altul >

Informatii despre candidatul la presedintie Eduard Manole puteti gasit pe site-ul < http://www.eduardmanole.com/va-puteti-imagina-paradisul.html >

More to come despre alegeri …

Academy Bf 109E ‘Heinz Bar’ 48 12216 Dec-09 Updated
Academy F/A-18D Hornet USMC 72 12422 Dec-09 Updated
Academy F-5E Tiger II 48 TBA Future
AFV Club F-5E Tiger II 48 48102 Future
Airfix Buccaneer S.2 72 3072 Dec-09
Airfix Mosquito FB.VI/NF.II 24 25001 Jan-10
Airfix Sea King HAS.5/AEW.2 72 4048 Dec-09
Airfix Sea Vixen FAW 48 10106 2Q10
Airfix Sea Vixen FAW.2 48 10106 Oct-10
Czech Model T-33 Shooting Star 32 TBA 2010
Eduard Bf 109F-2 32 TBA Future
Eduard Bf 109F-3 32 TBA Future
Eduard Bf 109F-4 32 TBA Future
Eduard Bf 109G Series 32 TBA Future
Eduard Fw 190D-11/13 48 8185 Future
Eduard Fw 190D-9 48 TBA 2010
Eduard MiG-21bis Fishbed L/N 48 TBA Future
Eduard MiG-21MF Fishbed J 48 TBA Future
Eduard MiG-21SMT Fishbed K 48 TBA Future
Eduard Spitfire Series 32 TBA Future
Fine Molds Bf 109K-4 ‘Hartmann’ 72 FL15 Future
Fisher Model F7U-3 Cutlass 32 TBA 4Q09
Fisher Model RB-51 Red Baron Mustang 32 TBA 4Q09
Hasegawa A6M5 Zero Type 52 (Zeke) ‘Tsukuba FG’ 48 09891 Dec-09
Hasegawa Bf 109E ‘Marseille’ 48 09892 Dec-09
Hasegawa Boeing 737-800 ‘American Airlines’ Combo 200 10670 Feb-10
Hasegawa E-2C Hawkeye ‘JASDF 50th Anniversary’ 72 00988 Feb-10
Hasegawa F/A-18D Hornet ‘Marine Corps Combo’ 72 00982 Dec-09
Hasegawa F/A-18F Super Hornet ‘VFA-11 Red Rippers’ 48 09898 Mar-10
Hasegawa F-1 ‘Sea Camouflage’ 48 09897 Feb-10
Hasegawa F-14A Tomcat ‘Black Knight History’ 72 00985 Dec-09
Hasegawa F1M2 Type Zero Model 11 (Pete) 48 09895 Feb-10
Hasegawa F-21 Lion Combo 72 00986 Jan-10
Hasegawa F-22A Raptor 48 07245 Apr-10
Hasegawa F-4B/N Phantom II ‘USS Midway CAG’ 48 09900 Mar-10
Hasegawa Fw 190A-5 Graf 48 09893 Jan-10
Hasegawa Fw 190D-9 ‘JG 4′ 32 08201 Feb-10
Hasegawa G4M1 Type 1 Model 11 (Betty) 72 00991 Mar-10
Hasegawa He 51 ‘Legion Condor’ Combo 72 00990 Mar-10
Hasegawa J2M3 Raiden (Jack) Type 21 ‘Genzan FG’ 48 09890 Dec-09
Hasegawa Ju 87C Stuka ‘Graf Zeppelin’ 48 09899 Mar-10
Hasegawa Ju 88G-6 Nachtjaeger 72 01562 Jan-10
Hasegawa Ki-44-II Otsu Shoki (Tojo) w/40mm Cannon 32 08200 Jan-10
Hasegawa P-40M Warhawk 32 08199 Dec-09
Hasegawa Renzan w/I-Go and Shinden Kai Combo 72 00987 Jan-10
Hasegawa Seaking AEW.2A 48 09852 Jan-10
Hasegawa SR-71A Blackbird ‘Skull and Crossbones’ 72 00983 Dec-09
Hasegawa Ta 154 Moskito (4 in 1) 72 00989 Feb-10
Hasegawa TBM-3S2 Avenger ‘JMSDF’ 72 00984 Dec-09
Hobbycraft Bf 109A 32 1719 1Q10
Hobbycraft Bf 109B 32 1720 1Q10
Hobbycraft Bf 109C 32 1721 1Q10
Hobbycraft Bf 109D 32 1722 1Q10
Hobbycraft CAC Wirraway 32 TBA Future
Hobbycraft SNJ Harvard 32 TBA Future
Hobbycraft T-6 Texan 32 TBA Future
Italeri F-16DG/DJ Fighting Falcon (Kinetic) 48 2683 Dec-09 New
Kinetic E-2C Hawkeye JASDF Group II 48 48014 Future
Kinetic F-16BM (AMU) 48 48003 Future
Kinetic F-16CG/CJ Block 40/42/50/52 48 48004 Future
Kinetic F-86F-30 Sabre ‘Golden Hawk’ RCAF 32 3202 Future
Kinetic F-86F-40 Sabre ‘Luftwaffe’ 32 3203 Future
Lindberg F-35 Lightning II 32 70547 Dec-10
Minicraft B-52H Stratofortress 144 14615 Future
Minicraft C-130J Hercules 144 14589 Future
Minicraft C-137/C-18A 144 14594 Future
Minicraft C-172 Civil Air Patrol 48 11615 Future
Minicraft E-3A Sentry (NATO Anniversary) 144 14611 Future
Minicraft KC-97G 144 14610 Future
Revell B-26 Marauder 48 5529 2010
Revell CH-54A Skycrane 72 1258 2010
Revell Do 335 Arrow 48 5858 Dec-09
Revell F-15D/E Eagle 32 5715 2010
Revell F-4C Phantom II 48 5859 2010
Revell F-82G Twin Mustang 72 5257 2010
Revell He 111H-22 48 5530 2010
Revell MiG-21PF Fishbed D 48 5482 Dec-09
Revell MiG-25 Foxbat 48 5860 2010
Trumpeter A-4E Skyhawk 32 2266 Future
Trumpeter A-6A Intruder 32 2249 Future
Trumpeter A-6A/E Intruder 72 1640 Future
Trumpeter A-6E Intruder 32 2250 Future
Trumpeter AS365N2 Dauphin 48 2819 Future
Trumpeter AV-8B Harrier II (Night Attack) 32 2285 Mar-10 Updated
Trumpeter AV-8B Harrier II Plus 32 2286 Future
Trumpeter Be-6 Madge 72 1646 Future
Trumpeter Bf 109E-3 32 2288 Jan-10
Trumpeter EF-111A Raven 48 TBA 2010
Trumpeter F/A-18E Super Hornet 32 3204 Dec-09
Trumpeter F/A-18F Super Hornet 32 3205 Future
Trumpeter F/A-18G Growler 32 3206 Future
Trumpeter F-100D Super Sabre 48 2839 Mar-10 Updated
Trumpeter F-100D Super Sabre 72 1649 Future
Trumpeter F-100F Super Sabre 32 2246 Future
Trumpeter F-100F Super Sabre 48 2840 Future
Trumpeter F-100F Super Sabre 72 1650 Future
Trumpeter F-111 48 TBA 2010
Trumpeter F-14A Tomcat 32 3201 Future
Trumpeter F-14B Tomcat 32 3202 Future
Trumpeter F-14D Tomcat 32 3203 Dec-09
Trumpeter F-22A Raptor 144 1317 Future
Trumpeter FC-1/JF-17 Thunder 48 2815 Future
Trumpeter Fw 190A-6/8 24 2419 Future
Trumpeter Fw 200C-3 Condor 72 1637 Future
Trumpeter Fw 200C-4 Condor 72 1638 Future
Trumpeter Fw 200C-8 Condor 72 1639 Future
Trumpeter Harrier GR.7 32 2287 Future
Trumpeter J-10A Vigorous Dragon 48 2841 Future
Trumpeter J-10B Vigorous Dragon 48 2842 Future
Trumpeter Ju 87D-3 Stuka 24 2420 Future
Trumpeter Me 262A-1a 144 1319 Jan-10
Trumpeter MiG-19 Farmer 72 1647 Future
Trumpeter MiG-19PM Farmer E 72 1648 Future
Trumpeter MiG-23MF Flogger B 32 TBA Future
Trumpeter MiG-23ML Flogger G 32 3210 Future
Trumpeter Mustang Mk.III RAF 32 2283 Future
Trumpeter P-40E Kitty Hawk 32 2269 Future
Trumpeter P-40M Kitty Hawk 32 2211 Future
Trumpeter P-40N Kitty Hawk 32 2212 Future
Trumpeter P-51B/C Mustang III 24 2402 Future
Trumpeter Su-24M Fencer D 48 2835 Feb-10
Trumpeter Su-25UB Frogfoot 32 2276 Future
Trumpeter Su-27 Flanker B 72 1645 Future
Trumpeter Swordfish Mk.II 32 3208 Feb-10
Trumpeter TBD-1 Devastator 32 2226 Future
Trumpeter Tornado 48 TBA 2010
Trumpeter Tu-16K26 Badger G 144 3907 Future
Trumpeter Wellington Mk.XIV Torpedo Bomber 72 1633 Future
Valom An-2 Colt (airliner) 48 48003 2010
Valom An-2 Colt (civil) 48 48002 1Q10
Valom An-2 Colt (floatplane) 48 48004 2010
Valom An-2 Colt (military) 48 48001 1Q10
Valom An-2 Colt (skis) 48 48005 2010
Valom Avro 618 72 72039 2010
Valom Buckingham 72 72032 1Q10
Valom Buckmaster 72 72031 1Q10
Valom Fokker F.VIIb ‘Josephine Ford’ 72 72047 2010

Eine Geschichte, die Frau Dr. Riesener regelmäßig im Hebräischkurs erzählt:

Schilderung eines Traums
von Eduard Mörike

Nächtlich erschien mir im Traum mein alter hebräischer Lehrer
Nicht in Menschengestalt, sondern – oh schreckliches Bild
Als ein Qames geformt (wenn es nicht ein Qames Chatuf war:
Sah ich doch wahrlich so recht niemals den Unterschied ein;
doch dies stell ich dahin). Ein grammatikalisches Scheusal
Trat er zur Türe herein, mich zu ermorden gewillt.
Halt! so rief ich; erbarme dich mein! In Dettingers Namen! -
Siehe, da ließ er mich los, und ich erwachte zugleich.
Aber noch lang fort kämpfte die Brust mit fliegendem Atem
Und von der Stirne mir troff examinalisches Naß.

El Westland Lysander fue un aeroplano de enlace y apoyo del Ejército Británico producido por Westland Aircraft. Se utilizó ampliamente durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial y fue reconocido por su capacidad STOL “Short Take-Off and Landing“ (en castellano “Despegue y aterrizaje cortos”).

Esta aeronave de excepcional rendimiento hizo posible misiones clandestinas de variada índole tras las líneas enemigas, apoyo a la resistencia en países ocupados como Francia, Bélgica, recuperación de agentes, transporte de prisioneros de guerra, repatriación de aviadores caidos en territorio enemigo, o espías, en particular en la Francia ocupada. A este avión se le dio el nombre de un jefe militar, en este caso, el general espartano Lisandro.

El Westland Lysander tuvo su origen en el diseño presentado por la constructora en respuesta a la Especificación A.39/34 del Ministerio del Aire británico en la que se pedía un avión de cooperación con el ejército para la sustitución de la aeronave Hawker Héctor. Inicialmente, Hawker Aircraft, Avro y Bristol Aeroplane Company fueron invitadas a presentar sus diseños, pero después de debates en el Ministerio, la Westland Aircraft presentó su diseño. El diseño de la Westland, designado inicialmente como P.8 , fue el trabajo de Arthur Davenport, bajo la dirección de WEW Petter. Este fue el segundo diseño de aeronaves de Petter que pasó mucho tiempo entrevistando a pilotos de la RAF para averiguar lo que querían de tales aeronaves. El resultado de las investigaciones de Petter sugirió que los requisitos más importantes eran el campo de visión, maniobrabilidad a baja velocidad y un rendimiento STOL. Davenport y Petter trabajaron en el diseño de una aeronave en torno a esas características

El Lysander usaba el motor radial Bristol Mercury refrigerado por aire, con una característica ala de implantación alta y en la mayoría de las ocasiones, unas alas embrionarias fijadas a los carenados de las patas de los aterrizadores principales, de las que podían suspenderse armas o cargas lanzables. En apariencia no era muy diferente al polaco L.W.S.3 Mewa B. Las alas tenían un inusual giro inverso hacia el fuselaje, que da la impresión de un ala de gaviota. El primero de los dos prototipos realizó su vuelo inaugural el 15 de junio de 1936 .

Los primeros Lysanders entraron en servicio en junio de 1938 en las filas del 16º Squadron de la RAF y fueron equipando a los escuadrones para la cooperación con el ejército e inicialmente utilizados para lanzamiento de mensajes y artillería de detección. Cuando empezó la guerra en Europa, el temprano Mk I había sido reemplazada en gran parte por Mk II, la mayoría de los Mk I fueron al Medio Oriente. Algunos de estos aviones, ahora designado tipo L.1, operaron con los Chindits del Ejército Indio Británico en la Campaña de Birmania de la Segunda Guerra Mundial . También fueron enviados a Egipto, Grecia, la India y Palestina.

Cuatro escuadrones regulares equipadas con Lysanders acompañó a la Fuerza Expedicionaria Británica en Francia. Éstos fueron utilizados como observadores y bombarderos ligero. A pesar de ocasionales victorias contra los aviones alemanes, eran blancos muy fáciles para la Luftwaffe a menos que estuviesen acompañados por algún Hawker Hurricane. Casi la mitad de los Lysanders que operaban en Francia se perdieron y, con la caída de Francia fueron retirados de su rol de cooperación con el ejército. De regreso a Inglaterra, trabajó en operativos de rescate tirando botes salvavidas para la pilotos de la RAF derribados en el Canal de la Mancha. Catorce escuadrones fueron formados para desempeñar esta función durante 1940-41.

La maqueta que nos ocupa hoy, pertenece a mi buen amigo y compañero modelista Alberto Vidal, que ha elegido el modelo Nº 8083 de la marca checa Eduard a escala 1/48, perteneciente al “309 (AC) Ziemia Czerwienska (Polish) Sqn, RAF”, (309 escuadrón polaco de la RAF), cerca de St. Andrews, Escocia, entre 1942-1943.

Ahora las fotos del modelo. Hacer click en las imágenes para verlas a tamaño original.

Fuente: Wikipedia

Eduard me telefoneó hace cuestión de dos días, más o menos. No supe encajar la noticia que a través del hilo telefónico me estaba contando. Prácticamente, en ningún momento pude ser consciente de la gravedad del asunto. Tanta ilusiones ahogadas, mientras yo me disponía a jugar con una copa de alcohol.

Eduard y Sally se conocieron hace cinco años. Tuve el honor de ser la persona qe los presentó y desde entonces no he conocido una pareja más perfecta. Siempre soñé con vivir algo parecido, sin embargo la frase que me dijo mi padre el día de su marcha se repite en mis días más de lo que yo quisiera: “Hija mía, en el juego de la vida existen dos tipos de personas. Las que nacen con estrellas y las estrelladas”.

Hace cuestión de dos años contrajeron matrimonio en una de las aldeas más prestigiosas que jamás he conocido. La felicidad los envidiaba y ahora se ha cobrado su venganza. Sally que estaba de cuatro meses, había perdido el hijo que esperaban. Desolado, Eduard me relataba los hechos.

” Iba camino del banco, cuando un tio comenzó a ultrajarla. Ella rompió a llorar y no supo reaccionar. Se llevó un susto tremendo y esa reacción le provocó al bebé una subida de tension demasiado arriesgada, que finalmente terminó por asfixiarlo, según me contó en el hospital su ginecólogo”

El energúmeno sólo pretendía conseguir dinero, pero sin saberlo había destrozado tres dichosas vidas. Sé lo que significa esto. Se semeja a una situación familiar, que en aquellos momentos estuvo pesente durante toda la conversación, así como posteriormente.

Nada más colgar sentí un vuelco increíble, no sabría explicarlo con palabras tan sólo sé que me ví obligada a tumbarme a la espera de volver a recuperar el aliento.

There’s been quite a bit of activity since my last post.  I’ve resurrected a Minicraft 1/144 Mustang (more in the next post), and done some work on it.  I’ve also pulled an Eduard 1/144 BF-109 out, but nothing yet.  I’ll discuss these in more depth next time.  However, for now, suffice to say, painted the Mustang, including the interior.

No development on the Lancaster (except dropping it again), but the Academy BF-109 has had the small tidying up, and then, today, I sprayed the blue underside, or, rather, re-sprayed.  I used Humbrol enamel 65 a reasonable match for RLM 65.  Of course, I could be wrong on that, but, it looks OK to me, and, anyway, paints can look quite different from different batches, different manufacturers, plus, over time paints change colour.

For this model, which I’m trying to complete to reasonable standard (even though I’ve mucked in places, see earlier posts), I’m spraying the paint.  I’ve not spray-painted in a long time, probably not in 8 or 9 months, maybe even more!  Spraying enamel is harder than spraying acrylic.  I used Humbrol enamel thinner, and mixed it in a way I was taught a couple of years back.  Basically, it involves  putting the paint, and the thinner, into the bowl of the airbrush (it only works with gravity feed airbrushes), then opening the crown, to cause air to feedback into the bowl, resulting in bubbling, and hence, mixing.  I have been told that one should put the thinner in first, but, well, I don’t.  Maybe I should…?

Anyway, I tried spraying, on a plastic lid of the takeaway boxes I use for storing kits.  It was a disaster!  I used my Iwata as it seemed to be the only airbrush which was in OK condition.  However, it wasn’t, resulting in a complete clean, not just the usual quick clean I do.  I’m guessing that the last time I used the airbrush I didn’t clean it, or indeed, the others.  Quite why is a bit of a mystery, as I’m usually very fastidious about such things.

Anyway, I have a few airbrushes: an Iwata HP-C (gravity feed, medium bowl, dual action – the original one, there have a couple of models since) with a medium head; a Badger 200GF (gravity feed, small bowl, single action) with a fine head; a Badger 150 2F (suction feed, dual action) with a fine head; a Badger 100GF (gravity feed, small bowl, dual action), and an early Badger suction feed, single action.

So, in total, 4 airbrushes.  There is also a another one, a simple one, which is external feed, but it’s not boxed, and, for much model work, not up to the standard needed.

However, as I’ve talked a lot about airbrushes, I should explain a little about them, before I move on.  In essence, an airbrush mixes an air source and a paint source, into a single stream of air, carrying the paint.  Air sources can be bottles of compressed air, as sold in model shops, tyres, or, best of all a compressor.  I’ll talk about these another time, but, for now, suffice to say that, unless it’s pressure regulated air, it’s a pain to use.  Personally, I use an unbranded airbrush that looks identical to a Revell Omega (top of the range), but which contains a regulator, a air-tank, a display, and a water trap.

Airbrushes, to mix the paint, use two methods.  They either mix it in a mixing chamber (internal), or, directly in the air stream outside the body (external).  The latter is much cheaper, and, of course, no dirty mixing chambers!  Externals give the user the ability to regulate the air flow, using a level, handle, button, etc.  The paint is stored in a bottle under the airbrush.  The bottle will then have a tube leading from the inside of the bottle, via a hole in the lid, to a nozzle.  The nozzle will usually be adjustable (normally by being on a screw top, like a Coke bottle), to determine how far into the paint stream he nozzle projects.  As the air runs over the nozzle, the Venturi effect causes a vacuum, which sucks the paint up.  Adjusting the nozzle can cause different paint mixes.  The air too has a nozzle, and, mixing these two can cause different spray patterns

The bottle and nozzle are completely separated from the air.  The entire paint area is a bottle, a tube, and very simple nozzle, making cleaning a doddle.  Moreover, the airbrushes can be picked up cheaply.  I’ve seen a Humbrol one in 2007 on sale at Hobbycraft for £9.99, and the Revell one for a couple of Pounds more.  Whilst prices might be a little higher today, you can get one for not very much.  My own one is one I bought in America in 2007, from Badger, but procured cheaply in Wal-Mart.  It’s quite a nice one, nicer than the others, which some smart design.  The bottle fit into a nice clip, which then clips them to the body, whilst the control is a nice lever, and the body is smart, feels nice in the hand, with a ‘tail’ to counter-balance it.  Excellent!

One might then ask the very pertinent question: if externals are so good, why use expensive internal airbrushes?  The answer is that internals allow good regulation of the spray size and pattern.  Control is the single most important factor in airbrushes, and it’s why they can be so expensive, more than 30x the price of a cheap external in some instances.

Using the different nozzles can allow for adjustment on a external, but, it’s hard, and fiddly.  Even my Badger, with easy to use nozzles, is not as good as internal.  The internals are split by the following types, and come in any combination thereof.

The first major difference of the internals is the way you control the airflow and the paint mix.  The typical internal airbrush is T shaped.  One end of the T is the ‘business end’, the other is a counterbalance (or tail), with, sometimes, some additional controls.  The lower line is where the inlet valve is, with the air-line feeding into that.  Some airbrushes have little or no tail.  One that I rather loved just had the control behind the needle, but no real tail.

Above the inlet valve will be, typically, a button.  Spray brushes, and some airbrushes, have a valve control in front of the valve.  These are called ‘triggers’.  Depressing the button opens the valve, allowing air in.  The air, in a typical airbrush, will run in a separate line, and thence, join the paint forward of the bowl.  The user can regulate how much air is allowed in.

The user also needs to regulate how much paint is released, and this is the major difference.  Both systems work by moving a needle, which sits in the bowl, and, by opening and closing, regulates.  A ’single action’ airbrush will have the button, but, at the back of the tail is, normally, a dial of some nature.  Often you will see the back of the needle here too.  Moving the dial turns a screw, which adjusts the needle, regulating the paint flow.  As soon as you apply air then, the paint leaves, to the level pre-set.

The other system is called ‘dual action’, possibly obviously!  Here, the button is the same, but, the needle control is built into the button.  The button can be depressed and raised, to control airflow, but, it can also be pulled back, to regulate paint flow.

Single action airbrushes are not necessarily inferior, as for most work you do not need to adjust the paintflow, and, indeed, some of the best modellers around use them.  Moreover, a quick twist can adjust them.  However, for some specialist work, a dual action is far better.  For example, where paint starts, and finishes, within a viewable area, and has a ‘feathered’ edge.  Still, this can be done with a single action too.  Really, it’s down to the individual as to which one to use.  Single actions are cheaper, and, can be less fiddly to clean (the small level, which sits behind the button, can be a pain).

The other main differences in design revolve about paint.  Basically, there are two main types: suction and gravity feed.  Aztecs, and some others, also offer side feeds, but, then, Aztecs are quite different in design from anything else!  I won’t cover them here, but, suffice to say, their design, whilst interesting, is often derided for it’s difficulty in cleaning and maintenance.

Suction feeds have a similar set-up to external, as you might expect.  The big advantage of them is that you can rapidly swap bottle of paint over.  However, this often isn’t needed!  Moreover, you lose paint in the transfer pipe, and, you can be caught out by the delay in the feeding (as the paint travels to the mixing area).  Still, they are popular.  The other type, and the one used by just about everyone I know, is gravity feed.  Here a bowl, often fixed, sits above the body, just in front of the ‘button’.  The paint drops directly onto the needle, and thence, to the mixing area.  Bowls can be small, medium, or large.  Some bowls can be removed too, but, opinion differs if this is a good or bad thing (removing bowls makes them easier to clean, but, can also paint to creep into the joint).  All airbrushes suffer from the paint source getting in the way.  Small bowls reduce this problem.  However, they can cause other problems, in, when painting large areas, needing more re-filling.  Badger have a unique solution, in that, they sell an airbrush with no bowl at all, just the slot above the needle.  This just a small paint storage area, so very little paint, but, it makes sense for some detailed work.

Most airbrushes also allow a choice of heads.  Needles must be matched to the head.  Badgers, for example have notches on the needles, with the heads marked F (fine) and M (medium).  So long as the needle is either F or M marked correctly, the set-up will be OK.

Airbrushes do though require cleaning.  Paint build ups will kill or impair their ability to function.  You’ll be amazed just where paint can go in an airbrush!  I clean mine by stripping them down, and immersing them in lacquer or cellulose  thinner.  In the old days, this wasn’t a good idea, as the thinner attacked the plastic seals, but, it seems to be OK now.  However, I still remove the one between the crown and body on a Badger, as it slides off easily.  The nozzle on a Badger is smooth, and hard to remove, so I generally clean it attached.  The one on my Iwata has flattened area, enabling me to use large tweezers to turn it.  However, I’ll leave airbrush cleaning techniques for another day!

Suffice to say, once cleaned, I was able to airbrush again!  I cleaned the Iwata and the gravity feed Badgers.  The old Badger has a valve problem I think, as whilst I cleaned it, it didn’t play ball.  The last airbrush I’d put aside, and didn’t find until after I had finished for the day!

Spraying the Academy was, at first, a bit of a pain, until I added some more thinner, swirled it around, and then, bingo, it worked!  Slightly rough surface, but good enough,  However, I’ll sand it with tissue paper, before I spray it again.

There is more, but, for now, I’ll leave it there!  Y’all enjoy your modelling!

Del crepúsculo al amanecer, es con este concepto que la autora Stephenie Meyer pretende sumergirnos en el mundo vampiresco que creo para deleite de todos los potenciales lectores de su saga de libros (Crepúsculo, Luna Nueva, Eclipse, Amanecer).

La historia de amor pensada para un público adolescente entre un vampiro y una humana que superó las expectativas en su versión cinematográfica estrenada el 21de noviembre del año pasado, aunque como era de esperar no fue capaz de resumir cada detalle del libro, si logró desplazarnos al pueblo de Forks y vivir a cada segundo este apabullante romance.

En noviembre de este año, llegará la esperada segunda parte de esta saga a las carteleras cinematográficas, con altas expectativas dado lo potencialmente atractiva de este tomo.

Luna Nueva promete mostrarnos una serie de eventos que nos mantendrán pegados a nuestros asientos en cada momento, se agrega el desamor, el abandono de Eduard deja vulnerable a Bella quien encuentra cobijo en los brazos de  su amigo Jack, quien también se verá sumergido en un conflicto interno, ¿su amistad o sus instintos?, sufrimiento, confusión de sentimientos y la esperada aparición de los enemigos naturales de los vampiros, los licántropos, poniendo una nota de acción, esta película tendrá de todo, además de un amplio desarrollo de los personajes que en la primera historia eran segundarios como Alice, la hermanastra de Eduard quien es capaz de ver el futuro, esto traerá mas de alguna complicación ya que no contaban con que sus enemigos lobos no aparecen en sus visiones.

Por Yanina Perez

I find it strange that this movie’s called Mein Name ist Eugen because all of them–(L-R) Eduard, Eugen, Bäschteli, and Wrigley–really carried the movie together. If anyone took over, it was Wrigley who was the stubborn and dominant one, who even had his little love team storyline. The translated title Rascals on the Road did it better for me because it was more about that summer adventure search for the King of the Rascals Fritzli Bühler in Zurich. Playful storytelling that even duped about 1/3 (or more!) of the Cine Europa audience when “The End” flashed, which doesn’t happen just once. They probably were so embarrassed after standing from their seats that almost none actually returned even when the movie clearly went on. Reminds me of my own rascal days–just as earnestly pursued, just as carelessly lived.

Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen, militar y aviador alemán, nació el 2 de mayo de 1892 en Breslavia, (Imperio Alemán) y fallecido el 21 de abril de 1918 en Vaux-sur-Somme, (Francia), a los 25 años de edad.

Más conocido como el “Barón Rojo”, consiguió derribar ochenta aeroplanos enemigos durante la primera guerra mundial, por lo que recibió la Medalla al Mérito Militar, antes de ser abatido en la mañana del 21 de abril de 1918 cerca del río Somme, en el norte de Francia.

LLegó a ser un héroe en la Alemania del Kaiser Guillermo II, siendo su unidad, el JASTA 11, responsable del derribo de 644 aviones, con solo 56 bajas propias. El JASTA 11 fue conocido como el Circo Volante, por los vivaces colores que presentaban sus 14 aviones, en especial el del propio Von Richthofen que era de color rojo y el más temido de todos, por los pilotos franceses y británicos.

El kit es de la marca Eduard a escala 1/48 y está pintado para representar uno de los Fokker Dr.I volado por el “Baron Rojo” en sus últimos días como piloto y as de los cielos.

Hacer click en las imagenes para verlas a tamaño original.

Fuente: Taringa

• Eduard / edw-ART
• Photography / Web design / Music
• His first real photograph was a picture of his girlfriend.
• He started taking photographs because it caused interest in him. He says : ” Every genre has it’s own colors”.
• He prefers digital photography. Since he is a reporter, he needs to do it quickly and anywhere here he may need it.
• We asked him what is his vision of  a perfect model. He said (laughing) “beautiful!”.

You can find him at:

flick.lv / deviantart

Që kur shumica e grupit themelues të PD-së u largua nga ajo për të krijuar Aleancën Demokratike, u bë e qartë se PD-ja do të ishte një shëmbëlltyrë e Partisë së Punës në drejtim të demokracisë së brendshme të saj. Kushdo që ishte në të, si ushtarët brenda një bunkeri, duhej të qëllonte armikun sipas urdhrave të komandantit Berisha. Ndërsa kushdo që nuk u bindej urdhrave të komandantit, shpallej tradhtar ose i shitur tek armiku. Dhe pavarësisht dështimeve elektorale të komandantit (në vitet 1994, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003), ai mbetej në krye të ushtrisë demokrate, sepse në të mbijetonin vetëm ushtarë të bindur të tij.

E kundërta ndodhi me PS-në. Ajo, duke qenë pasardhëse e drejtpërdrejtë e Partisë së Punës, iu largua modelit punist të funksionimit të brendshëm. Kjo ndodhi ndoshta për dy arsye.
E para, sepse Fatos Nano, njeriu të cilit Ramiz Alia i la në dorë timonin e partisë, qëlloi të ishte një “dandy”, që parapëlqente më shumë jetën e natës se sa punën intensive për të mbajtur nën kontroll partinë. Ndërsa arsyeja e dytë, e ndoshta edhe më e rëndësishmja, ishte se PS-së i duhej të distancohej sa më shumë nga modeli punist. Kjo, për shkak të diskreditimit të Partisë së Punës në sytë e opinionit publik të asaj kohe. Ndërkohë, Berisha mund ta adoptonte atë model pa shumë probleme, për sa kohë luante fort kartën e antikomunizmit në arenën kombëtare dhe ndërkombëtare.

Flirtimin e parë me modelin punist të funksionimit të brendshëm PS-ja e pati në kongresin e dhjetorit 2003, në të cilin Nano e margjinalizoi krejtësisht grupin fraksionist të Ilir Metës dhe ku pothuaj nuk pati garë për kreun e PS-së. Por ajo që nisi atë dhjetor u ndërpre në korrikun e 2005-ës, kur Nano, me ose pa dashje, i humbi zgjedhjet parlamentare, ndërkohë që ishte si në krye të partisë së tij, ashtu edhe të qeverisë.

Kuptohet që Nano, në qoftë se do të kishte dëshiruar, mund të kishte mbetur në krye të PS-së, duke ia faturuar humbjen një grupi armiqësor brenda partisë – zëra se Edi Rama dhe njerëz të afërt të tij kishin punuar kundër PS-së qarkulluan pas zgjedhjeve të 2005-ës… Por ngjarjet e mëvonshme treguan se Nanon, më shumë se të qenit udhëheqësi i opozitës, e joshte posti i Presidentit të Republikës. Dhe, në fakt, ai, me ndihmën e mik-armikut Berisha, do ta kishte arritur këtë synim, në qoftë se jo Edi Rama, por dikush tjetër do të ishte zgjedhur në krye të PS-së.

Me ardhjen e Edi Ramës në krye të PS-së, modeli i partisë ushtri, i aplikuar për shumë kohë nga Berisha, u adoptua edhe në të. Por me një ndryshim shumë esencial. Ndryshe nga statuti i PD-së, statuti i PS-së parashikonte ndërprerjen e mandatit të kryetarit të partisë në rast humbjeje të zgjedhjeve parlamentare. Pra, kryetarit iu la në dorë komandë pothuaj absolute për ta çuar ushtrinë e tij drejt fitores, ndërkohë që iu ngarkua edhe një përgjegjësi e drejtpërdrejtë për humbjen.

Por ngjarjet e pas 28 qershorit po tregojnë se neni më i rëndësishëm i statutit të PS-së, ai që e bënte PS-në e Ramës aq të ndryshme nga PD-ja e Berishës, paskësh qenë pa vlerë. Sepse kryetari që nuk i siguron fitoren partisë mund të vazhdoka ta udhëheqë atë edhe pas ndërprerjes së mandatit të tij. Për këtë, i duhet thjesht një rikandidim e rivotim nga anëtarësia e partisë. Por edhe Berisha është votuar e mund të votohet deri në vdekje nga anëtarësia e PD-së, pavarësisht dështimeve apo sukseseve të tij…

Kuptohet që Rama e ka sot shumë më të lehtë seç e kishte dikur Nano të adoptojë modelin punist të funksionimit të partisë. Kjo, sepse distanca kohore prej transformimit të Partisë së Punës në Parti Socialiste është shumë e madhe, dhe sepse vetë Rama, ashtu si dikur Berisha, e filloi karrierën politike si antikomunist. Sidoqoftë, mbetet të shihet se sa PS-ja e viteve që do të vijnë do t‘i ngjasojë PD-së së viteve 1997-2005, kur aplikonte modelin punist gjatë qenies në opozitë.

Nga Eduard Zaloshnja,

publikuar ne gazeta “SHQIP”

1. Tine aparatul foto tot timpul la tine – nici nu stii cand apare un moment unic
2. Fotografiaza cat mai mult. E drept, practica nu poate inlocui talentul; insa indiferent cat talent ai, practica te va ajuta sa devii mai bun in ceea ce faci.
3. Fotografiaza momentul – regleaza camera abia dupa prima fotografie. In trecut, mi s-a intamplat de cateva ori sa “pierd” un moment pentru ca eram ocupat cu setarea camerei, asa ca am invatat sa duc camera la ochi si sa fac o fotografie pe loc – dupa care umblu la setari, si daca mai am timp fac si o a doua fotografie. Noroc/intamplare, cert e ca pana acum toate imaginile initiale mi-au iesit
4. Acorda atentie speciala modului cum “pica” lumina, si in special umbrele. Daca fotografiezi un portret, asigura-te ca ochii sunt iluminati cum trebuie
5. Fii atent la toate elementele ce apar in fundal (copaci, stalpi, cabluri, etc) – de multe ori, ochiul se va concentra asupra subiectului, ignorand elementele ce vor avea efecte neplacute asupra imaginii finale.
6. Daca ai nevoie de modele pentru a practica portrete, poti incepe prin a-ti convinge prietena/sotia/prietena sotiei, etc; ofera-le o fotografie inramata dupa fiecare sedinta
7. Nu-ti fie frica sa le ceri voie trecatorilor sa-i fotografiezi; multi vor privi asta ca pe un compliment.
8. Dezvata-te sa mai dai vina pe aparatul foto/obiectiv/tripod; fotografii de acum 30 de ani aveau echipament mult mai slab – ceea ce nu i-a impiedicat sa creeze imagini superbe
9. Cumpara-ti: a) un trepied bun b) o geanta foto de calitate. Ambele te vor tine multi ani – probabil mult mai mult decat aparatul foto pe care il ai acum.
10. Tine camera cu ambele maini. Asta ii va da un plus de stabilitate care uneori poate insemna exact diferenta intre o fotografie miscata si una buna.
11. La evenimente (aniversari, concerte, meciuri, nunti, conferinte de presa) acorda o atentie deosebita momentelor dinaintea evenimentului propriu-zis – vei avea sansa unor instantanee unice.
12. Daca te pasioneaza peisajele, fotografiaza aceeasi scena la momente diferite ale zilei, in zile diferite sau chiar in anotimpuri diferite. Studiaza diferentele intre imagini.
13. Evita sa fotografiezi la lumina soarelui atunci cand umbra ta este mai scurta decat tine. In general, cele mai bune momente pentru fotografiat la lumina soarelui sunt dimineata devreme si inainte de apusul soarelui – lumina laterala si saturatia culorilor vor face o diferenta enorma
14. Participa activ in forumuri foto (e.g. flickr, photo.net). Privind alte fotografii iti largesti cultura fotografica; postand fotografiile proprii ai sansa sa primesti critici folositoare

sursa: http://www.eduard.ro/2007/10/14-sfaturi-pentru-fotografii-amatori.html

…haben sich Angelika und Ed im schönen Bochum/ Linden getraut.

Hier ein kleiner Eindruck in einer etwas anderen Bearbeitung… 

Vielen Dank Ihr Zwei!!!

Hace tiempo descubrimos que no bostezábamos, necesariamente, para oxigenarnos; resulta que el bostezo es uno de los pocos rasgos atrabiliarios heredado de especies antecesoras nuestras, como los chimpancés. El bostezo no sirve para nada –no entra más oxígeno, como creen a menudo las personas, desperezándose y bostezando–.

Cuesta creerlo, pero es así. Ahora bien, si yo les digo que el cerebro tampoco sirve para nada o, más bien, que a estas alturas todavía no sabemos para qué sirve, seguro que no me creen. No obstante, cuando se mide la cantidad de energía, en este caso de oxígeno, que consume el cerebro de un individuo cuando intenta resolver un arduo problema matemático, pues resulta que apenas consume nada; ni le molesta; si acaso, le distrae de otras ocupaciones que no sabemos cuáles son. ¿En qué consume el 20 por ciento de la energía total disponible este órgano misterioso que sólo representa el dos por ciento del peso promedio de una persona?

Desde luego no en darnos una visión perfecta del mundo exterior. No nos la da y con razón. Recibe señales distorsionadas del sistema visual, auditivo, olfativo, táctil y gustativo, con las que reconstruye a su manera el mundo de afuera. El gran neurólogo Marcus Raichle y su equipo han descubierto que menos del diez por ciento de todas las sinapsis, es decir, los mensajes entre neuronas, acarrea información sobre el mundo exterior. ¿A qué dedica entonces su vida el cerebro?

A la luz de lo que antecede es lógico que a mis amigos neurólogos siempre les repita la siguiente pregunta. ¿Es cierto, como decís algunos de vosotros, que el cerebro es el órgano más sofisticado, no sólo del planeta, sino de todo el universo? O, por el contrario, ¿me tengo que creer a aquellos de vosotros que os referís al cerebro como a un órgano extremadamente imperfecto fruto de la evolución y el miedo? ¿En qué quedamos? ¿El cerebro es fabuloso o es mediocre?

Es cierto que al cerebro le hemos entregado las llaves de todos los resortes corporales. En términos evolutivos se ha pasado de una situación en la que unas mandíbulas, unos brazos y unos caparazones portentosos se apoyaban en un cerebro diminuto a una fase como la actual en la que un cuerpo diminuto, incluido el estómago y los sistemas defensivos, no sólo se apoya en un cerebro sobredimensionado, sino que se deja dirigir por él. Será por algo.

Así y todo subsisten enormes dudas. O si se quiere, somos conscientes de que apenas estamos empezando a saber algo de lo que nos pasa por dentro. ¿Cuál es la siguiente duda? Pues que los neurólogos como Marcus Raichle, que están profundizando ahora, por primera vez, en qué consume el cerebro la cuantiosa energía que gasta, nos están dando una respuesta cuestionada también por otros científicos. Veamos.

El cerebro utilizaría su energía en barajar los elementos constitutivos de la memoria y así predecir lo que va a ocurrir en el futuro. El cerebro serviría, sobre todo, para alertar e imaginar lo que se nos viene encima. Ahora bien, volvemos a movernos en aguas extremadamente movedizas. Uno de los consensos mantenidos hasta ahora por la comunidad científica ha sido que somos muy malos predictores del futuro. Grandes especialistas como Nassim Taleb, autor del best-seller El cisne negro –los cisnes suelen ser blancos–, han demostrado lo mediocres que somos cuando se trata de imaginar lo que va a ocurrir mañana. La prueba más innegable es la actual crisis económica mundial.

Afortunadamente, la revolución tecnológica iniciada a comienzos de los años 70 está permitiendo contemplar lo que pasa en el cerebro `en directo´. Falta muy poco para saber el final de la película.

EDUARD PUNSET

Ho tenia pendent, ho sé. Ara fa dos capdes l’Ester, la Laura, el Lucas i jo vam anar a Olot a veure l’Edu i la Gemma, per assegurar-nos que seguien igual de feliços i eixerits que sempre. Com que no ens van decebre, vam poder tornar a casa amb la satisfacció de la feina ben feta, la panxa plena de tan menjar (boníssim, esclar que sí) i alguns -jo- amb l’esquena cremada de tant de sol.

Com ja és habitual, ens vam passar el cap de setmana endrapant com a dropos o a la piscina d’Olot, que és fantàstica i bastant buida, sobretot si ho compares amb les habituals aglomeracions metropolitanes!

Val a dir que, com sempre, l’Edu i la Gemma van fer d’amfitrions estupendos  i van aconseguir que tots ens ho passéssim súuper bé!

Moltes gràcies!

Si voleu veure’n les fotos (made in Laura, la reportera més ditxaratxera hehe):

En primer pla el Lucas-saurio, jo, la Gemma i l’Edu

Amb la Laura ditxaratxera

Amb l’Edumi

Amb la Gemma

L’Ester dormilega

L’efecte túnels

Ara anar de BCN a Olot és molt més ràpid des que han obert els túnels de Bracons que  comuniquen Vic amb Olot en tot just 15 minuts, amb la qual cosa el temps en bus et baixa de més de 2 hores a poc menys d’hora i mitja. Però deu ser la calma que impera a la Garrotxa o alguna cosa així, perquè tots menys l’Ester (que, en contra del que sembla en la foto anterior, hi deu ser immune, ves) vam sucumbir a l’Efecte Túnels: Sorties dels túnels de Bracons i et venia, de cop i volta, una nyonya, una cosa!

A tots ens va passar: jo la nit de divendres se’m tancaven els ulls a taula mentre sopàvem, em quedava adormit a mitja conversa. No m’havia passat mai!! La Laura, que va arribar dissabte, igual!! I el Lucas, que va venir només diumenge a passar el dia, més del mateix!! Jo tinc la teoria que  la Garrotxa queda arreserada de l’estrés barceloní i quan hi entres és com un xoc pels no avesats.

(Per tant, l’Ester hi està immunitzada perquè no pateix estrés? O perquè fa escapades secretes a Olot i ja no li ve de nou??)