Autumn moon hangs high in the chilly sky

Autumn moon hangs high in the chilly sky. Central Park, early fall colors with the moon over North Meadow, Central Park, New york City. The North Meadow covers 16 acres and is bounded by the East and West Park Drives and the 97th Street Transverse and 102nd Street Cross Drive. Taken October 22, 2008 by sookietex.

I, (sookietex) the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. This applies worldwide. In case this is not legally possible, I grant any entity the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.

If This image is subject to copyright in your jurisdiction, i (sookietex) the copyright holder have irrevocably released all rights to it, allowing it to be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, used, modified, built upon, or otherwise exploited in any way by anyone for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial, with or without attribution of the author, as if in the public domain.

"A full moon hangs high in the chilly sky,
All say it's the same everywhere, round and bright.
But how can one be sure thousands of li away
Wind and perhaps rain may not be marring the night?"
- Li Qiao, The Mid-Autumn Moon

This text is in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris), in this case Li Qiao Circa 675, and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from the last day of that year. +sookie tex

This text is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1978 were copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF. Works published before 1923, in this case Li Qiao Circa 650  are now in the public domain.

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson, of Monticello, was born and bred, lived, died, and was finally buried on the paternal acres. This can rarely be said of an American. He gained world-wide renown in his day, not only as a leader of creative skill in revolutionary and republican politics, but also as the friend of science, philosophy, and the arts.

Yet his dearest environments were remote from the great cities, and he travelled abroad only to love home the better. Few men of his times ever soared for improvement in so many different directions, or dipped with so congenial a disposition into the future. Books and men were his constant sources of information; the savants of Europe were his frequent guests and correspondents; and planning for his fellow-countrymen a seminary of learning far in advance of his age, he essayed before he died to lift his simple market-town to the level of a university seat.

Monticello, or " Little Mountain" (a name of Jefferson's own coinage for a height belonging to his patrimony), lies about three miles easterly from Charlottesville, on the old county road. Charlottesville, when wide awake, boasts a population of about four thousand souls, white and black. Hiring a liverycarriage, — for the hotel is without one, — and leaving behind the Blue Ridge and this shambling but highly respectable county town with its medley of brick buildings, new and dilapidated, its unpaved streets, bad drainage, and street cars drawn by mules on the main highway to and from the University, we are soon in an open country of surprising loveliness.

Description: Portrait of Thomas Jefferson by Rembrandt Peale in 1800. Date: 1800. Source: White House Historical Association. Author: Rembrandt Peale (1778–1860)

September 26, 1789 – Thomas Jefferson is appointed the first United States Secretary of State, John Jay is appointed the first Chief Justice of the United States,

This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1978 were copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF. Works published before 1923, in this case circa 1800, are now in the public domain.

This image is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris), in this case Rembrandt Peale (1778–1860) , and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from the last day of that year. +sookie tex

Bethesda Fountain Angel Central Park New York City

Bethesda Angel Central Park New York City. Looking north from the 72d street traverse. "When the Angels arrive, the devils leave." (Egyptian Proverb)

The Bethesda Fountain is a representation of the story of the Pool of Bethesda, St. John (5, 2-4). Its crowning feature is the figure of an angel who appears to have just alighted on a mass of ro««k, and extends her hands as if blessing the waters which gush from it into the upper basin of the fountain, overflowing this and dripping into the lower basin, throwing a silvery veil over four figures symbolic of Temperance, Purity, Health and Peace. The fountain was designed and the figures were executed by Emma Stebbins.

I, (sookietex) the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. This applies worldwide. In case this is not legally possible, I grant any entity the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.

If These images is subject to copyright in your jurisdiction, i (sookietex) the copyright holder have irrevocably released all rights to it, allowing it to be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, used, modified, built upon, or otherwise exploited in any way by anyone for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial, with or without attribution of the author, as if in the public domain.

To the extent possible under law, sookietex has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to fall_colors_new_york_city.

TEXT CREDIT: New York and its environs Author: Gustav Kobbé. Publisher: Harper and brothers, 1891. Original from: the New York Public Library. Digitized: Dec 19, 2005. Length: 282 pages. Subjects, New York (N.Y.)

Space Shuttle Endeavour and 747 Shuttle Carrier

NASA's space shuttle fleet began setting records with its first launch on April 12, 1981 and continued to set high marks of achievement and endurance through 30 years of missions. Starting with Columbia and continuing with Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour, the spacecraft has carried people into orbit repeatedly, launched, recovered and repaired satellites, conducted cutting-edge research and built the largest structure in space, the International Space Station. The final space shuttle mission, STS-135, ended July 21, 2011 when Atlantis rolled to a stop at its home port, NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

As humanity's first reusable spacecraft, the space shuttle pushed the bounds of discovery ever farther, requiring not only advanced technologies but the tremendous effort of a vast workforce. Thousands of civil servants and contractors throughout NASA's field centers and across the nation have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to mission success and the greater goal of space exploration.

Space shuttle Endeavour, secured atop the modified 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, flies over Reliant Stadium and the Astrodome during the flight from Kennedy to Houston. Photo credit: NASA.

Image Credit: NASA / JPL NASA still images; audio files; video; and computer files used in the rendition of 3-dimensional models, such as texture maps and polygon data in any format, generally are not copyrighted. Unless otherwise noted, images and video on NASA public web sites (public sites ending with a nasa.gov address) may be used for any purpose without prior permission. The endorsement of any product or service by NASA must not be claimed or implied.

This file is a work of a NASA employee, taken or made during the course of the person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the file is in the public domain.

Generally speaking, works created by U.S. Government employees are not eligible for copyright protection in the United States. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office.

NASA requests to be acknowledged as the source of the material except in cases of advertising. 

Old Faithful Geyser

Description: Old Faithful. Date: circa 1881-1886. Author: Albert Bierstadt (1830–1902)

September 18, 1870 – Old Faithful Geyser is observed and named by Henry D. Washburn during the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition to Yellowstone.

Description: American painter: Date of birth / death, January 7, 1830 - February 14, 1902. Location of birth / death, Solingen / New York. Work locations: New Bedford, New York City, Irvington, New York, California.

Old Faithful erupts more frequently than any of the other big geysers, although it is not the largest or most regular geyser in the park. Its average interval between eruptions varies from 60 - 110 minutes. An eruption lasts 1 1/2 to 5 minutes, expels 3,700 - 8,400 gallons (14,000 - 32,000 liters) of boiling water, and reaches heights of 106 - 184 feet (30 - 55m). It was named for its consistent performance by members of the Washburn Expedition in 1870. Although its average interval has lengthened through the years (due to earthquakes and vandalism), Old Faithful is still as spectacular and predictable as it was a century ago.

The largest active geyser in the world is Steamboat Geyser in the Norris Geyser Basin.

This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1978 were copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF. Works published before 1923, in this case circa 1881 - 1886, are now in the public domain.

This image is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris), in this case Albert Bierstadt 1830 – 1902, and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from the last day of that year. +sookie tex

The shofar Rosh Hashanah

The shofar Rosh Hashanah: The modern Jewish synagogue has preserved in its ceremonial, among other customs, the use of the shofar, translated in the English version of the Bible "cornet." Several times during the service on New Year's day, or Bosh hashanah, at the conclusion of the Day of Atonement, on the seventh day of the festival of Tabernacles or Sukkoth, Hosh'ana Raba, and during the entire month of Ellul, after the recital of the supplications or Selichoth, the shofar is sounded. Its use on all these occasions is not general and probably never was, but it still survives in many places. For the New Year's service it is the characteristic feature.

The shofar is usually made of a ram's horn, straightened and flattened by heat. All natural horns can be shaped either by heat or by cooking in oil.

The bore of the instrument is a cylindrical tube of very small caliber, which opens into a kind of bell of parabolic form.

It is not only the solitary ancient musical instrument actually preserved in the Mosaic ritual, but is the oldest form of wind instrument known to be retained in use in the world.

EXPLANATION OF PLATE XCVII. Shofars And Other Horns.

1. Modern shofar, ordinary form. (Cat. No. 154402.) 2. Shofar, Italian form. (Cat. No. 95142.)

3. African war horn (antelope). (Cat. No. 4960.), 4. Shringa. (Cat. No. 92709. India.)

5. Siamese copper horn. (Cat. No. 27293.), 6. Large African war horn of ivory, from plaster cast in National Museum. (Original in museum of Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut.) (Cat. No. 94892.)

7. Small African war horn of ivory, from plaster cast in National Museum. (Original in museum of Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut.) (Cat. No. 94893.), 8. Ivory war horn. (Cat. No. 127193. Byanzi, Africa.)

9. African war horn. (Cat. No. 5412.) 10. Embuchi; Ivory war horn. (Cat. No. 4793. Pala Ballas, Africa.)

11. Ivory war horn. (Cat. No. 4793. West coast of Africa.), 12. Ivory war horn. (Cat. No. 127195. Byanzi, Africa.)

This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1978 were copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF. Works published before 1923, in this case 1894, are now in the public domain.

TEXT and IMAGE CREDIT: The Shofar. Author: Cyrus Adler. Publisher: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1894. Original from: the University of Michigan. Digitized: May 18, 2010. Length: 14 pages. Subjects: Shofar

O. Henry - William Sydney Porter

O. HENRY once wrote from New York:

I was born and raised in "No'th Ca'llina" and at eighteen went to Texas and ran wild on the prairies. Wild yet, but not so wild. Can't get to loving New Yorkers. Live all alone in a great big two rooms on quiet old Irving Place three doors from Wash, living's old home. Kind of lonesome. Was thinking lately (since the April moon commenced to shine) how I'd like to be down South, where I could happen over to Miss Ethel's or Miss Sallie's and sit down on the porch—not on a chair—on the edge of the porch, and lay my straw hat on the steps and lay my head back against the honeysuckle on the post—and just talk. And Miss Ethel would go in directly (they say "presently" up here) and bring out the guitar. She would complain that the E string was broken, but no one would believe her; and pretty soon all of us would be singing the "Swanee River" and "In the Evening by the Moonlight" and—oh, gol darn it, what's the use of wishing?

Description: William Sydney Porter. Date: before 1910. Source: NYPL Digital Gallery. Author: W.M. Vanderweyde, New York. Permission (Reusing this file) PD - first published in 1917.

This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1978 were copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF. Works published before 1923, in this case 1917, are now in the public domain.

This text is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1978 were copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF. Works published before 1923, in this case "The Roads We Take" 1912 are now in the public domain. 

TEXT CREDIT: O. Henry biography. Henry Ford Estate collection. Author Charles Alphonso Smith. Publisher Doubleday, Page and Company, 1916. Original from the University of Michigan. Digitized Sep 7, 2006. Length 258 pages.