Human Conspiracy to destroy the Polar Ice Caps ... Drought widens over past week, unlikely to yield through October (July 19, 2012) ...item 2.. Morse Reservoir in Noblesville, Indiana (2 August 2012) ...
Image by marsmet491
"We don't see a reason to say it will improve," Kelly Helm Smith, a specialist at the National Drought Mitigation Center, told reporters. "I'm in the Midwest," she said, referring to her office at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, "it's really unpleasant."
Moreover, last week saw a continued "downward spiral of drought conditions," according to the weekly Drought Monitor issued Thursday.
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img code photo ... Drought
msnbcmedia4.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Slideshows/_produc...
Matson ... Roll Call ... eaglecartoons.com
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.....item 1).... U.S. News on NBCNews.com ... usnews.msnbc.msn.com ...
NBC News reporters bring you compelling stories from across the nation.
Drought widens over past week, unlikely to yield through October
2 days ago (July 19, 2012)
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img code photo ...
m.static.newsvine.com/servista/imagesizer?file=miguel-lla...
The National Weather Service issued this map along with its Seasonal Drought Outlook on Thursday.
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By Miguel Llanos, NBC News
usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/19/12832813-drought-wi...
A double-barreled dose of bad news came out Thursday: Not only did the drought worsen over the last week, but it's likely to widen and intensify through the end of October, according to the seasonal outlook prepared by government forecasters.
Follow @NBCNewsUS
"Unfortunately, all indicators (short and medium-term, August, and August-October) favor above normal temperatures," the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center said in its Seasonal Drought Outlook released Thursday.
"We don't see a reason to say it will improve," Kelly Helm Smith, a specialist at the National Drought Mitigation Center, told reporters. "I'm in the Midwest," she said, referring to her office at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, "it's really unpleasant."
The outlook noted that "a dramatic shift in the weather pattern" would be required "to provide significant relief to this drought, and most tools and models do not forecast this."
Drought could take hold in the northern plains by October, the Climate Prediction Center added.
Moreover, last week saw a continued "downward spiral of drought conditions," according to the weekly Drought Monitor issued Thursday.
Stay informed with the latest headlines; sign up for our newsletter
Nearly 81 percent of the contiguous U.S. was "abnormally dry" or in drought, weather.com reported in analyzing the data, while 64 percent was in some degree of drought, up 3 percentage points from the previous week. About 42 percent was "severe" or worse.
The Weather Channel's Carl Parker reports on the worst drought in years, and the state of agriculture in the Midwest.
The monitor also noted these dire indicators for food production:
--- 38 percent of the U.S. corn crop was in "poor to very poor condition" -- up from 30 percent a week ago;
--- 30 percent of soybeans were in poor to very poor condition -- up from 27 percent.
--- 54 percent of pastures and rangelands were in poor to very poor condition -- up from 50 percent and an all-time high since that measure began in 1995.
--- Stream flows were at or near record low values across much of the Midwest and parts of the central Plains, West, Southeast, and even parts of New England.
Forecasters have called the drought the most widespread since 1956, though 1988 was worse in terms of crop losses due to an extremely dry year for the Midwest.
Experts said that could still change.
"It's too soon to know how much this one will cost" since farmers are still harvesting, Helm Smith told NBC News.
"There's a possibility that this could get worse," added Jake Crouch, an expert at the National Climatic Data Center.
"It's something to keep an eye on in the next couple of weeks," he told NBC News.
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img code photo ... U.S. Drought
msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Sections/NEWS/Drought.photoblo...
Reuters
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The federal government on Wednesday added 39 more counties to its drought disaster list, speeding up low-cost loans for farmers and ranchers. That's now 1,297 counties across 29 states with access to those loans.
Related: Sagging homes a sign of the times
The head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, said it was particularly painful for farmers because they planted for bumper crops, with many now instead potentially facing bankruptcy.
"Part of the problem we're facing is that weather conditions were so good at the beginning of the season that farmers got in the field early, and as a result this drought comes at a very difficult and painful time in their ability to have their crops have good yield," Vilsack told reporters Wednesday after briefing President Barack Obama on the drought.
"I get on my knees everyday and I'm saying an extra prayer right now," he added. "If I had a rain prayer or a rain dance I could do, I would do it.
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img code photo ... Slideshow: Drought Crisis
msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Slideshows/_product...
R.J. Matson / Roll Call, Politicalcartoons.com
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Click here to view this cartoon slideshow.
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.....item 2).... Mail Online ... Daily Mail ... www.dailymail.co.uk/news ...
...Half of America’s counties are now officially designated disaster areas due to crippling drought
...Nearly 220 American counties have been named natural disaster areas
...The US Agriculture Department has announced financial aid for farmers
...The country is grappling with the worst drought in decades
Nearly half of all corn crop was rated 'very poor' or 'poor', the worst result since 1988
By ALEX WARD
PUBLISHED: 05:37 EST, 2 August 2012 | UPDATED: 05:41 EST, 2 August 2012
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2182535/Half-American-co...
America is facing the worst drought in decades as nearly 220 counties in a dozen states are added to the list of natural disaster areas.
The additions to the long list of devastation yesterday came as the US agriculture chief unveiled new help for frustrated, cash-strapped farmers and ranchers trying to grapple with the extreme heat and dryness.
The affected counties have been designated primary disaster areas this growing season, the vast majority of them mired in the drought.
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img code photo ... Morse Reservoir in Noblesville, Indiana
i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/02/article-2182535-145508...
Worst drought in decades: A dock extends into a dry cove at Morse Reservoir in Noblesville, Indiana as nearly 220 American counties become natural disaster areas as the country faces the worst drought in decades
AP
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Counties in Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wyoming were included in yesterday’s announcement.
More...
...Price of corn surges by 20 per cent amid fears of huge hike in food bills in wake of Midwest drought
...House approves GOP-backed plan to extend tax cuts to top earners
...The forgotten millions facing starvation in the slow-motion crisis of Africa's Sahel belt
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) uses the weekly US Drought Monitor to help decide which counties to deem disaster areas, which makes farmers and ranchers eligible for federal aid, including low interest emergency loans.
To help ease the burden on the nation's farms, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has opened up 3.8 million acres of conservation land for ranchers to use for haying and grazing.
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img code photo ... corn crop was rated poor to very poor
i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/01/article-2182110-143857...
Poor corn: This week nearly half of America's corn crop was rated poor to very poor - the worst rating since the last major drought in 1988
Getty Images
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img code photo ... Help for farmers
i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/01/article-2182110-143287...
Help for farmers: The US Agriculture Department has unveiled new help for frustrated, cash-strapped farmers and crop insurers have agreed to provide farmers with a 30 day grace period on premiums
EPA
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Under that conservation program, farmers have been paid to take land out of production to ward against erosion and create wildlife habitat.
He said: ‘The assistance announced today will help U.S. livestock producers dealing with climbing feed prices, critical shortages of hay and deteriorating pasturelands.
Mr Vilsack also said crop insurers have agreed to provide farmers facing cash flow issues a penalty free, 30 day grace period on premiums in 2012.
As of this week, nearly half of the nation's corn crop was rated poor to very poor, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. It is the worst rating since the last major drought in 1988.
About 37 per cent of the US soybeans were lumped into that category, while nearly three-quarters of U.S. cattle acreage is in drought-affected areas, the survey showed.
The potential financial fallout in the nation's midsection appears to be intensifying. The latest weekly Mid-America Business Conditions Index, released yesterday, showed that the ongoing drought and global economic turmoil is hurting business in nine Midwest and Plains states, boosting worries about the prospect of another recession, according to the report.
Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the index, said the drought will hurt farm income while the strengthening dollar hinders exports, meaning two of the most important positive factors in the region's economy are being undermined.
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img code photo ... Hurting business
i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/01/article-2182110-143F39...
Hurting business: With the ongoing drought and global economic turmoil, business in nine Midwest and Plains states were suffering, fueling fears of another recession
Reuters
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The Frog of Liberty
Image by DonkeyHotey
Wikipedia: If a frog is placed in boiling water, it will jump out, but if it is placed in cold water that is slowly heated, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death.
Looking for a generic boiling frog illustration check this flickr set out.
The Republicans are screaming about Socialism, Big Government and crying about Free Markets. This is an orchestrated smoke screen to hide the fact that our government (under Republicans and Democrats) is fixing markets to shovel billions if not trillions in corporate welfare to defense contractors, hedge funds, banks, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, homeland security contractors and other industries.
There is a fire hose stream of cash, borrowed from future generations, being swallowed by large corporations that provide little benefit to America. They take a lot of the cash out of the country or pay workers in other countries. No new industries are started. No new jobs are created.
Now the Supreme Court says its OK for these same criminal enterprises to spend unlimited funds to make sure their lackeys get elected and keep the cash pouring out. The water is boiling around us... it is time to jump.
CC credits:
Frog adapted from joeltelling's photostream
Pan adapted from Stewart's photostream
censorship [remix]
Image by the|G|™
censorship.
i have to admit to difficulties regarding this topic.
and i realise i am preaching to the mostly converted. so be it. i'll preach anyway.
and i wholly realise that these are unanswerable and subjective questions. fuck all that, i value the conversation and comms.
let us move on.
personally, i don't feel a situation in which censorship is non existent to be intellectually or societally healthy.
though i have to explain that my censorship would not necessarily be artistic, it would be political and religious.
i can think of many instances at this present time wherein the evil, bigoted and dangerous ravings of political and religious fanatics [of every stripe, colour and creed] would be far better silenced. and the world would be far better off if the authors of this bile and nonsense were taken for the fuckwit bigots and repressed zealots that they are. imho.
there exist far too many examples to list.
that a fanatic almost always increases the ludicrous and evil appearance of his or her position and views the more fanatical they become is not unknown to me.
but rest assured, even the most fanatical can soon have slavering pinheaded acolytes hanging on their every word. thus the problem. thus the danger.
on to censorship in artistic terms.
we have certain means at our disposal to act as our own censors.
we do not have to watch bill hicks on television, we can choose to turn the television off.
we do not have to listen to rush limbaugh on the radio, we can choose to turn the radio off.
we do not have to see pornographic images on the internet, we can choose to avoid these sites and images.
we do not have to see the photographs of nan goldin or robert mapplethorpe, we can choose not to go to the exhibitions.
though let us digress a little and look at a real world example.
it is the example of nan goldin's photograph 'klara and edda bellydancing':
please look at the photograph using the link below:
cirkkkus.blox.pl/resource/klara_and_edda_belly_dancing.jpg
please read some comments about the photograph on this idiotic forum:
www.4debatetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5&page=7
pay particular attention to the exceptionally pathetic and idiotic post by DreSage; well in fact, let me reproduce it here:
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'Whether the photo is "art" or not is not the relevant question. Anything can be "art", and is, simply because the "Establishment" - the elite New York liberals - label it as such. Any filth - including a Crucifix dipped in a jar of urine, or the Virgin Mary stained with elephant dung - can be "art" (with the possible exceptions of such gems as the Torah rolled up on a toilet paper roll next to a john, or Moses shitting on the Ten Commandments - those might be "offensive" to the "Establishment" crowd).
In this case, whether or not it is declared "art", the photo is a clear example of lesbian child pornography and hence should be banned for the protection of the child (who did not consent to the display of this pornography) and for the prevention of paedophilia.
The photographer, Nan Goldin, is a lesbian known for her homo-erotic pornography ("art"). Thus the "she's a woman photographer" argument, made by those who wish to deny the obvious perversity of what is is staring them in their eyes, just does not cut it. Why add to the sexuality of such an "innocent" picture by giving it such a pedigree?
The title of the "work" (Klara and Edda Belly Dancing) has a clear association with sexuality and in particular prostitution (belly dancers, as all the literate people who frequent these museums know, were the prostitutes of the ancient Arab world). Why add to the sexuality of the picture by giving it such a name if it is truly "innocent"?
The title of the book in which it was first published is the "Devil's Playground", which, beyond the reference to Satan (and evil), has connotations of sado-masochism and sexual perversion (many adult pornographic titles also employ Satanic terms) (and look at the way the standing girl is dressed). Why add to the degeneracy of an "innocent" picture by giving it such a name?
The supine girl, totally naked, has her legs spread, her vagina boldly facing the camera, and is staring at (and reaching her hands up toward) the vagina of the girl standing spread-eagled above her.
The standing girl, while she has panties on, is wearing a risque top which exposes her nipple and resembles dominatrix outfits - it might as well be a leather band crossing her torso. Also she stands in a sensual pose - from the way she holds her arms to the way her lips are pursed - it looks like she may even be wearing lipstick.
I really don't see how this can be judged a "normal" child picture - I would not dream of taking a picture of any child in that position, much less publicizing it for every degenerate person in the world to look at. If a normal person tried to develop a picture of their own child like this in a Fotomat or the like they would properly be arrested and sent up the river for repentance for sexually exploiting these poor girls. But then to sell the picture and even to post it publicly reveals a degeneracy!
Now, due to the decision of the authorities, it is totally legal to spread this image through the Internet. Now the paedophiles (male and female) will have a perfectly legal erotic child picture to masturbate to. Congratulations, Ms. Goldin, for making the world a better place!
'
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let us not dwell on the incredibly infantile, fanatical [here we go again] and wrongheaded 'assumptions' and 'inferences' this idiot makes, such as 'it looks like she may even be wearing lipstick', 'the title of the book in which it was first published is the "Devil's Playground", which, beyond the reference to Satan (and evil), has connotations of sado-masochism and sexual perversion', and 'it might as well be a leather band crossing her torso'.
these statements say much more to me about DreSage's 'world view' than they say about the photograph. DreSage's world is not one i would like to live in. i see brown shirts and ovens on the horizon.
the photograph is troubling, of that there is no doubt, but the assertion that it is pornographic seems nonsensical.
the same is often said about the photography of sally mann [whom i admire greatly]. this seems to be the knee jerk reaction of a few cranks who assume that every picture of a child can be considered child pornography.
i have often thought i could get some wonderful 'motion blur' photographs of kids playing at the small local playground. but as you are no doubt thinking to yourself now, this is currently impossible. this seems wrong. it also seems odd.
it is like 'thoughtcrime' insofar as a small precentage of morons assume anybody wanting to take pictures of children in any situation are taking them for reasons of a sexual nature. again, this seem idiotic, smallminded and reactionary in the extreme. though it interests me to consider how we have arrived at this position.
and once again, these assertions say much more to me about the people making them than they ever say about any given artwork.
end of digression.
so the question, to censor or not to censor?
it is the same moral and philosophical quandry. it is age old.
do you want to have someone select what you can see, hear, read, and generally interact with. or are you capable of making your own choices? [and making choices for your offspring].
do you consider yourself an adult, or an 'adult child' needing moral, conceptual and aesthetic 'steering'?
and on to flickr:
personally, i do accept that flickr needs restrictions and a filtering process.
children should be freed from the lockjaw fuckwits who seek to 'mould' them in any way. religious, political, or any other vile and disgusting indoctrination. if you seek to suborn or indoctrinate a child i consider you beyond reproach. i consider you flat packed for hell.
you are an evil cunt.
let a child be a child. there will be time enough for hideous disillusion when the child becomes adult.
the religious fanatic. the political fanatic. the moral fanatic.
leave children alone. you are as evil as the priest who abuses as he/she pretends to 'teach', you are as abusive as the master who whips for his own fractured sexual delictation, you are as evil as the parent who seeks sexual congress with the child that you created.
why cannot corporations and profit making companies let a child be a child?
why cannot these fucked and amoral commercial entities leave your children alone?
because they want more profit.
from a clown, from a camel, from a cartoon, from a tie in, from a theme park.
the evil thing is, corporate society and corporations, disney|coke|hilfiger|camel|gap|mtv|barbie|et al seek to make a child a 'tween'. this is one of the most hateful, deviant and downright evil concepts i have ever come across.
the corporation seeks to mould the child into a 'young buying adult' at the first possible juncture.
what comes next, tee shirts for embryos?
and that is a serious statement. would corporations seek to advertise to the unborn? the answer is yes.
they want to rape your child finacially.
i digress again. such is my way.
so again.
censorship.
black or white?
talk.
ps - i love the crucifix in the glass of piss.
who can object to that?
a little bill shakespeare to round off [from king lear];
the policeman who lashes the whore has a hot need to use her for the very offense for which he plies the lash
so often we see sexual degenerecy and sexual repression hand in hand.
finally, a little light reading that shows how jolly it would be to live in a theocracy governed by shariah law:
www.iranfocus.com/en/human-rights/hanged-from-a-crane-age...
Anvil / Studio Tour / Haliburton County, Ontario / October, 2008
Image by bill barber
From my set entitled “Twelve Mile Lake”
www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/sets/72157607787077684/
In my collection entitled “Places”
www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/collections/7215760074...
In my photostream
www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/
Reproduced from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anvil
An anvil is a manufacturing tool, made of a hard and massive block of stone or metal used as a support for chiseling and hammering other objects, such as in forging iron and steel items.
Anvils have been used since early Bronze Age times by smiths of all kinds for metal work, although the tool was also used in much earlier epochs for stone and flint work.
There are many references to anvils in ancient Greek and Egyptian writing, including Homer's works. The anvil was perfected during the Middle Ages when iron working was commonplace.
Anvils have recently lost their former commonness, as mechanized production requires more specialized components for forging. They are still used by blacksmiths producing custom work, and by farriers.
The primary work surface of the anvil is known as the face. It is generally made of hardened steel and should be flat and smooth with rounded edges for most work. Any marks on the face will be transferred to the work. Also, sharp edges tend to cut into the metal being worked and may cause cracks to form in the workpiece. The face is hardened and tempered to resist the blows of the smiths hammer so the anvil face does not deform under repeated use. A hard anvil face also reduces the amount of force lost in each hammer blow. Hammers should never directly strike the anvil face as they may damage it.
The horn of the anvil is a conical projection used to form various round shapes, and is generally unhardened steel or iron. The horn is used mostly in bending operations. It also is used by some smiths as an aid in drawing out stock, "making it longer and thinner".
Some anvils, mainly European, are made with two horns, one square and one round. Also, some anvils are made with side horns or clips for specialized work.
The step or pad, commonly referred to as the table, of the anvil is used for cutting, to prevent damaging the face by conducting such operations there, although most professional smiths shun this practice, as it can damage the anvil.
The hardy hole is a square hole into which specialized forming and cutting tools are placed. It is also used in punching and bending operations.
The pritchel hole is a small round hole that is present on most modern anvils. Some anvils have more than one. It is used mostly for punching. At times smiths will fit a second tool to this hole to allow the smith more flexibility when using more than one anvil tool.
There are many designs for anvils, which are often tailored for a specific purpose or to meet the needs of a particular smith or which originated in diverse geographic locations.
The common blacksmith's anvil is made of either forged or cast steel, tool steel, or wrought iron (cast iron anvils are generally shunned, as they are too brittle for repeated use, and do not return the energy of a hammer blow like steel). Historically, some anvils have been made with a smooth top working face of hardened steel welded to a cast iron or wrought iron body, though this manufacturing method is no longer in use. It has at one end a projecting conical bick (beak, horn) used for hammering curved work pieces. The other end is typically called the heel. Occasionally the other end is also provided with a bick, partly rectangular in section. Most anvils made since the late 1700s also have a hardy hole and a pritchel hole where various tools, such as the anvil-cutter or hot chisel, can be inserted and held by the anvil. Some anvils have several hardy and pritchel holes, to accommodate a wider variety of hardy tools and pritchels. An anvil may also have a softer pad for chisel work.
An anvil for a power hammer is usually supported on a massive anvil block, sometimes weighing over 800 tons for a 12-ton hammer, and this again rests on a strong foundation of timber and masonry or concrete.
An anvil may have a marking indicating its weight, manufacturer, or place of origin. American made anvils were often marked in pounds. European anvils are sometimes marked in kilograms. English anvils were often marked in hundredweight, the marking consisting of three numbers, indicating hundredweight, quarter hundredweight and pounds. For example, a 3-1-5, if such an anvil existed, would be 3x112 lb + 1x28 lb + 5 lb = 369 lb ~= 168 kg.
Cheap anvils made from inferior steel or cast iron which are unsuitable for serious use are derisively referred to as "ASOs", or "Anvil Shaped Objects". Some amateur smiths have used a piece of railroad track as a makeshift anvil.
Top quality modern anvils are made of cast or forged tool steel and are heat treated for optimum hardness and toughness. Some modern anvils are made mostly from concrete. While the face is steel, the horn is not and can be easily damaged. These anvils can be hard to recognize because the gray paint used is the same shade as the steel face. They tend to weight about half as much as a comparable steel anvil.
A metalworking vise may have a small anvil integrated in its design.
The word "anvil" derives from Anglo-Saxon anfilt or onfilti, either that on which something is "welded" or "folded," cf. German falzen, to fold, or connected with other Teutonic forms of the word, cf. German amboss, in which case the final syllable is from "beat,", and the meaning is "that on which something is beaten" and has likely influenced the English word "emboss
"On the anvil" means any thing in the making, being created, in production etc.
A typical metalworker's anvil, with horn at one end and flat face at the other, is a standard prop for cartoon gags, as the epitome of a heavy and clumsy object that is perfect for dropping onto the villain. This visual metaphor is common, for example, in Warner Brothers' Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts, such as those with Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner.
Anvils are percussion instruments in several famous musical compositions, including:
Giuseppe Verdi: Il Trovatore, featuring the famous Anvil Chorus
Richard Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen in Das Rheingold in Scene 3, using 18 anvils, and Siegfried in Act I, notably Siegfried's Forging Song (Nothung! Nothung! Neidliches Schwert!)
Gustav Holst: Second Suite in F for Military Band, which includes a movement titled "Song of the Blacksmith"
Aaron Copland: Symphony No. 3 (Copland)
Arnold Bax: Symphony No. 3
William Walton: Belshazzar's Feast (Walton)
Edgard Varèse: Ionisation
Carl Orff: Antigone
Juan María Solare: Veinticinco de agosto, 1983 and Un ángel de hielo y fuego
Pieces by Jean-Baptiste Lully
Howard Shore: The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
Albert Parlow: Anvil Polka and Strauss
Louis Andriessen: De Materie (Part I), which features an extended solo for two anvils
Fear Factory: "Body Hammer" which features the sound of a hammer striking an anvil as percussion.
Judas Priest: "Between The Hammer And The Anvil" which features the sound of a hammer striking an anvil for dramatic effect.
Johann Strauss II: Feuerfest Polka
The Beatles: "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" makes prominent use of the anvil. Beatles road manager Mal Evans played the anvil.
Kansas: "On the Other Side" featured some use of the anvil. Kansas violinist Robby Steinhardt played the anvil on the track.
Post Processing:
Topaz vibrance (HDR), sandstone texture
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