The History Of Porthleven In Cornwall

The History Of The Name, Porthleven.

There are two theories of how the name Porthleven came about:

1. It came from the Cornish words "porth" meaning port and "leven" meaning smooth.

2. It came from "porth" meaning port and "Elvan" from St Elvan the 5th century saint who landed on these shores to spread the word of Christianity. There was originally a settlement nearby called St Elvan.

Early maps showed a settlement called Porth Leuan and in 1714 the name Port Leven first appeared in legal documents. The modern parish of Porthleven was formed in 1846 taking some of its land from Breage to the west and some from Sithney to the east.

Early Settlements - The History Of Porthleven

Originally Porthleven was a marshy cove fed by a stream which marked the boundary of the Breage and Sithney parishes. There was a shingle bar at the mouth of the cove which rather like a miniature version of Loe Bar.

Porthleven was not a very important place as at the time the Cober valley was navigable as far as Helston. The continual silting up of of the Cober valley estuary however led to the formation of the Loe Bar sandbank. This resulted in the Cober valley and Helston being cut off from the sea, probably during the 12th century. By the 14th century a small hamlet of fishermen settled around the cove which is now Porthleven.

During the 1700's the fishermen in Porthleven were joined by farmworkers and miners, many of whom worked in the silver & lead mines in Penrose Estate near Loe Bar.

The History Of Porthleven And

The HMS Anson Tradegy of 1807

The 44 gun frigate, HMS Anson was shipwrecked at Loe Bar in 1807 and reportedly 130 people were drowned. This tragedy gave rise to 3 events:

1. The Henry Trengrouse life saving apparatus. Rocket fired rope line and cork filled life jackets invented by the local cabinet maker Henry Trengrouse.

2. The Thomas Grylls Act of 1808. Thomas was a local solicitor who drafted the act which sets out the procedures regarding burial of bodies cast up by the sea.

3. The Act Of Parliament signed by King George III in 1811 "for constructing a harbour, in Mounts Bay in the county of Cornwall". Porthleven was chosen because if its central location in Mounts Bay. The Act established the Porthleven Harbour Company that was responsible for building, maintaining and operating the the harbour.

Pictured below, divers examining the remains of HMS Anson in 2005:

Constructing Porthleven Harbour

The construction of the harbour was a tremendous and dangerous engineering achievement. The shingle bar with its stone bridge at the mouth of the south west facing valley had to be removed so ships could enter. Napoleonic War prisoners were used but the construction took 14 years and was not completed until 1825.

The granite pier and quays were constucted by 1825 but it was still an open harbour. The harbour was purchased in 1855 by Harvey and Co of Hayle in Cornwall, who built the inner harbour which was completed in 1858. The huge timbers (baulk) that seal the inner harbour in storms are still in use today. The population of Porthleven increased to well over 1000 by 1858.

The Inner Harbour Completed In 1858

The harbour housed a large fishing fleet that harvested the huge shoals of pilchards & mackerel that swam in Mounts bay. The economy involved fishing, boatbuilding, net and rope making, fish smoking and packing in the village. Ships brought in coal, and lime for building work and timber for use in boatbuilding and the local mines. Exports included fish locally mined china clay, tin, and other minerals. Also Kitto & Sons of Porthleven built fishing boats, clippers, schooners and yachts used in ports all round the world. By 1900 the population was nearly 2000 people.

1900 To Present Day

Porthleven's traditional wooden sail boat building industry went into gradual decline due to the trend towards using steel boats with engines and later on smaller craft being made of fibre glass. Sail rope and net manufacture also declined. The local china clay production at Tregonning Hill declined under fresh competition from St Austell, which is also on the south coast of Cornwall. New methods of transportation and unloading ships lead to a reduction in traffic through Porthleven.

Although the economy in Porthleven has changed it continued to grow. The population of Porthleven was 3190 people in 2001. Fishing still continues from Porthleven with crab, lobster and crayfish being caught locally. Some of this seafood is sold at the award winning Quayside Fish in Porthleven and in the local cafes, restaurants and inns. There are sea angling trips from Porthleven harbour which can be booked through Porthleven Angling Centre.

Tourism is now very important to Porthleven and people are attracted by the history, the scenery, the excellent restaurants, pubs, real pasty and fish and chip shops. Porthleven has managed to strike exactly the right balance, being largely unchanged and unspoilt by tourism yet offering everything that visitors require, including a warm welcome. There is a thriving artistic community that has found inspiration in Porthleven and their works can be seen in the local shops and galleries.

Ferstel

(Pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)

Ferstel and Café Central, by Rudolf von Alt, left the men's alley (Herrengasse - Street of the Lords), right Strauchgasse

Danube mermaid fountain in a courtyard of the Palais Ferstel

Shopping arcade of the Freyung to Herrengasse

Entrance to Ferstel of the Freyung, right the Palais Harrach, left the palace Hardegg

The Ferstel is a building in the first district of Vienna, Inner City, with the addresses Strauchgasse 2-4, 14 Lord Street (Herrengasse) and Freyung 2. It was established as a national bank and stock exchange building, the denomination Palais is unhistoric.

History

In 1855, the entire estate between Freyung, Strauchgasse and Herrengasse was by Franz Xaver Imperial Count von Abensperg and Traun to the k.k. Privileged Austrian National Bank sold. This banking institution was previously domiciled in the Herrengasse 17/ Bankgasse. The progressive industrialization and the with it associated economic expansion also implied a rapid development of monetary transactions and banking, so that the current premises soon no longer have been sufficient. This problem could only be solved by a new building, in which also should be housed a stock exchange hall.

According to the desire of the then Governor of the National Bank, Franz von Pipitz, the new building was supposed to be carried out with strict observance of the economy and avoiding a worthless luxury with solidity and artistic as well as technical completion. The building should offer room for the National Bank, the stock market, a cafe and - a novel idea for Vienna - a bazaar.

The commissioned architect, Heinrich von Ferstel, demonstrated in the coping with the irregular surface area with highest conceivable effective use of space his state-of-the art talent. The practical requirements combine themselves with the actually artistic to a masterful composition. Ferstel has been able to lay out the rooms of the issuing bank, the two trading floors, the passage with the bazar and the coffee house in accordance with their intended purpose and at the same time to maintain a consistent style.

He was an advocate of the "Materialbaues" (material building) as it clearly is reflected in the ashlar building of the banking institution. Base, pillars and stairs were fashioned of Wöllersdorfer stone, façade elements such as balconies, cornices, structurings as well as stone banisters of the hard white stone of Emperor Kaiser quarry (Kaisersteinbruch), while the walls were made ​​of -Sankt Margarethen limestone. The inner rooms have been luxuriously formed, with wood paneling, leather wallpaper, Stuccolustro and rich ornamental painting.

The facade of the corner front Strauchgasse/Herrengasse received twelve sculptures by Hanns Gasser as decoration, they symbolized the peoples of the monarchy. The mighty round arch at the exit Freyung were closed with wrought-iron bare gates, because the first used locksmith could not meet the demands of Ferstel, the work was transferred to a silversmith.

1860 the National Bank and the stock exchange could move into the in 1859 completed construction. The following year was placed in the glass-covered passage the Danube mermaid fountain, whose design stems also of Ferstel. Anton von Fernkorn has created the sculptural decoration with an artistic sensitivity. Above the marble fountain basin rises a column crowned by a bronze statue, the Danube female with flowing hair, holding a fish in its hand. Below are arranged around the column three also in bronze cast figures: merchant, fisherman and shipbuilder, so those professions that have to do with the water. The total cost of the building, the interior included, amounted to the enormous sum of 1.897.600 guilders.

The originally planned use of the building remained only a few years preserved. The Stock Exchange with the premises no longer had sufficient space: in 1872 it moved to a provisional solution, 1877 at Schottenring a new Stock Exchange building opened. The National Bank moved 1925 into a yet 1913 planned, spacious new building.

The building was in Second World War battered gravely particularly on the main facade. In the 1960s was located in the former Stock Exchange a basketball training hall, the entire building appeared neglected.

1971 dealt the President of the Federal Monuments Office, Walter Frodl, with the severely war damaged banking and stock exchange building in Vienna. The Office for Technical Geology of Otto Casensky furnished an opinion on the stone facade. On the facade Freyung 2 a balcony was originally attached over the entire 15.4 m long front of hard Kaiserstein.

(Usage of Leith lime: Dependent from the consistence and structure of the Leitha lime the usage differed from „Reibsand“ till building material. The Leitha lime stone is a natural stone which can be formed easily and was desired als beautiful stone for buildings in Roman times. The usage of lime stone from Eggenburg in the Bronze age already was verified. This special attribute is the reason why the Leitha lime was taken from sculptors and masons.

The source of lime stone in the Leitha Mountains was important for Austria and especially for Vienna from the cultur historical point of view during the Renaissance and Baroque. At the 19th century the up to 150 stone quarries of the Leitha mountains got many orders form the construction work of the Vienna „Ring road“.

At many buildings of Graz, such as the castle at the Grazer castle hill, the old Joanneum and the Cottage, the Leitha lime stone was used.

Due to the fact that Leitha lime is bond on carbonate in the texture, the alteration through the actual sour rain is heavy. www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC2HKZ9_leithagebirge-leithak...)

This balcony was no longer present and only close to the facade were remnants of the tread plates and the supporting brackets recognizable. In July 1975, followed the reconstruction of the balcony and master stonemason Friedrich Opferkuh received the order to restore the old state am Leithagebirge received the order the old state - of Mannersdorfer stone, armoured concrete or artificial stone.

1975-1982, the building was renovated and re-opened the Café Central. Since then, the privately owned building is called Palais Ferstel. In the former stock exchange halls now meetings and presentations take place; the Café Central is utilizing one of the courtyards.

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_Ferstel

Kabocha

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For the fermented tea drink, see kombucha.

Kabocha.jpg

Nimono of kabocha(Japanese cuisine)

Kabocha (/kəˈboʊtʃə/; from Japanese カボチャ, 南瓜), Danhobak (Korean 단호박), Fak Thong (Thai ฟักทอง for "golden squash") is an Asian variety of winter squash of the species Cucurbita maxima. The word kabocha has come to mean a general type of winter squash to many English-speaking growers and buyers. In some cultures it is revered as an aphrodisiac.[1]

Kabocha is commonly called Japanese pumpkin, especially in Australia and New Zealand. It is also called kabocha squash in North America. In Japan, the word kabocha may refer to either this squash or to the Western-style pumpkin.

Varieties include: Ajihei, Ajihei No. 107, Ajihei No. 331, Ajihei No. 335, Cutie, Ebisu, Emiguri, and Miyako.

Today, many of the kabocha in the market are of the type called Kuri kabocha, which was created based on Seiyo kabocha (buttercup squash). It is popular for its strong yet sweet flavor and moist, fluffy texture, which is like chestnuts. It is found in the market under such brand names as Miyako, Ebisu, Kurokawa, and Akazukin.

Contents [hide]

1 Characteristics

2 Nutrition

3 Ripening

4 History

5 Gallery

6 References

Characteristics[edit]

Kabocha is hard, has knobbly-looking skin, is shaped like a squat pumpkin, and has a dull-finished, deep green skin with some celadon-to-white stripes and an intense yellow-orange color on the inside. In many respects it is similar to the Buttercup squash, but without the characteristic cup on the blossom end. It is a member of the species Cucurbita maxima, along with the Hubbard and Buttercup squashes.

An average kabocha weighs 2-3 pounds but can weigh as much as 8 pounds.[2]

It has an exceptional naturally sweet flavor, even sweeter than butternut squash. It is similar in texture and flavor to a pumpkin and a sweet potato combined. Some can taste like Russet potatoes. Like other squash-family members, it is commonly mixed in side dishes and soups or anywhere pumpkin, potato, or other squash would be.

In Japan, it is a common ingredient in vegetable tempura and can be made into soup. Fak Thong (Thai: ฟักทอง) is used in traditional Thai desserts and main courses. This pumpkin is used in Jamaican Chicken Foot Soup. Danhobak (Korean: 단호박) is commonly used for a traditional porridge called Hobakjuk (호박죽), which is mainly eaten during Autumn and Winter. Hobakjuk in the west is more likely to contain pumpkin.

Kabocha (far right) is a common ingredient in tempura.

Kabocha is available all year round but is best in late summer and early fall.

It is primarily grown in Japan, South Korea, Thailand, California, Florida, Southwestern Colorado, Mexico, Tasmania, Tonga, New Zealand, Chile, Jamaica, and South Africa, but is widely adapted for climates that provide a growing season of 100 days or more. Most of the California, Colorado, Tonga and New Zealand crop is exported to Japan.

Nutrition[edit]

It is rich in beta carotene, with iron, vitamin C, potassium, and smaller traces of calcium, folic acid, and minute amounts of B vitamins. [3]

Ripening[edit]

When kabocha is just harvested, it is still growing. Therefore, unlike other vegetables and fruits, freshness is not as important. It should be fully matured first, in order to become flavorful. First, kabocha is ripened in a warm place (77 °F/25 °C) for 13 days, during which some of the starch converts to sugar content. Then it is transferred to a cool place (50 °F/10 °C) and stored for about a month in order to increase its carbohydrate content. In this way the just-harvested, dry, bland-tasting kabocha is transformed into smooth, sweet kabocha. Fully ripened, succulent kabocha will have reddish-yellow flesh and a hard skin with a dry, corky stem. It reaches the peak of ripeness about 1.5–3 months after it is harvested. [4]

History[edit]

It has been widely believed that all squash was domesticated in Mesoamerica; in 1997 it was reported that new evidence suggests this occurred 8000 to 10,000 years ago, a few thousand years earlier than previous estimates.[5] In addition, this is 4000 years earlier than the domestication of maize and beans, other major plant groups.[6] Archeological and genetic plant research in the 21st century suggests that the peoples of Eastern North America independently domesticated squash, sunflower and two other plant species.[7]

Portuguese sailors introduced the kabocha to Japan in 1541, bringing it with them from Cambodia. The Portuguese name for the squash, Cambodia abóbora (カンボジャ・アボボラ), was shortened by the Japanese to kabocha. Certain regions of Japan use an alternative abbreviation, shortening the second half of the name instead to "bobora".

Kabocha is written in Kanji as 南瓜 (southern melon) and is also occasionally referred to as 南京瓜 (Nanking melon).

Track 2. It never stopped raining that day. Was pretty miserable

Patron of Art Homage to Napoléon Bonaparte Limited Edition 4810 Fountain Pen M

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Montblanc Homage to Napoléon Bonaparte Blue Fountain Pen Ink

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Montblanc: Homage to Napoleon Fountain Pen Recap

youtu.be/AxUfZIJLLoQ

Napoléon is mainly remembered for his military achievements, but he was a true patron of the arts. His glory lives on in the great ‘architecture parlante’ style of the famous Parisian structures built during his reign. In addition to architecture, other arts such as painting, sculpture and the decorative arts also blossomed under his leadership.

The overall design of the pen is inspired by the neoclassic style. The pattern of golden bees on dark blue lacquer is inspired by Napoléon’s throne in Fontainebleau, and the sword-shaped clip bears the Napoléonic “N”. The engravings on the cap top – a laurel wreath, imperial crown and an eagle – refer to Napoléon’s coronation insignia. The clip end is decorated with a red stone recalling the coronation ring of Napoleon’s wife Joséphine.The cap is crowned by the Montblanc Emblem in precious resin.

In homage to Napoléon Bonaparte, the handcrafted 18kt solid gold nib bears a portrait of Napoléon with the typical bicorn.

Golden Bees importance: CLICK on links to see his Golden Bee images. *********

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The Importance of Bees to Napoleon Bonaparte

By Geri Walton | February 8, 2019 | 1

The importance of bees to Napoleon Bonaparte became obvious when he decided to adopt this ancient symbol older than the fleur-de-lys. Supposedly, when Napoleon thought about wearing the imperial purple, he decided to adopt the bee based on the following story:

“It was a custom in France, during its early and barbarous ages, that whenever a monarch died, his horse and page were killed and buried with their master, that they might be in ready attendance upon him in the next world. In the year 1658, the tomb of Childeric, the father of Clovis, was discovered [by the archeologist Jean-Jacques Chifflet*], and within it were found the skeleton of a man that of a horse, and part of the skeleton of a youth, concluded to be the remains of Childeric and his companions … a gold signet ring was taken from the finger of the large skeleton; upon it appeared an engraved head, having long hair flowing over the shoulders, and around it the words, ‘Childerici Regis;’ several buckles, massy gold bracelets and a gold head of an ox, supposed to be an image of the idolatrous worship of the deceased. … [In addition,] on further search in the tomb were found a purse, containing a hundred pieces of gold and two hundred pieces of silver, bearing the heads of different emperors of France; a crystal ball or orb, a pike, a battleaxe, the hand, mounting, and blade of a sword; gold tablets and style; the bit and part of the harness of a horse; fragments of a dress or robe; and more than three hundred little bees of the purest gold, their wings behind inlaid with a red stone like cornelian.”[1]

When Childeric’s tomb was discovered in 1653, Louis XIV received the treasure, but he wasn’t impressed and stored it at what later became the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. When Napoleon came to power, his advisor, Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès, suggested he adopt the bee as his personal symbol and mentioned the treasure of Childeric. Napoleon took his advisor’s advice after learning that Childeric had lived between 437 and 481 and that he founded the Merovingian dynasty. Moreover, Napoleon learned that Childeric’s symbol of the bee preceded the fleur-de-lis adopted by his son Clovis.

Besides being associated with the Merovingians, Napoleon also wanted to be associated with the Carolingians, a dynasty that reached its peak in AD 800 with the crowning of Charlemagne as the first Emperor of Romans. The spread eagle that Napoleon used on his shield came from the Carolingian founder Charlemagne and was suggested for use by by the Council Commission, made up from members of the Council of State, whose job was to oversee the coronation of Napoleon and his Empress, Josephine. They soon determined:

“Even if the arms of Charlemagne were not accurately known, it could still be pointed out … that in the time of Louis le Débonnaire, and doubtless earlier, ‘an eagle of metal was placed in the western portion of the Imperial palace at Aix, and it was always the custom of those who got possession of the palace, first of all to seize upon this eagle.’”[2]

It was also pointed out that the fleur de lys would have been inappropriate alongside the Carolingian symbol of the eagle, another reason for selecting the bee. Moreover, some in the Council Commission erroneously suggested that the fleur-de-lys were just badly drawn bees. One twentieth-century historian noted:

“The fleurs de lys which had been sown broadcast on the carpets, hangings, and insignia of the Capetian kings would have been scarcely suitable to match with the eagles. Besides, they belonged to the old order of things which was to be forgotten. It was necessary to choose some plant or animal from the heraldic flora or fauna which could be adopted in the place of the fleur de lys, and was yet known to French historical tradition. As nothing suitable of this kind could be found in the Age of Charlemagne, it was necessary to search farther back. … [It was also] remembered that, during the sitting of the National Convention on the 3rd of Brumaire of the year IV, Daubermesnil, speaking in the name of the Committee of Public Instruction, had proposed that the emblem of the State should be a hive swarming with bees, and that it should be placed upon the front of every national building. To which Citizen Barallion had indeed objected that ‘bees were cognizance of several Kings of France of the first dynasty, such as Childebert and Chileric. Besides,’ he added, ‘bees can never be the emblem of the Republic, for is it not well known that they all pay court to a queen?’ The convention was struck with this merry quip, and rejected the harmless suggestion of Daubermesnil.”[3]

Napoleon apparently ignored the idea that bees might be related to a queen and found bees an appropriate symbol for his empire. He knew illusion was power and that the bee had greater antiquity than the fleur-de-lis. He also thought because the bees were a symbol of the Merovingian kings, it would give him added legitimacy to rule as Emperor. Thus, when he was crowned, the importance of bees to Napoleon was obvious as he made sure bees appeared prominently on his coronation robes.

To aid in this, he used the best-known miniature painter Jean-Baptiste Isabey, who also happened to be a close friend of the Bonaparte family. Isabey decided the bee found with Childeric’s remains lacked detail and was too small and dense. Therefore, he developed a new larger bee created volant en arrière, or in other words, when viewed from the top its wings were partially opened.

Isabey’s bee was the one used to embellish the coronation mantles. Embroidery of the bees on the mantles cost 15,000 francs and were accomplished by Picot, embroiderer to the Emperor and the Empress. One historian gave the details of Napoleon’s mantle, stating:

“The Imperial mantle of purple velvet powdered with golden bees; in the embroidery are interlaced branches of olive, laurel and oak surrounding the letter N. The lining, the border, and the tippet are of ermine. The mantle, open on the left side, allows the sword to be seen, which is sustained by a scarf of white satin embroidered and trimmed with a cord of gold; the long robe is of white satin embroidered with gold on all the seams, the hem of the robe embroidered with a cord of gold.”[4]

The Empress was also resplendent and likewise had a mantle of purple velvet powdered with golden bees, as did the French princes. Pages wore green coats with shoulder-knots of green silk embroidered with eagles at each end and powdered with bees. Moreover, golden bees also appeared on the square purple velvet cushion that held Charlemagne’s crown. (To see the only known embroidered bee that survives, click here).

Despite the importance of bees to Napoleon, he never gave an Order in Council or officially announced the adoption of it. He also never gave a formal explanation for why he chose the bee. He did, however, make sure that the bee was an important symbol at his imperial court after he was crowned. Bees could be found embellishing clothing and fabric and were incorporated into ceramics, furniture, glass, and metalwork. One historian also reported:

“He [Napoleon] sprinkled bees liberally on his ensign as General-in-Chief, he introduced them on the borders of the Army colours, he adorned the upper portion of the escutcheons of the Grand Dignitaries and good towns with them, he powdered them over his own carpets and hangings.”[5]

The bee was so important to Napoleon, it was exclusively reserved for the imperial family, and not even dukes could use it. However, on 19 May 1802, Napoleon established a reward for civil and military merit called the Légion d’Honneur and to indicate the importance of the bee, he used a version in the medal. This was, and is, France’s highest honor, and although there were critics who thought of it as a bauble, Napoleon knew its value, stating, “It is with baubles that men are led.”[6]

After the Treaty of Fontainebleau and his exile to Elba, he designed his own flag for Elba and once again used the bee that he so cherished. Perhaps, he did so because it linked him to the imperial mantle. The flag that floated over the island had a white background with a diagonal red stripe and three golden bees in the stripe. Gloria Peria, director of the Historical Archives of the Communes of the Island of Elba, notes:

“Having chosen to give the Island of Elba three bees meant giving the island a sense of unity under his reign, even though from an administrative point of view it was divided into several Municipalities … Napoleon’s flag of Elba was immediately a great success, so much so that, according to Pons de l’Herault in his Souvenirs et Anecdotes de l’Ile d’Elbe, even the Barbaresque pirates greeted it, because they saw in it the symbol of their war hero, Napoleon, in person, as they sailed the Tyrrhenian Sea.”[7]

When Louis XVIII came to power in 1815, he methodically replaced or destroyed Napoleon’s bee with the fleur-de-lys. Ultimately, few bees from Napoleon’s reign survived Louis’ eradication. The bee seemed to all but disappear until Napoleon’s remains were returned in 1840. One newspaper reported that the car carrying Napoleon’s body was “truly magnificent,” and that on the pedestal, “on both sides hung two velvet imperial mantles, sprinkled with bees.”[8]

*Although Chifflet thought what he discovered was bees, some scholars have suggested they were cicadas, a symbol that meant both death and resurrection to the Merovingians. However, other scholars believe they were flies because flies were found on the coats of arms of families from the territories of Venice and Flanders that were once controlled by the Merovingians. If they were flies, Napoleon’s enemies would have likely got a chuckle thinking he was covered with flies rather than bees.

References:

[1] W. H. Ireland, The Napoleon anecdotes, ed. by W.H. Ireland (London: C.S. Arnold, 1822), p. 18.

[2] F. Masson, Napoleon and His Coronation, (Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1907), p. 97.

[3] Ibid., p. 98–99.

[4] Ibid, p. 314.

[5] Ibid., p. 99.

[6] B. Farwell, The Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-century Land Warfare: An Illustrated World View (New York: W.W. Norton, 2001), p. 488.

[7] “History of the flag of the Island of Elba,” Info Elba, accessed November 16, 2018, www.infoelba.com/discovering-elba/curious-facts/the-flag-...

[8] Downpatrick Recorder, “Funeral of Napoleon,” December 26, 1840, p. 1.

The History Of Porthleven In Cornwall

The History Of The Name, Porthleven.

There are two theories of how the name Porthleven came about:

1. It came from the Cornish words "porth" meaning port and "leven" meaning smooth.

2. It came from "porth" meaning port and "Elvan" from St Elvan the 5th century saint who landed on these shores to spread the word of Christianity. There was originally a settlement nearby called St Elvan.

Early maps showed a settlement called Porth Leuan and in 1714 the name Port Leven first appeared in legal documents. The modern parish of Porthleven was formed in 1846 taking some of its land from Breage to the west and some from Sithney to the east.

Early Settlements - The History Of Porthleven

Originally Porthleven was a marshy cove fed by a stream which marked the boundary of the Breage and Sithney parishes. There was a shingle bar at the mouth of the cove which rather like a miniature version of Loe Bar.

Porthleven was not a very important place as at the time the Cober valley was navigable as far as Helston. The continual silting up of of the Cober valley estuary however led to the formation of the Loe Bar sandbank. This resulted in the Cober valley and Helston being cut off from the sea, probably during the 12th century. By the 14th century a small hamlet of fishermen settled around the cove which is now Porthleven.

During the 1700's the fishermen in Porthleven were joined by farmworkers and miners, many of whom worked in the silver & lead mines in Penrose Estate near Loe Bar.

The History Of Porthleven And

The HMS Anson Tradegy of 1807

The 44 gun frigate, HMS Anson was shipwrecked at Loe Bar in 1807 and reportedly 130 people were drowned. This tragedy gave rise to 3 events:

1. The Henry Trengrouse life saving apparatus. Rocket fired rope line and cork filled life jackets invented by the local cabinet maker Henry Trengrouse.

2. The Thomas Grylls Act of 1808. Thomas was a local solicitor who drafted the act which sets out the procedures regarding burial of bodies cast up by the sea.

3. The Act Of Parliament signed by King George III in 1811 "for constructing a harbour, in Mounts Bay in the county of Cornwall". Porthleven was chosen because if its central location in Mounts Bay. The Act established the Porthleven Harbour Company that was responsible for building, maintaining and operating the the harbour.

Pictured below, divers examining the remains of HMS Anson in 2005:

Constructing Porthleven Harbour

The construction of the harbour was a tremendous and dangerous engineering achievement. The shingle bar with its stone bridge at the mouth of the south west facing valley had to be removed so ships could enter. Napoleonic War prisoners were used but the construction took 14 years and was not completed until 1825.

The granite pier and quays were constucted by 1825 but it was still an open harbour. The harbour was purchased in 1855 by Harvey and Co of Hayle in Cornwall, who built the inner harbour which was completed in 1858. The huge timbers (baulk) that seal the inner harbour in storms are still in use today. The population of Porthleven increased to well over 1000 by 1858.

The Inner Harbour Completed In 1858

The harbour housed a large fishing fleet that harvested the huge shoals of pilchards & mackerel that swam in Mounts bay. The economy involved fishing, boatbuilding, net and rope making, fish smoking and packing in the village. Ships brought in coal, and lime for building work and timber for use in boatbuilding and the local mines. Exports included fish locally mined china clay, tin, and other minerals. Also Kitto & Sons of Porthleven built fishing boats, clippers, schooners and yachts used in ports all round the world. By 1900 the population was nearly 2000 people.

1900 To Present Day

Porthleven's traditional wooden sail boat building industry went into gradual decline due to the trend towards using steel boats with engines and later on smaller craft being made of fibre glass. Sail rope and net manufacture also declined. The local china clay production at Tregonning Hill declined under fresh competition from St Austell, which is also on the south coast of Cornwall. New methods of transportation and unloading ships lead to a reduction in traffic through Porthleven.

Although the economy in Porthleven has changed it continued to grow. The population of Porthleven was 3190 people in 2001. Fishing still continues from Porthleven with crab, lobster and crayfish being caught locally. Some of this seafood is sold at the award winning Quayside Fish in Porthleven and in the local cafes, restaurants and inns. There are sea angling trips from Porthleven harbour which can be booked through Porthleven Angling Centre.

Tourism is now very important to Porthleven and people are attracted by the history, the scenery, the excellent restaurants, pubs, real pasty and fish and chip shops. Porthleven has managed to strike exactly the right balance, being largely unchanged and unspoilt by tourism yet offering everything that visitors require, including a warm welcome. There is a thriving artistic community that has found inspiration in Porthleven and their works can be seen in the local shops and galleries.

I bought him this stuffed puppy for Valentine's day. He loves him - I think it's cute. He knows the puppy is for him. I also bought the kitty cats a stuffed bear - he likes the bear, but he typically goes to the puppy!

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What I'm thankful for today:

1. My appt this morning went okay - uncomfortable but okay. I should have results in 10 days.

2. It snowed today - in March. SNOW in March. LATE March! lol

3. The doctor switched one of my meds today - I'm hopeful this one will work.

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Today's Menu:

Dehydrated Peaches

Empty ethanol train K631-31 is being held at Broadford on Track 1 to wait for an eastbound Q276 train to pass and cross over from Track 1 to Track 2. It was very fortunate for me that the train had to stop here or I would have been too late to photograph it. Thank you to Paul (Camera Totin' Idiot, on Flickr) for letting me know about this.

The Gallery consists of 105 paintings by artists from all over the world, painted in 1990 on the east side of the Berlin Wall. The East Side Gallery was founded following the successful merger of the two German artists' associations VBK and BBK. The founding members were the speche of the Federal Association of Artists BBK Bodo Sperling, Barbara Greul Aschanta, Jörg Kubitzki and David Monti.[1][2]

It is possibly the largest and longest-lasting open air gallery in the world. Paintings from Jürgen Grosse alias INDIANO, Dimitri Vrubel, Siegfrid Santoni, Bodo Sperling, Kasra Alavi, Kani Alavi, Jim Avignon, Thierry Noir, Ingeborg Blumenthal, Ignasi Blanch i Gisbert, Kim Prisu, Hervé Morlay VR and others have followed.

The paintings at the East Side Gallery document a time of change and express the euphoria and great hopes for a better, more free future for all people of the world.

In July 2006, to facilitate access to the River Spree from O2 World, a 40-meter section was moved somewhat west, parallel to the original position[3]

A 23-meter section was scheduled to be removed on March 1, 2013, to make way for luxury apartments. None of the artists whose work will be destroyed were informed of these plans. [4] The demolition work actually started on March 1, 2013. According to German news FOCUS, authorities were not aware of the start of the demolition. Due to the involvement of protesters, demolition was postponed until at least March 18, 2013. [5]

Two-thirds of the paintings are badly damaged by erosion, graffiti, and vandalism. One-third have been restored by a non-profit organization which started work in 2000. The objective of this organization is the eventual restoration and preservation of all the paintings. Full restoration, particularly of the central sections, was projected for 2008. Remediation began in May 2009.

The restoration process has been marked by major conflict. Eight of the artists of 1990 refused to paint their own images again after they were completely destroyed by the renovation. In order to defend the copyright, they founded "Founder Initiative East Side" with other artists whose images were simply copied without permission.[6] Bodo Sperling launched a test case in the Berlin State Court in May 2011, represented by the Munich art lawyer Hannes Hartung and with the support of the German VG Bild-Kunst. The Court will address the question of whether art should be listed as destroyed and then re-copied without the respective artists' permission. The outcome of the trial will be a landmark declaration for European art law.[7][8]

Mariposario de Benalmádena

www.mariposariodebenalmadena.com

Calle: Muérdago s/n

29639 - Benálmadena, Málaga, España

E-mail: mail@mariposariodebenalmadena.com

Teléfono.: (+34) 951 211 196

El Mariposario de Benalmádena es con 2.000 m2 el espacio más grande dedicado a las mariposas en Europa.

El edificio del mariposario se ha construido en estilo tailandés lo que ha supuesto una dificultad añadida a la complejidad inherente del proyecto.

Para dotar al edificio de autenticidad muchos de los materiales de construcción así como los elementos decorativos fueron traídos directamente de Tailandia. Las tejas de color azul de la pagoda que cubre el hall de entrada fueron fabricadas en ese color expresamente en Chiang-Mai para el mariposario, y es la teja original que se usa tradicionalmente en los templos de Tailandia.

La elección del estilo tailandés para el edificio ha sido motivada por varios factores

1.- Armonía estética y conceptual con el Templo Tibetano situado junto al Mariposario. La filosofía budista concuerda con lo que las mariposas nos sugieren (belleza, serenidad, silencio). En Asia las mariposas simbolizan el alma y la espiritualidad.

2.- Fue en Asia, concretamente en China donde se inició hace 4.000 años la cría de mariposas para la producción de seda y posteriormente en Tailandia, Malasia e Indonesia para su exhibición en cautividad.

El área de vuelo del Mariposario es un jardín tropical acristalado de mas de 900 m2 de superficie y 8 m de altura en el que vuelan entre 1.500 y 2.000 mariposas de especies exóticas originarias de las áreas tropicales de todo el mundo. A lo largo del año se pueden ver más de 150 especies distintas. El 70% de los ejemplares que

vuelan en el mariposario son de producción propia y el 30% se importa de sus lugares de origen.

Hemos puesto especial interés en la naturalización del jardín para que el visitante se sienta inmerso en el hábitat de estas especies. El jardín se ha concebido como un espacio diáfano para proporcionar una visual limpia lo mas natural posible.

La principal dificultad que implica este proyecto es la climatización, ya que para la vida de estas especies se requieren condiciones ambientales muy especiales (24-28 ºC y 70% de humedad relativa) difíciles de mantener en estas dimensiones.

El mantenimiento del jardín es también difícil ya que al no poder utilizar ningún producto fitosanitario el control de las plagas ha de realizarse de forma manual o mediante lucha biológica.

El Mariposario es una iniciativa privada que ha contado desde el principio con el apoyo del Ayuntamiento de Benalmádena mediante la cesión del suelo. Imago Dracaena S.L. es la entidad promotora del proyecto y esta integrada por José Antonio Plaza (empresario) y Asunción Gómez (veterinaria). La empresa posee además otro mariposario y la única granja de mariposas de Europa, el Centro Entomológico del Norte, ambos en Canarias.

El mariposario es un zoológico en toda la extensión de la palabra. La principal diferencia con otros parques es que trabajamos con animales que tienen una vida media de dos semanas, por tanto es un zoo muy dinámico en el que la población se renueva por completo cada 15 días.

El otro aspecto que nos diferencia de otros zoológicos es lógicamente el contacto directo con el público. Las mariposas están volando alrededor de los visitantes y es posible observar directamente su comportamiento. Esto es lo que se denomina zooinmersión que significa que el visitante se sumerge en el hábitat de los animales, se pretende minimizar o camuflar las barreras visuales entre el público y los animales.

Como parque zoológico tenemos un compromiso con la conservación y con la educación y por eso vamos a trabajar muy estrechamente con los colegios preparando aulas de naturaleza y seminarios en el propio mariposario.

El mariposario viene a completar la amplísima oferta de parques existente ya en la Costa del Sol y confirma a Benalmádena como un destino clave de ocio familiar y de naturaleza.

Horario:

Lunes a Domingo de 10:00 a 19:00 h.

Benalmádena Butterfly Park

www.mariposariodebenalmadena.com

Muérdago Street n/n

29639 - Benálmadena, Málaga, Spain

E-mail: mail@mariposariodebenalmadena.com

Phone: (+34) 951 211 196

The Butterfly Park of Benalmádena is over 2,000 m2 the largest space dedicated to the butterflies in Europe.

The building was built in butterfly thailand style what has been an added difficulty to the inherent complexity of the project.

To give the building authenticity many building materials and decorative elements were brought directly from Thailand. The blue tiles covering the pagoda entrance hall were made in that color expressly in Chiang Mai for the butterfly, and is the original tile that is traditionally used in the temples of Thailand.

Thailand style choice for the building has been motivated by several factors

1.- Aesthetic and conceptual harmony with Tibetan Temple located near the Butterfly. The Buddhist philosophy is consistent with what we suggest butterflies (beauty, serenity, silence). In Asia, the butterfly symbolizes the soul and spirituality.

2.- It was in Asia, particularly in China where it started 4,000 years ago butterfly farming for silk production and later in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia for display in captivity.

The flight of the butterfly area is a tropical garden conservatory of over 900 m2 and 8 m in height where they fly between 1,500 and 2,000 butterflies of exotic species originating in tropical areas worldwide. Throughout the year you can see more than 150 different species. 70% of individuals that fly in the butterfly are produced in-house and 30% is imported from their homelands.

We paid particular attention to the naturalization of the garden so that visitors feel immersed in the habitat of these species. The garden is designed as an open space to provide a clear visual as natural as possible.

The main difficulty of this project is the climate, because for the life of these species require very specific environmental conditions (24-28 º C and 70% relative humidity) difficult to maintain in this size.

Garden maintenance is also difficult because it could not use any plant protection product pest control must be performed manually or by biological control.

The Butterfly is a private initiative that has, from the outset with the support of the City of Benalmádena by transferring the soil. Imago Dracaena SL is the entity behind the project and is composed of José Antonio Plaza (employer) and Asunción Gómez (veterinary). The company also has another unique butterfly garden and butterfly farm in Europe, North Entomology Centre, both in the Canaries.

The butterfly is a zoo in every sense of the word. The main difference from other parks is that working with animals that have a lifespan of two weeks, so it is a very dynamic zoo where the population is completely renewed every 15 days.

The other aspect that sets us apart from other zoos is logically direct contact with the public. The butterflies are flying around visitors and it is possible to directly observe their behavior. This is what is called zooinmersion which means that the visitor is immersed in the habitat of animals is meant to minimize or conceal the visual barriers between the public and animals.

As zoo we have a commitment to conservation and education and so we will work closely with schools preparing classrooms in nature and seminars in their own butterfly.

The butterfly adds to the vast range of existing parks and on the Costa del Sol Benalmádena confirmed as a key destination for family leisure and nature.

Hours:

From Monday to Sunday: 10:00 to 19:00 h.

Cây gỗ nhỡ. Lá xanh đậm, nhẵn, cứng, mọc thành vòng, lá hình trái xoan ngược. Hoa đơn độc, to, thong, mùi hôi. Quả mọng, hình cầu rộng, vỏ cứng.

Giải nhiệt, hạ sốt, lợi tiểu, trị ho, trừ đờm, bổ thận, tráng dương.

Quả đào tiên còn có tên gọi là quả trường sinh. Đào tiên thuộc họ núc nác. Đào tiên có thân gỗ, cao từ 7-10m, lá mọc hình tán, xanh tươi quanh năm. Hoa thì mọc đơn độc ngay trên thân hay cành cây, có mùi hơi khó chịu. Quả đào tiên hình cầu, đường kính 6-12cm, trông gần giống với trái bưởi lúc còn xanh, vỏ trái cứng, cơm màu trắng, vị chua chua, có nhiều hạt dẹp, nhỏ cũng màu trắng.

Đào tiên có nguồn gốc từ Brazil. Trong thịt của quả đào tiên người ta tìm thấy có một số acid hữu cơ (acid citric, acid clorogenic, acid creosentic...). Chưa thấy tài liệu nào nghiên cứu về công dụng kéo dài tuổi thọ của quả đào tiên, tuy nhiên, trong các chùa ở Lào, các vị sư dùng thịt quả đào tiên nấu với đường như mứt dẻo, dùng ăn tráng miệng hằng ngày để giúp sống lâu.

Theo các tài liệu của thế giới, thì người dân ở châu Phi, Nam Mỹ thường dùng quả đào tiên để chế biến thuốc bằng cách: Dùng quả đào tiên đã già (vỏ cứng, trái to màu hơi vàng bóng) nạo lấy phần thịt trắng bên trong, thái nhỏ cho vào nồi, đun nóng và đảo qua lại cho đến khi chín ( lúc đầu thịt quả màu trắng, đến khi chín chuyển sang màu đen nhánh) thì thêm đường vào, tạo thành sản phẩm giống như sirô (gọi là sirô calebasse) dùng để chữa ho và tốt cho phổi.

Còn theo kinh nghiệm dân gian trong nước (ở miền Nam), người ta thường dùng quả đào tiên để chữa các bệnh như: nhuận trường, tẩy xổ, bằng cách dùng ruột quả đào tiên làm mứt dẻo, ngày dùng 3 lần, mỗi lần chừng 10 gr sau bữa ăn. Làm thuốc trị tình trạng ăn uống kém, mất ngủ và dùng làm thuốc bổ , bằng cách: hái quả đào tiên để từ quả có vỏ màu xanh chuyển sang màu đen, đập lấy phần thịt bên trong (cũng màu đen) để ngâm rượu. Cứ ngâm 200 gr thịt đào tiên thì kèm 10 trái chuối sứ khô nướng vàng và đem ngâm với hai lít rượu ngon, ngâm 10 ngày là có thể lấy ra dùng được.

Ngày dùng 3 lần, mỗi lần một ly nhỏ (30 ml), dùng trước bữa ăn. Tiếp nữa là kinh nghiệm dân gian dùng đào tiên để trị đau lưng, đau nhức xương, phong tê thấp, bằng cách: cũng làm giống như cách làm ở bài thuốc trị tình trạng ăn uống kém, mất ngủ và dùng làm thuốc bổ ở trên, nhưng thêm vào 200 gr rễ cây lá lốt (đã rửa sạch, sao vàng hạ thổ). Cách dùng và lượng dùng tương tự. www.vatgia.com/hoidap/4164/32656/qua-dao-tien-dung-de-tri...

Crescentia cujete, commonly known as the Calabash Tree, is species of flowering plant that is native to Central and South America. It is the national tree of St. Lucia. It is a dicotyledonous plant with simple leaves, which are alternate or in fascicles (clusters) on short shoots.[1] It is naturalized in India.[2]

It is also known as Ayale (English), Calabacero (Spain), Totumo (Panama, Colombia, Venezuela and Peru), Taparo (Venezuela), Mate (Ecuador), Huinga (Peru), Pate (Peru), Cuyabra (Colombia), Cujete (Spain, Philippines), Miracle Fruit (Philippines),Kalbas (Dominica and St. Lucia).

The tree shares its common name with that of the vine calabash (Lagenaria siceraria).

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mammoth Hot Springs

is a large complex of hot springs on a hill of travertine in Yellowstone National Park adjacent to Fort Yellowstone and the Mammoth Hot Springs Historic District.[2] It was created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate (over two tons flow into Mammoth each day in a solution). Although these springs lie outside the caldera boundary, their energy has been attributed to the same magmatic system that fuels other Yellowstone geothermal areas.

Dead trees in an area of intense deposition of calcium carbonate

The hot water that feeds Mammoth comes from Norris Geyser Basin after traveling underground via a fault line[3] that runs through limestone and roughly parallel to the Norris-to-Mammoth road. The limestone from rock formations along the fault is the source of the calcium carbonate.[4] Shallow circulation along this corridor allows Norris' superheated water to slightly cool before surfacing at Mammoth, generally at about 170 °F (80 °C). Algae living in the warm pools have tinted the travertine shades of brown, orange, red, and green.

Elk on travertine terraces, Mammoth Hot Springs

Thermal activity here is extensive both over time and distance. The thermal flows show much variability with some variations taking place over periods ranging from decades to days.[4] Terrace Mountain at Mammoth Hot Springs is the largest known carbonate-depositing spring in the world. The most famous feature at the springs is the Minerva Terrace, a series of travertine terraces. The terraces have been deposited by the spring over many years but, due to recent minor earthquake activity, the spring vent has shifted, rendering the terraces dry.

Mineral deposition, Mammoth Hot Springs

Travertine Terrace

The Mammoth Terraces extend all the way from the hillside, across the Parade Ground, and down to Boiling River. The Mammoth Hotel, as well as all of Fort Yellowstone, is built upon an old terrace formation known as Hotel Terrace. There was some concern when construction began in 1891 on the fort site that the hollow ground would not support the weight of the buildings. Several large sink holes (fenced off) can be seen out on the Parade Ground. This area has been thermally active for several thousand years.

The Mammoth area exhibits much evidence of glacial activity from the Pinedale Glaciation. The summit of Terrace Mountain is covered with glacial till, thereby dating the travertine formation there to earlier than the end of the Pinedale Glaciation. Several thermal kames, including Capitol Hill and Dude Hill, are major features of the Mammoth Village area. Ice-marginal stream beds are in evidence in the small, narrow valleys where Floating Island Lake and Phantom Lake are found. In Gardner Canyon one can see the old, sorted gravel bed of the Gardner River covered by unsorted glacial till.

The History Of Porthleven In Cornwall

The History Of The Name, Porthleven.

There are two theories of how the name Porthleven came about:

1. It came from the Cornish words "porth" meaning port and "leven" meaning smooth.

2. It came from "porth" meaning port and "Elvan" from St Elvan the 5th century saint who landed on these shores to spread the word of Christianity. There was originally a settlement nearby called St Elvan.

Early maps showed a settlement called Porth Leuan and in 1714 the name Port Leven first appeared in legal documents. The modern parish of Porthleven was formed in 1846 taking some of its land from Breage to the west and some from Sithney to the east.

Early Settlements - The History Of Porthleven

Originally Porthleven was a marshy cove fed by a stream which marked the boundary of the Breage and Sithney parishes. There was a shingle bar at the mouth of the cove which rather like a miniature version of Loe Bar.

Porthleven was not a very important place as at the time the Cober valley was navigable as far as Helston. The continual silting up of of the Cober valley estuary however led to the formation of the Loe Bar sandbank. This resulted in the Cober valley and Helston being cut off from the sea, probably during the 12th century. By the 14th century a small hamlet of fishermen settled around the cove which is now Porthleven.

During the 1700's the fishermen in Porthleven were joined by farmworkers and miners, many of whom worked in the silver & lead mines in Penrose Estate near Loe Bar.

The History Of Porthleven And

The HMS Anson Tradegy of 1807

The 44 gun frigate, HMS Anson was shipwrecked at Loe Bar in 1807 and reportedly 130 people were drowned. This tragedy gave rise to 3 events:

1. The Henry Trengrouse life saving apparatus. Rocket fired rope line and cork filled life jackets invented by the local cabinet maker Henry Trengrouse.

2. The Thomas Grylls Act of 1808. Thomas was a local solicitor who drafted the act which sets out the procedures regarding burial of bodies cast up by the sea.

3. The Act Of Parliament signed by King George III in 1811 "for constructing a harbour, in Mounts Bay in the county of Cornwall". Porthleven was chosen because if its central location in Mounts Bay. The Act established the Porthleven Harbour Company that was responsible for building, maintaining and operating the the harbour.

Pictured below, divers examining the remains of HMS Anson in 2005:

Constructing Porthleven Harbour

The construction of the harbour was a tremendous and dangerous engineering achievement. The shingle bar with its stone bridge at the mouth of the south west facing valley had to be removed so ships could enter. Napoleonic War prisoners were used but the construction took 14 years and was not completed until 1825.

The granite pier and quays were constucted by 1825 but it was still an open harbour. The harbour was purchased in 1855 by Harvey and Co of Hayle in Cornwall, who built the inner harbour which was completed in 1858. The huge timbers (baulk) that seal the inner harbour in storms are still in use today. The population of Porthleven increased to well over 1000 by 1858.

The Inner Harbour Completed In 1858

The harbour housed a large fishing fleet that harvested the huge shoals of pilchards & mackerel that swam in Mounts bay. The economy involved fishing, boatbuilding, net and rope making, fish smoking and packing in the village. Ships brought in coal, and lime for building work and timber for use in boatbuilding and the local mines. Exports included fish locally mined china clay, tin, and other minerals. Also Kitto & Sons of Porthleven built fishing boats, clippers, schooners and yachts used in ports all round the world. By 1900 the population was nearly 2000 people.

1900 To Present Day

Porthleven's traditional wooden sail boat building industry went into gradual decline due to the trend towards using steel boats with engines and later on smaller craft being made of fibre glass. Sail rope and net manufacture also declined. The local china clay production at Tregonning Hill declined under fresh competition from St Austell, which is also on the south coast of Cornwall. New methods of transportation and unloading ships lead to a reduction in traffic through Porthleven.

Although the economy in Porthleven has changed it continued to grow. The population of Porthleven was 3190 people in 2001. Fishing still continues from Porthleven with crab, lobster and crayfish being caught locally. Some of this seafood is sold at the award winning Quayside Fish in Porthleven and in the local cafes, restaurants and inns. There are sea angling trips from Porthleven harbour which can be booked through Porthleven Angling Centre.

Tourism is now very important to Porthleven and people are attracted by the history, the scenery, the excellent restaurants, pubs, real pasty and fish and chip shops. Porthleven has managed to strike exactly the right balance, being largely unchanged and unspoilt by tourism yet offering everything that visitors require, including a warm welcome. There is a thriving artistic community that has found inspiration in Porthleven and their works can be seen in the local shops and galleries.

Great crested grebe description

KingdomAnimalia

PhylumChordata

ClassAves

OrderPodicipediformes

FamilyPodicipedidae

GenusPodiceps (1)

The great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) is the largest grebe in Europe (2). It is a graceful bird, with its long neck, long bill and slender outline. In summer, the adults of both sexes are adorned with beautiful head-plumes (2), which are reddish-orange in colour with black tips (5); there is also an erectile black crown (2). The sexes are similar in appearance, but great crested grebe juveniles can be distinguished by the possession of blackish stripes on the cheeks (2).

French

Grèbe huppé.

Size

Wingspan: 59-73 cm (2)

Length: 46-51 cm (2)

More »

Related species

Junín grebe (Podiceps taczanowskii)

Junín grebe

(Podiceps taczanowskii)

Hooded grebe (Podiceps gallardoi)

Hooded grebe

(Podiceps gallardoi)

Horned grebe (Podiceps auritus)

Horned grebe

(Podiceps auritus)

Top

Great crested grebe biology

The great crested grebe dives for fish, insects and invertebrate larvae, chasing prey under water by strongly swimming with its feet (6).

Pairs begin to form during the middle of winter, and nesting can start in January, providing that conditions are mild (6). The great crested grebe is well known for its elaborate courtship display, in which pairs raise and shake their head plumes, and approach each other with weed in their bills, rising up breast to breast in the water and turning their heads from side to side (5). The nest is either a hidden mound of reeds and other vegetation or else a floating platform anchored to vegetation (5). After May (5), between one and nine (but usually four) eggs are laid (7), which take 27 to 29 days to incubate (7). Both great crested grebe parents are involved in incubation; when they leave the nest they cover the eggs with rotting vegetation to keep them warm (5). After hatching, the stripy chicks are carried around on the backs of their parents, they fledge at around 71 to 79 days of age (8).

Top

Great crested grebe range

The great crested grebe has a wide distribution in Britain, but occurs sparsely (3). Breeding occurs in Europe from Britain, Spain and Ireland across to Russia, but the distribution is rather patchy (3).

More »

Species with a similar range

Common scarlet-darter (Crocothemis erythraea)

Common scarlet-darter

(Crocothemis erythraea)

Sago pondweed (Stuckenia pectinata)

Sago pondweed

(Stuckenia pectinata)

Holly-leaved naiad (Najas marina)

Holly-leaved naiad

(Najas marina)

You can view distribution information for this species at the National Biodiversity Network Gateway.

Top

Great crested grebe habitat

In Britain, the great crested grebe breeds in large shallow water bodies, where there is a fringe of vegetation (3). In winter it can also be found in gravel-pits, estuaries, deep lakes, coastal pools, reservoirs and off the coast in inshore waters (6).

More »

Species found in a similar habitat

Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)

Goldeneye

(Bucephala clangula)

African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis)

African manatee

(Trichechus senegalensis)

Striated heron (Butorides striata)

Striated heron

(Butorides striata)

Top

Great crested grebe status

The great crested grebe is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List (1). Receives general protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (3). Included in the Birds of Conservation Concern Green List (low conservation concern) (4).

IUCN Red List species status – Least Concern

Top

Great crested grebe threats

The attractive great crested grebe was persecuted in Britain during Victorian times to such an extent that it was reduced to just 42 pairs in 1860 (9), and was on the brink of extinction (10). The breast plumage, known as 'grebe fur', and the head plumes were highly prized in hat trimmings and other clothing (9).

I have been trying for several years to get inside this church, with little success. However, with the Heritage Weekend on, there was just a chance.

And indeed it was open, and a small army of wardens and volunteers inside.

And it was full of delights. Full I tells you.

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The shell of the nave (and probably of the whole of the chancel) almost certainly date from just before the Norman conquest. The church was perhaps built here in the mid-11th century, soon after the relics (body) of St Mildred had been brought from Minster-in-Thanet to St Augustine's Abbey. The south-west and south-east quoins of the nave are made of very large blocks of Marquise Oolite (with some Hythe stone) that are almost certainly reused Roman (see Hussey 1858). The nave and south-west chancel walls also contain many reused Roman bricks. No original windows or doors survive, even in fragmentary form, as much of the south wall of the nave was refaced when new larger windows were inserted in the early 14th century.

The first addition to the original nave and chancel was probably the tower added to the north side of the nave in the 13th century. It was demolished in 1836, but earlier drawings show it as a low structure only just projecting above the nave-ridge. The lower north wall of the tower still survives with two lancets in it (both totally restored in Bathstone externally). Three further lancets (also heavily restored externally) in a north wall, running east from the tower north wall, suggest that a north-east chapel may also have been built in the 13th century. (A blocked forth lancet is partly obscured by the later west wall of the vestry).

The next alterations were the insertion in the early 14th century of the 3 fine tall square-headed windows with hood-moulds in the south wall of the nave and one in the south-west wall of the chancel. At the same time the nave wall was refaced in much of its upper sections and a buttress was added. Of these four windows, that at the east end of the nave (which was originally all made out of Ragstone) is perhaps a little earlier with its simpler trefoiled heads to the main lights and elongated quatrefoils above. The other windows have a hexafoil in the centre and half hexafoils on either side, all above two ogee-headed cinquefoils at the top of the main lights. (These windows can be roughly compared with those inserted into the south wall of the nave of Fordwich church).

In the later 14th or earlier part of the 15th century the north-east chapel seems to have been rebuilt (and enlarged to the east with a new three-light perp. east window (unfortunately all of this work has been renewed externally in Bathstone and with new flint facing). A new five light east window may also have been built at this time, but it too is almost entirely 19th century work externally, as is the surrounding flint face, the high plinth and the flanking buttresses. The three-light perpendicular window at the west end of the nave is also of about the same date. The enlarged north-east chapel, which was probably dedicated to St John-the-Baptist (from the evidence of wills) is connected with the chapel by two arches on the south. That to the east is now almost entirely 19th century, while that on the west has semi-octagonal responds and an arch over of c.14th century date. All of this chapel area is now taken up with modern vestries. In the chancel were some 15th century stalls, of which some of the Poppy-head ends are now at the extreme west end of the chancel (they have an eagle with a scroll - the symbol of St John-the-Evangelist).

Both the nave and chancel have separate 15th century crown-post roofs; that in the nave is on moulded tie-beams which are mostly on wall-posts with braces. The chancel roof has a crenellated wall-plate.

A 1486 will tells us that reparations were going on in the nave at that time, and that a new vestry was being built. This must relate to the building of the surviving vestry on the north-east and probably to the construction of the new north-west aisle. The vestry has a single round-headed light (with square hood) on the north (with 5 surviving original glazing bars) and a two light window on the east. The vestry has a plinth all around and an external door on the north-west. The buttress at the north-east corner of the earlier chapel was probably added at the same time, and the southern ends of the two vestry walls are continued up as north buttresses to the chapel. There is a fine original doorway (in Caen) and door from this vestry into the north-east chapel. The north-gable of the vestry displays the end of a queen-strut truss with clasping side-purlins. This may be the original roof, but it is perhaps a little later (16th century). There is a fine moulded string course around the upper vestry wall which perhaps marks the original wall top (this vestry was badly burnt in a fire in December 1972).

The north-west aisle also has a continuous plinth around it, and the buttress at the north-west corner of the nave seems to be of the same date. All the quoins (and on the vestry) are of large side alternate blocks of Hythe store. The two buttresses on the north side of the north aisle are both 19th century. The north-west aisle is lit from the north by a 3-light window with round heads under a square hood-mould. There are fine carved heads externally in the spandrels. The west window to this aisle now has 19th century perpendicular tracery in it but Petrie (1801) just shows a ?18th century wooden frame while Jewitt (c.1857) shows Y-tracery. The gable above this window is entirely of red-brick (behind peeling plaster), and may just possibly be late 15th-century work. It is more likely to be later, however. The north doorway into the new north-west aisle is a fine four-centred one made of Caenstone. It still contains its original pair of doors (though repaired at the bottom). Connecting the new north-west aisle with the nave are a pair of late 15th century 4-centred arches. They sit on finely carved ragstone octagonal and semi-octagonal piers with concave faces. (Compare the arcade in St Alphege, Canterbury). On the west face of the central octagonal pier, at the top, is an original canopied niche (now containing a c.1910 figure of St Mildred). Under the east side of the eastern arch is a fine late 15th-century font with its original oak cover with crocketed angles and finial (and pulley cable). (Late Medieval font covers also have survived at Holy Cross, St Alphege and St Dunstan's churches in Canterbury). The font, which stands on a decorated pedestal with moulded plinth has quatrefoils with rosettes on its upper faces. Glynne records an aperture for the rood-loft between the nave and channel (Glynne, 20).

On the south-east side of the chancel is a fine Chantry chapel for the local Atwood family, said to have been built in 1512. It has much fine chequer work externally of knapped flint and Caenstone with an original consecration cross on a panel on the south-east side (another cross may have been on the now-worn-away panel above the south-west doorway into the chapel. The south and west windows of this chapel are of three lights with round heads under square hood-moulds. The east window is of three lights with perpendicular tracery, and to the north of this the base of an earlier buttress (a plinth block of ? reused Marquise store) to the south-corner of the chancel can be seen. The upper west gable of this chapel has been rebuilt with a cross in it. It also contains the chimney for the 19th century fireplace in the west wall of the chapel. The wide 4 centred arch from the chancel into this chapel was reopened when the chapel was restored in 1905. The chapel has a five-canted ceiling below its ?original roof. The major restoration of the church was carried out by Butterfield in 1861 when the west gallery (with organ) was removed. It was put on the north side of the choir. The north porch was added in c.1900. Another restoration was done in 1973 after a major fire.

BUILDING MATERIALS (Incl. old plaster, paintings, glass, tiles etc.):

The main original building materials are whole rounded flints and large Tertiary sandstone boulders with reused Roman bricks for the rubblework of the nave and chancel. There are also very large ? reused Roman blocks for quoins made of Hythe stone and Marquise. Later medieval features use Kentish ragstone (? from Hythe area) and Caenstone as well as knapped flint facework. Some red bricks can be found in the north-west aisle (?late 15th century) as well as red brickwork in the west gable and cornice area (? later date). All of the outside walls were plastered originally. The SE chantry chapel is faced in chequer work of knapped flint and (? reused) Caenstone block work. 19th century restorations are in Bathstone. There is a 15th century stained glass figure of St Mildred in the W window of the Atwood Chantry.

EXCEPTIONAL MONUMENTS IN CHURCH:

Some quite fine wall monuments on nave S and W walls - Thomasine Honeywood, Sir W Cranmer, Thomas Cranmer (1604) and in SE Chapel -Margatet Hales. Also tomb-chest of Sir Francis Head (1716) at NW Corner of nave. For monuments see Hasted XI, 249-51.

There is also a fine collection of eight hatchments in the nave and north aisle, and a 1747 plan of the tenements in Castle Street north-east of the churchyard of St Mary-de-Castro in the vestry.

CHURCHYARD AND ENVIRONS:

Size: Large area within city walls, with burial here from at least 1472 (Wills).

Shape: Trapezoid shape with city walls on west - ? extended to NW (River Stour) earlier this century.

Condition: Good

Boundary walls: on west the boundary walls sits on the Roman city wall

Building in churchyard or on boundary: 19th century school (now houses) to NW

Exceptional monuments: Many fine 18th and 19th century monuments, including Alderman Simmons (recently restored)

Ecological potential: ? could be good

HISTORICAL RECORD (where known):

Somner & Hasted record Stow as saying that the church and this area of the City were burnt in a major fire of 30 Henry III (1246)

In 1087/8 dispute between Abp. Lanfranc and monks of St Augustines (in continuation of A-S chronicle)

Late med. status: rectory

Patron: St Augustine's Abbey till 1538 then the crown. United with All Saints in 1684, it had been united with St Mary-de-Castro earlier.

Other documentary sources: Hasted (XI) (1800), 249-254 and Somner (1703), 166 and App. p.70. Testaments Cantiana (E Kent 1907), 60-1 mentions chancel or choir of St John-the-Baptist (on NE?) in 1472, 1498. Also light of the Holy Cross (1466, 1486) in the roodloft (1503). Light of Our Lady in the Nave (1477) other lights to St Ann, St Christopher, St John, St Katherine, St Mildred and "the Bachelors Light and Easter Sepulcre light and Jesus Mans light". "To the work and reparation of the Nave of the church and a new Vestry" (1486).

The parish registers record: Isaack Walton and Rachel Floudd were maryed the 27th day of December Ao. 1626".

ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORD:

Reused materials: Many Roman bricks and large quoin-stones reused from Roman buildings.

Finds from church\churchyard: There are some broken architectural fragments in the north-west corner of the nave (behind the Head tomb).

SURVIVAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL DEPOSITS:

Inside present church: ? quite good, but burial vaults

Outside present church: - ? good

RECENT DISTURBANCES/ALTERATIONS:

To structure:

To floors: In 1983, the vestry had toilet, drains, etc. inserted.

Quinquennial inspection (date\architect): 1988 A Swaine

ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL ASSESSMENT:

The church and churchyard:

A rare ? Late Saxon church in Kent, this is now the finest surviving parish church in Canterbury. It is still in use. Its fine late 15th century additions (NW aisle and NE vestry) and SE Chantry added to the early nave and chancel make this church of exceptional importance.

The wider context: One of only a handful of Anglo-Saxon churches surviving in Kent.

REFERENCES: R Hussey 'St Mildreds' Canterbury 'Arch Cant I (1858), 143-6 - re Roman bricks and reused quoins G Ward 'The Age of St Mildreds' Church, Canterbury 'Arch Cant 54(1941), 62-8 - re early 9th century date R U Potts 'St Mildred's Church', Canterbury - further notes on the site 'Arch Cant 56(1943), 19-22 - re early 11th century date S Glynne, The Churches of Kent (1877), 19-20 - visited c.1830 and CAR Radford Arch J 126 (1970), 237

www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/01/03/C-MIL.htm

The Church of Saint Mildred is an Anglo-Saxon stone church in Canterbury probably dating from the 11th century. It has been a Grade I listed building since 1949.[1] It is located in the St. Mildred's quarter of the historic city centre. This is the only surviving pre-Norman church within the former city walls.[2]

It is unknown when the church was originally built, but two of the walls of the nave are Anglo-Saxon, i.e. are preserved from before 1066. It is believed that the chancel is Anglo-Saxon as well. The relics of Saint Mildred, who died in 768, were transferred from Canterbury Cathedral to St Augustine's Abbey in the middle of the 11th century, and it is likely that the church was built at that time.[1]

St Mildred's Church has a five-bay nave and a two-bay chancel. Most of the nave and the chapels date from between the 13th century and 1512. It was extensively restored in 1861.[1]

The church belonged to St Augustine's Abbey until the abbey was abolished during the dissolution of the monasteries in 1538, and since then it has belonged to the Crown.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Saint_Mildred,_Canterbury

St Mildred was the daughter of Ermenburga, grand daughter of King Ethelbert of Kent and consecrated Abbess of the Convent of Minster in Thanet by St Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury in AD694. Mildred supported the poor and is usually depicted holding a deer (the symbol of Minster) or a church and three geese. She died c.732, and her tomb became a place of pilgrimage. Her relics were acquired by St Augustine's Abbey in 1033, but Archbishop Lanfranc later also claimed them for St Gregory's Priory in the mid 11th century. The church was founded around 1033, but virtually destroyed by fire in 1246. A tower and new roof were added in the 1300s, North aisle and Nave windows in 1400s and SE chapel in 1500s. The tower was demolished and bells sold in 1832, the whole church restored in 1861 and again in 1920s. This has left a hall church with a five bay nave, two bay chancel, North aisle, SE chapel and North porch. Izaak Walton, author of The Compleat Angler who fished for trout in the Stour, married here in 1626.

www.canterbury-archaeology.org.uk/stmildred/4590809557

There are, within the walls of this city, twelve parish churches now remaining, and there were five more, which have been long since demolished; and there are three churches now situated in the suburbs of it, and there has been one demolished—Of those now remaining, there were only two, viz. St. Martin's without, and St. Alphage's within the walls, which were not of the patronage of some religious house or abbey, in or in the near neighbourhood of the city, and these two were in the patronage of the archbishop. (fn. 1)

It may be thought strange, that the number of churches in this city has decreased so much, and that so many of them have been united to others, and yet together, even at this time, make but a very moderate income to the incumbents; this has been supposed, in general, to have been occasioned by the great failure of their former profits, which they enjoyed before the reformation, of private masses, obits, processions, consessions, or the like; all which then fell to the ground, and lessened the income of most of them to a very small pittance. However, as will be seen hereafter, some of these churches were become desecrated and in ruins, and others were united long before the above time; which seems to have been owing, in great measure, to many of them having been built by the bounty of well disposed persons, in hopes of a future support and endowment, which failing, and the repairs and support of the fabric lying too heavy on the parishioners, they suffered them to run to ruin; and there being no susficient maintenance for the priests, they became desecrated, or were united to some other neighbouring churches. Indeed it appears plain, that poverty was the sole cause of their decay; for in their most flourishing state, the benefice of each of these churches was so low and poor, that they were for that very reason excused in all taxations, being of less value than the stipends of poor vicars, which had been advanced above five marcs a year. (fn. 2)

The decrease of the value of church benefices was equally felt in other cities and towns, as well as this, which occasioned an act of parliament to be passed at Oxford, in the 17th of king Charles II. for uniting churches in cities and towns corporate; in conformity to which, in 1681, a petition was made to the archbishop, under the names and seals of the major part of the mayor and aldermen, and justices of the peace, of this city, who being informed of the archbishop's intentions of uniting the parish churches of it, according to the above act, they did thereby give their free consent, that those within the city should be united, viz.

ST. PAUL'S and ST. MARTIN'S,

ST. MARY BREDMAN'S and ST. ANDREW'S,

HOLY CROSS WESTGATE, and ST. PETER'S,

ST. ALPHAGE'S and ST. MARY'S NORTHGATE,

leaving all things necessary to the perfecting of this union, according to the tenor of the above act; which instrument was dated March 6th, that year, and signed by Jacob Wraight, mayor, and P. Barrett, recorder, &c. To this was added a petition of the dean and chapter of Canterbury to the archbishop, as being perpetual patrons of the parish churches of St. George, St. Mary Magdalen, St. Paul, St. Mary Bredman, and St. Peter, within the city and liberties, for the uniting of those churches with each other and with others adjoining, in manner as above-mentioned in the former petition, which was given under their common seal, dated March 13th the same year. Upon the receipt of these, the archbishop issued his decree, reciting the two petitions for uniting the several above-mentioned churches, the particulars of which will be found under the description of each of them; which decree was dated at Lambeth, on March 24, 1681. To which the inhabitants of each parish signed their consents, by their several instruments, dated December 19th, 20th, and 21st, the same year. After which, by a decree of the archbishop's in 1684, with the consent of the mayor, aldermen and justices of the peace of this city, and of the king, under his great seal as patron, he united the church of All Saints with St. Mary de Castro, already united to it, to the parish church of St. Mildred; further particulars of which will be found under the latter parish. It should seem the decree of the archbishop in 1681, for the uniting of the churches of Holy Cross Westgate, and St. Peter did not have its full effect, for on April 6, 1692, there were two petitions, one from the mayor and eight others, and another from the dean and chapter to the archbishop, similar to the former ones, for this purpose; and the archbishop's decree, dated at Lambeth, the 13th of that month, united these churches; and with the same particulars in every thing else as the former decree in 1681.

T. MILDRED'S church is situated at the southwest extremity of the city, near the Old Castle and the river Stour, in the church-yard belonging to it. This church is a large handsome building, of three isles and three chancels, with a square tower steeple on the north side, in which are five bells. This church and a great part of the city, was, according to Stow, burnt in the year 1246, anno 30 Henry III. but as it should seem not entirely so, for at the west end of the south isle there is a very fair Roman arch, remaining over the window, and by all appearance the work of those times. (fn. 122)

¶This church is a rectory, the patronage of which was part of the possessions of the abbot and convent of St. Augustine, with whom it continued till the dissolution of that monastery, in the 30th year of king Henry VIII. when it came into the hands of the crown, where it has continued ever since, the king being the present patron of it.

The church of St. Mildered is valued in the antient taxation at eight marcs per annum.

This rectory, with that of the antient desecrated church of St. Mary de Castro, or of the Castle, is valued in the king's books, at 17l. 17s. 11d. and the yearly tenths at 1l. 15s. 9½d. (fn. 123) In 1588 it was valued at fifty pounds. Communicants three hundred and sixty. In 1640 it was valued at seventy pounds.— Communicants one hundred.

Archbishop Sancrost, by his decree, dated Sept. 29, 1684, united the rectory of All Saints, in this city, with St. Mary de Castro, of the king's patronage likewife, to this of St. Mildred, (fn. 124) in which state it continues at this time. It is now about the clear annual value of eight pounds. (fn. 125)

The neighbouring church of St. John, becoming desolated after the reformation, tacitly devolved to this church of St. Mildred, and it has ever since been esteemed as part of this parish.

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol11/pp209-288

Ferstel

(Pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)

Ferstel and Café Central, by Rudolf von Alt, left the men's alley (Herrengasse - Street of the Lords), right Strauchgasse

Danube mermaid fountain in a courtyard of the Palais Ferstel

Shopping arcade of the Freyung to Herrengasse

Entrance to Ferstel of the Freyung, right the Palais Harrach, left the palace Hardegg

The Ferstel is a building in the first district of Vienna, Inner City, with the addresses Strauchgasse 2-4, 14 Lord Street (Herrengasse) and Freyung 2. It was established as a national bank and stock exchange building, the denomination Palais is unhistoric.

History

In 1855, the entire estate between Freyung, Strauchgasse and Herrengasse was by Franz Xaver Imperial Count von Abensperg and Traun to the k.k. Privileged Austrian National Bank sold. This banking institution was previously domiciled in the Herrengasse 17/ Bankgasse. The progressive industrialization and the with it associated economic expansion also implied a rapid development of monetary transactions and banking, so that the current premises soon no longer have been sufficient. This problem could only be solved by a new building, in which also should be housed a stock exchange hall.

According to the desire of the then Governor of the National Bank, Franz von Pipitz, the new building was supposed to be carried out with strict observance of the economy and avoiding a worthless luxury with solidity and artistic as well as technical completion. The building should offer room for the National Bank, the stock market, a cafe and - a novel idea for Vienna - a bazaar.

The commissioned architect, Heinrich von Ferstel, demonstrated in the coping with the irregular surface area with highest conceivable effective use of space his state-of-the art talent. The practical requirements combine themselves with the actually artistic to a masterful composition. Ferstel has been able to lay out the rooms of the issuing bank, the two trading floors, the passage with the bazar and the coffee house in accordance with their intended purpose and at the same time to maintain a consistent style.

He was an advocate of the "Materialbaues" (material building) as it clearly is reflected in the ashlar building of the banking institution. Base, pillars and stairs were fashioned of Wöllersdorfer stone, façade elements such as balconies, cornices, structurings as well as stone banisters of the hard white stone of Emperor Kaiser quarry (Kaisersteinbruch), while the walls were made ​​of -Sankt Margarethen limestone. The inner rooms have been luxuriously formed, with wood paneling, leather wallpaper, Stuccolustro and rich ornamental painting.

The facade of the corner front Strauchgasse/Herrengasse received twelve sculptures by Hanns Gasser as decoration, they symbolized the peoples of the monarchy. The mighty round arch at the exit Freyung were closed with wrought-iron bare gates, because the first used locksmith could not meet the demands of Ferstel, the work was transferred to a silversmith.

1860 the National Bank and the stock exchange could move into the in 1859 completed construction. The following year was placed in the glass-covered passage the Danube mermaid fountain, whose design stems also of Ferstel. Anton von Fernkorn has created the sculptural decoration with an artistic sensitivity. Above the marble fountain basin rises a column crowned by a bronze statue, the Danube female with flowing hair, holding a fish in its hand. Below are arranged around the column three also in bronze cast figures: merchant, fisherman and shipbuilder, so those professions that have to do with the water. The total cost of the building, the interior included, amounted to the enormous sum of 1.897.600 guilders.

The originally planned use of the building remained only a few years preserved. The Stock Exchange with the premises no longer had sufficient space: in 1872 it moved to a provisional solution, 1877 at Schottenring a new Stock Exchange building opened. The National Bank moved 1925 into a yet 1913 planned, spacious new building.

The building was in Second World War battered gravely particularly on the main facade. In the 1960s was located in the former Stock Exchange a basketball training hall, the entire building appeared neglected.

1971 dealt the President of the Federal Monuments Office, Walter Frodl, with the severely war damaged banking and stock exchange building in Vienna. The Office for Technical Geology of Otto Casensky furnished an opinion on the stone facade. On the facade Freyung 2 a balcony was originally attached over the entire 15.4 m long front of hard Kaiserstein.

(Usage of Leith lime: Dependent from the consistence and structure of the Leitha lime the usage differed from „Reibsand“ till building material. The Leitha lime stone is a natural stone which can be formed easily and was desired als beautiful stone for buildings in Roman times. The usage of lime stone from Eggenburg in the Bronze age already was verified. This special attribute is the reason why the Leitha lime was taken from sculptors and masons.

The source of lime stone in the Leitha Mountains was important for Austria and especially for Vienna from the cultur historical point of view during the Renaissance and Baroque. At the 19th century the up to 150 stone quarries of the Leitha mountains got many orders form the construction work of the Vienna „Ring road“.

At many buildings of Graz, such as the castle at the Grazer castle hill, the old Joanneum and the Cottage, the Leitha lime stone was used.

Due to the fact that Leitha lime is bond on carbonate in the texture, the alteration through the actual sour rain is heavy. www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC2HKZ9_leithagebirge-leithak...)

This balcony was no longer present and only close to the facade were remnants of the tread plates and the supporting brackets recognizable. In July 1975, followed the reconstruction of the balcony and master stonemason Friedrich Opferkuh received the order to restore the old state am Leithagebirge received the order the old state - of Mannersdorfer stone, armoured concrete or artificial stone.

1975-1982, the building was renovated and re-opened the Café Central. Since then, the privately owned building is called Palais Ferstel. In the former stock exchange halls now meetings and presentations take place; the Café Central is utilizing one of the courtyards.

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_Ferstel

The History Of Porthleven In Cornwall

The History Of The Name, Porthleven.

There are two theories of how the name Porthleven came about:

1. It came from the Cornish words "porth" meaning port and "leven" meaning smooth.

2. It came from "porth" meaning port and "Elvan" from St Elvan the 5th century saint who landed on these shores to spread the word of Christianity. There was originally a settlement nearby called St Elvan.

Early maps showed a settlement called Porth Leuan and in 1714 the name Port Leven first appeared in legal documents. The modern parish of Porthleven was formed in 1846 taking some of its land from Breage to the west and some from Sithney to the east.

Early Settlements - The History Of Porthleven

Originally Porthleven was a marshy cove fed by a stream which marked the boundary of the Breage and Sithney parishes. There was a shingle bar at the mouth of the cove which rather like a miniature version of Loe Bar.

Porthleven was not a very important place as at the time the Cober valley was navigable as far as Helston. The continual silting up of of the Cober valley estuary however led to the formation of the Loe Bar sandbank. This resulted in the Cober valley and Helston being cut off from the sea, probably during the 12th century. By the 14th century a small hamlet of fishermen settled around the cove which is now Porthleven.

During the 1700's the fishermen in Porthleven were joined by farmworkers and miners, many of whom worked in the silver & lead mines in Penrose Estate near Loe Bar.

The History Of Porthleven And

The HMS Anson Tradegy of 1807

The 44 gun frigate, HMS Anson was shipwrecked at Loe Bar in 1807 and reportedly 130 people were drowned. This tragedy gave rise to 3 events:

1. The Henry Trengrouse life saving apparatus. Rocket fired rope line and cork filled life jackets invented by the local cabinet maker Henry Trengrouse.

2. The Thomas Grylls Act of 1808. Thomas was a local solicitor who drafted the act which sets out the procedures regarding burial of bodies cast up by the sea.

3. The Act Of Parliament signed by King George III in 1811 "for constructing a harbour, in Mounts Bay in the county of Cornwall". Porthleven was chosen because if its central location in Mounts Bay. The Act established the Porthleven Harbour Company that was responsible for building, maintaining and operating the the harbour.

Pictured below, divers examining the remains of HMS Anson in 2005:

Constructing Porthleven Harbour

The construction of the harbour was a tremendous and dangerous engineering achievement. The shingle bar with its stone bridge at the mouth of the south west facing valley had to be removed so ships could enter. Napoleonic War prisoners were used but the construction took 14 years and was not completed until 1825.

The granite pier and quays were constucted by 1825 but it was still an open harbour. The harbour was purchased in 1855 by Harvey and Co of Hayle in Cornwall, who built the inner harbour which was completed in 1858. The huge timbers (baulk) that seal the inner harbour in storms are still in use today. The population of Porthleven increased to well over 1000 by 1858.

The Inner Harbour Completed In 1858

The harbour housed a large fishing fleet that harvested the huge shoals of pilchards & mackerel that swam in Mounts bay. The economy involved fishing, boatbuilding, net and rope making, fish smoking and packing in the village. Ships brought in coal, and lime for building work and timber for use in boatbuilding and the local mines. Exports included fish locally mined china clay, tin, and other minerals. Also Kitto & Sons of Porthleven built fishing boats, clippers, schooners and yachts used in ports all round the world. By 1900 the population was nearly 2000 people.

1900 To Present Day

Porthleven's traditional wooden sail boat building industry went into gradual decline due to the trend towards using steel boats with engines and later on smaller craft being made of fibre glass. Sail rope and net manufacture also declined. The local china clay production at Tregonning Hill declined under fresh competition from St Austell, which is also on the south coast of Cornwall. New methods of transportation and unloading ships lead to a reduction in traffic through Porthleven.

Although the economy in Porthleven has changed it continued to grow. The population of Porthleven was 3190 people in 2001. Fishing still continues from Porthleven with crab, lobster and crayfish being caught locally. Some of this seafood is sold at the award winning Quayside Fish in Porthleven and in the local cafes, restaurants and inns. There are sea angling trips from Porthleven harbour which can be booked through Porthleven Angling Centre.

Tourism is now very important to Porthleven and people are attracted by the history, the scenery, the excellent restaurants, pubs, real pasty and fish and chip shops. Porthleven has managed to strike exactly the right balance, being largely unchanged and unspoilt by tourism yet offering everything that visitors require, including a warm welcome. There is a thriving artistic community that has found inspiration in Porthleven and their works can be seen in the local shops and galleries.

For the best part of the last year, I have been posting shots of Kent churches on Twitter, to break up the torrent of horrible news relating to COVID, Brexit and our Dear Leader, and in doing so, I have discovered many churches I visited at the start of the project, needed to redone.

Goudhurst, is, apparently, the highest point in Kent, or so Jools tells me. I will just check that with Wikki: Hmm, it seems not. That is Betsom's Hill north of the M25 near to the border with London. Goudhurst is not even in the top ten.

I can confirm we approached the village along a long hill from a river valley, finally climbing up the narrow high street, getting round the parked cars and finding a space nearly big enough for the car near to the church.

On the other side of the road from the church, a series of very Kent houses and buildings, all decorated with pegtiles, in the Kent fashion, and to the south, the imposing structure of The Star and Eagle Hotel.

The church sits in it's large graveyard, pretty as a picture on a sunny summer's afternoon as on my first visit, but on a grey, late autumn afternoon, just as the light fades, it loses some of its charm.

The church itself is resplendent with it's honey-coloured stone, squat tower and spreading aisles on both sides.

There is a welcome notice on the door in the west end of the tower stating that the church is always open and all are indeed, welcome.

Its a fine touch.

Inside, it is light and spacious, so spacious to have to grand leather sofas in the nave, not sure if this is for glamping, or for some other reason, but they're doing no harm.

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Seen from afar Goudhurst is Kent's answer to Rye - a small hilltop village over which broods the lovely church. Its west tower, dating from the seventeenth century, is rather low, but the honey-coloured sandstone is particularly beautiful here. We enter the church through the tower, and are impressed by the way in which the width and height of the nave and its aisles combine to make such a noble structure. There are two remarkably fine wooden effigies dating from the sixteenth century, carved and painted and set into a purpose-built bay window. Nearby, in the south chapel, the walls are crammed with monuments and there are three brasses, one of which is covered by a stone canopy - not particularly grand but unexpected and functional.

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Goudhurst

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GOUDHURST

LIES the next parish southward from Marden. The northern part of it, as far southward as the stream formerly called Risebridge river, which flows from Bedgebury to Hope mill, and a smaller part likewise on the other side of it, adjoining to the rivulet called the Bewle westward, is in the hundred of Marden, and lower division of the lath of Scray; the rest of the parish southward of the first-mentioned stream, is in the hundred of West, alias Little Barnefield, and lath of Aylesford, comprehending the whole of that hundred. So much of this parish as is within the borough of Faircrouch, is in the hundred of Cranbrook; as much as is in the boroughs of Pattenden, Lilsden, Combwell, and Chingley or Bromley, is in the same hundred of West, alias Little Barnefield; and the residue is in the hundred of Marden. It lies wholly within the district of the Weald, and in the division of West Kent.

The borsholders of the boroughs of Highamden, Pattenden, and Hilsden, in this parish, are chosen at the court-leet holden for the manor of East Farleigh, and the inhabitants owe no service but to that manor; only a constable for the hundred of West Barnefield may be chosen out of such parts of them as lay within it for that hundred. The manor of Maidstone likewise extends into this parish, over lands as far southward as Rise-bridge.

THE PARISH OF GOUDHURST is very pleasantly situated, being interspersed on every side with frequent hill and dale. The trees in it are oak, of a large size, and in great plenty throughout it, as well in the woods, as broad hedge-rows and shaves round the fields. The lands are in general very fertile; the soil, like the adjoining parishes, is mostly a deep stiff clay; being heavy tillage land, but it has the advantage of a great deal of rich marle at different places, and in some few parts sand, with which the roads are in general covered; and in the grounds near Finchcocks, there is a gravel-pit, which is the only one, I believe, in this part of the county. There is much more pasture than arable land in it, the former being mostly fatting lands, bullocks fatted on them weighing in general from 120 to 130 stone. It is well watered with several streams in different parts of it, all which uniting with the Teis, flow in one channel, along the western side of this parish, towards the Medway. The eastern and southern parts of it are much covered with thick coppice wood, mostly of oak. The turnpike road from Maidstone over Cocksheath through Marden, leads through the upper part of this parish southward, dividing into two branches at Winchethill; that to the left goes on to Comborne, and leaving the town of Goudhurst a little to the right, joins the Cranbrooke road a little beyond it. That to the right, having taken into it a branch of the Woodgate road from Tunbridge, near Broadford-bridge, goes on to the town of Goudhurst, and thence eastward to Cranbrooke and Tenterden; and the great high road from Lamberhurst through Stonecrouch to Hawkhurst, and into Sussex, south-east, goes along the southern bounds of this parish.

The parish is about eight miles long and four broad. There are about three hundred houses in it, and somewhat more than five inhabitants to a house. It is very healthy; sixty years of age being esteemed, if not the prime, at least the middle age of life; the inhabitants of these parts being in great measure untainted with the vices and dissipation too frequently practised above the hill.

There are two heaths or commons here; the one called Pyles-health, and the other Killdown, in West Barnefield hundred.

THE TOWN, or village of Goudhurst, stands in the hundred of Marden, about half a mile within the lower or southern bounds of it, on an hill, commanding an extensive view of the country all around it. It is not paved, but is built on the sides of five different roads which unite at a large pond in the middle of it. The houses are mostly large, antient and well-timbered, like the rest of those in this neighbourhood, one of them, called Brickwall, belongs to the Rev. Mr. Thomas Bathurst. Within memory there were many clothiers here, but there are none now. There is some little of the woolstapling business yet carried on.

On the summit of the hill, on which the town stands, is the church, a conspicuous object to the neighbouring country, and near it was the marketplace, which was pulled down about the year 1650, and the present small one built lower down, at the broad place in the town near the pond. The market was held on a Wednesday weekly, for cattle, provisions, &c. till within memory; it is now entirely disused, there is a fair held yearly in the town, upon the day of the assumption of our lady, being August 26, for cattle, hardware, toys, &c. This market and fair were granted in the year of king Richard II. to Joane, widow of Roger de Bedgebury, the possessors of which estate claim at this time the privilege of holding them, by a yearly rent to the manor of Marden.

At the hamlet of Stonecrouch is a post-office of very considerable account, its district extending to Goudhurst, Cranbrooke, Tenterden, Winchelsea, Rye, and Hastings, and all the intermediate and adjoining places, to which letters are directed by this Stonecrouch bag.

ALMOST adjoining to the town eastward, on the road leading to Tenterden, there is A HAMLET, called LITTLE GOUDHURST, in which there is an antient seat, called TAYWELL, which for many generations was possessed by a family of the name of Lake, who bore for their arms, Sable, a bend between six crosscroslets, fitchee, argent. In the north isle of this church, under which is a vault, in which this family lie buried, there is a marble, on which is a descent of them. The last of them, Thomas Lake, esq. barrister-at-law, resided here, but dying without issue male, his daughters and coheirs became possessed of it; one of whom married Maximilian Gott, esq. and the other Thomas Hussey, esq. whose son Edward Hussey, esq. of Scotney, now possesses the entire see of this estate, which is demised for a long term of years to Mr. Olive, who has almost rebuilt it, and resides in it.

AT A SMALL DISTANCE southward from the abovementioned seat, is another, called TRIGGS, which was for several descents the residence of the Stringers, a family of good account in the different parts of this county. John Stringer, esq. son of Edward Stringer, of Biddenden, by Phillis his wife, daughter of George Holland, gent. resided here in king Charles I.'s reign, and married Susanna, daughter of Stephen Streeter, of Goudhurst, by whom he had Stephen, of Goudhurst; John, gent. of Ashford, who left a daughter and heir Mary, married to Anthony Irby, esq. Edward and Thomas, both of Goudhurst; the latter left two sons. Thomas and Edward, and a daughter Catherine, who married William Belcher, M. D. by whom the had Stringer Belcher, and other children. The Stringers bore for their arms, Per chevron, or, and sable, in chief two eagles displayed of the second, in the base a fleur de lis of the first.

Stephen Stringer, the eldest son of John, resided at Triggs in the reign of king Charles II. and was succeeded in it by his second son Stephen Stringer, esq. who kept his shrievalty here in the 6th year of queen Anne. He died without male issue, leaving by Jane his wife, daughter of John Austen, esq. of Broadford, four daughters his coheirs, Jane, married to Thomas Weston, of Cranbrooke; Hannah to William Monk, of Buckingham. in Sussex, whose eldest daughter and coheir married Thomas Knight, esq. of Godmersham; Elizabeth married Edward Bathurst, esq. of Finchcocks, and Anne married John Kirril, esq. of Sevenoke. (fn. 1) This seat was afterwards alienated to Francis Austen, esq. of Sevenoke, whose son Francis Mottley Austen, esq. of Sevenoke, is the present owner of it.

THE MANOR OF MARDEN claims over the greatest part of this parish; part of it, being the dens beforementioned, are within the manor of East Farleigh, and the remaining part, called Wincehurst-den, is within the manor of Gillingham, near Chatham. Although that part of this parish which lies within the hundred of West Barnefield, being the most southern part of it, contains those places which are of, by far, the greatest note in it, yet, for the sake of regularity in my description, I shall begin with those in the hundred of Marden, partly already described, and having finished that, proceed next to the hundred of West Barnefield, and the matters worthy of notice in it.

BOKINFOLD is a manor of large extent, situated in the hundred of Marden, having formerly a large park and demesnes belonging to it, which extended into the parishes of Brenchley, Horsemonden, Yalding, Marden, and Goudhurst, the house of it being situated in that of Yalding, in the description of which parish the reader will find an ample account of the former state and possessors of it. (fn. 2) It will, therefore, be sufficient to mention here, in addition to it, that the whole of this manor coming at length into the possession of Sir Alexander Colepeper. He in the 3d year of queen Elizabeth levied a fine of it, and three years afterwards alienated that part of this manor, and all the demesnes of it which lay in Brenchley, Horsemonden, Yalding, and Marden, to Roger Revell, as has been mentioned under the parish of Yalding, and THE REMAINDER OF IT in this parish, held of the manor of Marden, to Sharpeigh, whose descendant Stephen Sharpeigh passed that part of it away in 1582, to Richard Reynolds, whose son and heir John Reynolds, about the 41st year of queen Elizabeth, conveyed it to Richard Eliot, and he, about the year 1601, alienated it to Thomas Girdler, who the next year sold it to John Reynolds, and he, in the 5th year of king James, transmitted it to John Beale, who, about 1609, passed it away to John Harleston, of Ickham, and he settled it by will on Richard Harleston, who in like manner devised it to his kinsman Richard Bishop, and he, soon after the death of king Charles I. sold it to Mr. Stephen Stringer, of Triggs, in Goudhurst, whose son, of the same name, was sheriff anno 6 queen Anne, and left five daughters his coheirs, of whom Elizabeth, the third, married Edward Bathurst, esq. of Finchcocks, and on the division of their inheritance, he, in her right, became possessed of this manor. He died in 1772, upon which this estate came to his son, the Rev. Thomas Bathurst, rector of Welwyn, in Hertfordshire, the present owner of it. A court baron is regularly held for this manor.

In 1641 the archbishop collated Richard Amhurst, clerk, to the free chapels of Bockinfold and Newsted annexed, in the archdeaconry of Canterbury, then vacant and of his patronage. (fn. 3)

COMBORNE is an estate, situated in the northernmost part of this parish, adjoining to Winchet-hill, in the hundred of Marden likewise; which place of Winchet-hill was antiently the original seat in this county, of the family of Roberts, of Glassenbury.

An ancestor of this family, William Rookherst, a gentleman of Scotland, left his native country, and came into England in the 3d year of king Henry I. and had afterwards the surname of Roberts, having purchased lands at Winchet-hill, on which he built himself a mansion, calling it Rookherst, after himself. This place came afterwards to be called Ladiesden Rokehurst, alias Curtesden, and continued the residence of this family till the reign of king Richard II. when Stephen Roberts, alias Rookherst, marrying Joane, the daughter and heir of William Tilley, of Glassenbury, removed thither, and the remains of their residence here are so totally effaced, as to be known only by the family evidences, and the report of the neighbourhood.

But their estate at Winchet-hill continued several generations afterwards in their descendants, till it was at length alienated to one of the family of Maplesden, of Marden, in whose descendants this estate, together with that of Comborne adjoining, continued down to Edward Maplesden; esq. of the Middle Temple, who died in 1755, s. p. and intestate. Upon which they descended to Alexander Courthope, esq. of Horsemonden, the son of his sister Catherine, and to Charles Booth, esq. the grandson of his sister Anne, as his coheirs in gavelkind, and on a partition of those estates between them, Winchet-hill was allotted to Charles Booth, esq. afterwards Sir Charles Booth, of Harrietsham-place, who died possessed of it, s. p. in 1795, and his devisees, for the purposes of his will, are now in the possession of it; but Comborne was allotted to Alexander Courthope, esq. since deceased, whose nephew John Cole, esq. now possesses it.

FINCHCOCKS is a feat in this parish, situated within the hundred of Marden, in that angle of it which extends south-westward below Hope mill, and is likewise within that manor. It was formerly of note for being the mansion of a family of the same surname, who were possessed of it as early as the 40th year of Henry III. They were succeeded in it by the family of Horden, of Horden, who became proprietors of it by purchase in the beginning of king Henry VI.'s reign, one of whom was Edward Horden, esq. clerk of the green cloth to king Edward VI. queen Mary, and queen Elizabeth, who had, for some considerable service to the crown, the augmentation of a regal diadem, added to his paternal coat by queen Elizabeth. He left two daughters his coheirs, Elizabeth, married to Mr. Paul Bathurst, of Bathurst-street, in Nordiam, and Mary to Mr. Delves, of Fletchings, who had Horden for his share of the inheritance, as the other had this of Finchcocks. He was descended from Laurence Bathurst, of Canterbury, who held lands there and in Cranbrooke, whose son of the same name, left three sons, of whom Edward, the eldest, was of Staplehurst, and was ancestor of the Bathursts, of Franks, in this county, now extinct, (fn. 4) of the earls Bathurst, and those of Clarenden-park, in Wiltshire, and Lydney, in Gloucestershire; Robert Bathurst, the second, was of Horsemonden; and John, the third son, was ancestor of the Bathursts, of Ockham, in Hampshire. Robert Bathurst, of Horsemonden above-mentioned, by his first wife had John, from whom came the Bathursts, of Lechlade, in Gloucestershire, and baronets; and Paul, who was of Nordiam, and afterwards possessor of Finchcocks, from whose great-grandson William, who was a merchant in London, descended the Bathursts, of Edmonton, in Middlesex. By his second wife he had John, who was of Goudhurst, ancestor of the Bathursts, of Richmond, in Yorkshire. In the descendants of Paul Bathurst before-mentioned, this seat continued down to Thomas Bathurst, esq. who by his will devised this seat and estate to his nephew Edward, only son of his younger brother William, of Wilmington, who leaving his residence there on having this seat devised to him, removed hither, and rebuilt this seat, at a great expence, in a most stately manner. He resided here till his death in 1772, having been twice married, and leaving several children by each of his wives. By his first wife Elizabeth, third daughter and coheir of Stephen Stringer, esq. of Triggs, he had three sons, Edward, who left a daughter Dorothy, now unmarried, and John and Thomas, both fellows of All Souls college, in Oxford, the latter of whom is now rector of Welwyn, in Hertfordshire. Before his death he conveyed this seat and estate by sale to his son by his second wife, Mr. Charles Bathurst, who on his decease in 1767, s. p. devised it by will to his brother, the Rev. Mr. Richard Bathurst, now of Rochester, the present possessor of it. This branch of the family of Bathurst. bore for their arms the same coat as those of Franks, in this county, and those of Cirencester, Lydney, and Clarendon, viz. Sable, two bars, ermine, in chief three crosses pattee, or, with a crescent for difference; but with a different crest, viz. Party per fess, and pale, a demi wolf argent, and sable, holding a regal crown, or; which I take to be that borne by Edward Horden, whose heir Paul Bathurst, their ancestor, married, and whose coat of arms they likewise quartered with their own.

¶AT NO GREAT DISTANCE from Finchcocks, in the same hundred, lies a capital messuage, called RISEDEN, alias GATEHOUSE, which formerly belonged to a family named Sabbe, one of whom, Simon Sabbe, sold it, before the middle of the last century, to Mr. Robert Bathurst, from whom it descended down, with an adjoining estate, called TRILLINGHERST, to another Robert Bathurst, who died in 1731, and lies buried in this church, whose daughter Mary sold them both to Sir Horace Mann, bart. the present possessor of them.

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol7/pp64-73

Loco 047 was built by LWB in Bucharest (serial 24254) and entered service in April 1981 as 119 047-9 and became 219 047-8 in 1992, it was withdrawn in June 2001. Loco 187 was built by LWB in Bucharest (serial 24940) and entered service in April 1985 as 119 187-3, later becoming 219 187-2. It was withdrawn in October 2000.

A pair of withdrawn "U-Boats". 219 047-8 (Left-Neurot livery) & 219 187-2 (Right-Altrot) at Leipzig South on Friday September 20th, 2002.

Kabocha

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For the fermented tea drink, see kombucha.

Kabocha.jpg

Nimono of kabocha(Japanese cuisine)

Kabocha (/kəˈboʊtʃə/; from Japanese カボチャ, 南瓜), Danhobak (Korean 단호박), Fak Thong (Thai ฟักทอง for "golden squash") is an Asian variety of winter squash of the species Cucurbita maxima. The word kabocha has come to mean a general type of winter squash to many English-speaking growers and buyers. In some cultures it is revered as an aphrodisiac.[1]

Kabocha is commonly called Japanese pumpkin, especially in Australia and New Zealand. It is also called kabocha squash in North America. In Japan, the word kabocha may refer to either this squash or to the Western-style pumpkin.

Varieties include: Ajihei, Ajihei No. 107, Ajihei No. 331, Ajihei No. 335, Cutie, Ebisu, Emiguri, and Miyako.

Today, many of the kabocha in the market are of the type called Kuri kabocha, which was created based on Seiyo kabocha (buttercup squash). It is popular for its strong yet sweet flavor and moist, fluffy texture, which is like chestnuts. It is found in the market under such brand names as Miyako, Ebisu, Kurokawa, and Akazukin.

Contents [hide]

1 Characteristics

2 Nutrition

3 Ripening

4 History

5 Gallery

6 References

Characteristics[edit]

Kabocha is hard, has knobbly-looking skin, is shaped like a squat pumpkin, and has a dull-finished, deep green skin with some celadon-to-white stripes and an intense yellow-orange color on the inside. In many respects it is similar to the Buttercup squash, but without the characteristic cup on the blossom end. It is a member of the species Cucurbita maxima, along with the Hubbard and Buttercup squashes.

An average kabocha weighs 2-3 pounds but can weigh as much as 8 pounds.[2]

It has an exceptional naturally sweet flavor, even sweeter than butternut squash. It is similar in texture and flavor to a pumpkin and a sweet potato combined. Some can taste like Russet potatoes. Like other squash-family members, it is commonly mixed in side dishes and soups or anywhere pumpkin, potato, or other squash would be.

In Japan, it is a common ingredient in vegetable tempura and can be made into soup. Fak Thong (Thai: ฟักทอง) is used in traditional Thai desserts and main courses. This pumpkin is used in Jamaican Chicken Foot Soup. Danhobak (Korean: 단호박) is commonly used for a traditional porridge called Hobakjuk (호박죽), which is mainly eaten during Autumn and Winter. Hobakjuk in the west is more likely to contain pumpkin.

Kabocha (far right) is a common ingredient in tempura.

Kabocha is available all year round but is best in late summer and early fall.

It is primarily grown in Japan, South Korea, Thailand, California, Florida, Southwestern Colorado, Mexico, Tasmania, Tonga, New Zealand, Chile, Jamaica, and South Africa, but is widely adapted for climates that provide a growing season of 100 days or more. Most of the California, Colorado, Tonga and New Zealand crop is exported to Japan.

Nutrition[edit]

It is rich in beta carotene, with iron, vitamin C, potassium, and smaller traces of calcium, folic acid, and minute amounts of B vitamins. [3]

Ripening[edit]

When kabocha is just harvested, it is still growing. Therefore, unlike other vegetables and fruits, freshness is not as important. It should be fully matured first, in order to become flavorful. First, kabocha is ripened in a warm place (77 °F/25 °C) for 13 days, during which some of the starch converts to sugar content. Then it is transferred to a cool place (50 °F/10 °C) and stored for about a month in order to increase its carbohydrate content. In this way the just-harvested, dry, bland-tasting kabocha is transformed into smooth, sweet kabocha. Fully ripened, succulent kabocha will have reddish-yellow flesh and a hard skin with a dry, corky stem. It reaches the peak of ripeness about 1.5–3 months after it is harvested. [4]

History[edit]

It has been widely believed that all squash was domesticated in Mesoamerica; in 1997 it was reported that new evidence suggests this occurred 8000 to 10,000 years ago, a few thousand years earlier than previous estimates.[5] In addition, this is 4000 years earlier than the domestication of maize and beans, other major plant groups.[6] Archeological and genetic plant research in the 21st century suggests that the peoples of Eastern North America independently domesticated squash, sunflower and two other plant species.[7]

Portuguese sailors introduced the kabocha to Japan in 1541, bringing it with them from Cambodia. The Portuguese name for the squash, Cambodia abóbora (カンボジャ・アボボラ), was shortened by the Japanese to kabocha. Certain regions of Japan use an alternative abbreviation, shortening the second half of the name instead to "bobora".

Kabocha is written in Kanji as 南瓜 (southern melon) and is also occasionally referred to as 南京瓜 (Nanking melon).

The Nikola Tesla Museum (Serbian: Музеј Николе Тесле / Muzej Nikole Tesle) is located in the central area of Belgrade. It holds more than 160,000 original documents, over 2,000 books and journals, over 1,200 historical technical exhibits, over 1,500 photographs and photo plates of original, technical objects, instruments and apparatus, and over 1,000 plans and drawings. The Nikola Tesla Archive was inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme Register in 2003 due to its critical role regarding history of electrification of the world and, more importantly, future technological advancements in this area.

The Nikola Tesla Museum is housed in a residential villa built in 1927 according to project of Dragiša Brašovan, a distinguished Serbian architect. The building was used for various purposes until December 5, 1952, when Nikola Tesla Museum was founded in accordance with the decision of the Government of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia. The material for the museum was taken from New York bound for Belgrade, Yugoslavia on September 7, 1951 as a result of efforts by Sava Kosanovic, Tesla's nephew and closest relative (KGB agent, codename "KOLO", see American Espionage and Project Venona) and his attorney Wittenberg. It has been said this was "Tesla's will." No legal instrument or documentation bearing Tesla's signature has ever been found to substantiate this claim, nor has the Museum allowed an independent, unbiased researcher to verify the existence of such records. It is believed that Tesla died in testate.[2]

It is a deviation from standard archival practice that Tesla's work is contained outside of the original geographical context in which his life occurred. Tesla was an American citizen, and considered his prize possession to be his naturalization papers. In contrast, he spent only 31 hours of his entire life in Serbia. Over the past 60 years, a number of his papers[3][4] have suffered water damage from neglect. This has led historians to consider it a disservice to Tesla that his trunks were removed from the United States of America in the first place. With renewed worldwide interest about Tesla's work in the areas of mechanical and electrical engineering, full and unhindered access is expected. However, it is certain that many original documents are uncataloged and have already been lost, stolen, censored or damaged.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla_Museum

Nikola Tesla (Serbian: Никола Тесла; 10 July 1856 – 7 January 1943) was an inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer. He was an important contributor to the birth of commercial electricity, and is best known for his many revolutionary developments in the field of electromagnetism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Tesla's patents and theoretical work formed the basis of modern alternating current (AC) electric power systems, including the polyphase system of electrical distribution and the AC motor. This work helped usher in the Second Industrial Revolution.

Born an ethnic Serb in the village of Smiljan (now part of Gospić), in the Croatian Military Frontier of the Austrian Empire (modern-day Croatia), Tesla was a subject of the Austrian Empire by birth and later became an American citizen. Because of his 1894 demonstration of wireless communication through radio and as the eventual victor in the "War of Currents", he was widely respected as one of the greatest electrical engineers who worked in America. He pioneered modern electrical engineering and many of his discoveries were of groundbreaking importance. In the United States during this time, Tesla's fame rivaled that of any other inventor or scientist in history or popular culture. Tesla demonstrated wireless energy transfer to power electronic devices as early as 1893, and aspired to intercontinental wireless transmission of industrial power in his unfinished Wardenclyffe Tower project.

Because of his eccentric personality and his seemingly unbelievable and sometimes bizarre claims about possible scientific and technological developments, Tesla was ultimately ostracized and regarded as a mad scientist by many late in his life.[5] Tesla died with little money at the age of 86 in a hotel suite in New York City.[6]

The SI unit measuring magnetic field B (also referred to as the magnetic flux density and magnetic induction), the tesla, was named in his honor (at the CGPM, Paris, 1960).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla

Title: It! The Terror From Beyond Space

Year Of Release: 1958

Running Time: 69 minutes

DVD Released By: MGM Home Entertainment

Directed By: Edward L. Cahn

Writing Credits: Jerome Bixby

Starring: Marshall Thompson, Shawn Smith, Kim Spalding, Ann Doran, Dabbs Greer, Paul Langton, Robert Bice

Taglines:

1. It breathes, it hunts…It Kills!

2. IT!...Reaches through space!...Scoops up men and women!...Gorges on blood!

3. The revelation shocker of things to come!

Alternate Titles:

It! The Vampire from Beyond Space (1958)

The Terror from Beyond Space (1958).

Review Date: 12.12.04 (updated 1.1.10)

The film opens with a thundering musical theme and a title that threatens to bust out of the screen and into our third spatial dimension. After the credits end, we get a view of the Martian surface. In the distance we see the wreckage of a crashed rocket ship. A voice belonging to Colonel Edward Carruthers begins to narrate, relating how the ship he commanded cracked up on landing six months previously and how he is now the only survivor from that doomed expedition, the crew encountering some strange force on the Red planet they came to know only as death. The camera slowly pans over the landscape and a second rocket ship is revealed, albeit intact and standing erect. Carruthers says that he will now be going back to face his superiors on Earth and possibly another kind of death.

Now we see the capitol building in Washington D.C., which quickly fades to a door marked, “Science advisory committee. Division of interplanetary exploration.” No doubt down the hall are the offices for the division on Radiation-Enlarged Insects and Lizards. Inside this room a government official is conducting a press conference and releasing information on the second rocket ship sent to Mars. He talks about how Colonel Carruthers has been found alive, but is the only survivor from the initial expedition. The Colonel will be returned to Earth to face trial for the murders of the rest of the first ship’s crew.

Back on Mars, we see the Challenge-142 preparing to lift off. Before they can depart, Van Heusen notices an open compartment. It seems Lt. Calder was dumping some crates (littering) and forgot to close it. The open hatch is closed remotely, but as it slides shut, an ominous shadow moving about nearby alerts us to the fact that something has managed to get aboard while it was open. We hear a few growls and even get a close up of IT’s feet as it moves about. I gotta say, this guy needs some serious corrective footwear. Talk about a slewfoot! What is even more hilarious is that the shadow we see on the wall seems to be made by the actor in the monster suit, but not the monster mask. His facial features seem pretty clear in silhouette.

After a name check, Van Heusen begins the launch countdown at ten, while strapped into what appears to be a lawn chair! Where was the budget blown for this ship? No trash recycling systems and cheap chairs! The contractor must have spent it somewhere, but it obviously wasn’t on this ship!

Once in space and safely on the way home, Van Heusen (who will henceforth be referred to simply as Van – some of the characters did it, why not me) begins acting like an asshole, ridiculing Carruther’s story of a monster. He tells Carruthers (seemingly with great delight) that they have enough evidence to put him in front of a firing squad. They head up one level and Van shows him a human skull they found on the surface of Mars. Dental records revealed it to be a Frank Kenner, one of Carruther’s crew. The skull has an obvious bullet hole in it and Van says, “There’s only one kind of a monster that uses bullets.” There is an ominous musical cue. Carruthers walks away and the film fades out.

Sometime later the crew is cleaning up after a meal. Correction: the women are cleaning up after a meal. Yes, in this futuristic year of 1973, women – despite being doctors and presumably vital members of the crew – are still assigned the laborious task of cleaning up after meals and making sure all the lazy, fat-ass males have fresh, hot coffee in their cups and are supplied with cigarettes. I wonder if these guys made them cook the meal as well.

So this group has finished a meal and are relaxing. The usual light banter is exchanged before the topic of Colonel Carruthers and his monster comes up. Royce (the other Royce will always be referred to as Doctor Royce for purposes of this review) says that he doesn’t disbelieve or believe the story. Along about that time Carruthers arrives and is greeted with a smart-ass comment from Van. He gets some coffee from Ann and retreats back up one level. Van then states that before they reach Earth, he will have Carruthers’ confession on tape. What is he going to do, beat it out of him?

Some more time passes and Ann brings Carruthers a plate of food. She admits that she has only heard the story of what happened to the crew of the Challenge-141 from Van and would like to hear it straight from Carruthers. He relates to her how they landed, went out exploring and then got caught in a sandstorm. Something in the storm began taking the crew and in the confusion shots were fired, one apparently killing Kenner by mistake. Carruthers was the only one who made it back to the ship. Subsequent searches turned up no signs of his crew or the thing that took them.

Van continues to act like a dick. Ann - with whom he seems to have some sort of relationship beyond work - tells him that he owes it to Carruthers to treat him like a fellow officer and not an animal, and that it is not his place to decide whether he is guilty.

More time passes. Royce and Carruthers are playing chess while Van looks on, smoking a cigarette. Calder is nearby scribbling in a notebook – probably “I won’t leave outer hatches open before lift-off” a hundred times, enforced by Van for his lamebrain mistake. Elsewhere, Keinholz is sitting alone at a desk, looking bored. He hears their stowaway bumbling around the cargo hold. He goes to investigate and is killed, the attack shown as shadows on a wall. The monster lifts Keinholz over his head and brings him smashing to the floor, where he proceeds to pelt the unfortunate crewmen with a barrage of blows…or in this case, cartwheeling its arms and bitch-slapping the guy to death.

Above, Carruthers has heard the commotion and wonders what is going on. No one else seems to have heard anything. He still insists on performing a head count and when Keinholz comes up missing, everyone begins searching the ship for him. While everyone is split up, Gino Finelli is captured by the beast when he stops to pilfer some cigarettes from a storage locker.

Everyone convenes again and Van is in disbelief as there just isn’t a place on the ship a man could hide. Carruthers asks where Gino is and Bob says that he was right behind him. He looks back down the ladder to the deck below and calls out to Gino, but all is silent below. He, Van and Carruthers all go back down where they find Gino’s unused cigarette on the floor, but no Gino. Now everyone is calling out for Gino in addition to Keinholz. Soon after, Keinholz’s body is located in an air duct.

Everyone comes running and arrives as Keinholz is removed from the duct. Bob wonders if Gino is inside the duct, but Carruthers looks and sees nothing. Major Purdue volunteers to go in to look for Gino as he claims to know the layout. He crawls on in, but doesn’t see anything at first. Then he re-orients himself and sees Gino at the end of the passage. Gino is looking pretty bad, like he was in a fight with an Avon lady who applied her make-up samples to him. Purdue yells out that he found Gino and begins to crawl toward him. He shakes Gino, trying to rouse him but Gino just shakes his head limply. Then there is a shadowy movement nearby and IT arrives on the scene, no doubt pissed to find someone playing with his food. IT growls and claws at Purdue, who screams before pulling out a revolver and squeezing off a few shots. This makes the monster roar and outside in the storage room, Carruther’s face is one of dread – he knows that roar all too well, it seems.

Purdue comes barreling out of the duct and Carruthers sneaks a glance inside before he and Van replace the cover over the entrance. Bob, naturally has a fit, upset that his brother is being left behind. He is removed by Royce and Carruthers yells to the cowering women to run and get a head start. A head start for where? You’re on a spaceship, not the open plains of Iowa. Carruthers then spots a crate of grenades and suggests that they wire them up to the hatches, thus blowing IT up if it decides to leave the duct. So Van, Carruthers and Calder wire up these grenades, then gather up Keinholz’s body (which seemed to magically aid them in picking itself off the floor) and retreat to one of the upper levels.

Next we see a table loaded with guns, rifles and ammunition. It looks like a NRA convention! It is at this point that I must point out the sheer stupidity of these people. They are on a spaceship, which is traveling through the vacuum of space. Rupturing the hull of the ship in any way would be extraordinarily bad. I’d imagine that great pains would be taken to minimize the chances that such an event ever took place. Yet these fools insist on firing projectile weapons within the confines of the ship. Not only that, but they have grenades ready to detonate below. Now, what kind of tests did these people have to pass in order to be selected for this mission? Cuz smarts don’t seem to be a requisite. Not once does any one of them stop to consider the chances that such an explosion might actually harm the bloody ship! No, they just fire away. Either these people are colossal idiots, or they are confident in the construction and engineering of the ship – but given the lawn chairs adorning the place, I would not exactly be willing to bet my life on the latter possibility.

So the men are taking stock of the weapons while the ladies apply the most idiotic looking bandage to Purdue’s head. Royce tries to console Bob by telling him there was nothing they could have done for Gino, but Bob is pissed that they didn’t even try to rescue his brother.

Meanwhile, Van is asking Carruthers if he knows what IT is. This must have just galled the guy to no end. Here he was all ready to break Carruthers and get a confession, and now he must admit that the other man was right all along. Time passes and the gang is pacing up and down, waiting for IT to leave the ducts and trip the grenade trap. They all gather around the intercom and listen as IT busts through the grate covering the duct and sets off the grenades. All those grenades detonate and we are treated to an explosion that looks like it was made by a box of firecrackers.

They still hear the monster growling, so they know that the plan has failed. Without a word, they hoist their firearms, open the central stair hatch and head down to investigate further…well, all the guys do. The women stay up above, no doubt prepping coffee. The guys gather around the door to C and open it up. A lot of smoke passes through the doorway, obscuring their vision. Calder, who is carrying the biggest gun, goes in first. Well, actually Van was in the lead, but when he couldn’t get the lights activated, he motions for Calder to go first. Chickenshit bastard. Calder barely gets through the door when IT lunges out of the smoke, grabs his rifle and bends it, Superman-style, over its head. Calder, Royce and Bob then run like hell up the stairs while Van and Carruthers fire their pistols at the beast. They retreat up the stairs, firing all the way, while IT tears the door to C compartment open wide enough to get through. Once safely up the stairs, the crew closes the central stair hatch.

Next gas grenades are used in an attempt to kill the beast. This fails to work as well and Van comes out of the engagement with an injured foot, scraped up something bad when the monster grabbed him.

Dr. Royce has completed the autopsy on Keinholz, discovering that “there is not a molecule of oxygen or a drop of water” left in his body. Blood, bone marrow, glandular secretions – everything, is gone. She theorizes that since there are no puncture marks on the body, that this was accomplished through some type of osmosis process. Keep in mind that the Human body is sixty to seventy percent water. Now, we got a pretty good view of the dead Keinholz earlier. Sure, his body was shriveled, but if all the moisture in his body had been removed, then would not he have looked more like a dried up prune, and been the size of a cabbage patch doll? Van Heusen hasn’t joined the cadaver club yet, though his wound is infected and nothing Dr. Royce can do helps it any.

They open the central hatch and peer down. IT is two levels down, but they can see it breaking through the center hatch onto the level directly below them, which will grant it access to the next level. They realize that if IT can get through the center hatches, they are royally SCREWED. Ann approaches Carruthers and tells him that he was right and they were all wrong. They hold hands and share a Kodak moment.

Royce pipes in about now with an idea he and Bob have worked out. He proposes that two men exit through the control room airlock and then space walk down the side of the ship and re-enter through the airlock on the motor level – below the current location of the creature. This would enable them to surprise the monster, but they aren’t sure what to surprise it with. Carruthers says he’s been thinking and has an idea, so he and Calder suit up and make their way down the hull to the bottom of the ship. They reach the airlock on the motor level and the others above begin talking loud at the proper time, distracting the monster from what is occurring below it. Carruthers and Calder sneak out onto the motor level and set an electrical trap on the stairs that lead to the upper level where IT is located.

The two then take cover behind some induction pumps and open the center hatch, which is noticed by the creature. It begins to descend the stairs and when it gets to the appropriate spot – ZAP. Nothing. The monster is not affected. Carruthers is able to make it safely to the airlock, but Calder takes a blow to the head that tears his vinyl “helmet” and stumbles back, his foot getting caught and the fall breaking his leg. He fires up an acetylene torch and uses it to fend off the monster every time it gets to close to his hiding spot.

Carruthers returns to the others where they try and think of a way to rescue Calder, who can be heard over the radio. Meanwhile the Doctor approaches Royce and tells him that the alien bacteria are attacking bone marrow, resulting in a leukemia-type condition. The drugs she has been using are working too slowly and she needs fresh blood to keep Van and Purdue alive – but there is no more on this level. They will need to descend to the cargo level and retrieve some more.

Royce is preparing to make a run for the blood and Bob decides that it his “turn” now to go. What is this, a ride? I suppose he feels the need to do something in helping kill the monster that murdered his brother. Carruthers decides to accompany them. Calder promises to keep them apprised of the creature’s movements via the intercom. A shadow on the wall tells us that IT is still dragging dead Gino around, and has wandered into the reactor room. After Calder reports this, it gives Carruthers an idea. He remotely closes the reactor room door and asks Calder what the monster does. When no odd behavior is reported, the three men make their descent in search of the blood supply.

Meanwhile Van has awoken again and is trying to get up from his cot. The women try to restrain him but he yells and pushes past them. He has an idea – by unsealing the reactor, the radiation will kill the monster. He flips some controls while the ladies still try and talk sense into him. In the reactor room, the creature is banging on the door to get out when the reactor is unsealed and it gets a face full of radiation. The women call down to warn the men what has happened, inciting Carruthers and Royce to speed things up. Below, Bob is helping Calder up the stairs when IT breaks out of the reactor room. Calder dives back into his hiding spot and Bob fires off his pistol at the beast. He then tries to run up the stairs, but IT is too fast. The monster reaches up and grabs him, pulling him down to the floor and bitch-slapping him to death. Royce and Carruthers haul ass back up the stairs with the blood, having to leave Bob behind. They get back to the laboratory level and then everyone heads on up to the topmost level – the control room.

Everyone is now huddled on the highest level. For some IDIOTIC reason, Carruthers is carrying a bazooka. A bazooka! They pile some heavy crates over the hatch in the floor, hoping to keep IT from busting up through the opening. Nearby Ann and Van are talking and the ever more disconcerted Colonel is remarking on Ann is now “with” Carruthers and how it happened out of the blue. She tries to dismiss it and wants to talk about it later, but he insists that there may be no later considering how their situation is degenerating rapidly. She walks off to help Carruthers and Van continues to mutter to Dr. Royce.

They contact Calder down below, who is still alive. He can see the monster still bumbling around on the motor level. About now IT has decided to find out where everyone else has gone. IT ascends the stairs to the first storage level and begins banging around. Calder warns Carruthers that IT is on its way up. The gang up top makes ready, turning the lights off and preparing for the last fight. Carruthers tells Calder to make his way to the airlock now that IT is no longer nearby and hide there. Then Carruthers picks up the bazooka again and aims it at the hatch.

While waiting, Carruthers happens to glance at a dial on a nearby instrument panel and notices that the oxygen consumption on the ship is far in excess of what it should be. He points this out to Royce and the two theorize that it is due to the monster. With the thin air on Mars it would need a gigantic lung capacity and has thus been hogging all the oxygen on the ship with its Darth Vader breathing style. Carruthers suggest letting all the air out of the ship to kill it. Royce agrees, saying they can build it back up for themselves later.

A mad rush is on now, everyone trying to get into his or her space suit. The monster tears his way up onto the laboratory level, doesn’t even hesitate and then heads up the latter to the top level. IT bangs on the hatch, causing all the boxes sitting atop it to topple over, and then IT peels back the metal of the hatch like wrapping paper and pokes up through the opening like a jack-in-the-box. Everyone has their spacesuits on now, but Carruthers cannot reach the controls to release the air because the monster is in the way. He calls to Royce, who is now holding the bazooka, to drive it back down so he can make his way to the proper control panel. Royce fires the bazooka, but the rocket just bounces off the monster before bouncing around the floor some. No detonation at all! It must have been a dud. Carruthers is trying to reach the controls, but the monster is preventing him from getting too close. Van then jumps up, runs to the controls and hits the correct button. The airlock doors open and the air begins rushing out. The monster has grabbed Van and no doubt given him the squish treatment, as when next we see Van, he is stretched out on the floor.

The ship begins diving. Well, not really…but given that the emergency klaxon blaring away to warn everyone of decompression and air loss sounds just like the diving bell in some old WWII movie, and one can see why it seems like the ship is diving. Everyone hangs on for dear life. Papers start flying around the room, but very few actually get blown out the airlock. The monster growls, writhes around and finally stops moving as the last of the air is removed. Carruthers checks on both IT and Van, but both are still and quiet. I have to wonder how Van didn’t get blown out. Everyone was hanging on, but Van was out cold (or dead). It seems the monster is finally dead. Everyone seems relieved, and the camera zooms in on Ann and Carruthers as they hold hands before fading out…

…Into ANOTHER freakin’ shot of the ship flying through space (number nine). This fades into the room in Washington D.C. that we saw at the very beginning of the film. The same government official is conducting another press release. He has more information to add to the story he gave to the reporters the previous evening. He reads a message from the Challenge-142 received less than an hour ago:

“This is Eric Royce talking. Of the nineteen men and women who have set foot upon the planet Mars, six will return.”

Six? Let’s see…Carruthers, Ann, Royce, Dr. Royce, Purdue and…Calder, I suppose. Calder was hiding in the airlock on the motor level while Van Heusen got beat up by the monster and was laying there pretty still at the end, so I guess he was the one who died. The message continues:

“There is no longer a question of murder, but of an alien and elemental lifeforce. A planet so cruel, so hostile, that man may have to find it necessary to bypass it in his endeavor to explore and understand the universe.”

Well, at least Carruthers has been cleared, but Royce makes out like the planet Mars is so damn dangerous. Excuse me, but were not you guys all safe until you got back on the ship? The planet seemed pretty harmless. It is the native life that proved to be so deadly. Big difference. The message (and the movie) concludes:

“Another name for Mars…is death.”

Fade out. The End.

Structurally, this movie is most similar to The Thing From Another World in that it deals with a small group of people trapped struggling to prevail against a deadly organism from another planet bound and determined to make a snack of them all. Aside from the opening and closing segments set on Earth (which most people conclude were added in order to stretch out the film’s running time) the movie never leaves the crew of the Challenge-142. Once things get rolling, the movie rarely lets up and moves along at a brisk pace, rapidly pushing its characters through one bad situation and into another. While not as intense as later films would be, the approach taken works very well and the viewer begins to detect the sense of danger and desperation that builds as the film progresses.

Sadly, the character development that was so well executed in the Howard Hawk’s The Thing From Another World, is sorely and quite obviously lacking here. We are quickly introduced to a number of people, who for the most part, will be expanded upon very little and examined only long enough to form the vaguest of impressions. With the exception of Carruthers and Van Heusen, who these people are and what motivates them was just not important to the producers. Those two are plainly set up to be at odds with each other, though the conflict is really all on the part of Van Heusen, who is resolute in his belief of Carruther’s guilt. Yet, the film sets up this adversarial dynamic and goes no where with it. Early on during the monster’s rampage, Van Heusen takes a hit and is restricted to bed for the rest of the film, offering up only smartass remarks and a failed attempt at killing the creature thereafter. I suppose one could say that Van Heusen was shown to be in error when it came to the veracity of Carruthers’ story, and that he was pushed aside to make room for latter to take the lead and redeem himself. There could not be two leaders, so one was removed.

While the characters might not be the most fleshed out in film history, they certainly make up for it with their actions. After viewing this movie, one has to wonder what kind of idiots these people truly were. How they ever graduated from some type of training program and granted a position on a ship to Mars is beyond me. In fact, the entire organization seems lacking. There is just so much that betrays them as morons. Like smoking. These people are nicotine fiends who are lighting up non-stop. Someone missing? Have a smoke. The monster kills someone? Have a smoke. Time running out and death looking certain? Have a freaking smoke! I must say that the Challenge-142 must have one HELL of an air recycling system. These folks have the oxygen scrubbers working overtime with all the smoke they exhale.

On top of that, these guys are gun toting, trigger-happy morons who make the Montana militia groups look like the boy scouts. They start squeezing off rounds at the drop of a hat, no worries about ricocheting bullets or friendly fire. I guess the ship, on top of having a first rate air recycling system, also has the sturdiest hull ever manufactured by mankind. It must have, as these guys don’t give a single thought to accidentally rupturing the hull. And they don’t stop with guns! They haul out grenades by the dozen and detonate them and then move on up to firing a bazooka in their ship’s control room!

As far as visual FX are concerned, this film doesn’t have too many. What we do see is adequately done by the standards of the day. The most ambitious shot is the view of Carruthers and Calder walking down the side of the ship as it traverses the stars. Back then it might have looked awesome, but now it is very easy to notice that the actors don’t seem to be covering any ground, despite taking numerous steps as well as the obvious signs of matting them into the footage of the rocket. I’d venture to say that the best looking thing we see, though it is just for a few seconds at the film’s beginning, is the painting that represents the surface of Mars. Sure, it looks nothing like what Mars really looks like, but it is still executed pretty darn well.

Now we come to the one aspect that is both one of the best as well as one of the worst things about the movie: The monster. The monster costume is a glaring source of both potential embarrassment and possible fun. The costume is a rather bulky, rubber affair that bends in all the wrong places, heightening the “cheese” factor and lending a certain air of ridiculousness to the film. The way it lumbers, stumbles and plods around the ship is laughable considering the dire circumstances and danger it supposedly represents. The face is static, except for the tongue that is often protruding from the sizable mouth. This effect was produced by the actor’s chin pushing the “tongue” through the creature’s maw.

Since the movie was filmed on a mere handful of sets, with a single set used to represent the various central chambers of the ship – just re-dressed for each one, director Cahn makes good use of the limited space he has. Thanks to the camera work and the set dressing, the ship comes across as being fairly good sized. Another thing he does rather well in conjunction with cinematographer Kenneth Peach is to hide the monster and utilize shadows to create an atmosphere of dread and creepiness. Whether this was done for artistic reasons or to help hide the often silly-looking monster suit is open for debate, but since the creature is shown quite well on several occasions, and the suit holds up pretty darn well to scrutiny, I personally believe it was the former. There are numerous occasions where all we see is the beast’s shadow on the wall, or a foot moving across the floor. More than one assault on a Human is shown as nothing more than shadows on a wall, which, while lessening the onscreen violence, only makes the attacks more horrifying. This method really helps in firing the imagination, as what the mind conjures up is almost always more frightening than what we ultimately see on screen.

Still, despite all the apparent flaws...indeed, perhaps because of those very flaws, this film has a sizable “fun” quotient. Taking it too seriously will only lessen the enjoyment derived from the proceedings. An enormous grain of salt, along with a large suspension of disbelief will come in handy here, and will help transform the film from an “old 50’s monster movie” into a “classic B-Movie experience.”

This view shows just how big the F4 was.

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable, it was also adopted by the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force, and by the mid-1960s had become a major part of their respective air wings.

The Phantom is a large fighter with a top speed of over Mach 2.2. It can carry over 18,000 pounds (8,400 kg) of weapons on nine external hardpoints, including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and various bombs. The F-4, like other interceptors of its time, was designed without an internal cannon. Later models incorporated a M61 Vulcan rotary cannon. Beginning in 1959 it set 15 world records for in-flight performance, including an absolute speed record, and an absolute altitude record.

During the Vietnam War the F-4 was used extensively; it served as the principal air superiority fighter for both the Navy and Air Force, and became important in the ground-attack and reconnaissance roles late in the war. The Phantom has the distinction of being the last U.S. fighter flown to attain ace status in the 20th century. During the Vietnam War the USAF had one pilot and two weapon systems officers (WSOs), and the US Navy one pilot and one radar intercept officer (RIO), achieve five aerial kills against other enemy fighter aircraft and become aces in air-to-air combat. The F-4 continued to form a major part of U.S. military air power throughout the 1970s and 1980s, being gradually replaced by more modern aircraft such as the F-15 Eagle and F-16 in the U.S. Air Force; the Grumman F-14 Tomcat in the U.S. Navy and the F/A-18 Hornet in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.

The F-4 Phantom II remained in use by the U.S. in the reconnaissance and Wild Weasel (suppression of enemy air defenses) roles in the 1991 Gulf War, finally leaving service in 1996.[7][8] It was also the only aircraft used by both U.S. flight demonstration teams: the USAF Thunderbirds (F-4E) and the US Navy Blue Angels (F-4J).The F-4 was also operated by the armed forces of 11 other nations. Israeli Phantoms saw extensive combat in several Arab–Israeli conflicts, while Iran used its large fleet of Phantoms in the Iran–Iraq War. Phantoms remain in front line service with seven countries, and in use as an unmanned target in the U.S. Air Force. Phantom production ran from 1958 to 1981, with a total of 5,195 built, making it the most numerous American supersonic military aircraft

The Current River in full Spring Run Off.

The Current River begins at Current Lake in Unorganized Thunder Bay District and flows northwest, then turns southeast, passing out of Ray Lake over a dam, then under Ontario Highway 527 and reaches Onion Lake.[2] It continues southwest, passes into geographic Gorham Township,[3] flows past the community of Stepstone, and turns southeast before entering the City of Thunder Bay. It takes in the left tributary North Current River, turns south, passes under Ontario Highway 17, then flows through Boulevard Lake and over Boulevard Lake Dam, and flows into Thunder Bay on Lake Superior.

History

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The river's name is the English version of the name given it by early French explorers: "Rivière aux courants", referring to the river's currents. In 1859 Lindsay Russell, Surveyor-General for Canada, followed the river from its mouth in Lake Superior towards its source, reporting that:

"Current River, having a general course of north, winds about among steep, rocky hills, which sometimes rise straight up from its edge; from the top of one of these, about 6 miles from its mouth, we could see its course for a long distance through an exceedingly rough country. It is full of rapids and falls pouring through clefts of up-heaved granite and slate. Opposite the second mile of the line it passes through slate, but higher up, granite."[4]

Two other sizable rivers and a creek — the Neebing River, the McIntyre River and McVicar's Creek — run between Current River and the Kaministiquia River to the south, but in 1858 neither of these two rivers were of sufficient interest to be identified by name. From the vantage point of Fort William, the Neebing River was referred to as "First River" and the McIntyre continued for some time to be known as "Second River."[5] Sometimes, from the vantage point of Prince Arthur's Landing, the names were reversed, the McIntyre being the First River and the Neebing River the Second River.

Early references to development along the Current River include mention of John McKenzie's acquisition of land along it in 1857, and William Petit Trowbridge's 400 acre (162 hectare) purchase of patented mineral lands at the river's mouth in 1865.[6] About 1867 brothers Peter, John and Donald McKellar discovered silver deposits near the river, and their Thunder Bay Silver Mining Co. operated near its mouth from 1866 to 1870, when fire destroyed the buildings.[citation needed] The Duncan-Shuniah Mine also operated in this area from 1867 to 1881. An 1875 editorial in Prince Arthur Landing's satirical newspaper Thunderbolt mentions (facetiously) factories and mills on the Current River, but there was no industrial activity on the river until the 20th century.

In 1901 a dam was built near the mouth of the river, resulting in flooding which created an artificial lake known as Boulevard Lake. The land around the lake was developed as a municipal park. Industry has continued to build at the mouth of the river—predominantly pulp, wood and newsprint mills, along with rail and lake shipping facilities—but numerous parklands follow it inland. Eventually it disappears into roadless wilderness, reappearing from time to time near roadsides and at dams constructed along its course.

Parkour

Foto tirada no estacionamento do Bloco A da SQS 308, em Brasília, Brasil.

The text, in english is from Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkour:

(Le) Parkour (sometimes abbreviated to PK) or l'art du déplacement[1] (English: the art of movement) is a physical art of French origin, the aim of which is to move from point A to point B as efficiently and quickly as possible, using principally the abilities of the human body.[2] It is meant to help one overcome obstacles, which can be anything in the surrounding environment — from branches and rocks to rails and concrete walls — so parkour can be practiced in both rural and urban areas. Male parkour practitioners are recognized as traceurs and female as traceuses.[3]

The cultural phenomenon parkour is a physical activity which is difficult to categorize. It is definitely not an extreme sport,[4] but an art[5] that resembles self-defense in the martial arts. According to the founder David Belle, the spirit of parkour is guided in part by the notions of "escape" and "reach," that is, the idea of using quick thinking with dexterity to get out of difficult situations.[6] So having a hostile confrontation with a person, you will be able to speak, fight or flee. As martial arts are a form of training for the fight, parkour is a form of training for the flee. Because of its difficulty to categorize, it is often said that parkour is in its own category: "parkour is parkour."

An important characteristic of parkour is efficiency. The basic meaning of this is that a traceur must not merely move as fast as he can, but move in a way that is the least energy-consuming and simultaneously the most direct. In addition, since parkour's unofficial motto is être et durer (to be and to last), efficiency also involves avoiding injuries, short and long-term.

Parkour is also known to have an influence on practitioner's thought process. Traceurs and traceuses experience a change in their critical thinking skills to help them overcome obstacles in everyday life, whether they be physical or mental boundaries.[clarify]

The term parkour IPA: [/paʁ.'kuʁ/] was defined by David Belle and his friend, but not practitioner Hubert Koundé on 1998. It derives from parcours du combattant, the obstacle courses proposed by Georges Hébert method and a classic of French military training. Koundé took the word parcours, replaced the "c" with a "k" to suggest aggressiveness, and removed the silent "s" as it opposed parkour's philosophy about efficiency.[7][8][9]

# Traceur [tʁa.'sœʁ] is the substantive derived from the verb "tracer". Tracer normally means "to trace", or "to draw", but also translates as "to go fast".[10]

Inspiration for parkour came from many sources, the foremost being the 'Natural Method of Physical Culture' developed by Georges Hébert in the early twentieth century.[11] French soldiers in Vietnam were inspired by Hébert's work and created what is now known parcours du combattant.[12] David Belle was introduced to the obstacle course training as well as Hébert's methode naturelle by his father, Raymond Belle, a French soldier who practiced the two disciplines. David Belle had participated in activities such as martial arts and gymnastics, and sought to apply his athletic prowess in a manner that would have practical use in life.[12]

After moving to Lisses, David Belle continued his journey with others.[12] "From then on we developed," says Sébastien Foucan in Jump London, "And really the whole town was there for us; there for parkour. You just have to look, you just have to think, like children." This, as he describes, is "the vision of parkour."

Over the years as dedicated practitioners improved their skills, their moves continued to grow in magnitude, so that building-to-building jumps and drops of over a story became common in media portrayals, often leaving people with a slanted view on the nature of parkour. In fact, ground-based movement is much more common than anything involving rooftops.

The journey of parkour from the Parisian suburbs to its current status as a widely practiced activity outside of France created splits among the originators. The founders of parkour started out in a group named the Yamakasi, but later separated due to disagreements over what David Belle referred to as "prostitution of the art," the production of a feature film starring the Yamakasi in 2001. Sébastien Foucan, David Belle, were amongst those who split at this point. The name 'Yamakasi' is taken from Lingala, a language spoken in the Congo, and means strong spirit, strong body, strong man.

Origem deste texto e português: Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre. pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkour

Visão geral:

Parkour é um arte física difícil de ser categorizada. Definitivamente não é um esporte radical,[4] mas uma arte[5] que assemelha-se a auto-defesa nas artes marciais. De acordo com o fundador David Belle, o espírito nessa arte é guiado em partes pela noção de "escapar" e "chegar", isto é: ter raciocínio rápido com destreza para escapar de situações difíceis.[6] Assim havendo uma confrontação hostil com uma pessoa, você terá que conversar, lutar ou esquivar. Desde que as artes marciais são uma forma de treinamento para a luta, parkour é uma forma de treinamento para a esquiva. Pela dificuldade em categoriza-la, os traceurs freqüentemente colocam-a em sua própria categoria: "parkour é parkour".

Uma importante característica nesta arte, está em sua eficiência. Um traceur não só move-se o mais rápido que ele pode, mas de maneira em que irá gastar menos energia evitando ferimentos a curto e longo prazo.

Terminologia:

* O nome parkour [/paʁ.'kuʁ/] foi uma idéia de Hubert Koundé, — um ator e amigo de David Belle, mas não-praticante — que deriva de parcours du combattant, o percurso de obstáculo proposto pelo método de Georges Hébert sendo um treinamento militar clássico da França. Kuondé pegou a palavra parcours, substituiu o "c" com o "k" para sugerir agressividade, e removeu o silencioso "s" como oposto à filosofia do parkour sobre eficiência (embora tenha mantido o "o" igualmente mudo).

No Brasil:

A história do parkour no Brasil tem seu início no começo de 2004, quando jovens de São Paulo e Brasília começaram a se aventurar nessa prática de origem francesa, e estudar sua filosofia. Em São Paulo, o grupo hoje conhecido como Le Parkour Brasil começava a imitar os videos de David Belle vistos na internet. Em Brasilia, aqueles que hoje são membros da Associação Brasileira de Parkour começavam quase que no mesmo período a estudar e praticar o que então parecia um esporte radical, porem praticado com disciplina e responsabilidade não possui grandes perigos.

Traceurs são praticantes de Parkour e costumam se reunir em locais com grande número de obstáculos, estudam cada um deles e fazem experimentos antes de executar movimentos e exercícios deste disciplina. A natureza dos exercícios exige que seus praticantes possuam um excelente preparo físico, saibam e respeitem sempre os seus limites, para buscar quebra-los no momento certo, assumindo e tendo consiência dos riscos e de suas limitações. Tudo isso tendo como base o pensamento "ser forte para ser útil", destacando que um verdadeiro Traceur está pronto para situações inesperadas e sempre disposto a ajudar.

Para se tornar um traceur e preciso que seja por volta dos quinze anos porque nessa altura o corpo humano encontra-se melhor preparado para possiveis acidentes e choques enquanto não chegas lá basta-te preparar a força muscular.

Ferstel

(Pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)

Ferstel and Café Central, by Rudolf von Alt, left the men's alley (Herrengasse - Street of the Lords), right Strauchgasse

Danube mermaid fountain in a courtyard of the Palais Ferstel

Shopping arcade of the Freyung to Herrengasse

Entrance to Ferstel of the Freyung, right the Palais Harrach, left the palace Hardegg

The Ferstel is a building in the first district of Vienna, Inner City, with the addresses Strauchgasse 2-4, 14 Lord Street (Herrengasse) and Freyung 2. It was established as a national bank and stock exchange building, the denomination Palais is unhistoric.

History

In 1855, the entire estate between Freyung, Strauchgasse and Herrengasse was by Franz Xaver Imperial Count von Abensperg and Traun to the k.k. Privileged Austrian National Bank sold. This banking institution was previously domiciled in the Herrengasse 17/ Bankgasse. The progressive industrialization and the with it associated economic expansion also implied a rapid development of monetary transactions and banking, so that the current premises soon no longer have been sufficient. This problem could only be solved by a new building, in which also should be housed a stock exchange hall.

According to the desire of the then Governor of the National Bank, Franz von Pipitz, the new building was supposed to be carried out with strict observance of the economy and avoiding a worthless luxury with solidity and artistic as well as technical completion. The building should offer room for the National Bank, the stock market, a cafe and - a novel idea for Vienna - a bazaar.

The commissioned architect, Heinrich von Ferstel, demonstrated in the coping with the irregular surface area with highest conceivable effective use of space his state-of-the art talent. The practical requirements combine themselves with the actually artistic to a masterful composition. Ferstel has been able to lay out the rooms of the issuing bank, the two trading floors, the passage with the bazar and the coffee house in accordance with their intended purpose and at the same time to maintain a consistent style.

He was an advocate of the "Materialbaues" (material building) as it clearly is reflected in the ashlar building of the banking institution. Base, pillars and stairs were fashioned of Wöllersdorfer stone, façade elements such as balconies, cornices, structurings as well as stone banisters of the hard white stone of Emperor Kaiser quarry (Kaisersteinbruch), while the walls were made ​​of -Sankt Margarethen limestone. The inner rooms have been luxuriously formed, with wood paneling, leather wallpaper, Stuccolustro and rich ornamental painting.

The facade of the corner front Strauchgasse/Herrengasse received twelve sculptures by Hanns Gasser as decoration, they symbolized the peoples of the monarchy. The mighty round arch at the exit Freyung were closed with wrought-iron bare gates, because the first used locksmith could not meet the demands of Ferstel, the work was transferred to a silversmith.

1860 the National Bank and the stock exchange could move into the in 1859 completed construction. The following year was placed in the glass-covered passage the Danube mermaid fountain, whose design stems also of Ferstel. Anton von Fernkorn has created the sculptural decoration with an artistic sensitivity. Above the marble fountain basin rises a column crowned by a bronze statue, the Danube female with flowing hair, holding a fish in its hand. Below are arranged around the column three also in bronze cast figures: merchant, fisherman and shipbuilder, so those professions that have to do with the water. The total cost of the building, the interior included, amounted to the enormous sum of 1.897.600 guilders.

The originally planned use of the building remained only a few years preserved. The Stock Exchange with the premises no longer had sufficient space: in 1872 it moved to a provisional solution, 1877 at Schottenring a new Stock Exchange building opened. The National Bank moved 1925 into a yet 1913 planned, spacious new building.

The building was in Second World War battered gravely particularly on the main facade. In the 1960s was located in the former Stock Exchange a basketball training hall, the entire building appeared neglected.

1971 dealt the President of the Federal Monuments Office, Walter Frodl, with the severely war damaged banking and stock exchange building in Vienna. The Office for Technical Geology of Otto Casensky furnished an opinion on the stone facade. On the facade Freyung 2 a balcony was originally attached over the entire 15.4 m long front of hard Kaiserstein.

(Usage of Leith lime: Dependent from the consistence and structure of the Leitha lime the usage differed from „Reibsand“ till building material. The Leitha lime stone is a natural stone which can be formed easily and was desired als beautiful stone for buildings in Roman times. The usage of lime stone from Eggenburg in the Bronze age already was verified. This special attribute is the reason why the Leitha lime was taken from sculptors and masons.

The source of lime stone in the Leitha Mountains was important for Austria and especially for Vienna from the cultur historical point of view during the Renaissance and Baroque. At the 19th century the up to 150 stone quarries of the Leitha mountains got many orders form the construction work of the Vienna „Ring road“.

At many buildings of Graz, such as the castle at the Grazer castle hill, the old Joanneum and the Cottage, the Leitha lime stone was used.

Due to the fact that Leitha lime is bond on carbonate in the texture, the alteration through the actual sour rain is heavy. www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC2HKZ9_leithagebirge-leithak...)

This balcony was no longer present and only close to the facade were remnants of the tread plates and the supporting brackets recognizable. In July 1975, followed the reconstruction of the balcony and master stonemason Friedrich Opferkuh received the order to restore the old state am Leithagebirge received the order the old state - of Mannersdorfer stone, armoured concrete or artificial stone.

1975-1982, the building was renovated and re-opened the Café Central. Since then, the privately owned building is called Palais Ferstel. In the former stock exchange halls now meetings and presentations take place; the Café Central is utilizing one of the courtyards.

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_Ferstel

CHIEFTAIN Mk. 2/3 FV4201 -

02 EB 05 was originally built by Vickers Armstrong, at their Elswick works in Newcastle as a FV4201 Chieftain MBT (Main Battle Tank) Mk. 2. It would be rebuilt into Mk. 2XY, Mk. 6 and Mk. 9 standard during its service life. She went on to become a Special Projects vehicle (SP) for RARDE where she was used as a test bed for research into stealth technology and other projects, the museum is not privileged to know about.

ARMAMENT - Ordnance 120mm L11 gun firing HE (high explosive) and APDS (Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot). On the exterior of the commanders cupola is a 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) for use by the commander for defence against ground troops and low flying aircraft. The gunner has control of a second 7.62mm GPMG mounted alongside the main gun. As originally made 02 EB 05 would have been fitted with a 0.5 in Browning MG adapted for ranging purposes alongside the main armament, this would later be removed following the fitment of a Tank Laser Sight (TLS) to the gunners station. There are smoke dischargers on both sides of the turret, which would provide a readily available smoke screen to allow the vehicle to manoeuvre under its cover.

ENGINE - Leyland L60 Mk. 4A, 19 litre, 6 cylinder 12 piston, vertically opposed, water cooled, 2 stroke diesel engine, producing 650bhp at 2,100rpm giving the vehicle a top speed of 25.3mph, an electrical generator rated at 28.5v 150 amp was fitted along with hydraulic and electrical starter motors. This engine was subject to numerous modifications throughout its life to improve power output and enhance reliability.

GENERATOR UNIT - H30 No. 4 Mk. 7A 3 cylinder, 6 piston vertically opposed, 2 stroke diesel engine, producing 27bhp and used to drive a 28.5v 350 amp generator for charging the batteries and powering the turret electrical systems. This auxiliary engine also drove a hydraulic pump to power the main engine hydraulic starter. Some examples were also fitted with a small alternator, in line with the main generator to provide a small ac current to trickle heat the vehicle batteries during cold conditions.

TRANSMISSION - David Brown TN12 Merrit-Wilson type gearbox, semi automatic electrical selection, giving 6 forward speeds, and 2 reverse speeds with a mechanically selected back up of one forward and one reverse gear.

SUSPENSION - Hortmann type, a system that uses coil springs and has the advantage of a relatively long travel. Housed within a self-contained bogie which is bolted to the outside of the hull it causes little or no encroachment on internal hull space, consequently, the entire suspension unit may be relatively easily removed and replaced if damaged, e.g. by a mine. There are six pairs of road wheels on each side with the drive sprocket at the rear and idler at the front, three track return rollers are fitted.

SERVICE HISTORY -

▪︎22.01.1967 - Date into service.

▪︎April 1970 - Delivered via Antwerp as Mk. 2 to 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, Caen Barracks, Hohne.

▪︎July 1970 - Queen´s Own Hussars, Caen Barracks, Hohne.

▪︎1973/4 - Probable base overhaul to Mk. 2XY standard, 23 Base Wksp REME, Wetter.

▪︎April 1974 - The Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales Own), Athlone Barracks, Sennelager.

▪︎1978 -1982 - Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, Athlone Barracks, Sennelager.

▪︎1982/3 - Probable base overhaul to IFCS (Mk. 9) standard, 23 Base Workshop, Wetter.

▪︎1983-1984 - 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, Imphal Barracks, Osnabrück.

▪︎1984-1987 - 4th Royal Tank Regiment, Imphal Barracks, Osnabrück.

▪︎1987-2000 - FVRDE Chertsey (fighting vehicle research and development establishment).

SPECIFICATIONS -

▪︎Weight: 53.5 tons

▪︎Width: 11 ft 2 in

▪︎Height: 9 ft 5 in

▪︎Length: 24 ft 8 in (Hull) / 35 ft 5 in (gun forward) / 32 ft 3 in (gun in crutch)

▪︎Crew: Driver, Gunner, Commander and Radio Operator/Loader.

Information sourced from - norfolktankmuseum.co.uk/chieftain-mbt-mk-23-fv4201/

The British FV4030/4 Challenger 1, was the main battle tank (MBT) of the British Army from 1983 to the mid-1990s, when it was superseded by the Challenger 2. It is also currently used by the Jordanian Armed Forces as their main battle tank after heavy modifications. The variants for the Jordanian military are upgraded using an unmanned turret called the Falcon Turret.

The Challenger design by the former Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment (MVEE) near Chobham in Surrey originated in an Iranian order for an improved version of the Chieftain line of tanks in service around the world. These were the Chieftain Mk5(P)- FV4030/1, FV4030/2 Shir (Lion)1 and 4030/3 Shir 2. With the fall of the Shah of Iran and the collapse of the UK MBT90 project, the British Army became the customer and the tank was further developed by MVEE to meet Western European requirements. For a short time the tank was named "Cheviot" before becoming "Challenger", a name reused from a cruiser tank of the Second World War.

The most revolutionary aspect of the Challenger 1 design was its Chobham armour which gave protection far superior to any monolithic Rolled Homogeneous Armour (RHA), which was the then standard of tank armour material. This armour has been adopted by others, most notably the American M1 Abrams. Additionally the Hydrogas suspension fitted provided outstanding cross-country performance through the long suspension arm travel and controlled bump and rebound behaviour offered.

The Challenger was built by the Royal Ordnance Factories (ROF). In 1986, ROF Leeds (and the Challenger production line) was acquired by Vickers Defence Systems (later Alvis Vickers).

The Ministry of Defence were keen to show off the capabilities of the Challenger 1 in the Canadian Army Trophy Competition (CAT '87), held at Grafenwöhr, West Germany in June 1987. The best performing team in preparatory competitions had been the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, however their Challengers had not been fitted with Thermal Observation and Gunnery Sight (TOGS), which would put them at a disadvantage. The Royal Hussars had a squadron fitted with TOGS, however, they had been training at BATUS in Canada with Chieftains, when they should be training with Challengers and TOGS for CAT '87. Twenty two new Challengers with TOGS were specially diverted from the production line for the competition, resulting in teething problems. At the competition itself, the Hussars managed some creditable scores but overall, their three "platoons" were placed last in the league table. In a statement to the House of Commons on 14 July, Mr Ian Stewart, the Minister of State for the Armed Forces, said; "I do not believe that the performance of tanks in the artificial circumstances of a competition, such as the recent Canadian Army Trophy, is a proper indication of their capability in war." Following poor results in 1985 with Chieftain, and in 1987 with Challenger, the British Army decided in December 1987 to withdraw indefinitely from the competition.

A requirement for a new MBT was later issued. Proposals put forward for the new specification included an improved Challenger from Vickers, the American M1 Abrams, the French Leclerc, and the German Leopard 2. The Vickers Defence Systems design, designated Challenger 2, was eventually selected. This tank was significantly more capable than its predecessor, based on the same basic MVEE-designed hull but with a new turret based on the Vickers Private Venture Mk7 design and improved Chobham armour.

There was also a Challenger Marksman SPAAG version, equipped with the Marksman turret.

(Text Wikipedia)

Ferstel

(Pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)

Ferstel and Café Central, by Rudolf von Alt, left the men's alley (Herrengasse - Street of the Lords), right Strauchgasse

Danube mermaid fountain in a courtyard of the Palais Ferstel

Shopping arcade of the Freyung to Herrengasse

Entrance to Ferstel of the Freyung, right the Palais Harrach, left the palace Hardegg

The Ferstel is a building in the first district of Vienna, Inner City, with the addresses Strauchgasse 2-4, 14 Lord Street (Herrengasse) and Freyung 2. It was established as a national bank and stock exchange building, the denomination Palais is unhistoric.

History

In 1855, the entire estate between Freyung, Strauchgasse and Herrengasse was by Franz Xaver Imperial Count von Abensperg and Traun to the k.k. Privileged Austrian National Bank sold. This banking institution was previously domiciled in the Herrengasse 17/ Bankgasse. The progressive industrialization and the with it associated economic expansion also implied a rapid development of monetary transactions and banking, so that the current premises soon no longer have been sufficient. This problem could only be solved by a new building, in which also should be housed a stock exchange hall.

According to the desire of the then Governor of the National Bank, Franz von Pipitz, the new building was supposed to be carried out with strict observance of the economy and avoiding a worthless luxury with solidity and artistic as well as technical completion. The building should offer room for the National Bank, the stock market, a cafe and - a novel idea for Vienna - a bazaar.

The commissioned architect, Heinrich von Ferstel, demonstrated in the coping with the irregular surface area with highest conceivable effective use of space his state-of-the art talent. The practical requirements combine themselves with the actually artistic to a masterful composition. Ferstel has been able to lay out the rooms of the issuing bank, the two trading floors, the passage with the bazar and the coffee house in accordance with their intended purpose and at the same time to maintain a consistent style.

He was an advocate of the "Materialbaues" (material building) as it clearly is reflected in the ashlar building of the banking institution. Base, pillars and stairs were fashioned of Wöllersdorfer stone, façade elements such as balconies, cornices, structurings as well as stone banisters of the hard white stone of Emperor Kaiser quarry (Kaisersteinbruch), while the walls were made ​​of -Sankt Margarethen limestone. The inner rooms have been luxuriously formed, with wood paneling, leather wallpaper, Stuccolustro and rich ornamental painting.

The facade of the corner front Strauchgasse/Herrengasse received twelve sculptures by Hanns Gasser as decoration, they symbolized the peoples of the monarchy. The mighty round arch at the exit Freyung were closed with wrought-iron bare gates, because the first used locksmith could not meet the demands of Ferstel, the work was transferred to a silversmith.

1860 the National Bank and the stock exchange could move into the in 1859 completed construction. The following year was placed in the glass-covered passage the Danube mermaid fountain, whose design stems also of Ferstel. Anton von Fernkorn has created the sculptural decoration with an artistic sensitivity. Above the marble fountain basin rises a column crowned by a bronze statue, the Danube female with flowing hair, holding a fish in its hand. Below are arranged around the column three also in bronze cast figures: merchant, fisherman and shipbuilder, so those professions that have to do with the water. The total cost of the building, the interior included, amounted to the enormous sum of 1.897.600 guilders.

The originally planned use of the building remained only a few years preserved. The Stock Exchange with the premises no longer had sufficient space: in 1872 it moved to a provisional solution, 1877 at Schottenring a new Stock Exchange building opened. The National Bank moved 1925 into a yet 1913 planned, spacious new building.

The building was in Second World War battered gravely particularly on the main facade. In the 1960s was located in the former Stock Exchange a basketball training hall, the entire building appeared neglected.

1971 dealt the President of the Federal Monuments Office, Walter Frodl, with the severely war damaged banking and stock exchange building in Vienna. The Office for Technical Geology of Otto Casensky furnished an opinion on the stone facade. On the facade Freyung 2 a balcony was originally attached over the entire 15.4 m long front of hard Kaiserstein.

(Usage of Leith lime: Dependent from the consistence and structure of the Leitha lime the usage differed from „Reibsand“ till building material. The Leitha lime stone is a natural stone which can be formed easily and was desired als beautiful stone for buildings in Roman times. The usage of lime stone from Eggenburg in the Bronze age already was verified. This special attribute is the reason why the Leitha lime was taken from sculptors and masons.

The source of lime stone in the Leitha Mountains was important for Austria and especially for Vienna from the cultur historical point of view during the Renaissance and Baroque. At the 19th century the up to 150 stone quarries of the Leitha mountains got many orders form the construction work of the Vienna „Ring road“.

At many buildings of Graz, such as the castle at the Grazer castle hill, the old Joanneum and the Cottage, the Leitha lime stone was used.

Due to the fact that Leitha lime is bond on carbonate in the texture, the alteration through the actual sour rain is heavy. www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC2HKZ9_leithagebirge-leithak...)

This balcony was no longer present and only close to the facade were remnants of the tread plates and the supporting brackets recognizable. In July 1975, followed the reconstruction of the balcony and master stonemason Friedrich Opferkuh received the order to restore the old state am Leithagebirge received the order the old state - of Mannersdorfer stone, armoured concrete or artificial stone.

1975-1982, the building was renovated and re-opened the Café Central. Since then, the privately owned building is called Palais Ferstel. In the former stock exchange halls now meetings and presentations take place; the Café Central is utilizing one of the courtyards.

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_Ferstel

English

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisboa

is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with a population of 564,477 within its administrative limits[1] on a land area of 84.8 km2 (33 sq mi). The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 2.4 million[2][3] on a area of 958 km2 (370 sq mi)[2], it is the 12th most populous urban area in the European Union. About 2,824,000[4][5] people live in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (which represents approximately 26% of the population of the country) and 3.34 million people live in the broader agglomeration of Lisbon Metropolitan Region (includes cities ranging from Leiria to Setúbal).[6] This is the furthest westernmost located large city in Europe. It lies in western Iberian Peninsula on the Atlantic Ocean and the Tagus River, about 320 km (198.84 mi) northwest of the Cape Spartel in Africa.

Português

pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisboa

Lisboa é a capital[2] e a maior cidade de Portugal. A cidade é considerada uma cidade global alfa[3] e é também a capital do Distrito de Lisboa, da Área Metropolitana de Lisboa, e é ainda o principal centro da sub-região estatística da Grande Lisboa. Eclesiasticamente, é sede da diocese e do Patriarcado de Lisboa. Lisboa possuía, em 2004 uma população de 564 657 habitantes[1] e uma área metropolitana envolvente que ocupa cerca de 2 870 km², com cerca de 2,8 milhões de habitantes. A sua área metropolitana concentra 27% da população do país. A Região de Lisboa, que abrange do estuário do Tejo ao norte da Península de Setúbal, apresenta um PIB per capita superior à média da União Europeia, que faz desta a região a mais rica de Portugal. O concelho de Lisboa tem 83,84 km² de área, e apresenta uma densidade demográfica de 6 734,94 hab./km².

Website:

www.cm-lisboa.pt

www.visitlisboa.com

www.lisboa-cidade.com/lx

Great crested grebe description

KingdomAnimalia

PhylumChordata

ClassAves

OrderPodicipediformes

FamilyPodicipedidae

GenusPodiceps (1)

The great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) is the largest grebe in Europe (2). It is a graceful bird, with its long neck, long bill and slender outline. In summer, the adults of both sexes are adorned with beautiful head-plumes (2), which are reddish-orange in colour with black tips (5); there is also an erectile black crown (2). The sexes are similar in appearance, but great crested grebe juveniles can be distinguished by the possession of blackish stripes on the cheeks (2).

French

Grèbe huppé.

Size

Wingspan: 59-73 cm (2)

Length: 46-51 cm (2)

More »

Related species

Junín grebe (Podiceps taczanowskii)

Junín grebe

(Podiceps taczanowskii)

Hooded grebe (Podiceps gallardoi)

Hooded grebe

(Podiceps gallardoi)

Horned grebe (Podiceps auritus)

Horned grebe

(Podiceps auritus)

Top

Great crested grebe biology

The great crested grebe dives for fish, insects and invertebrate larvae, chasing prey under water by strongly swimming with its feet (6).

Pairs begin to form during the middle of winter, and nesting can start in January, providing that conditions are mild (6). The great crested grebe is well known for its elaborate courtship display, in which pairs raise and shake their head plumes, and approach each other with weed in their bills, rising up breast to breast in the water and turning their heads from side to side (5). The nest is either a hidden mound of reeds and other vegetation or else a floating platform anchored to vegetation (5). After May (5), between one and nine (but usually four) eggs are laid (7), which take 27 to 29 days to incubate (7). Both great crested grebe parents are involved in incubation; when they leave the nest they cover the eggs with rotting vegetation to keep them warm (5). After hatching, the stripy chicks are carried around on the backs of their parents, they fledge at around 71 to 79 days of age (8).

Top

Great crested grebe range

The great crested grebe has a wide distribution in Britain, but occurs sparsely (3). Breeding occurs in Europe from Britain, Spain and Ireland across to Russia, but the distribution is rather patchy (3).

More »

Species with a similar range

Common scarlet-darter (Crocothemis erythraea)

Common scarlet-darter

(Crocothemis erythraea)

Sago pondweed (Stuckenia pectinata)

Sago pondweed

(Stuckenia pectinata)

Holly-leaved naiad (Najas marina)

Holly-leaved naiad

(Najas marina)

You can view distribution information for this species at the National Biodiversity Network Gateway.

Top

Great crested grebe habitat

In Britain, the great crested grebe breeds in large shallow water bodies, where there is a fringe of vegetation (3). In winter it can also be found in gravel-pits, estuaries, deep lakes, coastal pools, reservoirs and off the coast in inshore waters (6).

More »

Species found in a similar habitat

Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)

Goldeneye

(Bucephala clangula)

African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis)

African manatee

(Trichechus senegalensis)

Striated heron (Butorides striata)

Striated heron

(Butorides striata)

Top

Great crested grebe status

The great crested grebe is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List (1). Receives general protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (3). Included in the Birds of Conservation Concern Green List (low conservation concern) (4).

IUCN Red List species status – Least Concern

Top

Great crested grebe threats

The attractive great crested grebe was persecuted in Britain during Victorian times to such an extent that it was reduced to just 42 pairs in 1860 (9), and was on the brink of extinction (10). The breast plumage, known as 'grebe fur', and the head plumes were highly prized in hat trimmings and other clothing (9).

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

In the grand scope of World War 2 fighter aircraft there is a little-remembered French design designated the Arsenal "VG-33". The aircraft was born from a rather lengthy line of prototype developments put forth by the company in the years leading up to World War 2 and the VG-33 and its derivatives represented the culmination of this work before the German invasion rendered all further work moot.

The aircraft never saw combat action in the Battle of France. Its arrival was simply too late to have any effect on the outcome of the German plans. Therefore, with limited production and very limited combat service during the defence of Paris in May 1940, it largely fell into the pages of history with all completed models lost.

Specifications:

Crew: 1

Length: 28.05 ft (8.55 m)

Width: 35.43 ft (10.80 m)

Height: 10.83ft (3.30 m)

Weight: Empty 4,519 lb (2,050 kg), MTOW 5,853 lb (2,655 kg)

Maximum Speed: 398 mph (641 kmh at 10.000m)

Maximum Range: 746 miles (1,200 km)

Service Ceiling: 39,305 ft (12.000 m; 7.458 miles)

Powerplant:

1x Hispano-Suiza 12Y-77 V-12 liquid-cooled inline piston engine

with two Brown-Boveri exhaust turbochargers, developing 1,100 hp (820 kW).

Armament:

1x 20mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon, firing through the propeller hub

4x 7.5mm MAC 1934 machine guns in the outer wings

The kit and its assembly:

I found the VG-33 fascinating - an obscure and sleek fighter with lots of potential that suffered mainly from bad timing. There are actually VG-33 kits from Azur and Pegasus, but how much more fun is it to create your own interpretation of the historic events, esp. as a submission to a Battle of Britain Group Build at whatifmodelers.com?

I had this project on the whif agenda for a long time, and kept my eyes open for potential models. One day I encountered Amodel's Su-1 and Su-3 kits and was stunned by this aircraft's overall similarity to the VG-33. When I found the real VG-38 description I decided to convert the Su-3 into this elusive French fighter!

The Su-3 was built mainly OOB, it is a nice kit with much detail, even though it needs some work as a short run offering. I kept the odd radiator installation of the Suchoj aircraft, but changed the landing gear from a P-40 style design (retracting backwards and rotating 90°) into a conservative, inward retracting system. I even found forked gear struts in the spares box, from a Fiat G.50. The covers come from a Hawker Hurricane, and the wells were cut out from this pattern, while the rest of the old wells was filled with putty.

Further mods include the cleaned cowling (the Su-3's fuselage-mounted machine guns had to go), while machine guns in the wings were added. The flaps were lowered, too, and the small cockpit canopy cut in two pieces in, for an opened position - a shame you can hardly see anything from the neat interior. Two large antenna masts complete the French style.

Painting and markings:

Again, a rather conservative choice: typical French Air Force colors, in Khaki/Dark Brown/Blue Gray with light blue-gray undersides.

One very inspiring fact about the French tricolor-paint scheme is that no aircraft looked like the other – except for a few types, every aircraft had an individual scheme with more or less complexity or even artistic approach. Even the colors were only vaguely unified: Field mixes were common, as well as mods with other colors that were mixed into the basic three tones!

I settled for a scheme I found on a 1940 Curtiss 75, with clearly defined edges between the paint fields. Anything goes! I used French Khaki, Dark Blue Grey and Light Blue Grey (for the undersides) from Modelmaster's Authentic Enamels range, and Humbrol 170 (Brown Bess) for the Chestnut Brown. Interior surfaces were painted in dark grey (Humbrol 32) while the landing gear well parts of the wings were painted in Aluminum Dope (Humbrol 56).

The decals mainly come from a Hobby Boss Dewoitine D.520, but also from a PrintScale aftermarket sheet and the scrap box.

The kit was slightly weathered with a black ink wash and some dry-painting, more for a dramatic effect than simulating wear and tear, since any aircraft from the VG-33 family would only have had a very short service career.

Well, a travesty whif - and who would expect an obscure Soviet experimental fighter to perform as a lookalike for an even more obscure French experimental fighter? IMHO, it works pretty fine - conservative sould might fair over the spinal radiator outlet and open the dorsal installation, overall both aircraft are very similar in shape, size and layout. :D

two guardian statues (mercury on left, neptune on right) in the "the castle of good hope", cape town. late afternoon sun. part of "devil's peak" of table mountain in background.

From Wikipedia

Castle of Good Hope

South Africa

Gateway to the Castle of Good Hope

Castle of Good Hope

Coordinates

33.9259°S 18.4278°ECoordinates:

33.9259°S 18.4278°E

TypeStar fort

Site information

Controlled by

South Africa

Open to

the publicYes

Site history

Built1666–1679

Battles/warsSecond Boer War

The Castle of Good Hope (Dutch: Kasteel de Goede Hoop; Afrikaans: Kasteel die Goeie Hoop) is a star fort built in the 17th century in Cape Town, South Africa. Originally located on the coastline of Table Bay, following land reclamation the fort is now located inland.[1][2] In 1936 the Castle was declared a historical monument (now a provincial heritage site) and following restorations in the 1980s it is considered the best preserved example of a Dutch East India Company fort.[3]

Contents [hide]

* 1History2Symbolism3Gallery4See also5Notes6References7Further reading8

External links

History[edit]

Built by the Dutch East India Company between 1666 and 1679, the Castle is the oldest existing colonial building in South Africa.[2] It replaced an older fort called the Fort de Goede Hoop which was constructed from clay and timber and built by Jan van Riebeeck upon his arrival at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652.[4] Two redoubts, Redoubt Kyckuit and Redoubt Duijnhoop were built at the mouth of the Salt River in 1654.[5] The purpose of the Dutch settlement in the Cape was to act as a replenishment station for ships passing the treacherous coast around the Cape on long voyages between the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia).[5]

During 1664, tensions between Britain and the Netherlands rose amid rumours of war. That same year, Commander Zacharias Wagenaer, successor to Jan van Riebeeck, was instructed by Commissioner Isbrand Goske to build a pentagonal fortress out of stone. The first stone was laid on 2 January 1666.[5] Work was interrupted frequently because the Dutch East India Company was reluctant to spend money on the project. On 26 April 1679, the five bastions were named after the main titles of William III of Orange-Nassau: Leerdam to the west, with Buuren, Katzenellenbogen, Nassau, and Oranje clockwise from it.[4]

Sketch of Castle of Good Hope in 1680

In 1682 the gated entry replaced the old entrance, which had faced the sea. A bell tower, situated over the main entrance, was built in 1684—the original bell, the oldest in South Africa, was cast in Amsterdam in 1697 by the East-Frisian bellmaker Claude Fremy, and weighs just over 300 kilograms (660 lb). It was used to announce the time, as well as warning citizens in case of danger, since it could be heard 10 kilometres away. It was also rung to summon residents and soldiers when important announcements needed to be made.[6]

The fortress housed a church, bakery, various workshops, living quarters, shops, and cells, among other facilities. The yellow paint on the walls was originally chosen because it lessened the effect of heat and the sun. A wall, built to protect citizens in case of an attack, divides the inner courtyard, which also houses the De Kat Balcony,[note 1] which was designed by Louis Michel Thibault with reliefs and sculptures by Anton Anreith. The original was built in 1695, but rebuilt in its current form between 1786 and 1790. From the balcony, announcements were made to soldiers, slaves and burghers of the Cape. The balcony leads to the William Fehr collection of paintings and antique furniture.[5]

During the Second Boer War (1899–1902), part of the castle was used as a prison, and the former cells remain to this day. Fritz Joubert Duquesne, later known as the man who killed Kitchener and the leader of the Duquesne Spy Ring, was one of its more well-known residents. The walls of the castle were extremely thick, but night after night, Duquesne dug away the cement around the stones with an iron spoon. He nearly escaped one night, but a large stone slipped and pinned him in his tunnel. The next morning, a guard found him unconscious but alive.[8]

In 1936, the Castle was declared an historical monument (from 1969 known as a national monument and since 1 April 2000 a provincial heritage site), the first site in South Africa to be so protected.[9] Extensive restorations were completed during the 1980s making the Castle the best preserved example of a Dutch East India Company fort.[3]

The Castle acted as local headquarters for the South African Army in the Western Cape, and today houses the Castle Military Museum and ceremonial facilities for the traditional Cape Regiments. The Castle is also the home of the Cape Town Highlanders Regiment, a mechanised infantry unit.[5]

Symbolism[edit]

Prior to being replaced in 2003, the distinctive shape of the pentagonal castle was used on South African Defence Force flags, formed the basis of some rank insignia of major and above, and was used on South African Air Force aircraft.

*

Naval ensign of South Afric

rebornasacynic: babefield: cusscakes: medievalpoc: heartsalchemy: medievalpoc: Peter Lely Portrait of Elizabeth Murray England (c. 1650) Oil on canvas, 124 x 119 cm [x] [x] [x] [x] I think I have seen pictures of this before, in high school maybe, but I don’t remember there being a second person before. I seem to remember this image being cropped differently too, which is very disturbing because now that I see the entire painting, the way I remember it being cropped was very clearly and deliberately intended to remove the person holding the tray of flowers. Since we’re throwing haymakers at the kyriarchy today, I think this is something that we should really be talking about too, because it happens ALL. THE. TIME. Level 1: People of Color from Medieval, Renaissance, and other Early Modern European works were often literally painted over in later decades or centuries. For example: In this painting, Giulia de’Medici (the child) was painted over in the 19th century: Level 2: It was very fashionable in a lot of 17th and 18th century paintings to have a Black servant featured in portraits of very important historical figures from European History. Honestly? They’re practically ubiquitous. A lot of the very famous paintings you’ve seen of European and American historical figures have a Black servant in them that have been cropped out or painted over. Those silly stock photos from your American History Professor’s Powerpoint? Your Professor’s PowerPoint for “George Washington”: The actual painting: Your professor’s Powerpoint on Jean Chardin: The actual painting: PowerPoint on Maria Henriette Stuart (with some commentary about the Habsburg jaw): Actual Painting: But, because of whitewashed history curricula, teachers and professors continue to use the cropped images because they don’t want their lecture to get “derailed” by a discussion about race. These images are also more commonly seen on stock photo sites, including ones for academic use. I honestly can’t find anyone really writing about this, or even any analysis on how often the cropped photos are used. The reason they are so easy to crop out is because of the the artistic conventions which reflect the power hierarchy: Oil paintings of aristocratic families from this period make the point clearly. Artists routinely positioned black people on the edges or at the rear of their canvasses, from where they gaze wonderingly at their masters and mistresses. In order to reveal a ‘hierarchy of power relationships’, they were often placed next to dogs and other domestic animals, with whom they shared, according to the art critic and novelist David Dabydeen, ‘more or less the same status’. Their humanity effaced, they exist in these pictures as solitary mutes, aesthetic foils to their owners’ economic fortunes. This is drastically oversimplified, but at least it addresses it directly. If anyone knows more on any studies or statistical evidence on this tendency, feel free to add it. I just learned things. i think about this a lot My art history teacher told us about this black crusader who was considered a hero in Europe. He showed us some portraits of him, but after time Europeans began to portray him as a white man in artwork. He also showed us medieval paintings of free black men. He said people think there are no medieval paintings of black people, but there are and they just aren’t shown to or seen by many people. I’m glad to hear that your teacher has been trying to incorporate this kind of material into the curriculum. That’s why I try to include as many educational links and resources as I can along with the images-even professional educators can have a hard time finding these artworks and info about them. It’s also worth mentioning that part of why I focus on Europe-which is a subject of some valid criticism, considering how little time is usually spent on non-Western cultures in history related classes-is because what MUST be included in U.S. world history education by high schools and colleges is according to strict guidelines that are Eurocentric and/or Western-centric. Educators are often working under pretty strict conditions about what they HAVE to teach you. It’s my hope that by providing a lot of specific examples from eras and artists, professors and high school teachers will be able to make their powerpoints and handouts more representative of the people in the classroom and still stay within the dictates of their department or institution. Ideally, world history and art history will become less Western and Euro-centric, but in the meantime while our history education remains the way it is, these materials can help show that history is more diverse than a lot of textbooks would lead you to believe.

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II[N 1] is a tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor aircraft/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable, it was also adopted by the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force, and by the mid-1960s had become a major part of their respective air wings.

The Phantom is a large fighter with a top speed of over Mach 2.2. It can carry more than 18,000 pounds (8,400 kg) of weapons on nine external hardpoints, including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and various bombs. The F-4, like other interceptors of its time, was designed without an internal cannon. Later models incorporated an M61 Vulcan rotary cannon. Beginning in 1959, it set 15 world records for in-flight performance, including an absolute speed record, and an absolute altitude record.

(Text Wikipedia)

Cliff House

Cliff House has had five major incarnations since its beginnings in 1858. That year, Samuel Brannan, a prosperous ex-Mormon elder from Maine, bought for $1,500 the lumber salvaged from a ship that foundered on the basalt cliffs below. With this material he built the first Cliff House.

The second Cliff House was built in 1863, and leased to Captain Junius G. Foster.[1][2] It was a long trek from the city and hosted mostly horseback riders, small game hunters or picnickers on day outings. With the opening of the Point Lobos toll road a year later, the Cliff House became successful with the Carriage trade for Sunday travel. Later the builders of the toll road constructed a two-mile speedway beside it where well-to-do San Franciscans raced their horses along the way. On weekends, there was little room at the Cliff House hitching racks for tethering the horses for the thousands of rigs. Soon, omnibus, railways and streetcar lines made it to near Lone Mountain where passengers transferred to stagecoach lines to the beach. The growth of Golden Gate Park attracted beach travellers, in search of meals and a look at the sea lions sunning themselves on Seal Rocks just off the cliffs, to visit the area.

In 1877, the toll road, now Geary Boulevard, was purchased by the city for around $25,000.

In 1883, after a few years of downturn, the Cliff House was bought by Adolph Sutro, who had solved the problems of ventilating and draining the mines of the Comstock Lode and become a multimillionaire. After a few years of quiet management by J.M. Wilkens, the Cliff House was severely damaged by a dynamite explosion when the schooner, Parallel, ran aground on January 16, 1887.[3] The blast was heard a hundred miles away and demolished the entire north wing of the tavern. The building was repaired, but was later completely destroyed by fire on Christmas night 1894 due to a defective flue.[4] Wilkens was unable to save the guest register, which included the signatures of three Presidents and dozens of illustrious world-famous visitors. This incarnation of the Cliff House, with its various extensions, had lasted for 31 years.

In 1896, Adolph Sutro built a new Cliff House, a seven story Victorian Chateau, called by some "the Gingerbread Palace", below his estate on the bluffs of Sutro Heights. This was the same year work began on the famous Sutro Baths in a small cove immediately north of the Restaurant. The baths included six of the largest indoor swimming pools, a museum, a skating rink and other pleasure grounds. Great throngs of San Franciscans arrived on steam trains, bicycles, carts and horse wagons on Sunday excursions. Sutro purchased some of the collection of stuffed animals, artwork, and historic items from Woodward's Gardens to display at both the Cliff House and Sutro Baths.[5]

The 1896 Cliff House survived the 1906 earthquake with little damage, but burned to the ground on the evening of September 7, 1907, after existing for only 11 years. Dr. Emma Merritt, Sutro's daughter, commissioned a rebuilding of the restaurant in a neo-classical style that was completed within two years and is the basis of the structure seen today. In 1914, the guidebook Bohemian San Francsco described it as " one of the great Bohemian restaurants of San Francisco. ... while you have thought you had good breakfasts before this, you know that now you are having the best of them all." [6]

In 1937, George and Leo Whitney purchased the Cliff House, to complement their Playland-at-the-Beach attraction nearby, and extensively remodelled it into an American roadhouse. From 1955 until 1961, a sky tram operated across the Sutro Baths basin, taking up to 25 visitors at a time from Point Lobos, enhanced by an artificial waterfall, to the outer balcony of the Cliff House.[7]

In the 1960s, upon the closing of Playland, the Musée Mécanique, a museum of 20th-century penny arcade games, was moved into the basement of the Cliff House.[8] The building was acquired by the National Park Service in 1977 and became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

In 2003, as part of an extensive renovation, many of Whitney's additions were removed and the building was restored to its 1909 appearance. A new two-story wing was constructed overlooking what were by then the ruins of the Sutro Baths. (The Baths burned to the ground on June 26, 1966[9]). During the site restoration, the Musée Mécanique was moved to Fisherman's Wharf.[8]

More than thirty ships have run aground on the southern shore of the Golden Gate below the Cliff House.

The area immediately around Cliff House is part of the setting of Jack London's novel The Scarlet Plague (1912).[10] Jack London also sets the meeting of Maud Sangster and Pat Glendon Jr. here in the The Abysmal Brute (1913). An image of the third Cliff House was used on the cover of the album Imaginos by Blue Oyster Cult.

wikipedia

The History Of Porthleven In Cornwall

The History Of The Name, Porthleven.

There are two theories of how the name Porthleven came about:

1. It came from the Cornish words "porth" meaning port and "leven" meaning smooth.

2. It came from "porth" meaning port and "Elvan" from St Elvan the 5th century saint who landed on these shores to spread the word of Christianity. There was originally a settlement nearby called St Elvan.

Early maps showed a settlement called Porth Leuan and in 1714 the name Port Leven first appeared in legal documents. The modern parish of Porthleven was formed in 1846 taking some of its land from Breage to the west and some from Sithney to the east.

Early Settlements - The History Of Porthleven

Originally Porthleven was a marshy cove fed by a stream which marked the boundary of the Breage and Sithney parishes. There was a shingle bar at the mouth of the cove which rather like a miniature version of Loe Bar.

Porthleven was not a very important place as at the time the Cober valley was navigable as far as Helston. The continual silting up of of the Cober valley estuary however led to the formation of the Loe Bar sandbank. This resulted in the Cober valley and Helston being cut off from the sea, probably during the 12th century. By the 14th century a small hamlet of fishermen settled around the cove which is now Porthleven.

During the 1700's the fishermen in Porthleven were joined by farmworkers and miners, many of whom worked in the silver & lead mines in Penrose Estate near Loe Bar.

The History Of Porthleven And

The HMS Anson Tradegy of 1807

The 44 gun frigate, HMS Anson was shipwrecked at Loe Bar in 1807 and reportedly 130 people were drowned. This tragedy gave rise to 3 events:

1. The Henry Trengrouse life saving apparatus. Rocket fired rope line and cork filled life jackets invented by the local cabinet maker Henry Trengrouse.

2. The Thomas Grylls Act of 1808. Thomas was a local solicitor who drafted the act which sets out the procedures regarding burial of bodies cast up by the sea.

3. The Act Of Parliament signed by King George III in 1811 "for constructing a harbour, in Mounts Bay in the county of Cornwall". Porthleven was chosen because if its central location in Mounts Bay. The Act established the Porthleven Harbour Company that was responsible for building, maintaining and operating the the harbour.

Pictured below, divers examining the remains of HMS Anson in 2005:

Constructing Porthleven Harbour

The construction of the harbour was a tremendous and dangerous engineering achievement. The shingle bar with its stone bridge at the mouth of the south west facing valley had to be removed so ships could enter. Napoleonic War prisoners were used but the construction took 14 years and was not completed until 1825.

The granite pier and quays were constucted by 1825 but it was still an open harbour. The harbour was purchased in 1855 by Harvey and Co of Hayle in Cornwall, who built the inner harbour which was completed in 1858. The huge timbers (baulk) that seal the inner harbour in storms are still in use today. The population of Porthleven increased to well over 1000 by 1858.

The Inner Harbour Completed In 1858

The harbour housed a large fishing fleet that harvested the huge shoals of pilchards & mackerel that swam in Mounts bay. The economy involved fishing, boatbuilding, net and rope making, fish smoking and packing in the village. Ships brought in coal, and lime for building work and timber for use in boatbuilding and the local mines. Exports included fish locally mined china clay, tin, and other minerals. Also Kitto & Sons of Porthleven built fishing boats, clippers, schooners and yachts used in ports all round the world. By 1900 the population was nearly 2000 people.

1900 To Present Day

Porthleven's traditional wooden sail boat building industry went into gradual decline due to the trend towards using steel boats with engines and later on smaller craft being made of fibre glass. Sail rope and net manufacture also declined. The local china clay production at Tregonning Hill declined under fresh competition from St Austell, which is also on the south coast of Cornwall. New methods of transportation and unloading ships lead to a reduction in traffic through Porthleven.

Although the economy in Porthleven has changed it continued to grow. The population of Porthleven was 3190 people in 2001. Fishing still continues from Porthleven with crab, lobster and crayfish being caught locally. Some of this seafood is sold at the award winning Quayside Fish in Porthleven and in the local cafes, restaurants and inns. There are sea angling trips from Porthleven harbour which can be booked through Porthleven Angling Centre.

Tourism is now very important to Porthleven and people are attracted by the history, the scenery, the excellent restaurants, pubs, real pasty and fish and chip shops. Porthleven has managed to strike exactly the right balance, being largely unchanged and unspoilt by tourism yet offering everything that visitors require, including a warm welcome. There is a thriving artistic community that has found inspiration in Porthleven and their works can be seen in the local shops and galleries.

Ferstel

(Pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)

Ferstel and Café Central, by Rudolf von Alt, left the men's alley (Herrengasse - Street of the Lords), right Strauchgasse

Danube mermaid fountain in a courtyard of the Palais Ferstel

Shopping arcade of the Freyung to Herrengasse

Entrance to Ferstel of the Freyung, right the Palais Harrach, left the palace Hardegg

The Ferstel is a building in the first district of Vienna, Inner City, with the addresses Strauchgasse 2-4, 14 Lord Street (Herrengasse) and Freyung 2. It was established as a national bank and stock exchange building, the denomination Palais is unhistoric.

History

In 1855, the entire estate between Freyung, Strauchgasse and Herrengasse was by Franz Xaver Imperial Count von Abensperg and Traun to the k.k. Privileged Austrian National Bank sold. This banking institution was previously domiciled in the Herrengasse 17/ Bankgasse. The progressive industrialization and the with it associated economic expansion also implied a rapid development of monetary transactions and banking, so that the current premises soon no longer have been sufficient. This problem could only be solved by a new building, in which also should be housed a stock exchange hall.

According to the desire of the then Governor of the National Bank, Franz von Pipitz, the new building was supposed to be carried out with strict observance of the economy and avoiding a worthless luxury with solidity and artistic as well as technical completion. The building should offer room for the National Bank, the stock market, a cafe and - a novel idea for Vienna - a bazaar.

The commissioned architect, Heinrich von Ferstel, demonstrated in the coping with the irregular surface area with highest conceivable effective use of space his state-of-the art talent. The practical requirements combine themselves with the actually artistic to a masterful composition. Ferstel has been able to lay out the rooms of the issuing bank, the two trading floors, the passage with the bazar and the coffee house in accordance with their intended purpose and at the same time to maintain a consistent style.

He was an advocate of the "Materialbaues" (material building) as it clearly is reflected in the ashlar building of the banking institution. Base, pillars and stairs were fashioned of Wöllersdorfer stone, façade elements such as balconies, cornices, structurings as well as stone banisters of the hard white stone of Emperor Kaiser quarry (Kaisersteinbruch), while the walls were made ​​of -Sankt Margarethen limestone. The inner rooms have been luxuriously formed, with wood paneling, leather wallpaper, Stuccolustro and rich ornamental painting.

The facade of the corner front Strauchgasse/Herrengasse received twelve sculptures by Hanns Gasser as decoration, they symbolized the peoples of the monarchy. The mighty round arch at the exit Freyung were closed with wrought-iron bare gates, because the first used locksmith could not meet the demands of Ferstel, the work was transferred to a silversmith.

1860 the National Bank and the stock exchange could move into the in 1859 completed construction. The following year was placed in the glass-covered passage the Danube mermaid fountain, whose design stems also of Ferstel. Anton von Fernkorn has created the sculptural decoration with an artistic sensitivity. Above the marble fountain basin rises a column crowned by a bronze statue, the Danube female with flowing hair, holding a fish in its hand. Below are arranged around the column three also in bronze cast figures: merchant, fisherman and shipbuilder, so those professions that have to do with the water. The total cost of the building, the interior included, amounted to the enormous sum of 1.897.600 guilders.

The originally planned use of the building remained only a few years preserved. The Stock Exchange with the premises no longer had sufficient space: in 1872 it moved to a provisional solution, 1877 at Schottenring a new Stock Exchange building opened. The National Bank moved 1925 into a yet 1913 planned, spacious new building.

The building was in Second World War battered gravely particularly on the main facade. In the 1960s was located in the former Stock Exchange a basketball training hall, the entire building appeared neglected.

1971 dealt the President of the Federal Monuments Office, Walter Frodl, with the severely war damaged banking and stock exchange building in Vienna. The Office for Technical Geology of Otto Casensky furnished an opinion on the stone facade. On the facade Freyung 2 a balcony was originally attached over the entire 15.4 m long front of hard Kaiserstein.

(Usage of Leith lime: Dependent from the consistence and structure of the Leitha lime the usage differed from „Reibsand“ till building material. The Leitha lime stone is a natural stone which can be formed easily and was desired als beautiful stone for buildings in Roman times. The usage of lime stone from Eggenburg in the Bronze age already was verified. This special attribute is the reason why the Leitha lime was taken from sculptors and masons.

The source of lime stone in the Leitha Mountains was important for Austria and especially for Vienna from the cultur historical point of view during the Renaissance and Baroque. At the 19th century the up to 150 stone quarries of the Leitha mountains got many orders form the construction work of the Vienna „Ring road“.

At many buildings of Graz, such as the castle at the Grazer castle hill, the old Joanneum and the Cottage, the Leitha lime stone was used.

Due to the fact that Leitha lime is bond on carbonate in the texture, the alteration through the actual sour rain is heavy. www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC2HKZ9_leithagebirge-leithak...)

This balcony was no longer present and only close to the facade were remnants of the tread plates and the supporting brackets recognizable. In July 1975, followed the reconstruction of the balcony and master stonemason Friedrich Opferkuh received the order to restore the old state am Leithagebirge received the order the old state - of Mannersdorfer stone, armoured concrete or artificial stone.

1975-1982, the building was renovated and re-opened the Café Central. Since then, the privately owned building is called Palais Ferstel. In the former stock exchange halls now meetings and presentations take place; the Café Central is utilizing one of the courtyards.

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_Ferstel

Ferstel

(Pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)

Ferstel and Café Central, by Rudolf von Alt, left the men's alley (Herrengasse - Street of the Lords), right Strauchgasse

Danube mermaid fountain in a courtyard of the Palais Ferstel

Shopping arcade of the Freyung to Herrengasse

Entrance to Ferstel of the Freyung, right the Palais Harrach, left the palace Hardegg

The Ferstel is a building in the first district of Vienna, Inner City, with the addresses Strauchgasse 2-4, 14 Lord Street (Herrengasse) and Freyung 2. It was established as a national bank and stock exchange building, the denomination Palais is unhistoric.

History

In 1855, the entire estate between Freyung, Strauchgasse and Herrengasse was by Franz Xaver Imperial Count von Abensperg and Traun to the k.k. Privileged Austrian National Bank sold. This banking institution was previously domiciled in the Herrengasse 17/ Bankgasse. The progressive industrialization and the with it associated economic expansion also implied a rapid development of monetary transactions and banking, so that the current premises soon no longer have been sufficient. This problem could only be solved by a new building, in which also should be housed a stock exchange hall.

According to the desire of the then Governor of the National Bank, Franz von Pipitz, the new building was supposed to be carried out with strict observance of the economy and avoiding a worthless luxury with solidity and artistic as well as technical completion. The building should offer room for the National Bank, the stock market, a cafe and - a novel idea for Vienna - a bazaar.

The commissioned architect, Heinrich von Ferstel, demonstrated in the coping with the irregular surface area with highest conceivable effective use of space his state-of-the art talent. The practical requirements combine themselves with the actually artistic to a masterful composition. Ferstel has been able to lay out the rooms of the issuing bank, the two trading floors, the passage with the bazar and the coffee house in accordance with their intended purpose and at the same time to maintain a consistent style.

He was an advocate of the "Materialbaues" (material building) as it clearly is reflected in the ashlar building of the banking institution. Base, pillars and stairs were fashioned of Wöllersdorfer stone, façade elements such as balconies, cornices, structurings as well as stone banisters of the hard white stone of Emperor Kaiser quarry (Kaisersteinbruch), while the walls were made ​​of -Sankt Margarethen limestone. The inner rooms have been luxuriously formed, with wood paneling, leather wallpaper, Stuccolustro and rich ornamental painting.

The facade of the corner front Strauchgasse/Herrengasse received twelve sculptures by Hanns Gasser as decoration, they symbolized the peoples of the monarchy. The mighty round arch at the exit Freyung were closed with wrought-iron bare gates, because the first used locksmith could not meet the demands of Ferstel, the work was transferred to a silversmith.

1860 the National Bank and the stock exchange could move into the in 1859 completed construction. The following year was placed in the glass-covered passage the Danube mermaid fountain, whose design stems also of Ferstel. Anton von Fernkorn has created the sculptural decoration with an artistic sensitivity. Above the marble fountain basin rises a column crowned by a bronze statue, the Danube female with flowing hair, holding a fish in its hand. Below are arranged around the column three also in bronze cast figures: merchant, fisherman and shipbuilder, so those professions that have to do with the water. The total cost of the building, the interior included, amounted to the enormous sum of 1.897.600 guilders.

The originally planned use of the building remained only a few years preserved. The Stock Exchange with the premises no longer had sufficient space: in 1872 it moved to a provisional solution, 1877 at Schottenring a new Stock Exchange building opened. The National Bank moved 1925 into a yet 1913 planned, spacious new building.

The building was in Second World War battered gravely particularly on the main facade. In the 1960s was located in the former Stock Exchange a basketball training hall, the entire building appeared neglected.

1971 dealt the President of the Federal Monuments Office, Walter Frodl, with the severely war damaged banking and stock exchange building in Vienna. The Office for Technical Geology of Otto Casensky furnished an opinion on the stone facade. On the facade Freyung 2 a balcony was originally attached over the entire 15.4 m long front of hard Kaiserstein.

(Usage of Leith lime: Dependent from the consistence and structure of the Leitha lime the usage differed from „Reibsand“ till building material. The Leitha lime stone is a natural stone which can be formed easily and was desired als beautiful stone for buildings in Roman times. The usage of lime stone from Eggenburg in the Bronze age already was verified. This special attribute is the reason why the Leitha lime was taken from sculptors and masons.

The source of lime stone in the Leitha Mountains was important for Austria and especially for Vienna from the cultur historical point of view during the Renaissance and Baroque. At the 19th century the up to 150 stone quarries of the Leitha mountains got many orders form the construction work of the Vienna „Ring road“.

At many buildings of Graz, such as the castle at the Grazer castle hill, the old Joanneum and the Cottage, the Leitha lime stone was used.

Due to the fact that Leitha lime is bond on carbonate in the texture, the alteration through the actual sour rain is heavy. www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC2HKZ9_leithagebirge-leithak...)

This balcony was no longer present and only close to the facade were remnants of the tread plates and the supporting brackets recognizable. In July 1975, followed the reconstruction of the balcony and master stonemason Friedrich Opferkuh received the order to restore the old state am Leithagebirge received the order the old state - of Mannersdorfer stone, armoured concrete or artificial stone.

1975-1982, the building was renovated and re-opened the Café Central. Since then, the privately owned building is called Palais Ferstel. In the former stock exchange halls now meetings and presentations take place; the Café Central is utilizing one of the courtyards.

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_Ferstel

A rainy morning in London, and there is only so much coffee one can have before the pubs open.

I get out of the train at Farringdon, walk along side the station in the shelter of an overhanging building, and at the junction I see a square. And on the other side, a church.

It seemed to be open.

A late 18th century church, very much after Wren, but pleasant inside, with some nice windows, a fine gallery, and I received a warm welcome.

People tapped away in laptops on the aisles, a working space for weekdays, and no one seemed to mind me taking snaps.

-----------------------------------------

The parish of St James, Clerkenwell, has had a long and sometimes lively history. The springs which give Clerkenwell its name are mentioned during the reign of Henry II. The parish clerks of London used to perform their mystery plays, plays based on Biblical themes, in the neighbourhood, sometimes in the presence of royalty. In approximately 1100 a Norman baron named Jordan Briset founded an Augustine nunnery dedicated to St Mary, which became wealthy and influential.[2] It had a place of pilgrimage at Muswell Hill, and the parish kept an outlying tract of territory there until the nineteenth century.

At the dissolution of the nunnery under Henry VIII its church, which by then seems to have acquired a second dedication to St James, was taken into use by its parishioners who had already been using a part of it for some considerable time. The site of the nunnery was granted to Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, in 1540 but the freehold of the church passed through various hands until it was conveyed in 1656 to trustees on behalf of the parishioners, who at the same time obtained the right to appoint the vicar. Unlike other parishes, they retained it after the Restoration of 1660. Elections of vicars were held, with all the excitement and paraphernalia of parliamentary elections, right down to the early years of the twentieth century, and a distinctly Low Church tradition was thereby established. This did not prevent a long struggle in the latter years of the eighteenth century with Selina, Countess of Huntingdon. This strong-minded and evangelical lady had taken over a building in the parish called Spa Fields Chapel, and insisted on appointing her own chaplains to preach there. The vicar was furious, and his action against her in the ecclesiastical courts was the cause of her secession from the Church of England.

In 1596, the playwright George Peele was buried in the church.

In 1623 the steeple fell down twice but was eventually successfully rebuilt. Pocahontas and John Rolfe's son, Thomas Rolfe, married Elizabeth Washington here in September 1632. They had a daughter named Anne a year later. Elizabeth died shortly after Anne’s birth. Two years later, he returned to Jamestown, Virginia, leaving his daughter with his cousin, Anthony Rolfe.

It is believed that, in 1632, the playwright Thomas Dekker was buried in the church.

In 1641, the playwright Thomas Heywood was buried in the church.

In 1737, Matthew King, accomplice of Dick Turpin, was buried at St James, aged 25, after he was allegedly accidentally shot by Turpin during a robbery.

By 1788 the old church, which was a medley of seventeenth and eighteenth century sections in various styles grafted onto the remains of the mediaeval nunnery church, presented an appearance of picturesque and dilapidated muddle. In that year an act of parliament was passed for the rebuilding of the church, the money to be provided by the sale of annuities. The architect was a local man, James Carr, and he produced a building which is pre-eminently a preaching-house but with carefully planned and harmonious detail clearly influenced by Wren and Gibbs. The new church was dedicated by Bishop Beilby Porteus in 1792. The upper galleries were added in 1822 for the children of the Sunday-School, founded in 1807 and still flourishing; the back parts of the upper galleries were for the use of the poor. The tower and spire were restored in 1849 by W. P. Griffith, and Sir Arthur Blomfield restored the church and rearranged the ground floor in 1882; both works were done very well. Inside, a noteworthy feature is the curved acoustic wall at the west end. The wall at the east end originally had painted panels in the Venetian window frame; the stained glass in the east windows is by Heaton, Butler and Bayne, 1863.

The organ was built in 1792 by George Pike England to replace the one by Richard Bridge, which he took in part exchange. The new organ had three manuals, toe pedals and a Spanish mahogany case. This, together with much of England's pipe work, still survives. The rococo detail is noteworthy, especially the carved drapery over the pipes. The organ was rebuilt by Noel Mander of Mander Organs in 1978, returning to the original style after some drastic alterations made in 1928. It now has 2 manuals and pedals and 22 speaking stops.

There is a fine peal of eight bells in the tower, dating from 1791, though all the bells were recast in 1928.

The most noteworthy vicar of the nineteenth century was the Rev. Robert Maguire, a prolific writer of Protestant pamphlets, who had enjoyed a peculiarly stormy and exciting election. He was responsible for much work on the fabric of the church and some rearrangement of the interior.

The crypt was used for burials, but early in the twentieth century 300 coffins were moved and stored under the main West entrance. The crypt was then excavated and equipped to form a large hall. The new hall was opened by the Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein in 1912. It was later remodelled and opened by the Rt Revd Richard Chartres, Bishop of Stepney, on 18 June 1994. The latest work created a dedicated youth space in part of the crypt and was opened by Rt Rev John Sentamu, Bishop of Stepney, on 19 December 1999.

During the 20th century, the parish of St John, which had been carved out of St James's in 1721, was reunited with it, as was the parish of St Peter. The latter had been established in 1869 for the Smithfield Martyrs Memorial Church of that name; the present church contains a memorial to the Martyrs as a commemoration of St Peter's, which suffered heavy war damage in 1941 and was finally demolished in 1955. The parish church of St John was a remnant of the priory of St John, which is now the headquarters of the Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem, and the church became the chapel of the Order.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_James%27s_Church,_Clerkenwell

A rainy morning in London, and there is only so much coffee one can have before the pubs open.

I get out of the train at Farringdon, walk along side the station in the shelter of an overhanging building, and at the junction I see a square. And on the other side, a church.

It seemed to be open.

A late 18th century church, very much after Wren, but pleasant inside, with some nice windows, a fine gallery, and I received a warm welcome.

People tapped away in laptops on the aisles, a working space for weekdays, and no one seemed to mind me taking snaps.

-----------------------------------------

The parish of St James, Clerkenwell, has had a long and sometimes lively history. The springs which give Clerkenwell its name are mentioned during the reign of Henry II. The parish clerks of London used to perform their mystery plays, plays based on Biblical themes, in the neighbourhood, sometimes in the presence of royalty. In approximately 1100 a Norman baron named Jordan Briset founded an Augustine nunnery dedicated to St Mary, which became wealthy and influential.[2] It had a place of pilgrimage at Muswell Hill, and the parish kept an outlying tract of territory there until the nineteenth century.

At the dissolution of the nunnery under Henry VIII its church, which by then seems to have acquired a second dedication to St James, was taken into use by its parishioners who had already been using a part of it for some considerable time. The site of the nunnery was granted to Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, in 1540 but the freehold of the church passed through various hands until it was conveyed in 1656 to trustees on behalf of the parishioners, who at the same time obtained the right to appoint the vicar. Unlike other parishes, they retained it after the Restoration of 1660. Elections of vicars were held, with all the excitement and paraphernalia of parliamentary elections, right down to the early years of the twentieth century, and a distinctly Low Church tradition was thereby established. This did not prevent a long struggle in the latter years of the eighteenth century with Selina, Countess of Huntingdon. This strong-minded and evangelical lady had taken over a building in the parish called Spa Fields Chapel, and insisted on appointing her own chaplains to preach there. The vicar was furious, and his action against her in the ecclesiastical courts was the cause of her secession from the Church of England.

In 1596, the playwright George Peele was buried in the church.

In 1623 the steeple fell down twice but was eventually successfully rebuilt. Pocahontas and John Rolfe's son, Thomas Rolfe, married Elizabeth Washington here in September 1632. They had a daughter named Anne a year later. Elizabeth died shortly after Anne’s birth. Two years later, he returned to Jamestown, Virginia, leaving his daughter with his cousin, Anthony Rolfe.

It is believed that, in 1632, the playwright Thomas Dekker was buried in the church.

In 1641, the playwright Thomas Heywood was buried in the church.

In 1737, Matthew King, accomplice of Dick Turpin, was buried at St James, aged 25, after he was allegedly accidentally shot by Turpin during a robbery.

By 1788 the old church, which was a medley of seventeenth and eighteenth century sections in various styles grafted onto the remains of the mediaeval nunnery church, presented an appearance of picturesque and dilapidated muddle. In that year an act of parliament was passed for the rebuilding of the church, the money to be provided by the sale of annuities. The architect was a local man, James Carr, and he produced a building which is pre-eminently a preaching-house but with carefully planned and harmonious detail clearly influenced by Wren and Gibbs. The new church was dedicated by Bishop Beilby Porteus in 1792. The upper galleries were added in 1822 for the children of the Sunday-School, founded in 1807 and still flourishing; the back parts of the upper galleries were for the use of the poor. The tower and spire were restored in 1849 by W. P. Griffith, and Sir Arthur Blomfield restored the church and rearranged the ground floor in 1882; both works were done very well. Inside, a noteworthy feature is the curved acoustic wall at the west end. The wall at the east end originally had painted panels in the Venetian window frame; the stained glass in the east windows is by Heaton, Butler and Bayne, 1863.

The organ was built in 1792 by George Pike England to replace the one by Richard Bridge, which he took in part exchange. The new organ had three manuals, toe pedals and a Spanish mahogany case. This, together with much of England's pipe work, still survives. The rococo detail is noteworthy, especially the carved drapery over the pipes. The organ was rebuilt by Noel Mander of Mander Organs in 1978, returning to the original style after some drastic alterations made in 1928. It now has 2 manuals and pedals and 22 speaking stops.

There is a fine peal of eight bells in the tower, dating from 1791, though all the bells were recast in 1928.

The most noteworthy vicar of the nineteenth century was the Rev. Robert Maguire, a prolific writer of Protestant pamphlets, who had enjoyed a peculiarly stormy and exciting election. He was responsible for much work on the fabric of the church and some rearrangement of the interior.

The crypt was used for burials, but early in the twentieth century 300 coffins were moved and stored under the main West entrance. The crypt was then excavated and equipped to form a large hall. The new hall was opened by the Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein in 1912. It was later remodelled and opened by the Rt Revd Richard Chartres, Bishop of Stepney, on 18 June 1994. The latest work created a dedicated youth space in part of the crypt and was opened by Rt Rev John Sentamu, Bishop of Stepney, on 19 December 1999.

During the 20th century, the parish of St John, which had been carved out of St James's in 1721, was reunited with it, as was the parish of St Peter. The latter had been established in 1869 for the Smithfield Martyrs Memorial Church of that name; the present church contains a memorial to the Martyrs as a commemoration of St Peter's, which suffered heavy war damage in 1941 and was finally demolished in 1955. The parish church of St John was a remnant of the priory of St John, which is now the headquarters of the Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem, and the church became the chapel of the Order.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_James%27s_Church,_Clerkenwell

Part One:

Chieftain Mk.2/3 FV4201 Main Battle Tank 02 EB 05 was originally built by Vickers Armstrong, at their Elswick works in Newcastle as an FV4201 Chieftain Main Battle Tank Mk.2, it would be rebuilt into Mk.2XY, Mk.6 and a Mk.9 standard during its service life. Later she went on to become a Special Projects Vehicle for RARDE (Royal Armament Research & Development Establishment) where she was used as a test bed for research into ''Stealth Technology'' and other projects, which have not been disclosed.

ARMAMENT:

The Chieftain Main Battle Tank Mk.2 is fitted with Ordnance 120mm L11 Gun firing HE (High-Explosive) and APDS (Armour-Piercing Discarding Sabot). On the exterior of the Commanders cupola is a 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Gun for use by the Commander for defence against Ground Troops and low flying aircraft. The Gunner has control of a second 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Gun mounted alongside the Main Gun. As originally made 02 EB 05 would have been fitted with a 0.5in Browning Machine Gun adapted for ranging purposes alongside the main armament, this would later be removed following the fitment of a Tank Laser Sight (TLS) to the Gunners station. There are also smoke dischargers on both sides of the turret, which would provide a readily available smoke screen to allow the vehicle to manoeuvre under its cover.

ENGINE:

The Chieftain Main Battle Tank Mk.2 is fitted with the Leyland L60 Mk.4A, 19 litre, 6 cylinder 12 piston, vertically opposed, water cooled, 2 stroke diesel engine, producing 650bhp at 2,100rpm giving the vehicle a top speed of 25.3mph, an electrical generator rated at 28.5 volts, 150 amp was fitted along with hydraulic and electrical starter motors. This engine was subject to numerous modifications throughout its life to improve power output and enhance it's reliability.

GENERATOR UNIT:

The vehicle is also fitted with an H30 No.4 Mk.7A 3 cylinder, 6 piston vertically opposed, 2 stroke Diesel engine, producing 27bhp and used to drive a 28.5v 350 amp generator for charging the batteries and powering the turret electrical systems. This auxiliary engine also drove a hydraulic pump to power the Main Engine Hydraulic starter. Some examples were also fitted with a small alternator, in line with the main generator to provide a small ac current to trickle heat the vehicle batteries during cold conditions.

TRANSMISSION:

David Brown TN12 Merrit-Wilson type gearbox, semi automatic electrical selection, giving 6 forward speeds, and 2 reverse speeds with a mechanically selected back up of one forward and one reverse gear.

SUSPENSION:

The suspension is of the Hortmann type, a system that uses Coil Springs and has the advantage of a relatively long travel. Housed within a self-contained Bogie which is bolted to the outside of the hull and causes little or no encroachment on internal hull space, consequently, the entire suspension unit may be relatively easily removed and replaced if damaged by a Mine explosion for example. There are six pairs of road wheels on each side with the drive sprocket at the rear and idler at the front, three track return rollers are fitted.

Service History of Chieftain Mk.2 FV4201 02 EB 05:

▪︎22nd January 1967 - Date into service.

▪︎April 1970 - Delivered via Antwerp as Mk.2 to 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, Caen Barracks, Hohne.

▪︎July 1970 - Queen´s Own Hussars, Caen Barracks, Hohne.

▪︎1973/4 - Probable Base Overhaul to Mk.2XY standard, 23 Base Wksp REME, Wetter.

▪︎April 1974 - The Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales Own), Athlone Barracks, Sennelager.

▪︎1978 -1982 - Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, Athlone Barracks, Sennelager.

▪︎1982/3 - Probable Base Overhaul to IFCS (Mk.9) standard, 23 Base Workshop, Wetter.

▪︎1983-1984 - 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, Imphal Barracks, Osnabrück.

▪︎1984-1987 - 4th Royal Tank Regiment, Imphal Barracks, Osnabrück.

▪︎1987 – 2000 - FVRDE Chertsey (Fighting Vehicle Research and Development Establishment).

Part Two Link:- flic.kr/p/2iknoye

Sourced from:

norfolktankmuseum.co.uk/chieftain-mbt-mk-23-fv4201/

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chieftain_(tank)

I was absolutely in awe of the Soviet War Memorial in Treptower Park during last weekend's trip to Berlin.

It was one of the many sights recommended to us by my old mate Wurz and his wonderful Partner in Crime Katia.

Having never seen in the flesh (so to speak) massive Soviet Sculptures and having a slight obsession with World Wars 1 and 2, it didn't fail to disappoint.

Hidden away in Treptower Park, we got lost looking for it and by the time we found it we were the wrong side of the massive wrought iron railings that surronded it and had to walk round the perimeter until we found the entrance.

Cath's feet were killing her as she had worn the wrong trainers and I was desperate for the loo but find it we did. Cath sat down and I wandered round filling my photographic boots with Soviet Sculpture and World War obsession

The History Of Porthleven In Cornwall

The History Of The Name, Porthleven.

There are two theories of how the name Porthleven came about:

1. It came from the Cornish words "porth" meaning port and "leven" meaning smooth.

2. It came from "porth" meaning port and "Elvan" from St Elvan the 5th century saint who landed on these shores to spread the word of Christianity. There was originally a settlement nearby called St Elvan.

Early maps showed a settlement called Porth Leuan and in 1714 the name Port Leven first appeared in legal documents. The modern parish of Porthleven was formed in 1846 taking some of its land from Breage to the west and some from Sithney to the east.

Early Settlements - The History Of Porthleven

Originally Porthleven was a marshy cove fed by a stream which marked the boundary of the Breage and Sithney parishes. There was a shingle bar at the mouth of the cove which rather like a miniature version of Loe Bar.

Porthleven was not a very important place as at the time the Cober valley was navigable as far as Helston. The continual silting up of of the Cober valley estuary however led to the formation of the Loe Bar sandbank. This resulted in the Cober valley and Helston being cut off from the sea, probably during the 12th century. By the 14th century a small hamlet of fishermen settled around the cove which is now Porthleven.

During the 1700's the fishermen in Porthleven were joined by farmworkers and miners, many of whom worked in the silver & lead mines in Penrose Estate near Loe Bar.

The History Of Porthleven And

The HMS Anson Tradegy of 1807

The 44 gun frigate, HMS Anson was shipwrecked at Loe Bar in 1807 and reportedly 130 people were drowned. This tragedy gave rise to 3 events:

1. The Henry Trengrouse life saving apparatus. Rocket fired rope line and cork filled life jackets invented by the local cabinet maker Henry Trengrouse.

2. The Thomas Grylls Act of 1808. Thomas was a local solicitor who drafted the act which sets out the procedures regarding burial of bodies cast up by the sea.

3. The Act Of Parliament signed by King George III in 1811 "for constructing a harbour, in Mounts Bay in the county of Cornwall". Porthleven was chosen because if its central location in Mounts Bay. The Act established the Porthleven Harbour Company that was responsible for building, maintaining and operating the the harbour.

Pictured below, divers examining the remains of HMS Anson in 2005:

Constructing Porthleven Harbour

The construction of the harbour was a tremendous and dangerous engineering achievement. The shingle bar with its stone bridge at the mouth of the south west facing valley had to be removed so ships could enter. Napoleonic War prisoners were used but the construction took 14 years and was not completed until 1825.

The granite pier and quays were constucted by 1825 but it was still an open harbour. The harbour was purchased in 1855 by Harvey and Co of Hayle in Cornwall, who built the inner harbour which was completed in 1858. The huge timbers (baulk) that seal the inner harbour in storms are still in use today. The population of Porthleven increased to well over 1000 by 1858.

The Inner Harbour Completed In 1858

The harbour housed a large fishing fleet that harvested the huge shoals of pilchards & mackerel that swam in Mounts bay. The economy involved fishing, boatbuilding, net and rope making, fish smoking and packing in the village. Ships brought in coal, and lime for building work and timber for use in boatbuilding and the local mines. Exports included fish locally mined china clay, tin, and other minerals. Also Kitto & Sons of Porthleven built fishing boats, clippers, schooners and yachts used in ports all round the world. By 1900 the population was nearly 2000 people.

1900 To Present Day

Porthleven's traditional wooden sail boat building industry went into gradual decline due to the trend towards using steel boats with engines and later on smaller craft being made of fibre glass. Sail rope and net manufacture also declined. The local china clay production at Tregonning Hill declined under fresh competition from St Austell, which is also on the south coast of Cornwall. New methods of transportation and unloading ships lead to a reduction in traffic through Porthleven.

Although the economy in Porthleven has changed it continued to grow. The population of Porthleven was 3190 people in 2001. Fishing still continues from Porthleven with crab, lobster and crayfish being caught locally. Some of this seafood is sold at the award winning Quayside Fish in Porthleven and in the local cafes, restaurants and inns. There are sea angling trips from Porthleven harbour which can be booked through Porthleven Angling Centre.

Tourism is now very important to Porthleven and people are attracted by the history, the scenery, the excellent restaurants, pubs, real pasty and fish and chip shops. Porthleven has managed to strike exactly the right balance, being largely unchanged and unspoilt by tourism yet offering everything that visitors require, including a warm welcome. There is a thriving artistic community that has found inspiration in Porthleven and their works can be seen in the local shops and galleries.

The British FV4030/4 Challenger 1, was the main battle tank (MBT) of the British Army from 1983 to the mid-1990s, when it was superseded by the Challenger 2. It is also currently used by the Jordanian Armed Forces as their main battle tank after heavy modifications. The variants for the Jordanian military are upgraded using an unmanned turret called the Falcon Turret.

The Challenger design by the former Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment (MVEE) near Chobham in Surrey originated in an Iranian order for an improved version of the Chieftain line of tanks in service around the world. These were the Chieftain Mk5(P)- FV4030/1, FV4030/2 Shir (Lion)1 and 4030/3 Shir 2. With the fall of the Shah of Iran and the collapse of the UK MBT90 project, the British Army became the customer and the tank was further developed by MVEE to meet Western European requirements. For a short time the tank was named "Cheviot" before becoming "Challenger", a name reused from a cruiser tank of the Second World War.

The most revolutionary aspect of the Challenger 1 design was its Chobham armour which gave protection far superior to any monolithic Rolled Homogeneous Armour (RHA), which was the then standard of tank armour material. This armour has been adopted by others, most notably the American M1 Abrams. Additionally the Hydrogas suspension fitted provided outstanding cross-country performance through the long suspension arm travel and controlled bump and rebound behaviour offered.

The Challenger was built by the Royal Ordnance Factories (ROF). In 1986, ROF Leeds (and the Challenger production line) was acquired by Vickers Defence Systems (later Alvis Vickers).

The Ministry of Defence were keen to show off the capabilities of the Challenger 1 in the Canadian Army Trophy Competition (CAT '87), held at Grafenwöhr, West Germany in June 1987. The best performing team in preparatory competitions had been the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, however their Challengers had not been fitted with Thermal Observation and Gunnery Sight (TOGS), which would put them at a disadvantage. The Royal Hussars had a squadron fitted with TOGS, however, they had been training at BATUS in Canada with Chieftains, when they should be training with Challengers and TOGS for CAT '87. Twenty two new Challengers with TOGS were specially diverted from the production line for the competition, resulting in teething problems. At the competition itself, the Hussars managed some creditable scores but overall, their three "platoons" were placed last in the league table. In a statement to the House of Commons on 14 July, Mr Ian Stewart, the Minister of State for the Armed Forces, said; "I do not believe that the performance of tanks in the artificial circumstances of a competition, such as the recent Canadian Army Trophy, is a proper indication of their capability in war."Following poor results in 1985 with Chieftain, and in 1987 with Challenger, the British Army decided in December 1987 to withdraw indefinitely from the competition.

A requirement for a new MBT was later issued. Proposals put forward for the new specification included an improved Challenger from Vickers, the American M1 Abrams, the French Leclerc, and the German Leopard 2. The Vickers Defence Systems design, designated Challenger 2, was eventually selected. This tank was significantly more capable than its predecessor, based on the same basic MVEE-designed hull but with a new turret based on the Vickers Private Venture Mk7 design and improved Chobham armour.

There was also a Challenger Marksman SPAAG version, equipped with the Marksman turret

(Text Wikipedia)

The difference between a walk and a wander is the time spent. I had little over an hour spare once I arrived, so instead of getting some lunch, I took photos instead.

Down the street lined with shops to the town square with the large church, town hall and many wonderful looking bars and restaurants.

I was in town for a few hours for a meeting, I drove over, then drove back. As you do.

Not a bad day, but I think I will try the train next time....

--------------------------------------------

Leuven (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈløːvə(n)] ( listen); French: Louvain, pronounced: [luvɛ̃], often used in English) is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in Belgium. It is located about 25 kilometres (16 miles) east of Brussels, close to other neighbouring towns such as Mechelen, Aarschot, Tienen, and Wavre. The municipality itself comprises the historical city of Leuven and the former municipalities of Heverlee, Kessel-Lo, a part of Korbeek-Lo, Wilsele and Wijgmaal.

It is home to Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest brewing group and one of the five largest consumer-goods companies in the world; and to the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, the largest and oldest university of the Low Countries and the oldest Catholic university still in existence.[2] It is also home to the UZ Leuven, one of the largest hospitals of Europe.

The earliest mention of Leuven ("Loven") is from 891, when a Viking army was defeated by the Frankish king Arnulf of Carinthia (see: Battle of Leuven). According to a legend the city's red and white arms depict the blood-stained shores of the river Dyle after this battle.

Situated beside this river, and near to the stronghold of the Dukes of Brabant, Leuven became the most important centre of trade in the duchy between the 11th and 14th centuries. A token of its former importance as a centre of cloth manufacture is shown in that ordinary linen cloth is known in late-14th-century and 15th-century texts as lewyn (other spellings: Leuwyn, Levyne, Lewan(e), Lovanium, Louvain).[3]

In the 15th century a new golden era began with the founding of what is now the largest and oldest university in the Low Countries, the Catholic University of Leuven, in 1425.[4]

In the 18th century the brewery Den Horen (meaning "the horn") flourished. In 1708 Sebastien Artois became the master brewer at Den Horen, and gave his name to the brewery in 1717, now part of AB InBev, whose flagship beer, Stella Artois, is brewed in Leuven and sold in many countries.

Leuven has several times been besieged or occupied by foreign armies; these include the Battle of Leuven (891), Siege of Leuven (1635) and Battle of Leuven (1831).

Both world wars in the 20th century inflicted major damage upon the city. Upon Germany's entry into World War I, the town was heavily damaged by rampaging soldiers. Some German soldiers shot the burgomaster, the university rector and all of the city's police officers.[5] In all, about 300 civilians lost their lives.[6] The university library was also destroyed on 25 August 1914, using petrol and incendiary pastilles.[7][8] 230,000 volumes were lost in the destruction, including Gothic and Renaissance manuscripts, a collection of 750 medieval manuscripts, and more than 1,000 incunabula (books printed before 1501).[8][9] The destruction of the library shocked the world, with the Daily Chronicle describing it as war not only against civilians but also against "posterity to the utmost generation."[10] It was rebuilt after the war, and much of the collection was replaced. Great Britain (on the initiative of the John Rylands Library, Manchester) and the United States were major providers of material for the replenishment of the collection.[6] The new library building was financed by the National Committee of the United States for the Restoration of the University of Louvain and built to the design of architect Whitney Warren; it was officially opened on 4 July 1928.[11]

In World War II, after the start of the German offensive, Leuven formed part of the British Expeditionary Force's front line and was defended by units of the 3rd Division and Belgian troops. From 14 to 16 May 1940, the German Army Group B assaulted the city with heavy air and artillery support. The British withdrew their forces to the River Senne on the night of 16 May and the town was occupied the next day.[12] The new university library building was set on fire by shelling on 16 May and nearly a million books were lost.

The Town Hall, built by Sulpitius van Vorst (nl), Jan II Keldermans, and, after both of them died, Matheus de Layens between 1439 and 1463 in a Brabantian late-Gothic style. In the 19th century, 236 statues were added to the exterior, each representing a prominent local scholar, artist or noble from the city’s history. The reception hall dates from 1750.

The St. Peter's Church (1425–1500) was finished by Jan Keldermans and Matheus de Layens. During the Second World War the church was damaged; during the restoration a Romanesque crypt from the 11th century was found. In the church itself there are several paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries (among others, Dirk Bouts's famous painting of the last supper) and the grave of Duke Henry I of Brabant. The 50-metre-high tower — which was meant to be 169 metres high, but was never completed — is home to a carillon. The tower was included in UNESCO's list of Belfries of Belgium and France in 1999.

Saint-Anthony's Chapel, Pater Damiaanplein, from the 17th to the 20th centuries, contains the tomb of Father Damien, the "leper priest" of Molokai, who was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday October 11, 2009.[15][16] The Catholic Encyclopedia calls him "the Apostle of the Lepers",[17] and elsewhere he is known as the "leper priest". The Catholic priest's remains were returned in Belgium with great fanfare in 1936, after having been originally buried on the Hawaiian Island of Molokai where he had served the outcast lepers until his death.

The Linen-hall, in an early-Gothic style, with baroque addition, is today the University Hall.

The Church of Saint Michael was built in the typical Jesuit Baroque Style.

The Church of Saint Quinten incorporates remains of a Romanesque church built in the 13th century.

The University Library on the Ladeuzeplein was built by the American architect Whitney Warren. It was a gift from the American people to Leuven after World War I, during which the Germans burned down the original library. The tower houses one of the largest carillons in the world.

Totem is a statue at the centre of the Ladeuzeplein; it is a work of the Belgian artist Jan Fabre. Featuring a 23-metre-high needle impaling a giant jewelled beetle, the statue towers over the square in front of the university library.

There is a neo-Romanesque Abbey on the Keizersberg ("Emperor's Mountain"), where there once stood a 12th-century ducal castle, which was demolished in the 17th Century.

The Large Beguinage is one of the world's best remaining examples of its architectural type. It was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1998.

There are several other smaller churches and chapels throughout the town.

"Fonske" is a statue near the centre of town. Its full name is Fons Sapientiae, Latin for "fountain of wisdom". The statue represents a university student who, while reading a book, lets wisdom flow into his head as liquid from a glass. Just like Manneken Pis in Brussels, Fonske is, from time to time, dressed in costumes appropriate for specific occasions.

The 'Oude Markt' or "Old Market" square located in the center of Leuven features a vibrant social scene the center of which displays a lifesize statue of 'De Kotmadam', or "The Landlady" resting on a bench.

Lerkeveld is a famous Jesuit abbey, and headquarters of the Jesuits in Belgium.

St Anthony's College, Leuven was located in the city, on Pater Damiaanplein. The Leuven Institute for Ireland in Europe is now located on the premises.

Sint-Donatus Park contains remains of the medieval city wall

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leuven

Haven Seariser 2

It does what it says on the tin - self elevating platform, standing on 4 sturdy legs on the seabed!

On the West Somerset Railway, this loco was formerly at Royal Ordnance factory, Puriton, Somerset as No.2. It came to to the WSR with its twin AB578 during May 1994