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

With the tug Bradshaw McKee and cement barge St. Marys Conquest checked back, the Cason J. Callaway makes her way upbound at lights 1 and 2. It's very unusual to see vessels this close at lights 1 and 2.

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

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

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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

Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa, and is featured in the flag of Cape Town and other local government insignia.[2] It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway or hiking to the top. The mountain forms part of the Table Mountain National Park.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_Mountain

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

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Camera: Nikon D90

Lens: Nikon AF FISHEYE NIKKOR 10.5mm 1:2.8

Handheld

HDR (3 shots +2EV)

This photo had been deleted by mistake, and re-posted...

The Tree at Rockefeller Center is an annual Christmas tree lighting that takes place in New York City's Rockefeller Center.

In 2009, the tree was lit on December 2. It will remain illuminated until the first week of January, 2010

Le /b>sapin de Noël du Rockefeller Center est l'un des arbres de Noël les plus célèbres des États-Unis. Il est mis en place chaque année à la fin du mois de novembre sur l'esplanade du Rockefeller Center de New York. La mise en lumière est d'ailleurs retransmise sur la chaîne NBC, dont le siège est situé dans l'un des gratte-ciels du Rockfeller Center, le GE Building, le plus haut du complexe.

Right waist gunner position aboard the B-24 Liberator "Witchcraft". Flown in the Collings Foundation's { www.cfdn.org } annual 'Wings of Freedom' Tour of the United States. Moving around inside this warbird, two of the realizations I gained were that 1. Only a thin sheet of metal was between her crew and the bullets and flak directed at her by attackers; and 2. It took a very young man to quickly move from nose gun, across the narrow bomb-bay walkway, to tail-gunner's position!

Peaches (The Teaches of Peaches Anniversary Tour) @ 9:30 Club, Washington, DC, on Wednesday, August 23, 2922

The Teaches of Peaches Anniversary Tour Setlist:

Set It Off

Hot Rod

Cum Undun

Diddle My Skittle

Keine Melodien

Sucker

Rock Show

Suck and Let Go

Sex (I'm A)

(Berlin cover)

AA XXX

Lovertits

Felix Partz

Shake Yer Dix

Bodyline

Boys Wanna Be Her

Talk to Me

Pussy Mask

Vaginoplasty

Operate

Dick in the Air

Encore:

Fuck the Pain Away

Encore 2:

It's All Coming Back to Me Now (Céline Dion Cover)

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.

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.

Alderamin (Alfa Cephei / α Cep / 5 Cep). Es la estrella más brillante de la constelación de Cepheus con magnitud aparente +2,43. Su nombre proviene de la contracción de la frase árabe الذراع اليمن að-ðirā‘ al-yaman, cuya traducción es «el brazo derecho».

Alderamin es una subgigante blanca de tipo espectral A7IV con una temperatura de 7.600 K. Su luminosidad es 20 veces mayor que la del Sol y su radio es 2,5 veces el radio solar. Como otras estrellas similares, es ligeramente variable con una oscilación en su brillo de 0,06 magnitudes; está catalogada como una variable Delta Scuti. Su velocidad de rotación es muy alta, de al menos 246 km/s, completando un giro en menos de medio día; esta rápida rotación aparentemente inhibiría la diferenciación de elementos químicos usualmente observada en estrellas de este tipo. Emite una cantidad de radiación X similar a la del Sol, que junto con otros indicadores sugiere la existencia de una considerable actividad magnética, algo inesperado (aunque no del todo inusual) en una estrella de tipo A que, además, es un rotador rápido. Estrellas de esta masa ya no poseen la envoltura convectiva profunda típica de las estrellas de secuencia principal inferior, y que es la que se supone mantiene el campo magnético intenso en ellas.

Debido a la precesión, Alderamin marcó el polo norte celeste hace unos 20.000 años y volverá a señalarlo hacia el año 7.500 de nuestra era. Se encuentra a 49 años luz.

SH 129. Es una débil nebulosa parte de la asociación de Cep OB2 y la burbuja Cepheus. Conocida como la nebulosa del Murciélago Volador, esta imagen muestra sola una fracción de la nebulosa.

vdB 140. Es una nebulosa de reflexión débil, en la constelación de Cefeo.

Está iluminada por la estrella cercana V421 Cep, una gigante azul de sexta magnitud, distante unos 2.500 años luz. Se puede observar casi exclusivamente en infrarrojo, mientras que la observación directa es bastante difícil. La nube aparece atravesada por una banda de luz oscura o apagada, dividiéndola en dos secciones desiguales: la más grande casi sobrepone la estrella, mientras que la segunda parte hacia el este es mucho más delgada.

B 365 (LDN 1090). Es una nebulosa oscura de absorción en forma de S alargada o símbolo de integral de 22’ de eje mayor.

B160 (LDN 1088). Es una nebulosa oscura de absorción situada aparentemente en el interior de la nebulosa de emisión IC 1396, con un tamaño aparente de 30’ x 15’.

B 161 (LDN 1103). Es una nebulosa oscura de absorción situada aparentemente en el interior de la nebulosa de emisión IC 1396, con un tamaño aparente de 13’ x 3’.

Mu Cephei (μ Cephei / Mi Cephei / HD 206936). Es una estrella en la constelación de Cefeo de magnitud aparente media +4,04. Recibe el título de Estrella Granate debido a su intenso color rojo, especialmente destacado si se la observa a través de prismáticos o telescopios pequeños. Se encuentra a una i distancia comprendida entre 2.400 y 2.800 años luz.

Mu Cephei una estrella hipergigante roja de tipo espectral M2Ia3 o M1I2, una de las estrellas más grandes que se conocen. Su diámetro —calculado a partir de la medida directa de su diámetro aparente de 0,021 segundos de arco y considerando que está a 2.400 años luz— es 650 veces mayor que el solar. Otros autores le asignan un diámetro major (unas 1.420 veces más grande que el del Sol). Su comparación con la estrella de Barnard, una enana roja cercana, equivale a comparar una cabeza de alfiler con la cúpula de la Basílica de San Pedro; si se considera que la luz tarda 0,133 segundos en circunnavegar la Tierra y 14,577 segundos en circunnavegar el Sol, la cifra empleada en el caso de Mu Cephei —24.077,8 segundos o 6,69 horas—, da una clara idea del tamaño asombroso de esta estrella.

La luminosidad de Mu Cephei equivale a 350.000 veces la del Sol —para una distancia de 2.400 años luz—, pero si se considera la distancia mayor de 2.800 años luz, su luminosidad asciende a 475.000 soles. Su temperatura superficial es de 3.700 K.2 Presenta un contenido en metales ligeramente superior al solar.

Mu Cephei está rodeada por lo que parece un gran disco de polvo y agua cuyo radio interno y externo equivale, respectivamente, a dos y cuatro veces el radio de la estrella. Asimismo, en torno a Mu Cephei se ha detectado una nebulosa circunestelar, sólo visible en el infrarrojo, de forma esférica —excepto en su interior, donde tiene una pronunciada morfología asimétrica—, cuyo radio es de al menos 6 segundos de arco. Los modelos indican que durante los últimos 1.000 años, Mu Cephei ha experimentado una constante pérdida de masa, a un ritmo aproximado de 10-7 masas solares por año. Su masa actual es 15 veces mayor que la solar y tiene una edad aproximada de 10 millones de años.9 En la parte interna de su envoltura circumestelar muestra intensa radiación máser de la molécula de monóxido de Silicio.

Mu Cephei es el prototipo de las estrellas variables semirregulares SRC, supergigantes rojas con amplitudes en la variación de luminosidad del orden de una magnitud y períodos desde unos 30 días a varios miles de años. La propia Mu Cephei varía de brillo entre magnitud +3,43 y +5,10 en un período semirregular de 800 - 1000 días.

IC 1396. Es una nebulosa de emisión situada en la constelación de Cepheus . Es una región de formación estelar que se extiende cientos de años luz, abarcando aparentemente más de 3º en el cielo. La nebulosa está excitada por la estrella brillante y azulada que hay en el centro,

Entre las intrincadas nebulosas oscuras de IC 1396, destaca la sinuosa nebulosa de la Trompa del Elefante.

IC 1396 Se encuentra a unos 3.000 años luz.

B169/B170/B171. Son tres nebulosas oscuras de absorción en la constelación de Cepheus, que forman parte del mismo complejo de nebulosidades.

Alderamin (Alfa Cephei / α Cep / 5 Cep). It is the brightest star of Cepheus constellation with apparent magnitude +2.43. Its name comes from the contraction of the Arabic phrase الذراع اليمن að-ðirā 'al-yaman, whose translation is "the right arm".

Alderamin is a white subgiant of spectral type A7IV with a temperature of 7,600 K. Its luminosity is 20 times greater than that of the Sun and its radius is 2.5 times the solar radius. Like other similar stars, it is slightly variable with an oscillation in its brightness of 0.06 magnitudes; is classified as a Delta Scuti variable. Its speed of rotation is very high, at least 246 km / s, completing a turn in less than half a day; this rapid rotation would apparently inhibit the differentiation of chemical elements usually observed in stars of this type. It emits a quantity of X radiation similar to that of the Sun, which along with other indicators suggests the existence of a considerable magnetic activity, something unexpected (although not completely unusual) in a star of type A that, in addition, is a fast rotator. Stars of this mass no longer possess the deep convective envelope typical of the stars of inferior main sequence, and that is the one that is supposed to maintain the intense magnetic field in them.

Due to precession, Alderamin marked the celestial north pole about 20,000 years ago and will point it back to the year 7,500 AD. It is 49 light-years away.

SH 129. It is a weak nebula part of the association of Cep OB2 and bubble Cepheus. Known as the Flying Bat Nebula, this image shows only a fraction of the nebula.

vdB 140. It is a faint reflection nebula, in Cepeheus constellation.

It is illuminated by the nearby star V421 Cep, a blue giant of sixth magnitude, distant about 2,500 light-years. It can be observed almost exclusively in infrared, while direct observation is quite difficult. The cloud is pierced by a band of dark or dim light, dividing it into two unequal sections: the largest one almost overlaps the star, while the second part to the east is much thinner.

B 365 (LDN 1090). It is a dark elongated S-shaped absorption nebula or 22 'integral integral axis symbol.

B160 (LDN 1088). It is a dark absorption nebula apparently located inside the emission nebula IC 1396, with an apparent size of 30 'x 15'.

B 161 (LDN 1103). It is a dark absorption nebula located apparently inside the emission nebula IC 1396, with an apparent size of 13 'x 3'.

Mu Cephei (μ Cephei / Mi Cephei / HD 206936). It is a star in Cepheus constellation with apparent magnitude average +4.04. Know as Garnet Star due to its intense red color, especially highlighted if it is observed through binoculars or small telescopes. It is located at a distance between 2,400 and 2,800 light-years.

Mu Cephei a red hypergiant star of spectral type M2Ia3 or M1I2, one of the largest stars known. Its diameter - calculated from the direct measurement of its apparent diameter of 0.021 arc seconds and considering that it is 2,400 light years - is 650 times greater than the solar. Other authors assign a major diameter (about 1,420 times larger than the Sun). His comparison with Barnard's star, a nearby red dwarf, is equivalent to comparing a pinhead with the dome of St. Peter's Basilica; if one considers that light takes 0.133 seconds to circumnavigate the Earth and 14,577 seconds to circumnavigate the Sun, the figure used in the case of Mu Cephei -24,077.8 seconds or 6.69 hours-, gives a clear idea of the astonishing size of this star.

The luminosity of Mu Cephei is equivalent to 350,000 times that of the Sun - for a distance of 2,400 light-years, but considering the distance greater than 2800 light years, its luminosity amounts to 475,000 suns. Its surface temperature is 3,700 K.2 It has a metal content slightly higher than the solar.

Mu Cephei is surrounded by what looks like a great disk of dust and water whose internal and external radius is equal, respectively, two and four times the radius of the star. A circumstellar nebula, visible only in the infrared sphere, has been detected around Mu Cephei, except in the interior, where it has a pronounced asymmetrical morphology, with a radius of at least 6 seconds of arc. The models indicate that during the last 1,000 years, Mu Cephei has experienced a constant loss of mass, at a rate of approximately 10-7 solar masses per year. Its current mass is 15 times greater than solar and has an approximate age of 10 million years.9 In the inner part of its circumstellar envelope shows intense maser radiation of the molecule of Silicon monoxide.

Mu Cephei is the prototype of SRC semirregular variable stars, red supergiants with amplitudes in the luminosity variation of the order of magnitude and periods from about 30 days to several thousand years. Mu Cephei itself varies in brightness between magnitude +3.43 and +5.10 in a semiregular period of 800 - 1000 days.

IC 1396. It is an emission nebula located in Cepheus constellation. It is a region of stellar formation that extends hundreds of light years, apparently covering more than 3º in the sky. The nebula is excited by the bright, bluish star in the center,

Among the intricate dark nebulae of IC 1396, highlights the sinuous nebula of the Elephant's Trunk.

IC 1396 it’s about 3,000 light years away.

B169 / B170 / B171. There are three dark nebulae of absorption in Cepheus constellation, which are part of the same complex of nebulosities.

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.

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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)

Puerto de la Selva

Puerto de la Selva (in Catalan and officially Port de la Selva) is a Spanish municipality belonging to the comarca of Alto Ampurdán in the province of Gerona, Catalonia. It is located on the north coast of Cabo de Creus, on the Costa Brava.

The town still has an important port that honors its fishing tradition, although other economic sectors such as tourism have been taking over. It is constituted by a set of marine architecture presided by the church of Santa Maria de les Neus (Santa Maria de las Nieves), of great beauty, that faces the bay.

Nearby, you can visit the dolmen of the Taula dels Lladres and a little further away the Monastery of San Pedro de Roda. Connected to the population is the name of the Catalan writer Josep María de Segarra, in which he inspires some of his maritime environment works (La Balada de Luard, El Mariner (El Marinero) or Cançons de rem i de Vela Of Candle).

Geography

The locality is of Figueras, the capital of Alto Ampurdán, 33 km and 70 km of the provincial capital, Gerona. Its municipal term is one of the most extensive of the zone, occupying an extension of 41.49 km ². It extends from the "rec d'en Feliu" to the cove of Portaló along the coast, and from the interior to the Llansá, Vilajuiga, Pau, Palau Sabardera, Rosas and Cadaqués.

Within this environment is a great landscape richness where the blue of the Mediterranean Sea, the greenery of the vineyards and rising at sea level, mountains sculpted by the passage of time with peaks of high heights such as San Salvador (671 masl) And Puig de Queralbs (621 m.), Forming the sierra of Rhodes.

The sierra de Rodas, the foothills of the Pyrenees, where the locality is located, was formed by the foldings of the primary era and is constituted by metamorphic rocks, as well as Philonian and Plutonic rocks. Its morphology shows steep coasts resulting from the erosive action of the sea and the wind, with abundant river valleys flooded by the sea that originate an articulated coast with abundant picturesque coves, raised ropes and abrupt promontories, as well as several islands that rise above Of a very short abrasion platform.

History

The first historical references of the urban nucleus correspond to a document of the year 974 that speaks of the "port quod dicunt Armi-rodas", of a donation of Count Gausfredo of Ampurias to the monastery. It is necessary to let a lot of time pass until arriving at the beginning of century XVIII in which there are documents that speak of a nucleus of independent houses. In 1725 the construction of the first church began. At first, they were fishermen's houses that lived in the Selva de Mar and other surrounding villages.

In these houses fish and fishing utensils were kept. This small nucleus grew until in 1787 it became independent from the Selva de Mar through a privilege of Villa Real granted by S.M. The Carlos III.

Along with fishing, in the middle of the nineteenth century the trade of oil and wine became very important, until numerous pests, especially phylloxera, attacked crops during the second half of the nineteenth century. This caused a significant decline in the economy of the town, for which many families were forced to emigrate.

After this disaster, only the valleys and low mountain areas were recovered for cultivation; From the 60's this activity was decreasing, leaving fishing as the main resource of the people.

Excerpted from Wikipedia

Puerto de la Selva

Puerto de la Selva (en catalán y oficialmente Port de la Selva) es un municipio español perteneciente a la comarcadel Alto Ampurdán en la provincia de Gerona, Cataluña. Se halla ubicado en la costa norte de Cabo de Creus, en laCosta Brava.

El pueblo, sigue teniendo un importante puerto que hace honor a su tradición pesquera, aunque otros sectores económicos como el turismo han ido tomando el relevo. Está constituido por un conjunto de arquitectura marinera presidido por la iglesia de Santa María de les Neus (Santa María de las Nieves), de gran belleza, que se encara a la bahía.

Cerca, puede visitarse el dolmen de la Taula dels Lladres y un poco más lejos el Monasterio de San Pedro de Roda. Ligado a la población está el nombre del escritor catalán Josep María de Segarra, en el que inspira algunas de sus obras de ambiente marinero (La Balada de Luard, El Mariner (El Marinero) o Cançons de rem i de Vela (Canciones de Remo y de Vela).

Geografía

La localidad dista de Figueras, la capital de Alto Ampurdán, 33 km y 70 km de la capital de provincia, Gerona. Su término municipal es uno de los más extensos de la zona, ocupando una extensión de 41,49 km². Se extiende desde el "rec d'en Feliu" hasta la cala de Portaló por la costa, y por el interior hasta los términos de Llansá, Vilajuiga, Pau, Palau Sabardera, Rosas y Cadaqués.

Dentro de este entorno se encuentra una gran riqueza paisajística donde se combina el azul del mar Mediterráneo, el verdor de las viñas y levantándose a nivel de mar, montañas esculpidas por el paso del tiempo con cimas de alturas destacadas como San Salvador (671 msnm) y Puig de Queralbs (621 m.), conformando la sierra de Rodas.

La sierra de Rodas, contrafuerte de los Pirineos, donde se asienta la localidad, se formó por los plegamientos de la era primaria y está constituida tanto por rocas metamórficas, como filonianas y plutónicas. Su morfología muestra unas costas escarpadas resultantes de la acción erosiva del mar y el viento, con abundantes valles fluviales inundados por el mar que originan una costa articulada con abundantes calas pintorescas, cabos elevados y promontorios abruptos, así como diversas islas que se elevan por encima de una plataforma de abrasión poco extensa.

Historia

Las primeras referencias históricas del núcleo urbano son las que corresponden a un documento del año 974 que habla del "porto quod dicunt Armi-rodas", de una donación del conde Gausfredo de Ampurias al monasterio. Hace falta dejar pasar mucho tiempo hasta llegar a principios del siglo XVIII en que hay documentos que hablan de un núcleo de casas independente. En 1725 se inicia la construcción de la primera iglesia. Al principio, eran casas de pescadores que vivían en la Selva de Mar y otros pueblos de los alrededores.

En estas casas se guardaba el pescado y los utensilios de pesca. Este pequeño núcleo fue creciendo hasta que en el año 1787 se independizó de la Selva de Mar mediante un privilegio de Villa Real concedido por S.M. el Carlos III.

Juntamente con la pesca, a mediados del siglo XIX fue tomando mucha importancia el comercio de aceite y vino, hasta que numerosas plagas, especialmente la filoxera, atacaron los cultivos durante la segunda mitad del siglo XIX. Eso provocó un importante declive en la economía del pueblo, por el cual muchas famílias se vieron obligadas a emigrar.

Después de este desastre, sólo se recuperaron para el cultivo los valles y las zonas bajas de las montañas; a partir de los años 60 esta actividad fue disminuyendo, dejando la pesca como el principal recurso del pueblo.

Extraído de Wikipedia

BBC-2 - It Started with Swap Shop - A Special Programme which showed us 30 years of Saturday Morning Television for kids and students with a hangover.

From the beginning:

Swap Shop - Presented by Noel Edmonds, John Craven, Maggie Philbin and Keith Chegwin

Saturday Super Store - Presented by Mike Reed, Sarah Greene, Keith Chegwin and John Craven

Going Live - Presented by Phillip Schofield and Sarah Greene with Gordon the Gopher.

Live and Kicking - Presnted by Andi Peters and Emma Fhorbes

The Saturday Show - Presented by Dani Behr and Joe Mace

Saturday - Presented by Angelica Bell and Jake Humphrey

Dick and Dom and da Bungalow - Presented by Richard McCourt and Dominic Wood.

TMi - Presented by Sam Nixon, Mark Rhodes and Caroline Flack

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)

Dunham Massey Hall, usually known simply as Dunham Massey,[1] is an English country house in the parish of Dunham Massey in the district of Trafford,[2] near Altrincham, Greater Manchester. It is now a National Trust property, open to the public.[1] During World War I it was the Stamford Military Hospital.[3]

The stately home was designated a Grade One listed-building on 5 March 1959.[2] It has been owned by the National Trust since the death of the 10th and last Earl of Stamford in 1976.[4] Over 340,000 people visited the house in 2014/15, placing it in the ten most popular National Trust houses.[5]

Dunham Massey was built in the early 17th century by the Earls of Warrington, passing to the Earls of Stamford by inheritance; the family still live in part of the house. There were significant alterations, especially internally, at the start of the 20th century.[6] It has historic formal gardens and a deer park. The park and gardens are listed Grade II* on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.[7] It was formerly in the ancient parish of Bowdon, Cheshire.

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....

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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!

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.

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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

Crazy sunset night picture number 2. It was a joy to behold.

Not sure what year this one is, possibly a 1915. Its some sort of specialty version as well with loads of extra seating, maybe a shuttle vehicle.

The Ford Model T (colloquially known as the Tin Lizzie, T‑Model Ford, 'Model T Ford', or T) is an automobile that was produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908 to May 27, 1927.[1][2] It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, the car that opened travel to the common middle-class American; some of this was because of Ford's efficient fabrication, including assembly line production instead of individual hand crafting.[3] The Ford Model T was named the world's most influential car of the 20th century in an international poll.[4]

The Model T set 1908 as the historic year that the automobile became popular. The first production Model T was produced on August 12, 1908[5] and left the factory on September 27, 1908, at the Piquette Plant in Detroit, Michigan. On May 26, 1927, Henry Ford watched the 15 millionth Model T Ford roll off the assembly line at his factory in Highland Park, Michigan.[6]

There were several cars produced or prototyped by Henry Ford from the founding of the company in 1903 until the Model T was introduced. Although he started with the Model A, there were not 19 production models (A through T); some were only prototypes. The production model immediately before the Model T was the Model S,[7] an upgraded version of the company's largest success to that point, the Model N. The follow-up was the Ford Model A (rather than any Model U). Company publicity said this was because the new car was such a departure from the old that Henry wanted to start all over again with the letter A.

The Model T was the first automobile mass-produced on moving assembly lines with completely interchangeable parts, marketed to the middle class.[citation needed] Henry Ford said of the vehicle:

"I will build a car for the great multitude. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for the individual to run and care for. It will be constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired, after the simplest designs that modern engineering can devise. But it will be so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one – and enjoy with his family the blessing of hours of pleasure in God's great open spaces."

Above summary is from 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.

+++ 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

Photo by Lydia Marcus

St. Cyril Church, Encino, CA

The Canon AF35M was my very first 35mm camera and the very first camera that was exclusively mine and not the family camera. Up til that point, I had used several family cameras including two different Polaroids (a Super Shooter Plus and a One Step) or a Kodak Instamatic. Sometime around 1980 or 1981, when I was 10 or 11 years old, I asked my Dad to buy me a camera of my own. On some special occasion (I think possibly my 6th grade graduation) I was told I could get a camera and I chose the Canon AF35M. I believe I bought it at Radio Shack. I used the camera until I got a hand me down Canon AE-1 Program around 1986 and then I started using that. The camera has sat unused in a cabinet ever since. My emerging re-interest in shooting film has brought me back to the Canon AF35M. When I realized it had a fast f/2.8 lens I thought I'd give it a try. Here's the first test roll. The camera is still working perfectly, the only issue I have to be aware of is that I can't get too close for focusing. Other than that, the photos turned out surprisingly sharp. I think it has a pretty nice, contrasty lens.

From Wikipedia:

The Canon AF35M, nicknamed the Autoboy by Canon Japan or the Sure Shot by Canon USA, was Canon Inc.'s first autofocus 35mm lens-shutter compact camera.[1][2] It was launched in November 1979[1] and received the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry's 1980 Good Design Award in September 1980.[2] It proved successful among similar cameras from the competition and sold well; production reached 110,000 per month by the second half of 1981.[2] It was partly supplanted by 1981's higher-specified AF35ML and wholly replaced by 1983's AF35M II.

The active autofocus system used a near-infrared emitting diode and a pin photo diode to determine the subject position by triangulation in a manner similar to a coincident-image rangefinder. This meant that the system was independent of ambient light levels and achieved a high degree of accuracy; however, it could be fooled by glass (which is not transparent to infrared radiation). The autofocus area was marked on the reverse-Galilean optical viewfinder, which also had projected framelines, zone focusing marks for near, medium and far (lit to indicate the approximate area the autofocus had selected), parallax correction marks, and battery-check and camera-shake warning LEDs. Viewfinder magnification was 0.5× and coverage was 85% of the full 135 frame by area.

The lens was of 38 mm focal length and with a maximum aperture of f/2.8. A ring around the lens optic itself was used to set the film speed (ISO 25 to 400), which was indicated on a small window on the front of the lens assembly; also there, but below the lens optic itself, was the cadmium sulfide (CdS) photoresistor for the light meter. The location of this, inside the filter ring of the lens, meant that the meter would function accurately even with filters fitted to the lens.

Film transport was fully automatic in both directions, but the camera was not fitted with Canon's Quick Load feature; film still had to be manually threaded to the take-up spool.

An integral flash was fitted; this retracted into the top of the camera on the left (from the user's perspective) and was manually extended via releasing a catch on the camera's front. The unit had a guide number of 14 (at ISO 100 in meters) and featured auto-exposure with the camera's light meter as well as supporting fill flash. Also on the front was a self-timer control.

All electronic functions drew power from two AA batteries.

This glory of Christ is properly, and in the highest sense, divine. He shines in all the brightness of glory that is inherent in the Deity. Such is the exceeding brightness of this Sun of righteousness, that, in comparison of it, the light of the natural sun is as darkness; and hence, when he shall appear in his glory, the brightness of the sun shall disappear, as the brightness of the little stars do when the sun rises. So says the prophet Isaiah, ‘Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun shall be ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and before his ancients gloriously.’ Isa. xxiv. 23.. But, although his light is thus bright, and his beams go forth with infinite strength; yet, as they proceed from the Lamb of God, and shine through his meek and lowly human nature, they are supremely soft and mild, and, instead of dazzling and overpowering our feeble sight, like a smooth ointment or a gentle eye-salve, are vivifying and healing. Thus on them, who fear God’s name, ‘the Sun of righteousness arises, with healing in his beams,’ Mal. iv. 2.. It is like the light of the morning, a morning without clouds, as the dew on the grass, under whose influence the souls of his people are as the tender grass springing out of the earth, by clear shining after rain. Thus are the beams of his beauty and brightness fitted for the support and reviving of the afflicted. He heals the broken in spirit, and bindeth up their wounds. When the spirits of his people are cut down by the scythe, he comes down upon them, in a sweet and heavenly influence, like rain on the mown grass, and like showers that water the earth. (Psal. lxxii. 6)

Jonathan Edwards

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. John 1:1-4

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

O rio Paraná ('como o mar' ou 'parecido com o mar', do tupi para (mar) e na (se parece com ou como) é um rio sul-americano que nasce entre os estados de São Paulo, Minas Gerais e Mato Grosso do Sul, no Brasil, na confluência de dois importantes rios brasileiros: o Rio Grande e Paranaíba. O Rio Paraná corre aproximadamente no eixo central da Bacia do Paraná, uma ampla bacia sedimentar.

Em seu percurso, banha também o estado do Paraná, adquirindo uma extensão total de 3.998 km, que lhe renderia o posto de o nono rio mais extenso do mundo, caso fosse contado o trecho do rio Paranaíba. O rio Paraná demarca a fronteira entre Brasil e Paraguai numa extensão de 190 km até à foz do rio Iguaçu.

A partir de Foz do Iguaçu, o rio muda para direção oeste e passa a ser o limite natural entre Argentina e Paraguai. Na confluência do rio Paraguai o rio entra inteiramente em terras argentinas e passa a percorrer a direção sul, desaguando no delta do Paraná e, conseqüentemente, no Rio da Prata.

A sua vazão na foz, de 16.000 m³/s, é comparável à de rios como o rio Mississippi (18.000 m³/s) e o rio Ganges(16.000 m³/s).

No trecho brasileiro há a barragem de Jupiá, que está localizada a 21 quilômetros da confluência com o rio Tietê, assim como também a barragem de Ilha Solteira, enquanto na fronteira do Paraguai com o Brasil está a usina-barragem de Itaipu, e na fronteira entre a Argentina e o Paraguai, Yacyretá. As duas hidroelétricas fornecem 99% da eletricidade do Paraguai (90% só de Itaipú), e fazem do país o maior exportador de eletricidade do mundo.

A floresta tropical e subtropical que antes ocupava boa parte da bacia do Paraná encontra-se largamente extinta; a área mais preservada encontra-se na província argentina de Misiones.

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

El Paraná es un río de América del Sur que atraviesa la mitad sur del subcontinente y forma parte de la extensa cuenca combinada del Plata.

Esta cuenca recoge las aguas de la mayoría de los ríos del sur del subcontinente, como el Paraná, el Paraguay, el Uruguay, sus afluentes y diversos humedales, como el Pantanal, los Esteros del Ibera y el Bañado la Estrella . Es la segunda cuenca más extensa de Sudamérica, sólo superada por la del río Amazonas.

La unión de los ríos Paraná y Uruguay forman el estuario denominado Río de la Plata, donde el Paraná desemboca en un delta en constante crecimiento, producto de los sedimentos que aportan, principalmente, los ríos Paraguay y Bermejo.

Paraná es el apócope de la expresión "para rehe onáva" que en idioma guaraní significa "pariente del mar" o "agua que se mezcla con el mar".

=============

The Paraná River (Spanish: Río Paraná, Portuguese: Rio Paraná) is a river in south Central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina for some 4,880 kilometres (3,030 mi).[2] It is second in length only to the Amazon River among South American rivers. The name Paraná is an abbreviation of the phrase "para rehe onáva", which comes from the Tupi language and means "like the sea" (that is, "as big as the sea"). It merges first with the Paraguay River and then farther downstream with the Uruguay River to form the Río de la Plata and empties into the Atlantic Ocean.

The course is formed at the confluence of the Paranaiba and Grande rivers in southern Brazil. From the confluence the river flows in a generally southwestern direction for about 619 km (385 miles) before encountering the city of Saltos del Guaira, Paraguay. This was once the location of the Sete Quedas waterfall, where the Paraná fell over a series of seven cascades. This natural feature was said to rival the world famous Iguazu Falls to the south. The falls were flooded, however, by the construction of the Itaipu dam, which began operating in 1984.

For approximately the next 200 km (125 miles) the Parana flows southward and forms a natural boundary between Paraguay and Brazil until the confluence with the Iguazu River. Shortly upstream from this confluence, however, the river is dammed by the impressive Itaipu Dam, the second largest hydroelectric power station in the world (after the Three Gorges Dam in the People's Republic of China), and creating a massive, shallow reservoir behind it.

After merging with the Iguazu, the Paraná then becomes the natural border between Paraguay and Argentina. Overlooking the Paraná River from Encarnación, Paraguay, across the river, is downtown Posadas, Argentina. The river continues its general southward course for about 468 km (291 miles) before making a gradual turn to the west for another 820 km (510 miles), and then encounters the Paraguay River, the largest tributary along the course of the river. Before this confluence the river passes through a second major hydroelectric project, the Yaciretá dam, a joint project between Paraguay and Argentina. The massive reservoir formed by the project has been the source of a number of problems for people living along the river, most notably the poorer merchants and residents in the low lying areas of Encarnación, a major city on the southern border of Paraguay. River levels rose dramatically upon completion of the dam, flooding out large sections of the city's lower areas.

From the confluence with the Paraguay River, the Paraná again turns to the south for another approximately 820 km (510 miles) through Argentina, making a slow turn back to the east near the city of Rosario for the final stretch of less than 500 km (310 miles) before merging with the Uruguay River to form the Río de la Plata and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. During the part of its course downstream from the city of Diamante, Entre Ríos, it splits into several arms and forms the Paraná Delta, a long flood plain which reaches up to 60 km in width.

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport was completed in early 1929, initially with one runway and was the fourth airport built in the city. Scenic Airways, lacking funds after the stock market crash that year, sold the airport to Acme Investment Company, which owned the airport until 1935, when the city of Phoenix purchased Sky Harbor airport for $100,000.

The airport's master plan was redesigned in 1959 to eliminate the cross runway to make room for new terminals. American and TWA began jet service to Phoenix in 1960 and 1961 respectively, and Terminal 2 opened in 1962. It was designed by the Phoenix architectural firms of Weaver & Drover and Mahoney. Terminal 1 was demolished in 1991 and is now the site of the cellphone lot. Terminal 2 featured a 16-foot-high and 75-foot-wide mural composed of 52 different materials, including mosaic glass, gemstones, shells and vintage toys. In November 2006, a Military and Veterans Hospitality Room, sponsored by the Phoenix Military and Veterans Commission, was opened in Terminal 2. It has since relocated to Terminal 4 as the new USO. This terminal underwent two renovation projects. The first was completed in 1988. The second project, which cost $24 million and was designed by DWL Architects + Planners, Inc., was completed in 2007. The city elected to keep the designations for Terminals 3 and 4.

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....

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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

The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory (commonly and locally known as the Belle Isle Conservatory) is a greenhouse and a botanical garden located on Belle Isle, a 982-acre island park nestled in the Detroit River between Detroit and the Canada–United States border. The park itself consists of 13 acres of preserved land for the conservatory and its botanical garden.

Opened in 1904, the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory is the oldest continually-running conservatory in the United States.[1][2] It is named for Anna Scripps Whitcomb, who left her collection of 600 orchids to Detroit in 1955

This glory of Christ is properly, and in the highest sense, divine. He shines in all the brightness of glory that is inherent in the Deity. Such is the exceeding brightness of this Sun of righteousness, that, in comparison of it, the light of the natural sun is as darkness; and hence, when he shall appear in his glory, the brightness of the sun shall disappear, as the brightness of the little stars do when the sun rises. So says the prophet Isaiah, ‘Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun shall be ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and before his ancients gloriously.’ Isa. xxiv. 23.. But, although his light is thus bright, and his beams go forth with infinite strength; yet, as they proceed from the Lamb of God, and shine through his meek and lowly human nature, they are supremely soft and mild, and, instead of dazzling and overpowering our feeble sight, like a smooth ointment or a gentle eye-salve, are vivifying and healing. Thus on them, who fear God’s name, ‘the Sun of righteousness arises, with healing in his beams,’ Mal. iv. 2.. It is like the light of the morning, a morning without clouds, as the dew on the grass, under whose influence the souls of his people are as the tender grass springing out of the earth, by clear shining after rain. Thus are the beams of his beauty and brightness fitted for the support and reviving of the afflicted. He heals the broken in spirit, and bindeth up their wounds. When the spirits of his people are cut down by the scythe, he comes down upon them, in a sweet and heavenly influence, like rain on the mown grass, and like showers that water the earth. (Psal. lxxii. 6)

Jonathan Edwards

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. John 1:1-4

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

This skirt was planned around the buttons, which I *think* I bought nearly a year ago from Stitch 56 (side note.. I just love Stitch 56!!! They have the best customer service!)

This one's another make for my sister, Eva who wanted a cotton skirt with buttons down the front which fell below the knee. Using the Zinnia pattern, I used the length and buttons from Version 1 and added the pleats from Version 2. It came together pretty easily and I think it looks cute!

Pattern: Zinnia, Colette Patterns (combined Ver 1 and Ver 2)

www.colettepatterns.com/sewing/zinnia

Fabric: Cotton voile with small scale blue floral print from Hobby Sew and lined with a white lightweight cotton. Blue imitation ceramic buttons from www.stitch56.com

We drove to the top of Mt. Evans this weekend as they close the road for the season on 9/2. It was beautiful!

5 Frames shot at 11mm in portrait orientation with 3 RAW pictures at each interval for total 15 image HDR. Shot handheld then stitched with Hugin and Enblend.

Because of the size, you really really really need to View it Large On Black

Or for those with bandwith to spare, see the ORIGINAL

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 Leitha 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

I took the Sigma 35 F1.2 out for an official spin at my local park, with my lovely wife and daughter whom is always gracious enough to pose for me.

My quick thoughts, coming from the Sony Camp and using the Zeiss 35mm F1.4za, the Sigma is more sharper, even at 1.2, The Zeiss may have just a bit more punch of color, but the Sigma isn't far off. The build goes to Sigma, so does the heft. You can get very creative with the F1.2, it's fun. AF is actually pretty good, S and C, the Eye focus was good as well. The MFD is very good, I can get pretty close.

For me it is worth the price tag. How tack sharp this lens is wide open is unbelievable. My favorite lens in my bag was the 50 S Pro and followed by the Sigma Art 85, the Sigma Art 85 has been bumped to 3rd place by the Sigma 35mm F1.2. The Panny 50 S Pro is still a special lens and my favorite and it does surpass the Sigma 35 1.2, but not by much. However, if I had to take one lens, it would be the Sigma 35 F1.2 because of it's versatility.

I am not a professional, just a highly enthusiastic photographer who loves everything photography.

Most are shot wide open and very little post, if any.

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II[N 1] is a tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft.[2] 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.[3]

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,[4] including an absolute speed record, and an absolute altitude record.[5]

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 aerial 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 U.S. Air Force had one pilot and two weapon systems officers (WSOs),[6] and the US Navy had one pilot and one radar intercept officer (RIO) become aces by achieving five aerial kills against enemy fighter aircraft.[7] 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.[8][9] 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).[3][10][11] 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 five countries. Phantom production ran from 1958 to 1981, with a total of 5,195 built, making it the most numerous American supersonic military aircraft.[3][12]

The F-4 remains in service with Iran, Japan, South Korea, and Turkey. It has been used in combat against the Islamic State.

Yesterday and today I heard about a few New Year's Day traditions that

were new to me, via Twitter and Facebook. Social media is a great way

to learn about other cultures and places. One previous year an online

friend tipped me off to a webcam in a Zen temple in Japan and I

listened to the New Year bells all day. That was lovely. Today, the

new things I heard were (1) it is lucky to have someone come into your

home before you leave it on New Year's Day, and (2) it's lucky to eat

blackeyed peas and greens. With #2 there was some variation about

whether the blackeyed peas should have ham jowl, bacon, ham, or go

meatless, and whether the greens were exclusively collard greens or

whether other greens are acceptable.

Oddly enough, we ended up not going to my son's drum lesson as planned

because we couldn't raise the teacher to verify if class was on or

off, and so we did end up having someone enter the house before we

left. That tradition really doesn't make a lot of sense to me. It

sounds kind of like musical chairs, with someone guaranteed to lose.

While it doesn't make sense to me to stay home until someone visits,

it does explain those places that have a tradition of running around

from house to house visiting everyone right after midnight and BEFORE

you go to bed. That shares the luck pretty fairly all around the town.

Sometimes I think the book Cows,

Pigs, Wars and Witches" sank into my brain perhaps too much. I

like to look at traditions and try to figure out logical origins for

them. While the "don't leave the house" tradition doesn't make sense

to me, the blackeyed peas really works beautifully.

Many of the New Year's traditions I've encountered have focused on

drawing wealth & love & luck to you during the coming year. Most of

them have done this by indulging in items or acts that symbolically

represent those concepts — eating lots of grapes fast, cakes with

money in them, shortbread stuffed with butter, rice, doughnuts, honey,

kissing someone, rings, telling fortunes, you get the idea. While I've

been dutifully and playfully going along with these much of my life,

they never really did much for me. I kind of get the idea, but I've

never known it to make a difference and am fairly dubious about the

whole idea.

So when I was pondering the idea of blackeyed peas and greens, what I

thought was along the lines of this. "Hmmm, pretty much everyone can

afford beans, peas, things like that. Even folk who can't afford ham

often have a bit of bacon drippings saved up. The greens were often

bitter greens that folk could pick wild. This is stuff that you can

celebrate with and not need to be rich or pretending you are rich." I

like this. I like having a holiday tradition that doesn't mean

breaking the bank. I like the idea of being inclusive, having a

holiday tradition that can be achieved equally well by all classes. I

like the idea of attracting wealth by being FRUGAL (nice way to start

the year, eh?). I like having a holiday tradition that is respectful

of others who perhaps have less, that allows and embraces the dignity

of those who don't have as much.

I've been there. Right now, I spend more on food, but I spent a lot of

years doing without and pinching to get by. Lately, I've been cleaning

cupboards and seeing what is getting old, needs to get used up, is

about to expire, and making sure things do get used. I'm in a thrifty

frame of mind these days.

Anyway, I set a pot of blackeyed peas and crowder peas to simmer,

chopped some pork that had been in the freezer too long, threw in some

bacon drippings, onions, rice ... Made a ton. Invited folk over. Had

the blackeyed peas with greens, corn relish, homemade chutney,

biscuits. Dirt cheap dinner, and we were all completely stuffed. I

even sent leftovers with folk. Still have so much I'll be eating this

for at least a week.

BedHead Productions 001

1. Matchbox

2. It Don`t Come Easy

3. Wings

4. Hello It`s Me

5. Evil Ways

6. Rosanna

7. Kyrie

8. Don`t Pass Me By

9. Bang On The Drum All Day

10. Boys

11. Yellow Submarine

12. Blackmagic Women

13. Anthem

14. I Am The Greatest

15. You Are Mine

16. Africa

17. Everybody`s Everything

18. I Wanna Be Your Man

19. I Saw The Light

20. Broken Wings

21, Hold The Line

22. Photograph

23. Act Naturally

24. With A Little Help From My Friends/

Give Peace A Chance

This skirt was planned around the buttons, which I *think* I bought nearly a year ago from Stitch 56 (side note.. I just love Stitch 56!!! They have the best customer service!)

This one's another make for my sister, Eva who wanted a cotton skirt with buttons down the front which fell below the knee. Using the Zinnia pattern, I used the length and buttons from Version 1 and added the pleats from Version 2. It came together pretty easily and I think it looks cute!

Pattern: Zinnia, Colette Patterns (combined Ver 1 and Ver 2)

www.colettepatterns.com/sewing/zinnia

Fabric: Cotton voile with small scale blue floral print from Hobby Sew and lined with a white lightweight cotton. Blue imitation ceramic buttons from www.stitch56.com

O rio Paraná ('como o mar' ou 'parecido com o mar', do tupi para (mar) e na (se parece com ou como) é um rio sul-americano que nasce entre os estados de São Paulo, Minas Gerais e Mato Grosso do Sul, no Brasil, na confluência de dois importantes rios brasileiros: o Rio Grande e Paranaíba. O Rio Paraná corre aproximadamente no eixo central da Bacia do Paraná, uma ampla bacia sedimentar.

Em seu percurso, banha também o estado do Paraná, adquirindo uma extensão total de 3.998 km, que lhe renderia o posto de o nono rio mais extenso do mundo, caso fosse contado o trecho do rio Paranaíba. O rio Paraná demarca a fronteira entre Brasil e Paraguai numa extensão de 190 km até à foz do rio Iguaçu.

A partir de Foz do Iguaçu, o rio muda para direção oeste e passa a ser o limite natural entre Argentina e Paraguai. Na confluência do rio Paraguai o rio entra inteiramente em terras argentinas e passa a percorrer a direção sul, desaguando no delta do Paraná e, conseqüentemente, no Rio da Prata.

A sua vazão na foz, de 16.000 m³/s, é comparável à de rios como o rio Mississippi (18.000 m³/s) e o rio Ganges(16.000 m³/s).

No trecho brasileiro há a barragem de Jupiá, que está localizada a 21 quilômetros da confluência com o rio Tietê, assim como também a barragem de Ilha Solteira, enquanto na fronteira do Paraguai com o Brasil está a usina-barragem de Itaipu, e na fronteira entre a Argentina e o Paraguai, Yacyretá. As duas hidroelétricas fornecem 99% da eletricidade do Paraguai (90% só de Itaipú), e fazem do país o maior exportador de eletricidade do mundo.

A floresta tropical e subtropical que antes ocupava boa parte da bacia do Paraná encontra-se largamente extinta; a área mais preservada encontra-se na província argentina de Misiones.

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

El Paraná es un río de América del Sur que atraviesa la mitad sur del subcontinente y forma parte de la extensa cuenca combinada del Plata.

Esta cuenca recoge las aguas de la mayoría de los ríos del sur del subcontinente, como el Paraná, el Paraguay, el Uruguay, sus afluentes y diversos humedales, como el Pantanal, los Esteros del Ibera y el Bañado la Estrella . Es la segunda cuenca más extensa de Sudamérica, sólo superada por la del río Amazonas.

La unión de los ríos Paraná y Uruguay forman el estuario denominado Río de la Plata, donde el Paraná desemboca en un delta en constante crecimiento, producto de los sedimentos que aportan, principalmente, los ríos Paraguay y Bermejo.

Paraná es el apócope de la expresión "para rehe onáva" que en idioma guaraní significa "pariente del mar" o "agua que se mezcla con el mar".

=============

The Paraná River (Spanish: Río Paraná, Portuguese: Rio Paraná) is a river in south Central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina for some 4,880 kilometres (3,030 mi).[2] It is second in length only to the Amazon River among South American rivers. The name Paraná is an abbreviation of the phrase "para rehe onáva", which comes from the Tupi language and means "like the sea" (that is, "as big as the sea"). It merges first with the Paraguay River and then farther downstream with the Uruguay River to form the Río de la Plata and empties into the Atlantic Ocean.

The course is formed at the confluence of the Paranaiba and Grande rivers in southern Brazil. From the confluence the river flows in a generally southwestern direction for about 619 km (385 miles) before encountering the city of Saltos del Guaira, Paraguay. This was once the location of the Sete Quedas waterfall, where the Paraná fell over a series of seven cascades. This natural feature was said to rival the world famous Iguazu Falls to the south. The falls were flooded, however, by the construction of the Itaipu dam, which began operating in 1984.

For approximately the next 200 km (125 miles) the Parana flows southward and forms a natural boundary between Paraguay and Brazil until the confluence with the Iguazu River. Shortly upstream from this confluence, however, the river is dammed by the impressive Itaipu Dam, the second largest hydroelectric power station in the world (after the Three Gorges Dam in the People's Republic of China), and creating a massive, shallow reservoir behind it.

After merging with the Iguazu, the Paraná then becomes the natural border between Paraguay and Argentina. Overlooking the Paraná River from Encarnación, Paraguay, across the river, is downtown Posadas, Argentina. The river continues its general southward course for about 468 km (291 miles) before making a gradual turn to the west for another 820 km (510 miles), and then encounters the Paraguay River, the largest tributary along the course of the river. Before this confluence the river passes through a second major hydroelectric project, the Yaciretá dam, a joint project between Paraguay and Argentina. The massive reservoir formed by the project has been the source of a number of problems for people living along the river, most notably the poorer merchants and residents in the low lying areas of Encarnación, a major city on the southern border of Paraguay. River levels rose dramatically upon completion of the dam, flooding out large sections of the city's lower areas.

From the confluence with the Paraguay River, the Paraná again turns to the south for another approximately 820 km (510 miles) through Argentina, making a slow turn back to the east near the city of Rosario for the final stretch of less than 500 km (310 miles) before merging with the Uruguay River to form the Río de la Plata and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. During the part of its course downstream from the city of Diamante, Entre Ríos, it splits into several arms and forms the Paraná Delta, a long flood plain which reaches up to 60 km in width.