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Notice the equal height at which all the trees were severed. They were not severed near the ground level as they normally should be.
I think whoever did this, did it during the flood in the spring of 2006, when the water level probably reached the height of the remaining tree trunks you can see in this picture.
The water level being so high, they were able to get to the trees in boats and they severed them were the surface of the water was at the time.
After severing the trees, they must have taken advantage of the fact that wood is floatable and simply towed the tree trunks to the destination.
This might have been done by proper forestry authorities, not necessarily by thieves, but even so, I still think it was plunder.
Tashkent also known as Toshkent, is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. It is located in northeastern Uzbekistan, near the border with Kazakhstan.
Before the influence of Islam in the mid-8th century AD, Sogdian and Turkic culture was predominant. After Genghis Khan destroyed the city in 1219, it was rebuilt and profited from its location on the Silk Road. From the 18th to the 19th centuries, the city became an independent city-state, before being re-conquered by the Khanate of Kokand. In 1865, Tashkent fell to the Russian Empire; as a result, it became the capital of Russian Turkestan. In Soviet times, it witnessed major growth and demographic changes due to forced deportations from throughout the Soviet Union. Much of Tashkent was destroyed in the 1966 Tashkent earthquake, but it was soon rebuilt as a model Soviet city. It was the fourth-largest city in the Soviet Union at the time, after Moscow, Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) and Kiev (now Kyiv).
Tashkent plays a central role in the country's economic and human development. As of 2024, it recorded the highest HDI among Uzbekistan's regions, with a score of 0.840, reflecting significant progress in education, healthcare, and living standards. Economically, Tashkent was the leading contributor to the national GDP, accounting for 19% of Uzbekistan’s GDP in the first half of 2024. This economic dominance is supported by ongoing infrastructure development and urban modernization projects aimed at enhancing its role as a financial and commercial hub. Nonetheless, the city faces challenges such as environmental concerns and the need for sustainable investment in public services.
Since Uzbekistan gained independence, Tashkent has retained its multiethnic population, with ethnic Uzbeks forming the majority. In 2009, it celebrated 2,200 years of its written history. The master plan of Tashkent until 2045 was approved.
Countdown Day #14
Today is many things ....
it marks the middle of the week, when we can all begin to see the light of the weekend approaching again ....
it is officially 2 weeks from now that I will be enjoying the Alaskan way of life .....
and there's one more thing that I celebrate today, but I'll wait on that one for just a few moments.
In 2010, it was probably our best year in returning to Katmai NP & Preserve and photographing the coastal brown bears. That year we visited in July with the specific purpose of spending time with the sows who had their cubs with them. We hit it just right .... there were numerous sets of sows and their cubs, anywhere from 1-4 each (cubs, that is with each sow). We traveled the landscape of Katmai, walking on their same game trails, with reminders of their presence all around us, be it bedded down areas, fresh scat, fresh scents, or my personal favorite always, tufts of their fur on branches that they undoubtedly rubbed themselves against. I've never felt such excitement in anticipation of catching the first glimpse of them, which is always way high on the "thrill meter". :-)
This day was no different.
What was different that year was the closeness that we found ourselves in amongst the magnificent bears.... not that we tried, it just happened. See, often sows will use humans to protect their cubs from other sows, or the occasional and unwelcome boar, as they set off for a fresh catch of incoming salmon. My heart was racing on that trip, on more than one occasion, due to the encounter that they allowed us to be a part of. The other thrill and added bonus to being there with so many sows and their cubs was observing their behaviors with them, especially during feeding time. They would gather up their cubs, slowly make their way to a more secluded section, while their cubs grew even more anxious than us for what was to come. Yes, it was time for their mom to take a break, lay down, and offer them up a special treat ... "liquid gold", or nourishing milk. How fun it was to watch them compete over getting the best spot for the feeding and bonding session. Like our own babies, they are quite frantic in the beginning, though after time, they relax and it's almost more of a "cuddle time", if you will. If the wind is not working against you and you're still, you can actually hear them purring.... just melts your heart. :-)
So, as I mentioned earlier, today is also a celebratory day and I chose with image for a reason. See, August 1-7th, 2013 is World Breastfeeding Week and I can't think of anything that could be more natural, nurturing, and bonding than time spent feeding our young, the way nature intended it, no matter the species.
Thanks for stopping by to view and especially for all of your thoughts and comments.
© Debbie Tubridy / © TNWA Photography - All of my images are protected by copyright and may not be used on any site, blog, or forum without my permission.
Website: www.tnwaphotography.com
As President Bush pushed for a surge of troops in Iraq, the drain on U.S. troops and readiness continued to mount. Six years after the invasion of Afghanistan and four years after the invasion of Iraq, the all-volunteer Army was almost broken. The situation for the National Guard and Reserve was even worse. The chairman of the congressionally appointed Commission on the National Guard and Reserves had recently reported that, "We can't sustain the [National Guard and reserves] on the course we're on." Even when troops returned home, they did not receive the treatment befitting veterans, as evidenced by the recent revelations of poor conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), member of the Armed Services Committee, discussed the condition of the U.S. Armed Forces and what could be done to rebuild them.
Photography by Ralph Alswang
202-487-5025
ralph@ralphphoto.com
ralphphoto.com
As far as I know '202 Fashion', the shop selling this 'I (heart) Cheryl Cole' jumper, is an local independent retailer who happens to trade inside Eldon Square. Cheryl Cole shows very public support for her home city of Newcastle, and in particular the suburb of Heaton where she grew up, namely from her seat as a judge on popular television entertainment programme X Factor. In return the city shows a support (if a little tongue in cheek) to the star. I feel that there's a local geordie allegiance going on here.
" They won't bloom" so said the cashier at Walmart, as she tried to dissuade me from buying these gladiola bulbs.
Boy was she wrong!
As we were leaving the harbour of Calais, I photographed this peaceful scene in the fading tranquil and silent sunlight.
Hard to believe that this is one of the busiest shipping-lanes in the world...
Another aspect of Summer...
Thanx, M, (*_*)
Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved
The smoke-belching Trabant, affectionately known as the "Trabi" to people who never had to drive one, debuted in East Germany in November 1957. Initially, the car was not a disaster, at least not entirely. In fact, it had some enviable attributes for its era. Its much-mocked duroplast body was an innovation at the time of its introduction. The vehicle’s front-wheel-drive transmission system and independent suspension were also modern advancements, one Trabant driver notes.
That, however, is where the vehicle’s virtues stop and its problems begin.
It wasn’t that the Trabant had a weak two-stroke engine, though it did. It wasn’t just that the Trabant was made with recycled waste (usually from wool or cotton), though it was. It wasn’t that Trabants topped out at 60 mph and “smoked like an Iraqi oil fire,” as one writer put it.
No, the Trabant’s biggest problem was that it never really improved. Perhaps it’s no surprise that the 1957 Trabant had no tachometer, no turn signal, no seat belts or fuel gauge-(the fuel gauge was a dipstick), no trunk liner, and used an oil/gas mix. When the last Trabant was produced in 1989 it still topped out at about 60 mph, which it took 21 seconds to reach from a stop. The Aston Martin Virage, which debuted the same year, took 6.5 seconds.
Perhaps just as shocking is how much a Trabant cost. The P601 model, which hit production lines in 1963 and was the most heavily produced Trabant, was listed at 7,450 eastern marks by the state ($1,862 USD in 1963, $15,600 in 2019). The average monthly income of an East German in 1960 was 558 marks, which means a Trabant cost more than an entire year’s wages for a typical worker, and it was paid in advance.
Trabants, however, were actually even more expensive. Because of automobile scarcity, on the second-hand market, a used Trabant sold for more than double the price of a new one, says Eli Rubin, an associate professor of history at Western Michigan University. Why were people paying so much for such a junky vehicle? Well, there wasn’t anything else.
East Germany's other car, the Wartburg, a steel beast (well, critter, anyway) with twice the horsepower as a Trabant that went for thrice the price, was produced for export (and Party VIPs). Indeed, despite its few amenities and poor reliability, East Germans considered themselves lucky just to get a Trabant. The average waiting period was 10 years.
When the Wall Fell-
Despite its many problems, a total of 2,818,547 Trabant 601s were produced—all of which became obsolete on November 9, 1989.
On that day, the Berlin Wall fell. With the grotesque scar that had marred Germany removed, the poor Trabant’s days were about over. Richard Leiby, a longtime editor at The Washington Post who wrote a book on the unification of Germany, says with its puny engine and lack of pollution controls, the Trabant was “clearly inferior to just about any automobile manufactured in Europe.”
Many Trabants were sold for as little as a few marks. Others were simply given away or abandoned as families fled to Western Europe. One reason for this was that European nations didn’t want them. Trabants spewed four times as much pollution as typical European vehicles, the historian Victor Sebestyen notes in Revolution 1989: The Fall of the Soviet Empire, which meant they did not meet emission standards in other European nations. But that didn’t stop thousands of Germans from using them to migrate westward on what some remember as “the Trabi Trail.” (In Czechoslovakia, the event was dubbed the Trabi Invasion.)
The Trabant’s Legacy-
Despite being a dreadful automobile, quite possibly the worst ever produced on a mass scale, the Trabant holds an important place in history. It is the car that “gave Communism a bad name,” a vehicle so inferior to automobiles produced in Europe and America that few could deny the system’s failings. It became, in short, a joke. Some 33,000 Trabants are still in existence today.
via John Currin (JC - Ex RNZN) - Google+ Public Posts ift.tt/1GVYPut
Oil Tanker Backlog in U.S. Gulf Seen as New Symbol of Glut - gCaptain
As well as a basic education, migrant labourers' son Dhanush (right) aged seven is now receiving healthy meals as a result of the "All For Children" project - a joint initiative by Unicef and the global clothing chain H&M. The project's aim is to protect the rights of children in the cotton producing areas of Tamil Nadu, southern India..Dhanush's family moved to Tamil Nadu from the eastern state of Orissa because of the availability of work at brickworks in Salem District. But life proved harder than expected and while his parents worked, he and his three siblings roamed wild in the surrounding countryside without clothes, regular meals or any notion of personal hygiene. The children's plight came to the attention of a Project Officer who arranged for them to be enrolled in a nearby day centre and primary school which also provide regular nutritious snacks..Dhanush is pictured with his eight-year-old sister Shanti (second right) and day centre helper Kalaiselvi ( left)..Unicef India/2010/Jean Macfarlane .
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I drive past this church most days and like the look of it in contrast to the modern houses near by. This shot was taken from my car as i parked in the car park outside of the church.
NAIMISHARANYA
Naimisaranyam, also known as Neemsar, Nimsar or Nimkhar is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.[1] It is one of the Divya Desams, the 108 temples of Vishnu revered in Nalayira Divya Prabandham by the 12 poet saints, or Alwars. The temple is believed to be of significant antiquity with contributions at different times from the ruling kings. The temple is counted as one of the eight temples of Vishnu that self-manifested and is classified as Swayamvyaktha Kshetra. The temple is open till 6pm. The holy tank Chankra Kunda is associated with the temple and it is a pilgrimage centre where people take a holy dip during festive occasions
Sage Narada is believed to have searched for the best theertha (water body) in three worlds. He went to Kailasa, the abode of Shiva, then to Parkadal, the abode of Vishnu and finally landed in the water body in the Naimisha Forest. The central deity is also believed to be worshipped by sudharma and devas(celestical deities).[1][2]
Indra, the king of the devas, was once driven out of devaloka by an asuranamed Vritra. The asura was the recipient of a boon whereby he could not be killed by any weapon that was known till the date of his receiving the boon and additionally that no weapon made of wood or metal could harm him. Indra, who lost all hope of recovering his kingdom went to seek the aid of Vishnu. Vishnu revealed to Indra that only the weapon made from the bones of the sageDadhichi would defeat Vritra. Indra and the other devas therefore approached the sage, whom Indra had once beheaded, and asked him for his aid in defeating Vritra. Dadhichi acceded to the devas' request but said that he wished that he had time to go on a pilgrimage to all the holy rivers before he gave up his life for them. Indra then brought together all the waters of the holy rivers to Naimisaranya, thereby allowing the sage to have his wish fulfilled without a further loss of time. Dadhichi is then said to have given up his life by the art of yoga after which the devas fashioned the Vajrayudha from his spine. This weapon was then used to defeat the asura, allowing Indra to reclaim his place as the king of devaloka.[3]
As told in another legend, when sages were planning to perform penance, Brahma, the god of creation, brought out a ring from darba grass. He asked the sages to perform penance at the place where the ring fell, which is believed to be Naimisaranya. The sages performed penance and at the end of it, Vishnu appeared to the sages and accepted their offerings. It is believed that the forest still has Vishnu and all sages as trees
Naimisaranyam is located at the junction of the roads from Sitapur and Khairabad, 32 km from Sitapur and 42 km from the Sandila railway station, 45 miles north of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. Naimisaranya is also known as Nimsar or Nimkhar and is located on the left bank of the river Gomati.[5] The sacred well, namely Chakra Kunda is believed to have started from the weapon of Vishnu, Chakra. There are shrines dedicated to Chakranarayana, Ganesh, Rama, Lakshman
This place has also been visited by Sankaracharya[8] and the famous poet, Surdas resided here. Suthar, the author of 18 puranas is believed to have lived here and presented his sayings to the sages. The central deity is believed to have presided over the forest and hence the puja (rituals) are done to the forest.[2]
The temple is counted as one of the eight temples of Vishnu that self-manifested and is classified as Swayamvyaktha Kshetra.[9] (Seven other temples in the line are Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple, Bhu Varaha Swamy temple, Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, and Vanamamalai Perumal Temple in South India and Saligrama, Pushkar and Badrinath Temple in North India).[10] Naimisaranya temple is revered in Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the 7th–9th century Vaishnava canon, by Thirumangai Azhwar in ten hymns. The temple is classified as a divyadesam, the 108 Vishnu temples that are revered in the Vaishnava canon.
Every new moon day, a large number of people purify themselves with a dip in the holy well. If the new moon falls on a Monday, it is believed that a holy bath in the well and offering to the presiding deity Lalitha will wash away all the sins committed in their lifetime
By Kailash Mansarovar Foundation Swami Bikash Giri www.sumeruparvat.com , www.naturalitem.com
What would vegetables look like as typefaces?
Makes as much sense to me as this one does.
Thanks to Grafisches Büro for the original.
We found two of these creatures on the sand at Antechamber Bay, Kangaroo Island, as shown on the map.
They were stranded at the high tide mark, several metres above the then low tide, within 25 metres of the rocky outcrop at the Northern point of the Bay.
Not knowing whether they were free swimming creatures or burrowers of some kind we left the one which was still alive where it was.
Thinking one was dead, and not having good enough light to photograph it in situ, I took one back to the house.
The following morning, as I moved it into good light I realised there was some slight response to my touch and so placed it on a flat surface and sprinkled some (fresh) water onto it. I hadn't thought to take some sea water.
These first four photos are the result.
We put a thin layer of water onto a plate and watched, astonished as it began to move quite purposefully from the centre of the plate to the outside edge and then over the edge, lifting (what we assumed to be) its "head" end and turning definitely left (away from the sunlight) and and then slightly towards the sunlight, before proceeding down over the edge of the plate onto the timber table.
We returned it to the plate and after some minutes it expelled a dark liquid which shot about 15 - 20 cms from its body and fell past the ledge of the table and in spots onto the floor.
We added a little more water and it expelled two more "bursts" of the dark brown liquid into the water.
After taking a series of pictures at very quick intervals (which make a staccato "movie" of its movements as described) we took it back to the beach.
We had a copy of Dakin's Seashores of Australia (details later) which made us think it a sea cucumber and likely to try to burrow near the rocks, so that's where we returned it
Pima Air and Space Museum
FIESELER Fi103-A1 (V-1)
HÖELLENHUND
SERIAL NUMBER 121536
Current Markings:
Luftwaffe Flak-Regiment 155(W), France, 1944
As the world's first operational cruise missile the Fi103 was the first of the so-called "Wonder Weapons" that German leaders felt would snatch victory from defeat. The concept of a self-guided flying bomb powered by a pulsejet engine originated in 1942 and quickly captured the attention of the German Luftwaffe, which was suffering high losses in bombers and crews. The Fi103 first flew in December 1942, but problems in both production and operation of the new weapon delayed its first operational use until June 12th 1944 when the first V-1s were fired at London. Eventually, more than 5,800 of the missiles would land in England killing over 8,000 people.
Service History:
Probably built in the infamous Mittelwerk underground factory sometime in early 1944. This factory used forced labor from the Buchenwald and Nordhausen Concentration Camps to build V-1 and V-2 missiles. The missile was captured by the First Canadian Army in the summer of 1944 in France and shipped to Canada for study. It was stored by the Canadian government for many years before being sold to a small private museum. In 2005 it was purchased by the Pima Air & Space Museum and brought to Tucson for display.
Technical Specifications:
Wingspan: 17 ft 7 4 in
Length: 27 ft 5 in
Height: 4 ft 8 in
Weight: 4,807 Ibs (loaded)
Maximum speed: 408 mph
Service Ceiling: 8,840 ft
Range: 148 miles
Engine: One Argus 109-104 pulsejet with 807 pounds of thrust Warhead: 1,784 pounds of Amatol 39A
V-1 Launch Site Representation:
The diorama assembled here is intended to convey a general impression of what a V-1 launch site was tike in the early spring of 1944. The V-1 sites were scattered all along the coasts of NW Europe, within range of central England. We see here a pair of Luftwaffe personnel, a Senior Corporal and mechanic, performing inspections of the V-1 and the launch control panel. The launch control unit would have typically been inside a bunker, but is displayed here for easier viewing. The site is surrounded by a thin leafy French forest which is being used to provide a bit of cover from marauding Allied fighter bombers, such as Typhoons & Thunderbolts, and tactical bombers, like the B-25 in the SW corner of this hangar, which were constantly on patrol against V-1 launches, the code for these types of targets was 'Noball'.
Initially V-1 emplacements were permanent style installations, but Allied air power reduced most of these to rubble and forced the Germans to create mobile launch units. The vast majority of V-1s were deployed from mobile units. A launch site like this would not have survived much past early July of 1944.
Mount Etna (Aetna in Latin, also known as Muncibeddu in Sicilian and Mongibello in Italian, a combination of Latin mons and Arabic gibel, both meaning mountain) is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, close to Messina and Catania. Its Arabic name was Jebel Utlamat (the Mountain of Fire).Volcanic activity at Etna began about half a million years ago, with eruptions occurring beneath the sea off the coastline of Sicily. 300,000 years ago, volcanism began occurring to the southwest of the present-day summit, before activity moved towards the present centre 170,000 years ago. Eruptions at this time built up the first major volcanic edifice, forming a strato-volcano in alternating explosive and effusive eruptions. The growth of the mountain was occasionally interrupted by major eruptions leading to the collapse of the summit to form calderas.From about 35,000 to 15,000 years ago, Etna experienced some highly explosive eruptions, generating large pyroclastic flows which left extensive ignimbrite deposits. Ash from these eruptions has been found as far away as Rome, 800 km to the north.Sicily's greatest natural attraction is also its highest mountain: Mount Etna, at 10,924 feet, is the most active volcano in Europe and the oldest recorded active volcano in the world. It is the largest active volcano in Europe, currently standing about 3329.6 m (10,924 feet)high, though it should be noted that this varies with summit eruptions; the mountain is 21.6 m (71 ft) lower now than it was in 1865. It is the highest mountain in Italy south of the Alps. Etna covers an area of 1,190 km² (460 square miles) with a basal circumference of 140 km.The fertile volcanic soils support extensive agriculture, with vineyards and orchards spread across the lower slopes of the mountain and the broad Plain of Catania to the south. Due to its history of recent activity and nearby population, Mount Etna has been designated a Decade Volcano by the United Nations.Etna lava stone is a material with unique characteristics: durable, indestructible, resistant to changes in the temperature (it’s a heat conductor), it offers infinite possibilities of uses: flooring, urban furniture, interior design.After the glazing process the product doesn’t get stained, resists to acids and doesn’t require particular maintenance: that’s why lava stone is the ideal material even to make kitchens and bathrooms countertops. The natural stone tends to grey, with the glazing process we can obtain any desired colour. Shapes, sizes and decorations can be customized . The lava stone it is formed by the solidification of cooled magma on the surface of the Etna volcano, in Sicily
L'Etna è un vulcano attivo che si trova sulla costa orientale della Sicilia (Italia), tra Catania e Messina. È il vulcano attivo più alto del continente europeo e uno dei maggiori al mondo. La sua altezza varia nel tempo a causa delle sue eruzioni, ma si aggira attualmente sui 3329.6 m (10,924 feet) s.l.m. Il suo diametro è di circa 45 chilometri.Un tempo era noto anche come Mongibello.In genere le eruzioni dell'Etna pur fortemente distruttive delle cose, non lo sono per le persone se si eccettuano i casi fortuiti o di palese imprudenza come quello dell'improvvisa esplosione di massi del 1979 che uccise nove turisti e ne ferì una decina di altri avventuratisi fino al cratere appena spento. L'Etna è un tipico strato-vulcano che iniziò la sua attività, tra 500 e 700 mila anni fa. La sua lava di tipo basaltico è povera in silice, è molto calda, densa e fluida. Per queste ragioni le eruzioni sono tranquille ed il percorso delle lave prevedibile. La velocità di scorrimento è superiore a quella delle lave acide, più ricche in silice e più viscose e leggere.La lavorazione della pietra lavica, derivante dall’industria estrattiva delle vicine cave dell'Etna, per scopi ornamentali o per materiali da costruzione, diede da vivere a molte famiglie siciliane.I "pirriaturi", anticamente, estraevano lungo i costoni dell'Etna solo strati superficiali di lava perché più porosi e più facilmente lavorabili con arnesi quali la subbia, lo scalpello, la mazzola e il martello. Sul materiale estratto interveniva lo spaccapietre che ricavava lastre di pietra, infine lo scalpellino rifiniva il materiale. Uno degli usi prevalenti cui era destinata la pietra lavica era la pavimentazione delle strade urbane
As always quite an extensive group of cities in their network even back in 1986. I think service to London was quite new back then for them.
Cliffs, Morning Light. Zion National Park, Utah. October 22, 2012. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell - all rights reserved.
Immense cliffs in the Pine Creek Canyon area of Zion National Park.
This was an interesting morning, as much for its place in the sequence of events on this trip to photograph in Utah as for the actual photographic opportunities. I have noticed, and other photographers I've spoken with about this seem to agree to at least some extent, that there is sometimes a sort of "getting up to speed" element to certain types of shooting when you are getting started. I recall mentioning this to one photographer friend in the context of a discussion about the idea that you should always have a clear vision for your photograph before you make it - a theoretical concept that most photographers I know acknowledge to be unrealistic and perhaps even a bad idea. (This is not to say that thinking about what your "capture" may look like as a photograph is unimportant, but rather an acknowledgement that things are often more complex than the simplistic notion suggests and that sometimes we, quite honestly, don't really know for sure which images will work or why.) When the idea of waiting for a really good image before making a photograph came up, I shared the observation that I sometimes have to "prime the pump" but simply starting to make some photographs, even if I'm not convinced that the first ones will be great. (One friend then referred to this as "photographic foreplay." ;-)
The previous day we had driven to St. George, Utah from the San Francisco Bay Area - a LONG drive - and finally stumbled into a motel in St. George close to midnight. (As I recall, the motel advertised something like "The Cheapest Rooms in St. George!") Up in the morning for precisely the free breakfast that you might expect in such a place - I resisted and instead walked across the street to a Starbucks - we left early and headed into Zion. As I recall we did not spend much, if any, time in Zion Canyon, and we were soon heading up the Mount Carmel highway, still having made no photographs. Finally, as we turned a few switchbacks on the initial climb, we saw some interesting light on the cliffs across the canyon, pulled over, got our cameras and lenses and tripods and made some photographs. I'm not sure that any of them were exactly remarkable, but with this first "shoot" (priming the pump) our work was now underway.
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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A couple of days ago I visited Griffith Park in LA. I love this place! Amazing that in such a busy, bustling city there is such a large peaceful area. I spent the day walking around and exploring the park, and then hiked up Mt Hollywood as the sun set, to get some night shots of the LA skyline. The views were simply stunning, and it was nice to be able to sit and watch the traffic chaos below rather than sitting in it.
As an Christmas gift for you guys, for the nex three Days you can get e a full Week Test Access to my OF ... but you have to hurry! 😘
❗Link in Bio ❗
So a couple of days ago, while my boyfriend was @ Kmart, I thought I'd asked him to see if they had any Top Model Barbies in stock. He had no clue what they looked like, so he asked the toy lady who worked there and she directed him to where they were.
He told me they had all three, so then I took a trip to K-mart the day after and snapped up all three! I originally just planned on getting them for their clothes, but I just might keep them as they are :o)
Unedited shot of buildings in Amsterdam, reflected in water. Taken with my Sony HX1. No editing, no magic tricks, no Photoshop :)
Yesterday I went to the Bijlmer, Amsterdam's most notorious 'Ghetto' (yes, the one a plane crashed into, in 1992), to visit a friend, and because I'm almost never in that area of the best city in the world, I got lost and kept biking in circles, waving my Google maps printout at people, asking them which way to go, and finally, after one hour, made it to the right place. On the way back to the city, I got lost again, but ended up passing by these buildings that were rather nicely reflected in a little artificial pond, so it was all good and worth it. These buildings look a bit untypical for this lovely city, that's because they're next to the Amstel station, where our tallest tower lives, the Amstel tower, a landmark that has helped me on many occasions to find back to the civilized world when traveling, as you can see it from farfar away already, waving and smiling at you, showing you the way back home...thank you tower :)
Have a relaxed Sunday :)
I've made a wicked puddle movie of these buildings too, watch it on my YouTube channel, thanks :)
"Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul."
- William Ernest Henley
*The year 2006 was such a tough year. Everything bottomed out. Money, work, self-esteem and direction. This piece was one of my first digital experiments during that time. It still reminds me that I always have choices, that I do trust the yearnings of my heart and that eventually I will find my way again and again. This poem by William Ernest Henley was recited to us by our Teacher years earlier and in 2006 I decided to make my own melody out of it and sing and sing my happiness back to me. Recently I watched the movie "Invictus" about Nelson Mandela's life and how these words helped him to overcome his daunting challenges. Invictus means "Unconquerable" and that is what we are in every precious moment.
. .. . As he had fun. .. .
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Golconda, also known as Golkonda or Golla konda ("shepherd's hill"), a fort of Southern India and capital of the medieval sultanate of the Qutb Shahi dynasty (1518–1687 A.D.), is situated 11 kilometres west of Hyderabad. It is also a tehsil of Hyderabad district, Telangana, India. The region is known for the mines that have produced some of the world's most famous gems, including the Koh-i-Noor, the Hope Diamond and the Nassak Diamond.
HISTORY
Golconda Fort was first built by the Kakatiya dynasty as part of their western defenses along the lines of the Kondapalli Fort. The city and fortress are built on a granite hill that is 120 meters high and is surrounded by massive battlements. The fort was rebuilt and strengthened by Pratapa Rudra of the Kakatiyas. The fort was further strengthened by the Musunuri Nayaks, who defeated the Tughlaqi army occupying Warangal. The fort was ceded by the Musunuri chief, Kapaya Nayak, to the Bahmani Sultanate as part of the treaty in 1364. The fort became the capital of a major province in the sultanate and, after its collapse, the capital of the Qutb Shahi dynasty. The fort finally fell into ruins after a siege and its fall to the Mughal Empire under Aurangzeb in 1687.
After the collapse of the Bahmani Sultanate, Golkonda rose to prominence as the seat of the Qutb Shahi dynasty around 1507. Over a period of 62 years, the mud fort was expanded by the first three Qutb Shahi sultans into a massive fortification of granite, extending around 5 km in circumference. It remained the capital of the Qutb Shahi dynasty until 1590 when the capital was shifted to Hyderabad. The Qutb Shahis expanded the fort, whose 7 kilometres outer wall enclosed the city. The state became a focal point for Shia Islam in India. For instance, in the 17th century, the Bahraini clerics Jaʿfar ibn Kamal al-Din and Salih Al-Karzakani both emigrated to Golkonda.
THE FORT
The Golkonda fort is listed as an archaeological treasure on the official "List of Monuments" prepared by the Archaeological Survey of India under the The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act. Golkonda actually consists of four distinct forts with a 10 km long outer wall with 87 semicircular bastions (some still mounted with cannons), eight gateways, and four drawbridges, with a number of royal apartments and halls, temples, mosques, magazines, stables, etc. inside. The lowest of these is the outermost enclosure into which we enter by the "Fateh Darwaza" (Victory gate, so called after Aurangzeb’s triumphant army marched in through this gate) studded with giant iron spikes (to prevent elephants from battering them down) near the south-eastern corner. At Fateh Darwaza can be experienced a fantastic acoustic effect, characteristic of the engineering marvels at Golkonda. A hand clap at a certain point below the dome at the entrance reverberates and can be heard clearly at the 'Bala Hisar' pavilion, the highest point almost a kilometer away. This worked as a warning note to the royals in case of an attack.
The whole of the Golconda Fort complex and its surrounding spreads across 11 km of total area, and discovering its every nook is an arduous task. A visit to the fort reveals the architectural beauty in many of the pavilions, gates, entrances and domes. Divided into four district forts, the architectural valour still gleams in each of the apartments, halls, temples, mosques, and even stables. The graceful gardens of the fort may have lost their fragrance, for which they were known 400 years ago, yet a walk in these former gardens should be in your schedule when exploring the past glories of Golkonda Fort.
Bala Hissar Gate is the main entrance to the fort located on the eastern side. It has a pointed arch bordered by rows of scroll work. The spandrels have yalis and decorated roundels. The area above the door has peacocks with ornate tails flanking an ornamental arched niche. The granite block lintel below has sculpted yalis flanking a disc. The design of peacocks and lions is a blend of Hindu – Muslim architecture.
Toli Masjid, situated at Karwan, about 2 km from the Golkonda fort, was built in 1671 by Mir Musa Khan Mahaldar, royal architect of Abdullah Qutb Shah. The facade consists of five arches, each with lotus medallions in the spandrels. The central arch is slightly wider and more ornate. The mosque inside is divided into two halls, a transverse outer hall and an inner hall entered through triple arches.
Much thought went into building this gate. A few feet in front of the gate is a large wall. This prevented elephants and soldiers (during enemy attacks) from having a proper ramp to run and break the gate.
The fort of Golkonda is known for its magical acoustic system. The highest point of the fort is the "Bala Hissar", which is located a kilometer away. The palaces, factories, water supply system and the famous "Rahban" cannon, within the fort are some of the major attractions.
It is believed that there is a secret underground tunnel that leads from the "Durbar Hall" and ends in one of the palaces at the foot of the hill. The fort also contains the tombs of the Qutub Shahi kings. These tombs have Islamic architecture and are located about 1 km north of the outer wall of Golkonda. They are encircled by beautiful gardens and numerous exquisitely carved stones. It is also believed that there was a secret tunnel to Charminar.
The two individual pavilions on the outer side of Golkonda are also major attractions of the fort. It is built on a point which is quite rocky. The "Kala Mandir" is also located in the fort. It can be seen from the king's durbar (king's court) which was on top of the Golkonda Fort.
The other buildings found inside the fort are :
Habshi Kamans (Abyssian arches), Ashlah Khana, Taramati mosque, Ramadas Bandikhana, Camel stable, private chambers (kilwat), Mortuary bath, Nagina bagh, Ramasasa's kotha, Durbar hall, Ambar khana etc.
This majestic structure has beautiful palaces and an ingenious water supply system. Sadly, the unique architecture of the fort is now losing its charm.
The ventilation of the fort is absolutely fabulous having exotic designs. They were so intricately designed that cool breeze could reach the interiors of the fort, providing a respite from the heat of summer.
The Huge gates of the fort are decorated with large pointed iron spikes. These spikes prevented Elephants from damaging the fort. The fort of Golkonda is encircled by an 11-km-long outer wall. This was built in order to fortify the fort.
Naya Qila (New Fort)
Naya Qila is an extension of Golkonda Fort. The ramparts of the new fort start after the residential area with many towers and the Hatiyan ka Jhad "Elephant-sized tree" - an ancient baobab tree with an enormous girth. It also includes a war mosque. The local government plans to convert the area into a golf club.
QUTUB SHAHI TOMBS
The tombs of the Qutb Shahi sultans lie about one kilometer north of Golkonda's outer wall. These structures are made of beautifully carved stonework, and surrounded by landscaped gardens. They are open to public and receive many visitors.
WIKIPEDIA
Ainda não terminei as coisinhas que vão para minha AS, do grupo artesanato com sotaque português...
Mas já vão seguir esta semana mesmo!
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This is a photograph from the start of the Tullamore Harriers AC "Quinlan Cup" Half Marathon which was held on Saturday 26th August 2017 in Tullamore, Co. Offaly, Ireland at 11:00. This is the fifth year of the event. The race is organised and promoted by Tullamore Harriers AC. The race starts on the Charleville Road just outside the entrance to Tullamore Harriers. The race proceeds south along the R421 and onto the N52 before taking a route onto local back roads. The race then completes a large rural road route before it joins to the R421 again and the final 1.5 miles are the same as the first mile of the race. The runners enter Tullamore stadium and complete one lap of the tartan track before the finish line. The course is challenging in places with some undulations along the route. But overall it is fair course. 2013 seen the first year of the event as the club commemorated the 60th Anniversary of the formation of Tullamore Harriers AC which today is one of Ireland's best known athletics clubs.
We have a large set of photographs from the start and the finish of today's race on our Flickr Photostream: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/albums/72157685695893933
The race was chip timed by MyRunResults - their website is www.myrunresults.com
The race was perfectly organised. The weather was good for racing but there was warm summer weather for the entire race which made for warmer than usual running conditions There were stewarts all along the route, 3 drink stations with bottled water, superb facilities, and great after-race refreshments. The stewards along the route provided great encouragement to all of the runners. Tullamore Harriers and the local community really worked together to make this is a wonderful event. There was also a relay option where teams of two can run approximately 10.5km each.
As mentioned above this race half marathon started in 2013 and celebrated the 60th Anniversary (a Diamond Anniversary) of the foundation of Tullamore Harriers AC. The club was formed in the town in November 1953. However, it was almost 1979 before facilities close to what we see today open in the present day site. Over 50 provincial and national athletics meetings are held at Tullamore Harriers every year. The facilities available combined with it's central geographical location joining routes from North, South, East, and West make it a very attractive venue. The half marathon today firmly brings competitive national road racing back to "The Harriers". The Quinlan Cup which will be awarded to the winning club team. For more than 40 years the Harriers Quinlan Cup was the most prestigious event on the road racing calendar. Having started as a cross-country race back in 1957, it became a road race in 1967 and remained so until 2000 when the race was last held. During its reign as a blue-ribband event the Quinlan Cup was won by the likes of John Treacy and Eamonn Coughlan.
Today, the facilities at Tullamore Harriers are the envy of many athletics clubs in Ireland. The facilities provided by Tullamore make it one of the premier venues for local and national level athletics in Ireland. There is an Olympic standard tartan track, a fully equipped gym, changing facilities, press and media facilities, meeting room spaces, etc. The club also provides a social center and niteclub which makes "The Harriers" a very well known on the local social scene. Esssentially, the town of Tullamore would be a different place if it weren't for the presence of Tullamore Harriers AC.
Our photographs from the 2016 Half Marathon on Flickr www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/albums/72157669860212434
Our photographs from the 2015 Half Marathon on Flickr. www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/albums/72157655560294853
Our photographs from the 2014 Half Marathon on Flickr. www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157646587496250/
Our photographs from the 2013 Half Marathon on Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157635307620452/
Can I use these photographs directly from Flickr on my social media account(s)?
Yes - of course you can! Flickr provides several ways to share this and other photographs in this Flickr set. You can share directly to: email, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Tumblr, LiveJournal, and Wordpress and Blogger blog sites. Your mobile, tablet, or desktop device will also offer you several different options for sharing this photo page on your social media outlets.
BUT..... Wait there a minute....
We take these photographs as a hobby and as a contribution to the running community in Ireland. We do not charge for our photographs. Our only "cost" is that we request that if you are using these images: (1) on social media sites such as Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Twitter,LinkedIn, Google+, VK.com, Vine, Meetup, Tagged, Ask.fm,etc or (2) other websites, blogs, web multimedia, commercial/promotional material that you must provide a link back to our Flickr page to attribute us or acknowledge us as the original photographers.
This also extends to the use of these images for Facebook profile pictures. In these cases please make a separate wall or blog post with a link to our Flickr page. If you do not know how this should be done for Facebook or other social media please email us and we will be happy to help suggest how to link to us.
I want to download these pictures to my computer or device?
You can download this photographic image here directly to your computer or device. This version is the low resolution web-quality image. How to download will vary slight from device to device and from browser to browser. Have a look for a down-arrow symbol or the link to 'View/Download' all sizes. When you click on either of these you will be presented with the option to download the image. Remember just doing a right-click and "save target as" will not work on Flickr.
I want get full resolution, print-quality, copies of these photographs?
If you just need these photographs for online usage then they can be used directly once you respect their Creative Commons license and provide a link back to our Flickr set if you use them. For offline usage and printing all of the photographs posted here on this Flickr set are available free, at no cost, at full image resolution.
Please email petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com with the links to the photographs you would like to obtain a full resolution copy of. We also ask race organisers, media, etc to ask for permission before use of our images for flyers, posters, etc. We reserve the right to refuse a request.
In summary please remember when requesting photographs from us - If you are using the photographs online all we ask is for you to provide a link back to our Flickr set or Flickr pages. You will find the link above clearly outlined in the description text which accompanies this photograph. Taking these photographs and preparing them for online posting takes a significant effort and time. We are not posting photographs to Flickr for commercial reasons. If you really like what we do please spread the link around your social media, send us an email, leave a comment beside the photographs, send us a Flickr email, etc. If you are using the photographs in newspapers or magazines we ask that you mention where the original photograph came from.
I would like to contribute something for your photograph(s)?
Many people offer payment for our photographs. As stated above we do not charge for these photographs. We take these photographs as our contribution to the running community in Ireland. If you feel that the photograph(s) you request are good enough that you would consider paying for their purchase from other photographic providers or in other circumstances we would suggest that you can provide a donation to any of the great charities in Ireland who do work for Cancer Care or Cancer Research in Ireland.
Let's get a bit technical: We use Creative Commons Licensing for these photographs
We use the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License for all our photographs here in this photograph set. What does this mean in reality?
The explaination is very simple.
Attribution- anyone using our photographs gives us an appropriate credit for it. This ensures that people aren't taking our photographs and passing them off as their own. This usually just mean putting a link to our photographs somewhere on your website, blog, or Facebook where other people can see it.
ShareAlike – anyone can use these photographs, and make changes if they like, or incorporate them into a bigger project, but they must make those changes available back to the community under the same terms.
Above all what Creative Commons aims to do is to encourage creative sharing. See some examples of Creative Commons photographs on Flickr: www.flickr.com/creativecommons/
I ran in the race - but my photograph doesn't appear here in your Flickr set! What gives?
As mentioned above we take these photographs as a hobby and as a voluntary contribution to the running community in Ireland. Very often we have actually ran in the same race and then switched to photographer mode after we finished the race. Consequently, we feel that we have no obligations to capture a photograph of every participant in the race. However, we do try our very best to capture as many participants as possible. But this is sometimes not possible for a variety of reasons:
►You were hidden behind another participant as you passed our camera
►Weather or lighting conditions meant that we had some photographs with blurry content which we did not upload to our Flickr set
►There were too many people - some races attract thousands of participants and as amateur photographs we cannot hope to capture photographs of everyone
►We simply missed you - sorry about that - we did our best!
You can email us petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com to enquire if we have a photograph of you which didn't make the final Flickr selection for the race. But we cannot promise that there will be photograph there. As alternatives we advise you to contact the race organisers to enquire if there were (1) other photographs taking photographs at the race event or if (2) there were professional commercial sports photographers taking photographs which might have some photographs of you available for purchase. You might find some links for further information above.
Don't like your photograph here?
That's OK! We understand!
If, for any reason, you are not happy or comfortable with your picture appearing here in this photoset on Flickr then please email us at petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com and we will remove it as soon as possible. We give careful consideration to each photograph before uploading.
I want to tell people about these great photographs!
Great! Thank you! The best link to spread the word around is probably http://www.flickr.com/peterm7/sets
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As shown here, bamboo poles are fit for almost any kind of design, sustaining high amounts of weight for the tenth of the equivalent steel.
It is light, easy to move to other sites and no machinery is required to assemble the scaffold, just a knot.
Learn more about at it my travelog.
Bradley Manning supporters hold vigil as trial verdict is due - London 27.07.2013
Supporters of US Army whistleblower Bradley Manning held a vigil on the steps of St. Martin's in the Fields church near Trafalgar Square to call for Manning to be released as the world waited to hear the trial judge's verdict. As we now know, the brave soldier who blew the whistle on US Army war crimes when he released thousands of US Army cables to Wikileaks, has been found guilty of espionage, but was found innocent of the absurd charge of 'aiding the enemy'. To date nobody has stood trial for the war crimes.
All photos © 2013 Pete Riches
Do not reproduce, alter, re-transmit or blog my images without my written permission. I remain at all times the copyright owner of this image.
Hi-Res, un-watermarked versions of these files are available on application solely at my discretion
If you want to use any image found in my Flickr Photostream, please Email me directly.
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