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The ADA Fishing Platform, accessible to all but constructed to benefit anglers of all ages with limited mobility, is the first of its kind on one of the most popular--and productive--fisheries in the Pacific Northwest.
Little White Salmon National Fish Hatchery and partners officially dedicated the Drano Lake ADA Fishing Platform, July 19, 2012. Photo Credit: Sean Connolly, USFWS.
Mike Brown, MD of Rail and Underground, and Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson demonstrate wheelchair access on the Tube at an accessibility event
This solution to carrying wheelchair-bound passengers doesn't seem to have found much favour since it was introduced - I think this is the only example I have photographed so far that was not specifically for use on express services. BL Travel of Hemsworth have this one on a VDL SB4000 chassis, seen at Haydock Park.
Taken for the 2nd Lowepro photo competition with the theme 'Accessibility'.
Information, love it, the abililty to access a whole world of information no matter where I am is a absolutely fantastic.
Shot entirely with info accessed from the Iphone, found a location via google maps, worked out the sunset times for the best light, checked the weather then ignored it and went out in the rain anyway.
Strobist Info: Setting sun back camera right, shoot through umbrella held directly above phone just out of shot.
Since 1985 Accessible Journeys has created exciting wheelchair accessible vacation to Australia for travelers with wheels, their family and their friends.
This is a photograph from the Castlepollard 5KM Road Race and Fun Run 2014 which was held in Castlepollard, Co. Westmeath, Ireland on Wednesday 13th August 2014 at 20:00. The race is hosted by North Westmeath Athletic Club. The race has grown in stature and popularity over the years and is now one of the most well attended road races in the midlands. The race offers prizes in all categories. Castlepollard 5KM Road Race attempts to support young runners and walkers by organising a range of underage races around the town square before the adult race at 20:00. Profits from the race go towards grassroots athletics in the region - North Westmeath Athletics, Schools Cross Country, and local community games.
Reading on a Smartphone or tablet? Don't forget to scroll down further to read more about this race and see important Internet links to other information about the race! You can also find out how to access and download these photographs.
The Castlepollard 5KM can be considered as the final major race in summer road racing in the midlands as with the fading light of the late summer comes less opportunities to hold races in the evening time. Castlepollard is a small town located in North County Westmeath amongst the lakes of Lough Lene and Lough Derravagh. One of the enduring symbols of the Castlepollard 5KM is the tireless work of Andy MacEoin of North Westmeath AC who has been a visitor to almost every road race in the Midlands and beyond over the past number of months to publicize the event. Many of the participants tonight will have seen Andy's strategically placed advertising signs around other road race routes. Certainly this work, and that of many other members of North Westmeath AC, has paid off well.
The race begins near the center of the town square and proceeds directly out the R395 towards Coole and Edgeworthstown. The first KM is flat and quick allowing the field to spread out. The race then enters the Tullynally Castle estate and proceeds up the tree-lined avenue. The gardens, like the castle are on a grand scale, taking in nearly 12 acres. This allows the race to make a big loop of the gardens with a quick downhill stretch followed by a sharp climb before the race rejoins it's outgoing path for the final 1.5KM of the race. The final 1100M from the gate of the Castle grounds to the finish is as the first - fast and flat and allows for a great finish passing the GAA grounds with finish line just outside the local Fire Station.
One of the show pieces of the race landscape is Tullynally Castle. The name Tullynally is an adaption of 'Tulaigh an Eallaigh' – the Hill of the Swan. The hill overlooks Lough Derravaragh, the legendary lake of the Children of Lir who were turned into swans. Tullynally Castle is still a family home to this day. Details of visitor times and other information is available on the links below.
This year over 450 participants took part in the race. This represented another great attendance. Last year's Castlepollard 5KM set the bar very high for future races with a record participation of just under 470 on the night. The race in 2013 showed an increase of over 100 participants from the previous record of 366 set at the 2012 event. It goes without saying that the Castlepollard 5KM has become one of the "must do" road race events in the midlands. Everything that is good about club road racing in Ireland can be found here.
We have a large set of photographs from the event today. The full set is accessible at: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/14714159280/ - They were taken at the start and finish of the event.
2014 Castlepollard 5KM Results: www.precisiontiming.net/result.aspx?v=2115
2013 Castlepollard 5KM Results: www.precisiontiming.net/result.aspx?v=1444
2012 Castlepollard 5KM Results: www.precisiontiming.net/result.aspx?v=960
Our Flickr Photographs from Castlepollard 5KM 2013: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157645912529346/
Our Flickr Photographs from Castlepollard 5KM 2011: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157627404031092/
Our Flickr Photographs from Castlepollard 5KM 2010: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157624655001130/
Our Flickr Photographs from Castlepollard 5KM 2009: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157622023529006/
Timing and event management was provided by Precision Timing. Results are available on their website at www.precisiontiming.net/result.aspx?v=2100 with additional material available on their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/davidprecisiontiming?fref=ts) See their promotional video on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-7_TUVwJ6Q
Reading on a Smartphone or tablet? Don't forget to scroll down further to read more about this race and see important Internet links to other information about the race! You can also find out how to access and download these photographs.
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 to: email, Facebook, 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.
We take these photographs as a hobby and as a contribution to the running community in Ireland. Our only "cost" is our request that if you are using these images: (1) on social media sites such as Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Twitter,LinkedIn, Google+, 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.
This also extends 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 the photographic image here direct 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. However - look for a symbol with three dots 'ooo' 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 does take 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.
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.
Creative Commons aims 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
These are images from the reopening of Damen at the Illinois Medical District station on the Blue Line, part of a $23 million renovation that is improving accessibility and modernizing the station so that it can better serve the medical district.
MTA Chair & CEO Janno Lieber, Chief Accessibility Officer Quemuel Arroyo, NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, and State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal commemorate Disability Pride Month at 66 St-Lincoln Center on Tuesday, Jul 18, 2023 by announcing the rollout of accessibility features at stations around the west side.
Arroyo.
(Marc A. Hermann / MTA)
From the autumn 2016 trip to Vietnam:
Touchdown brings me ‘round again to find…solid ground. Though I sometimes do feel like a rocket man. Including layovers, this trip to Vietnam consisted of 8 separate flights. The third one brought me to tiny Phu Quoc Island, a tropical island 40 kilometers west of the southern tip of Vietnam (and less than 5 kilometers from Cambodia on the mainland). The island, then, is actually west of the southern tip of Vietnam, and less than an hour flight from Saigon. The flight goes something like this: “Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated as it’s time for take…and now we’re landing.”
There are actually two tropical islands off the southern coast of Vietnam that I would have liked visiting, Phu Quoc being the more appealing of the two. (The other, for those curious, are the Con Dao Islands which actually are south of the mainland…but there doesn’t seem to be daily flights to/from there, which took it out of this trip’s consideration.)
Compared with Thailand, you would probably never think of coming to Vietnam for a tropical island experience – mainly because it’s not developed – and you’d be correct. I can easily name a handful of islands in Thailand (or Malaysia) that I would prefer to visit from an island standpoint.
However, that’s not to say that I was disappointed by Phu Quoc. On the contrary, I love the island. I found myself thinking, many times, “If I were an investor interested in developing a tourist resort, this would almost be at the top of my list.” (So, any investors reading this…feel free to take a slightly closer look at this island.)
It’s an easily accessible island with many daily flights to Saigon, and also flights to Hanoi. It claims to be an international airport, so I assume there are flights from Cambodia, as well, though I can’t say for certain. I can only say…it’s easy to get here.
Once you get here, you’ll find Vietnam’s largest island (though not large in comparison with many others). It’s 50 kilometers from north to south and 25 kilometers at its widest. It’s triangular in shape and, poetically speaking, can be said to look like a tear drop. Located in the Gulf of Thailand, the island also includes smaller neighboring islands as well.
Phu Quoc has slightly over 100,000 full-time residents, mostly living in Duong Dong, the island’s main town on the midpoint of the west coast of the island. Other than tourism, the economy here is driven, obviously, by the sea. Fishing, seafood, and so on are the staple here. Phu Quoc is the producer of the most famous fish sauce coming out of Vietnam. (Phu Quoc’s fish sauce can be found on grocery store shelves around the world.)
It’s also an island of hills. Our tour guide claimed that Phu Quoc has 99 mountains and, while I can’t (or won’t) dispute that, it struck me as a curious claim. There are hilly parts, though, and they include two waterfalls, one of which we visited on a day trip.
I mention that Phu Quoc struck me as being somewhat underdeveloped. I’ll elaborate by saying that they have a solid foundation – lots of restaurants (catered to foreigners; western food, pizza joints, etc., in addition to local/Vietnamese cuisine) – and hotels ranging from budget to top end. The basic utilities on the island (electricity, internet, etc.) are also completely stable and reliable. Where they could develop more is in the following: infrastructure and the actual amenities of tourism.
The roads weren’t shoddy, by many standards, though there’s still a lot of room for development. Once this is improved, it’ll make getting around more comfortable for anyone who wants to be completely insulated from “natural.”
The other thing that struck us as a little odd is that there doesn’t seem to be much going on at night (unless you’re a fisherman). It’s still a very quiet island and there weren’t many options for bars, clubs, live music, for example. (This is a huge difference between here and, say, Koh Chang in Thailand; the only other nearby island I have for comparison.) There aren’t convenience stores here that are open 24 hours a day and they don’t have much to offer after dark…besides the Night Market. Perhaps that’s the way they want to keep it, but there’s certainly potential here.
During the daytime, though, there’s plenty for tourists. As a photographer not equipped with waterproof gear, I was much more limited, but for the typical tourist you have options of fishing, diving, snorkeling, and swimming. The beaches were, in my opinion, a little dirty, but there are others on the island that are better, I think. (All in all, it would be nice to see things cleaned up a bit…)
In addition to water pursuits, there’s Phu Quoc National Park (that we didn’t visit; apparently better other times of the year) and – though the crux of the economy is tied to the sea – there are also other aspects of the economy that they represent well: pearl farms, pepper farms, cashew plantations, fish sauce factories, and local wine (wine aficionados, don’t get your hopes up).
For the land-loving folks, this is far from a crowded island. There are a number of beaches, the national park in the northern part of the island, and a few small waterfalls (one a classic, the other more of a rapids where you can swim). In short, there’s not a lack of things to do during the day.
With the long-winded generalities about the island out of the way, time to carry on with our experience. We took an early flight out of Saigon, around 9 or 10 o’clock. Flying into the airport, in the heart of the island (on the south side), my first impressions were “green” and “hilly.”
Naturally, it’s a small airport – everything here is small – which made it easy to get our things and be on our way to the hotel. I paid about $5 for the ride into Duong Dong. Our hotel, the Sea Breeze, had very friendly staff. (I can actually say that about every hotel we stayed at, with the New Moon in Danang being the least friendly…and they weren’t bad by any means at all.)
Anyway, the Sea Breeze was a fine place to sleep, though the Cat Huy was slightly nicer. But, for three nights, this hotel was perfect. Comfortable bed…and they did same day laundry service. I don’t remember the cost, but it was probably between $20-30 USD/night.
The hotel wasn’t one that had a restaurant or breakfast included (Saigon, Hoi An, Hue, and Hanoi all did), but there was a restaurant attached and a few feet away. I had breakfast there two of the three mornings and, while not the best western breakfast I’ve had, the staff were exceptionally friendly. I think that’s a Vietnamese quality…be really cordial to folks.
We had most of Friday on the island, plus the entire weekend, with a Monday morning flight to Danang (via Saigon) around 10:00 in the morning. Friday, then, was a completely unplanned day. So we spent Friday toddling around Duong Dong.
The first place we went (besides the hotel, obviously), was to find something to eat. We ended up going with was a decidedly non-Vietnamese restaurant named Buddy’s, walking there via the Night Market street. For me, I loved ‘em because they had milkshakes with real ice cream. Didn’t matter what else they had. That was enough to get me to go back 2-3 times.
After lunch and sitting around Buddy’s for a while, we walked across the street and followed the river out to its mouth in the Gulf of Thailand. (The river is why the main town was built at this spot.)
At the river’s head is a curiously named spot called Dinh Cau Castle. There is nothing about this place that shouts out “castle” if you were to just chance upon it. It’s actually a combination lighthouse-temple. The temple aspect is just a small room with a statue dedicated to the Goddess of the Sea. The lighthouse, obviously, has its practical purposes. It’s more a light station, though; there’s no house for a keeper.
However, this was a very enjoyable spot (much nicer than the Thien Hau “Pagoda” in Saigon) and would end up being the spot where we watched the sunset on Friday and Saturday. The lighthouse-station-temple was built in 1937. There are a few tables benches on an upper platform to sit and enjoy the view of the sea (or the river mouth with its fishing fleet behind you) and there’s also a jetty going out into the sea that gives some nice perspectives. I can only say that I was surprisingly pleased with both Friday and Saturday’s sunsets.
Staying at Dinh Cau well past sunset, we strolled back towards the Sea Breeze via the Night Market, which is rather clean as far as Asian markets go. (I mention this to contrast it with Phu Quoc’s Day Market, mentioned below.)
Before getting back to the hotel, we stopped at the recently (2015) established Crab House (Nha Ghe Phu Quoc) on the main road at the south end of the market. The owner was – as all seem to be – very friendly and talkative. I was curious to know why the interior had banners from a handful of SEC schools (US folks will know what this is) along with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Turns out, the guy used to live in Muskegon, Michigan, which isn’t terribly far from where I was born (and a town I’ll be passing near in about 3-4 weeks’ time).
Junebug & I split the Crab House battered garlic pepper fries (65,000 VND); miniature crab cakes with sweet mango coulis (175,000 VND); and com ghe: hot, steamy jasmine rice with fresh, sweet crab meat, julienne cucumber, and nuoc mam cay (Phu Quoc fish sauce) for 175,000 VND. Add in two cans of Sprite at 20,000 VND a pop and that’s a happy stomach. (The exchange rate, while we were there, was around 21,000-22,000 VND to the US dollar, so we’re looking at…$20-25 for a fresh seafood dinner for two.) With a thoroughly happy stomach, it was time to call it a night, even though it was barely 8:00.
Saturday brought with it another day trip with a small group. This was similar to the Saigon trip with Bao in terms of time and what we did, though I think Bao was a better guide than the girl here. She seemed disinterested half the time, though was never rude or mean, per se. Anyway, at $11/person, it wasn’t a bad way to spend the day.
Since the one part of this tour I was looking forward to most was a waterfall, I was grateful that it was overcast almost the entire day. For parts of it, rain was pretty heavy. (It even made me mildly – albeit very mildly concerned about the flight out on Monday as it was the first of two for the day.)
First up, though, was a pearl farm where I found it interesting to see them pulling pearls out of oysters. That thrill lasted for about a minute or two. However, we were scheduled to be here for close to an hour. (They were hoping that people would buy pearl jewelry.) Given that we were in a fairly heavy rain, I was surprised that there were so many people here. It made me think the entire day would be like this with overcrowded spots. (Forunately, that didn’t come to pass.)
With no interest in buying jewelry, I spent the hour on the back patio looking out at the very rough and stormy sea, and a few of these shots are from there. Finally ready to go, we were waiting on two Vietnamese women from the group (a recurring theme for the day) before we headed off to the next stop: a pepper farm.
To call it a pepper farm would be to stretch one’s imagination to its utmost. It was about 5 rows of pepper trees with each row being no more than 10 meters long. (I’d like to hope this is just the “sample” section they show us dopey tourists.) Much more attractive was the attached shop where they hoped you’d buy pepper. This time around, I pulled out my wallet. There’s one of us born every minute, you know. I bought four separate jars of pepper, one of which wasn’t a powder (and was subsequently confiscated in Guangzhou as I rarely check luggage and this trip was no exception). At about a dollar a jar, it wasn’t a bad deal.
From the pepper farm we were off to the wine shop. This tour was beginning to feel like just going from one spot to another to buy local goods. This wasn’t grape wine, but was a berry wine and was, for the most part very sweet. Don’t think port or sherry, though. It wasn’t quite that sweet, but it was close. Certainly not bad, but also something I could’ve done without. However, they seemed proud of their wine, and I don’t blame them. (It’s better than most of what I had in Korea.) Once again being held up by the Vietnamese ladies, we finally all settled back into the van and went off to Suoi Tranh.
The waterfall was actually much nicer than I expected. Apparently, half the year, it’s dry, so it worked out well that we came at the end of the rainy season. The fall is a classic cascade in a very nice, wooded setting. (Even if it were sunny, it probably would’ve photographed rather well because it had enough cover to give it shade.) We were given 45 minutes to walk the 600 meters up to the falls and back, which meant a bit of a rush for me, but…fortunately, the Vietnamese ladies were even slower than I was.
The creek leading up to the falls had some nice rapids, too, but it also had some unfortunate eyesores: a manmade fall at the entrance (why would you need that when you have the real thing a few minutes away?) and, worse, some fake animal statuary. Count my lucky stars, but these all disappeared after the first 100-200 meters, and you were left with a tasteful and well-made natural path leading up to the falls.
After this – it was around 12:00 or 12:30 by this point – we hopped in the van and headed to Sao Beach at the southern tip of the island. To get here required driving down a very bumpy road for a few minutes at the end. (As I said…they can still do a little infrastructure work here unless one of the unstated tourist goals is to make people feel like they’re bouncing around in a bag of popcorn.)
The beach was…pleasant, I guess I can say. It wasn’t a large beach. In length, it covered a small cove, so it had a nice setting. It also isn’t a wide beach; only about 30 meters from the restaurant to the water, and maybe even less than 20 meters. I saw a little too much trash around which disheartened me, though we aren’t talking dirty to levels that I’m accustomed to seeing in China. I didn’t go swimming, and the lunch at the restaurant here – though Vietnamese – was among the most unimpressive meals we had in the entire two weeks here. The best part of the time at the beach is that the weather cleared up from overcast and rainy to mostly cloudy. So it wasn’t crowded here, nor was it raining.
We left the beach at 2:00 and drove to a nearby fish sauce factory. This was a lot like the pearl farm, pepper farm, and wine shop. “We make this here. Please buy it.” Of the four of these places, the pearl farm is the only one who actually had some kind of “demonstration,” and that lasted about a minute.
If it seems I’m being critical of the roped in commercialism of these types of tours, perhaps I am a little jaded. The spots in and of themselves are actually quite interesting and I just accept this as an unnecessary evil. They need to survive somehow, and for that, I guess I’m grateful that they do this. Back to the actual tour, the fish sauce factory was quick and interesting. (Though I don’t like seafood that much, I do like fish sauce to add flavor.)
The last “scheduled” stop was Nha Tu Phu Quoc – Coconut Tree Prison – right across the street. This isn’t a place that I would otherwise go out of my way to visit, though in conjunction with the beach and the fish sauce factory, it was perfect. (Individually, none of the three spots amazed me, but as a whole, they were quite pleasing.)
The prison was built by the French in the 1940s and this was one of the ARVN’s POW camps during the Vietnam War. Apparently, prisoner treatment here was quite inhumane, as detailed by the signs around the barracks. The recreations of people, though, aren’t the most lifelike I’ve ever seen and seem kind of cheap. There aren’t any period photographs, so there’s a little “oomph” missing here, but it’s still a good effort all around.
Our last stop before being dropped off back in Duong Dong was at Ham Ninh, a small fishing village on the east coast of the island (almost directly across the island from Duong Dong. We didn’t do anything here except have 15-20 minutes to walk to the end of the pier and come back. As uneventful as that may sound, I enjoyed it a lot because the surrounding scenery and seeing the fishing fleet up close (along with a lot of small floating restaurants) made it unique and worthwhile to me.
When we got dropped off, we went right back to Buddy’s and repeated the same thing from Friday night (minus eating at the Crab House). I can’t recall what we ate for dinner on Saturday night and perhaps we didn’t. Lunch at Buddy’s was late enough that I doubt we were terribly hungry by evening except for some snacks.
The only difference between Friday & Saturday was my positioning to photograph the sunset. Friday night was from up near the lighthouse, and Saturday was a little ways out on the jetty. Skies were equally moody both nights.
I’m easy like Sunday morning. No rush to wake up since there was absolutely nothing whatsoever on the agenda. Brunch, around 9:00 or 10:00, after stopping by the post office to send off some postcards, was at Buddy’s. From there, we crossed the river to the day market and spent about an hour or so wandering up and down the street photographing a variety of things.
Going back to the west side of the river, we spent a little while at Dinh Cau, but decided not to watch the sunset there for the third night in a row. We had a late (and small) lunch of a wood-fired pizza, which was surprisingly delicious – so much so that I considered going back for dinner.
Instead, we went to one of the few access points for Long Beach (the beach nearest the hotel) to watch the least spectacular of the three sunsets in my opinion. Sunday night’s was cloudier than Friday and Saturday’s. However, there are still some interesting pictures. It’s just the most muted of the three, by far, and there’s simply less to work with.
After sundown, we walked the few hundred meters north up the main road, passing the Sea Breeze, and stopped at a local restaurant. (I suggested it not because it was local, but because they proudly talked of the ice cream that they have.) The food was not terribly great. I had fish and chips that didn’t have enough tartar and was a bit bland. I also ordered some smoked cheese that, when they brought it, they didn’t say what it was and, since it looked more like noodles than cheese, didn’t eat it. The ice cream, however, was sorbet, and it was wonderful.
All in all, Phu Quoc was about as good as I wished it would be, and I was lucky enough to have three reasonably good sunsets and decent weather for the weekend. Also, the waterfall was actually nicer than I had expected, we ate well (for the most part), and it was a relaxing weekend. Not a bad way to spend life.
After breakfast Monday morning, we grabbed our bags and headed to the airport at 9:00 for the first of two flights on the day.
As always, thanks for dropping by and viewing these pictures. Please feel free to leave any questions or comments and I’ll answer as I have time.
These are images from the reopening of Damen at the Illinois Medical District station on the Blue Line, part of a $23 million renovation that is improving accessibility and modernizing the station so that it can better serve the medical district.
Pocillopora palmata - in-situ fossil cauliflower coral colony in the reef facies of the Cockburn Town Member, upper Grotto Beach Formation at the Cockburn Town Fossil Reef, western margin of San Salvador Island.
The Cockburn Town Fossil Reef is a well-preserved, well-exposed Pleistocene fossil reef. It consists of non-bedded to poorly-bedded, poorly-sorted, very coarse-grained, aragonitic fossiliferous limestones (grainstones and rubblestones), representing shallow marine deposition in reef and peri-reef facies. Cockburn Town Member reef facies rocks date to the MIS 5e sea level highstand event (early Late Pleistocene). Dated corals in the Cockburn Town Fossil Reef range in age from 114 to 127 ka.
Pocillopora is the only coral genus that went extinct in the Caribbean at the end-Pleistocene.
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The surface bedrock geology of San Salvador consists entirely of Pleistocene and Holocene limestones. Thick and relatively unforgiving vegetation covers most of the island’s interior (apart from inland lakes). Because of this, the most easily-accessible rock outcrops are along the island’s shorelines.
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Stratigraphic Succession in the Bahamas:
Rice Bay Formation (Holocene, <10 ka), subdivided into two members (Hanna Bay Member over North Point Member)
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Grotto Beach Formation (lower Upper Pleistocene, 119-131 ka), subdivided into two members (Cockburn Town Member over French Bay Member)
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Owl's Hole Formation (Middle Pleistocene, ~215-220 ka & ~327-333 ka & ~398-410 ka & older)
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San Salvador’s surface bedrock can be divided into two broad lithologic categories:
1) LIMESTONES
2) PALEOSOLS
The limestones were deposited during sea level highstands (actually, only during the highest of the highstands). During such highstands (for example, right now), the San Salvador carbonate platform is partly flooded by ocean water. At such times, the “carbonate factory” is on, and abundant carbonate sediment grains are generated by shallow-water organisms living on the platform. The abundance of carbonate sediment means there will be abundant carbonate sedimentary rock formed after burial and cementation (diagenesis). These sea level highstands correspond with the climatically warm interglacials during the Pleistocene Ice Age.
Based on geochronologic dating on various Bahamas islands, and based on a modern understanding of the history of Pleistocene-Holocene global sea level changes, surficial limestones in the Bahamas are known to have been deposited at the following times (expressed in terms of marine isotope stages, “MIS” - these are the glacial-interglacial climatic cycles determined from δ18O analysis):
1) MIS 1 - the Holocene, <10 k.y. This is the current sea level highstand.
2) MIS 5e - during the Sangamonian Interglacial, in the early Late Pleistocene, from 119 to 131 k.y. (sea level peaked at ~125 k.y.)
3) MIS 7 - ~215 to 220 k.y. - late Middle Pleistocene
4) MIS 9 - ~327-333 k.y. - late Middle Pleistocene
5) MIS 11 - ~398-410 k.y. - late Middle Pleistocene
Bahamian limestones deposited during MIS 1 are called the Rice Bay Formation. Limestones deposited during MIS 5e are called the Grotto Beach Formation. Limestones deposited during MIS 7, 9, 11, and perhaps as old as MIS 13 and 15, are called the Owl’s Hole Formation. These stratigraphic units were first established on San Salvador Island (the type sections are there), but geologic work elsewhere has shown that the same stratigraphic succession also applies to the rest of the Bahamas.
During times of lowstands (= times of climatically cold glacial intervals of the Pleistocene Ice Age), weathering and pedogenesis results in the development of soils. With burial and diagenesis, these soils become paleosols. The most common paleosol type in the Bahamas is calcrete (a.k.a. caliche; a.k.a. terra rosa). Calcrete horizons cap all Pleistocene-aged stratigraphic units in the Bahamas, except where erosion has removed them. Calcretes separate all major stratigraphic units. Sometimes, calcrete-looking horizons are encountered in the field that are not true paleosols.
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Subsurface Stratigraphy of San Salvador Island:
The island’s stratigraphy below the Owl’s Hole Formation was revealed by a core drilled down ~168 meters (~550-feet) below the surface (for details, see Supko, 1977). The well site was at 3 meters above sea level near Graham’s Harbour beach, between Line Hole Settlement and Singer Bar Point (northern margin of San Salvador Island). The first 37 meters were limestones. Below that, dolostones dominate, alternating with some mixed dolostone-limestone intervals. Reddish-brown calcretes separate major units. Supko (1977) infers that the lowest rocks in the core are Upper Miocene to Lower Pliocene, based on known Bahamas Platform subsidence rates.
In light of the successful island-to-island correlations of Middle Pleistocene, Upper Pleistocene, and Holocene units throughout the Bahamas (see the Bahamas geologic literature list below), it seems reasonable to conclude that San Salvador’s subsurface dolostones may correlate well with sub-Pleistocene dolostone units exposed in the far-southeastern portions of the Bahamas Platform.
Recent field work on Mayaguana Island has resulted in the identification of Miocene, Pliocene, and Lower Pleistocene surface outcrops (see: www2.newark.ohio-state.edu/facultystaff/personal/jstjohn/...). On Mayaguana, the worked-out stratigraphy is:
- Rice Bay Formation (Holocene)
- Grotto Beach Formation (Upper Pleistocene)
- Owl’s Hole Formation (Middle Pleistocene)
- Misery Point Formation (Lower Pleistocene)
- Timber Bay Formation (Pliocene)
- Little Bay Formation (Upper Miocene)
- Mayaguana Formation (Lower Miocene)
The Timber Bay Fm. and Little Bay Fm. are completely dolomitized. The Mayaguana Fm. is ~5% dolomitized. The Misery Point Fm. is nondolomitized, but the original aragonite mineralogy is absent.
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The stratigraphic information presented here is synthesized from the Bahamian geologic literature.
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Supko, P.R. 1977. Subsurface dolomites, San Salvador, Bahamas. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 47: 1063-1077.
Bowman, P.A. & J.W. Teeter. 1982. The distribution of living and fossil Foraminifera and their use in the interpretation of the post-Pleistocene history of Little Lake, San Salvador, Bahamas. San Salvador Field Station Occasional Papers 1982(2). 21 pp.
Sanger, D.B. & J.W. Teeter. 1982. The distribution of living and fossil Ostracoda and their use in the interpretation of the post-Pleistocene history of Little Lake, San Salvador Island, Bahamas. San Salvador Field Station Occasional Papers 1982(1). 26 pp.
Gerace, D.T., R.W. Adams, J.E. Mylroie, R. Titus, E.E. Hinman, H.A. Curran & J.L. Carew. 1983. Field Guide to the Geology of San Salvador (Third Edition). 172 pp.
Curran, H.A. 1984. Ichnology of Pleistocene carbonates on San Salvador, Bahamas. Journal of Paleontology 58: 312-321.
Anderson, C.B. & M.R. Boardman. 1987. Sedimentary gradients in a high-energy carbonate lagoon, Snow Bay, San Salvador, Bahamas. CCFL Bahamian Field Station Occasional Paper 1987(2). (31) pp.
1988. Bahamas Project. pp. 21-48 in First Keck Research Symposium in Geology (Abstracts Volume), Beloit College, Beloit, Wisconsin, 14-17 April 1988.
1989. Proceedings of the Fourth Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas, June 17-22, 1988. 381 pp.
1989. Pleistocene and Holocene carbonate systems, Bahamas. pp. 18-51 in Second Keck Research Symposium in Geology (Abstracts Volume), Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 14-16 April 1989.
Curran, H.A., J.L. Carew, J.E. Mylroie, B. White, R.J. Bain & J.W. Teeter. 1989. Pleistocene and Holocene carbonate environments on San Salvador Island, Bahamas. 28th International Geological Congress Field Trip Guidebook T175. 46 pp.
1990. The 5th Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas, June 15-19, 1990, Abstracts and Programs. 29 pp.
1991. Proceedings of the Fifth Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas. 247 pp.
1992. The 6th Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas, June 11-15, 1992, Abstracts and Program. 26 pp.
1992. Proceedings of the 4th Symposium on the Natural History of the Bahamas, June 7-11, 1991. 123 pp.
Boardman, M.R., C. Carney, B. White, H.A. Curran & D.T. Gerace. 1992. The geology of Columbus' landfall: a field guide to the Holcoene geology of San Salvador, Bahamas, Field trip 3 for the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America, Cincinnati, Ohio, October 26-29, 1992. Ohio Division of Geological Survey Miscellaneous Report 2. 49 pp.
Carew, J.L., J.E. Mylroie, N.E. Sealey, M. Boardman, C. Carney, B. White, H.A. Curran & D.T. Gerace. 1992. The 6th Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas, June 11-15, 1992, Field Trip Guidebook. 56 pp.
1993. Proceedings of the 6th Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas, June 11-15, 1992. 222 pp.
Lawson, B.M. 1993. Shelling San Sal, an Illustrated Guide to Common Shells of San Salvador Island, Bahamas. San Salvador, Bahamas. Bahamian Field Station. 63 pp.
1994. The 7th Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas, June 16-20, 1994, Abstracts and Program. 26 pp.
1994. Proceedings of the 5th Symposium on the Natural History of the Bahamas, June 11-14, 1993. 107 pp.
Carew, J.L. & J.E. Mylroie. 1994. Geology and Karst of San Salvador Island, Bahamas: a Field Trip Guidebook. 32 pp.
Godfrey, P.J., R.L. Davis, R.R. Smtih & J.A. Wells. 1994. Natural History of Northeastern San Salvador Island: a "New World" Where the New World Began, Bahamian Field Station Trail Guide. 28 pp.
Hinman, G. 1994. A Teacher's Guide to the Depositional Environments on San Salvador Island, Bahamas. 64 pp.
Mylroie, J.E. & J.L. Carew. 1994. A Field Trip Guide Book of Lighthouse Cave, San Salvador Island, Bahamas. 10 pp.
1995. Proceedings of the Seventh Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas, June 16-20, 1994. 134 pp.
1995. Terrestrial and shallow marine geology of the Bahamas and Bermuda. Geological Society of America Special Paper 300.
1996. The 8th Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas, May 30-June 3, 1996, Abstracts and Program. 21 pp.
1996. Proceedings of the 6th Symposium on the Natural History of the Bahamas, June 9-13, 1995. 165 pp.
1997. Proceedings of the 8th Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas and Other Carbonate Regions, May 30-June 3, 1996. 213 pp.
Curran, H.A., B. White & M.A. Wilson. 1997. Guide to Bahamian Ichnology: Pleistocene, Holocene, and Modern Environments. San Salvador, Bahamas. Bahamian Field Station. 61 pp.
1998. The 9th Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas and Other Carbonate Regions, June 4-June 8, 1998, Abstracts and Program. 25 pp.
Wilson, M.A., H.A. Curran & B. White. 1998. Paleontological evidence of a brief global sea-level event during the last interglacial. Lethaia 31: 241-250.
1999. Proceedings of the 9th Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas and Other Carbonate Regions, June 4-8, 1998. 142 pp.
2000. The 10th Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas and Other Carbonate Regions, June 8-June 12, 2000, Abstracts and Program. 29+(1) pp.
2001. Proceedings of the 10th Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas and Other Carbonate Regions, June 8-12, 2000. 200 pp.
Bishop, D. & B.J. Greenstein. 2001. The effects of Hurricane Floyd on the fidelity of coral life and death assemblages in San Salvador, Bahamas: does a hurricane leave a signature in the fossil record? Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs 33(4): 51.
Gamble, V.C., S.J. Carpenter & L.A. Gonzalez. 2001. Using carbon and oxygen isotopic values from acroporid corals to interpret temperature fluctuations around an unconformable surface on San Salvador Island, Bahamas. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs 33(4): 52.
Gardiner, L. 2001. Stability of Late Pleistocene reef mollusks from San Salvador Island, Bahamas. Palaios 16: 372-386.
Ogarek, S.A., C.K. Carney & M.R. Boardman. 2001. Paleoenvironmental analysis of the Holocene sediments of Pigeon Creek, San Salvador, Bahamas. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs 33(4): 17.
Schmidt, D.A., C.K. Carney & M.R. Boardman. 2001. Pleistocene reef facies diagenesis within two shallowing-upward sequences at Cockburntown, San Salvador, Bahamas. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs 33(4): 42.
2002. The 11th Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas and Other Carbonate Regions, June 6th-June 10, 2002, Abstracts and Program. 29 pp.
2004. The 12th Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas and Other Carbonate Regions, June 3-June 7, 2004, Abstracts and Program. 33 pp.
2004. Proceedings of the 11th Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas and Other Carbonate Regions, June 6-10, 2002. 240 pp.
Martin, A.J. 2006. Trace Fossils of San Salvador. 80 pp.
2006. Proceedings of the 12th Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas and Other Carbonate Regions, June 3-7, 2004. 249 pp.
2006. The 13th Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas and Other Carbonate Regions, June 8-June 12, 2006, Abstracts and Program. 27 pp.
Mylroie, J.E. & J.L. Carew. 2008. Field Guide to the Geology and Karst Geomorphology of San Salvador Island. 88 pp.
2008. Proceedings of the 13th Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas and Other Carbonate Regions, June 8-12, 2006. 223 pp.
2008. The 14th Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas and Other Carbonate Regions, June 12-June 16, 2006, Abstracts and Program. 26 pp.
2010. Proceedings of the 14th Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas and Other Carbonate Regions, June 12-16, 2008. 249 pp.
2010. The 15th Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas and Other Carbonate Regions, June 17-June 21, 2010, Abstracts and Program. 36 pp.
2012. Proceedings of the 15th Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas and Other Carbonate Regions, June 17-21, 2010. 183 pp.
2012. The 16th Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas and Other Carbonate Regions, June 14-June 18, 2012, Abstracts with Program. 45 pp.
Excellent journalism, after all, has never been simply about information. It’s information provided to enable knowledge, published or broadcast as a public exchange by people accountable for its accuracy. Networks can enhance quality by linking the work of newspeople and many others to support journalism’s public service functions: accountability, timeliness and accessibility.- Melanie Sil, The Case for Open Journalism Now
www.annenberginnovationlab.org/OpenJournalism/
www.annenberginnovationlab.org/OpenJournalism/SillOpenJou... (PDF)
Slideshare
A family posing to a photo in Bagh-e-Dawood old military barracks. December 2010, Afghanistan
Following collapse of the Taleban and return of Afghans from Pakistan and Iran, many people, after having spent up to 20 years in exile, settled in urban centers such as Kabul.
They did so mainly for economic reasons – homelessness, lack of job opportunities, lack of accessibility to basic social services and other support infrastructure in their places of origin. Heavy fighting between international forces and Taleban in as distant places of country as North-East, East, South-East, South and Central region brought a wave of aghast and scared population that narrowly escaped fighting and insecurity, that had to leave their homes and life achievements behind. Families that escaped war usually lost someone from their family. Roughly half of others that settled were evicted from refugee camps (these being closed), harassed by police, deported, and discriminated in asylum countries.
Due to growing rents in Kabul city, many families were left with no choice but put up tents in various locations, or to occupy public buildings. In the beginning of December 2010 in Kabul alone there were at least 31 informal settlement sites with close to 3,000 families dwelling in them, although the number could well be much higher, as tracking population on move in Kabul is a difficult task.
Amongst the most deprived and marginalized urban groups in Kabul are the Internally Displaced People, recent returnees and deportees. These inhabitants of Kabul live in squalid camps in and around Kabul city, or on the hillsides surrounding Kabul, like 70% of this city. Nearly three-quarters of them is chronically malnourished, almost 25% acutely and 15% severely. It is especially harsh if you are a child or an unaccompanied elder. 40% of children does not survive till their 5th birthday. It’s worse than in rural areas of Tsarist’s Russia in XIX century. Elders perish unnoticed.
People find it very difficult to feed themselves. more than 90% of population of slums has no any regular source of income with almost no work available in winter and some in other seasons. When work is available, casual labourer receives between 1 and 3 USD a day. Many families rely on the income sending their women to beg on streets of Kabul. Up to a quarter of families rely on minors begging on streets, collecting cans and other items from city garbage, polishing shoes, doing other odd jobs or who are smoke peddlers. Such children earn on average 30-40 USD a month, which is often a difference between life and starvation.
There is not much interest of local authorities to assist as they are afraid of accepting urban ghettos. But since there is no other place people can go, with influx of new people the situation gets worse every year. There are few humanitarian organizations working in the settlements, but with all good that is done it does also have its negative consequences. With people so much dependant for their survival on help from others, every assistance increases their dependency on aid community. And majority of that community does not go into settlements, for various reasons.
Inside settlements you see victims of situation that is beyond their ability to cope with, so inhumanely treated with ignorance every passing day. Those that were bombed, that had to run, were then forgotten by the same world that caused it – and it does not matter whether it was a shell fired by international forces, or by Taleban.
Those, that beg on streets freezing in harsh Kabul’s winters, look at armored latest versions of Land Cruisers and Prados, and through bullet-proof glass, onto foreigners that turn their eyes away. Who would like to look at a dirty Burqa, with a child, its colour of blue, that knocks on the door, begging for help?
We, humanitarian workers, tend to say that those on streets are stronger, since they managed to come to beg. But how many of us are able to look into eyes of a human being so fragile, or to go and try to help? Where is the dedication of the world to help the most poor regain their dignity, who is winning their hearts and minds?
Few organizations working in the settlements:
The Province is providing the Rick Hansen Foundation with $9 million to further their work building accessibility in BC.
The funds will be used to create and administer two housing and infrastructure programs that will reduce barriers for people with disabilities.
Learn more: news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2017SDSI0023-000387
Sheep Pass Group Campground is centrally located within Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California and is easily accessible to hiking trails and rock climbing routes. It is one of three group campgrounds in the park. Towering rock formations and uniquely-shaped Joshua trees surround the facility.
Travelers who enjoy warm, dry winters flock to Joshua Tree from October through May, when temperatures hover in the 70 to 90-degree range during the day and drop to a 40 to 60-degree range at night. Summer is the park's off-season due to the uncomfortably-high desert heat. Sheep Pass is at an elevation of 4,500 feet and has a mix of both sun and shade.
For more information about camping in Joshua Tree National Park, visit www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/camping.htm.
NPS Photo.
This was from our blissful travel to three Hawaiian islands during late February and into March this past year. Kauai and this wildlife refuge and lighthouse was a highlight. As for the island, all of it is quite lush, laid back and accessible to take in for a few days or a week or two.
NOTE: The refuge is closed on days you may not expect, so plan accordingly. There is still very much to see whether it is open or not.
Details:
Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1985 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is marked by its towering lighthouse. The ocean cliffs and tall grassy slopes of a dormant volcano provide a protective breeding ground for many Hawaiian seabirds.
It is also one of the few locations where you can observe the:
** (Red-footed booby),
** Mōlī (Laysan albatross),
** ‘Ua ‘u kani (Wedge-tailed shearwater) amongst other Kaua‘i wildlife in their natural habitat.
The coastal front also provides a safe haven for the endangered
** ‘Ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua (Hawaiian monk seal),
** Honu (Green sea turtle), and
** Koholā (Humpback whale).
. . . politics is to continue the war by other means
______________________________________
The Berlin Wall (German: Berliner Mauer, pronounced [bɛʁˈliːnɐ ˈmaʊ̯ɐ] (About this sound listen)) was a guarded concrete barrier that physically and ideologically divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989. Constructed by the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany), starting on 13 August 1961, the Wall cut off (by land) West Berlin from virtually all of surrounding East Germany and East Berlin until government officials opened it in November 1989. Its demolition officially began on 13 June 1990 and finished in 1992. The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, accompanied by a wide area (later known as the "death strip") that contained anti-vehicle trenches, "fakir beds" and other defenses. The Eastern Bloc portrayed the Wall as protecting its population from fascist elements conspiring to prevent the "will of the people" in building a socialist state in East Germany.
GDR authorities officially referred to the Berlin Wall as the Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart (German: Antifaschistischer Schutzwall). The West Berlin city government sometimes referred to it as the "Wall of Shame", a term coined by mayor Willy Brandt in reference to the Wall's restriction on freedom of movement. Along with the separate and much longer Inner German border (IGB), which demarcated the border between East and West Germany, it came to symbolize physically the "Iron Curtain" that separated Western Europe and the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War.
Before the Wall's erection, 3.5 million East Germans circumvented Eastern Bloc emigration restrictions and defected from the GDR, many by crossing over the border from East Berlin into West Berlin; from there they could then travel to West Germany and to other Western European countries. Between 1961 and 1989 the Wall prevented almost all such emigrations During this period over 100,000 people attempted to escape and over 5,000 people succeeded in escaping over the Wall, with an estimated death toll ranging from 136 to more than 200 in and around Berlin.
In 1989 a series of revolutions in nearby Eastern Bloc countries - Poland and Hungary in particular - caused a chain reaction in East Germany that ultimately resulted in the demise of the Wall. After several weeks of civil unrest, the East German government announced on 9 November 1989 that all GDR citizens could visit West Germany and West Berlin. Crowds of East Germans crossed and climbed onto the Wall, joined by West Germans on the other side in a celebratory atmosphere. Over the next few weeks, euphoric people and souvenir hunters chipped away parts of the Wall; the governments later used industrial equipment to remove most of what was left. The "fall of the Berlin Wall" paved the way for German reunification, which formally took place on 3 October 1990.
BACKGROUND
POST-WAR GERMANY
After the end of World War II in Europe, what remained of pre-war Germany west of the Oder-Neisse line was divided into four occupation zones (as per the Potsdam Agreement), each one controlled by one of the four occupying Allied powers: the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union. The capital of Berlin, as the seat of the Allied Control Council, was similarly subdivided into four sectors despite the city's location, which was fully within the Soviet zone.
Within two years, political divisions increased between the Soviets and the other occupying powers. These included the Soviets' refusal to agree to reconstruction plans making post-war Germany self-sufficient and to a detailed accounting of the industrial plants, goods and infrastructure already removed by the Soviets. France, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Benelux countries later met to combine the non-Soviet zones of the country into one zone for reconstruction and to approve the extension of the Marshall Plan.
EASTERN BLOC AND THE BERLIN AIRLIFT
Following World War II, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin headed a group of nations on his Western border, the Eastern Bloc, that then included Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia, which he wished to maintain alongside a weakened Soviet-controlled Germany. As early as 1945, Stalin revealed to German communist leaders that he expected to slowly undermine the British position within the British occupation zone, that the United States would withdraw within a year or two, and that nothing would then stand in the way of a united communist Germany within the bloc.
The major task of the ruling communist party in the Soviet zone was to channel Soviet orders down to both the administrative apparatus and the other bloc parties, which in turn would be presented as internal measures. Property and industry was nationalized in the East German zone. If statements or decisions deviated from the described line, reprimands and (for persons outside public attention) punishment would ensue, such as imprisonment, torture and even death.
Indoctrination of Marxism-Leninism became a compulsory part of school curricula, sending professors and students fleeing to the West. The East Germans created an elaborate political police apparatus that kept the population under close surveillance, including Soviet SMERSH secret police.
In 1948, following disagreements regarding reconstruction and a new German currency, Stalin instituted the Berlin Blockade, preventing food, materials and supplies from arriving in West Berlin. The United States, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and several other countries began a massive "airlift", supplying West Berlin with food and other supplies. The Soviets mounted a public relations campaign against the Western policy change. Communists attempted to disrupt the elections of 1948, preceding large losses therein, while 300,000 Berliners demonstrated for the international airlift to continue. In May 1949, Stalin lifted the blockade, permitting the resumption of Western shipments to Berlin.
The German Democratic Republic (East Germany) was declared on 7 October 1949. By a secret treaty, the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs accorded the East German state administrative authority, but not autonomy. The Soviets permeated East German administrative, military and secret police structures and had full control.
East Germany differed from West Germany (Federal Republic of Germany), which developed into a Western capitalist country with a social market economy ("Soziale Marktwirtschaft" in German) and a democratic parliamentary government. Continual economic growth starting in the 1950s fuelled a 20-year "economic miracle" ("Wirtschaftswunder"). As West Germany's economy grew, and its standard of living steadily improved, many East Germans wanted to move to West Germany.
EMIGRATION WESTWARD IN THE EARLY 1950s
After the Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe at the end of World War II, the majority of those living in the newly acquired areas of the Eastern Bloc aspired to independence and wanted the Soviets to leave. Taking advantage of the zonal border between occupied zones in Germany, the number of GDR citizens moving to West Germany totaled 187,000 in 1950; 165,000 in 1951; 182,000 in 1952; and 331,000 in 1953. One reason for the sharp 1953 increase was fear of potential further Sovietization, given the increasingly paranoid actions of Joseph Stalin in late 1952 and early 1953. 226,000 had fled in just the first six months of 1953.
ERECTION OF THE INNER GERMAN BORDER
By the early 1950s, the Soviet approach to controlling national movement, restricting emigration, was emulated by most of the rest of the Eastern Bloc, including East Germany. The restrictions presented a quandary for some Eastern Bloc states, which had been more economically advanced and open than the Soviet Union, such that crossing borders seemed more natural - especially where no prior border existed between East and West Germany.
Up until 1952, the demarcation lines between East Germany and the western occupied zones could be easily crossed in most places. On 1 April 1952, East German leaders met the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in Moscow; during the discussions Stalin's foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov proposed that the East Germans should "introduce a system of passes for visits of West Berlin residents to the territory of East Berlin [so as to stop] free movement of Western agents" in the GDR. Stalin agreed, calling the situation "intolerable". He advised the East Germans to build up their border defenses, telling them that "The demarcation line between East and West Germany should be considered a border - and not just any border, but a dangerous one ... The Germans will guard the line of defence with their lives."
Consequently, the inner German border between the two German states was closed, and a barbed-wire fence erected. The border between the Western and Eastern sectors of Berlin, however, remained open, although traffic between the Soviet and the Western sectors was somewhat restricted. This resulted in Berlin becoming a magnet for East Germans desperate to escape life in the GDR, and also a flashpoint for tension between the United States and the Soviet Union.
In 1955, the Soviets gave East Germany authority over civilian movement in Berlin, passing control to a regime not recognized in the West. Initially, East Germany granted "visits" to allow its residents access to West Germany. However, following the defection of large numbers of East Germans under this regime, the new East German state legally restricted virtually all travel to the West in 1956. Soviet East German ambassador Mikhail Pervukhin observed that "the presence in Berlin of an open and essentially uncontrolled border between the socialist and capitalist worlds unwittingly prompts the population to make a comparison between both parts of the city, which unfortunately does not always turn out in favour of Democratic [East] Berlin."
BERLIN EMIGRATION LOOPHOLE
With the closing of the inner German border officially in 1952, the border in Berlin remained considerably more accessible because it was administered by all four occupying powers. Accordingly, Berlin became the main route by which East Germans left for the West. On 11 December 1957, East Germany introduced a new passport law that reduced the overall number of refugees leaving Eastern Germany.
It had the unintended result of drastically increasing the percentage of those leaving through West Berlin from 60% to well over 90% by the end of 1958. Those caught trying to leave East Berlin were subjected to heavy penalties, but with no physical barrier and subway train access still available to West Berlin, such measures were ineffective. The Berlin sector border was essentially a "loophole" through which Eastern Bloc citizens could still escape. The 3.5 million East Germans who had left by 1961 totalled approximately 20% of the entire East German population.
An important reason that crossing the inner German border was not stopped earlier was that doing so would cut off much of the railway traffic in East Germany. Construction of a new railway bypassing West Berlin, the Berlin outer ring, commenced in 1951. Following the completion of the railway in 1961, closing the border became a more practical proposition. (See History of rail transport in Germany.)
BRAIN DRAIN
The emigrants tended to be young and well-educated, leading to the "brain drain" feared by officials in East Germany.[28] Yuri Andropov, then the CPSU Director on Relations with Communist and Workers' Parties of Socialist Countries, wrote an urgent letter on 28 August 1958, to the Central Committee about the significant 50% increase in the number of East German intelligentsia among the refugees. Andropov reported that, while the East German leadership stated that they were leaving for economic reasons, testimony from refugees indicated that the reasons were more political than material. He stated "the flight of the intelligentsia has reached a particularly critical phase."
An East German SED propaganda booklet published in 1955 dramatically described the serious nature of 'flight from the republic':
Both from the moral standpoint as well as in terms of the interests of the whole German nation, leaving the GDR is an act of political and moral backwardness and depravity.
Those who let themselves be recruited objectively serve West German Reaction and militarism, whether they know it or not. Is it not despicable when for the sake of a few alluring job offers or other false promises about a "guaranteed future" one leaves a country in which the seed for a new and more beautiful life is sprouting, and is already showing the first fruits, for the place that favours a new war and destruction?
Is it not an act of political depravity when citizens, whether young people, workers, or members of the intelligentsia, leave and betray what our people have created through common labour in our republic to offer themselves to the American or British secret services or work for the West German factory owners, Junkers, or militarists? Does not leaving the land of progress for the morass of an historically outdated social order demonstrate political backwardness and blindness? ...
Workers throughout Germany will demand punishment for those who today leave the German Democratic Republic, the strong bastion of the fight for peace, to serve the deadly enemy of the German people, the imperialists and militarists.
By 1960, the combination of World War II and the massive emigration westward left East Germany with only 61% of its population of working age, compared to 70.5% before the war. The loss was disproportionately heavy among professionals: engineers, technicians, physicians, teachers, lawyers and skilled workers. The direct cost of manpower losses to East Germany (and corresponding gain to the West) has been estimated at $7 billion to $9 billion, with East German party leader Walter Ulbricht later claiming that West Germany owed him $17 billion in compensation, including reparations as well as manpower losses. In addition, the drain of East Germany's young population potentially cost it over 22.5 billion marks in lost educational investment. The brain drain of professionals had become so damaging to the political credibility and economic viability of East Germany that the re-securing of the German communist frontier was imperative.
The exodus of emigrants from East Germany presented two minor potential benefits: an easy opportunity to smuggle East German secret agents to West Germany, and a reduction in the number of citizens hostile to the communist regime. Neither of these advantages, however, proved particularly useful.
HOW KHRUSHEV-KENNEDY RELATIONS AFFECTED THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE WALL
In April 1961 , Khrushchev gained an impression that Kennedy is not very smart when he saw Washington supporting the failed invasion of Cuba by anti-communist exiles which were than left to their fate. Khrushchev decided to alarm rather than appease the president. He soon revealed his intention of signing the separate peace treaty with East Germany that would abolish allied rights in West Berlin. One of his intentions was therefore to get whole of the Berlin. However, this action had risks behind it. The risks that we are taking is justified. If we look at it in the terms of a percentage, there is more than a 95% chance that there will be no war. It meant that 5% was an actual chance of having a war. Khrushchev's assumptions about Kennedy were false. He made clear that the chance of having a war was bigger that 5%. He showed the unpredictability of US's policy. All though Soviet forces were not on high alert, the plans were nonetheless changed to deal with the consequences of the Kennedy's actions. It was then decided to block the access of the West Berlin from the East. That is when the construction of the wall started.
1961 - CONSTRUCTION BEGINS
On 15 June 1961, First Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party and GDR State Council chairman Walter Ulbricht stated in an international press conference, "Niemand hat die Absicht, eine Mauer zu errichten!" (No one has the intention of erecting a wall!). It was the first time the colloquial term Mauer (wall) had been used in this context.
The transcript of a telephone call between Nikita Khrushchev and Ulbricht on 1 August in the same year, suggests that the initiative for the construction of the Wall came from Khrushchev. However, other sources suggest that Khrushchev had initially been wary about building a wall, fearing negative Western reaction. What is beyond dispute, though, is that Ulbricht had pushed for a border closure for quite some time, arguing that East Germany's very existence was at stake.
Khrushchev had become emboldened upon seeing US President John F. Kennedy's youth and inexperience show as weakness against Khrushchev's brutal, undiplomatic aggression. This feeling of miscalculation and failure is admitted by Kennedy in the U.S. ambassador's residence with New York Times columnist James "Scotty" Reston. Kennedy made the regrettable error of admitting that the US would not actively oppose this action in the Soviet sector of Berlin. On Saturday, 12 August 1961, the leaders of the GDR attended a garden party at a government guesthouse in Döllnsee, in a wooded area to the north of East Berlin. There Ulbricht signed the order to close the border and erect a wall.
At midnight, the police and units of the East German army began to close the border and, by Sunday morning, 13 August, the border with West Berlin was closed. East German troops and workers had begun to tear up streets running alongside the border to make them impassable to most vehicles and to install barbed wire entanglements and fences along the 156 kilometres around the three western sectors, and the 43 kilometres that divided West and East Berlin. The date of 13 August became commonly referred to as Barbed Wire Sunday in Germany.
The barrier was built inside East Berlin or East German territory to ensure that it did not encroach on West Berlin at any point. Generally, the Wall was only slightly inside East Berlin, but in a few places it was some distance from the legal border, most notably at Potsdamer Bahnhof and the Lenné Triangle that is now much of the Potsdamer Platz development.
Later, the initial barrier was built up into the Wall proper, the first concrete elements and large blocks being put in place on 17 August. During the construction of the Wall, National People's Army (NVA) and Combat Groups of the Working Class (KdA) soldiers stood in front of it with orders to shoot anyone who attempted to defect. Additionally, chain fences, walls, minefields and other obstacles were installed along the length of East Germany's western border with West Germany proper. A huge no man's land was cleared to provide a clear line of fire at fleeing refugees.
IMMEDIATE EFFECTS
With the closing of the East-West sector boundary in Berlin, the vast majority of East Germans could no longer travel or emigrate to West Germany. Berlin soon went from being the easiest place to make an unauthorized crossing between East and West Germany to being the most difficult Many families were split, while East Berliners employed in the West were cut off from their jobs. West Berlin became an isolated exclave in a hostile land. West Berliners demonstrated against the Wall, led by their Mayor (Oberbürgermeister) Willy Brandt, who strongly criticized the United States for failing to respond. Allied intelligence agencies had hypothesized about a wall to stop the flood of refugees, but the main candidate for its location was around the perimeter of the city. In 1961, Secretary of State Dean Rusk proclaimed, "The Wall certainly ought not to be a permanent feature of the European landscape. I see no reason why the Soviet Union should think it is - it is to their advantage in any way to leave there that monument to communist failure."
United States and UK sources had expected the Soviet sector to be sealed off from West Berlin, but were surprised by how long the East Germans took for such a move. They considered the Wall as an end to concerns about a GDR/Soviet retaking or capture of the whole of Berlin; the Wall would presumably have been an unnecessary project if such plans were afloat. Thus they concluded that the possibility of a Soviet military conflict over Berlin had decreased.
The East German government claimed that the Wall was an "anti-fascist protective rampart" (German: "antifaschistischer Schutzwall") intended to dissuade aggression from the West. Another official justification was the activities of Western agents in Eastern Europe. The Eastern German government also claimed that West Berliners were buying out state-subsidized goods in East Berlin. East Germans and others greeted such statements with skepticism, as most of the time, the border was only closed for citizens of East Germany traveling to the West, but not for residents of West Berlin travelling to the East. The construction of the Wall had caused considerable hardship to families divided by it. Most people believed that the Wall was mainly a means of preventing the citizens of East Germany from entering or fleeing to West Berlin.
SECONDARY RESPONSE
The National Security Agency was the only American intelligence agency that was aware that East Germany was to take action to deal with the brain drain problem. On 9 August 1961, the NSA intercepted an advance warning information of the Socialist Unity Party's plan to close the intra-Berlin border between East and West Berlin completely for foot traffic. The interagency intelligence Berlin Watch Committee assessed that this intercept "might be the first step in a plan to close the border." This warning did not reach U.S. President John F. Kennedy until noon on 13 August 1961, while he was vacationing in his yacht off the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. While Kennedy was angry that he had no advance warning, he was relieved that the East Germans and the Soviets had only divided Berlin without taking any action against West Berlin's access to the West. However, he denounced the Berlin Wall, whose erection worsened the relations between the United States and the Soviet Union.
In response to the erection of the Berlin Wall, a retired general, Lucius D. Clay, was appointed by Kennedy as his special advisor and sent to Berlin with ambassadorial rank. Clay had been the Military Governor of the US Zone of Occupation in Germany during the period of the Berlin Blockade and had ordered the first measures in what became the Berlin Airlift. He was immensely popular with the residents of West Berlin, and his appointment was an unambiguous sign that Kennedy would not compromise on the status of West Berlin. Clay and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson arrived at Tempelhof Airport on the afternoon of Saturday, 19 August 1961.
They arrived in a city defended by three Allied brigades—one each from the UK, the US, and France (the Forces Françaises à Berlin). On 16 August, Kennedy had given the order for them to be reinforced. Early on 19 August, the 1st Battle Group, 18th Infantry (commanded by Colonel Glover S. Johns Jr.) was alerted.
On Sunday morning, U.S. troops marched from West Germany through East Germany, bound for West Berlin. Lead elements - arranged in a column of 491 vehicles and trailers carrying 1,500 men, divided into five march units - left the Helmstedt-Marienborn checkpoint at 06:34. At Marienborn, the Soviet checkpoint next to Helmstedt on the West German-East German border, US personnel were counted by guards. The column was 160 kilometres long, and covered 177 kilometres from Marienborn to Berlin in full battle gear. East German police watched from beside trees next to the autobahn all the way along.
The front of the convoy arrived at the outskirts of Berlin just before noon, to be met by Clay and Johnson, before parading through the streets of Berlin in front of a large crowd. At 04:00 on 21 August, Lyndon Johnson left West Berlin in the hands of General Frederick O. Hartel and his brigade of 4,224 officers and men. "For the next three and a half years, American battalions would rotate into West Berlin, by autobahn, at three month intervals to demonstrate Allied rights to the city".
The creation of the Wall had important implications for both German states. By stemming the exodus of people from East Germany, the East German government was able to reassert its control over the country: in spite of discontent with the Wall, economic problems caused by dual currency and the black market were largely eliminated. The economy in the GDR began to grow. But, the Wall proved a public relations disaster for the communist bloc as a whole. Western powers portrayed it as a symbol of communist tyranny, particularly after East German border guards shot and killed would-be defectors. Such fatalities were later treated as acts of murder by the reunified Germany.
WIKIPEDIA
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#TodaysDoodle (No. 210)
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Members of Downstate New York ADAPT gathered outside the New York City Council Offices at 250 Broadway on February 7, 2022 as disabled activists across New York strongly disagree with the State’s refusal to pass bills A.5367 and S.5028 to repeal deadly restrictions to home care access amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Erik McGregor)
Accessible only by a tough two day hike over rugged country on foot, or by helicopter, Revolver Falls are the highest single drop falls in Western Australia.
Very few people know they exist.
Historic photo from 2001. Grand Canyon National Park visitors view informational displays at the South Rim Visitor Center plaza. To help plan your trip to the Grand Canyon visit: www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm NPS Photo by Michael Quinn.
In the Nine Years War Speyer was occupied on 28 September in 1688 by French troops. When the French General Montclar finally announced that he had orders to destroy the entire city except the cathedral, brought the Speyerer citizens its furniture and household effects, as far as they could not carry it away with the carts provided by the French in the cathedral and piled it there several meters high. On 31 May 1689, the city was finally set on fire. After the fire had spread to the vicinity of the cathedral, it was succeded to prevent the flames from spreading by hammering of adjacent roofs and putting up water tanks. By a thunderstorm on the night of 2 June but the fire was so strongly fanned that even the multiple extinguishing of the burning west end could not prevent that the fire eventually spread to the poorly accessible east dome. In this chaos invaded French soldiers in the cathedral and plundered the upper imperial and royal tombs. Only the tombs of the Salian were spared except the grave of Henry V, as they were very deep in the ground and the soldiers apparently fled from the cathedral where they left their digging equipments. Those were found at the opening of imperial tombs in 1900. Also spared was the Madonna as it was stored in a shrine. It was after its rescue brought in the Frankfurter Catherine's church and during the recolonisation of Speyer returned in the cathedral. Because of the tremendous heat the vault in the western part became fragile and collapsed. The eastern part, however, resisted the flames. It was after the repopulation of Speyer closed by a wall and further used for worship. 1755 the upper portion of the residual west end with the two towers because of the danger of collapse had to be removed.
In the second half of the 18th century was enough money availabe to build the western part of the cathedral again. Under Franz Ignaz Michael Neumann, the son of the famous baroque architect Balthasar Neumann, 1772-1778 the yawning gap in the western part of the nave has been closed in its original form. The almost completely torn down west end was under inclusion of the Romanesque porch replaced by a contemporary Baroque facade. However, it had only 100-year existence. Still today the rupture especially in using other bricks can be seen, the overall picture, however, is uniform. This early act of reconstructive preservation of historical monuments in spite of everything can be explained by the rather scarce funds of the city: A baroque new construction of the main building as a consequence also would have had the new construction of the choir to obtain an aesthetically pleasing spatial impression.
In 1794, revolutionary troops devastated the cathedral, and the house of God was deconsecrated. In the process, the entire interior was lost, and the portrait of Mary there was destroyed. Under Napoleon Bonaparte, the French troops used the cathedral as a cowshed and as food and material store. After in the Peace of Luneville of 9 February 1801 the left-bank areas binding under international law were ceded to France, the ownership of the cathedral passed to the French government. In Concordat of July 15, 1801 respectively in the Bull of Circumscription "Qui Christi Domini vices" of the November 29, 1801 recognized Pope Pius VII the dissolution of the diocese of Speyer and the assignment of the local Catholic church to the diocese of Mainz. Since the cathedral was dilapidated, due to the building assessment of architect Peter Henrion it should be demolished in 1805, the remainder of the west-wing (west-bau) being turned into a triumphal arch. However, the city council of Speyer refused to take over the for the demolition necessary costs. After the bishop of Mainz, Joseph Ludwig Colmar, had used his good relations with the wife of Napoleon, Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais and the French Culture Minister, Jean Etienne Portalis to convince them of the outstanding cultural importance of the cathedral, Napoleon agreed to withdraw the already issued demolition disposal. By imperial decree of 23 September 1806, he ordered the return of the cathedral to the Catholics of Speyer, which in it were also made responsible for the future maintenance costs. As at this time the as a church foundation established Speyer Cathedral Parish was the only in the town existing Catholic legal person, this one took over in a public ceremony on 3 November 1806 from the hands of mayor Ludwig Sonntag, as the representative of the Frenche State, the ownership of the cathedral.
After Napoleon's defeat, the diocese on the left-Rhenish area was newly established in 1817, and the cathedral not only served as a parish, but in addition again as a bishop's church; 1818-1822 it was restored and 1822 newly consecrated. 1846-1853 created the painters Johann Schraudolph and Joseph Schwarzmann commissioned by Ludwig I of Bavaria frescoes in Nazarene style.
On behalf of the former Bavarian King Ludwig I, the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I and the Duke Adolph of Nassau, in 1854-1858 was undertaken the new construction of the west-bau in neo-Romanesque style. Heinrich Hübsch, one of the most renowned architects of early Historicism, oriented himself freely to the original west-bau taking up central tower and two smaller flanking towers, however, he deviated from the draft both in the choice of materials as in the proportions considerably. The renovation of the west facade and the decoration of the cathedral were considered in the 19th century as "great work". Ludwig I was convinced that for a long time nothing greater had been created as the frescoes in the cathedral of Speyer.
At the turn of the 20th century, there was a change of mood: Georg Dehio complained in 1916 even cautiously among the disasters that have hit the dome the changes of the 19th century were not the smallest.
Im Pfälzischen Erbfolgekrieg wurde Speyer am 28. September 1688 von Französischen Truppen besetzt. Als der französische General Montclar schließlich verkündete, er habe den Befehl, die gesamte Stadt außer den Dom zu zerstören, brachten die Speyerer Bürger ihre Möbel und ihren Hausrat, soweit sie ihn nicht mit den durch die Franzosen bereitgestellten Karren wegschaffen konnten, in den Dom und stapelten ihn mehrere Meter hoch. Am 31. Mai 1689 wurde die Stadt schließlich in Brand gesetzt. Nachdem sich das Feuer bis in die Umgebung des Domes ausgebreitet hatte, gelang es, das Übergreifen der Flammen durch das Einschlagen von benachbarten Dächern und das Aufstellen von Wasserbehältern zu verhindern. Durch einen Gewittersturm in der Nacht zum 2. Juni wurde das Feuer aber so stark angefacht, dass selbst das mehrfache Löschen des brennenden Westbaus nicht verhinderte, dass sich das Feuer schließlich bis in die schlecht zugängliche Ostkuppel ausbreitete. In diesem Chaos drangen französische Soldaten in den Dom ein und plünderten die oberen Kaiser- und Königsgräber. Nur die Gräber der Salier blieben bis auf das Grab Heinrichs V. verschont, da sie sehr tief im Boden lagen und die Soldaten den Dom offenbar fluchtartig verließen, wobei sie ihre Grabgeräte zurückließen. Diese fand man bei der Öffnung der Kaisergräber im Jahr 1900. Ebenfalls verschont blieb das Marienbildnis, da es in einem Schrein gelagert wurde. Es wurde nach seiner Bergung in die Frankfurter Katherinenkirche gebracht und bei der Wiederbesiedlung Speyers in den Dom zurückgebracht. Durch die gewaltige Hitze wurde das Gewölbe im Westteil brüchig und stürzte ein. Der Ostteil hingegen hielt den Flammen stand. Er wurde nach der Wiederbesiedlung Speyers durch eine Mauer abgeschlossen und wurde für Gottesdienste weiter benutzt. 1755 mussten der obere Bereich des stehen gebliebenen Westbaus mit den beiden Türmen wegen Einsturzgefahr abgetragen werden.
In der zweiten Hälfte des 18. Jahrhunderts war genügend Geld vorhanden, den Westteil des Doms wieder aufzubauen. Unter Franz Ignaz Michael Neumann, dem Sohn des berühmten Barockbaumeisters Balthasar Neumann, wurde 1772–1778 die klaffende Lücke im westlichen Teil des Langhauses in der ursprünglichen Form geschlossen. Das fast völlig abgetragene Westwerk wurde unter Einbeziehung der romanischen Vorhalle durch eine zeitgemäße barocke Fassade ersetzt. Sie hatte jedoch nur gut 100 Jahre Bestand. Heute noch ist der Bruch vor allem an der Verwendung anderer Mauersteine zu erkennen, das Gesamtbild jedoch einheitlich. Dieser frühe Akt einer rekonstruktiven Denkmalpflege lässt sich mit den trotz allem eher begrenzten Geldmitteln der Stadt erklären: Ein barocker Neubau des Langhauses hätte auch den Neubau des Chors zur Folge haben müssen, um einen ästhetisch ansprechenden Raumeindruck zu erhalten.
Im Jahr 1794 verwüsteten Revolutionstruppen den Dom, und das Gotteshaus wurde profaniert. Dabei ging die ganze Innenausstattung verloren, auch das Marienbildnis wurde dabei zerstört. Unter Napoleon Bonaparte nutzten die französischen Truppen den Dom als Viehstall sowie als Futter- und Materiallager. Nachdem im Frieden von Lunéville vom 9. Februar 1801 die linksrheinischen Gebiete völkerrechtlich verbindlich an Frankreich abgetreten worden waren, ging das Eigentum am Dom an die französische Regierung über. Im Konkordat vom 15. Juli 1801 bzw. in der Zirkumskriptionsbulle „Qui Christi Domini vices“ vom 29. November 1801 anerkannte Papst Pius VII die Aufhebung des Bistums Speyer und die Zuordnung der dortigen katholischen Gemeinde zum Bistum Mainz. Da der Dom baufällig war, sollte er infolge eines Baugutachtens des Architekten Peter Henrion im Jahr 1805 abgerissen werden, wobei der Rest des Westbaus zum Triumphbogen umgebaut werden sollte. Der Stadtrat von Speyer weigerte sich jedoch, die für den Abriss notwendigen Kosten zu übernehmen. Nachdem der Mainzer Bischof Joseph Ludwig Colmar seine guten Beziehungen zur Frau Napoleons, Kaiserin Joséphine de Beauharnais sowie zum französischen Kultusminister Jean Etienne Portalis dazu genutzt hatte, diese von der überragenden kulturellen Bedeutung des Doms zu überzeugen, erklärte sich Napoleon einverstanden, die bereits erlassene Abrissverfügung zurückzunehmen. Mit kaiserlichem Dekret vom 23. September 1806 verfügte er die Rückgabe des Doms an die Katholiken von Speyer, die darin auch für die künftigen Unterhaltskosten verantwortlich gemacht wurden. Da zu diesem Zeitpunkt die als Kirchenstiftung errichtete Speyerer Domgemeinde die einzige in der Stadt existierende katholische juristische Person war, übernahm diese im Rahmen einer öffentlichen Zeremonie am 3. November 1806 das Eigentum an der Kathedrale aus der Hand des Bürgermeisters Ludwig Sonntag als dem Vertreter des französischen Staats.
Nach der Niederlage Napoleons wurde das Bistum 1817 auf linksrheinischem Gebiet neu errichtet, und der Dom diente nicht mehr nur als Pfarr-, sondern daneben auch wieder als Bischofskirche; 1818–1822 wurde er saniert und 1822 neu geweiht. 1846–1853 schufen die Maler Johann von Schraudolph und Joseph Schwarzmann im Auftrag Ludwig I. von Bayern Fresken im Nazarener Stil.
Im Auftrag des ehemaligen bayerischen Königs Ludwig I., des österreichischen Kaisers Franz Joseph I. und des Herzogs Adolph von Nassau kam es zu einer Neuerrichtung des Westbaus 1854–1858 im neoromanischen Stil. Heinrich Hübsch, einer der renommiertesten Architekten des frühen Historismus, orientierte sich frei am ursprünglichen Westbau, indem er Mittelturm und zwei kleinere Flankentürme aufgriff, wich jedoch von der Vorlage sowohl bei der Materialwahl wie bei den Proportionen erheblich ab. Die Erneuerung der Westfassade und die Ausmalung des Doms wurden im 19. Jahrhundert als „großes Werk“ angesehen. Ludwig I. war der Überzeugung, dass seit langer Zeit nichts Größeres geschaffen worden sei als die Fresken im Speyerer Dom.
Um die Wende zum 20. Jahrhundert kam es zu einem Stimmungsumschwung: Georg Dehio beklagte 1916 sogar vorsichtig, unter den Unglücken, die den Dom getroffen hätten, seien die Veränderungen des 19. Jahrhunderts nicht die kleinsten gewesen.
Rennies trio of Plaxton bodied B7R coaches all came from Stagecoach Western. Despite one being converted to 64 seats, all retain their wheelchair lifts, but only one 53276 (KX56JZO) advertised the fact it is an accessible vehicle.
House Island (in Casco Bay), Portland, Maine USA • A bleeding, rusting railroad spike stains this cut granite block, seen during a private tour of the island and its historic structures.
Update: The Portland Historic Preservation Board is considering approving the nomination of House Island to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as an Historic District. At their 6 August, 2014 meeting they received an Analysis of Eligibility. This is a richly informative document; it begins on page 23 of the linked PDF.
☞ House Island is a private island in Portland Harbor in Casco Bay, Maine, USA. It is part of the City of Portland. The island is only accessible by boat. Public access is prohibited, except for an on-request tour sanctioned by the island's owners. House Island includes three buildings on the east side and Fort Scammel on the west side. The buildings are used as summer residences. The island's name derives from the site of an early European house, believed that built by Capt. Christopher Levett, an English explorer of the region. …
Henry A. S. Dearborn built Fort Scammel on the island in 1808 as part of the national second system of fortifications. It was named after Alexander Scammell, Adjutant general of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, who was killed in action during the Battle of Yorktown. The fort was designed for harbor defense, with cannon batteries designed to protect the main shipping channel into Portland harbor, along with Fort Preble. In the 1840s–1870s, as part of the national third system of fortifications, Fort Scammel was modernized. Thomas Lincoln Casey, known for his work on the Washington Monument rebuilt the fort in 1862 at the time of the American Civil War. Of all the forts in Casco Bay, Fort Scammel was the only fort to fire a shot and be fired upon in battle, in early August, 1813. …
The island was later the site of an immigration quarantine station from 1907 to 1937, and was considered the 'Ellis Island of the North'. The quarantine station was busiest in the early 1920s, after the adoption of the Emergency Quota Act, which restricted the number of immigrants who could enter the country. In November 1923, the ships President Polk and George Washington were diverted from New York City to Portland and 218 immigrants from those ships were quarantined at the station.
The island was considered "ideal" by immigration officials. A Grand Trunk Railway station was located at the docks in Portland, allowing easy rail access for immigrants arriving in Portland. Additionally, William Husband, Commissioner General of United States Immigration, said the whole island was secure and "The whole of House Island was available in that case, instead of those detained being obliged to go out under guard with only few patches of green grass upon which they might set foot, as at some other places."
The 1920 brick detention barracks have been demolished, but the original 1907 buildings remain, including the doctor's house, the detention barracks, and the quarantine hospital. – Source: from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
• Here's a terrific link to FortWiki with historic plans, and other interesting details.
• On June 21, 2012, the WSJ reported the island for sale for $4.9m. Here's a link to a short video with glimpses of the island and structures.
∆ GeoHack: 43° 39′ 10″ N, 70° 12′ 35″ W.
Get into the Holiday Spirit, Vancouver!
The Vancouver Christmas Market (VCM) follows the centuries-old tradition of a German Christmas market and brings all the cultural delights at this time of the year from Deutschland to all families from every community in this part of the world to help celebrate the holiday season. Besides Christmas-themed food and entertainment, the VCM promises to offer the best shopping experience you’ll have all season as well.
This year as was last year, the location of the Vancouver Christmas Market is at the open plaza area right next to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre (QE Theatre). It is a good location and just a short 5-minute walk from the Stadium-Chinatown Skytrain station and readily accessible to buses including some Northshore lines.
As suggested by VCM which tries its best to follow sustainable eco-friendly principles, the best way to get the market is by making use of public transportation. Though parking is also conveniently located including one that is right underneath the QE Theatre should you decided to drive.
This QE Theatre location is also where the First nations Aboriginal Pavilion was during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games. In fact, the founder and president of VCM, Mr. Malte Kluetz indicated that he was inspired by that global sporting event that further established the City of Vancouver as an international destination to setup a world-class Christmas market with ideas based on his homeland country of Germany.
So what can be found inside the Vancouver Christmas Market?
With 45 vendors participating this year, many of then from Germany and Austria, the VCM offers a sampling of products, services and entertainment from the Bavarian country and surrounding regions. Here, you will find Bavarian Weisswurst, German Bratwurst, Swiss chesses, salted Bretzels, waffles, cinnamon bakeries, fine Belgian chocolates and the many different varieties of hand-crafted and painted chocolate candies.
Yes, there is a Carousel ride which is Vancouver’s first and only Christmas Carousel at $3 per ticket or 5 tickets for $10 too. Information for rates, tickets, prepaid special groups (of 20 people or more) and a 2-for-1 lunch pass (for downtown workers) are available at the Vancouver Christmas Market web site at vancouverchristmasmarket.com.
New this season is a FREE RE-ENTRY offer. You paid once for admission and you will receive a re-entry pass that allows you to come back anytime you want for the entire season which opens its gates from November 24 to December 24, 2012, 11am-9pm with early closing on Christmas Eve (Dec 24) at 6pm.
The Vancouver Christmas Market is largely an out-door venue, so dress appropriately. Kaethe Wohlfahrt, Germany’s top Christmas ornament and décor company which sells hundreds of unique and one-of-a-kind Christmas decorative items, is the only shop sheltered inside a building that is part of the QE Theatre complex. Many of the outdoor shops are housed inside wooden huts. Washrooms are outdoor temporary toilets.
No Christmas tree, either real or fake is sold at the market, so don’t come shopping for that and you won’t be disappointed. At the market, you will find many finely-crafted Christmas items on display with everyone seemingly having a story to tell and an old-world tradition beckoning you to find out more.
The VCM is a licensed premise, so alcoholic drinks are available for those who can be proved themselves to be 19 or over. Glühwein and a popular variant, the Feuerzangenbowle with a rum-soaked sugarloaf set on fire and dipped into the wine (usually red) are also served at the market. Adhering to the principle of sustainability to reduce waste, these popular German Christmas beverages are served in recyclable mugs. After your enjoyment, you can return the mug to get your $2 mug deposit back.
However, due to food and liquor licensing, no dogs or other pets are allowed with the exception for guide dogs. The market is also easily wheelchair accessible.
There is a live stage which features live bands, dancers and entertainment by artists and groups from such countries as Bulgaria, the Ukraine, Germany, Estonia and others. The Santa’s Brass Band plays traditional Christmas tunes with a toe-tapping rhythm that sees many visitors dancing with their partner around the stage.
And yes, this is a suggestion for the organizer - The melodies from ‘The Sound of Music’ would seem to fit in the market very well and indeed one would feel that ‘the hills are alive’, perhaps we might see (and hear) some of that in the future? On the other hand, the Vancouver Christmas Market is certainly teeming with life with a constant stream of visitors milling about the merchant stalls on Sunday afternoon Nov 25. Mr Kluetz said he expects to have 160,000 visitors this year. The 2011 attendance was 130,000.
Besides merchandizes from European producers, there are also no shortages of local and fair Trade goods including Fraser Valley honey, products from Ecofair Tarding and Tradewinds, woolen hats and clothing from Namaste National Products etc. And speaking of honey, Germany is the biggest honey-tasters in the world, proclaimed one of the honey vendors at the market.
Frohe Weihnachten! Merry Christmas, Vancouver!
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Ray Van Eng is an award-winning photographer, journalist, Internet publisher, screenwriter and movie & TV producer. One of his videos is currently on view at the Hava Nagila Exhibit, Museum of Jewish heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York City. from Sep 2012 to May 2013.
I enjoyed this playground more than I thought I would. Its layout is better than the wheelchair accessible playground at Yerba Buena. There were 7 little towers with zig zagging ramp/walkways. The very gradual slope made it easy to get back up, and the towers made it interesting. At the bottom there is a nifty small hill (optional) to zoom down into the play area, but you can also go the more gradually sloping way on the paved path. I was daring with the steep hill b/c it was rubber flooring, so if I wiped out it wouldn't be too bad. Felt like a skate park. It was nice not to be completely left out of where the action was.
A fairly steep but not impossible paved path leads down to (I think) the urban farm. I would only go down it with someone to push me back up.
A very steep hill leads up to the St. Mary's Gym/Rec Center, where the only bathrooms are. The totally not accessible bathrooms with hella narrow door just to get in, no rails, no wide stall.
There is only 1 disabled parking spot on the level area to park next to the playground. I guess only 1 of us at a time allowed in the park, LOL. So get ready to not be able to park -- and to wet your pants. Otherwise, a fantastic accessible playground.
Quality of life: from safe food to data protection
What does quality of life mean for you? Safe food? Accessible medical care? Breathable air and clean environment? Strong consumers’ rights? Or knowing that your data and privacy are safe? European Parliament holds improving of the quality of life in the EU high on its agenda. Read more here and follow 4th ReACT conference on quality of life on 23 January in Rome live!
In the past few years, European parliament worked on wide range of rules to improve the quality of life in Europe: ensuring safe and accessible medicines and medical treatments, strengthening passenger rights, enabling consumers to buy clearly and correctly labelled food, cutting CO2 emissions and preventing other environmental pollution, but also making sure that privacy of European citizens is protected and their data safe. Read more in our Top Story.
Three of those topics: environment, health and food and the “European way” to protect them are to be debated during fourth ReACT conference “Cutting Quality of life: past, present and future” that takes place on 23 January in Rome. Chef Carlo Cracco, climatologist Riccardo Valentini and Professor Michele Mirabella present their points of view and debate them with the audience. Conference is moderated by geologist Mario Tozzi. Follow live and comment #Reactroma via links on the right.
ReAct Roma is the fourth in a series of five interactive conferences on subjects vital to the EU, ahead of the European elections in May 2014. They take place in different European cities where opinion leaders will share their ideas about today's issues. Previous events were dedicated to jobs and employment (15/10 Paris), EU in world (14/11 Warszawa), EU and finances (5/12 Frankfurt). The fifth event will be about EU and economy and will take place on 20/2 in Madrid.
Streaming ReACT Rome, 23 January 19:00
www.europarl.it/view/it/react.html
ReACT Rome: web site in IT
This photo is free to use under Creative Commons license (CC) and must be credited: "© European Union 2014 - European Parliament" (Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons license). For HR files please contact: webcom-flickr(AT)europarl.europa.euRea
Lack of elevators and broken escalators are common accessibility problems at most of TTC subway stations. Here is a perfect example of broken escalator at the back entrance of Yonge and Bloor Station. This poor couple had to carry the baby stroller down the stairs to get to the train platform. Imagine a single parent trying to do this?
(See links). During the boom of Route 66 in the 1900s, Two Guns was a popular trading post but it's been abandoned since 1971. In 1926, a man shot and killed the owner of the land over a contract dispute, and a later attempt to rejuvenate the area was destroyed by a fire. Today, Two Guns, which is easily accessible from an interstate, has nothing but a series of empty buildings — and a lot of spooky history.
Apache Death Cave is a historical landmark located in Two Guns, Arizona. It's on Old Route 66, at the Two Guns interchange, between Flagstaff and Winslow, Arizona. The battles between the Navajos and the Apaches were constant. The group of Apache warriors hid in a cave located in Two Guns. In 1878, they attacked a Navajo camp and murdered everyone with the exception of three Navajo girls who were taken as prisoners. The Apaches not only murdered the Navajos, whom they raided, they also looted the area. The Navajos from another camp sent warriors after the Apaches, however they failed in their quest to find them. When the Apaches attacked another Navajo camp, the Navajo warriors went to Canyon Diablo and saw hot air coming out of the ground.
After taking a closer look, the Navajos discovered that there was a cave and that the raiding Apaches were hiding in it with their horses. The Navajos began to throw burning dry wood into the cave. The Apaches then slit the throats of their horses in an attempt to put out the fire after they ran out of water. When the Navajos found out from an Apache who came out of the cave, that the three Navajo girls were murdered, they threw him into the fire and murdered 42 Apaches in the cave. The cave became known as the "Apache Death Cave". Altogether forty-two Apaches lost their lives in the cave.
Apache Death Cave In Arizona Is a haunted mass grave site with nearly 50 bodies - Only In Your State
Apache Death Cave / Two Guns Arizona
Apache Death Cave is located on the side of a canyon with an abandoned gas station. The abandoned gas station also used to operate a zoo full of desert animals. Many of the ruins around the gas station are parts of the zoo. It's also rumored they used to sell artifacts from the Apache Death Cave at the gift shop.
Apache Death Cave - Atlas Obscura
What happened at the Apache Death Cave? The group of Apache warriors hid in a cave located in Two Guns. In 1878, they attacked a Navajo camp and murdered everyone with the exception of three Navajo girls who were taken as prisoners. The Apaches not only murdered the Navajos, whom they raided, they also looted the area.
Apache Death Cave - She Explores
List of historic properties in Two Guns, Arizona - Wikipedia
Apache Death Cave - Exploring Apache Death Cave (2020) (Road Venture) - You Tube
Apache Death Cave - Abandoned Route 66 Gas Station, Campground . . . and APACHE DEATH CAVE! (Wonderhussy / You Tube)
Apache Death Cave - Trip Advisor
ariel map of Two Guns, Arizona
Two Guns, Arizona - The Wave
Two Guns, Arizona - The Route - 66 . com
Two Guns, Arizona - ghosttowns.com
Two Guns' sordid history off I-40 - Azdot.com
Untold Arizona: Two Guns Ghost Town Marks End Of An Era - Fronteras
Two Guns is also a ghost town in Coconino County, Arizona. Located on the east rim of Canyon Diablo approximately 30 miles east of Flagstaff, Two Guns prospered as a tourist stop along Route 66.
Two Guns, Arizona. 102121.
Architect: Edward Cullinan, Late 80s.
A home providing learning support and care for children and adults with learning disabilities. The home is well integrated with the surrounding communities. The Café and Shop are located at the most accessible and prominent point of the site, where the residents run the café and sell their products grown in the green house next door.
The sloping site has been used to maximum advantage, making contact with the community where required and providing private and secure areas at lower levels for the vulnerable residents.
The appearance of the building is typical of Cullinen's work, cheerful but Art & Craft orientated and displaying warmth and friendship to the neighbours, users and residents.
After 25 years of use the building seems to be rooted to the site and looking as fresh as it was at the time of completion.
Wheelchair Accessible
Roaches Line RV Park & Cottages
are located at the beginning of the Baccalieu Trail on the scenic Avalon Peninsula, just 45km from St. John's and within 15 minutes of Bay Roberts, Brigus, and Cupids, Newfoundland and Labrador
Hillside Cottages
Newfoundland and Labrador
There is 4.3917 million cubic kilometres of accessible fresh water. If you brought it all together in a single drop, it would form a sphere 203 km across.
There is 1,408.7 million cubic kilometres of water on Earth, but 97.25% of it is sea water. All the water in the world, including sea water, would form a sphere 1,391 km across.
There is 38.7 million cubic kilometres of non-ocean water:
Ice caps and glaciers: 74.93%
Deep groundwater (750-4,000 metres): 13.69%
Shallow groundwater (<750 metres): 10.85%
Lakes: 0.32%
Soil moisture: 0.17%
Atmosphere: 0.034%
Rivers: 0.0044%
Biosphere: 0.0016%
Shallow ground water, lakes, rivers and soil moisture makes up 11.35% of non-ocean water and just 0.31% of all water.
Water data:
Elizabeth Kay Berner and Robert A. Berner, 1987, The Global Water Cycle: Geochemistry and Environment, Prentice Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J, Table 2.1, p 13
By Carbon Visuals for South West Water
Interim MTA New York City Transit President Sarah Feinberg, MTA Construction & Development President Janno Lieber, MTA New York City Transit Senior Advisor for Systemwide Accessibility Alex Elegudin, and Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities Commissioner Victor Calise commemorate the 30th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) at the Astoria Blvd station on the N/W lines on Mon., July 27, 2020. Four elevators have been placed in service at the station, making it fully accessible.
Photo: Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit
Our roving reporter Kelly G's latest blog on her Sirus Automotive Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle and why she think Christmas is AWESOME!!!....
www.sirusautomotive.co.uk/kellys-blog/christmas-is-awesome/
#christmas2013 #wheelchair_accessible_vehicles
Select from photos in this album to create a slide show to convince local businesses that serving people with disabilities is profitable.
For the latest research on what works in Inclusive Tourism point them to, "Best Practice in Accessible Tourism: Inclusion, Disability, Ageing Population and Tourism"
buhalis.blogspot.com/2012/02/new-book-best-practice-in-ac...
One of the most frequent questions asked by advocates and industry alike is “what is the value of the inclusive tourism market?”. There are surprisingly few studies that have examined this question. Below is an updated extract from an article that presents a summary economic estimate studies (Darcy & Dickson, 2009).
accessibletourismresearch.blogspot.com/2010/01/economic-c...