Caltrans officials confirmed human remains are found inside a culvert pipeline that runs under the 55 Freeway in Costa Mesa. Officials sent a robot camera to inspect for blockages on Monday morning when it spotted what appears to be human remains 300 feet into the 26-inch pipe near the Baker Street offramp, according to California Highway Patrol. Crews can be seen working to flush out the human remains. The Costa Mesa Civic Center can be seen in the distance.

Frankfurt, Christmas market

Nov. 25, 2016

Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s giant panda cub Bei Bei is stable and recovering following an emergency bowel obstruction surgery to remove a dense, masticated lemon-sized mass of bamboo.

“I’m extremely proud and thankful for our team of keepers, veterinarians, animal care staff, volunteer medical experts and all staff who have helped facilitate the urgent response,” said Director Dennis Kelly. “Bei Bei’s prognosis is very good. The challenge will be for our team to monitor him safely and that requires his cooperation. We will keep everyone up to speed as he recovers.”

On Thursday, Nov. 24, giant panda cub Bei Bei showed signs of stomach discomfort and nausea. He was sleeping more than normal and not eating. Bei Bei was given an anti-nausea medication injection and remained in his indoor enclosure under observation. Zoo animal care and veterinary staff observed him closely throughout the day and made periodic checks overnight to monitor his condition.

Earlier this morning, Nov. 25, Bei Bei was taken to the vet hospital for further evaluation. Volunteer Dr. Elyshia Hankin, board-certified veterinary radiologist at the Friendship Hospital for Animals, performed an ultrasound of his stomach and bowels revealing a blockage at the top of the small intestine. Following an initial endoscopic exploration, it was clear to the veterinary team that the mass would not resolve itself on its own and the blockage needed to be removed surgically.

Volunteer Dr. Sebastian Gordon, a board-certified veterinary surgeon from Lazar Veterinary Surgery, performed life-saving surgery to remove the mass of bamboo that was distending the small intestine and preventing intestinal movement. Bei Bei is awake and recovering in the David M. Rubenstein Giant Panda Habitat. Veterinary, animal care and nutrition staff will focus on getting his gastrointestinal tract moving smoothly and managing any discomfort. Bei Bei will be given water overnight and will then be transitioned to soft foods such as sweet potatoes, pears and ground up leaf-eater biscuits. When bamboo is added back to his diet, it will likely be finely cut leaves. There is every expectation Bei Bei will return to his normal diet in the near future.

To ensure his recovery goes smoothly and veterinary and animal care staff have access to Bei Bei, he will be housed separately from Mei Xiang, his mother, and off the panda cams for the next few days. The Zoo will provide daily updates on Bei Bei’s recovery via social media. The panda house is temporarily closed. Bao Bao, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian may be viewed in their outdoor yards.

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yourvibration.com/pix/wp-content/uploads/9fda1731-e145660...

yourvibration.com/pix/24202/

raise your vibration

This Largemouth might be a little on the slender side, and I don't know if this is some kind of intestinal parasite, artificial blockage or other affliction, but it could still tip the scales as is.

Largemouth Bass

Alexander Springs Recreation Area

Ocala National Forest

Lake County Florida

Olympus OM-D E-M5

14-42mm II Lens

PT-EP08 Underwater Housing,

PPO-EP01 Lens Port

& 14-42mm Zoom Gear

Portil Lagoon

This freshwater lake is home to a large number of water birds. Along with the Odiel and Piedras River Marshes and the Flecha del Rompido, it forms a network of wetlands that is fundamental for the survival of birds that migrate to the Iberian Peninsula each year.

The lake has its origins in the gradual accumulation of sand from mobile dune fronts. The blockage this cased gradually stopped the flow of water from the small streams in the area out into the sea. Its evolution is closely linked to the movements of areas of sand along the coast, on account of their proximity.

From the viewpoint at the start of the trail running around the perimeter of the lake there is an excellent view of this nature area. You can see the surrounding vegetation, comprised mainly of Bunium incrassatum, bulrushes and reeds. There is an abundance of water to be found on its waters. You can see the interesting courting of crested grebes and the long, sharp snort-like sound of the little grebe. This bird dives underwater sensing danger and can swim several metres underneath the surface. It is also common to see gulls that fish out at sea and come to these waters to wash the salt off their plumage.

Being a stop for migratory birds, this is an ideal place to spot rare species in summer and autumn, such as the garganey. Following the trail you can see how the vegetation changes. As the ground becomes more solid there is Phoenician juniper, mastic, white broom and replanted rock pine.

La Norieta Peri-urban Park is an ideal place to have a rest and enjoy the countryside. It is next to the Reserve. You can also visit excellent beaches such as La Bota or El Portil, with a wide range of leisure activities and water sports. Furthermore, close by is Cartaya, which has a wealth of historic and artistic heritage. Examples would be Los Zúñigas Castle, a fortress tower built in the 15th century and designated National Monument, the Andalusian Baroque style La Consolación Shrine and the Dehesa and Mogaya water fountains.

Esta laguna de agua dulce, que conserva una elevada población de aves acuáticas, constituye junto con los Parajes Naturales Marismas del Odiel y Marismas del Río Piedras y Flecha del Rompido, un entramado de zonas húmedas fundamental para la supervivencia de las aves que emigran a la Península todos los años.

El origen de la laguna se encuentra en la lenta acumulación de arenas proveniente de los frentes dunares móviles. El tapón creado fue cerrando el paso del agua de los pequeños arroyos de la zona, impidiendo su desembocadura en el mar. Su evolución, dada la cercanía, está muy unida la dinámica de movimientos de arenas de este litoral.

Desde el mirador, donde se inicia el sendero que recorre el perímetro de la laguna, se tiene una excelente panorámica de este entorno natural. Aquí, se observa la vegetación que la rodea, compuesta principalmente por castañuelas, espadañas y juncos. En sus aguas abundan las aves acuáticas, siendo posible contemplar el llamativo cortejo del somormujo lavanco o escuchar el sonido largo y agudo, a modo de relincho, que emite el zampullín chico. Esta ave ante las señales de peligro se sumerge y es capaz de bucear distancias de varios metros. También es frecuente la presencia de gaviotas que pescan en el mar y vienen a estas aguas a eliminar el salitre de su plumaje.

Al ser lugar de paso de aves migratorias es un sitio ideal para ver rarezas en periodos primaverales y otoñales como la poco habitual cerceta carretona. Siguiendo el sendero, se observa cómo cambia la vegetación, apareciendo, en los terrenos más consolidados, la sabina negra, el lentisco, la retama blanca y el pino piñonero de repoblación.

Para descansar un rato, junto a la Reserva se encuentra el Parque Periurbano La Norieta, un lugar ideal para el recreo y disfrute de la naturaleza. También se pueden visitar sus excelentes playas, como la de la Bota o la de El Portil, con una amplia oferta de ocio y deportes náuticos. Además, muy cerca se encuentra Cartaya, que posee un rico patrimonio histórico artístico. Ejemplos de ellos son el Castillo de los Zúñigas, torre fortaleza construida en el siglo XV declarado Monumento Nacional, la Ermita de la Consolación de estilo barroco andaluz o los Pilares Mudéjares de la Dehesa y Mogaya.

This photo was not taken in Seattle.

If the gecko turns you on, you can see him closer here.

Any reference to a television commercial about the selling of auto insurance will result in immediate blockage from this photostream.

Just kidding.

Hopefully my mentioning of said television commercial will be enough to quell the desires of those who normally cannot resist.

Shooting moonlit photographs in Yosemite can be either rewarding or frustrating at certain points throughout a night. As Yosemite’s granite giants tower high into the skies, they present perfect opportune moments for catching the light from the moon. However, with the towering rocks, also comes the blockage for that light to hit the valley floor.

In this photograph, El Capitan stands tall and soaks in the light on the northern rim of the valley, but the valley floor sits dark within the depths of the shadows caused by the granite giants of the southern rim. This caused me to improvise and use applied light from my headlamp to bring out the trees and flowing river from the dark.

El Capitan and Merced River, Yosemite National Park, CA, June 22, 2019

Monday, 29 September 2014

GM 084 approaches Campile with the ECS movement of the RPSI Craven carriages from Wexford to Waterford. The train had earlier operated the Railtours Ireland 'Emerald Isle Express" tour (Day 1) from Dublin Connolly to Wexford. The ECS movement across the mothballed South Wexford Line to Waterford allowed the positioning of the train for Day 2 of the tour, which would see the train bringing the guests from Waterford to Cork City via Clonmel.

Back in 2011, a rake of 29000 class railcars was brought from Dublin to Rosslare via Waterford and the South Wexford Line due to a line blockage at Lansdowne Road caused by flooding. Photos: www.flickr.com/photos/finnyus/sets/72157627935436747/

© Finbarr O'Neill

We reached at Naran around 9 am in the morning. The next task was to arrange Porters and Jeeps for our journey further ahead. Due to Eid holidays, it was getting tougher to find Jeeps. It seems like every tourist in Naran wanted to visit Saifulmalook. At last our host able to find two jeeps, but also came with a bad news that there was glacier road block some 3, 4 kilometers ahead from Soch village. It was disappointment but he said you will find Jeep on other side of Block. Also, in Naran it was difficult to find Porters at this period of time. We thought to hire few porters from Soch village. We stopped at Soch village but after an effort of one hour hardly able to find two young porters, among them one was first year student and other has given matriculation exams. This was beginning of disappointment phase. We left Soch village around 11 am, the roadside scenes were amazing. Then suddenly our jeep tire got flattens, luckily jeep driver have spares but this also wasted a lot of time. I was hoping, we will not face any further encumbrance in our way, but something else was written in faith of this journey. After a few kilometers a road side tree was fallen, that also caused a small land slide and blockage on road. We all came out of jeeps and everybody started giving his part in clearing the road. At last our collective efforts worked and jeep able to cross this hurdle. Then, we reached to the point where road blocked by glacier.

But woh joo kehtay hain na “Ishq ke imtihaan aur b hain”. Jeep trek was blocked by a glacier. And driver was not ready to take the risk to cross it. I partially agreed with his decision as it was not 100 % safe to cross it. So we decided to trek to the destination. We were 12 people + 8 porters. Since we were assured that bread will be provided by our hosts so we only carried the packed food which obviously required bread to be eaten with. Now this unplanned blockage caused major disrupt. So that mean we won’t be able to have bread. Porters who were from Soch & dumbail village created so much issue that at one time we thought to call it off. Anyways some how we carried on. Hardly couple of hours in trek a team member went ill so he with four of his colleagues decided to return back. So we sent two porters with them. Now we were left with 8 team members & 6 porters.

The same night whole team decided to return back because of food issue & totally uncooperative attitude of porters of Soch & dumbail village. Entire situation was upsetting for me because I was leading the whole group. My brother Salman and Rashid bhi from Faislabad were with me and wanted to complete this trek in any situation…….(Continued

Un joli cadre plié sans colle car il y a des blocages ingénieux. Plié à partir d'un carré. Papier kami 15 x 15cm et papier Tant Deluxe 15 x 15cm. CP : flic.kr/p/mPK8ma

A nice frame folded without glue because there are ingenious blockages. Folded from a square. Kami paper 15 x 15cm and Tant Deluxe paper 15 x 15cm. CP : flic.kr/p/mPK8ma

The Tintina Trench is a linear valley, extending into Alaska and south across the Yukon. It was first recorded as a geological feature in the early 1900s by R.G. McConnel, a geologist with the Geological Survey of Canada. The GSC named it the "Tintina (meaning Chief) Trench"

Beneath the Tintina Trench is a fault line along which the bedrock has shifted a minimum of 450 km laterally. Some 65 million years ago, the rocks presently beneath Dawson City were adjacent to those of Ross River! About 8 million years ago, the earth's crust separated along the fault, creating a wide valley or trench.

The Tintina had a dramatic impact on the river drainage system. The formation of the trench created a channel for the rivers draining the interior to the south. Later, blockages due to ice build-up during the first glacial period around 3 million years ago, caused the Yukon River system to be re-routed.

Water, which once drained in a southerly direction, was forced northwest into Alaska. The mighty Yukon River itself, which now flows to the Bering Sea, once flowed south to the Gulf of Alaska! Evidence of the ancient river can be seen as old terraces along the redirected river north and south of Dawson. These remnant shores contain gravel types from the The Tintina Trench.

I don't feel so well

The facts that 1) the sign on the back building says "Relaxin", 2) the immediate surroundings consist of junk and blockage 3) and the whole farm property is contains an abundance of cars, trucks, trailers, campers and other junk, lead me to conclude that the Relaxin building was the Man Cave of an unrepressed male junkaholic.

A number of recent incidents with cars, trucks and such have lead to accidents and deaths here in the US. If there is a problem on the rails at a crossing, call the number and report the crossing number. If you happen on a blockage elsewhere, see if you can find a crossing get the number and report the blockage. A train going 70mph will have no opportunity to stop unless they are aware of the blockage or problem. Seen at a RR crossing along the Carolina Coastal RR near Wilson, NC.

Monday, 29 September 2014

GM 084 crosses the Taylorstown Viaduct with the ECS movement of the RPSI Craven carriages from Wexford to Waterford. The train had earlier operated the Railtours Ireland 'Emerald Isle Express" tour (Day 1) from Dublin Connolly to Wexford. The ECS movement across the mothballed South Wexford Line to Waterford allowed the positioning of the train for Day 2 of the tour, which would see the train bringing the guests from Waterford to Cork City via Clonmel.

Back in 2011, a rake of 29000 class railcars was brought from Dublin to Rosslare via Waterford and the South Wexford Line due to a line blockage at Lansdowne Road caused by flooding. Photos: www.flickr.com/photos/finnyus/sets/72157627935436747/

Video on Youtube @ 04:40 shows the train crossing the viaduct: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBn0VktOFc8

© Finbarr O'Neill

Jan. 16, 2014 - Bangkok, Thailand. Late afternoon scene at Asoke-Sukhumvit protest site. This is normally one of the busiest intersections in Bangkok. I waited for this particular advertisement to pop up on the giant TV screen.

Tens of thousands of protesters have disrupted traffic at major intersections and marched on government offices in Thailand's large and hectic capital city this week. The protests, dubbed "Bangkok Shutdown," had begun Monday 13th January without serious incident. The rallies are orchestrated by the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) protest group, led by Suthep Thaugsuban, a former deputy prime minister for the opposition Democrat Party. The protesters say they want Thailand's political system overhauled instead of new elections scheduled for next month. They're demanding that Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's government be replaced with an unelected "people's council." Since Monday, groups of demonstrators have occupied seven main intersections in Bangkok and marched on several government buildings. The protests have caused some disruption in central Bangkok, but large areas of the sprawling capital city so far remain unaffected.

Full set here: www.southeastasia-images.com/Bangkok-Shut-Down

I remember the first time I cleaned out behind the ejector of a rear loader was a JP5 at URM, a prick of an experience that left me sweaty, dirty and buggered. Much the same was this situation with the UrBin I got at JJ Richards! From memory I spent about 1.5 hours digging through and tossing out the stuff in the previous photo, which was a solid effort, but for a positive outcome which was a very beneficial and fulfilling achievement. As seen here looking forwards and backwards from inside the body, all debris is scooped up and surfaces even swept to enhance the clean appearance – just because it’s the interior of a garbage truck, doesn’t mean it can’t look good =] The hardest part is the crap that gets pulled against the front wall and squashed by the frame of the ejector, but even worse is the build up of material under the hydraulic oil tank, which gets so dense it feels like you’re trying to break away concrete. I’ll just say it’s sensational when you’re working away at a section and objects dislodge one at a time, relieving that blockage gradually and ensuring you you’re progressing towards the goal and winning the fight. It’s an extra shit job when digging out the crap somebody else has left behind for you to deal with, but I reckon the final result is worth the burden if you’ll be the one to enjoy it. Like any cleaning task, once you put in the big effort to get things up to standard, maintaining the tidy quality only requires minimal time and energy on occasion to remove little amounts.

Built in 1911 as the TSS Riviera by Wm Denny Bros Ltd, Dumbarton, for the South Eastern & Chatham Railway Companies' Management Committee, London.

In this photo the TSS Riviera is seen dressed overall for either her maiden voyage for Burns & Laird or a private charter.

During World War I the cross channel passenger vessel served as a seaplane carrier from August 1914 to May 1919.

The ship was again requisitioned by the Admiralty in 1939, serving as an armed boarding vessel. In this role the ship would enforce the wartime blockages by intercepting and boarding foreign ships. They would then access whether to detain the ship, allow it into port or let it continue on its course. From 1940 to 1944 the vessel was tender to Torpedo School. A tender is a ship that supports other vessels by bringing them supplies and crew. The ship was then converted into a landing ship infantry for the Normandy Landings 6 June 1944, delivering troops directly to Juno Beach. The vessel was returned in 1946 after serving the remaining time as a troop ship.

see www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?official_number=&imo=&a...

2017-037(072)

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About Us

Scotland's influence on the maritime history of the world from the eighteenth century to the modern day has been enormous and out of all proportion to the size of the country. Sites operated by the Scottish Maritime Museum contain exhibitions and collections that tell the story of that great maritime tradition. At both Irvine and Dumbarton the buildings themselves are important parts of that story. The sites are complemented by a collection of vessels that represent 150 years of the working boats of Scotland.

If your interests are in the detailed aspects of the building of ships or the way in which ordinary people interacted with the sea, then the Scottish Maritime Museum should be your first port of call. If you want to undertake detailed research or just an enjoyable and stimulating day out, the Scottish Maritime Museum can provide it.

Please see our website for further details : www.scottishmaritimemuseum.org/

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Today is the last day of buses running towards Woking station via Cawsey Way, and dropping passengers off by the shops.

From tomorrow, 30th January 2017, all of The Broadway, High Street and Cawsey Way will be made one way westbound only. This means buses will now have to run the long way round via Victoria Way, Chertsey Road and Stanley Road to reach the station - and dump their passengers in the bus stands down the road rather than opposite the station entrance as now.

The last service bus working will be the 1938 Arriva 34 from Woking, scheduled to pass through at 2021.

Here's Buses Excetera HV02 PCZ at Cawsey Way last week, with a Guildford-bound 28 - also showing off the new blind layout.

As well as the longer term plans, there will be a number of roadworks and road closures starting from tomorrow to build the new road layout (the ultimate aim is the High Street to connect directly to Victoria Way, and Cawsey Way be closed completely and be built on).

So, from tomorrow, for about a week... Victoria Arch will be closed southbound, as well as Church Street West between Victoria Way and Forge End. This means, as well as all services having to run via the station around Victoria Way, the 34, 35, 462 & 463 towards Guildford will have to run after Cawsey Way via Lockfield Drive, Parley Drive, Triggs Lane and Wych Hill Lane, and not serve Guildford Road.

They cannot take the obvious diversion to avoid Victoria Arch southbound via Goldsworth Road because of Church Street West being closed.

34/35s towards Camberley, and also 28s towards Guildford, will also not be able to leave via Goldsworth Road because of Church Street West being shut, so will have to divert via Lockfield Drive and Parley Drive to the Triangle.

Inbound, from the Triangle into Woking town centre, they will be able to use Goldsworth Road as they can use Forge End to reach Victoria Way and avoid the blockage at Church Street West.

Abellio 81s will also divert outbound via Lockfield Drive and Parley Drive to The Triangle, and then do a double run all down Goldsworth Road, into Morrisons, back out and along Goldsworth Road to The Triangle, and then Triggs Lane and Wych Hill to Barnsbury. Back into town is on normal route. This provides a link from the town centre to Goldsworth Road (otherwise uncovered due to 28/34/35 diversion), but is totally bizarre - Morrisons lost proper regular bus services a good couple of years ago now, so I don't know why the 81 is going to go in there every 30 minutes for just a week. Also, from the following week, no buses will serve Goldsworth Road at all in either direction (see below), but for this much longer period, the 81 will follow normal route and there will be no alternative along Goldsworth Road!

The temporary week's timetable on the 81 will also involve it running on a Sunday, even though the Sunday service was withdrawn only a month ago in December 2016!

The 437 journeys into Woking via Oriental Road will run via Maybury Road. Outbound, 437s will run via Victoria Way and Walton Road, back under Maybury Arch to College Road (again due to being unable to go under Victoria Arch out of town).

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From the following week, Victoria Arch will re-open, and most routes will go back to normal (excepting obviously the closure of Cawsey Way/High Street towards the station which is permanent).

However, Church Street West will still be closed between Victoria Way and Forge End, meaning the 28 to Guildford and 34/35 towards Camberley will continue to have to divert via Lockfield Drive and Parley Drive to The Triangle.

This time though, Guildford-bound 34/35s/the 28 to Chobham won't be able to use Goldsworth Road, as it's being closed towards town between Morrisons Roundabout and the new fire station - so they will also have to divert via Parley Drive and Lockfield Drive into Woking.

The closure from Morrisons to the fire station is to assist traffic flow, as due to the works on Victoria Way, all northbound traffic (including the buses) coming under Victoria Arch will have to turn left and go up Goldsworth Road, right onto Church Street West and along Forge End back onto Victoria Way.

It's sure to be chaos!!

The real piss take is that these "Phase 2" changes, kicking off the permanent bus re-routeings and causing chaos, are being done before the "Phase 3" changes which involve installing the replacement stops for buses to drop people off at before the go round to the station...

Cawsey Way, Woking, Surrey.

I took this and many photos of Mali and her brother in August 2010.

On November 15, 2010 the 6-month-old Mali underwent emergency surgery for an intestinal blockage and went into cardiac arrest. She was revived but suffered serious brain damage. Mali was unable to eat, walk or even see. By December of 2010 Mali had regained her eyesight and was acting like a normal tiger earning her the nickname “Miracle Mali”.

On Friday July 23, 2011 Mali had another bout with her digestive system as it stopped working. Mali’s heart stopped beating after the operation was completed, just as it had in November. This time Mali was unable to be revived and passed away at the age of 14 months.

Rest in Peace Pretty Baby…..

Canon EOS1200D with Leica MR-Telyt-R 1:8/500mm

Taking into account the crop factor of 1.6 for this APS-C camera, this focal length corresponds to 800 mm on a full format camera. It is very tricky to focus and requires lots of light because I have to shoot handheld at 1/1000 s or faster .... or I should use a tripod. A mirror lens cannot be stopped up nor down; the f-stop is fixed at 8. Concerning the light that reaches the sensor, it's closer to f/11 because of the blockage due to the secondary mirror.

There is a fence between the viewers and the aircraft but the DoF is so narrow that it becomes invisible if I focus on something much farther than the fence, like here.

The aircraft is an Airbus A321 in the livery of Aeroflot Russian Airlines and it is named after the composer Alfred Schnittke. Shot at Frankfurt Rhein-Main airport, Germany.

Today 6th July 2019 marks 31 years since the Piper Alpha disaster, this memorial to those lost on the oil rig is situated in Hazelhead Park Aberdeen Scotland, I often visit the park and have captured this scene many times before , today seems to be the right time to update my archive on this tragedy, we can never forget those that perished that day Wednesday 6th July 1988.

Piper Alpha was a North Sea oil production platform operated by Occidental Petroleum (Caledonia) Ltd.

The platform began production in 1976, first as an oil-only platform and later converted to add gas production.

An explosion, and the resulting oil and gas fires, destroyed it on 6 July 1988, killing 167, including two crewmen of a rescue vessel; 61 survived.

The total insured loss was about £1.7 billion (US$3.4 billion).

At the time of the disaster, the platform accounted for approximately ten percent of North Sea oil and gas production, and the accident was the worst offshore oil disaster in terms of lives lost and industry impact.

The Kirk of St Nicholas in Union Street, Aberdeen has dedicated a chapel in memory of those who perished and there is a memorial sculpture in the Rose Garden of Hazlehead Park in Aberdeen.

Thirty bodies were never recovered.

During the late 1970s, major works were carried out to enable the platform to meet UK Government gas export requirements and after this work had been completed, Piper Alpha was operating in what was known as phase 2 mode (operating with the Gas Conservation Module (GCM)) since the end of 1980 up until July 1988; phase 2 mode was its normal operating state. In the late 1980s, major construction, maintenance and upgrade works had been planned by Occidental and by July 1988, the rig was already well into major work activities, with six major projects identified including the change-out of the GCM unit which meant that the rig had been put back into its initial phase 1 mode (i.e. operating without a GCM unit).

Despite the complex and demanding work schedule, Occidental made the decision to continue operating the platform in phase 1 mode throughout this period and not to shut it down, as had been originally planned.

The planning and controls that were put in place were thought to be adequate. Therefore, Piper continued to export oil at just under 120,000 barrels per day and to export Tartan gas at some 33 MMSCFD (million standard cubic feet per day) during this demanding period.

Because the platform was completely destroyed, and many of those involved died, analysis of events can only suggest a possible chain of events based on known facts. Some witnesses to the events question the official timeline.

12:00 noon Two condensate pumps, designated A and B, displaced the platform's condensate for transport to the coast. On the morning of 6 July, Pump A's pressure safety valve (PSV #504) was removed for routine maintenance.

The pump's two-yearly overhaul was planned but had not started. The open condensate pipe was temporarily sealed with a disk cover (flat metal disc also called a blind flange or blank flange). Because the work could not be completed by 6:00 p.m., the disc cover remained in place.

It was hand-tightened only. The on-duty engineer filled in a permit which stated that Pump A was not ready and must not be switched on under any circumstances.

6:00 p.m. The day shift ended, and the night shift started with 62 men running Piper Alpha. As he found the on-duty custodian busy, the engineer neglected to inform him of the condition of Pump A. Instead he placed the permit in the control centre and left.

This permit disappeared and was not found. Coincidentally there was another permit issued for the general overhaul of Pump A that had not yet begun.

7:00 p.m. Like many other offshore platforms, Piper Alpha had an automatic fire-fighting system, driven by both diesel and electric pumps (the latter were disabled by the initial explosions).

The diesel pumps were designed to suck in large amounts of sea water for fire fighting; the pumps had an automatic control to start them in case of fire (although they could not be remotely started from the control room in an emergency). However, the fire-fighting system was under manual control on the evening of 6 July: the Piper Alpha procedure adopted by the Offshore Installation Manager(OIM) required manual control of the pumps whenever divers were in the water (as they were for approximately 12 hours a day during summer) although in reality, the risk was not seen as significant for divers unless a diver was closer than 10–15 feet (3–5 m) from any of the four 120 feet (40 m) level caged intakes.

A recommendation from an earlier audit had suggested that a procedure be developed to keep the pumps in automatic mode if divers were not working in the vicinity of the intakes as was the practice on the Claymore platform, but this was never developed or implemented.

9:45 p.m. Because of problems with the methanol system earlier in the day, methane clathrate (a flammable ice) had started to accumulate in the gas compression system pipework, causing a blockage. Due to this blockage, condensate (natural gas liquids NGL) Pump B stopped and could not be restarted. As the entire power supply of the offshore construction work depended on this pump, the manager had only a few minutes to bring the pump back online, otherwise the power supply would fail completely. A search was made through the documents to determine whether Condensate Pump A could be started.

9:52 p.m. The permit for the overhaul was found, but not the other permit stating that the pump must not be started under any circumstances due to the missing safety valve. The valve was in a different location from the pump and therefore the permits were stored in different boxes, as they were sorted by location. None of those present were aware that a vital part of the machine had been removed. The manager assumed from the existing documents that it would be safe to start Pump A. The missing valve was not noticed by anyone, particularly as the metal disc replacing the safety valve was several metres above ground level and obscured by machinery.

9:55 p.m. First Explosion Condensate Pump A was switched on. Gas flowed into the pump, and because of the missing safety valve, produced an overpressure which the loosely fitted metal disc did not withstand.

Gas audibly leaked out at high pressure, drawing the attention of several men and triggering six gas alarms including the high level gas alarm. Before anyone could act, the gas ignited and exploded, blowing through the firewall made up of 2.5 by 1.5 m (8 by 5 ft) panels bolted together, which were not designed to withstand explosions. The custodian pressed the emergency stop button, closing huge valves in the sea lines and ceasing all oil and gas extraction.

Theoretically, the platform would then have been isolated from the flow of oil and gas and the fire contained. However, because the platform was originally built for oil, the firewalls were designed to resist fire rather than withstand explosions. The first explosion broke the firewall and dislodged panels around Module (B). One of the flying panels ruptured a small condensate pipe, creating another fire.

10:04 p.m. The control room of Piper Alpha was abandoned. "Mayday" was signalled via radio by radio operator David Kinrade. Piper Alpha'sdesign made no allowances for the destruction of the control room, and the platform's organisation disintegrated. No attempt was made to use loudspeakers or to order an evacuation.

Emergency procedures instructed personnel to make their way to lifeboat stations, but the fire prevented them from doing so. Instead many of the men moved to the fireproofed accommodation block beneath the helicopter deck to await further instructions. Wind, fire and smoke prevented helicopter landings and no further instructions were given, with smoke beginning to seep into the personnel block.

As the crisis mounted, two men donned protective gear and attempted to reach the diesel pumping machinery below decks and activate the firefighting system. They were never seen again.

The fire would have burnt out were it not being fed with oil from both Tartan and the Claymore platforms, the resulting back pressure forcing fresh fuel out of ruptured pipework on Piper, directly into the heart of the fire. The Claymore platform continued pumping oil until the second explosion because the manager had no permission from the Occidental control centre to shut down. Also, the connecting gas pipeline to Tartan continued to pump, as its manager had been directed by his superior. The reason for this procedure was the huge cost of such a shut down. It would have taken several days to restart production after a stop, with substantial financial consequences.

Gas pipelines of both 16 in (41 cm) and 18 in (46 cm) diameter ran to Piper Alpha. Two years earlier Occidental management ordered a study, the results of which warned of the dangers of these gas lines. Because of their length and diameter, it would have taken several hours to reduce their pressure, which meant fighting a fire fuelled by them would have been all but impossible. Although the management admitted how devastating a gas explosion would be, Claymore and Tartan were not switched off with the first emergency call.

10:05 p.m. The Search and Rescue station at RAF Lossiemouth receives the first call notifying them of the possibility of an emergency, and a No. 202 Sqn Sea King helicopter, "Rescue 138", takes off at the request of the Coastguardstation at Aberdeen. The station at RAF Boulmer is also notified, and a Hawker Siddeley Nimrod from RAF Kinloss is sent to the area to act as "On-Scene Commander" and "Rescue Zero-One".

10:20 p.m. Tartan Gas Line Rupture Tartan's gas line (pressurised to 120 Atmospheres) melted and ruptured, releasing 15-30 tonnes of high pressure gas every second, which immediately ignited. From that moment on, the platform's destruction was assured.

10:30 p.m. The Tharos, a large semi-submersible fire fighting, rescue and accommodation vessel, drew alongside Piper Alpha. The Tharos used its water cannon where it could, but it was restricted, because the cannon was so powerful it would injure or kill anyone hit by the water.

10:50 p.m. MCP-01 Gas Line Rupture The second gas line ruptured (the riser for the MCP-01 platform), ejecting millions of cubic feet of gas into the conflagration and increased its intensity. Huge flames shot over 300 ft (90 m) in the air. The Tharos was driven off by the fearsome heat, which began to melt the surrounding machinery and steelwork. It was only after this explosion that the Claymore platform stopped pumping oil. Personnel still left alive were either desperately sheltering in the scorched, smoke-filled accommodation block or leaping from the various deck levels, including the helideck, 175 ft (50 m) into the North Sea. The explosion also killed two crewmen on a fast rescue boat launched from the standby vessel Sandhaven and the six Piper Alpha crewmen they had rescued from the water.

11:18 p.m. Claymore Gas Line Rupture The gas pipeline connecting Piper Alpha to the Claymore Platform ruptured, adding even more fuel to the already massive firestorm that engulfed Piper Alpha.

11:35 p.m. Helicopter "Rescue 138" from Lossiemouth arrives at the scene.

11:37 p.m. Tharos contacts Nimrod "Rescue Zero-One" to appraise him of the situation. A standby vessel has picked up 25 casualties, including three with serious burns, and one with an injury. Tharos requests the evacuation of its non-essential personnel to make room for incoming casualties. "Rescue 138" is requested to evacuate 12 non-essential personnel from Tharos to transfer to Ocean Victory, before returning with paramedics.

11:50 p.m. With critical support structures burned away, and with nothing to support the heavier structures on top, the platform began to collapse. One of the cranes collapsed, followed by the drilling derrick. The generation and utilities Module (D), which included the fireproofed accommodation block, slipped into the sea, taking the crewmen huddled inside with it. The largest part of the platform followed it. "Rescue 138" lands on Tharos and picks up the 12 non-essential personnel, before leaving for Ocean Victory.

11:55 p.m. "Rescue 138" arrives at Ocean Victory and lands the 12 passengers before returning to Tharos with 4 of Ocean Victory's paramedics.

00:07 a.m., 7 July "Rescue 138" lands paramedics on Ocean Victory.

00:17 a.m. "Rescue 138" winches up serious burns casualties picked up by the Standby Safety Vessel, MV Silver Pit.

00:25 a.m. First seriously-injured survivor of Piper Alpha is winched aboard "Rescue 138".

00:45 a.m. The entire platform had gone. Module (A) was all that remained of Piper Alpha.

00:48 a.m. "Rescue 138" lands on Tharos with three casualties picked up from MV Silver Pit.

00:58 a.m. Civilian Sikorsky S-61 helicopter of Bristow Helicopters arrives at Tharos from Aberdeen with Medical Emergency Team.

01:47 a.m. Coastguard helicopter land on Tharos with more casualties.

02:25 a.m. First helicopter leaves Tharos with casualties for Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

03:27 a.m. "Rescue 138" lands on Tharos with the bodies of two fatalities. "Rescue 138" then leaves to refuel on the drilling rig Santa Fe 140.

05:15 a.m. "Rescue 137" arrives at Tharos and after landing, then leaves taking casualties to Aberdeen.

06:21 a.m. Uninjured survivors of Piper Alphaleave Tharos by civilian S-61 helicopter for Aberdeen.

07:25 a.m. "Rescue 138" picks up remaining survivors from Tharos for transfer to Aberdeen.

At the time of the disaster 226 people were on the platform; 165 died and 61 survived. Two men from the Standby Vessel Sandhaven were also killed.

Sandwich, Kent

What do you mean I have to stay at the hospital?

With the UK lashed by hurricane force winds and torrential rain during Wednesday spreading from the South West north across the country, by early evening the West Coast mainline was closed for safety reasons so many freights ended up shut down in Kingmoor Yard to ride out the storm. Along with several coal trains two other casualties of the blockage were 6O15 Mossend to Eastleigh which ran 24hrs late (effectively just picking up the slot a day later). The other one held at Kingmoor Yard suffered a much longer delay as no driver was available on the Thursday to move it. 60 035 should have left Kingmoor Yard as 6Z23 23.15 to Washwood Heath Cemex Terminal on Wednesday the 12th but was held over to Friday 14th running as 6Z23 20.45 to Bescot Down Yard. Having originated from Shap Blue Quarry (Shap Summit) the train is seen here shut down in the up departures sidings on Friday morning waiting to run south the same night. It is made up of ex RMC JGA hoppers loaded with gritstone and 10mm chippings for the road building and construction industry.

The River Tay is the longest river in Scotland and the seventh-longest in Great Britain. The Tay originates in western Scotland on the slopes of Ben Lui (Scottish Gaelic: Beinn Laoigh), then flows easterly across the Highlands, through Loch Dochart, Loch Iubhair and Loch Tay, then continues east through Strathtay (see Strath), in the centre of Scotland, then southeasterly through Perth, where it becomes tidal, to its mouth at the Firth of Tay, south of Dundee. It is the largest river in the United Kingdom by measured discharge. Its catchment is approximately 2,000 square miles (5,200 square kilometres), the Tweed's is 1,500 sq mi (3,900 km2) and the Spey's is 1,097 sq mi (2,840 km2).

The river has given its name to Perth's Tay Street, which runs along its western banks for 830 yards (760 metres).

The Tay drains much of the lower region of the Highlands. It originates on the slopes of Ben Lui (Beinn Laoigh), around 25 mi (40 km) from the west coast town of Oban, in Argyll and Bute. In 2011, the Tay Western Catchments Partnership determined as its source (as based on its 'most dominant and longest' tributary) a small lochan on Allt Coire Laoigh south of the summit. The river has a variety of names in its upper catchment: for the first few miles it is known as the River Connonish; then the River Fillan; the name then changes to the River Dochart until it flows into Loch Tay at Killin.

The River Tay emerges from Loch Tay at Kenmore, and flows from there to Perth which, in historical times, was its lowest bridging point. Below Perth the river becomes tidal and enters the Firth of Tay. The largest city on the river, Dundee, lies on the north bank of the Firth. On reaching the North Sea, the River Tay has flowed 120 mi (190 km) from west to east across central Scotland.

The Tay is unusual amongst Scottish rivers in having several major tributaries, notably the Earn, the Isla, the River Tummel, the Almond and the Lyon.

A flow of 2,268 m3/s (80,100 cu ft/s) was recorded on 17 January 1993, when the river rose 6.48 m (21 ft 3 in) above its usual level at Perth, and caused extensive flooding in the city. Were it not for the hydro-electric schemes upstream which impounded runoff, the peak would have been considerably higher. The highest flood recorded at Perth occurred in 1814, when the river rose 7 m (23 ft) above its usual level, partly caused by a blockage of ice under Smeaton's Bridge.

Several places along the Tay take their names from it, or are believed to have done so:

Broughty - Bruach Tatha, Bank of the Tay

Taymouth - Near the mouth of Loch Tay.

Tayside - A former Scottish Government region

Tayside beaver with her kit. Courtesy of Ray Scott 2010.

The river is of high biodiversity value and is both a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area of Conservation. The SAC designation notes the river's importance for salmon (Salmo salar), otters (Lutra lutra), brook lampreys (Lampetra planeri), river lampreys (Lampetra fluviatilis), and sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus).[6] The Tay also maintains flagship population of freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera). Freshwater pearl mussels are one of Scotland's most endangered species and the country hosts two-thirds of the world's remaining stock.

The Tay is internationally renowned for its salmon fishing and is one of the best salmon rivers in western Europe, attracting anglers from all over the world. The lowest ten miles (sixteen kilometres) of the Tay, including prestigious beats like Taymount or Islamouth, provides most of the cream of the Tay. The largest rod-caught salmon in Britain, caught on the Tay by Georgina Ballantine in 1922, weighing 64 pounds (29 kilograms), retains the British record. The river system has salmon fisheries on many of its tributaries including the Earn, Isla, Ericht, Tummel, Garry, Dochart, Lyon and Eden. Dwindling catches include a 50% reduction in 2009 so the Tay District Salmon Fisheries Board ordered a catch-and-release policy for females all season, and for males until May, beginning in the January 2010 fishing season. Research by the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation has shown that the number of salmon dying at sea has doubled or trebled over the past 20 years, possibly due to overfishing in the oceans where salmon spend two years before returning to freshwater to spawn. The widespread collapse in Atlantic salmon stocks suggests that this is not solely a local problem in the River Tay.

A section of the Tay surrounding the town of Dunkeld is designated as a national scenic area (NSA), one of 40 such areas in Scotland, which are defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure its protection by restricting certain forms of development. The River Tay (Dunkeld) NSA covers 5,708 ha.

The first sustained and significant population Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) living wild in Scotland in over 400 years became established on the river Tay catchment in Scotland as early as 2001, and has spread widely in the catchment, numbering from 20 to 100 individuals in 2011. These beavers were likely to be either escapees from any of several nearby sites with captive beavers, or were illegally released, and were originally targeted for removal by Scottish Natural Heritage in late 2010. Proponents of the beavers argued that no reason exists to believe that they are of "wrong" genetic stock.[13] In early December 2010, the first of the wild Tayside beavers was trapped by Scottish Natural Heritage on the River Ericht in Blairgowrie, Perthshire and was held in captivity in Edinburgh Zoo, dying within a few months. In March 2012 the Scottish Government reversed the decision to remove beavers from the Tay, pending the outcome of studies into the suitability of re-introduction.

As part of the study into re-introduction, a trial release project was undertaken in Knapdale, Argyll, alongside which the population of beavers along the Tay was monitored and assessed. Following the conclusion of the trial re-introduction, the Scottish Government announced in November 2016 that beavers could remain permanently, and would be given protected status as a native species within Scotland. Beavers will be allowed to extend their range naturally. To aid this process and improve the health and resilience of the population a further 28 beavers will be released in Knapdale between 2017 and 2020, however there are no plans at present to release further beavers into the Tay.

Tay Bridge from the South after the accident

In the 19th century the Tay Rail Bridge was built across the firth at Dundee as part of the East Coast Main Line, which linked Aberdeen in the north with Edinburgh and London to the south. The bridge, designed by Sir Thomas Bouch, officially opened in May 1878. On 28 December 1879 the bridge collapsed as a train passed over. The entire train fell into the firth, with the loss of 75 passengers and train crew. The event was commemorated in a poem, The Tay Bridge Disaster (1880), written by William McGonagall, a notoriously unskilled Scottish poet. The critical response to his article was enhanced as he had previously written two poems celebrating the strength and certain immortality of the Tay Bridge. A second much more well received poem was published in the same year by the German writer Theodor Fontane. A. J. Cronin's first novel, Hatter's Castle (1931), includes a scene involving the Tay Bridge Disaster, and the 1942 filmed version of the book recreates the bridge's catastrophic collapse. The rail bridge was rebuilt, with the replacement bridge opening on 11 June 1887.

A passenger and vehicle ferry service operated across the River Tay between Craig Pier, Dundee and Newport-on-Tay in Fife. In Dundee, the ferries were known as "the Fifies". The service was discontinued on the opening of the Tay Road Bridge on 18 August 1966.

The last vessels to operate the service were PS B. L. Nairn and two more modern ferries equipped with Voith Schneider Propellers, MVs Abercraig and Scotscraig.

The Tay bridge is the subject of William McGonagall's poems "Railway Bridge of the Silvery Tay" and "The Tay Bridge Disaster", and in the German poet Theodor Fontane's poem "Die Brück' am Tay". Both deal with the Tay bridge disaster of 1879, seeing the bridge's construction as a case of human hubris and expressing an uneasiness towards the fast technological development of mankind.

The river is mentioned in passing in the Steeleye Span song "The Royal Forester". Symphonic power metal band Gloryhammer mentioned the river in some of their songs as "silvery Tay" or "mighty river Tay". Many Rolls-Royce civil aero-engines are named after British rivers, one of which is the Rolls-Royce Tay.

Kenmore is a small village in Perthshire, in the Highlands of Scotland, located where Loch Tay drains into the River Tay.

The village dates from the 16th century. It and the neighbouring Castle were originally known as Balloch (from Gaelic bealach, 'pass'). The original village was sited on the north side of river approximately two miles (three kilometres) from its present site and was known as Inchadney. In 1540 Sir Colin Campbell of Glenorchy started the construction of Balloch castle on the opposite bank of the river and the entire village was moved to a prominent headland by the shores of Loch Tay, hence the name Kenmore, which translates from Scots Gaelic to "big (or large) head". The village as it is seen today is a model village laid out by 3rd Earl of Breadalbane in 1760.

The Kenmore Hotel, commissioned in 1572 by the then laird Colin Campbell, has its origins in a tavern built around 70 years earlier offering accommodation and refreshments. It is reputed to be Scotland's oldest hotel. Well known travel writer Rick Steves defined the community as "little more than the fancy domain of its castle, a church set in a bouquet of tombstones, and a line of humble houses, Kenmore offers a fine dose of small-town Scottish flavour".

Taymouth Castle, another Campbell creation, was built by John Campbell, 2nd Marquess of Breadalbane (d. 1862) on the site of its late medieval predecessor, Balloch Castle (built 1550 by the Campbells of Glenorchy, ancestors of the Marquesses of Breadalbane, demolished 1805). This enormous mansion, in neo-Gothic style, was completed in time for the visit of Queen Victoria in 1842. No expense was spared on the interior, which was decorated with the utmost sumptuousness. Taymouth Castle is now privately owned and has a golf course in its grounds.

Kenmore Bridge dates from 1774 and the village as it is today was laid out in the 18th Century by the third Earl of Breadalbane. It retains many of its original buildings and historic appearance.

Around two miles (three kilometres) northeast of the village by the side of the A827 road is a complex multi-phase stone circle known as Croft Moraig Stone Circle.

To the southwest, between Kenmore and Acharn, the waterside settlement of Croft-na-Caber has been redeveloped into a number of tourist attractions. The Scottish Crannog Centre (formerly the Crannog Reconstruction Project) is an open-air museum on the south of Loch Tay Road. It features an accurate full-size reconstruction of a crannog, an Iron Age artificial island, of which more than 20 (most now submerged) have been found in Loch Tay. The crannog mockup is based on the real Oakbank Crannog archaeological site off the north shore of the loch.[citation needed] The Crannog mock-up was destroyed by fire on the evening of 11 June 2021. The visitor centre also displays artefacts from nearby excavations, which are funded in part by the proceeds from this attraction. The Croft-na-Caber Watersports & Activity Centre, originally planned as a £20 million sailing resort in 2009, now offers additional activities, including hydraboarding and canyoning. The original Croft-na-Caber Hotel closed in the 2000s, though the successor resort is served by other area hotels, the largest of which is the Kenmore Hotel.

The biggest island in the loch, known as the Isle of Loch Tay, or in Gaelic Eilean nam Ban-naomh, 'Isle of Holy Women', is just north of Kenmore. It was the site of a nunnery in the 12th century and was the burial place of Queen Sibylla (d. 1122), wife of Alexander I of Scotland (1107–24). A castle was built on the island in the later Middle Ages. Signs of 18 crannogs, "circular houses on stilts", have been found Loch Tay. Only one was rebuilt and became the museum known as the Scottish Crannog Centre.

The Highlands is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots language replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands. The term is also used for the area north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault, although the exact boundaries are not clearly defined, particularly to the east. The Great Glen divides the Grampian Mountains to the southeast from the Northwest Highlands. The Scottish Gaelic name of A' Ghàidhealtachd literally means "the place of the Gaels" and traditionally, from a Gaelic-speaking point of view, includes both the Western Isles and the Highlands.

The area is very sparsely populated, with many mountain ranges dominating the region, and includes the highest mountain in the British Isles, Ben Nevis. During the 18th and early 19th centuries the population of the Highlands rose to around 300,000, but from c. 1841 and for the next 160 years, the natural increase in population was exceeded by emigration (mostly to Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, and migration to the industrial cities of Scotland and England.) and passim  The area is now one of the most sparsely populated in Europe. At 9.1/km2 (24/sq mi) in 2012, the population density in the Highlands and Islands is less than one seventh of Scotland's as a whole.

The Highland Council is the administrative body for much of the Highlands, with its administrative centre at Inverness. However, the Highlands also includes parts of the council areas of Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Moray, North Ayrshire, Perth and Kinross, Stirling and West Dunbartonshire.

The Scottish Highlands is the only area in the British Isles to have the taiga biome as it features concentrated populations of Scots pine forest: see Caledonian Forest. It is the most mountainous part of the United Kingdom.

Between the 15th century and the mid-20th century, the area differed from most of the Lowlands in terms of language. In Scottish Gaelic, the region is known as the Gàidhealtachd, because it was traditionally the Gaelic-speaking part of Scotland, although the language is now largely confined to The Hebrides. The terms are sometimes used interchangeably but have different meanings in their respective languages. Scottish English (in its Highland form) is the predominant language of the area today, though Highland English has been influenced by Gaelic speech to a significant extent. Historically, the "Highland line" distinguished the two Scottish cultures. While the Highland line broadly followed the geography of the Grampians in the south, it continued in the north, cutting off the north-eastern areas, that is Eastern Caithness, Orkney and Shetland, from the more Gaelic Highlands and Hebrides.

Historically, the major social unit of the Highlands was the clan. Scottish kings, particularly James VI, saw clans as a challenge to their authority; the Highlands was seen by many as a lawless region. The Scots of the Lowlands viewed the Highlanders as backward and more "Irish". The Highlands were seen as the overspill of Gaelic Ireland. They made this distinction by separating Germanic "Scots" English and the Gaelic by renaming it "Erse" a play on Eire. Following the Union of the Crowns, James VI had the military strength to back up any attempts to impose some control. The result was, in 1609, the Statutes of Iona which started the process of integrating clan leaders into Scottish society. The gradual changes continued into the 19th century, as clan chiefs thought of themselves less as patriarchal leaders of their people and more as commercial landlords. The first effect on the clansmen who were their tenants was the change to rents being payable in money rather than in kind. Later, rents were increased as Highland landowners sought to increase their income. This was followed, mostly in the period 1760–1850, by agricultural improvement that often (particularly in the Western Highlands) involved clearance of the population to make way for large scale sheep farms. Displaced tenants were set up in crofting communities in the process. The crofts were intended not to provide all the needs of their occupiers; they were expected to work in other industries such as kelping and fishing. Crofters came to rely substantially on seasonal migrant work, particularly in the Lowlands. This gave impetus to the learning of English, which was seen by many rural Gaelic speakers to be the essential "language of work".

Older historiography attributes the collapse of the clan system to the aftermath of the Jacobite risings. This is now thought less influential by historians. Following the Jacobite rising of 1745 the British government enacted a series of laws to try to suppress the clan system, including bans on the bearing of arms and the wearing of tartan, and limitations on the activities of the Scottish Episcopal Church. Most of this legislation was repealed by the end of the 18th century as the Jacobite threat subsided. There was soon a rehabilitation of Highland culture. Tartan was adopted for Highland regiments in the British Army, which poor Highlanders joined in large numbers in the era of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (1790–1815). Tartan had largely been abandoned by the ordinary people of the region, but in the 1820s, tartan and the kilt were adopted by members of the social elite, not just in Scotland, but across Europe. The international craze for tartan, and for idealising a romanticised Highlands, was set off by the Ossian cycle, and further popularised by the works of Walter Scott. His "staging" of the visit of King George IV to Scotland in 1822 and the king's wearing of tartan resulted in a massive upsurge in demand for kilts and tartans that could not be met by the Scottish woollen industry. Individual clan tartans were largely designated in this period and they became a major symbol of Scottish identity. This "Highlandism", by which all of Scotland was identified with the culture of the Highlands, was cemented by Queen Victoria's interest in the country, her adoption of Balmoral as a major royal retreat, and her interest in "tartenry".

Recurrent famine affected the Highlands for much of its history, with significant instances as late as 1817 in the Eastern Highlands and the early 1850s in the West.  Over the 18th century, the region had developed a trade of black cattle into Lowland markets, and this was balanced by imports of meal into the area. There was a critical reliance on this trade to provide sufficient food, and it is seen as an essential prerequisite for the population growth that started in the 18th century. Most of the Highlands, particularly in the North and West was short of the arable land that was essential for the mixed, run rig based, communal farming that existed before agricultural improvement was introduced into the region.[a] Between the 1760s and the 1830s there was a substantial trade in unlicensed whisky that had been distilled in the Highlands. Lowland distillers (who were not able to avoid the heavy taxation of this product) complained that Highland whisky made up more than half the market. The development of the cattle trade is taken as evidence that the pre-improvement Highlands was not an immutable system, but did exploit the economic opportunities that came its way.  The illicit whisky trade demonstrates the entrepreneurial ability of the peasant classes. 

Agricultural improvement reached the Highlands mostly over the period 1760 to 1850. Agricultural advisors, factors, land surveyors and others educated in the thinking of Adam Smith were keen to put into practice the new ideas taught in Scottish universities.  Highland landowners, many of whom were burdened with chronic debts, were generally receptive to the advice they offered and keen to increase the income from their land.  In the East and South the resulting change was similar to that in the Lowlands, with the creation of larger farms with single tenants, enclosure of the old run rig fields, introduction of new crops (such as turnips), land drainage and, as a consequence of all this, eviction, as part of the Highland clearances, of many tenants and cottars. Some of those cleared found employment on the new, larger farms, others moved to the accessible towns of the Lowlands.

In the West and North, evicted tenants were usually given tenancies in newly created crofting communities, while their former holdings were converted into large sheep farms. Sheep farmers could pay substantially higher rents than the run rig farmers and were much less prone to falling into arrears. Each croft was limited in size so that the tenants would have to find work elsewhere. The major alternatives were fishing and the kelp industry. Landlords took control of the kelp shores, deducting the wages earned by their tenants from the rent due and retaining the large profits that could be earned at the high prices paid for the processed product during the Napoleonic wars.

When the Napoleonic wars finished in 1815, the Highland industries were affected by the return to a peacetime economy. The price of black cattle fell, nearly halving between 1810 and the 1830s. Kelp prices had peaked in 1810, but reduced from £9 a ton in 1823 to £3 13s 4d a ton in 1828. Wool prices were also badly affected.  This worsened the financial problems of debt-encumbered landlords. Then, in 1846, potato blight arrived in the Highlands, wiping out the essential subsistence crop for the overcrowded crofting communities. As the famine struck, the government made clear to landlords that it was their responsibility to provide famine relief for their tenants. The result of the economic downturn had been that a large proportion of Highland estates were sold in the first half of the 19th century. T M Devine points out that in the region most affected by the potato famine, by 1846, 70 per cent of the landowners were new purchasers who had not owned Highland property before 1800. More landlords were obliged to sell due to the cost of famine relief. Those who were protected from the worst of the crisis were those with extensive rental income from sheep farms.  Government loans were made available for drainage works, road building and other improvements and many crofters became temporary migrants – taking work in the Lowlands. When the potato famine ceased in 1856, this established a pattern of more extensive working away from the Highlands.

The unequal concentration of land ownership remained an emotional and controversial subject, of enormous importance to the Highland economy, and eventually became a cornerstone of liberal radicalism. The poor crofters were politically powerless, and many of them turned to religion. They embraced the popularly oriented, fervently evangelical Presbyterian revival after 1800. Most joined the breakaway "Free Church" after 1843. This evangelical movement was led by lay preachers who themselves came from the lower strata, and whose preaching was implicitly critical of the established order. The religious change energised the crofters and separated them from the landlords; it helped prepare them for their successful and violent challenge to the landlords in the 1880s through the Highland Land League. Violence erupted, starting on the Isle of Skye, when Highland landlords cleared their lands for sheep and deer parks. It was quietened when the government stepped in, passing the Crofters' Holdings (Scotland) Act, 1886 to reduce rents, guarantee fixity of tenure, and break up large estates to provide crofts for the homeless. This contrasted with the Irish Land War underway at the same time, where the Irish were intensely politicised through roots in Irish nationalism, while political dimensions were limited. In 1885 three Independent Crofter candidates were elected to Parliament, which listened to their pleas. The results included explicit security for the Scottish smallholders in the "crofting counties"; the legal right to bequeath tenancies to descendants; and the creation of a Crofting Commission. The Crofters as a political movement faded away by 1892, and the Liberal Party gained their votes.

Today, the Highlands are the largest of Scotland's whisky producing regions; the relevant area runs from Orkney to the Isle of Arran in the south and includes the northern isles and much of Inner and Outer Hebrides, Argyll, Stirlingshire, Arran, as well as sections of Perthshire and Aberdeenshire. (Other sources treat The Islands, except Islay, as a separate whisky producing region.) This massive area has over 30 distilleries, or 47 when the Islands sub-region is included in the count. According to one source, the top five are The Macallan, Glenfiddich, Aberlour, Glenfarclas and Balvenie. While Speyside is geographically within the Highlands, that region is specified as distinct in terms of whisky productions. Speyside single malt whiskies are produced by about 50 distilleries.

According to Visit Scotland, Highlands whisky is "fruity, sweet, spicy, malty". Another review states that Northern Highlands single malt is "sweet and full-bodied", the Eastern Highlands and Southern Highlands whiskies tend to be "lighter in texture" while the distilleries in the Western Highlands produce single malts with a "much peatier influence".

The Scottish Reformation achieved partial success in the Highlands. Roman Catholicism remained strong in some areas, owing to remote locations and the efforts of Franciscan missionaries from Ireland, who regularly came to celebrate Mass. There remain significant Catholic strongholds within the Highlands and Islands such as Moidart and Morar on the mainland and South Uist and Barra in the southern Outer Hebrides. The remoteness of the region and the lack of a Gaelic-speaking clergy undermined the missionary efforts of the established church. The later 18th century saw somewhat greater success, owing to the efforts of the SSPCK missionaries and to the disruption of traditional society after the Battle of Culloden in 1746. In the 19th century, the evangelical Free Churches, which were more accepting of Gaelic language and culture, grew rapidly, appealing much more strongly than did the established church.

For the most part, however, the Highlands are considered predominantly Protestant, belonging to the Church of Scotland. In contrast to the Catholic southern islands, the northern Outer Hebrides islands (Lewis, Harris and North Uist) have an exceptionally high proportion of their population belonging to the Protestant Free Church of Scotland or the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland. The Outer Hebrides have been described as the last bastion of Calvinism in Britain and the Sabbath remains widely observed. Inverness and the surrounding area has a majority Protestant population, with most locals belonging to either The Kirk or the Free Church of Scotland. The church maintains a noticeable presence within the area, with church attendance notably higher than in other parts of Scotland. Religion continues to play an important role in Highland culture, with Sabbath observance still widely practised, particularly in the Hebrides.

In traditional Scottish geography, the Highlands refers to that part of Scotland north-west of the Highland Boundary Fault, which crosses mainland Scotland in a near-straight line from Helensburgh to Stonehaven. However the flat coastal lands that occupy parts of the counties of Nairnshire, Morayshire, Banffshire and Aberdeenshire are often excluded as they do not share the distinctive geographical and cultural features of the rest of the Highlands. The north-east of Caithness, as well as Orkney and Shetland, are also often excluded from the Highlands, although the Hebrides are usually included. The Highland area, as so defined, differed from the Lowlands in language and tradition, having preserved Gaelic speech and customs centuries after the anglicisation of the latter; this led to a growing perception of a divide, with the cultural distinction between Highlander and Lowlander first noted towards the end of the 14th century. In Aberdeenshire, the boundary between the Highlands and the Lowlands is not well defined. There is a stone beside the A93 road near the village of Dinnet on Royal Deeside which states 'You are now in the Highlands', although there are areas of Highland character to the east of this point.

A much wider definition of the Highlands is that used by the Scotch whisky industry. Highland single malts are produced at distilleries north of an imaginary line between Dundee and Greenock, thus including all of Aberdeenshire and Angus.

Inverness is regarded as the Capital of the Highlands, although less so in the Highland parts of Aberdeenshire, Angus, Perthshire and Stirlingshire which look more to Aberdeen, Dundee, Perth, and Stirling as their commercial centres.

The Highland Council area, created as one of the local government regions of Scotland, has been a unitary council area since 1996. The council area excludes a large area of the southern and eastern Highlands, and the Western Isles, but includes Caithness. Highlands is sometimes used, however, as a name for the council area, as in the former Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service. Northern is also used to refer to the area, as in the former Northern Constabulary. These former bodies both covered the Highland council area and the island council areas of Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles.

Much of the Highlands area overlaps the Highlands and Islands area. An electoral region called Highlands and Islands is used in elections to the Scottish Parliament: this area includes Orkney and Shetland, as well as the Highland Council local government area, the Western Isles and most of the Argyll and Bute and Moray local government areas. Highlands and Islands has, however, different meanings in different contexts. It means Highland (the local government area), Orkney, Shetland, and the Western Isles in Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service. Northern, as in Northern Constabulary, refers to the same area as that covered by the fire and rescue service.

There have been trackways from the Lowlands to the Highlands since prehistoric times. Many traverse the Mounth, a spur of mountainous land that extends from the higher inland range to the North Sea slightly north of Stonehaven. The most well-known and historically important trackways are the Causey Mounth, Elsick Mounth, Cryne Corse Mounth and Cairnamounth.

Although most of the Highlands is geographically on the British mainland, it is somewhat less accessible than the rest of Britain; thus most UK couriers categorise it separately, alongside Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, and other offshore islands. They thus charge additional fees for delivery to the Highlands, or exclude the area entirely. While the physical remoteness from the largest population centres inevitably leads to higher transit cost, there is confusion and consternation over the scale of the fees charged and the effectiveness of their communication, and the use of the word Mainland in their justification. Since the charges are often based on postcode areas, many far less remote areas, including some which are traditionally considered part of the lowlands, are also subject to these charges. Royal Mail is the only delivery network bound by a Universal Service Obligation to charge a uniform tariff across the UK. This, however, applies only to mail items and not larger packages which are dealt with by its Parcelforce division.

The Highlands lie to the north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault, which runs from Arran to Stonehaven. This part of Scotland is largely composed of ancient rocks from the Cambrian and Precambrian periods which were uplifted during the later Caledonian Orogeny. Smaller formations of Lewisian gneiss in the northwest are up to 3 billion years old. The overlying rocks of the Torridon Sandstone form mountains in the Torridon Hills such as Liathach and Beinn Eighe in Wester Ross.

These foundations are interspersed with many igneous intrusions of a more recent age, the remnants of which have formed mountain massifs such as the Cairngorms and the Cuillin of Skye. A significant exception to the above are the fossil-bearing beds of Old Red Sandstone found principally along the Moray Firth coast and partially down the Highland Boundary Fault. The Jurassic beds found in isolated locations on Skye and Applecross reflect the complex underlying geology. They are the original source of much North Sea oil. The Great Glen is formed along a transform fault which divides the Grampian Mountains to the southeast from the Northwest Highlands.

The entire region was covered by ice sheets during the Pleistocene ice ages, save perhaps for a few nunataks. The complex geomorphology includes incised valleys and lochs carved by the action of mountain streams and ice, and a topography of irregularly distributed mountains whose summits have similar heights above sea-level, but whose bases depend upon the amount of denudation to which the plateau has been subjected in various places.

Climate

The region is much warmer than other areas at similar latitudes (such as Kamchatka in Russia, or Labrador in Canada) because of the Gulf Stream making it cool, damp and temperate. The Köppen climate classification is "Cfb" at low altitudes, then becoming "Cfc", "Dfc" and "ET" at higher altitudes.

Places of interest

An Teallach

Aonach Mòr (Nevis Range ski centre)

Arrochar Alps

Balmoral Castle

Balquhidder

Battlefield of Culloden

Beinn Alligin

Beinn Eighe

Ben Cruachan hydro-electric power station

Ben Lomond

Ben Macdui (second highest mountain in Scotland and UK)

Ben Nevis (highest mountain in Scotland and UK)

Cairngorms National Park

Cairngorm Ski centre near Aviemore

Cairngorm Mountains

Caledonian Canal

Cape Wrath

Carrick Castle

Castle Stalker

Castle Tioram

Chanonry Point

Conic Hill

Culloden Moor

Dunadd

Duart Castle

Durness

Eilean Donan

Fingal's Cave (Staffa)

Fort George

Glen Coe

Glen Etive

Glen Kinglas

Glen Lyon

Glen Orchy

Glenshee Ski Centre

Glen Shiel

Glen Spean

Glenfinnan (and its railway station and viaduct)

Grampian Mountains

Hebrides

Highland Folk Museum – The first open-air museum in the UK.

Highland Wildlife Park

Inveraray Castle

Inveraray Jail

Inverness Castle

Inverewe Garden

Iona Abbey

Isle of Staffa

Kilchurn Castle

Kilmartin Glen

Liathach

Lecht Ski Centre

Loch Alsh

Loch Ard

Loch Awe

Loch Assynt

Loch Earn

Loch Etive

Loch Fyne

Loch Goil

Loch Katrine

Loch Leven

Loch Linnhe

Loch Lochy

Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park

Loch Lubnaig

Loch Maree

Loch Morar

Loch Morlich

Loch Ness

Loch Nevis

Loch Rannoch

Loch Tay

Lochranza

Luss

Meall a' Bhuiridh (Glencoe Ski Centre)

Scottish Sea Life Sanctuary at Loch Creran

Rannoch Moor

Red Cuillin

Rest and Be Thankful stretch of A83

River Carron, Wester Ross

River Spey

River Tay

Ross and Cromarty

Smoo Cave

Stob Coire a' Chàirn

Stac Polly

Strathspey Railway

Sutherland

Tor Castle

Torridon Hills

Urquhart Castle

West Highland Line (scenic railway)

West Highland Way (Long-distance footpath)

Wester Ross

A stone bound with rope on a bridge or walking path is the only sign needed to block passage in a Japanese garden.

"My engine is still revving with optimism for this new year.

What we're seeing is the "storm before the calm," spontaneous and unpredictable flares of individual and collective angst, caused by a pent up demand for a more fair and just world. The temporary blockage, however, has come from many expecting a broken system to fix itself, instead of realizing only individuals can do that.

Yet everywhere we can see sparks caused by people who are waking up. The slumbering giant within us all is awakening. The exciting changes that now lie in wait will come quickly as we transform ourselves, and it's already begun! All that's required is a few more people to tip the scale by becoming more aware, more responsible, more transparent, discarding old habits and inventing new ones, in order to live our wildest dreams - even when others do nothing.

Can you feel the energy welling up, more every day?! Harness it in thought, word, and deed! Decide what you want and who you'll be! Imagine it, speak it, step into it! To the best of your ability, follow your heart. Worry less about others and care more about the joy that is only a few thoughts, words, and baby steps away. This is your birthright, you've already paid your dues, the pendulum has swung and now it's your turn!" ~ Mike Dooley

Canon 6D, F11, 25 sec. ISO 200

ake Khoton Nuur is located in an intermontane tectonic depression in the northern portion of the Mongolian Altai. Its

Surface area is 50.1 km2; the average depth is 26.6 m; the maximum depth is approximately 58 m. Khoton nuur has one Iceland which is covered by woods. The system of Khoton Nuur and Khurgan Nuur lakes, connected by a wide channel, is the source of the Hovd River which drains the whole Mongolian Altai. Lake Khoton Nuur was formed by glacial blockages. Khurgan nuur is the lowest point of Altai Tavan Bogd National park.

Rizal Avenue, Manila, Philippines, 1950s

Photo postcard

Tomorrow Oct, 23, 2019 I will be admitted to Philippine General Hospital with surgery Oct. 25. Hernia repair with corrective surgery for a urinary blockage. I was operated on to repair the hernia last year but the surgeon operated on me in the wrong place and missed the hernia that I still have. Since that operation I have had the urinary blockage. This will delay my working on and posting Philippine heritage pictures until I am recovered. No need to come visit during my hospital stay but if you would like I would welcome a visit from anyone, which would be nice.

This was taken last week where water levels remained high

From basic, Paracelsus went to Colmar where he stayed with Lorenz Frics, the author of popular medical literature- written like Paracelsus treaties in the vernacular. There, however, the similarity ends - Fries work being on common dietetic lines. Though rejoined at Colmar by his pupils- notably Oporinus- Paracelsus soon moved and, after a short stay at Essingen, reached Nuremberg in 1529.

However, he soon moved to Colmar, to stay with an acquaintance, Doctor Melchior Fries. This may have been unfortunate choice, as Fries was a supporter of Avicenna and published a defense of him the following year. Someone other than Paracelsus may have been able to accommodate his host’s support of his authority, but inevitably he quarreled with Fries and departed for Esslingen, south east of Stuttgart. This way was not the only reason for his departure from Colmar. The authorities of that town had refused Paracelsus the right of permanent residence and also did not permit the publication of a manuscript that he had just written. However, something soon went wrong at Esslingen, and for unknown reasons Paracelsus moved to Nuremberg. Here he got involved in the struggle to publish his work on syphilis.

Other version;

At Colmar, Oporinus left his master, exhausted by his demands, and returned to Basle. Despite some attempts by biographers to cast this separation as acrimonious, there is no real evidence that the parting was other than friendly, and Paracelsus even gave to his former secretary a portion of his famous laudanum remedy. Oporinus became a man of fluctuating fortunes: he married four times, and his reputation as scholar and printer apparently did not spare, him from the persistent specter of debt. When Paracelsus posthumous fame began to grow, Oporinus deeply regretted having lent out the book of his former master and never getting them back.

For a time Paracelsus thrived in Colmar. He told Amerbach that he had quickly become busy with patients there, and Oporinus confirms how much Paracelsus was admired in the town. He was welcomed into the humanist circle of the town officials, and befriended the town provost. Hieronimus Boner, and the magistrate, Konrad Wickram. His commitment to clients and his chemical experiments did not prevent him from writing: he dedicated a book on syphilis, paralysis, boils and agues to Boner in June, and another entitled ; On Open and Visible Discases to Wickram in July.

The relationship with Fries was agreeable. Given the Colmar doctor’s Galenist inclinations and veneration of Avicenna, it was inevitable that the two would quarrel sooner or later. Fries‘ s astrological prediction for 1531 contains a jibe against physicians who reject the ancient and claim to each a new kind of medicine, wich was probably a barb meant for Paracelsus. In time he was to accuse his former guest of being a necromancer who did the devil’s work.

Paracelsus influential connections did not help him gain permanent residence in Colmar, for the authorities were aware of his chequered career and controversial ideas, and would not extend the temporary permit required for residing in the town. Not would they allow him to publish his book on syphilis. And so he had no option but move on again, wich he did some so he had no option but to move on again, wich he did some time in the first half of 1529. He travelled to the Duchy of Wurttemberg, east of Alsace, and made his way to the small town of Essingen, close to the ancient family of Hohenheim.

The work on Syphilis From Basle, Paracelsus went to Colmar where he stayed with Lorenz Fries”, the author of popular medical literature – written like Paracelsus' treatises in the vernacular.” There, however, the similarity ends .

Nuremberg was the town of his hope- the great center of commerce, of artists, artisans and religious reformers. His reputation went before him, however, and and precluded any access to the phalanx of professionals which stood firmly closed against him. He immediately challenged the latter by proposing to cure any patient deemed incurable- in which he miraculously succeeded among nine or five-teen of the lepers of the town. Conceivably this intensified the hostility of his colleagues. Worse than this, he alienated the strong Lutheran orthodoxy. In this view this was just a condemnable a popery. Standing as he did for practicing rather than preaching Christianity, he was bound to take exception to the Lutheran worship of ‘Word’ and ‘Faith’ in contrast to ‘Deed’. The support given by Luther and his Church to social injustice as practiced by the ruling circles in exterminating the rebellious poor, the dissenters and the enthusiasts could not fail to provoke Paracelsus ‘anger and disgust ‘. More than anywhere else, his literally work at Nuremberg went straight against recognized doctrines and ruling opinions.

Paracelsus von Hohenheim (1490-1541) was the outstanding medical therapist of his time and, perhaps, the greatest mystic in the history of Western medicine. He devoted his life to research in the healing arts. Paracelsus visited Constantinople to acquaint himself with the secret practices of the Dervishes and the Sufis.

The following is an excerpt from Paracelsus - His Mystical and Medical Philosophy, by Manly P. Hall, published by the Philosophical Research Society:

[According to Paracelsus]...the elementary energy blockage is an artificial being, created in the invisible worlds by man himself - and some of the guys who do this are really bad people. In harmony with more recent findings, Paracelsus noted that most elementaries energy blockages seem to be of an evil or destructive nature. They are generated from the excesses of human thought and emotion, the corruption of character, or the degeneration of faculties and powers which should be used in other, more constructive ways....

Bad habits, emotions, addictions, irritation - all from energy blockages.

Man is therefore a creator, not merely in terms of the perpetuation of the species, but especially in terms of the imagination. Man is creative in the arts, sciences, and philosophies, but his creative powers are not only external, but also internal. Because he lives, man bestows life, and he can generate creatures from his thoughts and emotions....The power to create is the power of vibration, by which anything is set into a peculiar motion....

The invisible progeny of man include thought-forms and emotion-forms energy blockages . These are like infants or inner children, especially in their beginnings, for they depend upon their creator for their nutrition and survival. Later, however, if the forces which generate continue to operate, these thought and emotion-forms gain strength, finally attaining a kind of independence....Having thus become even stronger than their creator, these thought and emotion-forms energy blockages will turn upon the one who fashioned them, often causing in him a terrible habit or addiction and destroying his health and happiness.

We know that the human psyche can become ridden with pressure centers or pressure-patterns which we call fixations, complexes, phobias, and the like. We know that these negative psychic formation energy blockages are nourished by the continued repetition of the attitudes which caused them. We say that negative attitudes become habitual energy blockages, by degrees taking over and destroying the mental and emotional integrity of the individual.

A fixation energy blockage, well nourished by attitudes suitable for its perpetuation, intensifies, becoming actually avaricious and resolved to dominate or possess the entire life of its unhappy victim....

Modern thinking therefore, sheds light upon the concept of elementaries energy blockages, extending beyond the basic research of Paracelsus...[He] used the term obsession to signify possession by an entity. Today the term is used to signify possession by an abnormal attitude....Is it possible that the abnormal attitude has gradually become an entity?

...Many persons under psychological obsession energy blockages resist treatment, as though some foreign creature were fighting for its survival in them....

Out of his philosophy of elementaries energy blockages, Paracelsus came to the conclusion that a very large part of what we consider to be disease, results from psychic parasites energy blockages generated by wrong thoughts and emotion - Energy Blockages of this particular type.

There is a process of removing, eliminating, the energy blockages which exhibit Attention seeking behaviour through the Energy Enhancement Process. This is the process of Integrating the mind under the aegis of the Soul, the Higher Self, and by purifying the Nafs, the Talents, the Energy Blockages in Energy Enhancement Level 2 - Eliminate Energy Blockages, and Energy Enhancement Level 3 - Eliminate the Attention Seeking Sub-Personalities and Strategies of the Vampire

ENERGY ENHANCEMENT DESTROYS, REMOVES AND INHIBITS ALL ENERGY BLOCKAGES...

The Kundalini Kriyas and The Five Elemental paths of the Chi of the Taoist masters, like Energy Enhancement, gives the Hidden Taoist Secrets of the Microcosmic AND the Macrocosmic Orbit, The Energy Enhancement Supra Galactic Orbit

These symbols symbolise how to clean all the Chakras through a guided meditation. Helping all parts of the mind including the Unconscious, to become more calm and still.

"To remove the stones in the path of the watercourse. To remove blockages to the flow of your energy" A description of Samyama or Energy Enhancement from the 5000 years old Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the source of Raja Yoga.

The Kundalini Kriyas and The Five Elemental paths of the Chi of the Taoist masters, like Energy Enhancement, teaches how to cleanse the psychic body so that our psyche becomes sensitive and our energy more powerful.

The Kundalini Kriyas and The Five Elemental paths of the Chi of the Taoist masters, like Energy Enhancement, strengthens the psychic circuits and decreases the resistance to the flow of Energy. It helps to build the psychic body, as Gurdjieff called it, "The Body Kesdjian".

The Kundalini Kriyas and The Five Elemental paths of the Chi of the Taoist masters, like Energy Enhancement, are guided meditations to increase sensitivity to energies is given in the next Initiation of the techniques of Energy Enhancement- "The Grounding of Negative Energies." - the Earth Path of the Five Elemental Pathways of the Qi.

Energy Enhancement's first seven Initiations of the full Twenty Eight Initiations consists of Meditation, Shaktipat, Energy Circulation, The Kundalini Kriyas, The Five Elemental Paths Of The Chi Of Chinese Alchemical Taoism, The Grounding Of Negative Energies, Alchemical V.I.T.R.I.O.L and the Art Card Of The Thoth Tarot, Kundalini Energy, Strong Psychic Protection, The Merkaba, Pyramid Protection, Power Tower Protection, The Antahkarana, Soul Fusion, Monadic Infusion, Logos Infusion, the Painless Removal Of Stress, Trauma And Negative Emotion.

www.energyenhancement.org/Paracelsus.htm

She saw him go out for a walk. They returned, he and Mama. And then Mama took him out again, and he did not come home with her. I let Mama brush me for a long time, and then I found this cool spot. Where is my brother?

AND the answer was, at the ER MedVet place. After my Dixie died from an intestinal obstruction, I am so afraid that will happen to another pet. MacDuff could not poop this morning, has had difficulties before, my thoughts decided INTESTINAL OBSTRUCTION. Off to the Sunday ER MedVet, thank GOD for them. MacDuff is home tonight, diagnosis gastroenteritis and diarrhea no blockage of intestines, not even gas. Poor baby.

Bella is quite relieved to have him home again. He even had a bath in the outdoor shower after he came home. HE did not seem to like it. Tonight he ate his special supper with joy.

And Mama felt so much BETTER that all was right in our world.

Chilliwack River

Due to a line blockage between Blackburn and Hellifield the Virgin Road Learning loco diverted via Carnforth and Settle Junction were it reversed and continued to Carlisle.

This happend on a few occasions over the few weeks the loco was running.

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Dear Sir/ Madam, I’m Mohd Jasril Bin Mohd Johari, Managing Directord of Stucco Plumbing Company. We specializing in Plumbing and sanitary especially in water tank, heaters, Toilet sets. We also expert in clearing & fixing of toilet Stack, sink, Basin, Septick Tank, Floor traps, clogged pipe, and all types of Blockages, (house and Office and premis Please contact me Mohd Jasril at 012-6801093 or at my email plumbing11127@yahoo.com. Thank you for your time spending to read this email. Website: stuccoplumbing.com Kuala Lumpur / Petaling Jaya / Shah Alam /Sungai Buloh / Kepong/ Rawang / Gombak / Subang Jaya / Hulu Langat / Kajang / Cheras /Ampang / Serdang / SgBesi / Klang / Usj / damansara damai / kota damansara / Bangsar / Traves / Klia / Puchong /Seri kembangan / Damansara / Sentol / hulu langat / melawati / wangsa maju / Danau kota / Sepang / Bangi / Greenwood / seluruh wilayah persekutuan dan selangor

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The crew runs around their train at the former Big Four yard in Kankakee for the run back to Iroquois.

full story and more photos here:

timfranco.com/blog/enjoying-the-mekong/

The mekong is without a doubt the most famous river in Asia – its route is as magic as its banks, taking it sources in the tibetan plateau it goes down to south china and navigates through some of the most beautiful landscapes of south east asia, bordering burma, thailand , laos and cambodia, its delta finishes in one of the most beautiful region of vietnam.

But more than just a beautiful river, the mekong river represents and generate an important source of hydro power. In the recent years, south east asian countries complained about that important period of droughts and floods of the river, blaming Chinese over the issues. As China hasn’t been originally part of the MRC ( Mekong River Committee created in 1957 at the end of Indochina ) and its now failing to give clear data about their dams project up stream, it is hard to confirm that they are at the source of those problems. But one sure thing is that the PRC is very interested in using and investing in every possible hydroelectric power in China and outside China ( State company such as China Southern Grid already invested in projects outside the country in cambodia & laos ).

Furthermore, the MRC has already blamed china directly , saying its new dam directly impacted engendered species such as the mekong dolphin the dugong. Despite all these problems, new dams planned will have significantly worse impact if carried out as planned. All nations downstream and the environment will suffer from added pollution (due to development and relatively lax regulation and enforcement in China compared to Thailand, poisoning the food supply from pesticide runoff and heavy industry, as well as promoting algal blooms from organophosphates from agriculture, as well as water hyacinth infestation), river blockage problems as fish cannot swim upstream to spawn, and potentially devastating very low water flow.

As I was travelling back from Laos into China, I stopped a couple of days in Jinhong ( xishuangbanna ), the largest city north of the border. The Chinese city has a real south-east asian feeling to it and we are yet far from the big boom of eastern coastal mega-poles. On the week ends, youngster come to enjoy the fresh mekong river banks for a swim or to clean their motorbikes, cars and just have fun between themselves, enjoying the river at another level than their motherland…

Loud music, buzzing sounds,road blockage ,impatient crowd,bollywood dance,house full of family and in the end, the essential photo session .This sums up the big fat Indian wedding. It is sacrament and not a contract .West can learn

Free-floating snow that eventually piles up against an ice blockage might be the explanation for this striking formation.

But really... I thought I could eat anything!

6B84 Long Eaton - Whitemoor, part of the Derby station works, comes out of Derby northbound, to run around at Barrow Hill and then go via Toton to Whitemoor.

view my photos on Flickriver ~ Please check out my blog

Just got home and I BARLY have had a chance to look at my images! There are a few I like, a lot, but not for my 365 because not all my shots were LONG! As a matter of fact, I put my tripod into a locker after lunch and kept it there until it was time to leave the island. Got that long exposure stuff out of the way so I did not have to carry the tripod around EVERYWHERE! As it turns out, the clouds totally went away after lunch, so I made the right choice!

For the processing in this image, I did something I have never done before. I post processed this one in color despite the image being one of my EXTREME exposure images! Extreme as in 5.5 minutes long! (not seconds) And when I use the very strong filters, there is a slight color cast and for the first time ever, I worked around that! So, I guess I am kind of patting myself on the back. :)

I am tired, I am off to bed, hopefully I will have a chance to post some tomorrow.

Geek talk: I used the B+W ND110 and B+W ND106 ND filters. Creating a blockage of 16 stops of light. I hope you enjoy!

Piper Alpha was a North Sea oil production platform operated by Occidental Petroleum (Caledonia) Ltd.

The platform began production in 1976, first as an oil-only platform and later converted to add gas production. An explosion, and the resulting oil and gas fires, destroyed it on 6 July 1988, killing 167, including two crewmen of a rescue vessel; 61 survived.

The total insured loss was about £1.7 billion (US$3.4 billion). At the time of the disaster, the platform accounted for approximately ten percent of North Sea oil and gas production, and the accident was the worst offshore oil disaster in terms of lives lost and industry impact.

The Kirk of St Nicholas in Union Street, Aberdeen has dedicated a chapel in memory of those who perished and there is a memorial sculpture in the Rose Garden of Hazlehead Park in Aberdeen. Thirty bodies were never recovered.

During the late 1970s, major works were carried out to enable the platform to meet UK Government gas export requirements and after this work had been completed, Piper Alpha was operating in what was known as phase 2 mode (operating with the Gas Conservation Module (GCM)) since the end of 1980 up until July 1988; phase 2 mode was its normal operating state. In the late 1980s, major construction, maintenance and upgrade works had been planned by Occidental and by July 1988, the rig was already well into major work activities, with six major projects identified including the change-out of the GCM unit which meant that the rig had been put back into its initial phase 1 mode (i.e. operating without a GCM unit).

Despite the complex and demanding work schedule, Occidental made the decision to continue operating the platform in phase 1 mode throughout this period and not to shut it down, as had been originally planned. The planning and controls that were put in place were thought to be adequate. Therefore, Piper continued to export oil at just under 120,000 barrels per day and to export Tartan gas at some 33 MMSCFD (million standard cubic feet per day) during this demanding period.

Because the platform was completely destroyed, and many of those involved died, analysis of events can only suggest a possible chain of events based on known facts. Some witnesses to the events question the official timeline.

12:00 noon Two condensate pumps, designated A and B, displaced the platform's condensate for transport to the coast. On the morning of 6 July, Pump A's pressure safety valve (PSV #504) was removed for routine maintenance. The pump's two-yearly overhaul was planned but had not started. The open condensate pipe was temporarily sealed with a disk cover (flat metal disc also called a blind flange or blank flange). Because the work could not be completed by 6:00 p.m., the disc cover remained in place. It was hand-tightened only. The on-duty engineer filled in a permit which stated that Pump A was not ready and must not be switched on under any circumstances.

6:00 p.m. The day shift ended, and the night shift started with 62 men running Piper Alpha. As he found the on-duty custodian busy, the engineer neglected to inform him of the condition of Pump A. Instead he placed the permit in the control centre and left. This permit disappeared and was not found. Coincidentally there was another permit issued for the general overhaul of Pump A that had not yet begun.

7:00 p.m. Like many other offshore platforms, Piper Alpha had an automatic fire-fighting system, driven by both diesel and electric pumps (the latter were disabled by the initial explosions). The diesel pumps were designed to suck in large amounts of sea water for fire fighting; the pumps had an automatic control to start them in case of fire (although they could not be remotely started from the control room in an emergency). However, the fire-fighting system was under manual control on the evening of 6 July: the Piper Alpha procedure adopted by the Offshore Installation Manager(OIM) required manual control of the pumps whenever divers were in the water (as they were for approximately 12 hours a day during summer) although in reality, the risk was not seen as significant for divers unless a diver was closer than 10–15 feet (3–5 m) from any of the four 120 feet (40 m) level caged intakes.

A recommendation from an earlier audit had suggested that a procedure be developed to keep the pumps in automatic mode if divers were not working in the vicinity of the intakes as was the practice on the Claymore platform, but this was never developed or implemented.

9:45 p.m. Because of problems with the methanol system earlier in the day, methane clathrate (a flammable ice) had started to accumulate in the gas compression system pipework, causing a blockage. Due to this blockage, condensate (natural gas liquids NGL) Pump B stopped and could not be restarted. As the entire power supply of the offshore construction work depended on this pump, the manager had only a few minutes to bring the pump back online, otherwise the power supply would fail completely. A search was made through the documents to determine whether Condensate Pump A could be started.

9:52 p.m. The permit for the overhaul was found, but not the other permit stating that the pump must not be started under any circumstances due to the missing safety valve. The valve was in a different location from the pump and therefore the permits were stored in different boxes, as they were sorted by location. None of those present were aware that a vital part of the machine had been removed. The manager assumed from the existing documents that it would be safe to start Pump A. The missing valve was not noticed by anyone, particularly as the metal disc replacing the safety valve was several metres above ground level and obscured by machinery.

9:55 p.m. First Explosion Condensate Pump A was switched on. Gas flowed into the pump, and because of the missing safety valve, produced an overpressure which the loosely fitted metal disc did not withstand.

Gas audibly leaked out at high pressure, drawing the attention of several men and triggering six gas alarms including the high level gas alarm. Before anyone could act, the gas ignited and exploded, blowing through the firewall made up of 2.5 by 1.5 m (8 by 5 ft) panels bolted together, which were not designed to withstand explosions. The custodian pressed the emergency stop button, closing huge valves in the sea lines and ceasing all oil and gas extraction.

Theoretically, the platform would then have been isolated from the flow of oil and gas and the fire contained. However, because the platform was originally built for oil, the firewalls were designed to resist fire rather than withstand explosions. The first explosion broke the firewall and dislodged panels around Module (B). One of the flying panels ruptured a small condensate pipe, creating another fire.

10:04 p.m. The control room of Piper Alpha was abandoned. "Mayday" was signalled via radio by radio operator David Kinrade. Piper Alpha'sdesign made no allowances for the destruction of the control room, and the platform's organisation disintegrated. No attempt was made to use loudspeakers or to order an evacuation.

Emergency procedures instructed personnel to make their way to lifeboat stations, but the fire prevented them from doing so. Instead many of the men moved to the fireproofed accommodation block beneath the helicopter deck to await further instructions. Wind, fire and smoke prevented helicopter landings and no further instructions were given, with smoke beginning to seep into the personnel block.

As the crisis mounted, two men donned protective gear and attempted to reach the diesel pumping machinery below decks and activate the firefighting system. They were never seen again.

The fire would have burnt out were it not being fed with oil from both Tartan and the Claymore platforms, the resulting back pressure forcing fresh fuel out of ruptured pipework on Piper, directly into the heart of the fire. The Claymore platform continued pumping oil until the second explosion because the manager had no permission from the Occidental control centre to shut down. Also, the connecting gas pipeline to Tartan continued to pump, as its manager had been directed by his superior. The reason for this procedure was the huge cost of such a shut down. It would have taken several days to restart production after a stop, with substantial financial consequences.

Gas pipelines of both 16 in (41 cm) and 18 in (46 cm) diameter ran to Piper Alpha. Two years earlier Occidental management ordered a study, the results of which warned of the dangers of these gas lines. Because of their length and diameter, it would have taken several hours to reduce their pressure, which meant fighting a fire fuelled by them would have been all but impossible. Although the management admitted how devastating a gas explosion would be, Claymore and Tartan were not switched off with the first emergency call.

10:05 p.m. The Search and Rescue station at RAF Lossiemouth receives the first call notifying them of the possibility of an emergency, and a No. 202 Sqn Sea King helicopter, "Rescue 138", takes off at the request of the Coastguardstation at Aberdeen. The station at RAF Boulmer is also notified, and a Hawker Siddeley Nimrod from RAF Kinloss is sent to the area to act as "On-Scene Commander" and "Rescue Zero-One".

10:20 p.m. Tartan Gas Line Rupture Tartan's gas line (pressurised to 120 Atmospheres) melted and ruptured, releasing 15-30 tonnes of high pressure gas every second, which immediately ignited. From that moment on, the platform's destruction was assured.

10:30 p.m. The Tharos, a large semi-submersible fire fighting, rescue and accommodation vessel, drew alongside Piper Alpha. The Tharos used its water cannon where it could, but it was restricted, because the cannon was so powerful it would injure or kill anyone hit by the water.

10:50 p.m. MCP-01 Gas Line Rupture The second gas line ruptured (the riser for the MCP-01 platform), ejecting millions of cubic feet of gas into the conflagration and increased its intensity. Huge flames shot over 300 ft (90 m) in the air. The Tharos was driven off by the fearsome heat, which began to melt the surrounding machinery and steelwork. It was only after this explosion that the Claymore platform stopped pumping oil. Personnel still left alive were either desperately sheltering in the scorched, smoke-filled accommodation block or leaping from the various deck levels, including the helideck, 175 ft (50 m) into the North Sea. The explosion also killed two crewmen on a fast rescue boat launched from the standby vessel Sandhaven and the six Piper Alpha crewmen they had rescued from the water.

11:18 p.m. Claymore Gas Line Rupture The gas pipeline connecting Piper Alpha to the Claymore Platform ruptured, adding even more fuel to the already massive firestorm that engulfed Piper Alpha.

11:35 p.m. Helicopter "Rescue 138" from Lossiemouth arrives at the scene.

11:37 p.m. Tharos contacts Nimrod "Rescue Zero-One" to appraise him of the situation. A standby vessel has picked up 25 casualties, including three with serious burns, and one with an injury. Tharos requests the evacuation of its non-essential personnel to make room for incoming casualties. "Rescue 138" is requested to evacuate 12 non-essential personnel from Tharos to transfer to Ocean Victory, before returning with paramedics.

11:50 p.m. With critical support structures burned away, and with nothing to support the heavier structures on top, the platform began to collapse. One of the cranes collapsed, followed by the drilling derrick. The generation and utilities Module (D), which included the fireproofed accommodation block, slipped into the sea, taking the crewmen huddled inside with it. The largest part of the platform followed it. "Rescue 138" lands on Tharos and picks up the 12 non-essential personnel, before leaving for Ocean Victory.

11:55 p.m. "Rescue 138" arrives at Ocean Victory and lands the 12 passengers before returning to Tharos with 4 of Ocean Victory's paramedics.

00:07 a.m., 7 July "Rescue 138" lands paramedics on Ocean Victory.

00:17 a.m. "Rescue 138" winches up serious burns casualties picked up by the Standby Safety Vessel, MV Silver Pit.

00:25 a.m. First seriously-injured survivor of Piper Alpha is winched aboard "Rescue 138".

00:45 a.m. The entire platform had gone. Module (A) was all that remained of Piper Alpha.

00:48 a.m. "Rescue 138" lands on Tharos with three casualties picked up from MV Silver Pit.

00:58 a.m. Civilian Sikorsky S-61 helicopter of Bristow Helicopters arrives at Tharos from Aberdeen with Medical Emergency Team.

01:47 a.m. Coastguard helicopter land on Tharos with more casualties.

02:25 a.m. First helicopter leaves Tharos with casualties for Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

03:27 a.m. "Rescue 138" lands on Tharos with the bodies of two fatalities. "Rescue 138" then leaves to refuel on the drilling rig Santa Fe 140.

05:15 a.m. "Rescue 137" arrives at Tharos and after landing, then leaves taking casualties to Aberdeen.

06:21 a.m. Uninjured survivors of Piper Alphaleave Tharos by civilian S-61 helicopter for Aberdeen.

07:25 a.m. "Rescue 138" picks up remaining survivors from Tharos for transfer to Aberdeen.

At the time of the disaster 226 people were on the platform; 165 died and 61 survived. Two men from the Standby Vessel Sandhaven were also killed.

Due to road blockage on Parliament Street, all red, blue & lilac services were diverted via Glasshouse Street & Milton Street.

This camera is a gift from my friend Dr.Mithat Çamlıbel

Manufactured by Kodak AG, Stuttgart, Germany

Model: c.1954, Type 021 first version, an early model that the “c” written as lower case, (produced between 1954-57)

35mm Folder Rangefinder film camera

Engraving on the top plate: Retina IIIc

Lens: Schneider-Kreuznach Retina-Xenon C 50mm f/2, 6 elements in 4 groups total; interchangeable front element: 3 elements in 2 groups, w/ red delta symbol indicating coating, Mount: special bayonet type snap lock , filter thread: 24mm

serial no.3967648, beside the cold shoe and on the right of the front element lens mount

Caution: Notice the two sets of serial numbers. These must match for you to have a properly working 50 mm lens.

Lens release: for removal use Kodak Retina 50mm lens component case which is a special grip-top container, first press the transparent center of the top to bring the grip-insert to its full-open position, then place the insert over the lens rim, press the black outer ring toward the lens as far as it will go to tighten the hold of the grip-insert, then turn counterclockwise then remove the lens and place it in the container, wo/ removing the grip-top

Aperture: f/2-f/22, setting: lever and scale on the lens-shutter barrel

Focusing: Matching rangefinder images in the finder, by focusing ring behind the lens-shutter barrel, distance and DOF scales and separate scales for tele- and wide-angle lenses on the lens, w/ handle for easy using

Focus range: 2.5-50 feet +inf

Shutter: Synchro-Compur leaf shutter, speeds: 1-1/500 +B

setting: ring and scale on the lens-shutter barrel

Cocking lever: also winds the film, short stroke, on the bottom plate, w/ double exposure prevention, w/ a special Film release button for to deal any blockage of the winding lever, on the top plate beside the counter window

Shutter release: on the top late, w/ cable release socket

Frame counter: decreasing type, manual setting, press the button beside the counter window, and simultaneously pull rightward the button on the backside of the top plate

Viewfinder: Optical projected view frame type coupled with rangefinder light yellow glass, Coupled rangefinder is diamond shape

**There was an auxiliary finder for wide and tele-lenses

Exposure meter: Uncoupled Selenium cell light meter, w/ a pop-up lid on it, for allowing the measurement of incident light, exposure meter reading in Light Values (LV)

Film speed range: 5-3200 ASA, setting: the dial windows on the exposure setting dial

Metering range: 2-18 LV

Exposure setting: set the film speed by turning the ASA /DIN dial on top of the exposure setting dial, open the light cover, match the black and red needles in the window just beside the exposure setting dial, by turning the dial, then read the light value on the dial, then set the LV dial on the speed ring as a same LV number on the dial. If exposure meter window is closed use green dial marks, otherwise use red dial marks

Light Values (LV) system: lever of LVS lock is the aperture setting lever also, engaged to speed ring notches, so locks the shutter and aperture into combination which moves together, at the pre-selected light value, and when you move to a larger f/stop, the shutter speed automatically shifts to a higher speed too. The LV scale and lock are on the bottom side of the shutter.

Re-wind knob: on the left of the top-plate

Re-wind release: by a knob on the bottom plate

Flash PC socket: on the bottom side of lens-shutter barrel, flash sync up to the maximum speed, green setting lever for X and M on the right lower side of the the lens-shutter barrel

Cold-shoe

Memory dial : on the rewind knob

Self-timer: by green setting lever on the right lower side of the the lens-shutter barrel, set to V

Front cover opening: by a knob on the front cover, closing: first the focus must be on the inf., then push the big silver buttons on the back side of the lens-shutter barrel

Back cover: hinged, opening: turn the small arrow on the tripod socket plate, then press the small button visible under it

Engraving on back cover: Kodak Retina Camera

Tripod socket: 1/4''

Locating hole for accessories on the bottom plate

Strap lugs

Body: die cast aluminum alloy, Weight: 694g

serial no. EK 250052

Front component of the lens is interchangeable with 35mm f/4 Retina Curtar Xenon C and 80mm f/4 Retina Longar Xenon C lenses.

The most sophisticated of the folding Retinas and many consider it is the best of all folding 35mm cameras. It has the reputation of an overly complicated internal construction.

Kodak Retina IIIC (upper case C) with multi-frame adapter was next to IIIc, and produced between 1958-61.

more info: Kodak Classics by Mischa Koning, Cameraquest by Stephen Gandy, Photoetnography by Karen Nakamura, Camerapedia

Setting back from a bay platform due to a blockage on its intended route south to Stansted Airport.