View allAll Photos Tagged Colonization,

Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries), Lisbon

 

The monument shows more than 30 statues of people who played an important role in the discoveries. Leading the way is Henry the Navigator who is shown standing on the bow holding a model of a caravel. Behind him are king Afonso V - who supported the exploration and colonization of Africa - and the explorers Vasco da Gama (who found a direct route to India), Pedro Álvares Cabral (discoverer of Brazil) and Ferdinand Magellan (the first explorer to circumnavigate the world). They are followed by navigators, writers, missionaries, a mathematician, a map maker and other figures from the era of the discoveries. (www.aviewoncities.com/lisbon/padraodosdescobrimentos.htm)

Bago, formerly Pegu, is a city and the capital of Bago Region in Myanmar (Burma). It is located 80 km north-east of Yangon.

 

HISTORY

The Gulf of Martaban was colonized by Mon people from the Thaton Kingdom, who established Bago. The earliest mention of Bago in history is by the Arab geographer ibn Khordadbeh around 850 AD. At the time, the Mon capital had shifted to Thaton. The area came under rule of the Burmese from Bagan in 1056. After the collapse of Bagan to the Mongols in 1287, the Mon regained their independence.

 

In Lower Burma, a Mon dynasty established itself first at Mottama and then at Bago. During the reign of King Razadarit, Bago and Ava Kingdom were engaged in the Forty Years' War. The peaceful reign of Queen Shin Sawbu came to an end when she chose the Buddhist monk Dhammazedi (1472–1492) to succeed her. Under Dhammazedi, Bago became a centre of commerce and Theravada Buddhism.

 

From 1369–1539, Hanthawaddy was the capital of the Mon Hanthawaddy Kingdom, which covered all of what is now Lower Burma. The area came under Burman control again in 1539, when it was annexed by King Tabinshwehti of the Taungoo Dynasty. The kings of Taungoo made Bago their royal capital from 1539–1599 and again in 1613–1635, and used it as a base for repeated invasions of the Ayutthaya Kingdom.

 

In 1519, António Correia, then a merchant from the Portuguese casados settlement at Cochin landed in Bago, then known to the Portuguese as Pegu, looking for new markets for pepper from Cochin. A year later, Portuguese India Governor Diogo Lopes de Sequeira sent an ambassador to Pegu.

 

As a major seaport, the city was frequently visited by Europeans, among these, Gasparo Balbi in late 1500s. The Europeans often commented on its magnificence. The Burmese capital relocated to Ava in 1634. In 1740, the Mon revolted and founded the Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom. However, a Bamar king, Alaungpaya, captured the city in May 1757.

 

Bago was rebuilt by King Bodawpaya (r. 1782-1819), but by then the river had shifted course, cutting the city off from the sea. It never regained its previous importance. After the Second Anglo-Burmese War, the British annexed Bago in 1852. In 1862, the province of British Burma was formed, and the capital moved to Yangon. The substantial differences between the colloquial and literary pronunciations, as with Burmese words, was a reason of the British corruption "Pegu".

 

In 1911, Hanthawaddy was described as a district in the Bago (or Pegu) division of Lower Burma. It lay in the home district of Yangon, from which the town was detached to make a separate district in 1880. It had an area of 7,830 km2, with a population of 48,411 in 1901, showing an increase of 22% in the past decade. Hanthawaddy and Hinthada were the two most densely populated districts in the province.

 

Hanthawaddy, as it was constituted in 1911, consisted of a vast plain stretching up from the sea between the To (or China Bakir) mouth of the Irrawaddy River and the Pegu Range. Except the tract of land lying between the Pegu Range on the east and the Yangon River, the country was intersected by numerous tidal creeks, many of which were navigable by large boats and some by steamers. The headquarters of the district was in Rangoon, which was also the sub-divisional headquarters. The second sub-division had its headquarters at Insein, where there were large railway works. Cultivation was almost wholly confined to rice, but there were many vegetable and fruit gardens.

 

Today, Hanthawaddy is one of the wards of Bago city.

 

PLACES OF INTEREST

Shwethalyaung Buddha (Reclining Buddha)

Shwemawdaw Paya

Kyaik Pun Paya

Kanbawzathadi Palace site and museum

Maha Kalyani Sima

Mahazedi Paya

Shwegugale Paya

Bago Degree College

Bago Sittaung Canal

takeshiyamada.weebly.com/

 

The Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) of Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York – This unique sea-dwelling rabbit, which is actually a close relative of the sea lion, was officially discovered and investigated by Henry Hudson when he first visited this land to colonize the area by order of the Dutch government. It was named New Amsterdam -- today’s New York City. This island was named after he saw the beach covered with strange swimming wild rabbits. The word “Coney Island” means “wild rabbit island” in Dutch (originally Conyne Eylandt, or Konijneneiland in modern Dutch spelling). Sea rabbits were also referred mermaid rabbit, merrabbit, rabbit fish or seal rabbit in the natural history documents in the 17th century. The current conservation status, or risk of extinction, of the sea rabbit is Extinct in the Wild.

 

This website features two species of sea rabbits, which have been taken care of by Dr. Takeshi Yamada (山田武司) at the Coney Island Sea Rabbit Repopulation Center, which is a part of the Marine biology department of the Coney Island University in Brooklyn, New York. They are – Coney Island Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) called “Seara” and Coney Island Tiger-striped Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus konjinicus) called “Stripes”.

 

The photographs and videos featured in this website chronicle adventures of the Coney Island sea rabbits and the world as seen by them. This article also documented efforts of Dr. Takeshi Yamada for bringing back the nearly extinct sea rabbits to Coney Island in the City of New York and beyond. Dr. Yamada produced a series of public lectures, workshops, original public live interactive fine art performances and fine art exhibitions about sea rabbits at a variety of occasions and institutions in the City of New York and beyond. Dr. Yamada is an internationally active educator, book author, wildlife conservationist and high profile artist, who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

 

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

 

Sea Rabbit

 

Other Common Names: Coney Island Sea Rabbit, Beach Rabbit, Seal Rabbit, mer-rabbit, merrabbit, Atlantic Sea Rabbit.

 

Latin Name: Monafluffchus americanus

 

Origin: Atlantic coast of the United States

 

Description of the specimen: In the early 17th century’s European fur craze drove the fleet of Dutch ships to the eastern costal area of America. Then Holland was the center of the world just like the Italy was in the previous century. New York City was once called New Amsterdam when Dutch merchants landed and established colonies. Among them, Henry Hudson is probably the most recognized individual in the history of New York City today. “This small island is inhabited by two major creatures which we do not have in our homeland. The one creature is a large arthropod made of three body segments: the frontal segment resembles a horseshoe, the middle segment resembles a spiny crab and its tail resembles a sharp sword. Although they gather beaches here in great numbers, they are not edible due to their extremely offensive odor. Another creature which is abundant here, has the head of wild rabbit. This animal of great swimming ability has frontal legs resemble the webbed feet of a duck. The bottom half of the body resembles that of a seal. This docile rabbit of the sea is easy to catch as it does not fear people. The larger male sea rabbits control harems of 20 to 25 females. The meat of the sea rabbit is very tender and tasty.” This is what Hadson wrote in his personal journal in 1609 about the horseshoe crab and the sea rabbit in today’s Coney Island area of Brooklyn, New York. Sadly, just like the Dodo bird and the Thylacine, the sea rabbit was driven to extinction by the European settlers’ greed. When Dutch merchants and traders arrived here, sea rabbits were one of the first animals they hunted down to bring their furs to homeland to satisfy the fur craze of the time. To increase the shipment volume of furs of sea rabbit and beavers from New Amsterdam, Dutch merchants also started using wampum (beads made of special clam shells) as the first official currency of this country.

 

At the North Eastern shores of the United States, two species of sea rabbits were commonly found. They are Coney Island Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) and Coney Island Tiger-striped Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus konjinicus). Sadly, due to their over harvesting in the previous centuries, their conservation status became “Extinct in the Wild” (ET) in the Red List Endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Currently, these sea rabbits are only found at breeding centers at selected zoos and universities such as Coney Island Aquarium and Coney Island University in Brooklyn, New York. The one shown in this photograph was named "Seara" and has been cared by Dr. Takeshi Yamada at Coney Island University.

 

The sea rabbit is one of the families of the Pinniped order. Pinnipeds (from Latin penna = flat and pes/pedis = foot) are sea-mammals: they are homeothermic (i.e having high and regulated inner temperature), lung-breathing (i.e dependant on atmospheric oxygen) animals having come back to semi aquatic life. As soon as they arrive ashore, females are caught by the nearest adult male. Males can maintain harems of about 20 females on average. Several hours to several days after arriving ashore, pregnant females give birth to eight to ten pups with a dark brown fur. As soon as birth occurs, the mother’s special smell and calls help her pups bond specifically to her. The mother stays ashore with her pup for about one week during which the pup gains weight. During the first week spent with her newborn, the mother becomes receptive. She will be impregnated by the bull, which control the harem. Implantation of the embryo will occur 3 months later, in March-April. During the reproductive period, the best males copulate with several tens females. To do so, males have to stay ashore without feeding in order to keep their territory and their harem. In mid-January, when the last females have been fecundated, males leave at sea to feed. Some of them will come back later in March-April for the moult. The other ones will stay at sea and will come back on Coney Island only in next November. After fecundation, the mother goes at sea for her first meal. At sea, mothers feed on clams, crabs, shrimps, fish (herring, anchovy, Pollock, capelin etc.) and squids. When she is back, the mother recovers her pups at the beach she left them. Suckling occurs after auditive and olfactory recognition had occured. In March-April, the dark brown fur is totally replaced by an adult-like light brownish grey fur during the moult that lasts 1-2 months. This new fur is composed by 2 layers. Externally, the guard fur is composed by flat hairs that recover themselves when wet. By doing so, they make a water-proof barrier for the under fur. The underfur retains air when the seal is dry. Because of isolating properties of the air, the underfur is the insulating system of the fur. In March-April, the fur of adults is partially replaced. First reproduction occurs at 1-yr old in females. Males are physiologically matures at 1 year old but socially matures at +2 years old.

 

NOTE: The name of Coney Island is commonly thought to be derived from the Dutch Konijn Eylandt or Rabbit Island as apparently the 17th century European settlers noted many rabbits running amuck on the island.

 

www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/performances.html

 

www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/sea-rabbit-center.html

 

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

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbits23/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit22

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit021/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit20

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit19

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit18

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit17

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit16

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit15

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit14

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit13

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit12

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit11

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit10

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit9

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit8

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit7

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit6

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit5

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit4

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit3

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit2

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit1

 

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits03

 

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits02

 

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits01

 

www.flickr.com/photos/yamadaimmortalized2/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/takeshiyamadaimmortalized/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/yamadabellhouse2014/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders3/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders2

 

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/takeshiyamadapaintings/

 

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

 

For any questions, please email contact Takeshi Yamada, Art & Rogue Taxidermy, Museum of World Wonders, official website. www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/

 

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

 

www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com

 

For any questions, please contact Dr. Takeshi Yamada. His email address is posted in the chapter page (the last page or the first page).

 

(Updated April 7B, 2015)

takeshiyamada.weebly.com/

 

The Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) of Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York – This unique sea-dwelling rabbit, which is actually a close relative of the sea lion, was officially discovered and investigated by Henry Hudson when he first visited this land to colonize the area by order of the Dutch government. It was named New Amsterdam -- today’s New York City. This island was named after he saw the beach covered with strange swimming wild rabbits. The word “Coney Island” means “wild rabbit island” in Dutch (originally Conyne Eylandt, or Konijneneiland in modern Dutch spelling). Sea rabbits were also referred mermaid rabbit, merrabbit, rabbit fish or seal rabbit in the natural history documents in the 17th century. The current conservation status, or risk of extinction, of the sea rabbit is Extinct in the Wild.

 

This website features two species of sea rabbits, which have been taken care of by Dr. Takeshi Yamada (山田武司) at the Coney Island Sea Rabbit Repopulation Center, which is a part of the Marine biology department of the Coney Island University in Brooklyn, New York. They are – Coney Island Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) called “Seara” and Coney Island Tiger-striped Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus konjinicus) called “Stripes”.

 

The photographs and videos featured in this website chronicle adventures of the Coney Island sea rabbits and the world as seen by them. This article also documented efforts of Dr. Takeshi Yamada for bringing back the nearly extinct sea rabbits to Coney Island in the City of New York and beyond. Dr. Yamada produced a series of public lectures, workshops, original public live interactive fine art performances and fine art exhibitions about sea rabbits at a variety of occasions and institutions in the City of New York and beyond. Dr. Yamada is an internationally active educator, book author, wildlife conservationist and high profile artist, who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

 

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

 

Sea Rabbit

 

Other Common Names: Coney Island Sea Rabbit, Beach Rabbit, Seal Rabbit, mer-rabbit, merrabbit, Atlantic Sea Rabbit.

 

Latin Name: Monafluffchus americanus

 

Origin: Atlantic coast of the United States

 

Description of the specimen: In the early 17th century’s European fur craze drove the fleet of Dutch ships to the eastern costal area of America. Then Holland was the center of the world just like the Italy was in the previous century. New York City was once called New Amsterdam when Dutch merchants landed and established colonies. Among them, Henry Hudson is probably the most recognized individual in the history of New York City today. “This small island is inhabited by two major creatures which we do not have in our homeland. The one creature is a large arthropod made of three body segments: the frontal segment resembles a horseshoe, the middle segment resembles a spiny crab and its tail resembles a sharp sword. Although they gather beaches here in great numbers, they are not edible due to their extremely offensive odor. Another creature which is abundant here, has the head of wild rabbit. This animal of great swimming ability has frontal legs resemble the webbed feet of a duck. The bottom half of the body resembles that of a seal. This docile rabbit of the sea is easy to catch as it does not fear people. The larger male sea rabbits control harems of 20 to 25 females. The meat of the sea rabbit is very tender and tasty.” This is what Hadson wrote in his personal journal in 1609 about the horseshoe crab and the sea rabbit in today’s Coney Island area of Brooklyn, New York. Sadly, just like the Dodo bird and the Thylacine, the sea rabbit was driven to extinction by the European settlers’ greed. When Dutch merchants and traders arrived here, sea rabbits were one of the first animals they hunted down to bring their furs to homeland to satisfy the fur craze of the time. To increase the shipment volume of furs of sea rabbit and beavers from New Amsterdam, Dutch merchants also started using wampum (beads made of special clam shells) as the first official currency of this country.

 

At the North Eastern shores of the United States, two species of sea rabbits were commonly found. They are Coney Island Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) and Coney Island Tiger-striped Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus konjinicus). Sadly, due to their over harvesting in the previous centuries, their conservation status became “Extinct in the Wild” (ET) in the Red List Endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Currently, these sea rabbits are only found at breeding centers at selected zoos and universities such as Coney Island Aquarium and Coney Island University in Brooklyn, New York. The one shown in this photograph was named "Seara" and has been cared by Dr. Takeshi Yamada at Coney Island University.

 

The sea rabbit is one of the families of the Pinniped order. Pinnipeds (from Latin penna = flat and pes/pedis = foot) are sea-mammals: they are homeothermic (i.e having high and regulated inner temperature), lung-breathing (i.e dependant on atmospheric oxygen) animals having come back to semi aquatic life. As soon as they arrive ashore, females are caught by the nearest adult male. Males can maintain harems of about 20 females on average. Several hours to several days after arriving ashore, pregnant females give birth to eight to ten pups with a dark brown fur. As soon as birth occurs, the mother’s special smell and calls help her pups bond specifically to her. The mother stays ashore with her pup for about one week during which the pup gains weight. During the first week spent with her newborn, the mother becomes receptive. She will be impregnated by the bull, which control the harem. Implantation of the embryo will occur 3 months later, in March-April. During the reproductive period, the best males copulate with several tens females. To do so, males have to stay ashore without feeding in order to keep their territory and their harem. In mid-January, when the last females have been fecundated, males leave at sea to feed. Some of them will come back later in March-April for the moult. The other ones will stay at sea and will come back on Coney Island only in next November. After fecundation, the mother goes at sea for her first meal. At sea, mothers feed on clams, crabs, shrimps, fish (herring, anchovy, Pollock, capelin etc.) and squids. When she is back, the mother recovers her pups at the beach she left them. Suckling occurs after auditive and olfactory recognition had occured. In March-April, the dark brown fur is totally replaced by an adult-like light brownish grey fur during the moult that lasts 1-2 months. This new fur is composed by 2 layers. Externally, the guard fur is composed by flat hairs that recover themselves when wet. By doing so, they make a water-proof barrier for the under fur. The underfur retains air when the seal is dry. Because of isolating properties of the air, the underfur is the insulating system of the fur. In March-April, the fur of adults is partially replaced. First reproduction occurs at 1-yr old in females. Males are physiologically matures at 1 year old but socially matures at +2 years old.

 

NOTE: The name of Coney Island is commonly thought to be derived from the Dutch Konijn Eylandt or Rabbit Island as apparently the 17th century European settlers noted many rabbits running amuck on the island.

 

www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/performances.html

 

www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/sea-rabbit-center.html

 

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

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbits23/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit22

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit021/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit20

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit19

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit18

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit17

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit16

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit15

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit14

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit13

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit12

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit11

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit10

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit9

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit8

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit7

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit6

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit5

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit4

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit3

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit2

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit1

 

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits03

 

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits02

 

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits01

 

www.flickr.com/photos/yamadaimmortalized2/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/takeshiyamadaimmortalized/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/yamadabellhouse2014/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders3/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders2

 

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/takeshiyamadapaintings/

 

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

 

For any questions, please email contact Takeshi Yamada, Art & Rogue Taxidermy, Museum of World Wonders, official website. www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/

 

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

 

www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com

 

For any questions, please contact Dr. Takeshi Yamada. His email address is posted in the chapter page (the last page or the first page).

 

(Updated April 7B, 2015)

Fusarium infected maize cob in October 2003. Photo by IITA. (file name: MA_006). ONLY low res file available.

Hoping not by homo sapiens from westen "cililization".

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfGMYdalClU

 

Glow of lightpollution of Poznan City (542.348 residents). Seen from 30 km distance.

 

Mars at top left.

Sunset at right.

 

Carl Zeiss 85mm f/1.4

 

Stack of 11.

142 Mpix avaliable.

On July 1st we national commemorate the 150 years anniversary of slavery abolition of all Caribbean Island who were colonized by The Netherlands.

Keti Koti 'broken chains' in Surinamese is also the celebration of the emancipation and is by providing traditional folk clothing,speeches,silence,food,music,art,film,poetry and discussions their respect.

medievalpoc: Albert Eckhout Don Miguel De Castro, Ambassador from Kongo to Dutch Brazil Dutch (colonized) Brazil (c. 1637) oil on wood This portrait of D. Miguel shows the titular man clothed in impeccable contemporaneous Dutch fashion. Whether or not many of the paintings done by Eckhout depicting very sensationalized “Indios” from the series were made in Brazil or spun from whole cloth, so to speak, is a hotly debated issue. This, however, is almost certainly a portrait of the man it claims to be of; portraits of his entourage are part of the series as well (and will probably be featured on this blog at some point). During the 1600s many ambassadors were sent by Queen Jinga (Nzinga Mbandi) Soba on various diplomatic missions, including one to the Pope in Rome (Don Antonio Manuele de Funta [x] [x]). [x] [x] [x] [x]

The Teutonic Knights constructed the fortress Tartlau in 1212–1213 as part of their colonization of the Burzenland region. The town of Prejmer near the castle had begun development by 1225, and was the eastern-most settlement of the Transylvanian Saxons. Prejmer was repeatedly invaded throughout the Middle Ages by various groups, including the Mongols, Tatars, Hungarians, Ottoman Turks, Cossacks, and Moldavians. However, the castle was only captured once, by Gabriel Báthory in 1611. Most of Prejmer's German population fled the town during World War II.

Prejmer is noted for its fortified church, one of the best preserved of its kind in Eastern Europe. Between 1962–1970, the Romanian government carefully restored it to its present condition; the restoration work was done under the direction of architect Mariana Angelescu and engineer Alexandru Dobriceanu. The church is modeled after churches of Jerusalem, as well as built in the style of Late Gothic churches from the Rhineland. In the 15th century, it was surrounded by a wall 12m high, forming a quadrilateral with rounded corners. The wall was reinforced by four horseshoe-shaped towers, two of which have since disappeared. The entrance—a vaulted gallery—is protected by a barbican and flanked by a lateral wall. The defensive structure is strengthened by embrasures and bartizans, while the covered way is surrounded by a parapet. The granaries and rooms that accommodated the villagers are arranged on four levels above the cellars.

 

Source: WIKIPEDIA

 

Afrin will resist, Afrin will stand.

#noflyzone4afrin

#afrinsyria

#afrin

#openletter

#NATO

#saveafrin

#DefendAfrin

 

Xelkê amedê bo Qudsê

Kane xwepeşandan bo Efrîn a kurda.?

 

As Kurds we know the intimate violence of endless oppressors and invaders trying to indoctrinate and condition us into an ideology of suffering and hopelessness. They tried to colonize our minds and shroud us in the bleak haze of wretchedness; and as they bombed us, erased and massacred us, raining mortars, sarin gas and cluster bombs on us they told us that it was history's righteous call, God's design and destiny's divine will. But they did not know that the more they oppressed and violated the stronger our roots grew with resistance and we became more resilient, more determined to search out freedom and heed her distant cries. So now when death knocks on Afrin's door she responds and resists with the unyielding courage of an ideology born of love and humanity. And even as she resists she raises her voice and sings love songs of liberation and hope to the oppressed because she knows her own power, her own strength- because she is the embodiment of the chained woman finally freed from the burdens they tried to enslave her with; and as she walks she shakes the very earth; and the mountains, her sacred protectors, shed tears of joy and love having waited with endless patience for this day. Even history has dusted herself off from the bloody ruins of fascism and capitalism's oppression and stands beside us- once again.

 

There should be no fear in our hearts. No anxiety, no self doubt because we are the children of Kurdistan, the offsprings of freedom, the love child of mist and mountains. We learned resistance in the womb of our revolutionary mothers. We were raised to the lullaby of rattling of windows and that rat-a-tat of weapons and to the screams of brothers, fathers, uncles and cousins tortured in the pits of prisons. We were carried on the shoulders of our revolutionary freedom seeking fathers across mountains. We were watered by the spirit of sacrificing love of thousands of fallen martyrs. We have known every cave and every unseen path on the sacred face of our battered but relentless land and her canyons and mountains that protected us as the world turned its face away in submissive acquiescence. We are the flowers that grew where the bombs and mortars of hate fell; and together we are the garden that emerged from the rubble and concrete remains of war's death drums. And for thousands of years to come history will sing of the courage of our revolutionary freedom fighters- our YPG and YPJ- and rename freedom in their name and honor.

 

Yesterday she was named Kobane, today she is named Afrin.

نەفرەت لە داگیرکەرانی کوردستان

Today Turkish planes conducted several airstrikes on Afrin city and its surrounding. Kurdish Afrin is one the most secure and stable cities in Syria, it is the only city in Rojava and among the few in Syria which has not been destroyed in the Syrian civil war. The city has taken in so many Syrian refugees in the last 5 years that its population has doubled to 400.000.

 

"Kurdish women declared the liberation of ISIS capital Raqqa. But today, the republic of Turkey is recruiting murderers who chant religious fundamentalist slogans to attack the democratic, women's liberationist, multi-cultural havens, pioneered by the revolutionary Kurdish freedom movement. The Turkish threats against Afrin are therefore an attack against another possible Middle East, where communities can live together in justice and freedom.

هه‌ربژین شێره‌كانی عه‌فرین ...هه‌ربژین بۆ وره‌ی پۆلایینتان

  

Defending Afrin is a duty of everybody who does not surrender to the idea that the cradle of civilisation is destined to be the graveyard of humanity. Our region must be the graveyard of fascism only."

الله يحمي قواتنا في كل مكان والنصر ل عفرين

هەموومان عەفرینین

Am hemo Afrînîyn

کلنا مع عفرین

داوا دەکەین عەفرین وەکو کەرکووک نەفروشرێت .

Dxazin Afrîn mîna kirkukê nehêt firûtn

 

Efrîn Kurdistan e,Ji dijmin re goristane.

عەفرین کووردستانە، ژ دژمن را گۆرستانە.

 

عەفرین قەڵای بەرخودان و داستان و نەبەردی

 

An attack of this kind against the peaceful citizens of Afrin is a blatant act of aggression against a peaceful and democratically-governed region and population. Turkey cannot carry out such an attack without the approval of Russia, Iran and Syria – and inaction by the U.S. to stop it. The Kurdish people have endured the loss of thousands of young men and women who joined the YPG, and YPJ women’s force, to rid the world of ISIS. The U.S and the international community have a moral obligation to stand behind the Kurdish people now. We call on U.S. officials and the international community to guarantee Afrin’s stability and security and prevent further Turkish aggression from within Syria and across the Syrian border.

 

#DEFEND #AFRIN

#Rojava✌️

بارزان وحلبجة وكرميان .. الانفال وشنكال واليوم عفرين ، ما بالك ايها الشعب الكوردي وما هذا القدر البائس ، وجدت في محيط يكن لك كل الحقد والكراهية ، ظلموك عبر التاريخ وهاهي اليوم عفرين تقصف ويقتل ناسها واهلها بدمٍ بارد امام أنظار واعين العالم دون ان يحرك المجتمع الدولي ساكنا امام هذه الانتهاكات التركية الداعشية الأردوغانية العثمانية .. قلوبنا معكم ونذرف الدمع حزناً وألما وندعو لكم ونناشد كل الخيرين للوقوف معكم ازاء هذه الهجمة الشرسة الجبانةكلنا#عفرين#وقلوبنا معك ياعفرين

#DefendAfrin

 

Thousands of tweets protesting against Turkey's aggressive military attacks on Afrin

#DefendAfrin

Çiqilê zeytûnê ya Erdogan,Cîhada xomêynî ûEnfala Sedam ji kitêbekê hatine wergirtin ,ku piraniya kurdan diperestin!!!!!!!

شاخی زەیتوون ناوی ئوپەراسیۆنێ ئەردۆغان،جیھاد ئۆپەراسیۆنی خومێنی و ئەنفالی سەدام، ھەمووی لە کتێبێک وەرگیراون کە زۆربەی کوردەکان ئەو کتێبە دەپەرەستن!!!!!!

TURKEY IS INVADING AFRIN! TODAY IS THE DAY TO DEFEND THE PEOPLE OF ROJAVA!

We call on all Kurdish people and people in solidarity with the Kurdish struggle to protest and condemn this genocidal invasion.

Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries), Lisbon

The monument shows more than 30 statues of people who played an important role in the discoveries. Leading the way is Henry the Navigator who is shown standing on the bow holding a model of a caravel. Behind him are king Afonso V - who supported the exploration and colonization of Africa - and the explorers Vasco da Gama (who found a direct route to India), Pedro Álvares Cabral (discoverer of Brazil) and Ferdinand Magellan (the first explorer to circumnavigate the world). They are followed by navigators, writers, missionaries, a mathematician, a map maker and other figures from the era of the discoveries. (www.aviewoncities.com/lisbon/padraodosdescobrimentos.htm)

takeshiyamada.weebly.com/

 

The Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) of Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York – This unique sea-dwelling rabbit, which is actually a close relative of the sea lion, was officially discovered and investigated by Henry Hudson when he first visited this land to colonize the area by order of the Dutch government. It was named New Amsterdam -- today’s New York City. This island was named after he saw the beach covered with strange swimming wild rabbits. The word “Coney Island” means “wild rabbit island” in Dutch (originally Conyne Eylandt, or Konijneneiland in modern Dutch spelling). Sea rabbits were also referred mermaid rabbit, merrabbit, rabbit fish or seal rabbit in the natural history documents in the 17th century. The current conservation status, or risk of extinction, of the sea rabbit is Extinct in the Wild.

 

This website features two species of sea rabbits, which have been taken care of by Dr. Takeshi Yamada (山田武司) at the Coney Island Sea Rabbit Repopulation Center, which is a part of the Marine biology department of the Coney Island University in Brooklyn, New York. They are – Coney Island Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) called “Seara” and Coney Island Tiger-striped Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus konjinicus) called “Stripes”.

 

The photographs and videos featured in this website chronicle adventures of the Coney Island sea rabbits and the world as seen by them. This article also documented efforts of Dr. Takeshi Yamada for bringing back the nearly extinct sea rabbits to Coney Island in the City of New York and beyond. Dr. Yamada produced a series of public lectures, workshops, original public live interactive fine art performances and fine art exhibitions about sea rabbits at a variety of occasions and institutions in the City of New York and beyond. Dr. Yamada is an internationally active educator, book author, wildlife conservationist and high profile artist, who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

 

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Sea Rabbit

 

Other Common Names: Coney Island Sea Rabbit, Beach Rabbit, Seal Rabbit, mer-rabbit, merrabbit, Atlantic Sea Rabbit.

 

Latin Name: Monafluffchus americanus

 

Origin: Atlantic coast of the United States

 

Description of the specimen: In the early 17th century’s European fur craze drove the fleet of Dutch ships to the eastern costal area of America. Then Holland was the center of the world just like the Italy was in the previous century. New York City was once called New Amsterdam when Dutch merchants landed and established colonies. Among them, Henry Hudson is probably the most recognized individual in the history of New York City today. “This small island is inhabited by two major creatures which we do not have in our homeland. The one creature is a large arthropod made of three body segments: the frontal segment resembles a horseshoe, the middle segment resembles a spiny crab and its tail resembles a sharp sword. Although they gather beaches here in great numbers, they are not edible due to their extremely offensive odor. Another creature which is abundant here, has the head of wild rabbit. This animal of great swimming ability has frontal legs resemble the webbed feet of a duck. The bottom half of the body resembles that of a seal. This docile rabbit of the sea is easy to catch as it does not fear people. The larger male sea rabbits control harems of 20 to 25 females. The meat of the sea rabbit is very tender and tasty.” This is what Hadson wrote in his personal journal in 1609 about the horseshoe crab and the sea rabbit in today’s Coney Island area of Brooklyn, New York. Sadly, just like the Dodo bird and the Thylacine, the sea rabbit was driven to extinction by the European settlers’ greed. When Dutch merchants and traders arrived here, sea rabbits were one of the first animals they hunted down to bring their furs to homeland to satisfy the fur craze of the time. To increase the shipment volume of furs of sea rabbit and beavers from New Amsterdam, Dutch merchants also started using wampum (beads made of special clam shells) as the first official currency of this country.

 

At the North Eastern shores of the United States, two species of sea rabbits were commonly found. They are Coney Island Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) and Coney Island Tiger-striped Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus konjinicus). Sadly, due to their over harvesting in the previous centuries, their conservation status became “Extinct in the Wild” (ET) in the Red List Endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Currently, these sea rabbits are only found at breeding centers at selected zoos and universities such as Coney Island Aquarium and Coney Island University in Brooklyn, New York. The one shown in this photograph was named "Seara" and has been cared by Dr. Takeshi Yamada at Coney Island University.

 

The sea rabbit is one of the families of the Pinniped order. Pinnipeds (from Latin penna = flat and pes/pedis = foot) are sea-mammals: they are homeothermic (i.e having high and regulated inner temperature), lung-breathing (i.e dependant on atmospheric oxygen) animals having come back to semi aquatic life. As soon as they arrive ashore, females are caught by the nearest adult male. Males can maintain harems of about 20 females on average. Several hours to several days after arriving ashore, pregnant females give birth to eight to ten pups with a dark brown fur. As soon as birth occurs, the mother’s special smell and calls help her pups bond specifically to her. The mother stays ashore with her pup for about one week during which the pup gains weight. During the first week spent with her newborn, the mother becomes receptive. She will be impregnated by the bull, which control the harem. Implantation of the embryo will occur 3 months later, in March-April. During the reproductive period, the best males copulate with several tens females. To do so, males have to stay ashore without feeding in order to keep their territory and their harem. In mid-January, when the last females have been fecundated, males leave at sea to feed. Some of them will come back later in March-April for the moult. The other ones will stay at sea and will come back on Coney Island only in next November. After fecundation, the mother goes at sea for her first meal. At sea, mothers feed on clams, crabs, shrimps, fish (herring, anchovy, Pollock, capelin etc.) and squids. When she is back, the mother recovers her pups at the beach she left them. Suckling occurs after auditive and olfactory recognition had occured. In March-April, the dark brown fur is totally replaced by an adult-like light brownish grey fur during the moult that lasts 1-2 months. This new fur is composed by 2 layers. Externally, the guard fur is composed by flat hairs that recover themselves when wet. By doing so, they make a water-proof barrier for the under fur. The underfur retains air when the seal is dry. Because of isolating properties of the air, the underfur is the insulating system of the fur. In March-April, the fur of adults is partially replaced. First reproduction occurs at 1-yr old in females. Males are physiologically matures at 1 year old but socially matures at +2 years old.

 

NOTE: The name of Coney Island is commonly thought to be derived from the Dutch Konijn Eylandt or Rabbit Island as apparently the 17th century European settlers noted many rabbits running amuck on the island.

 

www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/performances.html

 

www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/sea-rabbit-center.html

 

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www.flickr.com/photos/searabbits23/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit22

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit021/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit20

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit19

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit18

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit17

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit16

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit15

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit14

 

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www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit12

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit11

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit10

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit9

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit8

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit7

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit6

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit5

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit4

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit3

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit2

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit1

 

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits03

 

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits02

 

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits01

 

www.flickr.com/photos/yamadaimmortalized2/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/takeshiyamadaimmortalized/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/yamadabellhouse2014/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders3/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders2

 

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/takeshiyamadapaintings/

 

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For any questions, please email contact Takeshi Yamada, Art & Rogue Taxidermy, Museum of World Wonders, official website. www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/

 

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www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com

 

For any questions, please contact Dr. Takeshi Yamada. His email address is posted in the chapter page (the last page or the first page).

 

(Updated April 7B, 2015)

Antonio Varas De La Barra bust in Puerto Varas Plaza de la Colonizacion (Colonization Square).

 

Antonio Varas de la Barra (b. 13 June 1817; d. 03 June 1886) was a Chilean politician.

 

Varas was the closest political associate of the Conservative president Manuel Montt.

 

Eight times a deputy and twice a senator, he served as minister of the interior from 1850 to 1856, in 1860–1861, and again briefly in 1879.

 

Although he fully supported the authoritarian stance of his intimate friend Montt, Varas was an altogether more moderate politician.

 

Montt wanted Varas to be his presidential successor in 1861, a prospect that deeply angered the opposition. By accepting the interior ministry again in April 1860, Varas implicitly abandoned all claim to presidential succession.

 

Barra's unselfishness, which won widespread praise, paved the way for the election of the less controversial José Joaquín Pérez Mascayano.

 

After 1861, Varas headed the National (or, as it was revealingly nicknamed, Montt-Varista) Party in Congress and was creator of the Santiago Savings Bank (1861).

 

Varas bust sits in Puerto Varas Plaza de la Colonizacion (Colonization Square).

Spiders (order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other orders of organisms. Spiders are found worldwide on every continent except for Antarctica, and have become established in nearly every habitat with the exceptions of air and sea colonization. As of November 2015, at least 45,700 spider species, and 114 families have been recorded by taxonomists. However, there has been dissension within the scientific community as to how all these families should be classified, as evidenced by the over 20 different classifications that have been proposed since 1900.

 

Anatomically, spiders differ from other arthropods in that the usual body segments are fused into two tagmata, the cephalothorax and abdomen, and joined by a small, cylindrical pedicel. Unlike insects, spiders do not have antennae. In all except the most primitive group, the Mesothelae, spiders have the most centralized nervous systems of all arthropods, as all their ganglia are fused into one mass in the cephalothorax. Unlike most arthropods, spiders have no extensor muscles in their limbs and instead extend them by hydraulic pressure.

 

Their abdomens bear appendages that have been modified into spinnerets that extrude silk from up to six types of glands. Spider webs vary widely in size, shape and the amount of sticky thread used. It now appears that the spiral orb web may be one of the earliest forms, and spiders that produce tangled cobwebs are more abundant and diverse than orb-web spiders. Spider-like arachnids with silk-producing spigots appeared in the Devonian period about 386 million years ago, but these animals apparently lacked spinnerets. True spiders have been found in Carboniferous rocks from 318 to 299 million years ago, and are very similar to the most primitive surviving suborder, the Mesothelae. The main groups of modern spiders, Mygalomorphae and Araneomorphae, first appeared in the Triassic period, before 200 million years ago.

 

A herbivorous species, Bagheera kiplingi, was described in 2008, but all other known species are predators, mostly preying on insects and on other spiders, although a few large species also take birds and lizards. Spiders use a wide range of strategies to capture prey: trapping it in sticky webs, lassoing it with sticky bolas, mimicking the prey to avoid detection, or running it down. Most detect prey mainly by sensing vibrations, but the active hunters have acute vision, and hunters of the genus Portia show signs of intelligence in their choice of tactics and ability to develop new ones. Spiders' guts are too narrow to take solids, and they liquefy their food by flooding it with digestive enzymes and grinding it with the bases of their pedipalps, as they do not have true jaws.

 

Male spiders identify themselves by a variety of complex courtship rituals to avoid being eaten by the females. Males of most species survive a few matings, limited mainly by their short life spans. Females weave silk egg-cases, each of which may contain hundreds of eggs. Females of many species care for their young, for example by carrying them around or by sharing food with them. A minority of species are social, building communal webs that may house anywhere from a few to 50,000 individuals. Social behavior ranges from precarious toleration, as in the widow spiders, to co-operative hunting and food-sharing. Although most spiders live for at most two years, tarantulas and other mygalomorph spiders can live up to 25 years in captivity.

 

While the venom of a few species is dangerous to humans, scientists are now researching the use of spider venom in medicine and as non-polluting pesticides. Spider silk provides a combination of lightness, strength and elasticity that is superior to that of synthetic materials, and spider silk genes have been inserted into mammals and plants to see if these can be used as silk factories. As a result of their wide range of behaviors, spiders have become common symbols in art and mythology symbolizing various combinations of patience, cruelty and creative powers. An abnormal fear of spiders is called arachnophobia.

 

DESCRIPTION

BODY PLAN

Spiders are chelicerates and therefore arthropods. As arthropods they have: segmented bodies with jointed limbs, all covered in a cuticle made of chitin and proteins; heads that are composed of several segments that fuse during the development of the embryo.[7] Being chelicerates, their bodies consist of two tagmata, sets of segments that serve similar functions: the foremost one, called the cephalothorax or prosoma, is a complete fusion of the segments that in an insect would form two separate tagmata, the head and thorax; the rear tagma is called the abdomen or opisthosoma. In spiders, the cephalothorax and abdomen are connected by a small cylindrical section, the pedicel. The pattern of segment fusion that forms chelicerates' heads is unique among arthropods, and what would normally be the first head segment disappears at an early stage of development, so that chelicerates lack the antennae typical of most arthropods. In fact, chelicerates' only appendages ahead of the mouth are a pair of chelicerae, and they lack anything that would function directly as "jaws". The first appendages behind the mouth are called pedipalps, and serve different functions within different groups of chelicerates.

 

Spiders and scorpions are members of one chelicerate group, the arachnids. Scorpions' chelicerae have three sections and are used in feeding. Spiders' chelicerae have two sections and terminate in fangs that are generally venomous, and fold away behind the upper sections while not in use. The upper sections generally have thick "beards" that filter solid lumps out of their food, as spiders can take only liquid food. Scorpions' pedipalps generally form large claws for capturing prey, while those of spiders are fairly small appendages whose bases also act as an extension of the mouth; in addition, those of male spiders have enlarged last sections used for sperm transfer.

 

In spiders, the cephalothorax and abdomen are joined by a small, cylindrical pedicel, which enables the abdomen to move independently when producing silk. The upper surface of the cephalothorax is covered by a single, convex carapace, while the underside is covered by two rather flat plates. The abdomen is soft and egg-shaped. It shows no sign of segmentation, except that the primitive Mesothelae, whose living members are the Liphistiidae, have segmented plates on the upper surface.

 

Like other arthropods, spiders are coelomates in which the coelom is reduced to small areas round the reproductive and excretory systems. Its place is largely taken by a hemocoel, a cavity that runs most of the length of the body and through which blood flows. The heart is a tube in the upper part of the body, with a few ostia that act as non-return valves allowing blood to enter the heart from the hemocoel but prevent it from leaving before it reaches the front end. However, in spiders, it occupies only the upper part of the abdomen, and blood is discharged into the hemocoel by one artery that opens at the rear end of the abdomen and by branching arteries that pass through the pedicle and open into several parts of the cephalothorax. Hence spiders have open circulatory systems. The blood of many spiders that have book lungs contains the respiratory pigment hemocyanin to make oxygen transport more efficient.

 

Spiders have developed several different respiratory anatomies, based on book lungs, a tracheal system, or both. Mygalomorph and Mesothelae spiders have two pairs of book lungs filled with haemolymph, where openings on the ventral surface of the abdomen allow air to enter and diffuse oxygen. This is also the case for some basal araneomorph spiders, like the family Hypochilidae, but the remaining members of this group have just the anterior pair of book lungs intact while the posterior pair of breathing organs are partly or fully modified into tracheae, through which oxygen is diffused into the haemolymph or directly to the tissue and organs. The trachea system has most likely evolved in small ancestors to help resist desiccation. The trachea were originally connected to the surroundings through a pair of openings called spiracles, but in the majority of spiders this pair of spiracles has fused into a single one in the middle, and moved backwards close to the spinnerets. Spiders that have tracheae generally have higher metabolic rates and better water conservation. Spiders are ectotherms, so environmental temperatures affect their activity.

 

FEEDING, DIGESTION AND EXCRETION

Uniquely among chelicerates, the final sections of spiders' chelicerae are fangs, and the great majority of spiders can use them to inject venom into prey from venom glands in the roots of the chelicerae. The family Uloboridae has lost its venom glands, and kills its prey with silk instead. Like most arachnids, including scorpions, spiders have a narrow gut that can only cope with liquid food and spiders have two sets of filters to keep solids out. They use one of two different systems of external digestion. Some pump digestive enzymes from the midgut into the prey and then suck the liquified tissues of the prey into the gut, eventually leaving behind the empty husk of the prey. Others grind the prey to pulp using the chelicerae and the bases of the pedipalps, while flooding it with enzymes; in these species, the chelicerae and the bases of the pedipalps form a preoral cavity that holds the food they are processing.

 

The stomach in the cephalothorax acts as a pump that sends the food deeper into the digestive system. The mid gut bears many digestive ceca, compartments with no other exit, that extract nutrients from the food; most are in the abdomen, which is dominated by the digestive system, but a few are found in the cephalothorax.

 

Most spiders convert nitrogenous waste products into uric acid, which can be excreted as a dry material. Malphigian tubules ("little tubes") extract these wastes from the blood in the hemocoel and dump them into the cloacal chamber, from which they are expelled through the anus. Production of uric acid and its removal via Malphigian tubules are a water-conserving feature that has evolved independently in several arthropod lineages that can live far away from water,[14] for example the tubules of insects and arachnids develop from completely different parts of the embryo. However, a few primitive spiders, the sub-order Mesothelae and infra-order Mygalomorphae, retain the ancestral arthropod nephridia ("little kidneys"), which use large amounts of water to excrete nitrogenous waste products as ammonia.

 

CENTRAL NERVOS SYSTEM

The basic arthropod central nervous system consists of a pair of nerve cords running below the gut, with paired ganglia as local control centers in all segments; a brain formed by fusion of the ganglia for the head segments ahead of and behind the mouth, so that the esophagus is encircled by this conglomeration of ganglia. Except for the primitive Mesothelae, of which the Liphistiidae are the sole surviving family, spiders have the much more centralized nervous system that is typical of arachnids: all the ganglia of all segments behind the esophagus are fused, so that the cephalothorax is largely filled with nervous tissue and there are no ganglia in the abdomen; in the Mesothelae, the ganglia of the abdomen and the rear part of the cephalothorax remain unfused.

 

Despite the relatively small central nervous system, some spiders (like Portia) exhibit complex behaviour, including the ability to use a trial-and-error approach.

 

SENSE ORGANS

EYES

Most spiders have four pairs of eyes on the top-front area of the cephalothorax, arranged in patterns that vary from one family to another. The pair at the front are of the type called pigment-cup ocelli ("little eyes"), which in most arthropods are only capable of detecting the direction from which light is coming, using the shadow cast by the walls of the cup. However, the main eyes at the front of spiders' heads are pigment-cup ocelli that are capable of forming images. The other eyes are thought to be derived from the compound eyes of the ancestral chelicerates, but no longer have the separate facets typical of compound eyes. Unlike the main eyes, in many spiders these secondary eyes detect light reflected from a reflective tapetum lucidum, and wolf spiders can be spotted by torch light reflected from the tapeta. On the other hand, jumping spiders' secondary eyes have no tapeta. Some jumping spiders' visual acuity exceeds by a factor of ten that of dragonflies, which have by far the best vision among insects; in fact the human eye is only about five times sharper than a jumping spider's. They achieve this by a telephoto-like series of lenses, a four-layer retina and the ability to swivel their eyes and integrate images from different stages in the scan. The downside is that the scanning and integrating processes are relatively slow.

 

There are spiders with a reduced number of eyes, of these those with six-eyes are the most numerous and are missing a pair of eyes on the anterior median line, others species have four-eyes and some just two. Cave dwelling species have no eyes, or possess vestigial eyes incapable of sight.

 

OTHER SENSES

As with other arthropods, spiders' cuticles would block out information about the outside world, except that they are penetrated by many sensors or connections from sensors to the nervous system. In fact, spiders and other arthropods have modified their cuticles into elaborate arrays of sensors. Various touch sensors, mostly bristles called setae, respond to different levels of force, from strong contact to very weak air currents. Chemical sensors provide equivalents of taste and smell, often by means of setae. Pedipalps carry a large number of such setae sensitive to contact chemicals and air-borne smells, such as female pheromones. Spiders also have in the joints of their limbs slit sensillae that detect forces and vibrations. In web-building spiders, all these mechanical and chemical sensors are more important than the eyes, while the eyes are most important to spiders that hunt actively.

 

Like most arthropods, spiders lack balance and acceleration sensors and rely on their eyes to tell them which way is up. Arthropods' proprioceptors, sensors that report the force exerted by muscles and the degree of bending in the body and joints, are well understood. On the other hand, little is known about what other internal sensors spiders or other arthropods may have.

 

LOCOMOTION

Each of the eight legs of a spider consists of seven distinct parts. The part closest to and attaching the leg to the cephalothorax is the coxa; the next segment is the short trochanter that works as a hinge for the following long segment, the femur; next is the spider's knee, the patella, which acts as the hinge for the tibia; the metatarsus is next, and it connects the tibia to the tarsus (which may be thought of as a foot of sorts); the tarsus ends in a claw made up of either two or three points, depending on the family to which the spider belongs. Although all arthropods use muscles attached to the inside of the exoskeleton to flex their limbs, spiders and a few other groups still use hydraulic pressure to extend them, a system inherited from their pre-arthropod ancestors. The only extensor muscles in spider legs are located in the three hip joints (bordering the coxa and the trochanter). As a result, a spider with a punctured cephalothorax cannot extend its legs, and the legs of dead spiders curl up. Spiders can generate pressures up to eight times their resting level to extend their legs, and jumping spiders can jump up to 50 times their own length by suddenly increasing the blood pressure in the third or fourth pair of legs. Although larger spiders use hydraulics to straighten their legs, unlike smaller jumping spiders they depend on their flexor muscles to generate the propulsive force for their jumps.

 

Most spiders that hunt actively, rather than relying on webs, have dense tufts of fine hairs between the paired claws at the tips of their legs. These tufts, known as scopulae, consist of bristles whose ends are split into as many as 1,000 branches, and enable spiders with scopulae to walk up vertical glass and upside down on ceilings. It appears that scopulae get their grip from contact with extremely thin layers of water on surfaces. Spiders, like most other arachnids, keep at least four legs on the surface while walking or running.

 

SILK PRODUCTION

The abdomen has no appendages except those that have been modified to form one to four (usually three) pairs of short, movable spinnerets, which emit silk. Each spinneret has many spigots, each of which is connected to one silk gland. There are at least six types of silk gland, each producing a different type of silk.

 

Silk is mainly composed of a protein very similar to that used in insect silk. It is initially a liquid, and hardens not by exposure to air but as a result of being drawn out, which changes the internal structure of the protein. It is similar in tensile strength to nylon and biological materials such as chitin, collagen and cellulose, but is much more elastic. In other words, it can stretch much further before breaking or losing shape.

 

Some spiders have a cribellum, a modified spinneret with up to 40,000 spigots, each of which produces a single very fine fiber. The fibers are pulled out by the calamistrum, a comb-like set of bristles on the jointed tip of the cribellum, and combined into a composite woolly thread that is very effective in snagging the bristles of insects. The earliest spiders had cribella, which produced the first silk capable of capturing insects, before spiders developed silk coated with sticky droplets. However, most modern groups of spiders have lost the cribellum.

 

Tarantulas also have silk glands in their feet.

 

Even species that do not build webs to catch prey use silk in several ways: as wrappers for sperm and for fertilized eggs; as a "safety rope"; for nest-building; and as "parachutes" by the young of some species.

 

REPRODUCTION AND LIFE CYCLE

Spiders reproduce sexually and fertilization is internal but indirect, in other words the sperm is not inserted into the female's body by the male's genitals but by an intermediate stage. Unlike many land-living arthropods, male spiders do not produce ready-made spermatophores (packages of sperm), but spin small sperm webs on to which they ejaculate and then transfer the sperm to special syringe-like structures, palpal bulbs or palpal organs, borne on the tips of the pedipalps of mature males. When a male detects signs of a female nearby he checks whether she is of the same species and whether she is ready to mate; for example in species that produce webs or "safety ropes", the male can identify the species and sex of these objects by "smell".

 

Spiders generally use elaborate courtship rituals to prevent the large females from eating the small males before fertilization, except where the male is so much smaller that he is not worth eating. In web-weaving species, precise patterns of vibrations in the web are a major part of the rituals, while patterns of touches on the female's body are important in many spiders that hunt actively, and may "hypnotize" the female. Gestures and dances by the male are important for jumping spiders, which have excellent eyesight. If courtship is successful, the male injects his sperm from the palpal bulbs into the female's genital opening, known as the epigyne, on the underside of her abdomen. Female's reproductive tracts vary from simple tubes to systems that include seminal receptacles in which females store sperm and release it when they are ready.

 

Males of the genus Tidarren amputate one of their palps before maturation and enter adult life with one palp only. The palps are 20% of male's body mass in this species, and detaching one of the two improves mobility. In the Yemeni species Tidarren argo, the remaining palp is then torn off by the female. The separated palp remains attached to the female's epigynum for about four hours and apparently continues to function independently. In the meantime, the female feeds on the palpless male. In over 60% of cases, the female of the Australian redback spider kills and eats the male after it inserts its second palp into the female's genital opening; in fact, the males co-operate by trying to impale themselves on the females' fangs. Observation shows that most male redbacks never get an opportunity to mate, and the "lucky" ones increase the likely number of offspring by ensuring that the females are well-fed. However, males of most species survive a few matings, limited mainly by their short life spans. Some even live for a while in their mates' webs.

 

Females lay up to 3,000 eggs in one or more silk egg sacs, which maintain a fairly constant humidity level. In some species, the females die afterwards, but females of other species protect the sacs by attaching them to their webs, hiding them in nests, carrying them in the chelicerae or attaching them to the spinnerets and dragging them along.

 

Baby spiders pass all their larval stages inside the egg and hatch as spiderlings, very small and sexually immature but similar in shape to adults. Some spiders care for their young, for example a wolf spider's brood cling to rough bristles on the mother's back, and females of some species respond to the "begging" behaviour of their young by giving them their prey, provided it is no longer struggling, or even regurgitate food.

 

Like other arthropods, spiders have to molt to grow as their cuticle ("skin") cannot stretch. In some species males mate with newly molted females, which are too weak to be dangerous to the males. Most spiders live for only one to two years, although some tarantulas can live in captivity for over 20 years.

 

SIZE

Spiders occur in a large range of sizes. The smallest, Patu digua from Colombia, are less than 0.37 mm in body length. The largest and heaviest spiders occur among tarantulas, which can have body lengths up to 90 mm and leg spans up to 250 mm.

 

ECOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR

NON-PREDATORY FEEDING

Although spiders are generally regarded as predatory, the jumping spider Bagheera kiplingi gets over 90% of its food from fairly solid plant material produced by acacias as part of a mutually beneficial relationship with a species of ant.

 

Juveniles of some spiders in the families Anyphaenidae, Corinnidae, Clubionidae, Thomisidae and Salticidae feed on plant nectar. Laboratory studies show that they do so deliberately and over extended periods, and periodically clean themselves while feeding. These spiders also prefer sugar solutions to plain water, which indicates that they are seeking nutrients. Since many spiders are nocturnal, the extent of nectar consumption by spiders may have been underestimated. Nectar contains amino acids, lipids, vitamins and minerals in addition to sugars, and studies have shown that other spider species live longer when nectar is available. Feeding on nectar avoids the risks of struggles with prey, and the costs of producing venom and digestive enzymes.

 

Various species are known to feed on dead arthropods (scavenging), web silk, and their own shed exoskeletons. Pollen caught in webs may also be eaten, and studies have shown that young spiders have a better chance of survival if they have the opportunity to eat pollen. In captivity, several spider species are also known to feed on bananas, marmalade, milk, egg yolk and sausages.

 

METHODS OF CAPTURING PREY

The best-known method of prey capture is by means of sticky webs. Varying placement of webs allows different species of spider to trap different insects in the same area, for example flat horizontal webs trap insects that fly up from vegetation underneath while flat vertical webs trap insects in horizontal flight. Web-building spiders have poor vision, but are extremely sensitive to vibrations.

 

Females of the water spider Argyroneta aquatica build underwater "diving bell" webs that they fill with air and use for digesting prey, molting, mating and raising offspring. They live almost entirely within the bells, darting out to catch prey animals that touch the bell or the threads that anchor it. A few spiders use the surfaces of lakes and ponds as "webs", detecting trapped insects by the vibrations that these cause while struggling.

 

Net-casting spiders weave only small webs, but then manipulate them to trap prey. Those of the genus Hyptiotes and the family Theridiosomatidae stretch their webs and then release them when prey strike them, but do not actively move their webs. Those of the family Deinopidae weave even smaller webs, hold them outstretched between their first two pairs of legs, and lunge and push the webs as much as twice their own body length to trap prey, and this move may increase the webs' area by a factor of up to ten. Experiments have shown that Deinopis spinosus has two different techniques for trapping prey: backwards strikes to catch flying insects, whose vibrations it detects; and forward strikes to catch ground-walking prey that it sees. These two techniques have also been observed in other deinopids. Walking insects form most of the prey of most deinopids, but one population of Deinopis subrufa appears to live mainly on tipulid flies that they catch with the backwards strike.

 

Mature female bolas spiders of the genus Mastophora build "webs" that consist of only a single "trapeze line", which they patrol. They also construct a bolas made of a single thread, tipped with a large ball of very wet sticky silk. They emit chemicals that resemble the pheromones of moths, and then swing the bolas at the moths. Although they miss on about 50% of strikes, they catch about the same weight of insects per night as web-weaving spiders of similar size. The spiders eat the bolas if they have not made a kill in about 30 minutes, rest for a while, and then make new bolas. Juveniles and adult males are much smaller and do not make bolas. Instead they release different pheromones that attract moth flies, and catch them with their front pairs of legs.

 

The primitive Liphistiidae, the "trapdoor spiders" of the family Ctenizidae and many tarantulas are ambush predators that lurk in burrows, often closed by trapdoors and often surrounded by networks of silk threads that alert these spiders to the presence of prey. Other ambush predators do without such aids, including many crab spiders, and a few species that prey on bees, which see ultraviolet, can adjust their ultraviolet reflectance to match the flowers in which they are lurking. Wolf spiders, jumping spiders, fishing spiders and some crab spiders capture prey by chasing it, and rely mainly on vision to locate prey.Some jumping spiders of the genus Portia hunt other spiders in ways that seem intelligent, outflanking their victims or luring them from their webs. Laboratory studies show that Portia's instinctive tactics are only starting points for a trial-and-error approach from which these spiders learn very quickly how to overcome new prey species. However, they seem to be relatively slow "thinkers", which is not surprising, as their brains are vastly smaller than those of mammalian predators.

 

Ant-mimicking spiders face several challenges: they generally develop slimmer abdomens and false "waists" in the cephalothorax to mimic the three distinct regions (tagmata) of an ant's body; they wave the first pair of legs in front of their heads to mimic antennae, which spiders lack, and to conceal the fact that they have eight legs rather than six; they develop large color patches round one pair of eyes to disguise the fact that they generally have eight simple eyes, while ants have two compound eyes; they cover their bodies with reflective hairs to resemble the shiny bodies of ants. In some spider species, males and females mimic different ant species, as female spiders are usually much larger than males. Ant-mimicking spiders also modify their behavior to resemble that of the target species of ant; for example, many adopt a zig-zag pattern of movement, ant-mimicking jumping spiders avoid jumping, and spiders of the genus Synemosyna walk on the outer edges of leaves in the same way as Pseudomyrmex. Ant-mimicry in many spiders and other arthropods may be for protection from predators that hunt by sight, including birds, lizards and spiders. However, several ant-mimicking spiders prey either on ants or on the ants' "livestock", such as aphids. When at rest, the ant-mimicking crab spider Amyciaea does not closely resemble Oecophylla, but while hunting it imitates the behavior of a dying ant to attract worker ants. After a kill, some ant-mimicking spiders hold their victims between themselves and large groups of ants to avoid being attacked.

 

DEFENSE

There is strong evidence that spiders' coloration is camouflage that helps them to evade their major predators, birds and parasitic wasps, both of which have good color vision. Many spider species are colored so as to merge with their most common backgrounds, and some have disruptive coloration, stripes and blotches that break up their outlines. In a few species, such as the Hawaiian happy-face spider, Theridion grallator, several coloration schemes are present in a ratio that appears to remain constant, and this may make it more difficult for predators to recognize the species. Most spiders are insufficiently dangerous or unpleasant-tasting for warning coloration to offer much benefit. However, a few species with powerful venoms, large jaws or irritant hairs have patches of warning colors, and some actively display these colors when threatened.

 

Many of the family Theraphosidae, which includes tarantulas and baboon spiders, have urticating hairs on their abdomens and use their legs to flick them at attackers. These hairs are fine setae (bristles) with fragile bases and a row of barbs on the tip. The barbs cause intense irritation but there is no evidence that they carry any kind of venom. A few defend themselves against wasps by including networks of very robust threads in their webs, giving the spider time to flee while the wasps are struggling with the obstacles. The golden wheeling spider, Carparachne aureoflava, of the Namibian desert escapes parasitic wasps by flipping onto its side and cartwheeling down sand dunes.

 

SOZIAL SPIDERS

A few spider species that build webs live together in large colonies and show social behavior, although not as complex as in social insects. Anelosimus eximius (in the family Theridiidae) can form colonies of up to 50,000 individuals. The genus Anelosimus has a strong tendency towards sociality: all known American species are social, and species in Madagascar are at least somewhat social. Members of other species in the same family but several different genera have independently developed social behavior. For example, although Theridion nigroannulatum belongs to a genus with no other social species, T. nigroannulatum build colonies that may contain several thousand individuals that co-operate in prey capture and share food. Other communal spiders include several Philoponella species (family Uloboridae), Agelena consociata (family Agelenidae) and Mallos gregalis (family Dictynidae). Social predatory spiders need to defend their prey against kleptoparasites ("thieves"), and larger colonies are more successful in this. The herbivorous spider Bagheera kiplingi lives in small colonies which help to protect eggs and spiderlings. Even widow spiders (genus Latrodectus), which are notoriously cannibalistic, have formed small colonies in captivity, sharing webs and feeding together.

 

WEB TYPES

There is no consistent relationship between the classification of spiders and the types of web they build: species in the same genus may build very similar or significantly different webs. Nor is there much correspondence between spiders' classification and the chemical composition of their silks. Convergent evolution in web construction, in other words use of similar techniques by remotely related species, is rampant. Orb web designs and the spinning behaviors that produce them are the best understood. The basic radial-then-spiral sequence visible in orb webs and the sense of direction required to build them may have been inherited from the common ancestors of most spider groups. However, the majority of spiders build non-orb webs. It used to be thought that the sticky orb web was an evolutionary innovation resulting in the diversification of the Orbiculariae. Now, however, it appears that non-orb spiders are a sub-group that evolved from orb-web spiders, and non-orb spiders have over 40% more species and are four times as abundant as orb-web spiders. Their greater success may be because sphecid wasps, which are often the dominant predators of spiders, much prefer to attack spiders that have flat webs.

 

ORB WEBS

About half the potential prey that hit orb webs escape. A web has to perform three functions: intercepting the prey (intersection), absorbing its momentum without breaking (stopping), and trapping the prey by entangling it or sticking to it (retention). No single design is best for all prey. For example: wider spacing of lines will increase the web's area and hence its ability to intercept prey, but reduce its stopping power and retention; closer spacing, larger sticky droplets and thicker lines would improve retention, but would make it easier for potential prey to see and avoid the web, at least during the day. However, there are no consistent differences between orb webs built for use during the day and those built for use at night. In fact, there is no simple relationship between orb web design features and the prey they capture, as each orb-weaving species takes a wide range of prey.

 

The hubs of orb webs, where the spiders lurk, are usually above the center, as the spiders can move downwards faster than upwards. If there is an obvious direction in which the spider can retreat to avoid its own predators, the hub is usually offset towards that direction.

 

Horizontal orb webs are fairly common, despite being less effective at intercepting and retaining prey and more vulnerable to damage by rain and falling debris. Various researchers have suggested that horizontal webs offer compensating advantages, such as reduced vulnerability to wind damage; reduced visibility to prey flying upwards, because of the back-lighting from the sky; enabling oscillations to catch insects in slow horizontal flight. However, there is no single explanation for the common use of horizontal orb webs.

 

Spiders often attach highly visible silk bands, called decorations or stabilimenta, to their webs. Field research suggests that webs with more decorative bands captured more prey per hour. However, a laboratory study showed that spiders reduce the building of these decorations if they sense the presence of predators.

 

In 1973, Skylab 3 took two orb-web spiders into space to test their web-spinning capabilities in zero gravity. At first, both produced rather sloppy webs, but they adapted quickly.

Tangleweb spiders (cobweb spiders)

 

Members of the family Theridiidae weave irregular, tangled, three-dimensional webs, popularly known as cobwebs. There seems to be an evolutionary trend towards a reduction in the amount of sticky silk used, leading to its total absence in some species. The construction of cobwebs is less stereotyped than that of orb-webs, and may take several days.

 

OTHER TYPES OF WEBS

The Linyphiidae generally make horizontal but uneven sheets, with tangles of stopping threads above. Insects that hit the stopping threads fall onto the sheet or are shaken onto it by the spider, and are held by sticky threads on the sheet until the spider can attack from below.

 

EVOLUTION

FOSSIL RECORD

Although the fossil record of spiders is considered poor, almost 1000 species have been described from fossils. Because spiders' bodies are quite soft, the vast majority of fossil spiders have been found preserved in amber. The oldest known amber that contains fossil arthropods dates from 130 million years ago in the Early Cretaceous period. In addition to preserving spiders' anatomy in very fine detail, pieces of amber show spiders mating, killing prey, producing silk and possibly caring for their young. In a few cases, amber has preserved spiders' egg sacs and webs, occasionally with prey attached; the oldest fossil web found so far is 100 million years old. Earlier spider fossils come from a few lagerstätten, places where conditions were exceptionally suited to preserving fairly soft tissues.

 

The oldest known exclusively terrestrial arachnid is the trigonotarbid Palaeotarbus jerami, from about 420 million years ago in the Silurian period, and had a triangular cephalothorax and segmented abdomen, as well as eight legs and a pair of pedipalps. Attercopus fimbriunguis, from 386 million years ago in the Devonian period, bears the earliest known silk-producing spigots, and was therefore hailed as a spider at the time of its discovery. However, these spigots may have been mounted on the underside of the abdomen rather than on spinnerets, which are modified appendages and whose mobility is important in the building of webs. Hence Attercopus and the similar Permian arachnid Permarachne may not have been true spiders, and probably used silk for lining nests or producing egg-cases rather than for building webs. The largest known fossil spider as of 2011 is the araneid Nephila jurassica, from about 165 million years ago, recorded from Daohuogo, Inner Mongolia in China. Its body length is almost 25 mm.

 

Several Carboniferous spiders were members of the Mesothelae, a primitive group now represented only by the Liphistiidae. The mesothelid Paleothele montceauensis, from the Late Carboniferous over 299 million years ago, had five spinnerets. Although the Permian period 299 to 251 million years ago saw rapid diversification of flying insects, there are very few fossil spiders from this period.

 

The main groups of modern spiders, Mygalomorphae and Araneomorphae, first appear in the Triassic well before 200 million years ago. Some Triassic mygalomorphs appear to be members of the family Hexathelidae, whose modern members include the notorious Sydney funnel-web spider, and their spinnerets appear adapted for building funnel-shaped webs to catch jumping insects. Araneomorphae account for the great majority of modern spiders, including those that weave the familiar orb-shaped webs. The Jurassic and Cretaceous periods provide a large number of fossil spiders, including representatives of many modern families.

 

FAMILY TREE

It is now agreed that spiders (Araneae) are monophyletic (i.e., members of a group of organisms that form a clade, consisting of a last common ancestor and all of its descendants). There has been debate about what their closest evolutionary relatives are, and how all of these evolved from the ancestral chelicerates, which were marine animals. The cladogram on the right is based on J. W. Shultz' analysis (2007). Other views include proposals that: scorpions are more closely related to the extinct marine scorpion-like eurypterids than to spiders; spiders and Amblypygi are a monophyletic group. The appearance of several multi-way branchings in the tree on the right shows that there are still uncertainties about relationships between the groups involved.

 

Arachnids lack some features of other chelicerates, including backward-pointing mouths and gnathobases ("jaw bases") at the bases of their legs; both of these features are part of the ancestral arthropod feeding system. Instead, they have mouths that point forwards and downwards, and all have some means of breathing air. Spiders (Araneae) are distinguished from other arachnid groups by several characteristics, including spinnerets and, in males, pedipalps that are specially adapted for sperm transfer.

 

TAXONOMY

Spiders are divided into two suborders, Mesothelae and Opisthothelae, of which the latter contains two infraorders, Mygalomorphae and Araneomorphae. Nearly 46,000 living species of spiders (order Araneae) have been identified and are currently grouped into about 114 families and about 4,000 genera by arachnologists.

 

WIKIPEDIA

FUCK OFF YOU CRIMINAL REPTILIAN PEDOPHILIAC INFECTIONS AND OUTBREAKS OF CONTAGIOUS BIO-WARFARE AND HYBRID CRIMINAL WEEDS VIRUSES AND BAD OMENS, AND FUCKING CRIMINAL CONJURORS. GO FUCK YOURSELVES AND YOUR ENTIRE RACE AND SPECIES BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT YOU DESERVE FOR ALL THE CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY THAT YOU CONTINUE TO COMMISSION, ORCHESTRARTE, PREPETRATE, AND COVER-UP.

 

YOU ARE FUCKING ANIMALS AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN EXTINCT AGES AGO, BECAUSE YOU ARE A THREAT AND DANGER TO HUMANITY AND THE ECOSYSTEMS.

 

FUCKING VIRULENT ALIEN PREDATOR COLONIES AND COLONIZERS.

 

THIS IS A VERY VERY VERY (VVV) IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR THE GOOD-FOR-NOTHING CANADIAN POLICE, WHO ARE GOOD FOR NOTHING CRIMINAL ACCOMPLICES, BRAIN-DEAD COMATOSE SPECTATORS WITH ACUTE DEMENTIA AND AMNESIA AND A BUNCH OF LOONIES AND LUNATICS AND SCHEMING ASSASSINS AND FUCKING MERCURIAL MERCENARIES ON CRACK AND COCAINE ENJOYING PAYROLL FROM THE LABOUR AND TOIL OF THE CANADIAN PUBLIC AND WAGING WAR ON THAT VERY PUBLIC. WHAT A BUNCH OF BASTARDS.

 

THE SICK GORILLAS AND CANNIBALS IN AUTHORITY ARE MISTAKEN AND IN DELIRIUM TO THINK THAT THEY WILL JUST KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH CRIMES, INJUSTICES, ABUSES, CRIMINAL ACTIONS AND IN-ACTIONS AND MALICIOUS BLINDNESS AND HAVE THE STUPIDITY AND INSANITY TO IMAGINE, AND BELIEVE AND HOPE THAT THEY WILL BE CHEER-LEADED ON ALL THE TIME, BY SILLY TWITS AND MORONS, WELL LET ME TELL YOU THIS THAT IT IS NOT HAPPENING THIS TIME, i AM NOT GOING TO CHEER-LEAD AND BE PART OF THIS CIRCUS AND SILLY STUPIDITY IN THE NAME OF LAW AND ORDER AND GOOD GOVERNANCE AND GOOD GOVERNMENT AND GOOD DEMOCRACY, AND GOOD DEMOCRACY YOU CHILDISH FOOLS, WAKE THE HELL UP, AND BEHAVE LIKE SANE MEMBERS OF SOCIETY AND NOT SOME HOODLUMS, GANGSTERS., EVIL OMENS, PIRATES, THIEVES, PICK-POCKETS, ANARCHISTS, SWINE AND SHIT, SHAME OF YOU CANADIANS, LITTLE DIRTY PIECES OF SHIT WITH ABSOLUTELY NO BRAINS OR MANNERS AT ALL AND NO EDUCATION - WHAT A BUNCH OF SWINE AND UNTOUCHABLE BULL-SHITTERS AND HUSTLERS, PIMPS, AND ASSASSINS MURDERERS AND ARSONISTS.

 

I AM PERSONALLY MAKE IT MY MISSION IN LIFE TO WRING YOUR BALLS AND BRING YOU TO YOUR SENSES AND CONSCIOUSNESS, AND TEACH YOU A LESSON ABOUT GOVERNANCE, ACCOUNTABILITY, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND JUSTICE - FUCKING MORONS ! YOU HAVE GONE TOO TOO FAR - IT IS TRAGIC AND REGRETTABLE BUT YOU HAVE TO BE STOPPED IN YOUR TRACKS RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE LEST YOU DO MORE DAMAGE TO SOCIETY - FUCKING INSANE IDIOTIC MORONS.

Earth 2065 - It is 10000 years, since the realm of Atlantis launched an interstellar generation ship to colonize the stars.

 

Unaware their original kindom ceized to exist thousands of years ago, the Atlanteans now return - and they don't come in peace.

 

You are the commander! Take control of one of the factions in this blockbuster real time strategy game!

 

Follow the epic campaign and command the Earth Defense Coalition to victory against the intruders. Make use of the Earth war machines, matured and perfected throughout many wars. Or follow the antediluvian legacy of the Atlantean kingdom, fight the "lesser folk" with the Atlantean Libearation Forces and bring finally peace to earth - in...

 

RECONQUEST - BATTLE OF EARTH

 

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The EDC - Earth Defense Coalition

 

units and buildings depicted:

 

'Gator Tank' - the backbone of Earth military. It is fast and strikes hard with its conventional heavy cannon

 

'Stingray Fighter' - The multi purpose aircraft is perfectly suited against air and ground targets.

 

' Heavy Anti-Air Turret' - A defensive building with dual anti air cannons

  

The ALF- Atlantean Liberation Forces

 

units and buildings depicted:

 

'Zeus Walker' - the heavy tripod walker strikes with lightning and is one of the strongest Atlantean ground units

 

'Artemis Mech' - The mech is fast and deadly with its ray gun against infantry

 

' Apollon Quadcopter' - An airborn artillery platform, great against infrastructure

 

' The Flood Node' - A heavily secured Building, is the ultimate weapon of the Atlanteans. Activated it causes a massive flood.

  

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Hello,

 

My contribution to the Eurobricks' Alt Build Contest 2024 is a hommage to Real Time Strategy Video games. I started with the Clone Trooper and Battle Droid Battle Pack 75372 and made some microbuilds out of the parts. A battlepack might not be the best source of parts, as the purpose is to introduce minifigs, but I liked the challenge. I hope you like the result. The scenario is completely invented, I just wanted to stay in the spirit of some of the strategy games, where, well, the title and story might not always be the highlight of it.

The Teutonic Knights constructed the fortress Tartlau in 1212–1213 as part of their colonization of the Burzenland region. The town of Prejmer near the castle had begun development by 1225, and was the eastern-most settlement of the Transylvanian Saxons. Prejmer was repeatedly invaded throughout the Middle Ages by various groups, including the Mongols, Tatars, Hungarians, Ottoman Turks, Cossacks, and Moldavians. However, the castle was only captured once, by Gabriel Báthory in 1611. Most of Prejmer's German population fled the town during World War II.

Prejmer is noted for its fortified church, one of the best preserved of its kind in Eastern Europe. Between 1962–1970, the Romanian government carefully restored it to its present condition; the restoration work was done under the direction of architect Mariana Angelescu and engineer Alexandru Dobriceanu. The church is modeled after churches of Jerusalem, as well as built in the style of Late Gothic churches from the Rhineland. In the 15th century, it was surrounded by a wall 12m high, forming a quadrilateral with rounded corners. The wall was reinforced by four horseshoe-shaped towers, two of which have since disappeared. The entrance—a vaulted gallery—is protected by a barbican and flanked by a lateral wall. The defensive structure is strengthened by embrasures and bartizans, while the covered way is surrounded by a parapet. The granaries and rooms that accommodated the villagers are arranged on four levels above the cellars.

 

Source: WIKIPEDIA

 

Designed to connect the Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem, like Pisgat Ze'ev, French Hill and Neve Ya'akov, to West Jerusalem.

 

Here's what Orient House wrote about the train plan in 2000: "The light train project jeapordizes prospects for peace in Jerusalem for several reasons. Firstly, the train is being built on expropriated Palestinian property and, like by-pass roads, will also divide Palestinian neighborhoods, preventing any expansion or contiguity of Palestinian communities. Secondly, the design of the Israeli light train project indicates that it is being built to create a stronger physical link between illegal Israeli settlements in Occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli neighborhoods in West Jerusalem. Thus, serving only the Jewish population and consolidating Israeli control over Jerusalem."

www.orienthouse.org/ff/Reports/settlement_update_2.html

Marchantia polymorpha, a liverwort that is a colonizer soon after intense wiildfires, following 2012 Table Mountain Fire, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Washington State, USA

takeshiyamada.weebly.com/

 

The Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) of Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York – This unique sea-dwelling rabbit, which is actually a close relative of the sea lion, was officially discovered and investigated by Henry Hudson when he first visited this land to colonize the area by order of the Dutch government. It was named New Amsterdam -- today’s New York City. This island was named after he saw the beach covered with strange swimming wild rabbits. The word “Coney Island” means “wild rabbit island” in Dutch (originally Conyne Eylandt, or Konijneneiland in modern Dutch spelling). Sea rabbits were also referred mermaid rabbit, merrabbit, rabbit fish or seal rabbit in the natural history documents in the 17th century. The current conservation status, or risk of extinction, of the sea rabbit is Extinct in the Wild.

 

This website features two species of sea rabbits, which have been taken care of by Dr. Takeshi Yamada (山田武司) at the Coney Island Sea Rabbit Repopulation Center, which is a part of the Marine biology department of the Coney Island University in Brooklyn, New York. They are – Coney Island Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) called “Seara” and Coney Island Tiger-striped Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus konjinicus) called “Stripes”.

 

The photographs and videos featured in this website chronicle adventures of the Coney Island sea rabbits and the world as seen by them. This article also documented efforts of Dr. Takeshi Yamada for bringing back the nearly extinct sea rabbits to Coney Island in the City of New York and beyond. Dr. Yamada produced a series of public lectures, workshops, original public live interactive fine art performances and fine art exhibitions about sea rabbits at a variety of occasions and institutions in the City of New York and beyond. Dr. Yamada is an internationally active educator, book author, wildlife conservationist and high profile artist, who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

 

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Sea Rabbit

 

Other Common Names: Coney Island Sea Rabbit, Beach Rabbit, Seal Rabbit, mer-rabbit, merrabbit, Atlantic Sea Rabbit.

 

Latin Name: Monafluffchus americanus

 

Origin: Atlantic coast of the United States

 

Description of the specimen: In the early 17th century’s European fur craze drove the fleet of Dutch ships to the eastern costal area of America. Then Holland was the center of the world just like the Italy was in the previous century. New York City was once called New Amsterdam when Dutch merchants landed and established colonies. Among them, Henry Hudson is probably the most recognized individual in the history of New York City today. “This small island is inhabited by two major creatures which we do not have in our homeland. The one creature is a large arthropod made of three body segments: the frontal segment resembles a horseshoe, the middle segment resembles a spiny crab and its tail resembles a sharp sword. Although they gather beaches here in great numbers, they are not edible due to their extremely offensive odor. Another creature which is abundant here, has the head of wild rabbit. This animal of great swimming ability has frontal legs resemble the webbed feet of a duck. The bottom half of the body resembles that of a seal. This docile rabbit of the sea is easy to catch as it does not fear people. The larger male sea rabbits control harems of 20 to 25 females. The meat of the sea rabbit is very tender and tasty.” This is what Hadson wrote in his personal journal in 1609 about the horseshoe crab and the sea rabbit in today’s Coney Island area of Brooklyn, New York. Sadly, just like the Dodo bird and the Thylacine, the sea rabbit was driven to extinction by the European settlers’ greed. When Dutch merchants and traders arrived here, sea rabbits were one of the first animals they hunted down to bring their furs to homeland to satisfy the fur craze of the time. To increase the shipment volume of furs of sea rabbit and beavers from New Amsterdam, Dutch merchants also started using wampum (beads made of special clam shells) as the first official currency of this country.

 

At the North Eastern shores of the United States, two species of sea rabbits were commonly found. They are Coney Island Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) and Coney Island Tiger-striped Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus konjinicus). Sadly, due to their over harvesting in the previous centuries, their conservation status became “Extinct in the Wild” (ET) in the Red List Endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Currently, these sea rabbits are only found at breeding centers at selected zoos and universities such as Coney Island Aquarium and Coney Island University in Brooklyn, New York. The one shown in this photograph was named "Seara" and has been cared by Dr. Takeshi Yamada at Coney Island University.

 

The sea rabbit is one of the families of the Pinniped order. Pinnipeds (from Latin penna = flat and pes/pedis = foot) are sea-mammals: they are homeothermic (i.e having high and regulated inner temperature), lung-breathing (i.e dependant on atmospheric oxygen) animals having come back to semi aquatic life. As soon as they arrive ashore, females are caught by the nearest adult male. Males can maintain harems of about 20 females on average. Several hours to several days after arriving ashore, pregnant females give birth to eight to ten pups with a dark brown fur. As soon as birth occurs, the mother’s special smell and calls help her pups bond specifically to her. The mother stays ashore with her pup for about one week during which the pup gains weight. During the first week spent with her newborn, the mother becomes receptive. She will be impregnated by the bull, which control the harem. Implantation of the embryo will occur 3 months later, in March-April. During the reproductive period, the best males copulate with several tens females. To do so, males have to stay ashore without feeding in order to keep their territory and their harem. In mid-January, when the last females have been fecundated, males leave at sea to feed. Some of them will come back later in March-April for the moult. The other ones will stay at sea and will come back on Coney Island only in next November. After fecundation, the mother goes at sea for her first meal. At sea, mothers feed on clams, crabs, shrimps, fish (herring, anchovy, Pollock, capelin etc.) and squids. When she is back, the mother recovers her pups at the beach she left them. Suckling occurs after auditive and olfactory recognition had occured. In March-April, the dark brown fur is totally replaced by an adult-like light brownish grey fur during the moult that lasts 1-2 months. This new fur is composed by 2 layers. Externally, the guard fur is composed by flat hairs that recover themselves when wet. By doing so, they make a water-proof barrier for the under fur. The underfur retains air when the seal is dry. Because of isolating properties of the air, the underfur is the insulating system of the fur. In March-April, the fur of adults is partially replaced. First reproduction occurs at 1-yr old in females. Males are physiologically matures at 1 year old but socially matures at +2 years old.

 

NOTE: The name of Coney Island is commonly thought to be derived from the Dutch Konijn Eylandt or Rabbit Island as apparently the 17th century European settlers noted many rabbits running amuck on the island.

 

www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/performances.html

 

www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/sea-rabbit-center.html

 

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

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbits23/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit22

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit021/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit20

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit19

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit18

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit17

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit16

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit15

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit14

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit13

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit12

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit11

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit10

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit9

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit8

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit7

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit6

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit5

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit4

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit3

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit2

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit1

 

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits03

 

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits02

 

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits01

 

www.flickr.com/photos/yamadaimmortalized2/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/takeshiyamadaimmortalized/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/yamadabellhouse2014/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders3/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders2

 

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/takeshiyamadapaintings/

 

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

 

For any questions, please email contact Takeshi Yamada, Art & Rogue Taxidermy, Museum of World Wonders, official website. www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/

 

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

 

www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com

 

For any questions, please contact Dr. Takeshi Yamada. His email address is posted in the chapter page (the last page or the first page).

 

(Updated April 7B, 2015)

“Icmadophila is capable of killing and overgrowing moss mats. When colonizing mossy surfaces, the leading edge of the lichen is associated with a zone of necrosis in the moss.” - McCune, Bruce. 2017. Microlichens of the Pacific Northwest. Volume 2: Keys to the Species.

 

"Often you'll see lichens growing with bryophytes, so the two are potential competitors and a variety of lichen-bryophyte interactions do occur. Crustose lichens look like thin skins or simple washes of paint on the underlying soil, rock or wood. At first it would appear that such simple, two-dimensional growth forms could be easily overgrown by many bryophytes. In fact some crustose lichens are very effective at keeping bryophytes away, quite likely with chemical deterrents. Lichens produce a wide variety of chemical compounds, some of which have negative effects on bryophytes - acting to prevent spore germination or inhibiting protonemal or gametophytic growth [reference link] ." - www.anbg.gov.au/lichen/ecology-plants.html

  

my lichen photos arranged by genus www.flickr.com/photos/29750062@N06/collections/7215762439...

 

my photos arranged by subject www.flickr.com/photos/29750062@N06/collections/

Bago, formerly Pegu, is a city and the capital of Bago Region in Myanmar (Burma). It is located 80 km north-east of Yangon.

 

HISTORY

The Gulf of Martaban was colonized by Mon people from the Thaton Kingdom, who established Bago. The earliest mention of Bago in history is by the Arab geographer ibn Khordadbeh around 850 AD. At the time, the Mon capital had shifted to Thaton. The area came under rule of the Burmese from Bagan in 1056. After the collapse of Bagan to the Mongols in 1287, the Mon regained their independence.

 

In Lower Burma, a Mon dynasty established itself first at Mottama and then at Bago. During the reign of King Razadarit, Bago and Ava Kingdom were engaged in the Forty Years' War. The peaceful reign of Queen Shin Sawbu came to an end when she chose the Buddhist monk Dhammazedi (1472–1492) to succeed her. Under Dhammazedi, Bago became a centre of commerce and Theravada Buddhism.

 

From 1369–1539, Hanthawaddy was the capital of the Mon Hanthawaddy Kingdom, which covered all of what is now Lower Burma. The area came under Burman control again in 1539, when it was annexed by King Tabinshwehti of the Taungoo Dynasty. The kings of Taungoo made Bago their royal capital from 1539–1599 and again in 1613–1635, and used it as a base for repeated invasions of the Ayutthaya Kingdom.

 

In 1519, António Correia, then a merchant from the Portuguese casados settlement at Cochin landed in Bago, then known to the Portuguese as Pegu, looking for new markets for pepper from Cochin. A year later, Portuguese India Governor Diogo Lopes de Sequeira sent an ambassador to Pegu.

 

As a major seaport, the city was frequently visited by Europeans, among these, Gasparo Balbi in late 1500s. The Europeans often commented on its magnificence. The Burmese capital relocated to Ava in 1634. In 1740, the Mon revolted and founded the Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom. However, a Bamar king, Alaungpaya, captured the city in May 1757.

 

Bago was rebuilt by King Bodawpaya (r. 1782-1819), but by then the river had shifted course, cutting the city off from the sea. It never regained its previous importance. After the Second Anglo-Burmese War, the British annexed Bago in 1852. In 1862, the province of British Burma was formed, and the capital moved to Yangon. The substantial differences between the colloquial and literary pronunciations, as with Burmese words, was a reason of the British corruption "Pegu".

 

In 1911, Hanthawaddy was described as a district in the Bago (or Pegu) division of Lower Burma. It lay in the home district of Yangon, from which the town was detached to make a separate district in 1880. It had an area of 7,830 km2, with a population of 48,411 in 1901, showing an increase of 22% in the past decade. Hanthawaddy and Hinthada were the two most densely populated districts in the province.

 

Hanthawaddy, as it was constituted in 1911, consisted of a vast plain stretching up from the sea between the To (or China Bakir) mouth of the Irrawaddy River and the Pegu Range. Except the tract of land lying between the Pegu Range on the east and the Yangon River, the country was intersected by numerous tidal creeks, many of which were navigable by large boats and some by steamers. The headquarters of the district was in Rangoon, which was also the sub-divisional headquarters. The second sub-division had its headquarters at Insein, where there were large railway works. Cultivation was almost wholly confined to rice, but there were many vegetable and fruit gardens.

 

Today, Hanthawaddy is one of the wards of Bago city.

 

PLACES OF INTEREST

Shwethalyaung Buddha (Reclining Buddha)

Shwemawdaw Paya

Kyaik Pun Paya

Kanbawzathadi Palace site and museum

Maha Kalyani Sima

Mahazedi Paya

Shwegugale Paya

Bago Degree College

Bago Sittaung Canal

 

WIKIPEDIA

takeshiyamada.weebly.com/

 

The Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) of Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York – This unique sea-dwelling rabbit, which is actually a close relative of the sea lion, was officially discovered and investigated by Henry Hudson when he first visited this land to colonize the area by order of the Dutch government. It was named New Amsterdam -- today’s New York City. This island was named after he saw the beach covered with strange swimming wild rabbits. The word “Coney Island” means “wild rabbit island” in Dutch (originally Conyne Eylandt, or Konijneneiland in modern Dutch spelling). Sea rabbits were also referred mermaid rabbit, merrabbit, rabbit fish or seal rabbit in the natural history documents in the 17th century. The current conservation status, or risk of extinction, of the sea rabbit is Extinct in the Wild.

 

This website features two species of sea rabbits, which have been taken care of by Dr. Takeshi Yamada (山田武司) at the Coney Island Sea Rabbit Repopulation Center, which is a part of the Marine biology department of the Coney Island University in Brooklyn, New York. They are – Coney Island Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) called “Seara” and Coney Island Tiger-striped Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus konjinicus) called “Stripes”.

 

The photographs and videos featured in this website chronicle adventures of the Coney Island sea rabbits and the world as seen by them. This article also documented efforts of Dr. Takeshi Yamada for bringing back the nearly extinct sea rabbits to Coney Island in the City of New York and beyond. Dr. Yamada produced a series of public lectures, workshops, original public live interactive fine art performances and fine art exhibitions about sea rabbits at a variety of occasions and institutions in the City of New York and beyond. Dr. Yamada is an internationally active educator, book author, wildlife conservationist and high profile artist, who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

 

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

 

Sea Rabbit

 

Other Common Names: Coney Island Sea Rabbit, Beach Rabbit, Seal Rabbit, mer-rabbit, merrabbit, Atlantic Sea Rabbit.

 

Latin Name: Monafluffchus americanus

 

Origin: Atlantic coast of the United States

 

Description of the specimen: In the early 17th century’s European fur craze drove the fleet of Dutch ships to the eastern costal area of America. Then Holland was the center of the world just like the Italy was in the previous century. New York City was once called New Amsterdam when Dutch merchants landed and established colonies. Among them, Henry Hudson is probably the most recognized individual in the history of New York City today. “This small island is inhabited by two major creatures which we do not have in our homeland. The one creature is a large arthropod made of three body segments: the frontal segment resembles a horseshoe, the middle segment resembles a spiny crab and its tail resembles a sharp sword. Although they gather beaches here in great numbers, they are not edible due to their extremely offensive odor. Another creature which is abundant here, has the head of wild rabbit. This animal of great swimming ability has frontal legs resemble the webbed feet of a duck. The bottom half of the body resembles that of a seal. This docile rabbit of the sea is easy to catch as it does not fear people. The larger male sea rabbits control harems of 20 to 25 females. The meat of the sea rabbit is very tender and tasty.” This is what Hadson wrote in his personal journal in 1609 about the horseshoe crab and the sea rabbit in today’s Coney Island area of Brooklyn, New York. Sadly, just like the Dodo bird and the Thylacine, the sea rabbit was driven to extinction by the European settlers’ greed. When Dutch merchants and traders arrived here, sea rabbits were one of the first animals they hunted down to bring their furs to homeland to satisfy the fur craze of the time. To increase the shipment volume of furs of sea rabbit and beavers from New Amsterdam, Dutch merchants also started using wampum (beads made of special clam shells) as the first official currency of this country.

 

At the North Eastern shores of the United States, two species of sea rabbits were commonly found. They are Coney Island Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) and Coney Island Tiger-striped Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus konjinicus). Sadly, due to their over harvesting in the previous centuries, their conservation status became “Extinct in the Wild” (ET) in the Red List Endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Currently, these sea rabbits are only found at breeding centers at selected zoos and universities such as Coney Island Aquarium and Coney Island University in Brooklyn, New York. The one shown in this photograph was named "Seara" and has been cared by Dr. Takeshi Yamada at Coney Island University.

 

The sea rabbit is one of the families of the Pinniped order. Pinnipeds (from Latin penna = flat and pes/pedis = foot) are sea-mammals: they are homeothermic (i.e having high and regulated inner temperature), lung-breathing (i.e dependant on atmospheric oxygen) animals having come back to semi aquatic life. As soon as they arrive ashore, females are caught by the nearest adult male. Males can maintain harems of about 20 females on average. Several hours to several days after arriving ashore, pregnant females give birth to eight to ten pups with a dark brown fur. As soon as birth occurs, the mother’s special smell and calls help her pups bond specifically to her. The mother stays ashore with her pup for about one week during which the pup gains weight. During the first week spent with her newborn, the mother becomes receptive. She will be impregnated by the bull, which control the harem. Implantation of the embryo will occur 3 months later, in March-April. During the reproductive period, the best males copulate with several tens females. To do so, males have to stay ashore without feeding in order to keep their territory and their harem. In mid-January, when the last females have been fecundated, males leave at sea to feed. Some of them will come back later in March-April for the moult. The other ones will stay at sea and will come back on Coney Island only in next November. After fecundation, the mother goes at sea for her first meal. At sea, mothers feed on clams, crabs, shrimps, fish (herring, anchovy, Pollock, capelin etc.) and squids. When she is back, the mother recovers her pups at the beach she left them. Suckling occurs after auditive and olfactory recognition had occured. In March-April, the dark brown fur is totally replaced by an adult-like light brownish grey fur during the moult that lasts 1-2 months. This new fur is composed by 2 layers. Externally, the guard fur is composed by flat hairs that recover themselves when wet. By doing so, they make a water-proof barrier for the under fur. The underfur retains air when the seal is dry. Because of isolating properties of the air, the underfur is the insulating system of the fur. In March-April, the fur of adults is partially replaced. First reproduction occurs at 1-yr old in females. Males are physiologically matures at 1 year old but socially matures at +2 years old.

 

NOTE: The name of Coney Island is commonly thought to be derived from the Dutch Konijn Eylandt or Rabbit Island as apparently the 17th century European settlers noted many rabbits running amuck on the island.

 

www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/performances.html

 

www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/sea-rabbit-center.html

 

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

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbits23/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit22

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit021/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit20

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit19

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit18

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit17

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit16

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit15

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit14

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit13

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit12

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit11

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit10

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit9

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit8

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit7

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit6

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit5

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit4

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit3

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit2

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit1

 

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits03

 

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits02

 

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits01

 

www.flickr.com/photos/yamadaimmortalized2/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/takeshiyamadaimmortalized/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/yamadabellhouse2014/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders3/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders2

 

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/takeshiyamadapaintings/

 

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

 

For any questions, please email contact Takeshi Yamada, Art & Rogue Taxidermy, Museum of World Wonders, official website. www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/

 

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

 

www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com

 

For any questions, please contact Dr. Takeshi Yamada. His email address is posted in the chapter page (the last page or the first page).

 

(Updated April 7B, 2015)

Halfeti. Le village a été noyé suite à la construction du barrage de Birecik sur l'Euphrate. Aujourd'hui, les touristes turcs viennent faire des selfies devant le minaret qui émerge. Le barrage a également englouti deux antiques cités grecques, sans fouilles préalables.

the woman in blue is around 50 years old..... some traces of the french colonization in algeria

 

other times , other fashion

Descurainia sophia colonizes regularly disturbed sites and becomes abundant and with dense foliage generally along roadsides, construction sites, and sites recently sprayed with herbicide. This site lies by a construction area in the Wyoming big sagebrush steppe of the Idaho National Laboratory north of highway 20 off Taylor Blvd, Bingham County, Idaho.

"The former Lava Cast Forest Geological Area (now part of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument) was established by the Forest Service in 1942. The geological area was established to protect the many lava trees and tree molds which occur in the area. The various flows of the Lava Cast Forest were all erupted from the Northwest Rift Zone of Newberry Volcano."

 

"There is a one mile paved self guided interpretive trail with barrier free access. The trail loops through an area where hot molten lava erupted from the northwest flank of Newberry Volcano and engulfed a forest here 7,000 years ago. The landscape now includes the "casts" or molds, of these ancient trees. Colonizing plants, such as delicate penstemon flowers and Indian paintbrush, have taken root in the rocky soil. Ponderosa pine trees have re-established themselves and flourished as well, so that the landscape now includes a blend of the past and the present."

 

www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/newberrynvm/interest-lavac...

The island of Corsica is one of the 18 regions of France. It was colonized the Carthaginians, the Greeks, the Etruscans and the Romans. After the Roman empire collapsed, Corsica got invaded by the Vandals and the Ostrogoths. For a short while the island belonged to the Byzantine Empire, then the Franks granted the island to the Pope, in the early 11th century Pisa and Genoa together freed the island from the threat of Arab invasion. The island came under the influence of the Republic of Pisa, later it belonged to Genua for centuries. In 1755 after a long fight for independence from Genoa the independent Corsican Republic was proclaimed, but in 1769, when the island was conquered by France.

 

As the areas near the coast over centuries have been threatened by attacks and raids of pirates many old hamlets and dwellings are wide inland, high in the mountains. So most of the old churches are in the mountains and some of them are hard to find.

 

The ruins of Santa Maria di Riscamone are located at the end of a long and winding dirt road. Archeologists could find the remains of a Roman dwellings up here. A first small church may have been erected on the site of the Roman settlement in the 5th centuryt. It got enlarged and remoldeled over the centuries but the ruins of the former parish church, that still exist date to the 12th century. According to Geneviève Moracchini-Mazel, late director of "Cahiers Corsica" and author of "Corse Romane", the reliefs at the church are 12th century. This one may depicts weapons connected to medieval jurisdication.

   

takeshiyamada.weebly.com/

 

The Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) of Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York – This unique sea-dwelling rabbit, which is actually a close relative of the sea lion, was officially discovered and investigated by Henry Hudson when he first visited this land to colonize the area by order of the Dutch government. It was named New Amsterdam -- today’s New York City. This island was named after he saw the beach covered with strange swimming wild rabbits. The word “Coney Island” means “wild rabbit island” in Dutch (originally Conyne Eylandt, or Konijneneiland in modern Dutch spelling). Sea rabbits were also referred mermaid rabbit, merrabbit, rabbit fish or seal rabbit in the natural history documents in the 17th century. The current conservation status, or risk of extinction, of the sea rabbit is Extinct in the Wild.

 

This website features two species of sea rabbits, which have been taken care of by Dr. Takeshi Yamada (山田武司) at the Coney Island Sea Rabbit Repopulation Center, which is a part of the Marine biology department of the Coney Island University in Brooklyn, New York. They are – Coney Island Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) called “Seara” and Coney Island Tiger-striped Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus konjinicus) called “Stripes”.

 

The photographs and videos featured in this website chronicle adventures of the Coney Island sea rabbits and the world as seen by them. This article also documented efforts of Dr. Takeshi Yamada for bringing back the nearly extinct sea rabbits to Coney Island in the City of New York and beyond. Dr. Yamada produced a series of public lectures, workshops, original public live interactive fine art performances and fine art exhibitions about sea rabbits at a variety of occasions and institutions in the City of New York and beyond. Dr. Yamada is an internationally active educator, book author, wildlife conservationist and high profile artist, who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

 

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

 

Sea Rabbit

 

Other Common Names: Coney Island Sea Rabbit, Beach Rabbit, Seal Rabbit, mer-rabbit, merrabbit, Atlantic Sea Rabbit.

 

Latin Name: Monafluffchus americanus

 

Origin: Atlantic coast of the United States

 

Description of the specimen: In the early 17th century’s European fur craze drove the fleet of Dutch ships to the eastern costal area of America. Then Holland was the center of the world just like the Italy was in the previous century. New York City was once called New Amsterdam when Dutch merchants landed and established colonies. Among them, Henry Hudson is probably the most recognized individual in the history of New York City today. “This small island is inhabited by two major creatures which we do not have in our homeland. The one creature is a large arthropod made of three body segments: the frontal segment resembles a horseshoe, the middle segment resembles a spiny crab and its tail resembles a sharp sword. Although they gather beaches here in great numbers, they are not edible due to their extremely offensive odor. Another creature which is abundant here, has the head of wild rabbit. This animal of great swimming ability has frontal legs resemble the webbed feet of a duck. The bottom half of the body resembles that of a seal. This docile rabbit of the sea is easy to catch as it does not fear people. The larger male sea rabbits control harems of 20 to 25 females. The meat of the sea rabbit is very tender and tasty.” This is what Hadson wrote in his personal journal in 1609 about the horseshoe crab and the sea rabbit in today’s Coney Island area of Brooklyn, New York. Sadly, just like the Dodo bird and the Thylacine, the sea rabbit was driven to extinction by the European settlers’ greed. When Dutch merchants and traders arrived here, sea rabbits were one of the first animals they hunted down to bring their furs to homeland to satisfy the fur craze of the time. To increase the shipment volume of furs of sea rabbit and beavers from New Amsterdam, Dutch merchants also started using wampum (beads made of special clam shells) as the first official currency of this country.

 

At the North Eastern shores of the United States, two species of sea rabbits were commonly found. They are Coney Island Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) and Coney Island Tiger-striped Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus konjinicus). Sadly, due to their over harvesting in the previous centuries, their conservation status became “Extinct in the Wild” (ET) in the Red List Endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Currently, these sea rabbits are only found at breeding centers at selected zoos and universities such as Coney Island Aquarium and Coney Island University in Brooklyn, New York. The one shown in this photograph was named "Seara" and has been cared by Dr. Takeshi Yamada at Coney Island University.

 

The sea rabbit is one of the families of the Pinniped order. Pinnipeds (from Latin penna = flat and pes/pedis = foot) are sea-mammals: they are homeothermic (i.e having high and regulated inner temperature), lung-breathing (i.e dependant on atmospheric oxygen) animals having come back to semi aquatic life. As soon as they arrive ashore, females are caught by the nearest adult male. Males can maintain harems of about 20 females on average. Several hours to several days after arriving ashore, pregnant females give birth to eight to ten pups with a dark brown fur. As soon as birth occurs, the mother’s special smell and calls help her pups bond specifically to her. The mother stays ashore with her pup for about one week during which the pup gains weight. During the first week spent with her newborn, the mother becomes receptive. She will be impregnated by the bull, which control the harem. Implantation of the embryo will occur 3 months later, in March-April. During the reproductive period, the best males copulate with several tens females. To do so, males have to stay ashore without feeding in order to keep their territory and their harem. In mid-January, when the last females have been fecundated, males leave at sea to feed. Some of them will come back later in March-April for the moult. The other ones will stay at sea and will come back on Coney Island only in next November. After fecundation, the mother goes at sea for her first meal. At sea, mothers feed on clams, crabs, shrimps, fish (herring, anchovy, Pollock, capelin etc.) and squids. When she is back, the mother recovers her pups at the beach she left them. Suckling occurs after auditive and olfactory recognition had occured. In March-April, the dark brown fur is totally replaced by an adult-like light brownish grey fur during the moult that lasts 1-2 months. This new fur is composed by 2 layers. Externally, the guard fur is composed by flat hairs that recover themselves when wet. By doing so, they make a water-proof barrier for the under fur. The underfur retains air when the seal is dry. Because of isolating properties of the air, the underfur is the insulating system of the fur. In March-April, the fur of adults is partially replaced. First reproduction occurs at 1-yr old in females. Males are physiologically matures at 1 year old but socially matures at +2 years old.

 

NOTE: The name of Coney Island is commonly thought to be derived from the Dutch Konijn Eylandt or Rabbit Island as apparently the 17th century European settlers noted many rabbits running amuck on the island.

 

www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/performances.html

 

www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/sea-rabbit-center.html

 

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

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbits23/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit22

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit021/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit20

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit19

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit18

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit17

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit16

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit15

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit14

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit13

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit12

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit11

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit10

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit9

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit8

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit7

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit6

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit5

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit4

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit3

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit2

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit1

 

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits03

 

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits02

 

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits01

 

www.flickr.com/photos/yamadaimmortalized2/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/takeshiyamadaimmortalized/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/yamadabellhouse2014/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders3/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders2

 

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/takeshiyamadapaintings/

 

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

 

For any questions, please email contact Takeshi Yamada, Art & Rogue Taxidermy, Museum of World Wonders, official website. www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/

 

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

 

www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com

 

For any questions, please contact Dr. Takeshi Yamada. His email address is posted in the chapter page (the last page or the first page).

 

(Updated April 7B, 2015)

Aspergillus colonized maize with different severities. Photo by IITA. (file name: MA_PD_021).

The INDEEP platform slated for deployment at Pod 2 on Barkley upper slope resembles a children's toy. This experiment investigates colonization of different materials and surfaces by deep-sea fauna.

 

Credit: Ocean Networks Canada

takeshiyamada.weebly.com/

 

The Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) of Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York – This unique sea-dwelling rabbit, which is actually a close relative of the sea lion, was officially discovered and investigated by Henry Hudson when he first visited this land to colonize the area by order of the Dutch government. It was named New Amsterdam -- today’s New York City. This island was named after he saw the beach covered with strange swimming wild rabbits. The word “Coney Island” means “wild rabbit island” in Dutch (originally Conyne Eylandt, or Konijneneiland in modern Dutch spelling). Sea rabbits were also referred mermaid rabbit, merrabbit, rabbit fish or seal rabbit in the natural history documents in the 17th century. The current conservation status, or risk of extinction, of the sea rabbit is Extinct in the Wild.

 

This website features two species of sea rabbits, which have been taken care of by Dr. Takeshi Yamada (山田武司) at the Coney Island Sea Rabbit Repopulation Center, which is a part of the Marine biology department of the Coney Island University in Brooklyn, New York. They are – Coney Island Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) called “Seara” and Coney Island Tiger-striped Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus konjinicus) called “Stripes”.

 

The photographs and videos featured in this website chronicle adventures of the Coney Island sea rabbits and the world as seen by them. This article also documented efforts of Dr. Takeshi Yamada for bringing back the nearly extinct sea rabbits to Coney Island in the City of New York and beyond. Dr. Yamada produced a series of public lectures, workshops, original public live interactive fine art performances and fine art exhibitions about sea rabbits at a variety of occasions and institutions in the City of New York and beyond. Dr. Yamada is an internationally active educator, book author, wildlife conservationist and high profile artist, who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

 

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

 

Sea Rabbit

 

Other Common Names: Coney Island Sea Rabbit, Beach Rabbit, Seal Rabbit, mer-rabbit, merrabbit, Atlantic Sea Rabbit.

 

Latin Name: Monafluffchus americanus

 

Origin: Atlantic coast of the United States

 

Description of the specimen: In the early 17th century’s European fur craze drove the fleet of Dutch ships to the eastern costal area of America. Then Holland was the center of the world just like the Italy was in the previous century. New York City was once called New Amsterdam when Dutch merchants landed and established colonies. Among them, Henry Hudson is probably the most recognized individual in the history of New York City today. “This small island is inhabited by two major creatures which we do not have in our homeland. The one creature is a large arthropod made of three body segments: the frontal segment resembles a horseshoe, the middle segment resembles a spiny crab and its tail resembles a sharp sword. Although they gather beaches here in great numbers, they are not edible due to their extremely offensive odor. Another creature which is abundant here, has the head of wild rabbit. This animal of great swimming ability has frontal legs resemble the webbed feet of a duck. The bottom half of the body resembles that of a seal. This docile rabbit of the sea is easy to catch as it does not fear people. The larger male sea rabbits control harems of 20 to 25 females. The meat of the sea rabbit is very tender and tasty.” This is what Hadson wrote in his personal journal in 1609 about the horseshoe crab and the sea rabbit in today’s Coney Island area of Brooklyn, New York. Sadly, just like the Dodo bird and the Thylacine, the sea rabbit was driven to extinction by the European settlers’ greed. When Dutch merchants and traders arrived here, sea rabbits were one of the first animals they hunted down to bring their furs to homeland to satisfy the fur craze of the time. To increase the shipment volume of furs of sea rabbit and beavers from New Amsterdam, Dutch merchants also started using wampum (beads made of special clam shells) as the first official currency of this country.

 

At the North Eastern shores of the United States, two species of sea rabbits were commonly found. They are Coney Island Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) and Coney Island Tiger-striped Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus konjinicus). Sadly, due to their over harvesting in the previous centuries, their conservation status became “Extinct in the Wild” (ET) in the Red List Endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Currently, these sea rabbits are only found at breeding centers at selected zoos and universities such as Coney Island Aquarium and Coney Island University in Brooklyn, New York. The one shown in this photograph was named "Seara" and has been cared by Dr. Takeshi Yamada at Coney Island University.

 

The sea rabbit is one of the families of the Pinniped order. Pinnipeds (from Latin penna = flat and pes/pedis = foot) are sea-mammals: they are homeothermic (i.e having high and regulated inner temperature), lung-breathing (i.e dependant on atmospheric oxygen) animals having come back to semi aquatic life. As soon as they arrive ashore, females are caught by the nearest adult male. Males can maintain harems of about 20 females on average. Several hours to several days after arriving ashore, pregnant females give birth to eight to ten pups with a dark brown fur. As soon as birth occurs, the mother’s special smell and calls help her pups bond specifically to her. The mother stays ashore with her pup for about one week during which the pup gains weight. During the first week spent with her newborn, the mother becomes receptive. She will be impregnated by the bull, which control the harem. Implantation of the embryo will occur 3 months later, in March-April. During the reproductive period, the best males copulate with several tens females. To do so, males have to stay ashore without feeding in order to keep their territory and their harem. In mid-January, when the last females have been fecundated, males leave at sea to feed. Some of them will come back later in March-April for the moult. The other ones will stay at sea and will come back on Coney Island only in next November. After fecundation, the mother goes at sea for her first meal. At sea, mothers feed on clams, crabs, shrimps, fish (herring, anchovy, Pollock, capelin etc.) and squids. When she is back, the mother recovers her pups at the beach she left them. Suckling occurs after auditive and olfactory recognition had occured. In March-April, the dark brown fur is totally replaced by an adult-like light brownish grey fur during the moult that lasts 1-2 months. This new fur is composed by 2 layers. Externally, the guard fur is composed by flat hairs that recover themselves when wet. By doing so, they make a water-proof barrier for the under fur. The underfur retains air when the seal is dry. Because of isolating properties of the air, the underfur is the insulating system of the fur. In March-April, the fur of adults is partially replaced. First reproduction occurs at 1-yr old in females. Males are physiologically matures at 1 year old but socially matures at +2 years old.

 

NOTE: The name of Coney Island is commonly thought to be derived from the Dutch Konijn Eylandt or Rabbit Island as apparently the 17th century European settlers noted many rabbits running amuck on the island.

 

www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/performances.html

 

www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/sea-rabbit-center.html

 

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

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbits23/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit22

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit021/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit20

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit19

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit18

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit17

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit16

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit15

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit14

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit13

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit12

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit11

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit10

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit9

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit8

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit7

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit6

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit5

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit4

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit3

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit2

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit1

 

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits03

 

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits02

 

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits01

 

www.flickr.com/photos/yamadaimmortalized2/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/takeshiyamadaimmortalized/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/yamadabellhouse2014/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders3/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders2

 

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/takeshiyamadapaintings/

 

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

 

For any questions, please email contact Takeshi Yamada, Art & Rogue Taxidermy, Museum of World Wonders, official website. www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/

 

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

 

www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com

 

For any questions, please contact Dr. Takeshi Yamada. His email address is posted in the chapter page (the last page or the first page).

 

(Updated April 7B, 2015)

Lichen colony on lava rock.

They colonize the granite that came out of the earth, long ago.

Earth 2065 - It is 10000 years, since the realm of Atlantis launched an interstellar generation ship to colonize the stars.

 

Unaware their original kindom ceized to exist thousands of years ago, the Atlanteans now return - and they don't come in peace.

 

You are the commander! Take control of one of the factions in this blockbuster real time strategy game!

 

Follow the epic campaign and command the Earth Defense Coalition to victory against the intruders. Make use of the Earth war machines, matured and perfected throughout many wars. Or follow the antediluvian legacy of the Atlantean kingdom, fight the "lesser folk" with the Atlantean Libearation Forces and bring finally peace to earth - in...

 

RECONQUEST - BATTLE OF EARTH

 

*****************************

  

The EDC - Earth Defense Coalition

 

units and buildings depicted:

 

'Gator Tank' - the backbone of Earth military. It is fast and strikes hard with its conventional heavy cannon

 

'Stingray Fighter' - The multi purpose aircraft is perfectly suited against air and ground targets.

 

' Heavy Anti-Air Turret' - A defensive building with dual anti air cannons

  

The ALF- Atlantean Liberation Forces

 

units and buildings depicted:

 

'Zeus Walker' - the heavy tripod walker strikes with lightning and is one of the strongest Atlantean ground units

 

'Artemis Mech' - The mech is fast and deadly with its ray gun against infantry

 

' Apollon Quadcopter' - An airborn artillery platform, great against infrastructure

 

' The Flood Node' - A heavily secured Building, is the ultimate weapon of the Atlanteans. Activated it causes a massive flood.

  

******************************

 

Hello,

 

My contribution to the Eurobricks' Alt Build Contest 2024 is a hommage to Real Time Strategy Video games. I started with the Clone Trooper and Battle Droid Battle Pack 75372 and made some microbuilds out of the parts. A battlepack might not be the best source of parts, as the purpose is to introduce minifigs, but I liked the challenge. I hope you like the result. The scenario is completely invented, I just wanted to stay in the spirit of some of the strategy games, where, well, the title and story might not always be the highlight of it.

Bago, formerly Pegu, is a city and the capital of Bago Region in Myanmar (Burma). It is located 80 km north-east of Yangon.

 

HISTORY

The Gulf of Martaban was colonized by Mon people from the Thaton Kingdom, who established Bago. The earliest mention of Bago in history is by the Arab geographer ibn Khordadbeh around 850 AD. At the time, the Mon capital had shifted to Thaton. The area came under rule of the Burmese from Bagan in 1056. After the collapse of Bagan to the Mongols in 1287, the Mon regained their independence.

 

In Lower Burma, a Mon dynasty established itself first at Mottama and then at Bago. During the reign of King Razadarit, Bago and Ava Kingdom were engaged in the Forty Years' War. The peaceful reign of Queen Shin Sawbu came to an end when she chose the Buddhist monk Dhammazedi (1472–1492) to succeed her. Under Dhammazedi, Bago became a centre of commerce and Theravada Buddhism.

 

From 1369–1539, Hanthawaddy was the capital of the Mon Hanthawaddy Kingdom, which covered all of what is now Lower Burma. The area came under Burman control again in 1539, when it was annexed by King Tabinshwehti of the Taungoo Dynasty. The kings of Taungoo made Bago their royal capital from 1539–1599 and again in 1613–1635, and used it as a base for repeated invasions of the Ayutthaya Kingdom.

 

In 1519, António Correia, then a merchant from the Portuguese casados settlement at Cochin landed in Bago, then known to the Portuguese as Pegu, looking for new markets for pepper from Cochin. A year later, Portuguese India Governor Diogo Lopes de Sequeira sent an ambassador to Pegu.

 

As a major seaport, the city was frequently visited by Europeans, among these, Gasparo Balbi in late 1500s. The Europeans often commented on its magnificence. The Burmese capital relocated to Ava in 1634. In 1740, the Mon revolted and founded the Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom. However, a Bamar king, Alaungpaya, captured the city in May 1757.

 

Bago was rebuilt by King Bodawpaya (r. 1782-1819), but by then the river had shifted course, cutting the city off from the sea. It never regained its previous importance. After the Second Anglo-Burmese War, the British annexed Bago in 1852. In 1862, the province of British Burma was formed, and the capital moved to Yangon. The substantial differences between the colloquial and literary pronunciations, as with Burmese words, was a reason of the British corruption "Pegu".

 

In 1911, Hanthawaddy was described as a district in the Bago (or Pegu) division of Lower Burma. It lay in the home district of Yangon, from which the town was detached to make a separate district in 1880. It had an area of 7,830 km2, with a population of 48,411 in 1901, showing an increase of 22% in the past decade. Hanthawaddy and Hinthada were the two most densely populated districts in the province.

 

Hanthawaddy, as it was constituted in 1911, consisted of a vast plain stretching up from the sea between the To (or China Bakir) mouth of the Irrawaddy River and the Pegu Range. Except the tract of land lying between the Pegu Range on the east and the Yangon River, the country was intersected by numerous tidal creeks, many of which were navigable by large boats and some by steamers. The headquarters of the district was in Rangoon, which was also the sub-divisional headquarters. The second sub-division had its headquarters at Insein, where there were large railway works. Cultivation was almost wholly confined to rice, but there were many vegetable and fruit gardens.

 

Today, Hanthawaddy is one of the wards of Bago city.

 

PLACES OF INTEREST

Shwethalyaung Buddha (Reclining Buddha)

Shwemawdaw Paya

Kyaik Pun Paya

Kanbawzathadi Palace site and museum

Maha Kalyani Sima

Mahazedi Paya

Shwegugale Paya

Bago Degree College

Bago Sittaung Canal

 

WIKIPEDIA

Golden version of the Japanese kanji 屯田 (pronounced "tonden") which means "barracks," "colonization," or a few other related meanings. When I first moved to Sapporo, I rode the streetcar to and from work. My streetcar stop was 東屯田道 or "East Colonial Barracks Road." Evidently I used to live where the colonists from Meiji-era Japan lived when Hokkaido was being developed (or at least Sapporo).

 

(These characters are most likely used (in one form or another) by other east-Asian languages - the pronunciation will be different from Japanese though, as well as subtle meanings.)

takeshiyamada.weebly.com/

 

The Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) of Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York – This unique sea-dwelling rabbit, which is actually a close relative of the sea lion, was officially discovered and investigated by Henry Hudson when he first visited this land to colonize the area by order of the Dutch government. It was named New Amsterdam -- today’s New York City. This island was named after he saw the beach covered with strange swimming wild rabbits. The word “Coney Island” means “wild rabbit island” in Dutch (originally Conyne Eylandt, or Konijneneiland in modern Dutch spelling). Sea rabbits were also referred mermaid rabbit, merrabbit, rabbit fish or seal rabbit in the natural history documents in the 17th century. The current conservation status, or risk of extinction, of the sea rabbit is Extinct in the Wild.

 

This website features two species of sea rabbits, which have been taken care of by Dr. Takeshi Yamada (山田武司) at the Coney Island Sea Rabbit Repopulation Center, which is a part of the Marine biology department of the Coney Island University in Brooklyn, New York. They are – Coney Island Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) called “Seara” and Coney Island Tiger-striped Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus konjinicus) called “Stripes”.

 

The photographs and videos featured in this website chronicle adventures of the Coney Island sea rabbits and the world as seen by them. This article also documented efforts of Dr. Takeshi Yamada for bringing back the nearly extinct sea rabbits to Coney Island in the City of New York and beyond. Dr. Yamada produced a series of public lectures, workshops, original public live interactive fine art performances and fine art exhibitions about sea rabbits at a variety of occasions and institutions in the City of New York and beyond. Dr. Yamada is an internationally active educator, book author, wildlife conservationist and high profile artist, who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

 

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

 

Sea Rabbit

 

Other Common Names: Coney Island Sea Rabbit, Beach Rabbit, Seal Rabbit, mer-rabbit, merrabbit, Atlantic Sea Rabbit.

 

Latin Name: Monafluffchus americanus

 

Origin: Atlantic coast of the United States

 

Description of the specimen: In the early 17th century’s European fur craze drove the fleet of Dutch ships to the eastern costal area of America. Then Holland was the center of the world just like the Italy was in the previous century. New York City was once called New Amsterdam when Dutch merchants landed and established colonies. Among them, Henry Hudson is probably the most recognized individual in the history of New York City today. “This small island is inhabited by two major creatures which we do not have in our homeland. The one creature is a large arthropod made of three body segments: the frontal segment resembles a horseshoe, the middle segment resembles a spiny crab and its tail resembles a sharp sword. Although they gather beaches here in great numbers, they are not edible due to their extremely offensive odor. Another creature which is abundant here, has the head of wild rabbit. This animal of great swimming ability has frontal legs resemble the webbed feet of a duck. The bottom half of the body resembles that of a seal. This docile rabbit of the sea is easy to catch as it does not fear people. The larger male sea rabbits control harems of 20 to 25 females. The meat of the sea rabbit is very tender and tasty.” This is what Hadson wrote in his personal journal in 1609 about the horseshoe crab and the sea rabbit in today’s Coney Island area of Brooklyn, New York. Sadly, just like the Dodo bird and the Thylacine, the sea rabbit was driven to extinction by the European settlers’ greed. When Dutch merchants and traders arrived here, sea rabbits were one of the first animals they hunted down to bring their furs to homeland to satisfy the fur craze of the time. To increase the shipment volume of furs of sea rabbit and beavers from New Amsterdam, Dutch merchants also started using wampum (beads made of special clam shells) as the first official currency of this country.

 

At the North Eastern shores of the United States, two species of sea rabbits were commonly found. They are Coney Island Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) and Coney Island Tiger-striped Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus konjinicus). Sadly, due to their over harvesting in the previous centuries, their conservation status became “Extinct in the Wild” (ET) in the Red List Endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Currently, these sea rabbits are only found at breeding centers at selected zoos and universities such as Coney Island Aquarium and Coney Island University in Brooklyn, New York. The one shown in this photograph was named "Seara" and has been cared by Dr. Takeshi Yamada at Coney Island University.

 

The sea rabbit is one of the families of the Pinniped order. Pinnipeds (from Latin penna = flat and pes/pedis = foot) are sea-mammals: they are homeothermic (i.e having high and regulated inner temperature), lung-breathing (i.e dependant on atmospheric oxygen) animals having come back to semi aquatic life. As soon as they arrive ashore, females are caught by the nearest adult male. Males can maintain harems of about 20 females on average. Several hours to several days after arriving ashore, pregnant females give birth to eight to ten pups with a dark brown fur. As soon as birth occurs, the mother’s special smell and calls help her pups bond specifically to her. The mother stays ashore with her pup for about one week during which the pup gains weight. During the first week spent with her newborn, the mother becomes receptive. She will be impregnated by the bull, which control the harem. Implantation of the embryo will occur 3 months later, in March-April. During the reproductive period, the best males copulate with several tens females. To do so, males have to stay ashore without feeding in order to keep their territory and their harem. In mid-January, when the last females have been fecundated, males leave at sea to feed. Some of them will come back later in March-April for the moult. The other ones will stay at sea and will come back on Coney Island only in next November. After fecundation, the mother goes at sea for her first meal. At sea, mothers feed on clams, crabs, shrimps, fish (herring, anchovy, Pollock, capelin etc.) and squids. When she is back, the mother recovers her pups at the beach she left them. Suckling occurs after auditive and olfactory recognition had occured. In March-April, the dark brown fur is totally replaced by an adult-like light brownish grey fur during the moult that lasts 1-2 months. This new fur is composed by 2 layers. Externally, the guard fur is composed by flat hairs that recover themselves when wet. By doing so, they make a water-proof barrier for the under fur. The underfur retains air when the seal is dry. Because of isolating properties of the air, the underfur is the insulating system of the fur. In March-April, the fur of adults is partially replaced. First reproduction occurs at 1-yr old in females. Males are physiologically matures at 1 year old but socially matures at +2 years old.

 

NOTE: The name of Coney Island is commonly thought to be derived from the Dutch Konijn Eylandt or Rabbit Island as apparently the 17th century European settlers noted many rabbits running amuck on the island.

 

www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/performances.html

 

www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/sea-rabbit-center.html

 

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

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbits23/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit22

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit021/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit20

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit19

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit18

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit17

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit16

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit15

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit14

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit13

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit12

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit11

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit10

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit9

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit8

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit7

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit6

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit5

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit4

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit3

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit2

 

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit1

 

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits03

 

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits02

 

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits01

 

www.flickr.com/photos/yamadaimmortalized2/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/takeshiyamadaimmortalized/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/yamadabellhouse2014/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders3/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders2

 

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/takeshiyamadapaintings/

 

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For any questions, please email contact Takeshi Yamada, Art & Rogue Taxidermy, Museum of World Wonders, official website. www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/

 

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www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com

 

For any questions, please contact Dr. Takeshi Yamada. His email address is posted in the chapter page (the last page or the first page).

 

(Updated April 7B, 2015)

Dibyendu Das from Mahishadal, Purba Medinipur, West Bengal(W.B.) placed in National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA) for Space Settlement Design and Space Colonization. He presented a paper of 24 pages and some space design artwork and one model.

He passed +2 std. exam with 93% marks in total and now studying B.Tech Architecture in S.R.M. University, Chennai.

Lava flow of 1718, near Santa Luzia. Timid colonizers growing in the arid environment of a "mistério".

 

Pillow-shapes, weathering patterns and erosional forms suggest, that some of this area had been below sea level at the time of the lava flow.

Shiitake logs colonization area above a stream.

 

Keeping humidity high, good aeration

 

Grower: André Ramos, Quinta da Avó

Probably Purpureocillium sp. (syn. Paecilomyces)

View Large On Black

© All Rights Reserved

No Usage Allowed in Any Form Without the Written Consent of Serena Livingston

 

Bog Formation

The bog is a product of glaciation. As the last ice sheet melted 13,000 years ago, a large block of ice broke off and settled in the glacial till (sand and gravel). When the block melted it left a kettle lake, cut off from any watercourses. Sedges, mosses and other plants gradually colonized the margins of the lake. Due to the cool, oxygen-poor conditions, when dead plants sank to the bottom, they did not break down fully, but became compressed as peat.

In time, the accumulating peat formed a semi-floating mat that crept from the outer edges of the bog towards the open water at the centre. As the mat became consolidated, Sphagnum mosses, heath plants and spruce trees grew on the drier hummocks.

 

The Sifton Bog is an acidic bog in which only a limited number of plants can grow. Most would normally be found in more northern climates. Since the bog is surrounded by woods with Carolinian affinities, one can experience in a ten minute walk changes in vegetation that could take a journey of several hundred kilometres.

 

Because it is the most southerly large acidic bog in Canada, it is an invaluable study area, the more so because of its location in a large urban centre. The Sifton Bog is a Class 2 provincially significant wetland.

  

takeshiyamada.weebly.com/

 

The Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) of Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York – This unique sea-dwelling rabbit, which is actually a close relative of the sea lion, was officially discovered and investigated by Henry Hudson when he first visited this land to colonize the area by order of the Dutch government. It was named New Amsterdam -- today’s New York City. This island was named after he saw the beach covered with strange swimming wild rabbits. The word “Coney Island” means “wild rabbit island” in Dutch (originally Conyne Eylandt, or Konijneneiland in modern Dutch spelling). Sea rabbits were also referred mermaid rabbit, merrabbit, rabbit fish or seal rabbit in the natural history documents in the 17th century. The current conservation status, or risk of extinction, of the sea rabbit is Extinct in the Wild.

 

This website features two species of sea rabbits, which have been taken care of by Dr. Takeshi Yamada (山田武司) at the Coney Island Sea Rabbit Repopulation Center, which is a part of the Marine biology department of the Coney Island University in Brooklyn, New York. They are – Coney Island Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) called “Seara” and Coney Island Tiger-striped Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus konjinicus) called “Stripes”.

 

The photographs and videos featured in this website chronicle adventures of the Coney Island sea rabbits and the world as seen by them. This article also documented efforts of Dr. Takeshi Yamada for bringing back the nearly extinct sea rabbits to Coney Island in the City of New York and beyond. Dr. Yamada produced a series of public lectures, workshops, original public live interactive fine art performances and fine art exhibitions about sea rabbits at a variety of occasions and institutions in the City of New York and beyond. Dr. Yamada is an internationally active educator, book author, wildlife conservationist and high profile artist, who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

 

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Sea Rabbit

 

Other Common Names: Coney Island Sea Rabbit, Beach Rabbit, Seal Rabbit, mer-rabbit, merrabbit, Atlantic Sea Rabbit.

 

Latin Name: Monafluffchus americanus

 

Origin: Atlantic coast of the United States

 

Description of the specimen: In the early 17th century’s European fur craze drove the fleet of Dutch ships to the eastern costal area of America. Then Holland was the center of the world just like the Italy was in the previous century. New York City was once called New Amsterdam when Dutch merchants landed and established colonies. Among them, Henry Hudson is probably the most recognized individual in the history of New York City today. “This small island is inhabited by two major creatures which we do not have in our homeland. The one creature is a large arthropod made of three body segments: the frontal segment resembles a horseshoe, the middle segment resembles a spiny crab and its tail resembles a sharp sword. Although they gather beaches here in great numbers, they are not edible due to their extremely offensive odor. Another creature which is abundant here, has the head of wild rabbit. This animal of great swimming ability has frontal legs resemble the webbed feet of a duck. The bottom half of the body resembles that of a seal. This docile rabbit of the sea is easy to catch as it does not fear people. The larger male sea rabbits control harems of 20 to 25 females. The meat of the sea rabbit is very tender and tasty.” This is what Hadson wrote in his personal journal in 1609 about the horseshoe crab and the sea rabbit in today’s Coney Island area of Brooklyn, New York. Sadly, just like the Dodo bird and the Thylacine, the sea rabbit was driven to extinction by the European settlers’ greed. When Dutch merchants and traders arrived here, sea rabbits were one of the first animals they hunted down to bring their furs to homeland to satisfy the fur craze of the time. To increase the shipment volume of furs of sea rabbit and beavers from New Amsterdam, Dutch merchants also started using wampum (beads made of special clam shells) as the first official currency of this country.

 

At the North Eastern shores of the United States, two species of sea rabbits were commonly found. They are Coney Island Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus americanus) and Coney Island Tiger-striped Sea Rabbit (Monafluffchus konjinicus). Sadly, due to their over harvesting in the previous centuries, their conservation status became “Extinct in the Wild” (ET) in the Red List Endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Currently, these sea rabbits are only found at breeding centers at selected zoos and universities such as Coney Island Aquarium and Coney Island University in Brooklyn, New York. The one shown in this photograph was named "Seara" and has been cared by Dr. Takeshi Yamada at Coney Island University.

 

The sea rabbit is one of the families of the Pinniped order. Pinnipeds (from Latin penna = flat and pes/pedis = foot) are sea-mammals: they are homeothermic (i.e having high and regulated inner temperature), lung-breathing (i.e dependant on atmospheric oxygen) animals having come back to semi aquatic life. As soon as they arrive ashore, females are caught by the nearest adult male. Males can maintain harems of about 20 females on average. Several hours to several days after arriving ashore, pregnant females give birth to eight to ten pups with a dark brown fur. As soon as birth occurs, the mother’s special smell and calls help her pups bond specifically to her. The mother stays ashore with her pup for about one week during which the pup gains weight. During the first week spent with her newborn, the mother becomes receptive. She will be impregnated by the bull, which control the harem. Implantation of the embryo will occur 3 months later, in March-April. During the reproductive period, the best males copulate with several tens females. To do so, males have to stay ashore without feeding in order to keep their territory and their harem. In mid-January, when the last females have been fecundated, males leave at sea to feed. Some of them will come back later in March-April for the moult. The other ones will stay at sea and will come back on Coney Island only in next November. After fecundation, the mother goes at sea for her first meal. At sea, mothers feed on clams, crabs, shrimps, fish (herring, anchovy, Pollock, capelin etc.) and squids. When she is back, the mother recovers her pups at the beach she left them. Suckling occurs after auditive and olfactory recognition had occured. In March-April, the dark brown fur is totally replaced by an adult-like light brownish grey fur during the moult that lasts 1-2 months. This new fur is composed by 2 layers. Externally, the guard fur is composed by flat hairs that recover themselves when wet. By doing so, they make a water-proof barrier for the under fur. The underfur retains air when the seal is dry. Because of isolating properties of the air, the underfur is the insulating system of the fur. In March-April, the fur of adults is partially replaced. First reproduction occurs at 1-yr old in females. Males are physiologically matures at 1 year old but socially matures at +2 years old.

 

NOTE: The name of Coney Island is commonly thought to be derived from the Dutch Konijn Eylandt or Rabbit Island as apparently the 17th century European settlers noted many rabbits running amuck on the island.

 

www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/performances.html

 

www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/sea-rabbit-center.html

 

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www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit24/

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbits23/

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit22

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit021/

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit20

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit19

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit18

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit17

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit16

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit15

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit14

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit13

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit12

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit11

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit10

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit9

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit8

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit7

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit6

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit5

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit4

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit3

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit2

www.flickr.com/photos/searabbit1

 

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits03

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits02

www.flickr.com/photos/diningwithsearabbits01

 

www.flickr.com/photos/yamadaimmortalized2/

www.flickr.com/photos/takeshiyamadaimmortalized/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/yamadabellhouse2014/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders3/

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders2

www.flickr.com/photos/museumofworldwonders/

 

www.flickr.com/photos/takeshiyamadapaintings/

 

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

 

For any questions, please email contact Takeshi Yamada, Art & Rogue Taxidermy, Museum of World Wonders, official website. www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com/

 

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

 

www.takeshiyamada.weebly.com

 

For any questions, please contact Dr. Takeshi Yamada. His email address is posted in the chapter page (the last page or the first page).

 

(Updated May 25, 2015)

Aflasafe production- Technician loads grains into oven for drying after colonization in a laboratory at IITA Ibadan.

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