View allAll Photos Tagged Consistent.
West Wind uses one of Wellington’s most renowned natural resources – wind. The funnelling effect of Cook Strait means the site has strong and consistent wind speeds, making it an ideal place for a wind farm
Taken @Makara, west of Wellington city, New Zealand
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Celebrated annually on 26 January, it marks the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British ships at Port Jackson, New South Wales and the raising of the Flag of Great Britain at Sydney Cove by Governor Arthur Phillip. In present-day Australia, celebrations reflect the diverse society and landscape of the nation and are marked by community and family events, reflections on Australian history, official community awards and citizenship ceremonies welcoming new members of the Australian community.
The meaning and significance of Australia Day has evolved over time. Unofficially, or historically, the date has also been variously named "Anniversary Day"
26 January 1788 marked the proclamation of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of Australia (then known as New Holland). Although it was not known as Australia Day until over a century later, records of celebrations on 26 January date back to 1808, with the first official celebration of the formation of New South Wales held in 1818.
On New Year's Day 1901, the British colonies of Australia formed a federation, marking the birth of modern Australia. A national day of unity and celebration was looked for. It was not until 1935 that all Australian states and territories adopted use of the term "Australia Day" to mark the date, and not until 1994 that the date was consistently marked by a public holiday on that day by all states and territories.
Some Indigenous Australian events are now included. However, since at least 1938, the date of Australia Day has also been marked by Indigenous Australians, and those sympathetic to their cause, mourning what they see as the invasion of their land by Europeans and protesting its celebration as a national holiday. These groups sometimes refer to 26 January as "Invasion Day" or "Survival Day" and advocate that the date should be changed.
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NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) announced on Aug. 27, 2012, that the ice cap covering the Arctic Ocean is now smaller than ever recorded since consistent satellite measurements of the ice began more than three decades ago. Each year, the ice cap goes through a shrink-and-swell cycle, melting throughout the summer months before expanding through fall and winter. In the past decade in particular the minimum summertime extent of the ice cap has shown a consistent decline in size – a trend closely linked with the Arctic's warming climate. NASA and NSIDC scientists said the extent of Arctic sea ice on Aug. 26 surpassed the previous record minimum extent set in the summer of 2007. The ice cap will continue to melt and get smaller in the coming weeks before temperatures get colder and ice begins to refreeze as fall approaches.
To read more go to: 1.usa.gov/PkgRuq
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NASA image acquired August 6, 2012
Summer Storm Spins Over Arctic
An unusually strong storm formed off the coast of Alaska on August 5 and tracked into the center of the Arctic Ocean, where it slowly dissipated over the next several days.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this natural-color mosaic image on August 6, 2012. The center of the storm at that date was located in the middle of the Arctic Ocean.
The storm had an unusually low central pressure area. Paul A. Newman, Chief Scientist for Atmospheric Sciences at NASA Goddard estimates that there have only been about eight storms of similar strength during the month of August in the last 34 years of satellite records. “It’s an uncommon event, especially because it’s occurring in the summer. Polar lows are more usual in the winter,” Newman said.
Arctic storms such as this one can have a large impact on the sea ice, causing it to melt rapidly through many mechanisms, such as tearing off large swaths of ice and pushing them to warmer sites, churning the ice and making it slushier, or lifting warmer waters from the depths of the Arctic Ocean.
“It seems that this storm has detached a large chunk of ice from the main sea ice pack. This could lead to a more serious decay of the summertime ice cover than would have been the case otherwise, even perhaps leading to a new Arctic sea ice minimum,” said Claire Parkinson, a climate scientist with NASA Goddard. “Decades ago, a storm of the same magnitude would have been less likely to have as large an impact on the sea ice, because at that time the ice cover was thicker and more expansive.”
Aqua passes over the poles many times a day, and the MODIS Rapid Response System stitches together images from throughout each day to generate a daily mosaic view of the Arctic. This technique creates the diagonal lines that give the image its "pie slice" appearance.
In the image, the bright white ice sheet of Greenland is seen in the lower left.
By Maria-José Viñas
NASA's Earth Science News Team
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.
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Locomotiva a vapore con telaio in lamiera d'acciaio, poggiante su un rodiggio 131 ammortizzato con molle a balestra, composto da un carrello portante anteriore di tipo italiano, da tre sale accoppiate e da un carrello posteriore. Al di sopra della caldaia, dotata di un sistema di surriscaldamento del vapore a tubi piccoli, sono posizionati i due distinti rilievi della sabbiera e del duomo, mentre nella parte anteriore si trova un fumaiolo semplice, situato in corrispondenza della camera a fumo. La locomotiva dispone di quattro cilindri gemelli, due interni e due esterni, alimentati per mezzo del sistema di distribuzione Caprotti. La locomotiva è completa di tender per il trasporto delle scorte di acqua e carbone. La locomotiva presenta una verniciatura di colore nero lucido, ad eccezione dei raggi delle ruote, della trave dei respingenti, delle fiancate del telaio e l'incavo delle bielle verniciati di rosso e dei cerchi delle ruote di colore bianco.
Pur non adottando soluzioni tecniche particolarmente innovative, le locomotive del Gruppo 685 si dimostrarono una perfetta sintesi di affidabilità, efficienza, economicità, versatilità e facilità di condotta, tanto da rimanere in servizio fino alla metà degli anni '70; dal 1912, anno di introduzione, fino al 1975 le locomotive Gr. 685 hanno operato su un gran numero di linee in tutta Italia. Prodotto in 391 esemplari fra il 1912 e il 1933, il Gruppo 685 è stato, inoltre, il più numeroso Gruppo di locomotive a vapore per treni passeggeri delle ferrovie italiane. L'esemplare conservato presso il Museo della Scienza e della Tecnologia "Leonardo da Vinci" risulta essere la millesima locomotiva a vapore realizzata dalla Società Italiana Ernesto Breda, costruita nel 1908 come Gr. 680 e successivamente trasformata in Gr. S.685. L'introduzione delle locomotive di Gruppo 685, infatti, rese rapidamente obsolete le locomotive del precedente Gruppo 680, meno potenti e con consumi di carbone più elevati. Nella fase progettuale di questo Gruppo, l'Ufficio Studi di Firenze adottò un sistema di surriscaldamento del motore, sostituendo il precedente motore a doppia espansione, ottenendo in questo modo prestazioni più elevate; un'ulteriore innovazione tecnica, introdotta a partire dal 1926, consisteva nel sistema di distribuzione mediante albero a camme, ideato dall'ingegnere Arturo Caprotti, che permise un miglioramento del rendimento del motore. A partire dal 1930 le Ferrovie dello Stato decisero di introdurre, sulle residue locomotive Gr. 680 da trasformare, un'ulteriore innovazione consistente nell'aumento della massa aderente in modo da sfruttare al meglio la forza di trazione del motore; queste ultime locomotive erano contraddistinte dalla lettera S davanti al numero di classificazione; in particolare l'esemplare conservato presso il Museo fa parte del numero di dodici locomotive trasformate dalla OM tra il 1932 e il 1933.
Fonte:http://www.museoscienza.org/dipartimenti/catalogo_collezioni/scheda_oggetto.asp?idk_in=ST120-00379&arg=OM
While I hope to consistently post on Flickr again, I'll just have to see how things go. Meanwhile, I thought I'd edit and post this Valley of Fire pano I captured with my iPhone, which continually amazes me with its capabilities. This one is a full size of the original minus a little cropping. The skyscape was really competing with the landscape this day as thunderheads were building throughout the day over the surrounding mountains as the monsoon season gets a head start this year.
Consistently, approximately 17 times per day, Old Faithful erupts and entertains the crowds that gather to watch. It is indeed a thrilling, memorable experience.
It was time for another Gundam mobile suit. I haven't really been consistent with the scale of my Gundams. The first and the second were in quite a large scale. The third and the fourth are similar in size, but not in scale, since those two are much larger in the series. This week's model was intentionally built smaller because I wanted to experiment with scale and to step away from the usual. It is much smaller than the previous four Gundams, and its scale is closer to the third and fourth model. Unfortunately, the first three have been packed since the Kockice Convention so I haven't taken a photo of all four of them... yet.
Enjoy the short video with 360° views of various poses and the demonstration of accessories.
The design of the cross on the shield is borrowed from a model I built seven years ago.
Mech Monday is a project started by Markus and me. The idea is to post one model of a mech, robot or drone per week, each Monday of 2019.
Join in on the fun and see what we have built so far in the Mech Monday group.
If you want a challenge or need inspiration, next week we're doing “Face on Torso.”
See you next Monday!
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Hong kong)
Hong Kong, officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, is an autonomous territory south to Mainland China and east to Macao in East Asia. With around 7.2 million Hong Kongers of various nationalities[note 2] in a territory of 1,104 km2, Hong Kong is the world's fourth most densely populated country or territory.
Hong Kong used to be a British colony with the perpetual cession of Hong Kong Island from the Qing Empire after the First Opium War (1839–42). The colony expanded to the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 and acquired a 99-year lease of the New Territories from 1898. Hong Kong was later occupied by Japan during the Second World War until British control resumed in 1945. The Sino-British Joint Declaration signed between the United Kingdom and China in 1984 paved way for the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong in 1997, when it became a special administrative region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China with a high degree of autonomy.[15]
Under the principle of "one country, two systems",[16][17] Hong Kong maintains a separate political and economic system from China. Except in military defence and foreign affairs, Hong Kong maintains its independent executive, legislative and judiciary powers.[18] In addition, Hong Kong develops relations directly with foreign states and international organisations in a broad range of "appropriate fields".[19] Hong Kong involves in international organizations, such as the WTO[20] and the APEC [21], actively and independently.
Hong Kong is one of the world's most significant financial centres, with the highest Financial Development Index score and consistently ranks as the world's most competitive and freest economic entity.[22][23] As the world's 8th largest trading entity,[24] its legal tender, the Hong Kong dollar, is the world's 13th most traded currency.[25] As the world's most visited city,[26][27] Hong Kong's tertiary sector dominated economy is characterised by competitive simple taxation and supported by its independent judiciary system.[28] Even with one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, it suffers from severe income inequality.[29]
Nicknamed "Pearl of the Orient", Hong Kong is renowned for its deep natural harbour, which boasts the world's fifth busiest port with ready access by cargo ships, and its impressive skyline, with the most skyscrapers in the world.[30][31] It has a very high Human Development Index ranking and the world's longest life expectancy.[32][33] Over 90% of the population makes use of well-developed public transportation.[34][35] Seasonal air pollution with origins from neighbouring industrial areas of Mainland China, which adopts loose emissions standards, has resulted in a high level of atmospheric particulates in winter.[36][37][38]
Contents
1 Etymology
2 History
2.1 Prehistory
2.2 Imperial China
2.3 British Crown Colony: 1842–1941
2.4 Japanese occupation: 1941–45
2.5 Resumption of British rule and industrialisation: 1945–97
2.6 Handover and Special Administrative Region status
3 Governance
3.1 Structure of government
3.2 Electoral and political reforms
3.3 Legal system and judiciary
3.4 Foreign relations
3.5 Human rights
3.6 Regions and districts
3.7 Military
4 Geography and climate
5 Economy
5.1 Financial centre
5.2 International trading
5.3 Tourism and expatriation
5.4 Policy
5.5 Infrastructure
6 Demographics
6.1 Languages
6.2 Religion
6.3 Personal income
6.4 Education
6.5 Health
7 Culture
7.1 Sports
7.2 Architecture
7.3 Cityscape
7.4 Symbols
8 See also
9 Notes
10 References
10.1 Citations
10.2 Sources
11 Further reading
12 External links
Etymology
Hong Kong was officially recorded in the 1842 Treaty of Nanking to encompass the entirety of the island.[39]
The source of the romanised name "Hong Kong" is not known, but it is generally believed to be an early imprecise phonetic rendering of the pronunciation in spoken Cantonese 香港 (Cantonese Yale: Hēung Góng), which means "Fragrant Harbour" or "Incense Harbour".[13][14][40] Before 1842, the name referred to a small inlet—now Aberdeen Harbour (Chinese: 香港仔; Cantonese Yale: Hēunggóng jái), literally means "Little Hong Kong"—between Aberdeen Island and the southern coast of Hong Kong Island. Aberdeen was an initial point of contact between British sailors and local fishermen.[41]
Another theory is that the name would have been taken from Hong Kong's early inhabitants, the Tankas (水上人); it is equally probable that romanisation was done with a faithful execution of their speeches, i.e. hōng, not hēung in Cantonese.[42] Detailed and accurate romanisation systems for Cantonese were available and in use at the time.[43]
Fragrance may refer to the sweet taste of the harbour's fresh water estuarine influx of the Pearl River or to the incense from factories lining the coast of northern Kowloon. The incense was stored near Aberdeen Harbour for export before Hong Kong developed Victoria Harbour.[40]
The name had often been written as the single word Hongkong until the government adopted the current form in 1926.[44] Nevertheless, a number of century-old institutions still retain the single-word form, such as the Hongkong Post, Hongkong Electric and the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.
As of 1997, its official name is the "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China". This is the official title as mentioned in the Hong Kong Basic Law and the Hong Kong Government's website;[45] however, "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" and "Hong Kong" are widely accepted.
Hong Kong has carried many nicknames. The most famous among those is the "Pearl of the Orient", which reflected the impressive nightscape of the city's light decorations on the skyscrapers along both sides of the Victoria Harbour. The territory is also known as "Asia's World City".
History
Main articles: History of Hong Kong and History of China
Prehistory
Main article: Prehistoric Hong Kong
Archaeological studies support human presence in the Chek Lap Kok area (now Hong Kong International Airport) from 35,000 to 39,000 years ago and on Sai Kung Peninsula from 6,000 years ago.[46][47][48]
Wong Tei Tung and Three Fathoms Cove are the earliest sites of human habitation in Hong Kong during the Paleolithic Period. It is believed that the Three Fathom Cove was a river-valley settlement and Wong Tei Tung was a lithic manufacturing site. Excavated Neolithic artefacts suggested cultural differences from the Longshan culture of northern China and settlement by the Che people, prior to the migration of the Baiyue to Hong Kong.[49][50] Eight petroglyphs, which dated to the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600 BC – 1066 BC) in China, were discovered on the surrounding islands.[51]
Imperial China
Main article: History of Hong Kong under Imperial China
In 214 BC, Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of a centralised China, conquered the Baiyue tribes in Jiaozhi (modern-day Liangguang region and Vietnam) and incorporated the area of Hong Kong into his imperial China for the first time. Hong Kong proper was assigned to the Nanhai commandery (modern-day Nanhai District), near the commandery's capital city Panyu.[52][53][54]
After a brief period of centralisation and collapse of the Qin dynasty, the area of Hong Kong was consolidated under the Kingdom of Nanyue, founded by general Zhao Tuo in 204 BC.[55] When Nanyue lost the Han-Nanyue War in 111 BC, Hong Kong came under the Jiaozhi commandery of the Han dynasty. Archaeological evidence indicates an increase of population and flourish of salt production. The Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb on the Kowloon Peninsula is believed to have been built as a burial site during the Han dynasty.[56]
From the Han dynasty to the early Tang dynasty, Hong Kong was a part of Bao'an County. In the Tang dynasty, modern-day Guangzhou (Canton) flourished as an international trading centre. In 736, the Emperor Xuanzong of Tang established a military stronghold in Tuen Mun to strengthen defence of the coastal area.[57] The nearby Lantau Island was a salt production centre and salt smuggler riots occasionally broke out against the government. In c. 1075, The first village school, Li Ying College, was established around 1075 AD in modern-day New Territories by the Northern Song dynasty.[58] During their war against the Mongols, the imperial court of Southern Song was briefly stationed at modern-day Kowloon City (the Sung Wong Toi site) before their ultimate defeat by the Mongols at the Battle of Yamen in 1279.[59] The Mongols then established their dynastic court and governed Hong Kong for 97 years.
From the mid-Tang dynasty to the early Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Hong Kong was a part of Dongguan County. During the Ming dynasty, the area was transferred to Xin'an County. The indigenous inhabitants at that time consisted of several ethnicities such as Punti, Hakka, Tanka and Hoklo.
European discovery
The earliest European visitor on record was Jorge Álvares, a Portuguese explorer, who arrived in 1513.[60][61] Having established a trading post in a site they called "Tamão" in Hong Kong waters, Portuguese merchants commenced with regular trading in southern China. Subsequent military clashes between China and Portugal, however, led to the expulsion of all Portuguese merchants from southern China.
Since the 14th century, the Ming court had enforced the maritime prohibition laws that strictly forbade all private maritime activities in order to prevent contact with foreigners by sea.[62] When the Manchu Qing dynasty took over China, Hong Kong was directly affected by the Great Clearance decree of the Kangxi Emperor, who ordered the evacuation of coastal areas of Guangdong from 1661 to 1669. Over 16,000 inhabitants of Xin'an County including those in Hong Kong were forced to migrate inland; only 1,648 of those who had evacuated subsequently returned.[63][64]
British Crown Colony: 1842–1941
A painter at work. John Thomson. Hong Kong, 1871. The Wellcome Collection, London
Main articles: British Hong Kong and History of Hong Kong (1800s–1930s)
In 1839, threats by the imperial court of Qing to sanction opium imports caused diplomatic friction with the British Empire. Tensions escalated into the First Opium War. The Qing admitted defeat when British forces captured Hong Kong Island on 20 January 1841. The island was initially ceded under the Convention of Chuenpi as part of a ceasefire agreement between Captain Charles Elliot and Governor Qishan. A dispute between high-ranking officials of both countries, however, led to the failure of the treaty's ratification. On 29 August 1842, Hong Kong Island was formally ceded in perpetuity to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland under the Treaty of Nanking.[65] The British officially established a Crown colony and founded the City of Victoria in the following year.[66]
The population of Hong Kong Island was 7,450 when the Union Flag raised over Possession Point on 26 January 1841. It mostly consisted of Tanka fishermen and Hakka charcoal burners, whose settlements scattered along several coastal hamlets. In the 1850s, a large number of Chinese immigrants crossed the then-free border to escape from the Taiping Rebellion. Other natural disasters, such as flooding, typhoons and famine in mainland China would play a role in establishing Hong Kong as a place for safe shelter.[67][68]
Further conflicts over the opium trade between Britain and Qing quickly escalated into the Second Opium War. Following the Anglo-French victory, the Crown Colony was expanded to include Kowloon Peninsula (south of Boundary Street) and Stonecutter's Island, both of which were ceded to the British in perpetuity under the Convention of Beijing in 1860.
In 1898, Britain obtained a 99-year lease from Qing under the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory, in which Hong Kong obtained a 99-year lease of Lantau Island, the area north of Boundary Street in Kowloon up to Shenzhen River and over 200 other outlying islands.[69][70][71]
Hong Kong soon became a major entrepôt thanks to its free port status, attracting new immigrants to settle from both China and Europe. The society, however, remained racially segregated and polarised under early British colonial policies. Despite the rise of a British-educated Chinese upper-class by the late-19th century, race laws such as the Peak Reservation Ordinance prevented ethnic Chinese in Hong Kong from acquiring houses in reserved areas such as Victoria Peak. At this time, the majority of the Chinese population in Hong Kong had no political representation in the British colonial government. The British governors did rely, however, on a small number of Chinese elites, including Sir Kai Ho and Robert Hotung, who served as ambassadors and mediators between the government and local population.
File:1937 Hong Kong VP8.webmPlay media
Hong Kong filmed in 1937
In 1904, the United Kingdom established the world's first border and immigration control; all residents of Hong Kong were given citizenship as Citizens of United Kingdom and Colonies (CUKC).
Hong Kong continued to experience modest growth during the first half of the 20th century. The University of Hong Kong was established in 1911 as the territory's first higher education institute. While there had been an exodus of 60,000 residents for fear of a German attack on the British colony during the First World War, Hong Kong remained unscathed. Its population increased from 530,000 in 1916 to 725,000 in 1925 and reached 1.6 million by 1941.[72]
In 1925, Cecil Clementi became the 17th Governor of Hong Kong. Fluent in Cantonese and without a need for translator, Clementi introduced the first ethnic Chinese, Shouson Chow, into the Executive Council as an unofficial member. Under Clementi's tenure, Kai Tak Airport entered operation as RAF Kai Tak and several aviation clubs. In 1937, the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out when the Japanese Empire expanded its territories from northeastern China into the mainland proper. To safeguard Hong Kong as a freeport, Governor Geoffry Northcote declared the Crown Colony as a neutral zone.
Japanese occupation: 1941–45
Main article: Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
The Cenotaph in Hong Kong commemorates those who died in service in the First World War and the Second World War.[73]
As part of its military campaign in Southeast Asia during Second World War, the Japanese army moved south from Guangzhou of mainland China and attacked Hong Kong in on 8 December 1941.[74] Crossing the border at Shenzhen River on 8 December, the Battle of Hong Kong lasted for 18 days when British and Canadian forces held onto Hong Kong Island. Unable to defend against intensifying Japanese air and land bombardments, they eventually surrendered control of Hong Kong on 25 December 1941. The Governor of Hong Kong was captured and taken as a prisoner of war. This day is regarded by the locals as "Black Christmas".[75]
During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, the Japanese army committed atrocities against civilians and POWs, such as the St. Stephen's College massacre. Local residents also suffered widespread food shortages, limited rationing and hyper-inflation arising from the forced exchange of currency from Hong Kong dollars to Japanese military banknotes. The initial ratio of 2:1 was gradually devalued to 4:1 and ownership of Hong Kong dollars was declared illegal and punishable by harsh torture. Due to starvation and forced deportation for slave labour to mainland China, the population of Hong Kong had dwindled from 1.6 million in 1941 to 600,000 in 1945, when the United Kingdom resumed control of the colony on 2 September 1945.[76]
Resumption of British rule and industrialisation: 1945–97
Main articles: British Hong Kong, 1950s in Hong Kong, 1960s in Hong Kong, 1970s in Hong Kong, 1980s in Hong Kong, and 1990s in Hong Kong
Flag of British Hong Kong from 1959 to 1997
Hong Kong's population recovered quickly after the war, as a wave of skilled migrants from the Republic of China moved in to seek refuge from the Chinese Civil War. When the Communist Party eventually took full control of mainland China in 1949, even more skilled migrants fled across the open border for fear of persecution.[69] Many newcomers, especially those who had been based in the major port cities of Shanghai and Guangzhou, established corporations and small- to medium-sized businesses and shifted their base operations to British Hong Kong.[69] The establishment of a socialist state in China (People's Republic of China) on 1 October 1949 caused the British colonial government to reconsider Hong Kong's open border to mainland China. In 1951, a boundary zone was demarked as a buffer zone against potential military attacks from communist China. Border posts along the north of Hong Kong began operation in 1953 to regulate the movement of people and goods into and out of the territory.
Stamp with portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, 1953
In the 1950s, Hong Kong became the first of the Four Asian Tiger economies under rapid industrialisation driven by textile exports, manufacturing industries and re-exports of goods to China. As the population grew, with labour costs remaining low, living standards began to rise steadily.[77] The construction of the Shek Kip Mei Estate in 1953 marked the beginning of the public housing estate programme to provide shelter for the less privileged and to cope with the influx of immigrants.
Under Sir Murray MacLehose, 25th Governor of Hong Kong (1971–82), a series of reforms improved the public services, environment, housing, welfare, education and infrastructure of Hong Kong. MacLehose was British Hong Kong's longest-serving governor and, by the end of his tenure, had become one of the most popular and well-known figures in the Crown Colony. MacLehose laid the foundation for Hong Kong to establish itself as a key global city in the 1980s and early 1990s.
A sky view of Hong Kong Island
An aerial view of the northern shore of Hong Kong Island in 1986
To resolve traffic congestion and to provide a more reliable means of crossing the Victoria Harbour, a rapid transit railway system (metro), the MTR, was planned from the 1970s onwards. The Island Line (Hong Kong Island), Kwun Tong Line (Kowloon Peninsula and East Kowloon) and Tsuen Wan Line (Kowloon and urban New Territories) opened in the early 1980s.[78]
In 1983, the Hong Kong dollar left its 16:1 peg with the Pound sterling and switched to the current US-HK Dollar peg. Hong Kong's competitiveness in manufacturing gradually declined due to rising labour and property costs, as well as new development in southern China under the Open Door Policy introduced in 1978 which opened up China to foreign business. Nevertheless, towards the early 1990s, Hong Kong had established itself as a global financial centre along with London and New York City, a regional hub for logistics and freight, one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia and the world's exemplar of Laissez-faire market policy.[79]
The Hong Kong question
In 1971, the Republic of China (Taiwan)'s permanent seat on the United Nations was transferred to the People's Republic of China (PRC), Hong Kong's status as a recognised colony became terminated in 1972 under the request of PRC. Facing the uncertain future of Hong Kong and expiry of land lease of New Territories beyond 1997, Governor MacLehose raised the question in the late 1970s.
The British Nationality Act 1981 reclassified Hong Kong into a British Dependent Territory amid the reorganisation of global territories of the British Empire. All residents of Hong Kong became British Dependent Territory Citizens (BDTC). Diplomatic negotiations began with China and eventually concluded with the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration. Both countries agreed to transfer Hong Kong's sovereignty to China on 1 July 1997, when Hong Kong would remain autonomous as a special administrative region and be able to retain its free-market economy, British common law through the Hong Kong Basic Law, independent representation in international organisations (e.g. WTO and WHO), treaty arrangements and policy-making except foreign diplomacy and military defence.
It stipulated that Hong Kong would retain its laws and be guaranteed a high degree of autonomy for at least 50 years after the transfer. The Hong Kong Basic Law, based on English law, would serve as the constitutional document after the transfer. It was ratified in 1990.[69] The expiry of the 1898 lease on the New Territories in 1997 created problems for business contracts, property leases and confidence among foreign investors.
Handover and Special Administrative Region status
Main articles: Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong and 2000s in Hong Kong
Transfer of sovereignty
Golden Bauhinia Square
On 1 July 1997, the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China took place, officially marking the end of Hong Kong's 156 years under British colonial governance. As the largest remaining colony of the United Kingdom, the loss of Hong Kong effectively represented the end of the British Empire. This transfer of sovereignty made Hong Kong the first special administrative region of China. Tung Chee-Hwa, a pro-Beijing business tycoon, was elected Hong Kong's first Chief Executive by a selected electorate of 800 in a televised programme.
Structure of government
Hong Kong's current structure of governance inherits from the British model of colonial administration set up in the 1850s. The 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration states that "Hong Kong should enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all areas except defence and foreign affairs" with reference to the underlying principle of one country, two systems.[note 3] This Declaration stipulates that Hong Kong maintains her capitalist economic system and guarantees the rights and freedoms of her people for at least 50 years after the 1997 handover. [note 4] Such guarantees are enshrined in the Hong Kong's Basic Law, the territory's constitutional document, which outlines the system of governance after 1997, albeit subject to interpretation by China's Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC).[95][96]
Hong Kong's most senior leader, Chief Executive, is elected by a committee of 1,200 selected members (600 in 1997) and nominally appointed by the Government of China. The primary pillars of government are the Executive Council, Legislative Council, civil service and Judiciary.
Policy-making is initially discussed in the Executive Council, presided by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, before passing to the Legislative Council for bill adoption. The Executive Council consists of 30 official/unofficial members appointed by the Chief Executive and one member among them acts as the convenor.[97][98]
The Legislative Council, set up in 1843, debates policies and motions before voting to adopt or rejecting bills. It has 70 members (originally 60) and 40 (originally 30) among them are directly elected by universal suffrage; the other 30 members are "functional constituencies" (indirectly) elected by a smaller electorate of corporate bodies or representatives of stipulated economic sectors as defined by the government. The Legislative Council is chaired by a president who acts as the speaker.[99][100]
In 1997, seating of the Legislative Council (also public services and election franchises) of Hong Kong modelled on the British system: Urban Council (Hong Kong and Kowloon) and District Council (New Territories and Outlying Islands). In 1999, this system has been reformed into 18 directly elected District Offices across 5 Legislative Council constituencies: Hong Kong Island (East/West), Kowloon and New Territories (East/West); the remaining outlying islands are divided across the aforementioned regions.
Hong Kong's Civil Service, created by the British colonial government, is a politically neutral body that implements government policies and provides public services. Senior civil servants are appointed based on meritocracy. The territory's police, firefighting and customs forces, as well as clerical officers across various government departments, make up the civil service.[101][102]
Tune: Dave East feat. Nas - NYCHA
We living life like we stars
Constantly medical come right out them jars
Deserve a medal for surviving these scars
I'm ducking trifling broads
The gun store ain't seen a rifle this large
Computer thugs you niggas typing too hard
We backspace and delete a nigga
Them A list parties I never see them niggas
That weed and liquor blurry your vision
You'll never see the picture
Don't be defensive, L told me nigga just be consistent
From Little Caesar's splitting
Niggas change you see 'em different
Aim for the top though
First class plane to Morocco
The change came I ain't change
I might cop a Picasso
I'm after bags I'm eating crabs on blocks they will not go
These niggas sad
And you can smell it on me I am not broke
Roll up the nitro, only copping coke when the price low
In the Maybach told the driver follow where Artie Bike go
Learn survival before you meet your idols as far as I know
This pistol my insurance ain't no need for calling Geico
Take you to kitchens where they actually cook
Nobody knew you then you had to get booked
Shoot at the car, hit the driver
Now the passenger shook
This pack just came in from Cali
I ain't passing this kush
Remember sitting in the court like damn I'm back in these cuffs
From having arguments with smokers I ain't have enough dust
Early morning 50 baggies hit the Ave in a rush
We tryna get it might do credit
Just don't ask for too much
Hundreds we touch
New York City housing authority honor me
Property of the ghetto
Choppers popping
I should receive a medal for surviving
If you snooze, sleep with your snub nose
I did receive a medal from Harvard and rose above those
Obstacle courses where cops and shots'll stop you from reaching your full potential
You dreaming, life'll pinch you
This with no sheet of paper
No pen or pencil, straight off the mental
Off the fly
Often they falsify what they been through
I'm on that old flyness
Sliding in Benzes
Minding my business
My time is expensive
My dogs locked down they surviving through pictures
We wish we could break the bars, the law's extensive
My mind gotta be twisted
You dealing with sickos, psychos
Po-9, 12, Teflon vest for your chest in this hell
He wearing beads on his neck to cast away the spells
And tattoos of his loved ones that they resting well
I could take you to kitchens where they actually cook
Nobody knew you then you had to get booked
Shoot at the car, hit the driver
Now the passenger shook
This pack just came in from Cali
I ain't passing this kush
Remember sitting in the court like damn I'm back in these cuffs
From having arguments with smokers I ain't have enough dust
Early morning 50 baggies hit the Ave in a rush
We tryna get it might do credit
Just don't ask for too much
Hundreds we touch
I been rushing lately, the jungle crazy
On 10th Street leaning heavy, I pass the gun to shady
My shorty want me
Twin 40's on me, I'm touching 80
Ten thousand cash on me daily, I must be fucking crazy
The ladies love me lately
Butter Mercedes, parkay with a touch of gravy
That's brown seats
The motto is still fuck you, just pay me
My neighbor addicted to water, he stuck in the Navy
Same block where you could lose your life
I be comfortable baby
My bitch is way badder than yours, tell me why would I stare
Never dying my hair
I wake up, get high as a Lear
You looking at me too long, niggas die for a stare
Drano said he like them Giuseppe's, I'ma buy him a pair
I'ma run my city to the point I get high with the mayor
This ain't Roc-A-Fella
But we forming a Dynasty here
Triangle, smoke choke 'em, I watch them guys strangle
Lost five of my closest
Now I know I got five angels
I could take you to kitchens where they actually cook
Nobody knew you then you had to get booked
Shoot at the car, hit the driver
Now the passenger shook
This pack just came in from Cali
I ain't passing this kush
Remember sitting in the court like damn I'm back in these cuffs
From having arguments with smokers I ain't have enough dust
Early morning 50 baggies hit the Ave in a rush
We tryna get it might do credit
Just don't ask for too much
Hundreds we touch
Hundreds we touch, I could, I could
Hundreds we touch
I might do credit, might do credit...
Just don't ask for too much
Hundreds we touch
I might do credit, might do credit...
Hundreds we touch
Hundreds we touch
Gotta be a real nigga to feel a real nigga
All you weirdos, huh, you'll never get it
Eastside, border, Dirt Gang, dead way...
Hapuna Beach [Big Island of Hawaii] is consistently named the best beach in the entire country [USA]. Have to agree. It is a great beach. Water is clear of course and you have sand under your feet not a pile of lava rocks. It’s a half a mile long. Lots of boogie boarders [belly boarders] here...
Sea is pretty calm here; small waves so you don’t get kicked around while fighting currents. Has a lifeguard station too. If there was high surf, the swimming conditions would change and be less safe. There’s no shade available on the beach unless you bring your own. > ourtravelsaroundtheworld.com/hapuna-beach-named-best-in-h...
Comacchio - Ferrara - Italia
Il loggiato dei Cappuccini.
Percorrendo via Mazzini si giunge al celebre Loggiato dei Cappuccini, composto da centoquarantatre archi, sostenuti da altrettante colonne di marmo.
Fatto costruire dal cardinale Stefano Donghi nel 1647, subì danneggiamenti nel 1670, in seguito probabilmente ad un terremoto. Gli archi, una volta rovinati al suolo, furono riedificati nel 1670 qualche anno piu tardi. II porticato ha subito, in questi ultimi duecento anni, consistenti rimaneggiamenti.
All'inizio del manufatto sorgeva la settecentesca Chiesa di San Carlo. II Loggiato va a confluire proprio nell'omonimo Santuario dell' Aula Regia, senza dubbio l' edificio religioso più antico intitolato alla veneratissima immagine di Santa Maria in Aula Regia.
Comacchio
La pietra miliare della storia di questa città, resta ancora il famoso Capitolare del re longobardo Liutprando (715 o 730 d.C.), che stabiliva l' entità delle gabelle pagate dai navigatores lungo i porti della cosiddetta Longobardia. Una storia tormentata, fascinosa, ricca di colpi di scena. Una città contesissima dai signori dell'epoca, dalla Chiesa e da chi altro ha avuto la fortuna o la sfortuna di amministrarla. La maggior parte di studiosi ed archeologi, parla di una Comacchio le cui origini si perdono nella notte dei tempi.
Sarebbe suggestivo credere che la diretta erede di Spina sia appunto Comacchio, ma queste per ora restano soltanto congetture. L'archeologia, a questo proposito, presenta un vuoto quasi incolmabile che percorre lo spazio di tempo di qualche secolo. Spina declina a partire dalla metà del terzo secolo a.C. e la nave romana di valle Ponti (I secolo a.C.), intriga non poco con la reale nascita dei primi insediamenti umani in questo territorio.
E' certo comunque affermare che Comacchio sorge in età tardo-romana. Gli episodi ed i fatti che hanno caratterizzato tutti questi secoli di storia e di profonde trasformazioni, si rifanno alle vicende riguardanti il patrimonio vallivo che sino al secolo scorso occupava una superficie di quasi ottanta mila ettari. Un'attività quella della pesca, unitamente alla raccolta ed al commercio del sale, che ha creato profondi dissidi tra la città di Comacchio e le comunità vicine, non ultima la famosa "guerra del sale" ingaggiata con la Repubblica di Venezia, che ha conosciuto soltanto qualche anno fa la "pace storica". Storie, personaggi, tradizioni, stereotipi, misteri: gli ingredienti più belli di cui e intessuto l' intero capitolo della vita di Comacchio, oggi alle prese con altri problemi.
Per capire e carpire le suggestioni ed il significato di questa città, basta percorrere il suo centro storico in barca e sfiorare monumenti ed emergenze architettoniche tra un canale e l' altro, sotto uno dei tanti ponti.
Wickieland 26/06/2023 13h24
The new Wickieland in Holiday Park opened in 2022. It is fully themed after the television series Vicky the Viking (Wickie) and the main attraction is Die große Welle, a Disk'O Coaster built by Zamperla. There is also a Splash Battle built by Mack Rides, Wickies Spielplatz water playground and the existing log flume Wickie Splash.
Holiday Park
Holiday Park is an amusement park in Haßloch, Germany. It is one of Germany's most popular theme parks (receiving about a million visitors per year) and is part park and part woodland. Its Free Fall Tower was the first amusement ride of its kind in Europe. The Park also offers several roller coasters, including Expedition GeForce, water rides, and live shows.
In 1971 the Schneider family bought the Märchenwald Haßloch. The park was renamed Holiday Park in 1973 and changed to "Holiday Park Plopsa" in 2012, after takeover by the Plopsa group. Initially, the surface area of the park covered 70,000 m², but today the surface area has grown to 400,000 m².
In November 2010, Holiday Park and Plopsa announced that Holiday Park had been purchased by Studio 100 as a new extension of the theme park chain.
Expedition GeForce has been consistently remained in the top ten of the "Golden Ticket Awards: Top Steel Roller Coasters" as well as the top three in the "Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Steel-Tracked Roller Coaster" since opening in 2001.
As part of a 5-year plan to transform the park into a multi-day resort Plopsa will invest € 65 million by 2025. Within the park they will open a 2500m2 water-playground in 2023, adjacent to the themed area The Beach. The playground will be copied from Plopsa's Majaland Kownaty in Poland, with a cost of € 3,5 million. The ski stunt show will be replaced in 2024 by a Tomorrowland themed area, similar to Plopsaland in Belgium, with an investment of € 15 million. In 2024 a 350 bed hotel will be constructed next to the entrance of the park.
FACTS & FIGURES
Location: Haßloch, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Owner: Plopsa/Studio 100
Area: 40 ha
Visitors: 630.000 (2017)
Attractions: 33 (3 roller coasters, 3 water rides)
Areas: Platz der Fontänen (main square), Holiday Indoor, Maja-Land, Base-Camp, Pfälzer Dorf, Holly's Cartoon Town, Wikingerdorf, Air Show 71, Sky-Scream Zone, The Beach, Ahoi!, Wickieland.
[ Source und Mehr: Wikipedia - Holiday Park 2023 ]
The Apollo Theatre in Oberlin is synonymous with consistent family friendly movies shown at reasonable prices. Since 1913, the downtown movie house has opened its doors to enthusiastic patrons, ready to see the latest offering. Renovated in 2011, the single-screen main theater has 411 seats and a 61-seat screening room on the ground level.
The Apollo also serves as a space for the college’s Cinema Studies Program, as students often do their work in the second-floor Media Education Center, which has postproduction equipment.
The Skógafoss is one of the biggest waterfalls in the country with a width of 25 metres (82 feet) and a drop of 60 m (200 ft). Due to the amount of spray the waterfall consistently produces, a single or double rainbow is normally visible on sunny days. According to legend, the first Viking settler in the area, Þrasi Þórólfsson, buried a treasure in a cave behind the waterfall. The legend continues that locals found the chest years later, but were only able to grasp the ring on the side of the chest before it disappeared again. The ring was allegedly given to the local church. The old church door ring is now in a museum, though whether it gives any credence to the folklore is debatable. The waterfall was a location for the filming of the Marvel Studios film Thor: The Dark World, as well as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.The waterfall has been used as one of the backdrop locations in Bollywood movie Dilwale song called Gerua featuring Shahrukh Khan and Kajol.
Singapore Zoo ranks consistently (after San Diego Zoo) as one of the best in the world.
Watching the power of this animal as he leaps for the incoming food is just breathtaking. You can see the deadly canines in the powerful jaw. At 16, Omar was already old for a tiger, and he died 16 months after this was taken.
For the story, please visit: www.ursulasweeklywanders.com/travel/teeth-claws-and-colou...
Details best viewed in Original Size
I photographed this Forster's Tern along the Black Point Wildlife Drive section of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge located immediately north of the NASA Space complex on Florida's Atlantic Coast. Once again, these terns offered me some of the best shooting opportunities and some of the worst shooting conditions. The opportunities came when I consistently found them in several locations close to the side of the Black Point Wildlife Drive hovering and diving after their prey. Unfortunately, these are quick flying birds with very unpredictable flight paths. Their relatively small size made it imperative for me to use a very long, very heavy lens plus a 1.4 telex to obtain the large image that I wanted. The only solution to the problem was take plenty of time, shoot a lot (a couple of hundred) frames and hope that some would somehow turn out desirable. In other words, I used the probabilistic approach to photography – Use the best equipment you can afford, pre-adjust the exposure to the conditions, shoot a lot of frames and some will probably turn out to be acceptable.
The Forster's Tern, named after naturalist Johann Reinhold Forster, breeds inland in North America and winters south to Florida, the Caribbean, and northern Central America. This species is rare but annual in western Europe, and has wintered in Ireland and Great Britain on a number of occasions. No European tern winters so far north. This species breeds in colonies in marshes and nests in a ground scrape and lays two or more eggs. Like all white terns, it is fiercely defensive of its nest and young. The Forster's tern feeds by plunge-diving for fish, but will also hawk for insects in its breeding marshes. It usually feeds from saline environments in winter, like most terns and usually dives directly, and not from the "stepped-hover" favored by the Arctic tern. The offering of fish by the male to the female is part of the courtship display. This is a small tern, 13 to 14 inches (33–36 cm) long with a 25 to 28-inch (64–70 cm) wingspan. It is most similar to the common tern and has pale grey upperparts and white underparts. Its legs are red and its bill is red, tipped with black. In winter, the forehead becomes white and a characteristic black eye mask remains. Juvenile Forster's terns are similar to the winter adult. The call is a harsh noise like a black-headed gull.
Info above was extracted from Wikipedia.
For my video; youtu.be/KS7qqW-X3RA?si=CsDoch74C0bi898J,
West End, New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada.
SkyTrain is the medium-capacity rapid transit system serving the Metro Vancouver region in British Columbia, Canada. SkyTrain has 79.6 km (49.5 mi) of track and uses fully automated trains on grade-separated tracks running on underground and elevated guideways, allowing SkyTrain to hold consistently high on-time reliability. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 116,569,000, or about 403,000 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2023.
Cencellada blanca: es un hidrometeoro consistente en la formación de cristales, plumas y agujas de hielo suave de color blanco sobre una superficie sólida por la congelación de las gotículas subfundidas de un banco de niebla. Sus propiedades físicas son muy similares a la de la nieve húmeda.
Dorondón: Niebla que precipita en forma de cristales de hielo, y que habitualmente se da en lugares con nieblas habituales y bajas temperaturas, como Alaska o el Valle del Ebro.
Átomos de sensaciones que se organizan y escurren, claro.
# # #
Atoms of organized and drain sensations, of course.
I cannot be certain with the identification of this plant, but the color of the flowers and the form of the leaves is consistent with the popular hybrid Correa "Dusky Bells". The genus Correa has around a dozen species, but there are many subspecies, hybrids and cultivars. Correa plants are one of those unassuming, underrated shrubs: tough and hardy. They work well in public spaces where they receive little or no attention. Yet, they produce these charming flowers.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correa_(plant)
www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/interns-2007/correa-dusky-bells.html
[ Location - Barton, Australian Capital Territory, Australia ]
Photography notes ...
The photograph was taken using the following hardware configuration ...
(Year of manufacture indicated in braces where known.)
- Hasselblad 500C/M body (1994).
- Hasselblad CFV-50c Digital Back for Hasselblad V mount camera.
- Hasselblad Focusing Screen for the CFV-50c digital back, with focussing prism and crop markings.
- Hasselblad 45 Degree Viewfinder PME-45 42297 (2001).
- Hasselblad Carl Zeiss lens - Planar T* 80mm f2.8 CFE (2000).
- FotodioX B60 Lens Hood for Select Hasselblad Standard Length CF Lenses.
- Hasselblad Extension Tube 56E (56mm) for 200 and 500 Series - MFR # 30 40656.
I acquired the photograph (8272 x 6200 pixels) with an ISO of 100, exposure time of 1/125 seconds, and aperture of f/8.0
Post-processing ...
Finder - Removed the CF card from the camera digital back and placed it in a Lexar 25-in-1 USB card reader. Then used Finder on my MacBook Air to download the raw image file (3FR extension) from the card.
Lightroom - Imported the 3FR image.
Lightroom - Used the Map module to add the location details to the EXIF header.
Lightroom - Adjusted the white balance slightly.
Lightroom - Applied a square (1:1 aspect ratio) crop.
Lightroom - Applied various basic lighting and color adjustments in the Develop module. Increased the exposure, reduced the Highlights and Whites, added some Clarity, and decreased the Saturation. Also selectively decreased the Green saturation whilst increasing the Yellow, Orange and Red saturation
Lightroom - Saved the basic Develop module settings as preset 20160807-001.
Lightroom - Output the image as a JPEG image using the "Maximum" quality option (6200 x 6200 pixels).
PhotoSync - Copied the JPEG file to my iPad Mini for any final processing, review, enjoyment, and posting to social media.
Staying close to God is the key for success for every man in his actions, relationships, and responsibilities. This closeness requires certain consistent disciplines.
Discipline for Time Alone with God
1. Meeting with God alone frequently is important (every day, if possible).
Psalm 42:1–2 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? (NIV)
Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (NIV)
Psalm 63:1; Habakkuk 2:20
2. Waiting on God is a similar concept.
Psalm 27:14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! (ESV)
Isaiah 40:31 They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (ESV)
Psalm 40:1
Discipline for Time in God’s Word
1. Spending time in Scripture—reading, meditation, study—gives guidance for each day.
Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (ESV)
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (ESV)
Psalm 1:2–3; 19:9–11; 119:9–11, 129–30; Isaiah 55:1–2; 2 Timothy 3:16–17; Hebrews 4:12
2. Committing God’s Word to memory is a further step.
Psalm 119:11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. (ESV)
Deuteronomy 6:6–9; Psalm 37:31
Discipline for Time to Talk to God
1. Spending time daily in prayer is essential.
Psalm 5:2–3 Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God, for to You I pray. In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice; in the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch. (NASB)
Psalm 88:13; 119:47; Jeremiah 33:3; Ephesians 6:18; Hebrews 4:16
2. Prayer is the Christian’s lifeline. We must pray—consistently and constantly.
Psalm 55:17 Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice. (NKJV)
1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing. (NKJV)
Psalm 86:3–6; Matthew 7:7; Luke 18:1
3. We must pray in Jesus’s name, that is, according to his holy character and will, not selfishly.
John 14:13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (ESV)
1 John 5:14–15 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. (ESV)
4. Sin can hinder our prayers.
Psalm 66:18; Isaiah 59:1–2
5. We can pray about anything that concerns us.
Philippians 4:6–7 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (NLT)
Matthew 7:7–11
Discipline for Time to Be with God’s People
1. Being a part of a local church and attending with consistency is commanded.
Hebrews 10:24–25 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. (NLT)
Psalm 42:4; 122:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:11
2. In Acts and throughout the Epistles, the existence of the local church and every believer’s involvement in it is assumed.
Acts 6:5; 13:1; 14:23; 1 Corinthians 11:18; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; James 5:14
Discipline for Giving Back to God
1. Giving financially to the Lord’s work is a principle strongly supported in Scripture.
2 Corinthians 9:7 You should each give, then, as you have decided, not with regret or out of a sense of duty; for God loves the one who gives gladly. (GNT)
Proverbs 3:9 Honor the LORD by making him an offering from the best of all that your land produces. (GNT)
2. While Old Testament tithing is not the law for God’s people under the New Covenant, the laws of tithing do help us understand God’s mind and heart on the question of giving. They represent his thinking on the matter.
Leviticus 27:30–33; Malachi 3:8; Romans 6:14–15
Discipline to Be the Witness God Wants Us to Be
1. Sharing our faith in Jesus is a commanded spiritual discipline.
Acts 1:8 But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (GNT)
1 Peter 3:15 But have reverence for Christ in your hearts, and honor him as Lord. Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you. (GNT)
Matthew 5:16
Biblical Narratives
• Israelites, giving for the tabernacle, Exodus 35:29; 36:4–7
• Ezra, his decision to study, obey, and teach the Word, Ezra 7:10
• Hezekiah, asking for deliverance from the Assyrians, Isaiah 37:14–20
• Daniel, consistent in prayer, Daniel 6:10
• Habakkuk, his time alone waiting on God, Habakkuk 2:1
• Jesus, praying and seeking time alone with the Father, Matthew 14:23; Mark 1:35
Practical Steps
• Set reminders in your cell phone and other devices for taking time in prayer, meditation, solitude, and time in God’s Word.
• If your times with God become mediocre or ineffective, think creatively to enhance those disciplines.
• Get a plan going to study books of the Bible or to read through the Bible in a year.
• For state-of-the-art help in memorizing Scripture, get acquainted with the Navigators.
• Make giving back to God a part of your budget and financial planning. There’s no time like the present to get started.
• Work at keeping Sundays free for local church involvement. Ask your employer to allow you the time to worship with others on that day.
• Ask God for passion to reach out to the lost. Make a list of people to pray to faith.
Keith R. Miller, Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling Men (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014), 280–284.
MADRID RIO
Madrid Río es un parque de la ciudad española de Madrid, consistente en una zona peatonal y de recreo construida entre los años 2006 a 2012 en los dos márgenes del río Manzanares, en buena parte sobre el trazado soterrado de la vía de circunvalación M-30,1 desde el nudo Sur hasta el enlace con la A-5. En 2016, el proyecto se hizo con el galardón Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design de la Universidad de Harvard por su diseño e impacto social y cultural en la transformación del río
Entre 2003 y 2007 se llevó a cabo la obra de soterramiento del arco oeste de la M-30 en el ámbito del río, obra que hizo posible la eliminación del tráfico en superficie y la consiguiente liberación de más de cincuenta hectáreas de terreno ocupado anteriormente por las calzadas. A esta superficie se sumaron otras casi cien hectáreas correspondientes a los diferentes suelos infrautilizados adyacentes a la autopista.
Tras la construcción de los túneles afloró una herida vacía formada por un rosario de espacios desocupados, que atesoraban la potencia latente de convertirse en nexo de unión de un corredor ambiental de casi tres mil hectáreas dentro del término municipal, que se extiende desde El Pardo hasta Getafe y que enlaza importantísimas áreas verdes de la ciudad como la Casa de Campo, el Parque de la Arganzuela o el Parque del Manzanares Sur.
Por tanto, los beneficios obtenidos al enterrar la antigua autopista, obviamente, no han quedado reducidos a la mejora de ciertos aspectos de la movilidad urbana, ni siquiera a la rehabilitación local de los barrios, sino que pueden adquirir en un futuro próximo, una dimensión de gran escala que necesariamente deberá repercutir en las relaciones entre la ciudad y el territorio, entendidas en su mayor alcance. La enorme trascendencia para la ciudad de los espacios liberados como consecuencia del soterramiento de la M-30, llevó al Ayuntamiento de Madrid a convocar un Concurso Internacional de Ideas para concebir y proyectar los nuevos espacios libres en el entorno del río. El concurso lo ganó el equipo de arquitectos dirigido por Ginés Garrido y formado por Burgos & Garrido Arquitectos, Porras & La Casta y Rubio & Álvarez-Sala y West8, con la solución para la construcción de un parque urbano de más de ciento veinte hectáreas, que ocupa la superficie liberada por el soterramiento de la autopista. Los inicios del proyecto pasaron por el intento de comprender en su totalidad las cualidades geográficas de la cuenca fluvial. Las características del territorio y la diversidad de sus elementos naturales constituyen un conjunto de claves que han sustentado muchas de las ideas contenidas en el proyecto.
Sumariamente, la estrategia del éste se basa en la convicción de que, a través del río es posible conectar la ciudad, expresión máxima de la acción artificial, con los territorios del norte y el sur de Madrid, en los que aún perviven los elementos naturales propios de la cuenca fluvial. El río se convierte en puerta o enlace entre interior urbano y exterior territorial y, a través de sus márgenes, se establece la continuidad y la permeabilidad, hasta hoy aniquiladas por los sucesivos anillos concéntricos, hollados por los cinturones viarios, M-30, M-40, M-45, M-50 …, que fueron el resultado de aplicar a la red circulatoria los modelos de movilidad propios de mediados del siglo XX.
El proyecto se ha concebido en sucesivas aproximaciones o escalas a partir de las que se ha aplicado la reflexión sobre el campo de juego, obteniendo respuestas o soluciones diversas, desde el ámbito territorial o estratégico al local o específico.
En la escala territorial se han establecido los parámetros de partida para que, en el medio plazo, sea posible la regeneración de las márgenes del río en toda su longitud, como verdaderas áreas de integración entre el paisaje y la actividad humana, bajo un entendimiento contemporáneo capaz de superar el antagonismo implícito en el binomio urbano-rural.
En la escala metropolitana, a través del proyecto y de su concepción como gran infraestructura, se lleva a cabo la incorporación del corredor que se extiende sobre los bordes fluviales a su paso por la ciudad como parte del GR 124 (Gran Recorrido de la Red de Senderos Europeos) que ya, en 2011 se podrá transitar en toda su extensión, desde Manzanares el Real hasta Aranjuez.
En la escala urbana, el proyecto incorpora el río como doble línea de fachada inédita y configura un conjunto enlazado de espacios verdes que se infiltra en la ciudad; establece en la superficie un nuevo sistema de movilidad y accesibilidad; incrementa la integración y calidad urbana de los barrios limítrofes al río; protege y revaloriza el patrimonio histórico y detecta áreas de oportunidad que, sobre este ámbito de nueva centralidad, serán capaces de generar un cambio potencial del conjunto de la ciudad en el largo plazo.
En la escala local, la propuesta se ejecuta como una operación radicalmente artificial, materializada sin embargo con instrumentos eminentemente naturales. No se debe olvidar que se actúa mayoritariamente sobre una infraestructura bajo tierra. El proyecto se implanta sobre un túnel o, más bien, sobre la cubierta de un conjunto complejísimo de instalaciones al servicio del viario enterrado. Un edificio de hormigón de más de seis kilómetros de longitud, con enormes y determinantes servidumbres y con una topografía cuya lógica obedece exclusivamente a la construcción de la infraestructura, que emerge inopinadamente sobre el suelo y con la que ha sido necesario negociar. Sobre esta edificación subterránea, la solución adoptada se ha basado en el uso de la vegetación como principal material de construcción. El proyecto establece como estrategia general la idea de implantar una densa capa vegetal, de carácter casi forestal, allá donde sea posible, es decir, fabricar un paisaje con materia viva, sobre un sustrato subterráneo inerte, modificado y excavado para el automóvil, sobre una construcción que expresa por sí misma el artificio máximo.
Las familias, formas y asociaciones de especies vegetales seleccionadas provienen de la extrapolación del estudio de la cuenca del río y su adaptación, en cada caso, al medio urbano específico. La ordenación de los distintos entornos y su caracterización como lugares de uso público se ha producido teniendo en cuenta, por un lado, las funciones requeridas y las necesidades detectadas en cada distrito y por otro, la capacidad de conformar espacios habitables, inherente a los conjuntos organizados de vegetación de distinto porte.
La solución se concreta en tres unidades de paisaje principales. Primero, el Salón de Pinos, o corredor verde que discurre por la margen derecha del río. Es la estructura que permite la continuidad de los recorridos y reacciona en su encuentro con los puentes existentes dando lugar a distintos tipos de jardines de ribera (Jardines bajos de Puente de Segovia, Jardines del Puente de San Isidro, Jardines del Puente de Toledo y Jardines del Puente de Praga). Segundo, el enlace definitivo del centro histórico (representado por la imagen imponente del Palacio Real y la cornisa elevada de la ciudad), con la Casa de Campo, parque de más de mil setecientas hectáreas. En este entorno se incluyen la Avenida de Portugal, la Huerta de la Partida, la Explanada del Rey y los Jardines de la Virgen del Puerto. Tercero, la ancha franja sobre la ribera izquierda donde se sitúa el conjunto del Parque de la Arganzuela que incluye el centro de creación de arte contemporáneo de Matadero, y que representa la mayor superficie de espacio verde unitario de la propuesta.
Además de estas tres grandes operaciones paisajísticas coherentes entre sí, el proyecto propone ciento cincuenta intervenciones de diferente carácter, entre las que destaca el sistema puentes que dotan de un inédito grado de permeabilidad al cauce. Se han desarrollado soluciones sobre más de veinte puentes o pasarelas sobre el río, rehabilitando las siete presas, reciclando algunos puentes existentes y creando nuevos pasos, unas veces con un lenguaje silencioso y otras, intencionadamente expresivo. Como en una acción microquirúrgica el proyecto incorpora, eslabón por eslabón, una cadena de fórmulas de integración del río en la ciudad y de la ciudad en el río. Son elementos que garantizarán el contagio de los nuevos valores de las orillas regeneradas sobre los ámbitos y barrios cercanos. Con este efecto de resonancia, se prevé una sucesión de operaciones que aseguren una renovación de gran alcance. Desde ahora y de manera irreversible, se está fraguando una radical metamorfosis, sin precedentes para la ciudad de Madrid.
La superestructura lineal del Salón de Pinos es el elemento que organiza la continuidad de recorridos a lo largo de la ribera derecha del río. Está construida sobre los túneles en su práctica totalidad y tiene un ancho medio de treinta metros. Sobre la losa de hormigón que cubre el paso de los automóviles se han plantado más de 9.000 unidades de diferentes especies de pinos, de diversos tamaños, formas y agrupaciones con un marco de plantación forestal. Los ejemplares han sido seleccionados fundamentalmente en campos en los que hubiese posibilidad de extraer plantas con morfologías naturales (troncos no lineales, troncos dobles, troncos inclinados, etc.) De este modo se obtiene una prolongación controlada de los pinares de la sierra situada al norte de Madrid que parecen extenderse hasta el confín de la ciudad. Estos árboles han sido anclados a la losa de los túneles mediante cables de acero y bridas biodegradables, para potenciar su estabilidad y el crecimiento de sus raíces en horizontal sobre el paquete de tierras disponible. No obstante, este paseo se encuentra frecuentemente con estructuras de gran valor urbano o patrimonial.
Dos ejemplos simbólicos de esta intersección son los puentes históricos de Segovia (1582) y de Toledo (1732). En estos enclaves el salón reacciona como espacio de estancia, ampliando sus límites y ofreciendo un diseño específico, con árboles de ribera de hoja caduca y alineaciones de setos y bancos de piedra. Las actividades integradas en el salón se incorporan con un lenguaje coherente con su carácter forestal. Un claro ejemplo de este procedimiento lo forma el conjunto de áreas de juegos infantiles, diseñado específicamente como un sistema completo de formas naturales.
Jardines del Puente de Segovia
El puente de Segovia está declarado Bien de Interés Cultural. Fue construido a finales del siglo XVI por el arquitecto Juan de Herrera, por encargo de Felipe II. El proyecto de ajardinamiento de su entorno conforma una excepción en el ámbito del Salón de Pinos, constituyendo un ensanchamiento de éste y ofreciendo un modo diferente de aproximación al río. Los jardines se ordenan mediante una serie de líneas de traza orgánica que modelan sucesivas terrazas que descienden hacia el río. Estas líneas están construidas con unas piezas de granito de gran formato que sirven también de bancos. Entre ellos se extiende una superficie de hierba de bajo consumo hídrico arbolada con diferentes especies de árboles frondosos de ribera de la familia de los populus. En las inmediaciones de la fábrica almohadillada del puente se han construido dos estanques de agua limpia sobre los cuales, por un lado alza una fuente monumental de 16 chorros con forma de ciprés y por otro se extiende un pequeño jardín de lirios acuáticos. Los estanques son accesibles mediante unas gradas de piedra que se acercan a ellos hasta sumergirse.
Jardines del Puente de Toledo
Los jardines del Puente de Toledo constituyen una de las áreas más significativas del Proyecto Madrid Río, ya que se están situados en un enclave de excepcional importancia en el que el Salón de Pinos se encuentra con uno de los puentes monumentales de Madrid, el puente de Toledo, construido entre 1718 y 1732. El proyecto aprovecha dicho monumento en un doble sentido: Por un lado se compone un espacio concebido para ser visto desde lo alto del puente que se convierte así en un mirador privilegiado. De este modo los jardines ofrecen una nueva e inédita panorámica de Madrid ya que sus trazados dibujan un enorme tatuaje que se extiende como una alfombra sobre la superficie, reproduciendo un motivo figurativo vegetal. Por otro lado, los jardines incorporan el Puente de Toledo, que es una estructura barroca diseñada por el arquitecto Pedro de Ribera, como un objeto al que admirar, al que tocar y bajo el que pasar. La disposición de los setos está organizada de modo que conforma una serie de líneas que toman como referencia los jardines barrocos de la época borbónica, aunque están trazadas con un lenguaje contemporáneo. Asimismo en este punto se ha construido un graderío que permite la máxima aproximación a la lámina de agua del río, y la mejor contemplación de los arcos del antiguo puente.
Segunda unidad de paisaje: La Escena Monumental
La vinculación del centro histórico y el barrio de La Latina con la Casa de Campo ha estado vedada a los peatones de forma secular. El nuevo contacto, que ya es posible por la desaparición de los automóviles bajo tierra, ha sido resuelto con diversas intervenciones que asumen el carácter monumental y panorámico de esta zona, en la que el zócalo elevado del Palacio Real (germen primigenio del nacimiento de la ciudad) contacta con el río. Se han propuesto diferentes soluciones afrontando con extremada atención el contexto en el que se sitúan: La “Explanada del Rey”, explanada abierta pavimentada con un gran patrón figurativo y que sirve de gran atrio ante la Casa de Campo. La huerta de la partida, que es un recinto cerrado en el que se han plantado diferentes retículas de árboles frutales (perales, manzanos, moreras, granados, higueras, nogales, avellanos, etc) acoge un extraordinario mirador de la cornisa. La avenida de Portugal, convertida en un bulevar pavimentado por calceteiros portugueses y poblado por cuatro especies de cerezos (Prunus avium, P. avium ‘Plena’, P.yedoensis y P.padus ‘Watereii’ ) permite la contemplación de una espectacular floración que se alarga más de un mes en primavera. Por último, los jardines de La Virgen del Puerto, en la otra margen del río, estructurados mediante la disposición de parterres orientados según los ejes de los principales acontecimientos urbanos del área: el puente de Segovia, el puente del Rey, la avenida de Portugal y la puerta del Rey que ha sido restaurada y resituada según los datos disponibles en la cartografía histórica de Madrid.
Plataforma del Rey
En el acceso monumental que enlaza el centro histórico de Madrid con la Casa de Campo, antiguo cazadero real, destaca la Explanada o Plataforma del Rey, que es un espacio abierto de una superficie aproximada de 14.000 m2 y un frente paralelo al río de poco menos de 250 m. El destino de este espacio es el de formar un escenario capaz de acoger diferentes manifestaciones cívicas (conciertos, celebraciones oficiales, actividades culturales, etc.) en un entorno de extraordinaria calidad ambiental, que permite contemplar la Cornisa Histórica de la Ciudad. Este lugar está conectado con el Salón de Pinos y forma parte de él, aunque por exigencias de su uso, sea un área casi desprovista de arbolado. En ella el principal elemento organizador es el pavimento que, de forma muy suave, se adapta a una topografía que integra todas las emergencias de los túneles hasta hacerlas imperceptibles. En este pavimento las pequeñas piezas de granito y basalto forman un patrón que desciende desde la Avenida de Portugal y se esparce sobre la superficie del suelo a una escala en aumento progresivo. Dicho patrón vincula la plataforma con el pavimento proyectado en la avenida. De este modo la Plataforma es un elemento que liga de manera natural importantes piezas del escenario monumental que se produce en este punto, como son el Puente del Rey, la Casa de Campo, la Avenida de Portugal y el Salón de Pinos.
Huerta de la Partida
Se trata de un espacio recuperado que en las pasadas décadas se dedicó a albergar uno de los principales nudos de la autopista. La propuesta de regeneración de este lugar incluye varias operaciones: En primer lugar la construcción de una tapia, a veces opaca, a veces permeable que constituye un cierre que confiere al recinto el carácter de huerto cerrado. En segundo lugar, el modelado artificial del terreno, regularizando su superficie y tallando un único plano inclinado de suave pendiente que se desliza hacia el río. En tercer lugar la plantación de diferentes agrupaciones de árboles frutales (granados, moreras, manzanos, perales, avellanos, almendros, higueras, olivos y nogales) que se incorporan en el entorno describiendo cuadrantes reticulados con sutiles variaciones de orientación. Por último, se ha proyectado una ría húmeda que describe la trayectoria del Arroyo Meaques, actualmente entubado y oculto. Este proyecto ha sido fruto del estudio minucioso de la historia del lugar, ya que en el pasado, cuando Felipe II adquirió esta finca después de establecer la capitalidad de Madrid, en esta posición se plantaron algunas huertas que producían el alimento necesario para los trabajadores de la Casa de Campo.
Tercera unidad de paisaje: La Ribera del Agua. Arganzuela y Matadero
En la margen izquierda del cauce la ciudad se separa del río. El ejemplo más importante de la propuesta en esta orilla es el nuevo Parque de la Arganzuela, construido sobre antiguas dehesas de pasto de uso comunal. En este entorno se construyó el Matadero Municipal, notable ejemplo de arquitectura posindustrial de la segunda década del siglo XX. Con el soterramiento de la autopista, Madrid dispone ahora en este punto de 33 hectáreas de espacios libres que forman el mayor parque del proyecto. Éste se ha concebido como un gran espacio en el que el río se ha retirado dejando su huella ancestral. Está organizado con diferentes líneas que se entrecruzan, como surcos por los que pasó el agua, dejando entre sí espacios para distintos usos. Estas líneas, de carácter marcadamente longitudinal, son los caminos de distinta especie que recorren el espacio de norte a sur.
Paseo junto al matadero
Un camino más plano y ancho (el Camino Rápido), otro más sinuoso y de pendiente variable (el Camino Lento) y una franja empedrada de márgenes frondosos (el Arroyo Seco), que vertebra el centro del parque. La construcción del espacio se plantea como una gran arboleda que contiene varios paisajes, algunos más naturales y otros más construidos, configurados por una variación de especies, alturas, densidades y texturas. De este modo el parque, concebido como un retazo de la cuenca del río, incorpora tres áreas botánicas: bosque mediterráneo, bosque atlántico y fronda de ribera. El carácter de estos paisajes interiores está relacionado con los trazados longitudinales del parque, con árboles que siguen los caminos y las sendas, con sotos y bosques que emergen sobre la topografía. La textura boscosa se intercala con las superficies plantadas de aromáticas entre los caminos y el Arroyo Seco. Siguiendo la orilla izquierda del río, se dispone una franja húmeda y verde, con una pradera de césped que se inclina hacia el agua. Una constelación de fuentes ornamentales y un conjunto de tres láminas elípticas de agua pura introducen este elemento como materia narrativa que relaciona las distintas asociaciones de vegetación. Cada fuente presenta un distinto juego sonoro y visual y se rodea de pequeñas laderas plantadas de frutales que remiten a la imagen de los jardines de las leyendas o del Paraíso. Las líneas entrelazadas que estructuran el parque permiten la formación de recintos en los que se han situado importantes instalaciones para el recreo al servicio de los usuarios de todas las edades. En él se incluye un campo de fútbol , dos pistas de patinaje y tres importantes conjuntos de juegos infantiles. El parque así mismo incorpora el conjunto dedicado a la creación de arte contemporáneo de Matadero, como una gran dotación cultural que vive dentro de él. A través de los caminos se accede a las naves del antiguo complejo, cuya rehabilitación está a punto de finalizar. El diseño de los trazados permite entender la relación entre Matadero y el parque como un continuo entre el río y la ciudad.
El sistema de puentes sobre el río
La implantación de puentes sobre el Manzanares se lleva a cabo como una estrategia global, es decir, como un conjunto en que cada elemento resuelve problemas puntuales detectados en el entorno próximo, pero también forma parte a su vez de un sistema integral de conectividad transversal de acuerdo con la relación entre la ciudad y el río. Las unidades de este conjunto son de diferente carácter: puentes y presas rehabilitados o reciclados, puentes rodados existentes acondicionados al nuevo sistema de tráfico ciclista y peatonal, puentes singulares que constituyen hitos en el recorrido del río, pasarelas funcionales situadas en los nodos de máximo tránsito transversal y puentes de grandes luces que enlazan los recorridos del parque con los territorios exteriores a la ciudad al norte y al sur, haciendo realidad la principal aspiración territorial del proyecto.
Entre los puentes existentes destaca la operación llevada a cabo con las siete presas que han sido convertidas en pasarelas peatonales a través de su restauración integral y la incorporación de un tablero de madera accesible. En segundo lugar dentro de esta serie, se debe destacar el reciclaje del puente rodado de la M-30 que cruzaba el río al sur del Puente de Segovia, reconvertido en un puente peatonal y ciclista que incorpora un talud plantado con pinos. Entre los puentes singulares cabe mencionar el puente con forma de Y construido con cajones de perfiles metálicos, que evoca el lenguaje de los puentes ferroviarios del s. XIX colgados sobre los desfiladeros forestales y los puentes gemelos de hormigón que se dan acceso al complejo Matadero, proyectados como elementos de paso capaces también de configurar un espacio al que se ingresa, como pabellones que gravitan sobre el río, pero que verdaderamente pertenecen al parque.
Pasarela de Almuñécar
Fabricada de una sola pieza con fibra de carbono, para salvar una luz de algo más de 40 metros. Se sitúa sobre el único tramo del cauce que carece de cajero de hormigón. Su diseño final responde a las capacidades del material con que está fabricada, extremadamente ligero y resistente.
Restauración de Presas
Las siete presas que regulan el río a su paso de la ciudad han sido restauradas y puestas al servicio del nuevo sistema de pasos transversales. Sus mecanismos y exclusas han sido reparados y se les ha incorporado un tablero accesible de madera y una escala de peces para favorecer la continuidad de la fauna subacuática a lo largo del río.
Puente Oblicuo
Esta estructura viaria coetánea de la M-30 se ha reciclado para incorporarla al Salón de Pinos como un paso privilegiado a través del cual los peatones, los ciclistas y los árboles pasan de una a otra orilla. La losa aligerada que componía el tablero de hormigón postesado se cortó y apeó reforzándose para soportar las cargas debidas a su nuevo uso.
Puente del Principado de Andorra
Es uno de los nuevos puentes singulares del proyecto. Está construido por jaulas de perfiles abiertos, de expresividad algo arcaica, que toma como referencia las estructuras ferroviarias sobre los desfiladeros boscosos que se construyeron en Europa y Estados Unidos a finales de siglo XIX. Antes conocido como Puente Y, en julio de 2011 se le cambió de nombre al actual de Principado de Andorra, para agradecer al gobierno de Andorra la construcción del Puente de Madrid en Andorra la Vieja. Se escogió este puente para nombrarlo como Principado de Andorra porque representa también la geografía de Andorra: el país pirenaico está formado por dos valles, el del Valira del Norte y el del Valira de Oriente, los cuales confluyen en Escaldes-Engordany y se convierten en uno solo, de nombre Gran Valira. Esta disposición de los valles y sus ríos es similar a una Y.
Puentes Cáscara
Son dos puentes gemelos construidos con una lámina de 15 cm de hormigón autonivelante que forma una superficie con doble curvatura, de la que cuelga el tablero. Se conciben como dos pabellones a los que acceder para cruzar el río. Su bóveda se ha ornamentado con un mosaico creado por el artista Daniel Canogar.
Pasarela de la Princesa
El canto necesario para el funcionamiento de la pasarela se incorpora en las barandillas que en realidad conforman una pareja de vigas de alma llena y rigidizadores verticales. El lenguaje de la pasarela es intencionadamente sobrio.
North Somerset Council's new tendered services start today. The only consistent bus service from Yatton to Clevedon in the seven years I have lived here has been Citistar's Thursday shopper service. There has been nothing else for the last couple of years , but now we have the 54 from Bristol Airport to Clevedon. It runs every one and a half hours , but - April Fool ! - it does not serve Clevedon School , getting there either three quarters of an hour too early , or three quarters of an hour too late.
HCT Group , trading as Bristol Community Transport are running services 52, 53, 54 and 55.
YX21RPU is an Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 MMC B30F new 1st April 2021 , seen at the Tesco roundabout in Clevedon , on the 10.30 departure from Bristol Airport of service 54.
©2011 Susan Ogden-All Rights Reserved Images Thruthelookingglass
i am open to suggestions.......having been born the artsy type, i find color SO very intriguing....my brain sees things in color, and views the world around me in pictures of sorts. It consistently and instinctively ....seeks out color, composition and light. Seeing like this makes it easier for me to translate what i see thru my lens and out into the photographic community. Most always i have the shot in my mind before i look through the viewfinder...it is a matter of what drew my eye to it first. Learning to “see” in black and white is actually a pretty difficult translation for me....and i LOVE black and white shots....so i am persisting in trying to get it right. I appreciate suggestions....especially from the contacts i have that take wicked cool B&W shots with regularity, and those that know formulas that translate color to black and white with editing. I love learning....and i will persist until i finally feel i am getting it! Those of you that "see in black and white".....i will trade you a few “see in color” lessons as a trade!!
Happy Faux Friday, sweet friends! ;)
OH, this was at Ringwood Manor, Ringwood, NJ
NJ State Botanical Gardens
While it's been consistently 10 or more degrees colder than the season's average, things are finally starting to feel like spring in downtown Chicago. For me, this means to grab a camera, get out and enjoy the nicer weather.
This kind of shot has been done to death, but I thought I'd give it a try with all these Divvy bikes sitting outside Chicago's Drake Hotel.
Piano del colore
La tavolozza dei colori degli intonaci di facciata individua un numero totale di 64 cromie, caratterizzate da una vasta gamma di colori caldi (rosso, giallo, arancione, marrone) e da una più limitata di colori freddi (azzurro, verde). All’interno di questa classificazione sono state individuate alcune cromie ripetute in modo consistente (così definite nel linguaggio locale: russettu ingleise, verdin, giancu Portufin…)
I just HAD to share this with my flickr friends!
On August 29th, 2019, my dearest young 98 year old friend passed away. One month ago, on that day, I was thinking of Jane consistently and texting back and forth with her daughters, sharing memories and the fact Jane LOVED monarch butterflies, and what an amazing coincidence she left us to join in flight during the time of the miraculous migration.
Since I've been sending for mask supplies on Etsy, I've also been scrolling around the different vendors and miraculously came across this stunning scarf. Without hesitation, I immediately ordered it from this Bulgarian artist, knowing the *wait time* would be a few weeks. Due to Covid and the passing of Joanna's mother, there was a delay, but lo and behold, today my package arrived, beautifully wrapped along with a "Certificate of Authenticity" . . . and, the traveling time was only 3 days from Bulgaria! After waiting 6 weeks for my masks to arrive in Australia (pony express, as the delivery driver suggested) . . . I was shocked at the expediency of DHL Worldwide Express!
Because I had only used a PO Box, a wonderful gal from DHL tracked me down for my home address . . . WOW . . . what an exciting day!
For more fascinating information on this astonishing artist/architect/mom,
As an artist myself, and having painted a silk scarf back in 1988, I KNOW how difficult these are to create. I'm absolutely flabbergasted at the exquisite beauty and quality of the design and creation by this phenomenal woman.
I may send her a link to this post,
so perhaps you'd like to say something to Joanna!
NOTE: The photograph is from Joanna's site.
La Torre del Oro de Sevilla es una torre albarrana situada en el margen izquierdo del río Guadalquivir, en la ciudad de Sevilla, comunidad autónoma de Andalucía, España, junto a la plaza de toros de la Maestranza. Su altura es de 36 metros. Posiblemente su nombre en árabe era Bury al-dahab, Borg al Azahar, o Borg-al-Azaja en referencia a su brillo dorado que se reflejaba sobre el río. Durante las obras de restauración de 2005, se demostró que este brillo, que hasta entonces una falsa leyenda atribuía a un revestimiento de azulejos, era debido a una mezcla de mortero de cal y paja prensada.
Es una torre formada por tres cuerpos, El primer cuerpo, dodecagonal, fue construido entre 1220 y 1221 por orden del gobernador almohade de Sevilla, Abù l-Ulà. En cuanto al segundo cuerpo, también dodecagonal fue mandado construir por Pedro I el cruel en el siglo XIV, una hipótesis que ha quedado confirmada por los estudios arqueológicos. Por último el cuerpo superior, cilíndrico y rematado en cúpula dorada, fue construido en 1760 por el ingeniero militar Sebastián Van der Borcht tras el terremoto de Lisboa de 1755.
Fue declarada monumento histórico-artístico en 1931 y ha sido restaurada varias veces. En la Edad Contemporánea fue restaurada en 1900, entre 1991 y 1992, en 1995 y en 2005. En su conservación ha sido importante la labor de la Armada. Se encuentra en buen estado de conservación y alberga el Museo Naval de Sevilla.
Comienza su construcción el 30 de marzo de 1220, siendo terminada el 24 de febrero de 1221, casi un año después. Con su construcción se dio por completado el sistema defensivo de la ciudad almohade y fue el punto más importante, ya que defendía al puerto. Fue construida por orden del gobernador almohade de Sevilla, Abù l-Ulà. Cerraba el paso al Arenal mediante un tramo de muralla que la unía con la Torre de la Plata y a través de la actual calle Santander con la Torre de Abd el Aziz o Torre de Santo Tomás, y de allí al Alcázar. Formando parte de las murallas de Sevilla que defendían la ciudad y el Real Alcázar.
En cuanto a la cimentación de la torre, esta consiste en una losa de hormigón de cal con un espesor de unos 5 m. (desde la cota +3m. a la cota -2m.). Dicha cimentación se apoya sobre un terreno blando, pues es una zona aluvial muy cercana al propio río por lo que en su cimentación se añadió madera de pino para darle mayor consistencia. Además de estos 5 metros de cimentación iniciales, en 1760 tras las obras de restauración efectuadas por los desperfectos que ocasionó el llamado terremoto de Lisboa, se macizó como cimentación la planta baja de la torre, lo que supone un aumento de 6 metros. Por ello, actualmente la Torre del Oro cuenta con unos 11 metros de cimentación.
Existe una tradición que dice que, se extendió desde su basamento una gruesa cadena sobre el río hasta otra torre ubicada en la actual calle Fortaleza, situada al otro lado del río, en el actual barrio de Triana; dicha leyenda es falsa ya que la La calle Fortaleza en la orilla de Triana recibe ese nombre en el s. XIX, anteriormente denominada calle Limones, por otro lado y con más acierto, en las Crónicas realizadas por Alfonso X el Sabio, donde describe al detalle la toma de la ciudad de Sevilla, solo se menciona una cadena, la que sujetaba el conjunto de barcas que formaba el puente que unía la orilla de Sevilla y la de Triana, que unía además la ciudad con el castillo, conocido posteriormente como Castillo de San Jorge, en la orilla de Triana.
La flota castellana mandada por el almirante Ramón de Bonifaz, que en dos ocasiones los documentos de la época lo definen como un "ome de Burgos" y "un burgalés de Burgos", rompió el puente en 1248 remontando el río, mientras las tropas de Fernando III de Castilla sitiaban la ciudad. Este pasaje histórico protagonizado por marinos asturianos y cántabros al servicio de la marina castellana quedó inmortalizado en los escudos de Avilés y de las Cuatro Villas de la Costa de Cantabria (Laredo, Castro-Urdiales, Santander y San Vicente de la Barquera) y fue posteriormente incorporado al escudo de Cantabria. En ellos se representa la Torre del Oro y un barco junto a las cadenas rotas.
Tras ser conquistada, se utilizó como capilla dedicada a San Isidoro de Sevilla. Después se utilizó como prisión.
Se llamó Torre del Oro desde la época almohade, el propio Alfonso X cuando narra la conquista de Sevilla ya la nombra como Torre del Oro, claramente por el brillo producto del mortero de cal y paja prensada que presentaba.
A pesar de ello, existen varias teorías sobre el nombre del edificio, todas leyendas sin ninguna prueba consistente y por tanto falsas. Muestra de estas leyendas falsas son, por un lado, en el siglo XVI, un cronista llamado Luis de Peraza dice que la torre se encontraba cubierta de azulejos que brillaban con la luz del Sol. El mismo cronista añade que el rey Pedro I guardó en la torre tesoros de oro y plata, cabe destacar que esta es una de las leyendas más destacada y conocida. Pedro López de Ayala también habla de que en dicha torre Pedro I guardaba tesoros en monedas de oro y plata. Dada la proximidad de la torre al Muelle de la Aduana durante la conquista de América es habitual decir que se llamaba así porque en ella se almacenaba el oro de América, pero el oro se guardaba en una estancia de la Casa de la Contratación (Cuarto del Tesoro) y era procesado en la Casa de la Moneda, a varios metros de allí.
En el siglo XVI presentaba un estado ruinoso, por lo que se realizó una obra de consolidación. La torre fue dañada gravemente por el terremoto de Lisboa de 1755, tras lo cual el Marqués de Monte Real propuso su demolición para ensanchar el paseo de coches de caballos y hacer más recto el acceso al puente de Triana; sin embargo, ese proyecto no llegó a realizarse por la oposición del pueblo de Sevilla, que llegaron a anunciárselo al rey, quien intervino. En 1760 se arreglaron los desperfectos macizando la planta inferior de la torre, reforzándola con escombros y mortero, y dejando la puerta del paso de ronda de la muralla como puerta de acceso principal. Ese mismo año se construyó el cuerpo cilíndrico superior, obra del ingeniero militar Sebastián Van der Borcht, artífice también de la Real Fábrica de Tabacos de Sevilla. Estas obras cambiaron el aspecto de la torre respecto al que puede observarse en grabados.
La Revolución de 1868 fue otro momento crítico para la torre, pues los revolucionarios demolieron los lienzos de las murallas y los pusieron en venta, pero la oposición de los hispalenses logró que la torre no se destruyera.
Fue restaurada en 1900 por el ingeniero Carlos Halcón. El 10 de abril de 1923 la torre fue visitada por Alfonso XIII. El 21 de marzo de 1936 se dispuso la instalación en la torre el Museo Marítimo por orden del Ministerio de Marina. En septiembre de 1942 comenzaron las obras de restauración, durante las cuales se mejoraron el aspecto de la fachada y se habilitaron dos plantas para la exhibición del museo y la tercera para alojar investigadores. El 13 de agosto de 1992, en el contexto de la Exposición Universal de Sevilla, se hermanó la Torre del Oro con la Torre de Belem de Lisboa.
El museo se inauguró el 24 de julio de 1944, para lo cual se llevaron 400 piezas del Museo Naval de Madrid. El museo muestra en la actualidad (2008) diversos instrumentos antiguos de navegación y maquetas, además de documentos históricos, grabados y cartas náuticas; y relaciona de Sevilla con el río Guadalquivir y el mar. En 2005 fue nuevamente restaurada.
es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torre_del_Oro
The Torre del Oro (Arabic: بُرْج الذَّهَب burj ad̲h̲-d̲h̲ahab, English: "Tower of Gold") is a dodecagonal military watchtower in Seville, southern Spain. It was erected by the Almohad Caliphate in order to control access to Seville via the Guadalquivir river.
Constructed in the first third of the 13th century, the tower served as a prison during the Middle Ages. Its name comes from the golden shine it projected on the river, due to its building materials (a mixture of mortar, lime and pressed hay).
The tower is divided into three levels, the first level, dodecagonal, was built in 1220 by order of the Almohad governor of Seville, Abù l-Ulà; As for the second level, of only 8 meters, also dodecagonal, was built by Peter of Castile in the fourteenth century, a hypothesis that has been confirmed by archaeological studies; The third and uppermost being circular in shape was added after the previous third level, Almohad, was damaged by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. Rebuilding of the third level was made by Brusselian military engineer Sebastian Van der Borcht in 1760.
The Torre de la Plata, an octagonal tower, is located nearby, and is believed to have been constructed during the same era.
It is one of two anchor points for a large chain that would have been able to block the river. The other anchor-point has since been demolished or disappeared, possibly collapsing during the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. The chain was used in the city's defense against the Castilian fleet under Ramón de Bonifaz in the 1248 Reconquista. Bonifaz broke the river defenses and isolated Seville from Triana.
The Tower of Gold was built 1220–1221, by order of the Almohad governor of Seville, Abu l-Ulà, with a twelve-sided base. It barred the way to the Arenal district with a section of wall joining it to the Tower of Silver, a part of the city walls that defended the Alcazar.
The tower was badly damaged by the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, and the Marquis of Monte Real proposed demolishing it to widen the way for horse-drawn coaches and straighten access to the bridge of Triana; however, the people of Seville objected and appealed to the king, who intervened. In 1760, the damage was repaired, with repairs to the bottom floor of the tower, reinforcement with rubble and mortar, and the creation of a new main access via the passageway to the path around the wall. That same year, the upper cylindrical body was built, a work of the military engineer Sebastian Van der Borcht, also architect of the Royal Tobacco Factory of Seville. These works changed the appearance of the tower as compared to what is seen in engravings from the sixteenth or seventeenth centuries.
The Revolution of 1868 brought another crisis to the tower as revolutionaries demolished the decorative facing of the walls and put it up for sale. Opposition from the citizens of Seville kept the tower from being destroyed, and in 1900 it was again restored, this time by engineer Carlos Halcón. On April 10, 1923, King Alfonso XIII visited the tower, and on March 21, 1936 the Maritime Museum was installed in the Tower by order of the Admiralty. In September 1942, more restoration work began. The appearance of the facade was improved, two floors were set up for museum display, and the third floor was prepared to house researchers. The museum held its grand opening on July 24, 1944, for which occasion 400 museum pieces were brought from the Naval Museum of Madrid.
On August 13, 1992, the Torre del Oro was made a brother to the Tower of Belem of Lisbon to celebrate the Universal Exposition in Seville. As of 2008 the museum displayed a variety of old navigational instruments and models, as well as historical documents, engravings, and nautical charts, relating Seville to the Guadalquivir River and the sea. The tower was again restored in 2005.
This is another pic from my 2010 archive...
This photo set has probably garnered more views than any other set with 5 in my top 100 viewed pix. One from this set is my most viewed pic with over 155,000 views and consistently gets 300 to 500 views daily which is something I find amazing! So here's another previously unseen image from that set for our mutual enjoyment!
My ensemble for this session is made up of my copper wet look lycra spandex micro miniskirt from wickedtemptations.com matched up with my black nylon lycra leotard from bodysuit.com, black corset style stretch belt from newportnews.com, black Hanes Alive support hose from onehanesplace.com, Leg Avenue black fence net hose, black lurex opera gloves and my fabulous shiny vinyl thigh high platform stiletto boots with their 6" heels- all from electriqueboutique.com.
To see more pix of me in other tight, sexy and revealing outfits click this link:www.flickr.com/photos/kaceycdpix/sets/72157623668202157/
To see more pix of me in wet look miniskirts click this link: www.flickr.com/photos/kaceycdpix/sets/72157622900221460/
To see more pix of me in sexy boots click here: www.flickr.com/photos/kaceycdpix/sets/72157622816479823/
DSC_3790-32
In teoria, tra poco potrebbero anche mancare quattro giorni alla fine del mondo… considerato che gli ultimi tre dovrebbero essere di black-out totale, rimane proprio pochino per salutare… In questi casi viene da pensare a “cosa si farebbe”, ammesso s’intende che i vari piloti d’aereo, a quattro giorni dalla fine del mondo, abbiano ancora la voglia di lavorare per soddisfare gli ultimi desideri altrui… viene da pensare alle ultime cose da dire, da fare.
Ma dato che vorrei essere ottimista e fancazzista fino alla fine, io preferisco immaginare un “breve” lista di cose da NON fare.
Diciamo un centinaio…
1-Non devo cercare il pelo nell’uovo che non mi risulta si sia avuta mai notizia di un uovo peloso e pertanto è perfettamente inutile ostinarsi a cercarlo.
2-Non devo scivolare in un controsenso perché potrei impiastrarmi tutto se per caso fosse roba viscida.
3-Non devo masticare solo gomma americana, ma anche jugoslava, senegalese e magrebina altrimenti potrei essere accusato di razzismo.
4-Non devo mandare cartoline agli eschimesi che tanto non sanno l’italiano e poi non mi conoscono, quindi che gliele mando a fare.
5-Non devo convincere la carta igienica a cambiare mestiere perché, se vuole davvero essere “igienica”, un mestiere così non lo deve fare.
6-Non devo prendere la palla al balzo che sennò il papà del balzo si arrabbia.
7-Non devo lanciare parole al vento che tanto non ha consistenza e perciò non lo prendo mai.
8-Non devo piangere per un film commovente… se proprio devo piangere almeno che sia per un film commotrenta o meglio commoquaranta.
9-Non devo dipingere d’azzurro i miei cieli, di verde i miei prati e di rosso i miei cuori, perché voglio creare un genere di pittura all’incontrario in cui c’è pieno di cuori color cagarella e cieli ecru che si intonano bene coi cuori.
10-Non devo limare le unghie con la carta vetrata.
11-Non devo andare a cento all’ora per trovar la bimba mia.
12-Non devo mettere la freccia per girare, sennò poi mi viene la voglia di scagliarla verso qualche vigile.
13-Non devo continuare a dormire su un fianco e devo capire che è meglio se dormo su un letto.
14-Non devo camminare in fila indiana che basta con sta storia che gli indiani camminavano tutti uno dietro l’altro. (non è vera!)
15-Non devo mangiare solo le penne al nero di seppia ma anche le matite al grigio topo o le bic al blu di prussia.
16-Non devo fare la hostess.
17-Non devo incaponirmi a sbattere la testa sul muro quando le cose vanno male altrimenti poi oltre alle cose, fa male anche la testa.
18-Non devo mischiare gli odori quando cucino sennò poi ci credo che a mia moglie e mia figlia non piacciono i miei piatti. (pieni di odori)
19-Non devo camminare sul filo del rasoio perché non ho per niente equilibrio e non vorrei tagliarmi tutti i piedi.
20-Non devo sudare solamente ma imparare anche a suprendere.
21-Non devo mettere i puntini sugli “i” degli altri.
22-Non devo usare l’ammorbidente per lavare i pantaloni altrimenti poi le gambe mi fanno giacomo giacomo e io continuo a rispondere che mi chiamo paolo paolo e continuiamo a litigare e non è bello litigare con le proprie gambe.
23-Non devo ingoiare lacrime amare. Non ci vuoi mettere lo zucchero? Usa quello di canna, al limite il dolcificante! Ma basta con ste lacrime amare che fanno pure schifo!
24-Non devo legarmi le cose al dito che poi stringo sempre troppo e mi diventa viola.
25-Non devo apostrofare mia mamma che altrimenti diventa iamamma e poi quando la chiamo non mi capisce più.
26-Non devo fare salti dalla gioia che sennò poi mia moglie si arrabbia.
27-Non devo andare sul canotto quando sono da solo.
28-Non devo parlare al telefono che tanto è un gran maleducato e non mi risponde mai e io parlo, parlo, parlo per niente.
29-Non devo parlare più nemmeno a Carlo Maria, Agostina e Leopoldo, tanto non so chi siano e più di tanto non se la prenderanno.
30-Non devo cadere dalle nuvole altrimenti mi faccio moooooooolto male.
31-Non devo neppure avere la testa fra le nuvole altrimenti sono troooooooppo alto.
32-Non devo affogare i dispiaceri nell’alcol altrimenti finisce che mi arrestano e mi danno l’ergastolo.
33-Non devo morsicarmi le unghie perché quelle delle mani le ho finite e sennò mi tocca cominciare con quelle dei piedi.
34-Non devo fare zapping, stalking, mobbing, running, e più in generale tutte le parole inglesi che finiscono in ing, perché m’è sgorgata un’innata antipatia per ste tre lettere vicine.
35-Non devo chiedere il conto che sennò poi mi tocca pure pagare e son tempi duri per tutti.
36-Non devo continuare a giocare a scacchi con Josè… non c’è trippa per gatti ed ogni volta è un’umiliazione.
37-Non devo spostare l’ago della bilancia da una parte piuttosto che dall’altra perché altrimenti poi la bilancia non funziona più.
38-Non devo parlare in fretta altrimenti mi si mischiano le parole in bocca e poi mi gironi i cogliano.
39-Non devo assumere sostanze stupefacenti che se no poi rimango stupe fatto!
40-Non devo dire più “riassumo”, perché io non ho mai licenziato nessuno.
41-Non devo andare fiero di mia figlia, così non devo neppure tornare fiero di mia figlia e mi risparmio un biglietto andata e ritorno.
42-Non devo far sposare a mia figlia il figlio del signor Tschurtschenthaler sennò ora che imparo a chiamare il mio consuocero facciamo notte.
43-Non devo pitturare di arancione per invidia la maledetta erba del vicino che è sempre più verde della mia.
44-Non devo andare nei monti del Tirolo a cercare gli occhiali che quello sbadato di Dotto s’è perso mentre tornava da lavorare e pensava ai Loacker.
45-Non devo essere nudo e crudo perché sennò che schifo è? Te lo sei mai mangiato te un agnello nudo e crudo? Beh, io di agnelli vestiti non ne ho mai visti, ma neppure con una maglietta e un paio di jeans eh! Però certo… crudo fa proprio schifo!
46-Non devo inventare a tutti i costi (come cercano di fare i nostri amici Svizzeri di Ginevra) l’acceleratore di particelle che per quanto ne so io, ste povere particelle lasciamole andare col proprio passo che è risaputo che “chi va piano, va sano e va lontano”.
47-Non devo parlare di riscaldamento globale che già mi pare che con quello del condominio c’abbiamo discreti casini, figurarsi a pensarne uno globale.
48-Non devo parlare col cuore in mano altrimenti mi si sporcano di sangue tutte le mani.
49-Non devo focalizzare sul passato altrimenti il presente viene sfocato, e poi tutto sommato le foto mi piacciono di più con la polpa.
50-Non devo fossilizzarmi sulle cose altrimenti poi quelli che mi trovano, tra un milione di anni fanno una fatica bestiale a staccarmi ed inoltre non hanno una bacheca abbastanza grossa per mettermi in esposizione.
51-Non devo fare tanto sesso tantrico, meglio poco sesso pocrico.
52-Non devo calmare le acque che poi non sono Mosè e non sono capace di tenerle per tanto tempo a bada.
53-Non devo caricarmi di responsabilità perché non ho ancora tutti i denti del giudizio.
54-Non devo mischiare le carte in tavola altrimenti quelli che giocano con me, mi sa che non la prendono tanto bene.
55-Non devo zigzagare a meno che nelle vicinanze non ci sia un mago con la faccia blu che sul grande lago naviga con la sua tribù. E il sette di luglio la sveglia sul collo suonava le ventitrè.
56-Non devo ascoltare solo musica da camera altrimenti il bagno, la cucina e la sala se la prendono a male.
57-Non devo mangiare carboidrati, ipofosfati, turboliodati, nucleoacetati… e fagioli.
58-Non devo dire falsa testimonianza. E chi lo dice!
59-Non devo alimentare i malintesi che sennò poi ingrassano e bisogna ricomprargli i malipantaloni.
60-Non devo essere sempre positivo ma anche un po’ negativo perché è risaputo che i poli opposti s’attraggono e siccome io m’attraggo e vorrei avere qualche speranza di conquistarmi, allora sarebbe meglio.
61-Non devo prendere le redini delle situazioni perché tanto non sono buono ad andare a cavallo.
62-Non devo frullare i pompelmi coi mandarini, altrimenti esce una spremuta di mandarelmi oppure una bevanda assai più equivoca. CENSURED
63-Non devo farmi mettere i piedi in testa altrimenti poi mi puzzano i pensieri di formaggio.
64-Non devo moderare i termini ma neppure aizzare gli inizi.
65-Non devo fare torti e neppure pandispagni o profiterolli.
66-Non devo calpestare i diritti altrui con le scarpe sporche di merda di cane.
67-Non devo mantenermi in forma, quindi mi posso sciogliere o solidificare a piacere.
68-Non devo pagare le tasse perché non ho proprio idea di cosa abbiano fatto mai per me per cui dovrei pagarle… tanto poi cosa se ne fanno dei miei soldi?
69-Non devo sognare la luna ma spingermi oltre e quindi magari sognare un po’ anche Giove, o Saturno o, perché no, Nettuno (ma non era quello che stava in mare quello lì?)
70-Non devo assimilare i concetti che già assimilo tutto il resto e tra un po’ divento una barca e non ho neppure i remi!
71-Non devo far lavorare la fantasia che è minorenne e potrebbero chiamare il telefono azzurro.
72-Non devo controllare l’ora ogni minuto senza controllare i secondi o quantomeno azzerare il cronometro.
73-Non devo fare l’albero di natale in ritardo pensando che tanto babbo natale, con tutti i pandori e panettoni e torroni che mangia mentre li prepara c’avrà la gastrite e passerà con calma, dopo guarito.
74-Non devo mangiare la frutta secca, che come per le fotografie di prima, a me un po’ di polpa piace.
75-Non devo misurare la febbre alle formiche.
76-Non devo ostinarmi ad immaginare, come pensiero pacificante, la famosa amaca ai margini di una spiaggia tropicale con la mia casa dall’altra parte della medesima, che non ho voglia di camminare così tanto per sdraiarmici sopra e pacificarmi. Allora a sto punto mi pacifico nel letto della mia casa ai margini della spiaggia!
77-Non devo cantare sotto la doccia perché pazienza mentre mi sto lavando, ma le altre volte mi sento un po’ ridicolo tutto vestito a cantare lì sotto.
78-Non devo fare il pendolare che non vorrei trovarmi mai un giorno a dover fare anche il cuccù.
79-Non devo puntare i piedi per orgoglio che sennò lascio tutti buchi nel pavimento.
80-Non devo mangiare l’odiata minestrina, ma stare bene attento a non saltare neppure dalla finestrina (prevedere exit-strategy).
81-Non devo manifestare i miei sentimenti che poi mi tocca pagare un sacco di soldi per diritti di affissione.
82-Non devo essere un tifoso sfegatato. Per ovvii motivi.
83-Non devo credere alle facoltà paranormali anche se paranormale crederci.
84-Non devo mangiare panettoni ché son troppo piccoli e grosso come sono, come minimo mi ci vogliono panchiloni o meglio, panquintaloni.
85-Non devo bollire per sete di vendetta perché tanto è un piatto che va servito freddo.
86-Non devo comprare un arazzo che tanto sulla aluna non ci devo andare e poi non c’ho posto in garage per aparcheggiarlo.
87-Non devo andare in analisi, né logica né grammaticale.
88-Non devo usufruire dei buoni pasto per fare buone colazioni.
89-Non devo saltare l’introduzione e smetterla di leggere i libri dalla fine. Che poi lo credo che non ci capisco niente.
90-Non devo amministrare con parsimonia il mio denaro perché Simonia di denaro ne ha già abbastanza di suo ed io non gliene posso certo offrire altro.
91-Non devo pagare il coperto perché a me piace mangiare fuori ed ho pure la macchina cabrio.
92-Non devo cercare la cresta dell’onda solo perché sono invidioso dei suoi capelli.
93-Non devo prendere appunti.
94-Non devo far la spesa con la lista che tanto: a) me la dimentico a casa b) se non me la dimentico non la guardo c) se la guardo, c’è sempre una voce che mi sfugge e mi tocca puntualmente tornare al negozio. E poi mi gironi i cogliano…
95-Non devo imprecare nel traffico, quando ci vuole devo imprecare e basta, ovunque mi trovi.
96-Non devo superare gli ostacoli che mica sono un cavallo.
97-Non devo fare discorsi qualunquisti che può fare uno qualunque ma concentrarmi su discorsi specifici che può fare solo uno con un certo peso specifico e siccome io magari specifico non lo sarò, ma di peso lo sono di sicuro, me li sento più congeniali.
98-Non devo più scrivere a mia moglie su un messaggio che “sono fuso”…
99-Non devo avere un bell’aspetto perché io voglio averlo subito.
100- Non devo cercare le spigole negli angoli.
Direi che ce n'è abbastanza!
I was tagged by Roz first ...
1 - I am mystified that I so consistently seem to piss people off just by being me.
2 - I truly believe that I am looking more and more like Snoopy each passing day of my pregnancy.
3 - When I was a kid I believed Snoopy was "real" ... I still do.
I wanted to replace Charles M Schulz when I grew up but respected and admired him for wanting Peanuts to retire with him rather than risk corruption by profit minded individuals.
4 - I used to be jealous of my brother for being SO easygoing and good at everything, now I congratulate him for it, that's personal growth!
5 - I worry I will be a terrible parent. I am still disappointed the gender surprise was ruined.
6 - I am old enough that I had to use food products to dye my hair funny colours "back in the day" I look terrible with green hair and one day I will post the proof.
7 - I am incapable of a celebrity crush. Sure, I can think so and so is cute or talented but beyond that, not at all.
8 - I still miss Brownguy like crazy. Sherman rocks but Brownguy was my true soul mate.
9 - At least once a week I am amazed by the generosity of "internet" friends. I believe they are "real" too.
10 - I procrastinate far too much.
11 - I thought I would be far wealthier by this point in my life and I'm pissed about it!
12 - I almost never vomit ... no matter HOW bad I feel. Not sure this is a good thing.
13 - I used to hate my hair when I was a kid, now I hate aging and my bizarre post accident chin.
14 - I love to eat and will eat just about anything. I cut the spoiled bits off of food and eat it anyway. -- obviously (I hope) I don't actually EAT spoiled food. I sniff test first! I get upset just thinking about the volume of food which goes uneaten in the western world when so many are starving.
15 - I am a classic underachiever.
16 - when I first got into Blythes even I didn't think I would still love them this much 3 years later.
bonus - Pi is my true love though. I think everybody knows that which is why it is not in my "16"
I don't think I've ever been consistently proud as a photographer. Often what happens is I log onto Flickr and wallow in jealousy because none of my photos look like my favorites, and then I force myself to go someplace to shoot so I can prove to myself that I can do what everyone else is doing, yet once I'm finished, I hate the whole shoot and I can't seem to edit anything the way I want it to look. I keep telling myself that it's because I don't have Photoshop and I can't possibly get the effects and the lighting that everyone else has, or that I don't have the right 50mm f/1.8 lens and I can't possibly get the shallow depth of field that everyone else has, but I know that can't be true. I know I can play around with those things in other programs, but every time I try, I never get it right. So every time I shoot, I feel worthless because everything always turns out the same and I'm not improving. It's a cycle of comparison, but I'm beginning to realize what I'm doing to myself.
Forcing myself to shoot because I want to be as good as everyone else right now is ruining me. It's shattering my confidence and bringing me down from the fluffy little clouds I used to stand on. I keep shooting these petty little shoots because I want to see what I'm capable of, but when it's me forcing myself to shoot, then obviously that's not my greatest imagination at work. I could do so much more, but with those shoots, I'm just looking for a picture with a decent angle to edit, and I'm never going to be proud of those pictures because they're not from the bottom of my heart or the center of my somewhat-deranged brain. I want to shoot when I feel like shooting--when clever ideas dip into my brain and drag me outside or to the park or wherever. I don't need to be like everyone else, shooting every single day, in sunflower fields at golden hour, or in a thunderstorm when the pouring rain threatens my $800 camera's existence. If I'm not up to it, it doesn't make me any less of a photographer. It's time I let myself improve at my own pace. I'm promising myself that starting now, I will never force myself to shoot, or to impress anyone but myself.
I saw some quote somewhere, and I don't remember how it was worded (I should have saved it), but the moral was basically that "focus on making yourself happy rather than everyone else, because all the people in your life can and may walk away, but you're the only person you're stuck with". It makes so much sense, and I think it's about to become my motto.
American postcard by Fotofolio, New York, no. P255. Photo: Terry O'Neill / Hamiltons Gallery, London. Caption: Mae West, Hollywood, 1970. Publicity still for Myra Breckinridge (Michael Sarne, 1970).
Blonde Mae West (1895-1982) was a seductive, overdressed, endearing, intelligent, and sometimes vulgar American actress and sex symbol. She featured a come-hither voice, aggressive sexuality, and a genius for comedy. West started in Vaudeville and on the stage in New York, and later moved to Hollywood to star in such films as I’m No Angel (1933), She Done Him Wrong (1933), and Klondike Annie (1936). She was one of the first women in the cinema to consistently write the films she starred in.
Mary Jane West was born in 1892, in Brooklyn, New York, to Matilda and John West. Family members called her Mae. Her father was a prizefighter known around the Brooklyn area as ‘Battlin' Jack’ West. Later, he worked as a "special policeman" (most likely as muscle for local business and crime bosses) and then as a private detective. Mae began working as an entertainer at age five at a church social. After a few years in stock, she moved into burlesque, where she was billed as ‘The Baby Vamp’. In 1907, 14-year-old West began performing professionally in vaudeville in the Hal Claredon Stock Company. Her mother made all her costumes, drilled her on rehearsals, and managed her bookings and contracts. In 1909, West met Frank Wallace, an up-and-coming vaudeville song-and-dance man. They formed an act and went out on the burlesque circuit. In 1911, she married Frank Wallace. Only 17, she lied about her age on her marriage certificate and kept the marriage secret from the public and her parents. She broke up the act soon after they arrived back in New York and the union remained a secret until 1935. In 1911, West auditioned for, and got a part, in her first Broadway show, ‘A La Broadway’, a comedy review. The show folded after only eight performances, but West was a hit. In the audience on opening night were two successful Broadway impresarios, Lee and J.J. Shubert, and they cast her in the production of ‘Vera Violetta’, also featuring Al Jolson and Gaby Deslys. West got her big break in 1918 in the Shubert Brothers revue Sometime, playing opposite Ed Wynn. Her character, Mayme, danced the shimmy, a brazen dance move that involved shaking the shoulders back and forth and pushing the chest out. As more parts came her way, West began to shape her characters, often rewriting dialogue or character descriptions to better suit her persona. She eventually began writing her own plays, initially using the pen name Jane Mast. In 1926 her first play, ‘Sex’, which she wrote, produced, and directed on Broadway, caused a scandal and landed her in jail for ten days on obscenity charges. Media attention surrounding the incident enhanced her career, by crowning her the darling "bad girl" who "had climbed the ladder of success wrong by wrong". She wrote and directed her second play, ‘Drag’ (1927) about homosexuality. She was an early supporter of gay rights and publicly declared against police brutality that gay men experienced. The play was a smash hit during a series of try-outs in Connecticut and New Jersey, but she was warned by city officials, not to bring it to Broadway. Finally, her play ‘Diamond Lil’ (1928), about a racy, easygoing, and ultimately very smart lady of the 1890s, became a Broadway hit and cemented West's image in the public's eye. And, after two more successful stage productions, she was invited to Hollywood.
At Paramount Pictures, Mae West made her film debut in Night After Night (Archie Mayo, 1932), starring George Raft. At 38 years old, she might have been considered in her ‘advanced years’ for playing sexy harlots, but her persona and physical beauty seemed to overcome any doubt. At first, she balked at her small role in Night After Night but was appeased when allowed to rewrite her scenes. One scene became a sensation. When a coat check girl exclaims, "Goodness! What lovely diamonds!", after seeing Mae's jewelry. Mae replies, "Goodness had nothing to do with it, dearie". Mae was a hit and later George Raft said of Mae: "She stole everything but the cameras." In her second film, She Done Him Wrong (Lowell Sherman, 1933), West was able to bring her ‘Diamond Lil’ character to the screen in her first starring film role. Her co-star was newcomer Cary Grant in one of his first major roles. ‘Lil’ was renamed ‘Lady Lou’, and she uttered the famous West line, "Why don't you come up sometime and see me?" The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture, and did tremendously well at the box office. She Done Him Wrong is attributed to saving Paramount from bankruptcy. In her next film, I'm No Angel (Wesley Ruggles, 1933), she was again paired with Grant. This film, too, was a financial blockbuster and West became the highest-paid woman in the United States. However, her reputation as a provocative sexual figure and the steamy settings of her films aroused the wrath and moral indignation of several groups. The new Hays Office had the power to pre-approve films' productions and change scripts. In 1934, the organisation began to seriously and meticulously enforce the Production Code on West's screenplays, and heavily edited them. West responded in her typical fashion by increasing the number of innuendos and double entendres, fully expecting to confuse the censors, which she did for the most part. Her film Klondike Annie (Raoul Walsh, 1936) with Victor McLaglen, concerned itself with religion and hypocrisy. William R. Hearst disagreed so vehemently with the film's context, and West's portrayal of a Salvation Army worker, that he personally forbade any stories or advertisements of the film to be published in any of his newspapers. However, the film did well at the box office and is considered the high-point of West's film career. Throughout the 1930s her films were anticipated as major events, but by the end of the decade she seemed to have reached her limit and her popularity waned. The few other films she did for Paramount — Go West, Young Man (Henry Hathaway, 1936) and Everyday's a Holiday (A. Edward Sutherland, 1937) — did not do well at the box office, and she found censorship was severely limiting her creativity. In 1937, she was banned from NBC Radio after a guest appearance with Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy that was loaded with flirtatious dialogue and double-entendres.
In 1939, Mae West was approached by Universal Pictures to star in a film opposite comedian W.C. Fields. The studio wanted to duplicate the success they had with another film, Destry Rides Again (George Marshall, 1939), a Western morality tale starring Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart. West, looking for a vehicle to make a comeback in films, accepted the part, demanding creative control over the film. Using the same Western genre, she wrote the script for My Little Chickadee (Edward F. Cline, 1940). Despite tension on the set between West and Fields (she was a teetotaler and he drank), the film was a box-office success, out-grossing Fields' previous two films. After making The Heat's On (Gregory Ratoff, 1943) for Columbia, she planned to retire from the screen and went back to Broadway and on a tour of English theatres. Among her popular stage performances was the title role in ‘Catherine Was Great’ (1944) on Broadway, in which she penned a spoof on the story of Catherine the Great of Russia, surrounding herself with an ‘imperial guard’ of tall, muscular young actors. The play was produced by theater and film impresario Mike Todd and ran for 191 performances and then went on tour. In 1954, when she was 62, she began a nightclub act in which she was surrounded by musclemen; it ran for three years and was a great success. In 1954, West formed a nightclub act which revived some of her earlier stage work, featuring her in song-and-dance numbers and surrounded by musclemen fawning over her for attention. The show ran for three years and was a great success. With this victory, she felt it was a good time to retire. In 1959, West released her bestselling autobiography, ‘Goodness Had Nothing To Do With It’, recounting her life in show business. She made a few guest appearances on the 1960s television comedy/variety shows like The Red Skelton Show and some situation comedies like Mister Ed. She also recorded a few albums in different genres including rock 'n' roll and a Christmas album which, of course, was more parody and innuendo than a religious celebration. In the 1970s, she appeared in two more films. She had s small part in Gore Vidal's Myra Breckenridge (Michael Sarne, 1970), starring Raquel Welch. She starred in Sextette (Ken Hughes, 1978), which she based on her own stage play. Both were box office flops, but are now seen as cult films. In 1980, Mae West died after suffering two strokes in Hollywood and was entombed in Brooklyn, New York. She was 88. Denny Jackson at IMDb: “The actress, who only appeared in 12 films in 46 years, had a powerful impact on us. There was no doubt she was way ahead of her time with her sexual innuendos and how she made fun of a puritanical society. She did a lot to bring it out of the closet and perhaps we should be grateful for that.”
Sources: Denny Jackson (IMDb), Biography.com, AllMovie, Wikipedia, and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards..
Bar the rusty wheelarch, this Carina looked very smart indeed. Better still, it's the much rarer four door saloon bodystyle which I think looks better than the hatchback. A two owner car, the current owner purchased it on September 1st 1995 when it was more or less seven months old.
Testament to the quality of these old Toyotas is that in the last 21 years it has covered about 170,000 miles (168k in Feb) and covers a consistent 4k or so a year even now.
The 1986 McDonald's "Play & Win" Kansas City Chiefs football set is a 24-card promotional issue that was regionally distributed during a four-week period in the fall of 1986. The cards were given to customers with a purchase as part of a sweepstakes game where the bottom tab could be scratched off for a food prize.
Set Observations:
Size and Design: The cards are larger than standard trading cards of the era, measuring 3-1/16" x 4-11/16" with the game tab attached. The design is simple, featuring a color action photo of a Chiefs player with the NFL and McDonald's logos prominently displayed.
Regional Distribution: The full 24-card set was only available in the Kansas City area McDonald's restaurants. Other NFL cities had their own team-specific sets (typically 24 cards as well), while non-NFL areas received a 30-card "All-Star" set featuring top players from around the league.
Tab Variations: A key feature for collectors is the color of the perforated bottom game tab. The tabs came in four colors, corresponding to the week they were issued: blue (week 1), black (week 2), gold or orange (week 3), and green (week 4).
Collectibility & Value: The value of the cards is highly dependent on whether the tab is still attached and unscratched. Sets with intact tabs are generally more desirable to collectors. The "black" tab variation for some teams (like the Atlanta Falcons) is considered rarer, but for the Chiefs, all four colors seem to be available.
1986 McDonald's Kansas City Chiefs autographed football trading card featuring Kevin Ross. Player: Kevin Ross, CB, (#31). Set: Part of the 1986 McDonald's "Play & Win" promotion with the NFL. Features: The card includes a "Tear Here" tab for a rub-off NFL game and McDonald's coupon offer. Team: Kansas City Chiefs, with the team helmet logo visible.
Kevin Ross was a prominent professional American football defensive back known for his physical style of play and highly successful career with the Kansas City Chiefs. He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection and was inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 2011. Career Overview - Teams: Ross played 14 NFL seasons, primarily with the Kansas City Chiefs (1984-1993, 1997), but also spent time with the Atlanta Falcons (1994-1995) and the San Diego Chargers (1996). College: He played college football at Temple University. Draft: He was a seventh-round draft pick (173rd overall) by the Chiefs in the 1984 NFL Draft. Nickame: He was known by the nickname "Rock" because of his tough and intimidating presence on the field despite his smaller stature.
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1986 McDonald's "Play & Win" autographed football trading card featuring former Kansas City Chiefs running back and kick returner, Jeff Smith. The card is number 42 in the set.
Jeff Smith, the individual featured on the card as a running back/kick returner for the Kansas City Chiefs, played in the NFL for four seasons. Career Overview - College: He played for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, where he had a notable performance in the 1984 Orange Bowl, scoring two touchdowns. Professional Teams: He played for the Kansas City Chiefs (1985–1986) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1987–1988). Key Stats: His most productive season was 1986 with the Chiefs, where he accumulated 1,270 all-purpose yards, including 557 yards from kick returns. Throughout his career, he rushed for 752 yards with a 3.7 average and scored 12 total touchdowns. Post-NFL Career and Personal Life - After his football career, Jeff Smith pursued a career in the criminal justice system, working as a Court Services Officer in Wichita, Kansas. He is the stepfather of current NFL running back Breece Hall.
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This is a 1986 McDonald's promotional NFL autographed card featuring Mike Pruitt as a running back for the Kansas City Chiefs, indicated by the team logo and the (#43) jersey.
Mike Pruitt was a prominent NFL fullback known for his speed, strength, and durability, primarily during his nine seasons with the Cleveland Browns. NFL Career (1976–1986) Draft and Teams: Pruitt was the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 1976 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns. He played for the Browns from 1976 to 1984, followed by brief stints with the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs, where he finished his career in 1986. Key Accomplishments: Pro Bowl Selections: He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection in 1979 and 1980. 1,000-Yard Seasons: Pruitt achieved four seasons with over 1,000 rushing yards (1979-1981, 1983). Franchise Ranks: He ranks third in Browns' franchise history for career rushing yards, trailing only Hall of Famers Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly.
Overall Statistics: In 152 career games, he rushed for 7,378 yards and 51 touchdowns, while also catching 270 passes for 1,860 yards and 5 receiving touchdowns. After retiring from the NFL, Pruitt became a successful businessman, owning a Ford dealership in Lima, Ohio, and a Honda dealership in Akron, Ohio. He was inducted into the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame in 2003 and, as of 2003, lived in Strongsville, Ohio. Pruitt currently serves as a Jehovah's Witness in the Cleveland area.
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1986 McDonald's "Play & Win" Brad Budde #66 autographed football card. He played guard for the Kansas City Chiefs (1980–1986).
Brad Budde is a former NFL offensive guard for the Kansas City Chiefs and is now a physical therapist and businessman.
Career Overview - College Success: Budde was a successful college player at the University of Southern California (USC), earning honors such as unanimous All-American, the Lombardi Award, and Academic All-American. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1998. NFL Career: Following in his father's footsteps, Brad Budde was a first-round draft pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1980. He played in 92 games and started 79 for the Chiefs from 1980 to 1986. Post-Football Life: After retiring in 1988, he obtained a master's degree in physical therapy. He founded Budde Physical Therapy, which focuses on in-home rehabilitation for seniors. He also established GameDay Management Systems, which applies sports principles to corporate team-building. Philanthropy and Family - Brad and his wife, Nicolette, have supported various causes, including programs for abused children and their own youth leadership program, "Brad's Buddies". They live in Capistrano Beach, California, and have two children and two grandchildren.
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1986 McDonald's All-Star NFL autographed football card featuring Carlos Carson, a wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Carlos Carson was a highly successful wide receiver, known for his speed (earning him the nickname "Speedy") and excellent hands. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1980 and played for 10 seasons in the NFL, primarily with the Chiefs. Playing Style and Career Highlights - Role on the Field: Carson was known as the top long-ball receiver in Chiefs history at the time of his retirement, famous for beating "bump-and-run" coverage from top defenders. Key Records: He still holds the Chiefs' franchise record for career yards-per-catch average (18.1 yards). He also holds an LSU school record for five receiving touchdowns in a single game. Accomplishments: Two-time Pro Bowler (1983, 1987). Chiefs Hall of Fame inductee in 2017. Missouri Sports Hall of Fame inductee in 2019. Post-NFL Career and Community Involvement - After retiring from football in 1989, Carson stayed in the Kansas City area and became a successful businessman. McDonald's Franchise Owner: He and his wife, Pam, own three McDonald's restaurants in Independence, Missouri, a venture they have dedicated their time to for over 20 years. Community Work: He is actively involved in community service through the Ronald McDonald House Charities and the Kansas City Ambassador program, serving the community in his leisure time.
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This is a 1986 McDonald's Kansas City Chiefs autographed football card featuring Henry Marshall, with a green tab at the bottom. (tough autograph)
Henry Marshall was a consistent and productive wide receiver who played his entire 12-season NFL career (1976–1987) with the Kansas City Chiefs. He overcame a "bad hands" label early in his career to become the Chiefs' top receiver for a significant period. Career Overview - College: Marshall played college football at the University of Missouri, earning All-America honors in 1975. He was inducted into the Missouri Hall of Fame in 1991. NFL Draft: He was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round (79th overall) of the 1976 NFL Draft. Career Highlights: Marshall played in 165 games for the Chiefs. He caught 416 passes for 6,545 yards and 33 receiving touchdowns. His best season was 1984, where he totaled 62 catches for 912 yards. He held the Chiefs' all-time receiving record for receptions until it was surpassed by Tony Gonzalez in 2003. Post-NFL Life & Notable Mentions - Information regarding Marshall's current personal or professional life is limited in the search results. A notable public record from 1987 indicates he was fined and placed on probation for failing to file federal income tax returns for several years. There is no recent information available about what he is doing now.
The 800 runs until the middle of October this year so still time for a ride on this wonderful route for anyone with a free Sunday. Yorkshire Tigers Scania 906 crosses the river Skirfare which meanders consistently south-east for approximately 9 miles to the confluence with the River Wharfe not far from this shot near Kilnsey.
RM 1578 was one of the large batch cut up at Aldenham in the first half of 1983. With so many RM`s to be done, parking was often `wherever space existed`. The parts reclaim was quite consistent across the range of scrappers but when this picture was taken on 18 February 1983, RM 1578 has had all the usual bits removed but is unusual in still retaining indicator ears and mirrors which were never left in situ on other buses.
Coral Bells
Heuchera 'Geisha's Fan' ('Geisha's Fan' heuchera)
Botanical Name: Heuchera 'Geisha's Fan' HEW-ker-ah Common Name: 'Geisha's Fan' heuchera Genus: Heuchera
This heuchera has dusky purple leaves with charcoal veins, overlaid with silver between the veins. The plant grows up to 16 inches tall and wide. Pale pink flowers appear in spring. Great in garden beds and in container plantings.
Noteworthy characteristics: May be evergreen in warmer climates.
Care:
Provide full sun to part shade and moist, but well-drained soil. Needs consistent moisture if in full sun. If evergreen, cut back tattered and faded leaves in spring to make way for new growth.
Propagation:
Divide clumps in spring.
Problems:
Occasional powdery mildew or leaf spots may occur.
Background Blue:
The plant that provides the bluish background is a Festuca Glauca Elijah Blue.
Sintra is consistently ranked as one of the wealthiest and most expensive municipalities in both Portugal and the Iberian Peninsula as a whole. Sintra is one of Portugal's most expensive and sought after real estate markets, famed for its numerous historic and luxury estates, and is home to one of the largest foreign expat communities along the Portuguese Riviera. Sintra is similarly known for its high standards of living, consistently ranking as one of the best places to live in Portugal.
North Pier is the most northerly of the three coastal piers in Blackpool, England. Built in the 1860s, it is also the oldest and longest of the three. Although originally intended only
as a promenade, competition forced the pier to widen its attractions to include theatres and bars. Unlike Blackpool's other piers, which attracted the working classes with open air
dancing and amusements, North Pier catered for the "better-class" market, with orchestra concerts and respectable comedians. Until 2011, it was the only Blackpool pier that
consistently charged admission.
The pier is designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building, due to its status as the oldest surviving pier created by Eugenius Birch. As of 2012 it is still in regular use,
despite having suffered damage from fires, storms and collisions with boats. Its attractions include bars, a theatre, a carousel and an arcade. One of the oldest remaining Sooty
glove puppets is on display commemorating Harry Corbett buying the original puppet there.
North Pier was built at the seaward end of Talbot Road, where the town's first railway station, Blackpool North, was built. Its name reflects its location as the most northerly of
Blackpool's three piers. It is about 450 yards (410 m) north of Blackpool Tower, which is roughly the midpoint of Blackpool's promenade. The sea front is particularly straight and
flat on this stretch of coastline, and the 1,650 feet (500 m) pier extends at right angles into the Irish Sea, more or less level with the promenade.
History: The construction of Blackpool Pier (eventually North Pier) started in May 1862, in Layton-cum-Warbreck, part of the parish of Bispham. In October 1862 severe storms
suggested that the planned height of the pier was insufficient, and it was increased by 3 feet (0.91 m) North Pier was the second of fourteen piers designed by Eugenius Birch,
and since Margate Pier was destroyed by a storm in 1978, it is the oldest of the remaining examples of his work still in use. It was the first of Birch's piers to be built by Glasgow
engineering firm Richard Laidlaw and Son.
The pier, which cost £11,740 to build, originally consisted of a promenade 1,405 feet (428 m) long and 28 feet (8.5 m) wide, extending to 55 feet (17 m) wide at the pier-head. The
bulk of the pier was constructed from cast iron, with a wooden deck laid on top. The cast iron piles on which the structure rests were inserted using Birch's screw pile process; the
screw-tipped piles were twisted into the sand until they hit bedrock. This made construction much quicker and easier, and guaranteed that the pier had a solid foundation. The
cast iron columns, 12 inches (300 mm) in diameter, were filled with concrete for stability at intervals of 60 feet (18 m), and supported by struts that were on average were slightly
more than 1 inch (25 mm) thick.The pier's promenade deck is lined with wooden benches with ornamental cast iron backs. At intervals along the pier are hexagonal kiosks built
around 1900 in wood and glass with minaret roofs topped with decorative finials. On opening two of the kiosks were occupied by a bookstall and confectionery stall and the
kiosks near the ends of the pier were seated shelters. The pier-head is a combination of 420 tons of cast iron and 340 tons of wrought iron columns; standing 50 feet (15 m)
above the low water line, it sees a regular 35 feet (11 m) change in sea level due to the tide.
The pier was officially opened in a grand ceremony on 21 May 1863, even though the final 50 yards (46 m) had not yet been completed. All the shops in the area were closed
and decorated with flags and streamers for the ceremony, which included a procession and a cannon salute, and was attended by more than 20,000 visitors. Although the town
only had a population of approximately 4,000, more than 200,000 holiday makers regularly stayed there during the summer months; this included 275,000 admissions in 1863,
400,000 in 1864 and 465,000 the following year. The pier was officially opened by Major Preston, and he and 150 officials then travelled to the Clifton Hotel for a celebratory
meal.
The pier was intended primarily for leisure rather than seafaring; for the price of 2d (worth approximately £4.90 in 2012) the pier provided the opportunity for visitors to walk close
to the sea without distractions.This fee was insufficient to deter "trippers'", which led to Major Preston campaigning for a new pier to cater for the 'trippers'. In 1866, the
government agreed that a second pier could be built, despite objections from the Blackpool Pier Company that it was close to their pier and therefore unnecessary
As permitted by the original parliamentary order, a landing jetty was built at the end of North Pier in incremental stages between 1864 and 1867. The full length of the jetty was
474 feet (144 m), and the extensions increased the pier's total length to its current 1,650 feet (500 m). The Blackpool Pier Company used the jetty to operate pleasure steamers
that made trips to the surrounding areas. In 1871 swimming and diving lessons were added to the pier.
In 1874, the pier-head was extended to allow Richard Knill Freeman to incorporate a pavilion, which opened in 1877. The interior decoration led it to be known as the "Indian
Pavilion", and it was Blackpool's primary venue for indoor entertainment until the Winter Gardens opened in 1879.
To differentiate itself from the new pier, North Pier focused on catering for the "better classes", charging for entry and including attractions such as an orchestra and band
concerts, in contrast to the Central Pier (or the "People's pier"), which regularly had music playing and open-air dancing. The pier owners highlighted the difference, charging at
least a shilling (worth approximately £19.90 in 2012) for concerts and ensuring that advertisements for comedians focused on their lack of vulgarity. Sundays were given over to a
church parade.
On 8 October 1892, a storm-damaged vessel, Sirene, hit the southern side of the pier, causing four shops and part of the deck to collapse onto the beach below. Several columns
were also dislodged, and the ship's bowsprit hit the pier entrance. All eleven crew members were rescued when they were hauled onto the pier. Damage to the pier was
estimated to be £5,000 and was promptly repaired.
Nelson's former flagship, HMS Foudroyant, was moored alongside North Pier for an exhibition, but slipped anchor and was wrecked on the shore in a violent storm on 16 June
1897, damaging part of the jetty. The wreck of the ship broke up during December storms.
The pier was closed for the winter during 1895–6 as it unsafe; as a result, the pier was widened as electric lighting was added.
An Arcade Pavilion was added in 1903 at the entrance to the pier and contained a wide range of amusements to suit all tastes. Further alterations were made to the pier in 1932-
3 when the open air stand was replaced with a stage and sun lounge.
In 1936, a pleasure steamer returning from Llandudno crashed into the pier. The collision left a 10 feet (3.0 m) gap, and stranded a number of people at the far end.
The 1874 Indian Pavilion was severely damaged by fire in 1921. It was refurbished, but was then destroyed by a second fire in 1938. In 1939 it was replaced by a theatre, built in
an Art Deco style. At around the same time, the bandstand was removed and replaced with a sun lounge.
In the 1960s, the Merrie England bar and an amusement arcade were constructed at the end of the pier nearest to the shore. The 1939 theatre, which is still in use, narrowly
escaped damage in 1985 when the early stages of a fire were noticed by performer Vince Hill. In the 1980s, a Victorian-styled entrance was built. In 1991 the pier gained the
Carousel bar as an additional attraction, and a small tramway to ease access to the pier-head. By this point, the pier had ceased to have any nautical use, but the jetty section
was adapted for use as a helicopter pad in the late 1980s. Storms on 24 December 1997 destroyed the landing jetty, including the helipad.
The North Pier is one of the few remaining examples of Birch's classic pier architecture and is a Grade II Listed building, the only Blackpool pier to hold that status. It was
recognised as "Pier of the Year" in 2004 by the National Piers Society.
North Pier's attractions include a Gypsy palm reader and an ice cream parlour, the North Pier Theatre, a Victorian tea room, and the Carousel and Merrie England bars. The
arcade, built in the 1960s, has approximately eleven million coins pass through its machines each year.
One of the earliest Sooty bear puppets used by Harry Corbett is on display on the pier. Corbett bought the original Sooty puppet on North Pier for his son, Matthew. When Corbett
took the puppet on BBC's Talent Night programme, he marked the nose and ears with soot so that they would show up on the black and white television, giving the puppet its
name.
The Carousel bar on the pier-head has a Victorian wrought iron canopy, and its outdoor sun-lounge is classified as the largest beer garden in Blackpool. Next to the bar is a two
tier carousel, the "Venetian Carousel", which is protected from sand and spray by a glass wall.
After the fire in 1938, the pavilion was replaced with a 1,564 seat theatre which has since hosted a number of acts including; Frankie Vaughan, Frank Randle, Tessie O'Shea,
Dave Morris, Bernard Delfont, Morecambe and Wise, Paul Daniels, Freddie Starr, Russ Abbott, Bruce Forsyth, Des O'Connor, Joe Longthorne, Lily Savage, Brian Conley and
Hale and Pace.
In 2002 a heritage room with photographs was opened up, the foyer entrance was refurbished and a disabled lift added. By 2005, there was no longer a live organist playing in
the sun lounge although other live entertainment continues. In 2013, the live organist was brought back into the sun lounge.
The pier was built and owned by the Blackpool Pier Company, created with three thousand £5-shares in 1861 (worth approximately £2,990 in 2012). The same firm operated the
pier in 1953, and the company was incorporated in 1965. The Resorts Division of First Leisure, including the pier, was sold to Leisure Parks for £74 million in 1998. In 2009, the
pier was sold to the Six Piers group, which owns Blackpool's other two piers, and hoped to use it as a more tranquil alternative to them. The new owners opened the Victorianthemed
tea room, and built an eight-seat shuttle running the length of the pier.
In April 2011, the pier was sold to a Blackpool family firm, Sedgwick's, the owners of amusement arcades and the big wheel on Blackpool's Central Pier. Peter Sedgwick
explained that he proposed to his wife on North Pier forty years ago, and promised to buy it for her one day. He said that he wants to restore the Victorian heritage of the pier and
re-instate the pier's tram. An admission charge of fifty pence to access the board-walk section of the pier was abolished by the Sedgewicks.
A petition to wind up the Northern Victorian Pier Limited (the company used by the Sedgwick family to manage Blackpool North Pier) was presented on 17 September 2012 by
Carlsberg UK Limited, a creditor of the Company, and this was to be heard at Blackpool County Court on 15 November 2012.
At the 11th hour, an agreement to pay the outstanding balance owed to Carlsberg was made and Peter Sedgwick's company escaped liquidation.
[Wikipedia]
Kormakitis (Cypriot Arabic: Kurmajit; Greek: Κορμακίτης, Kormakítis; Turkish: Kormacit or Koruçam) is a small village in Cyprus. It is under the de facto control of Northern Cyprus. Kormakitis is one of four traditionally Maronite villages in Cyprus, the other three being Asomatos, Agia Marina and Karpaseia. The Maronites of Kormakitis traditionally speak their own variety of Arabic called Cypriot Maronite Arabic (CMA) in addition to Greek and recently Turkish and they follow the Catholic Maronite Church. Cape Kormakitis is named after the village.
All of the remaining Maronites villagers are elderly. The Republic of Cyprus government gives those who stayed in the north pensions of $670 a month per couple and around $430 for an individual. It also pays instructors to teach CMA, and funds week-long summer visits by young Maronites to put them in touch with their communal roots. Maronites also receive help from the United Nations. Every two weeks UN troops make the trip from Nicosia to deliver food, water, fuel and medical supplies across the border to the north's Maronite population. The UN aid convoy is manned by soldiers from the 12 Regiment Royal Artillery. Aid is funded by the Republic of Cyprus government but is delivered by the UN.
During the weekends the population of Kormakitis increases to more than 600 as displaced former residents return to visit relatives and celebrate Mass. Access has been made easier since 2003 when the Turkish Cypriot authorities relaxed rules on visits to Northern Cyprus. Many Maronites who were displaced from Kormakitis have renovated and upgraded the village and homes for weekend use.
There are several versions for the name of the village. The most common instance of folk etymology is related to the Maronites who arrived from Kour, Batroun. Feeling nostalgic, they used to repeat the sentence "Nahni jina wa Kour ma jit" "We came (to Cyprus) but Kour hasn't come". Another instance of folk etymology is related to the Phoenician settlement of Kormia. The present village would take its name from the expression Kormia jdide, or "New Kormia". These hypotheses seem consistent with the pronunciation of the village in Cypriot Greek (Κορματζίτης /Korma'dʒitis/) and Cypriot Turkish (Kormacit /Korma'dʒit/). The standard Greek name Kormakitis is an attempt to adjust the name to standard Greek pronunciation, whereas the new Turkish name Koruçam was made up after 1974 for political reasons.
Originally from Lebanon and Syria, today's Maronite community in Cyprus was shaped by four successive waves of emigration that started in the 8th century. With the Islamic conquests radiating outward from the Arab Peninsula, many Maronites abandoned Syria and Lebanon[dubious – discuss] and settled in Cyprus. In 938, the destruction of St Maron's Monastery[citation needed][dubious – discuss] in Lebanon prompted a second wave of refugees. Another three centuries passed and Crusader king Guy of Lusignan purchased Cyprus from Richard the Lionheart, leading the former to import Maronite warriors to the island to protect its coastlines. The last wave of emigration came 100 years later when Acre, last outpost of the Crusader edifice, collapsed leading to the last migration of Maronites to Cyprus. Kormakitis was originally built near Cape Kormakitis, but because of Arab raids the village was moved to its current location. The new location of the village was chosen because it provided better protection against raids and contained an ample supply of water and lush vegetation for agriculture and livestock. During the period of 1191–1489, the village of Kormakitis was one of the richest fiefs of the island, which belonged to the French feudal Denores. The Maronites at the time held 60 villages with a reported number of 60,000 and was the second largest community after the Greek Cypriots. In 1570, Kormakitis had 850 inhabitants.
During the Ottoman rule of Cyprus, the number of residences decreased; in 1841, there were only 200 inhabitants. Villagers who remained were highly taxed and harassed by Ottoman Turks and Greek Cypriots alike. The number of Maronites across Cyprus decreased simultaneously: In 1572, there were between 7,000 and 8,000 Maronites, living in 23 villages, while, in 1596, there were 4.000 Maronites, living in 19 villages. Under the British administration in Cyprus, the Maronite Community was promoted by the British government, whose policy was to support minorities. This resulted in better living conditions for the population of Kormakitis. By 1910, Kormakitis relied on agriculture and livestock, which produced grain, olives, beans, cotton, cocoons and other crops.
After Cyprus gained independence in 1960, projects were carried out within the village. In 1962, the village school was constructed, which was able to enrol 210 students and employ seven teachers. In 1965, the village was connected to the electric grid and houses were connected to water mains for the first time.
Following years of intercommunal violence, on 15 July 1974, there was an attempted coup d'état led by the Greek military junta to unite the island with Greece. The coup ousted president Makarios III and replaced him with pro-enosis nationalist Nikos Sampson. On 20 July 1974, the Turkish army invaded the island in response to the coup d'état. Despite the restoration of constitutional order and the return of Archbishop Makarios III to Cyprus in December 1974, the Turkish troops remained on the island occupying the northeastern portion of the island. This resulted in the island being divided into its Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities respectively. Many of Kormakitis's residents choose to migrate to the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus.
Before the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Kormakitis had around 1,000 inhabitants. The number of Maronites has since decreased. It is estimated that between 100 and 165 Maronites remained in the TRNC. The decline in population has been attributed to a lack of jobs and secondary education, leading to migration, migrating mainly to Nicosia and Limassol. During the school year 1999–2000, the Kormakitis Primary School was forced to close down, due to a lack of pupils, providing evidence of Kormakitis's declining young population.
In 2006, TRNC officials announced that Maronites from the village of Kormakitis have been given an opportunity to return to the village. This has been made possible by the fact that the houses and properties in question at Kormakitis, were not seized by Turkish settlers and Turkish Cypriots during the aftermath of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. However, the Maronites have to meet a certain criteria. Firstly, they need to be the legitimate owner of a house or property in the village to be allowed to resettle. Secondly, they also have to move back to the village and reside there. Maronites are not allowed to reclaim their property and then commute to and from Kormakitis to the Republic of Cyprus controlled areas. Some 40 people, mainly elderly couples, meanwhile, have permanently resettled in the village.
Several churches and chapels have been built within Kormakitis and the surrounding fields. These churches and chapels belong to the Maronite Church, a denomination of the Catholic Church. Saint George's Church, located within Kormakitis was built in 1930. Devoted to the patron saint of the village the Church, construction started in 1900. The designs and plans of the church were prepared by the Maltese architect Fenec and the Maltese Civil Engineer Cafiero. The inhabitants of the village offered donations for the construction of the church. The church constituted as the official church of the Maronite Church of Cyprus, prior 1974. Today, Saint George's Church is used by the remaining inhabitants. Icons and religious items dating from the 12th century are located within the cathedral.
The Chapel of Saint George, often referred as Chapel of Saint George of the seeds, is a chapel situated near the Mediterranean Sea, north of Kormakitis. It was built in 1852. Every year, on 3 November, a Mass is celebrated by the Maronite Community dedicated to Saint George. This is done to coincide with the start of the agricultural season, the farmers pray to Saint George for a successful harvest. According to the tradition, after Mass, the Maronites have lunch by the sea to celebrate Saint George.
The Chapel of the Holy Virgin is a small chapel situated in the west of the village. The chapel was thought to have been built in 1453. Recently renovated it is frequently visited.
The Chapel of Saint George, often referred as Chapel of Saint George of the Nuns, is a chapel situated next to the monastery of the Franciscan sisters, in the center of the village. It was built in 1534 and was the first chapel to be built inside the village. The monastery of the Franciscan sisters was built in 1936, next to the village's square.
Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a de facto state that comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus. It is recognised only by Turkey, and its territory is considered by all other states to be part of the Republic of Cyprus.
Northern Cyprus extends from the tip of the Karpass Peninsula in the northeast to Morphou Bay, Cape Kormakitis and its westernmost point, the Kokkina exclave in the west. Its southernmost point is the village of Louroujina. A buffer zone under the control of the United Nations stretches between Northern Cyprus and the rest of the island and divides Nicosia, the island's largest city and capital of both sides.
A coup d'état in 1974, performed as part of an attempt to annex the island to Greece, prompted the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. This resulted in the eviction of much of the north's Greek Cypriot population, the flight of Turkish Cypriots from the south, and the partitioning of the island, leading to a unilateral declaration of independence by the north in 1983. Due to its lack of recognition, Northern Cyprus is heavily dependent on Turkey for economic, political and military support.
Attempts to reach a solution to the Cyprus dispute have been unsuccessful. The Turkish Army maintains a large force in Northern Cyprus with the support and approval of the TRNC government, while the Republic of Cyprus, the European Union as a whole, and the international community regard it as an occupation force. This military presence has been denounced in several United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Northern Cyprus is a semi-presidential, democratic republic with a cultural heritage incorporating various influences and an economy that is dominated by the services sector. The economy has seen growth through the 2000s and 2010s, with the GNP per capita more than tripling in the 2000s, but is held back by an international embargo due to the official closure of the ports in Northern Cyprus by the Republic of Cyprus. The official language is Turkish, with a distinct local dialect being spoken. The vast majority of the population consists of Sunni Muslims, while religious attitudes are mostly moderate and secular. Northern Cyprus is an observer state of ECO and OIC under the name "Turkish Cypriot State", PACE under the name "Turkish Cypriot Community", and Organization of Turkic States with its own name.
Several distinct periods of Cypriot intercommunal violence involving the two main ethnic communities, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, marked mid-20th century Cyprus. These included the Cyprus Emergency of 1955–59 during British rule, the post-independence Cyprus crisis of 1963–64, and the Cyprus crisis of 1967. Hostilities culminated in the 1974 de facto division of the island along the Green Line following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The region has been relatively peaceful since then, but the Cyprus dispute has continued, with various attempts to solve it diplomatically having been generally unsuccessful.
Cyprus, an island lying in the eastern Mediterranean, hosted a population of Greeks and Turks (four-fifths and one-fifth, respectively), who lived under British rule in the late nineteenth-century and the first half of the twentieth-century. Christian Orthodox Church of Cyprus played a prominent political role among the Greek Cypriot community, a privilege that it acquired during the Ottoman Empire with the employment of the millet system, which gave the archbishop an unofficial ethnarch status.
The repeated rejections by the British of Greek Cypriot demands for enosis, union with Greece, led to armed resistance, organised by the National Organization of Cypriot Struggle, or EOKA. EOKA, led by the Greek-Cypriot commander George Grivas, systematically targeted British colonial authorities. One of the effects of EOKA's campaign was to alter the Turkish position from demanding full reincorporation into Turkey to a demand for taksim (partition). EOKA's mission and activities caused a "Cretan syndrome" (see Turkish Resistance Organisation) within the Turkish Cypriot community, as its members feared that they would be forced to leave the island in such a case as had been the case with Cretan Turks. As such, they preferred the continuation of British colonial rule and then taksim, the division of the island. Due to the Turkish Cypriots' support for the British, EOKA's leader, Georgios Grivas, declared them to be enemies. The fact that the Turks were a minority was, according to Nihat Erim, to be addressed by the transfer of thousands of Turks from mainland Turkey so that Greek Cypriots would cease to be the majority. When Erim visited Cyprus as the Turkish representative, he was advised by Field Marshal Sir John Harding, the then Governor of Cyprus, that Turkey should send educated Turks to settle in Cyprus.
Turkey actively promoted the idea that on the island of Cyprus two distinctive communities existed, and sidestepped its former claim that "the people of Cyprus were all Turkish subjects". In doing so, Turkey's aim to have self-determination of two to-be equal communities in effect led to de jure partition of the island.[citation needed] This could be justified to the international community against the will of the majority Greek population of the island. Dr. Fazil Küçük in 1954 had already proposed Cyprus be divided in two at the 35° parallel.
Lindley Dan, from Notre Dame University, spotted the roots of intercommunal violence to different visions among the two communities of Cyprus (enosis for Greek Cypriots, taksim for Turkish Cypriots). Also, Lindlay wrote that "the merging of church, schools/education, and politics in divisive and nationalistic ways" had played a crucial role in creation of havoc in Cyprus' history. Attalides Michael also pointed to the opposing nationalisms as the cause of the Cyprus problem.
By the mid-1950's, the "Cyprus is Turkish" party, movement, and slogan gained force in both Cyprus and Turkey. In a 1954 editorial, Turkish Cypriot leader Dr. Fazil Kuchuk expressed the sentiment that the Turkish youth had grown up with the idea that "as soon as Great Britain leaves the island, it will be taken over by the Turks", and that "Turkey cannot tolerate otherwise". This perspective contributed to the willingness of Turkish Cypriots to align themselves with the British, who started recruiting Turkish Cypriots into the police force that patrolled Cyprus to fight EOKA, a Greek Cypriot nationalist organisation that sought to rid the island of British rule.
EOKA targeted colonial authorities, including police, but Georgios Grivas, the leader of EOKA, did not initially wish to open up a new front by fighting Turkish Cypriots and reassured them that EOKA would not harm their people. In 1956, some Turkish Cypriot policemen were killed by EOKA members and this provoked some intercommunal violence in the spring and summer, but these attacks on policemen were not motivated by the fact that they were Turkish Cypriots.
However, in January 1957, Grivas changed his policy as his forces in the mountains became increasingly pressured by the British Crown forces. In order to divert the attention of the Crown forces, EOKA members started to target Turkish Cypriot policemen intentionally in the towns, so that Turkish Cypriots would riot against the Greek Cypriots and the security forces would have to be diverted to the towns to restore order. The killing of a Turkish Cypriot policeman on 19 January, when a power station was bombed, and the injury of three others, provoked three days of intercommunal violence in Nicosia. The two communities targeted each other in reprisals, at least one Greek Cypriot was killed and the British Army was deployed in the streets. Greek Cypriot stores were burned and their neighbourhoods attacked. Following the events, the Greek Cypriot leadership spread the propaganda that the riots had merely been an act of Turkish Cypriot aggression. Such events created chaos and drove the communities apart both in Cyprus and in Turkey.
On 22 October 1957 Sir Hugh Mackintosh Foot replaced Sir John Harding as the British Governor of Cyprus. Foot suggested five to seven years of self-government before any final decision. His plan rejected both enosis and taksim. The Turkish Cypriot response to this plan was a series of anti-British demonstrations in Nicosia on 27 and 28 January 1958 rejecting the proposed plan because the plan did not include partition. The British then withdrew the plan.
In 1957, Black Gang, a Turkish Cypriot pro-taksim paramilitary organisation, was formed to patrol a Turkish Cypriot enclave, the Tahtakale district of Nicosia, against activities of EOKA. The organisation later attempted to grow into a national scale, but failed to gain public support.
By 1958, signs of dissatisfaction with the British increased on both sides, with a group of Turkish Cypriots forming Volkan (later renamed to the Turkish Resistance Organisation) paramilitary group to promote partition and the annexation of Cyprus to Turkey as dictated by the Menderes plan. Volkan initially consisted of roughly 100 members, with the stated aim of raising awareness in Turkey of the Cyprus issue and courting military training and support for Turkish Cypriot fighters from the Turkish government.
In June 1958, the British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, was expected to propose a plan to resolve the Cyprus issue. In light of the new development, the Turks rioted in Nicosia to promote the idea that Greek and Turkish Cypriots could not live together and therefore any plan that did not include partition would not be viable. This violence was soon followed by bombing, Greek Cypriot deaths and looting of Greek Cypriot-owned shops and houses. Greek and Turkish Cypriots started to flee mixed population villages where they were a minority in search of safety. This was effectively the beginning of the segregation of the two communities. On 7 June 1958, a bomb exploded at the entrance of the Turkish Embassy in Cyprus. Following the bombing, Turkish Cypriots looted Greek Cypriot properties. On 26 June 1984, the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktaş, admitted on British channel ITV that the bomb was placed by the Turks themselves in order to create tension. On 9 January 1995, Rauf Denktaş repeated his claim to the famous Turkish newspaper Milliyet in Turkey.
The crisis reached a climax on 12 June 1958, when eight Greeks, out of an armed group of thirty five arrested by soldiers of the Royal Horse Guards on suspicion of preparing an attack on the Turkish quarter of Skylloura, were killed in a suspected attack by Turkish Cypriot locals, near the village of Geunyeli, having been ordered to walk back to their village of Kondemenos.
After the EOKA campaign had begun, the British government successfully began to turn the Cyprus issue from a British colonial problem into a Greek-Turkish issue. British diplomacy exerted backstage influence on the Adnan Menderes government, with the aim of making Turkey active in Cyprus. For the British, the attempt had a twofold objective. The EOKA campaign would be silenced as quickly as possible, and Turkish Cypriots would not side with Greek Cypriots against the British colonial claims over the island, which would thus remain under the British. The Turkish Cypriot leadership visited Menderes to discuss the Cyprus issue. When asked how the Turkish Cypriots should respond to the Greek Cypriot claim of enosis, Menderes replied: "You should go to the British foreign minister and request the status quo be prolonged, Cyprus to remain as a British colony". When the Turkish Cypriots visited the British Foreign Secretary and requested for Cyprus to remain a colony, he replied: "You should not be asking for colonialism at this day and age, you should be asking for Cyprus be returned to Turkey, its former owner".
As Turkish Cypriots began to look to Turkey for protection, Greek Cypriots soon understood that enosis was extremely unlikely. The Greek Cypriot leader, Archbishop Makarios III, now set independence for the island as his objective.
Britain resolved to solve the dispute by creating an independent Cyprus. In 1959, all involved parties signed the Zurich Agreements: Britain, Turkey, Greece, and the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders, Makarios and Dr. Fazil Kucuk, respectively. The new constitution drew heavily on the ethnic composition of the island. The President would be a Greek Cypriot, and the Vice-President a Turkish Cypriot with an equal veto. The contribution to the public service would be set at a ratio of 70:30, and the Supreme Court would consist of an equal number of judges from both communities as well as an independent judge who was not Greek, Turkish or British. The Zurich Agreements were supplemented by a number of treaties. The Treaty of Guarantee stated that secession or union with any state was forbidden, and that Greece, Turkey and Britain would be given guarantor status to intervene if that was violated. The Treaty of Alliance allowed for two small Greek and Turkish military contingents to be stationed on the island, and the Treaty of Establishment gave Britain sovereignty over two bases in Akrotiri and Dhekelia.
On 15 August 1960, the Colony of Cyprus became fully independent as the Republic of Cyprus. The new republic remained within the Commonwealth of Nations.
The new constitution brought dissatisfaction to Greek Cypriots, who felt it to be highly unjust for them for historical, demographic and contributional reasons. Although 80% of the island's population were Greek Cypriots and these indigenous people had lived on the island for thousands of years and paid 94% of taxes, the new constitution was giving the 17% of the population that was Turkish Cypriots, who paid 6% of taxes, around 30% of government jobs and 40% of national security jobs.
Within three years tensions between the two communities in administrative affairs began to show. In particular disputes over separate municipalities and taxation created a deadlock in government. A constitutional court ruled in 1963 Makarios had failed to uphold article 173 of the constitution which called for the establishment of separate municipalities for Turkish Cypriots. Makarios subsequently declared his intention to ignore the judgement, resulting in the West German judge resigning from his position. Makarios proposed thirteen amendments to the constitution, which would have had the effect of resolving most of the issues in the Greek Cypriot favour. Under the proposals, the President and Vice-President would lose their veto, the separate municipalities as sought after by the Turkish Cypriots would be abandoned, the need for separate majorities by both communities in passing legislation would be discarded and the civil service contribution would be set at actual population ratios (82:18) instead of the slightly higher figure for Turkish Cypriots.
The intention behind the amendments has long been called into question. The Akritas plan, written in the height of the constitutional dispute by the Greek Cypriot interior minister Polycarpos Georkadjis, called for the removal of undesirable elements of the constitution so as to allow power-sharing to work. The plan envisaged a swift retaliatory attack on Turkish Cypriot strongholds should Turkish Cypriots resort to violence to resist the measures, stating "In the event of a planned or staged Turkish attack, it is imperative to overcome it by force in the shortest possible time, because if we succeed in gaining command of the situation (in one or two days), no outside, intervention would be either justified or possible." Whether Makarios's proposals were part of the Akritas plan is unclear, however it remains that sentiment towards enosis had not completely disappeared with independence. Makarios described independence as "a step on the road to enosis".[31] Preparations for conflict were not entirely absent from Turkish Cypriots either, with right wing elements still believing taksim (partition) the best safeguard against enosis.
Greek Cypriots however believe the amendments were a necessity stemming from a perceived attempt by Turkish Cypriots to frustrate the working of government. Turkish Cypriots saw it as a means to reduce their status within the state from one of co-founder to that of minority, seeing it as a first step towards enosis. The security situation deteriorated rapidly.
Main articles: Bloody Christmas (1963) and Battle of Tillyria
An armed conflict was triggered after December 21, 1963, a period remembered by Turkish Cypriots as Bloody Christmas, when a Greek Cypriot policemen that had been called to help deal with a taxi driver refusing officers already on the scene access to check the identification documents of his customers, took out his gun upon arrival and shot and killed the taxi driver and his partner. Eric Solsten summarised the events as follows: "a Greek Cypriot police patrol, ostensibly checking identification documents, stopped a Turkish Cypriot couple on the edge of the Turkish quarter. A hostile crowd gathered, shots were fired, and two Turkish Cypriots were killed."
In the morning after the shooting, crowds gathered in protest in Northern Nicosia, likely encouraged by the TMT, without incident. On the evening of the 22nd, gunfire broke out, communication lines to the Turkish neighbourhoods were cut, and the Greek Cypriot police occupied the nearby airport. On the 23rd, a ceasefire was negotiated, but did not hold. Fighting, including automatic weapons fire, between Greek and Turkish Cypriots and militias increased in Nicosia and Larnaca. A force of Greek Cypriot irregulars led by Nikos Sampson entered the Nicosia suburb of Omorphita and engaged in heavy firing on armed, as well as by some accounts unarmed, Turkish Cypriots. The Omorphita clash has been described by Turkish Cypriots as a massacre, while this view has generally not been acknowledged by Greek Cypriots.
Further ceasefires were arranged between the two sides, but also failed. By Christmas Eve, the 24th, Britain, Greece, and Turkey had joined talks, with all sides calling for a truce. On Christmas day, Turkish fighter jets overflew Nicosia in a show of support. Finally it was agreed to allow a force of 2,700 British soldiers to help enforce a ceasefire. In the next days, a "buffer zone" was created in Nicosia, and a British officer marked a line on a map with green ink, separating the two sides of the city, which was the beginning of the "Green Line". Fighting continued across the island for the next several weeks.
In total 364 Turkish Cypriots and 174 Greek Cypriots were killed during the violence. 25,000 Turkish Cypriots from 103-109 villages fled and were displaced into enclaves and thousands of Turkish Cypriot houses were ransacked or completely destroyed.
Contemporary newspapers also reported on the forceful exodus of the Turkish Cypriots from their homes. According to The Times in 1964, threats, shootings and attempts of arson were committed against the Turkish Cypriots to force them out of their homes. The Daily Express wrote that "25,000 Turks have already been forced to leave their homes". The Guardian reported a massacre of Turks at Limassol on 16 February 1964.
Turkey had by now readied its fleet and its fighter jets appeared over Nicosia. Turkey was dissuaded from direct involvement by the creation of a United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) in 1964. Despite the negotiated ceasefire in Nicosia, attacks on the Turkish Cypriot persisted, particularly in Limassol. Concerned about the possibility of a Turkish invasion, Makarios undertook the creation of a Greek Cypriot conscript-based army called the "National Guard". A general from Greece took charge of the army, whilst a further 20,000 well-equipped officers and men were smuggled from Greece into Cyprus. Turkey threatened to intervene once more, but was prevented by a strongly worded letter from the American President Lyndon B. Johnson, anxious to avoid a conflict between NATO allies Greece and Turkey at the height of the Cold War.
Turkish Cypriots had by now established an important bridgehead at Kokkina, provided with arms, volunteers and materials from Turkey and abroad. Seeing this incursion of foreign weapons and troops as a major threat, the Cypriot government invited George Grivas to return from Greece as commander of the Greek troops on the island and launch a major attack on the bridgehead. Turkey retaliated by dispatching its fighter jets to bomb Greek positions, causing Makarios to threaten an attack on every Turkish Cypriot village on the island if the bombings did not cease. The conflict had now drawn in Greece and Turkey, with both countries amassing troops on their Thracian borders. Efforts at mediation by Dean Acheson, a former U.S. Secretary of State, and UN-appointed mediator Galo Plaza had failed, all the while the division of the two communities becoming more apparent. Greek Cypriot forces were estimated at some 30,000, including the National Guard and the large contingent from Greece. Defending the Turkish Cypriot enclaves was a force of approximately 5,000 irregulars, led by a Turkish colonel, but lacking the equipment and organisation of the Greek forces.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations in 1964, U Thant, reported the damage during the conflicts:
UNFICYP carried out a detailed survey of all damage to properties throughout the island during the disturbances; it shows that in 109 villages, most of them Turkish-Cypriot or mixed villages, 527 houses have been destroyed while 2,000 others have suffered damage from looting.
The situation worsened in 1967, when a military junta overthrew the democratically elected government of Greece, and began applying pressure on Makarios to achieve enosis. Makarios, not wishing to become part of a military dictatorship or trigger a Turkish invasion, began to distance himself from the goal of enosis. This caused tensions with the junta in Greece as well as George Grivas in Cyprus. Grivas's control over the National Guard and Greek contingent was seen as a threat to Makarios's position, who now feared a possible coup.[citation needed] The National Guard and Cyprus Police began patrolling the Turkish Cypriot enclaves of Ayios Theodoros and Kophinou, and on November 15 engaged in heavy fighting with the Turkish Cypriots.
By the time of his withdrawal 26 Turkish Cypriots had been killed. Turkey replied with an ultimatum demanding that Grivas be removed from the island, that the troops smuggled from Greece in excess of the limits of the Treaty of Alliance be removed, and that the economic blockades on the Turkish Cypriot enclaves be lifted. Grivas was recalled by the Athens Junta and the 12,000 Greek troops were withdrawn. Makarios now attempted to consolidate his position by reducing the number of National Guard troops, and by creating a paramilitary force loyal to Cypriot independence. In 1968, acknowledging that enosis was now all but impossible, Makarios stated, "A solution by necessity must be sought within the limits of what is feasible which does not always coincide with the limits of what is desirable."
After 1967 tensions between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots subsided. Instead, the main source of tension on the island came from factions within the Greek Cypriot community. Although Makarios had effectively abandoned enosis in favour of an 'attainable solution', many others continued to believe that the only legitimate political aspiration for Greek Cypriots was union with Greece.
On his arrival, Grivas began by establishing a nationalist paramilitary group known as the National Organization of Cypriot Fighters (Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston B or EOKA-B), drawing comparisons with the EOKA struggle for enosis under the British colonial administration of the 1950s.
The military junta in Athens saw Makarios as an obstacle. Makarios's failure to disband the National Guard, whose officer class was dominated by mainland Greeks, had meant the junta had practical control over the Cypriot military establishment, leaving Makarios isolated and a vulnerable target.
During the first Turkish invasion, Turkish troops invaded Cyprus territory on 20 July 1974, invoking its rights under the Treaty of Guarantee. This expansion of Turkish-occupied zone violated International Law as well as the Charter of the United Nations. Turkish troops managed to capture 3% of the island which was accompanied by the burning of the Turkish Cypriot quarter, as well as the raping and killing of women and children. A temporary cease-fire followed which was mitigated by the UN Security Council. Subsequently, the Greek military Junta collapsed on July 23, 1974, and peace talks commenced in which a democratic government was installed. The Resolution 353 was broken after Turkey attacked a second time and managed to get a hold of 37% of Cyprus territory. The Island of Cyprus was appointed a Buffer Zone by the United Nations, which divided the island into two zones through the 'Green Line' and put an end to the Turkish invasion. Although Turkey announced that the occupied areas of Cyprus to be called the Federated Turkish State in 1975, it is not legitimised on a worldwide political scale. The United Nations called for the international recognition of independence for the Republic of Cyprus in the Security Council Resolution 367.
In the years after the Turkish invasion of northern Cyprus one can observe a history of failed talks between the two parties. The 1983 declaration of the independent Turkish Republic of Cyprus resulted in a rise of inter-communal tensions and made it increasingly hard to find mutual understanding. With Cyprus' interest of a possible EU membership and a new UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 1997 new hopes arose for a fresh start. International involvement from sides of the US and UK, wanting a solution to the Cyprus dispute prior to the EU accession led to political pressures for new talks. The believe that an accession without a solution would threaten Greek-Turkish relations and acknowledge the partition of the island would direct the coming negotiations.
Over the course of two years a concrete plan, the Annan plan was formulated. In 2004 the fifth version agreed upon from both sides and with the endorsement of Turkey, US, UK and EU then was presented to the public and was given a referendum in both Cypriot communities to assure the legitimisation of the resolution. The Turkish Cypriots voted with 65% for the plan, however the Greek Cypriots voted with a 76% majority against. The Annan plan contained multiple important topics. Firstly it established a confederation of two separate states called the United Cyprus Republic. Both communities would have autonomous states combined under one unified government. The members of parliament would be chosen according to the percentage in population numbers to ensure a just involvement from both communities. The paper proposed a demilitarisation of the island over the next years. Furthermore it agreed upon a number of 45000 Turkish settlers that could remain on the island. These settlers became a very important issue concerning peace talks. Originally the Turkish government encouraged Turks to settle in Cyprus providing transfer and property, to establish a counterpart to the Greek Cypriot population due to their 1 to 5 minority. With the economic situation many Turkish-Cypriot decided to leave the island, however their departure is made up by incoming Turkish settlers leaving the population ratio between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots stable. However all these points where criticised and as seen in the vote rejected mainly by the Greek Cypriots. These name the dissolution of the „Republic of Cyprus", economic consequences of a reunion and the remaining Turkish settlers as reason. Many claim that the plan was indeed drawing more from Turkish-Cypriot demands then Greek-Cypriot interests. Taking in consideration that the US wanted to keep Turkey as a strategic partner in future Middle Eastern conflicts.
A week after the failed referendum the Republic of Cyprus joined the EU. In multiple instances the EU tried to promote trade with Northern Cyprus but without internationally recognised ports this spiked a grand debate. Both side endure their intention of negotiations, however without the prospect of any new compromises or agreements the UN is unwilling to start the process again. Since 2004 negotiations took place in numbers but without any results, both sides are strongly holding on to their position without an agreeable solution in sight that would suit both parties.
While it's been consistently 10 or more degrees colder than the season's average, things are finally starting to feel like spring in downtown Chicago. For me, this means to grab a camera, get out and enjoy the nicer weather.
The reddish leather seat of this scooter immediately caught my eye. The Trump International Tower front door is facing me on the opposite side of the street.
Regardless of the amount of winter ice cover, the waters off of the Alaskan coast usually come alive each spring with blooms of phytoplankton. These blooms can form striking patterns of blue and green seawater, such as those visible in this image of the Chukchi Sea acquired on June 18, 2018, by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8.
Blooms are a common occurrence this time of year. But the regularity of the blooms and their simple beauty belie the complexity of this ecosystem.
Two main water masses flow from the Bering Strait and enter the southern Chukchi. One type, known as “Bering Sea Water,” is cool, salty, and rich in nutrients. This water fuels most of the phytoplankton growth, primarily diatoms, which are likely the main reason for the colorful green waters pictured here. (Sediments could also be contributing to the bright green areas.)
The second mass of seawater is known as “Alaskan Coastal Water,” which is warmer, less salty, and nutrient-poor. Diatom growth is usually lower in these waters, but coccolithophores can do well here. Some areas pictured here could contain this type of plankton, known to impart a milky turquoise hue to the water with their plates of calcium carbonate armor.
While experts expect blooms to consistently show up in these waters from year to year, the size is less consistent, and the reason is not clear.
Image Credit: NASA/U. S. Geological Survey/Norman Kuring/Kathryn Hansen
Thank you Becky ( LoonMagic2020) for your testimonial. My apologies for not reading it sooner. Due to sheer ignorance (I think), I didn't know how these testimonials worked until it was pointed out to me. You have been a constant presence since my early days here in flickr. For your generous spirit and friendship, thank you.
My thoughts for today:
~Michele Starkey
"There is something so wonderful, so resilient about the human spirit. It raises above the ashes of the tragedy of 911, above the sinking ships in Pearl Harbor, the earthquakes on the West Coast and it is by no means limited to the American spirit. One needs only to take a look at the Tsunami victims as they rebuild their cities to understand the fact that all life is worth living and the efforts to survive. It is the ability for humans to look up and lift up, the awesome power of hope. Hope for a better day. Hope that the sun will shine again - and it always has. Hope that the good inside of every human being will always outweigh the evil in a few men.
Hope will rebuild New Orleans and Biloxi. Hope will rekindle the fire inside of a devastated people and a destroyed city. There will be hope that help will arrive and it is coming. In the form of an Engine company from NYC that has experienced search and rescue teams and the will to drive eighteen hours to a ravaged part of our country. Help in the form of thousands of donations pouring in through the Red Cross, Samaritan's Purse and other not-for-profit organizations. Help will arrive, time will heal, and hope will allow the people to persevere.
A friend of mine sent an email that stated the following: A bumblebee will die inside of an open jar. It will never try to escape because it will not look up. It will bump into the sides of the glass repeatedly and consistently. It will die inside of an open jar. Thank God we have been given the ability to look up. We have hope. "
"If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream."
- Martin Luther King
Commuter rail has never been a subject that has grabbed my attention, either photographically, or in interest. I believe it stems from the fact that when all goes well, every day of operation is identical to the last. There is no mystery as to what will power the next train, or what track it will run on, and when. The only change up to the routine is when a train is delayed and runs late, something that does not convey an interesting story in photo form.
With the late autumn days getting shorter though, and darkness falling more quickly after working hours are done, the photographic value of a train on a consistent schedule does increase slightly. F59PHI 903 pulls eastbound train E2 along the shores of Burrard Inlet, and past the Barnet Marine Park, in the Vancouver suburb of Burnaby.