Taken for Flickr's Our Daily Challenge: COLOR EXPLOSION

 

Contributed to Sliders Sunday -- Post Processed To The MAX!

The Mawddach Estuary earlier this week, as seen from the Panorama Walk above Barmouth. It was warm enough in the sunshine, but cooled quickly when the cloud obscured the sun. I usually come up here to capture this view in late August when the heather adds its range of pinks and purples to the colour mix. But this year the heather has contributed very little. And not just here. It is the same near where I now live on Anglesey. The very dry early summer weather perhaps.

 

This is an assimilation of six frames, shot overlapping each other in portrait format using a tripod and stitched together in software when I got home. I knew you'd all want to know that! It produces a huge file, with a lot of detail.

Podyjí National Park (Czech: Národní park Podyjí) is a national park in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It protects near-natural forests along the deep Dyje River valley. It is a biom whose well-preserved state is unique in Central Europe. It connects to the smaller Nationalpark Thayatal in Austria.

 

Podyjí National Park is characterized by extraordinary scenery, being home to features such as rocky amphitheatres, cliffs, meanders, detritus fields, impervious ravines, several types of heatland adorned with muilti-coloured layers of thermophilic plants, or alluvial plains around the river Dyje. The division of the valley along the river Dyje creates two distinctive ecological regions and thus contributes to the high biological diversity of the park.

 

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Did make a weekend (boat) trip across the Podyjí national park in late October to find it empty and silent on and around the Dyje river.

 

We were lucky with the weather: peak of autumn colours and delicate sunlight created a really fairy-tale atmosphere. It was (sometimes) cold on the river, however still very beautiful.

Tracy Prince's Captivating World of Fashion and Femme Elegance

 

Welcome to Tracy Prince's enchanting realm, a mesmerizing photo blog that celebrates the artistry of fashion, beauty, and the alluring allure of femininity. With a keen eye for elegance and a passion for exploring the spectrum of style, Tracy captures the essence of glamour through her lens, bringing you a collection that transcends boundaries and defies conventions.

 

In Tracy's world, "high heels" are not just a fashion statement; they are an embodiment of empowerment and confidence. Whether it's the sleek lines of thigh-high boots or the classic elegance of stiletto heels, each photograph tells a story of grace and poise. Tracy explores the world of heels with an unwavering focus on details, showcasing the intricate designs that make them not just footwear but works of art.

 

Lingerie takes center stage in Tracy's visual symphony. Delicate fabrics, such as satin and lace, weave a tale of sensuality and sophistication. From the timeless beauty of "tan pantyhose" to the provocative allure of "black stockings," Tracy's lens captures the delicate nuances of intimate apparel. Garter belts, a timeless accessory, add a touch of vintage charm, creating a perfect harmony between classic and contemporary femininity.

 

Tracy embraces the art of "X-DRESS," navigating the realm of crossdressing with a respectful and inclusive lens. Her collection celebrates the diversity within the crossdressing community, showcasing individuals expressing their identity with confidence and style. Tracy's portrayal of "tranny schoolgirl," "tranny in stockings," and "tranny in pantyhose" is a testament to the beauty that emerges when personal expression meets the canvas of fashion.

 

"Beautiful crossdresser," "classy crossdresser," and "sexy crossdresser" are not just tags in Tracy's blog; they encapsulate the spectrum of elegance she captures. Each image resonates with a unique blend of style and individuality, breaking stereotypes and embracing the beauty that comes with embracing one's true self.

 

The interplay of light and fabric highlights the shimmering allure of "shiny pantyhose" and the timeless charm of "nylons crossdresser." Tracy's lens transforms each image into a narrative, where every detail contributes to the larger story of empowerment and self-discovery.

 

"Thigh high boots" make a bold statement in Tracy's visual narrative, symbolizing strength and confidence. Paired with "satin babe" or "nylon," these boots become a symbol of fierce femininity, challenging traditional notions of beauty and style.

 

Tracy's exploration of beauty is not limited to a specific gender. Whether it's a "transvestite," "tgirl," "trans," or "transgender," Tracy's lens captures the unique beauty that transcends labels. "Sexy shemale," "transexual," and "transgender beauty" become expressions of confidence and authenticity, challenging societal norms and celebrating the diversity of gender expression.

 

In the world of Tracy Prince, "Femme" is not just a descriptor; it's a celebration of the myriad ways individuals express their femininity. Leather, boots, and the timeless appeal of "nylon" and "Thigh High Stockings" become tools for self-expression, allowing each person to craft their unique narrative.

 

As Tracy navigates the intricate landscape of fashion and beauty, she brings to light the complexity and depth of personal expression. "Pantyhose high heels," "stockings high heels," "garter belt stockings high heels," and "nylons high heels" are not just combinations of clothing items; they are the building blocks of a visual symphony, a harmonious blend of textures and colors that create a stunning visual tableau.

 

Tracy's lens explores the realm of "fellatrix," recognizing the beauty in the art of seduction. Whether it's a provocative gaze or a subtle pose, each image captures the essence of allure and confidence. Tracy celebrates the beauty of "slutty women" and "classy crossdressers" alike, breaking down barriers and embracing the diversity of expression within the world of fashion.

 

In Tracy Prince's photo blog, each image is a brushstroke on the canvas of beauty and self-expression. Through her lens, the world of fashion and femme elegance becomes a celebration of diversity, individuality, and the timeless allure of personal style. Step into Tracy's captivating world, where every photograph tells a story of empowerment, confidence, and the endless possibilities that come with embracing one's true self.

The former Walker Brothers Druggists building was constructed circa 1930. The structure is located in the Downtown Columbia Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Place and is a contributing property.

These three images are of the central region of the magnificent spiral galaxy M100, taken with three generations of the Hubble Space Telescope cameras that were sequentially swapped out aboard the telescope, and document the consistently improving capability of the observatory.

 

The image on the left was taken with the Wide Field/Planetary Camera 1 in 1993. The photo is blurry due to a manufacturing flaw (called spherical aberration) in Hubble's primary mirror. Celestial images could not be brought into a single focus. [Credit: NASA, ESA, and Judy Schmidt]

 

The middle image was taken in late 1993 with Wide Field/Planetary Camera 2 that was installed during the Dec. 2-13 space shuttle servicing mission (SM1, STS-61). The camera contained corrective optics to compensate for the mirror flaw, and so the galaxy snapped into sharp focus when photographed. [Credit: NASA, ESA, and J. DePasquale (STScI)]

 

The image on the right was taken with a newer instrument, Wide Field Camera 3, that was installed on Hubble during the space shuttle Servicing Mission 4 in May 2009. [Credit: NASA, ESA, and Judy Schmidt]

 

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of NASA's first space servicing mission to Hubble, these comparison photos of one of the telescope's first targets are being released today.

 

NASA image use policy.

 

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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The Industrial Gallery which connects the two main parts of the Grade II* Listed Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, in the city centre of Birmingham, West Midlands.

 

There are now over 40 galleries to explore that display art, applied art, social history, archaeology and ethnography. The art gallery is famous for its Pre-Raphaelite paintings, which are part of the largest public Pre-Raphaelite collection in the world. It is also home of the Staffordshire Hoard, the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found, in its own dedicated gallery.

 

The Birmingham History collections feature prominently in the 'Birmingham: its people, its history' gallery, which covers the majority of the 3rd floor. There is also art and objects spanning seven centuries of European and World history and culture, this includes Greeks & Romans and Ancient Egypt.

 

In 1829, the Birmingham Society of Artists created a private exhibition building in New Street, Birmingham while the historical precedent for public education around that time produced the Factory Act 1833, the first instance of Government funding for education.

 

In 1864, the first public exhibition room was opened when the Society and other donors presented 64 pictures as well as the Sultanganj Buddha to Birmingham Council and these were housed in the Free Library building but, due to lack of space, the pictures had to move to Aston Hall. Joseph Nettlefold bequeathed twenty-five pictures by David Cox to Birmingham Art Gallery on the condition it opened on Sundays.

 

Jesse Collings, Mayor of Birmingham 1878–79, was responsible for free libraries in Birmingham and was the original proponent of the Birmingham Art Gallery. A £10,000 (£1.2 million in 2019) gift by Sir Richard and George Tangye started a new drive for an art gallery and, in 1885, following other donations and £40,000 (£5 million in 2019) from the council, the Prince of Wales officially opened the new gallery on Saturday 28 November 1885.

 

The Museum occupied an extended part of the Council House above the new offices of the municipal Gas Department. The building was designed by Yeoville Thomason. The metalwork for the new building (and adjoining Council House) was by the Birmingham firm of Hart, Son, Peard & Co. and extended to both the interior and exterior including the distinctive cast-iron columns in the main gallery space for the display of decorative art.

 

The lofty portico, surmounted by a pediment by Francis John Williamson, representing an allegory of Birmingham contributing to the fine arts, was together with the clock-tower considered the "most conspicuous features" of the exterior upon its opening. By 1900 the collection, especially its contemporary British holdings, was deemed by the Magazine of Art to be "one of the finest and handsomest" in Britain.

 

In 1913 suffragettes from the militant suffrage organisation the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) launched a spate of attacks on art galleries and museums in Britain. The attack at Birmingham Art Gallery on 9 June 1914 was carried out by Bertha Ryland, a 28 year old suffragette who had two earlier arrests for militant activities. Ryland used a butcher’s cleaver hidden in her blouse to hack at ‘Master Thornhill’, a painting by George Romney, causing £50 (£5,484 in 2019) worth of damage. She was arrested at the scene and identified from a note she left giving her name and address and protesting against the differential treatment of suffragette prisoners and Irish militants.

 

Information sources

www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/bmag/about

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_Museum_and_Art_Gallery

britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101210333-council-house-city...

 

Aberdeenshire (Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the old County of Aberdeen which had substantially different boundaries. Modern Aberdeenshire includes all of what was once Kincardineshire, as well as part of Banffshire. The old boundaries are still officially used for a few purposes, namely land registration and lieutenancy. Aberdeenshire Council is headquartered at Woodhill House, in Aberdeen, making it the only Scottish council whose headquarters are located outside its jurisdiction. Aberdeen itself forms a different council area (Aberdeen City). Aberdeenshire borders onto Angus and Perth and Kinross to the south, Highland and Moray to the west and Aberdeen City to the east. Traditionally, it has been economically dependent upon the primary sector (agriculture, fishing, and forestry) and related processing industries. Over the last 40 years, the development of the oil and gas industry and associated service sector has broadened Aberdeenshire's economic base, and contributed to a rapid population growth of some 50% since 1975. Its land represents 8% of Scotland's overall territory. It covers an area of 6,313 square kilometres

 

This Sōrin has been exhibited on the roof-top of the Seven-storied Pagoda in the site of the EXPO´70. On the occasion of this exposition, this Pagoda has been re-created by Furukawa Pavilion, in the same appearance as the Seven-storied Pagoda that once stood in the Compound of Nara´s Todai-ji Temple about 1.200years ago. And after the closing of the EXPO´70 this Sōrin has been contributed and re-established in this place on October 1971

 

Este Sōrin se ha exhibido en la azotea de la Pagoda de siete pisos en el sitio de la EXPO´70. Con motivo de esta exposición, esta Pagoda ha sido recreada por Furukawa Pavilion, en la misma apariencia que la Pagoda de siete pisos que una vez estuvo en el Compuesto del Templo Todai-ji de Nara hace unos 1.200 años. Y tras el cierre de la EXPO´70 este Sōrin se ha aportado y reestablecido en este lugar en octubre de 1971

 

The sōrin (相輪, lit. alternate rings) is the vertical shaft (finial) which tops a Japanese pagoda, whether made of stone or wood. The sōrin of a wooden pagoda is usually made of bronze and can be over 10 meters tall. That of a stone pagoda is also of stone and less than a meter long. The sōrin is divided in several sections possessing a symbolic meaning and, as a whole, in turn itself represents a pagoda. Although quintessentially Buddhist, in Japan pagodas and their sōrin can be found both at Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. This is because until the Kami and Buddhas Separation Act of 1868 a Shinto shrine was normally also a Buddhist temple and vice versa. Itsukushima Shrine for example has one.

 

The sōrin of a wooden pagoda is usually made of bronze and is divided in several segments called (from top to bottom):

The Jewel or gem (宝珠, hōju or hōshu), a spherical or tear-shaped object, shapes sacred to Buddhism. Believed to repel evil and fulfill wishes, it can be also found on top of pyramidal temple roofs, of stone lanterns or of tall poles. It can have flames, in which case it is called kaen hōju (火炎宝珠, flaming gem). Those made before the Momoyama period tend to be rounder.

The dragon vehicle (竜車, ryūsha), the piece immediately below the hōju

The water flame (水煙, suien, lit. "water smoke"), consisting of four decorative sheets of metal set at 90° to each other and installed over the top of the main pillar of a pagoda.

The fūtaku (風鐸, lit. "wind bell"), small bells attached to the edges of a sōrin's rings or of the suien.

The nine rings (九輪, kurin), the largest component of the sōrin. In spite of their name, there can sometimes be only eight or even seven of them.

The ukebana (受花・請花, lit. "receiving flower"), a circle of upturned lotus petals, usually eight in number. There can also be another circle of petals facing down.

The inverted bowl (伏鉢, fukubachi), which sits between the ukebana and the roban.

The base or dew basin (露盤, roban, lit. "external bow"l), on which rests the entire finial. Because it covers the top of the roof in order to prevent leaks, it normally has as many sides as the roof itself (four, six or eight).

 

The most important stone pagoda having a finial is the hōkyōintō. Usually made in stone and occasionally metal or wood, hōkyōintō started to be made in their present form during the Kamakura period. Like a gorintō, they are divided in five main sections, of which the sōrin is the uppermost. Its components are, from the top down: Hōju, Ukebana, Kurin, Ukebana, Roban.

The sōrin sits on the kasa (笠, umbrella) or yane (屋根, roof), a stepped pyramid with four wings at the corners called mimikazari (耳飾) or sumikazari (隅飾).

 

The sōrintō (相輪橖) is a type of small pagoda consisting just of a pole and a sōrin.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sōrin

 

El sōrin (相 輪, lit. anillos alternos) es el eje vertical (remate) que corona una pagoda japonesa, ya sea de piedra o madera. El sōrin de una pagoda de madera suele estar hecho de bronce y puede tener más de 10 metros de altura. La de una pagoda de piedra también es de piedra y tiene menos de un metro de largo. El sōrin está dividido en varias secciones que poseen un significado simbólico y, en su conjunto, a su vez representa una pagoda. Aunque son esencialmente budistas, en Japón se pueden encontrar pagodas y su sōrin tanto en los templos budistas como en los santuarios sintoístas. Esto se debe a que hasta la Ley de Separación de Kami y Budas de 1868, un santuario sintoísta era normalmente también un templo budista y viceversa. El Santuario Itsukushima, por ejemplo, tiene uno.

 

El sōrin de una pagoda de madera suele estar hecho de bronce y se divide en varios segmentos llamados (de arriba a abajo):

La joya o gema (宝珠, hōju o hōshu), un objeto esférico o con forma de lágrima, tiene formas sagradas para el budismo. Se cree que repele el mal y cumple los deseos, pero también se puede encontrar en la parte superior de los techos de los templos piramidales, en faroles de piedra o en postes altos. Puede tener llamas, en cuyo caso se llama kaen hōju (火炎 宝珠, gema llameante). Los hechos antes del período Momoyama tienden a ser más redondos.

El vehículo dragón (竜 車, ryūsha), la pieza inmediatamente debajo del hōju

La llama de agua (水煙, suien, lit. "humo de agua"), que consta de cuatro láminas decorativas de metal colocadas a 90 ° entre sí e instaladas sobre la parte superior del pilar principal de una pagoda.

El fūtaku (風 鐸, literalmente "campana de viento"), pequeñas campanas unidas a los bordes de los anillos de un sōrin o del suien.

Los nueve anillos (九 輪, kurin), el componente más grande del sōrin. A pesar de su nombre, a veces puede haber solo ocho o incluso siete.

El ukebana (受 花 ・ 請 花, literalmente "flor receptora"), un círculo de pétalos de loto vueltos hacia arriba, por lo general ocho en número. También puede haber otro círculo de pétalos hacia abajo.

El cuenco invertido (伏 鉢, fukubachi), que se encuentra entre el ukebana y el roban.

La base o cubeta de rocío (露 盤, roban, lit. "arco externo" l), sobre la que descansa todo el remate. Debido a que cubre la parte superior del techo para evitar goteras, normalmente tiene tantos lados como el techo mismo (cuatro, seis u ocho).

 

La pagoda de piedra más importante que tiene un remate es el hōkyōintō. Generalmente hecho en piedra y ocasionalmente en metal o madera, el hōkyōintō comenzó a fabricarse en su forma actual durante el período Kamakura. Como un gorintō, se dividen en cinco secciones principales, de las cuales la sōrin es la más alta. Sus componentes son, de arriba hacia abajo: Hoju, Ukebana, Kurin, Ukebana, Roban.

El sōrin se sienta en el kasa (笠, paraguas) o yane (屋 根, techo), una pirámide escalonada con cuatro alas en las esquinas llamada mimikazari (耳飾) o sumikazari (隅 飾).

 

El sōrintō (相 輪 橖) es un tipo de pequeña pagoda que consta solo de un poste y un sōrin.

 

Smooth-gaited horses, generally known as Palfreys, existed in the Middle Ages, and the Jennet in particular was noted for its ambling gaits. Peruvian Pasos trace their ancestry to these ambling Jennets; as well as to the Barb, which contributed strength and stamina; and to the Andalusian which added style, conformation and action

Peruvian breeders kept the bloodlines clean and selectively bred primarily for gait, conformation, and temperament. They wanted strong, hardy animals that were comfortable to ride and easy to control.

So honored to contribute to the new Cloudy Collection print set, Monster Parade, in honor of and including Ed Emberley!!!! Here is the print I created for the set.

 

The entire collection is now available for purchase. Was a huge thrill to be included in a project with Mr. Emberley, a true design and illustration hero of mine.

Pillars and beams outside a cafe at Hever Castle, Kent, give good shadows, forming a grid, and contribute to a nice vanishing point in the centre.

Maybe I’m alone with this but I have noticed when I dress up as a woman I find myself constantly checking out my look. I think a number of factors contribute to this. The big one being, since I was a young boy I have always wanted to become a girl. As I have grown older the desire to spend time as a woman has strengthened and not diminished in any way. As a young man I always believed I would ‘get over’ my desire to spend time as a female but that proved to be delusional. I enjoy spending time as a woman more and more, and it connects with me on deeply emotional level. I have regrets now that I was not brave enough as a young man to embark on the journey to becoming a woman. I took a different path that I now like and value and would not change. I do sometimes become consumed with the desire to be female but I do not wish to jeopardise my family and income by being too indulgent of my own desires.

 

Moving on from that current reality, my embracing transvestism saved me and enabled true self expression. I rarely become a woman and adore the precious few hours I am able to cross-dress and adopt a female appearance. When I have undergone the process of male to female transformation, something that is lengthy and requires much planning in my situation, I am thrilled and euphoric to cease being male for a few hours.

 

I have a deep need to try and pass completely as a woman, I have no desire within me to look like a man but as I am a man I find myself challenged in trying to achieve my inner dream. I do find big psychological changes occur as I work on myself physically to try and look female. As I pluck and shape my eyebrows, shave off my body hair and see my legs, chest and arms become smooth and hairless I felt a deep joy surfacing and a more relaxed sense of self emerging. Tucking away my male genitals and having no bulge really boosts me, I love how it makes me feel more female.

 

Typically at this stage I will apply my make-up at this point and an urgency begins to take root, the awareness I am committing to try and be more feminine than masculine grows exponentially and I have to force myself to be patient and take things steadily. I adore the moment I finally disguise my beard shadow with make-up and this induces a considerable confidence boost that pushes me forward to complete my transformation. I will admit a big thrill courses through me at this stage and I can at times, feel rather light headed. I often need to calm myself before proceeding.

 

In recent months I invested in an airbrush make-up application kit which, though tricky to use at first, produces smooth flawless looking coverage without looking thick on the face. It’s another huge confidence booster. I can recommend it for your foundation application, especially if you require a lot of coverage and want to venture out in public. You will get great smooth coverage and look more natural. Applying eyeliner, mascara and lipstick literally sends me in raptures of pure pleasure! I adore wearing make-up and love how it makes me feel.

 

Once the make-up is on my face I find I urgently have to don my wig, pull on my knickers (panties) and put on a bra and fill it with my breast forms, suddenly I feel I am more woman than man. I next enjoy taking my time sitting in my lingerie, in my make-up and with my feminine hair, and painting my nails.

 

If you are a male to female cross-dresser you will know what comes next. The moment has arrived to pull on tights (pantyhose) and pull on a dress before then slipping on a pair of high heels. I always love the moment of standing up as a woman at this point and enjoy the fact the man within has gone. Adding a dash of perfume and attaching ear-rings is the final touch beard a moment of sheer emotional intoxication takes over. Again, I find myself so suffused with inner joy at finally escaping my male self and embracing my female self that I need to take awhile to calm and settle into my female persona.

 

That’s the background to what occurs next and which I’ve compiled into this brief video. The video captures my own joy at being a closer to presenting myself as a woman and how I can hardly believe I have actually just transformed myself away from beg a male. I think vanity and obsession kick in and I find myself looking at myself in the mirror a lot and taking lots of photos to remind myself I did actually do this.

 

For many years photos were all I had of myself as my female alter-ego when, inevitably, I began to wonder do I actually look female? Personally, I always see my male self in my female appearance, which is a bit crushing emotionally, but I see some potential that if I work on it i may just one day pass as a woman and never be perceived as male.

 

As I became more curious about my efforts to look like a woman I came across a video on Flickr by Michelle Bennet in America. This, along with her patient encouragement as we corresponded, resulted in me recording my first video as a woman in June 2010. Video proved very revealing and far less forgiving than choosing the ‘good photo’ which is the way I used to do things. Most of the photos I took were deleted and only certain images where things were captured right were retained.

 

Video was exciting, I was suddenly seeing myself not just dressed as a woman but moving and I realised I had to try harder if I wanted to become a woman during the times I cross-dressed. It was really exciting and I drew on Michelle’s inspiration greatly. also found video was great for opening up about being a transvestite. I found it incredibly liberating to appear as a woman on camera and just chat about all the things I had suppressed for decades. Video has now become my outlet for self expression in regard to my female side.

 

I Idid notice in my videos that often, before I began to chat on camera, I would be examining myself on the screen. This is partly vanity (well a lot really) and partly the sheer amazement I am dressed as a woman and in make-up. I find since I began using my phone for video I ca see myself clearly on the screen and I keep checking myself out! I find myself examining my make-up and wig and outfits in detail and despite the vanity of such actions, it is good at providing instant feedback on my efforts to look and act as if I am a female.

 

These days I believe in admitting to all the things I’ve gone through in my quest to become a convincing looking woman when I cross-dress and I think it’s good to embrace your needs, desires and your past. I’ve gone through the whole micro skirts, skyscraper high heels and over the top make-up trying to act overtly sexy so why deny it, it happened and I loved doing it at the time. Go for it I say!

 

My quest these days is to pass in the real world as a woman. I found that thinking yourself into the gender and making that work unconsciously helps amazingly in your efforts to pass as a woman. Sometimes I surprise myself with the thoughts that I have when I am dressed as a woman. I definitely enjoy leaving the man behind and thinking as a female, its shocking, and exciting and genuinely thrilling when you realise you’ve crossed the line in your head!

 

Returning to this truly self indulgent video, I’ve compiled a few shots of myself checking out my look and would encourage others to give it a go as it really does help you evolve and improve with your make-up and hair and body movements and it is rather fun! It’s not really very structured as a video but as I am currently not able to cross-dress and become the woman I like to spend time as I am coping with my desire by posting indulgent videos like this one to help me cope and build anticipation for my next opportunity.

 

Despite being a man I love being a woman!

The Territory Wildlife Park is located at Berry Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia, some 75 kilometres south of Darwin. It is owned and operated by the Northern Territory Government and was opened in 1989. Situated on 400 ha of natural bushland, it contains native animals and plants representative of Northern Territory, and especially Top End tropical monsoonal, environments. It contributes to their conservation through research programs as well as through public education. The three main habitats represented are woodland, wetland and monsoon vine forest.

Contributed work by the lovely NLM, posted here by permission of the photographer.

Is amazing how a little pond can contribute to create a nice photo thanks to the reflections and symmetries obtained. Partial view of the -Norman Foster- Palacio de Congresos, Valencia (Spain).

Olympus C8080WZ

 

href="http://www.flickr.com/people/shutterscript/">www.flickr.com/people/shutterscript/ I've decided to share it with you all.

Museo de las Ciencias Príncipe Felipe. City of Arts and Sciences, Valencia (Spain).

Canon Powershot Pro1

 

Available as a print in my ImageKind Gallery: salvadordelsaz.imagekind.com/

 

'Reflections at sunset ...' On Black

I haven't contributed here in such a long time I don't know how active things are here anymore. Still it's good to re-visit the place of many happy postings, contacts and discussions. Truth is like a lot of people I'm busy getting on with life beyond the online world and haven't had much time to participate in the wonderful world of photography. I feel fortunate to be able to dip in and out as and when and not need to make money from it! My passion remains undimmed and an absence certainly helps. As it happens I've still got a stack of older images that were waiting to be given a bit of post processing tlc. I've never developed the extreme post processing chops of some of the incredible guys I've had the pleasure to come into contact with, I keep promising that's one for the long days of retirement when I'll have the time. But that could be a long way off I'm still just a lad :) Nevertheless I'm quite happy with how this turned out and I feel I'm still working within the same vision that feels authentic to how I see the world. That's enough of me saying hello again, thanks for dropping by and taking a look!

Many people contributed to the sim in many ways that are greatly appreciated. These are the people however, who busted their butts through thick and thin....day after day...for YEARS to help make Hard Alley and Retroville fun for those who came to enjoy the sim. The foundation that held us up. Friends, family. I love your faces Jade, Kron...and of course my Hard Rust. Without YOU Hard, I would never have met all the awesome people through the years. Thank you. ♥

 

Ten years. Wow. Hard Alley/Retroville may be gone, but I will carry these people in my heart always...as well as the many awesome people who made the sim home for me. I am thankful for all of you.

 

Photographer.Editor.Pose Maker: Spirit Eleonara

Excerpt from Wikipedia:

 

Meiji Shrine (明治神宮), is a Shinto shrine in Shibuya, Tokyo, that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken. The shrine does not contain the emperor's grave, which is located at Fushimi-momoyama, south of Kyoto.

 

After the emperor's death in 1912, the Japanese Diet passed a resolution to commemorate his role in the Meiji Restoration. An iris garden in an area of Tokyo where Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken had been known to visit was chosen as the building's location.

 

Construction began in 1915 under Itō Chūta, and the shrine was built in the traditional nagare-zukuri style, using primarily Japanese cypress and copper. The building of the shrine was a national project, mobilizing youth groups and other civic associations from throughout Japan, who contributed labor and funding. The main timbers came from Kiso in Nagano, and Alishan in Taiwan, then a Japanese territory, with materials being utilized from every Japanese prefecture, including Karafuto, Korea, Kwantung, and Taiwan. It was estimated that the cost of the construction was ¥5,219,00 in 1920 (approximately US$26 million today), about a quarter of the actual cost due to the donated materials and labor.

 

It was formally dedicated on November 3, 1920, completed in 1921, and its grounds officially finished by 1926. The interior volume of the shrine complex when originally built was 650 tsubo. Until 1946, the Meiji Shrine was officially designated one of the Kanpei-taisha (官幣大社), meaning that it stood in the first rank of government supported shrines.

 

The original building was destroyed during the Tokyo air raids of World War II. The present iteration of the shrine was funded through a public fund raising effort and completed in October 1958.

 

Meiji Shrine is located in a forest that covers an area of 70 hectares (170 acres). This area is covered by an evergreen forest that consists of 120,000 trees of 365 different species, which were donated by people from all parts of Japan when the shrine was established. The forest is visited by many as a recreation and relaxation area in the center of Tokyo. The entrance to the shrine complex leads through the Jingu Bashi bridge. Meiji Shrine is adjacent to Yoyogi Park which together is a large forested area. The entrances open at sunrise and close at sunset.

A bunch of weeds contributing to a nice arrangement. :-)

MUST VIEW LARGE ON BLACK

 

"A universe comes to contribute to our happiness when reverie comes to accentuate our repose. You must tell the man who wants to dream well to begin by being happy. Then reverie plays out its veritable destiny; it becomes poetic reverie and by it, in it, everything becomes beautiful. If the dreamer had "the gift" he would turn his reverie into a work. And this work would be grandiose since the dreamed world is automatically grandiose." from The Poetics of Reverie by Gaston Bachelard

 

This one is for GERI aka Born 2 Be Mild. I don't know when and how I stumbled upon Geri's stream but I surely am glad I did. I could never forget her 5-CARROT RING POST. If I recall that was the very first of her photos I commented on. And I knew right there and then that I had to stay connected to this wonderful lady - now a treasured friend - because if there is someone on Flickr who can make me laugh, she certainly can. She may not know it, but it was Geri who inspired me to capture droplets on flowers and leaves. And that is why I am dedicating this droplet, this "dreamed world" to her. I hope she finds it worthy.

Monumento ad Emanuele Filiberto collocato in Piazza San Carlo a Torino

 

If you like my photograph, feel free to download it.

Just click the link down below in case you wish to contribute with a donation. That would be highly appreciated, thank you :)

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This is not a photo of artistic endeavor... it is intended to tell a story:

 

I looked out my window the other day and saw a lot of leaves on my honeysuckle vine had turned an odd shade of brown.

 

I went out and looked at them, and then took a photo. I have never seen a disease that looked like this... were they sick? Did something spill on them somehow? There was dust from the interminable construction in our front yard everywhere, but it certainly wasn't this shade of brown!

 

Then I went around to the other side to peer at the leaves from that angle, and I saw what the answer was! We have had very little rain recently, so I wouldn't have thought this would be what was happening, but perhaps the lack of rain contributed to the brown, too!

 

To see the answer, click the link or links:

www.flickr.com/gp/23310196@N06/9u9Y0P

www.flickr.com/gp/23310196@N06/7Z37a9

Taken for the Looking close on Friday group. I've not joined in with this group for ages so it's good to contribute as I really like this one

Showing a little thigh and being a little cheeky.

 

Tracy Prince's Captivating World of Fashion and Femme Elegance

 

Welcome to Tracy Prince's enchanting realm, a mesmerizing photo blog that celebrates the artistry of fashion, beauty, and the alluring allure of femininity. With a keen eye for elegance and a passion for exploring the spectrum of style, Tracy captures the essence of glamour through her lens, bringing you a collection that transcends boundaries and defies conventions.

 

In Tracy's world, "high heels" are not just a fashion statement; they are an embodiment of empowerment and confidence. Whether it's the sleek lines of thigh-high boots or the classic elegance of stiletto heels, each photograph tells a story of grace and poise. Tracy explores the world of heels with an unwavering focus on details, showcasing the intricate designs that make them not just footwear but works of art.

 

Lingerie takes center stage in Tracy's visual symphony. Delicate fabrics, such as satin and lace, weave a tale of sensuality and sophistication. From the timeless beauty of "tan pantyhose" to the provocative allure of "black stockings," Tracy's lens captures the delicate nuances of intimate apparel. Garter belts, a timeless accessory, add a touch of vintage charm, creating a perfect harmony between classic and contemporary femininity.

 

Tracy embraces the art of "X-DRESS," navigating the realm of crossdressing with a respectful and inclusive lens. Her collection celebrates the diversity within the crossdressing community, showcasing individuals expressing their identity with confidence and style. Tracy's portrayal of "tranny schoolgirl," "tranny in stockings," and "tranny in pantyhose" is a testament to the beauty that emerges when personal expression meets the canvas of fashion.

 

"Beautiful crossdresser," "classy crossdresser," and "sexy crossdresser" are not just tags in Tracy's blog; they encapsulate the spectrum of elegance she captures. Each image resonates with a unique blend of style and individuality, breaking stereotypes and embracing the beauty that comes with embracing one's true self.

 

The interplay of light and fabric highlights the shimmering allure of "shiny pantyhose" and the timeless charm of "nylons crossdresser." Tracy's lens transforms each image into a narrative, where every detail contributes to the larger story of empowerment and self-discovery.

 

"Thigh high boots" make a bold statement in Tracy's visual narrative, symbolizing strength and confidence. Paired with "satin babe" or "nylon," these boots become a symbol of fierce femininity, challenging traditional notions of beauty and style.

 

Tracy's exploration of beauty is not limited to a specific gender. Whether it's a "transvestite," "tgirl," "trans," or "transgender," Tracy's lens captures the unique beauty that transcends labels. "Sexy shemale," "transexual," and "transgender beauty" become expressions of confidence and authenticity, challenging societal norms and celebrating the diversity of gender expression.

 

In the world of Tracy Prince, "Femme" is not just a descriptor; it's a celebration of the myriad ways individuals express their femininity. Leather, boots, and the timeless appeal of "nylon" and "Thigh High Stockings" become tools for self-expression, allowing each person to craft their unique narrative.

 

As Tracy navigates the intricate landscape of fashion and beauty, she brings to light the complexity and depth of personal expression. "Pantyhose high heels," "stockings high heels," "garter belt stockings high heels," and "nylons high heels" are not just combinations of clothing items; they are the building blocks of a visual symphony, a harmonious blend of textures and colors that create a stunning visual tableau.

 

Tracy's lens explores the realm of "fellatrix," recognizing the beauty in the art of seduction. Whether it's a provocative gaze or a subtle pose, each image captures the essence of allure and confidence. Tracy celebrates the beauty of "slutty women" and "classy crossdressers" alike, breaking down barriers and embracing the diversity of expression within the world of fashion.

 

In Tracy Prince's photo blog, each image is a brushstroke on the canvas of beauty and self-expression. Through her lens, the world of fashion and femme elegance becomes a celebration of diversity, individuality, and the timeless allure of personal style. Step into Tracy's captivating world, where every photograph tells a story of empowerment, confidence, and the endless possibilities that come with embracing one's true self.

The interior landscape was a little weird with strange bulges and humps and a vegetation of small trees and shrubbery.

 

The fog contributed to the desolate atmosphere.

 

Pico Island, Azores, Portugal.

Contributed by an admirer

Contributing to the capture of this train from just about every light-favoring angle on the Cal-P, here's PCBOA3 cruising along San Pablo Bay at Hercules behind the newly-minted UP 1943 and UP 9088.

A BARREL payload sits on the launch pad at Esrange Space Center near Kiruna, Sweden.

 

The BARREL team is at Esrange Space Center launching a series of six scientific payloads on miniature scientific balloons. The NASA-funded BARREL – which stands for Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses – primarily measures X-rays in Earth’s atmosphere near the North and South Poles. These X-rays are produced by electrons raining down into the atmosphere from two giant swaths of radiation that surround Earth, called the Van Allen belts. Learning about the radiation near Earth helps us to better protect our satellites.

 

Several of the BARREL balloons also carry instruments built by undergraduate students to measure the total electron content of Earth’s ionosphere, as well as the low-frequency electromagnetic waves that help to scatter electrons into Earth’s atmosphere. Though about 90 feet in diameter, the BARREL balloons are much smaller than standard football stadium-sized scientific balloons.

 

This is the fourth campaign for the BARREL mission. BARREL is led by Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The undergraduate student instrument team is led by the University of Houston and funded by the Undergraduate Student Instrument Project out of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. For more information on NASA’s scientific balloon program, visit: www.nasa.gov/scientificballoons.

 

Image credit: NASA/University of Houston/Edgar Bering

 

NASA image use policy.

 

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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Color contributes to beauty, but it is not beauty. Color should have a minor part in the consideration of beauty, because it is not [color] but the structure that constitutes its essence.

-Johann Joachim Winckelmann

_________________________________________________________________

P.s: In our culture we have this idea that dragonfly brings luck.

Jerash, Jordan

 

Jerash (Arabic: جرش‎ Ǧaraš; Ancient Greek: Γέρασα Gérasa) is a city in northern Jordan. The city is the administrative center of the Jerash Governorate, and has a population of 50,745 as of 2015. It is located 48 kilometres (30 mi) north of the capital city Amman.

 

The earliest evidence of settlement in Jerash is in a Neolithic site known as Tal Abu Sowan, where rare human remains dating to around 7500 BC were uncovered. Jerash flourished during the Greco and Roman periods until the mid-eighth century CE, when the 749 Galilee earthquake destroyed large parts of it, while subsequent earthquakes contributed to additional destruction. However, in the year 1120, Zahir ad-Din Toghtekin, atabeg of Damascus ordered a garrison of forty men to build up a fort in an unknown site of the ruins of the ancient city, likely the highest spot of the city walls in the north-eastern hills. It was captured in 1121 by Baldwin II, King of Jerusalem, and utterly destroyed. Then, the Crusaders immediately abandoned Jerash and withdrew to Sakib (Seecip); the eastern border of the settlement.

 

Jerash was then deserted until it reappeared by the beginning of the Ottoman rule in the early 16th century. In the census of 1596, it had a population of 12 Muslim households. However, archaeologists found a small Mamluk hamlet in the Northwest Quarter which indicates that Jerash was resettled before the Ottoman era. The excavations conducted since 2011 have shed light on the Middle Islamic period as recent discoveries have uncovered a large concentration of Middle Islamic/Mamluk structures and pottery. The ancient city has been gradually revealed through a series of excavations which commenced in 1925, and continue to this day.

 

Jerash today is home to one of the best preserved Greco-Roman cities, which earned it the nickname of "Pompeii of the East". Approximately 330,000 visitors arrived in Jerash in 2018, making it one of the most visited sites in Jordan. The city hosts the Jerash Festival, one of the leading cultural events in the Middle East that attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year.

NASA's Terra satellite passed over Ophelia when it was still a depression at 9:35 a.m. EDT (1335 UTC). But the image provided by the MODIS instrument, or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer that flies aboard Terra, showed that there were strong thunderstorms around the center of circulation and in a thick band east of the center.

 

At 11 a.m. EST (1500 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Ophelia was located near latitude 31.5 North, longitude 38.3 West. Ophelia is moving toward the southeast near 5 mph (7 kph), and this general motion is expected to continue during the next day or two. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1002 millibars.

 

Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph (85 km/h) with higher gusts.

 

Gradual strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and Ophelia is expected to become a hurricane by Thursday, Oct. 12 and is expected to turn toward the northwest.

 

Credits: NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team

 

NASA image use policy.

 

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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by mighty.killers ift.tt/20lb6fi

Rather than use tele-presence and work remotely via collaborative software, on more backward planets, work culture dictates that a few hours a day be wasted in battling traffic to reach a central place of work, spend more hours hating your colleagues...then go home and repeat this process the next day.

 

Terrifying.

 

We at Galactic Handling and Logistics don't understand this, but just like everyone else, obey this dogma blindly...just like everyone else.

 

The TEXAS is a repurposed military surplus walker ranger suit, which we use to provide traffic regulation. We don't ask why people obey red and green signs, but the threat of being crushed by a gigantic robot is probably a contributing factor.

  

++++++ from Wikipedia ++++++

 

Taipei (/ˌtaɪˈpeɪ/), officially known as Taipei City, is the capital city and a special municipality of Taiwan (officially known as the Republic of China, "ROC"). Sitting at the northern tip of the island, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City. It is about 25 km (16 mi) southwest of the northern port city Keelung. Most of the city is located on the Taipei Basin, an ancient lakebed bounded by the two relatively narrow valleys of the Keelung and Xindian rivers, which join to form the Tamsui River along the city's western border.[5] Formerly known as Taipeh-fu during Qing era and Taihoku under Japanese rule, Taipei became the capital of the Taiwan Province as part of the Republic of China in 1945 and recently has been the capital[a] of the ROC since 1949, when the Kuomintang lost the mainland to the Communists in the Chinese Civil War.

 

The city proper is home to an estimated population of 2,704,810 in 2015,[6] forming the core part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area which includes the nearby cities of New Taipei and Keelung with a population of 7,047,559,[6][7] the 40th most-populous urban area in the world—roughly one-third of Taiwanese citizens live in the metro district. The name "Taipei" can refer either to the whole metropolitan area or the city proper.

 

Taipei is the political, economic, educational, and cultural center of Taiwan island, and one of the major hubs of Greater China. Considered to be a global city,[8] Taipei is part of a major high-tech industrial area.[9] Railways, high-speed rail, highways, airports, and bus lines connect Taipei with all parts of the island. The city is served by two airports – Taipei Songshan and Taiwan Taoyuan. Taipei is home to various world-famous architectural or cultural landmarks which include Taipei 101, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Dalongdong Baoan Temple, Hsing Tian Kong, Lungshan Temple of Manka, National Palace Museum, Presidential Office Building, Taipei Guest House, Ximending, and several night markets dispersing over the city. Its natural features such as Maokong, Yangmingshan, and hot springs are also well known to international visitors.

 

As the capital city, "Taipei" is sometimes used as a synecdoche for the Republic of China. Due to the ongoing controversy over the political status of Taiwan, the name Chinese Taipei is designated for official use when Taiwanese governmental representatives or national teams participate in some international organizations or international sporting events (which may require UN statehood) in order to avoid extensive political controversy by using other names.

 

Contents

 

1 History

1.1 First settlements

1.2 Empire of Japan

1.3 Republic of China

2 Geography

2.1 Climate

2.2 Air quality

2.3 Cityscape

3 Demographics

4 Economy

5 Culture

5.1 Tourism

5.1.1 Commemorative sites and museums

5.1.2 Taipei 101

5.1.3 Performing arts

5.1.4 Shopping and recreation

5.1.5 Temples

5.2 Festivals and events

5.3 Taipei in films

6 Romanization

7 Government

7.1 Garbage recycling

7.2 Administrative divisions

7.3 City planning

8 Transportation

8.1 Metro

8.2 Rail

8.3 Bus

8.4 Airports

8.5 Ticketing

9 Education

9.1 Chinese language program for foreigners

10 Sports

10.1 Major sporting events

10.2 Youth baseball

11 Media

11.1 Television

11.2 Newspapers

12 International relations

12.1 Twin towns and sister cities

12.2 Partner cities

12.3 Friendship cities

13 Gallery

14 See also

15 Notes

16 References

17 External links

 

History

Main article: History of Taipei

The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is a famous monument and tourist attraction in Taipei.

 

Prior to the significant influx of Han Chinese immigrants, the region of Taipei Basin was mainly inhabited by the Ketagalan plains aborigines. The number of Han immigrants gradually increased in the early 18th century under Qing Dynasty rule after the government began permitting development in the area.[10] In 1875, the northern part of the island was incorporated into the new Taipeh Prefecture.

 

The Qing dynasty of China made Taipeh the temporary capital of Fujian-Taiwan Province in 1886 when Taiwan was separated from Fujian Province.[11][12] Taipeh was formally made the provincial capital in 1894.

 

Japan acquired Taiwan in 1895 under the Treaty of Shimonoseki after the First Sino-Japanese War. Taiwan became a colony of Imperial Japan with Taihoku (formerly Taipeh) as its capital, in which the city was administered under Taihoku Prefecture. Taiwan's Japanese rulers embarked on an extensive program of advanced urban planning that featured extensive railroad links. A number of Taipei landmarks and cultural institutions date from this period.[13]

 

Following the Japanese surrender of 1945, control of Taiwan was handed to the Republic of China (ROC) (see Retrocession Day). After losing mainland China to the Chinese Communist Party in the Chinese Civil War, the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) relocated the ROC government to Taiwan and declared Taipei the provisional capital of the ROC in December 1949.[14][15] In 1990 Taipei provided the backdrop for the Wild Lily student rallies that moved Taiwanese society from one-party rule to multi-party democracy. The city is today home to Taiwan's democratically elected national government.

First settlements

 

The region known as the Taipei Basin was home to Ketagalan tribes before the eighteenth century.[16] Han Chinese mainly from Fujian Province of Qing dynasty China began to settle in the Taipei Basin in 1709.[17][18]

 

In the late 19th century, the Taipei area, where the major Han Chinese settlements in northern Taiwan and one of the designated overseas trade ports, Tamsui, were located, gained economic importance due to the booming overseas trade, especially that of tea export. In 1875, the northern part of Taiwan was separated from Taiwan Prefecture and incorporated into the new Taipeh Prefecture as a new administrative entity of the Qing dynasty.[13] Having been established adjoining the flourishing townships of Bangka, Dalongdong, and Twatutia, the new prefectural capital was known as Chengnei (Chinese: 城內; pinyin: chéngnèi; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: siâⁿ-lāi), "the inner city", and government buildings were erected there. From 1875 (still Qing era) until the beginning of Japanese rule in 1895, Taipei was part of Tamsui County of Taipeh Prefecture and the prefectural capital.

 

In 1885, work commenced to create an independent Taiwan Province, and Taipei City was temporarily made the provincial capital. Taipei officially became the capital of Taiwan in 1894.[citation needed] All that remains from the Qing era is the north gate. The west gate and city walls were demolished by the Japanese while the south gate, little south gate, and east gate were extensively modified by the Kuomintang (KMT) and have lost much of their original character.[19]

Empire of Japan

The Taihoku Prefecture government building in the 1910s (now the Control Yuan)

 

As settlement for losing the First Sino-Japanese War, China ceded the island of Taiwan to the Empire of Japan in 1895 as part of the Treaty of Shimonoseki. After the Japanese take-over, Taipei, called Taihoku in Japanese, was retained as the capital and emerged as the political center of the Japanese Colonial Government.[13] During that time the city acquired the characteristics of an administrative center, including many new public buildings and housing for civil servants. Much of the architecture of Taipei dates from the period of Japanese rule, including the Presidential Building which was the Office of the Governor-General of Taiwan.

 

During Japanese rule, Taihoku was incorporated in 1920 as part of Taihoku Prefecture. It included Bangka, Twatutia, and Jōnai (城內) among other small settlements. The eastern village of Matsuyama (松山庄, modern-day Songshan District, Taipei) was annexed into Taihoku City in 1938. Upon the Japanese defeat in the Pacific War and its consequent surrender in August 1945, the Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party) assumed control of Taiwan. Subsequently, a temporary Office of the Taiwan Province Administrative Governor was established in Taipei City.[20]

Republic of China

With President Chiang Kai-shek, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower waved to a crowd during his visit to Taipei in June 1960.

 

In 1947 the KMT government under Chiang Kai-shek declared island-wide martial law in Taiwan as a result of the February 28 Incident, which began with incidents in Taipei but led to an island-wide crackdown on the local population by forces loyal to Chiang. Two years later, on December 7, 1949, Chiang and the Kuomintang were forced to flee mainland China by the Communists near the end of the Chinese Civil War. The refugees declared Taipei to be the provisional capital of a continuing Republic of China, with the official capital at Nanjing (Nanking) even though that city was under Communist control.[14][15]

 

Taipei expanded greatly in the decades after 1949, and as approved on December 30, 1966 by the Executive Yuan, Taipei was declared a special centrally administered municipality on July 1, 1967 and given the administrative status of a province.[18] In the following year, Taipei City expanded again by annexing Shilin, Beitou, Neihu, Nangang, Jingmei, and Muzha. At that time, the city's total area increased fourfold through absorbing several outlying towns and villages and the population increased to 1.56 million people.[18]

 

The city's population, which had reached one million in the early 1960s, also expanded rapidly after 1967, exceeding two million by the mid-1970s. Although growth within the city itself gradually slowed thereafter[20] — its population had become relatively stable by the mid-1990s — Taipei remained one of the world's most densely populated urban areas, and the population continued to increase in the region surrounding the city, notably along the corridor between Taipei and Keelung.

 

In 1990 Taipei's 16 districts were consolidated into the current 12 districts.[21] Mass democracy rallies that year in the plaza around Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall led to an island-wide transition to multi-party democracy, where legislators are chosen via regularly scheduled popular elections, during the presidency of Lee Teng-Hui.

Geography

The city of Taipei, as seen from Maokong.

 

Taipei City is located in the Taipei Basin in northern Taiwan.[22] It is bordered by the Xindian River on the south and the Tamsui River on the west. The generally low-lying terrain of the central areas on the western side of the municipality slopes upward to the south and east and especially to the north,[5] where it reaches 1,120 metres (3,675 ft) at Qixing Mountain, the highest (inactive) volcano in Taiwan in Yangmingshan National Park. The northern districts of Shilin and Beitou extend north of the Keelung River and are bordered by Yangmingshan National Park. The Taipei city limits cover an area of 271.7997 km2,[23] ranking sixteenth of twenty-five among all counties and cities in Taiwan.

 

Two peaks, Qixing Mountain and Mt. Datun, rise to the northeast of the city.[24] Qixing Mountain is located on the Tatun Volcano Group and the tallest mountain at the rim of the Taipei Basin, with its main peak at 1,120 metres (3,670 ft). Mt. Datun's main peak is 1,092 metres (3,583 ft). These former volcanoes make up the western section of Yangmingshan National Park, extending from Mt. Datun northward to Mt. Caigongkeng (菜公坑山). Located on a broad saddle between two mountains, the area also contains the marshy Datun Pond.

 

To the southeast of the city lie the Songshan Hills and the Qingshui Ravine, which form a barrier of lush woods.[24]

Climate

 

Taipei has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate[25][26][27] (Köppen: Cfa).[28] Summers are long-lasting, hot and humid, and accompanied by occasional heavy rainstorms and typhoons, while winters are short, generally warm and generally very foggy due to the northeasterly winds from the vast Siberian High being intensified by the pooling of this cooler air in the Taipei Basin. As in the rest of Northern Taiwan, daytime temperatures of Taipei can often peak above 26 degrees Celsius during a warm winter day, while they can dip below 26 degrees Celsius during a rainy summer's afternoon. Occasional cold fronts during the winter months can drop the daily temperature by 3 to 5 degrees Celsius, though temperatures rarely drop below 10 degrees Celsius.[29] Extreme temperatures ranged from −0.2 °C (31.6 °F) on February 13, 1901 to 39.3 °C (102.7 °F) on August 8, 2013, while snow has never been recorded in the city besides on mountains located within the city limit such as Mount Yangmingshan. Due to Taiwan's location in the Pacific Ocean, it is affected by the Pacific typhoon season, which occurs between June and October.

 

Air quality

 

When compared to other Asian cities, Taipei has "excellent" capabilities for managing air quality in the city.[31] Its rainy climate, location near the coast, and strong environmental regulations have prevented air pollution from becoming a substantial health issue, at least compared to cities in southeast Asia and industrial China. However, smog is extremely common and there is poor visibility throughout the city after rain-less days.

 

Motor vehicle engine exhaust, particularly from motor scooters, is a source of air pollution in Taipei. There are higher levels of fine particulate matter and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the mornings because of less air movement; sunlight reduces some pollution.[32] Occasionally, dust storms from Mainland China can temporarily bring extremely poor air quality to the city.[33]

Cityscape

Taipei viewed from Tiger Mountain, with Taipei 101 on the left.

Demographics

 

Taipei City is home to 2,704,810 people (2015), while the metropolitan area has a population of 7,047,559 people.[6] The population of the city has been decreasing in recent years while the population of the adjacent New Taipei has been increasing. The population loss, while rapid in its early years, has been stabilized by new lower density development and campaigns designed to increase birthrate in the city. The population has begun to rise since 2010.[6][34][35]

 

Due to Taipei's geography and location in the Taipei Basin as well as differing times of economic development of its districts, Taipei's population is not evenly distributed. The districts of Daan, Songshan, and Datong are the most densely populated. These districts, along with adjacent communities such as Yonghe and Zhonghe contain some of the most densely populated neighborhoods in the world.[34]

 

In 2008, the crude birth rate stood at 7.88% while the mortality rate stood at 5.94%. A decreasing and rapidly aging population is an important issue for the city.[34] By the end of 2009, one in ten people in Taipei was over 65 years of age.[36] Residents who had obtained a college education or higher accounted for 43.48% of the population, and the literacy rate stood at 99.18%.[34]

 

Like the rest of Taiwan, Taipei is composed of four major ethnic groups: Hoklos, Mainlanders, Hakkas, and aborigines.[34] Although Hoklos and Mainlanders form the majority of the population of the city, in recent decades many Hakkas have moved into the city. The aboriginal population in the city stands at 12,862 (<0.5%), concentrated mostly in the suburban districts. Foreigners (mainly from Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines) numbered 52,426 at the end of 2008.[34]

 

Economy

 

As the center of Taiwan's largest conurbation, Taipei has been at the center of rapid economic development in the country and has now become one of the global cities in the production of high technology and its components.[37] This is part of the so-called Taiwan Miracle which has seen dramatic growth in the city following foreign direct investment in the 1960s. Taiwan is now a creditor economy, holding one of the world's largest foreign exchange reserves of over US$403 billion as of December 2012.[38]

 

Despite the Asian financial crisis, the economy continues to expand at about 5% per year, with virtually full employment and low inflation. As of 2013, the nominal GDP per capita in Taipei city is lower than that in Hong Kong by a narrow margin according to The Economist(Nominal GDP per capita in HK is US$38181 in 2013 from IMF).[39] Furthermore, according to Financial times, GDP per capita based on Purchasing Power Parity(PPP) in Taipei in 2015 is 44173 USD, behind that in Singapore(US$48900 from IMF) and Hong Kong(US$56689 from IMF).[40]

 

Taipei and its environs have long been the foremost industrial area of Taiwan, consisting of industries of the secondary and tertiary sectors.[41] Most of the country's important factories producing textiles and apparel are located there; other industries include the manufacture of electronic products and components, electrical machinery and equipment, printed materials, precision equipment, and foods and beverages. Such companies include Shihlin Electric, CipherLab and Insyde Software. Shipbuilding, including yachts and other pleasure craft, is done in the port of Keelung northeast of the city.

 

Services, including those related to commerce, transportation, and banking, have become increasingly important. Tourism is a small but significant component of the local economy[42][43] with international visitors totaling almost 3 million in 2008.[44] Taipei has many top tourist attractions and contributes a significant amount to the US$6.8 billion tourism industry in Taiwan.[45] National brands such as ASUS,[46] Chunghwa Telecom,[47] Mandarin Airlines,[48] Tatung,[49] and Uni Air,[50][51] D-Link [52] are headquartered in Taipei City.

Culture

Tourism

See also: List of tourist attractions in Taipei

 

Tourism is a major part of Taipei's economy. In 2013, over 6.3 million overseas visitors visited Taipei, making the city the 15th most visited globally.[53] The influx of visitors contributed $10.8 billion USD to the city's economy in 2013, the 9th highest in the world and the most of any city in the Chinese-speaking world.[54]

Commemorative sites and museums

The National Palace Museum

 

The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is a famous monument, landmark and tourist attraction that was erected in memory of General Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China.[55] The structure stands at the east end of Memorial Hall Square, site of the National Concert Hall and National Theater and their adjacent parks as well as the memorial. The landmarks of Liberty Square stand within sight of Taiwan's Presidential Building in Taipei's Zhongzheng District.

The National Taiwan Museum

 

The National Taiwan Museum sits nearby in what is now 228 Peace Memorial Park and has worn its present name since 1999. The museum is Taiwan's oldest, founded on October 24, 1908 by Taiwan's Japanese colonial government (1895-1945) as the Taiwan Governor's Museum. It was launched with a collection of 10,000 items to celebrate the opening of the island's North-South Railway.[56] In 1915 a new museum building opened its doors in what is now 228 Peace Memorial Park. This structure and the adjacent governor's office (now Presidential Office Building), served as the two most recognizable public buildings in Taiwan during its period of Japanese rule.[56]

Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines

 

The National Palace Museum is a vast art gallery and museum built around a permanent collection centered on ancient Chinese artifacts. It should not be confused with the Palace Museum in Beijing (which it is named after); both institutions trace their origins to the same institution. The collections were divided in the 1940s as a result of the Chinese Civil War.[57][58] The National Palace Museum in Taipei now boasts a truly international collection while housing one of the world's largest collections of artifacts from ancient China.[58]

 

The Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines stands just 200 metres across the road from the National Palace Museum. The museum offers displays of art and historical items by Taiwanese aborigines along with a range of multimedia displays.

 

The Taipei Fine Arts Museum was established in 1983 as the first museum in Taiwan dedicated to modern art. The museum is housed in a building designed for the purpose that takes inspiration from Japanese designs. Most art in the collection is by Taiwanese artists since 1940. Over 3,000 art works are organized into 13 groups.

 

The National Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall near Taipei 101 in Xinyi District is named in honor of a founding father of the Republic of China, Sun Yat-sen. The hall, completed on May 16, 1972, originally featured exhibits that depicted revolutionary events in China at the end of the Qing Dynasty. Today it functions as multi-purpose social, educational, concert and cultural center for Taiwan's citizens.[59]

Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei, aka "old city hall"

 

In 2001 a new museum opened as Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei. The museum is housed in a building that formerly housed Taipei City government offices.[60]

Night view of a fully lit Taipei 101

Taipei 101

 

Taipei 101 is a 101-floor landmark skyscraper that claimed the title of world's tallest building when it opened in 2004, a title it held for six years before relinquishing it to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Designed by C.Y. Lee & Partners and constructed by KTRT Joint Venture, Taipei 101 measures 509 m (1,670 ft) from ground to top, making it the first skyscraper in the world to break the half-kilometer mark in height. Built to withstand typhoon winds and earthquake tremors, its design incorporates many engineering innovations and has won numerous international awards. Taipei 101 remains one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world and holds LEED's certification as the world's largest "green" building. Its shopping mall and its indoor and outdoor observatories draw visitors from all over the world. Taipei 101's New Year's Eve fireworks display is a regular feature of international broadcasts.

Performing arts

Taiwan's National Concert Hall at night

 

The National Theater and Concert Hall stand at Taipei's Liberty Square and host events by foreign and domestic performers. Other leading concert venues include Zhongshan Hall at Ximending and the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall near Taipei 101.

 

A new venue, the Taipei Performing Arts Center, is under construction and slated to open in 2015.[61][62] The venue will stand near the Shilin Night Market[63] and will house three theaters for events with multi-week runs. The architectural design, by Rem Koolhaas and OMA, was determined in 2009 in an international competition.[64] The same design process is also in place for a new Taipei Center for Popular Music and Taipei City Museum.[65]

Shopping and recreation

Main article: Shopping in Taipei

 

Taipei is known for its many night markets, the most famous of which is the Shilin Night Market in the Shilin District. The surrounding streets by Shilin Night Market are extremely crowded during the evening, usually opening late afternoon and operating well past midnight. Most night markets feature individual stalls selling a mixture of food, clothing, and consumer goods.

The busy streets of Ximending at night

 

Ximending has been a famous area for shopping and entertainment since the 1930s. Historic structures include a concert hall, a historic cinema, and the Red House Theater. Modern structures house karaoke businesses, art film cinemas, wide-release movie cinemas, electronic stores, and a wide variety of restaurants and fashion clothing stores.[66] The pedestrian area is especially popular with teens and has been called the "Harajuku" of Taipei.[67]

Eastern district at night

 

The newly developed Xinyi District is popular with tourists and locals alike for its many entertainment and shopping venues, as well as being the home of Taipei 101, a prime tourist attraction. Malls in the area include the sprawling Shin Kong Mitsukoshi complex, Breeze Center, Bellavita, Taipei 101 mall, Eslite Bookstore's flagship store (which includes a boutique mall), The Living Mall, ATT shopping mall, and the Vieshow Cinemas (formerly known as Warner Village). The Xinyi district also serves as the center of Taipei's active nightlife, with several popular lounge bars and nightclubs concentrated in a relatively small area around the Neo19, ATT 4 FUN and Taipei 101 buildings. Lounge bars such as Barcode and nightclubs such as Spark and Myst are among the most-visited places here.

Eslite Bookstore in Xinyi District

 

The thriving shopping area around Taipei Main Station includes the Taipei Underground Market and the original Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store at Shin Kong Life Tower. Other popular shopping destinations include the Zhongshan Metro Mall, Dihua Street, the Guang Hua Digital Plaza, and the Core Pacific City. The Miramar Entertainment Park is known for its large Ferris wheel and IMAX theater.

 

Taipei maintains an extensive system of parks, green spaces, and nature preserves. Parks and forestry areas of note in and around the city include Yangmingshan National Park, Taipei Zoo and Da-an Forest Park. Yangmingshan National Park (located 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of the central city) is famous for its cherry blossoms, hot springs, and sulfur deposits. It is the home of famous writer Lin Yutang, the summer residence of Chiang Kai-shek, residences of foreign diplomats, the Chinese Culture University, the meeting place of the now defunct National Assembly of the Republic of China, and the Kuomintang Party Archives. The Taipei Zoo was founded in 1914 and covers an area of 165 hectares for animal sanctuary.

 

Bitan is known for boating and water sports. Tamsui is a popular sea-side resort town. Ocean beaches are accessible in several directions from Taipei.

Temples

Built in 1738, Longshan Temple is one of the oldest temples in the city.

Street corner shrine, Taipei 2013

 

Taipei is rich in beautiful, ornate temples housing Buddhist, Taoist, and Chinese folk religion deities. The Longshan Temple, built in 1738 and located in the Wanhua District, demonstrates an example of architecture with southern Chinese influences commonly seen on older buildings in Taiwan.

 

Xinsheng South Road is known as the "Road to Heaven" due to its high concentration of temples, shrines, churches, and mosques.[68][69] Other famous temples include Baoan Temple located in historic Dalongdong, a national historical site, and Xiahai City God Temple, located in the old Dadaocheng community, constructed with architecture similar to temples in southern Fujian.[70] The Taipei Confucius Temple traces its history back to 1879 during the Qing Dynasty and also incorporates southern Fujian-style architecture.[71]

 

Besides large temples, small outdoor shrines to local deities are very common and can be spotted on road sides, parks, and neighborhoods. Many homes and businesses may also set up small shrines of candles, figurines, and offerings. Some restaurants, for example, may set up a small shrine to the Kitchen god for success in a restaurant business.[72]

New Year's Eve fireworks at Taipei 101

Festivals and events

 

Many yearly festivals are held in Taipei. In recent years some festivals, such as the Double Ten Day fireworks and concerts, are increasingly hosted on a rotating basis by a number of cities around Taiwan.

 

When New Year's Eve arrives on the solar calendar, thousands of people converge on Taipei's Xinyi District for parades, outdoor concerts by popular artists, street shows, round-the clock nightlife. The high point is of course the countdown to midnight, when Taipei 101 assumes the role of the world's largest fireworks platform.

 

The Taipei Lantern Festival concludes the Lunar New Year holiday. The timing of the city's lantern exhibit coincides with the national festival in Pingxi, when thousands of fire lanterns are released into the sky.[73] The city's lantern exhibit rotates among different downtown locales from year to year, including Liberty Square, Taipei 101, and Zhongshan Hall in Ximending.

 

On Double Ten Day, patriotic celebrations are held in front of the Presidential Building. Other annual festivals include Ancestors Day (Tomb-Sweeping Day), the Dragon Boat Festival, the Ghost Festival, and the Mid-Autumn Festival (Moon Festival).[73]

 

Taipei regularly hosts its share of international events. The city recently hosted the 2009 Summer Deaflympics.[74] This event was followed by the Taipei International Flora Exposition, a garden festival hosted from November 2010 to April 2011. The Floral Expo was the first of its kind to take place in Taiwan and only the seventh hosted in Asia; the expo admitted 110,000 visitors on February 27, 2011.

Taipei in films

  

Romanization

  

The spelling "Taipei" derives from the Wade–Giles romanization T'ai-pei.[75] The name could be also romanized as Táiběi according to Hanyu Pinyin and Tongyong Pinyin.[76][77]

Government

 

Taipei City is a special municipality which is directly under the Executive Yuan (Central Government) of ROC. The mayor of Taipei City had been an appointed position since Taipei's conversion to a centrally administered municipality in 1967 until the first public election was held in 1994.[78] The position has a four-year term and is elected by direct popular vote. The first elected mayor was Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive Party. Ma Ying-jeou took office in 1998 for two terms, before handing it over to Hau Lung-pin who won the 2006 mayoral election on December 9, 2006.[79] Both Chen Shui-bian and Ma Ying-Jeou went on to become President of the Republic of China. The incumbent mayor, Ko Wen-je, was elected on November 29, 2014 and took office on December 25, 2014.[80]

 

Based on the outcomes of previous elections in the past decade, the vote of the overall constituency of Taipei City shows a slight inclination towards the pro-KMT camp (the Pan-Blue Coalition);[81] however, the pro-DPP camp (the Pan-Green Coalition) also has considerable support.[82]

 

Ketagalan Boulevard, where the Presidential Office Building and other government structures are situated, is often the site of mass gatherings such as inauguration and national holiday parades, receptions for visiting dignitaries, political demonstrations,[83][84] and public festivals.[85]

Garbage recycling

 

Taipei City is also famous for its effort in garbage recycling, which has become such a good international precedent that other countries have sent teams to study the recycling system. After the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) established a program in 1998 combining the efforts of communities, a financial resource named the Recycling Fund was made available to recycling companies and waste collectors. Manufacturers, vendors and importers of recyclable waste pay fees to the Fund, which uses the money to set firm prices for recyclables and subsidize local recycling efforts. Between 1998 and 2008, the recycling rate increased from 6 percent to 32 percent.[86] This improvement enabled the government of Taipei to demonstrate its recycling system to the world at the Shanghai World Expo 2010.

Administrative divisions

 

Taipei City is divided up into 12 administrative districts (區 qu).[87] Each district is further divided up into urban villages (里), which are further sub-divided up into neighborhoods (鄰).

Map District Population

(Jan. 2016) Area

(km2) Postal

code

 

Beitou 北投區 Běitóu Pei-t'ou Pak-tâu 257,922 56.8216 112

Da'an 大安區 Dà'ān Ta-an Tāi-an 312,909 11.3614 106

Datong 大同區 Dàtóng Ta-t'ung Tāi-tông 131,029 5.6815 103

Nangang 南港區 Nángǎng Nan-kang Lâm-káng 122,296 21.8424 115

Neihu 內湖區 Nèihú Nei-hu Lāi-ô͘ 287,726 31.5787 114

Shilin 士林區 Shìlín Shih-lin Sū-lîm 290,682 62.3682 111

Songshan 松山區 Sōngshān Sung-shan Siông-san 209,689 9.2878 105

Wanhua 萬華區 Wànhuá Wan-hua Báng-kah 194,314 8.8522 108

Wenshan 文山區 Wénshān Wen-shan Bûn-san 275,433 31.5090 116

Xinyi 信義區 Xìnyì Hsin-yi Sìn-gī 229,139 11.2077 110

Zhongshan 中山區 Zhōngshān Chung-shan Tiong-san 231,286 13.6821 104

Zhongzheng 中正區 Zhōngzhèng Chung-cheng Tiong-chèng 162,549 7.6071 100

 

City planning

 

The city is characterized by straight roads and public buildings of grand Western architectural styles.[88] The city is built on a square grid configuration, however these blocks are huge by international standards with 500 m (1,640.42 ft) sides. The area in between these blocks are infilled with lanes and alleys, which provide access to quieter residential or mixed-use development. Other than a citywide 30 kilometres per hour (19 mph) speed limit, there is little uniform planning within this "hidden" area; therefore lanes (perpendicular to streets) and alleys (parallel with street, or conceptually, perpendicular to the lane) spill out from the main throughways. These minor roads are not always perpendicular and sometimes cut through the block diagonally.

 

Although development began in the western districts (still considered the cultural heart of the city) of the city due to trade, the eastern districts of the city have become the focus of recent development projects. Many of the western districts, already in decline, have become targets of new urban renewal initiatives.[88]

Transportation

Platform of Wende Station on the Taipei Metro system.

 

Public transport accounts for a substantial portion of different modes of transport in Taiwan, with Taipei residents having the highest utilization rate at 34.1%.[89] Private transport consists of motor scooters, private cars, and bicycles. Motor-scooters often weave between cars and occasionally through oncoming traffic. Respect for traffic laws, once scant, has improved with deployment of traffic cameras and increasing numbers of police roadblocks checking riders for alcohol consumption and other offenses.

 

Taipei Station serves as the comprehensive hub for the subway, bus, conventional rail, and high-speed rail.[41] A contactless smartcard, known as EasyCard, can be used for all modes of public transit as well as several retail outlets. It contains credits that are deducted each time a ride is taken.[90] The EasyCard is read via proximity sensory panels on buses and in MRT stations, and it does not need to be removed from one's wallet or purse.

Metro

Main article: Taipei Metro

 

Taipei's public transport system, the Taipei Metro (commonly referred to as the MRT), incorporates a metro and light rail system based on advanced VAL and Bombardier technology. There are currently five metro lines that are labelled in three ways: color, line number and depot station name. In addition to the rapid transit system itself, the Taipei Metro also includes several public facilities such as the Maokong Gondola, underground shopping malls, parks, and public squares. Modifications to existing railway lines to integrate them into the metro system are underway.

 

In 2017 a rapid transit line was opened to connect Taipei with Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taoyuan City. The new line is part of the new Taoyuan Metro system.

Taipei Railway Station front

Rail

Main articles: Taiwan High Speed Rail and Taiwan Railway Administration

 

Beginning in 1983, surface rail lines in the city were moved underground as part of the Taipei Railway Underground Project.[91] The Taiwan High Speed Rail system opened in 2007. The bullet trains connect Taipei with the west coast cities of New Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, Chiayi, and Tainan before terminating at Zuoying (Kaohsiung) at speeds that cut travel times by 60% or more from what they normally are on a bus or conventional train.[92] The Taiwan Railway Administration also runs passenger and freight services throughout the entire island.

Bus

 

An extensive city bus system serves metropolitan areas not covered by the metro, with exclusive bus lanes to facilitate transportation.[41] Riders of the city metro system are able to use the EasyCard for discounted fares on buses, and vice versa. Several major intercity bus terminals are located throughout the city, including the Taipei Bus Station and Taipei City Hall Bus Station.[93]

Taipei Songshan Airport

Airports

Main articles: Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taipei Songshan Airport

 

Most scheduled international flights are served by Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in nearby Taoyuan City. Songshan Airport at the heart of the city in the Songshan District serves domestic flights and scheduled flights to Tokyo International Airport (also known as Haneda Airport), Gimpo International Airport in Seoul, and about 15 destinations in the People's Republic of China. Songshan Airport is accessible by the Taipei Metro Neihu Line; Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is accessible by the Taoyuan International Airport MRT system.

Ticketing

 

In 1994, with the rapid development of Taipei, a white paper for transport policies expressed the strong objective to "create a civilised transport system for the people of Taipei." In 1999, they chose Mitac consortium, which Thales-Transportation Systems is part of. Thales was then selected again in 2005 to deploy an upgrade of Taipei's public transport network with an end-to-end and fully contactless automatic fare collection solution that integrates 116 metro stations, 5,000 buses and 92 car parks.[citation needed]

Education

West Site of National Taiwan University Hospital

 

24 universities have campuses located in Taipei:

 

National Taiwan University (1928)

National Chengchi University (1927)

National Defense Medical Center (1902)

National Defense University (1906)

National Taipei University (1949)

National Taipei University of Business (1917)

National Taipei University of Education (1895)

National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Science (1947)

National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (1974)

National Taipei University of Technology (1912)

National Taiwan College of Performing Arts (1957)

National Taiwan Normal University (1946)

National Yang-Ming University (1975)

Taipei National University of the Arts (1982)

University of Taipei (2013)

  

Tamkang University (1950)

Soochow University (1900)

Chinese Culture University (1962)

Ming Chuan University (1957)

Shih Hsin University (1956)

Shih Chien University (1958)

Taipei Medical University (1960)

Tatung University (1956)

China University of Technology (1965)

 

National Taiwan University (NTU) was established in 1928 during the period of Japanese colonial rule. NTU has produced many political and social leaders in Taiwan. Both pan-blue and pan-green movements in Taiwan are rooted on the NTU campus. The university has six campuses in the greater Taipei region (including New Taipei) and two additional campuses in Nantou County. The university governs farms, forests, and hospitals for educational and research purposes. The main campus is in Taipei's Da-An district, where most department buildings and all the administrative buildings are located. The College of Law and the College of Medicine are located near the Presidential Building. The National Taiwan University Hospital is a leading international center of medical research.[94]

 

National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU or Shida) likewise traces its origins to the Japanese colonial period. Originally a teacher training institution, NTNU has developed into a comprehensive international university with demanding entrance requirements. The university boasts especially strong programs in the humanities and international education. Worldwide it is perhaps best known as home of the Mandarin Training Center, a program that offers Mandarin language training each year to over a thousand students from dozens of countries throughout the world. The main campus in Taipei's Da-An district, near MRT Guting Station, is known for its historic architecture and giving its name to the Shida Night Market, one of the most popular among the numerous night markets in Taipei.

Chinese language program for foreigners

 

Taiwan Mandarin Institute (TMI) (福爾摩莎)

International Chinese Language Program (ICLP) (國際華語研習所) of National Taiwan University

Mandarin Training Center (MTC) (國語教學中心) of National Taiwan Normal University

Taipei Language Institute (中華語文研習所)

 

A brilliant place to visit and a surprisingly large nature reserve in the middle of one of the worlds greatest and largest cities. You can see the urban backdrop and aeroplanes over the city but at times you will feel as if you are in the countryside. You will see many common wildlife as well as rare birds dropping in as well. It has quite an impressive list for a reserve in an urban area. A number of birds especially which are not found in urban areas are resident or passage migrants here.

  

www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/

  

City oasis

 

WWT London has been voted the UK’s Favourite Nature Reserve. Close to the heart of the capital, it is a haven for birds, wildlife and people.

 

www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/plan-your-visit/

  

Queen Elizabeth's Walk

Barnes, London

SW13 9WT

T: 020 8409 4400

F: 020 8409 4401

E: info.london@wwt.org.uk

  

Opening times

Open 7 days a week, except 25 December.

 

Winter opening time until Saturday 24 March 2012

 

9.30am to 5pm (last admission 4pm).

 

Summer opening time until Saturday 27 October 2012

 

9.30am to 6pm (last admission 5pm).

Early closing on 24 December (last admission 2pm, centre closes at 3pm)

Water's Edge Cafe: last orders 4.30pm in winter and 5.30pm in summer

Water's Edge Cafe: closes 5.00pm in winter and 6.00pm in summer

 

Terms of entry

 

Children under 16 years must be accompanied by an adult.

Photography is permitted on site providing it is for personal use only. All commercial/stock library photography, filming, recording, etc. must be agreed in advance with the centre. Please phone 020 8409 4400 for any commercial filming or photographic enquiries.

Visitors are asked to respect the habitats and wildlife of the centre by keeping to the paths at all times and not causing undue noise. The centre is a nature conservation area designed to protect natural habitats for all UK wetland species, both botanical and animal. It is especially important to remain quiet in the bird viewing hides.

 

The following are not permitted on site:

 

•Dogs, other than trained assistance dogs (i.e. guide dogs), which must be kept on their harness at all times, and the harness must clearly state "working or assistance dog." Any dog waste must please be removed. There is minimal shade in the car park so we strongly recommend dogs are not left locked in parked cars. There are no suitable areas anywhere at the centre for dogs to be left tied-up outside. Please be aware that our priority is for the welfare of the dogs, so it is our policy to call the RSPCA or Police immediately if we are concerned for the health of a dog.

•Scooters, bicycles, tricycles, roller skates or blades or skateboards. Bike cages are provided in the car park, please bring your own lock. WWT London Wetland Centre accepts no responsibility for any theft or damage of bikes or property left in the cages.

•Climbing on any trees or shrubs or any pruning/picking of flowers or vegetation.

•Climbing on any exhibits or habitats either in the World Wetlands area or the Wildside areas.

•Swimming/wading or entering any water bodies on site.

•Sports or games (including jogging).

•There is no provision for left baggage, please leave all baggage in your vehicle or do not bring it with you.

•We do not allow re-entry to the centre, unless admission receipt is provided.

 

Accessibility

 

•The grounds have level access and hard-surfaced paths with tarmac on main routes (and compacted gravel on minor paths)

•Low-level viewing windows and level access to ground floor bird hides. Heated bird-watching observatory in main visitor centre

•Lift access to upper floors of visitor centre, observatory and three-storey Peacock Tower hide. No lift in Wildside Hide

•Free wheelchair loan

•Free electric mobility scooter loan. One only - must be booked in advance.

•Fixed hearing loops in admissions area and in audio visual theatre

•Trained assistance dogs only (i.e. guide dogs). No other dogs permitted

•Accessible toilets in car park and throughout the visitor centre

•Free car parking on site. Tarmac surface and reserved bays for disabled visitors.

•Public transport is available direct to the centre from Hammersmith bus station to the centre between 9.30am and 5pm (No 283 from Stand K)

  

www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/plan-your-visit/walks-and-talks/

  

London Wetland Centre is an idyllic spot to escape the hustle and bustle of the City for a walk or to indulge in an afternoon of bird watching from one of our six hides. The reserve is easily accessible with pathways and bridges among the pools, meadows and gardens.

But if you want to learn a bit more about the centre - how it was created and the work we do here - you can join one of our tours held daily at 11.30am and 2.30pm. There’s no need to book and the tour is free with admission to the centre.

Our guides will explain how London Wetland Centre was created from four redundant Thames Water reservoirs. They will also point out wildlife spotted on the day.

Over 200 species of bird have been recorded on site since we opened in 2000. Also making their home amongst the 300,000 plants and 27,000 trees we planted during the centre’s creation are water voles, dragonflies, frogs, snakes, slow worms, bats, newts and butterflies, to name just a few.

You can also join one of our wardens at 3.00pm each day as they feed the birds in World Wetlands. Just turn up and the walks are free with admission to the centre.

As well as our regular walks we frequently run specialist walks and talks on everything from plant identification and reptiles to bird watching and bird song. See our Whats On section for forthcoming events.

And every day you will find our ‘Guide in the hide’ who will be able to point out the birds you can see on our lakes and lagoons.

 

•Guided tours, daily at 11.30am and 2.30pm

•Bird feed tour, daily at 3.00pm

•Guide in a hide, daily

  

www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/plan-your-visit/prices/

  

2012 admission prices

 

Prices are shown inclusive of Gift Aid and without. The Gift Aid admission price includes a voluntary donation, which enables us to claim the tax back as part of the Government's Gift Aid scheme. For further information on Gift Aid click here.

 

Pricing*Gift AidNo Gift Aid

Adult£10.99£9.99

Concession (65+, full-time students, unemployed)£8.20£7.45

Child (4-16 years)£6.10£5.55

Family (2 adults and 2 children, 4-16 years)£30.60£27.82

Children (under 4 years)FreeFree

Essential helpers assisting disabled visitorsFreeFree

 

Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

 

Please note: you may be asked for proof of age, student ID or proof that you are receiving Job Seekers Allowance to qualify for concession admission prices.

  

www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/plan-your-visit/eat-drink-ref...

  

Eat, drink, refresh

 

The Water’s Edge café is situated overlooking the centre's entrance lake where you can watch the ducks hunting for their own lunch! On warmer days you can relax on the terrace but there is also plenty of seating indoors for when the weather is chillier.

The café serves a delicious selection of main dishes and sandwiches, soup, cakes, biscuits and snacks plus children’s lunch boxes.

Each day we offer breakfast rolls (full English breakfast at weekends). Hot food, including a vegetarian option, is served from 12 noon.We also serve hot and cold drinks and wines throughout the day.

Throughout the year we serve meals to celebrate festive occasions such as Christmas, Mothers’ Day and Valentine’s Day. Where better to treat someone to lunch than in the beautiful, relaxing setting of a 105 acre wildlife haven?

We also have rooms available for hire for private celebrations such as weddings and parties.

The Water’s Edge café is in the centre so cannot be visited without paying for admission to the centre (admission is free for members).

Although only food purchased from the cafe can be eaten inside and on the café terrace there are ample picnic areas situated around the centre where you are welcome to eat your own food and drink.

Water's Edge café last orders: 4.30pm in winter and 5.30pm in summer

Water's Edge café closes: 5.00pm in winter and 6.00pm in summer

  

www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/plan-your-visit/shopping/

  

Our gift shop stocks a wide range of souvenirs, practical items and luxury gifts. Select from wildlife books to enhance your enjoyment of nature, eco products, outdoor clothing, bird feeders/boxes, cards, children’s gifts, souvenirs and much more.

We also have a wide range of children’s products for budding wildlife enthusiasts. Help our feathered friends by taking home a pack of bird seed and treat yourself to a bag of traditional sweets too!

To enhance your walk through our 105 acre nature reserve you can hire binoculars from the In Focus optics shop located next to the art gallery (above the shop).

Binoculars cost £5.00 to hire. In Focus stocks everything you will ever need to watch wildlife, from compact binoculars to state of the art telescopes (a percentage of all sales goes to the conservation work of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust).

  

www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/plan-your-visit/group-visits/

  

London Wetland Centre is a beautiful place for a group visit, offering close views of nature, especially wetland birds, and a wide variety of wetland habitats to explore (although you won't need your wellies!). There is also a collection of beautiful birds from around the world kept for conservation purposes and a family of otters.

We have an excellent visitor centre for all your group’s needs with a lakeside restaurant, gift shop and a theatre. The majority of the paths are tarmac so are easily accessible and there are plenty of benches for you to sit and relax. Even our three storey hide with views across the entire reserve has a lift.

The centre is easily accessible from central London and beyond, with public transport links direct and free onsite car/coach parking.

 

Benefits for groups

 

•Reduced admission prices for groups of 12 or more

•A complimentary ticket for the group organiser

•Free pre-visit on request for the group organiser

•Free coach parking

•Guided tours available, tailored to your group's requirements (fee applies)

Please note that all benefits except reduced admission only apply if you book up to two weeks in advance.

 

Group admission prices 2012

 

The following discounted rates apply to groups of 12 paying visitors or more:

Adult: £9.20

Concession: £7.00 (over 65 years, full-time students, unemployed)

Child: £5.15 (4 - 16 years)

 

Sample group itinerary

 

11am - Arrive at the centre and meet with one of our tour guides. Visit the observatory, enjoy a tour around ‘World Wetlands’ discovering water birds from across the globe and learn how the centre was created.

1pm - Enjoy lunch in the Water’s Edge cafe where you can choose from a selection of hot and cold meals and refreshments.

2pm - Explore the reserve and discover the birds and other wetland wildlife that have made this their home. Don’t forget to visit our Peacock tower for wonderful panoramic views of the wetland habitats.

3.30pm - Afternoon tea in the Water’s Edge cafe with sumptuous home-made cakes.

4.15pm - Enjoy a spot of shopping in our gift shop.

4.50pm - Depart.

 

Private group tours

 

Make the most of your visit with a tour by one of our expert guides. £20 fee applies for a maximum of 20 people. Tour last 1.5 hours. Please call 020 8409 4400 for details.

 

Frequently asked questions

 

When is the best time to visit?

 

The London Wetland Centre is a beautiful place to visit all year round with the landscape and wildlife changing constantly with the seasons.

Spring is perfect for wild flowers and songbirds. In the summer you can relax outside with a picnic and enjoy the sound of marsh frogs, crickets and warblers. Our sustainable gardens are beautiful at that time of year, bursting into a blaze of colour that lasts all summer.

Autumn is great for seeing rare birds passing through on migration and winter is the best time to observe the flocks of wild duck or catch sight of an elusive bittern, regular visitors over recent winters.

Why not combine your visit with one of our special events such as late night opening, some of our animal themed events or a twilight bat walk?

 

What should we wear?

 

The centre has tarmac/firm level paths throughout and so any comfortable shoes will suffice. It is worth bringing an umbrella or waterproof if rain is forecast as the reserve covers more than 40 hectares and it can take a few minutes to reach shelter.

 

When should we pay?

 

Please pay at the admissions desk on the day of your visit. The centre would very much appreciate if you could arrange one payment per group. This will speed up your admission into the centre. If you are paying individually please be prepared to wait.

 

Some of our group can’t walk far, is it still suitable?

 

Yes, there is plenty to see and do in our visitor centre and there are numerous benches scattered throughout the reserve. It is also possible to book a wheelchair or electric buggy to help you travel around the reserve.

 

Making a booking

 

Please complete our group booking form (pdf, 37kb) and return it to info.london@wwt.org.uk

Contact us on 020 8409 4400 or email info.london@wwt.org.uk for further information.

 

www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/plan-your-visit/school-visits/

 

School visits

 

At WWT London we provide unique and unforgettable learning experiences for schools.

To find out more about what’s on offer for you and your pupils

 

www.wwt.org.uk/learn/learn-at-wwt-london/

 

We welcome school groups of all sizes, all year round.

We offer guided learning sessions outdoors, suitable for a range of ages and abilities, including special needs groups. Or for schools wishing to explore independently, we offer self guided visits.

  

www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/plan-your-visit/venue-hire/

 

WWT London Wetland Centre is an idyllic spot to hold any event, whether you are celebrating a special occasion, getting married or holding a meeting. The Centre is just 10 minutes from Hammersmith but it could be a world away. The combination of beautiful surroundings and central location makes it easily accessible but offers a rural experience. Our 42 hectares of scenic lakes, pools and meadows are unique so close to the heart of London and they are complemented by first rate facilities, excellent transport links and ample free parking.

WWT London Wetland Centre is part of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust so by holding your event with us you will be directly contributing to our global conservation work.

 

Contact us

 

To further information please contact our functions team.

Telephone: 020 8409 4400 or email: functions.london@wwt.org.uk

If you are travelling to or from the centre by taxi we encourage you to use the taxi company Green Tomato Cars. This company uses a fleet of the most viable environmentally friendly cars and offers the service at competitive rates. For more information please see their website www.greentomatocars.com or call 020 8568 002.

 

www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/volunteer/

  

The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust is a charity and relies on the generous support of volunteers at all of its wetland centres to help with conservation work and other daily tasks.

The London Wetland Centre currently has openings for:

 

•Office volunteers – reception and office cover, Friday morning and afternoon, and weekend mornings and afternoons

•Membership volunteers (especially weekends)

•Corporate work groups - weekdays

•Events volunteers (at weekends)

 

We are also interested to hear from people with specialist skills that may be of use to WWT. Currently we are particularly looking for good birders who are also great communicators.

Please call Chris Elliott on 020 8409 4400.

 

Membership volunteers

 

Are you inspired by wetlands and their wildlife? Could you help save them?

 

Do you have an outgoing, friendly personality to engage with visitors at WWT London Wetland Centre?

 

We are looking for volunteers to join us to actively recruit members for London Wetland Centre. Can you spare at least two mornings or afternoons a month to help us with this worthy cause?

 

If you are interested, please contact: Chris Elliott, Volunteer Coordinator on 020 8409 4400 or email info.london@wwt.org.uk

 

Corporate volunteering

 

Escape the office for a day and do your bit for wetland conservation with our corporate volunteering opportunities at WWT London Wetland Centre.

We can cater for corporate volunteering days, where work groups can assist wardens with duties such as planting, digging, weeding and pollarding.

Costs vary depending on type of volunteer work completed.

Please call our Volunteer Coordinator on 020 8409 4400 for further details.

 

Work experience

 

WWT London Wetland Centre takes five work experience students a year for one working week at a time. Students spend each day working with a different department.

Work experience must be part of the schools programme and placements are subject to interview.

Demand for placements is very high and there are no remaining openings in 2012.

With limited staffing resources we very much regret that the London Wetland Centre cannot accept students on the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme.

 

Contact us

 

For further information please contact our Volunteer Coordinator Chris Elliott on 020 8409 4400 or email info.london@wwt.org.uk

 

♪♫♫ Tschaikovsky: Sérénade Mélancholique by Julia Fisher ♪♫♫

Known by some tank crewmen as the Chimera tank. The Mittel 4/5 Proto is what happens when insane engineers acting as servitors of an Eldritch Abomination decide to contribute in making a tank out of parts lying around. The tank is an unholy fusion of an enemy machine, and an upgraded Mittel-4. The tank isn't more effective, and is slightly too heavy for the modified Mittel-4 suspension. Aside from that it's relatively easy to upkeep, and isn't as over engineered as other Merthan tanks. The tank was put on the back burner indefinitely until a point in which it was deemed practical enough to fill any unforeseen gap. It is unknown if this ever occurred before the nations collapse.

  

The Mittel 3/4 is supposed to be an upgraded Panzer 4 that more resembled a Panther but I had a hard time figuring out what to do. I built the hull for this, but decided it was too tall to be either a Panther, or Panzer 4 so I decided to just make a Sherman, and Panther fusion instead. Obviously it was just a build made for fun, and not made to be that realistic.

Turret design/side sloping was inspired by Lt. Pineapple's Panther.

Elizabeth Peratrovich created by Crystal Worl and her team, on CBJ Library, Juneau, Alaska.

  

“Educating the public about the local Indigenous values, culture, and history is important for Alaskans and visitors alike. This mural will also contribute to the movement to transform Juneau into the Northwest Coast arts capital of the world, and will beautify and enhance the downtown Juneau area. Moreover, the mural will foster community partnerships and pride, and, as an attraction, contribute to the local economy,” Worl said. The mural also features “modernized versions of our clan crest, the Sockeye Salmon, along with Raven.”

 

The mural project is made possible by the Rasmuson Foundation, Sealaska Heritage Institute, and Worl, and implemented in partnership with CBJ.

The Chesterfield Canal in Hayton, in Nottinghamshire.

 

Known locally as Cuckoo Dyke, the Chesterfield Canal was opened in 1777 and ran 46 miles (74 km) from the River Trent at West Stockwith, Nottinghamshire to Chesterfield, Derbyshire. It is currently only navigable as far as Kiveton Park near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, plus an isolated section near Chesterfield. The canal was built to export coal, limestone, and lead from Derbyshire, iron from Chesterfield, and corn, deals, timber, groceries, etc. into Derbyshire. The stone for the Palace of Westminster was quarried in North Anston, Rotherham, and transported via the canal.

 

The route of the canal was surveyed by James Brindley and John Varley, who estimated the cost at £94,908 17s. Brindley presented his proposals to a meeting in Worksop on 24 August 1769. The investors asked John Grundy to carry out a second survey. He proposed a rather shorter course, from Stockwith in a straight line to Bawtry and then by Scrooby, Blyth and Carlton, to join Brindley's line at Shire Oaks. Grundy's line was 5 1⁄2 miles (8.9 km) shorter, and the cost estimated at £71,479, 6s. 9½d. Although Grundy's line was considerably cheaper, it achieved this by missing Worksop and Retford, and the investors decided in favour of Brindley's route.

 

The promoters consisted of one hundred and seventy-four persons, amongst whom were the Duke of Devonshire, the Duke of Newcastle, Lord Scarsdale, the Dean of York, and Sir Cecil Wray. They were incorporated by the name of The Company of Proprietors of the Canal Navigation from Chesterfield to the River Trent, and empowered to raise among themselves the sum of £100,000, in one thousand shares of £100 each, to fund the construction.

 

Immediately on the passing of the act, construction began under the direction of Brindley. Upon his death in September 1772, John Varley moved from Clerk of Works to Resident Engineer with Hugh Henshall, Brindley's brother-in-law, appointed Chief Engineer in 1773. The canal was to be built as a narrow canal, but in 1775, nine shareholders offered to fund the extra cost of making it a broad canal from Retford to Stockwith. Retford Corporation joined them, and each contributed £500. The additional cost exceeded £6000. The canal was opened throughout in 1777, but the only record of wide-beamed boats using it at Retford is prior to 1799.

 

There were 65 locks in all, with two tunnels: a short 154 yards (141 m) tunnel near Gringley Beacon, and the major 2,880 yard long Norwood Tunnel. At the time of construction, Norwood Tunnel was the joint longest canal tunnel in Britain, and it was sixth longest by the time it collapsed. The canal was a typical Brindley contour canal, following the contours to avoid costly cuttings and embankments, which resulted in a less than direct route in places.

 

The canal was initially fairly successful, with dividends being returned to the investors. However, the building of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway line parallel to the canal (1849) left much of the navigation redundant, and the Worksop to Chesterfield stretch ceased to serve commercial traffic in 1908, when problems with mining subsidence necessitated the closure of Norwood Tunnel. The stretch between the tunnel and Worksop subsequently fell into ruin and became un-navigable, while parts of the isolated section from the tunnel to Chesterfield were infilled and redeveloped.

 

Am I still in time for the photo? I was swimming and totally forget time!

(See the pictures below.)

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Vicks, the polar bear cub in Diergaarde Blijdorp (Rotterdam Zoo, the Netherlands) enjoys swimming. The cub, born on December 6, 2010, has been 'adopted' by the American company Vicks.

Of course it will be cared for and housed as always, but part of the cooperation is that the sponsor is allowed to link its name to the cub. Vicks also contributes to the care of the polar bear cub and a united campagne will be run.

In zoos and also in Blijdorp, the Rotterdam Zoo, it is not new to name animals after sponsors products.

 

The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size.

An adult male weighs around 350 - 680 kg and measure 2.4 - 3 m in length. Adult females are roughly half the size of males and normally weigh 150 - 300 kg, measuring 1.8 - 2.4 m in length.

Although it is closely related to the brown bear, it has evolved to occupy a narrower ecological niche, with many body characteristics adapted for cold temperatures, for moving across snow, ice, and open water, and for hunting the seals which make up most of its diet.

Although most polar bears are born on land, they spend most of their time at sea. Their scientific name means "maritime bear", and derives from this fact.

Polar bears can hunt consistently only from sea ice, which is why they spend much of the year on and near the edge of the frozen sea. The polar bear is an excellent swimmer and individuals have been seen in open Arctic waters as far as 320 km from land. With its body fat providing buoyancy, it swims in a dog paddle fashion using its large forepaws for propulsion.

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IJsbeertje Vicks in Diergaarde Blijdorp houdt van zwemmen.

Het ijsbeertje dat op 6 december 2010 is geboren, is ‘geadopteerd’ door Vicks. Het jong van moeder Olinka en vader Eric zal er zelf niet veel van merken dat hij of zij vanaf heden door het leven gaat als ‘ijsbeertje Vicks’. Qua verzorging en huisvesting blijft alles zoals het is, maar onderdeel van de samenwerking is dat de sponsor zijn naam aan het ijsbeertje mag verbinden. Vicks draagt ook bij aan de verzorging van het ijsbeertje en er zal een gezamenlijke campagne worden gevoerd.

In de dierentuinenwereld, en ook in Blijdorp, is het overigens geen onbekend verschijnsel om dieren de naam van de sponsor of het product te geven.

 

De ijsbeer (Ursus maritimus, voorheen: Thalarctos maritimus) is een grote geelwitte beer, die langer en groter is dan de andere beren (Ursidae). De ijsbeer komt enkel voor in en rond het Noordpoolgebied. Hij is het meest carnivoor van alle beren, en leeft vooral van zeehonden.

De ijsbeer is een vrij jonge soort die tijdens het Pleistoceen, in de laatste 200.000 jaar ontstaan is, vermoedelijk uit Siberische populaties van de bruine beer.

De ijsbeer is zeer groot: hij kan tot 3 meter lang en 800 kilogram zwaar worden. Hij heeft een lange nek en een grote neus. Onder de vacht is de huid zwart, wat te zien is op de naakte delen zoals de neus en de lippen. De haren van de vacht zijn niet wit, maar doorzichtig en hol. De kleur van de vacht is, afhankelijk van de tijd van het jaar, lichtval en de hoeveelheid vuil in de vacht, gelig wit tot vuilgrijs. Het is waterafstotend en houdt de warmte van de zon vast. Daarnaast heeft de ijsbeer een dikke onderhuidse vetlaag, waarmee hij warmte vasthoudt. De ijsbeer heeft vliezen tussen zijn tenen, waardoor hij beter kan zwemmen. Zijn achterpoten gebruikt hij als een soort roer om mee te sturen. Hij lijkt verder te zwemmen als een hond.

Mannetjes zijn groter dan vrouwtjes en hebben een opvallend grotere neus. Mannetjes worden gemiddeld 1,4 tot 3 m lang en 350 tot 680 kg zwaar, vrouwtjes 1,8 tot 2,4 m lang en 150 tot 300 kg zwaar.

IJsberen hebben een klein staartje, ongeveer acht tot tien centimeter lang. De ijsbeer leeft meestal alleen en is zowel overdag als 's nachts actief. Ook in de lange, donkere winter zijn ze actief.______________________________________________________________________________________

 

All rights reserved. Copyright © Martien Uiterweerd. All my images are protected under international authors copyright laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission.

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Built in the 19th Century, this building is a contributing structure in the Lee-Holman Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.

Shinbyu, a novice initiation ceremony, is a two-day rite of passage mimicking the Buddha's transition from secular to spiritual, beginning with a ceremony and parade at the temple and through the town, privately funded either by the boys' families – who often save for years to contribute – or wealthy members of the community, allowing poor children and even orphans to participate in the extravaganza.

After parading around the pagoda, the celebration continues into town, with the young princes boarding elephants and horses and the raucous parade gaining momentum as it approaches the monastery.

(from www.traveller.com.au/)

 

_JEF1140

The size of a 40.000 year old tooth from the Denisova cave indicates a very tall individual, and artefacts found tell about

an unbelievable modern technology - including high speed drilling. The first kings of Egypt were called Gods, but they lived with the people and helped them to develop their civilisation. Many of the granite and basalt artefacts found in Egypt can only have been done by high speed drilling. Were these divine kings in fact Denisova hominins? Did they underestimate how fragile the eco-balance of our environment is, did they trigger a worldwide catastrophe that "capsized" the Earth and wiped them out?

Remnants of a previously unknown hominin, distinct from both early modern humans and Neanderthals,

were a few years ago found in the Denisova cave of southern Siberia: Denisova hominins. The bones and also artefacts excavated at the same level were carbon dated to around 40.000 BP. The scientists say these Denisovans had "modern technology and ornaments, including a very beautiful bracelet". Our archaic cousins the Denisova Hominins

A catastrophe in form of a flood that, according to the legends wiped out the Egyptian civilization that was developed by divine kings (Gods), shall have taken place more than 30.000 years ago. The finger bone, the large tooth and the artefacts found in the Denisova cave in the north-east Altai Mountains region are also dated to be more than 30.000 years old. The small bone belonged to a very young girl. A small bracelet of polished stone was also found, and since it was found in the same layer and dated to the same age; it might have belonged to her.

We can only speculate why the young girl was in the cave. Could it be that she was seeking shelter from a coming catastrophe, might be brought there by her mother or father? Or that she was washed into the cave by the raging wave of a tsunami - even if the cave today is 600 meters above sea level?

It seems that the first rulers of Egypt had a technology that was even more advanced than we have today; we are in fact unable to replicate many of the artefacts found. And it still is an open question how they managed to construct the Great Pyramid with its incredible precision and up to 70 ton's stones.

The archaeologists say that the ancient Egyptians used simple tools like bronze chisels and stone hammers but many of the items found, like basalt jars and also the so called sarcophagus in the Great Pyramid, cannot be made without high speed drilling with drill-bits harder than basalt and granite. The artefacts found in the Denisova cave, the bracelet with pendant, the eyed needles and other ornaments, also witness of a superior technology - and believe it or not: They had used hight speed drilling!

Not us homo sapien sapien

We do not know how the Denisova hominines looked but as mentioned: A tooth found in the cave was very large, so they might have been very tall. We know that people in the area surrounding the Altai Mountains in the 6th to 3rd centuries BC had a very advanced technology; a race of white skinned, blond, blue eyed and very tall people with Caucasian features and long skulls.

The divine kings, the "Gods", of Egypt were often depicted as white skinned, blond, blue eyed and very tall people with Caucasian features and a long skull. Were the "Gods" of the ancient Egyptian king-lists in fact Denisovans? Not us homo sapien sapien but our archaic cousins the Denisova Hominins?

We do not yet know what the Denisova hominins looked like but a Denisovan tooth found in the cave is the largest archaic homo species tooth found. Were the Denisovans the giants of the legends all over the world? Where they the first kings of Egypt - the divine Pharaohs? Did they have an advanced technology that later got lost, might be together with the Denisovans themselves, in a world wide catastrophe?

 

Global warming

Professor Gregory Ryskin at Northwestern University in Illinois, USA, has found that the long-term changes in the Earth's main magnetic field are possibly induced by our oceans' circulation. We know that global warming already has raised the temperatures of the oceans of the world and some scientists have proposed that this could disrupt thermohaline circulation (THC), which is a massive, worldwide system of ocean currents. We have already seen a change in some ocean currents, so a change in our Earth's magnetic field might already be happening! Might be this is why our magnetic poles are moving much more rapid than before! Scary stuff - because this could also mean a change in the Earth's gravity - and changes in gravitational forces will certainly affect the tectonic plates and with the continents on them. Might be this is the reason why we also experience more earthquakes than before?! Might be we should take Hapgood's conclusions and Heyerdahl's warning serious?

Did the Egyptian "capsize" the world - did they have technologies that could contribute to a sudden and rapid polar change? Might be because of and a change in the Earths gravity and/or magnetic field? Well, some say that the ancient Egyptians used the pyramids to create a unique form of energy. That they by paying special attention to celestial events, they could have used natural forces like static electricity, the Earth's magnetic field, and lightning.

Electric phenomenon

Sir William Seimens, a famous German born English inventor, travelled to Egypt and visited the Great Pyramid. While they were standing on the top, the guide remarked that when he raised his hand with his fingers spread, it caused an intense ringing noise in his ears. Sir William ventured a few tests, one by raising his arm with his index finger pointing, which he claimed caused a prickling sensation. He then drank some wine from a metallic cup which gave him a distinct shock. He was convinced he was witnessing some sort of electric phenomenon and instantly put this to the test by assembling a makeshift Leyden Jar, an apparatus for the storage of static electricity, by wrapping moistened newspaper around the wine bottle. The static charge at the peak of the pyramid was so high that sparks began to stream from the bottle. The guide was so shocked that he accused Sir William of witchcraft and tried to grab the bottle, but an electrical jolt knocked him unconscious.

A power plant?

Master craftsman and engineer Christopher Dunn argues that based on his measurements of Egyptian monuments, ancient stonecutting achieved a high-precision accuracy surpassing modern accuracy standards in building. He asked himself what was the power source that fuelled such a civilization and after twenty years of research, Dunn reveals that the Great Pyramid of Giza was actually a electrical power plant. Based on the technology of harmonic resonance, he claims that the pyramid was a large acoustical device! By its size and dimensions, this crystal edifice created a harmonic resonance with the Earth and converted Earth's vibrational energies to microwave radiation. He shows in his books and articles how the pyramid's numerous chambers and passageways were positioned with the deliberate precision to maximize its acoustical qualities.

Inventor Michael F. Praamsma partly agrees but he says that the Great Pyramid at Giza was "a sophisticated acoustical sound chamber that was used as a technique to generate natural sounds to create an elevated frequency environment confined to a single resonant physical cavity". He claims that the Great Pyramid was systematically and competently sealed, and that this was "a sign it was decommissioned and intended to be of use again at a future day, when the awakened humanity would restore it competently to its rightful function, unfortunately history went another way."

A California researcher, Peter Grandics, has shown how an antenna, modeled on the Great Pyramid of Giza, can transfer the power of atmospheric electrostatic discharge impulses into a resonant circuit that converts the random impulses into an alternating current as a potential source of renewable electric power. Thousands of terawatts of power are generated in the troposphere by thunderstorms and a pyramidal structure, with its optimal geometry and construction, can act as a suitable charge sink, capturing this electric.

A biological engineer named John Burke argues that the movement of underground water in limestone aquifers below monuments produces an electric current via friction and the rich magnetic dolomite content of the stone. Burke measured positive ground current at Silbury hill in England, an ancient pyramidal mound composed of chalk and clay that lies on top of such limestone bedrock riddled with zig zagging aquifers filled with rainwater. Such tunnels and water caverns lie beneath the Giza plateau as well. Abd'El Hakim Awyan, a native Egyptian archaeologist, attests to swimming in such tunnels during his youth on the Giza plateau.

Electric torches?

Another alternative theory is that the pyramids were wireless power plants used to generate electricity and for wireless communication. On the internet you will find a video where it is speculated that the Great Pyramid may have been powered by the Ark of the Covenant. The person behind the video is saying that murals inside tombs and temples show that the ancient Egyptians were using handheld electric torches powered by cable free power sources. It is believed that the so called sarcophagus inside the Great Pyramid has the exact dimensions, according to the Christian bible, to house the Ark of Covenant: That the pyramid with a capstone of gold and the covenant in place was a kind of super capacitor the could produce and store electric energy. It is also theorized that Moses stole the Ark of Covenant from the pyramid and took it with him out of Egypt. This should be the main reason for the downfall of the Egyptian pharaohs; without the electrics power their own power dwindled. This should have happened at the time of the pharaoh Ramses II.

Three engineers; Erica Miller, Sean Sloan and Gregg Wilson all agree on one theory: That the Great Pyramid acted as a huge nuclear breeder reactor, which produced Plutonium fuel by mediating uranium isotopes in water. Supposedly, the King's Chamber was flooded with a water pump, and the sarcophagus was packed with uranium ore.

Frenchman Antoine Bovis stumbled upon dead cats and mice that had been disposed of in the trash cans inside the Great Pyramid, and they were perfectly mummified - apparently automatically, without putrefying or giving off a stench. When Bovis returned to France he built a scale model of Khufu's monument, deposited a dead cat inside - and the Giza phenomenon repeated itself, the cat mummified without rotting. Karl Drbal of Czechoslovakia researched this further and said that this was due to the pyramid's special cavity that resonated with cosmic microwaves concentrated in the earth's magnetic field. He also hypothesized that the same concept would work for rusted shavers, and claimed the sharpness of the tools returned after lacing them in a scale model of the pyramid. Stanford Research Institute, however, carrying out experiments in the Great Pyramid, and found that biological samples deteriorated at normal rates within the structure.

Energy grid

Some researchers say that it not by chance that the Great Pyramid was built where it was. They propose that the Earth has a planetary energetic grid that operates through geometric patterns called Sacred Geometry. Grids meet at various intersecting points forming a grid or matrix. These grid points shall be found at some of the strongest power places on the planet. A planetary grid map outlined by the Russian team of Goncharov, Morozov and Makarov has an overall organization anchored to the north and south axial poles and the Great Pyramid at Giza.

It is said that the ancient people, including the Egyptians, knew that wherever the earth's energy gathered into a vortex was a sacred place. Very simular is the theory that the Earth has as net of electromagnetic lines, and that the intersecting points of the network, the knots, are influenced by underground veins of water as well as magnetic forces emanating naturally from the Earth. The ancient Egyptians are said to have been able to move and/or anchor the energy lines by pushing metal rods into the ground before they built a temple or pyramid - they shall have called it "piercing the snake".

Also what is called lay lines seems to be connected to an ancient grid of a form. According to Wikipedia; "Ley lines are hypothetical alignments of a number of places of geographical interest, such as ancient monuments and megaliths." Archaeologists have documented that the alignments are existing but it is not proved that the ley lines and their intersection points resonate a special psychic or magical energy or that they have electrical or magnetic forces as some writers claim.

Pyramid fortex using a Tesla coil

In addition to all this it is also said that we have high energy spots on the Earth called vortices - and they shall be linked ley lines. A Vortex (plural: vortices) is usually a spinning, often turbulent, flow of fluid but some also include a kind of spinning Earth energy due to its electromagnetic field. Such vortices can be volcanoes, high mountains, hot springs, mineral deposits, deep gorges, rock outcroppings and even in deserts like the Sinai. Ancient sites can also be vortices, like the pyramids of Egypt. Dr. Dee J. Nelson has taken a so called Kirlian photograph of energy spiralling out of the top of a pyramid using a Tesla Coil.

Nikola Tesla - Earthquake Machine

The Tesla Coil was invented by Serbian-American engineer Nikola Tesla (1856 - 1943), one of history's greatest scientists. His coil is an electrical resonant transformer circuit, used to produce high-voltage, low-current, and high frequency alternating-current electricity. Yes, he is best known for inventing the alternating electrical current (AC) used all over the world today, but his patents and theoretical work helped form the basis for radio comunication and many other inventions.

Nikola Tesla was an electrical genius, but he also was responsible for a number of mechanical devices. One of these was his "Earthquake Machine" also known as the Tesla Oscillator. The machine which Tesla tested was no larger than an alarm clock but it is said that when he started to twiddle the machine's frequency-controller in his lab: blocks around chaos reigned as objects fell off shelves, furniture moved across floors, windows shattered, and pipes broke. When the police arrived they found the inventor smashing the resonator to bits with a hammer: "Gentlemen, I am sorry. You are just a trifle too late to witness my experiment. I found it necessary to stop it suddenly and unexpectedly in an unusual way, he said calmly to the astonished officers.

Tesla was convinced that by finding the correct frequency, any structure can be destroyed (an obvious example is the wine glass shattered by an opera singer). He later told a friend that he could split the Earth with one of these devices: "I could set the earth's crust into such a state of vibration that it would rise and fall hundreds of feet, throwing rivers out of their beds, wrecking buildings, and practically destroying civilization".

Tesla and coils

Tesla claimed that the laws of electromagnetics were connected to gravity, and one of his patents was on a flying machine without wings or propellers but based on what he called electrogravitics. Tesla also was working on a generator that basically worked by harnessing the electricity from the air and the ground. He used the natural conductivity of limestone aquifers to generate electrical power. The power ran up the ground into the Tesla coil tower above, which in theory should channel wirelessly transmitted power over great distances. Since Telsa wanted the distribution of the energy to be free, the inventor's sponsor pulled out from funding the scientist's machine before it was completed. Tesla died a poor and disillusioned man.

His research station for transmitting power at Colorado Springs might have a link to the Great Pyramid - a notable harmonic association between the latitude positions of both sites. Coral Castle - 9-ton gate that moves with just a touch of the finger.

Edward Leedskalnin - Coral Castle

Another person that was interested in gravity and electromagnetism was Edward Leedskalnin (1887-1951) - an eccentric Latvian emigrant to the United States. He built the extraordinary monument known as Coral Castle in Florida. Leedskalnin single-handedly and secretly carved and displayed over 1,100 tons of coral rock, the heaviest stone weighing 35 tons. It is a mystery how the tiny man could move all the heavy stones. He claimed to have discovered the secrets of the pyramids, and had found out how the Egyptians and the ancient builders in Peru, Yucatan, and Asia, with only primitive tools, raised and set in place blocks of stone weighing many tons! But he did not want to show

"I have discovered the secrets of the pyramids, and have found out how the Egyptians and the ancient builders in Peru, Yucatan, and Asia, with only primitive tools, raised and set in place blocks of stone weighing many tons!"

- Edward Leedskalninanybody how it was done and worked mostly at night-time. A group of young witnesses claimed to see coral blocks floating through the air "like hydrogen balloons" and another time one of Ed's neighbours found him singing to the stones with his hands placed on their surface as if he were somehow making them lighter.

Ed Leedskalnin disputed contemporary science and believed that "all matter consists of magnets which can produce measurable phenomena, and electricity." Ed would say he had "re-discovered the laws of weight, measurement, and leverage," and that these concepts "involved the relationship of the Earth to celestial alignments."

Researchers have speculated that Ed Leedskalnin learned the secret of levitation and one theory in particular caught the imagination of many. The planetary grid hypothesis postulates that the earth is covered by an invisible web of energy which is concentrated at points of telluric power, the convergence of which create unusual phenomena. Leedskalnin moved the complex from Florida City to Homestead and some suggest this was because Ed realized he had made a mathematical error in his original positioning and moved to an area with greater telluric force.

The famed American psychic Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) said during his readings that the Great Pyramid "was erected by the application of those universal laws and forces of nature which cause iron to float. By the same laws, gravity may be overcome, or neutralized, and stone made to float in air. The Pyramid was thus built by levitation, abetted by song and chanting". He also said that the Great Pyramid was built was built as a hall of initiation around 10,500BC by those who originally came from the civilization of Atlantis.

Levitation by sound

Metal rods that caused the stone to levitate

The current estimates of mainstream science contends that it took a workforce of 4,000 to 5,000 men 20 years to build the Great Pyramid using ropes, pulleys, ramps, ingenuity and brute force. But the 10th century Arab historian, Abul Hasan Ali Al-Masudi had written a 30-volume history of the world and he wrote about how the great stone blocks of the pyramid were transported. First, he said, a "magic papyrus" was placed under the stone to be moved. Then the stone was struck with a metal rod that caused the stone to levitate and move along a path paved with stones and fenced on either side by metal poles. The stone would travel along the path, wrote Al-Masudi, for a distance of about 50 meters and then settle to the ground. The process would then be repeated until the builders had the stone where they wanted it.

An ancient legend tells that The Great Pyramid was built from year 10,490 to 10,390 B.C. That the god Ra made studies of the terrain and took great care in figuring the geometrical location in relation to the Sphinx and the four cardinal points of the compass. The Pyramid was then built by levitation, abetted by song and chanting.

Well, we do not have any proof that the ancient Egyptians could make the huge stones fly through the air but levitation is no longer only a party-trick by magicians with quick fingers. We have high speed trains that levitate by the help of magnetic power and in an incredible move for modern medicine; scientists are using sound waves to help levitate droplets of drugs to make them with less side effects.

A kind of Swiss knife

The Great Pyramid is very different to other pyramids, in Giza or else. Most alternative researches conclude that it was some kind of machine; most possibly a power station. We have seen that it would be impossible to use the Great Pyramid as a tomb for a pharaoh and that dating of seashell tells that it much older than the other pyramids. The nearby sphinx has been re-dated to be at least 5000 years old because of the erosion from water, but it might be much older. The same will go for the Great Pyramid. Some speculate that the Great Pyramid was a kind of Swiss knife - a gigantic multipurpose tool. The world "pyramid" means "fire in the middle" - so if it was a kind of power station with the power source situated in what is called Khufu's sarcophagus the some researches in one way might be correct when that speculate that the pyramid also was built as a gigantic ram water pump - inside the base of the pyramid. Yes, it could have been a power-station with a water cooling system! We have seen that some say that the power source was the ark of covenant from the Christian bible and some say

The King's Chamber with the stones above

King's Chamber and large stones

that Moses was the person who stole it from the pyramid. That the pharaohs' rapid decline took place because with no more energy, in form of electric power, then their advanced civilisation could no longer exist!

A gigantic Tesla coil?

Or might be the Great Pyramid was a kind of a gigantic Tesla coil? That the huge granite stones, highly polished on the underside and placed above the so called Kings chamber, made it possible to harness electricity from the ionosphere - just like Nikola Tesla wanted to do it?

About 20 minutes drive from the Great Pyramid is the site of Abu Ghurab, the "Place of Osiris". The ruined stepped pyramid once had an alabaster platform on the top and on the platform it had been standing an obelisk ("sun stick"); most likely, the total height was between fifty and seventy meters. It had looked like a pyramid with a flat top, just like Great Pyramid! Is it possible that the Great Pyramid once had an obelisk standing on it's flat top - and not a capstone? The legends says that spirit of the sun god entered the obelisks at certain periods…

Could it have been like this - an obelisk on top of the Great Pyramid?

Can it have been like this?

Tesla viewed the Earth as a negative electric pole and the sun as a positive pole of an electrode; so an obelisk standing on top of a pyramid would to him be a solar-electric diode! If the under ground part of the pyramid was a pump that brought water up to the Kings Chamber then we would have a capacitor with a very good earth ground. Yes, the Great Pyramid could have been an extremely powerful kind of solar-panel!

Might be Tesla got the idea of harnessing the ionosphere from the Egyptians? Might be they had made the strongest power station ever but that something went terribly wrong; a technical fault or a construction-fault? Or might be extra strong solar activity? Stephen A. Reynods of New Zealand has done research showing that changes in the ionosphere caused by strong solar activity can cause changes in the Earth's internal magnetic field and through telluric current induced in the Earth's crust trigger earthquakes. So might be it happened that instead of harnessing high voltage that could be stored and used, the pyramid send the current into the ground and

The God Ptah with a Djed pillar

Ptah and pillar

triggered a gigantic earthquake that literally shook the whole Earth and caused geological catastrophes worldwide? Might be the changes to the internal magnetic field was so fast and so strong that the outer crust slipped - just like professor Charles H. Hapgood once suggested (but not due to imbalance of the polar ice)?

Interesting enough; one of the oldest and most important symbols to the ancient Egyptian was the "Djed Pillar". Take a look at the image to the right of the God Ptah holding a Djed pillar. The pillar looks very simular til the set-up of the stones above the Kings Chamber - and also a homemade Tesla coil! You might also have noticed a Djed pillar in picture of what could illustrate an electric lamp in an ancient Egyptian temple, higher up in the article!

 

Very advanced technology

In the Palermo, Turin and Manetho king lists, there are names of eight god kings that ruled Egypt in the beginning; Ptah, Ra, Geb, Osiris, Set, Horus, Thoth and the female god Ma'at. Even if they sometimes were represented in a variety of forms on murals, often with human body and animals/birds heads, these gods seemed to be something else than imaginary gods living in a theological heaven. They lived on earth, were married with children, and had duties they performed. They also helped the ordinary people to develop. We have seen that Ptah made the Nile-delta liveable after the great flood and Thoth is credited as the author of all works of science, religion, philosophy as well as magic and he is said to have been married with the female god and ruler Ma'at.

Pharaoh Can it be that the first kings of Egypt were called Gods because they came from a far away place and looked a bit different to the other humans in ancient Egypt? The word "God" comes from "shining/bright" and murals picturing the first pharaohs/gods show that they had so white skin that the must have looked very bright compared to other people! Were they also called devine because they had much better mental capabilities and a very advanced technology?

 

www.sydhav.no/giants/denisova_giants_egypt.htm

 

Dendera light

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The dendera light

The dendera light is a motif in the Hathor temple at Dendera in Egypt. A fringe theory interpretation of the reliefs is that they depict some form of ancient Egyptian lighting technology, similar to an arc lamp or cathode ray tube.

 

The temple contains several reliefs depicting Harsomtus, in the form of a snake, emerging from a lotus flower which is usually attached to the bow of a barge. The so-called dendera light is a variation of this motif, showing Harsomtus in an oval container called hn, which might represent the womb of Nut.[1][2][3] Sometimes a djed pillar supports the snake or the container. A closely related motif is "god resting on the lotus flower".

  

Contents

1Depictions and text

2Similar motifs

3Fringe interpretation

4See also

5References

6External links

Depictions and text

Each of the three objects consists of two reliefs. One half (a) of each pair is in south crypt 1-C (crypte 4), the other half (b) in room G (chambre V) of the temple.[3]

 

Object

(location)

 

TextRelief

Object 1(a)

(Crypt 1-C, south wall)

 

Speaking the words of Harsomtus, the great God, who dwells in Dendera, who is in the arms of the first in the night-barge, sublime snake, whos Chentj-statue carries Heh, whos crew carries in holiness his perfection, whos Ba caused Hathor to appear in the sky, whos figure is revered by his followers, who is unique, encircled by his forehead-snake, with countless names on the top of Chui-en-hesen, the symbol of power of Re in the land of Atum (Dendera), the father of the Gods, who created everything.

Gold his metal, height: four handbreadths

  

(left)

Object 2(a)

(Crypt 1-C,

 

south wall)

 

Speaking the words of harsomtus, the great God, who dwells in Dendera, the living Ba in the lotus flower of the day-barge, whos perfection is carried by the two arms of the djed-pillar as his Seschemu-image, while the Kas on their knees bend their arms.

Gold and all precious stones, height: three handbreadths

  

(right)

Object 3(a)

(Crypt 1-C,

 

north wall)

 

Speaking the words of harsomtus, the great God, who dwells in Dendera, who emerges out of the lotus flower as a living Ba, whos completeness is elevated by the Kematju-images of his Ka, whos Seschemu-image is revered by the crew of the day-barge, whos body is carried by the djed-pillar, underneath his Seschemu-image is the Primal and whos majesty is carried by the companions of his Ka.

Gold, height: one cubit

 

Denderah. Grand temple. Crypte no. 4 (NYPL b16461786-1548062) (lower).jpg

Object 1(b)

(Room G,

 

south wall)

 

Harsomtus in the hn-container of the night-barge that contains four figures. The figure of heh is in front of him, whereas this flower is behind him, the water beneath him.

Gold his metal, height: four handbreadths.

 

Denderah. Grand temple. Chambre V (NYPL b16461786-1547977) (lower).jpg

Object 2(b)

(Room G,

 

north wall)

 

Harsomtus on his barge

Gold and all precious stones, height: three handbreadths

  

(left)

Object 3(b)

(Room G,

 

north wall)

 

Harsomtus of Upper- and Lower Egypt, the Sata-snake, that emerges from the flower, which contains the hn-container, who is flanked by four figures with human faces, under his head the figure of Heh on the Serech on the bow of his barge. The Juf-monkey with the face of a toad, armed with knives, is in front of him, as are the two figures that carry the front part of this flower.

 

(right)

Similar motifs

Denderah. Grand temple. Chambre V (NYPL b16461786-1547977) (upper).jpg

 

Denderah. Grand temple. Crypte no. 4 (NYPL b16461786-1548061) (Harsomtus).jpg

 

Denderah. Grand temple. Chambre V (NYPL b16461786-1547978) (upper).jpg

 

Denderah. Grand temple. Crypte no. 1 (NYPL b16461786-1548026) (harsomtus).jpg

 

Denderah. Grand temple. Chambres de la terrasse. Osiris du sud. Chambre no. 3 (NYPL b16461786-1548166) (cropped).tiff

 

NaqaLionTempleApedemakSnake.jpg

Fringe interpretation

In contrast to the mainstream interpretation, a fringe theory proposes that the reliefs depict Ancient Egyptian technology, based on comparison to similar modern devices (such as a Cathode-ray tube, Geissler tubes, Crookes tubes, and arc lamps). J. N. Lockyer's passing reference to a colleague's humorous suggestion that electric lamps would explain the absence of lampblack deposits in the tombs has sometimes been forwarded as an argument supporting this particular interpretation (another argument being made is the use of a system of reflective mirrors).[4] Proponents of this interpretation have also used a text referring to "high poles covered with copper plates" to argue this,[5] but Bolko Stern has written in detail explaining why the copper-covered tops of poles (which were lower than the associated pylons) do not relate to electricity or lightning, pointing out that no evidence of anything used to manipulate electricity had been found in Egypt and that this was a magical and not a technical installation.[6]

 

Archaeologist and debunker Kenneth Feder argued that if ancient Egyptians really had such advanced technology, some light bulb remains (glass shards, metal sockets, filaments...) should have been discovered during archaeological excavations. By applying Occam's razor, he instead highlighted the feasibility of the aforementioned reflective mirrors system, and also that the notion of adding salt to torches to minimize lampblack was well known by ancient Egyptians.[7]

 

See also

Egyptian mythology

References

"Dendera Temple Crypt Archived 2010-04-25 at the Wayback Machine". iafrica.com.

Wolfgang Waitkus, Die Texte in den unteren Krypten des Hathortempels von Dendera: ihre Aussagen zur Funktion und Bedeutung dieser Räume, Mainz 1997 ISBN 3-8053-2322-0 (tr., The texts in the lower crypts of the Hathor temples of Dendera: their statements for the function and meaning of these areas)

Waitkus, Wolfgang (2002). "Die Geburt des Harsomtus aus der Blüte Zur Bedeutung und Funktion einiger Kultgegenstände des Tempels von Dendera". Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur. 30: 373–394. JSTOR 25152877.

Press, The MIT (15 May 1973). The Dawn of Astronomy | The MIT Press. mitpress.mit.edu. MIT Press. ISBN 9780262120142. Retrieved 2020-10-06.

Bruno Kolbe, Francis ed Legge, Joseph Skellon, tr., "An Introduction to Electricity". Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner, 1908. 429 pages. Page 391. (cf., "[...] high poles covered with copper plates and with gilded tops were erected 'to break the stones coming from on high'. J. Dümichen, Baugeschichte des Dendera-Tempels, Strassburg, 1877")

Stern, Bolko (1998) [1896]. Ägyptische Kulturgeschichte. Reprint-Verlag-Leipzig. pp. 106–108. ISBN 978-3826219085.

Feder, Kenneth H. (2014). Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-803507-4., pp.225–7

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dendera light.

The Dendera Reliefs, Catchpenny Mysteries.

Frank Dörnenburg, Electric lights in Egypt?. 2004.

Mariette, Auguste (1870) - Dendérah: description générale du grand temple de cette ville (II: 48, 49; III: 44, 45)

Coordinates: 26.141611°N 32.670139°E

 

Categories: EgyptologyOut-of-place artifactsPseudoarchaeology

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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendera_light

  

The ancient Egyptian Dendera Light "protective magical energy in liquid form" is the evaporative cooling fog. The fact that the Dendera Light is made of liquid water that transforms itself in a magical way, is exactly what are describing ancient Egyptians themselves : [About the snake inside the Dendera Light Bulb] "The field surrounding Ra’s snake form is referred to in ancient Egyptian literature as protective magical energy in liquid form that all gods and pharaohs possess (Faulkner 1970*)." ahotcupofjoe.net/2016/11/dendera-light-bulb-and-bagdad-ba...

 

*I'm not sure, but the excerpt might be from "The ancient Egyptian book of the dead / translated by Raymond O. Faulkne ; edited by Carol Andrews, 1972."

 

www.milleetunetasses.com/blog/the-great-pyramid-of-khufu-...

 

Evaporative cooling for the sodium carbonate manufacturing

 

My study is based on 2 key elements : the first one is the cold production inside the horizontal passage of the Great Pyramid ; and the second one is the production of sodium carbonate (pure natron), as suggested by the Red Pyramid.

 

The ammonia still present inside the Red Pyramid, indicates that they were using a sodium carbonate process identical or very close to the ammonia-soda process known as the Solvay process, developed into its modern form in the 1860s in Europe.

 

In the Solvay process, the ammonia only has a minor role ; but inside the Red Pyramid, my guess is that they didn't control the temperature of the different chemical reactions inside the Solvay towers. They couldn't cool down the towers.

 

That is the reason why they engineered the visible part of the Great Pyramid : to produce cold inside the horizontal passage, store it inside the Queen's chamber, and transfer it to the sodium carbonate production towers, passing through the Queen's chamber shafts.

Architecturally striking complex overlooks beautiful water gardens. Canadian crafts by 50 contributing artists. Art Gallery features paintings, prints by local artists. Annex building features furniture, fashions, jewellery, fine art, housewares, garden art.

Logos of railroad supply companies that contribute to creating a modern piece of rolling stock.

.

.

"Every good thought you think is contributing its share to the ultimate result of your life."

~ Grenville Kleise

 

Each day, I remember things my Dad and Mama taught me while I was a young girl growing up.

 

Thanks for stopping by

and God Bless,

hugs, Chris

Zanzibar, les enfants aussi contribuent à la vie au quotidien.

Zanzibar, children also contribute to everyday life.