International 4700 T444E. It has since been sold to J&D Beer Distributor in Brownsville, PA.

A large, widely distributed, highly variable species (see comments).

Pu'er, Yunnan, China

see comment for additional images (another individual)...

Blue Whistling Thrush

(Nominate with a black bill)

The blue whistling thrush (Myophonus caeruleus) is a whistling thrush present in the mountains of Central Asia, China and Southeast Asia. It is known for its loud human-like whistling song at dawn and dusk. The widely distributed populations show variations in size and plumage with several of them considered as subspecies. Like others in the genus, they feed on the ground, often along streams and in damp places foraging for snails, crabs, fruits and insects.

This whistling thrush is dark violet blue with shiny spangling on the tips of the body feathers other than on the lores, abdomen and under the tail. The wing coverts are a slightly different shade of blue and the median coverts have white spots at their tips. The bill is yellow and stands in contrast. The inner webs of the flight and tail feathers is black. The sexes are similar in plumage.

It measures 31–35 cm (12–14 in) in length. Weight across the subspecies can range from 136 to 231 g (4.8 to 8.1 oz). For comparison, the blue whistling thrush commonly weighs twice as much as an American robin. Among standard measurements, the wing chord can measure 15.5–20 cm (6.1–7.9 in) long, the tarsus is 4.5–5.5 cm (1.8–2.2 in) and the bill is 2.9–4.6 cm (1.1–1.8 in). Size varies across the range with larger thrushes found to the north of the species range and slightly smaller ones to the south, corresponding with Bergmann's rule. In northern China, males and females average 188 g (6.6 oz) and 171 g (6.0 oz), whereas in India they average 167.5 g (5.91 oz) and 158.5 g (5.59 oz).

Several populations are given subspecies status. The nominate form with a black bill is found in central and eastern China. The population in Afghanistan, turkestanicus, is often included in the widespread temminckii which has a smaller bill width at the base and is found along the Himalayas east to northern Burma. The population eugenei, which lacks white spots on the median coverts, is found south into Thailand. Cambodia and the Malay peninsula have crassirostris, while dichrorhynchus with smaller spangles occurs further south and in Sumatra. The Javan population, flavirostris, has the thickest bill. The subspecies status of several populations has been questioned.

It is found along the Tian Shan and Himalayas, in temperate forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. The species ranges across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tibet, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam. They make altitudinal movements in the Himalayas, descending in winter.

The blue whistling thrush is usually found singly or in pairs. They hop on rocks and move about in quick spurts. They turn over leaves and small stones, cocking their head and checking for movements of prey. When alarmed they spread and droop their tail. They are active well after dusk and during the breeding season (April to August) they tend to sing during the darkness of dawn and dusk when few other birds are calling. The call precedes sunrise the most during November. The alarm call is a shrill kree. The nest is a cup of moss and roots placed in a ledge or hollow beside a stream. The usual clutch consists of 3 to 4 eggs, the pair sometimes raising a second brood. They feed on fruits, earthworms, insects, crabs and snails. Snails and crabs are typically battered on a rock before feeding. In captivity, they have been known to kill and eat mice and in the wild have been recorded preying on small birds.

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Cherry Blossom. Washington, DC. USA. Mar/2016

A cherry blossom is the flower of any of several trees of genus Prunus, particularly the Japanese cherry, Prunus serrulata, which is called sakura after the Japanese (桜 or 櫻; さくら).

Cherry blossom is speculated to be native to the Himalayas.[4] Currently it is widely distributed, especially in the temperate zone of theNorthern Hemisphere including Europe, West Siberia, India, China, Japan, Korea, Canada, and the United States. The cherry blossom is considered the national flower of Japan.

Japan gave 3,020 cherry blossom trees as a gift to the United States in 1912 to celebrate the nations' then-growing friendship, replacing an earlier gift of 2000 trees which had to be destroyed due to disease in 1910. These trees were planted in Sakura Park in Manhattan and line the shore of the Tidal Basin and the roadway in East Potomac Park in Washington, D.C. The first two original trees were planted by first ladyHelen Taft and Viscountess Chinda on the bank of the Tidal Basin. The gift was renewed with another 3,800 trees in 1965.In Washington, D.C. the cherry blossom trees continue to be a popular tourist attraction (and the subject of the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival) when they reach full bloom in early spring

Todos os anos o Festival Nacional das Cerejeiras celebra a floração das cerejeiras dadas à cidade de Washington, em 1912, pelo prefeito de Tóquio. O presente foi uma homenagem do prefeito à longa história de amizade entre Estados Unidos e Japão. As cerejeiras floridas marcam a chegada da primavera na cidade e proporcionam uma das vistas mais apreciadas da região. Um dos lugares mais bonitos para observação é ao redor do Tidal Basin, espelho d’água no centro de Washington próximo ao Washington Monument, ao Lincoln Memorial, ao Jefferson Memorial e ao Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. O pico da florada é definido como o dia em que 70% das flores do Tidal Basin estão abertas

Houve a coordenação de muitas pessoas para assegurar a chegada das cerejeiras. Um primeiro lote de 2.000 árvores chegou doente em 1910, mas isso não impediu as partes envolvidas de envidarem todos os esforços para a concretização do intento. Entre os governos dos dois países, com as coordenações do Dr. Jokichi Takamine, um químico famoso mundialmente e fundador da Sankyo Co., Ltd. (hoje conhecida como Daiichi Sankyo), Dr. David Fairchild, do Departamento de Agricultura dos Estados Unidos, de Eliza Scidmore, primeiro membro da diretoria feminina da National Geographic Society e da primeira-dama Helen Herron Taft, mais de 3.000 árvores chegaram a Washington, D.C. em 1912. Em uma cerimônia simples, em 27 de março de 1912, a primeira-dama Helen Herron Taft e a Viscondessa Chinda, esposa do embaixador do Japão, plantaram as duas primeiras árvores do Japão na margem norte do Tidal Basin em West Potomac Park. Ao longo dos anos, os presentes foram trocados entre os dois países. Em 1915, o Governo dos Estados Unidos retribuiu com um presente de árvores chamadas “dogwood” (que também tem belas florações) para o povo do Japão. (tradução:nationalcherryblossom)

Cherry Blossom. Washington, DC. USA. Mar/2016

A cherry blossom is the flower of any of several trees of genus Prunus, particularly the Japanese cherry, Prunus serrulata, which is called sakura after the Japanese (桜 or 櫻; さくら).

Cherry blossom is speculated to be native to the Himalayas.[4] Currently it is widely distributed, especially in the temperate zone of theNorthern Hemisphere including Europe, West Siberia, India, China, Japan, Korea, Canada, and the United States. The cherry blossom is considered the national flower of Japan.

Japan gave 3,020 cherry blossom trees as a gift to the United States in 1912 to celebrate the nations' then-growing friendship, replacing an earlier gift of 2000 trees which had to be destroyed due to disease in 1910. These trees were planted in Sakura Park in Manhattan and line the shore of the Tidal Basin and the roadway in East Potomac Park in Washington, D.C. The first two original trees were planted by first ladyHelen Taft and Viscountess Chinda on the bank of the Tidal Basin. The gift was renewed with another 3,800 trees in 1965.In Washington, D.C. the cherry blossom trees continue to be a popular tourist attraction (and the subject of the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival) when they reach full bloom in early spring

Todos os anos o Festival Nacional das Cerejeiras celebra a floração das cerejeiras dadas à cidade de Washington, em 1912, pelo prefeito de Tóquio. O presente foi uma homenagem do prefeito à longa história de amizade entre Estados Unidos e Japão. As cerejeiras floridas marcam a chegada da primavera na cidade e proporcionam uma das vistas mais apreciadas da região. Um dos lugares mais bonitos para observação é ao redor do Tidal Basin, espelho d’água no centro de Washington próximo ao Washington Monument, ao Lincoln Memorial, ao Jefferson Memorial e ao Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. O pico da florada é definido como o dia em que 70% das flores do Tidal Basin estão abertas

Houve a coordenação de muitas pessoas para assegurar a chegada das cerejeiras. Um primeiro lote de 2.000 árvores chegou doente em 1910, mas isso não impediu as partes envolvidas de envidarem todos os esforços para a concretização do intento. Entre os governos dos dois países, com as coordenações do Dr. Jokichi Takamine, um químico famoso mundialmente e fundador da Sankyo Co., Ltd. (hoje conhecida como Daiichi Sankyo), Dr. David Fairchild, do Departamento de Agricultura dos Estados Unidos, de Eliza Scidmore, primeiro membro da diretoria feminina da National Geographic Society e da primeira-dama Helen Herron Taft, mais de 3.000 árvores chegaram a Washington, D.C. em 1912. Em uma cerimônia simples, em 27 de março de 1912, a primeira-dama Helen Herron Taft e a Viscondessa Chinda, esposa do embaixador do Japão, plantaram as duas primeiras árvores do Japão na margem norte do Tidal Basin em West Potomac Park. Ao longo dos anos, os presentes foram trocados entre os dois países. Em 1915, o Governo dos Estados Unidos retribuiu com um presente de árvores chamadas “dogwood” (que também tem belas florações) para o povo do Japão. (tradução:nationalcherryblossom)

Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbean), and two species native to Afro-Eurasia.

A group of flamingoes is called a "flamboyance".

Etymology

Captive American flamingos feeding

The name flamingo comes from Portuguese or Spanish flamengo ("flame-colored"), which in turn comes from Provençal flamenc – a combination of flama ("flame") and a Germanic-like suffix -ing. The word may also have been influenced by the Spanish ethnonym flamenco ("Fleming" or "Flemish"). The name of the genus, Phoenicopterus, is from the Greek φοινικόπτερος phoinikopteros, lit. 'crimson/red-feathered'); other genera names include Phoeniconaias, which means "crimson/red water nymph (or naiad)", and Phoenicoparrus, which means "crimson/red bird (though, an unknown bird of omen)".

Taxonomy and systematics

The family Phoenicopteridae was introduced by the French zoologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1831, with Phoenicopterus as the type genus.

Traditionally, the long-legged Ciconiiformes, probably a paraphyletic assemblage, have been considered the flamingos' closest relatives and the family was included in the order. Usually, the ibises and spoonbills of the Threskiornithidae were considered their closest relatives within this order. Earlier genetic studies, such as those of Charles Sibley and colleagues, also supported this relationship. Relationships to the waterfowl were considered as well, especially as flamingos are parasitized by feather lice of the genus Anaticola, which are otherwise exclusively found on ducks and geese. The peculiar presbyornithids were used to argue for a close relationship between flamingos, waterfowl, and waders. A 2002 paper concluded they are waterfowl, but a 2014 comprehensive study of bird orders found that flamingos and grebes are not waterfowl, but rather are part of Columbea, along with doves, sandgrouse, and mesites.

Relationship with grebes

Recent molecular studies have suggested a relation with grebes, while morphological evidence also strongly supports a relationship between flamingos and grebes. They hold at least 11 morphological traits in common, which are not found in other birds. Many of these characteristics have been previously identified on flamingos, but not on grebes. The fossil palaelodids can be considered evolutionarily, and ecologically, intermediate between flamingos and grebes.

For the grebe-flamingo clade, the taxon Mirandornithes ("miraculous birds" due to their extreme divergence and apomorphies) has been proposed. Alternatively, they could be placed in one order, with Phoenocopteriformes taking priority.

Phylogeny

Living flamingos:

Phoenicopterus

P. chilensis (Chilean flamingo)

P. roseus (Greater flamingo)

P. ruber (American flamingo)

Phoeniconaias minor (Lesser flamingo)

Phoenicoparrus

P. andinus (Andean flamingo)

P. jamesi (James's flamingo)

Species

Six extant flamingo species are recognized by most sources, and were formerly placed in one genus (have common characteristics) – Phoenicopterus. As a result of a 2014 publication, the family was reclassified into two genera. In 2020, the family had three recognized genera, according to HBW.

(Phoenicopterus roseus)Old WorldParts of Africa, S. Europe and S. and SW Asia (most widespread flamingo).

Lesser flamingo

(Phoeniconaias minor)Africa (e.g. Great Rift Valley) to NW India (most numerous flamingo).

Chilean flamingo

(Phoenicopterus chilensis)New WorldTemperate S. South America.

James's flamingo

(Phoenicoparrus jamesi)High Andes in Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina.

Andean flamingo

(Phoenicoparrus andinus)High Andes in Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina.

American flamingo

(Phoenicopterus ruber)Caribbean islands, Caribbean Mexico, southern Florida, Belize, coastal Colombia, northern Brazil, Venezuela and Galápagos Islands.

Prehistoric species of flamingo:

Elornis? Milne-Edwards, 1868 (Late Oligocene of France, Europe)

Harrisonavis (Gervais, 1852) (Middle Oligocene–Middle Miocene of C. Europe)

Leakeyornis (Harrison and Walker, 1976) (Early to Middle Miocene of Lake Victoria, Kenya)

Phoeniconaias proeses (De Vis 1905) (Pliocene of Lake Kanunka, Australia)

Phoeniconaias siamensis Cheneval et al. 1991 (Early Miocene of Mae Long Reservoir, Thailand)

Phoeniconotius Miller 1963 (Late Oligocene of South Australia)

Phoenicopterus copei (Miller 1963) (Late Pleistocene of North America and Mexico)

Phoenicopterus floridanus (Brodkorb 1953) (Early Pliocene of Florida)

Phoenicopterus minutus Howard 1955 (Late Pleistocene of California, US)

Phoenicopterus novaehollandiae Miller 1963 (Late Oligocene of South Australia)

Phoenicopterus stocki (Miller 1944) (Middle Pliocene of Rincón, Mexico)

Xenorhynchopsis De Vis 1905 (Pliocene to Pleistocene of Australia)

Description

Flamingos usually stand on one leg with the other tucked beneath the body. The reason for this behaviour is not fully understood. One theory is that standing on one leg allows the birds to conserve more body heat, given that they spend a significant amount of time wading in cold water. However, the behaviour also takes place in warm water and is also observed in birds that do not typically stand in water. An alternative theory is that standing on one leg reduces the energy expenditure for producing muscular effort to stand and balance on one leg. A study on cadavers showed that the one-legged pose could be held without any muscle activity, while living flamingos demonstrate substantially less body sway in a one-legged posture. As well as standing in the water, flamingos may stamp their webbed feet in the mud to stir up food from the bottom.

Flamingos are capable flyers, and flamingos in captivity often require wing clipping to prevent escape. A pair of African flamingos which had not yet had their wings clipped escaped from the Wichita, Kansas, zoo in 2005. One was spotted in Texas 14 years later. It had been seen previously by birders in Texas, Wisconsin and Louisiana.

American and Chilean flamingos in captivity

Young flamingos hatch with grayish-red plumage, but adults range from light pink to bright red due to aqueous bacteria and beta-carotene obtained from their food supply. A well-fed, healthy flamingo is more vibrantly colored, thus a more desirable mate; a white or pale flamingo, however, is usually unhealthy or malnourished. Captive flamingos are a notable exception; even if adequately nourished, they may turn a pale pink if they are not fed carotene at levels comparable to the wild.

The greater flamingo is the tallest of the six different species of flamingos, standing at 3.9 to 4.7 feet (1.2 to 1.4 m) with a weight up to 7.7 pounds (3.5 kg), and the shortest flamingo species (the lesser) has a height of 2.6 feet (0.8 m) and weighs 5.5 pounds (2.5 kg). Flamingos can have a wingspan as small as 37 inches (94 cm) to as big as 59 inches (150 cm).

Flamingos can open their bills by raising the upper jaw as well as by dropping the lower.

Behavior and ecology

Flamingos filter-feed on brine shrimp and blue-green algae as well as insect larvae, small insects, mollusks and crustaceans, making them omnivores. Their bills are specially adapted to separate mud and silt from the food they eat, and are uniquely used upside-down. The filtering of food items is assisted by hairy structures called lamellae, which line the mandibles, and the large, rough-surfaced tongue. The pink or reddish color of flamingos comes from carotenoids in their diet of animal and plant plankton. American flamingos are a brighter red color because of the beta carotene availability in their food while the lesser flamingos are a paler pink due to ingesting a smaller amount of this pigment. These carotenoids are broken down into pigments by liver enzymes. The source of this varies by species, and affects the color saturation. Flamingos whose sole diet is blue-green algae are darker than those that get it second-hand by eating animals that have digested blue-green algae.

Vocalization sounds

Flamingos are considered very noisy birds with their noises and vocalizations ranging from grunting or growling to nasal honking. Vocalizations play an important role in parent-chick recognition, ritualized displays, and keeping large flocks together. Variations in vocalizations exist in the voices of different species of flamingos.

Life cycle

Flamingos are very social birds; they live in colonies whose population can number in the thousands. These large colonies are believed to serve three purposes for the flamingos: avoiding predators, maximizing food intake, and using scarce suitable nesting sites more efficiently. Before breeding, flamingo colonies split into breeding groups of about 15 to 50 birds. Both males and females in these groups perform synchronized ritual displays. The members of a group stand together and display to each other by stretching their necks upwards, then uttering calls while head-flagging, and then flapping their wings. The displays do not seem directed towards an individual, but occur randomly. These displays stimulate "synchronous nesting" (see below) and help pair up those birds that do not already have mates.

Flamingos form strong pair bonds, although in larger colonies, flamingos sometimes change mates, presumably because more mates are available to choose. Flamingo pairs establish and defend nesting territories. They locate a suitable spot on the mudflat to build a nest (the female usually selects the place). Copulation usually occurs during nest building, which is sometimes interrupted by another flamingo pair trying to commandeer the nesting site for their use. Flamingos aggressively defend their nesting sites. Both the male and the female contribute to building the nest, and to protecting the nest and egg. Same-sex pairs have been reported.

After the chicks hatch, the only parental expense is feeding. Both the male and the female feed their chicks with a kind of crop milk, produced in glands lining the whole of the upper digestive tract (not just the crop). The hormone prolactin stimulates production. Crop milk contains both fat and protein, as with mammalian milk, but unlike mammalian milk, it contains no carbohydrates. (Pigeons and doves—Columbidae—also produce crop milk (just in the glands lining the crop), which contains less fat and more protein than flamingo crop milk.)

For the first six days after the chicks hatch, the adults and chicks stay in the nesting sites. At around 7–12 days old, the chicks begin to move out of their nests and explore their surroundings. When they are two weeks old, the chicks congregate in groups, called "microcrèches", and their parents leave them alone. After a while, the microcrèches merge into "crèches" containing thousands of chicks. Chicks that do not stay in their crèches are vulnerable to predators.

Status and conservation

The first flamingo hatched in a European zoo was a Chilean flamingo at Zoo Basel in Switzerland in 1958. Since then, over 389 flamingos have grown up in Basel and been distributed to other zoos around the globe.

Greater, an at least 83-year-old greater flamingo, believed to be the oldest in the world, died at the Adelaide Zoo in Australia in January 2014.

Zoos have used mirrors to improve flamingo breeding behaviour. The mirrors are thought to give the flamingos the impression that they are in a larger flock than they actually are.

Flamingos in Ancient Roman cuisine

Pink flamingo prepared for cooking (Bardo Museum)

While many different kinds of birds were valued items in Roman food, flamingos were among the most prized in Ancient Roman cuisine. An early reference to their consumption, and especially of their tongues, is found in Pliny the Elder, who states in the Natural History:

Latin: phoenicopteri linguam praecipui saporis esse apicius docuit, nepotum omnium altissimus gurges [Translated:] Apicius, that very deepest whirlpool of all our epicures, has informed us that the tongue of the phœnicopterus is of the most exquisite flavour.

— Natural History, liber X, chapter

Although a few recipes for flamingos are found in Apicius' extant works, none refer specifically to flamingo tongues. The three flamingo recipes in the De re coquinaria (On the Subject of Cooking) involve the whole creature:

220 — roasted with an egg sauce, a recipe for wood pigeons, squabs, fattened fowl; flamingo is an afterthought.

230 — boiled; parrot may be substituted.

231 — roasted with a must sauce.

Suetonius mentions flamingo tongues in his Life of Vitellius:

Most notorious of all was the dinner given by his brother to celebrate the emperor's arrival in Rome, at which two thousand of the choicest fishes and seven thousand birds are said to have been served. He himself eclipsed even this at the dedication of a platter, which on account of its enormous size he called the "Shield of Minerva, Defender of the City." In this he mingled the livers of pike, the brains of pheasants and peacocks, the tongues of flamingoes and the milt of lampreys, brought by his captains and triremes from the whole empire, from Parthia to the Spanish strait.

— Suetonius, Life of Vitellius

Martial, the poet, devoted an ironic epigram, alluding to flamingo tongues:

Latin:

Dat mihi penna rubens nomen; sed lingua gulosis

Nostra sapit: quid, si garrula lingua foret?

[Translated:] My red wing gives me my name; but it is my tongue that is considered savoury by epicures. What, if my tongue had been able to sing?

— Epigrammata 71, Book 13

There is also a mention of flamingo brains in a later, highly contentious source, detailing, in the life of Elagabalus, a food item not apparently to his liking as much as camels' heels and parrot tongues, in the belief that the latter was a prophylactic:

In imitation of Apicius he frequently ate camels-heels and also cocks-combs taken from the living birds, and the tongues of peacocks and nightingales, because he was told that one who ate them was immune from the plague. He served to the palace-attendants, moreover, huge platters heaped up with the viscera of mullets, and flamingo-brains, partridge-eggs, thrush-brains, and the heads of parrots, pheasants, and peacocks.

Other relationship with humans

In the Americas, the Moche people of ancient Peru worshipped nature. They placed emphasis on animals, and often depicted flamingos in their art.

The Ancient Egyptian god Set is depicted with a flamingo head in the Book of the Faiyum.

Flamingos are the national bird of the Bahamas.

Andean miners have killed flamingos for their fat, believing that it would cure tuberculosis.

In the United States, pink plastic flamingo statues are popular lawn ornaments.

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Food being distributed to Filipinos at Malacanan Palace by two members of USAC and Madame Roxas. Helping are the wives of the members of President Roxas cabinet to the needy people of Manila. This was part of a program for the independence of the Philippines. July 2, 1946

Signal Corp U.S. Army photograph, US National Archives

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City

New York City (NYC), often called the City of New York or simply New York (NY), is the most populous city in the United States. With an estimated 2018 population of 8,398,748 distributed over about 302.6 square miles (784 km2), New York is also the most densely populated major city in the United States. Located at the southern tip of the U.S. state of New York, the city is the center of the New York metropolitan area, the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban landmass. With almost 20 million people in its metropolitan statistical area and approximately 23 million in its combined statistical area, it is one of the world's most populous megacities. New York City has been described as the cultural, financial, and media capital of the world, significantly influencing commerce, entertainment, research, technology, education, politics, tourism, art, fashion, and sports. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy.

Situated on one of the world's largest natural harbors, New York City is composed of five boroughs, each of which is a county of the State of New York. The five boroughs—Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island—were consolidated into a single city in 1898. The city and its metropolitan area constitute the premier gateway for legal immigration to the United States. As many as 800 languages are spoken in New York, making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world. New York is home to more than 3.2 million residents born outside the United States, the largest foreign-born population of any city in the world as of 2016. As of 2019, the New York metropolitan area is estimated to produce a gross metropolitan product (GMP) of $2.0 trillion. If greater New York City were a sovereign state, it would have the 12th highest GDP in the world. New York is home to the highest number of billionaires of any city in the world.

New York City traces its origins to a trading post founded by colonists from the Dutch Republic in 1624 on Lower Manhattan; the post was named New Amsterdam in 1626. The city and its surroundings came under English control in 1664 and were renamed New York after King Charles II of England granted the lands to his brother, the Duke of York. New York was the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790, and has been the largest U.S. city since 1790. The Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to the U.S. by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is a symbol of the U.S. and its ideals of liberty and peace. In the 21st century, New York has emerged as a global node of creativity and entrepreneurship and environmental sustainability, and as a symbol of freedom and cultural diversity. In 2019, New York was voted the greatest city in the world per a survey of over 30,000 people from 48 cities worldwide, citing its cultural diversity.

Many districts and landmarks in New York City are well known, including three of the world's ten most visited tourist attractions in 2013. A record 62.8 million tourists visited New York City in 2017. Times Square is the brightly illuminated hub of the Broadway Theater District, one of the world's busiest pedestrian intersections, and a major center of the world's entertainment industry. Many of the city's landmarks, skyscrapers, and parks are known around the world. Manhattan's real estate market is among the most expensive in the world. New York is home to the largest ethnic Chinese population outside of Asia, with multiple distinct Chinatowns across the city. Providing continuous 24/7 service and contributing to the nickname The City that Never Sleeps, the New York City Subway is the largest single-operator rapid transit system worldwide, with 472 rail stations. The city has over 120 colleges and universities, including Columbia University, New York University, Rockefeller University, and the City University of New York system, which is the largest urban public university system in the United States. Manhattan is home to the world's two largest stock exchanges by total market capitalization, namely the New York Stock Exchange, located on Wall Street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, and NASDAQ, headquartered in Midtown Manhattan.

Cherry Blossom. Washington, DC. USA. Mar/2016

A cherry blossom is the flower of any of several trees of genus Prunus, particularly the Japanese cherry, Prunus serrulata, which is called sakura after the Japanese (桜 or 櫻; さくら).

Cherry blossom is speculated to be native to the Himalayas.[4] Currently it is widely distributed, especially in the temperate zone of theNorthern Hemisphere including Europe, West Siberia, India, China, Japan, Korea, Canada, and the United States. The cherry blossom is considered the national flower of Japan.

Japan gave 3,020 cherry blossom trees as a gift to the United States in 1912 to celebrate the nations' then-growing friendship, replacing an earlier gift of 2000 trees which had to be destroyed due to disease in 1910. These trees were planted in Sakura Park in Manhattan and line the shore of the Tidal Basin and the roadway in East Potomac Park in Washington, D.C. The first two original trees were planted by first ladyHelen Taft and Viscountess Chinda on the bank of the Tidal Basin. The gift was renewed with another 3,800 trees in 1965.In Washington, D.C. the cherry blossom trees continue to be a popular tourist attraction (and the subject of the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival) when they reach full bloom in early spring

Todos os anos o Festival Nacional das Cerejeiras celebra a floração das cerejeiras dadas à cidade de Washington, em 1912, pelo prefeito de Tóquio. O presente foi uma homenagem do prefeito à longa história de amizade entre Estados Unidos e Japão. As cerejeiras floridas marcam a chegada da primavera na cidade e proporcionam uma das vistas mais apreciadas da região. Um dos lugares mais bonitos para observação é ao redor do Tidal Basin, espelho d’água no centro de Washington próximo ao Washington Monument, ao Lincoln Memorial, ao Jefferson Memorial e ao Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. O pico da florada é definido como o dia em que 70% das flores do Tidal Basin estão abertas

Houve a coordenação de muitas pessoas para assegurar a chegada das cerejeiras. Um primeiro lote de 2.000 árvores chegou doente em 1910, mas isso não impediu as partes envolvidas de envidarem todos os esforços para a concretização do intento. Entre os governos dos dois países, com as coordenações do Dr. Jokichi Takamine, um químico famoso mundialmente e fundador da Sankyo Co., Ltd. (hoje conhecida como Daiichi Sankyo), Dr. David Fairchild, do Departamento de Agricultura dos Estados Unidos, de Eliza Scidmore, primeiro membro da diretoria feminina da National Geographic Society e da primeira-dama Helen Herron Taft, mais de 3.000 árvores chegaram a Washington, D.C. em 1912. Em uma cerimônia simples, em 27 de março de 1912, a primeira-dama Helen Herron Taft e a Viscondessa Chinda, esposa do embaixador do Japão, plantaram as duas primeiras árvores do Japão na margem norte do Tidal Basin em West Potomac Park. Ao longo dos anos, os presentes foram trocados entre os dois países. Em 1915, o Governo dos Estados Unidos retribuiu com um presente de árvores chamadas “dogwood” (que também tem belas florações) para o povo do Japão. (tradução:nationalcherryblossom)

Cherry Blossom. Washington, DC. USA. Mar/2016

A cherry blossom is the flower of any of several trees of genus Prunus, particularly the Japanese cherry, Prunus serrulata, which is called sakura after the Japanese (桜 or 櫻; さくら).

Cherry blossom is speculated to be native to the Himalayas.[4] Currently it is widely distributed, especially in the temperate zone of theNorthern Hemisphere including Europe, West Siberia, India, China, Japan, Korea, Canada, and the United States. The cherry blossom is considered the national flower of Japan.

Japan gave 3,020 cherry blossom trees as a gift to the United States in 1912 to celebrate the nations' then-growing friendship, replacing an earlier gift of 2000 trees which had to be destroyed due to disease in 1910. These trees were planted in Sakura Park in Manhattan and line the shore of the Tidal Basin and the roadway in East Potomac Park in Washington, D.C. The first two original trees were planted by first ladyHelen Taft and Viscountess Chinda on the bank of the Tidal Basin. The gift was renewed with another 3,800 trees in 1965.In Washington, D.C. the cherry blossom trees continue to be a popular tourist attraction (and the subject of the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival) when they reach full bloom in early spring

Todos os anos o Festival Nacional das Cerejeiras celebra a floração das cerejeiras dadas à cidade de Washington, em 1912, pelo prefeito de Tóquio. O presente foi uma homenagem do prefeito à longa história de amizade entre Estados Unidos e Japão. As cerejeiras floridas marcam a chegada da primavera na cidade e proporcionam uma das vistas mais apreciadas da região. Um dos lugares mais bonitos para observação é ao redor do Tidal Basin, espelho d’água no centro de Washington próximo ao Washington Monument, ao Lincoln Memorial, ao Jefferson Memorial e ao Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. O pico da florada é definido como o dia em que 70% das flores do Tidal Basin estão abertas

Houve a coordenação de muitas pessoas para assegurar a chegada das cerejeiras. Um primeiro lote de 2.000 árvores chegou doente em 1910, mas isso não impediu as partes envolvidas de envidarem todos os esforços para a concretização do intento. Entre os governos dos dois países, com as coordenações do Dr. Jokichi Takamine, um químico famoso mundialmente e fundador da Sankyo Co., Ltd. (hoje conhecida como Daiichi Sankyo), Dr. David Fairchild, do Departamento de Agricultura dos Estados Unidos, de Eliza Scidmore, primeiro membro da diretoria feminina da National Geographic Society e da primeira-dama Helen Herron Taft, mais de 3.000 árvores chegaram a Washington, D.C. em 1912. Em uma cerimônia simples, em 27 de março de 1912, a primeira-dama Helen Herron Taft e a Viscondessa Chinda, esposa do embaixador do Japão, plantaram as duas primeiras árvores do Japão na margem norte do Tidal Basin em West Potomac Park. Ao longo dos anos, os presentes foram trocados entre os dois países. Em 1915, o Governo dos Estados Unidos retribuiu com um presente de árvores chamadas “dogwood” (que também tem belas florações) para o povo do Japão. (tradução:nationalcherryblossom)

Distributed along the south coast of Australia and the coasts of South Island, New Zealand. From a slide.

170108 163

Under close watch. Fair and square

Node structure visualizing text structure; a text comprises of paragraphs, each paragraph contains sentences, sentences often are compilations of subsentences and these consist of words. And words have letters.

www.tiemenrapati.com/blog/?p=388

Stones Promotional Album distributed to radio stations in 1969.

THIS ALBUM HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR RADIO STATIONS ONLY BY THE ROLLING STONES AS A PROGRAM AID. IT WAS FELT THAT MOST STATIONS HAVE IN THEIR LIBRARY BOTH VOLUMES OF THE ROLLING STONES HITS LP'S (NPS-1 [TXS 01] AND NPS-3 [SKL 5019]) AND THAT ONE MORE LP, ASSEMBLED ESPECIALLY FOR RADIO STATIONS, COULD BE OF GREAT HELP IN PROGRAMMING. THIS LP, CONSISTING OF 14 ROLLING STONES SELECTIONS, SPANS THE COMPLETE RECORDED HISTORY OF THE ROLLING STONES BEGINNING WITH ONE OF THEIR EARLIEST RECORDINGS (ROUTE 66) AND ENDING WITH A BRAND NEW SELECTION

WHICH WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE ROLLING STONES' NEXT LP (LOVE IN VAIN).

THIS LP, THEN, IN COMBINATION WITH THE TWO HITS LPS CAN PROVIDE RADIO STATIONS OF A COMPREHENSIVE HISTORY OF THE ROLLING STONES.

IF, FOR SOME REASON, YOU DO NOT HAVE BOTH ROLLING STONE (sic) HITS LP’S IN YOUR LIBRARY AND WOULD LIKE TO OBTAIN EITHER OR BOTH, WRITE TO “BROADCAST SERVICE”, LONDON RECORDS, INC., 539 W. 25th STREET, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10001, FOR DETAILS.

Decca label RSM.1

London label RSD.1

NB: Not the “Limited Edition Collectors Item” issued in 1979 by EMI Australia (RS 3006) which used the same picture on the front cover, but had a different track listing.

Neil F.

The barn owl (Tyto alba) is the most widely distributed species of owl and one of the most widespread of all birds. It is also referred to as the common barn owl, to distinguish it from other species in its family, Tytonidae, which forms one of the two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical owls

The barn owl is found almost everywhere in the world except polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himalayas, most of Indonesia, and some Pacific islands.

Barn Owls prefer a mixed farming habitat with spinneys, ditches, rough pastures and well-managed field margins. Grassland makes good hunting ground, along with hay meadows. They are often found around farm buildings, barns and the edge of villages. A breeding pair of barn owls needs around 1.5 ha of rough grass.. (C) (S)

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Postal Service History:

The first official postal service in Australia was established in April 1809, when the Sydney merchant Isaac Nichols was appointed as the first Postmaster in the colony of New South Wales. Prior to this, mail had been distributed directly by the captain of the ship on which the mail arrived, however, this system was neither reliable nor secure.

In 1825 the colonial administration was empowered to establish a Postmaster General's Department, which had previously been administered from Britain.

In 1828 the first post offices outside Sydney were established with offices in Bathurst, Campbelltown, Parramatta, Liverpool, Newcastle, Penrith, and Windsor. By 1839 there were forty post offices in the colony, with more opening as settlement spread. The advance of postal services was further increased as the railway network began to be established throughout New South Wales from the 1860s. Also, in 1863, the Postmaster General WH Christie noted that accommodation facilities for Postmasters in some post offices was quite limited, and stated that it was a matter of importance that 'post masters should reside and sleep under the same roof as the office'.

The appointment of James Barnet as Acting Colonial Architect in 1862 coincided with a considerable increase in funding to the public works program. Between 1865 and 1890 the Colonial Architect's Office was responsible for the building and maintenance of 169 Post Offices and telegraph offices in New South Wales. The post offices constructed during this period were designed in a variety of architectural styles, as Barnet argued that the local parliamentary representatives always preferred 'different patterns'.

James Johnstone Barnet (1827 - 1904) was made acting Colonial Architect in 1862 and appointed Colonial Architect from 1865 - 1890. He was born in Scotland and studied in London under Charles Richardson, RIBA and William Dyce, Professor of Fine Arts at King's College, London. He was strongly influenced by Charles Robert Cockerell, leading classical theorist at the time and by the fine arts, particularly works of painters Claude Lorrain and JRM Turner. He arrived in Sydney in 1854 and worked as a self-employed builder. He served as Edmund Blacket's clerk of works on the foundations of the Randwick (Destitute Childrens') Asylum. Blacket then appointed Barnet as clerk-of-works on the Great Hall at Sydney University. By 1859 he was appointed second clerk of works at the Colonial Architect's Office and in 1861 was Acting Colonial Architect. Thus began a long career. He dominated public architecture in New South Wales, as the longest-serving Colonial Architect in Australian history. Until he resigned in 1890 his office undertook some 12, 000 works, Barnet himself designing almost 1000. They included those edifices so vital to promoting communication, the law, and safe sea arrivals in colonial Australia. Altogether there were 169 post and telegraph offices, 130 courthouses, 155 police buildings, 110 lockups and 20 lighthouses, including the present Macquarie Lighthouse on South Head, which replaced the earlier one designed by Francis Greenway. Barnet's vision for Sydney is most clearly seen in the Customs House at Circular Quay, the General Post Office in Martin Place, and the Lands Department and Colonial Secretary's Office in Bridge Street. There he applied the classicism he had absorbed in London, with a theatricality which came from his knowledge of art.

The construction of new post offices continued throughout the Depression years under the leadership of Walter Liberty Vernon, who retained office from 1890 to 1911. While twenty-seven post offices were built between 1892 and 1895, funding to the Government Architect's Office was cut from 1893 to 1895, causing Vernon to postpone a number of projects.

Walter Liberty Vernon (1846 - 1914) was both architect and soldier. Born in England, he ran successful practices in Hastings and London and had estimable connections in artistic and architectural circles. In 1883 he had a recurrence of bronchitic asthma and was advised to leave the damp of England. He and his wife sailed to New South Wales. Before leaving, he gained a commission to build new premises for Messrs David Jones and Co., in Sydney's George Street. In 1890 he was appointed Government Architect - the first to hold that title - in the newly reorganised branch of the Public Works Department. He saw his role as building 'monuments to art'. His major buildings, such as the Art Gallery of New South Wales (1904 - 1906) are large in scale, finely wrought in sandstone, and maintaining the classical tradition. Among others are the Mitchell Wing of the State Library, Fisher Library at the University of Sydney, and Central Railway Station. He also added to a number of buildings designed by his predecessors, including Customs House, the GPO, and Chief Secretary's Building - with changes which did not meet with the approval of his immediate predecessor, James Barnet who, nine years after his resignation, denounced Vernon's additions in an essay and documentation of his own works. In England, Vernon had delighted his clients with buildings in the fashionable Queen Anne style. In New South Wales, a number of British trained architects who were proponents of the Arts and Crafts style joined his office and under their influence, Vernon changed his approach to suburban projects. Buildings such as the Darlinghurst First Station (Federation Free style, 1910) took on the scale and character of their surroundings. Under Vernon's leadership, an impressive array of buildings was produced which were distinguished by interesting brickwork and careful climatic considerations, by shady verandahs, sheltered courtyards, and provision for cross-flow ventilation. Examples are courthouses in Parkes (1904), Wellington (1912), and Bourke, Lands Offices in Dubbo (1897) and Orange (1904), and the Post Office in Wellington (1904).

Following Federation in 1901, the Commonwealth Government took over responsibility for Post, Telegraph and Telephone offices, with the Department of Home Affairs Works Division being made responsible for Post Office construction. In 1916 construction was transferred to the Department of Works and Railways, with the Department of the Interior responsible during World War II.

On the 22nd of December 1975 the Postmaster General's Department was abolished and replaced by Post and Telecommunications Department, with Telecom and Australia Post being created. In 1989, the Australian Postal Corporation Act established Australia Post as a self-funding entity, which heralded a new direction in property management, including a move towards smaller shop-front style post offices away from the larger more traditional buildings.

For much of its history, the post office has been responsible for a wide variety of community services including mail distribution, as agencies for the Commonwealth Savings Bank, electoral enrolments, and the provision of telegraph and telephone services. The town post office served as a focal point for the community, most often built in a prominent position in the centre of town close to other public buildings, creating a nucleus of civic buildings and community pride.

The Broken Hill Post Office:

In September 1883, Charles Rasp, a boundary rider on the Mount Gipps sheep station, pegged out a mineral lease on the property, in the belief that a rock outcrop within the lease area bore tin oxide. Rasp was joined by two other property workers, who in turn advised the manager of Mount Gipps, George McCulloch. McCulloch suggested a 'syndicate of seven' investors to pay for the development of the lease. Early samples proved to have a low bearing of tin and the main settlement was at Silverton to the north.

It was not until January 1885, when silver ore was discovered in the tailings of the Rasp shaft that people began to take an interest in the Broken Hill area. In June, the 'syndicate' decided to register itself as the Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited, to mine the ore load. With the establishment of the mine, the town began to grow rapidly with a Broken Hill Progress Committee being established in November to encourage the town's development. The first storekeeper, Walter Sully, operated a postal service pending the construction of a post office.

In January 1886 the first post office was opened in Broken Hill following pressure from the Progress Committee on the postmaster at Silverton, the nearest post office. The Broken Hill office was run by Mrs Marie Wilson from a small building attached to Walter Sully's general store in Argent Street. Mrs Wilson was the first Government Official appointed in Broken Hill.

In August 1886 a telegraph station was established in Broken Hill, also operating out of the post office building, with Mr William Newtown appointed as Post and Telegraph Master. By the end of 1886, Broken Hill's population had risen to 3000, and the post office building was deemed no longer adequate for the bustling mining town. From October 1886, the Progress Committee began to make official requests to the Post Master General's (PMG) Department for the erection of an official post office. Initially, the PMG Department was reluctant to approve the erection of a large office due to the uncertainty of Broken Hill settlement being permanent. Many other frontier mining towns had disappeared when the ore had dried up. However, by October 1888, the Department had accepted Broken Hill's permanency and plans had been drawn up by the Colonial Architects Office under James Barnet, for a large office, with a residence attached. These were rejected on the grounds of being too small and it was not until the 11th of November 1889 that the final plans were accepted.

The tender for the construction was awarded to Mr John Dobbie of Balmain for £6475 on the condition that the new office be erected in twelve months.

The new office was finished in 1892, opening for business on the 9th of May. The most striking feature of the new office was the tower, standing 86 feet high. A balcony adorned the tower and second storey of the office, with a verandah encircling the ground level. The internal fittings, including entrance door in Argent Street, mail counters, and stairways were made out of cedar. The postmaster was accommodated within the building, with a residence for a postal assistant also provided.

In 1973 the rear section of the Post Office was removed to make way for the building of a new telephone exchange. The postmaster's residence was also removed at this stage. Between August and November 1979 a major refurbishment and renovation program was undertaken in the post office, during which time the service operated out of temporary accommodation.

Source: New South Wales Heritage Register.

Ferrari 330

The particular Ferrari 330 cars include the successor of the 250, first released by Ferrari with 1963. The first 330 America was simply a 250 GT/E which has a larger engine, and the 330 GTC/GTS distributed their chassis while using 275. Only the 330 GT 2+2 was a really unique...

i2.wp.com/www.autocars.asia/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Fe...

www.autocars.asia/ferrari-330/

Bain News Service,, publisher.

Distributing milk bottles on HELEN JUILLARD

[between ca. 1915 and ca. 1920]

1 negative : glass ; 5 x 7 in. or smaller.

Notes:

Title from unverified data provided by the Bain News Service on the negatives or caption cards.

Forms part of: George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress).

Format: Glass negatives.

Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication.

Repository: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

General information about the Bain Collection is available at hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.ggbain

Higher resolution image is available (Persistent URL): hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ggbain.22188

Call Number: LC-B2- 3909-5

Distributed through www.CutInTheFence.com with the following description:

Tiny Rails is a simple, strange, and quiet grouping of found photos from the dusty corners of Leipzig Germany. Jeremy Pastell shows us an uncomfortable view of railroad systems without people, carriages without riders, and buildings without time.

Jeremy has an anarcho-libertarian philosophy on zine making; steal your content, get it to the masses, and reproduce freely. In Tiny Rails, Jeremy shares vintage photos of East German "PIKO" brand model trains and their related setups. This zine is a peak into the miniature fantasy world of steam-era railroad dreamers, brought back to life and imported into your domestic railfan zine collection.

first edition of 50 copies, hand numbered

12 page black & white printing with a light brown cover - 5.5" x 8.5"

design & production: JEREMY PASTELL - 2019

Long-tailed ducks are widely distributed over the entire circumpolar Arctic. Their breeding habitat is in tundra pools and marshes, but also along sea coasts and in large mountain lakes in the North Atlantic region, Alaska, northern Canada, northern Europe and Russia. The nest is located on the ground near water; it is built using vegetation and lined with down. They are migratory and winter along the eastern and western coasts of North America, on the Great Lakes, coastal northern Europe and Asia, with stragglers to the Black Sea. The most important wintering area is the Baltic Sea, where a total of about 4.5 million gather.

This photo has been graciously provided to be used in the GRID-Arendal resources library by: Peter Prokosch

The largest school district in Iowa is not going to finish the year in the classroom but through distance learning. A big first step is making sure students have access to technology at home. I dropped by North and Roosevelt high schools as laptops were being distributed to high school seniors in need.

Mayor de Blasio helps distribute face coverings in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, in Queens on Saturday, May 16, 2020. Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

"So as we talked about this, the conversation shifted to discussing the mechanics of all relationships, in particular collaboration and crowdsourcing where people work together to accomplish an assigned task. In essence, what makes crowd-sourcing work? Why do people do it? What are the unseen connections between the sea of individuals who do?" - Cult of the Crowd

Read more at - cultofthecrowd.com/post/5386708994/currency

U.S. Marines with Marine Attack Squadron (VMA) 223 conduct flight operations at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, Feb. 23, 2023. U.S. Marines with 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) conducted distributed aviation operations outside of their home duty station and local area to validate logistics, sustainment, and communications requirements for command elements. VMA-223 is a subordinate unit of 2nd MAW, the aviation combat element of II Marine Expeditionary Force. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Lance Cpl. Rowdy Vanskike)

U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Philip Cortellucci, a pilot with Marine Attack Squadron (VMA) 223, flies an AV-8B Harrier II at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, Feb. 23, 2023. U.S. Marines with 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) conducted distributed aviation operations outside of their home duty station and local area to validate logistics, sustainment, and communications requirements for command elements. VMA-223 is a subordinate unit of 2nd MAW, the aviation combat element of II Marine Expeditionary Force. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Adam Henke)

Oregon National Guard Soldiers load packages of protective masks to be distributed to agricultural workers around the state of Oregon in Wilsonville, Ore. The distribution was a part of a collaboration between the Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon University Extension, and the Oregon National Guard during the COVID-19 Pandemic, May 27, 2020. (Oregon National Guard photo by SFC Zachary Holden)

Oregon National Guard Soldiers delivered and helped distribute thousands of face coverings for agricultural workers in Oregon at the Polk County fairgrounds, Rickreall, Ore. The distribution was a part of a collaboration between the Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon University Extension, and the Oregon National Guard during the COVID-19 Pandemic. May 27, 2020. (Army National Guard photo by Lt Kallunki)

British postcard, distributed in the Netherlands by M. Bonnist & Zonen, Amsterdam, no, 136e. Photo: Paramount. Publicity still of Marlene Dietrich and Dickie Moore in Blonde Venus (Josef von Sternberg, 1932).

Marlene Dietrich was the star of Blonde Venus (1932), her fifth cooperation with director Josef von Sternberg. In this melodrama she plays German nightclub singer Helen, who marries an American chemist (Herbert Marshall). Years later her husband becomes poisoned with Radium and needs an expensive treatment in Germany. Helen returns to night club work to attempt to raise the money and becomes popular as the Blonde Venus. When she meets the playboy millionaire Nick Townsend (Cary Grant), she decides to ask for money to have an affair with him. Ned goes to Germany and Helen becomes Nick's mistress. When her cured husband returns fifteen days ahead the schedule, he finds that she had been unfaithful to him. Ned decides to take their son Johnny (Dickie Moore) from Helen, forcing her to run away with their son with the police in their tail. Highlights of Blonde Venus are Dietrich's wonderful nightclub scenes. The most famous of the one in which she 'stripteases' out of a gorilla suit.

Source: IMDb

Great Crested Newts are widely distributed throughout Britain but this distribution is extremely patchy; they’re absent from Ireland and have disappeared from many sites across Europe. They are the largest of our native newt species. During the breeding season males develop a jagged crest which has a break at the base of the tail and females take on a ‘bulky’ appearance.

IdentificationAdults up to 15 cm in length. Skin is black or dark brown and has a rough, ‘warty’ appearance.Underside is bright orange with irregular black blotches.Males have a crest along their backs which is more pronounced during the breeding season.Males have a white flash on the tail and females a yellow/orange one.

‘Warts’ along the side of the body may have white tips.

Largest newt species in the UK.

DistributionNative to the UK. Widespread but patchy distribution in the UK. Absent from Ireland.Found throughout northern and central Europe.Populations have disappeared from many sites across Europe due to habitat loss and intensification of farming practises.

EcologyFavour large ponds with abundant weeds and no fish. Active at night, spending the day at the bottom of ponds or in vegetation.Feed mainly on invertebrates and tadpoles.White with light yellow centre eggs surrounded by a jelly capsule around 4.5-6 mm across. Single eggs are folded inside leaves of aquatic plants.Larvae have a filament at the tail tip and black blotches over the body, tail and crest. Larger than all other newt species encountered in the UK, reaching a length of 50 – 90mm before metamorphosis. May be hard to tell apart from other newt species when they are less than 20 mm in length.

threats Eaten by foxes, badgers, rats, hedgehogs and birds. Threatened by habitat loss and the intensification of farming practises. www.froglife.org/amphibians-and-reptiles/great-crested-newt/

The distress in Lancashire: Distributing Bread at the Crooked Lane Depot, Preston.

The following description of the distress in Preston was written by Edwin Waugh. The full account entitled "HOME-LIFE OF THE LANCASHIRE FACTORY FOLK DURING THE COTTON FAMINE" can be accessed Here

AMONG THE PRESTON OPERATIVES.

Others turned up the soles of their battered shoon, to show their cut and stockingless feet. They were pacified at last; but, after the superintendent had gone away, some of the men said much and more, and "if ever he towd ony moor lies abeawt 'em, they'd fling him into th' cut." The "Labour Master" told me there was a large wood shed for the men to shelter in when rain came on. As we were conversing, one of my friends exclaimed, "He's here now!" "Who's here?" "Radical Jack." The superintendent was coming down the road. He told me some interesting things, which I will return to on another occasion. But our time was up. We had other places to see. As we came away, three old Irishwomen leaned against the wall at the corner of the yard, watching the men at work inside. One of them was saying, "Thim guardians is the awfullest set o' min in the world! A man had better be transpoorted than come under 'em. An' thin, they'll try you, an' try you, as if you was goin' to be hanged." The poor old soul had evidently only a narrow view of the necessities and difficulties which beset the labours of the Board of Guardians at a time like this. On our way back to town one of my friends told me that he "had met a sexton the day before, and had asked him how trade was with him. The sexton replied that it was "Varra bad—nowt doin', hardly." "Well, how's that?" asked the other. "Well, thae sees," answered the sexton, "Poverty seldom dees. There's far more kilt wi' o'er-heytin' an' o'er-drinkin' nor there is wi' bein' pinched."

Christmas and the Distress

A case of caps and hats and a parcel of clothing from Penrim.

Preston Chronicle Dec 20th, 1862

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DPUs (distributed power units) on Norfolk Southern intermodal train 27A passing the former N&W depot at Boyce, Virginia on December 14, 2024, as sunset nears.

Publicity still used in Germany, distributed by Rank, mark of the German censor FSK. Thomas Milian & Romy Schneider in Luchino Visconti's episode Il Lavoro in the episode film Boccaccio 70 (1962). Milian plays a bored aristocrat, caught in a scandal with callgirls. Schneider plays his rich and equally bored Austrian wife, who tries to seduce her husband and make him pay for love just like he did with his callgirls. It works, but leaves the woman with bitterness. The set of the film was terribly costly because of all the authentic, valuable objects present.

Austrian actress Romy Schneider (1938-1982) was one of the most beautiful and intelligent actors of her generation. Thirty years after her death she still has an immense popular appeal.

Cuban-American actor Tomás Milián or Thomas Milian (1933) worked extensively in Italian films from the early 1960s to the late 1980s. He played neurotic and sadistic killers in several Spaghetti Westerns of the 1960s and lone-wolf anti-heroes in violent action and police thrillers of the 1970s. Very popular in Italy were his crime-comedies of the late 1970s and 1980s. Besides these genre films, he worked with such prolific directors as Mauro Bolognini, Luchino Visconti, Bernardo Bertolucci and Michelangelo Antonioni.

Personnel at Naval Station Rota, Spain, distribute bottles of water and snacks to Afghan evacuees, Aug. 30, 2021.

www.defense.gov/observe/photo-gallery/igphoto/2002844092/

Photographed at Healesville Sanctuary, Victoria, Australia during the 'Spirits of the Sky' exhibition. So-named because their call sounds like a barking dog, these impressive birds are very popular with visitors to the Sanctuary.

Barking Owls are classed as ‘least concern’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (on the IUCN ‘red list). However, their conservation status in Australia varies from state to state. In Victoria they are listed as an endangered species; in 2003 there were estimated to be fewer than 50 breeding pairs. The main threat to the species in Victoria is loss of habitat, especially large trees with hollows in which they can nest and on which many of their prey depend.

Barking Owls are native to Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

These Owls are most common in savannah woodland, although they also inhabit well-forested hill and riverine woodlands. They are widely distributed throughout Australia, but are absent from central areas. They are found in every Australian state/territory except Tasmania. They are not found in the Centre or western deserts.

Although moderately common, Barking Owls are more often heard than seen (typical of most nocturnal birds). Apart from a bark, they may utter a chilling ‘scream’ when they feel threatened.

The Barking Owl is a medium-sized (35 to 45 cm) hawk-owl. They weigh around 700 grams.

They hunt mostly at night for birds, small mammals and invertebrates.

Hawk-owls lack the definite heart-shaped face of the tyto-owls (which include the Barn Owl). Adult Barking Owls are grey-brown above, with white spots on the wings, and whitish below, heavily streaked with grey-brown. The head is almost entirely grey-brown, and the eyes are large and yellow.

The owls nest in tree hollows and lay 2–4 eggs.

Young Barking Owls have less streaking on the underparts and are mottled white and grey-brown on the rear of the neck.

Source: Zoos Victoria

A.K.A. "The Modern Day Caboose". CSXT ES44DC #5289 brings up the rear of a westbound train at Ogden Dunes/Burns Harbor. This locomotive was built in 2005 and was originally an ES40DC.

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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_egret

The great egret (Ardea alba) also known as common egret, large egret or (in the Old World) great white heron,[2][3][4] is a large, widely distributed egret. Distributed across most of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world, in southern Europe it is rather localized. In North America it is more widely distributed, and it is ubiquitous across the Sun Belt of the United States and in the Neotropics. The Old World population is often referred to as the great white egret. This species is sometimes confused with the great white heron of the Caribbean, which is a white morph of the closely related great blue heron (A. herodias).

Description

The great egret is a large heron with all-white plumage. Standing up to 1 m (3.3 ft) tall, this species can measure 80 to 104 cm (31 to 41 in) in length and have a wingspan of 131 to 170 cm (52 to 67 in).[5][6] Body mass can range from 700 to 1,500 g (1.5 to 3.3 lb), with an average of around 1,000 g (2.2 lb).[7] It is thus only slightly smaller than the great blue or grey heron (A. cinerea). Apart from size, the great egret can be distinguished from other white egrets by its yellow bill and black legs and feet, though the bill may become darker and the lower legs lighter in the breeding season. In breeding plumage, delicate ornamental feathers are borne on the back. Males and females are identical in appearance; juveniles look like non-breeding adults. Differentiated from the intermediate egret (Mesophoyx intermedius) by the gape, which extends well beyond the back of the eye in case of the great egret, but ends just behind the eye in case of the intermediate egret.

It has a slow flight, with its neck retracted. This is characteristic of herons and bitterns, and distinguishes them from storks, cranes, ibises, and spoonbills, which extend their necks in flight.

The great egret is not normally a vocal bird; it gives a low hoarse croak when disturbed, and at breeding colonies, it often gives a loud croaking cuk cuk cuk and higher-pitched squawks.

Systematics and taxonomy

Like all egrets, it is a member of the heron family, Ardeidae. Traditionally classified with the storks in the Ciconiiformes, the Ardeidae are closer relatives of pelicans and belong in the Pelecaniformes instead. The great egret—unlike the typical egrets—does not belong to the genus Egretta but together with the great herons is today placed in Ardea. In the past, however, it was sometimes placed in Egretta or separated in a monotypic genus Casmerodius.

Subspecies

There are four subspecies in various parts of the world, which differ but little. Differences are bare part coloration in the breeding season and size; the largest A. a. modesta from Asia and Australasia some taxonomists consider a full species, the eastern great egret (Ardea modesta).:

Ardea alba alba (Europe)

Ardea alba egretta (Americas)

Ardea alba melanorhynchos (Africa)

Ardea alba modesta (India, Southeast Asia, and Oceania)

Ecology and status

The great egret is partially migratory, with northern hemisphere birds moving south from areas with colder winters. It breeds in colonies in trees close to large lakes with reed beds or other extensive wetlands. It builds a bulky stick nest.

The great egret is generally a very successful species with a large and expanding range. In North America, large numbers of great egrets were killed around the end of the 19th century so that their plumes could be used to decorate hats. Numbers have since recovered as a result of conservation measures. Its range has expanded as far north as southern Canada. However, in some parts of the southern United States, its numbers have declined due to habitat loss. Nevertheless, it adapts well to human habitation and can be readily seen near wetlands and bodies of water in urban and suburban areas. In 1953, the great egret in flight was chosen as the symbol of the National Audubon Society, which was formed in part to prevent the killing of birds for their feathers.[8][9]

The great egret is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

On 22 May 2012, it was announced a pair of great egrets were nesting in the UK for the first time at the Shapwick Heath nature reserve in Somerset.[10] The species is a rare visitor to the UK and Ben Aviss of the BBC stated that the news could mean the UK's first great egret colony is established.[10][11] The following week, Kevin Anderson of Natural England confirmed a great egret chick had hatched, making it a new breeding bird record for the UK.[12] Anderson commented "We've definitely seen one chick stretching a wing just before the adult arrived and also after it left and we continue to monitor for more. The eggs of the great egret can hatch over a period of a few days so it may be that if there are other young on the nest they will be less developed and won't be visible yet."[

Diet

The great egret feeds in shallow water or drier habitats, feeding mainly on fish, frogs, small mammals, and occasionally small reptiles and insects, spearing them with its long, sharp bill most of the time by standing still and allowing the prey to come within its striking distance of its bill which it uses as a spear. It will often wait motionless for prey, or slowly stalk its victim.

In culture

The great egret is depicted on the reverse side of a 5-Brazilian reais banknote.

White Egrets is the title of Saint Lucian poet Derek Walcott's fourteenth collection of poems.

The great egret is the symbol of the National Audubon Society.[13]

The name of venerable Shariputra, one of the Buddha's best known followers, signifies the son of the egret (among other possibilities), it is said that his mother had eyes like a great egret.[14]

In Belarus, there is a commemorative coin with the image of a Great egret.

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