I got up really early on a Saturday morning to get these shots - so there would be few people about. During the week this station is always busy.

 

From Wikipedia;

 

Canary Wharf is a London Underground station on the Jubilee line, between Canada Water and North Greenwich. The station, serving Canary Wharf, is in Travelcard Zone 2 and was opened by Ken Livingstone setting an escalator in motion on 17 September 1999 as part of the Jubilee Line Extension. It is maintained by Tube Lines. Over 40 million people pass through the station each year, making it second busiest on the London Underground outside Central London after Stratford, and also the busiest that serves only a single line. (The DLR station is completely separate.)

Before the arrival of the Jubilee line, London's Docklands had suffered from relatively poor public transport. Although the Docklands Light Railway station at Canary Wharf had been operating since 1987, by 1990 it was obvious that the DLR's capacity would soon be reached. The Jubilee line's routing through Canary Wharf was intended to relieve some of this pressure.

 

The tube station was intended from the start to be the showpiece of the Jubilee Line Extension, and the contract for its design was awarded in 1990 to the renowned architect Sir Norman Foster. It was constructed, by a Tarmac Construction / Bachy UK Joint Venture, in a drained arm of the former dock, using a simple "cut and cover" method to excavate an enormous pit 24 metres (78 ft) deep and 265 metres (869 ft) long. The size of the interior has led to it being compared to a cathedral, and it has even been used to celebrate a wedding. However, the main reason for the station's enormous dimensions was the great number of passengers predicted; as many as 50,000 daily. These predictions have been outgrown, with as many as 69,759 on weekdays recorded in 2006.

 

In a 2013 poll conducted by YouGov, it was voted as the "Most Loved" tube station in London.

 

Above ground there is little sign of the vast interior: two curved glass canopies at the east and west ends of the station cover the entrances and allow daylight into the ticket hall below. The Jubilee Park, a public park is situated between the two canopies, above the station concourse. It had originally been intended that the infilled section of the dock would be reinstated above the station, but this proved impractical because of technical difficulties and the park was created instead.

 

As with the other below-ground stations on the Jubilee Line extension, both station platforms are equipped with platform screen doors.

 

Canary Wharf station has become one of the busiest stations on the network, serving the ever-expanding Canary Wharf business district. Although it shares its name with the Docklands Light Railway station at Canary Wharf, the two are not directly integrated (in fact, Heron Quays DLR station is nearer at street level). All three stations are connected underground via shopping malls. Out-of-station interchange within twenty minutes between any two of the stations entails no additional charge.

 

Canary Wharf can be used to reverse trains from both the east and the west. A scissors crossover west of the station allows trains from Stanmore to enter either the east- or west-bound platform at the station, and trains from Stratford enter the normal westbound platform and can use this scissors crossover to reverse back towards Stratford.

 

The station was used as a location for some scenes of Danny Boyle's 2002 film 28 Days Later.

 

On 9 January 2013, the station appeared on a £1.28 British postage stamp as part of a set commemorating the 150th anniversary of the first London underground train journey. The stamp's captions read "Jubilee Line at Canary Wharf" and "1999". The Canary Wharf stamp represented the most modern phase of the Underground in the set of six stamps.

6179 248 St, Langley, BC

Canada

 

The History of the Farm:

 

“From small beginnings come great things.” ~ Proverb Quote

 

It started small when Alf Krause planted 1 acre of strawberries back in 1974. Today, Krause Berry Farms & Estate Winery has expanded to over 200 acres, growing and producing some of the Fraser Valley’s best berries and vegetables. Owned and operated by Alf & Sandee Krause, their commitment to ethical and sustainable farming has resulted in loyal guests spreading the word and returning year after year.

 

The abundance of delicious fresh berries & vegetables, combined with Sandee’s creativity and passion for baking, led to the development of their ever expanding line of farm-made products available in their Market, Bakery, Fudgery, Creamery, and Porch.

 

Today the on farm Harvest Kitchen produces over 100 products grown from the above. The newest being our Krause Berry Farms Wines!

 

Farm Market:

 

A visit to our Market will delight all your senses! Savor the aroma of hot out of the oven breads & buns, berry pies & shortcakes, corn pizza and other mouth-watering treats made from scratch daily in our farm Kitchen & Bakery. Try the farm made jams, jellies, syrups, and gourmet preserves made with berries & vegetables grown right on the farm.

 

Be sure to stop at the Fudge Counter to sample freshly made berry flavours that simply melt in your mouth! Enjoy an old-fashioned berry milkshake while you browse the farm Market for many carefully selected gourmet items, country-themed gifts & décor, as well as beautifully wrapped theme baskets that make gift giving easy.

 

From mid June right through to Thanksgiving our Market is filled with a bounty of berries and select vegetables fresh from the fields. You will also find a colourful array of other locally grown fruits & vegetables that are always fresh & tasty!

  

Image best viewed in Large screen.

Thank-you for your visit!

I really appreciate it!

Sonja

The 31st March 2015 was the last day for Select Bus & Coach of Skewen as a local bus operator. This was as a result of the acquisition of its services and several vehicles by the ever expanding NAT Group. Select is to continue, but just as a school transport operator.

 

The business started in December 2011 with a single Dennis Dart on a service given up by South Wales Transport (Neath). It has progressively grown into a 16 vehicle operation, covering both local bus and school transport operations, latterly based at the former Jenkins depot in Skewen. The service network has mostly centred upon the Neath to Swansea corridor, via a variety of routes, predominantly in competition with First Cymru, as well as by filling gaps created by First Cymru's refocusing of its commercial network.

 

The second-hand Dennis Dart with Caetano Nimbus, Marshall Capital, Plaxton Pointer and Alexander ALX200 bodies has been the service bus of choice, with examples sourced from a variety of operators, including Ensignbus, Warrington Transport, Cardiff Bus and Newport Bus, and operated in a number of livery schemes.

 

Representing these is T144 DAX, which was Cardiff's first short Pointer-bodied Dart and was one of nine acquired in just over a year. She is captured leaving Neath's Victoria Gardens in this July 2014 shot operating Service 30 to Swansea via Skewen and Birchgrove.

   

When there was more to Llandudno Junction than a few through lines. All the buildings and the shed in the background have long gone to make way for the ever expanding retail outlets.

Traffic to Amlwch ceased in 1993 but the tracks are still in situ and subject to government research into a re-opening is ongoing.

 

The 25 was withdrawn in March 1986.

The Dumfries and Galloway Aviation Museum is a volunteer-operated aviation museum located in and around the World War II-era watch tower (control tower) at the former RAF Dumfries, located two miles north east of the centre of Dumfries, Scotland, which was in service from June 1940 until 1957, when it closed. The site was sold to a private company in 1960. The museum, founded in 1977 by the Dumfries and Galloway Aviation Group, has a collection of aircraft, both civil and military, aero engines, artifacts, and a small, but "ever expanding collection of memorabilia honouring airborne forces.

FJ04SNV was a Volvo B12B / Caetano Enigma C49Ft purchased new by Silverdale of Nottingham in March 2004. It was converted to a 70 seater registered as P888BAY with the ever expanding fleet of Bay Travel, who are based in Cowdenbeath. It returned to its original plate and passed to First Midland Bluebird as their number 20562 in May 2019.

A lightning rod between different cultural valencies (high/low, ancient/modern, oriental/occidental), Takashi Murakami has stated that the artist is someone who understands the borders between worlds and who makes an effort to know them. With his distinctive "Superflat" style and ethos, which employs highly refined classical Japanese painting techniques to depict a super-charged mix of Pop, animé and otaku content within a flattened representational picture-plane, he moves freely within an ever-expanding field of aesthetic issues and cultural inspirations. Parallel to utopian and dystopian themes, he recollects and revitalizes narratives of transcendence and enlightenment, often involving outsider-savants. Mining religious and secular subjects favored by the so-called Japanese "eccentrics" or non-conformist artists of the Early Modern era commonly considered to be counterparts of the Western Romantic tradition, Murakami situates himself within their legacy of bold and lively individualism in a manner that is entirely his own and of his time.

 

To see more of our artworks, visit us at odetoart.com

This Dassault Falcon 7X (built 2012) was based in Dublin whilst on the ever expanding Isle Of Man register.

 

Became N950MR in the USA from late 2019.

Finally had a chance for another small photo session to capture some of my models which have been made over the past few months and missed during previous opportunities.

Please enjoy my ever expanding array of vehicles and emergency services.

EV Experience Zandvoort 2023

 

The Geely brand umbrella is ever expanding. In Western Europe, it already consists of the Volvo, Polestar, Lynk & Co, Lotus, Smart (50/50 with Mercedes-Benz) and now Zeekr.

 

The Lotus Eletre represents a radical break with the past of the British manufacturer of light sports cars. The Eletre is a large, bulky, heavy SUV with an electric drive that is made in China. The car shares its platform with, for example, the Zeekr 001.

Kyohei Fujita

1921-2004

Ornamental Glass Boxes

Kyohei Fujita created exquisite Liuli boxes, a Japanese designation for delicate and ornate jeweled boxes. In 1949 he began his career as an independent glass artist. He was one of the few artists who worked with glass in Japan. He helped bring the Contemporary Glass Art Movement to Japan. In 1989 he was appointed sole glass artist to the Japan Art Academy, an honorary society for artist who contributed significantly to the development of the arts. The word "tradition" is the common thread of Fujita's entire path.

His effort and passion were aimed at recognizing and treasuring the past to enrich the present. His boxes all contain an ever-expanding ray of hope emanating from the essential beauty of life.

almost finished with photos from our all-too-short visit to Shanghai....some views from the river cruise we took on the first evening......

 

among other things we were told...this fast growing city currently has more construction cranes than the whole of the USA !!!!

Incredible...perhaps !

 

a little from an interesting article about Shanghai, in Wikipedia...for more...look it up, please !!!

The current population is close to 20 million people .

 

"Shanghai (Chinese: 上海; pinyin: Shànghǎi; Shanghainese: Zånhae [z̥ɑ̃̀hé]; Mandarin: [ʂɑ̂ŋxài]) is the most populous city in China. As a global city, Shanghai exerts influence over commerce, finance, culture, art, fashion, research and entertainment. The city is located in eastern China, at the middle portion of the Chinese coast, and sits at the mouth of the Yangtze River.

 

Once a fishing and textiles town, Shanghai grew to importance in the 19th century due to its favourable port location and as one of the cities opened to foreign trade by the 1842 Treaty of Nanking.

 

The city flourished as a centre of commerce between east and west, and became a multinational hub of finance and business by the 1930s. After 1990, the economic reforms introduced by Deng Xiaoping resulted in intense re-development and financing in Shanghai, and in 2005 Shanghai became the world's largest cargo port.

 

The city is a tourist destination renowned for its historical landmarks such as the Bund and City God Temple, and its modern and ever-expanding Pudong skyline including the Oriental Pearl Tower. Today, Shanghai is the largest centre of commerce and finance in mainland China, and has been described as the "showpiece" of the world's fastest-growing major economy. "

I've been shopping again! This time a package came in from Wicked Temptations... one of the dresses it contained is Fantastically Tight, shiny lycra spandex tube style shirred minidress with a silver back zip.

I think this has to be the shortest minidress in my ever expanding collection!

What do you think? Short Enough?

 

To see more pix of my legs in short dresses and other tight, sexy and revealing outfits click this link:

www.flickr.com/photos/kaceycdpix/sets/72157623668202157/

WEEK 24 – RRT, Greenville Kmart

 

From the edge of the parking lot, here's the best I could do as far as a panoramic-style shot of the store goes. I'm sure this store upgraded to “Big” status in the 1990s, as many a Kmart store did. Despite the implied upgrade in size, I'm not sure if they ever expanded into the vacant Kmart Foods space on the left. Come to think of it, that Kmart Foods space may actually have been a Kroger perhaps, who then could've moved to that standalone superstore just down the road. Both were never adjoined by shopping centers, and acted as lone wolves along the highway.

 

Kmart (now closed) // 3001 US-82, Greenville, MS 38703

 

(c) 2016 Retail Retell

These places are public so these photos are too, but just as I tell where they came from, I'd appreciate if you'd say who :)

Finally had a chance for another small photo session to capture some of my models which have been made over the past few months and missed during previous opportunities.

Please enjoy my ever expanding array of vehicles and emergency services.

The Woodward's Building in the foreground ; The ever expanding Burnaby skyline in the background ; Mount Baker (Washington State) in the distance

This part of the Old Gundaroo Road was used by motor vehicles, but has since been converted to a cycle and pedestrian track through the ever expanding dormitory suburbs of Canberra's north. Ancient eucalypts line the route, as trees were retained along many Australian country roads, presumably for shade.

On Devils bit Scabious. Where there are wildflowers there are inverts - Simples! This will explain why there are so few around here any more, with the ever expanding rye grass, ecological desert.

The original point of separation from Self is the start of all energy. The symbol of the Vesica Pisces looks like two overlapping circles and represents the formation of the Prime Radiant or very first particle resulting from the first act of creation which was the first separation from the Great Oneness.A mandorla is an aureola, usually in the shape of a vesica piscis, which surrounds the figures of Christ and the Virgin Mary in traditional Christian art. It is distinguished from a halo in that it encircles the entire body, and not just the head. It is commonly used to frame the figure of Christ in Majesty in early medieval and Romanesque art, as well as Byzantine art of the same periods.The actual nature of all reality is oneness or the one true or original Substance of all reality which we experience every day outside ourselves as space and within our selves as consciousness. From this universal space which contains all dimensions, comes all things. The first separation from our true Self resulted in an endless vibration as the oneness (now separated into “twoness”) tries to go back into itself and instead only intercepts at its original point of separation temporarily, and swings back through itself the other way like a pendulum, except more like a vibrating string or membrane as in “Membrane Theory.”This first act of separation instantly repeats itself endlessly becoming universalized and infinitely complex, resulting in all creation as we know it — full of vast quantities of energy in all manner of forms and dimensions. All it really is, is our great One Self vibrating or expanding out from its own origin and expressing itself in all manner of ways. Energy is created by our observation of it, because consciousness separating from itself is the actual source of this universal energy.As soon as separation consciousness stops, and Oneness prevails, then all things cease to exist except in a state of perfect equilibrium, stillness or perfect order. The point of balance (equilibrium) between all states of vibration is this state of perfect stillness or potential of creation. Wherever the waves of electromagnetic radiation cancel each other out is where the one substance of all space is in greater equilibrium.The Vesica Pisces is two circles overlapping one another each representing a spontaneous dimensional expansion out of its original state of the Oneness as represented by the original circle. As the observer observes (or becomes “aware” of itself through spontaneous dimensional expansion) a very significant event occurs that establishes the permanent arrow of time created by the polarity of the observer and the observed because one must always follow the other in a very definite sequence.The Observer (God) always comes first, followed by the observed (Creation), and coincidentally, the two “O’s” in the Vesica Pisces are like overlapping initials “O.O.” standing for both the Observer and the Observed. Time therefore always goes forward in this sequence of the “oneness” followed by the “twoness” (duality of the observer and observed) creating a universal polarity of space, all logical sequences, the thermodynamic arrow of time, and the universal order of creation itself. This is why time (the universal flow of energy) never goes backward, and why time is basically asymmetric and not always symmetric, and why the whole universe is always expanding and never contracting.The universal vibration started by the original separation from the Oneness is so intense that it causes all space to have an ever-expanding sub-atomic quantum energy texture or pattern which sustains all things in creation. Atoms could not be sustained without this quantum energy, the electrons vibrating around every atom would simply collapse into the nucleus, which in turn (being a vibration of the quantum texture of space) would dissipate into nothing.All living organisms, including the human form are sustained by this cosmic (dark) energy. Because it is so ubiquitous, ultra fine, and constant, materialistic scientists don’t fully grasp the extent to which it does and can sustain human life. Some people claim to live entirely without food and live on this universal energy instead.Consciousness, the thermodynamic arrow of time, quantum (or zero point) energy, and what many religions term God, Shakti, Prana, Chi, Om, the Shabd, the Holy Spirit, and the cosmological dark energy causing the vast expansion of the universe, are all various aspects or definitions of roughly the same quality. Like the overlapping circles of the Vesica Pisces, many of the above concepts and phenomena actually overlap one another as almost being, if not entirely being, one and the same phenomenon.God was symbolized as a circle in the earliest cultures, having no beginning or end, eternally existing, perfectly shaped and absolutely symmetrical. The creation of a second circle symbolized the start of the duality of god and goddess, male and female. When two circles intersect, the form of the Vesica Pisces is created as if the god and goddess formed a divine offspring. The Vesica Pisces design and its offshoots, the Flower of Life, Tree of Life, and fundamentals of geometry, go back thousands of years preceding nearly all of today’s major religions.There are various meanings ascribed the Vesica Pisces, which is basically the intersection of two, overlapping spheres; such as the union of heaven and Earth in the body of Christ, the root element of the Flower of Life, the merging of God and Goddess, the vagina of the female goddess, the first pattern at the basis of all trigonometric configurations, square roots and harmonic dimensions; a source of great power and vitality, and as an overlying template that intersects with all the points on the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life, Flower of Life, and the Seed of Life overlap perfectly, with the Vesica Pisces providing all of the elements of the Flower of Life and all the coordinates for the Tree of Life.The Vesica Pisces represents the Pythagorean “measure of the fish” or mystical conjunction of the spiritual world with the physical world and, with one end extended to look like the tail of a fish, was used as a simple “fish” symbol for the early Christian faith. The Vesica Pisces also symbolizes the miracle of the fishes. Amazingly, the Gospel of John (21:11) reveals the numerical formula, “153” found in one of the mathematical ratios (265:153 = 1.7320261…) for the Vesica Pisces: “Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.”The Vesica Pisces is one of the most important geometrical designs of archaic and modern times. The Vesica Pisces can be found on nearly every medieval church in Europe. Many of these churches were devoted to the Virgin Mary or to Mary Magdalene, in other words, the goddess. In northern France, some of the churches are located in such a way as to resemble the locations of stars in the constellation Virgo.In geometry, the ratio of the width of the Vesica Pisces to its height is the square root of 3, or 1.7320508… Also two equilateral triangles join along the edge where straight lines are drawn connecting the centers of the two overlapping circles with each other. The square roots of three of the first digits of the Fibonacci Numbers, 2, 3, and 5, can be geometrically determined using the shape of the Vesica Pisces. The ratios 265:153 = 1.7320261… and 1351:780 = 1.7320513… are two of a series of approximations as close as one can get to the actual square root of 3, and no greater similarity in value can be obtained with smaller whole numbers.

 

scienceofwholeness.com/how-the-vesica-pisces-explains-cre...

Thanks for the FlickR Explore,

 

View here Amazing Castle but surprisngly hard to shoot depending on, angle , time of day, weather, and about 1999 other factors... Took close up zoom shots of it which render great detail but it doesn't show where it is so I've gone with this one. You can get out to it a few times a year, another thing for the ever expanding list....

This pic from March of 2018 really shows how much Joliet Yard has changed. Gone are the car shops, having been demolished to make way for the ever-expanding intermodal facility, and original J units rarely show up nowadays. Time marches on.

Like the Lada XRay of a couple of days ago, the Dacia Duster is a modern Crossover vehicle (CUV) from the ever-expanding Renault-Nissan group.

 

Whereas Lada (via parent AutoVAZ) has only recently come into the Renault-Nissan fold, after being associated with GM-Daewoo, Dacia has a much more extensive history tied to Renault going back nearly 50 years to an agreement to licence-build the Renault R12 in Romania from 1969.

 

The Duster II, shown here is a 2018 update to the original Duster CUV model launched in 2009. The Duster II uses the same Dacia B0 platform, shared with some other Dacia models, and which is a modified, long wheelbase version of the Renault-Nissan B-Platform, doing service under many B/C-segment vehicles including the Nissan Juke and Versa, Renault Clio and Captur, as well as the Lada XRay, The platform is saleable in both length and width, allowing it cover a significant cross section of the small-car market. The platform (along with the Duster) is built in many regions including Romania, Russia, India, Columbia, Brazil and Indonesia.

An imaginary city I drew by hand. This one is appr. 55x35 cm (14x21 inches). I used to draw my maps in blue, but the pencil shop doesn't sell my pencils any longer - only some red ones were left.

 

The city is inspired on Dordrecht and Amsterdam. It's a typical Dutch city, as in Holland places can't just expand wherever people want to build; new buildings must be around existing towns. Urban sprawl simply doesn't exist, except very old urban sprawl. Therefore, cities are always distinct from other towns, agglomeration of suburbs is not possible. Between ever-expanding cities, green buffers must prevent cities from growing into one, large megacity,

 

The city is on the northern bank of the imaginary east-west river (being not far away from the river's mouth into the sea) while at the point where the southern river flows into the main river, a fortress was built in order to have a good view of the river during war time.

 

The old road to the fortress from the south is still in use, new neighbourhoods have been built around it, so it's a perfect bicycle/bus lane. In the southwest on the river, the Plaza area with a cruise quai, schools, station, P+R, ferry dock, sports palais, outlet shops, many offices and a hotel make this shore a vivid place. Newer neighbourhoods (Dutch: VINEX) are built at the southeastern bank of the river.

 

2011.

Electric service finally start on the Goblin! Well kinda...

 

With the late introduction of new Aventra class 710 units on this line and the ever expanding list of current class 172 turbostars returning off lease with LO, a few class 378's have entered service on this line as a stop gap measure until the new units finally enter service.

 

378232 approaches Upper Holloway with a local Gospel Oak - Barking service.

My latest addition to my ever expanding camera collection!

On my way to the Eternal Flame, I ran across this tree and its ever expanding roots. Walking along and across that winding creek I never feel quite alone. The trees and their crawling roots curl around me, separating me from the rest of the world, protecting me from that from which I am running, guiding me to my final destination.

(8)

www.starnow.co.uk/christopherw33618

 

The British Transport Police (BTP) (Welsh: Heddlu Trafnidiaeth Prydeinig) is a special police force[4] that polices railways and light-rail systems in Great Britain, for which it has entered into an agreement to provide such services.[5] 95% of the Force's funding comes from Britain's privatised train companies. British Transport Police officers do not have jurisdiction in Northern Ireland unless working under mutual aid arrangements for the Police Service of Northern Ireland in which case any duties performed on a railway will be merely incidental to working as a constable in Northern Ireland.

 

Contents

 

1 Jurisdiction

2 Structure

2.1 Divisions

2.1.1 B Division

2.1.2 C Division

2.1.3 D Division

2.2 Former divisions

3 History

3.1 Foundation

3.1.1 "Policeman" v. "Constable"

3.2 Navigators

3.3 Historical crime

3.4 Reorganisation

3.5 Inter-war years

3.6 World War II

3.7 Post war

4 How the BTP is funded

5 Attestation

5.1 in England and Wales

5.2 in Scotland

6 Communications and Control rooms

7 Powers and status of officers

7.1 General powers

7.2 Outside natural jurisdiction

7.2.1 On the request of constable

7.2.2 On the request of a Chief Constable (Mutual Aid)

7.2.3 Spontaneous requirement outside natural jurisdiction

7.2.4 Channel Tunnel

7.2.5 Cross-border powers

7.3 Status

8 Accident investigation

9 Crime on the railway

9.1 Route crime

9.2 Performance

10 Special Constabulary

11 Police Community Support Officers (PCSO)

12 Proposed merger

13 See also

14 References

15 External links

 

Jurisdiction

 

As well as having jurisdiction of the system operated by Network Rail consequential to being a former part of British Railways, the BTP are also responsible for policing:

 

The London Underground system

The Docklands Light Railway

High Speed 1

The Sunderland line of the Tyne and Wear Metro (between Fellgate and South Hylton)

The Midland Metro

Croydon Tramlink

The Glasgow Subway (since early 2007)

The Emirates Air Line

 

This amounts to around 10,000 miles of track and more than 3,000 railway stations and depots. There are more than 1 billion passenger journeys annually on the mainline alone.

 

In addition, British Transport Police in conjunction with the French National Police - Police aux Frontières - police the international services operated by Eurostar.[6]

 

It is not responsible for policing the rest of the Tyne and Wear Metro or the Manchester Metrolink or any other railway with which it does not have a service agreement; it can act as a constabulary for a transport system in Great Britain with which it commences a service agreement.

 

A BTP constable can act as a police constable outside of their normal railway jurisdiction as described in the "Powers and status of officers" section.

Structure

BTP officers patrolling with dogs in Waterloo Station

 

As of 2009, BTP has 2,871 Police Constables,[3] 218 Special Constables, 326 Police Community Support Officers, and 1334 police staff throughout England, Wales, and Scotland.[7] In terms of regular officer numbers this means BTP is the 19th largest police force in England & Wales and Scotland in comparison to the 45 territorial police forces of Great Britain.[7] Since June 2009 the Chief Constable has been Andy Trotter OBE, QPM and is due to be succeeded by Paul Crowther OBE later in 2014.[8]

 

BTP has appeared on UK television in Railcops.[9]

Divisions

 

From 1 April 2014 the divisional structure changed from the previous seven division structure to a four division structure - according to BTP this new structure will 'deliver a more efficient Force, generating savings to reinvest in more police officers across the railway network'.[10] A Division refers to the Force Headquarters (FHQ) and houses the command team, major investigations, forensic support and other centralised departments.

B Division

 

Divisional Commander: Chief Superintedent Paul Brogden.[10]

 

This division covers London and the South East and southern areas of England. This division is further divided into the following sub-divisions:

 

East - Sub-divisional Commander: Superintendent Richard Moffatt.[11]

Transport for London - Sub-divisional Commander: Superintendent Matt Wratten.[12]

South - Sub-divisional Commander: Superintendent Jason Bunyard.[13]

 

C Division

 

Divisional Commander: Chief Superintendent Peter Holden.[10]

 

This division covers the North East, North West, the Midlands, South West areas of England and Wales. This division is further divided into the following sub-divisions:

 

Pennine - Sub-divisional Commander: Superintendent Eddie Wylie.[14]

Midland - Sub-divisional Commander: Superintendent Allan Gregory.[15]

Wales - Sub-divisional Commander: Superintendent Andy Morgan.[16]

 

D Division

 

Divisional Commander: Chief Superintendent Ellie Bird.[10]

 

This division covers Scotland. There are no sub-divisions within D Division.[17]

Former divisions

 

Prior to April 2014, BTP was divided into seven geographical divisions:

 

Scotland (Area HQ in Glasgow)

North Eastern (Area HQ in Leeds)

North Western (Area HQ in Manchester)

London North (Area HQ in London - Caledonian Road)

London Underground (Area HQ in London - Broadway)

London South (Area HQ in London - Bridge Street)

Wales & Western (Area HQ in Birmingham)

 

Prior to 2007, there was an additional Midland Division however this was absorbed into the North Eastern Division.

History

Foundation

 

The first railway employees described as "police" can be traced back to 30 June 1826. A regulation of the Stockton and Darlington Railway refers to the police establishment of "One Superintendent, four officers and numerous gate-keepers". This is the first mention of Railway Police anywhere and was three years before the Metropolitan Police Act was passed. They were not, however, described as "constables" and the description may refer to men controlling the trains not enforcing the law. Specific reference to "constables" rather than mere "policemen" is made by the BTP website article "A History of Policing the Railway"[18] which states "The London, Birmingham and Liverpool Railway Companion of 1838 reports "Each Constable, besides being in the employ of the company, is sworn as a County Constable". Further reference is made by the BTP[19] to "an Act of 1838...which according to J.R. Whitbread in 'The Railway Policeman[20] was the first legislation to provide for any form of policing of the railway whilst under construction, i.e. to protect the public from the navvies more or less."

 

The modern British Transport Police was formed by the British Transport Commission Act 1949[21] which combined the already-existing police forces inherited from the pre-nationalisation railways by British Railways, those forces having been previously formed by powers available under common law to parishes, landowners and other bodies to appoint constables to patrol land and/or property under their control. This is distinct from the establishment of a police force by statute, as applicable to the Metropolitan Police in 1829; BTP did not have jurisdiction on a statutory basis until the enactment of the Transport Police (Jurisdiction) Act 1994,[22] which was subsequently amended by the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003.[23]

"Policeman" v. "Constable"

 

Some early 19th century references to "railway police" or "policemen" do not concern constables but instead describe the men responsible for the signalling and control of the movement of trains (it is still common colloquial practice within railway staff for their modern equivalents in signal boxes and signalling centres to be called "Bobbies"). These personnel carried out their duties mostly in the open beside the track and were often dressed in a similar manner (e.g. a top hat and frock coat) to early police constables but were not directly concerned with law enforcement. Historical references (including those originating from the BTP itself) to when the first group of true "constables" was organised to patrol a railway should be treated with caution. This warning is repeated by the Metropolitan Police (MP) web page dealing with MP records of service which on the matter of records of other forces held by the Public Record Office (now the National Archives) states: "The occasional references to 'Police Department' in the railway staff records relate to signalmen etc. Although some were simultaneously County Constables."[24]

Navigators

 

A huge workforce was required to build the ever expanding railway system. These armies of rough workers - navigators, or "navvies" for short - brought fear into rural Victorian England. The Special Constables Act 1838 was passed which required railway and other companies to bear the cost of constables keeping the peace near construction works.

Historical crime

 

The continually expanding network of railways gave criminals new opportunities to move around the country and commit crime. The railways were pioneers of the electric telegraph and its use often involved the arrest of criminals arriving or departing by train. On 1 January 1845 a Railway Police Sergeant became the first person to arrest a murderer following the use of an electric telegraph.

 

In 1838 the Royal Mail was conveyed by rail for the first time. The first mail thefts were reported shortly afterwards. In 1848 the Eastern Counties Railway lost 76 pieces of luggage in just one day, and by the following year thefts from the largest six railways amounted to over £100,000 a year.

 

The first railway murder was committed by Franz Muller, who robbed and killed a fellow passenger on a North London Railway train in 1864.

 

The first arrest abroad by the British Police was made in 1874 when a Metropolitan Police Inspector accompanied by a Railway Police Inspector went to the United States to arrest an embezzler.

Reorganisation

 

From 1900, several railway companies re-organised their police forces. The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway virtually reformed their police force from scratch in that year, followed by the Great Eastern Railway, the North Eastern Railway and Midland Railway in 1910, the Caledonian Railway in 1917 and lastly the Great Western Railway in 1918.

Inter-war years

 

The Railways Act 1921 amalgamated over one hundred separate railway systems (of which about 20 had organised police forces) into four groups:

 

The Great Western Railway

The London and North Eastern Railway

The London, Midland and Scottish Railway

The Southern Railway

 

Each had its own police force controlled by a Chief of Police. These four forces were organised in the same way; each split into a number of divisions headed by a superintendent, divided into a number of divisions posts led by an inspector. Detectives worked with their uniformed colleagues at most locations. Many 'non-police' duties were retained however, with officers acting as crossing keepers or locking and sealing wagons.

World War II

 

During the war, the strength of the railway police doubled. With many men conscripted, special constables and women police were again employed.

Post war

Two parked BTP vehicles in York

 

In 1947 the Transport Act created the British Transport Commission (BTC) which unified the railway system. On 1 January 1949 the British Transport Commission Police were created, formed from the four old railway police forces, canal police and several minor dock forces. In 1957 the Maxwell-Johnson enquiry found that policing requirements for the railway could not be met by civil forces and that it was essential that a specialist police force be retained. On 1 January 1962 the British Transport Commission Police ceased to cover British Waterways property[25] and exactly a year later when the BTC was abolished the name of the force was amended to the British Transport Police. In 1984 London Buses decided not to use the British Transport Police. The British Transport Docks Board followed in 1985.

 

The force played a central role in the response to the 7 July 2005 London bombings. Three of the incidents were at London Underground stations: Edgware Road (Circle Line), Russell Square and Aldgate stations.

 

On 15 July 2006, a Dog Section Training School was opened at the Force Training establishment near Tadworth, Surrey.

 

In May 2011, the Secretary of State for Transport Philip Hammond announced that British Transport Police would create an armed capability of its own with the added benefit of additional resilience and capacity of the overall UK police armed capability.[26] The BTP are deployed on armed patrols using Glock 17 pistols, LMT AR-15 CQB carbines as well as tasers.[27]

How the BTP is funded

 

The British Transport Police is largely funded by the train operating companies, Network Rail, and the London Underground – part of Transport for London.[28] Around 95% of BTP's funding comes from the train operating companies.[29] Other operators with whom the BTP has a service agreement also contribute appropriately. This funding arrangement does not give the companies power to set objectives for the BTP, but there are industry representatives serving as members of the police authority.[30] The police authority decides objectives. The industry membership represent 5 out of 13 members.

 

There is also substantial counter-terrorism funding from the Home Office.

 

The police authority has agreed its budget for 2011/2012 at £250.2M.

Attestation

See also: Police Oath

 

Constables of the BTP are required by s.24 of the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003 to make one of the following attestations, depending on the jurisdiction in which they have been appointed:

in England and Wales

 

I...of the British Transport Police do solemnly and sincerely declare and affirm that I will well and truly serve the Queen in the office of constable, with fairness, integrity, diligence, and impartiality, upholding fundamental human rights and according equal respect to all people; and that I will, to the best of my power, cause the peace to be kept and preserved and prevent all offences against people and property; and that while I continue to hold said office I will, to the best of my skill and knowledge, discharge all the duties thereof faithfully and according to law.

 

[Police Act 1996, Schedule 4 as amended.]

 

The attestation can be made in Welsh.

in Scotland

 

Constables are required to take the oath referred to (but not defined) in s.16 Police (Scotland) Act 1967, which is in simpler form, merely declaring faithfully to execute the duties of his or her office.[31]

 

Communications and Control rooms

 

As of March 2009, BTP operates two control rooms and one Call Handling Centre:

 

First Contact Centre: Based in Birmingham and responsible for handling all routine telephone traffic. This facility was created further to criticism by HMIC.[32][33]

Force Control Room – Birmingham: Based in Birmingham – alongside the First Contact Centre – and responsible for the East Midlands, West Midlands, Wales, the North West of England, the North East of England, the South West of England and Scotland.

Force Control Room – London: Responsible for the Greater London area (including the London Underground and Mainline) and the Home Counties.

 

Powers and status of officers

General powers

 

Under s.31 of the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003, British Transport Police officers have "all the power and privileges of a constable" when:

 

on track, (any land or other property comprising the permanent way of any railway, taken together with the ballast, sleepers and metals laid thereon, whether or not the land or other property is also used for other purposes, any level crossings, bridges, viaducts, tunnels, culverts, retaining walls, or other structures used or to be used for the support of, or otherwise in connection with, track; and any walls, fences or other structures bounding the railway or bounding any adjacent or adjoining property)[34]

on network, (a railway line, or installations associated with a railway line)[34]

in a station, (any land or other property which consists of premises used as, or for the purposes of, or otherwise in connection with, a railway passenger station or railway passenger terminal (including any approaches, forecourt, cycle store or car park), whether or not the land or other property is, or the premises are, also used for other purposes)[34]

in a light maintenance depot,

on other land used for purposes of or in relation to a railway,

on other land in which a person who provides railway services has a freehold or leasehold interest, and

throughout Great Britain for a purpose connected to a railway or to anything occurring on or in relation to a railway.

 

"Railway" means a system of transport employing parallel rails which provide support and guidance for vehicles carried on flanged wheels, and form a track which either is of a gauge of at least 350 millimetres or crosses a carriageway (whether or not on the same level).[35]

 

A BTP constable may enter:

 

track,

a network,

a station,

a light maintenance depot, and

a railway vehicle.

 

without a warrant, using reasonable force if necessary, and whether or not an offence has been committed.[36] It is an offence to assault or impersonate a BTP constable.[37]

Outside natural jurisdiction

 

They need however to move between railway sites and often have a presence in city centres. Consequently, BTP officers can be called upon to intervene in incidents outside their natural jurisdiction. ACPO estimate that some such 8,000 incidents occur every year. As a result of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001[38] BTP officers can act as police constables outside their normal jurisdiction in the following circumstances:

On the request of constable

 

If requested by a constable of:

 

a Home Office police force,

the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP), or

the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC)

 

to assist him/her in the execution of their duties in relation to a particular incident, investigation or operation, a BTP constable also has the powers of the requesting officer for the purposes of that incident, investigation or operation.[39] If a constable from a territorial police force makes the request, then the powers of the BTP constable extend only to the requesting constable's police area.[39] If a constable from the MDP or CNC makes the request, then the powers of the BTP officer are the same as those of the requesting constable.[39]

Looking out towards the sunny entrance of LA's ever expanding Grand Central Market, now with just fun and inventive food stalls. As seen in this scene, the famed Egg Slut, Ramen Hood and Berlin Curry Wurst to just name a few. Problem is that many old standard fruit and vegetable vendors are being pushed out due to the rising rents.

 

www.laweekly.com/restaurants/at-grand-central-market-a-ne...

The 187m-tall Cairo Tower, erected at the command of President Nasser. The tower was commissioned in 1956 as a message to the West that Egypt is resilient about modernisation after the tripartite war that same year - for many, it's considered Nasser's "middle finger" to the British, French and Israeli aggressors in 1956.

 

The tower was designed by the Egyptian architect Naoum Chebib, the tower's partially open lattice-work design is intended to evoke a lotus plant and was completed in 1961 and continues to stand out as Cairo's tallest building. The tower offers breathtaking views over the city showing the ever-expanding megalopolis from the airport in the far east to the pyramids in the far west - passing through the elevated Old City, the cemeteries, the Khedival city, 20th century neighbourhoods and the entire Nile Corniche.

 

Looking south from the tower shows more of El-Gezira featuring the Egyptian Opera House (right) and Sofitel El-Gezira Hotel. The Grand Hyatt Hotel and more of Cairo (left) and Giza (right) extend in the background. The Egyptian Opera House was originally built in 1869 during the reign of Khedive Ismail in celebration of the inauguration of the Suez Canal. The original building, designed by Italian architects Avoscani and Rossi, was completed in six months and occupied a main square in Khedival Cairo. Nevertheless, the building was completely destroyed by fire in 1971.

 

This building, on the southern tip of the Zamalek island, was commissioned by the Japanese government as a gift from the Japanese people to their Egyptian counterparts and replacement for the burnt-down Egyptian Opera House. Construction started in 1985 and was completed in 1988.

I've posted this one purely because it's almost certainly the last time I'll see this 66 carrying this number. 66132 is earmarked to carry the number 66785 and become one of GBRf's ever-expanding fleet. The paintwork bears testament to the fact that the cosmetic transformation is already underway.

Lahore is ever expanding, mercilessly eating away any village or town that comes in its way. Many towns and villages like Niaz Beg, Hanjarwal, etc, which were historically well outside the city are now deemed as part of Lahore. However, even after being incorporated by the phenomenon that is Lahore, such places have managed to retain their past, culture and identity as something that is different from the city itself, and that is what makes this new city of Lahore so interesting and endearing. Whereas most of these settlements do not predate Lahore and were never historically as significant as Lahore, there was nonetheless one such locality, which is believed to have existed even before Lahore did. Its significance chronologically exceeds that of Lahore. This town is Ichhra.

  

In the popular culture Lahore’s origin is tied to the Hindu mythologies. There are historians who argue that before the walled city of Lahore became Lahore, Lahore actually was the locality of Ichhra. A very interesting observation is presented to substantiate the thesis. Mostly what we find in the appellations of the doors of a walled city is that the gates are named after the city which they face. The Delhi darwaza of Lahore is named so because it faces Delhi, so is the case with the Kashmiri darwaza. There has been some controversy regarding the name of the Lohari darwaza. It is argued that the Lohari darwaza points towards Ichhra. Lohari could be a primeval name of Lahore in this case, and Ichhra would be that historical city of Lahore.

  

This is a plausible contention according to the British Gazetteer of Lahore, because they argue that two of the oldest Hindu temples are found in Ichhra, viz. Bheeru da asthan and Chand Raat. Sadly, the latter has been lost but the former still looks over the city. However, the question that arises is that on what premises the British say that this temple is one of the oldest temples. The architecture of the building does not suggest this nor do the folk tales.

  

The temple is on the Ferozepur road behind the Shama stop. In fact the Shama and the Sheesh Mahal cinemas stand today where once the huge pond of the temple was. According to Maulana Noor Ahmad Chishti, there once lived a man called Godar during the tenure of Shah Jahan. He used to handle the accounts for Dara Shikoh, the eldest son of the Emperor at Benaras. When the prince had an auditor analyze the accounts, it was learned that the accountant had been stealing from the treasury. On this the prince gave the man capital punishment. Legend has that as Godar lay in the prison waiting for his turn to go to the gallows, a man appeared before him. This man asked him to close his eyes and he did as he was told. When he opened his eyes, he found himself at the exact location where today the tall, cone-shaped structure stands. It was a Sunday. The man who had brought Godar here, was sitting on a camel and he was standing next to him. In utter amazement, he asked the man who he was? The man replied that he was Bheeru after which he disappeared.

  

Bheeru is derived from the Sanskrit word of Bherv, which means Bogey-man. Bheeru is an incarnation of the Lord Shiv-Rudar, who is the Hindu deity of destruction. Shiv-Rudar travels on a dog, and the fear that he excites is such that even the witches and the ghosts are afraid of him. He is usually found near the cremating grounds.

  

Godar was a follower of Bheeru, and after the miracle, he demarcated the spot, where Bheeru stood, and started his search in the city. He ended up at Shah Alami, where he started living near the Pari Mahal. After adjusting in the new city, he one day gathered a few Hindus and took them to the spot. There he narrated to them the story of Bheeru, after which the spot became known as Bheeru da asthan. He along with other followers made it a regular practice to visit the spot, and present it with garlands, as a token of their reverence. In this way seeds were sown for this place to become a site for one of the most sacred Hindu temples in Lahore.

  

Later, during the tenure of Ranjit Singh, the mother of his concubine Mora once fell sick. She was diagnosed to have been affected by djinns. Mora was informed that one of the descendants of Godar practiced magic, and he would be able to rid the body of the intruders. According to tradition, she summoned him, and he was able to cure her mother. As a reward for his services, Mora ordered all the villages that were granted to her by the Regal to bring forth a cart of bricks for the construction of a proper temple at the asthan of Bheeru. Bricks from all the hundred villages that fell under her sway came forth. Besides the bricks the total expense for the construction of the present day temple was around 1400 rupees. This temple was further extended by Ram Chandar, the nephew of Sanwal Mal, who was a minister of the Ranjit Government. Besides him contributions were also given by Raja Lal Singh.

  

There is a big main gate which is followed by a corridor for the entrance to the edifice. At the end of the corridor is another gate. The corridor is around 3 yards wide and 13 yards long. It is embellished by arches on both the ends. Flanking the entrance are rooms. A ground used to follow the entrance whose dimensions were recorded to be 17 x 11 yards. Now however the ground has been taken over by refugees from the other side of the border and new houses have sprouted everywhere. This corridor was added by Raja Lal Singh.

  

The area east from here was the Langar Khana, where people were given free food. In front of this is the octagonal platform upon which the temple stands. There was also a well next to it. On each side of the temple are arches (mehraab like structures). East from here is another enclosed place where now houses stand. There is a big door here that opens towards the temple. Next to it is a platform where there are 8 samadhis. During the riots following the Babri mosque incident in Ayodha, like other temples in Lahore, people tried to bring this temple down too, but since it was made of strong material, it luckily survived.

  

Even though the story of Godar is hard to believe there is no doubt that the present day shape of the temple was given to it during the tenure of Ranjit Singh. One plausible reason as to why this temple is called ancient by the British is that the spot where the temple now stands must have been the site of a primordial temple, which has now given way to a modern construction. It is said that a lump of mud signified the holy place before the temple, making it reasonable to believe that some sort of building existed here before this one, and later on the story of Godar was explained for the inception of the temple.

The Allure Simulation

 

Our simulation is intricately interwoven into numerous corporate metaverses. As our tangible world gradually fades into a vibrant digital realm, our avatars transform codes of understanding between the boundaries of reality and fantasy. This immersion into an all-encompassing space was envisioned as a new avenue for humankind to revolutionize and speed up productivity. It is where "presence" is the currency of the "You-Me-Us" techno-wonderland.

 

The bright and glimmering shimmer entices us away from practical considerations. The forging towards unsustainable progress and unrealised opportunities is smashing our collective identity into smaller and smaller bytes. You-Me-Us scattering throughout ever-expanding simulations. As physical beings, we observe these expansions as they continuously update and learn. We are captivated by their shining allure so that we can push aside what we once held dear.

 

Blogger

www.jjfbbennett.com/2023/06/golden-fixation-nugget-of-lea...

 

JJFBbennett Art Directory

jjfbbennett.taplink.ws/

 

Contemporary Positional Video Art and Socio-Fictional Writings

 

It is about being creative and innovative with knowledge

www.jjfbbennett.com

  

One of 'Cancu' Supreme Travel's ever expanding open top bus fleet, an ex First Group Alexander bodied Volvo D10M Citybus, heaves itself up the long climb out of the valley between Mdina and Mgaar through remarkably rural Maltese scenery. The bus is liveried up for the Island's 'South Tour' even though it's seen here working the equivalent North one. That aside, the route is remarkable and certainly worth the fifteen Euros charged to use the 30 minute frequency two and a half hour circuit which requires seven buses to operate it.

For sheer incredulity of route, and white knuckle value it's only surpassed by their Gozo based offering... best sampled in a thirty odd year old Fleetline.

My ever-expanding Porthcawl memorabilia collection...

An immaculate and rather wonderfully illustrated tourism poster c.1960

The Dumfries and Galloway Aviation Museum is a volunteer-operated aviation museum located in and around the World War II-era watch tower (control tower) at the former RAF Dumfries. It is located two miles north east of the centre of Dumfries, Scotland, where it was in service from June 1940 until 1957, when it closed. The museum, founded in 1977 by the Dumfries and Galloway Aviation Group, has a collection of aircraft, both civil and military, aero engines, artefacts, and a small, but "ever-expanding collection of memorabilia honouring airborne forces".

Finally had a chance for another small photo session to capture some of my models which have been made over the past few months and missed during previous opportunities.

Please enjoy my ever expanding array of vehicles and emergency services.

Finally had a chance for another small photo session to capture some of my models which have been made over the past few months and missed during previous opportunities.

Please enjoy my ever expanding array of vehicles and emergency services.

The scene pictured above is from the Pelee Island Springsong Banquet. It's part of the annual Springsong Weekend (a celebration of books, birds and birding) organized by the Pelee Island Heritage Centre and held at the Pelee Island Winery.

 

In the photo, Canadian author and cultural icon Margaret Atwood is leading the "chicken song" component of the evening. This is a singalong in which every past recipient of a rubber chicken from Ms Atwood joins an ever-expanding choir at the front of the hall for a rousing rendition of a bird and/or chicken-related song. That's my wife Jodie, in the black dress, standing directly under the light sconce, waving a rubber chicken around.

 

How does one end up with a rubber chicken, on stage with Margaret Atwood? I am not sure of the process for others, but Jodie earned her time to shine by winning the non-green (vehicle-based) section of the 24 hour bird race which kicks off the Springsong weekend. Her team, the Pelee Island Bird Brigade (consisting of Jodie and me) scoured the island and were able to produce a list of 104 species within the allotted time. That was good enough to take the non-green prize, a rubber chicken. The winning green team, bicycle-based Jerry and Kestrel Demarco, saw 115 species and secured the coveted Botham Cup and an awesome gift basket (but no rubber chicken).

 

The actual chicken we won (now in our possession and prominently displayed in our apartment) is the fancy one that Margaret Atwood is holding. She graciously agreed to sign it and we will cherish it forever. Pelee Island is the best!

 

Member of the Flickr Bird Brigade

Activists for birds and wildlife

 

Maritime aircraft play an understated - yet hugely important - role during World War 2 where their long range capabilities were put to good use. Flying boats came to pass as a peacetime development, the earliest forms appearing prior to World War 1 (1914-1918) and this allowed their use as military platforms during the war proper. Their continued evolution, with appropriate tactics and doctrine soon fleshed out, led to ever-more impressive designs soon taking shape - particularly those designs emerging from Britain and the United States. With the arrival of the Second World War, the role of the flying boat was broadened considerably and now included overwater patrolling, reconnaissance, Search and Rescue (SAR), submarine hunting, and anti-shipping service carrying varied ordnance such as bombs, torpedoes and mines.

 

The PBY Catalina series became one of the more important of the American flying boats to see service in World War 2. The aircraft was designed, developed, and produced under the Consolidated Aircraft Company brand label in the United States and soon appeared as local, licensed products in other countries. Its reach also benefited through the Lend-Lease initiative which ensured the aircraft was stocked in foreign inventories during the war.

At its core, the PBY Catalina was a high-winged, twin-engined aircraft, classified as a flying boat for its boat-like/aircraft-like qualities allowingit to land on water or a prepared runway. The Catalina was crewed by seven to nine personnel that included pilots, engineers, bombardiers, and machine gunners - the total crew complement varied by variant. In prototype form, the PBY first flew on March 28, 1935 and beat out a competing Douglas Aircraft product in competition. Production models were accepted as "PBY-1" in October of 1936 (with the USN).

The wartime period would see a variety of engines fitted, revision of the defensive and offensive armament, and ever-expanding roles for the aircraft line. Tricycle landing gear tests on late PBY-4s would yield the truly amphibious PBY-5 and PBY-5A series models. Production of the PBY series would be undertaken by Consolidated in the United States, Canadian Vickers and Boeing of Canada in Canada (620 examples), and state factories in the Soviet Union (24 examples) under the Lend-Lease Act. In all, 3,305 PBY Catalina-based systems would be produced with 2,661 coming from American factories alone. The Soviets designated their Catalinas as "GST" (PBY-5) while Britain used the "Catalina Mk" identifier from marks I to VI.

The Catalina popped over o Old Warden from Duxford for a quick display .

Maritime aircraft play an understated - yet hugely important - role during World War 2 where their long range capabilities were put to good use. Flying boats came to pass as a peacetime development, the earliest forms appearing prior to World War 1 (1914-1918) and this allowed their use as military platforms during the war proper. Their continued evolution, with appropriate tactics and doctrine soon fleshed out, led to ever-more impressive designs soon taking shape - particularly those designs emerging from Britain and the United States. With the arrival of the Second World War, the role of the flying boat was broadened considerably and now included overwater patrolling, reconnaissance, Search and Rescue (SAR), submarine hunting, and anti-shipping service carrying varied ordnance such as bombs, torpedoes and mines.

 

The PBY Catalina series became one of the more important of the American flying boats to see service in World War 2. The aircraft was designed, developed, and produced under the Consolidated Aircraft Company brand label in the United States and soon appeared as local, licensed products in other countries. Its reach also benefited through the Lend-Lease initiative which ensured the aircraft was stocked in foreign inventories during the war.

 

At its core, the PBY Catalina was a high-winged, twin-engined aircraft, classified as a flying boat for its boat-like/aircraft-like qualities allowingit to land on water or a prepared runway. The Catalina was crewed by seven to nine personnel that included pilots, engineers, bombardiers, and machine gunners - the total crew complement varied by variant. In prototype form, the PBY first flew on March 28, 1935 and beat out a competing Douglas Aircraft product in competition. Production models were accepted as "PBY-1" in October of 1936 (with the USN).

The wartime period would see a variety of engines fitted, revision of the defensive and offensive armament, and ever-expanding roles for the aircraft line. Tricycle landing gear tests on late PBY-4s would yield the truly amphibious PBY-5 and PBY-5A series models. Production of the PBY series would be undertaken by Consolidated in the United States, Canadian Vickers and Boeing of Canada in Canada (620 examples), and state factories in the Soviet Union (24 examples) under the Lend-Lease Act. In all, 3,305 PBY Catalina-based systems would be produced with 2,661 coming from American factories alone. The Soviets designated their Catalinas as "GST" (PBY-5) while Britain used the "Catalina Mk" identifier from marks I to VI.

 

The flying boats would go on to serve a critical role int he war particularly as the war was fought over such varied terrain types including long stretches of ocean and sea. Catalinas were in service until 1979 before being retired by the Brazilian Navy. French Catalinas were in operational service in Indochina for a time. Other operators included Australia, Chile, and Taiwan.

 

Many went on to have post-war careers in both military and civilian service. Still others soldiered on as fire-fighting platforms.

The PBY-5A featured a crew of ten. Its power came from 2 x Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 "Twin Wasp" radial piston engines outputting at 1,200 horsepower each. The engines were fitted along the wing leading edges which allowed for clearance against the punishing salty sea air. Performance included a maximum speed of 195 miles per hour, a cruise speed of 125 mph, a range out to 2,520 miles, a service ceiling of 15,800 feet, and a rate-of-climb of 1,000 feet per minute. Standard armament were 3 x 0.30 caliber machine guns (two fitted at the nose and the third at a ventral tail position) and 2 x 0.50 caliber heavy machine guns (one at each beam position). Bomb load was up to 4,000 lb of stores - conventional drop bombs, torpedoes, or depth charges being typical.

with thanks to , militaryfactory.com

 

Now , in this shot I see stars -- at last a tenuous link to a track that I recently discovered and the folks in heavy metal and hard rock collaborated back in 1985 to do a heavy duty track in the wake of Live Aid and the like to raise money for Africa . The story is told on Wikipedia - just type in " Hear 'n Aid " and see just who was in this - there are so many big names there -some no longer with us I am afraid like Ronnie James Dio who was a major part of the work coming together .

  

youtu.be/G5H94GHb-10

Here is another section of the old Roman wall in London. Originally build around AD200 most of the walls were pulled down in Victorian times due to the ever expanding sige of the city. What did remain were destroyed during the blitz of WW2.

Two weeks ago, I went to Metropolis in search of Superman. You’d think with senses as acute as mine, and with my particular skillset, that I’d be able to track down the world’s most powerful superhuman with little more effort than I would a wild boar.

 

But no. Every time I get close to finding the Man of Steel, the trail vanished. It is erksome not being able to find him when my intentions are good, but it’s no doubt that he doesn’t want his ever-expanding list of enemies finding out his identity. I’d hazard a guess that the people in Superman’s life - parents, friends, lovers - don’t share his invulnerability.

 

I have other problems, too. Ares hasn’t found me per se, but he’s looking in all the right places. A minotaur hunted me in DC. Two makhai warriors attacked me the day I left Metropolis, less than a week ago. I’ve must have been careless and let something slip somewhere. That, or Ares has found a new oracle. If he has, then Steve is in a lot of danger as well; a man who has learned some of the ways of the Amazons could be a powerful asset to the wargod.

 

A car rushes by, fishtailing over the black ice that had compacted on the road. Then it pulls over, and I’m running before I see who gets out. Somehow I know. I just know.

 

Another of Ares’ minions.

 

I sprint down a side alley. Dead end, but I can make the jump over the wall before the minotaur rams me. I leap-

 

On the other side is a small garden. I don’t want to disturb these people, so I scale the building. In less than a minute I’m on the roof, far away from that horned demon.

 

I need to get out of Washington DC again. There’s no point trying Metropolis again, but there is another. He may just be a man, but some believe he is a vampire. Some say he can turn invisible, or command the shadows to do his bidding. That he can fly.

 

Man or super-man, I have to hope that - assuming I can find him - there’s something this Batman can teach me.

 

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

 

Finally, the continuation of Countdown to Justice! Volume II will predominantly follow Wonder Woman, as well as the animosity between Batman and Superman. I'm not setting a regular upload schedule this time because of uni life, but I'm hoping Vol II won't drag on for too long.

 

The first three chapters are now available here and on my blog, and I hope you enjoy reading it!

jampotstudios.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/countdown-to-justice...

Whilst sat at my computer this evening, this was the view to my left, an assortment of Hello Kitty items from my ever expanding collection,

The main environmental issues associated with the implementation of the 5G network come with the manufacturing of the many component parts of the 5G infrastructure. In addition, the proliferation of new devices that will use the 5G network that is tied to the acceleration of demand from consumers for new 5G-dependent devices will have serious environmental consequences. The 5G network will inevitably cause a large increase in energy usage among consumers, which is already one of the main contributors to climate change. Additionally, the manufacturing and maintenance of the new technologies associated with 5G creates waste and uses important resources that have detrimental consequences for the environment. 5G networks use technology that has harmful effects on birds, which in turn has cascading effects through entire ecosystems. And, while 5G developers are seeking to create a network that has fewer environmental impacts than past networks, there is still room for improvement and the consequences of 5G should be considered before it is widely rolled out. 5G stands for the fifth generation of wireless technology. It is the wave of wireless technology surpassing the 4G network that is used now. Previous generations brought the first cell phones (1G), text messaging (2G), online capabilities (3G), and faster speed (4G). The fifth generation aims to increase the speed of data movement, be more responsive, and allow for greater connectivity of devices simultaneously.[2] This means that 5G will allow for nearly instantaneous downloading of data that, with the current network, would take hours. For example, downloading a movie using 5G would take mere seconds. These new improvements will allow for self-driving cars, massive expansion of Internet of Things (IoT) device use, and acceleration of new technological advancements used in everyday activities by a much wider range of people. While 5G is not fully developed, it is expected to consist of at least five new technologies that allow it to perform much more complicated tasks at faster speeds. The new technologies 5G will use are hardware that works with much higher frequencies (millimeter wavelengths), small cells, massive MIMO (multiple input multiple output), beamforming, and full duplex.[3] Working together, these new technologies will expand the potential of many of the devices used today and devices being developed for the future. Millimeter waves are a higher frequency wavelength than the radio wavelength generally used in wireless transmission today.[4] The use of this portion of the spectrum corresponds to higher frequency and shorter wavelengths, in this case in the millimeter range (vs the lower radio frequencies where the wavelengths can be in the meters to hundreds of kilometers). Higher frequency waves allow for more devices to be connected to the same network at the same time, because there is more space available compared to the radio waves that are used today. The use of this portion of the spectrum has much longer wavelengths than of that anticipated for a portion of the 5G implementation. The waves in use now can measure up to tens of centimeters, while the new 5G waves would be no greater than ten millimeters.[5] The millimeter waves will create more transmission space for the ever-expanding number of people and devices crowding the current networks. The millimeter waves will create more space for devices to be used by consumers, which will increase energy usage, subsequently leading to increased global warming. Millimeter waves are very weak in their ability to connect two devices, which is why 5G needs something called “small cells” to give full, uninterrupted coverage. Small cells are essentially miniature cell towers that would be placed 250 meters apart throughout cities and other areas needing coverage.[6] The small cells are necessary as emissions [or signals] at this higher frequency/shorter wavelength have more difficulty passing through solid objects and are even easily intercepted by rain.[7] The small cells could be placed on anything from trees to street lights to the sides of businesses and homes to maximize connection and limit “dead zones” (areas where connections are lost). The next new piece of technology necessary for 5G is massive MIMO, which stands for multiple input multiple output. The MIMO describes the capacity of 5G’s base stations, because those base stations would be able to handle a much higher amount of data at any one moment of time. Currently, 4G base stations have around eight transmitters and four receivers which direct the flow of data between devices.[9] 5G will exceed this capacity with the use of massive MIMO that can handle 22 times more ports. Figure 1 shows how a massive MIMO tower would be able to direct a higher number of connections at once. However, massive MIMO causes signals to be crossed more easily. Crossed signals cause an interruption in the transmission of data from one device to the next due to a clashing of the wavelengths as they travel to their respective destinations. To overcome the cross signals problem, beamforming is needed. To maximize the efficiency of sending data another new technology called beamforming will be used in 5G. For data to be sent to the correct user, a way of directing the wavelengths without interference is necessary. This is done through a technique called beamforming. Beamforming directs where exactly data are being sent by using a variety of antennas to organize signals based on certain characteristics, such as the magnitude of the signal. By directly sending signals to where they need to go, beamforming decreases the chances that a signal is dropped due to the interference of a physical object.

One way that 5G will follow through on its promise of faster data transmission is through sending and receiving data simultaneously. The method that allows for simultaneous input and output of data is called full duplexing. While full duplex capabilities allow for faster transmission of data, there is an issue of signal interference, because of echoes. Full duplexing will cut transmission times in half, because it allows for a response to occur as soon as an input is delivered, eliminating the turnaround time that is seen in transmission today. Because these technologies are new and untested, it is hard to say how they will impact our environment. This raises another issue: there are impacts that can be anticipated and predicted, but there are also unanticipated impacts because much of the new technologies are untested. Nevertheless, it is possible to anticipate some of detrimental environmental consequences of the new technologies and the 5G network, because we know these technologies will increase exposure to harmful radiation, increase mining of rare minerals, increase waste, and increase energy usage. The main 5G environmental concerns have to do with two of the five new components: the millimeter waves and the small cells. The whole aim of the new 5G network is to allow for more devices to be used by the consumer at faster rates than ever before, because of this goal there will certainly be an increase in energy usage globally. Energy usage is one of the main contributors to climate change today and an increase in energy usage would cause climate change to increase drastically as well. 5G will operate on a higher frequency portion of the spectrum to open new space for more devices. The smaller size of the millimeter waves compared to radio frequency waves allows for more data to be shared more quickly and creates a wide bandwidth that can support much larger tasks.[15] While the idea of more space for devices to be used is great for consumers, this will lead to a spike in energy usage for two reasons – the technology itself is energy demanding and will increase demand for more electronic devices. The ability for more devices to be used on the same network creates more incentive for consumers to buy electronics and use them more often. This will have a harmful impact on the environment through increased energy use. Climate change has several underlying contributors; however, energy usage is gaining attention in its severity with regards to perpetuating climate change. Before 5G has even been released, about 2% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to the ICT industry.[16] While 2% may not seem like a very large portion, it translates to around 860 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions.[17] Greenhouse gas emissions are the main contributors to natural disasters, such as flooding and drought, which are increasing severity and occurrence every year. Currently, roughly 85% of the energy used in the United States can be attributed to fossil fuel consumption.[18] The dwindling availability of fossil fuels and the environmental burden of releasing these fossil fuels into our atmosphere signal an immediate need to shift to other energy sources. Without a shift to other forms of energy production and the addition of technology allowed by the implementation of 5G, the strain on our environment will rise and the damage may never be repaired. With an increase in energy usage through technology and the implementation of 5G, it can be expected that the climate change issues faced today will only increase. The overall contribution of carbon dioxide emissions from the ICT industry has a huge impact on climate change and will continue to have even larger impacts without proper actions. In a European Union report, researchers estimated that in order to keep the increase in global temperature below 2° Celsius a decrease in carbon emissions of around 15-30% is necessary by 2020. Engineers claim that the small cells used to provide the 5G connection will be energy efficient and powered in a sustainable way; however the maintenance and production of these cells is more of an issue. Supporters of the 5G network advocate that the small cells will use solar or wind energy to stay sustainable and green.[20] These devices, labeled “fuel-cell energy servers” will work as clean energy-based generators for the small cells.[21] While implementing base stations that use sustainable energy to function would be a step in the right direction in environmental conservation, it is not the solution to the main issue caused by 5G, which is the impact that the massive amount of new devices in the hands of consumers will have on the amount of energy required to power these devices. The wasteful nature of manufacturing and maintenance of both individual devices and the devices used to deliver 5G connection could become a major contributor of climate change. The promise of 5G technology is to expand the number of devices functioning might be the most troubling aspect of the new technology. Cell phones, computers, and other everyday devices are manufactured in a way that puts stress on the environment. A report by the EPA estimated that in 2010, 25% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions comes from electricity and heat production making it the largest single source of emissions.[22] The main gas emitted by this sector is carbon dioxide, due to the burning of natural gas, such as coal, to fuel electricity sources.[23] Carbon dioxide is one of the most common greenhouse gases seen in our atmosphere, it traps heat in earth’s atmosphere trying to escape into space, which causes the atmosphere to warm generating climate change. Increased consumption of devices is taking a toll on the environment. As consumers gain access to more technologies the cycle of consumption only expands. As new devices are developed, the older devices are thrown out even if they are still functional. Often, big companies will purposefully change their products in ways that make certain partner devices (such as chargers or earphones) unusable–creating demand for new products. Economic incentives mean that companies will continue these practices in spite of the environmental impacts. One of the main issues with the 5G network and the resulting increase in consumption of technological devices is that the production required for these devices is not sustainable. In the case of making new devices, whether they be new smart-phones or the small cells needed for 5G, the use of nonrenewable metals is required. It is extremely difficult to use metals for manufacturing sustainably, because metals are not a renewable resource. Metals used in the manufacturing of the smart devices frequently used today often cannot be recycled in the same way many household items can be recycled. Because these technologies cannot be recycled, they create tons of waste when they are created and tons of waste when they are thrown away. There are around six billion mobile devices in use today, with this number expected to increase drastically as the global population increases and new devices enter the market. One estimate of the life-time carbon emissions of a single device–not including related accessories and network connection–is that a device produces a total of 45kg of carbon dioxide at a medium level of usage over three years. This amount of emission is comparable to that of driving the average European car for 300km. But, the most environmentally taxing stage of a mobile device life cycle is during the production stage, where around 68% of total carbon emissions is produced, equating to 30kg of carbon dioxide. To put this into perspective, an iPhone X weighs approximately 0.174kg, so in order to produce the actual device, 172 iPhone X’s worth of carbon dioxide is also created. These emissions vary from person to person and between different devices, but it’s possible to estimate the impact one device has on the environment. 5G grants the capacity for more devices to be used, significantly increase the existing carbon footprint of smart devices today. Energy usage for the ever-growing number of devices on the market and in homes is another environmental threat that would be greatly increased by the new capabilities brought by the 5G network. Often, energy forecasts overlook the amount of energy that will be consumed by new technologies, which leads to a skewed understanding of the actual amount of energy expected to be used.[30] One example of this is with IoT devices.[31] IoT is one of the main aspects of 5G people in the technology field are most excited about. 5G will allow for a larger expansion of IoT into the everyday household.[32] While some IoT devices promise lower energy usage abilities, the 50 billion new IoT devices expected to be produced and used by consumers will surpass the energy used by today’s electronics.

The small cells required for the 5G network to properly function causes another issue of waste with the new network. Because of the weak nature of the millimeter waves used in the 5G technology, small cells will need to be placed around 250 meters apart to insure continuous connection. The main issue with these small cells is that the manufacturing and maintenance of these cells will create a lot of waste. The manufacturing of technology takes a large toll on the environment, due to the consumption of non-renewable resources to produce devices, and technology ending up in landfills. Implementing these small cells into large cities where they must be placed at such a high density will have a drastic impact on technology waste. Technology is constantly changing and improving, which is one of the huge reasons it has such high economic value. But, when a technological advancement in small cells happens, the current small cells would have to be replaced. The short lifespan of devices created today makes waste predictable and inevitable. In New York City, where there would have to be at least 3,135,200 small cells, the waste created in just one city when a new advancement in small cells is implemented would have overwhelming consequences on the environment. 5G is just one of many examples of how important it is to look at the consequences of new advancements before their implementation. While it is exciting to see new technology that promises to improve everyday life, the consequences of additional waste and energy usage must be considered to preserve a sustainable environment in the future. There is some evidence that the new devices and technologies associated with 5G will be harmful to delicate ecosystems. The main component of the 5G network that will affect the earth’s ecosystems is the millimeter waves. The millimeter waves that are being used in developing the 5G network have never been used at such scale before. This makes it especially difficult to know how they will impact the environment and certain ecosystems. However, studies have found that there are some harms caused by these new technologies. The millimeter waves, specifically, have been linked to many disturbances in the ecosystems of birds. In a study by the Centre for Environment and Vocational Studies of Punjab University, researchers observed that after exposure to radiation from a cell tower for just 5-30 minutes, the eggs of sparrows were disfigured.[34] The disfiguration of birds exposed for such a short amount of time to these frequencies is significant considering that the new 5G network will have a much higher density of base stations (small cells) throughout areas needing connection. The potential dangers of having so many small cells all over areas where birds live could cause whole populations of birds to have mutations that threaten their population’s survival. Additionally, a study done in Spain showed breeding, nesting, and roosting was negatively affected by microwave radiation emitted by a cell tower. Again, the issue of the increase in the amount of connection conductors in the form of small cells to provide connection with the 5G network is seen to be harmful to species that live around humans. Additionally, Warnke found that cellular devices had a detrimental impact on bees.[36] In this study, beehives exposed for just ten minutes to 900MHz waves fell victim to colony collapse disorder.Colony collapse disorder is when many of the bees living in the hive abandon the hive leaving the queen, the eggs, and a few worker bees. The worker bees exposed to this radiation also had worsened navigational skills, causing them to stop returning to their original hive after about ten days. Bees are an incredibly important part of the earth’s ecosystem. Around one-third of the food produced today is dependent on bees for pollination, making bees are a vital part of the agricultural system. Bees not only provide pollination for the plant-based food we eat, but they are also important to maintaining the food livestock eats. Without bees, a vast majority of the food eaten today would be lost or at the very least highly limited. Climate change has already caused a large decline in the world’s bee population. The impact that the cell towers have on birds and bees is important to understand, because all ecosystems of the earth are interconnected. If one component of an ecosystem is disrupted the whole system will be affected. The disturbances of birds with the cell towers of today would only increase, because with 5G a larger number of small cell radio-tower-like devices would be necessary to ensure high quality connection for users. Having a larger number of high concentrations of these millimeter waves in the form of small cells would cause a wider exposure to bees and birds, and possibly other species that are equally important to our environment.As innovation continues, it is important that big mobile companies around the world consider the impact 5G will have on the environment before pushing to have it widely implemented. The companies pushing for the expansion of 5G may stand to make short term economic gains. While the new network will undoubtedly benefit consumers greatly, looking at 5G’s long-term environmental impacts is also very important so that the risks are clearly understood and articulated. The technology needed to power the new 5G network will inevitably change how mobile devices are used as well as their capabilities. This technological advancement will also change the way technology and the environment interact. The change from using radio waves to using millimeter waves and the new use of small cells in 5G will allow more devices to be used and manufactured, more energy to be used, and have detrimental consequences for important ecosystems. While it is unrealistic to call for 5G to not become the new network norm, companies, governments, and consumers should be proactive and understand the impact that this new technology will have on the environment. 5G developers should carry out Environmental Impact Assessments that fully estimate the impact that the new technology will have on the environment before rushing to widely implement it. Environmental Impact Assessments are intended to assess the impact new technologies have on the environment, while also maximizing potential benefits to the environment. This process mitigates, prevents, and identifies environmental harm, which is imperative to ensuring that the environment is sustainable and sound in the future. Additionally, the method of Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) of devices would also be extremely beneficial for understanding the impact that 5G will inevitably have on the environment. An LCA can be used to assess the impact that devices have on carbon emissions throughout their life span, from the manufacturing of the device to the energy required to power the device and ultimately the waste created when the device is discarded into a landfill or other disposal system. By having full awareness of the impact new technology will have on the environment ways to combat the negative impacts can be developed and implemented effectively.

 

jsis.washington.edu/news/what-will-5g-mean-for-the-enviro...

  

This photo was taken during a visit last month to see the superb Olafur Eliasson 'In real life' Exhibition. I would highly recommend it to you but it finished a few days ago.......

 

Although I've been to the Tate Modern over the years I don't think I'd ever been there after dark, probably because most of my trips to London are made during the Summer months. It was interesting to see how the lighting in the space works because during the day it has almost no effect.

 

More photos from various Museums and Galleries around the world : www.flickr.com/photos/darrellg/albums/72157608768742010

 

From Wikipedia : "The galleries are housed in the former Bankside Power Station, which was originally designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the architect of Battersea Power Station, and built in two stages between 1947 and 1963. The power station closed in 1981. In 1992 The Tate Gallery at the British National Art Museum proposed a competition to build a new building for modern art. The purpose for the new building would help with the ever-expanding collection on modern and contemporary art. In 1995 itwas announced that Herzog & de Meuron had won the competition with their simple design. The architects decided to reinvent the current building instead of demolishing it. The Tate modern is an example of adaptive reuse, the process of finding new life in old buildings. The building itself still resembles the 20th century factory in style from the outside and that is reflected on the inside by the taupe walls, steel girders and concrete floors.

 

The façade of the building is made out of 4.2 million bricks that are separated by groups of thin vertical windows that help create a dramatic light inside. The history of the site as well as information about the conversion was the basis for a 2008 documentary Architects Herzog and de Meuron: Alchemy of Building & Tate Modern. This challenging conversion work was carried by Carillion. The southern third of the building was retained by the French power company EDF Energy as an electrical substation (in 2006, the company released half of this holding)."

 

My Website : Twitter : Facebook : Instagram : Photocrowd

 

© D.Godliman

 

On Devils bit Scabious. Where there are wildflowers there are inverts - Simples! This will explain why there are so few around here any more, with the ever expanding rye grass, ecological desert.

Greece joined the ever expanding ranks of Rafale operators in 2021. Here a twin seat from 332 Mira gets airborne ahead of a flight of F-16s Block 52s of 343 Mira from Souda AB.

Salmiya (Arabic السالمية; transliterated al-Sālmiah) located 12 kilometers southeast of Kuwait City, is one of the largest areas in Kuwait consisting of both commercial and residential areas with a population of 223,640 as of January 2007. It is arguably Kuwait's flagship district being a major cultural and commercial hub. It is well connected to the rest of the country having a multitude of significant highways and roads passing through it en-route to the capital, Kuwait City.

 

The blocks located closer to the interior tend to be mostly residential whilst those located besides the Persian Gulf coast have a great deal of commercial and up-scale residential real estate, especially those through which the Gulf Road passes through. The interior residential areas boast a huge proportion of expatriates, comprising mainly of those from the Indian sub-continent and Non-Persian-Gulf Arabs.

 

Salmiya, has been a model district in the context of modernization; it has undertaken a major face lift in recent times primarily due to ever-expanding commercial real estate on the Gulf Road, the popular Salem Al-Mubarak Shopping strip and its relatively close proximity to the capital. The boom in real estate in Salmiya has seen its demographics being constantly on the move. Increasing rental prices have gradually pushed out its working class expatriate community towards the interior districts of Kuwait.

 

The influx of expatriates to Salmiya is of historical importance dating as far back as the 1960s. Salmiya was gradually rebuilt and re-populated after the horrors of the Persian Gulf War. The old rugged 3-storied buildings and open fields have given way to a high density layouts of high-rise apartments and complexes. The beach front, once a hub and harbor for the fishing and pearl-diving community now transformed into a well-developed and modern bustling commercial avenue.

 

Its My Birthday Today!

Wish you all a very happy Fathers Day!

My garden is owerflooded with wild flowers, typical for summer-norway. The blue colours fighting a loosing battle over the ever expanding green.

The small textile town of Pineville, NC. The mills have closed and the town is now a collection of bars, restaurants and specialty shops. It was saved only because it has been absorbed by the ever expanding city of Charlotte. Other rural southern towns have slipped into decay as the production of textiles and farm products comes from other countries.