This is Blakesley Hall in Yardley. It is on the Blakesley Road (it might have been Blakesley Hall Road in the past). It is a Grade II* listed Tudor hall, and is one of the oldest buildings in Birmingham and is a common example of Tudor architecture with the use of darkened timber and wattle-and-daub infill, with an external lime render which is painted white.

 

The hall dates from aroun 1590, built for Richard Smalbroke, a man of local importance in Yardley.

 

It was built when Yardley used to be in Worcestershire.

 

His family farmed the area around the hall, but the other buildings were lost over time.

 

In 1685 the hall fell into the hands of the Greswolde family, and for the next 200 years it was a tenant farm. In 1899, the hall was acquired by Henry Donne who renovated the dilapidated house before selling it to the Merry family, a local paint and varnish manufacturer, who were the last family to occupy the hall.

 

The hall became a museum in 1935 after centuries of use as a private home. The hall was damaged by a bomb in 1941 and didn't reopen until 1957 when the house was repaired.

 

It was last renovated in 2002.

 

As a Community Museum, that is branch museum, of the Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery it is owned and run by Birmingham City Council and is open to the public (not Mondays, except Bank Holidays) without charge.

   

Timber-framed farmhouse built by Richard Smalbroke in the last quarter of

the C16 and subsequently added to. The ground floor with vertical studding;

the upper storey jettied on huge brackets at the corners and with short diagonal

struts to produce a herringbone pattern; tiled roof. Two storeys except

the gabled crosswing on the left which has an attic storey in the gable which

has square panels with quadrant braces to produce a lozenge pattern. Windows

with leaded lights, 2, 3 even 4 mullions and, some of them, transoms

too. The house seems from the beginning to have been ceiled at first floor

level. A gabled stair turret in the angle between hall and crosswing balances

the porch. This is also gabled and has the inscription OMN(1)P OTENS D(EUS)

P(RO)TECTOR SIT DOM(US) HUI(US) RS. To the right, an C18 brick addition.

To the rear, a mid C17 kitchen wing of painted brick. Inside the house,

an upstairs room with a wall painting of circa 1600.

 

Blakesley Hall - Heritage Gateway

I am in ur Marketz. Abusin' externalities.

 

This is the beginning of something fun I think. More lolonomics to come.

 

original background photo by flickr user: ZuRe

15 October 2013

  

Bad day. Not because of external reasons, really. I was just in a weird, pessimistic and unmotivated mood. So for the most part, it wasn't a very good day.

  

I woke up at a decent time, but I didn't have to go to the school today. So I sort of just… sat around. I still had residual bad feelings from yesterday about not planning ahead precisely, and not being efficient with my time.

 

I know I shouldn't beat myself up so much, and I know that there's no such thing as a "perfectly" functional adult. But I find it difficult to achieve a healthy balance between being "responsibly" critical of myself, and raking myself over the coals for every "mistake."

  

Even though I suppose I haven't really made a mistake. I just felt like I SHOULD be planning every aspect of my life better, and I SHOULD be using every moment of my time in a productive/fulfilling way.

 

Again, I know this is a cognitive error. There is no "should." And I let that inaccurate concept of "should" ruin my moments, by making myself feel tense and overwhelmed by the sheer number of options of other things I could be doing.

  

The funny thing is, instead of this bad anxious feeling motivating me to action, I have a tendency to freeze up instead and not act at all. I've found that this unhealthy mental process is at the heart of most of my procrastination--I put pressure on myself to do things a certain way or perform to a certain standard, and then the pressure feels so overwhelming that even starting a task seems difficult.

  

I could list so, so many examples of how this has manifested itself in my life: school assignments, arriving on time ANYWHERE, replying to emails or phone calls, application processes (hello, I only applied to one college and it was the night before the deadline), and also this one awful, awful time last year when I felt so much pressure to say something interesting that I essentially became mute for about an hour. I sincerely wish I was joking.

  

It happens with art. It happens with writing. It happens very often in littler ways. It sucks, and it's painful, but I'm working on it.

 

Actually, this photo project is an attempt to make me okay with not taking perfect pictures or writing perfect descriptions or uploading perfectly on time! So that helps. But it's a daily struggle, nonetheless.

  

Anyway, when I find myself overwhelmed like this, I make things much worse by procrastinating. And then I feel even WORSE about not using my time properly… while continuing to not use my time properly. It's like, the more things I feel like I should be doing, the more I can't motivate myself to do anything but waste time.

  

Of course, it really comes down to the question of "Who SAYS I'm wasting time?" And consistently answering that properly is what's truly required to reach a healthy mental process.

 

But instead of accepting this idea, loosening myself, and allowing myself to act as I wish without self-scrutiny… I feel compelled to respond in unhealthy ways. For example, by making rigid lists, budgets, schedules, "rules" and "tests" for myself. More on that later.

  

Anyway, so I languished quite terribly for the entire morning, and then showered and made lunch. I was ready to go early, and I walked to the home where the teacher lives who wanted me to give her son private lessons.

  

This was a bright spot in my bad day! I got to walk in a section of the town that I'd never really seen before, so that was interesting. And I met the two boys that I'm going to be giving lessons to, Victor and Emilio. They're both in Bachillerato, so they're older. And so my job is seriously just going to consist of speaking to them in English to help with pronunciation and fluency.

  

I didn't actually know that today was going to be a "lesson." After briefly talking about pricing with the parents, I met the boys and sat to talk with them. We seriously just talked about movies, music, video games (bonding over The Walking Dead game!), differences in youth culture between America and Spain, and random other stuff.

  

They're 17-year-old boys, so naturally they wanted to talk about 17-year-old boy stuff, like "Is college in the United States really just like American Pie?" They also wanted to know if Knife Party is just a band name or if knife parties are like, a thing… oh boy. Also whether Grand Theft Auto is how life really is in America ("If you steal a plane and get away, do the cops stop chasing you?").

  

It was an incredibly entertaining conversation, and they spoke to me totally in English, so that was good. Their mother came in eventually and was like "Okay, it's been over an hour," and just handed me the money right there, like a prostitute or something. But I'm never going to complain about quick and easy cash. I almost feel like being an English teacher is too easy, sometimes.

  

Afterwards, I decided to renew my pharmacy-seeking efforts, since today was the day that mattered in regards to refilling my birth control. I walked up Bulevar and found a pharmacy, showed my prescription to the pharmacist, and easily received the pack of pills.

  

I understand that it might seem like a personal thing to talk about getting birth control pills, but it's not something I feel uncomfortable addressing, especially because I want to explain the differences between the process in the U.S. and in Spain.

 

Also, I don't just take them FOR CONTRACEPTIVE PURPOSES. A lot of people assume that's their only use, but I used to have other symptoms that have stabilized and/or disappeared since I started taking birth control pills about 4 years ago. I would continue to take the pills for those reasons alone.

  

For example, I suspect that these bad/dramatic emotions I've been experiencing will probably subside in a couple of days as my hormones get put in their place. Crossing my fingers!

  

So yeah, my month's prescription cost me 5,95 euros. Less than 6 euros. And I say "prescription," but I suppose it would be more accurate to say "supply," since a prescription isn't required for a girl to get birth control pills here in Spain. That also means that costly appointments that keep resulting in more surprise medical bills are NOT required to renew a prescription. Also, there was no health insurance involved at all--it's just like going to the store to buy headache medicine.

  

I'm dwelling on all of this because this summer I ran into a BIG HEADACHE INDEED trying to get a month's supply of pills. Involving a routine, required appointment that cost me roughly $600 after all the separate bills, the results of which were "you should probably follow up on this because the results weren't 'definitely-not-cancer.'" Needless to say, I'm taking my chances there.

  

And on top of that, I have to pay an additional $28 each month every time I need to refill my prescription. Welcome to "not having health insurance in America"! Pah. It's the most frustrating and dehumanizing thing in the world to be told that your ability to live and be healthy is dependent upon your ability to pay inflated sums for basic care.

  

But I'm in Spain now. Which has a lovely, reasonable, efficient healthcare system. Do you realize what a relief it is to know that you don't have to apologize or be punished for having imperfect health? I was so excited when the pharmacist told me the price. I was like "THAT'S IT?? Oh my god, it's so cheap here!" He looked puzzled and then shocked when I told him the price of my prescription in America.

  

Anyway, now that we've made it past my long rant about healthcare, I happily left the pharmacy and walked home. And as these things always seem to go, I passed like 3 other pharmacies on my way back. Even though there were none to be found last night. That's life.

  

Instead of going straight home, I instead went to my usual cafe for some cinnamon tea. And this is where the part about unhealthy and rigid responses comes in. I started drawing up a strict and detailed budget, recording my recent spendings, estimating my earnings, subtracting my expenses and trying to determine what I'm left with in the end. And then trying to determine how many more private lessons I should give to get closer to my goal.

  

I don't think that was necessarily unhealthy. If I force myself to follow it rigidly and beat myself up over any deviations, that will be bad. But I'm actually kind of glad that I got a realistic look at my budget, to keep in mind at least somewhat.

  

But then it sort of snowballed and suddenly I had made an inventory of every food item in my kitchen, with stars next to the foods that are most perishable so I know to make meals with them first. And I had planned each meal for the next three days. And somehow got this idea in my head that I would plan every meal so I could shop most efficiently and use each item to its fullest potential.

  

There's nothing wrong with looking ahead and having an idea of specific meals I might want to cook in the coming days. But I don't think it's very healthy to have a specific plan for EACH EGG IN MY REFRIGERATOR. I'm not even a naturally organized person. And I like variety. And I don't always know what I'll be hungry for.

  

The healthy way to respond to feelings of "Am I using my time/money/resources as I SHOULD be?" is to say "There really isn't a way that I SHOULD do anything, and mistakes are natural. What matters is that I am operating in a way that suits me and makes me feel okay."

  

But my typical solution instead is "I SHALL PREVENT MYSELF FROM EVER MAKING ERRORS BY CREATING THIS PERFECT LIST AND PERFECT PLAN, PERFECTLY ORGANIZED AND PERFECTLY TIMED AND PERFECTLY EXECUTED AND..."

  

"Stop the music! Well ain't I human, like everybody else?"

  

(It sounds silly, but this Kinks lyric often provides a great mental axe to cut through my thoughts and stop my weird perfectionist cycles from continuing).

  

There's no realistic way to follow the sorts of rules I impose upon myself without being truly miserable and squeezing all the spontaneity and flavor out of life. So although a plan might inherently be a good thing, I have difficulty planning in a realistic and healthy way. It's either no plan because I feel too overwhelmed to act, or a disgustingly specific plan that's nearly impossible to stick to.

  

Middle ground. Gray areas. That's what I'm always seeking. That's the healthiest place to be.

  

I promise, I'm working on it. It's honestly getting better. It's just tough on days like today when the bad feelings seem to defeat the logical thought patterns.

  

Going to bed (although I went late) was the best thing for me. Sometimes days just need to be discarded, so you can start fresh and try to be better the next day.

First prototype of the DIY External Shutter. 3 srews are used to fix the shutter on the Sigma 105 mm Macrolens. The lens is covered with a rubberband to avoid scratches.

(Image 4 of a series)

 

This image shows the back of the external tank, showing where the tank connects to the orbiter.

 

Commemorating 37 years of successful tank deliveries, NASA and Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company will hold a ceremony on Thursday, July 8, at the agency's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans to rollout the final external tank for the last space shuttle flight.

 

The last external tank scheduled to fly on a shuttle mission was completed on June 25 by Lockheed Martin workers at Michoud. The tank, designated ET-138, will travel on a wheeled transporter one mile to the Michoud barge dock. It will be accompanied by the Storyville Stompers, a traditional area brass band, and hundreds of handkerchief-waving employees in typical New Orleans fashion and spirit during the ceremony. ET-138 will then travel on a 900-mile sea journey to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will support shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 launch.

 

Michoud Space Systems workers, of Lockheed Martin Corporation, Littleton, Colo., have delivered 135 flight tanks to NASA during the 25 years of flying the space shuttle.

 

Learn more:

www.nasa.gov/topics/shuttle_station/features/et138_rollou...

This picture shows the nearside exterior of the vehicle, as delivered to us. The entrance can be used as a stairway into the vehicle or can be configured as a wheelchair lift if required. The offside looked similar, but with no doorway of course.

This image is part of a series of images showing various stages of the process to assemble an external tank beginning with the early stages of welding and ending with roll out of a completed external tank to the Pegasus barge at the dock at Michoud Assembly Facility. Several graphic images show the internal and external views of the Liquid Oxygen Tank, Intertank, Liquid Hydrogen Tank and a completed external tank with thermal protection system.

 

Image credit: NASA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

                                                                                                                            

Villa Babylon,

 

State of the art luxury

 

With Feature external glass walls

 

Amazing panoramic views of the Taurus Mountains in an idyllic setting

   

Side Development one of the leading developers in the region is proud to bring to you its most exclusive and innovative project.

 

Villa Babylon sits on a 735 m2 plot nestling in the hillside of the Sarılar District of Side. Our architects have designed a very modern,contemporary development using only 25% of the available land for construction. The remaining 75% will be dedicated to fully landscaped gardens, each villa will have a modern wrap around pool, large sun terraces and many more 5 star facilities. An unobtrusive gated entrance with water features, 24 hour security means that within this corner of paradise your privacy is respected and guaranteed.

   

The Babylon lifestyle

   

After extensive research and many years of property sales and development –we are sure that the focus of this project must be to provide the highest standard of villa luxury available in this area. These unique glass villas will incorporate the following features:

 

VİLLA BABYLON

  

·Oversized master bedroom suite with dressing room and luxury bathroom

 

· 2 x twin Bedroom

 

· 1x Double Bedroom

 

· 1x Office

 

· 1 lounge

 

· 1x Raised Dining room

 

· 1x Large, open plan designer kitchen

 

· 1x Gymnasium,Sauna

 

· 4x Bathroom

 

· 1 x imposing reception area and hallway

 

· 1x Basement area –utility room –and wine cellar

 

· 1x state of the art fireplace

 

· Spacious parking area

 

· 1 Swimming pool 60 sqm2

 

· Large pool facing terrace –with second impressively sized terrace to take in the views of the Taurus mountains

 

· All floor to ceiling, feature windows are bespoke tinted , double glazed units .

 

· Solar linked under floor heating system

 

· Integral piped music systems

 

·24/7 Security with CCTV linkage

 

· Wireless internet

 

· Smart home system

 

· Centralised aircondion system

 

· Chrome and glass rails in all terraces and swimming pool areas

 

· The Total Size of Villa 412 sqm, Land size 735 sqm

 

Location

 

Villa Babylon is located in the Sarılar district of Side, just a 5 minute drive from restaurants, bars and shops of the Side Harbour and historic old town . You can stroll along the beautiful clean and sandy beaches of the Mediterranean, eat in the picturesque harbour and take in all of the culture of the historic antique Side Harbour –which is also a shopper’s paradise...

 

Stop press……..

 

The architect on this project submitted the plans and visuals for this project to the Antalya 2009/2010 design award competition and is currently on the finalist shortlist.(as at 05.08.2010)

         

Technical Specifications

   

List of Technical Specifications:

 

Building Exteriors

 

· The building will be of steel & reinforced concrete

 

· Interior and Exterior walls will be built from noise reducing bricks

   

· Exterior walls will be insulated and painted with high quality protective paint

 

· Building entrance flooring and stair wells will be granit seramic

   

· All teraceses will be fitted with ceramic tiles with marble skirting. Terace railings will be aluminium with safety perspex panels.

 

. Underfloor Water heating system with solar panels.

 

. Starting foundation,all outside walls and roof insulation.

 

.Special glass walls,double glazing,ınsulating,heat and solar controling,high light transmittance.

       

· Roof tiles will be fireproof with guttering set in concrete, 3 fold insulation / cladding for hot and cold weather and complete insulation against humidity.

  

· Drain pipes will be PVC

  

Villa Interiors:

  

· Air conditioning units (with 3 years guarantee) will be fitted in each room as standard

  

· Inner walls will be plastered & painted with satin washable paint, finished off with detailed plaster coving between walls and ceiling.

 

· High quality marble sills on all windows and teraces.

 

· High quality American panel interior doors will be used throughout.

 

Tiles & floor coverings

 

· First class ceramic tiles will be fitted to all floors.

 

· Bathrooms are fully tiled from floor to ceiling.

 

Windows and Terace doors

 

· All windows and Terace doors are aluminum double glazed for insulation & fitted with integrated shutters & fly screens.

 

· The front door is an American panel Security door constructed from steel.

 

Kitchen / Lounge

 

· The kitchen will be fitted with modern attractive luxury cabinets with granite worktop.

 

· The splashback between worktop and cupboards will be tiled in ceramic wall tiles.

 

· White goods fitted as standard are top quality from Siemens with a 3 year guarantee.

 

· Down lights will be fitted in kitchen and lounge area with dimmers.

 

Bathrooms

 

· All bathrooms will have attractive and custom designed fittings and fixtures.

 

· Bathrooms fitted with manually operated ventilation system.

 

· Modern vanity units and top quality chrome taps and fittings.

 

· Wall fitted toilet with hidden cistern.

 

· Walls and floor will be tiled with top quality ceramics.

 

· The Villa will have 4 bathrooms (1 of them ensuite).

     

Bedrooms

 

· Ensuite bathroom in Master bedroom .

     

· All bedrooms will have fitted wardrobes.

 

General

 

· Energy saver keys are fitted as standard to minimise your expenses.

 

· Smoke detectors in all properties are fitted in accordance with safety Standards.

 

· Adequate electrical sockets, satellite TV connections, telephone and PC Connections are fitted as Standard.

       

#DatoEmmanuelErwinraj

#DatoEmmanuelErwinraj`s Multilevel Marketing (MLM Meaning) success tips

Multilevel Marketing is a huge business. According to #DatoEmmanuelErwinraj, one of the most important things to ensure success in a MLM venture is to be genuine and ethical. He stresses the importance of strong character building while getting involved in this type of marketing. He lays emphasis on the need to develop a good value driven character. This he says can be attained either through one`s own efforts or by drawing inspiration through reading motivational books.

Some of the books suggested by him are ` Think and Grow Rich` by Napoleon Hill, `Rich Dad, and Poor Dad `by Robert Kiyosaki and also books by Zig Ziglar like `Born to Win`. Zig Ziglar is an American motivational speaker who has inspired thousands with exhortations to be positive and goal-oriented in order to achieve success through focused work. These books were suggested to #DatoEmmanuelErwinraj by his close friend, Vijay and it is only on reading such great books that he could change his way of thinking completely. These motivational self-help books introduced him to a new lease of life, filled him with positive thoughts, saturated him with tremendous energy, altered his thinking patterns to find success and abundance in life.

#DatoEmmanuelErwinraj didn’t stop here. He proceeded to read several more of these motivational books written by well known authors. One of the books that made him a highly moral person was `Truth Is`. These books made him do self- analysis, set goals, stay focused, do introspection, change his flaws and drawbacks, and guided him directly to a path of self mastery and ultimate victory.

Apart from character building, he also laid importance to professional appearance. He said that appearance is the first impression and this makes dressing very important.

#DatoEmmanuelErwinraj says that reading good motivational books taught him how to dress well and understand the importance of professional appearance in marketing. They also taught him how to achieve his goals. These books guided him how to groom his hair, face and what type of clothes to wear and footwear to choose in order to look best. In MLM type of business, one has to meet several new people every day. So he says, it paves way to show people good business opportunity. According to him, the right clothes during marketing help increase not only one`s own confidence but also helps increase the confidence of the potential customer in your abilities. He says that the prospective customer notices you first even before you start talking about money, success, change or growth. The customer begins to form an opinion of you even before you start the pitch. He therefore says that for salesmen, projecting the right appearance from the start is crucial. He always maintained that the `First Impression is the Last Impression`. He said to achieve that; the change should first begin from within. Even as a police officer, #DatoEmmanuelErwinraj was always honest and maintained highest standards of integrity. He also was known to have dressed impeccably adorned with good pair of shoes, well designed clothes. His dressing style was remarkable.

In MLM marketing field, #DatoEmmanuelErwinraj countered many untold challenges and struggles. As the saying of Swami Vivekananda goes ` A man without difficulties is not living at all`, M #DatoEmmanuelErwinraj faced innumerable disappointments in his marketing career that ultimately showed him the way of life and shaped him into a fine strong personality. Many times he had to face rejections from customers. Some people spoke ill of him too. It is at these moments, we have to keep our mind steadfast with unwavering faith in our abilities, unshaken by external factors says

M #DatoEmmanuelErwinraj. Such a mindset must be cultivated to see success, he emphatically says.

At the same time, one has to understand the truth `No pain, No gain`. He always advised that efforts are important to achieve one`s goals and enjoy success. Without taking efforts, victory will always remain elusive, he adds. He spent time to become fit and energetic with various exercise workouts to get a six pack body. He dedicated time and energy to achieve his fitness goals.

#DatoEmmanuelErwinraj`s success formula for life

Life is filled with ups and downs. It is not an easy path. Whatever work we do, we must excel in it, he advises. To become a millionaire, you will face obstacles. But they must be overcome with an indomitable will, guides#DatoEmmanuelErwinraj. The strong thought, `I will definitely become a millionaire ` should always be affirmed in the conscious and the sub conscious mind by constantly repeating to oneself is most vital for achievement of goals and success, he says.

His father always used to instill rich thoughts of prosperity in his mind until his last breath by telling him, `Son, you must become a millionaire`. It was his father`s positive thoughts that paved way for his success in life. He always valued his father`s words and heeded his advice in every step of his life. He understood the greatness of the wise words of his loving father, to which he faithfully abided.

Those who wish to attain a good position in life should not only work but work endlessly with untiring efforts, he says. Firstly, he guides us to ask these three questions, in other words, frame these questions in our mind. .

•What is that I want to become?

•What am I going to do to achieve this?

•What is the height I am going to reach?

For goal setting in order to become a rich person, you must fix a time frame to achieve this goal. Within how many years or months, you are going to take to achieve this goal – such thoughts should be framed in the conscious mind, he says. What type of work you are going to do in order to achieve the goal of becoming rich. He points out three steps to achieve these goals.

Short Term, Mid Term, Long Term

Take for example, he says, if you sell ten rupees pen, you are going to get two rupees as commission. So, how many pens you are going to sell in order to earn a million. This should be the question in your mind. To sell so many pens, how many years or months is it going to take?. All these questions must be in the mind and must be calculated. He tells, if you think you can`t earn a million by selling just pens, then change your job or else forget your thought of becoming a millionaire. If you have decided to earn million, you must decide how many million you want to make, whether you want to make one million or ten million. This should be clear in your mind, he advises. After setting the amount, one must draw a suitable plan and work towards the goal with hard efforts. However, goal setting must be practical and within attainable limits, he adds. You must also weigh whether your job or the kind of work you do, will help you achieve your goal.

Goals alone must stay in your mind and nothing else must dominate your mind, says#DatoEmmanuelErwinraj. Your efforts must be directed in the achievement of your goals always, he advises. Thoughts must be positive. Only then will actions become positive. Only if actions are positive and strong, can success be reaped, says the talented speaker. Every day, you must affirm to yourself, that you are going to see success, you are going to become rich, he says. He strongly advocates self- confidence in the achievement of victory. Faith in oneself, belief in the power of personal victory, enjoyment of abundance is our birthright – These are his views which he strongly believes that can take one to the path of success.

 

#DatoEmmanuelErwinraj`s Social Work

Malaysia is a Southeastern Asian country that is multiracial, with many different ethnic groups living in the country. These include Malays, Chinese, Indians, Arabs, whites and other groups. In his organization,#DatoEmmanuelErwinraj works extensively to improve the lives of people irrespective of race, color or religion. In this multiracial setup, all children are imparted knowledge and awareness on various social evils like drugs without any bias from this selfless human being, Mr. #DatoEmmanuelErwinraj. His organization is dedicated in rendering social services through education to children along with tradition and he is the founder member of such an organization.

In order to raise socially aware children, M#DatoEmmanuelErwinraj worked hard to spread awareness on human trafficking, prostitution, corruption. Besides raising awareness on such issues, he also spoke to children about history and imparted general knowledge of the world around.

His younger brother, Mr. Madurai Pillai is the head of the organization. He runs this organization through the guidance of his elder brother, M#DatoEmmanuelErwinraj. Emmanuel along with his brother and other active members toil tirelessly by giving their time, energy and money to work towards the upliftment of socially deprived downtrodden children.

 

Building Social Awareness on Prostitution

The growing evil of prostitution does not affect women alone, it extends to men too. It is not only harmful for girls, but for boys as well. In order to spread awareness of sex trafficking and prostitution, M#DatoEmmanuelErwinraj decided to start from the grassroots. In order to bring an end to child sex trafficking, he decided to educate them. The more knowledge one has about what child sex trafficking is, the better prepared and equipped one is to stop it, he felt. He understood that children need protection especially girls from predatory criminals who turn the vulnerability and desperation of their victims into big business. Girls who have no idea about what prostitution is, are easily absorbed into this business. If girls are educated on such matters, they can become empowered to handle such issues when confronted with and can save themselves from such forceful sexual exploitation, he decided. Some women are forced into such acts or abuse at some point of their lives due to the lack of such knowledge. Girls and children should be taught warning signs of sex abuse like any touching them inappropriately, talking vulgar or sexual topics, showing pornographic material, seeing them in a bad manner, expressing unusual interest in them that is not age appropriate, spending time alone with them. When girls or women are undergoing such situations and if they are aware that they are being abused, it will be an empowering for them to come out of such vicious cycle. Girls must be taught the boundaries of their interaction with a male in order to protect themselves of sexual abuse, he felt.

Apart from sex abuse in women, society faces the problem of gays among men and transgenders. Philippines has a record number of transgenders in its soil. In this country, many men get their sex changed to a female. Women too undergo change as males. The most affected by such phenomena are the young adolescents. If young children both boys and girls are given such education on sex in their early stages of learning, then they will be empowered to fight the challenges and protect themselves of any sex abuse when faced by them, he felt. If they are not made aware of such happenings, then these young adolescents will go searching for answers to their lurking questions in their mind that arises at the growing phases of their lives. As a result, many get sexually abused or assaulted at some stages of their lives, he felt. #DatoEmmanuelErwinraj sole concern is to protect children of sex abuse and create awareness on prostitution in the young children`s mind through education on such matters. He felt knowledge alone can be an empowering factor to make the children grow as socially aware beings. He on his part strived hard to create awareness on such issues among children through his social services rendered through means of education.

   

Taken with YashicaMat 124G on Kodak TMax-100 and self-developed with Rodinal

Peter Barron, Google's Director of External Relations for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, speaking at the panel discussion: Internet Freedom: Promoting Human Rights in the Digital Age.

 

In his presentation, Peter Barron made the following points:

 

"I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that we are standing at a critical crossroads in ensuring human rights and civil liberties for people around the world. And the Internet is at the centre of this discussion.

 

On the one hand, every day we see evidence of the Internet’s promise as a way to give voice to those who once were silenced. We’re seeing it in the Middle East today. Millions the world over are taking advantage of the Internet’s ability to leap borders and allow for unprecedented debate - on blogs, social networks and online video platforms. There are more than 5 billion mobile subscribers in the world today, and the mobile phone is on course to become the primary way of accessing the internet

 

On the other hand, those who want to monopolize the power to speak are increasingly concerned by the implications of this technology. The number of governments that censor the Internet in one way or another has grown to about 40, up from about 4 in 2002. More and more governments are building firewalls and cracking down on dissent in order to prevent free expression both online and offline.

 

The bad news is that this trend is likely to continue. Left to their own devices, governments will continue to construct new obstacles. But the good news is that all of us – individuals, groups, companies and governments – can work together to uphold and advance the fundamental human right to free expression. Our real challenge is to summon the political will to act.

 

Three years ago, Google joined negotiations with Microsoft, Yahoo, human rights groups and others in Europe and the United States to see if we could arrive at a code of conduct for how information technology companies could best operate to promote freedom of expression and protect the privacy of their users. The result is the Global Network Initiative.

 

This Initiative is by no means a silver bullet, but it is real progress. Members commit to standards in training and guidelines for handling cases where governments demand information about users. The GNI has also reinforced company practices of conducting human rights assessments prior to launching new products or opening new markets. But the greatest potential for the GNI is as a forum for common action -- the realization that companies and NGOs acting together can have a far more powerful impact when we act in concert rather than alone.

 

Our goal now must be to gather companies and groups from around the world to join the GNI to give it a truly global character that will further enhance its power.

 

Let me also make a special plea for European and democratically elected governments the world over to rise to this occasion. We need your help and the help of those you represent.

 

As a global community, it's our responsibility to ensure that an open, transparent and free Internet is respected and consciously preserved. "

External of building

Last month, I posted a photo of this candle on a black background, but I was unhappy with the result. I asked my friends at Compositionally Challenged what I could have done differently. James suggested I could get a better result with an external flash with soft box, angled at 45 degrees. I followed his advice and bought a budget version of the equipment. Comparing the photos side by side shows a subtle difference. On the left, with no flash, I had to do a lot of editing to achieve that result. On the right, no editing was needed AND I think it does look better.

To many users of Secondlife, mesh- assets created in external 3D modeling programs, has become an essential part of their user experience. But what if mesh never happened?

 

In Svarga, an ecosystem dating back to SL's earliest years, we can see what the world would look like. Unlike many other older, non-mesh simulators, there are also ZERO laggy sculpts. Everything you see around my avatar, including the bee, is 100% made from in world tools. Prims! Additionally, all textures are 512 or smaller.

 

Most astonishingly, every living thing in the simulator is actually *alive*. Scripted herbivores munch on grass, and carnivores eat the herbivores. Flowers and trees release seeds, and weeds bob on the water. Despite this incredible dedication to a life like scripted ecology, there was zero lag even at the highest graphic levels my system could handle.

 

Want to perfect optimizing your content for Secondlife? Head to Svarga, and study how they did it without modern tools.

Wild Prawn Café Terrace dining

stratified squamous epithelium

Topview of my Nikon D50 camerasetup with external DIY shutter. This shutter is made from an old harddisk voicecoil. The shutter and flash is triggered by a PIC 12F675 controller. A single RED Lasermodule / Phototransistor is used as object detector.

External

A space police version of sorvven with a few internal and external improvements.

This was the first of two surgeries. its meant to stabilize the bones more effectively than the simple splint i've had for the past week, so that the tissue that had been damaged by the breaking bone can heal enough that they can put in a plate and some screws.

 

surgery was without incident as far as i know, but recovery has been tough. i spent four hours in the recovery room trying to stabilize a high fever and trying various pain meds before they put in a dilaudid pump and let me apply medication myself as needed. i've had a hard time sleeping at all since then so now i'm very tired, plus still trying to get over the mild fever that won't go away.

 

                                                                                                                            

Villa Babylon,

 

State of the art luxury

 

With Feature external glass walls

 

Amazing panoramic views of the Taurus Mountains in an idyllic setting

   

Side Development one of the leading developers in the region is proud to bring to you its most exclusive and innovative project.

 

Villa Babylon sits on a 735 m2 plot nestling in the hillside of the Sarılar District of Side. Our architects have designed a very modern,contemporary development using only 25% of the available land for construction. The remaining 75% will be dedicated to fully landscaped gardens, each villa will have a modern wrap around pool, large sun terraces and many more 5 star facilities. An unobtrusive gated entrance with water features, 24 hour security means that within this corner of paradise your privacy is respected and guaranteed.

   

The Babylon lifestyle

   

After extensive research and many years of property sales and development –we are sure that the focus of this project must be to provide the highest standard of villa luxury available in this area. These unique glass villas will incorporate the following features:

 

VİLLA BABYLON

  

·Oversized master bedroom suite with dressing room and luxury bathroom

 

· 2 x twin Bedroom

 

· 1x Double Bedroom

 

· 1x Office

 

· 1 lounge

 

· 1x Raised Dining room

 

· 1x Large, open plan designer kitchen

 

· 1x Gymnasium,Sauna

 

· 4x Bathroom

 

· 1 x imposing reception area and hallway

 

· 1x Basement area –utility room –and wine cellar

 

· 1x state of the art fireplace

 

· Spacious parking area

 

· 1 Swimming pool 60 sqm2

 

· Large pool facing terrace –with second impressively sized terrace to take in the views of the Taurus mountains

 

· All floor to ceiling, feature windows are bespoke tinted , double glazed units .

 

· Solar linked under floor heating system

 

· Integral piped music systems

 

·24/7 Security with CCTV linkage

 

· Wireless internet

 

· Smart home system

 

· Centralised aircondion system

 

· Chrome and glass rails in all terraces and swimming pool areas

 

· The Total Size of Villa 412 sqm, Land size 735 sqm

 

Location

 

Villa Babylon is located in the Sarılar district of Side, just a 5 minute drive from restaurants, bars and shops of the Side Harbour and historic old town . You can stroll along the beautiful clean and sandy beaches of the Mediterranean, eat in the picturesque harbour and take in all of the culture of the historic antique Side Harbour –which is also a shopper’s paradise...

 

Stop press……..

 

The architect on this project submitted the plans and visuals for this project to the Antalya 2009/2010 design award competition and is currently on the finalist shortlist.(as at 05.08.2010)

         

Technical Specifications

   

List of Technical Specifications:

 

Building Exteriors

 

· The building will be of steel & reinforced concrete

 

· Interior and Exterior walls will be built from noise reducing bricks

   

· Exterior walls will be insulated and painted with high quality protective paint

 

· Building entrance flooring and stair wells will be granit seramic

   

· All teraceses will be fitted with ceramic tiles with marble skirting. Terace railings will be aluminium with safety perspex panels.

 

. Underfloor Water heating system with solar panels.

 

. Starting foundation,all outside walls and roof insulation.

 

.Special glass walls,double glazing,ınsulating,heat and solar controling,high light transmittance.

       

· Roof tiles will be fireproof with guttering set in concrete, 3 fold insulation / cladding for hot and cold weather and complete insulation against humidity.

  

· Drain pipes will be PVC

  

Villa Interiors:

  

· Air conditioning units (with 3 years guarantee) will be fitted in each room as standard

  

· Inner walls will be plastered & painted with satin washable paint, finished off with detailed plaster coving between walls and ceiling.

 

· High quality marble sills on all windows and teraces.

 

· High quality American panel interior doors will be used throughout.

 

Tiles & floor coverings

 

· First class ceramic tiles will be fitted to all floors.

 

· Bathrooms are fully tiled from floor to ceiling.

 

Windows and Terace doors

 

· All windows and Terace doors are aluminum double glazed for insulation & fitted with integrated shutters & fly screens.

 

· The front door is an American panel Security door constructed from steel.

 

Kitchen / Lounge

 

· The kitchen will be fitted with modern attractive luxury cabinets with granite worktop.

 

· The splashback between worktop and cupboards will be tiled in ceramic wall tiles.

 

· White goods fitted as standard are top quality from Siemens with a 3 year guarantee.

 

· Down lights will be fitted in kitchen and lounge area with dimmers.

 

Bathrooms

 

· All bathrooms will have attractive and custom designed fittings and fixtures.

 

· Bathrooms fitted with manually operated ventilation system.

 

· Modern vanity units and top quality chrome taps and fittings.

 

· Wall fitted toilet with hidden cistern.

 

· Walls and floor will be tiled with top quality ceramics.

 

· The Villa will have 4 bathrooms (1 of them ensuite).

     

Bedrooms

 

· Ensuite bathroom in Master bedroom .

     

· All bedrooms will have fitted wardrobes.

 

General

 

· Energy saver keys are fitted as standard to minimise your expenses.

 

· Smoke detectors in all properties are fitted in accordance with safety Standards.

 

· Adequate electrical sockets, satellite TV connections, telephone and PC Connections are fitted as Standard.

       

External of The Emirates Stadium

I copy all my photographs to two external hard drives as well as leaving them on the computer's internal hard drive.

External Affairs Minister Humza Yousaf with Humeera Qayoom from Kashmir, who was supported through the Scottish Government's International Development Fund towards setting up her own handicrafts business.

 

Frame:*SURLY* cross check

Headset:*WHITE INDUSTRIES* external headset

Rim:*H PLUS SON* archetype rim

Tire:*TERAVAIL* cannonball tire

Handle:*NITTO* m137 dirt drop bar

Stem:*THOMSON* elite X4

Brake lever:*CANE CREEK* drop V brake levers

Brake:*TRP* CX8.4 mini V brake set

Saddle:*WTB* silverado race saddle BL special

Seatpost:*NITTO* 65

Chainring:*WOLF TOOTH COMPONENTS* drop stop chainring

Pedal:*MKS* sylvan gordito

I passed this castle back in the summer of 2020, I could see the ruins though through large flourishing trees covered in lush greenery, I re-visited Saturday 21st November 2020 on a magnificent Autumn day, offering

better opportunity to capture this magnificent ruin.

 

The first mention of Esslemont is as the 'manor of Eislemont' in the 14th century.

 

The lands of Esslemont were passed by marriage from the family of Mareschal by marriage of the heiress Janet to Francis le Chen of Straloch in the 14th century.

After the castle was burnt in 1493, Henry Cheyne undertook re-building via a king's licence dated 1500. In 1564 Patrick Cheyne was created baron of Esslemont by Queen Mary, who stayed here during her campaign against the Earl of Huntly, and a fortalice and tower were recorded in 1575–6.

 

The castle was then destroyed as the result of a feud between the Cheynes and the Hays.

 

The name of the lands, now as "Essilmounthe", appears in Scottish records in 1609.

 

The castle ceased to be regularly occupied in 1625, when the estate passed to the Errol family. In 1728 it became the property of Robert Gordon and may have been partially occupied till 1769, when the existing mansion, Esslemont House, was erected in its vicinity.

 

In 1938 excavations within the enclosure revealed the lower courses of the earlier castle, a massive, L-shaped towerhouse with walls 6–7 feet (1.8–2.1 m) thick and 6 feet (1.8 m) maximum height. There had been a curtain wall 4 feet (1.2 m) thick. The surrounding ditch may date from the 14th century.

 

Finds from the excavation included 14/15th century potsherds, a medallion, and a worn shilling of William III.

  

In 1938 excavations within the enclosure revealed the lower courses of the earlier castle, a massive, L-shaped towerhouse with walls 6–7 feet (1.8–2.1 m) thick and 6 feet (1.8 m) maximum height. There had been a curtain wall 4 feet (1.2 m) thick. The surrounding ditch may date from the 14th century. Finds from the excavation included 14/15th century potsherds, a medallion, and a worn shilling of William III.

 

The castle is roofless and missing large sections of wall which were reused in building sites nearby. Especially noticeable are the missing dressed stones of the windows.

 

The structure is a L Plan castle with a staircase turret and a round tower at the south east angle. The main building seems on the ground floor to have contained the kitchen, with a wide fireplace in the north gable; the rugged edges of the ruined sides of the flue being visible high up in the gable.

 

Though ruined, the remains are clearly on three stories. The Gordon Arms are visible on the exterior of the castle.

 

Despite standing close beside the road, Esslemont castle is easily missed by motorists looking for a last opportunity to get past two cars and a van before reaching the confines of Ellon's 30mph speed limit! It stands on the north side of the A920 largely hidden by trees, about two miles west of Ellon, in the grounds of Esslemont House - for long the seat of the Wolridge-Gordon family.

 

The building is a variation of the L-plan, with a main block orientated north / south, and a wing extending west (to the left in this photo) from the south end of the main block (parallel with the main road). There was a stair tower in the re-entrant angle on the North West side, and a large round tower, corbelled out to the square at the top, on the outside angle of the L to the south east. The remains of the kitchen chimney flue can also still be traced. The building would have been three storeys and an attic high.

 

This shows the gable of the south end of the main block, with the scant remains of the west wing's stonework to the left, and the round tower on the external angle of the L to the right. The way the round tower is corbelled out to the square at the top, no doubt to form a watch chamber, is reminiscent of Claypotts castle in Dundee. The Wolridge-Gordons must have stabilised the ruins some time back, which would explain the condition of the pointing, which one would expect to be in much worse condition on a castle in this state. The windows in this south gable, as elsewhere in the main block, are rather larger than usual, which might be the result of the castle's dressed stone, including the window surrounds, being taken away for use in other buildings.

 

This crest in the south wall shows beyond doubt that Esslemont Castle has been a Gordon property. It shows three boars heads at the bottom, the Gordon motto "Bydand", meaning steadfast, at the top, and in the centre a stag's head above a crown. Despite this, the castle was not built by the Gordons. It was erected by Henry Cheyne of Straloch under a license dated 1500, and was only regularly lived in for about a century.

 

The previous castle on this site was destroyed as the result of a feud between the Cheynes of Esslemont and the Hays of Ardendracht in 1493 - not the building we see today. Following this event the Privy Council decreed that the Hays should pay 20 pounds compensation to the Cheynes, and no doubt making best possible use of this handsome sum, the Cheynes erected the building we see today, although probably not until nearly a century later. (There are features of the castle's design that date it to the period 1570 to 1590)

 

In 1938 the site of Esslemont Castle was excavated and a considerable amount was discovered, most of which has now vanished back under the undergrowth again. For a start, the foundations of a second castle were discovered a short distance to the west of the present structure. This too was an L-plan castle, and it sat in the middle of a five sided courtyard, which had round towers on all the corners, 19ft in diameter. The round tower of the present castle (see here) sits on the foundations of the easternmost tower of this curtain wall ("wall of enceinte"), and the site of another tower is now under the main road. The report on the excavation of this older castle states that "Traces of fire were abundantly present in and around the tower house", which proves that this was the castle burned down by the Hays, and not the structure we see today. Around the outside of the wall of enceinte there was also a ditch.

 

The existing castle was built by the Cheynes, probably between 1570 and 1590, and was no doubt built using the stones of its predecessor.

 

During the religious troubles of Reformation period it became the property of George Jamesone, a famous painter, who died in 1644.

 

In 1646 it was occupied by a party of Covenanters, but a party from the Royalist garrison at Fyvie castle, under the command of Capt. Blackater attacked Esslemont and drove the Covenanters off "killing thirty six of them, and brought away their horses and arms, with such other stuff as they had".

 

The Earls of Erroll, who had acquired the estate after Jamesone's death, sold it in 1728 to Robert Gordon of Hallhead (near Alford), with whose descendants it remains to this day.

 

1493 ~ Esslemont Castle is attacked and burnt by the Hays of Ardendracht. They are later fined by The Privy Council £20 for the destruction they caused.

 

1500 ~ The Cheynes receive a licence to crenellate a part of their repairs.

 

1564 ~ Mary, Queen of Scots is entertained at the castle.

 

1570 ~ A new two-storey L-plan Tower House is built in a corner of the existing castle with one of the round towers of the curtain wall incorporated into its Tower House. Stone from the original castle is used in its construction.

 

1625 ~ The castle passes to the Errol family but, as they had other residences, Esslemont is neglected.

 

1646 ~ Esslemont is briefly occupied by Covenanter forces but they are driven off by the pro-Royalist forces from Fyvie Castle, "killing thirty six of them, and brought away their horses and arms, with such other stuff as they had"

 

1728 ~ The castle is sold to Robert Gordon and continues to be used as an occasional residence until Esslemont House was built forty years later, thereafter falling into ruin

Esslemont Castle was originally an enclosure castle until being turned into a three storey L-shaped Tower House.

 

It is situated very close to the A920, almost hidden by trees.

 

This crest in the south wall shows that Esslemont Castle was once a Gordon property.

 

There is still plenty of the castle that remains to explore, including extensive foundations of a bakery, brewhouse and stables that lay hidden beneath the undergrowth.

 

Two Seagates and a Western Digital, the Seagates are 500 GB and the WD is 1 TB, all are 2.5" and USB-powered

External Battery Light

pipes on atlantic avenue