View allAll Photos Tagged Existence
The Buses of Scotland - Greater Glasgow Passenger Transport Executive
Seen here is AV1 (GGG300N), one of three pre-production Ailsas which has been preserved and repainted in the bright livery of the erstwhile Greater Glasgow Passenger Transport Executive (GGPTE).
GFPTE was created in 1972 but didn’t start officially until the following year and was Scotland’s first (and indeed only) PTE but the fifth overall in the UK. It was formed to coordinate public transport within Greater Glasgow and the Clyde Valley. Unlike other PTE’s, which came into existence to combine various municipal fleets scattered around the area into one bigger fleet, only the Glasgow Corporation Transport bus fleet was taken over at its formation although unlike the other PTEs, it also assumed responsibility for the Glasgow Subway. On top of that it took over responsibilities for providing and funding rail services within its area. A not very well known fact is that the rail network in and around Glasgow is the most extensive local rail network outside London.
At the outset it decided that a new bus livery was a priority, to stamp its mark on the city’s fleet. Many different and radical schemes were considered - indeed its believed its first Director General wanted a blue based scheme - but the scheme eventually settled is that seen here. It was a very bright livery and to my mind probably the best ever worn by Glasgow’s Buses. However in a city bedevilled sadly by the scourge of sectarianism, hackles were raised by some to its similarities to the flag of the Irish Republic.
The livery was first shown to the public in the middle of 1973 and later the PTE’s logo, an arrow shaped GG was added. This logo would also appear - eventually - on the newly modernised Subway trains and also on the sides of trains, where the PTE supported routes run by British Rail.
GGPTE continued with the Corporation’s preference of Leyland Atlanteans for the fleet and even went as far to design a standard body design with Alexander’s for the Atlantean. This incorporated a single door, large panoramic windows and an updated interior. It was later discovered that these large windows weren’t suited to the Atlanteans but they did look good. However, like other operators, they shared misgivings about Leyland’s stranglehold on the UK market and bought two batches of MCW Metropolitans which were seen as a more futuristic design. Sadly, these buses suffered from premature corrosion are were withdrawn after less than ten years. A more successful purchase was the Volvo Ailsa. Initially the plan was that the PTE would purchase ten pre-production examples but it was later scaled back to just three. Despite this, the model, although a bit more simplistic compared to the Atlantean, they settled down to provide a good reliable service. However, a changing in chief engineer saw a decision made to stick with the Atlantean and make the most of a standardised fleet.
In 1975, Strathclyde Regional Council was formed and the PTE became its public transport arm. This extended the PTE’s influence well beyond its original area, as far south as Girvan and Moffat, north to almost Oban, West to the Clyde Coast islands and Ardshaig and east as far as Harthill and Shotts. n 1980 the PTE officially became known as Strathclyde PTE.
The grandiose vision which accompanied the PTE’s creation was sadly never achieved, namely an integrated transport service like in Continental Europe. Mainly, this failure was on the bus side, as the Scottish Bus Group (SBG), which provided most of the services outside the big Scottish cities, saw the PTE as a threat. Cooperation was very limited and despite the PTE’s desire to have all its buses painted in a common livery within the PTE’s designated area - like that in Tyneside - and having the GG logo accommodated into its fleetnames, SBG was having none of it. The closest it came to accommodating the PTE was to have little blue ‘Trans-Clyde’ stickers applied to windows at the front of its buses, to mark the launch of that brand. Where they appeared exactly on individual vehicles depended on the initiative of cleaners at SBG’s garages.
That’s not to say that all the PTE did was bad. It rescued Glasgow’s bus fleet from impending collapse under the Corporation, it oversaw the creation of the Argyle Line in cooperation with British Rail and modernised the Subway, albeit at considerable cost. It also modernised and standardised the city’s bus fleet to an extent not seen before and unlikely to be seen again. It introduced better and customer focused services. Some worked, some didn’t. But it also removed the worst of the Corporation’s practices and linked up services in the city centre. This had the benefit of saving buses as less were laying over in the City Centre. Some changes were painful, garages closed and services were cut but it laid the foundations for a leaner, better company.
It introduced a City Tour, a coach hire fleet and brought single-deckers back. But possibly the biggest change - and indeed a change that carries forward to this very day - was the introduction of an exact fare system.
With the opening of the Argyle Line in 1979, Trans-Clyde logos were added to buses, trains and the subway either beside or underneath the GG logo. However in 1980, the green/white/yellow livery began to be phased out and the GG logos began to be removed, as the PTE began to trade as SPTE. A new bus livery of green/yellow/black was adopted, although it took until 1984 for the last bus in the original PTE livery to disappear. By this stage the orange/black of Strathclyde Transport was already making its mark.
Although only around for just over a decade, the GGPTE livery is one fondly recalled by many Glaswegians. Indeed, it was, in my humble opinion, the best livery work by Glasgow’s buses.
The fabric of our reality is tearing, a rift is opening...
...or maybe just a wildly burning flare at the local petrol refinery?
Quorn.
The first European squatters and pastoralists arrived in the Quorn area in the 1850s but the town did not come into existence until 1875. It was named after Quorn in Leicestershire by Governor Jervois whose private secretary came from there. South Australian Railways chose the site for the town of Quorn and in 1878 the government sold the first blocks of land. In 1879 Quorn became the first terminus of the Great Northern Railway line from Port Augusta. The current station with its charming Dutch gables was built in 1916. However Quorn’s greatest period of importance as a railway centre was between 1917 and 1937 when it was the junction for both the western line to Perth and the northern line to Oodnadatta and Alice Springs. This importance continued during World War II when over 400 people in the town were employed by the railways as it was a major troop stop over point with the Country Women’s Association providing over 1 million meals to the servicemen. The establishment of a new standard gauge railway to Marree and the Leigh Creek coal fields west of the Flinders Ranges in 1956 saw the town decline. The various hotels in the main street located to service the needs of travelling rail passengers then became a movie set for several films including: The Sundowners, Sunday Too Far Away, Robbery under Arms, The Shiralee and more recently Gallipoli.
Quorn’s early development was similar to that of many SA towns. One of the first structures (1878) was a flour mill for the wheat farmers built by Mr Cowan. Mr Dunn the wealthy flour miller of Mt Barker built a second three storied flour mill in 1879. It was converted to a motel in the 1960s and is now a backpacker’s accommodation centre. Other early buildings were the Austral Hotel (1878), where many of us will stay, and the Criterion Hotel built in 1881 and the Transcontinental Hotel in 1878. The first National Bank opened in 1878, along with the Post Office, the Court House (1879) and Matthews Emporium (1886). The first church in town was a Methodist Church in 1880, followed by the Anglican (1880 replaced in 1897), Catholic (1883), the Salvation Army Hall in 1884(now a gallery) and the Lutheran Church in 1890. Three years after its founding, Quorn had a population of 540 and was the 19th largest town north of Adelaide! A reservoir was made for the railways and the town. Other important public town buildings were the Institute (1881) and the Town Hall (1907). A school started soon after the founding of the town and in 1909 it became a Higher Primary School and then in 1914 it became a High School. It was the first high school in the north of SA. Quorn grew in importance once the railway was extended from Quorn through to Oodnadatta in 1891.
Colebrook Home in Quorn was established by the Australian Aborigines Mission. It began as a children’s home for Aboriginals in Oodnadatta in 1926 .In 1927 the home moved to Quorn with 12 children in residence. In 1933 the Mission got a new house, 2 miles outside Quorn and in 1935 the 30 resident children were sent to Magill for the summer holidays. This practice continued until 1940 when the children spent the summer holidays at Eden Hills. Following this, the Mission established Colebrook Children’s Home at Eden Hills. Among the children raised at Colebrook were prominent Aboriginal leaders in SA -Lowitcha O’Donoghue, Faith Thomas, Ruby Ahchee( Hammond).
Created for We're here visiting Double Indemnity
The Dumb Waiter is a one-act play by Harold Pinter written in 1957. It combines the classic characteristics of early Pinter – a paucity of information and an atmosphere of menace, working-class small-talk in a claustrophobic setting – with an oblique but palpable political edge and, in so doing, can be seen as containing the germ of Pinter's entire dramatic oeuvre.
Two hit-men, Ben and Gus, are waiting in a basement room for their assignment. As the play begins, Ben, the senior member of the team, is reading a newspaper, and Gus, the junior member, is tying his shoes. Gus asks Ben many questions as he gets ready for their job and tries to make tea. They argue over the semantics of "light the kettle" and "put on the kettle". Ben continues reading his paper for most of the time, occasionally reading excerpts of it to Gus. Ben gets increasingly animated, and Gus's questions become more pointed, at times nearly nonsensical.
In the back of the room is a dumbwaiter, which delivers occasional food orders. This is mysterious and both characters seem to be puzzled why these orders keep coming. At one point they send up some snack food that Gus had brought along. Ben has to explain to the people above via the dumbwaiter's "speaking tube" that there is no food. This whole sequence is rather odd because the basement is clearly not outfitted for fulfilment of the orders.
Gus leaves the room to get a drink of water in the bathroom, and the dumbwaiter's speaking tube whistles (a sign that there is a person on the other end who wishes to communicate). Ben listens carefully—we gather from his replies that their victim has arrived and is on his way to the room. Ben shouts for Gus, who is still out of the room. The door that the target is supposed to enter from flies open, Ben rounds on it with his gun, and Gus enters, stripped of his jacket, waistcoat, tie and gun. There is a long silence as the two stare at each other before the curtain comes down (the implication is that Gus is the person that Ben has been employed to kill).
In the theatre, the emotional power of the play is more readily felt than understood. Pinter "created his own theatrical grammar – he didn't merely write characters that had an emotional response to something... But instead, through his characters' interactions and phrasings, Pinter seemed to conjure the very visceral emotion itself.
The dumb waiter of the title refers to the serving hatch and food lift that delivers orders to the gunmen. It could also refer to Gus, who fails to realise that he is waiting to be the victim, or even to Ben, whose obedience to a higher authority eventually forces him to eliminate his partner.
Although the play is realistic in many ways, particularly the dialogue between Ben and Gus, there are also elements that are unexplained and seemingly absurd, particularly the messages delivered by the dumb waiter itself, and the delivery of an envelope containing twelve matchsticks. Pinter is notable for leaving the plays open to interpretation, "wanting his audience to complete his plays, to resolve in their own ways these irresolvable matters". Pinter stated that "between my lack of biographical data about [the characters] and the ambiguity of what they say lies a territory which is not only worthy of exploration but which it is compulsory to explore".
One interpretation is that the play is an absurdist comedy about two men waiting in a universe without meaning or purpose, like Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot. "The Dumb Waiter.... achieves, through its unique blend of absurdity, farce, and surface realism, a profoundly moving statement about the modern human condition".
Another interpretation is that the play is a political drama showing how the individual is destroyed by a higher power. "Each of Harold Pinter's [first] four plays ends in the virtual annihilation of an individual.... It is by his bitter dramas of dehumanisation that he implies "the importance of humanity". The religion and society, which have traditionally structured human morality, are, in Pinter's plays, the immoral agents that destroy the individual." Pinter supported the interpretation of The Birthday Party and The Dumb Waiter as "political plays about power and victimisation".
Overall, "it makes much more sense if seen as a play about the dynamics of power and the nature of partnership. Ben and Gus are both victims of some unseen authority and a surrogate married couple quarrelling, testing, talking past each other and raking over old times". It is "a strongly political play about the way a hierarchical society, in pitting the rebel against the conformist, places both at its mercy", but at the same time "a deeply personal play about the destructiveness of betrayal".
"For an audience to gaze into Ben and Gus' closed basement room and overhear their everyday prattle is to gain insight into the terrifying vision of the dominant-subservient battle for power, a battle in which societies and individuals engage as a part of daily existence".
“Existence has greater depths of beauty, mystery, and benediction than the wildest visionary has ever dared to dream.” -- Frederick Buechner
Still in the seventies, the reddish giant sun Aldebaran, a so-called "red giant", as the astrophysical expression for it is called, with a mass of at least 2.5 times the mass of our own sun, with which, according to astrophysical calculations, Aldebaran was only granted an age of about 800 million years at best, according to astronomical reference works and tables,which practically excluded the existence of inhabitable planets, because only from 1.5 masses of sun can a sun remain stable for at least 2.5 billion years and exist altogether as sun for about 3.0 billion years, thus just long enough to enable the formation of one or some earth-like planets with at least primitive life forms on it.Only from the mid-1980s did Aldebaran appear in corresponding technical literature with around 1.15 solar masses, giving this sun at least a total age of around 6 billion years, of which the last 100 to 500 million years were from a stable "main sequence star" of spectral type F6,a yellow sun that was somewhat brighter than ours (our sun is an approximately 5 billion year old main sequence star, luminosity class 7, spectral type G2, which could remain stable for an estimated 3 billion years), expanded and became a "red giant" with the current spectrum K5. In Christmas 1943 the probably last big joint meeting of the Vril Society and Thule Society took place. The scene was the romantic beach castle in the German Baltic seaside resort of Kolberg.
Here, Thule and Vril people from all directions should have gathered once again.Maria Orschitsch and a new medium of the Vril Society, Sigrun F., discovered by Maria Orschitsch, were also present (with respect to living relatives we do not mention the full name of Sigrun here).These two women should soon have played a leading role in this meeting.But for the time being - and we can only assume this - the war situation will have been discussed; and we can assume that in that circle, which included widely travelled world connoisseurs, little illusions will have reigned over the overall situation.The threat posed to Germany and its few allies by an enormous superiority in terms of numbers was as obvious as the increasing problem of raw materials.It was clear that Germany was facing a merciless destruction like that of Carthage, if not the very last possibilities could be exhausted to counter this intention of the Allies.The difficulties in preparing the UFOs for combat will also have been discussed.For as soon as the ("UFO" had built up its own "field", it was virtually invulnerable to attacks from outside - but just as enemy projectiles could not break through the field from outside, so the conventional weapons could not be used from inside to outside.Neither bomb drops nor gunfire were possible, because the propulsion was reduced to such an extent that not only the flight characteristics became unattractive, but also the sensitivity to bombardment existed.And the "power-jet guns" provided by the SS-E-IV, the details of which are little known, were not yet ready for use. The unconventional technology had hardly anything to offer at that time, which could have been thrown directly into the fights as a weapon. In this overall situation, the "Aldebaran perspective" came into play.In the media (so it is said) concrete connections had been established with the distant but powerful "Summi" empire of Aldebaran.And the Vril people were working at an advanced stage on a spaceship that would be "dimension channel capable" - that is, the distance to Aldebaran, which would be relatively easy and fast to cover for about 68 light years...In everything we recognise two principles that determine events: light and darkness, good and evil, creation and destruction -- as in electricity we know plus and minus. It is always: either - or."These two principles - the creative and the destructive - also determine our technical means...Everything destructive is of Satanic origin, everything creative is divine... Every technology based upon explosion or combustion has thus to be called Satanic. The coming new age will be an age of a new, positive, divine technology!..." Dr. Schumann (from SS archives). The Vril Society known as “The All German Society for Metaphysics “was formed in 1921 to explore the origins of the Aryan race. The Society allegedly taught concentration exercises designed to awaken the forces of Vril, a shaakti sexual energy force strongest in women with long hair that fed magnetic energy from the earth to the brain. Male members of the Vril Society are said to have included Adolf Hitler, Alfred Rosenberg, Heinrich Himmler, Hermann Goering, and Hitler’s personal physician, Dr. Theodor Morell. They were original members of the Thule Society which supposedly joined Vril in 1919. The NSDAP (Nazi Party) was created by Thule in 1920, one year later. Dr. Krohn, who created the Nazi flag, was also a Thulist. Maria Orsic, aka Maria Orsitsch, Marija Orsitsch, Marija Oršić - but mostly written simply as Maria Orsic. She was a famous occult medium who later became the leader of the Vril Gesellschaft - or Vril Society ... She was born in Vienna, Austria. Her father was a Croatian from Zagreb, her mother was from Vienna. Maria soon followed into the popular German nationalist movement which was popular at this time - the main goal of the movement was to annex Austria with the German Reich. In 1917 the occultist Karl Haushofer, Baron Rudolf von Sebottendorf, the WWI ace pilot Lothar Waiz, prelate Gernot of the secret “Societas Templi Marcioni” (The Inheritors of the Knights Templar) and Maria Orsic, the well known beautiful transcendental medium from Zagreb, met in Schopenhauer café in Vienna. They all had extensively studied the Golden Dawn, its teachings, rituals and especially its knowledge about Asian secret lodges. Sebottendorf and Haushofer were experienced travelers of India and Tibet and much influenced by the teachings and myths of those places. During the First World War, Karl Haushofer had made contacts with one of the most influential secret societies of Asia, the Tibetan “Yellow Hats” (dGe-lugs-pa). The contacts between Haushofer and the Yellow Hats led in the Twenties to the formation of Tibetan colonies in Germany. The four young people hoped that during these meeting in Vienna they would learn something about the secret revelatory texts of the Knights Templar and also about the secret fraternity Die Herren vom schwarzen Stein (“The Lords of the Black Stone”). Prelate Gernot was on of the “Inheritors of the Knights Templar”, which are the only true Templar society. They are the descendants of the Templars of 1307 who passed on their secrets from father to son – until today. Prelate Gernot apparently told them about the advent of a new age – the change-over from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius. In December 1919 a members of Thule, Vril and DHvSS (Die Herren vom schwarzen Stein - The Lords of the Black Stone) rented a small forester’s lodge in the vicinity of Berchtesgaden (Germany) where they met, accompanied by Maria Orsic and another medium who was only known as Sigrun. Maria claimed to have received mediumistically transmissions in a secret German Templar script - a language unknown to her - containing technical data for the construction of a flying machine. Vril documents discovered after WWII, mention these telepathic messages, which had their origin in Aldebaran, a solar system 68 light-years away in the constellation Taurus. Supposedly the documents state that she had two piles of papers: one with the Templar script, the other with a legible writing. Maria suspected the second pile would be written in an ancient eastern language and therefore she could be aided by the “Panbabylonists”, a circle close to the Thule society which was integrated by Hugo Winckler, Peter Jensen, Friedrich Delitzsch and others. It turned out that the apparently mysterious language was actually ancient Sumerian and hence the language of the ancient Babylonian culture founders. Sigrun, from the Vril gesellschaft helped translate the language and decipher the strange mental images of a circular flight machine. The concept of “other science” (or “alternative science”) matured in this time and the following years. Because of the financing difficulties it took three years until the flying machine project started taking shape. By 1922, parts for the machine began arriving independently from various industrial sources paid in full by Thule and Vril. While in Munich, Maria was in contact with the Thule Gesellschaft and soon she created her own cult 'circle' together with Traute A. from Munich and several other mediums: the “Alldeutsche Gesellschaft für Metaphysik”, official name of the Vril Gesellschaft. All of them were young educated ladies, highly opinionated on politics, among other things they were against the rising fashion of short hair-styles for women ... Both Maria and Traute A. were beautiful ladies with very long hair - Maria was blonde and Traute A. was a brunette. They both had long horse tails, a very uncommon hairstyle at that time. This became a distinctive characteristic in all the women who integrated into Vril - which was maintained until May 1945. They believed that their long hair acted as cosmic antennae to receive alien communication from beyond. In public, however, they hardly ever exhibited the hair in horse tail style. For identification, Vril members (also called “Vrilerinnen”) wore a disk which represented the two leading mediums: Marija Oršić and Sigrun. In late November 1924 Maria Orsic visited Rudolf Hess in his apartment in Munich, together with Rudolf von Sebottendorf, the founder of the Thule Gesellschaft. Sebottendorf wanted to contact Dietrich Eckart, who had deceased one year before. Eckert had translated Ibsen’s plays into German and had published the magazine “Auf gut Deutsch”; he had also been a member of the Thule Gesellschaft. To establish contact with Eckart, Sebottendorff and other Thulists (amongst them Ernst Schulte-Strathauss) joined hands around a black-draped table. Hess was irritated to watch Maria Orsic’s eyeballs rolling back and showing only whites, and to see her slumping backward in her chair, mouth agape. However Sebottendorff smiled in satisfaction as the voice of Eckart started coming out of the medium. Eckart announced that he was obliged to let someone else’s voice come through, with an important message. A weird voice then identified itself as “the Sumi, dwellers of a distant world, which orbits the star Aldebaran in the constellation you call Taurus the Bull”. Hess and Schulte-Strathaus blinked at each other in surprise. According to the voice, the Sumi were an humanoid race who had briefly colonized Earth 500 million years ago. The ruins of ancient Larsa, Shurrupak and Nippur in Iraq had been built by them. Those of them who survived the great flood of Ut-napishtim (the Deluge of Noah’s Ark) had become the ancestors of the Aryan race. Sebottendorff remained skeptical and asked for proof. While Maria was still in a trance, she scribbled several lines of queer-looking marks. Those marks turned out to be ancient Summerian characters, the language of the founders of the oldest Babylonian culture. In December 1943 Maria attended, together with Sigrun, a meeting held by Vril at the seaside resort of Kolberg. The main purpose of the meeting was to deal with the “Aldebaran project”. The Vril mediums had received precise information regarding the habitable planets around the sun Aldebaran and they were willing to plan a trip there. This project was discussed again the 22nd January 1944 in a meeting between Hitler, Himmler, Dr. W. Schumann (scientist and professor in the Technical University of Munich) and Kunkel of the Vril Gesellschaft. It was decided that a Vril 7 “Jäger” would be sent through a dimension channel independent of the speed of light to Aldebaran. According to N. Ratthofer (writer), a first test flight in the dimension channel took place in late 1944. Maria Oršić was more beautiful than any Hollywood star at that time ... Leslie Elwood Brooks says: "Oršić’s daughter is probably Yolanda Raffa (her married name). It is documented that Maria's father was from Zagreb and her mother was from Vienna - and so was the mother of her patron, Franziske Romana Oettingen. There may have been family connections, at least there probably were in Vienna. Franziske Romana, who donated the diamond tiara to help finance the original Vril Society, was born near Munich on September 28, 1884 and died March 25, 1931. Her mother was Berta Eszterhazy from Vienna, who was born September 26, 1857 in Hungary and died November 20, 1937 in Munich. And Berta Eszterhazy’s mother had been Polyxena Lobkowitz from Prague, who had been born Polyxena Lobkovice on November 21, 1830 in “Austrian” territory, and died February 3, 1913. The family connections may go back farther than that. Maria Orsic moved to Munich, where Franziske Romana lived, in 1919, the year that Franziske’s niece and namesake was born, so there was probably a plan to dedicate her niece to the Vril from the time of her birth." Maria 'Orsitsch' was first mentioned and pictured in 1967 by Bergier and Pauwels in their book "Aufbruch ins dritte Jahrtausend: von der Zukunft der phantastischen Vernunft".
Picture. After the rise of Hitler and the NASDAP Fascist Germany everything seemed possible and the Vril Society, Thule Society and many others were secreted into the departmental Ahnenerbe Bureau, either to be supervised by the Nazi Leaders, or to advance their agendas within the Nazi Military Industrial Complex umbrella. Ultimately WWII began and saw the incredible advancement of weapons and vehicles - some say 30 years ahead of any other nation - it however ended badly for Germany and Maria Orsic disappeared in 1945. On the 11th of March of 1945 an internal document of the Vril Gesellschaft was sent to all its members ... The letter ends: “niemand bleibt hier” (no one is staying here) and is signed "With Cheerful Courage" (Mit frischem Mut) by Godrun. n Norse mythology Gudrun was the sister of Gunnar, both children of Giuki – king of the Nibelungs. Sigrun (another Vril Maiden) was one of the nine daughters of Odin.This was the last announcement from Vril. It is speculated they departed to Aldebaran. .... Fueling speculation among some writers that Maria may have in fact escaped, as she claimed, to Aldebaran. A recently published "Letter of Departure" to the Young Vrilerinnen (jungen Vrilerinnen), dated March 11, 1945, mentions the "Odin Departure" (Odin-Ausflug). It refers to a temporary evacuation location with Maria, and the final departure to Aldebaran. Regardless of how much of this story is factual, and how much is modern myth, why is there nothing about this reported in the media or in mainstream WWII documentaries? Particularly in Germany, where there is freedom of the press and they declare that they only teach the truth ... surely it is reasonable to discuss the real truth now ... after 70 years ... openly without being arrested or publicly labeled a "fascist fantasist"... or a "conspiratorial history revisionist" ...During the time that I. G. Farben supported Hitler, their 'partner' Standard Oil (Rockefeller) organized the US people against the Nazi's - benefiting from both sides of the war ... Likewise Ford Motor Company made armaments for the U.S. Army, while producing Germany military vehicles for the Nazi's ... Ford and Opel (subsidiary of GM that is controlled by JP Morgan) were the two largest car manufacturers in Germany for Hitler ... The 'Union Bank Corp' was also seized and indicted under the 'Trading with the Enemy' act during WWII - as The Union Bank seemed to be owned by a Dutch Bank - but was actually owned by Nazi Party Bankster Fritz Thyssen - and its USA Directors were none other than Prescott Bush and W. Averell Harriman ... No matter the winner, Banksters and multinational corporations were clearly instigating and profiting from ALL sides of wars ...What's more, in 1946 the Rockefeller foundation paid $139,000 USD for the exclusive rights to the official 'public version' report of the History of the Second World War, which concealed all the help provided by American Bankers in financing and arming the Nazi war machine ... They also made sure to keep from the public the truth behind Admiral Byrd's mission to Antarctica immediately following WWII.It was also silent about the mystical and occult ideology behind the Nazi regime, including the Vril inspired free-energy technology, which was rumored to have been later perfected at the infamous Area 51, near the site of the Roswell incident...
YOU'RE GOING TO MISS ME when I'm gone.
No truer words echo-ed back to us from the now empty Canadian landscape where the Avro Aircraft of Canada plant once stood, and where this Arrow and some Clunks were parked like they had all the time in the world.
NO REMNANTS of dayglow Arrow RL 204 remain in existence today.
Not even a rivet.
So far as I know … save a few pics like this, that's it.
And this pic is blurry. But it will have to do. And it is indeed rare, this pic, because I hadn't ever come across it in all my Arrow research, until some time last year.
After this though, 204, is all out of surprises for us.
WAIT, THERE IS one thing, I did hear a rumour … nah, couldn't be …
(I did enlarge AND clean this photo up a wee bit, but only slightly, as I left some of its large imperfections unfixed to allow it to remain basically as it was, in that era)
When CANADA was SUPER-GREAT we produced the Avro Arrow and the Orenda Iroquois.
Why were these Canadian technological achievements so awesome, you ask?
Well, here's a list of the CF-105 Avro Arrow's “FIRSTS and NOTABLES” to the uninitiated:
• FIRST AIRCRAFT designed with digital computers being used for both aerodynamic analysis and designing the structural matrix (and a whole lot more).
• FIRST AIRCRAFT design to have major components machined by CNC (computer numeric control); i.e., from electronic data which controlled the machine.
• FIRST AIRCRAFT to be developed using an early form of "computational fluid dynamics" with an integrated "lifting body" type of theory rather than the typical (and obsolete) "blade element" theory.
• FIRST AIRCRAFT to have marginal stability designed into the pitch axis for better maneuverability, speed and altitude performance.
• FIRST AIRCRAFT to have negative stability designed into the yaw axis to save weight and cut drag, also boosting performance.
• FIRST AIRCRAFT to fly on an electronic signal from the stick and pedals. i.e., first fly-by-wire a/c.
• FIRST AIRCRAFT to fly with fly by wire AND artificial feedback (feel). Not even the first F-16's had this.
• FIRST AIRCRAFT designed to be data-link flyable from the ground.
• FIRST AIRCRAFT designed with integrated navigation, weapons release, automatic search and track radar, datalink inputs, home-on-jamming, infrared detection, electronic countermeasures and counter-countermeasures operating through a DIGITAL brain.
• FIRST HIGH WING jet fighter that made the entire upper surface a lifting body. The F-15, F-22, Su-27 etc., MiG-29, MiG 25 and others certainly used that idea.
• FIRST sophisticated bleed-bypass system for both intake AND engine/exhaust. Everybody uses that now.
• FIRST by-pass engine design. (all current fighters have by-pass engines).
• FIRST combination of the last two points with an "ejector" nozzle that used the bypass air to create thrust at the exhaust nozzle while also improving intake flow. The F-106 didn't even have a nozzle, just a pipe.
• Use of Titanium for significant portions of the aircraft structure and engine.
• Use of composites (not the first, but they made thoughtful use of them and were researching and engineering new ones).
• Use of a drooped leading edge and aerodynamic "twist" on the wing.
• Use of engines at the rear to allow both a lighter structure and significant payload at the centre of gravity. Everybody copied that.
• Use of a LONG internal weapons bay to allow carriage of specialized, long-range standoff and cruise missiles. (not copied yet really)
• Integration of ground-mapping radar and the radar altimeter plus flight control system to allow a seriousstrike/reconnaissance role. The first to propose an aircraft be equally adept at those roles while being THE air-superiority fighter at the same time. (Few have even tried to copy that, although the F-15E is an interesting exception.)
• FIRST missile armed a/c to have a combat weight thrust to weight ratio approaching 1 to 1. Few have been able to copy that.
• FIRST flying 4,000 psi hydraulic system to allow lighter and smaller components.
• FIRST oxygen-injection re-light system.
• FIRST engine to have only two main bearing assemblies on a two-shaft design.
• FIRST to use a variable stator on a two-shaft engine.
• First use of a trans-sonic first compressor stage on a turbojet engine.
• FIRST "hot-streak" type of afterburner ignition.
• FIRST engine to use only 10 compressor sections in a two-shaft design. (The competition was using 17!!)
The Avro Arrow was one of Canada's finest aviation achievements, even though it never entered service.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it all AVRO CANADA DETRACTORS ~
© R.L. Whitcomb
© 2014 Special Projects In Research
"I believe very strongly that when it comes to desire, when it comes to attraction, that things are never black and white, things are very much shades of grey."
~ Brian Molko
Dhaka | Bangladesh | 2015
there were multiple inspirations for this creation..
the design is from an osho tartot card of the same name..i actually tried to recreate ths earlier in my stream with a baby in the lotus flower instead..it was not very good.. hence the re-do
and so i decided that i would 'bare all' so to speak and do a selfie ( actually i am wearing shorts that i edited out) mostly because i have been thinking about the belief that some people have about being modest.. and that somehow showing skin makes you a "whore" and is not right in the eyes of Divine..
i wholeheartedly disagree with this viewpoint...
and so this is my expression of my belief that nakedness is next to Godliness.. and that repression of the natural energies is what causes all forms of sexual dysfunction including all fetishes and rape..
having said that.. again.. i am not saying i want to walk around naked and post naked pictures on flickr.. because we don't live in a utopian world.. i'll stay happy and free enough with my tank tops and shorts.
:)
also have to mention cate loughran for inspiring me with her beautiful night life, photo based series
Life is a tenuous series of moments, each glowing for but a second, no matter what your fridge tells you.
Check this shot out at Snaps Magazine!
Mrs Mail said I should photograph some fungi growing in the footpath near our house.
I doubt this is edible and they often grow around the grass in the unstettled weather.
It is about 50mm o 2 inchs across.
What is normal? - in a world where time travel, wormholes, and the existence of parallel timelines are no longer news - and AI version 214 helps in every way - the world looks completely normal - as shown in these pictures
A U.S Navy DC-3. Marooned on the black sand beaches of Iceland's southern shore.
Shot on a Nikon FM, with Kodak Ektar, and a Nikkor 24mm f2.0.
A freight moves across the former Jefferson Street level crossing. The crossing has gone through many changes over the time of its existence. Where once men were used to flag stop traffic whenever a train approached, to where now more than a hundred years later it has been closed to vehicles and pedestrians.
the absence of evidence for extraterrestrial intelligence. For the type ofestimation problem, see Fermi problem. For the music album, see Fermi Paradox (album). For the short story, see The Fermi Paradox Is Our Business Model.A graphical representation of the Arecibo message – Humanity's first
attempt to use radio waves to actively communicate its existence to alien civilizations. The Fermi paradox (or Fermi's paradox) is the apparent contradiction between high estimates of the probability of the existence of extraterrestrial civilization and humanity's lack of contact with, or evidence for, such civilizations.[1] The basic points of the argument,
made by physicists Enrico Fermi and Michael H. Hart, are:
• The Sun is a young star. There are billions of stars in the galaxy that are billions of years older;• Some of these stars likely have Earth-like planets[2] which, if the Earth is typical, may develop intelligent life;• Presumably some of these civilizations will develop interstellar travel, as Earth seems likely to do;• At any practical pace of interstellar travel, the galaxy can be completely colonized in just a few tens of millions of years.According to this line of thinking, the Earth should have already been colonized, or at least visited. But no convincing evidence of this exists.Furthermore, no confirmed signs of intelligence elsewhere have been spotted, either in our galaxy or the more than 80 billion other galaxies of
the observable universe. Hence Fermi's question "Where is everybody?"
brainu.org/files/wikipedia_fermi_paradox_information.pdf
Frank Drake in 1961 in an attempt to find a systematic means to evaluate the numerous probabilities involved in the existence of alien life. The speculative equation considers the rate of star formation in the galaxy; the fraction of stars with planets and the number per star that are habitable; the fraction of those planets that develop life; the fraction that develop intelligent life; the fraction that have detectable, technological intelligent life; and finally the length of time such communicable civilizations are detectable. The fundamental problem is that the last four terms are completely unknown, rendering statistical estimates impossible.There are two parts of the Fermi paradox that rely on empirical evidence—that there are many potential habitable planets, and that we see no evidence of life. The first point, that many suitable planets exist, was an assumption in Fermi's time that is gaining ground with the discovery of many exoplanets, and models predicting billions of habitable worlds in our galaxy..The second part of the paradox, that we see no evidence of extraterrestrial life, is also an active field of scientific research. This includes both efforts to find any indication of life,[36] and efforts specifically directed to finding intelligent life. These searches have been made since 1960, and several are ongoing?Those who think that intelligent extraterrestrial life is (nearly) impossible argue that the conditions needed for the evolution of life—or at least the evolution of biological complexity—are rare or even unique to Earth. Under this assumption, called the rare Earth hypothesis, a rejection of the mediocrity principle, complex multicellular life is regarded as exceedingly unusual.The Rare Earth hypothesis argues that the evolution of biological complexity requires a host of fortuitous circumstances, such as a galactic habitable zone, a central star and planetary system having the requisite character, the circumstellar habitable zone, a right sized terrestrial planet, the advantage of a giant guardian like Jupiter and a large natural satellite, conditions needed to ensure the planet has a magnetosphere and plate tectonics, the chemistry of the lithosphere, atmosphere, and oceans, the role of "evolutionary pumps" such as massive glaciation and rare bolide impacts, and whatever led to the appearance of the eukaryote cell, sexual reproduction and the Cambrian explosion.This is the argument that technological civilizations may usually or invariably destroy themselves before or shortly after developing radio or spaceflight technology. Possible means of annihilation are many,[68] including war, accidental environmental contamination, or poorly designed artificial intelligence. This general theme is explored both in fiction and in scientific hypothesizing. In 1966, Sagan and Shklovskii speculated that technological civilizations will either tend to destroy themselves within a century of developing interstellar communicative capability or master their self-destructive tendencies and survive for billion-year timescales.Self-annihilation may also be viewed in terms of thermodynamics: insofar as life is an ordered system that can sustain itself against the tendency to disorder, the "external transmission" or interstellar communicative phase may be the point at which the system becomes unstable and self-destructs.Another hypothesis is that an intelligent species beyond a certain point of technological capability will destroy other intelligent species as they appear. The idea that something, or someone, might be destroying intelligent life in the universe has been explored in the scientific literature. A species might undertake such extermination out of expansionist motives, paranoia, or aggression. In 1981, cosmologist Edward Harrison argued that such behavior would be an act of prudence: an intelligent species that has overcome its own self-destructive tendencies might view any other species bent on galactic expansion as a threat It has also been suggested that a successful alien species would be a superpredator, as are humans.New life might commonly die out due to runaway heating or cooling on their fledgling planets.On Earth, there have been numerous major extinction events that destroyed the majority of complex species alive at the time; the extinction of the dinosaurs is the best known example. These are thought to have been caused by events such as impact from a large meteorite, massive volcanic eruptions, or astronomical events such as gamma-ray bursts.[76] It may be the case that such extinction events are common throughout the universe and periodically destroy intelligent life, or at least its civilizations, before the species is able to develop the technology to communicate with other species.
Towards the end of its existence, Leon Motors favoured the Leyland Olympian for its second-hand purchases. Two of these are seen standing together at the Finningley depot.
On the left D43 RWC is a ONLXCT/1RH model with full height bodywork by Eastern Coach Works. It was new in 1986 as Colchester Borough Transport 43, later becoming Arriva Colchester 5390 before passing to Leon in 2002.
On the right, ANA 3Y is a ONTL11/1R with Northern Counties bodywork. It was new in 1983 as Greater Manchester PTE 3003, passing to Stagecoach Manchester and subsequently to Ribble and Burnley & Pendle before acquisition by Leon (along with ANA 2Y and ANA 6Y) in 2002.
I've known of the existence of the Eastern Yellow Robin (Eopsaltria australis) in Woodlands Historic Park for a while now and have been actively looking for them for a month or more. My friend, and fellow bird photographer David, gave me some directions for locating the general area where he had seen them, and those directions took me to exactly the same area I've been searching previously. So, I ditched my usual technique (just wander around looking) for David's technique (sit down quietly and wait). As David said he would, this little male soon appeared to check me out. He has a female on a nest somewhere nearby, but not wanting to disturb them, I took a few nice shots of this little darling and left them alone.
Isn't he just the most adorable little bird you've ever seen!
If you like bird photos, you need to go and check out some of David's (see link in comment below) they are awesome.
Explored! December 5, 2012 #215
This image is for sale on RedBubble.
to Yahiko Shrine.
JR EAST Series E127 electric car at Yahiko Sta.
Speed limit release, Down slope, Crossing, 2 cars
DSCF1987
We who live under the so called luxurious dome with limitless facilities still don't realize what is out there. How "they" are spending each moment of their life. At the very age when they need to discover the meaning of life, learning about the essence surrounding them..... they are still fighting for a nip of happiness. Still they are starving. They even have to leave the basic need of education just to bear the expectation of their love one's on those soft shoulders. And i don't know when this situation will be solved.........
Abbreviated Existence.
Varanleg skuggar skjálfandi trefjar skip þyrlist,
Agorodd dychryn cnoi cerrig tafodau ofnau enfawr rholiau,
υπόκριση λοιμό απολιθωμένο κοιμάται μέσα διερευνηθούν,
erzürnte ergänzt schwarz Wahn Abgrund,
In ruina sepelit confusions inventa terribilis abyssus condemnans fletu,
рассуждения помещения наоборот природ гипотетические иллюстрации раздумывая,
todo performances trágicas histórias de probabilidade históricos distinções feridos,
consistente imitaties inferieure punten zwakheden heeft subjectieve geesten,
versi metafore strane licenza non prosaico effetti poetici giambici provocarono,
symbolique manifestations émanation intellect imprègne ordre de l'harmonie,
bukke prinsipper personlig universalitet etisk styrke fremtredende uavhengighet formet,
持続意識流体存在が流れて無駄な抑制熱意本格的快楽.
Steve.D.Hammond.
Je fête 1/2 siècle d’existence aujourd’hui dont plus de la moitié comme passionné d’orchidées, de botanique, de musique et de voyages ! Espérons pouvoir encore bien rire, explorer les forêts et la nature, apprécier les parfums floraux, profiter des bons sons, de la bonne bouffe ensemble pendant un autre 1/4 de siècle les ami(e)s.
Festejo 1/2 siglo de existencia hoy, de cual mas de la mitad como apasionado por las orquídeas, la botánica, la música y los viajes ! Esperemos poder seguir riendo, explorar los bosques y la naturaleza, apreciar las fragancias florales, disfrutar de buenos sonidos y de buenas comidas juntos durante otro 1/4 de siglo amigo@s.
The Class 322s have had quite a nomadic existence never really found a proper home anywhere over the last thirty years since they were first introduced by Network South East for express services to Stansted Airport from Liverpool Street. After privatisation the units lost their unique variation of NSE livery in favour of the livery pictured above and took the branding 'Stansted Skytrain'. Not long after this the units became part of the WAGN common user fleet and were liable to turn up on any working. This led to most of the small class transferring to North Western Trains for their new Manchester Airport to London Euston service. After a brief return to WAGN they once again headed north but this time they went to Scotrail for use on the North Berwick line from Edinburgh, the above picture is an unknown working but it appears to be a crew training or route learning trip.They headed south once again in 2009 after the Class 380s arrived in Scotland and this time they headed to Northern and found use alongside their cousins the Class 321/9s and the newer Class 333s on local duties from Leeds. Their time now seems to be up however with the imminent arrival of new Class 331 emus.
Moves that day:
5862 & 5863 0518 Feltham-Vauxhall
3083 Vauxhall-Kings Cross
319382 & 319429 0631 Kings Cross Thameslink-Luton Airport Parkway
G-EZJA 0935 Luton-Glasgow International
334029 1113 Paisley Gilmour St-Glasgow Central
170417 1230 Glasgow Queen Street-Edinburgh Waverley
91127 & 82218 1400 Edinburgh Waverley-Newcastle
91021 & 82205 1626 Newcastle-Yok
373301 & 373302 1750 York-London Kings Cross
3186 Kings Cross-Euston
53713 Euston-Waterloo
5858 2042 London Waterloo-Feltham
“A Short History of Nearly Everything” ―Bill Bryson, 2003
“If this book has a lesson, it is that we are awfully lucky to be here-and by 'we' I mean every living thing. To attain any kind of life in this universe of ours appears to be quite an achievement.
As humans we are doubly lucky, of course:
We enjoy not only the privilege of existence but also the singular ability to appreciate it and even, in a multitude of ways, to make it better. It is a talent we have only barely begun to grasp.”
Chassis n° 16447
'It's a hard muscled thoroughbred, the Daytona - easily the most awesome and yet disciplined road-going Ferrari in that firm's brilliant quarter century of existence. The Daytona isn't fast – it's blinding. It will eat up a quarter-mile of asphalt in 13,2 seconds at 110 mph and scream out to 175 mph - or it will slug through traffic at 1.500 rpm with the Sunday manners of a FIAT. It is the perfect extension of its driver. You can cut and weave through shuffling traffic with the agility of a halfback, or lope down the freeway with the piece of mind that comes from knowing you can contend with anyone's incompetence. To say, after you've driven it, that the Daytona is desirable doesn't begin to sum up your feelings - you would sell your soul for it.' - Car & Driver, January 1970.
Every Ferrari is, to a greater or lesser extent, a 'landmark' car, but few of Maranello's road models have captured the imagination of Ferraristi like the 365 GTB/4. The ultimate expression of Ferrari's fabulous line of V12 front-engined sports cars, the 365 GTB/4 debuted at the Paris Salon in 1968, soon gaining the unofficial name 'Daytona' in honour of the sweeping 1, 2, 3 finish by the Ferrari 330P4 at that circuit in 1967. Pininfarina's Leonardo Fioravanti, later the famed Carrozzeria's director of research and development, was responsible for the influential shark-nosed styling, creating a package that restated the traditional 'long bonnet, small cabin, short tail' look in a manner suggesting muscular horsepower while retaining all the elegance associated with the Italian coachbuilder's work for Maranello. One of Pininfarina's countless masterpieces, the influential shark-nosed body style featured an unusual full-width transparent panel covering the headlamps, though this was replaced by electrically-operated pop-up lights to meet US requirements soon after the start of production in the second half of 1969. Fioravanti later revealed that the Daytona was his favourite among the many Ferraris he designed.
Although the prototype had been styled and built by Pininfarina in Turin, manufacture of the production version was entrusted to Ferrari's subsidiary Scaglietti in Modena. The Daytona's all-alloy, four-cam, V12 engine displaced 4.390 cc and produced its maximum output of 352 bhp at 7.500 rpm, with 318 lb/ft of torque available at 5.500 revs. Dry-sump lubrication enabled it to be installed low in the oval-tube chassis, while shifting the gearbox to the rear in the form of a five-speed transaxle meant 50/50 weight distribution could be achieved. The all-independent wishbone and coil-spring suspension was a recent development, having originated in the preceding 275GTB. Unlike the contemporary 365GTC/4, the Daytona was not available with power steering, a feature then deemed inappropriate for a 'real' sports car. There was, however, servo assistance for the four-wheel ventilated disc brakes. Air conditioning was optional, but elsewhere the Daytona remained uncompromisingly focussed on delivering nothing less than superlative high performance.
At the time of its introduction in 1968 the Daytona was the most expensive production Ferrari ever and, with a top speed in excess of 170mph, was also the world's fastest production car. Deliveries commenced in the second half of 1969 and the Daytona would be manufactured for just four years; not until the arrival of the 456 GT in 1992 would Ferrari build anything like it again. Only 1,300 Berlinetta models and 121 Spyder convertibles had been made when production ceased in 1973.
According to the accompanying report compiled in 2012 by noted Ferrari authority, Marcel Massini, chassis number '16447' was manufactured in November 1972 and completed with coachwork by Carrozzeria Scaglietti on 9th March 1973. Built to US specification, the Daytona was handsomely finished in Argento Metallizzato (silver metallic) with Nero (black) Connolly leather interior, and left the factory equipped with the desirable options of air conditioning and power windows. Later in March 1973 the Ferrari was delivered to the official dealer Chinetti-Garthwaite in Paoli, Pennsylvania, USA. In 1976, the Daytona was advertised for sale by Mr Robert Mannick of Buffalo, New York, USA, who is believed to have been its first owner. By this time the car had covered some 10.000 miles and had been fitted with a custom stereo system.
The Ferrari's purchaser was Mr Stan Zagorski of Mount Temper, New York, who would enjoy driving it for the next 13 years, adding circa 27.600 miles to the odometer total before advertising it for sale in 1989, the which time the car had been repainted red. Next owner Dennis McCann of Westerville, Ohio would keep the Daytona for almost 15 years, during which time the car saw little use but was well maintained. Indeed, by the time Mr McCann sold the car in 2004, the odometer reading had only risen to 37.649 miles.
The Ferrari did not stay long with its next owner, a Colorado-based collector, and in 2005 (at 38.153 miles) was sold to Mr Richard Standage of Moorpark, California, who registered it with the most appropriate personal registration 'FER GTB4'. The car's next recorded owner was F40 Motorsports (Wayne Carini), which repainted it in the original silver metallic livery in 2011. The current vendor purchased '16447' at an auction in the USA in January 2014.
Dating back to 2005, bills contained within the two history files show that this car has enjoyed careful maintenance to keep it in good running order, most notably one for $ 12.000 issued by A.Z. Collector Cars, Arizona for an inspection and service in September 2012. Subsequently, in June 2014, a further € 7.000 was spent on a gearbox overhaul.
Boasting original features such as correct Cromodora alloy wheels and a Becker Mexico stereo, this beautifully presented Daytona is offered for sale with EU taxes paid and a valid UK NOVA document. The sensible provision of power assisted steering is the only notified deviation from factory specification. A well documented example, '16447' must be one of the very best Daytonas currently available.
Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais
Bonhams
Estimated : € 620.000 - 680.000
Parijs - Paris
Frankrijk - France
February 2017
My first ROBOT camera. I have been aware of their existence but have never held one.
It is weird - it is tiny AND heavy - it is insanely well made (a large part stainless steel) and surprisingly, a joy to use.
The format is 24x24mm which gives in excess of 55 frames on a roll of film.
The motordrive will allow you to shoot as fast as you can push and lift the finger from the shutter release (I can easily do 4 frames/sec - that is more than the 3.5 frame/sec of my Nikon MD-12 motordrive!).
With a fully wound spring, the camera can shoot 25 frames before needing to be rewound.
The Robot Star is largely based on the pre-WWII Robot II - with provisions for rewinding standard film cassettes in camera and X flash sync.
The Old Church of Saint George in Paralimni, Republic of Cyprus, holds a significant place in the region's history and serves as a testament to the island's rich cultural heritage. Spanning centuries of existence, the church has witnessed the ebbs and flows of Cypriot society, surviving conflicts and transformations while remaining an emblem of faith and tradition. Here is a concise history of the Old Church of Saint George in 1000 words.
The origins of the Old Church of Saint George date back to the Byzantine period, with the earliest records of its existence tracing to the 14th century. At this time, the region of Paralimni was predominantly inhabited by Greek Cypriots, who constructed the church as a place of worship dedicated to Saint George, the patron saint of warriors.
During the Ottoman era, which lasted from the 16th to the early 20th century, Cyprus came under Turkish rule. Despite the cultural and religious challenges faced by the Greek Orthodox community, the Old Church of Saint George managed to endure. It remained a spiritual haven for the local population, who continued to hold steadfastly to their faith and traditions.
The church underwent several modifications and expansions over the centuries. One notable addition was the construction of a bell tower in the 18th century, giving the church a distinctive architectural feature. The bell tower not only served as a symbol of religious identity but also functioned as a means of communication for the community, announcing important events and marking the passage of time.
In the early 20th century, Cyprus experienced a series of significant socio-political changes. Following the end of the Ottoman Empire, the island came under British administration in 1914. During this period, the Old Church of Saint George continued to play a vital role in the lives of the local population, acting as a spiritual center and a gathering place for the community.
However, the turbulent mid-20th century brought about new challenges. In 1974, a military coup backed by the Greek junta triggered a Turkish invasion of Cyprus, resulting in the division of the island into two separate entities: the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus in the south and the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the north.
Paralimni, situated in the southern part of Cyprus, found itself in a heavily militarized area. The Old Church of Saint George stood near the demarcation line known as the "Green Line," which separated the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities. This proximity to conflict put the church at risk, as the area was often subject to hostilities and tensions between the opposing factions.
Despite the challenges posed by the ongoing division, the Old Church of Saint George managed to survive. Its resilience symbolized the determination and enduring spirit of the Greek Cypriot community in the face of adversity. The church served as a beacon of hope, fostering a sense of unity and preserving cultural heritage during a time of profound political and social upheaval.
In the late 20th century, efforts were made to restore and preserve the Old Church of Saint George. Restoration projects aimed to protect the church's architectural integrity and ensure its historical significance would endure for future generations. These initiatives highlighted the importance of safeguarding cultural heritage as a means of fostering understanding, reconciliation, and appreciation for the island's diverse history.
Today, the Old Church of Saint George stands as a cherished landmark in Paralimni. It serves as a place of worship, a cultural monument, and a reminder of the island's enduring faith and resilient spirit. Visitors can admire the church's Byzantine-inspired architecture, explore its sacred interior adorned with religious icons, and reflect upon the historical events that have shaped Cyprus over the centuries.
The Old Church of Saint George in Paralimni stands as a testament to the power of faith, resilience, and cultural preservation. As it continues to hold a special place in the hearts of the local community, it serves as a bridge between the past and the present, connecting generations and offering a glimpse into the rich tapestry of Cyprus' history.
The Northwestern League was a professional, minor baseball league that lasted from 1905 to 1917. It was represented by teams based in Washington, Montana, Oregon and British Columbia. The league became the Pacific Coast International League in 1918 - Seattle Turks (1909), Seattle Giants (1910-1917),
The Seattle Turks were a minor league baseball team based in Seattle, Washington who played a single season (1909) in the Northwestern League. In their only year of existence, the team won a Northwestern League pennant with a record of 109-58.
The Seattle Giants were a minor league baseball team that played in various leagues from 1910 to 1920. Based in Seattle, Washington, United States, they played in the Northwestern League from 1910 to 1917, the Pacific Coast International League in 1918 and 1920, and the Northwest International League in 1919. Two of their ballparks were Yesler Way Park and Dugdale Field. In 1919, they were also known as the Seattle Drydockers.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Emil Frisk
Position: Pitcher / Right-Fielder
Bats: Left • Throws: Right
6-1, 190lb (185cm, 86kg)
Born: October 15, 1874 in Kalkaska, MI
Died: January 27, 1922 (Aged 47-104d) in Seattle, WA
Buried: Lake View Cemetery, Seattle, WA
Full Name: John Emil Frisk
Nicknames: "Hans Wagner of the Minors" / Wagner of the Minors"
Link to his baseball stats - www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=frisk-...
John Emil Frisk (b. October 15, 1874 – d. January 27, 1922 at age 47) was a pitcher and outfielder in Major League Baseball. He played for the Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, and St. Louis Browns. Frisk also had a long career in the minor leagues, where he won three batting titles and became the first minor league baseball player to accumulate over 2,000 career hits.
Frisk was born in Kalkaska, Michigan. After playing for semi-pro teams, he started his organized baseball career in 1898, as a pitcher. That season, he went 14-3 with a 2.79 earned run average for the Canadian League's Hamilton Hams. He also batted .311. In 1899, he went to the Detroit Tigers of the Western League before being purchased by the Cincinnati Reds in August. He went 3-6 for Cincinnati and was then returned to Detroit. In 1900, Frisk went 6-9. The Western League had become the American League, and 1901 was its first year as a "major league." Frisk hit .313 early that season but had a mediocre record as a pitcher and was released in July.
Frisk then spent 1901 to 1903 with the Denver Grizzlies of the new Western League. It was during this period that he converted into a full-time outfielder. In 1902, he had his breakout season, batting .373 with 14 home runs and leading the league in both categories. His slugging percentage was .618. It had been a smooth transition from pitching, but in 1903 Frisk slumped down to .273 and subsequently moved to the Pacific Coast League. In 1904, he batted .336 with the Seattle Siwashes to win another batting championship He was drafted by the St. Louis Browns that fall.
1905 was Frisk's only full season in Major League Baseball. He hit .261 with three home runs; his fielding percentage was below average, however, and he went back down to the minor leagues in 1906. He bounced from the American Association's St. Paul Saints to the Browns in both 1906 and 1907 and played his last major league game on April 23, 1907. In 158 career major league games, Frisk had a total of 135 hits. He then spent most of the next decade in the Northwestern League.
In 1908, Frisk rejoined the Seattle Siwashes. He batted just .264 that season but then increased his batting average to .307 in 1909, which ranked him second in the batting race. He played for the Spokane Indians in 1910 and 1911, and he moved around from Spokane, Seattle, and the Vancouver Beavers from 1912 to 1915. He won his third and final batting title in 1914, when he hit at a .320 clip. That season, he became the first baseball player in history to get 2,000 hits in the minor leagues.
Nicknamed the "Wagner of the minors," Frisk was a consistent hitter. He hit safely over 120 times in every season from 1906 to 1914. In 1915, at the age of 40, he batted .272 and then retired from baseball. He finished his career with a .301 average in the minors. In 2003, baseball writer Bill James named him as the best minor league player of the 1900–1909 decade.
Frisk worked as a carpenter in the offseasons, and after his baseball days, he worked as a table operator for the Pacific Coast Company.
MLB debut - September 2, 1899, for the Cincinnati Reds
Last MLB appearance - April 23, 1907, for the St. Louis Browns
MLB statistics:
Batting average - .267
Home runs - 4
RBI - 45
Teams:
Cincinnati Reds (1899)
Detroit Tigers (1901)
St. Louis Browns (1905, 1907)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Morning Oregonian, July 30, 1904) - Emil Frisk, of Seattle, by lining out ten hits during the closing week of the season, finished with a handsome lead over the other stick artists. A California critic has this to say of Frisk's batting: "Frisk won his honors by clean-cut hitting, and were he a high-class fielder he would be fast enough for any league. It is no exaggeration to say that he is one of the very best hitters that ever played on the Coast, and it is doubtful if Dougherty, who went from Los Angeles to Boston, has anything on Emil as a sticker.
(The San Francisco Call, August 14, 1904) - Big Emil Frisk of Seattle tops the Pacific Coast League's sluggers with an average of .367 for the first half of the season: Right behind him is Oscar Graham, the erratic Oakland south paw, and then comes little Mohler, also of Seattle.
(Evening Star. October 06, 1904) - Emil Frisk made a great batting record in a game against Portland. He went to the bat four times and got four hits and four runs. He started with a triple, followed with a single, came back with a triple and ended with a home run. Everyone of his hits was a clean drive. Frisk, the Pacific coast's batting leader, will be with the Browns in 1905.
(Perth Amboy Evening News, November 23, 1904) - Emil Frisk, who pitched for the Cincinnati Reds for a short period in the spring some year ago, still leads the Pacific Coast League in hitting. He will be tried in tho outfield of the St. Louis Americans next season.
(The Topeka State Journal, January 28, 1905) - The St. Louis American league office has heard nothing of the refusal of Emil Frisk, one of the young batting stars the team drafted, to sign a contract. According to advices from the coast, Frisk has returned his contract unsigned, but at league headquarters it was said that the contract had not been returned at all. Probably Frisk is doing some of the bluffing that is popular at this time of the year regarding the salary question, but he is pretty sure to be found in a Brown uniform in the long run. It means going out of base ball or signing up, and Frisk can net afford to do the former.
(Evening Star, June 27, 1906) - At Toledo last Thursday Emil Frisk, with the St. Louis Americans last reason, went five times to bat and made five hits and made the only extra bases In the game - a double and a home run.
(The Topeka State Journal, August 06, 1906) - The real leader of the association is Emil Frisk, the St. Louis American league castoff, who is playing the left garden for St. Paul. Frisk has played in 103 games and has an average of .325. "Nig" Perrine, who leads in the number of hits registered, is only three points behind Frisk.
(Evening Star, September 15, 1906) - Emil Frisk, with the Browns last season, is the hardest hitter in the American Association. This season he has made thirty-six doubles, twelve triples and six home runs.
(The Topeka State Journal, December 06, 1906) - Emil Frisk is again on the American League roster. He is stated for a position with the St. Louis Browns next year.
(The Lake County Times, April 20, 1907) - Emil Frisk (St. Louis Browns) went into bat for Jacobsen in the last effort to put a niftv one to center. He was forced at second by Slugger Stone, and then it was all over when Tom Jones went out, Rohe to Donohue. Browns lost to the White Sox by a score of 1 - 0.
(The Topeka State Journal, April 27, 1907) - FRISK RELEASED TO ST. PAUL - Detroit. Mich., April 27. Despite the fact that Browns were unable to play here there was something of interest stirring around the St. Louis camp. One of these was the release of Emil Frisk to St. Paul. This has been looked for for some time and it probably means the end of Frisk's trial in major league company.
(Morning Oregonian, September 16, 1907) - SEATTLE TEAM STRENGTHENED - Emil Frisk, Left-Fielder, Will Finish the Season. SEATTLE, Wash., Sept. 15. (Special.) Emil Frisk, whom Parke Wilson brought with him from Denver when he put the Coast League into Seattle and who was afterward sent up to the majors, will finish the season with Seattle, playing left field. He will get Into the game immediately. Next to Lumley, who was grabbed out of the same team Wilson formed here by Brooklyn, Frisk was the best natural hitter who ever wore a Seattle uniform. Dugdale is rather weak in the hitting department and Frisk's coming will strengthen him.
(The Sunday Oregonian, September 22, 1907) - NORTHWEST LEAGUE. - Seattle 6, Spokane 5. SEATTLE. Wash.. Sept. 21 (Special.) Seattle was one behind with two men on bases and one out in the ninth Inning today when Emil Frisk went up to bat. Claflin tried to pass him, but Dugdale sent out a frenzied appeal for the big Swede to swing at anything. Frisk landed on the next one and the ball is going yet. The hit won the game and Frisk won a home.
(Morning Oregonian, September 28, 1907) - Sept. 27 - Starkell also pitched good ball, allowing but four hits, but one of them was the longest home-run drive of the season, belted out by Emil Frisk, the boss slugger of the Pacific Coast. Final score Seattle 2 - Aberdeen 0.
(The Seattle Star, October 11, 1907) - EMIL FRISK THE LEADING HITTER - In the short time Emil Frisk was with Seattle he clouted the ball so lustily that he finished the season the champion batter of the league (.368 batting average). Eddie Householder, however, was the real league leader, having been at the top or near the top all season long.
(The Sunday Oregonian, January 24, 1909) - Frisk was not right the greater part of the season and out of the game entirely for weeks. Then there is Emil Frisk himself, who up to last season, when his health was not good, showed as one of the greatest minor league batters in the country. Frisk belongs to Seattle, and if he is right he will have no trouble in retaining a place in the outfield. There were games last season when he did faster work in the outfield than was expected of him, and he cut off many a run at the plate with fine line throws. He will do If he's In shape.
(The Sunday Oregonian, July 04, 1909) - Fred Adams is so far superior to Emil Frisk that, there would be no comparison were it not for the necessity of a player using a bat occasionally. The batting ability of Frisk is all that has kept him in the game these several years past, for the big fellow can still hit the ball, but has shown hardly any Improvement as a fielder.
(The Sunday Oregonian), May 17, 1914) - FRISK TRADED FOR POWELL - Vancouver and Spokane Consummate Important Baseball Deal. VANCOUVER. B. C, May 16. An important deal in Northwestern League circles was consummated here today when Emil Frisk, the veteran outfielder of the Vancouver club, was traded to Spokane for Watt Powell, the hard hitting outfielder. Frisk left tonight with the Indians. He has been with the Vancouver team for four years.
(Morning Oregonian, July 10, 1914) - Spokane Pounds Out 7 Runs and Allows Tacoma Only One. SPOKANE, Wash.. July 9. Pitcher Noyes was invincible today after the second inning and the Indians won from Tacoma, 7 to 1. The visitors failed to get a man past first base in the last seven innings. A feature was Emil Frisk's home run drive over the right field fence, this being only the second time in nine years that the feat has been accomplished.
(Morning Oregonian, July 03, 1915) - VANCOUVER BEATS SEATTLE - Homer in Second Starts Batting That Results In 13-5 Score. VANCOUVER. B. C., July 2. With three men on bases in the second inning, Emil Frisk lifted the ball over the right-field fence and from then on Seattle made a farce of the game today, while the Vancouvers slaughtered the ball.