The Voigtlander Jubilar was first introduced in 1931 to commemorate the 175th year of the company’s existence. The gentleman that sold me this camera, said it had belonged to his father, who had received it as a boy, and that it had always been very special to him. I assured him that I would take good care of it and give it a place of honor in my collection for years to come.

 

Voigtlander Jubilar 120 6x9cm Folder

Anastigmat-Voigtar 105/f9-18

Scale-focusing lens

Singlo B, T, 1/25, 1/50 sec.

Everset leaf shutter

(1931-34)

 

Sometimes we lose context in our critiques and judge these vintage cameras like they are new models on the shelf. It shouldn’t matter now what the comparisons were between them 50 to 100 years ago, or how they may compare to cameras made today. Now they are all beautiful collector items and an important part of history!

 

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".

 

The world class boanical collections in Waimea Valley owe there existence to Mir. Keith Woolliams, a dedicated botanical horticulturist who was trained at the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew, on the outskirts of London.

Keith led a rich life traveling around the globe studying botanical collections in England, Japan, Papua New Guinea and Bermuda. He brought to Hawaii his expertise and knowledge of uncommon horticultural treasures, and he acquired seeds, plants, and cuttings from remote places and botanical gardens all over the world. In pre-internet days dozens of letters and packages were dispatched and received daily.

His theme of "Conservation Through Cultivation" resulted in a balance of rare and useful native and Polynesian-introduced plants among exotic horticultural specimens.

What was once an ungroomed valley, filled with koa haole and ravaged by feral cattle was transformed into what you see today by Keith and the many dedicated people he inspired. They oversaw the design, landscaping and construction of the pathways, stone walls and stairs that frame the gardens. Keith's high standards for record keeping and signage persist to this day. He left us in 1998 with a library full of his propagation knowledge, cultivation practices and plant lore which survives to ensure that the precious life forms brought to this valley will thrive here long into the future.

Keith was an inspiring advocate for Hawatian plant conservation and he influenced many young people across the state. He connected Waimea with state, federal and international agencies such as the Center for Plant Conservation, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and the Botanical Gardens Conservation International - partnerships that Waimea Valley continues to uphold today.

Keith was instrumental in bringing in critically endangered plants from Japan's Ogasawara Islands, hibiscus relatives from all over the world, and with international colleagues he tried to assemble wild-source collections of every species of Erythrina in the world. In the periodical, "Notes from Waimea Arboretum and Botanical Garden" published twice a year until 1992 he stated "Waimea is a labeled and documented collection of plants for educational and scientific purposes, a living gene pool for future generations".

It is with great honor and gratitude that we remember Mr. Keith Woolliams and his dedication to Waimea Valley.

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...

 

www.classifiedufo.com/the-vril-society.html

Headland is a civil parish in the Borough of Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The parish covers the old part of Hartlepool and nearby villages.

 

History

The Heugh Battery, one of three constructed to protect the port of Hartlepool in 1860, is located in the area along with a museum.

 

The area made national headlines in July 1994 in connection with the murder of Rosie Palmer, a local toddler.

 

On 19 March 2002 the Time Team searched for an Anglo-Saxon monastery.

 

Dominating the skyline is the impressive architectural structure that is St Hilda’s Church. Remnant of Hartlepool’s Saxon heritage and undoubtedly the crowning glory of the Headland, this church is a must-see attraction. After her stay in Hartlepool, the Abbess of the church progressed along the coast to Whitby and this spiritual journey can be explored through ‘The Way of St Hild’ walking trail.

 

A great way to explore the historic Headland is by finding and following the Headland Story Trail. The trail features 18 different information boards, each telling a story of the areas fascinating heritage from tales of shipwreck to the legend of the Hartlepool monkey. A truly interactive and fun walking experience!

 

Other landmarks of note include the impressive Town Wall, dating from the 14th century. This grade I listed, scheduled ancient monument still guards the Headland, and was originally built to keep out the twin threats of raiding Scots and the rigours of the North Sea.

 

The Borough Hall is another striking building and dates back to 1865. This gorgeous entertainment venue hosts an action-packed events programme so be sure to keep an eye out for all upcoming events here.

 

Dive into the town’s military history at The Heugh Battery Museum – this restored coastal defence battery protected the town throughout both World Wars. An enchanting historical sight with the original barrack room, underground magazines, coastal artillery and observation tower, the exhibits tell the story of those who lost their lives and the brave men who defended the area. Refresh with a light bite or sweet treat at the Poppy Café, located within the museum.

 

Visit the Headland War Memorial to see the magnificent ‘Winged Victory’ – a stunning statue that tributes those who lost their lives during the two world wars.

 

At the very north of the Headland you will find Spion Kop Cemetery – this historic cemetery supports a species-rich dune grassland and offers fantastic views of the coastline.

 

Every summer Headland Carnival attracts lively visitors to the area. Packed with thrilling rides, amusing games and live entertainment this week of jam-packed fun is great for all the family.

 

Hartlepool is a seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is governed by a unitary authority borough named after the town. The borough is part of the devolved Tees Valley area. With an estimated population of 87,995, it is the second-largest settlement (after Darlington) in County Durham.

 

The old town was founded in the 7th century, around the monastery of Hartlepool Abbey on a headland. As the village grew into a town in the Middle Ages, its harbour served as the County Palatine of Durham's official port. The new town of West Hartlepool was created in 1835 after a new port was built and railway links from the South Durham coal fields (to the west) and from Stockton-on-Tees (to the south) were created. A parliamentary constituency covering both the old town and West Hartlepool was created in 1867 called The Hartlepools. The two towns were formally merged into a single borough called Hartlepool in 1967. Following the merger, the name of the constituency was changed from The Hartlepools to just Hartlepool in 1974. The modern town centre and main railway station are both at what was West Hartlepool; the old town is now generally known as the Headland.

 

Industrialisation in northern England and the start of a shipbuilding industry in the later part of the 19th century meant it was a target for the Imperial German Navy at the beginning of the First World War. A bombardment of 1,150 shells on 16 December 1914 resulted in the death of 117 people in the town. A severe decline in heavy industries and shipbuilding following the Second World War caused periods of high unemployment until the 1990s when major investment projects and the redevelopment of the docks area into a marina saw a rise in the town's prospects. The town also has a seaside resort called Seaton Carew.

 

History

The place name derives from Old English heort ("hart"), referring to stags seen, and pōl (pool), a pool of drinking water which they were known to use. Records of the place-name from early sources confirm this:

 

649: Heretu, or Hereteu.

1017: Herterpol, or Hertelpolle.

1182: Hierdepol.

 

Town on the heugh

A Northumbrian settlement developed in the 7th century around an abbey founded in 640 by Saint Aidan (an Irish and Christian priest) upon a headland overlooking a natural harbour and the North Sea. The monastery became powerful under St Hilda, who served as its abbess from 649 to 657. The 8th-century Northumbrian chronicler Bede referred to the spot on which today's town is sited as "the place where deer come to drink", and in this period the Headland was named by the Angles as Heruteu (Stag Island). Archaeological evidence has been found below the current high tide mark that indicates that an ancient post-glacial forest by the sea existed in the area at the time.

 

The Abbey fell into decline in the early 8th century, and it was probably destroyed during a sea raid by Vikings on the settlement in the 9th century. In March 2000, the archaeological investigation television programme Time Team located the foundations of the lost monastery in the grounds of St Hilda's Church. In the early 11th century, the name had evolved into Herterpol.

 

Hartness

Normans and for centuries known as the Jewel of Herterpol.

During the Norman Conquest, the De Brus family gained over-lordship of the land surrounding Hartlepool. William the Conqueror subsequently ordered the construction of Durham Castle, and the villages under their rule were mentioned in records in 1153 when Robert de Brus, 1st Lord of Annandale became Lord of Hartness. The town's first charter was received before 1185, for which it gained its first mayor, an annual two-week fair and a weekly market. The Norman Conquest affected the settlement's name to form the Middle English Hart-le-pool ("The Pool of the Stags").

 

By the Middle Ages, Hartlepool was growing into an important (though still small) market town. One of the reasons for its escalating wealth was that its harbour was serving as the official port of the County Palatine of Durham. The main industry of the town at this time was fishing, and Hartlepool in this period established itself as one of the primary ports upon England's Eastern coast.

 

In 1306, Robert the Bruce was crowned King of Scotland, and became the last Lord of Hartness. Angered, King Edward I confiscated the title to Hartlepool, and began to improve the town's military defences in expectation of war. In 1315, before they were completed, a Scottish army under Sir James Douglas attacked, captured and looted the town.

 

In the late 15th century, a pier was constructed to assist in the harbour's workload.

 

Garrison

Hartlepool was once again militarily occupied by a Scottish incursion, this time in alliance with the Parliamentary Army during the English Civil War, which after 18 months was relieved by an English Parliamentarian garrison.

 

In 1795, Hartlepool artillery emplacements and defences were constructed in the town as a defensive measure against the threat of French attack from seaborne Napoleonic forces. During the Crimean War, two coastal batteries were constructed close together in the town to guard against the threat of seaborne attacks from the Imperial Russian Navy. They were entitled the Lighthouse Battery (1855) and the Heugh Battery (1859).

 

Hartlepool in the 18th century became known as a town with medicinal springs, particularly the Chalybeate Spa near the Westgate. The poet Thomas Gray visited the town in July 1765 to "take the waters", and wrote to his friend William Mason:

 

I have been for two days to taste the water, and do assure you that nothing could be salter and bitterer and nastier and better for you... I am delighted with the place; there are the finest walks and rocks and caverns.

 

A few weeks later, he wrote in greater detail to James Brown:

 

The rocks, the sea and the weather there more than made up to me the want of bread and the want of water, two capital defects, but of which I learned from the inhabitants not to be sensible. They live on the refuse of their own fish-market, with a few potatoes, and a reasonable quantity of Geneva [gin] six days in the week, and I have nowhere seen a taller, more robust or healthy race: every house full of ruddy broad-faced children. Nobody dies but of drowning or old-age: nobody poor but from drunkenness or mere laziness.

 

Town by the strand

By the early nineteenth century, Hartlepool was still a small town of around 900 people, with a declining port. In 1823, the council and Board of Trade decided that the town needed new industry, so the decision was made to propose a new railway to make Hartlepool a coal port, shipping out minerals from the Durham coalfield. It was in this endeavour that Isambard Kingdom Brunel visited the town in December 1831, and wrote: "A curiously isolated old fishing town – a remarkably fine race of men. Went to the top of the church tower for a view."

 

But the plan faced local competition from new docks. 25 kilometres (16 mi) to the north, the Marquis of Londonderry had approved the creation of the new Seaham Harbour (opened 31 July 1831), while to the south the Clarence Railway connected Stockton-on-Tees and Billingham to a new port at Port Clarence (opened 1833). Further south again, in 1831 the Stockton and Darlington Railway had extended into the new port of Middlesbrough.

 

The council agreed the formation of the Hartlepool Dock and Railway Company (HD&RCo) to extend the existing port by developing new docks, and link to both local collieries and the developing railway network in the south. In 1833, it was agreed that Christopher Tennant of Yarm establish the HD&RCo, having previously opened the Clarence Railway (CR). Tennant's plan was that the HD&RCo would fund the creation of a new railway, the Stockton and Hartlepool Railway, which would take over the loss-making CR and extended it north to the new dock, thereby linking to the Durham coalfield.

 

After Tennant died, in 1839, the running of the HD&RCo was taken over by Stockton-on-Tees solicitor, Ralph Ward Jackson. But Jackson became frustrated at the planning restrictions placed on the old Hartlepool dock and surrounding area for access, so bought land which was mainly sand dunes to the south-west, and established West Hartlepool. Because Jackson was so successful at shipping coal from West Hartlepool through his West Hartlepool Dock and Railway Company and, as technology developed, ships grew in size and scale, the new town would eventually dwarf the old town.

 

The 8-acre (3.2-hectare) West Hartlepool Harbour and Dock opened on 1 June 1847. On 1 June 1852, the 14-acre (5.7-hectare) Jackson Dock opened on the same day that a railway opened connecting West Hartlepool to Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool. This allowed the shipping of coal and wool products eastwards, and the shipping of fresh fish and raw fleeces westwards, enabling another growth spurt in the town. This in turn resulted in the opening of the Swainson Dock on 3 June 1856, named after Ward Jackson's father-in-law. In 1878, the William Gray & Co shipyard in West Hartlepool achieved the distinction of launching the largest tonnage of any shipyard in the world, a feat to be repeated on a number of occasions. By 1881, old Hartlepool's population had grown from 993 to 12,361, but West Hartlepool had a population of 28,000.

 

Ward Jackson Park

Ward Jackson helped to plan the layout of West Hartlepool and was responsible for the first public buildings. He was also involved in the education and the welfare of the inhabitants. In the end, he was a victim of his own ambition to promote the town: accusations of shady financial dealings, and years of legal battles, left him in near-poverty. He spent the last few years of his life in London, far away from the town he had created.

 

World Wars

In Hartlepool near Heugh Battery, a plaque in Redheugh Gardens War Memorial "marks the place where the first ...(German shell) struck... (and) the first soldier was killed on British soil by enemy action in the Great War 1914–1918."

The area became heavily industrialised with an ironworks (established in 1838) and shipyards in the docks (established in the 1870s). By 1913, no fewer than 43 ship-owning companies were located in the town, with the responsibility for 236 ships. This made it a key target for Germany in the First World War. One of the first German offensives against Britain was a raid and bombardment by the Imperial German Navy on the morning of 16 December 1914,

 

Hartlepool was hit with a total of 1150 shells, killing 117 people. Two coastal defence batteries at Hartlepool returned fire, launching 143 shells, and damaging three German ships: SMS Seydlitz, SMS Moltke and SMS Blücher. The Hartlepool engagement lasted roughly 50 minutes, and the coastal artillery defence was supported by the Royal Navy in the form of four destroyers, two light cruisers and a submarine, none of which had any significant impact on the German attackers.

 

Private Theophilus Jones of the 18th Battalion Durham Light Infantry, who fell as a result of this bombardment, is sometimes described as the first military casualty on British soil by enemy fire. This event (the death of the first soldiers on British soil) is commemorated by the 1921 Redheugh Gardens War Memorial together with a plaque unveiled on the same day (seven years and one day after the East Coast Raid) at the spot on the Headland (the memorial by Philip Bennison illustrates four soldiers on one of four cartouches and the plaque, donated by a member of the public, refers to the 'first soldier' but gives no name). A living history group, the Hartlepool Military Heritage Memorial Society, portray men of that unit for educational and memorial purposes.

 

Hartlepudlians voluntarily subscribed more money per head to the war effort than any other town in Britain.

 

On 4 January 1922, a fire starting in a timber yard left 80 people homeless and caused over £1,000,000 of damage. Hartlepool suffered badly in the Great Depression of the 1930s and endured high unemployment.

 

Unemployment decreased during the Second World War, with shipbuilding and steel-making industries enjoying a renaissance. Most of its output for the war effort were "Empire Ships". German bombers raided the town 43 times, though, compared to the previous war, civilian losses were lighter with 26 deaths recorded by Hartlepool Municipal Borough[19] and 49 by West Hartlepool Borough. During the Second World War, RAF Greatham (also known as RAF West Hartlepool) was located on the South British Steel Corporation Works.

 

The merge

In 1891, the two towns had a combined population of 64,000. By 1900, the two Hartlepools were, together, one of the three busiest ports in England.

 

The modern town represents a joining of "Old Hartlepool", locally known as the "Headland", and West Hartlepool. As already mentioned, what was West Hartlepool became the larger town and both were formally unified in 1967. Today the term "West Hartlepool" is rarely heard outside the context of sport, but one of the town's Rugby Union teams still retains the name.

 

The name of the town's professional football club reflected both boroughs; when it was formed in 1908, following the success of West Hartlepool in winning the FA Amateur Cup in 1905, it was called "Hartlepools United" in the hope of attracting support from both towns. When the boroughs combined in 1967, the club renamed itself "Hartlepool" before re-renaming itself Hartlepool United in the 1970s. Many fans of the club still refer to the team as "Pools"

 

Fall out

After the war, industry went into a severe decline. Blanchland, the last ship to be constructed in Hartlepool, left the slips in 1961. In 1967, Betty James wrote how "if I had the luck to live anywhere in the North East [of England]...I would live near Hartlepool. If I had the luck". There was a boost to the retail sector in 1970 when Middleton Grange Shopping Centre was opened by Princess Anne, with over 130 new shops including Marks & Spencer and Woolworths.

 

Before the shopping centre was opened, the old town centre was located around Lynn Street, but most of the shops and the market had moved to a new shopping centre by 1974. Most of Lynn Street had by then been demolished to make way for a new housing estate. Only the north end of the street remains, now called Lynn Street North. This is where the Hartlepool Borough Council depot was based (alongside the Focus DIY store) until it moved to the marina in August 2006.

 

In 1977, the British Steel Corporation announced the closure of its Hartlepool steelworks with the loss of 1500 jobs. In the 1980s, the area was afflicted with extremely high levels of unemployment, at its peak consisting of 30 per cent of the town's working-age population, the highest in the United Kingdom. 630 jobs at British Steel were lost in 1983, and a total of 10,000 jobs were lost from the town in the economic de-industrialization of England's former Northern manufacturing heartlands. Between 1983 and 1999, the town lacked a cinema and areas of it became afflicted with the societal hallmarks of endemic economic poverty: urban decay, high crime levels, drug and alcohol dependency being prevalent.

 

Rise and the future

Docks near the centre were redeveloped and reopened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1993 as a marina with the accompanying National Museum of the Royal Navy opened in 1994, then known as the Hartlepool Historic Quay.

 

A development corporation is under consultation until August 2022 to organise projects, with the town's fund given to the town and other funds. Plans would be (if the corporation is formed) focused on the railway station, waterfront (including the Royal Navy Museum and a new leisure centre) and Church Street. Northern School of Art also has funds for a TV and film studios.

 

Governance

There is one main tier of local government covering Hartlepool, at unitary authority level: Hartlepool Borough Council. There is a civil parish covering Headland, which forms an additional tier of local government for that area; most of the rest of the urban area is an unparished area. The borough council is a constituent member of the Tees Valley Combined Authority, led by the directly elected Tees Valley Mayor. The borough council is based at the Civic Centre on Victoria Road.

 

Hartlepool was historically a township in the ancient parish of Hart. Hartlepool was also an ancient borough, having been granted a charter by King John in 1200. The borough was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1850. The council built Hartlepool Borough Hall to serve as its headquarters, being completed in 1866.

 

West Hartlepool was laid out on land outside Hartlepool's historic borough boundaries, in the neighbouring parish of Stranton. A body of improvement commissioners was established to administer the new town in 1854. The commissioners were superseded in 1887, when West Hartlepool was also incorporated as a municipal borough. The new borough council built itself a headquarters at the Municipal Buildings on Church Square, which was completed in 1889. An events venue and public hall on Raby Road called West Hartlepool Town Hall was subsequently completed in 1897. In 1902 West Hartlepool was elevated to become a county borough, making it independent from Durham County Council. The old Hartlepool Borough Council amalgamated with West Hartlepool Borough Council in 1967 to form a county borough called Hartlepool.

 

In 1974 the borough was enlarged to take in eight neighbouring parishes, and was transferred to the new county of Cleveland. Cleveland was abolished in 1996 following the Banham Review, which gave unitary authority status to its four districts, including Hartlepool. The borough was restored to County Durham for ceremonial purposes under the Lieutenancies Act 1997, but as a unitary authority it is independent from Durham County Council.

 

Emergency services

Hartlepool falls within the jurisdiction of Cleveland Fire Brigade and Cleveland Police. Before 1974, it was under the jurisdiction of the Durham Constabulary and Durham Fire Brigade. Hartlepool has two fire stations: a full-time station at Stranton and a retained station on the Headland.

 

Economy

Hartlepool's economy has historically been linked with the maritime industry, something which is still at the heart of local business. Hartlepool Dock is owned and run by PD Ports. Engineering related jobs employ around 1700 people. Tata Steel Europe employ around 350 people in the manufacture of steel tubes, predominantly for the oil industry. South of the town on the banks of the Tees, Able UK operates the Teesside Environmental Reclamation and Recycling Centre (TERRC), a large scale marine recycling facility and dry dock. Adjacent to the east of TERRC is the Hartlepool nuclear power station, an advanced gas-cooled reactor (AGR) type nuclear power plant opened in the 1980s. It is the single largest employer in the town, employing 1 per cent of the town's working age people.

 

The chemicals industry is important to the local economy. Companies include Huntsman Corporation, who produce titanium dioxide for use in paints, Omya, Baker Hughes and Frutarom.

 

Tourism was worth £48 million to the town in 2009; this figure excludes the impact of the Tall Ships 2010. Hartlepool's historic links to the maritime industry are centred on the Maritime Experience, and the supporting exhibits PS Wingfield Castle and HMS Trincomalee.

 

Camerons Brewery was founded in 1852 and currently employs around 145 people. It is one of the largest breweries in the UK. Following a series of take-overs, it came under the control of the Castle Eden Brewery in 2001 who merged the two breweries, closing down the Castle Eden plant. It brews a range of cask and bottled beers, including Strongarm, a 4% abv bitter. The brewery is heavily engaged in contract brewing such beers as Kronenbourg 1664, John Smith's and Foster's.

 

Orchid Drinks of Hartlepool were formed in 1992 after a management buy out of the soft drinks arm of Camerons. They manufactured Purdey's and Amé. Following a £67 million takeover by Britvic, the site was closed down in 2009.

 

Middleton Grange Shopping Centre is the main shopping location. 2800 people are employed in retail. The ten major retail companies in the town are Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, Next, Argos, Marks & Spencer, Aldi, Boots and Matalan. Aside from the local sports clubs, other local entertainment venues include a VUE Cinema and Mecca Bingo.

 

Companies that have moved operations to the town for the offshore wind farm include Siemens and Van Oord.

 

Culture and community

Festivals and Fairs

Since November 2014 the Headland has hosted the annual Wintertide Festival, which is a weekend long event that starts with a community parade on the Friday and culminating in a finale performance and fireworks display on the Sunday.

 

Tall Ships' Races

On 28 June 2006 Hartlepool celebrated after winning its bid to host The Tall Ships' Races. The town welcomed up to 125 tall ships in 2010, after being chosen by race organiser Sail Training International to be the finishing point for the race. Hartlepool greeted the ships, which sailed from Kristiansand in Norway on the second and final leg of the race. Hartlepool also hosted the race in July 2023.

 

Museums, art galleries and libraries

Hartlepool Art Gallery is located in Church Square within Christ Church, a restored Victorian church, built in 1854 and designed by the architect Edward Buckton Lamb (1806–1869). The gallery's temporary exhibitions change frequently and feature works from local artists and the permanent Fine Art Collection, which was established by Sir William Gray. The gallery also houses the Hartlepool tourist information centre.

 

The Heugh Battery Museum is located on the Headland. It was one of three batteries erected to protect Hartlepool's port in 1860. The battery was closed in 1956 and is now in the care of the Heugh Gun Battery Trust and home to an artillery collection.

 

Hartlepool is home to a National Museum of the Royal Navy (more specifically the NMRN Hartlepool). Previously known simply as The Historic Quay and Hartlepool's Maritime Experience, the museum is a re-creation of an 18th-century seaport with the exhibition centre-piece being a sailing frigate, HMS Trincomalee. The complex also includes the Museum of Hartlepool.

 

Willows was the Hartlepool mansion of the influential Sir William Gray of William Gray & Company and he gifted it to the town in 1920, after which it was converted to be the town's first museum and art gallery. Fondly known locally as "The Gray" it was closed as a museum in 1994 and now houses the local authority's culture department.

 

There are six libraries in Hartlepool, the primary one being the Community Hub Central Library. Others are Throston Grange Library, Community Hub North Library, Seaton Carew Library, Owton Manor Library and Headland Branch Library.

 

Sea

Hartlepool has been a major seaport virtually since it was founded, and has a long fishing heritage. During the industrial revolution massive new docks were created on the southern side of the channel running below the Headland, which gave rise to the town of West Hartlepool.

 

Now owned by PD Ports, the docks are still in use today and still capable of handling large vessels. However, a large portion of the former dockland was converted into a marina capable of berthing 500 vessels. Hartlepool Marina is home to a wide variety of pleasure and working craft, with passage to and from the sea through a lock.

 

Hartlepool also has a permanent RNLI lifeboat station.

 

Education

Secondary

Hartlepool has five secondary schools:

 

Dyke House Academy

English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College

High Tunstall College of Science

Manor Community Academy

St Hild's Church of England School

The town had planned to receive funding from central government to improve school buildings and facilities as a part of the Building Schools for the Future programme, but this was cancelled because of government spending cuts.

 

College

Hartlepool College of Further Education is an educational establishment located in the centre of the town, and existed in various forms for over a century. Its former 1960s campus was replaced by a £52million custom-designed building, it was approved in principle in July 2008, opened in September 2011.

 

Hartlepool also has Hartlepool Sixth Form College. It was a former grammar and comprehensive school, the college provides a number of AS and A2 Level student courses. The English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College also offers AS, A2 and other BTEC qualification to 16- to 18-year-olds from Hartlepool and beyond.

 

A campus of The Northern School of Art is a specialist art and design college and higher education, located adjacent to the art gallery on Church Square. The college has a further site in Middlesbrough that facilitates further education.

 

Territorial Army

Situated in the New Armoury Centre, Easington Road are the following units.

 

Royal Marines Reserve

90 (North Riding) Signal Squadron

 

Religion

They are multiple Church of England and Roman Catholic Churches in the town. St Hilda's Church is a notable church of the town, it was built on Hartlepool Abbey and sits upon a high point of the Headland. The churches of the Church of England's St Paul and Roman Catholic's St Joseph are next to each other on St Paul's Road. Nasir Mosque on Brougham Terrace is the sole purpose-built mosque in the town.

 

Sport

Football

Hartlepool United is the town's professional football club and they play at Victoria Park. The club's most notable moment was in 2005 when, with 8 minutes left in the 2005 Football League One play-off final, the team conceded a penalty, allowing Sheffield Wednesday to equalise and eventually beat Hartlepool to a place in the Championship. The club currently play in the National League.

 

Supporters of the club bear the nickname of Monkey Hangers. This is based upon a legend that during the Napoleonic wars a monkey, which had been a ship's mascot, was taken for a French spy and hanged. Hartlepool has also produced football presenter Jeff Stelling, who has a renowned partnership with Chris Kamara who was born in nearby Middlesbrough. Jeff Stelling is a keen supporter of Hartlepool and often refers to them when presenting Sky Sports News. It is also the birthplace and childhood home of Pete Donaldson, one of the co-hosts of the Football Ramble podcast as well as co-host of the Abroad in Japan podcast, and a prominent radio DJ.

 

The town also has a semi-professional football club called FC Hartlepool who play in Northern League Division Two.

 

Rugby union

Hartlepool is something of an anomaly in England having historically maintained a disproportionate number of clubs in a town of only c.90,000 inhabitants. These include(d) West Hartlepool, Hartlepool Rovers, Hartlepool Athletic RFC, Hartlepool Boys Brigade Old Boys RFC (BBOB), Seaton Carew RUFC (formerly Hartlepool Grammar School Old Boys), West Hartlepool Technical Day School Old Boys RUFC (TDSOB or Tech) and Hartlepool Old Boys' RFC (Hartlepool). Starting in 1904 clubs within eight miles (thirteen kilometres) of the headland were eligible to compete for the Pyman Cup which has been contested regularly since and that the Hartlepool & District Union continue to organise.

 

Perhaps the best known club outside the town is West Hartlepool R.F.C. who in 1992 achieved promotion to what is now the Premiership competing in 1992–93, 1994–95, 1995–96 and 1996–97 seasons. This success came at a price as soon after West was then hit by bankruptcy and controversially sold their Brierton Lane stadium and pitch to former sponsor Yuills Homes. There then followed a succession of relegations before the club stabilised in the Durham/Northumberland leagues. West and Rovers continue to play one another in a popular Boxing Day fixture which traditionally draws a large crowd.

 

Hartlepool Rovers, formed in 1879, who played at the Old Friarage in the Headland area of Hartlepool before moving to West View Road. In the 1890s Rovers supplied numerous county, divisional and international players. The club itself hosted many high-profile matches including the inaugural Barbarians F.C. match in 1890, the New Zealand Maoris in 1888 and the legendary All Blacks who played against a combined Hartlepool Club team in 1905. In the 1911–12 season, Hartlepool Rovers broke the world record for the number of points scored in a season racking up 860 points including 122 tries, 87 conversions, five penalties and eleven drop goals.

 

Although they ceased competing in the RFU leagues in 2008–09, West Hartlepool TDSOB (Tech) continues to support town and County rugby with several of the town's other clubs having played at Grayfields when their own pitches were unavailable. Grayfields has also hosted a number of Durham County cup finals as well as County Under 16, Under 18 and Under 20 age group games.

 

Olympics

Boxing

At the 2012 Summer Olympics, 21-year-old Savannah Marshall, who attended English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College in the town of Hartlepool, competed in the Women's boxing tournament of the 2012 Olympic Games. She was defeated 12–6 by Marina Volnova of Kazakhstan in her opening, quarter-final bout. Savannah Marshall is now a professional boxer, currently unbeaten as a pro and on 31 October 2020 in her 9th professional fight Marshall became the WBO female middleweight champion with a TKO victory over opponent Hannah Rankin at Wembley Arena.

 

Swimming

In August 2012 Jemma Lowe, a British record holder who attended High Tunstall College of Science in the town of Hartlepool, competed in the 2012 Olympic Games. She finished sixth in the 200-metre butterfly final with a time of 58.06 seconds. She was also a member of the eighth-place British team in the 400m Medley relay.

 

Monkeys

Hartlepool is known for allegedly executing a monkey during the Napoleonic Wars. According to legend, fishermen from Hartlepool watched a French warship founder off the coast, and the only survivor was a monkey, which was dressed in French military uniform, presumably to amuse the officers on the ship. The fishermen assumed that this must be what Frenchmen looked like and, after a brief trial, summarily executed the monkey.

 

Historians have pointed to the prior existence of a Scottish folk song called "And the Boddamers hung the Monkey-O". It describes how a monkey survived a shipwreck off the village of Boddam near Peterhead in Aberdeenshire. Because the villagers could only claim salvage rights if there were no survivors from the wreck, they allegedly hanged the monkey. There is also an English folk song detailing the later event called, appropriately enough, "The Hartlepool Monkey". In the English version the monkey is hanged as a French spy.

 

"Monkey hanger" and Chimp Choker are common terms of (semi-friendly) abuse aimed at "Poolies", often from footballing rivals Darlington. The mascot of Hartlepool United F.C. is H'Angus the monkey. The man in the monkey costume, Stuart Drummond, stood for the post of mayor in 2002 as H'angus the monkey, and campaigned on a platform which included free bananas for schoolchildren. To widespread surprise, he won, becoming the first directly elected mayor of Hartlepool, winning 7,400 votes with a 52% share of the vote and a turnout of 30%. He was re-elected by a landslide in 2005, winning 16,912 on a turnout of 51% – 10,000 votes more than his nearest rival, the Labour Party candidate.

 

The monkey legend is also linked with two of the town's sports clubs, Hartlepool Rovers RFC, which uses the hanging monkey as the club logo. Hartlepool (Old Boys) RFC use a hanging monkey kicking a rugby ball as their tie crest.

 

Notable residents

Michael Brown, former Premier League footballer

Edward Clarke, artist

Brian Clough, football manager who lived in the Fens estate in town while manager of Hartlepools United

John Darwin, convicted fraudster who faked his own death

Pete Donaldson, London radio DJ and podcast host

Janick Gers, guitarist from British heavy metal band Iron Maiden

Courtney Hadwin, singer

Jack Howe, former England international footballer

Liam Howe, music producer and songwriter for several artists and member of the band Sneaker Pimps

Saxon Huxley, WWE NXT UK wrestler

Andy Linighan, former Arsenal footballer who scored the winning goal in the 1993 FA Cup Final

Savannah Marshall, professional boxer

Stephanie Aird, comedian and television personality

Jim Parker, composer

Guy Pearce, film actor who lived in the town when he was younger as his mother was from the town

Narbi Price, artist

Jack Rowell, coached the England international rugby team and led them to the semi-final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup

Wayne Sleep, dancer and actor who spent his childhood in the town.

Reg Smythe, cartoonist who created Andy Capp

Jeremy Spencer, guitarist who was in the original Fleetwood Mac line-up

Jeff Stelling, TV presenter, famous for hosting Gillette Soccer Saturday

David Eagle, Folk singer and stand-up comedian,

Local media

Hartlepool Life - local free newspaper

Hartlepool Mail – local newspaper

BBC Radio Tees – BBC local radio station

Radio Hartlepool – Community radio station serving the town

Hartlepool Post – on-line publication

Local television news programmes are BBC Look North and ITV News Tyne Tees.

 

Town twinning

Hartlepool is twinned with:

France Sète, France

Germany Hückelhoven, Germany (since 1973)

United States Muskegon, Michigan

Malta Sliema, Malta

Press "F" if you like it.

 

© jakeblues111185

 

watch this:

www.youtube.com/user/lifeinaday

"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

www.flickr.com/photos/cateloughran/4751859758/in/contacts/

  

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!

I am worried about what mankind is doing to our habitats. Please don't be so cruel. Save us and Save yourselves!!!

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.

Shopping is one of my best excuse for getting out of the house. It's always a thrill. Not so much for buying things, in a materialistic sense, but for inserting myself into the flow of life, feeling my existence as a woman. Such a gratifying social experience.

@Nakanojo Biennale

ift.tt/2OoRigX

Detail from this Gothic church demolished from it’s original site and which led a peripatetic existence (as a pile of numbered stones) to allow the North British Railway to expand Waverley station. Rebuilt in a diminished form (one transept and aisle) in Chalmers Close off the Royal Mile. Now used as a function centre.

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.

gardening world

Droids find themselves in existential crisis more often than you might think. Self-doubt is universal.

 

Photo shot for the Flickr group 7 Days of Shooting.

Post-Blackfish, Sea World justifies its continued existence by extolling conservationist principles and pointing to its long history of animal rescue. One of the dolphin trainers, working this line, explained to the guests various things they could do on a small scale to assist such efforts, like picking up trash they see on the beach and disposing of it properly, so sea creatures don't wind up eating it.

 

I thought about responding that a far more effective plan of action would be for Sea World to install clean water fountains all over the park for the use of its guests, instead of partnering with the Coca-Cola corporation to sell a gazillion plastic bottles of Dasani a day. But I didn't want to ruin the vibe.

 

In any event: Dragonia pre-purchased green "Unlimited Eats" wristbands for our entire party, which allowed each of us to get a free entree, free side and free drink from any of various marked locations throughout the park, as frequently as once an hour. (Seriously?) And they worked right up until park's close, allowing her and my son to indulge their late-night pop cravings.

 

Tragically, the machine my son chose to use was malfunctioning, and spit out hot Hi-C.

 

Doubly tragically (and against my advice), he chose to drink it anyway. Bleah!

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.........

Was still in existence at Seaton Delaval colliery in 1955

The existence of a Weltanschauung guarantees the presence of principles; the existence of contemplation corrects the Weltanschauung.

 

 

--- Portella della Ginestra (Sicily) massacre of 1 May 1947 ---

 

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the slideshow

  

Qi Bo's photos on Flickriver

  

Qi Bo's photos on FlickeFlu

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The first of May, 1947, near the town of Piana degli Albanesi (a town near Palermo, in Sicily), during Labor Day, some gunmen fired on the crowd and killed 11 people (9 adults and 2 children) and injured more than 30, some of whom died later from his injuries: it was "the massacre of Portella della Ginestra", for many the first great mystery of the Italian Republic, of the post-war Italian politics.

The blows, as we learned later, were fired by Salvatore Giuliano (the legendary bandit of Montelepre, star of the post-war criminal in Sicily) and his gang; you never knew, however, the motive for the massacre, who ordered it and who covered the subsequent investigations (Officially, the responsibility for the massacre lies with Sicilian bandit, Salvatore Giuliano, but some historical sources reveals the existence of a CIA plan to dampen down communism in Sicily by scheduling the massacre for the same day as International Workers’ Day is traditionally celebrated).

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

 

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.

Le premier témoignage écrit de l’existence d’Esch-sur-Sûre se retrouve dans le « Liber aureus Epternacensis ». Dans ce livre de l’abbaye d’Echternach, il est noté qu’un certain Nebelungus a fait don de ses propriétés avec serfs de « Hesc » à ladite abbaye. Cet acte remonte à l’an 3 du règne de Charlemagne, c.-à-d. entre le 9 octobre 773 et le 9 octobre 774.

Le 3 juin 927, un certain Meginaud a acquis, par échange avec l’abbaye de Stavelot, le site d’Esch-sur-Sûre. Il a érigé une tour d’habitation carrée de 8 x 8 mètres et les bâtiments d’exploitation agricole. À la fin du 11e siècle, les frères Henri 1er et Godefroi 1er ont participé à la préparation de la première croisade. De ce fait, ils n’ont pas su réaliser des travaux au château. Les deux derniers seigneurs de la lignée des comtes d’Esch ont considérablement agrandi leur territoire et leur château. En ces temps, la seigneurie d’Esch-sur-Sûre comptait 19 villages et hameaux et s’étendait jusqu’à Diekirch.

Les premières constructions du château ont donc été réalisées pendant la période romane, tandis que son développement a eu lieu à l’époque gothique.

Avec l’apparition de la poudre au 15e siècle, il a fallu adapter les constructions défensives. Ainsi, tout le village fut entouré d’un mur d’enceinte de 450 m de long et de 1,5 m de large avec deux tours défensives. La tour de guet ronde a également été fortifiée.

La décadence du château fort débuta vers le milieu du 16e siècle pour se terminer au 19e siècle. Après la prise de la forteresse de Luxembourg (1685), les troupes de Louis XIV s’employaient à démanteler les places fortes du pays.

À Esch-sur-Sûre, on n’a pas détruit le mur d’enceinte, parce que des maisons y étaient adossées et certaines le sont toujours (à voir en montant la ruelle à gauche de la mairie).

Vers le milieu du 19e siècle, le château passa entre les mains de bourgeois qui y habitaient. Lorsque Victor Hugo visita le bourg au bord de la Sûre en été 1871, le château abritait toujours plusieurs familles. La chapelle du château fut restaurée en 1906.

De nos jours, il ne reste que des ruines consolidées pour témoigner du fier passé de la seigneurie d’Esch-sur-Sûre.

 

The first written evidence of the existence of Esch-sur-Sûre can be found in the “Liber aureus Epternacensis”. In this book of the Abbey of Echternach, it is noted that a certain Nebelungus donated his properties with serfs of “Hesc” to the said abbey. This act dates back to the year 3 of the reign of Charlemagne, i.e. between October 9, 773 and October 9, 774. On June 3, 927, a certain Meginaud acquired, by exchange with the Abbey of Stavelot, the site of Esch-sur-Sûre. He built a square residential tower of 8 x 8 meters and the farm buildings. At the end of the 11th century, the brothers Henry I and Godfrey I participated in the preparation of the first crusade. As a result, they were unable to carry out work on the castle. The last two lords of the line of the Counts of Esch considerably expanded their territory and their castle. At that time, the lordship of Esch-sur-Sûre included 19 villages and hamlets and extended as far as Diekirch.

The first constructions of the castle were therefore carried out during the Romanesque period, while its development took place in the Gothic period.

With the advent of gunpowder in the 15th century, it was necessary to adapt the defensive constructions. Thus, the entire village was surrounded by a 450 m long and 1.5 m wide perimeter wall with two defensive towers. The round watchtower was also fortified.

The decline of the fortified castle began around the middle of the 16th century and ended in the 19th century. After the capture of the fortress of Luxembourg (1685), Louis XIV's troops set about dismantling the country's strongholds.

In Esch-sur-Sûre, the surrounding wall was not destroyed because houses were built against it and some still are (you can see it by going up the alley to the left of the town hall).

Towards the middle of the 19th century, the castle passed into the hands of bourgeois who lived there. When Victor Hugo visited the town on the banks of the Sûre in the summer of 1871, the castle was still home to several families. The castle chapel was restored in 1906.

Today, only consolidated ruins remain to bear witness to the proud past of the lordship of Esch-sur-Sûre.

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

 

june 2020

 

canon a-1 | fd 2.8/100 | fuji industrial 100

In another existence, just outside our own, is the forgotten city of Dingir. Its streamlined Art Deco architecture was once filled with bright colors and rich materials, meant to reflect the beginning of a new age of consciousness. Now muted and neglected, it lies somewhere between our dreams and reality.

 

Dingir served as a crossroads between the human-bound Dreamers and the entities that would become humans. These creatures were known as “Those Who See and Observe”.

 

They entered Dreamers’ subconscious and helped guide them along on their path. However, there were some Dreamers that became too strong and aware, which gave them the ability to reach through the barrier between worlds, causing chaos and irreparable damage to Dingir, and places like it.

 

Sponsored by What’s Lost Spirits

Region by Stabitha (What88 Zond)

A shopping Region

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.

Milky Way

Viewed from Madagascar

  

This is the Milky Way, our galaxy, our star continent. Our Sun is just an insignificant star amongst these, just one of hundreds of billions. Yet, without her, we would not be in existence. The closest star (actually a binary star system of 2 stars) to our Sun is Alpha Centauri, just 4.37 light years away. Our Milky Way is a spiral galaxy that spans approximately 100,000 light years across. Our Sun solar system lies about 27,000 light years from the center of our Milky Way galaxy.

 

Within our massive galaxy exists smaller, dwarf galaxies, which revolve within or around ours. These are tiny in comparison, often only containing mere billions of stars. Our closest spiral galaxy (undoubtedly the coolest looking, like our own) is Andromeda, which is 2.5 million light years away.

 

For the physics challenged, and let’s face it, these are hard numbers to grasp, a light year is a distance, not a time. In fact it’s the distance that is traveled in one Earth year IF one were traveling at the speed of light.

 

So, in perspective…

The speed of light = 186,282 miles per SECOND or, for those of you with a heavy foot, 670,616,629 miles per hour

 

Currently, the fastest unmanned manmade object is the Juno satellite, which will reach over 165,000 mph on its way to Jupiter, and has taken several years to climb to such speeds.

 

The fastest manned object was the Apollo 10 at 24,790 mph. At this speed it would take us 118,217 years just to reach our nearest star system, Alpha Centauri.

 

Nuts and bolts of it, ONE Light Year is 5,878,499,810,000 miles. Good luck hopstopping that one!

 

We are NOWHERE close to the speed of light.

  

When I was a child, scientists didn’t think there were that many other planets out there, never mind galaxies. Now they concede that there are hundreds of billions of galaxies and henceforth hundreds of billions of planets.

 

Yet…ours is the ONLY one known to contain life. And amazing life, at that. We are hundreds if not thousands of years away from conquering space travel and the opportunity to leave this planet of ours, whatever is left of it at that point. I’m not trying to get too political or philosophical here, but just take a step back and think how precious the diversity of life on our planet is. Really, think about it.

 

Lets not squander it.

 

light is a rainbow

it hides seven colours

to bring life to our existence

 

life is a rainbow

it hides seven senses

to help us reach out

to the light of existence

 

john tiong chunghoo

 

 

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on authentic facts. BEWARE!

  

Some background:

The РТАК-30 attack vintoplan (also known as vintokryl) owed its existence to the Mil Mi-30 plane/helicopter project that originated in 1972. The Mil Mi-30 was conceived as a transport aircraft that could hold up to 19 passengers or two tons of cargo, and its purpose was to replace the Mi-8 and Mi-17 Helicopters in both civil and military roles. With vertical takeoff through a pair of tiltrotor engine pods on the wing tips (similar in layout to the later V-22 Osprey) and the ability to fly like a normal plane, the Mil Mi-30 had a clear advantage over the older models.

 

Since the vintoplan concept was a completely new field of research and engineering, a dedicated design bureau was installed in the mid-Seventies at the Rostov-na-Donu helicopter factory, where most helicopters from the Mil design bureau were produced, under the title Ростов Тилт Ротор Авиационная Компания (Rostov Tilt Rotor Aircraft Company), or РТАК (RTRA), for short.

 

The vintoplan project lingered for some time, with basic research being conducted concerning aerodynamics, rotor design and flight control systems. Many findings later found their way into conventional planes and helicopters. At the beginning of the 1980s, the project had progressed far enough that the vintoplan received official backing so that РТАК scientists and Mil helicopter engineers assembled and tested several layouts and components for this complicated aircraft type.

At that time the Mil Mi-30 vintoplan was expected to use a single TV3-117 Turbo Shaft Engine with a four-bladed propeller rotors on each of its two pairs of stub wings of almost equal span. The engine was still installed in the fuselage and the proprotors driven by long shafts.

 

However, while being a very clean design, this original layout revealed several problems concerning aeroelasticity, dynamics of construction, characteristics for the converter apparatuses, aerodynamics and flight dynamics. In the course of further development stages and attempts to rectify the technical issues, the vintoplan layout went through several revisions. The layout shifted consequently from having 4 smaller engines in rotating pods on two pairs of stub wings through three engines with rotating nacelles on the front wings and a fixed, horizontal rotor over the tail and finally back to only 2 engines (much like the initial concept), but this time mounted in rotating nacelles on the wing tips and a canard stabilizer layout.

 

In August 1981 the Commission of the Presidium of the USSR Council of Ministers on weapons eventually issued a decree on the development of a flyworthy Mil Mi-30 vintoplan prototype. Shortly afterwards the military approved of the vintoplan, too, but desired bigger, more powerful engines in order to improve performance and weight capacity. In the course of the ensuing project refinement, the weight capacity was raised to 3-5 tons and the passenger limit to 32. In parallel, the modified type was also foreseen for civil operations as a short range feederliner, potentially replacing Yak-40 and An-24 airliners in Aeroflot service.

In 1982, РТАК took the interest from the military and proposed a dedicated attack vintoplan, based on former research and existing components of the original transport variant. This project was accepted by MAP and received the separate designation РТАК-30. However, despite having some close technical relations to the Mi-30 transport (primarily the engine nacelles, their rotation mechanism and the flight control systems), the РТАК-30 was a completely different aircraft. The timing was good, though, and the proposal was met with much interest, since the innovative vintoplan concept was to compete against traditional helicopters: the design work on the dedicated Mi-28 and Ka-50 attack helicopters had just started at that time, too, so that РТАК received green lights for the construction of five prototypes: four flyworthy machines plus one more for static ground tests.

 

The РТАК-30 was based on one of the early Mi-30 layouts and it combined two pairs of mid-set wings with different wing spans with a tall tail fin that ensured directional stability. Each wing carried a rotating engine nacelle with a so-called proprotor on its tip, each with three high aspect ratio blades. The proprotors were handed (i.e. revolved in opposite directions) in order to minimize torque effects and improve handling, esp. in the hover. The front and back pair of engines were cross-linked among each other on a common driveshaft, eliminating engine-out asymmetric thrust problems during V/STOL operations. In the event of the failure of one engine, it would automatically disconnect through torque spring clutches and both propellers on a pair of wings would be driven by the remaining engine.

Four engines were chosen because, despite the weight and complexity penalty, this extra power was expected to be required in order to achieve a performance that was markedly superior to a conventional helicopter like the Mi-24, the primary Soviet attack helicopter of that era the РТАК-30 was supposed to replace. It was also expected that the rotating nacelles could also be used to improve agility in level flight through a mild form of vectored thrust.

 

The РТАК-30’s streamlined fuselage provided ample space for avionics, fuel, a fully retractable tricycle landing gear and a two man crew in an armored side-by-side cockpit with ejection seats. The windshield was able to withstand 12.7–14.5 mm caliber bullets, the titanium cockpit tub could take hits from 20 mm cannon. An autonomous power unit (APU) was housed in the fuselage, too, making operations of the aircraft independent from ground support.

While the РТАК-30 was not intended for use as a transport, the fuselage was spacious enough to have a small compartment between the front wings spars, capable of carrying up to three people. The purpose of this was the rescue of downed helicopter crews, as a cargo hold esp. for transfer flights and as additional space for future mission equipment or extra fuel.

In vertical flight, the РТАК-30’s tiltrotor system used controls very similar to a twin or tandem-rotor helicopter. Yaw was controlled by tilting its rotors in opposite directions. Roll was provided through differential power or thrust, supported by ailerons on the rear wings. Pitch was provided through rotor cyclic or nacelle tilt and further aerodynamic surfaces on both pairs of wings. Vertical motion was controlled with conventional rotor blade pitch and a control similar to a fixed-wing engine control called a thrust control lever (TCL). The rotor heads had elastomeric bearings and the proprotor blades were made from composite materials, which could sustain 30 mm shells.

 

The РТАК-30 featured a helmet-mounted display for the pilot, a very modern development at its time. The pilot designated targets for the navigator/weapons officer, who proceeded to fire the weapons required to fulfill that particular task. The integrated surveillance and fire control system had two optical channels providing wide and narrow fields of view, a narrow-field-of-view optical television channel, and a laser rangefinder. The system could move within 110 degrees in azimuth and from +13 to −40 degrees in elevation and was placed in a spherical dome on top of the fuselage, just behind the cockpit.

 

The aircraft carried one automatic 2A42 30 mm internal gun, mounted semi-rigidly fixed near the center of the fuselage, movable only slightly in elevation and azimuth. The arrangement was also regarded as being more practical than a classic free-turning turret mount for the aircraft’s considerably higher flight speed than a normal helicopter. As a side effect, the semi-rigid mounting improved the cannon's accuracy, giving the 30 mm a longer practical range and better hit ratio at medium ranges. Ammunition supply was 460 rounds, with separate compartments for high-fragmentation, explosive incendiary, or armor-piercing rounds. The type of ammunition could be selected by the pilot during flight.

The gunner can select one of two rates of full automatic fire, low at 200 to 300 rds/min and high at 550 to 800 rds/min. The effective range when engaging ground targets such as light armored vehicles is 1,500 m, while soft-skinned targets can be engaged out to 4,000 m. Air targets can be engaged flying at low altitudes of up to 2,000 m and up to a slant range of 2,500 m.

 

A substantial range of weapons could be carried on four hardpoints under the front wings, plus three more under the fuselage, for a total ordnance of up to 2,500 kg (with reduced internal fuel). The РТАК-30‘s main armament comprised up to 24 laser-guided Vikhr missiles with a maximum range of some 8 km. These tube-launched missiles could be used against ground and aerial targets. A search and tracking radar was housed in a thimble radome on the РТАК-30’s nose and their laser guidance system (mounted in a separate turret under the radome) was reported to be virtually jam-proof. The system furthermore featured automatic guidance to the target, enabling evasive action immediately after missile launch. Alternatively, the system was also compatible with Ataka laser-guided anti-tank missiles.

Other weapon options included laser- or TV-guided Kh-25 missiles as well as iron bombs and napalm tanks of up to 500 kg (1.100 lb) caliber and several rocket pods, including the S-13 and S-8 rockets. The "dumb" rocket pods could be upgraded to laser guidance with the proposed Ugroza system. Against helicopters and aircraft the РТАК-30 could carry up to four R-60 and/or R-73 IR-guided AAMs. Drop tanks and gun pods could be carried, too.

 

When the РТАК-30's proprotors were perpendicular to the motion in the high-speed portions of the flight regime, the aircraft demonstrated a relatively high maximum speed: over 300 knots/560 km/h top speed were achieved during state acceptance trials in 1987, as well as sustained cruise speeds of 250 knots/460 km/h, which was almost twice as fast as a conventional helicopter. Furthermore, the РТАК-30’s tiltrotors and stub wings provided the aircraft with a substantially greater cruise altitude capability than conventional helicopters: during the prototypes’ tests the machines easily reached 6,000 m / 20,000 ft or more, whereas helicopters typically do not exceed 3,000 m / 10,000 ft altitude.

 

Flight tests in general and flight control system refinement in specific lasted until late 1988, and while the vintoplan concept proved to be sound, the technical and practical problems persisted. The aircraft was complex and heavy, and pilots found the machine to be hazardous to land, due to its low ground clearance. Due to structural limits the machine could also never be brought to its expected agility limits

During that time the Soviet Union’s internal tensions rose and more and more hampered the РТАК-30’s development. During this time, two of the prototypes were lost (the 1st and 4th machine) in accidents, and in 1989 only two machines were left in flightworthy condition (the 5th airframe had been set aside for structural ground tests). Nevertheless, the РТАК-30 made its public debut at the Paris Air Show in June 1989 (the 3rd prototype, coded “33 Yellow”), together with the Mi-28A, but was only shown in static display and did not take part in any flight show. After that, the aircraft received the NATO ASCC code "Hemlock" and caused serious concern in Western military headquarters, since the РТАК-30 had the potential to dominate the European battlefield.

 

And this was just about to happen: Despite the РТАК-30’s development problems, the innovative attack vintoplan was included in the Soviet Union’s 5-year plan for 1989-1995, and the vehicle was eventually expected to enter service in 1996. However, due to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the dwindling economics, neither the РТАК-30 nor its civil Mil Mi-30 sister did soar out in the new age of technology. In 1990 the whole program was stopped and both surviving РТАК-30 prototypes were mothballed – one (the 3rd prototype) was disassembled and its components brought to the Rostov-na-Donu Mil plant, while the other, prototype No. 1, is rumored to be stored at the Central Russian Air Force Museum in Monino, to be restored to a public exhibition piece some day.

  

General characteristics:

Crew: Two (pilot, copilot/WSO) plus space for up to three passengers or cargo

Length: 45 ft 7 1/2 in (13,93 m)

Rotor diameter: 20 ft 9 in (6,33 m)

Wingspan incl. engine nacelles: 42 ft 8 1/4 in (13,03 m)

Total width with rotors: 58 ft 8 1/2 in (17,93 m)

Height: 17 ft (5,18 m) at top of tailfin

Disc area: 4x 297 ft² (27,65 m²)

Wing area: 342.2 ft² (36,72 m²)

Empty weight: 8,500 kg (18,740 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 12,000 kg (26,500 lb)

 

Powerplant:

4× Klimov VK-2500PS-03 turboshaft turbines, 2,400 hp (1.765 kW) each

 

Performance:

Maximum speed: 275 knots (509 km/h, 316 mph) at sea level

305 kn (565 km/h; 351 mph) at 15,000 ft (4,600 m)

Cruise speed: 241 kn (277 mph, 446 km/h) at sea level

Stall speed: 110 kn (126 mph, 204 km/h) in airplane mode

Range: 879 nmi (1,011 mi, 1,627 km)

Combat radius: 390 nmi (426 mi, 722 km)

Ferry range: 1,940 nmi (2,230 mi, 3,590 km) with auxiliary external fuel tanks

Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,620 m)

Rate of climb: 2,320–4,000 ft/min (11.8 m/s)

Glide ratio: 4.5:1

Disc loading: 20.9 lb/ft² at 47,500 lb GW (102.23 kg/m²)

Power/mass: 0.259 hp/lb (427 W/kg)

 

Armament:

1× 30 mm (1.18 in) 2A42 multi-purpose autocannon with 450 rounds

7 external hardpoints for a maximum ordnance of 2.500 kg (5.500 lb)

  

The kit and its assembly:

This exotic, fictional aircraft-thing is a contribution to the “The Flying Machines of Unconventional Means” Group Build at whatifmodelers.com in early 2019. While the propulsion system itself is not that unconventional, I deemed the quadrocopter concept (which had already been on my agenda for a while) to be suitable for a worthy submission.

The Mil Mi-30 tiltrotor aircraft, mentioned in the background above, was a real project – but my alternative combat vintoplan design is purely speculative.

 

I had already stashed away some donor parts, primarily two sets of tiltrotor backpacks for 1:144 Gundam mecha from Bandai, which had been released recently. While these looked a little toy-like, these parts had the charm of coming with handed propellers and stub wings that would allow the engine nacelles to swivel.

The search for a suitable fuselage turned out to be a more complex safari than expected. My initial choice was the spoofy Italeri Mi-28 kit (I initially wanted a staggered tandem cockpit), but it turned out to be much too big for what I wanted to achieve. Then I tested a “real” Mi-28 (Dragon) and a Ka-50 (Italeri), but both failed for different reasons – the Mi-28 was too slender, while the Ka-50 had the right size – but converting it for my build would have been VERY complicated, because the engine nacelles would have to go and the fuselage shape between the cockpit and the fuselage section around the original engines and stub wings would be hard to adapt. I eventually bought an Italeri Ka-52 two-seater as fuselage donor.

 

In order to mount the four engines to the fuselage I’d need two pairs of wings of appropriate span – and I found a pair of 1:100 A-10 wings as well as the wings from an 1:72 PZL Iskra (not perfect, but the most suitable donor parts I could find in the junkyard). On the tips of these wings, the swiveling joints for the engine nacelles from the Bandai set were glued. While mounting the rear wings was not too difficult (just the Ka-52’s OOB stabilizers had to go), the front pair of wings was more complex. The reason: the Ka-52’s engines had to go and their attachment points, which are actually shallow recesses on the kit, had to be faired over first. Instead of filling everything with putty I decided to cover the areas with 0.5mm styrene sheet first, and then do cosmetic PSR work. This worked quite well and also included a cover for the Ka-52’s original rotor mast mount. Onto these new flanks the pair of front wings was attached, in a mid position – a conceptual mistake…

 

The cockpit was taken OOB and the aircraft’s nose received an additional thimble radome, reminiscent of the Mi-28’s arrangement. The radome itself was created from a German 500 kg WWII bomb.

 

At this stage, the mid-wing mistake reared its ugly head – it had two painful consequences which I had not fully thought through. Problem #1: the engine nacelles turned out to be too long. When rotated into a vertical position, they’d potentially hit the ground! Furthermore, the ground clearance was very low – and I decided to skip the Ka-52’s OOB landing gear in favor of a heavier and esp. longer alternative, a full landing gear set from an Italeri MiG-37 “Ferret E” stealth fighter, which itself resembles a MiG-23/27 landing gear. Due to the expected higher speeds of the vintoplan I gave the landing gear full covers (partly scratched, plus some donor parts from an Academy MiG-27). It took some trials to get the new landing gear into the right position and a suitable stance – but it worked. With this benchmark I was also able to modify the engine nacelles, shortening their rear ends. They were still very (too!) close to the ground, but at least the model would not sit on them!

However, the more complete the model became, the more design flaws turned up. Another mistake is that the front and rear rotors slightly overlap when in vertical position – something that would be unthinkable in real life…

 

With all major components in place, however, detail work could proceed. This included the completion of the cockpit and the sensor turrets, the Ka-52 cannon and finally the ordnance. Due to the large rotors, any armament had to be concentrated around the fuselage, outside of the propeller discs. For this reason (and in order to prevent the rear engines to ingest exhaust gases from the front engines in level flight), I gave the front wings a slightly larger span, so that four underwing pylons could be fitted, plus a pair of underfuselage hardpoints.

The ordnance was puzzled together from the Italeri Ka-52 and from an ESCI Ka-34 (the fake Ka-50) kit.

  

Painting and markings:

With such an exotic aircraft, I rather wanted a conservative livery and opted for a typical Soviet tactical four-tone scheme from the Eighties – the idea was to build a prototype aircraft from the state acceptance trials period, not a flashy demonstrator. The scheme and the (guesstimated) colors were transferred from a Soviet air force MiG-21bis of that era, and it consists of a reddish light brown (Humbrol 119, Light Earth), a light, yellowish green (Humbrol 159, Khaki Drab), a bluish dark green (Humbrol 195, Dark Satin Green, a.k.a. RAL 6020 Chromdioxidgrün) and a dark brown (Humbrol 170, Brown Bess). For the undersides’ typical bluish grey I chose Humbrol 145 (FS 35237, Gray Blue), which is slightly lighter and less greenish than the typical Soviet tones. A light black ink wash was applied and some light post-shading was done in order to create panels that are structurally not there, augmented by some pencil lines.

 

The cockpit became light blue (Humbrol 89), with medium gray dashboard and consoles. The ejection seats received bright yellow seatbelts and bright blue pads – a detail seen on a Mi-28 cockpit picture.

Some dielectric fairings like the fin tip were painted in bright medium green (Humbrol 101), while some other antenna fairings were painted in pale yellow (Humbrol 71).

The landing gear struts and the interior of the wells became Aluminum Metalic (Humbrol 56), the wheels dark green discs (Humbrol 30).

 

The decals were puzzled together from various sources, including some Begemot sheets. Most of the stencils came from the Ka-52 OOB sheet, and generic decal sheet material was used to mark the walkways or the rotor tips and leading edges.

 

Only some light weathering was done to the leading edges of the wings, and then the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish.

  

A complex kitbashing project, and it revealed some pitfalls in the course of making. However, the result looks menacing and still convincing, esp. in flight – even though the picture editing, with four artificially rotating proprotors, was probably more tedious than building the model itself!

Artists who had a focus on depicting rural life and quiet existence - with a twist

This was calm room. And, there was nothing but this plant.

But, something existed there.

 

静かな部屋。

真ん中の存在感はたっぷりだけど。この部屋は本当は人がいなくて寂しいんじゃないかと思ったり。

Arches National Park, Utah - August 2018

By the Berkeley Art Studio and Precita Eyes Muralists, 2017. Underneath the Chávez Student Center on the University of California, Berkeley campus, Berkeley, CA.

Urquhart Castle lies close to Drumnadrochit, on the shores of Loch Ness. This view was taken from across the Loch, near Whitefield, on General Wade's Military Road.

 

Seized after Edward I's invasion of Scotland, it was reclaimed by Robert the Bruce in the 14th century. It was repeatedly attacked during the 15th and 16th centuries by the MacDonald Lords of the Isles, but nowadays enjoys a more peaceful existence under the curatorship of the National Trust for Scotland.

Vatican City (Listeni/ˈvætɨkən ˈsɪti/), officially Vatican City State (Italian: Stato della Città del Vaticano;[d] pronounced [ˈstaːto della t͡ʃitˈta (d)del vatiˈkaːno]) is a walled enclave within the city of Rome. With an area of approximately 44 hectares (110 acres), and a population of 842,[3] it is the smallest internationally recognized independent state in the world by both area and population.

 

It is an ecclesiastical[3] or sacerdotal-monarchical[7] state ruled by the Bishop of Rome—the Pope. The highest state functionaries are all Catholic clergy of various national origins. Since the return of the Popes from Avignon in 1377, they have generally resided at the Apostolic Palace within what is now Vatican City, although at times residing instead in the Quirinal Palace in Rome or elsewhere.

 

Vatican City is distinct from the Holy See (Latin: Sancta Sedes),[e] which dates back to early Christianity and is the main episcopal see of 1.2 billion Latin and Eastern Catholic adherents around the globe. The independent city-state, on the other hand, came into existence in 1929 by the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and Italy, which spoke of it as a new creation,[8] not as a vestige of the much larger Papal States (756–1870), which had previously encompassed much of central Italy. According to the terms of the treaty, the Holy See has "full ownership, exclusive dominion, and sovereign authority and jurisdiction" over the city-state.[9]

 

Within Vatican City are cultural sites such as St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums. They feature some of the world's most famous paintings and sculptures. The unique economy of Vatican City is supported financially by the sale of postage stamps and tourist mementos, fees for admission to museums, and the sale of publications.