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"The Louvre (English: /ˈluːv(rə)/ LOOV(-rə)), or the Louvre Museum (French: Musée du Louvre [myze dy luvʁ]), is the world's largest art museum and a historic monument in Paris, France. A central landmark of the city, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement (district or ward). Approximately 38,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century are exhibited over an area of 72,735 square meters (782,910 square feet). In 2019, the Louvre received 9.6 million visitors, making it the most visited museum in the world.

 

The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace, originally built as the Louvre castle in the late 12th to 13th century under Philip II. Remnants of the fortress are visible in the basement of the museum. Due to urban expansion, the fortress eventually lost its defensive function, and in 1546 Francis I converted it into the primary residence of the French Kings. The building was extended many times to form the present Louvre Palace. In 1682, Louis XIV chose the Palace of Versailles for his household, leaving the Louvre primarily as a place to display the royal collection, including, from 1692, a collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture. In 1692, the building was occupied by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres and the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, which in 1699 held the first of a series of salons. The Académie remained at the Louvre for 100 years. During the French Revolution, the National Assembly decreed that the Louvre should be used as a museum to display the nation's masterpieces.

 

The museum opened on 10 August 1793 with an exhibition of 537 paintings, the majority of the works being royal and confiscated church property. Because of structural problems with the building, the museum was closed in 1796 until 1801. The collection was increased under Napoleon and the museum was renamed Musée Napoléon, but after Napoleon's abdication, many works seized by his armies were returned to their original owners. The collection was further increased during the reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X, and during the Second French Empire the museum gained 20,000 pieces. Holdings have grown steadily through donations and bequests since the Third Republic. The collection is divided among eight curatorial departments: Egyptian Antiquities; Near Eastern Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities; Islamic Art; Sculpture; Decorative Arts; Paintings; Prints and Drawings.

 

The 1st arrondissement of Paris (Ier arrondissement) is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is colloquially referred to as le premier (the first). It is governed locally together with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th arrondissement, with which it forms the 1st sector of Paris (Paris-Centre).

 

Also known as Louvre, the arrondissement is situated principally on the right bank of the River Seine. It also includes the west end of the Île de la Cité. The locality is one of the oldest areas in Paris, the Île de la Cité having been the heart of the city of Lutetia, conquered by the Romans in 52 BC, while some parts on the right bank (including Les Halles) date back to the early Middle Ages.

 

It is the least populated of the city's arrondissements and one of the smallest by area, with a land area of only 1.83 km2 (0.705 sq. miles, or 451 acres). A significant part of the area is occupied by the Louvre Museum and the Tuileries Gardens. The Forum des Halles is the largest shopping mall in Paris. Much of the remainder of the arrondissement is dedicated to business and administration.

 

Paris (French pronunciation: ​[paʁi]) is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,150,271 residents as of 2020, in an area of 105 square kilometres (41 square miles). Since the 17th century, Paris has been one of Europe's major centres of finance, diplomacy, commerce, fashion, science and arts. The City of Paris is the centre and seat of government of the Île-de-France, or Paris Region, which has an estimated official 2020 population of 12,278,210, or about 18 percent of the population of France. The Paris Region had a GDP of €709 billion ($808 billion) in 2017. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit Worldwide Cost of Living Survey in 2018, Paris was the second most expensive city in the world, after Singapore, and ahead of Zürich, Hong Kong, Oslo and Geneva. Another source ranked Paris as most expensive, on a par with Singapore and Hong Kong, in 2018.

 

The city is a major railway, highway and air-transport hub served by two international airports: Paris–Charles de Gaulle (the second busiest airport in Europe) and Paris–Orly. Opened in 1900, the city's subway system, the Paris Métro, serves 5.23 million passengers daily; it is the second busiest metro system in Europe after the Moscow Metro. Gare du Nord is the 24th busiest railway station in the world, but the first located outside Japan, with 262 million passengers in 2015 Paris is especially known for its museums and architectural landmarks: the Louvre was the most visited art museum in the world in 2019, with 9.6 million visitors. The Musée d'Orsay, Musée Marmottan Monet, and Musée de l'Orangerie are noted for their collections of French Impressionist art, the Pompidou Centre Musée National d'Art Moderne has the largest collection of modern and contemporary art in Europe, and the Musée Rodin and Musée Picasso exhibit the works of two noted Parisians. The historical district along the Seine in the city centre is classified as a UNESCO Heritage Site, and popular landmarks in the city centre included the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris, on the Île de la Cité, now closed for renovation after the 15 April 2019 fire. Other popular tourist sites include the Gothic royal chapel of Sainte-Chapelle, also on the Île de la Cité; the Eiffel Tower, constructed for the Paris Universal Exposition of 1889; the Grand Palais and Petit Palais, built for the Paris Universal Exposition of 1900; the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs-Élysées, and the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur on the hill of Montmartre.

 

Paris received 38 million visitors in 2019, measured by hotel stays, with the largest numbers of foreign visitors coming from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and China. It was ranked as the second most visited travel destination in the world in 2019, after Bangkok and just ahead of London. The football club Paris Saint-Germain and the rugby union club Stade Français are based in Paris. The 80,000-seat Stade de France, built for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, is located just north of Paris in the neighbouring commune of Saint-Denis. Paris hosts the annual French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament on the red clay of Roland Garros. The city hosted the Olympic Games in 1900, 1924 and will host the 2024 Summer Olympics. The 1938 and 1998 FIFA World Cups, the 2007 Rugby World Cup, as well as the 1960, 1984 and 2016 UEFA European Championships were also held in the city. Every July, the Tour de France bicycle race finishes on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris." - info from Wikipedia.

 

Summer 2019 I did a solo cycling tour across Europe through 12 countries over the course of 3 months. I began my adventure in Edinburgh, Scotland and finished in Florence, Italy cycling 8,816 km. During my trip I took 47,000 photos.

 

Now on Instagram.

 

Become a patron to my photography on Patreon.

Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve is a U.S. national monument and national preserve in the Snake River Plain in central Idaho. It is along US 20 (concurrent with US 93 and US 26), between the small towns of Arco and Carey, at an average elevation of 5,900 feet (1,800 m) above sea level.

 

The Monument was established on May 2, 1924. In November 2000, a presidential proclamation by President Clinton greatly expanded the Monument area. The 410,000-acre National Park Service portions of the expanded Monument were designated as Craters of the Moon National Preserve in August 2002. It spreads across Blaine, Butte, Lincoln, Minidoka, and Power counties. The area is managed cooperatively by the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

 

The Monument and Preserve encompass three major lava fields and about 400 square miles (1,000 km2) of sagebrush steppe grasslands to cover a total area of 1,117 square miles (2,893 km2). The Monument alone covers 343,000 acres (139,000 ha). All three lava fields lie along the Great Rift of Idaho, with some of the best examples of open rift cracks in the world, including the deepest known on Earth at 800 feet (240 m). There are excellent examples of almost every variety of basaltic lava, as well as tree molds (cavities left by lava-incinerated trees), lava tubes (a type of cave), and many other volcanic features.

 

Craters of the Moon is in south-central Idaho, midway between Boise and Yellowstone National Park. The lava field reaches southeastward from the Pioneer Mountains. Combined U.S. Highway 20–26–93 cuts through the northwestern part of the monument and provides access to it. However, the rugged landscape of the monument itself remains remote and undeveloped, with only one paved road across the northern end.

 

The Craters of the Moon Lava Field spreads across 618 square miles (1,601 km2) and is the largest mostly Holocene-aged basaltic lava field in the contiguous United States. The Monument and Preserve contain more than 25 volcanic cones, including outstanding examples of spatter cones. The 60 distinct solidified lava flows that form the Craters of the Moon Lava Field range in age from 15,000 to just 2,000 years. The Kings Bowl and Wapi lava fields, both about 2,200 years old, are part of the National Preserve.

 

This lava field is the largest of several large beds of lava that erupted from the 53-mile (85 km) south-east to north-west trending Great Rift volcanic zone, a line of weakness in the Earth's crust. Together with fields from other fissures they make up the Lava Beds of Idaho, which in turn are in the much larger Snake River Plain volcanic province. The Great Rift extends across almost the entire Snake River Plain.

 

Elevation at the visitor center is 5,900 feet (1,800 m) above sea level.

 

Total average precipitation in the Craters of the Moon area is between 15–20 inches (380–510 mm) per year. Most of this is lost in cracks in the basalt, only to emerge later in springs and seeps in the walls of the Snake River Canyon. Older lava fields on the plain have been invaded by drought-resistant plants such as sagebrush, while younger fields, such as Craters of the Moon, only have a seasonal and very sparse cover of vegetation. From a distance this cover disappears almost entirely, giving an impression of utter black desolation. Repeated lava flows over the last 15,000 years have raised the land surface enough to expose it to the prevailing southwesterly winds, which help to keep the area dry. Together these conditions make life on the lava field difficult.

 

Paleo-Indians visited the area about 12,000 years ago but did not leave much archaeological evidence. Northern Shoshone created trails through the Craters of the Moon Lava Field during their summer migrations from the Snake River to the camas prairie, west of the lava field. Stone windbreaks at Indian Tunnel were used to protect campsites from the dry summer wind. No evidence exists for permanent habitation by any Native American group. A hunting and gathering culture, the Northern Shoshone pursued elk, bears, American bison, cougars, and bighorn sheep — all large game who no longer range the area. The most recent volcanic eruptions ended about 2,100 years ago and were likely witnessed by the Shoshone people. Ella E. Clark has recorded a Shoshone legend which speaks of a serpent on a mountain who, angered by lightning, coiled around and squeezed the mountain until liquid rock flowed, fire shot from cracks, and the mountain exploded.

 

In 1879, two Arco cattlemen named Arthur Ferris and J.W. Powell became the first known European-Americans to explore the lava fields. They were investigating its possible use for grazing and watering cattle but found the area to be unsuitable and left.

 

U.S. Army Captain and western explorer B.L.E. Bonneville visited the lava fields and other places in the West in the 19th century and wrote about his experiences in his diaries. Washington Irving later used Bonneville's diaries to write the Adventures of Captain Bonneville, saying this unnamed lava field is a place "where nothing meets the eye but a desolate and awful waste, where no grass grows nor water runs, and where nothing is to be seen but lava."

 

In 1901 and 1903, Israel Russell became the first geologist to study this area while surveying it for the United States Geological Survey (USGS). In 1910, Samuel Paisley continued Russell's work and later became the monument's first custodian. Others followed and in time much of the mystery surrounding this and the other Lava Beds of Idaho was lifted.

 

The few European settlers who visited the area in the 19th century created local legends that it looked like the surface of the Moon. Geologist Harold T. Stearns coined the name "Craters of the Moon" in 1923 while trying to convince the National Park Service to recommend protection of the area in a national monument.

 

The Snake River Plain is a volcanic province that was created by a series of cataclysmic caldera-forming eruptions which started about 15 million years ago. A migrating hotspot thought to now exist under Yellowstone Caldera in Yellowstone National Park has been implicated. This hot spot was under the Craters of the Moon area some 10 to 11 million years ago but 'moved' as the North American Plate migrated northwestward. Pressure from the hot spot heaves the land surface up, creating fault-block mountains. After the hot spot passes the pressure is released and the land subsides.

 

Leftover heat from this hot spot was later liberated by Basin and Range-associated rifting and created the many overlapping lava flows that make up the Lava Beds of Idaho. The largest rift zone is the Great Rift; it is from this 'Great Rift fissure system' that Craters of the Moon, Kings Bowl, and Wapi lava fields were created. The Great Rift is a National Natural Landmark.

 

In spite of their fresh appearance, the oldest flows in the Craters of the Moon Lava Field are 15,000 years old and the youngest erupted about 2000 years ago, according to Mel Kuntz and other USGS geologists. Nevertheless, the volcanic fissures at Craters of the Moon are considered to be dormant, not extinct, and are expected to erupt again in less than a thousand years. There are eight major eruptive periods recognized in the Craters of the Moon Lava Field. Each period lasted about 1000 years or less and were separated by relatively quiet periods that lasted between 500 and as long as 3000 years. Individual lava flows were up to 30 miles (50 km) long with the Blue Dragon Flow being the longest.

 

Kings Bowl Lava Field erupted during a single fissure eruption on the southern part of the Great Rift about 2,250 years ago. This eruption probably lasted only a few hours to a few days. The field preserves explosion pits, lava lakes, squeeze-ups, basalt mounds, and an ash blanket. The Wapi Lava Field probably formed from a fissure eruption at the same time as the Kings Bowl eruption. More prolonged activity over a period of months to a few years led to the formation of low shield volcanoes in the Wapi field. The Bear Trap lava tube, between the Craters of the Moon and the Wapi lava fields, is a cave system more than 15 miles (24 km) long. The lava tube is remarkable for its length and for the number of well-preserved lava cave features, such as lava stalactites and curbs, the latter marking high stands of the flowing lava frozen on the lava tube walls. The lava tubes and pit craters of the monument are known for their unusual preservation of winter ice and snow into the hot summer months, due to shielding from the sun and the insulating properties of basalt.

 

A typical eruption along the Great Rift and similar basaltic rift systems starts with a curtain of very fluid lava shooting up to 1,000 feet (300 m) high along a segment of the rift up to 1 mile (1.6 km) long. As the eruption continues, pressure and heat decrease and the chemistry of the lava becomes slightly more silica rich. The curtain of lava responds by breaking apart into separate vents. Various types of volcanoes may form at these vents: gas-rich pulverized lava creates cinder cones (such as Inferno Cone – stop 4), and pasty lava blobs form spatter cones (such as Spatter Cones – stop 5). Later stages of an eruption push lava streams out through the side or base of cinder cones, which usually ends the life of the cinder cone (North Crater, Watchmen, and Sheep Trail Butte are notable exceptions). This will sometimes breach part of the cone and carry it away as large and craggy blocks of cinder (as seen at North Crater Flow – stop 2 – and Devils Orchard – stop 3). Solid crust forms over lava streams, and lava tubes (a type of cave) are created when lava vacates its course (examples can be seen at the Cave Area – stop 7).

 

Geologists feared that a large earthquake that shook Borah Peak, Idaho's tallest mountain, in 1983 would restart volcanic activity at Craters of the Moon, though this proved not to be the case. Geologists predict that the area will experience its next eruption some time in the next 900 years with the most likely period in the next 100 years.

 

All plants and animals that live in and around Craters of the Moon are under great environmental stress due to constant dry winds and heat-absorbing black lavas that tend to quickly sap water from living things. Summer soil temperatures often exceed 150 °F (66 °C) and plant cover is generally less than 5% on cinder cones and about 15% over the entire monument. Adaptation is therefore necessary for survival in this semi-arid harsh climate.

 

Water is usually only found deep inside holes at the bottom of blow-out craters. Animals therefore get the moisture they need directly from their food. The black soil on and around cinder cones does not hold moisture for long, making it difficult for plants to establish themselves. Soil particles first develop from direct rock decomposition by lichens and typically collect in crevices in lava flows. Successively more complex plants then colonize the microhabitat created by the increasingly productive soil.

 

The shaded north slopes of cinder cones provide more protection from direct sunlight and prevailing southwesterly winds and have a more persistent snow cover (an important water source in early spring). These parts of cinder cones are therefore colonized by plants first.

 

Gaps between lava flows were sometimes cut off from surrounding vegetation. These literal islands of habitat are called kīpukas, a Hawaiian name used for older land surrounded by younger lava. Carey Kīpuka is one such area in the southernmost part of the monument and is used as a benchmark to measure how plant cover has changed in less pristine parts of southern Idaho.

 

Idaho is a landlocked state in the Mountain West subregion of the United States. It shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border to the north, with the province of British Columbia. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington and Oregon to the west. The state's capital and largest city is Boise. With an area of 83,570 square miles (216,400 km2), Idaho is the 14th largest state by land area. With a population of approximately 1.8 million, it ranks as the 13th least populous and the 6th least densely populated of the 50 U.S. states.

 

For thousands of years, and prior to European colonization, Idaho has been inhabited by native peoples. In the early 19th century, Idaho was considered part of the Oregon Country, an area of dispute between the U.S. and the British Empire. It officially became a U.S. territory with the signing of the Oregon Treaty of 1846, but a separate Idaho Territory was not organized until 1863, instead being included for periods in Oregon Territory and Washington Territory. Idaho was eventually admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, becoming the 43rd state.

 

Forming part of the Pacific Northwest (and the associated Cascadia bioregion), Idaho is divided into several distinct geographic and climatic regions. The state's north, the relatively isolated Idaho Panhandle, is closely linked with Eastern Washington, with which it shares the Pacific Time Zone—the rest of the state uses the Mountain Time Zone. The state's south includes the Snake River Plain (which has most of the population and agricultural land), and the southeast incorporates part of the Great Basin. Idaho is quite mountainous and contains several stretches of the Rocky Mountains. The United States Forest Service holds about 38% of Idaho's land, the highest proportion of any state.

 

Industries significant for the state economy include manufacturing, agriculture, mining, forestry, and tourism. Several science and technology firms are either headquartered in Idaho or have factories there, and the state also contains the Idaho National Laboratory, which is the country's largest Department of Energy facility. Idaho's agricultural sector supplies many products, but the state is best known for its potato crop, which comprises around one-third of the nationwide yield. The official state nickname is the "Gem State."

 

The history of Idaho is an examination of the human history and social activity within the state of Idaho, one of the United States of America located in the Pacific Northwest area near the west coast of the United States and Canada. Other associated areas include southern Alaska, all of British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, western Montana and northern California and Nevada.

 

Humans may have been present in Idaho for 16,600 years. Recent findings in Cooper's Ferry along the Salmon River in western Idaho near the town of Cottonwood have unearthed stone tools and animal bone fragments in what may be the oldest evidence of humans in North America. Earlier excavations in 1959 at Wilson Butte Cave near Twin Falls revealed evidence of human activity, including arrowheads, that rank among the oldest dated artifacts in North America. Native American tribes predominant in the area in historic times included the Nez Perce and the Coeur d'Alene in the north; and the Northern and Western Shoshone and Bannock peoples in the south.

 

Idaho was one of the last areas in the lower 48 states of the US to be explored by people of European descent. The Lewis and Clark expedition entered present-day Idaho on August 12, 1805, at Lemhi Pass. It is believed that the first "European descent" expedition to enter southern Idaho was by a group led in 1811 and 1812 by Wilson Price Hunt, which navigated the Snake River while attempting to blaze an all-water trail westward from St. Louis, Missouri, to Astoria, Oregon. At that time, approximately 8,000 Native Americans lived in the region.

 

Fur trading led to the first significant incursion of Europeans in the region. Andrew Henry of the Missouri Fur Company first entered the Snake River plateau in 1810. He built Fort Henry on Henry's Fork on the upper Snake River, near modern St. Anthony, Idaho. However, this first American fur post west of the Rocky Mountains was abandoned the following spring.

 

The British-owned Hudson's Bay Company next entered Idaho and controlled the trade in the Snake River area by the 1820s. The North West Company's interior department of the Columbia was created in June 1816, and Donald Mackenzie was assigned as its head. Mackenzie had previously been employed by Hudson's Bay and had been a partner in the Pacific Fur Company, financed principally by John Jacob Astor. During these early years, he traveled west with a Pacific Fur Company's party and was involved in the initial exploration of the Salmon River and Clearwater River. The company proceeded down the lower Snake River and Columbia River by canoe, and were the first of the Overland Astorians to reach Fort Astoria, on January 18, 1812.

 

Under Mackenzie, the North West Company was a dominant force in the fur trade in the Snake River country. Out of Fort George in Astoria, Mackenzie led fur brigades up the Snake River in 1816-1817 and up the lower Snake in 1817-1818. Fort Nez Perce, established in July, 1818, became the staging point for Mackenzies' Snake brigades. The expedition of 1818-1819 explored the Blue Mountains, and traveled down the Snake River to the Bear River and approached the headwaters of the Snake. Mackenzie sought to establish a navigable route up the Snake River from Fort Nez Perce to the Boise area in 1819. While he did succeed in traveling by boat from the Columbia River through the Grand Canyon of the Snake past Hells Canyon, he concluded that water transport was generally impractical. Mackenzie held the first rendezvous in the region on the Boise River in 1819.

 

Despite their best efforts, early American fur companies in this region had difficulty maintaining the long-distance supply lines from the Missouri River system into the Intermountain West. However, Americans William H. Ashley and Jedediah Smith expanded the Saint Louis fur trade into Idaho in 1824. The 1832 trapper's rendezvous at Pierre's Hole, held at the foot of the Three Tetons in modern Teton County, was followed by an intense battle between the Gros Ventre and a large party of American trappers aided by their Nez Perce and Flathead allies.

 

The prospect of missionary work among the Native Americans also attracted early settlers to the region. In 1809, Kullyspell House, the first white-owned establishment and first trading post in Idaho, was constructed. In 1836, the Reverend Henry H. Spalding established a Protestant mission near Lapwai, where he printed the Northwest's first book, established Idaho's first school, developed its first irrigation system, and grew the state's first potatoes. Narcissa Whitman and Eliza Hart Spalding were the first non-native women to enter present-day Idaho.

 

Cataldo Mission, the oldest standing building in Idaho, was constructed at Cataldo by the Coeur d'Alene and Catholic missionaries. In 1842, Father Pierre-Jean De Smet, with Fr. Nicholas Point and Br. Charles Duet, selected a mission location along the St. Joe River. The mission was moved a short distance away in 1846, as the original location was subject to flooding. In 1850, Antonio Ravalli designed a new mission building and Indians affiliated with the church effort built the mission, without nails, using the wattle and daub method. In time, the Cataldo mission became an important stop for traders, settlers, and miners. It served as a place for rest from the trail, offered needed supplies, and was a working port for boats heading up the Coeur d'Alene River.

 

During this time, the region which became Idaho was part of an unorganized territory known as Oregon Country, claimed by both the United States and Great Britain. The United States gained undisputed jurisdiction over the region in the Oregon Treaty of 1846, although the area was under the de facto jurisdiction of the Provisional Government of Oregon from 1843 to 1849. The original boundaries of Oregon Territory in 1848 included all three of the present-day Pacific Northwest states and extended eastward to the Continental Divide. In 1853, areas north of the 46th Parallel became Washington Territory, splitting what is now Idaho in two. The future state was reunited in 1859 after Oregon became a state and the boundaries of Washington Territory were redrawn.

 

While thousands passed through Idaho on the Oregon Trail or during the California gold rush of 1849, few people settled there. In 1860, the first of several gold rushes in Idaho began at Pierce in present-day Clearwater County. By 1862, settlements in both the north and south had formed around the mining boom.

 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints missionaries founded Fort Lemhi in 1855, but the settlement did not last. The first organized town in Idaho was Franklin, settled in April 1860 by Mormon pioneers who believed they were in Utah Territory; although a later survey determined they had crossed the border. Mormon pioneers reached areas near the current-day Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming and established most of the historic and modern communities in Southeastern Idaho. These settlements include Ammon, Blackfoot, Chubbuck, Firth, Idaho Falls, Iona, Pocatello, Rexburg, Rigby, Shelley, and Ucon.

 

Large numbers of English immigrants settled in what is now the state of Idaho in the late 19th and early 20th century, many before statehood. The English found they had more property rights and paid less taxes than they did back in England. They were considered some of the most desirable immigrants at the time. Many came from humble beginnings and would rise to prominence in Idaho. Frank R. Gooding was raised in a rural working-class background in England, but was eventually elected as the seventh governor of the state. Today people of English descent make up one fifth of the entire state of Idaho and form a plurality in the southern portion of the state.

 

Many German farmers also settled in what is now Idaho. German settlers were primarily Lutheran across all of the midwest and west, including Idaho, however there were small numbers of Catholics amongst them as well. In parts of Northern Idaho, German remained the dominant language until World War I, when German-Americans were pressured to convert entirely to English. Today, Idahoans of German ancestry make up nearly one fifth of all Idahoans and make up the second largest ethnic group after Idahoans of English descent with people of German ancestry being 18.1% of the state and people of English ancestry being 20.1% of the state.

 

Irish Catholics worked in railroad centers such as Boise. Today, 10% of Idahoans self-identify as having Irish ancestry.

 

York, a slave owned by William Clark but considered a full member of Corps of Discovery during expedition to the Pacific, was the first recorded African American in Idaho. There is a significant African American population made up of those who came west after the abolition of slavery. Many settled near Pocatello and were ranchers, entertainers, and farmers. Although free, many blacks suffered discrimination in the early-to-mid-late 20th century. The black population of the state continues to grow as many come to the state because of educational opportunities, to serve in the military, and for other employment opportunities. There is a Black History Museum in Boise, Idaho, with an exhibit known as the "Invisible Idahoan", which chronicles the first African-Americans in the state. Blacks are the fourth largest ethnic group in Idaho according to the 2000 census. Mountain Home, Boise, and Garden City have significant African-American populations.

 

The Basque people from the Iberian peninsula in Spain and southern France were traditionally shepherds in Europe. They came to Idaho, offering hard work and perseverance in exchange for opportunity. One of the largest Basque communities in the US is in Boise, with a Basque museum and festival held annually in the city.

 

Chinese in the mid-19th century came to America through San Francisco to work on the railroad and open businesses. By 1870, there were over 4000 Chinese and they comprised almost 30% of the population. They suffered discrimination due to the Anti-Chinese League in the 19th century which sought to limit the rights and opportunities of Chinese emigrants. Today Asians are third in population demographically after Whites and Hispanics at less than 2%.

 

Main articles: Oregon boundary dispute, Provisional Government of Oregon, Oregon Treaty, Oregon Territory, Washington Territory, Dakota Territory, Organic act § List of organic acts, and Idaho Territory

 

On March 4, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed an act creating Idaho Territory from portions of Washington Territory and Dakota Territory with its capital at Lewiston. The original Idaho Territory included most of the areas that later became the states of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, and had a population of under 17,000. Idaho Territory assumed the boundaries of the modern state in 1868 and was admitted as a state in 1890.

 

After Idaho became a territory, legislation was held in Lewiston, the capital of Idaho Territory at the time. There were many territories acts put into place, and then taken away during these early sessions, one act being the move of the capital city from Lewiston to Boise City. Boise was becoming a growing area after gold was found, so on December 24, 1864, Boise City was made the final destination of the capital for the Territory of Idaho.

 

However, moving the capital to Boise City created a lot of issues between the territory. This was especially true between the north and south areas in the territory, due to how far south Boise City was. Problems with communicating between the north and south contributed to some land in Idaho Territory being transferred to other territories and areas at the time. Idaho’s early boundary changes helped create the current boundaries of Washington, Wyoming, and Montana States as currently exist.

 

In a bid for statehood, Governor Edward A. Stevenson called for a constitutional convention in 1889. The convention approved a constitution on August 6, 1889, and voters approved the constitution on November 5, 1889.

 

When President Benjamin Harrison signed the law admitting Idaho as a U.S. state on July 3, 1890, the population was 88,548. George L. Shoup became the state's first governor, but resigned after only a few weeks in office to take a seat in the United States Senate. Willis Sweet, a Republican, was the first congressman, 1890 to 1895, representing the state at-large. He vigorously demanded "Free Silver" or the unrestricted coinage of silver into legal tender, in order to pour money into the large silver mining industry in the Mountain West, but he was defeated by supporters of the gold standard. In 1896 he, like many Republicans from silver mining districts, supported the Silver Republican Party instead of the regular Republican nominee William McKinley.

 

During its first years of statehood, Idaho was plagued by labor unrest in the mining district of Coeur d'Alene. In 1892, miners called a strike which developed into a shooting war between union miners and company guards. Each side accused the other of starting the fight. The first shots were exchanged at the Frisco mine in Frisco, in the Burke-Canyon north and east of Wallace. The Frisco mine was blown up, and company guards were taken prisoner. The violence soon spilled over into the nearby community of Gem, where union miners attempted to locate a Pinkerton spy who had infiltrated their union and was passing information to the mine operators. But agent Charlie Siringo escaped by cutting a hole in the floor of his room. Strikers forced the Gem mine to close, then traveled west to the Bunker Hill mining complex near Wardner, and closed down that facility as well. Several had been killed in the Burke-Canyon fighting. The Idaho National Guard and federal troops were dispatched to the area, and union miners and sympathizers were thrown into bullpens.

 

Hostilities would again erupt at the Bunker Hill facility in 1899, when seventeen union miners were fired for having joined the union. Other union miners were likewise ordered to draw their pay and leave. Angry members of the union converged on the area and blew up the Bunker Hill Mill, killing two company men.

 

In both disputes, the union's complaints included pay, hours of work, the right of miners to belong to the union, and the mine owners' use of informants and undercover agents. The violence committed by union miners was answered with a brutal response in 1892 and in 1899.

 

Through the Western Federation of Miners (WFM) union, the battles in the mining district became closely tied to a major miners' strike in Colorado. The struggle culminated in the December 1905 assassination of former Governor Frank Steunenberg by Harry Orchard (also known as Albert Horsley), a member of the WFM. Orchard was allegedly incensed by Steunenberg's efforts as governor to put down the 1899 miner uprising after being elected on a pro-labor platform.

 

Pinkerton detective James McParland conducted the investigation into the assassination. In 1907, WFM Secretary Treasurer "Big Bill" Haywood and two other WFM leaders were tried on a charge of conspiracy to murder Steunenberg, with Orchard testifying against them as part of a deal made with McParland. The nationally publicized trial featured Senator William E. Borah as prosecuting attorney and Clarence Darrow representing the defendants. The defense team presented evidence that Orchard had been a Pinkerton agent and had acted as a paid informant for the Cripple Creek Mine Owners' Association. Darrow argued that Orchard's real motive in the assassination had been revenge for a declaration of martial law by Steunenberg, which prompted Orchard to gamble away a share in the Hercules silver mine that would otherwise have made him wealthy.

 

Two of the WFM leaders were acquitted in two separate trials, and the third was released. Orchard was convicted and sentenced to death. His sentence was commuted, and he spent the rest of his life in an Idaho prison.

 

Mining in Idaho was a major commercial venture, bringing a great deal of attention to the state. From 1860-1866 Idaho produced 19% of all gold in the United States, or 2.5 million ounces.

 

Most of Idaho's mining production, 1860–1969, has come from metals equating to $2.88 billion out of $3.42 billion, according to the best estimates. Of the metallic mining areas of Idaho, the Coeur d'Alene region has produced the most by far, and accounts for about 80% of the total Idaho yield.

 

Several others—Boise Basin, Wood River Valley, Stibnite, Blackbirg, and Owyhee—range considerably above the other big producers. Atlanta, Bear Valley, Bay Horse, Florence, Gilmore, Mackay, Patterson, and Yankee Fork all ran on the order of ten to twenty million dollars, and Elk City, Leesburg, Pierce, Rocky Bar, and Warren's make up the rest of the major Idaho mining areas that stand out in the sixty or so regions of production worthy of mention.

 

A number of small operations do not appear in this list of Idaho metallic mining areas: a small amount of gold was recovered from Goose Creek on Salmon Meadows; a mine near Cleveland was prospected in 1922 and produced a little manganese in 1926; a few tons of copper came from Fort Hall, and a few more tons of copper came from a mine near Montpelier. Similarly, a few tons of lead came from a property near Bear Lake, and lead-silver is known on Cassia Creek near Elba. Some gold quartz and lead-silver workings are on Ruby Creek west of Elk River, and there is a slightly developed copper operation on Deer Creek near Winchester. Molybdenum is known on Roaring River and on the east fork of the Salmon. Some scattered mining enterprises have been undertaken around Soldier Mountain and on Chief Eagle Eye Creek north of Montour.

 

Idaho proved to be one of the more receptive states to the progressive agenda of the late 19th century and early 20th century. The state embraced progressive policies such as women's suffrage (1896) and prohibition (1916) before they became federal law. Idahoans were also strongly supportive of Free Silver. The pro-bimetallism Populist and Silver Republican parties of the late 1890s were particularly successful in the state.

 

Eugenics was also a major part of the Progressive movement. In 1919, the Idaho legislature passed an Act legalizing the forced sterilization of some persons institutionalized in the state. The act was vetoed by governor D.W. Davis, who doubted its scientific merits and believed it likely violated the Equal Protection clause of the US Constitution. In 1925, the Idaho legislature passed a revised eugenics act, now tailored to avoid Davis's earlier objections. The new law created a state board of eugenics, charged with: the sterilization of all feebleminded, insane, epileptics, habitual criminals, moral degenerates and sexual perverts who are a menace to society, and providing the means for ascertaining who are such persons.

The Eugenics board was eventually folded into the state's health commission; between 1932 and 1964, a total of 30 women and eight men in Idaho were sterilized under this law. The sterilization law was formally repealed in 1972.

 

After statehood, Idaho's economy began a gradual shift away from mining toward agriculture, particularly in the south. Older mining communities such as Silver City and Rocky Bar gave way to agricultural communities incorporated after statehood, such as Nampa and Twin Falls. Milner Dam on the Snake River, completed in 1905, allowed for the formation of many agricultural communities in the Magic Valley region which had previously been nearly unpopulated.

 

Meanwhile, some of the mining towns were able to reinvent themselves as resort communities, most notably in Blaine County, where the Sun Valley ski resort opened in 1936. Others, such as Silver City and Rocky Bar, became ghost towns.

 

In the north, mining continued to be an important industry for several more decades. The closure of the Bunker Hill Mine complex in Shoshone County in the early 1980s sent the region's economy into a tailspin. Since that time, a substantial increase in tourism in north Idaho has helped the region to recover. Coeur d'Alene, a lake-side resort town, is a destination for visitors in the area.

 

Beginning in the 1980s, there was a rise in North Idaho of a few right-wing extremist and "survivalist" political groups, most notably one holding Neo-Nazi views, the Aryan Nations. These groups were most heavily concentrated in the Panhandle region of the state, particularly in the vicinity of Coeur d'Alene.

 

In 1992 a stand-off occurred between U.S. Marshals, the F.B.I., and white separatist Randy Weaver and his family at their compound at Ruby Ridge, located near the small, northern Idaho town of Naples. The ensuing fire-fight and deaths of a U.S. Marshal, and Weaver's son and wife gained national attention, and raised a considerable amount of controversy regarding the nature of acceptable force by the federal government in such situations.

 

In 2001, the Aryan Nations compound, which had been located in Hayden Lake, Idaho, was confiscated as a result of a court case, and the organization moved out of state. About the same time Boise installed an impressive stone Human Rights Memorial featuring a bronze statue of Anne Frank and quotations from her and many other writers extolling human freedom and equality.

 

The demographics of the state have changed. Due to this growth in different groups, especially in Boise, the economic expansion surged wrong-economic growth followed the high standard of living and resulted in the "growth of different groups". The population of Idaho in the 21st Century has been described as sharply divided along geographic and cultural lines due to the center of the state being dominated by sparsely-populated national forests, mountain ranges and recreation sites: "unless you're willing to navigate a treacherous mountain pass, you can't even drive from the north to the south without leaving the state." The northern population gravitates towards Spokane, Washington, the heavily Mormon south-east population towards Utah, with an isolated Boise "[being] the closest thing to a city-state that you'll find in America."

 

On March 13, 2020, officials from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare announced the first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 within the state of Idaho. A woman over the age of 50 from the southwestern part of the state was confirmed to have the coronavirus infection. She contracted the infection while attending a conference in New York City. Conference coordinators notified attendees that three individuals previously tested positive for the coronavirus. The Idahoan did not require hospitalization and was recovering from mild symptoms from her home. At the time of the announcement, there were 1,629 total cases and 41 deaths in the United States. Five days beforehand, on March 8, a man of age 54 had died of an unknown respiratory illness which his doctor had believed to be pneumonia. The disease was later suspected to be – but never confirmed as – COVID-19.

 

On March 14, state officials announced the second confirmed case within the state. The South Central Public Health District, announced that a woman over the age of 50 that resides in Blaine County had contracted the infection.[44] Like the first case, she did not require hospitalization and she was recovering from mild symptoms from home. Later on in the day, three additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported in the state by three of the seven health districts in the state, which brought the confirmed total cases of coronavirus to five in Idaho. Officials from Central District Health announced their second confirmed case, which was a male from Ada County in his 50s. He was not hospitalized and was recovering at home. South Central Public Health reported their second confirmed case in a female that is over the age of 70 who was hospitalized. Eastern Idaho Public Health reported a confirmed positive case in a woman under the age of 60 in Teton County. She had contracted the coronavirus from contact with a confirmed case in a neighboring state; she was not hospitalized. The South Central Public Health District announced that a woman over the age of 50 that resides in Blaine County had contracted the infection. Like the first case, she did not require hospitalization and she was recovering from mild symptoms from home.

 

On March 17, two more confirmed cases of the infection were reported, bringing the total to seven. The first case on this date was by officials from Central District Health reported that a female under the age of 50 in Ada County was recovering at home and was not hospitalized. The second confirmed case was a female over the age of 50 as reported by South Central Public Health officials.

 

On March 18, two additional confirmed cases were announced by South Central Public Health District officials. One is a male from Blaine County in his 40s and the other a male in his 80s from Twin Falls County. These cases were the first known community spread transmission of the coronavirus in South Central Idaho.

83-0076 Douglas KC-10A Extender. Delivered in late 1983 and to Davis-Monthan for storage in late 2023.

 

Sadly the once mighty Extender fleet of sixty aircraft is no more, replaced by the increasing number of Boeing KC-46 Pegasus tankers.

But... maybe don't extend the legs going uphill! In fact, the general strategy for going uphill is to do the exact opposite and shorten the stride to maintain cadence. Extending the legs on the downhill, for the same reason, makes sense, not to mention reducing knee strain.

That said, she made for a good photograph.

During my extended photography trips, I like to discover small, out-of-the-way Romanesque churches that are worthy of note but largely ignored by most scholars (and by all tourists). So far during this Spanish trip, you have been given a sample of such discoveries. However, I of course also quite enjoy visiting major churches that are very much part of the beaten tourist path, and for good reasons, even if this means having to “share” them with... well, tourists, who are generally completely oblivious of their surroundings and of anyone else but themselves (or choose to be)... Those rude types will remain forever standing and chatting away in the middle of your frame, pretending they haven’t noticed you, and you will have to be very patient until they finally walk away —often to be replaced by others of the same persuasion! Sometimes, you will have no choice but to walk up to them, or resort to using photographic tricks to “erase” them!

 

As you can imagine, that is exactly what happened to me during the visit of the first major Romanesque church of this trip: Saint Martin in the town of Frómista. Hailed by the Zodiaque book as “the most important monument of the Romanesque Castille”, the church was either being built from 1066, or already under construction at that date. Funds and real estate were donated by Doña Munia (aka Doña Mayor), widow of Don Sancho (el Mayor), King of Navarre. Located on the path to Compostela, it became a Cluniac priory in 1118, via a donation from Doña Urraca, daughter of King Alfonso VI.

 

The importance of the initial funding allowed the church to be built in one campaign, probably over just a few years. From that stems its admirable unity of style, the purity of its lines. Intelligently restored at the end of the 19th century, externally marked by the stylistic and decorative “signature” of the two ribbons of billets that run around the whole church and internally bathed by this unmistakable “Light of the Romanesque”, Saint Martin of Frómista is a church one can never forget.

 

The northern elevation and side wall. You can see the portal, which I will later show in more detail, as well as the footprint of a door, now walled in, in the northern arm of the transept, probably a porte des morts (“Door of the Dead”) through which the coffin would exit after the funeral mass, to be buried in the cemetery lying to the north of the church, in accordance with the custom.

En Biodiversidad virtual y también en Instagram como @proyectoagua

  

Extendiendo sus finos pies de hilo la ameba Lecythium bucea palpando las suavidades de las alfombras espesas de esfagnos. Allí en los confines australes de América, garabatea en silencio deslizándose por los fondos de las extensas turberas que cubren con su manto suave los gélidos suelos de Quillaipe. Y sin perder su compostura de araña acorazonada Lecythium va juntándose en un ábaco de flores minúsculas cargadas de magia.

 

En una tela de hilos que teje en el agua, Lecythium extiende sus patas de araña palpando su ácido entorno. De cuerpo globoso y hendido, y con una piel membranosa y fina que dibuja un nítido corazón, este género apenas se diferencia de Chlamydophrys y probablemente sus entidades se solapen como los pétalos blandos que dibujan en flores minúsculas.

 

Lecythium hyalinum es una de las especies más comunes y recuerda a ésta que mostramos hoy aquí, abundante en las turberas chilenas de Quillaipe y de la que no hemos encontrado referencias.

 

Restos de pequeñas algas rellenan sus contornos de corazón mientras su núcleo grande y esférico, a veces se acompaña de otros más pequeños que quizá anticipen una próxima división celular muy especial, tanto como la apariencia de esta ameba araña...y es que se ha descrito, como en ocasiones, cuando esta ameba se divide, siempre en planos perpendiculares, se van formando estructuras arracimadas de hijas gemelas que con el paso del tiempo se pueden desgajar e independizar, pero que con frecuencia permanecen unidas dando lugar a estructuras que recuerdan formas pluricelulares.

 

En uno de sus polos, y por una pequeña apertura que hace de boca, los brazos de Lecythium se extienden en torno a él, siempre son filopodios rectos, numerosos, radiantes, que a veces se entrecruzan formando una maraña. El protoplasma que rellena completamente el espacio que envuelve su fino cascarón encierra un núcleo esférico muy bien diferenciado y situado posteriormente, y una capa transversal de gránulos brillantes.

 

Lecythium vive en aguas limpias, sobre los fondos y entre las algas donde con facilidad encuentra su jugoso y verde alimento favorito, caminando lentamente entre las gotas de las turberas

 

La fotografías, tomadas en vivo a 400 aumentos con la técnica de contraste de interferencia, contraste de fase, campo oscuro y epifluorescencia proceden de una muestras de agua recogidas en las turberas de Quillapé por Rubén Carrillo y Patricio Pacheco, en el marco del curso Internacional de Microscopía en la UFRO (Universidad de la Frontera) en Chile, gracias a la invitación del Departamento de Ciencias Agronómicas y Recursos Naturales, de esta Universidad, a través de su director, el Profesor Rubén Carrillo López, impulsor de esta actividad y con la colaboración de los profesores de este Departamento y la participación de profesores y alumnos de varias universidades del sur de Chile

  

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My extended family wishes everyone a very Happy New Year !!!

 

I think deer are so beautiful - they have faces like angels :-) I feel very privileged to see them right outside my window. I grew up in the big concrete city and this has always been a dream of mine...... If I could live in the middle of a forest, I would ...... :-) Being at the edge of a small one is satisfying to me. I thank God for all the beautiful creatures he has put on this Earth for us to share. And I thank Him/Her for all my wonderful Flickr Friends !!! :-)

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010 !!!!!!

WISHING YOU ALL MUCH LOVE & HAPPINESS

  

EXPLORE - 164 - January 1, 2010

A New Year's Surprise :-)

Lakers John J. Boland and Adam E. Cornelius in an extended lay up along the Huron River in Huron, Ohio

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southend_Pier

 

Southend Pier is a major landmark in Southend-on-Sea. Extending 2,158 metres (1.341 mi) into the Thames Estuary, it is the longest pleasure pier in the world. Sir John Betjeman once said that "the Pier is Southend, Southend is the Pier".[1] The pier is a Grade II listed building.[2]

Creation of the Pier

In the early 19th century, Southend was growing as a seaside holiday resort. At the time, it was thought that spending time by the sea was good for one's health, and since it was close to the capital, many Londoners would come to Southend for this reason. However the coast at Southend consists of large mudflats, so the sea is never very deep even at full tide (between four and six metres), and recedes over a mile from the beach at low tide. Large boats were unable to stop at Southend near to the beach and no boats at all were able to stop at low tide. This meant that many potential visitors would travel past Southend and go to Margate, or other resorts where docking facilities were better.

In order to counter this trend local dignitaries pushed for a pier to be built. This would allow boats to reach Southend at all tides. The campaign was led by former Lord Mayor of the City of London Sir William Heygate, a resident of Southend. In 1829, Parliament passed an act giving authorisation for the construction of a pier at Southend. When Sir William brought the news back from London he was mobbed by enthusiastic crowds.[

The wooden pier

Soon after authorisation was granted in 1829, the Lord Mayor of London laid the first foundations for the pier. By June 1830 a 600-foot (180 m) wooden pier was opened, based on oak piles. However this was still too short to be usable at low tide, so by 1833 it had been extended to three times its length and by 1848 was the longest pier in Europe at 7,000 feet (2,100 m). It was sold by the original owners for £17,000 in 1846 after getting into financial difficulties.

By the 1850s the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway had reached Southend, and with it a great influx of visitors from east London. The many visitors took their toll on the wooden pier and in 1873 it was sold to the local board (the local government in place at the time).

In 1877 the board decided to replace the pier with a new iron pier. Part of the wooden structure of the old pier was used in the construction of a new mayoral chair in 1892.

The Iron Pier

Pier Pavilion in 1923. Destroyed by fire in 1959, it was replaced in 1962 by a bowling alley. This was destroyed by a fire in 1995. The area is now (2008) open decking.

The pier was designed by James Brunlees, who had built the first iron pier at Southport in 1860. Work began in 1887 and the new pier opened to the public in the summer of the same year, though it was only completed in 1889. The cost was almost £70,000. It was an immediate success, so much so that demand outstripped the capabilities of the pier and a further extension was proposed. This extension was completed in November 1897 and formally opened the following January.

In 1892 Southend became a Municipal Borough and received an unofficial coat of arms. This depicted a three-masted ship on top of a shield showing an image of the pier, the church of St Mary the Virgin, a well in Prittlewell and the emblem of Essex county. The motto was 'forti nihil difficile', 'to the brave nothing is too difficult'. This coat of arms was replaced in 1915 after Southend was given County Borough status and an image of the pier is no longer included.[3]

An upper deck was added to the pierhead in 1907, and the pier was further extended in 1927 to accommodate larger steamboats. It was formally opened on 8 July 1929 by HRH Prince George, Duke of Kent. This part of the pier was named the Prince George Extension.

On 27 June 1931 the Pier was the scene of a tragic accident. Ernest Turner fell from and was run over by one of the electric trams on the railway, and was killed instantly. Turner, who was 38, was one of a party of over 500 workers and family members on the annual works outing from Ansell's brewery in Birmingham, where he worked as a brewer's drayman. The party had arrived at the pier having travelled down the River Thames from Tower Pier in London where they had arrived earlier that day. At the inquest, which was held two days later, the jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

The Pier's centenary was celebrated on 23 July 1935, rather than 1930, as this date reflects the date the Admiralty began to include Southend Pier on their navigation charts.

HMS Leigh

During World War II, Southend Pier was taken over by the Royal Navy and was renamed (along with the surrounding area) HMS Leigh. It was closed to the public from 9th September 1939.

Its purpose in the war was twofold. Firstly it served as a mustering point for convoys. Over the course of the war 3,367 convoys, comprising 84,297 vessels departed from HMS Leigh. Secondly, it was Naval Control for the Thames Estuary. Notable in its career was the accidental sinking of the Liberty ship SS Richard Montgomery which, still containing several thousand tons of explosives, is visible from the North Kent coast and Southend beach at low tide, and continues to pose a potential threat to navigation over 60 years later.

Post-war history

In 1945 the pier reopened for visitors. Visitor numbers exceeded their pre-war levels, peaking at 5.75 million in 1949-1950.[4] In the 1950s, more attractions on the pier opened including the Dolphin Cafe, Sun Deck Theatre, the Solarium Cafe and a Hall of Mirrors.

However the success was not to last. In 1959 a fire destroyed the pavilion located at the shore end of the pier. Over 500 people were trapped on the other side of the fire and had to be rescued by boat.

The pavilion was replaced by a ten-pin bowling alley in 1962, however by then British holidaymakers were turning to package holidays abroad. The use of the pier slowly began to decline and with it the structure began to deteriorate. In 1971, after a child was injured on the pier, a survey was undertaken and over the course of the next decade repairs had to be made including much of the replacement of the pier walkway.

In 1976 a fire destroyed much of the pier head. The massive blaze was battled by fire fighters working on the pier and from boats, and even using a crop-spraying light aircraft. The following year the bowling alley was damaged in another fire, and a year after that, the railway was deemed unsafe and had to be closed.

In 1980 the council announced that the pier was to close. Protests led the council to allow the pier to remain open until a solution could be found. This happened in 1983 when the Historic Buildings Committee gave a grant to allow repairs to be made. The work commenced in 1984 and was completed eighteen months later, when Princess Anne named the two new pier trains (commissioned to replace trains scrapped in 1982) after Sir John Betjeman and Sir William Heygate. The total cost of the repair including new buildings and pier trains was £1.3 million.

However on June 20 in that year, the MV Kingsabbey crashed into the pier, severing the new pier head from the rest of the pier, destroying the boathouse used by the lifeboat service and causing major structural damage due to the destruction of iron piles and supporting girders. This left a 70-foot gap in the pier. While this was temporarily bridged to restore access, full repairs were not completed until 1989.

On June 7, 1995, the bowling alley burnt down. Fortunately, the pier museum and railway station were not severely damaged and access to the pier was reinstated three weeks later, with all the debris cleared in time for the summer of 1996.

On October 9, 2005 a fire severely damaged much of the Old Pier Head including the railway station, pub, shell shop, snack bar and ice-cream shop.

Much of the wooden planking was destroyed, but the main iron structure was largely undamaged. Heat from the fire was so intense that the Pier Railway tracks buckled and trains can now only run to within approx. 15m of the old station.

The fire was thought to have started in the pub at around 10:45pm, but due to the extreme location and the damage (several buildings collapsed into the water), the cause has not yet been formally determined, although it is being treated as an accident. No one was injured, but fire-fighters encountered difficulties extinguishing the blaze as, due to the low tide, pumps installed on the pier were rendered ineffective. The Southend lifeboat crew were deployed to transport the first firefighters to the scene.

The pier reopened to the public on 1 December for the first time since the fire.

The pierhead station was destroyed in the blaze so a replacement with two platforms has been constructed to take the pier trains as close as possible to the area where the blaze took place.Access to the pierhead and RNLI gift shop and boathouse is now available walking past the temporary toilets and onto the area of restored pier after the earlier fire. The pleasure steamers Waverley and Kingswear Castle are able to take and drop off passengers once more from the pierhead and autumn 2006 saw the tall ship Kershones visit again.

Shortly after the fire, pieces of charred pier planking have turned up for sale on eBay with the proceeds apparently going to the RNLI. Sky News has some good pictures of the damaged section, as does the BBC.

 

In recent years Southend Council has invested in the pier to restore it as a visitor attraction. Funding for this has been coordinated by the "S-SHAPE" (Southend Seafront, High-street And Pier Enhancements) project with funding coming from European Objective 2 funding and National Government regeneration schemes.

The pier head was extensively redeveloped in 2000 creating a new sun deck and, in partnership with the RNLI, a new lifeboat station was built. The new station is constructed in glass to give a strikingly modern style. It also houses a museum and giftshop relating to the history of the RNLI and lifeboats.

In 2003 the shoreward end of the pier was redeveloped in a similar style to the pier head. The pier bridge was raised to enable taller vehicles to pass under it (a recurring problem had been double decker buses getting stuck under the bridge) and a visitor centre/tourist information centre was built. This connected with the new Cliff Lift and redevelopment of Pier Hill that was constructed the following year.

The original wooden pier built in 1830 employed a horse tramway to convey goods and visitors to the pier head[7]. In 1890, with the construction of the iron pier, Cromptons installed an electric tramway with a single toast rack carriage and 3⁄4 miles of 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge single track. By 1891 the line ran the full 1 1⁄4 miles and carriages were in use. The system expanded, until eventually, by 1930, four trains, each made up of seven carriages, were running on a double track [7].

In 1949 the rolling stock was replaced with four new trains similar in design to the London Underground stock, built by AC Cars, of Thames Ditton, in Surrey. The stock was liveried in green and cream.

In 1978 the electric railway closed, due to deterioration and the cost of repairs. It reopened in 1986 after rebuilding to 3 ft (914 mm) gauge. Two new trains were used on a simplified single track with a passing loop. Each train consists of a diesel-hydraulic locomotive at the southern end, five trailer coaches and at the northern end, a driver control unit with passenger space. One is named Sir John Betjeman, and the other Sir William Heygate. Originally liveried in all-over burgundy with a white waist-band, the two trains were repainted to a two-tone blue in 2006, retaining the white waist band. They also carry a "Southend Borough Council" logo. Each station (Shore and Pier Head) has two platforms, Pier Head having had to be resited due to the fire in late 2005.

•Southend Pier featured in the end credits of the British television series Minder. The sequence showed unscrupulous businessman Arthur Daley and his bodyguard (or "minder") walking down the pier. When they reach the end Arthur realises he has left his lighter at the far end and they proceed to walk the return journey. The comic implication is that he is too mean to pay for the train ride.

•The pier is mentioned in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; after Ford and Arthur were thrown off a Vogon Construction ship and were picked up by the Improbability drive, on the starship Heart of Gold, Arthur remarks that it looks like they're standing "on the seafront at Southend". In the 1981 BBC TV adaptation however, neither the set used for the pier nor the view of the buildings on the shore look anything like Southend.

 

.. .and yes, the station is getting ready for steam locos :)

 

TakenduringSkaerbaekFan Weekend 2015.

A revised and extended version of my precious Iron Man bust!

 

1:2 scale

1150 parts

 

YouTube Video

 

Instructions

 

The head is remotely controlled and light up using official Lego Power Functions equipment!

The arc reactor is just a hole filled with a LED head torch!

 

Special thanks to my friend Spirogero (www.spirogero.gr/index.php/en/) for taking care of that beautiful photoshoot!

 

Original version

 

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MOCs Instructions on Rebrickable.com

MAV V43 class 1237 in the evening sun at Szombathely, about to depart with a northbound service.

239 examples of this 2200kW class were Hungarian built over an extended period from 1963 to 1982.

 

14th April 2008

Easyjet

A321-251NX

G-UZMF

Newcastle Airport (NCL/EGNT)

17/12/2022

 

Due to the increased numbers of passengers during the christmas period, Easyjet sent one of their A321s on the run from Bristol replacing the usual A319/320. Thanks to a 3 hour delay on the sector before from Grenoble the aircraft arrived shortly before sunset.

#project150

 

Phase 2 is mostly completed (far right of this photo). Hawkins\Brown architects. Cropped to 20:9 for your smartphone enjoyment.

It has been a while since uploading American Airlines flagship Boeing 777-300ER's, initially the only airline in the United States to operate the type until United Airlines joined the fray right up to the end of 2016.

Unlike United, American send in their Boeing 777-300ER's into London Heathrow on a regular basis, operating alongside the now refurbished Boeing 777-200ER's. With their Boeing 777-300ER's being the only long-haul wide-body aircraft to feature First Class interiors, they are also usually found operating from pre-merger American hubs on flights to Europe (mainly Europe), South America and in the Pacific.

Following on from the refurbishment of Boeing 777-200ER's, as well as deliveries of brand new Boeing 787's, their usage into London Heathrow has only marginally reduced as a means of right sizing capacity.

During the winter season, American Airlines currently operate the Boeing 777-300ER on the following routes from London Heathrow:

-Dallas-Fort Worth: Operates one of 2 daily flights on AA50/51

-Los Angeles: Operates one of 2 daily flights on AA108/109

-Miami: Operates twice daily on AA38/39 and AA56/57

-New York-John F. Kennedy: Operates one of 3 daily flights on AA100/107

Currently, American Airlines operates 67 Boeing 777's, which includes 47 Boeing 777-200ER's and 20 Boeing 777-300ER's.

November Seven Two Five Alpha November is one of 20 Boeing 777-300ER's in service with American, delivered new to the carrier in July 2013 and she is powered by 2 General Electric GE90-115B engines.

Boeing 777-323/ER N725AN on final approach into Runway 27L at London Heathrow (LHR) on AA38 from Miami (MIA), Florida.

Merry Christmas and Happy New year.

Snow in Swindon Wiltshire. Swindon Car park. as 70 is on the up line Platform 4.engineering Work Track renewals between Didcot Parkway and Swindon extending to Chippenham on the weekend of 23/24 January. Lockdown 3 COVID 19.

Forster-Tuncurry and Lake Wallis.

These coastal towns sit each side of the entrance to Lake Wallis separate by a neck of water and a bridge. Lake Wallis extends 26 kms inland from the coast and is a haven for bird and marine life. Booti Booti National Park lies just to the south of Forster. Explorer John Oxley camped here for a night in 1818 and named Lake Wallis after the Commandant of the Newcastle penal settlement at that time. Around 1831 the Australian Red Cedar loggers moved into the region and floated the cedar through Lake Wallis to the entrance to the coast. The first settlers took up land around Cape Hawkes in 1863. The caught fish and sent oysters to Sydney. A town site was surveyed in 1869 and named Forster in 1870 after William Forster a local settler. A saw miller and a small shipbuilder took up some of the first town sites. A school opened and the first hotel was licensed from 1874. North Forster was known as Tuncurry from 1875. Today the area is known for its superb beaches, its headlands, its National Parks and its waterways and rainforests around Lake Wallis. Fishing and oysters are still the main stays of the local economy in addition to tourism but in the early 20th century dairying was important and Forster had a butter factory some years. The bridge linking Tuncurry and Forster was built in 1959. Our Free Spirit lunch cruise departs from the wharf at 11:30 am for two and a half hours. Wallis Lake has around 210 species of birds including rainbow and scaly-breasted lorikeets, yellow-faced honeyeaters and numerous water birds. Dolphins, eagles, swans and pelicans are regularly on the lake. The Information Centre is near the Free Spirit wharf and make sure you walk through the shopping precinct to reach the Forster Main Beach.

 

Boulders extend for miles along the rim of the mountain in patterns that are reminscent of the push and pull of the ocean tide, as if time itself were frozen with Earth caught in the act of upending those giant wind carven slabs into the colorful deciduous shoreline where it meets the distant blue ocean of Mount Storm, a firey skyline meets the horizon to mark the primordial event. Bear Rocks Preserve, Dolly Sods Wilderness Area, West Virginia.

 

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Schweiz / Tessin - Höhenweg Monte Tamaro - Monte Lema

 

View from the chapel Santa Maria degli Angeli down to the Piano di Magadino

 

Blick von der Kapelle Santa Maria degli Angeli hinunter zur Magadinoebene

 

A spectacular hike suspended between civilization and uncivilized valleys

 

The Monte Tamaro – Monte Lema mountain trail is one of the most beautiful hikes of Switzerland. The spectacular view during the whole hike extends itself over Ticino, Valais and Italy.

 

Alpe Foppa is the starting point of this trail which sees its first conquest when reaching the summit of Monte Tamaro at 1,962 m a.s.l after about an hour of hiking. It is absolutely worth the effort as you are rewarded with a magnificent view and it is the beginning of a not too demanding up and down hike along the crest of the mountain. The hike passes through peaks, slopes, and alpine pastures to reach Monte Lema, in Malcantone (1,620 m a.s.l). During the entire route, the view widens to the north over Lake Maggiore, Centovalli, Verzasca, Vallemaggia, Locarno and Bellinzona, while you can see Lugano, with its valleys and lake to the south. The most majestic peaks of the Alps, such as Monte Rosa and the Matterhorn, also stand out.

 

Departing from Alpe Foppa, we recommend you continue until the summit of Monte Tamaro. There is also a path which undergoes the summit and accordingly shortens the route by about half an hour, hereby losing the unique view offered by walking over the summit. It is also possible to avoid the passage to the summit of Monte Gradiccioli, opting for a flat but less scenic variant.

 

(montetamaro.ch)

 

Monte Tamaro is a mountain of the Lugano Prealps, overlooking Lake Maggiore in the Swiss canton of Ticino. Reaching a height of 1,962 metres above sea level, it is the highest summit of the chain located between Lake Maggiore and Lake Lugano, which also includes Monte Lema. It is also the most prominent summit of the canton.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

Eine spektakuläre Wanderung zwischen Zivilisation und wilden Tälern

 

Der Höhenweg Monte Tamaro – Monte Lema ist eine der schönsten Wanderungen der Schweiz. Das spektakuläre Panorama reicht vom Tessin über das Wallis bis nach Italien.

 

Die Wanderung beginnt bei der Alpe Foppa mit dem ca. eineinhalb-stündigen Aufstieg zum Gipfel des Monte Tamaros auf 1 962 m ü. M., wo man mit einer herrlichen Aussicht auf den Lago Maggiore und Umgebung belohnt wird. Der Weg führt anschliessend entlang des Grats in einem lieblichen Auf und Ab durch Gipfel, Hänge und Almen, um schliesslich den Monte Lema im Malcantone (1 620 m ü.M.) zu erreichen. Während der gesamten Route weitet sich im Norden der Blick über den Lago Maggiore, das Centovalli, das Verzascatal, das Vallemaggia, Locarno und Bellinzona, während im Süden Lugano, seine Täler und der See zu sehen sind. Auch die majestätischsten Gipfel der Alpen, wie der Monte Rosa und das Matterhorn, stechen hervor.

 

Ausgehend von der Alpe Foppa empfehlen wir die Wanderung bis zum Gipfel des Monte Tamaro. Eine Variante unterhalb des Gipfels kürzt den Weg um etwa eine halbe Stunde, allerdings verpasst man so auch die 360° Aussicht, die der Gipfel bietet. Während der Wanderung ist es möglich, die Variante zum Gipfel des Monte Gradiccioli zu vermeiden und eine flachere, jedoch landschaftlich weniger reizvolle Variante unterhalb des Gipfels zu wählen.

 

(montetamaro.ch)

 

Der Monte Tamaro ist ein 1960 m ü. M. hoher Berg im Schweizer Kanton Tessin oberhalb des Ortes Rivera.

 

Auf La Manèra (1858 m), dem östlichen Nebengipfel des Monte Tamaro, befindet sich eine grosse Richtfunkstation der Swisscom. Über sie werden Teile der Verbindungen aus dem Tessin in die Deutschschweiz übertragen.

 

Kapelle

 

Die vom Tessiner Architekten Mario Botta ab 1990 entworfene und zwischen 1992 und 1994 erbaute Cappella di S. Maria degli Angeli auf der Alpe Foppa (1567 m) machte den Ort überregional bekannt. Die am 1. September 1996 eingeweihte und mit Malereien von Enzo Cucchi ausgeschmückte Kapelle ist über eine Luftseilbahn zu erreichen.

Tourismus

Im Bereich der Alpe Foppa (ca. 1530 m, bei der Bergstation der Seilbahn von Rivera) am Nordosthang des Berges gibt es eine Sommerrodelbahn, eine Tyrolienne, ein Restaurant, ein Kinderspielplatz, diverse Wanderungen und Mountainbike-Parcours. Auf der Mittelstation befindet sich der Seilpark Monte Tamaro.

 

An den Hängen des Monte Tamaro fanden die Mountainbike-Weltmeisterschaften 2003 statt.

 

Eine Wanderroute führt vom Monte Tamaro in etwa 4½ Stunden über mehrere weitere Gipfel zum Monte Lema (1'624 m).

 

Bei gutem Wetter reicht die Aussicht bis zum Monte-Rosa-Massiv und zum Matterhorn. Dies macht den Gipfel des Monte Tamaro zu einem der wenigen Aussichtspunkten, die einen gleichzeitigen Blick auf den tiefstgelegenen (am Lago Maggiore) und den höchstgelegenen Punkt (Dufourspitze) der Schweiz erlauben.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

Der Monte Lema ist ein 1619 m ü. M. hoher Berg in der Tambogruppe auf der Grenze zwischen der Lombardei (Italien) und dem Kanton Tessin (Schweiz) oberhalb der Orte Miglieglia und Astano. Von Miglieglia führt eine Seilbahn zum Gipfel.

 

Neben der Bergstation sind in der Gipfelregion ein Bergrestaurant, eine Sternwarte und (seit 2011) eine Wetter-Radar-Station von MeteoSchweiz[1] zu finden.

 

Vom Gipfel hat man eine umfassende Rundsicht auf die umliegenden Berge des Südtessins, auf den Luganersee und den Lago Maggiore. Die Bergregion ist für Wanderer durch ein markiertes Wegenetz von 80 Kilometern erschlossen.

 

Die Gipfelregion wird auch von Gleitschirmfliegern, Mountain-Bike-Fahrern sowie von Modellfliegern häufig frequentiert.

 

Ein Projekt zum Bau einer Standseilbahn von Pazzo (Novaggio) zur Alp Cavellera erhielt 1914 eine Konzession.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

Die Magadinoebene (italienisch Piano di Magadino) liegt in der südlichen Schweiz im Kanton Tessin.

 

Geographie

 

Die Magadinoebene dehnt sich vom nördlichen Ende des Lago Maggiore über nicht ganz 15 Kilometer bis zur Kantonshauptstadt Bellinzona aus. Sie erhielt ihren Namen vom Ort Magadino, der an ihrem südwestlichen Ende am See liegt.

 

Entstanden ist die Magadinoebene durch die Sedimente, die der Ticino hier ablagerte. Bis zur Flusskorrektur zwischen 1888 und 1912 war die Gegend ein unzugängliches Sumpfland, das voller Krankheitskeime war und allenfalls vereinzelt von Schafhirten als Weidefläche genutzt wurde. Alle Dörfer liegen, vor Überschwemmungen geschützt, am Rand der Ebene auf erhöhten Schwemmkegeln der Seitenbäche.

 

Die Magadinoebene ist ein strategisches Einfallstor von Italien zum Gotthard. Von 1913 bis 1918 wurden in Gordola und Magadino Artillerie- und Infanteriewerke erstellt, die von 1939 bis 1945 modernisiert wurden.

 

Nutzung

 

Mit den Gewässerkorrektionen des ausgehenden 19. Jahrhunderts wurde der Ticino, der vorher in unzähligen Mäandern die gesamte Talbreite ausnutzte, in einen 60 m breiten, gerade gezogenen Kanal gezwängt. Hochwasserdämme beiderseits der Ufer verhindern, dass der Fluss über die Ufer tritt.

 

Das durch ausgedehnte Wasserabzugskanäle trockengelegte frühere Sumpfland ist heute ein intensiv genutztes Agrargebiet, unter anderem Reisanbau, in dem sich aber auch Industrie angesiedelt hat. Im unteren Teil der Ebene liegt der Flugplatz Locarno.

 

Nur im direkten Mündungsbereich des Ticino blieb mit den Bolle von Magadino ein geschütztes Auengebiet von nationaler Bedeutung erhalten, das mit seinen Altwasserarmen, Schilfgürteln, Tümpeln und Auwäldern ein artenreiches Biotop für viele seltene Tierarten bildet.

 

Geplante Infrastrukturbauten

 

Zahlreiche Bauvorhaben in der Magadinoebene beschränken die immer knapper werdenden Landreserven. Zwischen Camorino und Sant’Antonino entstand direkt beim Autobahnanschluss der A2 die Zufahrt zum Ceneri-Basistunnel, der 2020 eröffnet wurde. Mit der Bahnumfahrung Bellinzona könnte eine weitere Bahnlinie die Fläche durchqueren, sofern sie gebaut wird. Am Kreuzungspunkt zwischen alter Bahnstrecke und neuer Magadino-Querung bei Camorino ist ein neuer Umsteigebahnhof vorgesehen, die Stazione Ticino.

 

Um die Dörfer vom Durchgangsverkehr auf der Kantonsstrasse zu entlasten, plant der Kanton den Bau einer neuen Umfahrungsstrasse, der so genannten Variante 95, deren Verlauf heftig umstritten ist. Zudem gibt es Pläne, den von Militär und Privatfliegerei gleichzeitig benutzten Flugplatz Locarno bei Tenero auszubauen.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

When the KC Class GAC(Ireland) Citybuses were withdrawn from regular service some had their lives extended by going to or staying with Bus Éireann and becoming school buses, Ex Cork City KC143 and 166 are seen in the Summer of 2000 at Louth Commercials just after conversion

Shot in Paris during an extended stay in 2016.

Originality of the avant-garde C – Sculpture in the extended field #005

Modded and extending Masao Hidaka's LEGO grand piano to concert grand.

 

Original instruction video URL:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv6pbHOO0YM

 

Made in LEGO Digital Designer and rendered in POV-RAY.

Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved

 

Plz view in a large size for clearer details

Extended version of my tessellation.

 

Grey Stark paper

Hexagon from 35x35 cm square, 64 division grid.

  

1. Tree Branch/Leaves

2. Line

3. Unity

4. Basic Edit

5. Shallow

6. West

7. ~

Took me a while to notice, and then get my head round, the destination on this First Wessex 37997 (BF63HDV). The X51 has been extended from Dorchester on to Weymouth as per the old 31 route, so most Jurassic Coaster buses from Axminster now show 'Weymouth' on the destination.

Extending 1.8 kilometres across stunning Geographe Bay, the heritage listed Busselton Jetty is the longest timber-piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere. A must see for any visitor to the Margaret River Wine Region.

 

www.busseltonjetty.com.au/

 

#perth #westernaustralia #australia #oz #aussie #visitaustralia #busselton #busseltonjetty #busseltonwa

Oil on canvas paper, 2009

(21 x 28 cm / 8.3 x 11 in)

 

[Flickr Explore July 26, 2011 # 489]

Hasselblad Xpan

Male Greater Kudu in morning light

 

Männlicher Großer Kudu im Morgenlicht

 

Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers an area of 19,485 km2 (7,523 sq mi) in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in northeastern South Africa, and extends 360 km (220 mi) from north to south and 65 km (40 mi) from east to west. The administrative headquarters are in Skukuza. Areas of the park were first protected by the government of the South African Republic in 1898, and it became South Africa's first national park in 1926.

 

To the west and south of the Kruger National Park are the two South African provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. In the north is Zimbabwe, and to the east is Mozambique. It is now part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, a peace park that links Kruger National Park with the Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe, and with the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique.

 

The park is part of the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere an area designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as an International Man and Biosphere Reserve (the "Biosphere").

 

The park has nine main gates allowing entrance to the different camps.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

The greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) is a woodland antelope found throughout eastern and southern Africa. Despite occupying such widespread territory, they are sparsely populated in most areas due to declining habitat, deforestation and poaching. The greater kudu is one of two species commonly known as kudu, the other being the lesser kudu, T. imberbis.

 

Kudu, or koodoo, is the Khoikhoi name for this antelope. Tragos (Greek) denotes a he-goat and elaphos (Greek) a deer. Strepho (Greek) means "twist", and strephis is "twisting". Keras (Greek) refers to the horn of the animal.

 

Greater kudus have a narrow body with long legs, and their coats can range from brown/bluish grey to reddish brown. They possess between 4 and 12 vertical white stripes along their torso. The head tends to be darker in colour than the rest of the body, and exhibits a small white chevron which runs between the eyes.

 

Greater kudu bulls tend to be much larger than the cows, and vocalize much more, utilizing low grunts, clucks, humming, and gasping.[citation needed] The bulls also have large manes running along their throats, and large horns with two and a half twists, which, were they to be straightened, would reach an average length of 120 cm (47 in), with the record being 187.64 cm (73.87 in).[citation needed] They diverge slightly as they slant back from the head. The horns do not begin to grow until the bull is between the age of 6–12 months, twisting once at around 2 years of age, and not reaching the full two and a half twists until they are 6 years old; occasionally they may even have 3 full turns.

 

This is one of the largest species of antelope. Bulls weigh 190–270 kg (420–600 lb), with a maximum of 315 kg (694 lb), and stand up to 160 cm (63 in) tall at the shoulder. The ears of the greater kudu are large and round. Cows weigh 120–210 kg (260–460 lb) and stand as little as 100 cm (39 in) tall at the shoulder; they are hornless, without a beard or nose markings. The head-and-body length is 185–245 cm (6.07–8.04 ft), to which the tail may add a further 30–55 cm (12–22 in).

 

The range of the greater kudu extends from the east in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Eritrea and Kenya into the south where they are found in Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Other regions where greater kudu are located are Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, Swaziland, and Uganda. They have also been introduced in small numbers into New Mexico, but were never released into the wild. They are often refered to as "desert moose" in southeren United States. Their habitat includes mixed scrub woodlands (the greater kudu is one of the few largest mammals that prefer living in settled areas – in scrub woodland and bush on abandoned fields and degraded pastures, mopane bush and acacia in lowlands, hills and mountains. They will occasionally venture onto plains only if there is a large abundance of bushes, but normally avoid such open areas to avoid becoming an easy target for their predators. Their diet consists of leaves, grass, shoots and occasionally tubers, roots and fruit (they are especially fond of oranges and tangerines).

 

During the day, greater kudus normally cease to be active and instead seek cover under woodland, especially during hot days. They feed and drink in the early morning and late afternoon, acquiring water from waterholes or roots and bulbs that have a high water content. Although they tend to stay in one area, the greater kudu may search over a large distance for water in times of drought, in southern Namibia where water is relatively scarce they have been known to cover extensive distances in very short periods of time.

 

Predators of the greater kudu generally consist of lions, Spotted hyenas, and African hunting dogs. Although cheetahs and leopards also prey on greater kudus, they are unable to bring down a bull, and consequently target the more vulnerable cows and offspring. There are several instances reported where Nile crocodiles have preyed on greater kudus, although based on records the larger mammalian carnivores statistically are much more dangerous to the kudu and comparable large ungulates, or at least those with a preference for dry, upland habitats over riparian or swamp areas. When a herd is threatened by predators, an adult (usually female) will issue a bark to alert the rest of the herd. Despite being very nimble over rocky hillsides and mountains, the greater kudu is not fast enough (and nor does it have enough stamina) to escape its main predators over open terrain, so it tends to rely on leaping over shrubs and small trees to shake off pursuers. Greater kudus have excellent hearing and acute eyesight which helps to alert them to approaching predators.

 

Greater kudus have a life span of 7 to 8 years in the wild, and up to 23 years in captivity. They may be active throughout the 24-hour day. Herds disperse during the rainy season when food is plentiful. During the dry season, there are only a few concentrated areas of food so the herds will congregate. Greater kudu are not territorial; they have home areas instead. Maternal herds have home ranges of approximately 4 square kilometers and these home ranges can overlap with other maternal herds. Home ranges of adult males are about 11 square kilometers and generally encompass the ranges of two or three female groups. Females usually form small groups of 6-10 with their offspring, but sometimes they can form a herd up to 20 individuals. Male kudus may form small bachelor groups, but they are more commonly found as solitary and widely dispersed individuals. Solitary males will join the group of females and calves (usually 6-10 individuals per group) only during the mating season (April–May in South Africa).

 

The male kudus are not always physically aggressive with each other, but sparring can sometimes occur between males, especially when both are of similar size and stature. The male kudus exhibit this sparring behavior by interlocking horns and shoving one another. Dominance is established until one male exhibits the lateral display. In rare circumstances, sparring can result in both males being unable to free themselves from the other's horns, which can then result in the death of both animals.

 

Rarely will a herd reach a size of forty individuals, partly because of the selective nature of their diet which would make foraging for food difficult in large groups. A herd's area can encompass 800 to 1,500 acres (6.1 km2), and spend an average of 54% of the day foraging for food.

 

Greater kudus reach sexual maturity between 1 and 3 years of age. The mating season occurs at the end of the rainy season, which can fluctuate slightly according to the region and climate. Before mating, there is a courtship ritual which consists of the male standing in front of the female and often engaging in a neck wrestle. The male then trails the female while issuing a low pitched call until the female allows him to copulate with her. Gestation takes around 240 days (or eight months). Calving generally starts between February and March (late austral summer), when the grass tends to be at its highest.

 

Greater kudus tend to bear one calf, although occasionally there may be two. The pregnant female kudu will leave her group to give birth; once she gives birth, the newborn is hidden in vegetation for about 4 to 5 weeks (to avoid predation). After 4 or 5 weeks, the offspring will accompany its mother for short periods of time; then by 3 to 4 months of age, it will accompany her at all times. By the time it is 6 months old, it is quite independent of its mother. The majority of births occur during the wet season (January to March). In terms of maturity, female greater kudus reach sexual maturity at 15–21 months. Males reach maturity at 21–24 months.

 

Greater kudus have both benefited and suffered from interaction with humans. Humans are turning much of the kudu's natural habitat into farmland, restricting their home ranges. Humans have also destroyed woodland cover, which they use for their habitat. However, wells and irrigation set up by humans has also allowed the greater kudu to occupy territory that would have been too devoid of water for them previously. The greater kudu are also a target for poachers for meat and horns. The horns of greater kudus are commonly used to make Shofars, a Jewish ritual horn blown at Rosh Hashanah.

 

The greater kudu population in the northern part of its range has declined due to excessive hunting and rapid habitat loss. However, they are evaluated as low risk in the IUCN Red List of endangered species. The long-term survival of the greater kudu at large is not in jeopardy as populations located elsewhere remain robust and well-managed. The greater kudu receives adequate protection from southern Tanzania to South Africa. There are large populations in parks and reserves such as Ruaha-Rungwa-Kisigo and Selous (Tanzania), Luangwa Valley and Kafue (Zambia), Etosha (Namibia), Moremi, Chobe and Central Kalahari (Botswana), Hwange, Chizarira, Mana Pools and Gonarezhou (Zimbabwe) and in Kruger (11,200 – 17,300) and Hluhluwe–iMfolozi (South Africa). An abundance of greater kudu is also found in private farms and conservancies in southern Africa, in particular in Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa, where they are popular amongst trophy hunters.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

Der Kruger-Nationalpark (deutsch häufig falsch Krüger-Nationalpark) ist das größte Wildschutzgebiet Südafrikas. Er liegt im Nordosten des Landes in der Landschaft des Lowveld auf dem Gebiet der Provinz Limpopo sowie des östlichen Abschnitts von Mpumalanga. Seine Fläche erstreckt sich vom Crocodile-River im Süden bis zum Limpopo, dem Grenzfluss zu Simbabwe, im Norden. Die Nord-Süd-Ausdehnung beträgt etwa 350 km, in Ost-West-Richtung ist der Park durchschnittlich 54 km breit und umfasst eine Fläche von rund 20.000 Quadratkilometern. Damit gehört er zu den größten Nationalparks in Afrika.

 

Das Schutzgebiet wurde am 26. März 1898 unter dem Präsidenten Paul Kruger als Sabie Game Reserve zum Schutz der Wildnis gegründet. 1926 erhielt das Gebiet den Status Nationalpark und wurde in seinen heutigen Namen umbenannt. Im Park leben 147 Säugetierarten inklusive der „Big Five“, außerdem etwa 507 Vogelarten und 114 Reptilienarten, 49 Fischarten und 34 Amphibienarten.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

Strepsiceros ist eine afrikanische Antilopen-Gattung, deren Vertreter die vier Arten des Großen Kudu sind. Die Gattung kommt in vielen afrikanischen Savannengebieten vor, während die nah verwandte Gattung Ammelaphus mit der Art Kleiner Kudu ein recht beschränktes Verbreitungsgebiet im östlichen Afrika bewohnt.

 

Die Tiere erreichen eine Kopf-Rumpf-Länge von 193 bis 248 cm und eine Schulterhöhe von 121 bis 157 cm. Der Geschlechtsdimorphismus ist sehr stark ausgeprägt. Männliche Tiere werden zwischen 249 und 344 kg schwer und sind damit bis zu 150 % größer als weibliche, die 160 bis 210 kg wiegen. Die kleinste Art ist der Westliche Großkudu (Strepsiceros cottoni), alle anderen sind durchschnittlich größer. Mit den angegebenen Maßen gehören die Strepsiceros-Arten nach den Elenantilopen (Taurotragus) zu den größten bekannten Antilopen. Das Fell der Männchen ist graubraun, das der Weibchen und Jungtiere mittelbraun gefärbt und mit sechs bis zehn weißen Querstreifen versehen. Die Tiere verfügen über große, runde Ohren und einen buschigen Schwanz. Die Männchen tragen ein Schraubengehörn, das bis zu 105 cm lang wird, entlang der Schraubenwindung gemessen erreicht es 160 cm. Die Hornspitzen stehen etwa 80 cm auseinander. Der Nachwuchs entspricht im Aussehen den hornlosen Weibchen, heranwachsende männliche Jungtiere können anhand der Anzahl der Windungen bestimmt werden, da die erste Windung etwa mit zwei Jahren ausgebildet ist.

 

Die Arten von Strepsiceros leben im östlichen und südlichen Afrika und halten sich vor allem in Baumsavannen, nicht jedoch in reinen Waldgebieten oder reinem Grasland auf, sie kommen aber auch in der Nähe von Flüssen in ariden Gebieten vor.

 

Meistens leben die Weibchen und Jungtiere in relativ ortstreuen Herden von drei bis zehn Individuen, bei größerer Anzahl splitten sie sich auf. Diese Clans durchstreifen Gebiete von 1,6 bis 5,2 km² Größe, in einigen Fällen können sie auch 25 km² erreichen. Die Männchen leben in eigenen Junggesellen-Gruppen bestehend aus 3 bis 4 Individuen oder sind Einzelgänger und gesellen sich nur zur Brunft zu den Weibchen. In der Regel wird nur ein einzelnes, etwa 16 kg schweres Junges in der Regenzeit geboren. Kudus sind je nach Region tag- oder nachtaktiv. Die Nahrung besteht hauptsächlich aus Laub und jungen Zweigen, wobei sie nicht wählerisch sind. Kudus fressen auch Pflanzen die von anderen Tieren wegen ihrer Giftigkeit gemieden werden. Die Lebenserwartung der Böcke beträgt bis zu 8 Jahre, die der Kühe bis zu 15 Jahre.

 

Die Bestände der Vertreter von Strepsiceros gelten in Ost- und Südafrika als einigermaßen gesichert. Regional ist er aber bedroht, vor allem in seinem nördlichsten Verbreitungsgebiet in Äthiopien, Somalia, Sudan und Tschad. Neben dem Menschen stellen Leoparden, Löwen und Wildhunde den Kudus nach. Für gewöhnlich versuchen Kudus, sich vor ihren Feinden im Gebüsch zu verstecken. Gelingt dies nicht, können sie mit hoher Geschwindigkeit und weiten Sprüngen fliehen. Zäune, z. B. um Farmgelände, stellen in der Regel kein Hindernis für sie dar, da sie bis zu 3 Meter hohe Hindernisse überspringen können.

 

Der Name „Kudu“ stammt aus der Sprache der Khoi Khoi und wurde von diesem Volk nur auf diese Antilope angewandt, von den Weißen dann aber auch auf den Kleinen Kudu übertragen.

 

Der Kudu ist offizielles Wappentier Simbabwes.

 

(Wikipedia)

Znap extended feat. Silke Eberhard - 21.02.2025 - Jazzit Musik Club Salzburg

 

Besetzung:

Lorenz Raab: tumpet, flügelhorn;

Silke Eberhard: altsaxophon, clarinet;

Leonhard Skorupa: tenorsaxophon, clarinet;

Martin Bayer: guitar;

Gregor Aufmesser: double bass;

Lukas Aichinger: drums;

Having a poseable dragon was important to me, because it's a more fun display piece. I consistently played with balancing flexibility in Skrulk's neck with bulk and covering over vertebral joints.

 

INSTRUCTIONS AVAILABLE!

 

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The Brazilian National Guard has deployed 15,000 troops into Venezuela. They head directly to military bases and other important areas. Once the BNG has most of the bases under control they will head towards the Caracas.

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

For LMG. Sorry about the bad photography.

Most are gone now, but a few wild sunflowers continue to bloom. I brought these into the house, and enjoyed there beauty, up close, for several days, and got to take lots of pictures of them which i'll share later on.

 

Thanks to Mary Ann Potter for the texture. My wall looks lovely with the wallpaper on it.

The loss of Merthyr Tydfil depot's Alexander PS-bodied Volvo B10M 20826 (P826 FVU) in a road traffic accident in November 2011 led Stagecoach in South Wales to source a replacement vehicle. This materialised as semi-coach seated 20685 from Stagecoach West.

 

She was allocated to Aberdare depot for Services 72/172 (Aberdare-Rhondda Valleys-Bridgend-Porthcawl) after a repaint, and released bus seated 20387 (R787 DHB) to Merthyr depot as 20826's replacement.

 

She was new to Stagecoach West in batch of 10 that was split between Swindon and Cheltenham depots. The other nine have all now been sold by Stagecoach, with one - 20687 (N407 LDF) - having passed into preservation.

 

Replaced at Aberdare depot by an Alexander Dennis Enviro300-bodied Scania in October 2012, she is now based at Brynmawr, and still puts in appearances on Services X15 and Tuesdays only X74, though I've yet to see her replacing an MAN on the X4.

 

This September 2012 shot was taken on top of the Maerdy Mountain, slightly on the Rhondda side. Porthcawl would be reached in a couple of hours.

 

Wonderful machines.

Black-and-white photo of an extended family in a Hungarian courtyard during the 1940s, highlighting multi-generational bonds. Magyary-Kossa Katalin

Dust lanes seem to swirl around the core of Messier 96 in this colorful, detailed portrait of the center of a beautiful island universe. Of course M96 is a spiral galaxy, and counting the faint arms extending beyond the brighter central region, it spans 100 thousand light-years or so, making it about the size of our own Milky Way. M96, also known as NGC 3368, is known to be about 35 million light-years distant and a dominant member of the Leo I galaxy group. The featured image was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. The reason for M96's asymmetry is unclear -- it could have arisen from gravitational interactions with other Leo I group galaxies, but the lack of an intra-group diffuse glow seems to indicate few recent interactions. Galaxies far in the background can be found by examining the edges of the picture. via NASA ift.tt/1NNvVhP

Senior Airman Charlton Hampton refuels an F-15C Eagle from a KC-135 Stratotanker Dec. 23, 2014, near Okinawa, Japan. Mid-air refueling gives the Air Force the ability to extend the range of its aircraft, which is integral to the global reach of U.S. military power and humanitarian relief in the event of a crisis. Charlton is a 909th Air Refueling Squadron boom operator. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Maeson L. Elleman/Released)

Nacho 223 Heavy backtracking down a wet runway 10 at RAF Mildenhall

Only one species of marmot (Marmota himalayana) extends across the Tibetan Plateau. Himalayan marmots favor alpine meadows with lush vegetation in the vicinity of their burrows. Since they hibernate six month or more, they need to store ample fat reserves during the short growing season. They frequently dig a burrow system with two or more entrances in rolling terrain and on slopes, often at the base of boulders. Rocky sites tend to be well drained and also difficult for bears to excavate.

 

Although marmots are usually found in hilly to mountainous terrain up to an elevation of 5000m, they readily occupy level plains that have suitable forage, such as east Drito (Ch Zhidoi) in Amdo (Ch Qinghai. Marmots begin hibernation in late September or early October, depending on elevation, the animals emerge during April.

 

They weigh 4-8kg. Average litter size is 4.8-6.9, although seldom to observe more than 3-4 around a den. The young are especially vulnerable to predation when they first venture from their burrows. Marmots are much hunted for their hides in some areas (Tibetans usually do not eat marmot meat). In Amdo (Qinghai) the animals are also poisoned because they are thought to compete with livestock for forage. Marmots are susceptible to the flea-borne sylvatic plague, a bacterial (Pasteurella pestis) disease, which may greatly reduce local populations and also affect people.George B. Schaller

bibliovault.org/BV.book.epl?ISBN=9780226736532