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Former Kroger of Elizabethton, TN also featuring the adjacent Auto Zone which was likely a Super X drug store originally
Brayford Pool in Lincoln, Lincolnshire.
Brayford Pool is a natural lake formed from a widening of the River Witham in the centre of the city of Lincoln. It was used as a port by the Romans who connected it to the River Trent by constructing the Foss Dyke Canal and the area has a long industrial heritage.
The Pool has been the focus of Lincoln's urban regeneration since the early 1990s. It is now overlooked by bars, restaurants, a cinema and, most significantly, the University of Lincoln. The only reminder of the past is the Royal William public house, a traditional pub housed inside a listed building. The Pool is used as a marina by houseboats and pleasure craft, as well as by anglers and kayakers.
It has long been a favourite place for mute swans. Mute swans are one of the UK's largest birds and they can grow up to about 1.5m high. Although the mute swans are usually silent, they do make a loud hissing noise when they are angry and young swans make a high-pitched whistling noise.
They breed upstream on the River Witham, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, but are attracted down to the Brayford Pool area by food provided by passers-by. The number of swans usually peaks in the autumn and can be anything up to 130 birds. In recent years the swans have moved out of the city along the River Witham.
Mallard ducks, Coots and Moor Hens can be found in the area as well as the less commonly known Muscovy ducks, native to Central and South America but brought to Europe by explorers in the 16th Century. The strange looking ducks have been immortalized to a degree with a ground floor suite named after them in the University’s Main Admin Building.
Other birds seen around the Brayford include the pied wagtail, kingfishers, mallards, moorhens, coots, and herons. There are at least five different types of dragonfly, whilst the fish in the Brayford include roach, common bream, tench and pike.
Plants that can be found along River Witham include common species such as reed sweet grass, branched bur-reed and red mace, the much rarer arrowhead and flowering rush along with great water dock, skull cap and wild celery. A common tree along the riverbank is the Alder.
Information Source:
www.visitlincoln.com/about-lincoln/areas-of-lincoln/brayf...
El Museo Lázaro Galdiano, en Madrid (España), es un museo estatal de origen privado, que alberga una amplia y heterogénea colección, formada con interés enciclopédico hacia todas las artes y técnicas. Este excepcional conjunto, constituido por más de 12 600 piezas, fue reunido por el coleccionista y editor José Lázaro Galdiano, quien al morir en 1947 lo legó al Estado español junto con su residencia madrileña, la sede de su editorial La España Moderna y una biblioteca de 20 000 volúmenes.
Tras crearse la Fundación Lázaro Galdiano y adaptarse como museo la antigua residencia del donante (Parque Florido, en el barrio de Salamanca de Madrid), la colección se presentó al público el 27 de enero de 1951. Desde entonces su prestigio entre los entendidos se ha extendido ampliamente, y sus fondos se consideran indispensables para estudiar muchos aspectos de la historia del arte, por lo que participan en exposiciones tanto españolas como internacionales.
Entre sus obras de arte más valiosas destaca el conjunto de pinturas, dibujos y grabados de Goya, con piezas mundialmente conocidas como El aquelarre o Las brujas, encargadas por los duques de Osuna (1797-1798). También hay que citar ejemplos relevantes de El Bosco, Lucas Cranach el Viejo, El Greco, Murillo, Zurbarán, Claudio Coello, Luis Paret o Federico de Madrazo, así como una miniatura en pergamino de Giulio Clovio y dos bronces de Giambologna. Pero posiblemente la obra más singular del museo es la pintura sobre tabla El Salvador joven, realizada en el taller de Leonardo da Vinci a partir de un diseño perdido del maestro.
Posee además un pequeño conjunto de pintura británica, una escuela muy poco frecuente en España; de hecho el Museo Lázaro Galdiano y el Prado eran (hasta la apertura del Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza) los dos únicos museos españoles con una colección significativa. Incluye ejemplos de Lely (el único del siglo XVII, los demás son del XVIII), Constable, Reynolds y Romney, a los que se suma un retrato del estadounidense Gilbert Stuart.
El museo fue reformado íntegramente entre los años 2001 y 2004 para poder conservar adecuadamente sus fondos y hacer la visita más cómoda y centrada en las piezas de máxima calidad. Hay abiertas al público cuatro plantas, enteramente remozadas respetando los techos y carpinterías originales.
Colecciones
Pintura
El Salvador joven, cuadro del círculo de Leonardo da Vinci, atribuido actualmente a Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio o Marco d'Oggiono.
Especialmente valiosa es la colección de pintura, que incluye piezas relevantes de grandes maestros españoles y europeos entre los siglos XV y XIX. Un metódico estudio de la colección ha ido cribando las atribuciones más dudosas, lo que supuso descartar varias llamativas, como la de un Salvador joven que en vida de Lázaro Galdiano se asignaba a Leonardo da Vinci. Aunque no sea original suyo, es muy relevante y ahora algunos expertos lo atribuyen a un pintor próximo a él, como Boltraffio (atribución que figura en la cartela explicativa de la obra en el Museo) o Marco d'Oggiono, a quien se adjudicaba en la exposición «Leonardo da Vinci: pintor en la corte de Milán» para la que en otoño de 2011 fue prestada a la National Gallery de Londres. También se han barajado los nombres de Pseudo Boltraffio (pintor activo en Milán a principios del siglo XVI) y Ambrogio de Predis. Es la mejor obra leonardesca conservada en España y su alta calidad hace que sea muy demandada para exposiciones en otras instituciones, como la mencionada en la National Gallery o la que en tres sedes (Mantua, Padua y Verona), se celebró en Italia sobre Andrea Mantegna y su época (Palacio del Té, Mantua, noviembre de 2006 a enero de 2007).
La pintura medieval española cuenta con un nutrido repertorio, con varias obras de referencia. Un Autorretrato de Pedro Berruguete sigue recibiendo opiniones divergentes de los críticos respecto a su autoría. Lo superan varias tablas que Lázaro reunió a bajo precio cuando eran despreciadas como «arte bárbaro». Fue una faceta coleccionista que le acarreó críticas, trocadas en elogios décadas después, cuando el arte medieval español fue cobrando estimación. Algún experto afirmó entonces que en esta parcela del arte, la Colección Lázaro Galdiano aventajaba al Prado. En la actualidad exhibe obras de artistas tan renombrados como Miguel Ximénez, Diego de la Cruz, García del Barco, Juan de Soreda, Bartolomé de Castro, Maestro de Astorga, un tríptico firmado por Juan de Sevilla o la famosa Virgen de Mosén Esperandeu de Santa Fe de Blasco de Grañén, único ejemplo del autor conservado en un museo madrileño.
Pinturas importantes de la escuela española del siglo XVI son un Retrato de doña Ana de Austria de Sánchez Coello, y dos obras de El Greco: una Adoración de los Reyes Magos de su etapa veneciana y un San Francisco en éxtasis de su primera etapa toledana. Puede verse además un Noli me tangere pintado por su hijo Jorge Manuel Theotocópuli. También entraña interés una Sagrada Familia de marcado gusto italianizante, debida a Gregorio Martínez (activo en 1565-1598).
Se atribuye a Velázquez una pequeña Cabeza de muchacha de perfil, y el museo dispone además de una buena copia del famoso Retrato de Luis de Góngora cuyo original se conserva en el museo de Boston.
La pintura española del siglo XVII cuenta con más ejemplos: La condesa de Monterrey de Juan Carreño de Miranda, un magnífico San Diego de Alcalá de Zurbarán, Santa Rosa de Lima de Murillo, y ejemplos de Claudio Coello, Mateo Cerezo, Juan Martín Cabezalero, Alonso del Arco, Francisco de Solís, Antonio de Pereda, José Antolínez, Francisco Rizi...
De los siglos XVIII y XIX, destacan: la famosa Tienda de Geniani de Paret, y autores como Miguel Jacinto Meléndez, Joaquín Inza, Ramón Bayeu (Autorretrato), Mariano Salvador Maella, José del Castillo, Agustín Esteve, Zacarías González Velázquez, Luis Eusebi (dos aguadas de tema alegórico), Alenza, Eugenio Lucas Velázquez, su hijo Eugenio Lucas Villaamil, Vicente López, Antonio María Esquivel (Autorretrato), Juan Antonio Ribera (Retrato del escultor Antonio Solá), Ricardo Balaca, Valeriano Domínguez Bécquer, Francisco Lameyer, Emilio Sala y Francés, y los Madrazo: José (El Papa Pío VII),[4] sus hijos Federico (Retrato de Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda, Retrato de señora) y Luis (La marquesita de Roncali), y Ricardo, hijo de Federico (Retrato de Consuelo Gaztambide Aguader).
El grupo de obras de Goya bastaría por sí solo para abrir un pequeño museo monográfico. Entre las siete pinturas reconocidas como autógrafas destacan: Las brujas y El aquelarre de 1798, un Entierro de Cristo pintado para el oratorio privado de los Condes de Sobradiel en Zaragoza y una Magdalena penitente de su etapa juvenil. También posee el pequeño lienzo La trilla, modelo reducido para el famoso cartón de tapiz La era (Museo del Prado), así como grabados de todas las series del autor —con numerosas pruebas de estado—, además de dibujos o cartas autógrafas.
De las escuelas extranjeras destaca la Flamenca y de los Países Bajos, con cuatro tablas de Adriaen Isenbrandt, una interesante Virgen con el niño de Gérard David, antaño creída del denominado Maestro del Follaje Dorado, así como una de las pocas pinturas atribuidas a Michel Sittow (La Virgen con el Niño y san Bernardo) y diversas obras de Hans Memling y Quentin Massys. Hay también retratos de Antonio Moro (El rey Juan III de Portugal), así como los creídos de Joos Van Cleve y Bernard Van Orley. Dentro de la época barroca se pueden destacar El archiduque Leopoldo Guillermo en su gabinete de pinturas de David Teniers el Joven, una tabla sobre El jardín del Edén de Jan Brueghel el Joven, una gran Virgen con el Niño de Erasmus Quellinus II y un bodegón de Pieter Boel. En 2018 se ha presentado la nueva atribución a Michaelina Wautier de un San Juan Bautista antes creído de Juan Martín Cabezalero; de ser cierta tal autoría, ha de ser el único ejemplo conocido de Wautier en España. Un Retrato de Saskia atribuido antaño a Rembrandt se descartó como copia, aunque el museo guarda un valioso conjunto de cincuenta grabados del artista (expuestos temporalmente en 2018),[5] un San Jerónimo caravaggiesco de Hendrick van Somer y tres efigies femeninas de la Holanda barroca pintadas por Nicolaes Maes, Justus van Egmont y Ludolf de Jongh.
Mención aparte merece El Bosco, con tres ejemplos: un San Juan Bautista en meditación reconocido unánimemente como original del maestro, que figuró como tal en la exposición antológica que el Prado le dedicó en 2016; una gran Coronación de espinas (h. 1516), considerada obra de un seguidor, previa a las versiones más conocidas de El Escorial y del Museo San Pío V de Valencia; y La visión de Tondal, considerada obra de taller.
La pintura italiana incluye una Sagrada Familia de Giulio Clovio (miniatura realizada con destino al rey Carlos I de España), Cabeza de san Juan Bautista de Marco Palmezzano, un monumental Bautismo de Cristo atribuido a Orazio Samacchini, una Estigmatización de San Francisco de Asís de Jacopo da Empoli, dos lienzos de Giuseppe Marullo y Pacecco de Rosa, y el espléndido San Lorenzo de Bernardo Cavallino, obra maestra del autor napolitano (para la colección de pintura barroca italiana, puede consultarse Anexo:Pintura italiana del Barroco en las colecciones públicas madrileñas). Hay también maestros del siglo XVIII como Alessandro Magnasco, Gregorio de Ferrari, y Lorenzo Tiepolo, del cual hay una gran representación de retratos masculinos y femeninos.
Relativamente numerosa es la representación de la pintura británica, muy escasa en España, con obras de Lely, Reynolds, Constable, Romney, etc. Su presencia en la colección se debe al gusto personal de la esposa de Lázaro Galdiano, la argentina Paula Florido y Toledo (1856-1932). La mayoría de estas obras se adquirieron en la primera década del siglo XX en la Galerie Sedelmeyer de París. Hay que citar también la tabla El niño Jesús y san Juanito de Lucas Cranach el Viejo y un Calvario atribuido a su hijo, Lucas Cranach el Joven, así como un Retrato de hombre de Ulrich Apt antiguamente atribuido a Hans von Kulmbach, una efigie de Carlos III pintada por Mengs y una escena alegórica atribuida al francés Charles-François de la Traverse.
Destaca también la rica colección de iluminaciones o miniaturas pintadas, que rivaliza con la del Prado; entre ellas se incluye la ya citada de Clovio y de Giovanni Castello y Juan de Salazar. También hay que mencionar un retrato de George Washington, basado en un famoso retrato de Gilbert Stuart, y otra efigie del I duque de Fernán-Núñez pintada por Jean-Baptiste Isabey.
Escultura y artes decorativas El fondo de esculturas es más reducido, si bien cuenta con piezas singulares como un Cristo atado a la columna del italiano Michelangelo Naccherino, estatua de cuerpo entero esculpida en mármol a tamaño natural. Se cree que pudo formar pareja con una Virgen con el Niño que actualmente preside la fachada de la iglesia de Jesús Nazareno en Cudillero. Hay que citar un busto romano de Lucio Vero del siglo II, dos Santos evangelistas fundidos por Giambologna, la llamada Madonna Cernazai, de Niccolò di Giovanni Fiorentino, que perteneció al magnate William Randolph Hearst, y esculturas en terracota de Juan de Juni (Cristo flagelado), Venancio Vallmitjana (una estatuilla de Velázquez de cuerpo entero) o del francés Carpeaux.
Los esmaltes constituyen uno de los grandes atractivos del museo. La colección cuenta con ejemplares muy valiosos y raros, desde piezas de Limoges de los siglos XIII y XVI a obras neobizantinas sobre oro del siglo XIX. Destacada es también la colección de marfiles, en la que descuellan varios cofres árabes y bizantinos, una caja para café dinastía timúrida del siglo XIV, otra gótica francesa del XIV, además de dípticos de la escuela de París y de altares medievales italianos.
Las joyas cuentan con una representación múltiple de obras helenísticas y romanas, árabes, góticas, renacentistas, barrocas y románticas. Muy importante por la diversidad de tipos es el conjunto de bronces de la Antigüedad, de la Edad Media y, en gran abundancia, italianos del Renacimiento. Igualmente son numerosas y selectas las muestras de orfebrería religiosa de todos los estilos. El fondo de medallas incluye ejemplos de Pisanello, Pompeo Leoni, Jacome da Trezzo y otros maestros del género. Se exhibe en la planta alta del museo, habilitada como almacén visitable.
Existen también valiosas piezas de cerámica, italianas y españolas de distintas épocas, así como ánforas griegas y porcelana oriental. Destacan también los tejidos antiguos, italianos y árabes, y la colección de armas con un riquísimo muestrario de espadas, presidido por el estoque que el papa Inocencio VIII regaló a Íñigo López de Mendoza y Quiñones, segundo conde de Tendilla. También se exhiben abanicos y joyas que lució la esposa de Lázaro Galdiano. Todo ello forma uno de los más importantes despliegues de artes suntuarias que se pueden contemplar en España.
En la antigua sede de la editorial La España Moderna, anexa al museo, se custodian la biblioteca y el archivo de José Lázaro Galdiano, con incunables y manuscritos de incalculable valor. Destaca el manuscrito original de Los verdaderos retratos... con efigies dibujadas por Francisco Pacheco.
El solar está dotado de exuberantes jardines, con árboles centenarios, que conforman un rincón inusual por su tranquilidad en un área tan transitada como el barrio de Salamanca.
3 differing forms of stock movement along the Hume Highway heading south towards Yass.
(1/3) Single drive Southern Cross Horse Transport MAN with the bloodstock on board.
(2/3) The great small and local transporter, FUSO, unbranded livery but doing its job well.
(3/3) Ross Smith Livestock Transport out of Wagga with the woolies in tow behind the KENWORTH.
New South Wales, Australia.
Il sogno è vedere le forme invisibili della distanza imprecisa, con sensibili movimenti della speranza e della volontà cercare
sulla fredda linea d'orizzonte
l'albero, la spiaggia, il fiore, l'uccello, la fonte: i baci meritati della Verità. (Fernando Pessoa)
Corsica : Coast of Balagna seen from the beach of Nonza (Capi Corsu)
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Visit my Waldorfschool/Steinerschool related pinboards here!
Alcalá de los Gazules es una ciudad de la provincia de Cádiz, Andalucía, España.
En las estribaciones finales de la sierra de Cádiz, formando parte de lo que se denomina la Ruta del Toro. Los municipios más próximos son Jerez de la Frontera, Los Barrios, Jimena de la Frontera, Castellar de la Frontera, San José del Valle, Benalup-Casas Viejas, Medina-Sidonia, Paterna de Rivera y Cortes de la Frontera(este último ya en la provincia de Málaga). Es conjunto histórico-artístico desde el año 1984.
Se encuentra dentro del Parque Natural de Los Alcornocales (comprendiendo parte de la Sierra del Aljibe) y su historia se remonta a lo más antiguo. La primera población estable es del año 189 a. C. y su nombre lo obtuvo de la conquista musulmana, cuando la población pasó a llamarse Qalat at Yazula, o 'Castillo de los Gazules'.
Sus principales fuentes de ingresos son el turismo y la agricultura.
Se trata de uno de los municipios más importantes en la época de los turdetanos. Los romanos la denominaron Regina Turditana y los árabes Al-Kalat, cuya traducción es 'el Castillo'. El Rey de Granada confirió esta ciudad a la estirpe de caballeros Gazules, de la cual tomó su definitiva denominación. En 1248 la conquistó Fernando III, pero pasó de nuevo a poder de los musulmanes, hasta que en 1264 el rey Alfonso X el Sabio la reconquistó. Sufrió continuos ataques por parte de Abu-Melik, en uno de los cuales se libró la batalla del llano de la Pelea en la que perdió la vida el Infante Fernán González de Aguilar, protector de la ciudad. En 1444 la ciudad es incluida en los territorios del señorío de los Ribera, señores que posteriormente fueron proclamados Duques de Alcalá de los Gazules, título que con el tiempo se incorporó a la Casa de Medinaceli.
En 1809 en la ciudad se formó la Milicia Montada para combatir a las tropas francesas durante la Guerra de la Independencia. Cosecharon heroicas victorias frente a aquellas, a pesar de estar en inferioridad numérica. Un año más tarde las tropas del general Manbourg degollaron, como represalia, a todos sus habitantes y volaron el castillo árabe. Uno de los personajes históricos más prestigiosos nacidos en esta ciudad fue Fernando Casas, autor del primer tratado conocido sobre el cólera. Actualmente Alcalá vive, fundamentalmente, de la ganadería, agricultura y producción de corcho.
My new book. :)
The book quality is as same as my previous book (Paper & Form).
About this book:
Hardcovered and 188 colored pages.
Language: English and Hungarian.
Product dimensions: 21 cm x 30 cm.
27 models with step-by-step computer diagrams. Moreover 17 additional new models you can fold from this book with a little experience. (And there are some other photos from the variations of the models.)
I think most models of them are perfect in two-dimensional version, but of course, they will be better if you shape them to 3D.
All models are made from one uncut square.
You can see the photos of the models, which you could fold from this book here:
www.flickr.com/photos/65167262@N04/albums/72157719905809681
Available here for now:
www.origami-shop.com/en/zsebe-jozsef-m-129.html
You can also inquire from AEP (Asociación Española de Papiroflexia) shop here:
...and I have sent some copies of it to CDO (Centro Diffusione Origami) Shop:
...or you can buy it from the Origami Source:
origamiusa.org/catalog/products/paper-form-2
I wish you enjoyable folding!... :)
Castle set HST GW15 formed of power cars 43188 & 43098 pass the 1879 built signal box at Par and its still plentiful semaphores, with 2P17 1350 Penzance to Plymouth on 5th May 2021. Would have been better with a Fifty on load 6 but you can't have it all....
The sign "No public Toilets Available" on the box window shows the pitfalls of having a 24/7 manned location on a station - it was presumably a source of frequent knocking on the cabin door!
Not much changed by the looks of things since the last time I took a shot with the box in - 39 years ago:
www.flickr.com/photos/jjm2009/8179251557/in/photolist-28x...
Almost infinitely recyclable, glass can be shaped to form anything from the ordinary to the artistic as this glasswork consisting of a jellyfish's tentacles showcases.
Best when viewed in LIGHTBOX.
If you like my photo(s), please add me as a Flickr contact!
I promise not to disappoint!
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Terraced iron-sulphate-stromatolites formed by acid leachates from pyrite-bearing mine wastes, Tintillo river (Iberian Pyrite Belt, Riotinto Mining Basin, Huelva, Spain)
Terraced iron formations of millimetric to metric scale are usually developed during the oxidation and hydrolysis/precipitation of dissolved iron in the acidic solutions after they emerge from waste piles, tailings, or mine portals, and they display a morphological pattern similar to that observed in travertines formed in Ca2+-HCO3 ––rich spring waters. TIFs differ from calcareous travertines, however, in their mineralogical composition, which is characterized by hydrous iron (oxy)hydroxides and/or hydroxysulfates, in agreement with the typical Fe(II)/Fe(III)-SO4 2– chemical composition of most acid mine drainage solutions. These spectacular formations are the result of the interaction between (1) highly acidic and Fe(II)-enriched waters, (2) atmospheric oxygen, and (3) acidophilic microbes that have found perfect habitats for their Fe-oxidizing metabolisms in these extreme environments. The abiotic processes could be more important than the biotic factors in winter (higher flow, lower temperature), and conversely, the bacterial activity could play a major role in summer (lower flow, higher temperature).
The water from the Tintillo river (and other rivers and creeks from Riotinto Mining Basin, Huelva, Spain) has a nearly unique red and orange colour derived from its extremely acidic chemical makeup, with very high levels of iron and heavy metals. There are a number of subsurface sulfide (mainly pyrite) bodies responsible for this acidity. These mineral bodies belong to the Iberian Pyrite Belt, formed 350 My ago in the Devonian Period, connected to active and hydrothermal volcanism that led to the formation of a volcanic-sedimentary complex. Volcanic activity in the region led to eight giant volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposits associated with polymetallic massive flanks of volcanic cones in the form of pyrite, but also chalcopyrite, sphalerite, galena and cassiterite.
References:
Iron terraces in acid mine drainage systems: A discussion about the organic and inorganic factors involved in their formation through observations from the Tintillo acidic river (Riotinto mine, Huelva, Spain)
pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geosphere/article-pdf/3/3/13...
The Tintillo acidic river (Rio Tinto mines, Huelva, Spain): an example of extreme environmental impact of pyritic mine wastes on the environment or an exceptional site to study acid-sulphate mine drainage systems?
www.researchgate.net/publication/235355068_The_Tintillo_a...
Pink form of an Angulose Prominent (Peridea angulosa) on Oak (Quercus sp.). Catoctin Mountains, Frederick County, Maryland.
uno scatto di qualche settimana fa al porto di Formia...
© All rights reserved. Use without permission is illegal
Auto rickshaws are a common means of public transportation in many countries in the world. Also known as a three-wheeler, Samosa, tempo, tuk-tuk, trishaw, autorick, bajaj, rick, tricycle, mototaxi, baby taxi or lapa in popular parlance, an auto rickshaw is a usually three-wheeled cabin cycle for private use and as a vehicle for hire. It is a motorized version of the traditional pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw. Auto rickshaws are an essential form of urban transport in many developing countries, and a form of novelty transport in many developed countries. However, in some parts of Europe they remain an essential mode of transportation, notably Italy's.
OVERVIEW
ORIGN
Auto rickshaws of Southeast Asia started from the knockdown production of the Daihatsu Midget which had been introduced in 1957.
Japan had been exporting three-wheelers to Thailand since 1934. Moreover, The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of Japan donated about 20,000 used three-wheelers to Southeast Asia. In Japan, three-wheelers went out of use in the latter half of the 1960s.
DESIGN
An auto rickshaw is generally characterized by a sheet-metal body or open frame resting on three wheels, a canvas roof with drop-down sides, a small cabin in the front of the vehicle for the driver (sometimes called an auto-wallah), and seating space for up to three passengers in the rear. Newer models are generally fitted with a compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel scooter version of a 200 cc four-stroke engine, with handlebar controls instead of a steering wheel.
REGIONAL VARIATIONS
AFRICA
EASTERN AFRICA
There are tuk-tuks in several Kenyan towns. Using them is somewhat cheaper than ordinary taxis. However, tuk-tuks cannot operate in mountainous towns, which are common in Kenya. Fierce competition with Boda-bodas (bicycle taxis) and Matatus (minibuses) hinders popularity of Tuk-tuks, especially within the interior of Kenya. While they may not be widely found in Kenya, they are numerous in the coastal regions, which are less mountainous. For example, in the town of Malindi they offer an economical and convenient mode of transportation.
Tuk-tuks are also common in Ethiopia and are becoming common in Tanzania, particularly in the outer areas of Dar es Salaam. In Tanzania and Ethiopia they are known as "Bajaj" or "Bajajis", after the Bajaj Auto company which manufactures many of them. Since 2009, tuk-tuks have become common in Maputo, Mozambique.
EGYPT
In Egypt, auto rickshaws are called toktok (Egyptian Arabic: توك توك pronounced [ˈtoktok], plural: تكاتك takātek [tæˈkæːtek]); they are widely used as taxis in poorer neighborhoods of the capital, and have become a popular symbol for lower class Egyptians, although they are banned from the streets of wealthier neighborhoods. Deposed president Mohamed Morsi (June 2012-July 2013) in his opening speech addressed the Tuk-Tuk (toktok) drivers as a symbol of the lower class population, but his political rivals and mass media considered it as a mean of emotional deception for the masses by rendering what could be a promise to legalize their status.
MADAGASCAR
In Madagascar, man-pulled rickshaws are a common form of transportation in a number of cities, especially Antsirabe. They are known as "posy" from pousse-pousse, meaning push-push. Cycle rickshaws never took off, yet Posy are threatened by the auto-rickshaws, introduced in numbers since 2009. Provincial capitals like Toamasina, Mahajanga, Toliara, Antsiranana are taking to them rapidly. They are known as "bajaji" and now licenced to operate as taxis. They are not yet allowed an operating licence in the congested, and more pollution prone national capital, Antananarivo.
NIGERIA
There are keke-marwa's in several Nigerian towns and cities. Although not as popular as the ubiquitous "Okada" in Nigeria, keke-marwa's are embraced as an alternative means of transport by the middle and lower class citizens. Keke-marwa is named after Lagos former military Governor, Buba Marwa in the late 1990s.
SOUTH AFRICA
Tuk-tuks, introduced in Durban in the late 1980s enjoyed growing popularity in recent years, particularly in Gauteng.
SUDAN
Rickshaws are a major means of transport in all parts of Sudan, it's locally known as Raksha.
ASIA
BANGLADESH
Auto rickshaws (locally called "baby taxis" and more recently "CNGs" due to their fuel source) are one of the most popular modes of transport in Bangladesh mainly due to their size and speed. They are best suited to narrow, crowded streets, and are thus the principal means of covering longer distances within urban areas.
Earlier, auto rickshaws were colored black with a yellow canvas topping and ran on gasoline without any meter system. However, due to the vast supplies of natural gas in Bangladesh, the government has since encouraged the development of four-stroke compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered engines rather than the older two-stroke engine petrol-running models. Two-stroke engines had been identified as one of the leading sources of air pollution in Dhaka. Thus, since January 2003, traditional auto rickshaws were banned from the capital; only the new CNG-powered models were permitted to operate within the city limits. The newly manufactured CNG auto rickshaws are more fuel-efficient and have a lower center of gravity, making them safer than older models. All CNGs are painted green to signify that the vehicles are eco-friendly and that each one has a meter built in as standard.
Another version of the auto rickshaw can be seen in rural areas of Bangladesh, where they are called "helicopters". "Helicopters" are auto rickshaws modified to have a large body with which it can carry more than six or seven passengers.
At the end of the 1980s, a local company Atlas designed and built a new version of the auto rickshaw, called mishuk, a name derived from a children's mascot of a local deer. Unlike baby taxis, mishuks have spoke wheels and a green body, and have no meter system. Mishuks have more space than baby taxis or CNGs, which makes it more popular with women. They are commonly found in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country due to its four-stroke engine, which is not listed as a significant source of air pollution.
CAMBODIA
In Cambodia, the term tuk-tuk (Khmer: ទុកទុក) is used to refer to a motorcycle with a cabin attached to the rear. Cambodian cities have a much lower volume of automobile traffic than Thai cities, and tuk-tuks are still the most common form of urban transport. At the temple complex of Angkor, for example, tuk-tuks provide a convenient form of transport around the complex for tourists. One can hire a tuk-tuk and driver by the day.[citation needed]
Siem Reap tuk-tuks are generally of the style of motorcycle and trailer. This version does not have rear brakes.
Phnom Penh tuk-tuks are one piece. The one piece tuk-tuk is the front end of a motorcycle consisting of steering, tank and engine/gearbox with a covered tray mounted at the back. The power is transferred by chain to an axle mounted to the modified rear fork which drives the two rear wheels. Suspended upon the rear fork is an open cabin with an in-line seat on each side. This arrangement can carry 6 people at ease, with their luggage in the leg space. It is not unusual to see these vehicles greatly overloaded, especially in outer suburbs and around markets.
Sihanoukville tuk-tuks are generally a motorcycle and articulated trailer without rear brakes on the trailer. A minority of tuk-tuks are three wheeled. The rear wheel of the motorcycle is removed and the front of the bike is melded with a trailer. Power is supplied to the trailer wheels by a driveshaft and differential. Rear wheel brakes add significantly to the safety of this design, especially when going downhill.
Currently, Tuk Tuk in Cambodia is being developed to be more convenient and safer. It is also becoming a popular form of transportation for Phnom Penh residents.
Gaza
Together with the recent boom of recreational facilities in Gaza for the local residents, donkey carts have all but been displaced by tuk-tuks in 2010. Due to the ban by Israel on the import of most motorised vehicles, the tuk-tuks have had to be smuggled in parts through the tunnel network connecting Gaza with Egypt.
CHINA
Various types of auto rickshaw are used around China, where they are called 三轮 (Sān lún - three wheeler) or 嘟嘟车 (Dū dū chē - beep beep car).
In Hainan, the southernmost province, electric models are used in the capital Haikou. These may be heavy, purpose-built vehicles, or simple bicycles attached to a light chassis, with a small electric motor housed underneath.
In rural areas, a sturdy, petrol-powered, plastic-bodied type is common, similar to the Philippine motorized tricycle.
INDIA
OVERVIEW
Most cities offer auto rickshaw service, although hand-pulled rickshaws do exist in some areas, such as Kolkata.
Auto rickshaws are used in cities and towns for short distances; they are less suited to long distances because they are slow and the carriages are open to air pollution. Auto rickshaws (often called "autos") provide cheap and efficient transportation. Modern auto rickshaws run on compressed natural gas (CNG) and are environmentally friendly compared to full-sized cars.
It is also not uncommon in many parts of India (including major cities like Delhi) to see primary school children crammed into an auto-rickshaw, transporting them between home and school.
To augment speedy movement of traffic, Auto rickshaws are not allowed in the southern part of Mumbai.
DESIGN & MANUFACTURE
There are two types of autorickshaws in India. In older versions the engines were situated below the driver's seat, while in newer versions engines are located in the rear. They normally run on petrol, CNG and diesel. The seating capacity of a normal rickshaw is four, including the driver's seat. Six-seater rickshaws exist in different parts of the country, but the model was officially banned in the city of Pune 10 January 2003 by the Regional Transport Authority (RTA).
CNG autos are distinguishable from the earlier petrol-powered autos by a green and yellow livery, as opposed to the earlier black and yellow appearance. Certain local governments are advocating for four-stroke engines instead of the current two-stroke versions.
Auto rickshaw manufacturers in India include Bajaj Auto, Kumar Motors, Kerala Automobiles Limited, Force Motors (previously Bajaj Tempo), Mahindra & Mahindra, Piaggio Ape and TVS Motors.
LEGISLATION
Generally rickshaw fares are controlled by the government.
INDONESIA
In Indonesia, auto rickshaws are popular in Jakarta, Medan, Java, and Sulawesi. In Jakarta, the auto rickshaws are similar to the ones in India but are colored blue and orange. Outside of Jakarta the bentor-style auto rickshaw is more ubiquitous, with the passenger cabin mounted as a sidecar to a motorcycle. Where these sidecar style auto rickshaws do occur in Jakarta they are not referred to as bentor, but rather as bajaj (bajai). They were also popular in East Java until the end of the 20th century and were known as a bemo.
LAOS
Lao tuk-tuks come as tuk-tuks or jumbo tuk-tuks. Jumbos have a larger 3- or 4-cylinder four-stroke engine, and many are powered by Daihatsu engines. Jumbos' larger engine and cabin size allow for greater loads, up to 12 persons, and higher top speeds. Jumbos are (with few exceptions) only found in Vientiane and Luang Prabang.
NEPAL
Auto rickshaws were the popular mode of transport in Nepal during the 1980s and 1990s, till Nepal Government decided to ban the movement of 600 such vehicles in the early 2000. Earliest model of auto rickshaw running in Kathmandu were manufactured by Bajaj Auto. Nepal has been a popular destination for Rickshaw Run. The 2009 Fall Run took place in Goa, India and concluded in Pokhara, Nepal.
PAKISTAN
Auto rickshaws are a popular mode of transport in Pakistani towns and is mainly used for traveling short distances within cities. One of the major brands of auto rickshaws is Vespa (an Italian Company). Lahore is hub of CNG Auto rikshaws manufacturers in Pakistan.The government of Pakistan is taking measures to convert all the gasoline run auto-rickshaws to more effective CNG rickshaw by 2015 in all the major cities of Pakistan by issuing easy loans through commercial banks. Environment Canada is implementing pilot projects in Lahore, Karachi and Quetta with engine technology developed in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada that uses CNG instead of gasoline in the two-stroke engines, in an effort to combat environmental pollution and noise levels.
In many cities in Pakistan, there are also motorcycle rickshaws, usually called chand gari (moon car) or Chingchi (after the Chinese company Jinan Qingqi Motorcycle Co. Ltd who first introduced these to the market).
Rickshaws are forbidden in the capital, Islamabad.
Auto rickshaws have had a history of displaying political statements. In February 2013, that legacy was modified to promote peace. According to Syed Ali Abbas Zaidi, head of the Pakistan Youth Alliance, "We need to take back this romanticized art form and use it for peace sloganeering and conflict resolution."
Manufacturers There are many companies involving in Rickshaw manufacturing in Pakistan, some of them are, AECO Export Company, STAHLCO Motors, Global Sources, Parhiyar Automobiles, Global Ledsys Technologies, Siwa Industries, Prime Punjab Automobiles, Murshid Farm Industries, Sazgar Automobiles, NTN Enterprises, Imperial Engineering Company
PHILLIPINES
Auto rickshaws are an especially popular form of public transportation in the Philippines, where they are referred to as "tricycles" (Filipino: traysikel; Cebuano: traysikol). In the Philippines, the design and configuration of tricycles varies widely from place to place, but tends towards rough standardization within each municipality. The usual design is a passenger or cargo sidecar fitted to a motorcycle, usually on the right of the motorcycle. It is rare to find one with a left sidecar. Tricycles can carry five passengers or more in the sidecar, one or two pillion passengers behind the motorcycle driver, and even a few on the roof of the sidecar. Tricycles are one of the main contributors to air pollution in the Philippines, since majority of them employ two-stroke motorcycles. However, some local governments are working towards phasing out two-stroke-powered tricycles for ones with cleaner four-stroke motorcycles.
SRI LANKA
Auto rickshaws, commonly known as three-wheelers and more recently tuk-tuk, can be found on all roads in Sri Lanka from the curvy roads through the hill country to the congested roads of Colombo transporting locals, foreigners, or freight about. Sri Lankan three-wheelers are of the style of the light Phnom Penh type. Most of the three-wheelers in Sri Lanka are a slightly modified Indian Bajaj model, imported from India though there are few manufactured locally and increasingly imports from other countries in the region and other brands of three-wheelers such as Piaggio. In 2007 January the Sri Lankan government imposed a ban on all 2-stroke three-wheelers, due to environmental concerns and therefore the ones imported to the island now are the ones with four-stroke engines. Most three-wheelers are available as hiring vehicles, with few being used to haul goods and as private company or advertising vehicles. Bajaj enjoys a virtual monopoly in the island, with its agent being David Pieries Motor Co Ltd. A few three-wheelers in Sri Lanka have distance meters, and in the capital city it is becoming more and more common, however the vast majority of charges are negotiated between the passenger and driver.
THAILAND
The auto rickshaw, called tuk-tuk (Thai: ตุ๊กตุ๊ก, pronounced "took-took") or sam-lor (Thai: สามล้อ) meaning three-wheeler in Thailand, is a widely used form of urban transport in Bangkok and other Thai cities. It is particularly popular where traffic congestion is a major problem, such as in Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima. The name is onomatopoeic, mimicking the sound of a small (often two-cycle) engine. An equivalent English term would be "putt-putt."
Bangkok and other cities in Thailand have many tuk-tuks which are a more open variation on the Indian auto-rickshaw. There are no meters, and trip costs are negotiated in advance. Bangkok fares have risen to nearly equal normal taxis due to uninformed foreigners willing to pay the asking price, but leaves passengers more exposed to environmental pollution than taxis. The solid roof is so low that the tuk-tuk is a difficult touring vehicle. Today few locals take one unless they are burdened with packages or travelling in a big group for short distances.
The Thai tuk-tuk is starting to change from the old smoke-spewing vehicle of yesteryear. Many Thai tuk-tuk manufacturers now produce low emission vehicles, and even old ones are having new engines fitted along with LPG conversions. In an early morning of Bangkok, these same passenger vehicles can be seen busily transporting fresh produce around the city. Newer tuk-tuks also have wet weather sides to keep passengers and drivers dry.
The Thai auto-rikshaw manufacturers are, Monika Motors Ltd., TukTuk (Thailand) Co., Ltd., TukTuk Forwerder Co., Ltd. Bangkok and MMW Tuk-Tuks Co.,Ltd. in Hua Hin. Smaller manufacturers are the Chinnaraje Co., Ltd. in Chiang Mai and the Expertise Co., Ltd. in Chonburi which manufactures its models in Komaki, Japan, also.
VIETNAM
Known locally as xe lam, the vernacular pronunciation of the Lambro from the Lambretta line by Innocenti of Italy, these vehicles were very popular in the 1960s and 1970s, especially the urban centers of South Vietnam. Over time the authorities have moved to limit their use.
Xe lam with 1-wheel forward and 2-aft were designed to carry passengers whereas other variants with 2-forward and 1-aft, used mostly to transport goods are known as Xe ba gác máy. The motorized version of cycle rickshaw is the Xích lô máy is of the same design.
EUROPE
FRANCE
A number of Tuk-tuks ( 250 in 2013 according to the Paris Prefecture)are used as an alternative tourist transport system in Paris, some off them being pedal operated with the help of an electric engine. They are not yet fully licenced to operate and await customers on the streets. 'Velos taxis' were common during the Occupation years in Paris due to fuel restrictions.
ITALY
Auto rickshaws have been commonly used in Italy since the late 1940s, providing a low-cost means of transportation in the post-World-War-II years when the country was short of economic resources. The Piaggio Ape, designed by Vespa creator Corradino D'Ascanio and first manufactured in 1948 by the Italian company Piaggio, though primarily designed for carrying freight has also been widely used as an auto rickshaw. It is still extremely popular throughout the country, being particularly useful in the narrow streets found in the center of many little towns in central and southern Italy. Though it no longer has a key role in transportation, Piaggio Ape is still used as a minitaxi in some areas such as the islands of Ischia and Stromboli (on Stromboli no cars are allowed). It has recently been re-launched as a trendy-ecological means of transportation, or, relying on the role the Ape played in the history of Italian design, as a promotional tool. Since 2006 the Ape has been produced under licence in India.
NETHERLANDS
Since 2007, tuk-tuks have been active in the Netherlands, starting with Amsterdam. They now operate in Amersfoort, Amsterdam, The Hague, Zandvoort, Bergen op Zoom, the popular beach resort Renesse and Rotterdam. The tuk-tuks in the Netherlands are imported from India and Thailand. They are fitted with CNG engines and have passed the EURO-4 rules.
UNITED KINGDOM
The first Tuk Tuks to enter service in the United Kingdom were supplied and built by MMW Imports in 1999, under the brand name MMW Tuk Tuks. The very first Private Hire licence was issued to an MMW Tuk Tuk for tours of Bath in the year 2000, MMW also gained full Hackney license in Weston-super-Mare. MMW also now export Tuk Tuks from Thailand to the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, New Zealand and Australia. All the MMW range are built in their own factory in Thailand and are custom made for each customer's needs; hence no two tuk tuks are the same, and they come fully customized as per required spec.
Tukshop of Southampton started the commercial importing of Tuk Tuks into the UK in 2003, which resulted in many people being inspired to set up taxi-type operations in a number of cities including Blackpool, Brighton and Leeds. Tukshop failed to gain a taxi operator license for London after a number of media appearances in 2004. The company, founded by mrsteve, are specialists in experiential marketing using the iconic three-wheelers for street marketing campaigns. Clients of Tukshop include many household names, such as T Mobile, Harrods, Universal Pictures, O2, BBC, Freeview, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Tiger Beer & Grolsch lager. Tukshop have imported and put over one hundred tuk tuks on the roads of the UK and Europe between starting the business and Oct 2010. The company currently stocks models from Piaggio & Bajaj, including the commercial versions such as the TM Van.
A Bajaj tuk tuk is currently operated by Bangwallop of Salcombe, South Devon. Taking just two passengers at a time, the tuk tuk has an operator's licence issued by VOSA and trips can be booked in advance.[citation needed]
Auto rickshaws were introduced to the city of Brighton and Hove on 10 July 2006 by entrepreneur Dominic Ponniah's company Tuctuc Ltd, who had the idea after seeing the vehicles used in India and Sri Lanka. They were CNG-powered, using a four-speed (plus reverse) 175 cc engine. Under the terms of their license, the Bajas ran on a fixed single route, and stopped only at designated stops. They are of the same design as traditional auto rickshaws in other countries.
An investigation was launched into Tuctuc Ltd's operation of the service after complaints were raised, primarily by the city's taxi drivers, that routes, stopping points and timetables were not being adhered to. In November 2006, the company was fined £16,500 – the maximum penalty possible – by the South East Traffic Commissioner. After amendments were made to the timetable to reduce delays and improve reliability, the Commissioner allowed the company to keep its operating license. However, the company announced in January 2008 that it was ceasing operations, citing "archaic legislation" as the reason.
In the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, there is a new street food restaurant called Tuk Tuk Indian Street Food, that has its own branded Tuk Tuks, which are used for marketing around the town and picking up customers on special occasions.
CENTRAL AMERICA
EL SALVADOR
The mototaxi or moto is the El Salvadoran version of the auto rickshaw. These are most commonly made from the front end and engine of a motorcycle attached to a two-wheeled passenger area in back. Commercially produced models, such as the Indian Bajaj brand, are also employed.
GUATEMALA
In Guatemala the commercial vehicles are referred to as tuk-tuks. Tuk-tuks operate, both as taxis and private vehicles, in Guatemala City, Guatemala, around the island town of Flores, Peten, in the mountain city of Antigua Guatemala, and in many small towns in the mountains. In 2005 the tuk-tuks prevalent in the Lago de Atitlán towns of Panajachel and Santiago Atitlán all appeared to be from India (Bajaj Auto).
HONDURAS
Three-wheeled all-in-one tuk-tuks are used in the place of traditional taxis in most rural towns and villages.
NICARAGUA
As of 2011 there were an estimated 5,000 mototaxis, popularly known as "caponeras".
CARIBBEAN
Three-wheeled Coco taxis in Havana, Cuba
CUBA
Three-wheeled Coco taxis, named for their resemblance to a coconut, are used in Havana, Cuba.
SOUTH AMERICA
ECUADOR
The mototaxi is the Ecuatorian version of the auto rickshaw. These are most commonly made from the front end and engine of a motorcycle attached to a two-wheeled passenger area in back.
PERU
It is a common sight in the rural areas, towns and cities of Peru to see auto rickshaws, locally known as "mototaxis," "motokars", "taxi cholo", or "cholotaxi" lining up to pick up passengers as their fares are generally lower than car taxis. They are also in the capital, Lima, but they are usually restricted to the peripheral districts. The "jungle" cities and towns in eastern Peru are famous for their prevalence of auto rickshaws. This vehicle, usually running on regular unleaded gasoline, is the main non-private transport vehicle, and is known as "motocarro", "mototaxi" or "tuk-tuk" (for foreigners).
Many of the jungle areas of eastern Peru can be extremely noisy as a result of poorly maintained auto rickshaws and other 2 or 3-wheel vehicles, especially in high traffic or hilly areas. Auto-rickshaw brands such as the Indian-made Bajaj, which use GLP [a form of liquified petroleum gas which some car taxis also use] are much quieter.
NORTH AMERICA
UNITED STATES
Tuk Tuks were introduced to the United States through Tuk Tuk North America of Swainsboro, Georgia. As early as 2006, Mr. Roy Jordan, the owner of Tuk Tuk North America, began working with both the U.S. federal government and manufacturers in Thailand to configure a tuk tuk that was cost effective but adaptable to meet or exceed U.S. Department of Transportation regulations. He was able to contract a manufacturer who could make imported tuk tuks that could meet all necessary federal regulations in the U.S. Original products were imported from Thailand and were gas propelled. Due to the changing regulations of the Environmental Protection Agency, the introduction of imported gas-propelled tuk tuks was short-lived. Due to such changes, in 2009 Tuk Tuk North America decided to go dormant in its importing of gas propelled tuk tuks into the U.S.
However, with the growing emphasis on sustainable “green” energy and the recognition of the continuing rising oil prices, in 2011 the project's short dormancy was rejuvenated being redirected towards introduction of a complete line of all-electric tuk tuks. The line included eight models of "street legal" tuk tuks including passenger, utility, and delivery vehicles. These were offered under the manufacturer’s new name, Electro Technologies LLC, and marketed and sold exclusively through Tuk Tuk Transport LLC of Lenoir City, Tennessee, under the leadership of C. Phillip Tallant.
Prior to 2013, the greatest obstacle to commercial transportation usage of the electric tuk tuks created by Electro Technologies was addressed in mid 2013 by providing a means by which ET Tuk Tuks could be in service 24/7. With this advancement grew the opportunity for formation of Tuk Tuk of America, a company by which partnering affiliates across the U.S. could begin their own local niche urban mobility transportation company with guaranteed protected territories.
FUEL EFFICIENCY & POLLUTION
In July 1998, the Supreme Court of India ordered the Delhi government to implement CNG or LPG (Autogas) fuel for all autos and for the entire bus fleet in and around the city.[citation needed] Delhi's air quality has improved with the switch to CNG. Initially, auto rickshaw drivers in Delhi had to wait in long queues for CNG refueling, but the situation has improved with the increase of CNG stations. Certain local governments are pushing for four-stroke engines instead of the current two-stroke versions. Typical mileage for an Indian-made auto rickshaw is around 35 kilometers per liter of petrol (about 2.9 L per 100 km, or 82 miles per gallon [United States (wet measure), 100 miles per gallon Imperial (United Kingdom, Canada)]. Pakistan has passed a similar law prohibiting auto rickshaws in certain areas. CNG auto rickshaws have started to appear in huge numbers in many Pakistani cities.
In January 2007 the Sri Lankan government also banned two-stroke trishaws to reduce air pollution. In the Philippines there are projects to convert carburated two-stroke engines to direct-injected via Envirofit technology. Research has shown LPG or CNG gas direct-injection to be retrofit-able to existing engines in similar fashion to the Envirofit system. In Vigan City majority of tricycles-for-hire as of 2008 are powered by motorcycles with four-stroke engines, as tricycles with two-stroke motorcycles are prevented from receiving operating permits. Direct injection is standard equipment on new machines in India.
In March 2009 an international consortium coordinated by the International Centre for Hydrogen Energy Technologies initiated a two-year public-private partnership of local and international stakeholders aiming at operating a fleet of 15 hydrogen-fueled three-wheeled vehicles in New Delhi's Pragati Maidan complex. As of January 2011, the project was upon completion.
In the meantime, in October, 2011, the Department of Transportation for the U.S. approved the complete 2012 series of American made, all-electric tuk tuks by Electro Technologies. Chassis were still being shipped in from Thailand, but now with the inclusion of all electrical components as manufactured only in the U.S. with assembly completed in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The American made electric tuk tuks were unique in that they were charged through common 110v outlets providing a range of 60 to 100(+) miles per charge (depending upon model and conditions) with a recharge time between 4 to 6 hours. The Electro Technologies Tuk Tuks topped out at 40 miles per hour which perfectly addresses the needs of their design; niche urban mobile transportation.
The greatest obstacle to daily usage in niche urban mobile commercial transportation was addressed in 2013 by Electro Technologies when they introduced their quick-release battery pack allowing for restoration of 100% power availability in just a few short minutes. This commercial upgrade allowed niche urban transportation businesses to operate 24/7 with no interruption to business.
TRAFFIC ISSUES
Auto rickshaws have a top-speed of around 50 km/h (about 31 mph) and a cruising speed of around 35 km/h (22 mph), much slower than the automobiles they share the road with. Traffic authorities in big cities try to implement mechanisms to reduce the resulting traffic slowing, but none have proven effective.
The MMW Tuk Tuk has a top speed of around 70 mph and with the introduction of the new turbo will have much improved acceleration, to allow for increased speed these Tuk Tuks have anti-roll bars and are fitted with disc brakes.
The triangular form of the vehicle makes maneuvering easy, with the single front wheel negotiating the available gap, and the rear two wheels forcing a larger space. Care must be taken even at low speeds, however, because of the stability problems of three-wheeler vehicles with a single front wheel. Such a "delta"-configuration three-wheeler can easily roll if the driver turns while braking.
In the Philippines, 2-stroke motor tricycle such as Yamaha RS-100T can give a top speed of 55 km/h (one passenger in the sidecar), or 30–40 km/h (full passengers in the sidecar).
More powerful four-stroke motor tricycles such as Honda TMX & Yamaha STX & Bajaj CT-100 can give a top speed up to 70–85 km/h (special trip/one passenger) or 40–50 km/h (full passengers).
RACING
Due to their relatively low top-speed, auto rickshaws have never lent themselves to conventional road or street racing. However, their modest speed, simple construction and impressive fuel economy has endeared them to the international amateur adventuring community, most notably with the Rickshaw Run and also the Indian Autorickshaw Challenge, and even off-road racing with the Apecar competitions in Italy. A Tuk Tuk built by Art In Motion, LLC competed in the 2008 Fireball Run II – Back to the Track
PORTRAYAL IN MEDIA
Auto rickshaws are often portrayed in Indian films (Auto Shankar, Basha, Aye Auto, Oram Po, Hero Hiralal) as well as some Hollywood and foreign productions such as the James Bond film Octopussy, the Canada-India film Amal and the Indonesian movie Pembalasan Rambu. Auto rickshaws are also prominent in the fuel-poor London of 2027 A.D. depicted in Children of Men. A memorable tuk-tuk chase features in the Thai film Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, climaxing with many of them driving off the edge of an unfinished elevated expressway. The video games Just Cause 2, Stuntman, Far Cry 4 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2: Vietnam feature Tuk-Tuks as drivable vehicles. James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) rides in a tuk-tuk in a Visa Card commercial.
WIKIPEDIA
Water, saturated with dissoluted Calciumhydrogencarbonate forms dripstones. Drop for drop a little quanitity of calcite (or aragonite) is left (when carbondioxide vanishes in the air of the cave) and accumulates to a dripstone.
Sometimes nicknames turn out to be closer to reality than you might imagine.
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured a striking image of a fledgling star’s unseen, planet-forming disk casting a huge shadow across a more distant cloud in a star-forming region – like a fly wandering into the beam of a flashlight shining on a wall.
The young star is called HBC 672, and the shadow feature was nicknamed the “Bat Shadow” because it resembles a pair of wings. The nickname turned out to be surprisingly appropriate: Now, the team reports that they see the Bat Shadow flapping!
“The shadow moves. It’s flapping like the wings of a bird!” described lead author Klaus Pontoppidan, an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore. The phenomenon may be caused by a planet pulling on the disk and warping it. The team witnessed the flapping over 404 days.
But what created the Bat Shadow in the first place?
“You have a star that is surrounded by a disk, and the disk is not like Saturn’s rings – it’s not flat. It’s puffed up. And so that means that if the light from the star goes straight up, it can continue straight up – it’s not blocked by anything. But if it tries to go along the plane of the disk, it doesn’t get out, and it casts a shadow,” explained Pontoppidan.
He suggests imagining a lamp with a shade that casts a shadow on the wall. In this case, the lightbulb is the star, the lampshade is the disk, and the cloud is the wall. Based on the shadow’s shape, the disk must be flared, with an angle that increases with distance – like bell-bottom pants, or a trumpet.
The disk – a circling structure of gas, dust, and rock – might be roughly saddle-shaped, with two peaks and two dips, which would explain the “flapping” of the shadow. The team speculates that a planet is embedded in the disk, with an orbit inclined to the disk’s plane. This planet would be the cause of the doubly warped shape of the orbiting disk and the resulting movement in its shadow.
“If there were just a simple bump in the disk, we'd expect both sides of the shadow to tilt in opposite directions, like airplane wings during a turn,” said team member Colette Salyk of Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York.
The shadow, extending from the star across the surrounding cloud, is so large – about 200 times the length of our solar system – that light doesn’t travel instantaneously across it. In fact, the time it takes for the light to travel from the star out to the perceivable edge of the shadow is about 40 to 45 days. Pontoppidan and his team calculate a planet warping the disk would orbit its star in no fewer than 180 days. They estimate that this planet would be about the same distance from its star as Earth is from the Sun.
If not a planet, an alternative explanation for the shadow motion is a lower-mass stellar companion orbiting HBC 672 outside the plane of the disk, causing HBC 672 to “wobble” relative to its shadowing disk. But Pontoppidan and his team doubt this is the case, based on the thickness of the disk. There is also no current evidence for a binary companion.
The disk is too small and too distant to be seen, even by Hubble. The star HBC 672 resides in a stellar nursery called the Serpens Nebula, about 1,400 light-years away. It is only one or two million years old, which is young in cosmic terms.
This finding was serendipitous. The first image of the Bat Shadow was taken by another team. Later, the image was slated for use in NASA’s Universe of Learning, a program that creates materials and experiences to enable learners to explore the universe for themselves. The goal was to illustrate how shadows can convey information about phenomena invisible to us. However, the original team only observed the Bat Shadow in one light filter, which did not provide enough data for the color image desired by NASA’s Universe of Learning.
To get the color image, Pontoppidan and his team had to observe the shadow in additional filters. When they combined the old and new images, the shadow appeared to have moved. At first, they thought the problem was in the image processing, but they quickly realized the images were properly aligned and the phenomenon was real.
The team’s paper will appear in an upcoming edition of the Astrophysical Journal.
NASA’s Universe of Learning materials are based upon work supported by NASA under award number NNX16AC65A. For more information about NASA’s Universe of Learning, see: www.universe-of-learning.org/
The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, in Washington, D.C.
For more information: www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/hubble-sees-cosmic-flap...
Credits: NASA, ESA, and STScI
forms the boundary between the counties of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire in south-west Wales for most of its length, and the boundary between Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire for the final 3 miles (4.8 km) of its total length of 76 miles (122 km) (making it the longest river wholly in Wales), flowing into the sea below the town of Cardigan.
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When we moved to the mountains of NC in 2019, I didn't realize how cool a place it would be for lichens. If these lichens were 1 foot tall, everyone would want them as decorative plants. As it is, they are there for those who look.
The Twelve Apostles is a collection of limestone stacks, formed by erosion, off the shore of the Port Campbell National Park, by the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia. Their proximity to one another has made the site a popular tourist attraction.
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MUDEC Museo delle Culture -Museo de las Culturas-
Via Tortona, 56, Milano, Milán
Arquitectos: David Chipperfield Architects: David Chipperfield, Giuseppe Zampieri, Cristiano Billia, Oliver Ulmer. Responsables de Proyecto: C. Billia, G. Sirica, O. Ulmer. Colaboradores: Piuarch (concurso), F & P Architetti, Alberto Izzo & Partners. Iluminación: Ove Arup & Partners, Mario Nanni Progettista. Estructura y fachada: Stahlbau Pichler
Concurso 1999-2000 Proyecto 2001-2007 Ejecución: 2008-2013 Inauguración 2015
Promotor: Ayuntamiento de Milán – Dirección de Museos
MUDEC nace en el marco de la operación de recuperación en uno de los barrios más activos de la ciudad de Milán, la zona de Tortona ubicada al sur-oeste de la ciudad ocupada por fábricas abandonadas, monumentos reales de la arquitectura industrial, que se están convirtiendo en talleres, estudios y nuevos espacios de creación. El proyecto del Museo de las Culturas tiene origen en los años 90 cuando el Ayuntamiento de Milán compra la antigua instalación industrial de Ansaldo para destinarla a actividades culturales. Las fábricas desmontadas, monumentos de arqueología industrial, fueron transformadas en laboratorios, estudios y nuevos espacios creativos, el Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Arte Visual (CASVA), el Centro de las Culturas No Europeas y el Nuevo Museo Arqueológico.
En este escenario el Ayuntamiento de Milán proyecta un polo multidisciplinar dedicado a los diferentes testimonios y culturas del mundo, sede expositiva de las colecciones etnográficas de la ciudad.
El visitante del Museo de las Culturas podrá ver grandes muestras internacionales adaptadas a través de los diferentes lenguajes artísticos, conocer el patrimonio etno-antropológico de las colecciones del Ayuntamiento de Milán formadas por más de 7000 obras de arte, objetos de uso, tejidos e instrumentos musicales provenientes de todos los continentes, y participar de la programación de eventos e iniciativas a cargo de las comunidades internacionales presentes en el territorio.
El proyecto arquitectónico se debe al diseño del estudio de arquitectura dirigido por el británico David Chipperfield que ganó un concurso internacional organizado por el Ayuntamiento de Milán. La arquitectura del edificio también refleja las innumerables almas que se alojan en él. Se desarrolla dentro de un gran patio, detrás de los volúmenes de los antiguos edificios industriales, y se caracteriza por sus volúmenes cúbicos, cajas revestidas en zinc-titanio cuya apariencia se asemeja a la de las antiguas plantas de fabricación, y por una estructura de cristal - iluminada las 24 horas– que emerge geométricamente en el área que lo alberga y se presenta muy diferente a los volúmenes adyacentes. Su elemento distintivo es su núcleo central de forma libre y orgánica, que genera una jardín interno, con forma de "flor", una plaza cubierta que es el lugar de encuentro de las culturas y las comunidades.
Dentro del edificio se extienden diferentes espacios que ofrecen múltiples propuestas culturales y de servicios, distribuidos en 17.000 m2. La planta baja se destina a la recepción, y en torno a un hall de entrada con una gran escalera principal, se desarrollan los distintos espacios destinados a tienda de diseño, cafetería, taquilla, guardarropa, sala de conferencias-espacio plurifuncional, “el Foro de las Culturas”, aula didáctica, laboratorio de restauración y depósitos, con acceso en grupos, y oficinas.
El área expositiva del Museo se sitúa en la primera planta alrededor de una gran plaza central cubierta, de forma orgánica, "núcleo" real y a su alrededor se establece el recorrido museístico con las salas destinadas a la colección permanente y las dedicadas a las muestras temporales organizadas en grupos rectangulares adyacentes entre sí en orden jerárquico, diseñados para dar la posibilidad de optar con diferentes ambientes y dar cabida a la rotación de las colecciones en el museo, manteniendo un idea de continuidad espacial. El auditorio para 300 plazas completa el espacio. La plaza es un elemento sorprendente, un recinto curvilíneo revestido en vidrio esmerilado con superficies parabólicas, que le da con una esplendida luminosidad natural, que actuará como una linterna para la ciudad en las horas de la noche Un espacio diseñado en contraposición a la geometría cartesiana de las "cajas" que lo circundan.
En la segunda planta se sitúa el restaurante, MUDEC Club, que ofrece vistas inéditas del edificio y del área que lo rodea y está destinado a albergar eventos vinculados al mundo del arte: actuaciones artísticas, presentaciones y talleres.
La estructura de acero de la gran "linterna" central y las fachadas fueron hechas por Stahlbau Pichler, siguiendo un diseño tan limpio como visualmente complejo. La linterna está formada por dos capas de materiales translúcidos. El muro cortina exterior está hecho de perfiles de acero y de aluminio pre-pintado. El acristalamiento se compone de dos capas de vidrio con una capa intermedia de PVB y un panel interior que absorbe calor. La rejilla de suelo tiene un blanco de malla 44 x 44 acero pintado previamente en color blanco; sus juntas horizontales están selladas con silicona. La estructura de acero se trasdosa mediante barras de acero pintado en blanco con el fin de rigidizarla.
En planta baja, el techo y las superficies son de hormigón armado recordando la atmósfera de Ansaldo. Los locales se pintan de blanco para dar mayor luminosidad. El suelo es de piedra de basalto gris oscuro del Etna. El color oscuro de la planta baja destaca la ligereza de nivel superior. Dos plantas subterráneas están dedicadas a aparcamiento. En la planta superior, el bar y el restaurante también son de cristal. Las galerías rectangulares están construidas con hormigón in situ, sobre una losa apoyada en columnas de 80 cm de diámetro.
La inauguración oficial del Museo de las Culturas tuvo lugar el 27 de octubre de 2015, tras una apertura preliminar en marzo de este año con motivo de la EXPO de Milán, a pesar de que David Chipperfield Architects no ha tenido intervención en la supervisión artística del diseño de la exposición permanente y a pesar del que el Ayuntamiento de Milán no ha corregido los defectos en la ejecución que la Dirección facultativa ha venido denunciando en los últimos dos años y que está en litigio en los Tribunales de Justicia milaneses, por ello David Chipperfield se ha negado a asistir a la inauguración. Estos supuestos defectos incluyen un suelo de piedra que Chipperfield calificó de "inaceptable" a principios de este año. La superficie resultó arañada, manchada y las piezas mal alineadas. Ofreciéndose a cubrir la mitad del costo para remplazar el solado.
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