The Jewish feast of PURIM, is the feast of customs and happiness.

It takes place at the Jewish month ADAR (more or less on March).

The Jewish phrase says: “When Adar enters, joy increases",

In a slight form of command: "You should be happy".

Not trivial to obey such a command, if you ask me.

 

My impression of this man, is that he obeys,

alongside a serious facial expression…

 

For the best part of 4 years has seen Oman Air continue to make their presence felt at London Heathrow; the carrier in the S16 schedule increased the amount of flights provided between London Heathrow and Muscat with the introduction of a second daily flight (WY103/104) in the morning, operating alongside their long-standing evening flight (WY101/102). Indeed; Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways already have monopolies and provide significantly more capacity.

In October 2019, Air New Zealand announced their intention to leave London Heathrow after 38 years of operating flights to and from Auckland via Los Angeles. The slots were later sold at an undisclosed price of £20 million (or US$27 million), although who purchased them was not revealed.

Following on from the slot purchase, it has been speculated that Oman Air purchased the slots but this was neither confirmed or denied. The slots would provide Oman Air with a midday arrival and departure providing greater flexibility to compete against the established ME3. Whether or not Oman Air are indeed the recipient of the slot transaction will later be revealed as we enter the W20 schedule period.

Currently, Oman Air operates 9 Boeing 787s, which includes 2 Boeing 787-8s (one is short-term storage) and 7 Boeing 787-9s (6 are in short-term storage). Oman Air have 7 more Boeing 787-9s on-order.

Sierra Foxtrot is one of 7 Boeing 787-9s operated by Oman Air, delivered new to the flag-carrier on lease from ALC on 26th June 2018 and she is powered by 2 General Electric GEnx-1B engines. She is currently in short-term storage at Muscat-Seeb.

Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner A4O-SF on final approach into Runway 27R at London Heathrow (LHR) on WY101 from Muscat-Seeb (MCT).

My shadow increases the possibility of the photograph telling a story and having more content. Giving an enigmatic or mysterious atmosphere to the image, my shadow becomes an element of the photographic discourse.

It is also a way to participate in the composition. With my shadow in the frame, I am both behind and in front of the camera. In this image I am an actor in my own play.

"In photography, there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality.” - Alfred Stieglitz

This is a DRI (Dynamic Range Increase) shot in Garden Of The Gods, Colorado Springs.

 

Olympus C-5050Z, Bogen 3040 Tripod, Photoshop

Following an increase in service on the 36 route another vehicle was required. Out of the blue a new Volvo B9 appeared. She was completely different in every single aspect and truth be known she was a pig to drive. After months of service she aquired the then obligatory reg plate X13VTD.... Strangely at the end of her lease she passed to an operator in Glasgow bizarrely keeping her X13VTD plate ? Suddenly In 2012 another single B9 was delivered for further service increase and numbered 3613 ( fleet numbers are very rarely used twice )

BF62UKZ was out of this world and was fantastic to drive. Fortunately she along with 3614 has been chosen to stay at Harrogate as strategic spare buses for the future and has been repainted and looks immaculate

The Holy Scriptures speaks about increase lawness and cruelty in the last days.

I'm sure this is not confined within one location or a country, but all across the world, an increase lawlessness abound. If we haven't witnessed real time cruelty done to another human being, pay attention to animals. Countless animal cruelty happening that it's ignored, tolerated or just majority of people couldn't be bothered to raised alarms against the practice.

As I love animals, this cruelty has impacted me.

 

Matthew 24:12

"And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold."

 

Proverbs 12:10

"Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel."

 

Luke 12:6

"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God."

 

Numbers 22:32

"And the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me."

 

Isaiah 66:3

"“He who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a man; he who sacrifices a lamb, like one who breaks a dog's neck; he who presents a grain offering, like one who offers pig's blood; he who makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who blesses an idol. These have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations;"

 

Job 38:42

"Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God for help, and wander about for lack of food?"

 

God gave man dominion over animals but not to abuse them.

   

I help aspiring and established photographers get noticed so they can earn an income from photography or increase sales. My blog, Photographer’s Business Notebook is a wealth of information as is my Mark Paulda’s YouTube Channel. I also offer a variety of books, mentor services and online classes at Mark Paulda Photography Mentor

 

All images are available as Museum Quality Photographic Prints and Commercial Licensing. Feel free to contact me with any and all inquiries.

 

Follow My Once In A Lifetime Travel Experiences at Mark Paulda’s Travel Journal

In the early 1970s, as the government's policy to supply organs and pianos nationwide increased demand, a keyboard instrument store called 'Pagoda Arcade' was built in Tapgol Park and other areas, and wind instrument-related stores were gathered in Jongno 2-ga right next to it. It was. However, in 1979, as part of the Tapgol Park maintenance project, the government demolished the Pagoda Arcade and moved it to Nakwon Shopping Center, which is said to be the first time musical instrument stores were established in Nakwon Shopping Center.

 

In the 1980s, the Chun Doo-hwan administration lifted the curfew and eased restrictions on entertainment establishments for many international events such as the 1986 Seoul Asian Games and the 1988 Seoul Olympics, which led to an explosive increase in the demand for live bands. As import regulations were relaxed, high-quality imported musical instruments such as Yamaha came into the country and greatly prospered the Nakwon Shopping Center during its growth period. In addition, at the time, Nakwon Shopping Center not only served as a wholesale and retail store for musical instruments, but also served as a training center for musicians. At that time, there were almost no facilities to systematically teach popular music, or in modern terms, ‘practical music’. As a result, Nakwon Shopping Center was crowded with people who wanted to learn various instruments in a short period of time and get jobs as musicians in entertainment establishments. Due to the boom in live bands, the number of stores selling various guitars, drums, and other musical instruments increased, and by 1982, the entire third floor was filled with musical instrument stores, and the offices on the fourth floor were used as warehouses for musical instrument stores. .

 

In addition, until the early 1990s, Nakwon Shopping Center was virtually the mecca of the music talent market where all performer-related recruitment and job search information in Seoul gathered.[4] Therefore, at that time, there was a separate business that did not deal in musical instruments but had several telephones installed in the office and specialized in intermediating between business owners and performers. As a result, Nakwon Shopping Center consists of business owners who hire professional performers as clerks during the day and sell musical instruments to the general public, professional performers who work as clerks during the day and sell instruments and give musical lessons, and brokers who connect professional performers with entertainment establishments at night. And a complex ecosystem of ordinary people learning musical instruments from professional musicians or buying musical instruments was formed, creating the golden age.

 

In the late 1990s, the economic crisis led to the closure of entertainment establishments, and the emergence of 'karaoke', which installed karaoke instead of expensive live bands, causing the market for professional performers across the country to collapse. In proportion to this, the demand for musical instruments naturally plummeted, but what unexpectedly saved Nakwon Shopping Center was the demand for churches. Since the late 1980s in American Protestant churches, congregational praise using bands for praise has been popular, but as this spread to Korean Protestant churches, it has become a trend for each church to have a band team. I didn't say his playing skills were good. This is why quite a few of the professional musicians currently active are from Protestant churches[5]. In the late 2000s, around the time when demand for churches began to wane[6], the field of so-called 'practical music' emerged, and practical music departments were established in junior colleges and four-year universities. In the late 2000s, idol bands such as FT Island appeared on terrestrial channels, and in the 2010s. Due to the early Cesibong craze, the emergence of young folk song bands such as Busker Busker, and the production of various audition programs, demand for musical instruments from the general public recovered to some extent.

I'm still waiting on the right conditions to grab some new images - so it's back to the vault and a bit of remixing of older images.......

 

I took this one at Chalky Beach (near Swansea, NSW; Australia) last year - it was a brilliant morning as the cloud and sea conditions came together to create a stunning combination of colours and features (helped a bit with increased saturation and some other PP work!!).

 

Hope you all have a great weekend - we have a long weekend thanks to a public holiday on Monday - so hoping we get some cloud by then....

 

Thanks in advance for any comment, viewing or favorite given to this or any of my other images - always much appreciated!!!

90 040 with 90 018 in multiple behind sit in Eden Valley Loop for a booked pathing stop on the West Coast Mainline. Despite being a 75mph class 4 freight these days the line is increasing filling up with passenger trains so more freights get relegated to overnight. They are working 4M25 06.06 Mossend Euro Terminal to Daventry and will soon have the standing start up the 1/125 gradient which is noticeable as the train recedes into the distance on the curve. The loop here being a little over a mile into this seven mile continuous rising gradient before it eases at Shap village before the final ascent to Shap Summit at 916ft.

1/20 - f/8 - 560mm - ISO 100

►►► Explore the world of HDR with me at farbspiel-photo.com - View. Learn. Connect.

______________________________________________________________________

 

About  |  HDR Cookbook  |  Before-and-After  |  Making-of  |  Pics to play with

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(Hit 'f' to fave this image)

 

The story of this photo:

This shot was taken in Sidi Bou Said, a place near Tunis where many artists (also western artists) were staying to seek inspiration. This town was famous for inspiring artists. All buildings in this town are white with blue windows and doors. This gives the place a unique look. Today it is a major tourist attraction that is probably not missing on any guided tour through Tunis.

 

Take a look at my "HDR Cookbook"! It contains some more information on my techniques.

 

How it was shot:

> Taken handheld

> Camera: Nikon D90

> Lens: Sigma 10-20mm F3,5 EX DC HSM

> Details can be found here

 

How it was tonemapped:

> Preparation: developed the raw files with ACR mainly in order to reduce the CA [details]

> HDR creation and tonemapping using Photomatix version 3.1 (Detail Enhancer)

> Saved as 16bit TIF

 

How it was post-processed:

> Post-processing was done in Photoshop

> Topaz Adjust on the entire image to get back the colors and the details [details]

> Topaz Denoise (on the sky and the foreground separately - more aggressively on the sky) [details]

> Saturation layer on the sky (increased master)

> Levels layer on the sky (increased brightness)

> Saturation layer on the clouds (desaturation)

> Saturation layer on the foreground (increased master)

> Levels layer on the foreground (increased contrast)

> Saturation layer on the white walls (decreased blues to remove a blue cast)

> Vignette effect using a masked fill layer [details]

> Sharpening on the foreground using the high-pass filter [details]

> Sharpening on the sky using the high-pass filter (less aggressive) [details]

> Perspective correction and cropping

 

______________________________________________________________________

Learn these techniques at farbspiel-photo.com - View. Learn. Connect.

 

- Thanks for viewing!

Declining conditions above Albine.

With the increase in WC traffic following the 1993 acquisition of the Fox River Valley and Green Bay & Western from Itel Rail along with the imminent takeover of the Algoma Central soon to take place, the WC once again found themselves short of power.

 

So, in late 1994 and into early 1995, The Wisconsin Central Ltd had acquired a group of 33 more second hand EMD SD45s (along with six F45s and one FP45) from the Santa Fe as a follow-up to the 21 SD45s purchased in 1993.

 

Many of these newly arrived Santa Fe locomotives were almost immediately pressed into service while still in ATSF paint and road numbers as this November 24th, 1994 example of WC train T046 meeting a set of empty ore jennies at Rugby Junction illustrates. ~~ A Jeff Hampton Photograph ©

 

The Unistar backed shipments to Savareen had been increasing over the last few months. It became clear to SCS Command that they were preparing for a hostile takeover of the planet. In order to protect the Imperial assets on the ground, dozens of anti-aircraft guns were set up along the 20 mile beach head. Their orders were to blast any ship with yellow markings out of the sky. It wasn’t long before the enemy cargo ships started arriving with starfighter escorts.

   

“2 targets on the horizon” yelled the spotter with his macrobinoculars held up to his eyes.

 

The stormtrooper manning the gun stood up and recalibrated the gunsight settings. “Distance: 5000 feet. Height: 650 feet” he called out.

 

The spotter relayed the changing distance in response. “4900 feet…4800 feet…4700 -“

 

“Target acquired” confirmed the gunner.

 

The twin barrelled gun fired short controlled bursts, pausing intermittently to recalibrate its aim.

 

“Hit” yelled the spotter over the noise as the crew watched the cargo ship nose dive into the ocean. There were some jeers and pats on the back for the gunner before the spotter interrupted them with an update.

 

“The escorts not turning around” he warned. “2900 feet”

 

The gunner snapped his attention back to his weapon and readjusted the targeting system. He fired and watched the blue laser blasts sail over the fighter bearing down on them.

 

“He’s dropping low” shouted the spotter.

 

“These guns weren’t made for hitting fighters” thought the gunner, missing again.

 

“1500 feet and closing!”

 

“I need a reload!” yelled the gunner.

 

The fighter was nearly close enough to see the pilot inside the cockpit now. His weapon systems were in range and in seconds he had lit up the beach forcing the anti-air crew to hit the deck. The gunner kept firing.

 

“HIT!” he yelled as the smoking fighter crashed into the tree line behind them.

 

Dusting themselves off, they waited for the explosion. None came.

 

“No fire” said the spotter grinning. They called it in and the remains of the fighter were recovered. The pilot was in pieces but the fighter was still partially intact.

 

“IDMR are gonna have a field day with this” said the gunner. “They’ve been looking for a Unistar fighter since that pilot defected.”

Our return to the Alpine Visitors Center was at much quicker pace than the hike out due to the increasing threat of thunderstorms. This one passed to the west of us, then let loose over the Specimen Mountain Research Natural Area.

ift.tt/2gdk3Lr

According to Venetian official statistics approximately 16 million people visited the province of Venice in 2011, with increases projected for 2012-13. Most if not all visitors, come to visit the central island Venezia in order to see and be in the heart of the city. Geographically the city center which includes St. Mark’s Basilica, St Mark’s Square, the Doge’s Palace, the Rialto Bridge, as well as the homes and businesses of Venetians exists on a land mass that is roughly six square miles. These six square miles are criss-crossed by the Grand and the not-so-grand canals which invite tourists to explore the nooks and crannies of a medieval powerhouse that still displays its heritage.

However, as a frame of reference, visitors should do the math. Public access to the six square miles of the central part of Venice is reduced by the areas occupied by private housing, businesses and by canals. Effectively the 80,000 to 100,000 daily visitors and the 40,000 to 60,000 local residents or business employers and employees are competing for approximately one to two square miles of open space. Regardless of the crowds it should be noted that while tourists may travel stem to stern in seemingly endless lines of gondolas, on Venice’s solid ground no car, bus or motor scooter challenges a visitor’s right to live long and prosper. In Venice the trucks, cars, and buses come with keels and rudders. All vie for space on and in the canals. Gondoliers weave their boats and passengers through the Grand Canal water traffic much like carriage driver guide their clip-clopping horse drawn carriages through any busy city’s tourist center. To paraphrase Shakespeare, in Venice all the water’s a stage, During the day Venice presents its water stained past in the guise of Palazzos, bridges, towers and churches, all accompanied with a cacophony of sounds and foreign languages (theirs and ours). At night a pleasant surprise awaits visitors who stay in the city. When diners and partiers head home residents and tourists experience Silence, perhaps modern Venice’s most subtle reminder of renaissance times, Silence, no horns, no engine noises, no canal traffic, and minimum ambient light. Consequently, from an open window looking out over the tiled rooftops of ancient Venetian homes, my wife and I could see stars and pick out the Dome of Saint Mark’s and the Campanile by the light of the same moon viewed by princes, popes and the popolo when the Grand Canal was grand.

Did we see everything? No…but we gave it a game try. We took the waterbus up and down the Grand Canal. We visited the highlighted sights. We walked and walked and walked, sort of like exploring a maze. We succumbed to the most unnecessary tour book advice offered, “In order to experience the real Venice get lost and wander its back streets and canals.” Wittingly and unwittingly we did get lost, but then again Venice is an island. So unless we were lost AND wet, we figured it was a safe bet that we would find our way back to our rooms.

 

The place where I had sleep. www.zanolla.nl/Bed_&_Breakfast.html

One of the features of the Sk8 Park in Grimsby, Ontario is a group of small billboard-style panels specifically intended to host the artistic expressions of those visiting the site. As a result, graffiti is encouraged in places that are acceptable. Furthermore, periodic cleanup of the panels by town staff ensures regular refreshment of the subject matter. This image was taken in mid-February, the dead of Winter, so the snow-covered park was not in regular use and had not been for several months. The last round of painting had been ignored, likely waiting for Spring to get a refresh, with the consequence being the multiple layers of paint had weathered and flaked off leaving colourful abstracts when viewed up close. This section features and area with yellow and green patches. - JW

 

Date Taken: 2019-02-21

 

Taken using a hand-held Nikon D7100 fitted with an AF-S DX Nikkor 12-24mm 1:4 lense set to 12mm, Daylight WB, ISO100, Program mode, f/8.0, 1/250 sec. PP in free open Source RAWTherapee from Nikon RAW/NEF source file: set final image width to 9000px, adjust Tone Curve 2 in parametric mode by darkening the ‘Darks’ and ‘Lights’ slightly, enable HDR Tone Mapping and apply a light amount of HDR, enable Shadows/Highlights and recover highlights just enough that the ‘white’ areas of paint show detail/texture, boost contrast and Chromaticity in L-A-B mode, set White Balance to Daylight (5300K), boost Vibrance, sharpen (edges only), save. PP in free Open Source GIMP: increase overall contrast, fine tune overall tonality using the Tone Curves tool, sharpen, save, scale image to 6000px wide, sharpen slightly, save, add fine black-and-white frame, add bar and text on left, save, scale image to 2048px wide for posting online, sharpen slightly, save.

The increase of population spurs technological progress and creates that anxiety which sets us against our environment as an enemy; while technology both facilitates increase of population and reinforces our arrogance, or "hubris," vis-à-vis the natural environment.

 

The attached diagram illustrates the interconnections. It will be noted that in this diagram each corner is clockwise, denoting that each is by itself a self-promoting (or, as the scientists say,"auto catalytic") phenomenon: the bigger the population, the faster it grows; the more technology we have, the faster the rate of new invention; and the more we believe in our "power" over an enemy environment, the more "power" we seem to have and the more spiteful the environment seems to be.

(for the diagram see: www.colorado.edu/AmStudies/lewis/ecology/sick.htm )

 

... The ideas which dominate our civilization at the present time date in their most virulent form from the

Industrial Revolution. They may be summarized as:

 

(a) It's us against the environment.

 

(b) It's us against other men.

 

(c) It's the 'individual (or the individual company, or the individual nation) that matters.

 

(d) We can have unilateral control over the environment and must strive for that control.

 

(e) We live within an infinitely expanding "frontier."

 

(f) Economic determinism is common sense.

 

(g) Technology will do it for us.

 

We submit that these ideas are simply proved false by the great but ultimately destructive achievements of our technology in the last 150 years. Likewise they appear to be false under modern ecological theory. The creature that wins against its environment destroys itself.

 

Gregory Bateson, "The Roots of Ecological Crisis" (1972)..YES 1972 !!!!!

++++ FROM WIKIPEDIA ++++

 

U Bein Bridge (Burmese: ဦးပိန် တံတား) is a crossing that spans the Taungthaman Lake near Amarapura in Myanmar. The 1.2-kilometre (0.75 mi) bridge was built around 1850 and is believed to be the oldest and (once) longest teakwood bridge in the world.[1][2][3] Construction began when the capital of Ava Kingdom moved to Amarapura,[4] and the bridge is named after the mayor who had it built.[5] It is used as an important passageway for the local people and has also become a tourist attraction and therefore a significant source of income for souvenir sellers.[1][5][6][7] It is particularly busy during July and August when the lake is at its highest.[8]

 

The bridge was built from wood reclaimed from the former royal palace in Inwa. It features 1,086 pillars that stretch out of the water, some of which have been replaced with concrete. Though the bridge largely remains intact, there are fears that an increasing number of the pillars are becoming dangerously decayed. Some have become entirely detached from their bases and only remain in place because of the lateral bars holding them together. Damage to these supports have been caused by flooding as well as a fish breeding program introduced into the lake which has caused the water to become stagnant. The Ministry of Culture’s Department of Archaeology, National Museum and Library plans to carry out repairs when plans for the work are finalised.[1]

 

From 1 April 2009, eight police force personnel have been deployed to guard the bridge. Their presence is aimed at reducing anti-social behaviour and preventing criminal activities, with the first arrest coming in September 2013 when two men were reported for harassing tourists.[8]

Contents

 

1 Construction

2 Design and Structure

3 Gallery

4 References

 

Construction

 

The construction was started in 1849 and finished in 1851. Myanmar construction engineers used traditional methods of scaling and measuring to build the bridge. According to historic books about U Bein Bridge, Myanmar engineers made scale by counting the footsteps.

Design and Structure

 

The bridge was built in curved shape in the middle to resist the assault of wind and water. The main teak posts were hammered into the lake bed seven feet deep. The other ends of the posts were shaped conically to make sure that rain water would fall down easily. The joints of the bridge are intertwined.

 

Originally, there were 984 teak posts supporting the bridge and two approach brick bridges. Later the two approach brick bridges were replaced by wooden approach bridge. There are four wooden pavilions at the same interval along the bridge. By adding posts of two approach bridges and four pavilions, the number of posts amounts to 1089.

 

There are nine passageways in the bridge, where the floors can be lifted to let boats and barges pass. There 482 spans and the length of the bridge is 1,209 metres.

  

Myanmar (Burmese pronunciation: [mjəmà]),[nb 1][8] officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and also known as Burma, is a sovereign state in Southeast Asia. Myanmar is bordered by India and Bangladesh to its west, Thailand and Laos to its east and China to its north and northeast. To its south, about one third of Myanmar's total perimeter of 5,876 km (3,651 mi) forms an uninterrupted coastline of 1,930 km (1,200 mi) along the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. The country's 2014 census counted the population to be 51 million people.[9] As of 2017, the population is about 54 million.[10] Myanmar is 676,578 square kilometers (261,228 square miles) in size. Its capital city is Naypyidaw, and its largest city and former capital is Yangon (Rangoon).[1] Myanmar has been a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) since 1997.

 

Early civilisations in Myanmar included the Tibeto-Burman-speaking Pyu city-states in Upper Burma and the Mon kingdoms in Lower Burma.[11] In the 9th century, the Bamar people entered the upper Irrawaddy valley and, following the establishment of the Pagan Kingdom in the 1050s, the Burmese language, culture and Theravada Buddhism slowly became dominant in the country. The Pagan Kingdom fell due to the Mongol invasions and several warring states emerged. In the 16th century, reunified by the Taungoo Dynasty, the country was for a brief period the largest empire in the history of Mainland Southeast Asia.[12] The early 19th century Konbaung Dynasty ruled over an area that included modern Myanmar and briefly controlled Manipur and Assam as well. The British took over the administration of Myanmar after three Anglo-Burmese Wars in the 19th century and the country became a British colony. Myanmar was granted independence in 1948, as a democratic nation. Following a coup d'état in 1962, it became a military dictatorship.

 

For most of its independent years, the country has been engrossed in rampant ethnic strife and its myriad ethnic groups have been involved in one of the world's longest-running ongoing civil wars. During this time, the United Nations and several other organisations have reported consistent and systematic human rights violations in the country.[13] In 2011, the military junta was officially dissolved following a 2010 general election, and a nominally civilian government was installed. This, along with the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and political prisoners, has improved the country's human rights record and foreign relations, and has led to the easing of trade and other economic sanctions.[14] There is, however, continuing criticism of the government's treatment of ethnic minorities, its response to the ethnic insurgency, and religious clashes.[15] In the landmark 2015 election, Aung San Suu Kyi's party won a majority in both houses. However, the Burmese military remains a powerful force in politics.

 

Myanmar is a country rich in jade and gems, oil, natural gas and other mineral resources. In 2013, its GDP (nominal) stood at US$56.7 billion and its GDP (PPP) at US$221.5 billion.[6] The income gap in Myanmar is among the widest in the world, as a large proportion of the economy is controlled by supporters of the former military government.[16] As of 2016, Myanmar ranks 145 out of 188 countries in human development, according to the Human Development Index.[7]

Etymology

Main article: Names of Myanmar

 

In 1989, the military government officially changed the English translations of many names dating back to Burma's colonial period or earlier, including that of the country itself: "Burma" became "Myanmar". The renaming remains a contested issue.[17] Many political and ethnic opposition groups and countries continue to use "Burma" because they do not recognise the legitimacy of the ruling military government or its authority to rename the country.[18]

 

In April 2016, soon after taking office, Aung San Suu Kyi clarified that foreigners are free to use either name, "because there is nothing in the constitution of our country that says that you must use any term in particular".[19]

 

The country's official full name is the "Republic of the Union of Myanmar" (ပြည်ထောင်စုသမ္မတ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်, Pyidaunzu Thanmăda Myăma Nainngandaw, pronounced [pjìdàʊɴzṵ θàɴməda̰ mjəmà nàɪɴŋàɴdɔ̀]). Countries that do not officially recognise that name use the long form "Union of Burma" instead.[20]

 

In English, the country is popularly known as either "Burma" or "Myanmar" /ˈmjɑːnˌmɑːr/ (About this sound listen).[8] Both these names are derived from the name of the majority Burmese Bamar ethnic group. Myanmar is considered to be the literary form of the name of the group, while Burma is derived from "Bamar", the colloquial form of the group's name.[17] Depending on the register used, the pronunciation would be Bama (pronounced [bəmà]) or Myamah (pronounced [mjəmà]).[17] The name Burma has been in use in English since the 18th century.

 

Burma continues to be used in English by the governments of many countries, such as Canada and the United Kingdom.[21][22] Official United States policy retains Burma as the country's name, although the State Department's website lists the country as "Burma (Myanmar)" and Barack Obama has referred to the country by both names.[23] The Czech Republic officially uses Myanmar, although its Ministry of Foreign Affairs mentions both Myanmar and Burma on its website.[24] The United Nations uses Myanmar, as do the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Australia,[25] Russia, Germany,[26] China, India, Bangladesh, Norway,[27] Japan[21] and Switzerland.[28]

 

Most English-speaking international news media refer to the country by the name Myanmar, including the BBC,[29] CNN,[30] Al Jazeera,[31] Reuters,[32] RT (Russia Today) and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)/Radio Australia.[33]

 

Myanmar is known with a name deriving from Burma as opposed to Myanmar in Spanish, Italian, Romanian, and Greek – Birmania being the local version of Burma in the Spanish language, for example. Myanmar used to be known as "Birmânia" in Portuguese, and as "Birmanie" in French.[34] As in the past, French-language media today consistently use Birmanie.,[35][36]

History

Main article: History of Myanmar

Prehistory

Main articles: Prehistory of Myanmar and Migration period of ancient Burma

Pyu city-states c. 8th century; Pagan is shown for comparison only and is not contemporary.

 

Archaeological evidence shows that Homo erectus lived in the region now known as Myanmar as early as 750,000 years ago, with no more erectus finds after 75,000 years ago.[37] The first evidence of Homo sapiens is dated to about 11,000 BC, in a Stone Age culture called the Anyathian with discoveries of stone tools in central Myanmar. Evidence of neolithic age domestication of plants and animals and the use of polished stone tools dating to sometime between 10,000 and 6,000 BC has been discovered in the form of cave paintings in Padah-Lin Caves.[38]

 

The Bronze Age arrived circa 1500 BC when people in the region were turning copper into bronze, growing rice and domesticating poultry and pigs; they were among the first people in the world to do so.[39] Human remains and artefacts from this era were discovered in Monywa District in the Sagaing Division.[40] The Iron Age began around 500 BC with the emergence of iron-working settlements in an area south of present-day Mandalay.[41] Evidence also shows the presence of rice-growing settlements of large villages and small towns that traded with their surroundings as far as China between 500 BC and 200 AD.[42] Iron Age Burmese cultures also had influences from outside sources such as India and Thailand, as seen in their funerary practices concerning child burials. This indicates some form of communication between groups in Myanmar and other places, possibly through trade.[43]

Early city-states

Main articles: Pyu city-states and Mon kingdoms

 

Around the second century BC the first-known city-states emerged in central Myanmar. The city-states were founded as part of the southward migration by the Tibeto-Burman-speaking Pyu city-states, the earliest inhabitants of Myanmar of whom records are extant, from present-day Yunnan.[44] The Pyu culture was heavily influenced by trade with India, importing Buddhism as well as other cultural, architectural and political concepts, which would have an enduring influence on later Burmese culture and political organisation.[45]

 

By the 9th century, several city-states had sprouted across the land: the Pyu in the central dry zone, Mon along the southern coastline and Arakanese along the western littoral. The balance was upset when the Pyu came under repeated attacks from Nanzhao between the 750s and the 830s. In the mid-to-late 9th century the Bamar people founded a small settlement at Bagan. It was one of several competing city-states until the late 10th century when it grew in authority and grandeur.[46]

Imperial Burma

Main articles: Pagan Kingdom, Taungoo Dynasty, and Konbaung Dynasty

See also: Ava Kingdom, Hanthawaddy Kingdom, Kingdom of Mrauk U, and Shan States

Pagodas and kyaungs in present-day Bagan, the capital of the Pagan Kingdom.

 

Pagan gradually grew to absorb its surrounding states until the 1050s–1060s when Anawrahta founded the Pagan Kingdom, the first ever unification of the Irrawaddy valley and its periphery. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the Pagan Empire and the Khmer Empire were two main powers in mainland Southeast Asia.[47] The Burmese language and culture gradually became dominant in the upper Irrawaddy valley, eclipsing the Pyu, Mon and Pali norms by the late 12th century.[48]

 

Theravada Buddhism slowly began to spread to the village level, although Tantric, Mahayana, Hinduism, and folk religion remained heavily entrenched. Pagan's rulers and wealthy built over 10,000 Buddhist temples in the Pagan capital zone alone. Repeated Mongol invasions (1277–1301) toppled the four-century-old kingdom in 1287.[48]

Temples at Mrauk U.

 

Pagan's collapse was followed by 250 years of political fragmentation that lasted well into the 16th century. Like the Burmans four centuries earlier, Shan migrants who arrived with the Mongol invasions stayed behind. Several competing Shan States came to dominate the entire northwestern to eastern arc surrounding the Irrawaddy valley. The valley too was beset with petty states until the late 14th century when two sizeable powers, Ava Kingdom and Hanthawaddy Kingdom, emerged. In the west, a politically fragmented Arakan was under competing influences of its stronger neighbours until the Kingdom of Mrauk U unified the Arakan coastline for the first time in 1437.

 

Early on, Ava fought wars of unification (1385–1424) but could never quite reassemble the lost empire. Having held off Ava, Hanthawaddy entered its golden age, and Arakan went on to become a power in its own right for the next 350 years. In contrast, constant warfare left Ava greatly weakened, and it slowly disintegrated from 1481 onward. In 1527, the Confederation of Shan States conquered Ava itself, and ruled Upper Myanmar until 1555.

 

Like the Pagan Empire, Ava, Hanthawaddy and the Shan states were all multi-ethnic polities. Despite the wars, cultural synchronisation continued. This period is considered a golden age for Burmese culture. Burmese literature "grew more confident, popular, and stylistically diverse", and the second generation of Burmese law codes as well as the earliest pan-Burma chronicles emerged.[49] Hanthawaddy monarchs introduced religious reforms that later spread to the rest of the country.[50] Many splendid temples of Mrauk U were built during this period.

Taungoo and colonialism

Bayinnaung's Empire in 1580.

 

Political unification returned in the mid-16th century, due to the efforts of Taungoo, a former vassal state of Ava. Taungoo's young, ambitious king Tabinshwehti defeated the more powerful Hanthawaddy in the Toungoo–Hanthawaddy War (1534–41). His successor Bayinnaung went on to conquer a vast swath of mainland Southeast Asia including the Shan states, Lan Na, Manipur, Mong Mao, the Ayutthaya Kingdom, Lan Xang and southern Arakan. However, the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia unravelled soon after Bayinnaung's death in 1581, completely collapsing by 1599. Ayutthaya seized Tenasserim and Lan Na, and Portuguese mercenaries established Portuguese rule at Thanlyin (Syriam).

 

The dynasty regrouped and defeated the Portuguese in 1613 and Siam in 1614. It restored a smaller, more manageable kingdom, encompassing Lower Myanmar, Upper Myanmar, Shan states, Lan Na and upper Tenasserim. The Restored Toungoo kings created a legal and political framework whose basic features would continue well into the 19th century. The crown completely replaced the hereditary chieftainships with appointed governorships in the entire Irrawaddy valley, and greatly reduced the hereditary rights of Shan chiefs. Its trade and secular administrative reforms built a prosperous economy for more than 80 years. From the 1720s onward, the kingdom was beset with repeated Meithei raids into Upper Myanmar and a nagging rebellion in Lan Na. In 1740, the Mon of Lower Myanmar founded the Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom. Hanthawaddy forces sacked Ava in 1752, ending the 266-year-old Toungoo Dynasty.

A British 1825 lithograph of Shwedagon Pagoda shows British occupation during the First Anglo-Burmese War.

 

After the fall of Ava, the Konbaung–Hanthawaddy War involved one resistance group under Alaungpaya defeating the Restored Hanthawaddy, and by 1759, he had reunited all of Myanmar and Manipur, and driven out the French and the British, who had provided arms to Hanthawaddy. By 1770, Alaungpaya's heirs had subdued much of Laos (1765) and fought and won the Burmese–Siamese War (1765–67) against Ayutthaya and the Sino-Burmese War (1765–69) against Qing China (1765–1769).[51]

 

With Burma preoccupied by the Chinese threat, Ayutthaya recovered its territories by 1770, and went on to capture Lan Na by 1776. Burma and Siam went to war until 1855, but all resulted in a stalemate, exchanging Tenasserim (to Burma) and Lan Na (to Ayutthaya). Faced with a powerful China and a resurgent Ayutthaya in the east, King Bodawpaya turned west, acquiring Arakan (1785), Manipur (1814) and Assam (1817). It was the second-largest empire in Burmese history but also one with a long ill-defined border with British India.[52]

 

The breadth of this empire was short lived. Burma lost Arakan, Manipur, Assam and Tenasserim to the British in the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824–1826). In 1852, the British easily seized Lower Burma in the Second Anglo-Burmese War. King Mindon Min tried to modernise the kingdom, and in 1875 narrowly avoided annexation by ceding the Karenni States. The British, alarmed by the consolidation of French Indochina, annexed the remainder of the country in the Third Anglo-Burmese War in 1885.

 

Konbaung kings extended Restored Toungoo's administrative reforms, and achieved unprecedented levels of internal control and external expansion. For the first time in history, the Burmese language and culture came to predominate the entire Irrawaddy valley. The evolution and growth of Burmese literature and theatre continued, aided by an extremely high adult male literacy rate for the era (half of all males and 5% of females).[53] Nonetheless, the extent and pace of reforms were uneven and ultimately proved insufficient to stem the advance of British colonialism.

British Burma (1824–1948)

Main articles: British rule in Burma and Burma Campaign

Burma in British India

The landing of British forces in Mandalay after the last of the Anglo-Burmese Wars, which resulted in the abdication of the last Burmese monarch, King Thibaw Min.

British troops firing a mortar on the Mawchi road, July 1944.

 

The eighteenth century saw Burmese rulers, whose country had not previously been of particular interest to European traders, seek to maintain their traditional influence in the western areas of Assam, Manipur and Arakan. Pressing them, however, was the British East India Company, which was expanding its interests eastwards over the same territory. Over the next sixty years, diplomacy, raids, treaties and compromises continued until, after three Anglo-Burmese Wars (1824–1885), Britain proclaimed control over most of Burma.[54] British rule brought social, economic, cultural and administrative changes.

 

With the fall of Mandalay, all of Burma came under British rule, being annexed on 1 January 1886. Throughout the colonial era, many Indians arrived as soldiers, civil servants, construction workers and traders and, along with the Anglo-Burmese community, dominated commercial and civil life in Burma. Rangoon became the capital of British Burma and an important port between Calcutta and Singapore.

 

Burmese resentment was strong and was vented in violent riots that paralysed Yangon (Rangoon) on occasion all the way until the 1930s.[55] Some of the discontent was caused by a disrespect for Burmese culture and traditions such as the British refusal to remove shoes when they entered pagodas. Buddhist monks became the vanguards of the independence movement. U Wisara, an activist monk, died in prison after a 166-day hunger strike to protest against a rule that forbade him to wear his Buddhist robes while imprisoned.[56]

Separation of British Burma from British India

 

On 1 April 1937, Burma became a separately administered colony of Great Britain and Ba Maw the first Prime Minister and Premier of Burma. Ba Maw was an outspoken advocate for Burmese self-rule and he opposed the participation of Great Britain, and by extension Burma, in World War II. He resigned from the Legislative Assembly and was arrested for sedition. In 1940, before Japan formally entered the Second World War, Aung San formed the Burma Independence Army in Japan.

 

A major battleground, Burma was devastated during World War II. By March 1942, within months after they entered the war, Japanese troops had advanced on Rangoon and the British administration had collapsed. A Burmese Executive Administration headed by Ba Maw was established by the Japanese in August 1942. Wingate's British Chindits were formed into long-range penetration groups trained to operate deep behind Japanese lines.[57] A similar American unit, Merrill's Marauders, followed the Chindits into the Burmese jungle in 1943.[58] Beginning in late 1944, allied troops launched a series of offensives that led to the end of Japanese rule in July 1945. The battles were intense with much of Burma laid waste by the fighting. Overall, the Japanese lost some 150,000 men in Burma. Only 1,700 prisoners were taken.[59]

 

Although many Burmese fought initially for the Japanese as part of the Burma Independence Army, many Burmese, mostly from the ethnic minorities, served in the British Burma Army.[60] The Burma National Army and the Arakan National Army fought with the Japanese from 1942 to 1944 but switched allegiance to the Allied side in 1945. Under Japanese occupation, 170,000 to 250,000 civilians died.[61]

 

Following World War II, Aung San negotiated the Panglong Agreement with ethnic leaders that guaranteed the independence of Myanmar as a unified state. Aung Zan Wai, Pe Khin, Bo Hmu Aung, Sir Maung Gyi, Dr. Sein Mya Maung, Myoma U Than Kywe were among the negotiators of the historical Panglong Conference negotiated with Bamar leader General Aung San and other ethnic leaders in 1947. In 1947, Aung San became Deputy Chairman of the Executive Council of Myanmar, a transitional government. But in July 1947, political rivals[62] assassinated Aung San and several cabinet members.[63]

Independence (1948–1962)

Main article: Post-independence Burma, 1948–62

British governor Hubert Elvin Rance and Sao Shwe Thaik at the flag raising ceremony on 4 January 1948 (Independence Day of Burma).

 

On 4 January 1948, the nation became an independent republic, named the Union of Burma, with Sao Shwe Thaik as its first President and U Nu as its first Prime Minister. Unlike most other former British colonies and overseas territories, Burma did not become a member of the Commonwealth. A bicameral parliament was formed, consisting of a Chamber of Deputies and a Chamber of Nationalities,[64] and multi-party elections were held in 1951–1952, 1956 and 1960.

 

The geographical area Burma encompasses today can be traced to the Panglong Agreement, which combined Burma Proper, which consisted of Lower Burma and Upper Burma, and the Frontier Areas, which had been administered separately by the British.[65]

 

In 1961, U Thant, then the Union of Burma's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and former Secretary to the Prime Minister, was elected Secretary-General of the United Nations, a position he held for ten years.[66] Among the Burmese to work at the UN when he was Secretary-General was a young Aung San Suu Kyi (daughter of Aung San), who went on to become winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize.

 

When the non-Burman ethnic groups pushed for autonomy or federalism, alongside having a weak civilian government at the centre, the military leadership staged a coup d’état in 1962. Though incorporated in the 1947 Constitution, successive military governments construed the use of the term ‘federalism’ as being anti-national, anti-unity and pro-disintegration.[67]

Military rule (1962–2011)

 

On 2 March 1962, the military led by General Ne Win took control of Burma through a coup d'état, and the government has been under direct or indirect control by the military since then. Between 1962 and 1974, Myanmar was ruled by a revolutionary council headed by the general. Almost all aspects of society (business, media, production) were nationalised or brought under government control under the Burmese Way to Socialism,[68] which combined Soviet-style nationalisation and central planning.

 

A new constitution of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma was adopted in 1974. Until 1988, the country was ruled as a one-party system, with the General and other military officers resigning and ruling through the Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP).[69] During this period, Myanmar became one of the world's most impoverished countries.[70]

Protesters gathering in central Rangoon, 1988.

 

There were sporadic protests against military rule during the Ne Win years and these were almost always violently suppressed. On 7 July 1962, the government broke up demonstrations at Rangoon University, killing 15 students.[68] In 1974, the military violently suppressed anti-government protests at the funeral of U Thant. Student protests in 1975, 1976, and 1977 were quickly suppressed by overwhelming force.[69]

 

In 1988, unrest over economic mismanagement and political oppression by the government led to widespread pro-democracy demonstrations throughout the country known as the 8888 Uprising. Security forces killed thousands of demonstrators, and General Saw Maung staged a coup d'état and formed the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). In 1989, SLORC declared martial law after widespread protests. The military government finalised plans for People's Assembly elections on 31 May 1989.[71] SLORC changed the country's official English name from the "Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma" to the "Union of Myanmar" in 1989.

 

In May 1990, the government held free elections for the first time in almost 30 years and the National League for Democracy (NLD), the party of Aung San Suu Kyi, won 392 out of a total 492 seats (i.e., 80% of the seats). However, the military junta refused to cede power[72] and continued to rule the nation as SLORC until 1997, and then as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) until its dissolution in March 2011.

Protesters in Yangon during the 2007 Saffron Revolution with a banner that reads non-violence: national movement in Burmese. In the background is Shwedagon Pagoda.

 

On 23 June 1997, Myanmar was admitted into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). On 27 March 2006, the military junta, which had moved the national capital from Yangon to a site near Pyinmana in November 2005, officially named the new capital Naypyidaw, meaning "city of the kings".[73]

Cyclone Nargis in southern Myanmar, May 2008.

 

In August 2007, an increase in the price of diesel and petrol led to the Saffron Revolution led by Buddhist monks that were dealt with harshly by the government.[74] The government cracked down on them on 26 September 2007. The crackdown was harsh, with reports of barricades at the Shwedagon Pagoda and monks killed. There were also rumours of disagreement within the Burmese armed forces, but none was confirmed. The military crackdown against unarmed protesters was widely condemned as part of the international reactions to the Saffron Revolution and led to an increase in economic sanctions against the Burmese Government.

 

In May 2008, Cyclone Nargis caused extensive damage in the densely populated, rice-farming delta of the Irrawaddy Division.[75] It was the worst natural disaster in Burmese history with reports of an estimated 200,000 people dead or missing, damage totalled to 10 billion US dollars, and as many as 1 million left homeless.[76] In the critical days following this disaster, Myanmar's isolationist government was accused of hindering United Nations recovery efforts.[77] Humanitarian aid was requested but concerns about foreign military or intelligence presence in the country delayed the entry of United States military planes delivering medicine, food, and other supplies.[78]

 

In early August 2009, a conflict known as the Kokang incident broke out in Shan State in northern Myanmar. For several weeks, junta troops fought against ethnic minorities including the Han Chinese,[79] Wa, and Kachin.[80][81] During 8–12 August, the first days of the conflict, as many as 10,000 Burmese civilians fled to Yunnan province in neighbouring China.[80][81][82]

Civil wars

Main articles: Internal conflict in Myanmar, Kachin Conflict, Karen conflict, and 2015 Kokang offensive

 

Civil wars have been a constant feature of Myanmar's socio-political landscape since the attainment of independence in 1948. These wars are predominantly struggles for ethnic and sub-national autonomy, with the areas surrounding the ethnically Bamar central districts of the country serving as the primary geographical setting of conflict. Foreign journalists and visitors require a special travel permit to visit the areas in which Myanmar's civil wars continue.[83]

 

In October 2012, the ongoing conflicts in Myanmar included the Kachin conflict,[84] between the Pro-Christian Kachin Independence Army and the government;[85] a civil war between the Rohingya Muslims, and the government and non-government groups in Rakhine State;[86] and a conflict between the Shan,[87] Lahu, and Karen[88][89] minority groups, and the government in the eastern half of the country. In addition, al-Qaeda signalled an intention to become involved in Myanmar. In a video released on 3 September 2014, mainly addressed to India, the militant group's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri said al-Qaeda had not forgotten the Muslims of Myanmar and that the group was doing "what they can to rescue you".[90] In response, the military raised its level of alertness, while the Burmese Muslim Association issued a statement saying Muslims would not tolerate any threat to their motherland.[91]

 

Armed conflict between ethnic Chinese rebels and the Myanmar Armed Forces have resulted in the Kokang offensive in February 2015. The conflict had forced 40,000 to 50,000 civilians to flee their homes and seek shelter on the Chinese side of the border.[92] During the incident, the government of China was accused of giving military assistance to the ethnic Chinese rebels. Burmese officials have been historically "manipulated" and pressured by the Chinese government throughout Burmese modern history to create closer and binding ties with China, creating a Chinese satellite state in Southeast Asia.[93] However, uncertainties exist as clashes between Burmese troops and local insurgent groups continue.

Democratic reforms

Main article: 2011–12 Burmese political reforms

 

The goal of the Burmese constitutional referendum of 2008, held on 10 May 2008, is the creation of a "discipline-flourishing democracy". As part of the referendum process, the name of the country was changed from the "Union of Myanmar" to the "Republic of the Union of Myanmar", and general elections were held under the new constitution in 2010. Observer accounts of the 2010 election describe the event as mostly peaceful; however, allegations of polling station irregularities were raised, and the United Nations (UN) and a number of Western countries condemned the elections as fraudulent.[94]

U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with Aung San Suu Kyi and her staff at her home in Yangon, 2012

 

The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party declared victory in the 2010 elections, stating that it had been favoured by 80 percent of the votes; however, the claim was disputed by numerous pro-democracy opposition groups who asserted that the military regime had engaged in rampant fraud.[95][96] One report documented 77 percent as the official turnout rate of the election.[95] The military junta was dissolved on 30 March 2011.

 

Opinions differ whether the transition to liberal democracy is underway. According to some reports, the military's presence continues as the label "disciplined democracy" suggests. This label asserts that the Burmese military is allowing certain civil liberties while clandestinely institutionalising itself further into Burmese politics. Such an assertion assumes that reforms only occurred when the military was able to safeguard its own interests through the transition—here, "transition" does not refer to a transition to a liberal democracy, but transition to a quasi-military rule.[97]

 

Since the 2010 election, the government has embarked on a series of reforms to direct the country towards liberal democracy, a mixed economy, and reconciliation, although doubts persist about the motives that underpin such reforms. The series of reforms includes the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, the establishment of the National Human Rights Commission, the granting of general amnesties for more than 200 political prisoners, new labour laws that permit labour unions and strikes, a relaxation of press censorship, and the regulation of currency practices.[98]

 

The impact of the post-election reforms has been observed in numerous areas, including ASEAN's approval of Myanmar's bid for the position of ASEAN chair in 2014;[99] the visit by United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in December 2011 for the encouragement of further progress, which was the first visit by a Secretary of State in more than fifty years,[100] during which Clinton met with the Burmese president and former military commander Thein Sein, as well as opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi;[101] and the participation of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party in the 2012 by-elections, facilitated by the government's abolition of the laws that previously barred the NLD.[102] As of July 2013, about 100[103][104] political prisoners remain imprisoned, while conflict between the Burmese Army and local insurgent groups continues.

Map of Myanmar and its divisions, including Shan State, Kachin State, Rakhine State and Karen State.

 

In 1 April 2012 by-elections, the NLD won 43 of the 45 available seats; previously an illegal organisation, the NLD had not won a single seat under new constitution. The 2012 by-elections were also the first time that international representatives were allowed to monitor the voting process in Myanmar.[105]

2015 general elections

Main article: Myanmar general election, 2015

 

General elections were held on 8 November 2015. These were the first openly contested elections held in Myanmar since 1990. The results gave the National League for Democracy an absolute majority of seats in both chambers of the national parliament, enough to ensure that its candidate would become president, while NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi is constitutionally barred from the presidency.[106]

 

The new parliament convened on 1 February 2016[107] and, on 15 March 2016, Htin Kyaw was elected as the first non-military president since the military coup of 1962.[108] On 6 April 2016, Aung San Suu Kyi assumed the newly created role of State Counsellor, a role akin to a Prime Minister.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Myanmar

A map of Myanmar

Myanmar map of Köppen climate classification.

 

Myanmar has a total area of 678,500 square kilometres (262,000 sq mi). It lies between latitudes 9° and 29°N, and longitudes 92° and 102°E. As of February 2011, Myanmar consisted of 14 states and regions, 67 districts, 330 townships, 64 sub-townships, 377 towns, 2,914 Wards, 14,220 village tracts and 68,290 villages.

 

Myanmar is bordered in the northwest by the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh and the Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh states of India. Its north and northeast border is with the Tibet Autonomous Region and Yunnan province for a Sino-Myanmar border total of 2,185 km (1,358 mi). It is bounded by Laos and Thailand to the southeast. Myanmar has 1,930 km (1,200 mi) of contiguous coastline along the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea to the southwest and the south, which forms one quarter of its total perimeter.[20]

 

In the north, the Hengduan Mountains form the border with China. Hkakabo Razi, located in Kachin State, at an elevation of 5,881 metres (19,295 ft), is the highest point in Myanmar.[109] Many mountain ranges, such as the Rakhine Yoma, the Bago Yoma, the Shan Hills and the Tenasserim Hills exist within Myanmar, all of which run north-to-south from the Himalayas.[110]

 

The mountain chains divide Myanmar's three river systems, which are the Irrawaddy, Salween (Thanlwin), and the Sittaung rivers.[111] The Irrawaddy River, Myanmar's longest river, nearly 2,170 kilometres (1,348 mi) long, flows into the Gulf of Martaban. Fertile plains exist in the valleys between the mountain chains.[110] The majority of Myanmar's population lives in the Irrawaddy valley, which is situated between the Rakhine Yoma and the Shan Plateau.

Administrative divisions

Main article: Administrative divisions of Myanmar

A clickable map of Burma/Myanmar exhibiting its first-level administrative divisions.

About this image

 

Myanmar is divided into seven states (ပြည်နယ်) and seven regions (တိုင်းဒေသကြီး), formerly called divisions.[112] Regions are predominantly Bamar (that is, mainly inhabited by the dominant ethnic group). States, in essence, are regions that are home to particular ethnic minorities. The administrative divisions are further subdivided into districts, which are further subdivided into townships, wards, and villages.

 

Climate

Main article: Climate of Myanmar

The limestone landscape of Mon State.

 

Much of the country lies between the Tropic of Cancer and the Equator. It lies in the monsoon region of Asia, with its coastal regions receiving over 5,000 mm (196.9 in) of rain annually. Annual rainfall in the delta region is approximately 2,500 mm (98.4 in), while average annual rainfall in the Dry Zone in central Myanmar is less than 1,000 mm (39.4 in). The Northern regions of Myanmar are the coolest, with average temperatures of 21 °C (70 °F). Coastal and delta regions have an average maximum temperature of 32 °C (89.6 °F).[111]

Environment

Further information: Deforestation in Myanmar

 

Myanmar continues to perform badly in the global Environmental Performance Index (EPI) with an overall ranking of 153 out of 180 countries in 2016; among the worst in the South Asian region, only ahead of Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The EPI was established in 2001 by the World Economic Forum as a global gauge to measure how well individual countries perform in implementing the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. The environmental areas where Myanmar performs worst (ie. highest ranking) are air quality (174), health impacts of environmental issues (143) and biodiversity and habitat (142). Myanmar performs best (ie. lowest ranking) in environmental impacts of fisheries (21), but with declining fish stocks. Despite several issues, Myanmar also ranks 64 and scores very good (ie. a high percentage of 93.73%) in environmental effects of the agricultural industry because of an excellent management of the nitrogen cycle.[114][115]

Wildlife

 

Myanmar's slow economic growth has contributed to the preservation of much of its environment and ecosystems. Forests, including dense tropical growth and valuable teak in lower Myanmar, cover over 49% of the country, including areas of acacia, bamboo, ironwood and Magnolia champaca. Coconut and betel palm and rubber have been introduced. In the highlands of the north, oak, pine and various rhododendrons cover much of the land.[116]

 

Heavy logging since the new 1995 forestry law went into effect has seriously reduced forest acreage and wildlife habitat.[117] The lands along the coast support all varieties of tropical fruits and once had large areas of mangroves although much of the protective mangroves have disappeared. In much of central Myanmar (the Dry Zone), vegetation is sparse and stunted.

 

Typical jungle animals, particularly tigers, occur sparsely in Myanmar. In upper Myanmar, there are rhinoceros, wild water buffalo, clouded leopard, wild boars, deer, antelope, and elephants, which are also tamed or bred in captivity for use as work animals, particularly in the lumber industry. Smaller mammals are also numerous, ranging from gibbons and monkeys to flying foxes. The abundance of birds is notable with over 800 species, including parrots, myna, peafowl, red junglefowl, weaverbirds, crows, herons, and barn owl. Among reptile species there are crocodiles, geckos, cobras, Burmese pythons, and turtles. Hundreds of species of freshwater fish are wide-ranging, plentiful and are very important food sources.[118] For a list of protected areas, see List of protected areas of Myanmar.

Government and politics

Main article: Politics of Myanmar

Assembly of the Union (Pyidaungsu Hluttaw)

 

The constitution of Myanmar, its third since independence, was drafted by its military rulers and published in September 2008. The country is governed as a parliamentary system with a bicameral legislature (with an executive President accountable to the legislature), with 25% of the legislators appointed by the military and the rest elected in general elections.

I have always wanted to visit Berlin and the fact there were lots of Goshawks in the city was icing on the cake. Berlin is quite a green city with lots of trees and lots of parks. The Goshawk is one of my favourite birds - beautiful and strong, charismatic and elusive. They are referred to as Phantoms of the Forest. In the UK they are hard to see but in Berlin it has become a different story.

 

Berlin City holds maybe over 100 pairs of Goshawks. In the UK we have over 400 and maybe a maximum of 600 pairs - the population is not increasing very fast because of egg collectors, falconers and rogue gamekeepers who will not tolerate predators due to the threat they give to game birds. On my first day in Berlin I decided to visit some of the major city attractions but so far no Goshawks. I was expecting them to pop up at every opportunity as I walked with my eyes gazing upwards. I came across the huge public park known as Tiergarten in the centre of Berlin and decided to try my luck there. There were many trees which were not going to help me have a close up of a wild Goshawk. I walkd for 5 minutes and then eventually spotted a nest in a tree very close to the path. The nest appeared to be much larger than a crow and as I looked at it I decided this had to be a Goshawk nest, maybe an old one? I looked at the left of th nest and watching me with piercing Amber eyes was a hawk. The flared white stripe above the burning Amber eyes and the size of the bird ruled out it's smaller relative, the Sparrowhawk. I froze and then suddenly quickly took some photographs. I expected it to fly or move out of sight but it sat camouflaged against the branch, patiently, completed un-fazed and relaxed by me. I actually felt very emotional as I was having this close encounter, a private audience with royalty. I have always wanted to have this moment and must thank Berlin for being able to provide me and others with this close encounter. There was movement at the nest and I expected another adult to show but a small white downy chick raised it's head and peered at me, fixing that almost pale blue looking eye, judging me, learning about me.

 

I watched for 30 minutes, transfixed, people walked by wondering what had hypnotized me. If Berlin can accept the Goshawk then why can't Britain?

  

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_goshawk

  

The northern goshawk /ˈɡɒs.hɔːk/ (Old English: gōsheafoc, "goose-hawk"), Accipiter gentilis, is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes other diurnal raptors, such as eagles, buzzards and harriers. As a species in the Accipiter genus, the goshawk is often considered a true "hawk".

 

It is a widespread species that inhabits the temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere. It is the only species in the Accipiter genus found in both Eurasia and North America. With the exception of Asia, it is the only species of "goshawk" in its range and it is thus often referred to, both officially and unofficially, as simply the "goshawk". It is mainly resident, but birds from colder regions migrate south for the winter. In North America, migratory goshawks are often seen migrating south along mountain ridge tops in September and October.

 

This species was first described by Linnaeus in his Systema naturae in 1758 under its current scientific name.[3]

 

The northern goshawk appears on the flag of the Azores. The archipelago of the Azores, Portugal, takes its name from the Portuguese language word for goshawk, (açor), because the explorers who discovered the archipelago thought the birds of prey they saw there were goshawks; later it was found that these birds were kites or common buzzards (Buteo buteo rothschildi).

  

Description

  

The northern goshawk is the largest member of the genus Accipiter.[4] It is a raptor with short, broad wings and a long tail, both adaptations to manoeuvring within its forest habitat. Across most of the species' range, it is blue-grey above and barred grey or white below, but Asian subspecies in particular range from nearly white overall to nearly black above. The juvenile is brown above and barred brown below. Juveniles and adults have a barred tail, with dark brown or black barring. Adults always have a white eye stripe. In North America, juveniles have pale-yellow eyes, and adults develop dark red eyes usually after their second year, although nutrition and genetics may affect eye color as well. In Europe and Asia, juveniles also have pale-yellow eyes while adults develop orange-colored eyes.

 

The northern goshawk, like all accipiters, exhibits sexual dimorphism, where females are significantly larger than males. Males, being the smaller sex by around 10–25%, are 46–57 cm (18–22 in) long and have a 89–105 cm (35–41 in) wingspan.[5][6] The female is much larger, 58–69 cm (23–27 in) long with a 108–127 cm (43–50 in) wingspan.[5][6] Males average around 780 g (1.72 lb), with a range of 500 to 1,200 g (1.1 to 2.6 lb).[5] The female can be more than twice as heavy, averaging 1,220 g (2.69 lb) with a range of 820 to 2,200 g (1.81 to 4.85 lb).[5] Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 28.6–39 cm (11.3–15.4 in), the tail is 20–28 cm (7.9–11.0 in), the culmen is 2–2.6 cm (0.79–1.02 in) and the tarsus is 6.8–9 cm (2.7–3.5 in).[5][7][8] In Eurasia, the species follows Bergmann's rule: specimens from the northern races generally are larger-bodied than goshawks near the southern reaches of the species range.[5] Going on wing chord length, A. g. apache, found in Mexico to Arizona and New Mexico, is the largest subspecies at an average of 36.8 cm (14.5 in) and is larger than more northern subspecies in that continent, thus running contrary to Bergmann's rule. A. g. fujiyamae of Japan is the smallest race, at 30.9 cm (12.2 in) in wing chord length.[5] In Europe, goshawks from Finland or of Finnish ancestry are prized as bigger than other goshawks.

 

The flight is a characteristic "flap flap, glide", but the bird is sometimes seen soaring in migration, and is capable of considerable, sustained, horizontal speed in pursuit of prey with speeds of 38 mph (61 km/h) reported.[9] Goshawks are sometimes confused with gyrfalcons, especially when observed in high speed pursuit, with their wingtips drawn backward in a falcon-like profile.

 

In Eurasia, the male is sometimes confused with a female sparrowhawk, but is larger, much bulkier and has relatively longer wings. In North America, juveniles are sometimes confused with the smaller Cooper's hawk; however, the juvenile goshawk displays a heavier, vertical streaking pattern on their chest and abdomen and sometimes appears to have a shorter tail due to its much larger and broader body. Although there appears to be a size overlap between small male goshawks and large female Cooper's hawks, morphometric measurements (wing and tail length) of both species demonstrate no such overlap, although weight overlap can occur due to variation in seasonal condition and food intake at time of weighing. In North America, the sharp-shinned hawk is markedly smaller.

  

Habitat

  

Northern goshawks can be found in both deciduous and coniferous forests. They seem to thrive only in areas with mature, old-growth woods and are typically found where human activity is relatively low. During nesting season, they favor tall trees with intermediate canopy coverage and small openings below for hunting. They can be found at almost any altitude, but recently are typically found at high elevations due to a paucity of extensive forests remaining in lowlands across much of its range. In winter months, the northernmost populations move down to warmer forests with lower elevations, continuing to avoid detection except while migrating. A majority of goshawks around the world remain sedentary throughout the year.

  

Food and hunting

  

This species is a powerful hunter, taking birds and mammals in a variety of woodland habitats, often utilizing a combination of speed and obstructing cover to ambush birds and mammals. Goshawks are often seen flying along adjoining habitat types, such as the edge of a forest and meadow; flying low and fast hoping to surprise unsuspecting prey. They are usually opportunistic predators, as are most birds of prey. The most important prey species are small mammals and birds found in forest habitats, in North America, this comprises largely grouse, American crow, snowshoe hare, and red squirrel. Compared to many smaller Accipiter species, northern goshawks are less specialized as predators of birds, with up to 69% or as little as 18–21% of their diet comprised by either birds or mammals depending on location.[12][13][14] Prey species may be quite diverse, including pigeons and doves, pheasants, partridges, grouse, gulls, assorted waders, woodpeckers, corvids, waterfowl (mostly tree-nesting varieties such as the Aythya genus[12]) and various passerines depending on the region. Mammal prey may include rabbits, hares, tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, rats, voles, mice, weasels and shrews. Prey is often smaller than the hunting hawk, with an average prey mass of 275 g (9.7 oz) in one study of nesting birds in Minnesota.[12] In the Netherlands, male prey averaged 277 g (9.8 oz) whereas female prey averaged 505 g (17.8 oz).[5] However, northern goshawks will also occasionally kill much larger animals, up to the size of geese, raccoons, foxes and large hares, any of which can be more than twice their own weight.[5][15] The goshawk is likely a significant predator of other raptors, known prey including European honey buzzards, owls, smaller Accipiters and the American kestrel.[5][16]

 

Northern goshawks sometimes cache prey on tree branches or wedged in a crotch between branches for up to 32 hours. This is done primarily during the nestling stage.[

  

Behavior

  

In the spring breeding season, northern goshawks perform a spectacular "undulating flight display", and this is one of the few times this secretive forest bird engages in behavior conspicuous to human observation. At this time, the surprisingly gull-like call of this bird is sometimes heard. As in all Accipiters, communication is primarily vocal since visual displays are difficult in the species' preferred densely vegetated habitats.[11] Adults defend their territories fiercely from all intruders, including passing humans. It is presumed that their unusually aggressive nest defense is an adaptation to defense against tree-climbing bears such as the American black bear and the Asian black bear. Additional predators at the nest may include formidable species that can climb or fly to trees such as fishers, other martens, wolverines, eagles and great horned owls and Eurasian eagle owls.[10][11] Gray wolves have been recorded stalking and killing fledging goshawks, especially when larger prey is scarce.[11] Goshawks are most under threat from hatching until their fledgling stage, and are rarely threatened by other wild animals outside their own species when adult. Other raptor species have been recorded as being viciously attacked by goshawks variously over competition for food, for too closely approaching active nests and in territorial behavior, and many are regularly displaced or even killed by the aggressive goshawk.[5][11] The northern goshawk is considered a secretive raptor, and is rarely observed even in areas where nesting sites are relatively close together. During nesting, the home ranges of goshawk pairs are from 1,500 to 10,000 acres (610 to 4,050 ha).[

  

Breeding

  

Adults return to their nesting territories by March or April and begin laying eggs in April or May. Usually, once they are "paired up", a breeding pair will mate for life. Territories often encompass a variety of habitats; however, the immediate nest area is often found in a large, mature or old-growth forest tree. Nests are bulky structures, often measuring about 1 m (3.3 ft) in both width and depth, made of dead twigs, lined with leafy green twigs or bunches of conifer needles and pieces of bark. The clutch size is usually 2 to 4, but anywhere from 1 to 5 eggs may be laid. Each egg is laid at 2- to 3-day intervals. The eggs are bluish-white and roughly-textured. They average 59 mm × 45 mm (2.3 in × 1.8 in) in size and weigh about 60 g (2.1 oz). The female is the primary incubator although the male will sometimes take a shift to give the female a chance to eat. The male does most of the hunting for both the female and the young at the nest. The incubation period can range from 28 to 38 days. Nestling goshawks are highly vocal. They may use a "whistle-beg" call as a plea for food. It begins as a ke-ke-ke noise, and progresses to a kakking sound. The chick may also use a high pitched "contentment-twitter" when it is well fed. The young leave the nest after from 35 to 46 days and start trying to fly another 10 days later. Parent goshawks continue to actively feed their offspring until they are about 70 days of age. The young may remain in their parents' territory for up to a year of age, at which point sexual maturity is reached.[11]

  

Status

  

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the northern goshawk was extirpated in the 19th century because of specimen collectors and persecution by gamekeepers, but in recent years it has come back by immigration from Europe, escaped falconry birds[citation needed], and deliberate releases[citation needed]. The goshawk is now found in considerable numbers in Kielder Forest, Northumberland, which is the largest forest in Britain. The main threat to northern goshawks internationally today is the clearing of forest habitat on which both they and their prey depend, and in Britain illegal shooting and poisoning for game preservation when dispersing young move into farming areas.

 

In North America, several non-governmental conservation organizations petitioned the Department of Interior, United States Fish & Wildlife Service (1991 & 1997) to list the goshawk as "threatened" or "endangered" under the authority of the Endangered Species Act. Both petitions argued for listing primarily on the basis of historic and ongoing nesting habitat loss, specifically the loss of old-growth and mature forest stands throughout the goshawk's known range. In both instances, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service concluded that listing was not warranted, but state and federal natural resource agencies responded during the petition process with standardized and long-term goshawk inventory and monitoring efforts, especially throughout U.S. Forest Service lands in the Western U.S. The United States Forest Service (US Dept of Agriculture) has listed the goshawk as a "sensitive species", while it also benefits from various protection at the state level. In North America, the goshawk is federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 by an amendment incorporating native birds of prey into the Act in 1972. The northern goshawk is also listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).[17]

  

In falconry

  

The name "goshawk" is a traditional name from Anglo-Saxon gōshafoc, literally "goose hawk".[18] The name implies prowess against larger quarry such as wild geese, but were also flown against crane species and other large waterbirds. The name "goose hawk" is somewhat of a misnomer, however, as the traditional quarry for goshawks in ancient and contemporary falconry has been rabbits, pheasants, partridge, and medium-sized waterfowl. A notable exception is in records of traditional Japanese falconry, where goshawks were used more regularly on goose and crane species.[19] In ancient European falconry literature, goshawks were often referred to as a yeoman's bird or the "cook's bird" due to their utility as a hunting partner catching edible prey, as opposed to the peregrine falcon, also a prized falconry bird, but more associated with noblemen and less adapted to a variety of hunting techniques and prey types found in wooded areas. The northern goshawk has remained equal to the peregrine falcon in its stature and popularity in modern falconry.

 

Goshawk hunting flights in falconry typically begin from the falconer's gloved hand, where the fleeing bird or rabbit is pursued in a horizontal chase. The goshawk's flight in pursuit of prey is characterized by an intense burst of speed often followed by a binding maneuver, where the goshawk, if the prey is a bird, inverts and seizes the prey from below. The goshawk, like other accipiters, shows a marked willingness to follow prey into thick vegetation, even pursuing prey on foot through brush.

Engineering work being carried out on the Calder Valley line this week has seen an increase in freight traffic over the Standedge route 60096 is seen on the approach to Diggle Junction with a diverted Liverpool Bulk Terminal to Drax Power Station Biomass train.

Sony α7 | Sony Zeiss Sonnar T* FE 35mm f/2.8 ZA

 

Explore 29/04/2015

American's N810AN gets a wipe-down.

 

American Airlines Boeing 787-8 (N810AN)

cn: 40628/339

Built in 2015

Mercedes 200 (W110) (2nd Series) (1965-68) Engine 1988cc S4 (Petrol)

Registration Number ANR 304 (Leicestershire)

MERCEDES SET

 

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623671722255...

 

Production of the new 200, 200D and 230 models commenced in July, 1965, replacing the W110 190c and 190d. The engine in the 200 had the bore increased from 85 to 87 mm, giving a 1988 cc displacement, and was fitted with twin carburetors. Visually, the second series models had the front indicators relocated from the top of the front fenders to below the headlights. At the rear, the tail lights were enlarged and squared off and the chrome trim was revised (including the removal of the chrome trim from the trailing edge of the tailfins). All models now featured air outlets with chrome trim on the C-pillars (identical to the W111 models). Inside, there were very few changes except all models now featured reclining front seats (excluding the bench seats) this had been previously an option on the 190c and 190Dc, and the 230 had a central armrest in the back seat as standard.

 

Diolch am 79,506,707 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mae pob un yn cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr.

 

Thanks for 79,506,797 amazing views, every one is greatly appreciated.

 

Shot 05.01.at Bicester Heritage Centre, Bicester, Oxon 144-425

       

'Take A View' Landscape Photographer Of The Year 2012 competition

  

I was delighted to find that this image of the Sage Gateshead and the Tyne Bridge and the Olympic rings had won a commended place in the Landscape Photographer Of The Year 2012 Collection:6 book, and that it will also be printed as part of the exhibition beginning Nov 12th at the National Theatre.

Another of my Sage shots made it through to collection: 5 last year too :-), so double yays!

 

Thanks to Brian Kerr who took phone shots of my pic in the book and emailed them to me on Friday as I wasn't due to receive my copy until the next day and I just couldn't wait to see it!

Save a Life, Surrender your Knife.

Increase The Peace, Keep Knives Off The Street.

Cowards Carry Knives.

Project Zao

#DropTheKnifeSaveALife

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It truly is a magnificent sculpture which, if you get the chance, to see it for yourself. The vision and workmanship is outstanding. It's incredible from any angle. The up-lighting is delightful, although I only managed to see this effect for a few moments.

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My YouTube Video: Knife Angel. Derby Cathedral. Oct 2019

youtu.be/Wltn7gVv_9M

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Rachel Webb, whose son Tom was 22 years old when he was stabbed and killed in St Peter's Street, Derby, by a 16 year old boy in January 2016, has been instrumental in bringing the Angel to Derby. She supported a knife surrender held across Derbyshire and knives from this were donated towards the creation of this sculpture.

 

The knife Angel has been created as a National monument against violence and aggression at the British Ironworks Centre in Oswestry and is a memorial to those whose lives have been affected by knife crime. It is a 27ft high sculpture, which Alfie Bradley has designed and created single-handedly using over 100,000 knives surrendered and collected in nationwide amnesties in 2015/2016. The angel began it's tour around the UK in 2018 when it was housed outside of Liverpool Cathedral for December and January in order to raise awareness of the impact of knife crime on society, the victims and their families and friends.

It is currently on a city tour of the UK.

 

Knife crime is rising across the country. The Knife Angel's presence in derby is very much a symbol of the hard work of partners and communities across Derbyshire to halt this rise.

Derbyshire Police are spearheading a multi agency campaign called Project Zao, which aims to prevent causalities and stop venerable youngsters from seeing violence as the answer. It targets those who carry knives and delivers a hard hitting educational package to thousands of young people across the county.

 

All 43 national police forces, the Home Office, anti-violence groups across the UK and hundreds of families who have been affected by knife crime are all strongly supporting the Knife Angel. Relatives of those killed by knife crime were invited to engrave the blades with names and messages for their loved ones as part of the sculpture.

 

The Knife Angel is a symbol of defiance and change, shining a spotlight on Britain's knife crime problem and its impact on communities, families and individuals.

 

The Angel; is helping to raise awareness of violent crime and helping young people understand the reasons not to carry knives.

Please show your support and join us in standing up to knife crime!

Hi friends, time for a new upload after some absence. I spent a long weekend in the Algarve, Portugal. Was very excited to finally put my D700 and especially my new lens, the 14-24 mm f/2.8 to the test.

 

This shot was taken in a place called Praia Do Carvalho, a small and remote sandy beach, surrounded by rocks, cliffs and of course water. A single rock reached out in front, the view was breathtaking. On top of that I found out this natural hole to shoot through, so I literally screamed out loud ;-) To have the shot framed like this I had to go ultrawide, so my 14-24 came in really handy, a lens which really is out of this world btw. It blows the Sigma 10-20 I previously owned completely out of the water.

 

First time I used a DRI (Dynamic Range Increase) tool to blend multiple exposed shots. Was already a heavy Photomatix user, but DRI does an even better job than HDR. Basically, DRI has all the benefits of HDR, but without the halos; it just looks more natural. The tool is called Enfuse, and acts as a Lightroom plugin. You don't even have to leave Lightroom for the processing, it's all happening in the background. Processing takes quite a bit (I could make coffee and drink it), but the result is impressive plus there is hardly any noise to be found.

  

Captured at Praia Do Carvalho, Lagoa Municipality, Faro District, Algarve, Portugal.

  

Tech:

Nikon D700

Nikkor 14-24 mm f/2.8

14 mm

ISO 200

f/16

5 handheld xps from 1/6 to 1/100s

Merged in Enfuse

PP with Totally Rad Action Mix II and Nik Color Efex Pro

  

Must See Large And On Black!

 

Follow me:

allardschager.com | Twitter | Facebook Page | 500px

 

In Southern California, Fall brings the increase in chance of beautiful sunsets. Back on the first of November, when the sun was setting over an hour later than it is now, the stage was set for an incredible light show. If you’ve watched enough sunsets, you can start to pick up on patterns in the behavior of the light. Here we can see the clouds to the south alight as if on fire above Rancho Palos Verdes and the Santa Monica Pier. The band of that fiery red and orange light had not reached the clouds above where I was standing and more importantly directly to the west, but I know the pattern. The light travels across the clouds from the south to the north, and a few moments later the sky all around me light up just as vibrant. In this moment, a prelude to the larger show where I was standing, the color above the pier was fantastic and I shot a three image panorama at 135mm before scrambling to change lenses and shoot the color as it arrived.

 

Watch a time lapse of this sunset here: vimeo.com/298539178

"Prices of Imports Eke Out First Increase Since June" by REUTERS via NYT t.co/kAcnbft2a8 (via Twitter twitter.com/felipemassone/status/720040785308217344)

www.sacred-destinations.com/england/byland-abbey

Grand Harbour, Vittoriosa, Malta

Dania, she is my new model =)

 

she has big and nice smile, She always wanna laugh =D

 

People around always say to us ,, she is big girl ,,, the mean she act like young people =B

 

I hope the smile stay forever !

  

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Camera : Canon Rebel XTi ( 450D ).

Lens : Tamron 70 - 300 mm Tele-macro.

Exposure : 1/160 sec

Aperture : F/5.6

 

Using Photoshop

 

- Add dark curve layer.

- Increase White color and light using Level layer by moving the right arrow to the left a little bit.

- Increase color by using Hue/Saturation

- Adding frame with Shadow and Finish

 

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Any Comment ?!

 

Please say what's in your mind about this Photo..

 

All Copyrights reserved to JBrealow 2009

The Beeston Canal, in Beeston, Nottinghamshire.

 

Although the River Trent had been used for navigation for centuries it was not until the late 18th century that improvements were made.

 

The Trent Navigation Company was formed by an Act of 1783 with the responsibility of maintaining and improving the river from Shardlow in Derbyshire to Gainsborough (Lincolnshire). William Jessop was appointed as permanent engineer.

 

An Act of 1794 authorised the construction of the Beeston Canal (also known as the Beeston Cut), a cut 2¼ miles (3.2 km) in length, which ran from the Nottingham Canal at Lenton to the River Trent at Beeston. It opened in 1796 and allowed boats to travel through the town and thereby avoid hazardous conditions on the River Trent between Beeston Lock and West Bridgford.

 

With increased prosperity, the canals became the transport of choice in its day and people soon arrived to capitalise on its obvious benefits. But with the advent of the railway, the canal system went into decline, until the Inland Waterways Association championed the use of canals as leisure facilities in the 1960s. This led to a clean up and canal side improvements that feature today.

 

increases svp

WTC Montevideo

I help aspiring and established photographers get noticed so they can earn an income from photography or increase sales. My blog, Photographer’s Business Notebook is a wealth of information as is my Mark Paulda’s YouTube Channel. I also offer a variety of books, mentor services and online classes at Mark Paulda Photography Mentor

 

All images are available as Museum Quality Photographic Prints and Commercial Licensing. Feel free to contact me with any and all inquiries.

 

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SN/NC: Verbena Sp., Syn. Verbena Officinalis, Verbena Hybrida, Verbenaceae Family

 

Verbena (verbena) is a genus of herbaceous or semi-woody, annual or perennial plants, with about 250 species. Tracks with simple, opposite sheets. Originating from both hemispheres. They prefer sandy, light and fast-draining soils. They are usually found in groups of numerous individuals of flowers of the same color, associated with other colored species/varieties, which, as a whole, form an attractive sight.

The verbena is a plant that is used in several ways in infusion and in octopus. It helps with nervous tension, relieves headaches and even favors the absorption of food. By helping digestion and restoring the nervous system, it is an ideal tonic for those recovering from chronic illnesses. This plant is also used in childbirth contractions and increases maternal milk production. Appears in relation to "divine hierbas" by Saint Hildegard of Bingen.

The genus was described by Carlos Linneo and published in Species Plantarum 1: 18. 1753.3 The species type is: Verbena officinalis L. Verbena: generic name that is an ancient Latin name for common European verbena.

 

Verbena (verbena) é um gênero de plantas herbáceas ou semi-lenhosas, anuais ou perenes, com cerca de 250 espécies. Faixas com folhas simples e opostas. Originário de ambos os hemisférios. Eles preferem solos arenosos, leves e de drenagem rápida. Geralmente são encontrados em grupos de numerosos indivíduos de flores da mesma cor, associados a outras espécies/variedades coloridas, que, em conjunto, formam um atrativo visual.

A verbena é uma planta que é utilizada de diversas formas em infusão e em polvo. Ajuda na tensão nervosa, alivia dores de cabeça e ainda favorece a absorção dos alimentos. Ao ajudar na digestão e restaurar o sistema nervoso, é um tónico ideal para quem se recupera de doenças crónicas. Essa planta também é utilizada nas contrações do parto e aumenta a produção de leite materno. Aparece em relação a "hierbas divinas" de Santa Hildegarda de Bingen.

O gênero foi descrito por Carlos Linneo e publicado em Species Plantarum 1: 18. 1753.3 O tipo da espécie é: Verbena officinalis L. Verbena: nome genérico que é um antigo nome latino para verbena comum europeia.

 

Verbena (verbena) es un género de plantas herbáceas o semileñosas, anuales o perenne, con cerca de 250 especies. Rastreras con hojas simples, opuestas. Originarias de ambos hemisferios. Prefieren suelos arenosos, livianos y de rápido drenaje. Generalmente se las encuentra en grupos de numerosos individuos de flores del mismo color, asociadas a otras coloridas especies/variedades, las cuales, en su conjunto, forman una atractiva vista.

La verbena es una planta que se utiliza de varias maneras en infusión y en polvo. Ayuda a la tensión nerviosa, alivia los dolores de cabeza e incluso favorece la absorción de los alimentos. Al ayudar a la digestión y restaurar el sistema nervioso, constituye un tónico ideal para quienes se recuperan de enfermedades crónicas. Esta planta es utilizada también en las contracciones del parto y aumenta la producción de leche materna.

Aparece en la relación de "hierbas divinas" de santa Hildegarda de Bingen.

El género fue descrito por Carlos Linneo y publicado en Species Plantarum 1: 18. 1753.3 La especie tipo es: Verbena officinalis L.

Verbena: nombre genérico que es un antiguo nombre latino de la verbena común europea.

 

Verbena (verbena) is een geslacht van kruidachtige of halfhoutachtige, eenjarige of meerjarige planten, met ongeveer 250 soorten. Sporen met eenvoudige, tegenover elkaar liggende bladen. Afkomstig uit beide hersenhelften. Ze geven de voorkeur aan zanderige, lichte en snel doorlatende bodems. Ze worden meestal gevonden in groepen van talrijke individuen van bloemen van dezelfde kleur, geassocieerd met andere gekleurde soorten/variëteiten, die als geheel een aantrekkelijk gezicht vormen.

De verbena is een plant die op verschillende manieren wordt gebruikt in infusie en in octopus. Het helpt bij nerveuze spanning, verlicht hoofdpijn en bevordert zelfs de opname van voedsel. Door de spijsvertering te helpen en het zenuwstelsel te herstellen, is het een ideaal tonicum voor mensen die herstellen van chronische ziekten. Deze plant wordt ook gebruikt bij bevallingsweeën en verhoogt de moedermelkproductie. Verschijnt in verband met "goddelijke hierbas" door de heilige Hildegard van Bingen.

Het geslacht werd beschreven door Carlos Linneo en gepubliceerd in Species Plantarum 1: 18. 1753.3 Het soorttype is: Verbena officinalis L.

Verbena: generieke naam die een oude Latijnse naam is voor gewone Europese verbena.

 

La verveine (verveine) est un genre de plantes herbacées ou semi-ligneuses, annuelles ou vivaces, avec environ 250 espèces. Pistes avec des feuilles simples et opposées. Originaire des deux hémisphères. Ils préfèrent les sols sablonneux, légers et à drainage rapide. On les trouve généralement en groupes de nombreux individus de fleurs de la même couleur, associés à d'autres espèces/variétés colorées, qui, dans leur ensemble, forment un spectacle attrayant.

La verveine est une plante qui s'utilise de plusieurs façons en infusion et en poulpe. Il aide à la tension nerveuse, soulage les maux de tête et favorise même l'absorption des aliments. En aidant la digestion et en restaurant le système nerveux, c'est un tonique idéal pour ceux qui se remettent de maladies chroniques. Cette plante est également utilisée dans les contractions de l'accouchement et augmente la production de lait maternel.

Apparaît en relation avec les "divines hierbas" de Sainte Hildegarde de Bingen.

Le genre a été décrit par Carlos Linneo et publié dans Species Plantarum 1 : 18. 1753.3 Le type d'espèce est : Verbena officinalis L.

Verveine : nom générique qui est un ancien nom latin de la verveine européenne commune.

 

Verbena (Eisenkraut) ist eine Gattung krautiger oder halbverholzter, einjähriger oder mehrjähriger Pflanzen mit etwa 250 Arten. Gleise mit einfachen, gegenüberliegenden Blättern. Aus beiden Hemisphären stammend. Sie bevorzugen sandige, leichte und schnell entwässernde Böden. Sie werden normalerweise in Gruppen von zahlreichen Individuen von Blumen der gleichen Farbe gefunden, die mit anderen farbigen Arten/Sorten assoziiert sind, die als Ganzes einen attraktiven Anblick bilden.

Die Eisenkraut ist eine Pflanze, die auf verschiedene Weise in Aufgüssen und in Tintenfischen verwendet wird. Es hilft bei nervöser Anspannung, lindert Kopfschmerzen und begünstigt sogar die Nahrungsaufnahme. Indem es die Verdauung unterstützt und das Nervensystem wiederherstellt, ist es ein ideales Stärkungsmittel für diejenigen, die sich von chronischen Krankheiten erholen. Diese Pflanze wird auch bei Geburtswehen verwendet und erhöht die mütterliche Milchproduktion. Erscheint im Zusammenhang mit „göttlichen Hierbas" der Heiligen Hildegard von Bingen.

Die Gattung wurde von Carlos Linneo beschrieben und in Species Plantarum 1: 18 veröffentlicht. 1753.3 Der Arttyp ist: Verbena officinalis L. Verbena: Gattungsname, der ein alter lateinischer Name für gewöhnliches europäisches Eisenkraut ist.

 

La verbena (verbena) è un genere di piante erbacee o semilegnose, annuali o perenni, con circa 250 specie. Tracce con fogli semplici e opposti. Originario di entrambi gli emisferi. Prediligono terreni sabbiosi, leggeri e drenanti. Si trovano solitamente in gruppi di numerosi individui di fiori dello stesso colore, associati ad altre specie/varietà colorate, che nel loro insieme formano uno spettacolo attraente.

La verbena è una pianta che viene utilizzata in diversi modi in infusione e nei polpi. Aiuta con la tensione nervosa, allevia il mal di testa e favorisce anche l'assorbimento del cibo. Aiutando la digestione e ripristinando il sistema nervoso, è un tonico ideale per chi è in convalescenza da malattie croniche. Questa pianta viene utilizzata anche nelle contrazioni del parto e aumenta la produzione di latte materno. Appare in relazione alla "divina hierbas" di Santa Ildegarda di Bingen.

Il genere è stato descritto da Carlos Linneo e pubblicato in Species Plantarum 1: 18. 1753.3 La specie tipo è: Verbena officinalis L. Verbena: nome generico che è un antico nome latino della verbena comune europea.

 

バーベナ (バーベナ) は、約 250 種の草本または半木本、一年生植物または多年生植物の属です。シンプルな反対側のシートでトラックします。両半球由来。彼らは、砂質で軽くて水はけのよい土壌を好みます。それらは通常、同じ色の花の多数の個体のグループで見られ、他の色の種/変種と関連しており、全体として魅力的な光景を形成しています.

バーベナは、注入やタコでいくつかの方法で使用される植物です.神経の緊張を和らげ、頭痛を和らげ、食物の吸収を促進します。消化を助け、神経系を回復させることにより、慢性疾患から回復する人々にとって理想的な強壮剤です.この植物は、出産収縮にも使用され、母乳の生産を増加させます。

ビンゲンの聖ヒルデガルトの「神聖なヒルバ」に関連して登場。

この属は Carlos Linneo によって記述され、Species Plantarum 1: 18. 1753.3 で公開されました。種のタイプは次のとおりです。Verbena officinalis L.

バーベナ：一般的なヨーロッパのバーベナの古代ラテン名である一般名.

 

لويزة (لويزة) هي جنس من النباتات العشبية أو شبه الخشبية ، الحولية أو المعمرة ، مع حوالي 250 نوعًا. المسارات مع أوراق بسيطة متقابلة. تنشأ من كلا نصفي الكرة الأرضية. إنهم يفضلون التربة الرملية والخفيفة وسريعة التصريف. عادة ما توجد في مجموعات من العديد من الأفراد من نفس اللون ، المرتبطة بأنواع / أصناف ملونة أخرى ، والتي ، ككل ، تشكل مشهدًا جذابًا.

لويزة نبات يستخدم بعدة طرق في التسريب وفي الأخطبوط. يساعد في التخلص من التوتر العصبي ، ويخفف من الصداع ويفضل امتصاص الطعام. من خلال المساعدة على الهضم واستعادة الجهاز العصبي ، فهو منشط مثالي لأولئك الذين يتعافون من الأمراض المزمنة. يستخدم هذا النبات أيضًا في تقلصات الولادة ويزيد من إنتاج حليب الأم. يظهر فيما يتعلق بـ "الهيربا الإلهي" للقديس هيلدغارد من بينغن.

تم وصف الجنس بواسطة Carlos Linneo وتم نشره في Species Plantarum 1: 18. 1753.3 نوع النوع هو: Verbena officinalis L. لويزة: اسم عام وهو اسم لاتيني قديم للويزة الأوروبية الشائعة.

 

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Follow My Once In A Lifetime Travel Experiences at Mark Paulda’s Travel Journal

One of the classic Carbondale, IL shots... the coaling towers. I had a wonderful visit with "gbw9301" (and many others) which included grabbing Q197 splitting the towers. I was shocked with the increased track speed through town. "Mainline of Mid-America" indeed!

Increased activity around our bird box today - lots of coming and going, so I guess perhaps they are now feeding chicks?

March Point. Padilla Bay/Fidalgo Bay.

"The Washington population of the Black Oystercatcher is estimated to be roughly 400 birds. This number is probably not significantly different from the historical population, as these birds require fairly specialized habitat, which is not evenly distributed. Oystercatchers are highly vulnerable to human disturbance, oil spills, and pollution of the intertidal zone. Numbers of Black Oystercatchers on the outer coast may be higher than in the past, in part due to decreased human disturbance resulting from lighthouse automation. Numbers in inland areas, however, have declined in response to increased human activity. The Northern Pacific Coast Regional Shorebird Management Plan has identified the Black Oystercatcher as a regional species of high concern."

 

"The Black Oystercatcher is restricted in its range, never straying far from shores, in particular favoring rocky shorelines. It has been suggested that this bird is seen mostly on coastal stretches which have some quieter embayments, such as jetty protected areas. It forages in the intertidal zone, feeding on marine invertebrates, particularly molluscs such as mussels, limpets and chitons. It will also take crabs, isopods and barnacles. It hunts through the intertidal area, searching for food visually, often so close to the water's edge it has to fly up to avoid crashing surf. It uses its strong bill to dislodge food and pry shells open."

From about the 1890s onwards Australia artists increasing came under the spell of two largely Parisian influences: Impressionism (which we won't look at here specifically because it is so well known), and Art Nouveau.

 

The Impressionist stream has certainly had the wider impact, but to me the most interesting developments came from those influenced by the highly fashionable Art Nouveau, which found its way into painting, sculpture and architecture.

 

Here are three very beautiful expressions of this influence in Australian art at the turn of the 20th century. The statue is by Bertram Mackennal and here is a short video introducing his work:

www.ngv.vic.gov.au/multimedia/bertram-mackennal-the-artist/

www.altviewphoto.com