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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!!!
Opened in ACR and increased Exposure and saturation slightly.
Rotated image slightly.
Cloned out Windows (took a while).
Cloned out rugs on the left.
Copied the left bottom of the couch and flipped horizontally and replaced the right side of the couch.
Added texture (I found this random texture on my computer that was pretty yellow)..set Layer to overlay.
Masked out around the couch and baby at 50%.
Burned edges.
I think thats it! Enjoy!
60004 7V06 (1020 TO or SX? STP Welbeck Colliery - Didcot Power Station Merry-go-round coal train, which was formed of c36 [later increased to 45] HAAs loaded with "Black Gold" & departed 20 minutes early at 1000 - Stenson Jn - 1403 - 15/03/94.
Today's image was taken at Packwood House which is a National Trust property in Lapworth near to Solihull. The view is of a room that is called the Ireton Bathroom. The room was restyled in the 1930's with Blue and White Dutch Delft tiles and ornate bath fittings. The room is called the Ireton Bathroom due to the Parliamentary General Henry Ireton staying in the adjoining bedroom at the beginning of the English Civil War in 1642.
The photo was taken using the app Camera Awesome on my iPhone 6.
First I used the app Lightroom mobile to edit the photo. I straightened the image and applied the Dynamic Colour preset. I changed the White balance and boosted the contrast using the Dehaze feature. I also increased the Saturation, Vibrance and Clarity. Next I used the App Mextures to apply a new Formula called Manchester Morgue by Tony Detroit. I then used Painteresque to add the Painteresque 2 preset. Finally I used the app PhotoToaster to add the Tuneup preset, the Vibrant FX, a Small dark Vignette. I then added the Canvas texture and the Leather frame.
2014 National Day Parade National Education Show 2, viewed from Esplanade Outdoor Theatre, Singapore
Feeling rather old school:
All Rights Reserved
Use without permission is illegal.
If you like to acquire my works, do drop me an email and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Alternatively, you can license my photos through Getty Images. :)
Please click here to view this large!
This picture was shot on a tripod with three exposures (-2..0..+2EV). I used Photomatix to create the HDR with tone mapping and detail enhanced. I increased the overall saturation with Hue/Saturation in Photoshop. Curve adjustment to increase the overall contrast. One layer mask to increase color and contrast in the sky. Some dodging and burning to bring out details. High Pass Sharpening.
Bridge of the Gods is a steel truss cantilever bridge that connects Cascade Locks, Oregon and Washington near Stevenson. This was shot from the Oregon side. The span of the bridge runs south to north. So, it was really interesting to see the difference in colors in the sky, between the left side and the right side of the bridge, towards sunset. Presented in full HDR!
To view my other HDR images, click here.
Lake ice builds up on the southern shore of Lake Huron at Sarnia, Ontario. The beach here is level with a slight rise from the water line. The mounds of ice on the left are formed when waves splash ashore in sub-zero temperatures and create ever increasing mounds.
►►► Explore the world of HDR with me at farbspiel-photo.com - View. Learn. Connect.
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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
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Learn these techniques at farbspiel-photo.com - View. Learn. Connect.
- Thanks for viewing!
Tonight's Net Flicks offering shows another view of B-52H 'Aero 71' aka 'High Tension III' crossing the fence at RAF Fairford
Visible in this view are not only the unique undercarriage layout with the four directional main undercarriage legs - in this case they are very slightly turned to cater for the crosswind, but in addition the outrigger wheel can be seen - designed to protect the wing tanks and low slung engines on take-off and landing as when they taxi or when the lift is dumped, the wings droop and the outriggers take up the slack
Additionally, on top of the wings you can see those huge 'tufted' ailerons - here the pilot is working hard to keep straight and level and which double as air brakes too
If you look closely along the tops of the inboard part of the wings - and on the tailplane top surface are rows of spiked vortex generators - used to smooth out the airflow over the wings - decreasing turbulence and therefore increasing the lift
At the very rear, on the earlier models a tail gunner would have been carried but the later models deleted that option with more modern equipment being carried as an alternative
A sobering thought is that the last B-52 to roll off the Boeing production line was in 1962!
That was serial number 61-0040.
This one is s/n 61-0013
276A1844
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 scrub jay of Florida is an endangered species and could well become extinct in the near future. It is a shame and I pray that it's population will increase and that it will not be faced with extinction. It is a real treasure .
White light: Takahaski 120 mm 1.4X extender Lunt wedge Televue 2X powermate Nikon Z8
Calcium light: Lunt 80 mm Lunt calcium module Televue 2X powermate ZWO 1294 camera.
Sunspot 3976-8 is large and complex and in calcium shows activity that might yet ramp up to a significant flare.
So here goes the Sunday church shot. This is the main sanctuary of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York. The last time I was here, the sanctuary was closed so had to return back with a shot of the chapel.
See it BIG.
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[Photo Specs]
- No HDR. Digital blending of 3 exposures (3 secs to 30 secs) at f/10, ISO 100 using Photoshop smartobjects
- Layer of curves for contrast
- Layer of saturation (reduced master and yellow, increased red)
- Channel mixer adjustment (green) to bring out the real colors of the green walls and the ceiling
- Layer of unsharp mask at the end
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Explore highest position # 24 on Feb 24, 2009.
Friends, thank you for your visit, comments, and faves.
A thing of beauty is a joy forever; Its loveliness increases; it will never Pass into nothingness." — John Keats. 1795-1821 Endymion. Book i
Alien art
Science fiction ideas
How could an alien look like, a bird like? It’s difficult to anticipate that. Aliens could play with their DNA to create additional functions and / or they might replace some body-parts, made by steels, plastics, ceramics, etc., to increase functionality, durability, and replaceability.
To make sure that they exist all the time, they might copy their data daily and save. So long there is no change in current data processors, which are feelings and emotions, and guidelines created by the historical-data collection, they can process any new data the same way, so that no change would occur in their personalities. They might play with their processors and shift their selves, by adding up some new hormones, to a better and stable psychological level to control their feelings and emotions.
Feelings and emotions make us alive. Without them, we would be biological robots and could exist on earth without knowing our existence, with breathing oxygen (like electrical motors needed electricity) and doing the other functions that we normally do, but like robots. We couldn’t achieve the stage of controlling our feelings and emotions yet. We are at the hand of the nature, forming us according to its capabilities. Some aliens might be already in that stage. The life would be easier for them, and they could develop exponentially after reaching this stage. They could easily create a human being like us on any suitable planet.
We have to find the ways to control our feelings and emotions without waiting a biological change.
We kill each other. We are not always mentally stable and get mentally ill (some people are in hospitals). It is tough to change how our bodies function, but we have the teaching power of our society. We have to better educate ourselves about how we function.
If you want, you can look at the beautiful pictures in the group Very Arty. www.flickr.com/groups/14847479@N25/
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 !!!!!
A flock is a group of birds
A flock is a group of birds felicitating flocking behavior in flight, birds may also sacrifice feeding efficiency in a flock to gain other benefits. The principal benefits are safety in numbers and increased foraging efficiency. Defense against predators is y important in closed habitats such as forests
Pesci (19 febbraio - 20 marzo)
Nel 2010, se cercherai di allargare la tua esperienza del piacere, il cosmo ti aiuterà più di quanto non faccia da tempo. Vuoi trarre più gioia sensuale dal mangiare, bere, ballare e ascoltare musica? Questo è l’anno giusto. Vuoi essere più sensibile, scoprire nuove forme di bellezza nel mondo e stimolare emozioni liberatorie e sensazioni positive? Questo è l’anno giusto. Vuoi rendere più intensi e frequenti i tuoi orgasmi, e imparare a usarli per aumentare la tua forza spirituale? Questo è l’anno giusto. Nelle prossime settimane comincia non solo ad alimentare, ma a sovralimentare il tuo piacere. Felice sballo di San Valentino, Pesci!
++++ 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.
le fumeur
aka
"Nicotine acts at receptors for ACh, and increases DA in the mesolimbic pathway." G. Davay et al.
Joined by the international community, hundreds of thousands of landmarks, buildings, homes and communities around the world, light blue in recognition of people living with autism. Autism-friendly events and educational activities take place all month to increase understanding and acceptance and foster worldwide support.
Tuna Universitaria Complutense de Madrid ( fundada en el 1991)durante su actuación en la Plaza Parterre.
Durante el VII Encuentro Mundial de Tunas Mojácar
Participaron 30 tunas en esta séptima edición: tres internacionales y veintisiete tunas nacionales .
Entre las llegadas de otros continentes participaron las venidas de Colombia; la Tuna Ciudad de Zipaquirá, la tuna peruana Cayetano Heredia de Lima, y la que podríamos decir la mas singular puesto que es la
primera y única tuna de toda Asia; la Tuna Cantón, de China. También a destacar el incremento de la presencia de tunas femeninas, nueve de distintos puntos de nuestra geografía estuvieron presentes. Al final más de quinientos cincuenta participantes y tres continentes Europa, Asia y América estuvieron representados en este certamen.
Evento organizado por la Tuna de Ciencias de la Universidad de Granada en colaboración con el Ayuntamiento de Mojácar, del tejido empresarial y hotelero de Mojácar así como de la Asociación de Moros y Cristianos de la localidad...
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VII World Meeting of Tunas Mojacar
30 tunas participated in this seventh edition: International ,three and twenty-seven national tunas.
Among the arrivals from other continents participated comings of Colombia; the Tuna Ciudad de Zipaquira, tuna Peruvian Cayetano Heredia in Lima, and we could say the most unique since it is the
first and only tuna throughout Asia; the Tuna Canton, China. Also highlight the increased presence of tunas female, nine different locations throughout the country were present. At the end more than five hundred fifty participants and three continents Europe, Asia and America were represented at this event.
Event organized by the Tuna of Sciences of the University of Granada in collaboration with the City of Mojacar, business and hotel Mojacar tissue as well as the Association of Moors and Christians of the town ...
“These are large, long-tailed sparrows with small heads and short but stout, seed-eating bills. Golden-crowned Sparrows feed on seeds and insects on the ground and in low vegetation. They whistle their slow, mournful-sounding songs from high perches and nest in dense, low vegetation. In migration and winter, they gather in loose flocks and mix with other sparrows, especially White-crowned Sparrows. Golden-crowned Sparrows are most visible during migration and winter, when they frequent forest edge, shrubs, chaparral, and backyards of the West Coast. They nest much farther north, in low, shrubby areas of tundra or at the edges of boreal forests….. When day length increases in the spring, the Golden-crowned Sparrow detects the change through photoreceptors (light-sensitive cells). Its body responds by putting on fat and getting an urge to migrate.”
Status : Least Concern
Source : Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Brown Acres – Jackson County – Oregon - USA
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.
►►► Explore the world of HDR with me at farbspiel-photo.com - View. Learn. Connect.
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About | HDR Cookbook | Before-and-After | Making-of | Pics to play with
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(Hit 'f' to fave this image)
Watch the Before and After - Comparison to see where this photo comes from!
The story of this photo:
I revisited the shots from our Paris trip last year and found a bracketed series of shots of the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel which is positioned in front of the Louvre. I decided to process it and share it with you.
This is one of the rare night HDRs you will find in my stream. I love night shots with great lighting. However, I still have a hard time getting used to carrying around a tripod. I have bought a real light-weight carbon tripod to increase the likelihood of me actually taking it with me. And yet, I still feel that I have a lot more freedom and I am a lot faster without it, getting more shots from more angles. As a result, I have developed some skills of shooting hand-held in low-light conditions, something that comes in handy in churches where tripod are forbidden. Still, I have to get used to using the tripod more often.
BTW, you can find a shot of this place in day light here. This earlier shot was one of my very first uploads to flickr. Go and visit it! It may feel a bit lonesome on the very last page of my stream. :-)
Enjoy!
Take a look at my "HDR Cookbook"! It contains some more information on my techniques.
How it was shot:
> Taken with a tripod
> Three exposures (0, -2, +2 ev) autobracketed
> Camera: Nikon D90
> Lens: Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 18-200mm 1:3,5-5,6G ED VR
> Details can be found here
How it was tonemapped:
> HDR creation and tonemapping using Photomatix Pro 4.0 (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 entire image [details]
> Topaz Infocus for sharpening
> Levels layer on the sky (darkening)
> Curves layer on the arch to enhance the contrast
> Saturation layer on the arch (master / yellows)
> Black fill layer on the arch masked with the in verted blue channel (contrast enhancement)
> Levels layer on the black elements of the rach (darkening)
> Saturation layer on the horses (master)
> Vignette effect using a masked fill layer [details]
> Watermarking
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Learn these techniques at farbspiel-photo.com - View. Learn. Connect.
- Thanks for viewing!
American's N810AN gets a wipe-down.
American Airlines Boeing 787-8 (N810AN)
cn: 40628/339
Built in 2015
To increase demand in school capacity, Midland Classic have an additional 6 buses in the form of former London presidents, this being a Metroline example (as VPL597). But then the omnidekkas are also retiring, so some are to replace them.
no. LK04 NNF
Fornebu (local form Fornebo) is a peninsular area in the suburban municipality of Bærum in Norway, bordering western parts of Oslo.
Oslo Airport, Fornebu (FBU) served as the main airport for Oslo and the country since before World War II and until the evening of October 7, 1998, when it was closed down. Overnight, a grand moving operation was performed, so that the following morning, the new main airport, located inland at Gardermoen (OSL), opened for operations as the main airport, as opposed to previously having been a minor airport.
As of 2001, the Fornebu area is being developed as a centre for information technology and telecom industry, as well as there being some housing project developments nearby. The new headquarters of Norway's telecom giant Telenor are located in the area.
The peninsula is connected to Langodden and Snarøya, which are more established areas of private residences.
Equipment=Nikon 750D
Lens Used=Tokina 17-35mm Lens
Exposures=7
Location=Fornebu, Norway
Workflow=Aurora 2018
Adobe Lightroom 5,
ON1 Photo 10=Increase Color,Dynamic Contrast, and Dark Glow
Nik Color=Brilliance/Warmth, Sunset, and Skylight
Aurora 2018=Realistic Dreamy
'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
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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!
The Copernicus Sentinel-2B satellite takes us over Semarang, Indonesia. A port city on the north coast of Java, Semarang is the fifth-largest city in the country, covering some 374 sq km and home to just over 1.5 million people.
This true-colour image shows the heart of the bustling regional commercial centre in the bottom-left, where a range of industries from fishing to glass manufacture and textiles operate. Exports of rubber, coffee, shrimp, tobacco, and cacao, among other products, pass through the city’s harbour, which can also be seen in the bottom-left of the image.
The Java Sea dominates the left part of the image. Flood management remains an ongoing challenge for the area, with the city being prone to tidal flooding.
The island nation of Indonesia is particularly vulnerable to sea-level rise. Some parts of Semarang, such as the residential area of Candi Baru, shown in the bottom-left of the image, stand just above sea level.
In the right of the image we can see mainly agricultural land, with rice fields stretching across the landscape. Land subsidence has been widely reported in the area, particularly in the northern part of Semarang, accelerated by population increases and urban development.
The impacts of subsidence include the wider expansion of (coastal) flooding areas, cracking of buildings and infrastructure, and increased inland seawater intrusion.
Sentinel-2 is a two-satellite mission for land monitoring, providing imagery of soil and water cover, inland waterways and coastal areas, for Europe’s Copernicus environmental monitoring programme. Wide swath Sentinel-2 data can also contribute to monitoring land-use change that triggers erosion, forest and wildfires, and the onset of floods.
This image, which was captured on 9 May 2018, is also featured on the Earth from Space programme, here www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2018/11/Earth_from_Space...
Credit: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2018), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
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
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A day of action by students opposed to the recently announced increases to tuition fee
A number of students attempted to protect a police van from further damage after it had been attacked
The Smithsonian Institution, established in 1846 "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge," is a group of museums and research centers administered by the United States government. Originally organized as the "United States National Museum," that name ceased to exist as an administrative entity in 1967. Termed "the nation's attic" for its eclectic holdings of 137 million items, the Institution's Washington, D.C. nucleus of nineteen museums, nine research centers, and zoo—many of them historical or architectural landmarks—is the largest such complex in the world. Additional facilities are located in Arizona, Maryland, New York City, Virginia, Panama and elsewhere, and 168 other museums are Smithsonian affiliates. The Institution's thirty million annual visitors are admitted without charge; funding comes from the Institution's own endowment, private and corporate contributions, membership dues, government support, and retail, concession and licensing revenues. Institution publications include Smithsonian and Air & Space magazines.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smithsonian_Institution
Texture 82 by Anna Lenabem: www.flickr.com/photos/lenabem-anna/5377434850/
Visit my Kreative People group Highlight Gallery
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
This image is included in a gallery "PAISAJISTICA" curated by A.R.R.E.
St Kilda Pier has been the centre of recreational activity in St Kilda since the 1850s. Both the old shed at the pier entrance and the pavilion at the end are part of Victoria's heritage.
St Kilda Pier's History dates back to 1853 when the St Kilda Pier and Jetty Company constructed a wooden jetty to assist the early settlers in unloading timber, building materials and firewood to St Kilda. Not long after its construction the small jetty fell victim to a stormy Port Phillip Bay and was washed away. Various forms of piers were constructed at St Kilda in the 1800s as the demand for a larger pier grew with the ever increasing trade to and from the area. Since then the St Kilda Pier has grown to its present size, with the most recent concrete section constructed in the 1970s.
The historic St Kilda Pier Kiosk was built in 1904 and has undergone several renovations in its time. Tragically, the Kiosk was devastated by fire on September 11, 2003. Original drawings from 1904 were used as the basis for the kiosk's reconstruction in 2005 and now a new era has begun for the kiosk. The St Kilda Kiosk has become a symbol of St Kilda, a place of seaside fun, relaxation and romance. In many ways it offers the same simple pleasures. So take your time to look around and reflect.
A quiet Winter morning, the bay is as still as a pond, the mild sun is trying to shine through thick clouds and mist, even seagulls are lazy to show up.
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
Seen near Birmingham Airport. This had been bought due to a PVR increase on the 388 but can be found on routes 26 and 388
Antelope - East African Sitatunga
is a swamp-dwelling antelope found
throughout central Africa.
Habitat loss is the most severe threat to the survival of the sitatunga. Other threats include the increasing loss of wetlands and long-term changes in the water level, that affects vegetation/food source.
Hope you enjoyed my pics!
All rights reserved ©Pix.by.PegiSue
www.flickr.com/photos/pix-by-pegisue/
~Protect animals and wild life habitat around the World! ~
Taken @ San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Escondido, CA
**Fight to end extinction of species around the world. www.EndExtinction.org