The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, will today begin her three day visit to Rwanda, her first since she came to the helm of the institution in 2011. In an e-mail correspondence with The New Times’ Kenneth Agutamba, Lagarde sheds light on her institution’s current relationship with Rwanda and commends the country’s transformative and inclusive policies that have seen a significant decline in poverty levels.

You come here 20 years after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. In your view, what has been the trigger for Rwanda’s rapid economic renaissance?

My main message to Rwanda is that “Good policies pay off.” Let me set this in a broader context by saying that I am very happy to have the opportunity to visit Rwanda at such a pivotal moment in its history. The horrific events that occurred 20 years ago tore the social and economic fabric of the country, and it is uplifting to see the progress in rebuilding, in peace efforts, and in improving the welfare of all Rwandans.

This truly is an example in terms of social and economic transformation. It proves that effective policies and inclusive growth can be transformational.

The economic performance has been remarkable, with strong annual growth for the past 15 years. This has helped Rwanda make progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The poorest have benefited from a focus on inclusive growth, with the poverty rate falling to 45 per cent of the population in 2011 from 60 per cent in 2000.

Of course, this rate is still high, but it is definite progress and we see the trend continuing. So, while there has not been a magic bullet or a single trigger, a holistic approach, that also included a focus on the agricultural sector, employment, and gender equality, has been instrumental in sharing the fruits of high growth more widely.

What is the status of IMF relations in Rwanda at present?

We have a very close economic policy dialogue and the IMF is currently supporting the government with a Policy Support Instrument (PSI) – designed for low-income countries that have graduated from financial support but still seek to maintain a close policy dialogue.

The PSI signals the strength of a country’s policies to donors, multilateral development banks, and markets. We also provide technical assistance as part of the Fund’s efforts to increase local capacity and know-how. We have an office in Kigali, where a resident representative, currently Mitra Farahbaksh, ensures our presence in the field.

Rwanda’s PSI, which is in its second year, supports Rwanda’s own policy priorities for strong and inclusive growth, with an emphasis on domestic resource mobilization, private sector development, export diversification, regional integration, and financial sector development.

We recently reviewed this programme and welcomed the country’s continued strong performance. We also agreed with the government that more work needs to be done to further reduce Rwanda’s reliance on aid and increase its resilience to external shocks.

What is your economic outlook for the country between now and 2020?

Our outlook for Rwanda is positive. The economy is recovering from a weak performance in agriculture and delays in related project implementation in recent years. Growth rebounded last year and inflation remains well contained. We expect GDP growth rates to rise gradually towards 7-7.5 per cent in the medium term, while inflation remains within the medium-term target of 5 per cent.

I am particularly impressed with the government’s continued commitment to poverty reduction.

As part of my stay here, I will be visiting the Agaseke Handicraft Cooperative and the ICT hub (knowledge Lab) in Kigali to see firsthand how the government has managed to improve the welfare of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups such as women and youth.

As your readers are aware, the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy for 2013–18 focuses on economic transformation, rural development, and youth employment. The strategy is rightly aimed at further reducing poverty.

I think that the continued rollout of planned measures and the successful inclusion of the private sector in leading economic development will help make sizeable inroads in making growth even more inclusive and in reducing inequality.

In a recent advisory by the IMF Board, they encouraged Rwanda to widen its tax base and put emphasis on domestic revenue sourcing. What is your advice on this?

We are devoting a significant portion of our technical assistance to support Rwanda’s efforts to reduce its dependence on foreign aid. The focus is appropriately on widening the tax base – not higher taxes, but all paying a fair share.

The government has already made significant progress in the areas of revenue administration.

The push to increase the number of registered VAT payers through the introduction of electronic billing machines, and the switch in the collection of local taxes and fees from the local governments to the revenue authority, should be useful in bringing more businesses under the tax system.

The introduction of tax regimes for agriculture and mining, and improvements in property taxation, should also help achieve the goal of providing budgetary resources for key expenditures, particularly those aimed at scaling up social spending and infrastructure in a context where donor resources are likely to be limited.

Lately, Rwanda has taken to raising money through bonds, do you think this is viable?

Rwanda’s successful Euro-bond issuance in 2013 demonstrated that market financing can play a complementary role in financing investment plans. Several other African countries have followed suit over the past year.

The key is to ensure that Rwanda’s debt remains sustainable. I welcome the government’s commitment to fully explore concessional financing options and private sector participation before considering the use of non-concessional resources.

At the same time, the government’s decision to begin issuing domestic currency bonds in 2014 was an important step in the process of developing and deepening local capital markets.

www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2015-01-26/185319/

Creating jobs remains a high priority for this country, but as you know the private sector is also still young. What should Rwanda do to address these two issues?

On private sector development, Rwanda’s potential depends critically on full implementation of ongoing reforms to attract foreign investment and boost exports. These include reducing the cost of doing business; improving infrastructure; supporting skills development; and tapping into regional markets.

The increased provision of lower-cost electricity and improved transportation should help facilitate diversification and business development.

On creating jobs, the government has identified three key priorities: skills development, the fostering of entrepreneurship for small- and medium-sized enterprises, and supporting household enterprises. We at the Fund share this emphasis on building the capacity of Africa’s greatest resource–its people. Increased investment in infrastructure can help put people to work.

The IMF’s latest Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa projects regional GDP growth to pick up from about 5 per cent in 2013/14 to 5.75 per cent in 2015. That isn’t a big leap, is it? Can you elaborate on this?

Sub-Saharan Africa has made impressive progress over the past two decades, with growth averaging around 5 per cent. We expect that to continue in 2015, despite the impact of lower oil prices on some of Africa’s major oil exporting economies.

So there has been real progress, as growth has allowed for reducing poverty and improving living conditions.

For example, the number of people living on less than $1.25 a day in Africa has fallen significantly since 1990. But extreme poverty remains unacceptably high and not all countries are making progress. Some countries are still facing internal conflict and/or fragility.

Looking ahead, there are a number of longer-term demographic, technological and environmental challenges that need to be addressed in order to realise the ‘big leap’ that you refer to.

For instance, how can we tap into the productive capacity of Africa’s youth? How can Africa take advantage of technological innovation?

And how can we address the implications of climate change? Three broad policy priorities are crucial: building infrastructure, building institutions, and building people. Africa must also strengthen its institutional and governance frameworks to better manage its vast resources.

But the focus must be on people—with programmes aimed at boosting health and education and other essential social services. In fact, Rwanda is one of the countries that are effectively implementing policies in many of these areas.

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has dealt a major blow to several African economies in the region. Can the effects of this blow spread to other parts of the continent?

The Ebola outbreak is a severe human, social and economic crisis that requires a resolute response. And the focus must be on isolating the virus, not the countries.

Strong efforts are underway in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, but it is unlikely to be brought under control before the second half of 2015.

The economic outlook for these countries has already worsened since September, when the IMF disbursed $130 million to the (three) countries to boost their response to the outbreak.

If the outbreak remains limited to the three countries, the economic outlook for the rest of sub-Saharan Africa remains favourable. Some neighbouring countries like The Gambia have seen an impact on tourism.

We are working with the governments of the three affected countries to provide additional interest-free financing of about $160 million, and expect our Board to make a decision in the next few days.

Following the endorsement by the G-20 leaders in Australia, we are also looking at further options to provide additional support to the Ebola-hit countries, including through the provision of donor-supported debt relief.

International oil prices have been tumbling, is this good for Rwanda and the other members of the EAC?

Indeed, oil prices have fallen recently, affecting both oil producers and consumers. Overall, we see the price decline as positive for the global economy. As an oil importer, Rwanda and indeed the East Africa region should benefit given that lower prices will most likely have a positive impact on growth whilst also easing inflation.

Countries can make use of this window of opportunity to reduce universal energy subsidies and use the savings toward more targeted transfers that benefit the poor.

Recently, the East African Community, a regional bloc to which Rwanda subscribes, reached a landmark Economic Partnership agreement (Epa) with Europe. Do you think that these countries need such agreements?

The EPA is designed to enhance commercial and economic relations, supporting a new trading dynamic in the region and deepening cooperation in trade and investment. It can serve as an important instrument of development in many respects.

It can promote sustained growth, increase the productive capacity of EAC economies, foster diversification and competitiveness, and, of course, boost trade, investment and employment. Rwanda is a key member of the EAC that has worked hard to create a conducive and transparent business environment. So it should benefit from this agreement.

**************************

About Lagarde

Christine Lagarde assumed the mantle of the International Monetary Fund in July 2011. A Frenchwoman, she was previously French finance minister from June 2007, and had also served for two years as France’s minister for foreign trade.

Lagarde also has had an extensive and noteworthy career as an anti-trust and labour lawyer, serving as a partner with the international law firm of Baker & McKenzie, where the partnership elected her as chairman in October 1999.

The IMF is an organisation of 188 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world.

 

Photos : Jack Yakubu (Jack Nkinzingabo)

A one day workshop at Manatee County's Convention and Visitors Bureau with discussions about new research, state requirements and community collaboration.

The increase in the population of the US versus, for the same time period, US traffic fatalities and US military fatalities. Be safe, join the army!

By Han Samuel

samuel.han2.fm@mail.mil

 

YONGSAN GARRISON - If you are a Soldier, you may remember taking the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, which is administered to all who wish to enlist in the US military. You may also remember that you received a General Technical score.

 

This score, which is based on the subcategories of Arithmetic Reasoning and Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension, plays a big role in determining the outcome of Soldiers’ military careers. A higher score allows Soldiers to have the freedom to apply for many career advancement opportunities i.e. direct commissioning programs, Warrant Officer Program, Physician’s Assistant program, to include changing your military occupational Specialty, while a lower score limits your ability. For this reason, it is crucial for Soldiers to receive a high GT score.

 

According to Gene Baird, an education counselor at the Yongsan Education center, 110 is the minimum GT score required by the Army for most Military Occupational Specialties. Having this score raises the chance that Soldiers will be able to apply to the positions they most want to be in.

 

So what happens to Soldiers who have a low score? Fortunately, the Army allows Soldiers to retake the AFCT up to three times during their service in the Army. This means that Soldiers are not stuck to the GT score they first received when entering the Army.

 

But what about Soldiers that feel pretty rusty after being away from Math and English classes for several years? One of the Army’s solutions is the Peterson’s Online Academic Skills Course, a two week program that helps Soldiers practice their Math and English skills.

 

Staff Sgt. Henry Tye, Staff Sgt. Ting Yi Lin, Spec. Steven Robert Avery, and Pvt. First Class Manuel Juan

Lopezreynoso were four Soldiers, who after using the Peterson’s OASC, were able to receive scores ranging from 114 to 119, raising their scores by 8 to 19 points.

 

“This program works for everyone -- even people who are rusty from a lack of school,” said Lin. “There are lots of opportunities for practice, there are helpful links that walk you through how to solve problems, and if none of that works, there are also the teachers who can help you out.”

 

One thing that Avery reminded, however, was that personal effort was a crucial element that needed to be present. Although the Peterson’s OASC provided helpful tools, it still required the dedication of each person in order to work.

 

“It’s not only about the class it’s also your work,” stated Avery. “It’s about wanting career advancement, and doing something about it.”

 

Lopez claimed that the only way students would increase their score is if they made sure they came each time and paid attention to what they were learning.

 

“If you are here to just play around, obviously it won’t work,” stated Lopez. “But if you put your work into it, the amount of hours applied will make a difference.”

 

So in the end, it boils down to the attitude of the Soldier. For a Soldier dedicated to improving their military career, the Peterson’s OASC will help bring an increase, as it did for these four Soldiers.

“The reason why I am here is because I want to improve my military career,” said Tye. “That’s really all it’s about.”

On Monday, April 20, DMPS increased the number of meal distribution sites from 22 to 50, offering meals to any child aged 18 or younger. The grab-and-go style meals include a lunch and a breakfast for the next day. Additional food items will be available to students on Fridays to take home for the weekend. The meal sites are open weekdays from 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.

 

For more information, visit: www.dmschools.org/coronavirus/dmps-meal-program-during-cl...

Inle Lake (Burmese: အင်းလေးကန်, pronounced: [ʔɪ́ɴlé kàɴ]) is a freshwater lake located in the Nyaungshwe Township of Taunggyi District of Shan State, part of Shan Hills in Myanmar (Burma). It is the second largest lake in Myanmar with an estimated surface area of 116 km2, and one of the highest at an elevation of 880 m. During the dry season, the average water depth is 2.1 m, with the deepest point being 3.7 m, but during the rainy season this can increase by 1.5 m.

 

The watershed area for the lake lies to a large extent to the north and west of the lake. The lake drains through the Nam Pilu or Balu Chaung on its southern end. There is a hot spring on its northwestern shore.

 

Although the lake is not large, it contains a number of endemic species. Over twenty species of snails and nine species of fish are found nowhere else in the world. Some of these, like the silver-blue scaleless Sawbwa barb, the crossbanded dwarf danio, and the Lake Inle danio, are of minor commercial importance for the aquarium trade. It hosts approximately 20,000 brown and black head migratory seagulls in November, December and January.

 

In June 2015, it becomes the Myanmar's first designated place of World Network of Biosphere Reserves. It was one of 20 places added at at the Unesco's 27th Man and the Biosphere (MAB) International Coordinating Council (ICC) meeting.

 

PEOPLE AND CULTURE

The people of Inle Lake (called Intha), some 70,000 of them, live in four cities bordering the lake, in numerous small villages along the lake's shores, and on the lake itself. The entire lake area is in Nyaung Shwe township. The population consists predominantly of Intha, with a mix of other Shan, Taungyo, Pa-O (Taungthu), Danu, Kayah, Danaw and Bamar ethnicities. Most are devout Buddhists, and live in simple houses of wood and woven bamboo on stilts; they are largely self-sufficient farmers.

 

Most transportation on the lake is traditionally by small boats, or by somewhat larger boats fitted with single cylinder inboard diesel engines. Local fishermen are known for practicing a distinctive rowing style which involves standing at the stern on one leg and wrapping the other leg around the oar. This unique style evolved for the reason that the lake is covered by reeds and floating plants making it difficult to see above them while sitting. Standing provides the rower with a view beyond the reeds. However, the leg rowing style is only practiced by the men. Women row in the customary style, using the oar with their hands, sitting cross legged at the stern.

 

Fish caught from the lake - the most abundant kind is called nga hpein locally (Inle carp, Cyprinus intha) - are a staple of the local diet. A popular local dish is htamin gyin - 'fermented' rice kneaded with fish and/or potato - served with hnapyan gyaw (literally twice fried - Shan tofu). In addition to fishing, locals grow vegetables and fruit in large gardens that float on the surface of the lake. The floating garden beds are formed by extensive manual labor. The farmers gather up lake-bottom weeds from the deeper parts of the lake, bring them back in boats and make them into floating beds in their garden areas, anchored by bamboo poles. These gardens rise and fall with changes in the water level, and so are resistant to flooding. The constant availability of nutrient-laden water results in these gardens being incredibly fertile. Rice cultivation is also significant.

 

Hand-made goods for local use and trading are another source of commerce. Typical products include tools, carvings and other ornamental objects, textiles, and cheroots. A local market serves most common shopping needs and is held daily but the location of the event rotates through five different sites around the lake area, thus each of them hosting an itinerant market every fifth day. When held on the lake itself, trading is conducted from small boats. This 'floating-market' event tends to emphasize tourist trade much more than the other four.

 

The Inle lake area is renowned for its weaving industry. The Shan-bags, used daily by many Burmese as a tote-bag, are produced in large quantities here. Silk-weaving is another very important industry, producing high-quality hand-woven silk fabrics of distinctive design called Inle longyi. A unique fabric from the lotus plant fibers is produced only at Inle lake and is used for weaving special robes for Buddha images called kya thingahn (lotus robe).

 

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

Inle Lake is suffering from the environmental effects of increased population and rapid growth in both agriculture and tourism. During the 65-year period from 1935 to 2000, the net open water area of Inle Lake decreased from 69.10 km² to 46.69 km², a loss of 32.4%, with development of floating garden agriculture, which occurs largely on the west side of the lake (a practice introduced in the 1960s).

 

Lumber removal and unsustainable cultivation practices (slash and burn farming techniques) on the hills surrounding the lake are causing ever-increasing amounts of silt and nutrients to run off into the rivers that feed the lake, especially along its western and northern watershed areas. This silt fills up the lake; the nutrients encourage the growth of weeds and algae. More important however is the development of floating garden agriculture, largely along the western side of the lake. This practice encroaches into the diminishing area of the lake, since over time, the floating beds become solid ground. About 93% (nearly 21 km²) of the recent loss in open water area of the lake, largely along its western side, is thought to be due to this agricultural practice. Direct environmental impacts associated with these combined agricultural activities within the wetlands and surrounding hills of the lake include sedimentation, eutrophication, and pollution.

 

The water hyacinth, a plant not native to the lake, also poses a major problem. It grows rapidly, filling up the smaller streams and large expanses of the lake, robbing native plants and animals of nutrients and sunlight. At one time, all boats coming into Nyaung Shwe were required to bring in a specified amount of water hyacinth. Over the past twenty years, large-scale use of dredges and pumps has been employed with some success in controlling the growth of this plant. On a smaller scale, public awareness education and small-scale control have also been successful.

 

Another cause for concern is the planned introduction of non-native fish species, such as the Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)] intended to improve fishery.

 

Sanitation in the villages around the lake is an ongoing concern for public health authorities, due to untreated sewage (with 72% of households using open pits, not latrines) and waste water flowing into the lake. To ensure fresh and clean water, some villages now have enclosed wells and public access to the well water. Some studies of the lake's surface

 

water quality indicates that the water is not safe for consumption. Water from Inle Lake has dissolved oxygen ranges lower than those necessary for fisheries and aquatic life, while nitrite, nitrate and phosphate ranges are unusually high.

 

Noise pollution is also a noticeable issue. The noise from the cheaper poorly muffled diesel engines driving the stern drive propellers is significant, and can be a distraction to the otherwise tranquil lake.

 

The summer of 2010 registered very high temperatures causing the water level of the lake to drop so low, the lowest in nearly 50 years, that drinking water had to be fetched from elsewhere and the floating market was in danger of disappearing. One other serious consequence was that the hydroelectric plant at Lawpita, where the former capital Yangon received its power supply from, could not operate at its full capacity.

 

TOURISM

The best time of the year to visit is during September and October. The ceremonial Hpaung Daw U Festival, which lasts for almost three weeks, is closely followed by the Thadingyut festival of lights. Inthas and Shan turn out in their best clothes in great numbers to celebrate the Buddhist Lent. Traditional boat racing, with dozens of leg-rowers in Shan dress in a team on each boat, is a famous event during the Hpaung Daw U Festival.

 

Inle Lake is a major tourist attraction, and this has led to some development of tourist infrastructure. Many small and large privately owned hotels and tour operations have arisen during the past few years. Local shops are flooded with consumer items, both local and foreign. The nearest airport is Heho Airport which is 35 km away. There are flights from both Yangon and Mandalay. Yangon is 660 km away by road, Mandalay 330 km.

 

CUISINE

Inle cuisine is different from Shan cuisine, as it incorporates local natural produce. The most well-known Inle dish would be the Htamin jin - a rice, tomato and potato or fish salad kneaded into round balls dressed and garnished with crisp fried onion in oil, tamarind sauce, coriander and spring onions often with garlic, Chinese chives roots (ju myit), fried whole dried chili, grilled dried fermented beancakes (pè bouk) and fried dried tofu (topu jauk kyaw) on the side.

 

WIKIPEDIA

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They called it 'increasing energy output.' Everybody else called it dropping an a-bomb into Yellowstone. Before they could be stopped, it erupted. Bigger than anybody had thought it would be, it covered much of the U.S, Canada, and Mexico in lava and ash. It's hardened by now, but there are still pockets of lava everywhere, and the world's temperature has gone haywire. The New World, (especially near what used to be a beautiful national park) is really, really, hot, while the Old World is really, really, cold, due to the ash in the atmosphere blocking the sun. But I've digressed. They weren't really an alternate energy company, they had bigger plans. While the rest of the world was in turmoil, they released their armies, both human and otherwise. They had trampled us, treated us like animals, and sold us like cows. They're the rulers of the earth now, and nobody dares stand against them. What's left of the population lives in wretched conditions, like pigs in the mud. One of their tracker drones has me now. They aren't camouflaged, they don't need it. The'll find you anyway. They can take their time. It's been several years since they started searching for me, hunting me like an outlaw. A wolf's head, they used to call them. Now here I am. It has me, and I can't escape. Trapped, like a rat. There's nothing I can do.

 

Except.

 

I turn around, and prepare to stand and fight.

  

Like a man.

The 1913 Kingsteignton Ball Clay Strike

 

The year 1913 was characterised by growing unrest in many industries throughout the country. Railway workers and coal miners had taken action to withdraw their labour and in June of that year the clay-workers of Kingsteignton, faced with spiralling rises in the cost of living, decided to ask for better terms and conditions. Their demands consisted of a wage increase of two shillings and sixpence per week, payment to miners for time taken to reach the clay face and trade union recognition.

   

The clay companies were not only unsympathetic to the wage demands of their workers but downright hostile to the notion of the workers forming a trades union. For two years efforts to have trade union representation recognised had met with stiff opposition from the employers. Working everyday with the danger from roof falls and gas explosions, borne out by fatal accidents that had occurred within the previous twelve months, the miners of Kingsteignton were convinced that they deserved a better deal.

   

Matters came to a head on Friday 28 th June when the workers at Whiteway & Co walked out on strike. Within a week the strike had spread to most of the pits of the other producers in the parish.

   

A protest march was organised for the evening of Friday 4 th July and procession of clay-workers from Kingsteignton led by the Brotherhood Band marched to the Market Square Newton Abbot where an open air meeting was held.

   

Mr Jack Jones from the National Union of Gas Workers and General Labourers informed the meeting that he had tried to meet with Mr Whiteway-Wilkinson of Whiteway & Co earlier that day only to have Mr Whiteway-Wilkinson turn his back on him. He added that he had been in touch with the workers who unloaded clay shipments at Liverpool and were paid twice as much as clay miners and they had indicated their support for the strikers. Mr Jones stayed at the Exeter Road home of Alf Scott, a foreman with Hexter, Humpherson & Co, an act which did not go un-noticed by his employers and for which Alf was made to pay for some time after the strike when he was dismissed from his employment.

   

Hexter, Humpherson & Co responded to the strikers by publishing a list of wages paid to its various gangs, listing the names of the men working in the gangs. The union replied by asking the company to show the same transparency with its accounts and pointed out that it did not show the wages of the workers who worked in the quarries. The company was also reminded of its healthy financial position that had been revealed during a bitter legal wrangle over its ownership a few years. That dispute had arisen following a disagreement about directors' expenses when the story had made headlines in the local press.

   

The clay-workers held meetings in Torquay, Paignton and Newton Abbot which were chaired by local activists such as Messrs Will Carnell, Will Joslin, R Rendell and Mark Sanders. At one meeting on 18 th July 1913 Mr R Rendell informed the amassed gathering of the conditions the men had to work in. He explained that on occasions he would be working underground all day in water up to his knees and that the noise from water falling from the roof of the tunnel was so loud men could not hear each other speak. When he announced that for working in such conditions he received 2s 1d per day, cries of “shame” emanated from the crowd.

   

Often trade unionists from places such as Devonport and Southampton were invited to address the meetings where collections were held for funds to support the striking miners. The main financial assistance for the strikers came from union strike pay and further support came from fundraising marches around the neighbouring towns and villages. Stockpiles of clay were prevented from being moved as the men who worked the canals were persuaded to join the strike.

   

The clay-workers received moral support from the minister of the Kingsteignton Congregational Church, the Rev John Peters, who was equally outspoken outside of the pulpit as he was in. At a meeting an open air meeting in the Market Square at Newton Abbot on 26 th July he declared that he was “a brother of the working man and I intend to stand by his side” and asked “If the employers were not willing to meet Mr. Jack Jones, will they meet Mr. John Peters?” Such comments may well have irked Mr. C D Blake who as well as being the head of Watts, Blake Bearne & Co, was one of the great benefactors of Newton Abbot Congregational Church.

   

A trade unionist by the name of Young, from Southampton, informed the meeting that the demands were extremely modest and were 5s 8d less than a certain Mr Rowntree had said was the minimum wage for a man to provide a decent life for his family. The union could also point out that they were not at loggerheads with two companies in the district which were already paying more to their employees than the men at Kingsteignton were asking for.

   

The dispute attracted a flurry of correspondence in the local press. One writer who termed himself “Old Mid Devonian” highlighted the fact the Mr C D Blake had given his blessing to trade unions in other local businesses in which he had financial interests such as Bovey Pottery. He asked why the position of the clay-workers was so different. Another who penned a letter under the name of Peacemaker stated that the miners only worked an eight hour day in contrast to the eleven hours 50 minutes of men who worked at the Newton Railway Works and that their wages compared very favourably with those of other workers in the district. Peacemaker's comments were met with derision by the clay workers who reminded everybody that for every 22 ½ cwt of clay they dug they were only paid for digging 20 cwt.

   

In August the lightermen still working on the Hackney Canal were persuaded to join the strike by pickets sitting on the lock gates at Hackney. This action was closely followed by accusations of sabotage when it was discovered that the ropes fastening a lighter had been cut in two places and it had been set adrift. Mr. Jones of the Union said he thought that it was the work of children as anyone wishing to put the vessel out of action could have done far more serious damage.

   

The dispute raised many bitter feelings within Kingsteignton itself. The vicar, the Rev Percival Jackson, was at one meeting accused of sitting on the fence by not supporting the miners who were his parishioners. He responded in the Kingsteignton Parish Chronicle by appealing to both parties to reach an agreement as the strike was damaging to traders in Kingsteignton. He did not wish to see the dispute drag on until the point was reach that one party was forced to sue for peace.

   

At one meeting one of the local union activists, Mark Sanders, revealed how he had been given notice to quit his house. He informed the meeting that he was not behind with his rent and thought the reason he had been given his notice was because of his support for the strike. The chairman of the meeting, Mr Will Joslin, said it reflected the underhandedness of those who called themselves gentlemen.

   

Mr Will Thorne, British Socialist MP for West Ham South, and a founder member of the union came down to Devon to offer his support for the strikers and addressed a number of meetings. Mr Thorne asserted that the only reason the employers were not willing to meet with Mr. Jones was because they feared they would be beaten in an argument. He added that workers were unwilling to meet with the employers without representation as, in the past, when this had occurred, those who had been outspoken had found that within a few weeks they had been discharged. Mr Thorne's comments and actions were not met with enthusiasm by the owners of clay companies who would not reply to letters he wrote on behalf of the strikers and refused point blank to speak with him. The employers labelled him and Mr Jones as outside agitators.

   

The strike dragged on through August without any end in sight. However, when Mr Thomas Butland, Chairman of the Parish Council addressed a meeting of the strikers on 25 th August he reported the first sign of a dialogue being established when he gave an account of a meeting that he had had with the owners. He reported that the owners had acknowledged that there had been a rise in the cost of living and were prepared to give the men a rise in wages but not as much as been asked for. He told the men that the employers were willing for the men to join a union if they so wished but they would only meet with local representatives. Mr Butland offered to do whatever he could to help bring the strike to an end as it would be in the best interests of the village.

   

In contrast the local branch secretary, Mr W G Carnell, reported how he had approached the owners for talks and had been told that he was showing signs of wavering. He assured the meeting that he was not. He explained that the employers had previously met with the local MP Capt Morrison-Bell and had repeated their insistence in not meeting with outside union officials. In a reference to Mr C D Blake, Mr Carnell said that the great Newton Liberal, who they had previously thought of their friend, had proved to be their arch-enemy. He added that when the men saw Tory and Liberal employers fight the workers, the men were beginning to see the need for Socialism.

   

Mr Butland said that he was disappointed to hear of Mr Blake being spoken of as an enemy and assured the meeting that when he had met him, he wanted only for the strike to end. He told the men that Mr Blake had specifically asked for any meeting between the men and the employers to be held during an afternoon so as he could attend.

   

The Rev Peters, who also attended the meeting, said that he thought the owners should acknowledge the union as it would be better for masters and men, as had been proved in connection with the Devon and Courtenay Company .

   

Two day later Mr Jones informed a meeting in Market Square Newton Abbot, that while he had been away in London , Mr Watts had approached some men on a picket line and had informed them that he was willing to meet their local representatives without a union official. Following this direct approach from the employers Mr Jones had advised the men to meet with the employers meetings had now been arranged between the employers and groups of local representatives to discuss ways of bringing the dispute to an end. Before any such meetings took place he urged that all the men should stick within the union which would see to it that any agreement was kept. The men who had spoken from the platform during the strike would represent the employees of the various companies and report back to him to ensure there had been “no monkey tricks”.

   

Eventually, on 12 th September 1913, after meeting with the employers, the men of Watts, Blake Bearne & Co, Whiteway & Co, Hexter, Humpherson & Co, Goddard & Co and the Hackney Canal Company balloted to return to work.

   

A pay rise of 1s 6d per week had been granted to the miners and increased payments per ton were won for shipping clay on the canals. As for recognising the union Mr W G Carnell claimed that whilst some employers were saying that there had been no recognition of the union, some firms had recognised their officials and one firm had told him that “they could elect their representatives for a deputation at a meeting of the union branch”.

   

On 15 th September the Western Times reported on a meeting held at the Market Square Newton Abbot where the local union representatives Mr R Rendell and Mr W G Carnell related to the crowd the outcome of the negotiations. They thanked the public for their support and police for their patience listening to the speakers at their meetings. They added that they were proud of their men's behaviour during the strike and pleased that no conflicts had arisen with the police. Mr Carnell also offered thanks to Mr Harold St Maur of Stover for his financial support to the strikers' fund.

 

(photo by rachel)

   

I've been reading a few books lately. It started when some of my previous time management skills (writing primitive symbols on flat surfaces and the occasional post-it) began to lag behind my increasing workloads. I listened to some of Getting Things Done." I'd recommend this to read rather than listen too - it would just be clearer.

  

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, Rework, and The 4-hour Workweek

  

I like to get down to the nuts and bolts of things. Why do we want to do things in the first place?

   

We are a bit confused, as a species or as a culture. Motivations that were needed in the past now are less reliable. An appetite for protein and fat got us to chase down prey when maybe it would have been easier to pick berries, but now with such ample supply of it we eat to the point of unhealthiness (or way beyond). Also, studies show that more options can make people less happy - we end up questioning or obsessing if maybe the other choice was better. Often we are wired to want certain things, but not wired to know when it's "enough" - so I guess happiness can be unintuitive.

   

"Drive" is a sort of casual science look at what people want, and one of the great things he talks about is that rewards can actually detract from motivation, that beyond feeling that your wage is fair and adequate, more money is not often what works. The author goes into how we are raised, how we structure offices and work, and examines what aspects might be misguided or counter-productive. He talks about many studies, although his application of their results, while reasonable, is not strictly scientific.

  

A definite thumbs up.

 

Rework

  

This is from the guys at 37 Signals, a very successful small software company.

The main thrust is keeping your business simple, removing blocks, rethinking the notion that every business should

be grown as large as possible.

   

I won't try to rehash it. If you are a software developer, or starting your own small business, just read it. It's

short and very much worth your time. If you are an employee at a job you don't like, a cog in the grand machine,

it may not be of help - although it might inspire you to move on by describing a healthy workspace.

  

Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

  

This is a favorite of people right now. I got through about half on audio and stopped. It just didn't connect with me.

   

I've been doing contract/hourly computer work for about twelve years now, and for the last six I've juggled multiple clients.

I don't think I've revolutionized anyone's world, but I guess the notion that I'm doing something really critical for my

clients isn't new to me. They need me, I need them. The book spends a lot of time explaining how the typical company

is structured to not depend or even foster individual talent and independent thinking, and why the reader should be

pursuing a role where they are independent, valued, and critically needed. The author also puts a lot of effort into

exhortation and encouragement for the reader to sort of rise up and be brave and make this happen.

   

I would have loved if this book went in some slightly different directions (for instance, a more in-depth historical

perspective on how we became an assembly line world), but it's not the point of it. I'm not the target audience.

Running my own business doing computer work, I end up usually being a linchpin for my clients. Often I'd rather not be,

but it pays the bills!

   

If you are feeling like a cog in the machine, and don't have a visualization of alternatives, this book may be for you.

It seems like many people have gotten a lot out of it.

  

The 4-Hour Workweek

  

The premise is that you can utilize a lot of off-the-shelf tools on the internet to have a small business that

sells something, and make a lot of money with very small amounts of ongoing work. For instance maybe you know a lot

about how to tune-up vintage motorcycles. Spend 30 hours of work putting together a video that details

it. Sell it as an $80 DVD and booklet combo via a yahoo store. Eventually find a warehouse to fulfill the orders, and

have the printer and DVD manufacturer ship directly to the warehouse. Advertise via google to hit relevant web searches.

The magic here is - if you sell only 20 per week, that is $6400 per month. You're costs may be $20 per item or less, leaving

you $4800 per month. The work involved? Once or twice a week check your email, make sure all the gears are turning.

   

The above massively understates a lot of what the author talks about. His main motivation is to travel a lot and have

free time to pursue things that interest him for fun. He details ways to cut down on distraction, how to be more

efficient and make your business less dependent on your own constant input. He at length discusses the importance of transitioning

your job so that you can work remotely, from anywhere, and that this is really the first step. The scope of the book

ultimately is quite broad, and maybe not every aspect is of use to every person, but it was well done.

   

As I was listening to the audiobook, I could sense two reasons that it would have detractors (Nick @ GSG touched on this too)

   

First, the author isn't describing being a Craftsman. The main thrust is: if you are unhappy with your life and work,

then find a way to make some money with minimal effort, and then do things you DO like. Which could involve hobbies, or

could involve learning a new trade. Superficially this runs counter to books like Rework, but I think it's just for people in a different place.

   

Second, the author has a background in athletics and martial arts, and his product, the one that really taught him

what he is writing about, is a sort of food supplement. It ends up at times feeling very $19.95 via an infomercial when he

talks about it. Many of his real life examples from other people are less like this, but his personal example is less appealing.

But maybe that is the point - if you aren't happy, than disconnect the notion that your work has to be this craft you love.

It would be great if we could all have that, but for some people (or all people, sometimes), the two are just different

things.

  

Of all the books I mentioned, this one was my favorite. I think the author really gets into a lot of the nooks and crannies of how our brains work and what holds us back.

Also, where Linchpin and at times Rework have a kind of soft-hands feel-goodness to them, this is all business. The author doesn't want to muse about things, he wants to live in Thailand and study martial arts while working four hours a week. Maybe this is more where I'm at; I don't need soft hands, I needed some contagious determination.

   

Another nice thing about this book is that the author is not trying to build some new way of looking at things - he doesn't separate workers into linchpins and non-linchpins and then build layers on that, for instance. He talks about many related things, but they can be absorbed individually. Its not a new outlook that might be replaced in a few years by a new way of looking at things. I think the things he talks about have actually been making business owners money for thousands of years - the yahoo storefront might be new though.

  

I would recommend this to anyone who is really at a place to make things happen in their lives.

   

This might work as an audiobook but might be better in print form.

  

Overall

 

Some common threads and main points I got out of these books:

  

Making more money for it's own sake probably won't make you happy

What people want is to have the freedom of being rich, which is more about free time and reasonable resources

Crazy amounts of work, all-nighters, and other stress producers are not helpful and aren't a good means to an end

Being independent and free thinking, and having the right amount of challenge in your work is critical

Distractions kill efficiency. This includes e-mail, web browsing, IMs, phones, co-workers. Everytime you are interrupted, you lose that time, and also lose time trying to get back into the mindset of where you were.

This usually-distracted mindset may itself be a huge source of stress

Being able to work efficiently and solve problems is probably a natural source of happiness - i.e. being in "the zone"

Even 4-hour, with it's make some easy money goal, favors producing a quality product that is useful to people. Returns and unhappy customers are a support headache and don't help you sell more products. Giving easy refunds costs less than arguing.

Simplify down to things you know, things you are good at, and things most people will want.

If you try to please everyone, you will dilute your product or service. Be like Apple - concentrate on how few buttons you can have to get the job done.

    

One of the things I'm still chewing on is why we need to be told not to be distracted, inefficient, and/or lethargic. How many people would say they feel trapped in their job, but a the same time do nothing on a day by day basis to change it? This seems to be a common state for people, but although these books touched on it I'm not sure the completely answered it.

  

I'm working on some of my own ideas....stay tuned.

 

Increase your farm's profits with a Fordson!

 

This lovely 8.25" x 9" advertisement brochure is straight from the Ford factory in Detroit Michigan. 4 pages of cool photos, specs and stuff of vital importance to the farmer back in the 1930s.

It's in smooth and lovely condition, just perfect for framing.

 

This lovely antique illustration is one of many Ford Model A ads amassed by my late father who lovingly restored Model As in his leisure hours in real life.

www.bwthornton.co.uk

 

Four miles north of Cirencester, the ancient village of North Cerney occupies the steep valley of the River Churn, the church and the old rectory form an attractive group on the western slope high above the river, while the village cascades down the opposite side beyond the main Cirencester to Cheltenham road. Sheep are allowed to graze in the churchyard in the summertime and can often be seen dozing in the shade of the many table tombs.

 

All Saints North Cerney is one of the most interesting churches in the Cotswolds, wonderfully furnished at the expense of William Iveson Croome (1891-1967) and full of rare medieval carvings and stained glass. Possibly the third church to have occupied this lofty site, archaeological evidence found when installing a new heating system revealed the foundations of a smaller earlier building. The Saxon origin of these fragmentary remains was given credence when a pre-conquest crucifix, part of an early reredos, was found during further works in the graveyard, now set in the splay of a window in the chancel. A Norman church was built in the 12th century represented by the present nave, the base of the west tower and half the length of the chancel. Liturgical changes in the 13th century increased the role of the chancel in celebration of the Mass and here as elsewhere the chancel was lengthened. The original altar is a rare survival hidden from Reformation iconoclasts under the floor of the Lady chapel and only discovered during alterations in 1912.

 

Much of the present church rose from the ashes of a fire that caused much damage sometime between 1450 and 1460, the Norman roof was beyond repair and the upper stages of the tower bore the brunt of the flames as they took hold of the building. Indeed the effects of the fire returned to haunt present generations of parishioners as substantial funds had to be raised to stabilise the tower which had begun to crack. After the fire, the rector, William Whitchurch undertook the restoration, rebuilding the north wall with large Perpendicular windows, only the one at the west end survives. A window commemorating Whitchurch was moved when the north transept was built and inserted in its new north wall, a Latin inscription reads "Pray for the soul of William Whitchurch".

 

Sometime between 1461 and 1465 the Norman south wall was pierced and a Lady Chapel was constructed giving the church a cruciform plan. The chapel can be dated by its east window which includes the Yorkist symbol of the radiant sun. Prominent among the chapel's furnishings are three 15th century carved figures, St Martin cutting his cloak to give half to a beggar, the Virgin Mary and St Urban holding a bunch of grapes, who also wears the tiara usually associated with Urban the Great. A passage squint leads from the west wall of the transept to the nave. The Lady Chapel screen was designed by F.C. Eden and carved by Laurence Turner in 1913, the St George above is by Giorgio Maurus 1920.

 

Late in the 15th century the north transept was replaced by a chapel dedicated to St Catherine, patron saint of wool merchants. The 16th century altar served the church until the recovery of the medieval mensa in 1912. A vestment press by F.C. Eden occupies the south wall, he also designed the altar frontal and reredos. The east window commemorates the curate who succeeded William Whitchurch and bears the Latin inscription "Pray for the soul of John Bicot", he is seen praying beneath the crucified Christ. However at some stage the stained glass was re leaded with the painted surface outermost and the decoration has suffered as a result. The north transept has a ceiled wagon roof and a curving squint leads to the chancel.

 

The chancel was lengthened in the 13th century. The altar frontal is made from material woven for Chartres Cathedral before the First World War. The mensa with its consecration crosses is supported on the original medieval stones though a modern frame bears the considerable weight. The attractive reredos is the work of architect F.C. Eden responsible for much of the 20th century work in the church. Robert Broad carved the communion rails from Norway oak in 1736. The stepped east window is by Waller 1878 and bears the legend 'God is Love' and has stained glass by Hardman.

 

The Perpendicular nave roof has an interesting collection of carved bosses at its eastern end. The roof rests on large carved corbels, those on the north side are thought to depict the reigning monarch Henry VI, William Whitchurch and the Lord of the manor, the Duke of Buckingham with a ducal coronet and moustaches. The church was lit by candles until 25 years ago and several 17th century Flemish brass candelabra survive. Unfortunately the original Queen Anne arms was stolen but the insurance money was used to make a replacement bearing the present Queen's Royal Coat Of Arms. The pulpit of c1480 is ornamented with lilies and was carved from a single block of stone possibly by carvers from Burford, the pedestal is slightly later. The eagle lectern is of similar date and is made of Flemish brass with a Spanish steel pedestal, it was found in the Marine stores at Gloucester docks. Old pew ends have been used to construct a reading desk, one of the panels has an inscription WC 1631, William Cherrington was churchwarden at this time. In 1870 an organ chamber was created in the north wall of the nave, accessed by stairs from the Catherine chapel, part of F.S. Waller & Son's restoration. The organ is richly decorated by Dykes Bower and William Butchart of Westminster Abbey. Above the east end of the nave is a rood loft designed by F.C. Eden and carved by William Smith in the village, using oak from nearby Rendcomb. John and Mary were carved at this time but the central figure of Christ is Italian c1600 found when the churchwarden William Croome fell over its packing case in an antique shop in northern Italy and bought for £10. F.C. Eden designed several stained glass windows including the figure of St Nicholas in the south nave window and the south window of the south chapel which has the arms of the owners of North Cerney House through the ages. The nave has a deep west gallery that obscures the double chamfered C13-C14 tower arch. The 15th century octagonal font has a 18th century cover.

 

The tower has two lower stages of Norman work with original north and south windows and a clasping north-west buttress of the same date. The west window is 16th century, the bell-stage has west and east windows c1200. The right jamb of the south tower door bears a scratch dial.

 

The church has a Norman south porch with a carved tympanum, the door is 15th century and has its original closing ring. On the outside of the south wall of the south transept you will find the incised figure of a manticora which has a human head and arms, the body of a lion and a scorpion's tail. Another manticora is carved at the base of the tower apparently the work of the same 'artist'. On the steep slope above the church is a churchyard cross of 14th date, recently restored. On the outside of the tower the roof-line of the original Norman roof is clearly visible. A ring of six bells include four by Abraham Rudhall I, 1714, one by John Rudhall 1820 and a treble by Warner, 1863. Lychgate 1910 by FC Eden.

 

www.bwthornton.co.uk

Earlier today, my photo-stream finally reached the One Million "view" count. I do appreciate all of you who've spent time looking at my photos, both good and bad. :-) Thanks to my contacts who stop by when they can. I've spent a lot of time in several Disney groups, the Super Six Awards groups, as well as most of the Views: groups that I moderate. And a certain amount of these clicks have also been caused by search bots, and bloggers. Due to time constraints, I've had to limit my time in a few other awards groups that I used to post to. I've looked forward for the last few years to reaching 1M views on this small stream, for whatever that is worth in the grand scheme of things. :-)

 

I started this stream in February 2008, and reached 900,000 views in July of 2013. As time went by, my stream views increased to the point that it averaged about 600 views per day, or 18,000 to 20,000 per month. Not a lot in comparison to some of my contacts, but I've been happy with the activity received.

 

However, I think that the recent activity has been caused by the new AWESOME (sarcasm) way that Flickr now determines "views".

 

As you can see from the graph, I received 100,000 views in the last 6 weeks. Most of these have been received since July 29th, the day that Flicker enacted their last major change. (The zero count on the graph was actually about 2600 views. The graph dumped the count the next day, as it occasionally has done through the years.

 

So, I've gone from about 600 views per day to about 2500 to 3000 per day without doing anything different. I still post only one photo per day.

 

Does anyone else think that this 500% increase in "views" has anything to do with Yahoo and Flickr selling advertising at higher rates, due to increased page click counts on their new "Awesome" web site? :-)

Varosha - Maras is the southern quarter of the Famagusta, a de jure territory of Cyprus, currently under the control of Northern Cyprus. Varosha has a population of 226 in the 2011 Northern Cyprus census. The area of Varosha is 6.19 km2 (2.39 sq mi).

 

The name of Varosha derives from the Turkish word varoş (Ottoman Turkish: واروش, 'suburb'). The place where Varosha is located now was empty fields in which animals grazed.

 

In the early 1970s, Famagusta was the number-one tourist destination in Cyprus. To cater to the increasing number of tourists, many new high-rise buildings and hotels were constructed. During its heyday, Varosha was not only the number-one tourist destination in Cyprus, but between 1970 and 1974, it was one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world and was a favorite destination of such celebrities as Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Raquel Welch, and Brigitte Bardot.

 

Before 1974, Varosha was the modern tourist area of the Famagusta city. Its Greek Cypriot inhabitants fled during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, when the city of Famagusta came under Turkish control, and it has remained abandoned ever since. In 1984 a U.N. resolution called for the handover of the city to UN control and said that only the original inhabitants, who were forced out, could resettle in the town.

 

Entry to part of Varosha was opened to civilians in 2017.

 

In August 1974, the Turkish Army advanced as far as the Green Line, a UN-patrolled demilitarized zone between the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, and controlled and fenced Varosha. Just hours before the Greek Cypriot and Turkish armies met in combat on the streets of Famagusta, the entire Greek Cypriot population fled to Paralimni, Dherynia, and Larnaca, fearing a massacre. The evacuation was aided and orchestrated by the nearby British military base. Paralimni has since become the modern-day capital of the Famagusta province of Greek Cypriot-led Cyprus.

 

The Turkish Army has allowed the entry of only Turkish military and United Nations personnel since 2017.

 

One such settlement plan was the Annan Plan to reunify the island that provided for the return of Varosha to the original residents. But this was rejected by Greek Cypriots in a 2004 referendum. The UN Security Council Resolution 550 states that it "considers attempts to settle any part of Varosha by people other than its inhabitants as inadmissible and calls for the transfer of this area to the administration of the United Nations".

 

The European Court of Human Rights awarded between €100,000 and €8,000,000 to eight Greek Cypriots for being deprived of their homes and properties as a result of the 1974 invasion. The case was filed jointly by businessman Constantinos Lordos and others, with the principal judgement in the Lordos case dating back to November 2010. The court ruled that, in the case of eight of the applicants, Turkey had violated Article 1 of Protocol 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights on the right of peaceful enjoyment of one's possessions, and in the case of seven of the applicants, Turkey had violated Article 8 on the right to respect for private and family life.

 

In the absence of human habitation and maintenance, buildings continue to decay. Over time, parts of the city have begun to be reclaimed by nature as metal corrodes, windows are broken, and plants work their roots into the walls and pavement and grow wild in old window boxes. In 2014, the BBC reported that sea turtles were observed nesting on the beaches in the city.

 

During the Cyprus Missile Crisis (1997–1998), the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktaş, threatened to take over Varosha if the Cypriot government did not back down.

 

The main features of Varosha included John F. Kennedy Avenue, a street which ran from close to the port of Famagusta, through Varosha and parallel to Glossa beach. Along JFK Avenue, there were many well known high rise hotels including the King George Hotel, The Asterias Hotel, The Grecian Hotel, The Florida Hotel, and The Argo Hotel which was the favourite hotel of Elizabeth Taylor. The Argo Hotel is located near the end of JFK Avenue, looking towards Protaras and Fig Tree Bay. Another major street in Varosha was Leonidas (Greek: Λεωνίδας), a major street that came off JFK Avenue and headed west towards Vienna Corner. Leonidas was a major shopping and leisure street in Varosha, consisting of bars, restaurants, nightclubs, and a Toyota car dealership.

 

According to Greek Cypriots, 425 plots exist on the Varosha beach front, which extends from the Contandia hotel to the Golden Sands hotel. The complete number of plots in Varosha are 6082.

 

There are 281 cases of Greek Cypriots who filed to the Immovable Property Commission (IPC) of Northern Cyprus for compensation.

 

In 2020, Greek Cypriot Demetrios Hadjihambis filed a lawsuit seeking state compensation for financial losses.

 

The population of Varosha was 226 in the 2011 Northern Cyprus census.

 

In 2017, Varosha's beach was opened for the exclusive use of Turks (both Turkish Cypriots and Turkish nationals).

 

In 2019, the Government of Northern Cyprus announced it would open Varosha to settlement. On 14 November 2019, Ersin Tatar, the prime minister of Northern Cyprus, announced that Northern Cyprus aims to open Varosha by the end of 2020.

 

On 25 July 2019, Varosha Inventory Commission of Northern Cyprus started its inventory analysis on the buildings and other infrastructure in Varosha.

 

On 9 December 2019, Ibrahim Benter, the Director-General of the Turkish Cypriot EVKAF religious foundation's administration, declared all of Maraş/Varosha to be the property of EVKAF. Benter said "EVKAF can sign renting contracts with Greek Cypriots if they accept that the fenced-off town belongs to the Evkaf."

 

In 2019–20, inventory studies of buildings by the Government of Northern Cyprus were concluded. On 15 February 2020, the Turkish Bar Association organised a round table meeting at the Sandy Beach Hotel in Varosha, which was attended by Turkish officials (Vice President Fuat Oktay and Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül), Turkish Cypriot officials, representatives of the Turkish Cypriot religious foundation Evkaf, and Turkish and Turkish Cypriot lawyers.

 

On 22 February 2020, Cyprus declared it would veto European Union funds to Turkish Cypriots if Varosha were opened to settlement.

 

On 6 October 2020, Ersin Tatar, the Prime Minister of Northern Cyprus, announced that the beach area of Varosha would reopen to the public on 8 October 2020. Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said Turkey fully supported the decision. The move came ahead of the 2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, in which Tatar was a candidate. Deputy Prime Minister Kudret Özersay, who had worked on the reopening previously, said that this was not a full reopening of the area, that this was just a unilateral election stunt by Tatar. His People's Party withdrew from the Tatar cabinet, leading to the collapse of the Turkish Cypriot government. The EU's diplomatic chief condemned the plan and described it as a "serious violation" of the U.N. ceasefire agreement. In addition, he asked Turkey to stop this activity. The U.N. Secretary-General expressed concern over Turkey's decision.

 

On 8 October 2020, some parts of Varosha were opened from the Officers' Club of Turkish and Turkish Cypriot Army to the Golden Sands Hotel.

 

In November 2020, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Turkey's ambassador to Nicosia, visited Varosha. In addition, the main avenue in Varosha has been renamed after Semih Sancar, Chief of the General Staff of Turkey from 1973 to 1978, a period including the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus.

 

The European Parliament on 27 November, asked Turkey to reverse its decision to re-open part of Varosha and resume negotiations aimed at resolving the Cyprus problem on the basis of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation and called on the European Union to impose sanctions against Turkey, if things do not change. Turkey rejected the resolution, adding that Turkey will continue to protect both its own rights and those of Turkish Cypriots. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus presidency also condemned the resolution.

 

On 20 July 2021, Tatar, the president of Northern Cyprus announced the start of the 2nd phase of the opening of Varosha. He encouraged Greek Cypriots to apply Immovable Property Commission of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to claim their properties back if they have any such rights.

 

Bilal Aga Mosque, constructed in 1821 and taken out of service in 1974, was re-opened on 23 July 2021.

 

In response to a decision by the government of Turkish Cyprus, the presidential statement of the United Nations Security Council dated on 23 July said that settling any part of the abandoned Cypriot suburb of Varosha, "by people other than its inhabitants, is 'inadmissible'." The same day, Turkey rejected the presidential statement of the UNSC on Maras (Varosha), and said that these statements were based on Greek-Greek Cypriot propaganda, were groundless and unfounded claims, and inconsistent with the realities on the Island. On 24 July 2021, the presidency of Northern Cyprus condemned the presidential statement of the UNSC dated on 23 July, and stated that "We see and condemn it as an attempt to create an obstacle for the property-rights-holders in Varosha to achieve their rights".

 

By 1 January 2022, nearly 400,000 people had visited Varosha since its opening to civilians on 6 October 2020.

 

On 19 May 2022, Northern Cyprus opened a 600m long X 400m wide stretch of beach on the Golden Sands beach (from the King George Hotel to the Oceania Building) in Varosha for commercial use. Sun beds and umbrellas were installed.

 

UNFICYP said it would raise the decision taken by Turkish Cypriot authorities to open that stretch of beach in Varosha with the Security Council, spokesperson for the peacekeeping force Aleem Siddique said on Friday. The UN announced its "position on Varosha is unchanged and we are monitoring the situation closely".

 

In October 2022, the Turkish Cypriots announced that public institutions will be opened in the city.

 

In April 2023, Cleo Hotel, the 7-floor Golden Seaside Hotel, and the 3-star Aegean Hotel were purchased by a Turkish Cypriot businessman (from their Greek Cypriot owners) who will operate them within 2025.

 

On 10 August 2023, the Government of Northern Cyprus decided to construct a marina and tourist facility in Varosha.

 

Varosha was analyzed by Alan Weisman in his book The World Without Us as an example of the unstoppable power of nature.

 

Filmmaker Greek Cypriot Michael Cacoyannis described the city and interviewed its exiled citizens in the film Attilas '74, produced in 1975.

 

In 2021, the Belarusian group Main-De-Gloire dedicated a song to this city that has become a ghostly place.

 

Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a de facto state that comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus. It is recognised only by Turkey, and its territory is considered by all other states to be part of the Republic of Cyprus.

 

Northern Cyprus extends from the tip of the Karpass Peninsula in the northeast to Morphou Bay, Cape Kormakitis and its westernmost point, the Kokkina exclave in the west. Its southernmost point is the village of Louroujina. A buffer zone under the control of the United Nations stretches between Northern Cyprus and the rest of the island and divides Nicosia, the island's largest city and capital of both sides.

 

A coup d'état in 1974, performed as part of an attempt to annex the island to Greece, prompted the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. This resulted in the eviction of much of the north's Greek Cypriot population, the flight of Turkish Cypriots from the south, and the partitioning of the island, leading to a unilateral declaration of independence by the north in 1983. Due to its lack of recognition, Northern Cyprus is heavily dependent on Turkey for economic, political and military support.

 

Attempts to reach a solution to the Cyprus dispute have been unsuccessful. The Turkish Army maintains a large force in Northern Cyprus with the support and approval of the TRNC government, while the Republic of Cyprus, the European Union as a whole, and the international community regard it as an occupation force. This military presence has been denounced in several United Nations Security Council resolutions.

 

Northern Cyprus is a semi-presidential, democratic republic with a cultural heritage incorporating various influences and an economy that is dominated by the services sector. The economy has seen growth through the 2000s and 2010s, with the GNP per capita more than tripling in the 2000s, but is held back by an international embargo due to the official closure of the ports in Northern Cyprus by the Republic of Cyprus. The official language is Turkish, with a distinct local dialect being spoken. The vast majority of the population consists of Sunni Muslims, while religious attitudes are mostly moderate and secular. Northern Cyprus is an observer state of ECO and OIC under the name "Turkish Cypriot State", PACE under the name "Turkish Cypriot Community", and Organization of Turkic States with its own name.

 

Several distinct periods of Cypriot intercommunal violence involving the two main ethnic communities, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, marked mid-20th century Cyprus. These included the Cyprus Emergency of 1955–59 during British rule, the post-independence Cyprus crisis of 1963–64, and the Cyprus crisis of 1967. Hostilities culminated in the 1974 de facto division of the island along the Green Line following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The region has been relatively peaceful since then, but the Cyprus dispute has continued, with various attempts to solve it diplomatically having been generally unsuccessful.

 

Cyprus, an island lying in the eastern Mediterranean, hosted a population of Greeks and Turks (four-fifths and one-fifth, respectively), who lived under British rule in the late nineteenth-century and the first half of the twentieth-century. Christian Orthodox Church of Cyprus played a prominent political role among the Greek Cypriot community, a privilege that it acquired during the Ottoman Empire with the employment of the millet system, which gave the archbishop an unofficial ethnarch status.

 

The repeated rejections by the British of Greek Cypriot demands for enosis, union with Greece, led to armed resistance, organised by the National Organization of Cypriot Struggle, or EOKA. EOKA, led by the Greek-Cypriot commander George Grivas, systematically targeted British colonial authorities. One of the effects of EOKA's campaign was to alter the Turkish position from demanding full reincorporation into Turkey to a demand for taksim (partition). EOKA's mission and activities caused a "Cretan syndrome" (see Turkish Resistance Organisation) within the Turkish Cypriot community, as its members feared that they would be forced to leave the island in such a case as had been the case with Cretan Turks. As such, they preferred the continuation of British colonial rule and then taksim, the division of the island. Due to the Turkish Cypriots' support for the British, EOKA's leader, Georgios Grivas, declared them to be enemies. The fact that the Turks were a minority was, according to Nihat Erim, to be addressed by the transfer of thousands of Turks from mainland Turkey so that Greek Cypriots would cease to be the majority. When Erim visited Cyprus as the Turkish representative, he was advised by Field Marshal Sir John Harding, the then Governor of Cyprus, that Turkey should send educated Turks to settle in Cyprus.

 

Turkey actively promoted the idea that on the island of Cyprus two distinctive communities existed, and sidestepped its former claim that "the people of Cyprus were all Turkish subjects". In doing so, Turkey's aim to have self-determination of two to-be equal communities in effect led to de jure partition of the island.[citation needed] This could be justified to the international community against the will of the majority Greek population of the island. Dr. Fazil Küçük in 1954 had already proposed Cyprus be divided in two at the 35° parallel.

 

Lindley Dan, from Notre Dame University, spotted the roots of intercommunal violence to different visions among the two communities of Cyprus (enosis for Greek Cypriots, taksim for Turkish Cypriots). Also, Lindlay wrote that "the merging of church, schools/education, and politics in divisive and nationalistic ways" had played a crucial role in creation of havoc in Cyprus' history. Attalides Michael also pointed to the opposing nationalisms as the cause of the Cyprus problem.

 

By the mid-1950's, the "Cyprus is Turkish" party, movement, and slogan gained force in both Cyprus and Turkey. In a 1954 editorial, Turkish Cypriot leader Dr. Fazil Kuchuk expressed the sentiment that the Turkish youth had grown up with the idea that "as soon as Great Britain leaves the island, it will be taken over by the Turks", and that "Turkey cannot tolerate otherwise". This perspective contributed to the willingness of Turkish Cypriots to align themselves with the British, who started recruiting Turkish Cypriots into the police force that patrolled Cyprus to fight EOKA, a Greek Cypriot nationalist organisation that sought to rid the island of British rule.

 

EOKA targeted colonial authorities, including police, but Georgios Grivas, the leader of EOKA, did not initially wish to open up a new front by fighting Turkish Cypriots and reassured them that EOKA would not harm their people. In 1956, some Turkish Cypriot policemen were killed by EOKA members and this provoked some intercommunal violence in the spring and summer, but these attacks on policemen were not motivated by the fact that they were Turkish Cypriots.

 

However, in January 1957, Grivas changed his policy as his forces in the mountains became increasingly pressured by the British Crown forces. In order to divert the attention of the Crown forces, EOKA members started to target Turkish Cypriot policemen intentionally in the towns, so that Turkish Cypriots would riot against the Greek Cypriots and the security forces would have to be diverted to the towns to restore order. The killing of a Turkish Cypriot policeman on 19 January, when a power station was bombed, and the injury of three others, provoked three days of intercommunal violence in Nicosia. The two communities targeted each other in reprisals, at least one Greek Cypriot was killed and the British Army was deployed in the streets. Greek Cypriot stores were burned and their neighbourhoods attacked. Following the events, the Greek Cypriot leadership spread the propaganda that the riots had merely been an act of Turkish Cypriot aggression. Such events created chaos and drove the communities apart both in Cyprus and in Turkey.

 

On 22 October 1957 Sir Hugh Mackintosh Foot replaced Sir John Harding as the British Governor of Cyprus. Foot suggested five to seven years of self-government before any final decision. His plan rejected both enosis and taksim. The Turkish Cypriot response to this plan was a series of anti-British demonstrations in Nicosia on 27 and 28 January 1958 rejecting the proposed plan because the plan did not include partition. The British then withdrew the plan.

 

In 1957, Black Gang, a Turkish Cypriot pro-taksim paramilitary organisation, was formed to patrol a Turkish Cypriot enclave, the Tahtakale district of Nicosia, against activities of EOKA. The organisation later attempted to grow into a national scale, but failed to gain public support.

 

By 1958, signs of dissatisfaction with the British increased on both sides, with a group of Turkish Cypriots forming Volkan (later renamed to the Turkish Resistance Organisation) paramilitary group to promote partition and the annexation of Cyprus to Turkey as dictated by the Menderes plan. Volkan initially consisted of roughly 100 members, with the stated aim of raising awareness in Turkey of the Cyprus issue and courting military training and support for Turkish Cypriot fighters from the Turkish government.

 

In June 1958, the British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, was expected to propose a plan to resolve the Cyprus issue. In light of the new development, the Turks rioted in Nicosia to promote the idea that Greek and Turkish Cypriots could not live together and therefore any plan that did not include partition would not be viable. This violence was soon followed by bombing, Greek Cypriot deaths and looting of Greek Cypriot-owned shops and houses. Greek and Turkish Cypriots started to flee mixed population villages where they were a minority in search of safety. This was effectively the beginning of the segregation of the two communities. On 7 June 1958, a bomb exploded at the entrance of the Turkish Embassy in Cyprus. Following the bombing, Turkish Cypriots looted Greek Cypriot properties. On 26 June 1984, the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktaş, admitted on British channel ITV that the bomb was placed by the Turks themselves in order to create tension. On 9 January 1995, Rauf Denktaş repeated his claim to the famous Turkish newspaper Milliyet in Turkey.

 

The crisis reached a climax on 12 June 1958, when eight Greeks, out of an armed group of thirty five arrested by soldiers of the Royal Horse Guards on suspicion of preparing an attack on the Turkish quarter of Skylloura, were killed in a suspected attack by Turkish Cypriot locals, near the village of Geunyeli, having been ordered to walk back to their village of Kondemenos.

 

After the EOKA campaign had begun, the British government successfully began to turn the Cyprus issue from a British colonial problem into a Greek-Turkish issue. British diplomacy exerted backstage influence on the Adnan Menderes government, with the aim of making Turkey active in Cyprus. For the British, the attempt had a twofold objective. The EOKA campaign would be silenced as quickly as possible, and Turkish Cypriots would not side with Greek Cypriots against the British colonial claims over the island, which would thus remain under the British. The Turkish Cypriot leadership visited Menderes to discuss the Cyprus issue. When asked how the Turkish Cypriots should respond to the Greek Cypriot claim of enosis, Menderes replied: "You should go to the British foreign minister and request the status quo be prolonged, Cyprus to remain as a British colony". When the Turkish Cypriots visited the British Foreign Secretary and requested for Cyprus to remain a colony, he replied: "You should not be asking for colonialism at this day and age, you should be asking for Cyprus be returned to Turkey, its former owner".

 

As Turkish Cypriots began to look to Turkey for protection, Greek Cypriots soon understood that enosis was extremely unlikely. The Greek Cypriot leader, Archbishop Makarios III, now set independence for the island as his objective.

 

Britain resolved to solve the dispute by creating an independent Cyprus. In 1959, all involved parties signed the Zurich Agreements: Britain, Turkey, Greece, and the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders, Makarios and Dr. Fazil Kucuk, respectively. The new constitution drew heavily on the ethnic composition of the island. The President would be a Greek Cypriot, and the Vice-President a Turkish Cypriot with an equal veto. The contribution to the public service would be set at a ratio of 70:30, and the Supreme Court would consist of an equal number of judges from both communities as well as an independent judge who was not Greek, Turkish or British. The Zurich Agreements were supplemented by a number of treaties. The Treaty of Guarantee stated that secession or union with any state was forbidden, and that Greece, Turkey and Britain would be given guarantor status to intervene if that was violated. The Treaty of Alliance allowed for two small Greek and Turkish military contingents to be stationed on the island, and the Treaty of Establishment gave Britain sovereignty over two bases in Akrotiri and Dhekelia.

 

On 15 August 1960, the Colony of Cyprus became fully independent as the Republic of Cyprus. The new republic remained within the Commonwealth of Nations.

 

The new constitution brought dissatisfaction to Greek Cypriots, who felt it to be highly unjust for them for historical, demographic and contributional reasons. Although 80% of the island's population were Greek Cypriots and these indigenous people had lived on the island for thousands of years and paid 94% of taxes, the new constitution was giving the 17% of the population that was Turkish Cypriots, who paid 6% of taxes, around 30% of government jobs and 40% of national security jobs.

 

Within three years tensions between the two communities in administrative affairs began to show. In particular disputes over separate municipalities and taxation created a deadlock in government. A constitutional court ruled in 1963 Makarios had failed to uphold article 173 of the constitution which called for the establishment of separate municipalities for Turkish Cypriots. Makarios subsequently declared his intention to ignore the judgement, resulting in the West German judge resigning from his position. Makarios proposed thirteen amendments to the constitution, which would have had the effect of resolving most of the issues in the Greek Cypriot favour. Under the proposals, the President and Vice-President would lose their veto, the separate municipalities as sought after by the Turkish Cypriots would be abandoned, the need for separate majorities by both communities in passing legislation would be discarded and the civil service contribution would be set at actual population ratios (82:18) instead of the slightly higher figure for Turkish Cypriots.

 

The intention behind the amendments has long been called into question. The Akritas plan, written in the height of the constitutional dispute by the Greek Cypriot interior minister Polycarpos Georkadjis, called for the removal of undesirable elements of the constitution so as to allow power-sharing to work. The plan envisaged a swift retaliatory attack on Turkish Cypriot strongholds should Turkish Cypriots resort to violence to resist the measures, stating "In the event of a planned or staged Turkish attack, it is imperative to overcome it by force in the shortest possible time, because if we succeed in gaining command of the situation (in one or two days), no outside, intervention would be either justified or possible." Whether Makarios's proposals were part of the Akritas plan is unclear, however it remains that sentiment towards enosis had not completely disappeared with independence. Makarios described independence as "a step on the road to enosis".[31] Preparations for conflict were not entirely absent from Turkish Cypriots either, with right wing elements still believing taksim (partition) the best safeguard against enosis.

 

Greek Cypriots however believe the amendments were a necessity stemming from a perceived attempt by Turkish Cypriots to frustrate the working of government. Turkish Cypriots saw it as a means to reduce their status within the state from one of co-founder to that of minority, seeing it as a first step towards enosis. The security situation deteriorated rapidly.

 

Main articles: Bloody Christmas (1963) and Battle of Tillyria

An armed conflict was triggered after December 21, 1963, a period remembered by Turkish Cypriots as Bloody Christmas, when a Greek Cypriot policemen that had been called to help deal with a taxi driver refusing officers already on the scene access to check the identification documents of his customers, took out his gun upon arrival and shot and killed the taxi driver and his partner. Eric Solsten summarised the events as follows: "a Greek Cypriot police patrol, ostensibly checking identification documents, stopped a Turkish Cypriot couple on the edge of the Turkish quarter. A hostile crowd gathered, shots were fired, and two Turkish Cypriots were killed."

 

In the morning after the shooting, crowds gathered in protest in Northern Nicosia, likely encouraged by the TMT, without incident. On the evening of the 22nd, gunfire broke out, communication lines to the Turkish neighbourhoods were cut, and the Greek Cypriot police occupied the nearby airport. On the 23rd, a ceasefire was negotiated, but did not hold. Fighting, including automatic weapons fire, between Greek and Turkish Cypriots and militias increased in Nicosia and Larnaca. A force of Greek Cypriot irregulars led by Nikos Sampson entered the Nicosia suburb of Omorphita and engaged in heavy firing on armed, as well as by some accounts unarmed, Turkish Cypriots. The Omorphita clash has been described by Turkish Cypriots as a massacre, while this view has generally not been acknowledged by Greek Cypriots.

 

Further ceasefires were arranged between the two sides, but also failed. By Christmas Eve, the 24th, Britain, Greece, and Turkey had joined talks, with all sides calling for a truce. On Christmas day, Turkish fighter jets overflew Nicosia in a show of support. Finally it was agreed to allow a force of 2,700 British soldiers to help enforce a ceasefire. In the next days, a "buffer zone" was created in Nicosia, and a British officer marked a line on a map with green ink, separating the two sides of the city, which was the beginning of the "Green Line". Fighting continued across the island for the next several weeks.

 

In total 364 Turkish Cypriots and 174 Greek Cypriots were killed during the violence. 25,000 Turkish Cypriots from 103-109 villages fled and were displaced into enclaves and thousands of Turkish Cypriot houses were ransacked or completely destroyed.

 

Contemporary newspapers also reported on the forceful exodus of the Turkish Cypriots from their homes. According to The Times in 1964, threats, shootings and attempts of arson were committed against the Turkish Cypriots to force them out of their homes. The Daily Express wrote that "25,000 Turks have already been forced to leave their homes". The Guardian reported a massacre of Turks at Limassol on 16 February 1964.

 

Turkey had by now readied its fleet and its fighter jets appeared over Nicosia. Turkey was dissuaded from direct involvement by the creation of a United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) in 1964. Despite the negotiated ceasefire in Nicosia, attacks on the Turkish Cypriot persisted, particularly in Limassol. Concerned about the possibility of a Turkish invasion, Makarios undertook the creation of a Greek Cypriot conscript-based army called the "National Guard". A general from Greece took charge of the army, whilst a further 20,000 well-equipped officers and men were smuggled from Greece into Cyprus. Turkey threatened to intervene once more, but was prevented by a strongly worded letter from the American President Lyndon B. Johnson, anxious to avoid a conflict between NATO allies Greece and Turkey at the height of the Cold War.

 

Turkish Cypriots had by now established an important bridgehead at Kokkina, provided with arms, volunteers and materials from Turkey and abroad. Seeing this incursion of foreign weapons and troops as a major threat, the Cypriot government invited George Grivas to return from Greece as commander of the Greek troops on the island and launch a major attack on the bridgehead. Turkey retaliated by dispatching its fighter jets to bomb Greek positions, causing Makarios to threaten an attack on every Turkish Cypriot village on the island if the bombings did not cease. The conflict had now drawn in Greece and Turkey, with both countries amassing troops on their Thracian borders. Efforts at mediation by Dean Acheson, a former U.S. Secretary of State, and UN-appointed mediator Galo Plaza had failed, all the while the division of the two communities becoming more apparent. Greek Cypriot forces were estimated at some 30,000, including the National Guard and the large contingent from Greece. Defending the Turkish Cypriot enclaves was a force of approximately 5,000 irregulars, led by a Turkish colonel, but lacking the equipment and organisation of the Greek forces.

 

The Secretary-General of the United Nations in 1964, U Thant, reported the damage during the conflicts:

 

UNFICYP carried out a detailed survey of all damage to properties throughout the island during the disturbances; it shows that in 109 villages, most of them Turkish-Cypriot or mixed villages, 527 houses have been destroyed while 2,000 others have suffered damage from looting.

 

The situation worsened in 1967, when a military junta overthrew the democratically elected government of Greece, and began applying pressure on Makarios to achieve enosis. Makarios, not wishing to become part of a military dictatorship or trigger a Turkish invasion, began to distance himself from the goal of enosis. This caused tensions with the junta in Greece as well as George Grivas in Cyprus. Grivas's control over the National Guard and Greek contingent was seen as a threat to Makarios's position, who now feared a possible coup.[citation needed] The National Guard and Cyprus Police began patrolling the Turkish Cypriot enclaves of Ayios Theodoros and Kophinou, and on November 15 engaged in heavy fighting with the Turkish Cypriots.

 

By the time of his withdrawal 26 Turkish Cypriots had been killed. Turkey replied with an ultimatum demanding that Grivas be removed from the island, that the troops smuggled from Greece in excess of the limits of the Treaty of Alliance be removed, and that the economic blockades on the Turkish Cypriot enclaves be lifted. Grivas was recalled by the Athens Junta and the 12,000 Greek troops were withdrawn. Makarios now attempted to consolidate his position by reducing the number of National Guard troops, and by creating a paramilitary force loyal to Cypriot independence. In 1968, acknowledging that enosis was now all but impossible, Makarios stated, "A solution by necessity must be sought within the limits of what is feasible which does not always coincide with the limits of what is desirable."

 

After 1967 tensions between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots subsided. Instead, the main source of tension on the island came from factions within the Greek Cypriot community. Although Makarios had effectively abandoned enosis in favour of an 'attainable solution', many others continued to believe that the only legitimate political aspiration for Greek Cypriots was union with Greece.

 

On his arrival, Grivas began by establishing a nationalist paramilitary group known as the National Organization of Cypriot Fighters (Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston B or EOKA-B), drawing comparisons with the EOKA struggle for enosis under the British colonial administration of the 1950s.

 

The military junta in Athens saw Makarios as an obstacle. Makarios's failure to disband the National Guard, whose officer class was dominated by mainland Greeks, had meant the junta had practical control over the Cypriot military establishment, leaving Makarios isolated and a vulnerable target.

 

During the first Turkish invasion, Turkish troops invaded Cyprus territory on 20 July 1974, invoking its rights under the Treaty of Guarantee. This expansion of Turkish-occupied zone violated International Law as well as the Charter of the United Nations. Turkish troops managed to capture 3% of the island which was accompanied by the burning of the Turkish Cypriot quarter, as well as the raping and killing of women and children. A temporary cease-fire followed which was mitigated by the UN Security Council. Subsequently, the Greek military Junta collapsed on July 23, 1974, and peace talks commenced in which a democratic government was installed. The Resolution 353 was broken after Turkey attacked a second time and managed to get a hold of 37% of Cyprus territory. The Island of Cyprus was appointed a Buffer Zone by the United Nations, which divided the island into two zones through the 'Green Line' and put an end to the Turkish invasion. Although Turkey announced that the occupied areas of Cyprus to be called the Federated Turkish State in 1975, it is not legitimised on a worldwide political scale. The United Nations called for the international recognition of independence for the Republic of Cyprus in the Security Council Resolution 367.

 

In the years after the Turkish invasion of northern Cyprus one can observe a history of failed talks between the two parties. The 1983 declaration of the independent Turkish Republic of Cyprus resulted in a rise of inter-communal tensions and made it increasingly hard to find mutual understanding. With Cyprus' interest of a possible EU membership and a new UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 1997 new hopes arose for a fresh start. International involvement from sides of the US and UK, wanting a solution to the Cyprus dispute prior to the EU accession led to political pressures for new talks. The believe that an accession without a solution would threaten Greek-Turkish relations and acknowledge the partition of the island would direct the coming negotiations.

 

Over the course of two years a concrete plan, the Annan plan was formulated. In 2004 the fifth version agreed upon from both sides and with the endorsement of Turkey, US, UK and EU then was presented to the public and was given a referendum in both Cypriot communities to assure the legitimisation of the resolution. The Turkish Cypriots voted with 65% for the plan, however the Greek Cypriots voted with a 76% majority against. The Annan plan contained multiple important topics. Firstly it established a confederation of two separate states called the United Cyprus Republic. Both communities would have autonomous states combined under one unified government. The members of parliament would be chosen according to the percentage in population numbers to ensure a just involvement from both communities. The paper proposed a demilitarisation of the island over the next years. Furthermore it agreed upon a number of 45000 Turkish settlers that could remain on the island. These settlers became a very important issue concerning peace talks. Originally the Turkish government encouraged Turks to settle in Cyprus providing transfer and property, to establish a counterpart to the Greek Cypriot population due to their 1 to 5 minority. With the economic situation many Turkish-Cypriot decided to leave the island, however their departure is made up by incoming Turkish settlers leaving the population ratio between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots stable. However all these points where criticised and as seen in the vote rejected mainly by the Greek Cypriots. These name the dissolution of the „Republic of Cyprus", economic consequences of a reunion and the remaining Turkish settlers as reason. Many claim that the plan was indeed drawing more from Turkish-Cypriot demands then Greek-Cypriot interests. Taking in consideration that the US wanted to keep Turkey as a strategic partner in future Middle Eastern conflicts.

 

A week after the failed referendum the Republic of Cyprus joined the EU. In multiple instances the EU tried to promote trade with Northern Cyprus but without internationally recognised ports this spiked a grand debate. Both side endure their intention of negotiations, however without the prospect of any new compromises or agreements the UN is unwilling to start the process again. Since 2004 negotiations took place in numbers but without any results, both sides are strongly holding on to their position without an agreeable solution in sight that would suit both parties.

Additional wool stores, Blocks D & E, built between St Vincent & Baker Streets, opposite the 1880 Elders building.

 

“Elder, Smith, & Co. . . The increase in the business of the company had necessitated the erection of wool stores at Port Adelaide in order that the requirements of small producers could be met.” [Advertiser 1 Feb 1907]

 

“During recent years, storing accommodation for wool at Port Adelaide has been at a premium. . . For the forthcoming season Elder, Smith, & Co. are making important extensions to cater for their patrons. A large single-story galvanized iron store on the north side of St. Vincent-street has been pulled down, and in its place is .being erected a three-story building of iron, with a frontage of 112 ft. by 120 ft. deep. It will be the same 'height as the company's adjoining stone stores. . . In Baker-street, almost directly opposite, a new two-floor galvanized store is also being built. The dimensions are approximately 200 ft. by 100 ft. . . The contractor for the new stores and alterations is Mr. H. Slade, Mr. C. H. Marryat is the architect, and Mr. R. G. Foreman clerk of works. . . The building operations' began at the end of April, and the contractor expects to have the work completed by the end of August.” [Advertiser 4 Jul 1907]

 

“Tenders are invited for the Erection of Buildings (wood and iron). Port Adelaide, for Messrs. Elder, Smith, & Co., Limited — 1. Two Stories — Wool -Store and Show Floor. 2. Three Stories — Wool Store and Show Floor. . . C. H. Marryat, Architect.” [Advertiser 8 Apr 1907 advert]

 

“Altogether Elder, Smith, & Co. have in their three huge warehouses in Santo-place (facing the wharf), St. Vincent-street, Baker-street, and Crozier-street, Port Adelaide, 2¾ acres of show floor, in addition to over 6 acres of storage accommodation. All the floors utilised for exhibition purposes are wonderfully well lighted by means of saw-tooth roofs, the glass facing the south. . . the central store, in St. Vincent-street, is one vast apartment, over an acre in extent, with nothing anywhere to obstruct the vision except the supports of the roof, and the comprehensive view of thousands of bales of wool, each cut open and pouring its wealth of fleece upon the floor. . . the remainder being displayed in the Baker street store.” [Advertiser 16 Nov 1908]

 

“During the busy season the firm of Elder, Smith, & Co. has 200 men working at their Port Adelaide wool warehouses. It has also some magnificent horses. There are at present in the stables at the Port 25 stalwart animals, valued at'£40 a head. . . They are employed for three months, in carting wool from the trucks to the warehouses, and from the stores to the wharves. Then they are sold, a fresh lot being bought next season.” [Advertiser 16 Nov 1908]

 

Amongst the many new buildings being erected at Port Adelaide is another large wool store, facing St. Vincent-street, for Messrs. Elder Smith & Co. The new building, which is expected to be ready for the forthcoming wool season, adjoins the existing structure owned by that firm, and will be situated on the western side of the old store. It will have a frontage to St. Vincent-street of 206 ft.; with a depth of 200 ft.” [Advertiser 5 May 1910]

 

“Excavations will be begun shortly at St. Vincent street east, Port Adelaide, for the foundations of a new wool store for Elder, Smith & Co. It is understood that plans for the structure have not been completed. The firm has three large wool stores at the chief seaport, but these have been found insufficient to hold the fleeces that come to hand in a good season. The location of the new structure will be south of Cowell Bros.' premises, and north of Goldsbrough, Mort &. Co.” [News 3 May 1926]

 

“A plan of a new wool store to be erected for Elder, Smith, & Co., Limited, at the corner of Crozier and Baker streets, Port Adelaide, in proximity to the existing store. The building will be 2,000 feet square, and will have four floors. Messrs. Woods, Bagot, Jory, & Laybourne-Smith are the architects, and Messrs. James King & Son, of Hindmarsh, the contractors.” [Register 1 Jan 1927]

 

“With a capacity of 18,000 bales the large new wool store of Elder, Smith and Co., Limited, near the Port Adelaide Dock, is described as the most up-to-date of its kind in the Commonwealth. Although it is still in the hands of the contractor and many workmen are putting the finishing touches on its fine show floor, wool has been received in the structure since Tuesday. Bales from far distant stations stand in orderly rows on its spacious floor, and are arriving daily by the hundred. . . electrically operated elevators serve to expedite the work of handling portion of South Australia's clip that is now pouring to the seaport in a ceaseless stream by train, steamer, and motor lorry.” [News 2 Sep 1927]

 

“during the currency of the war the entire Australian wool clip would be purchased by the British Government, and. . . in addition, all Australian surplus supplies of six important food commodities in butter, cheese, meat, eggs, and canned and dried fruits — had been bought by the United Kingdom. . . it was not anticipated that the British Government would be able to purchase the whole of Australia's export wheat surplus.” [Advertiser 6 Sep 1939]

 

“A figure between 13d and 15d. a pound is expected to be paid by the British Government for the Australian wool clip during the war. . . The average price paid during the last war was 15½d.” [Advertiser 8 Sep 1939]

 

“Australian growers are demanding an early definite statement regarding the duration of the wool purchase scheme by Britain. In September, 1939, Britain agreed to buy all our wool production not required for local manufacture, for the period of the war and one clip thereafter.” [West Australian 25 Oct 1944]

 

“Since the war, heavy rationing of clothing, &c has been imposed, enemy countries have been denied supplies, large quantities of all types of woollen goods have been destroyed, and- millions of service people, both men and women, will be in urgent need of clothes when they discard their uniforms and look for civilian attire. . . Preparations are in hand for the placing into suitable positions those of our permanent staff who will be demobilised and wish to rejoin the staff of the company.” [Advertiser 25 Aug 1945]

 

“sheep's wool is in every way much superior to any synthetics, most of which are derived from a vegetable base and are conductors of heat and cold; are clammy, uncomfortable, and inflammable, but most attractive looking, and at first cost relatively cheap, but in the long run not so economical as wool. . . Wool is warm, even when wet. . . Wool smoulders, but does not burn.” [Chronicle 6 Sep 1945]

 

“British Government will complete this month its war-time purchase of the Australian wool clip. It represents the world's largest commercial transaction for any primary product. Wool appraisals during the period — seven years — will approximate £460,000,000. Average Australian clip has been round 3,500,000 bales annually. Average yearly return has been nearly £67,000,000. . . Wool auction sales in Australia will be resumed in September. Fleece will go to the highest bidder.” [News 26 Jun 1946]

 

“Wanted . Men for Work in Wool stores, Port Adelaide. Apply Elder, Smith & Co., Limited, Port Adelaide.” [News 10 Sep 1947 advert]

 

“The Adelaide Woolbrokers wish to hereby intimate to their many clients that it has recently been decided to work annually a 44-hour five-day week, Monday to Friday inclusive, in their Wool Stores at Port Adelaide and in the Skin and Hide Stores in Adelaide.” [Chronicle 18 Sep 1947 advert]

 

“For over a century Elder, Smith & Co., Limited have been handling wool. . . From the shearing shed to the overseas liner, wool passes through many stages. . . Every bale received is carefully weighed on modern, accurate scales, immediately recorded and catalogued against advice received from the grower. From this simple beginning commences a thorough preparation of wool clips for auction . . .a preparation designed to secure full market value for your clip. . . be it one bag or a thousand bales.” [Chronicle 2 Sep 1948 advert]

 

“each of Elder's Receiving Clerks. . . records the brand, description, number and correct weight of every bale of wool received at Elder's Wool Store, Port Adelaide. The scales he uses are checked for accuracy every day, regularly serviced and Government tested. You can help Elder's Wool Clerks by correctly branding each bale on the front and cap and by numbering your bales consecutively for each season. Be it one bag or a thousand bales, consign your next clip to Elder's.” [Chronicle 13 Apr 1950 advert]

 

“Shipping and Weigh-in Clerks Wanted for Wool Stores. Apply — Elder, Smith & Co, Limited, Port Adelaide.” [Advertiser

13 Sep 1950 advert]

 

“Suitable Men and Boys Wanted for Work in Wool Stores. Good Conditions. Adults Rate. £8/14/-. Apply — Elder, Smith & Co, Limited, Port Adelaide.” [Advertiser 14 Sep 1950 advert]

 

“Wanted. Clerks for Wool Stores. Wages £11/16/6 per week. Apply Wool Manager, Elder, Smith & Co, Limited, Port Adelaide.” [Advertiser 6 Oct 1951 advert]

 

“Shortly after the sale the buyers issue shipping instructions to the brokers. The bales they have purchased now are dumped in a hydraulic press to about half the size they were when they left your farm. Steel wires or bands are fastened around them, so that each bale is of uniform size. This facilitates handling and saves shipping space. Finally, from the store your wool goes to the wharf and into the hold of a ship. Some of it probably goes to the famous British mills at Bradford, in Yorkshire, England, some of it perhaps to France where there also are famous mills, some of it maybe to Japan whose buyers last year re-entered the Australian wool market” [Chronicle 28 Aug 1952].

 

“Two ships loading wool at Port Adelaide for Britain and the Continent have been delayed by the overtime ban imposed in Port Adelaide wool stores by the Storemen and Packers' Union. The 9,503-ton motor ship Dardanus, which is loading between 16,000 and 17,000 sales of wool, was scheduled to sail on Tuesday. She is now expected to sail at the end of the week. Now loading 13,500 bales of wool, the 11,950 ton steamer Tasmania Star is expected to be delayed for three days.” [Advertiser 30 Oct 1952]

 

“Elders to Build Big Wool Store. Special facilities for hulk classing and reclassing wool are provided in the four- story wool store being built by Elder, Smith & Co. Limited at Port Adelaide. Glass walls on the first floor will give a maximum of natural light to the 20,000 square feet of floor space, where the classing will be carried out. After classing, the wool will be placed in one of 420 bins in the centre of the floor under better-than-daylight lighting. Elder's decision to devote so much space to bulk classing and recessing facilities is to meet the growing demand by clients for this type of service. The store should be completed within 18 months. It will have nearly four acres of jarrah floors, and a bridge 18 ft. above the roadway to the central store to facilitate the transfer and stowage of bales during peak periods. Architects are Woods, Bagot, Laybournc-Smith & Irwin. Contractors are Hansen & Yuncken Pty. Ltd.” [Victor Harbor Times 23 Nov 1956]

 

Samsung is known for making reliable, solid flash memory and their MicroSD cards are no exception. The Samsung EVO 512GB MicroSD card is at an all-time low at $99.99, 50% off the retail price. It comes with an SD card adapter to fit into devices that accept that format. It’s a U3 class...

 

www.fbtb.net/video-games/2019/05/07/increase-your-switchs...

(...) increasing as the colours revealed.

[barcelona, 21rst november 2008]

Figma Saber Alter

Land prices contributed much more to the price increases than did structures. This can be seen in the building cost index in Fig. 1. An estimate of land value for a house can be derived by subtracting the replacement value of the structure, adjusted for depreciation, from the home price. Using this methodology, Davis and Palumbo calculated land values for 46 U.S. metro areas, which can be found at the website for the Lincoln Institute for Land Policy.

 

Housing bubbles may occur in local or global real estate markets. In their late stages, they are typically characterized by rapid increases in the valuations of real property until unsustainable levels are reached relative to incomes, price-to-rent ratios, and other economic indicators of affordability. This may be followed by decreases in home prices that result in many owners finding themselves in a position of negative equity—a mortgage debt higher than the value of the property. The underlying causes of the housing bubble are complex. Factors include tax policy (exemption of housing from capital gains), historically low interest rates, tax lending standards, failure of regulators to intervene, and speculative fever. This bubble may be related to the stock market or dot-com bubble of the 1990s. This bubble roughly coincides with the real estate bubbles of the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Spain, Poland, Hungary and South Korea.

 

While bubbles may be identifiable in progress, bubbles can be definitively measured only in hindsight after a market correction, which began in 2005–2006 for the U.S. housing market. Former U.S. Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan said "We had a bubble in housing", and also said in the wake of the subprime mortgage and credit crisis in 2007, "I really didn't get it until very late in 2005 and 2006." In 2001, Alan Greenspan dropped interest rates to a low 1% in order to jump the economy after the ".com" bubble. It was then bankers and other Wall Street firms started borrowing money due to its inexpensiveness.

 

The mortgage and credit crisis was caused by the inability of a large number of home owners to pay their mortgages as their low introductory-rate mortgages reverted to regular interest rates. Freddie Mac CEO Richard Syron concluded, "We had a bubble", and concurred with Yale economist Robert Shiller's warning that home prices appear overvalued and that the correction could last years, with trillions of dollars of home value being lost. Greenspan warned of "large double digit declines" in home values "larger than most people expect."

 

Problems for home owners with good credit surfaced in mid-2007, causing the United States' largest mortgage lender, Countrywide Financial, to warn that a recovery in the housing sector was not expected to occur at least until 2009 because home prices were falling "almost like never before, with the exception of the Great Depression". The impact of booming home valuations on the U.S. economy since the 2001–2002 recession was an important factor in the recovery, because a large component of consumer spending was fueled by the related refinancing boom, which allowed people to both reduce their monthly mortgage payments with lower interest rates and withdraw equity from their homes as their value increased.

 

Now, however, such situations can be avoided by showing the customers real value of the property they would buy. For instance, 3-D presentations and Real Estate Virtual Tours can be of good help.

Blogged at Bloom.

Interstate 5 is the only road west of the Rockies that goes all the way from Canada to Mexico. A total rebuild and upgrade of I-5 in Orange County was completed in late 2010 - supported by a taxpayer approved tax increase (Measure M). This photo was taken just after the last section opened but before landscaping was completed.

 

This spot is about 20 miles southeast of Downton LA. Southbound traffic into Orange County goes from 3 to 5 lanes and usually moves well here, while northbound traffic into LA suddenly goes from 5 to 3 lanes and is usually at a standstill.

 

Drastically needed improvements in Los Angeles County have been repeatedly delayed due to the perenniel "budget crisis*". The next stretch in LA, from the County Line to Interstate 605, is an antique from the early 1950's. It was surveyed in 1999, and some property was condemned. Actual road construction finally started in mid 2012 with completion no earlier than 2016. The worst deathtrap interchange is being rebuilt first. Some service roads and the center divider are also torn up. (Added October 2013: several bridges and interchanges are in the process of being replaced -- overnight "total closures" of the freeway are frequent.)

 

Upgrade of the section north of Downtown LA, from the San Fernando Valley to the Kern County Line, is also underway.

 

This leaves the section just south east of downtown LA untouched. Northbound, I-5 eventually widens to 6 lanes then almost immediately splits 3 ways at the East Los Angeles Interchange, narrowing to 2 lanes and briefly merging with I-10 before heading toward the San Fernando Valley. Southbound, I-5 first merges with I-10, then splits off onto a two lane ramp before a "blind merge" with a connector road that finally merges with US 101 to become the continuation of I-5. One wrong move and you are on California 60 heading east towards Pomona. This section is best avoided, especially southbound. Most of the East LA Interchange is well designed but it is so complex that "fixing" the "bad parts" may be impossible.

 

Added May 2014: 4 of the 6 segments of the widening project in LA County have started, further disrupting traffic. Several bridges over the freeway are closed for reconstruction. Several streets are disappearing to make way for the additional lanes. The northbound lanes north of Valley View have been temporarily shifted while new lanes are being constructed. Slightly to the north, a railroad grade crossing elimination project has disrupted Valley View and closed part of Stage Road. Many of the trucking businesses along Alondra (where the bridge over the freeway is out for 18 months) have closed. Later, the bridge on Valley View over the freeway (just south of Alondra) will be torn down and replaced. On the other hand, all of this work is much needed and long overdue and will "eventually" be completed.

 

"Every day in every way everything is getting better and better in a ever accelerating crescendo of perfection"

 

Most long distance travel through LA is diverted to Interstate 405 which joins I-5 at both ends, while bypassing Downtown LA, and was partially upgraded for the 1984 Olympics. As part of a further long term upgrade program, the section of I-405 between I-10 and US 101 through the Santa Monica Mountains is being completely closed again the last weekend of September 2012 ("Carmegedon II") .

 

*Headline on Page 1 of Part II of Sep 14, 1975 Los Angeles Times: "Freeways to Nowhere: Construction at a Standstill -- Gaps and Dead Ends Dramatize Stoppage Due to 'Money Crunch' "

 

Added November 2018: still not complete. Half of bridge on Valley View has been demolished leaving a single lane in each direction on this busy truck route. Best part -- when the work is EVENTUALLY completed, northbound bottleneck will just move to I-605.

 

Added December 2019: almost 10 years after this photo was taken, work on the adjacent segment in LA County is STILL not complete. Traffic is frequently less than 10 miles an hour or completely stopped much of the day (according to the on-line traffic map).

Increase in river silt

 

There was severe silting in the Brisbane River in the year ending June 30, the report of the Chief Engineer of the Harbours and Marine Department Harbours Branch (Mr. E. C. Fison) states.

 

The Treasurer (Mr. Larcombe) tabled the report in Parliament yesterday.

 

During the year 1,829,268 tons of silt were removed from the river, 1,234,534 tons having been pumped ashore to reclaim large areas behind the Royal Queensland golf links.

 

The report said dredges on the Hamilton Reach were having difficulty in maintaining 28 feet, low water spring tide.

 

Twenty-eight feet is considered adequate for tidal navigation of the river, but shipowners have asked for a 30ft. low tide depth to enable safe navigation at all times, of fully laden ships.

 

The Harbours and Marine Department has announced plans to dredge the river to 30 feet as soon as possible.

 

Description source:

The Courier-Mail, 14 October 1949

 

Image source: Queensland State Archives Item ID ITM1251209 Dredges, Brisbane River.

Portrait of Abou Kane while addressing during African Economic Conference (AEC) 2019 - Concurrent Session 3 - Leverage Private Sector for Increasing Youth Employment and Employability on December 04, 2019, at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Increase your flexibility up your wrestling game. Isometric Monkey Yoga reduces your soreness and improves your strength throughout your range of motion. Tim Thompson, founder of Monkey Yoga Shala, will lead a curriculum of yoga moves designed especially for grapplers. Tim will also provide a written syllabus so you can continue to practice on your own.

 

Questions? Contact Tim at monkeyyoga@hotmail.com and visit the website for the online syllabus and photo galleries at www.monkeyyoga.com

No Chile, o relevo montanhoso ocupa 80% de seu território, garantindo à famosa Cordilheira dos Andes, que perpassa o país, uma altitude média de 5 mil metros acima do nível do mar. E é nas alturas, entre a Cordilheira e o oceano Pacífico, que se eleva o árido Deserto do Atacama, considerado o mais seco do mundo. A seca e a altitude, no entanto, são fatores que enriquecem as belezas dessa incrível região.

 

En Chile, las montañas cubren 80% del território. Y la famosa Cordillera de los Andes, que pasa a lo largo del país, alcanza la media de altitud de 5 mil metros. Ubicado entre la Cordillera y el Océano Pacífico se eleva hasta el cielo el Desierto de Atacama, el más árido del mundo. Sin embargo, la sequía y la altitud son características que añaden más belleza a esa increíble región.

 

In Chile, the mountains cover 80% of the territory. And the Andes range, that goes throughout the country, reaches an average height of about 5.000 metres. Located between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean, rises the most arid desert in the world: Atacama. Nevertheless, the dry weather and the altitud seem to be an important elements that increase the beauty of the reagion.

The Pakistan Strategy Support Program (PSSP) held the conference, “Increasing Productivity and Unleashing Growth” at the Serena Hotel in Islamabad on May 26-27th, 2012. This conference also marked the final round of the Competitive Grants Program that was launched by PSSP in January 2012 for Pakistani PhD and graduate students studying locally and abroad on economic development issues of Pakistan. The finalists presented in front of the Research Advisory Committee, donor heads, professors and students from local universities. The event also consisted of plenary sessions on Pakistan’s various economic growth issues by renowned academics from all over the world, such as Dr. Jock Anderson, Dr. Regina Birner and Dr. David Spielman.

Everywhere you look, there are reports about rising inflation, which is presented as increases in prices of goods. But contrary to the news media explanations, inflation and rising prices are not the same, although there is an undeniable relationship between the two.

 

Inflation isn’t prices going up but the value of money going down. Spending power decreases. The classic case is late-1923 Germany, when, because of hyperinflation, “a loaf of bread cost 140 billion marks. Workers were paid twice a day, and given half-hour breaks to rush to the shops with their satchels, suitcases, or wheelbarrow, to buy something, anything, before their paper money halved in value yet again” (source: “Loads of Money“, Economist; www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/1999/12/23/loads-...).

 

To finance World War I, Germany eliminated the gold standard and started printing lots more money—essentially what the United States has done during the past two years in part as response to SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2)/COVID-19. To oversimplify: The more dollars circulating, the less valuable they are.

 

Let’s try a different example based on my recent experience. In January 2021, when the administration in Washington changed, gas at my local station cost $2.86 per gallon. Yesterday, I paid $5.80, which is a little more than twice as much. The $28.60 to fill up 14 months ago is good for half a tank today. My money is worth less to purchase the same quantity. Or if you prefer: I pay twice as much to get the same thing.

 

While it’s true that gas prices are rising for other reasons, too, such as the West’s sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, costs of goods are up everywhere and the value of money is down. Again, additional causes come from disrupted supply chains, among other factors. Meaning: Prices rise for multiple reasons in the current economy. Nevertheless, each dollar is worth less and more are required to purchase the same thing. As such, prices increase independent of inflation—or hadn’t you noticed before this inflationary period that you gradually paid more for all kinds of goods?

 

Another example: Dollar Tree recently raised prices to $1.25. The retailer cites a host of reasons, such as costlier distribution and wage increases. Bottom line: Your buck buys less today than a few months ago.

 

Last week, the U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 0.25 percent as part of several measures meant to curtail inflation. But as long as our esteemed lawmakers continue to pursue passing massive handout packages, printing presses will continue and the value of your dollar decreases. Matters might be different if those funds weren’t backed by debt.

 

So the next time that you see or hear something about inflation, don’t think prices going up but your spending power going down. Why do I overly repeat? For example: Your existing assets. Let’s say you are saving up to buy a house, and you need 20 percent downpayment, or you’ve got $500,000 put away for retirement. The money saved for the home may no longer be enough and the retirement nest egg could last lots less time because you have to spend so much more.

 

Or perhaps you live paycheck to paycheck. Every dollar you earn buys less as inflation rises. Again, that’s deflated value. Last week, you paid $5 to buy five boxes of Mac-in-Cheese for the kids. Now your hard-earned dollars are only worth enough to purchase four, or you can scrap snacks for the kiddies’ lunchboxes and pay $6.25. You can view that as either a 25-percent price increase or decline in your money’s value.

 

Just remember this and hope that it’s never you: The German woman hauling a wheelbarrow full of money to the baker. The intrinsic value of that loaf of bread didn’t change, just the number of marks necessary to buy it—or for you, dollars.

 

Note: I used Leica Q2's dedicated Macro mode for this shot.

Seen in Central London as part of the Honk for Hope UK protest to increase awareness of the financial plight of the Coaching Industry is Reay's of Wigton Van Hool TDX27 Astromega YJ19BAO.

Here's a picture of me from last April which I love. :D

To better protect cyclists who are travelling on B.C.s roads, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is reminding everyone that the fine for dooring is about to go up.

 

The new fine for anyone who opens the door of a parked car when it is not reasonably safe to do so (known as dooring will be $368 as of Monday, Sept. 21, 2020.

 

Learn more: news.gov.bc.ca/23122

On July 15, 1954, a graceful, swept-winged aircraft, bedecked in brown and yellow paint and powered by four revolutionary new engines first took to the sky above Seattle. Built by the Boeing Aircraft Company, the 367-80, better known as the Dash 80, would come to revolutionize commercial air transportation when its developed version entered service as the famous Boeing 707, America's first jet airliner.

 

In the early 1950s, Boeing had begun to study the possibility of creating a jet-powered military transport and tanker to complement the new generation of Boeing jet bombers entering service with the U.S. Air Force. When the Air Force showed no interest, Boeing invested $16 million of its own capital to build a prototype jet transport in a daring gamble that the airlines and the Air Force would buy it once the aircraft had flown and proven itself. As Boeing had done with the B-17, it risked the company on one roll of the dice and won.

 

Boeing engineers had initially based the jet transport on studies of improved designs of the Model 367, better known to the public as the C-97 piston-engined transport and aerial tanker. By the time Boeing progressed to the 80th iteration, the design bore no resemblance to the C-97 but, for security reasons, Boeing decided to let the jet project be known as the 367-80.

 

Work proceeded quickly after the formal start of the project on May 20, 1952. The 367-80 mated a large cabin based on the dimensions of the C-97 with the 35-degree swept-wing design based on the wings of the B-47 and B-52 but considerably stiffer and incorporating a pronounced dihedral. The wings were mounted low on the fuselage and incorporated high-speed and low-speed ailerons as well as a sophisticated flap and spoiler system. Four Pratt & Whitney JT3 turbojet engines, each producing 10,000 pounds of thrust, were mounted on struts beneath the wings.

 

Upon the Dash 80's first flight on July 15, 1954, (the 34th anniversary of the founding of the Boeing Company) Boeing clearly had a winner. Flying 100 miles per hour faster than the de Havilland Comet and significantly larger, the new Boeing had a maximum range of more than 3,500 miles. As hoped, the Air Force bought 29 examples of the design as a tanker/transport after they convinced Boeing to widen the design by 12 inches. Satisfied, the Air Force designated it the KC-135A. A total of 732 KC-135s were built.

 

Quickly Boeing turned its attention to selling the airline industry on this new jet transport. Clearly the industry was impressed with the capabilities of the prototype 707 but never more so than at the Gold Cup hydroplane races held on Lake Washington in Seattle, in August 1955. During the festivities surrounding this event, Boeing had gathered many airline representatives to enjoy the competition and witness a fly past of the new Dash 80. To the audience's intense delight and Boeing's profound shock, test pilot Alvin "Tex" Johnston barrel-rolled the Dash 80 over the lake in full view of thousands of astonished spectators. Johnston vividly displayed the superior strength and performance of this new jet, readily convincing the airline industry to buy this new airliner.

 

In searching for a market, Boeing found a ready customer in Pan American Airway's president Juan Trippe. Trippe had been spending much of his time searching for a suitable jet airliner to enable his pioneering company to maintain its leadership in international air travel. Working with Boeing, Trippe overcame Boeing's resistance to widening the Dash-80 design, now known as the 707, to seat six passengers in each seat row rather than five. Trippe did so by placing an order with Boeing for 20 707s but also ordering 25 of Douglas's competing DC-8, which had yet to fly but could accommodate six-abreast seating. At Pan Am's insistence, the 707 was made four inches wider than the Dash 80 so that it could carry 160 passengers six-abreast. The wider fuselage developed for the 707 became the standard design for all of Boeing's subsequent narrow-body airliners.

 

Although the British de Havilland D.H. 106 Comet and the Soviet Tupolev Tu-104 entered service earlier, the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 were bigger, faster, had greater range, and were more profitable to fly. In October 1958 Pan American ushered the jet age into the United States when it opened international service with the Boeing 707 in October 1958. National Airlines inaugurated domestic jet service two months later using a 707-120 borrowed from Pan Am. American Airlines flew the first domestic 707 jet service with its own aircraft in January 1959. American set a new speed mark when it opened the first regularly-scheduled transcontinental jet service in 1959. Subsequent nonstop flights between New York and San Francisco took only 5 hours - 3 hours less than by the piston-engine DC-7. The one-way fare, including a $10 surcharge for jet service, was $115.50, or $231 round trip. The flight was almost 40 percent faster and almost 25 percent cheaper than flying by piston-engine airliners. The consequent surge of traffic demand was substantial.

 

The 707 was originally designed for transcontinental or one-stop transatlantic range. But modified with extra fuel tanks and more efficient turbofan engines, the 707-300 Intercontinental series aircraft could fly nonstop across the Atlantic with full payload under any conditions. Boeing built 855 707s, of which 725 were bought by airlines worldwide.

 

Having launched the Boeing Company into the commercial jet age, the Dash 80 soldiered on as a highly successful experimental aircraft. Until its retirement in 1972, the Dash 80 tested numerous advanced systems, many of which were incorporated into later generations of jet transports. At one point, the Dash 80 carried three different engine types in its four nacelles. Serving as a test bed for the new 727, the Dash 80 was briefly equipped with a fifth engine mounted on the rear fuselage. Engineers also modified the wing in planform and contour to study the effects of different airfoil shapes. Numerous flap configurations were also fitted including a highly sophisticated system of "blown" flaps which redirected engine exhaust over the flaps to increase lift at low speeds. Fin height and horizontal stabilizer width was later increased and at one point, a special multiple wheel low pressure landing gear was fitted to test the feasibility of operating future heavy military transports from unprepared landing fields.

 

After a long and distinguished career, the Boeing 367-80 was finally retired and donated to the Smithsonian in 1972. At present, the aircraft is installated at the National Air and Space Museum's new facility at Washington Dulles International Airport.

Hoenheim Nord Terminus Strasbourg, France

Architect: Zaha Hadid

 

BACKGROUND - The city of Strasbourg has been developing a new tram-line service to combat increasing congestion and pollution in the city centre. It encourages people to leave their cars outside the city in specially designed car parks, and then take a tram to the more inner parts of the city. The first part of this initiative was the development of Line ‘A’ that ran east to west across Strasbourg. Zaha Hadid has been invited, as part of the new artist’s interventions, to design the tram-station and a car park for 700 cars at the northern apex of the line.

 

CONCEPT - The overall concept towards the planning of the car park and the station is one of overlapping fields and lines that knit together to form a constantly shifting whole. Those ‘fields’ are the patterns of movement engendered by cars, trams, bicycles and pedestrians. Each has a trajectory and a trace, as well as a static fixture. It is as though the transition between transport types (car to tram, train to tram) is rendered as the material and spatial transitions of the station, the landscaping and the context.

 

MATERIALISED VECTORS - The Station contains a basic program of waiting space, bicycle storage, toilets and shop. This sense of three dimensional vectors is enhanced in the treatment of space: the play of lines continues as light lines in the floor, or furniture pieces or strip-lights in the ceiling. Viewed in plan, all the ‘lines’ coalesce to create a synchronous whole. The idea is to create an energetic and attractive space that is clearly defined in terms of function and circulation, which is made possible through three-dimensional graphics of light and openings.

 

MAGNETIC FIELDS - The car park is divided into two parts to cater for 700 cars. The notion of the cars as being ephemeral and constantly changing elements on site is manifest as a ‘magnetic field’ of white lines on the black tarmac. These delineate each parking space and start off aligned north/south at the lowest part of the site, then gently rotate according to the curvature of the site boundaries. Each space has a vertical light post. In contrast with the lines on the ground, an area of darker concrete, almost an imaginary ‘shadow’, cuts gently through the car park, linking the field of the station to the one of the car park. Overall, the ‘field’ of the light posts maintains a constant datum height that combines with the gradient of the floor slope. Again, the intention is to reciprocate between static and dynamic elements at all scales.

 

Date: 1999/2001

Client: Compagnie des Transports Strasbourgeois

Architectural design Zaha Hadid

Project architect: Stéphane Hof

Structural engineer: Dr. Ing. Luigi Martino

Superficie: 25.000 m²

Bus and Tram Station 3.000 m²

Parking 700 places.

6KH Radio was one of Britain’s early radio stations and the first to transmit within Hull and its environs. It was one of the relay stations set up by the BBC to increase coverage of its UK-wide broadcasting and was designated the ‘6KH’ call-sign representing Kingston-upon-Hull. 6KH Radio began broadcasting on 15th August 1924 using a 200W transmitter at a frequency of 896 kHz and just when commercial radio sets were becoming available to an eager public. 6KH Radio broadcasted a schedule of BBC programs as well as others of local interest, including a Children’s Hour. This is a membership for their Children's Hour Birthday Club.

 

In 1926, the BBC was nationalised and a change of policy saw the company reorganised into two new radio services, BBC National and BBC Regional. This was made possible with the development of more powerful transmitters able to broadcast over longer distances. This ensured the demise of many relay stations, including 6KH Radio which ceased transmitting on the 31st October 1928.

 

As standard practise for radio stations and newspapers of the time, each had their own slots for children’s programmes with dedicated clubs that issued welcome packs to new members which would have included their membership badge, such as this one. 6KH Radio also transmitted a weekly 30-minute programme to regional schools each Friday afternoon.

 

In 1923, the BBC formed Radio Circles, which were clubs for listeners to the Children's Hour programmes. Initially, these were based on local stations such as Manchester (2ZY), Nottingham (5NH), Sheffield (6FL), Stoke on Trent (6ST), Liverpool (6LV), Hull (6KH), etc and each of these stations issued their own distinct membership badge. With the nationalisation of radio under the BBC in 1926 and the developments of better transmitting technology, the local stations had been reorganised into regional ones by 1928. The Radio Circle clubs had also been reorganised and thererafter, each issued a standard badge showing the iconic sunburst, rabbit and cockerel, differentiated only by a bar attached to the badge showing the region's name. The Radio Circle clubs were discontinued by the BBC making their final birthday request broadcast on the 31st December 1933. The BBC stated costs as being the main factor for their decision to end the Childen's Hour Radio Circles.

 

.

References:

 

news.bbc.co.uk/local/humberside/hi/people_and_places/hist... (Hull’s first radio station - 6KH).

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Regional_Programme (Early days of BBC radio & station ID codes).

 

www.mds975.co.uk/Content/ukradio.html (General history of UK radio).

 

www.transdiffusion.org/2001/08/15/regions1

 

www.facebook.com/lostworldLE/ (This Facebook account - The lost world of light entertainment has quite a few snippets of information about the BBC Radio Circle clubs).

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children%27s_Hour (BBC Children’s Hour radio programme, 1923-1964).

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Regional_Programme (Early history of the BBC radio, includes list of relay stations and regions).

 

.

Enamels: 3 (dark blue, light blue & white).

Finish: Gilt.

Material: Brass.

Fixer: Pin.

Size: approx 1” diameter.

Process: Die stamped.

Imprint: THOMAS FATTORINI LTD, HOCKLEY ST, BIRMINGHAM (1924-1929).

 

Sham referenda conducted at gunpoint are “null and void”

Russian threats to use nuclear weapons will not deter the EU from further assistance to Ukraine

Call for an ad hoc international tribunal for crime of aggression against Ukraine

Nord Stream incident shows European critical infrastructure needs more protection

 

Read more: www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20220930IPR4193...

 

This photo is free to use under Creative Commons license CC-BY-4.0 and must be credited: "CC-BY-4.0: © European Union 2022– Source: EP". (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) No model release form if applicable. For bigger HR files please contact: webcom-flickr(AT)europarl.europa.eu

Increased the size, add a area for visitors to the reception Manager and a parts warehouse. In the first box did dynamo meter, added the maximum amount of detail, I plan to put a four post lift, but haven't decided what design to use. Still need to increase the size to make the toilet and changing facilities and Parking for clients/projects and ideally Parking under "donors".

Creeps me the @$% out. The early 20th century textbook Zach found had a whole chapter devoted to Eugenics.

The Province is increasing e-bike rebates for individuals and businesses to help make electric-powered bikes more affordable and accessible, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Christmas can see an increase in calls to the police but not all what they seem!

 

Only dial 999 in real emergencies. Use 101 in non-emergency situations.

 

Greater Manchester Police has unveiled the latest recruits that have been drafted in to help keep people safe during the festive period.

 

Pupils from St Edmund's RC Primary School, in Miles Platting, Manchester have joined officers to give vital crime prevention advice to people across Greater Manchester.

 

The Force has been working with the children aged four to 10 to make sure people know how to protect themselves, their family, their home and possessions during Christmas and New Year.

 

The youngsters star in a series of light-hearted videos that draw attention to various aspects of safety and security. The videos will part of the Force's Advent calendar.

 

Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy said: "Staying safe during Christmas really is child's play if you remember the key advice and the pupils have helped to keep things simple."

 

View more of our Operation Advent videos.

  

To find out more about Greater Manchester Police please visit our website.

www.gmp.police.uk

 

You should call 101, the new national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.

 

Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.

 

You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.

The Growing Importance of Institutional Investors in Transition Economies

 

Banks across the globe are facing increasing capital constraints, resulting in shifting an emphasis on certain activities and a reduced appetite for long-term lending to the corporate and infrastructure sectors.

 

As the non-banking financial sector continues to expand, this discussion focused on the growing importance of institutional investors in the development of capital markets in transition economies. Investors such as pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies and asset managers have the ability to exert a significant influence on capital flows in the EBRD’s region.

 

This panel also explored the challenges and opportunities faced by the institutional investment community and how these investors can mobilise funds in support of economic development.

  

Moderator

Ralph Atkins

 

Capital Markets Editor, Financial Times Ltd.

 

Speakers

Klemens Breuer

 

Member of the Managing Board, Markets, Raiffeisen Bank International AG

Gianni Franco Papa

 

Head of CEE Division, UniCredit

Manfred Schepers

 

Vice President and CFO, EBRD

Paweł Tamborski

 

Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of the Treasury, Poland

Danny Truell

 

Chief Investment Officer, The Wellcome Trust

Deborah Zurkow

 

CIO and Head of Infrastructure Debt, Allianz Global Investors

 

Copper was discovered at Kuridala in 1884 and the Hampden Mine commenced during the 1890s. A Melbourne syndicate took over operations in 1897 and with increasing development of the mine in 1905 - 1906 the Hampden Cloncurry Limited company was formed. The township was surveyed as Hampden in 1910 (later called Friezland, and finally Kuridala in 1916). The Hampden Smelter operated from 1911 to 1920 with World War I being a particularly prosperous time for the company. After the war, the operations and the township declined and the Hampden Cloncurry Limited company ceased to exist in 1928. Tribute mining and further exploration and testing of the ore body has continued from 1932 through to the present day.

 

The Kuridala Township and Hampden Smelter are located approximately 65km south of Cloncurry and 345m above sea level, on an open plain against a background of rugged but picturesque hills.

 

The Cloncurry copper fields were discovered by Ernest Henry in 1867 but lack of capital and transport combined with low base metal prices precluded any major development. However, rising prices, new discoveries in the region and the promise of a railway combined with an inflow of British capital stimulated development. Additionally, Melbourne based promoters eager to develop another base metal bonanza like Broken Hill led to a resurgence of interest, especially in the Hampden mines.

 

The copper deposits at Kuridala (initially named Hampden) were discovered by William McPhail and Robert Johnson on their pastoral lease, Eureka, in January 1884. The Hampden mine was held by Fred Gibson in the 1890s and acquired in 1897 by a Melbourne syndicate comprising the 'Broken Hillionaires' - William Orr, William Knox, and Herman Schlapp. They floated the Hampden Copper Mines N. L. with a capital of £100,000 in £100 shares of which 200 were fully paid up. With this capital, they commenced a prospecting and stockpiling program sending specimens to Dapto and Wallaroo for testing. Government Geologist, W.E. Cameron's report on the district in 1900 discouraged investors as he reported that few of the lodes, other than the Hampden Company's main lode at Kuridala, were worth working.

 

A world price rise in copper in 1905, combined with a government decision in 1906 to extend the Townsville railway from Richmond to Cloncurry, stimulated further development. The Hampden Cloncurry Copper Mines Limited was registered in Victoria in March 1906 to acquire the old company's mines. However, the company only had a working capital of £35,000 after distributing vendor's shares and buying the Duchess mines. During this period there were over 20 companies investing similarly on the Cloncurry field.

 

The township was surveyed by the Mines Department around 1910 and was first known as Hampden after the mines discovered in the 1880s. By 1912 it was called Friezland, however was officially renamed Kuridala in October 1916 to minimise confusion with another settlement in Queensland. The reason for this change was considered to be linked to German names being unpopular at the outbreak of World War I.

 

Hampden Cloncurry Copper Mines Limited and its competitor, Mount Elliott, formed a special company in 1908 to finance and construct the railway extension from Cloncurry through Malbon, to Kuridala, and Mount Elliott. The company reconstructed in July 1909 by increasing its capitalisation, and concluding arrangements for a debenture issue to be secured against its proposed smelters. Its smelters were not fired until March 1911 and over the next three years 85,266 tons of ore were treated with an initial dividend of £140,000 being declared in 1913. In one month in 1915 the Hampden Smelter produced 813 tons of copper, an Australian record at that time.

 

Concern over the dwindling reserves of high grade ore led to William Corbould, the general manager of Mount Elliott mines, negotiating an amalgamation with Hampden Cloncurry to halt the fierce rivalry. But the latter was uninterested having consolidated its prospects in 1911 by acquiring many promising mines in the region, and enlarging its smelters and erecting new converters. In 1913, following a fire in the Hampden Consol's mine, Corbould convinced his London directors to reopen negotiations for a joint venture in the northern section of the field which still awaited a railway. Although Corbould and Huntley, the Hampden Cloncurry general manager, inspected many properties, the proposal lapsed.

 

The railway reached the township by 1910. A sanitary system was installed in 1911, after a four month typhoid epidemic, and a hospital erected by 1913, run by Dr. Old. It was described as the best and most modern hospital in the northwest. At its height, the town supported six hotels, five stores, four billiard saloons, three dance halls, and a cinema, two ice works, and one aerated waters factory, and Chinese gardens along the creek. There were also drapers, fruiterer, butcher, baker, timber merchant, garage, four churches, police station, court house, post office, banks, and a school with up to 280 pupils. A cyclone in December 1918 damaged the town and wrecked part of the powerhouse and smelter.

 

A comprehensive description of the plant and operations of the Kuridala Hampden mines and smelters was given by the Cloncurry mining warden in the Queensland Government Mining Journal of the 14th of September 1912. Ore from other company-owned mines (Duchess, Happy Salmon, MacGregor, and Trekelano) was railed in via a 1.2km branch line to the reduction plant bins, while the heavy pyrites ore from the Hampden mines was separated at the main shaft into coarse and fine products and conveyed to separate 1,500 ton capacity bins over a standard gauge railway to the plant.

 

A central power plant was installed with three separate Dowson pressure gas plants powered by three tandem type Kynoch gas engines of 320hp and two duplex type Hornsby gas engines of 200hp. Two Swedish General Electric Company generators of 1,250kw and 56kw running at 460 volts, supplied electricity to the machines in the works, fitting shops and mine pumps. Electric light for the mine and works was supplied by a British Thompson-Houston generator of 42kw, running at 420 volts. The fuel used in the gas producers was bituminous coal, coke or charcoal, made locally in the retorts.

 

The reduction plant consisted of two water-jacket furnaces, 2.1m by 1m and 4.2m by 1m, with dust chambers and a 52m high steel stack. There were two electrically driven converter vessels, each 3.2m by 2.3m. The molten product ran into a 3.7m diameter forehearth, while the slag was drawn off into double ton slag pots, run to the dump over 3 foot gauge, 42lb steel rail tracks. The copper was delivered from the forehearth to the converters. A 1.06m gauge track ran under the converters and carried the copper mould cars to the cleaning and shipping shed, at the end of which was the siding for railing out the cakes of blister copper.

 

The war conferred four years of prosperity on the Cloncurry district despite marketing, transport, and labour difficulties. The Hampden Cloncurry Company declared liberal dividends during 1915 - 1918: £40,000, £140,000, £52,500 and £35,000 making a total disbursement since commencing operations of £437,500. Its smelters treated over a quarter of a million tons of ore in this period, averaging over 70,000 tons annually. The company built light railways to its mines (e.g. Wee MacGregor and Trekelano) to ensure regular ore supplies and to reduce transport costs. In order to improve its ore treatment, Hampden Cloncurry installed a concentration plant in 1917. In 1918 an Edwards furnace was erected to pre-roast fine sulphide concentrates from the mill before smelting.

 

The dropping of the copper price control by the British government in 1918 forced the company into difficulties. Smelting was postponed until September 1919 and the company lost heavily during the next season and had to rely on ores from the Trekelano mine. Its smelter treated 69,598 tons of ore in 1920, but the company was forced to halt all operations after the Commonwealth Bank withdrew funds on copper awaiting export.

 

Companies and mines turned to the Theodore Labor Government for assistance but they were unsympathetic to the companies, even though they alone had the capacity to revive the Cloncurry field. More negotiations for amalgamation occurred in 1925 but failed, and in 1926 Hampden Cloncurry offered its assets for sale by tender and Mount Elliott acquired them all except for the Trekelano mine. The company was de-listed in 1928.

 

The rise and decline of the township reflected the company's fortunes. In 1913 there were 1,500 people increasing to 2,000 by 1920, but by 1924 this had declined to 800. With the rise of Mount Isa, Kaiser's bakehouse, the hospital, courthouse, one ice works, and a picture theatre, moved there in 1923 followed by Boyds' Hampden Hotel (renamed the Argent) in 1924. Other buildings including the police residence and Clerk of Petty Sessions house were moved to Cloncurry.

 

In its nine years of smelting Hampden Cloncurry had been one of Australia's largest mining companies producing 50,800 tons of copper (compared with Mount Elliott's 27,000), 21,000 ounces of gold and 381,000 ounces of silver. A more permanent achievement was its part in creating the metal fabricating company, Metal Manufacturers Limited, of which it was one of the four founders in 1916. Much of the money which built their Port Kembla works into one of the country's largest manufacturers came from the now derelict smelters in north-west Queensland.

 

In 1942 Mount Isa Mines bought the Kuridala Smelters for £800 and used parts to construct a copper furnace which commenced operating in April 1943 in response to wartime demands. The Tunny family continued to live at Kuridala as tributers on the Hampden and Consol mines from 1932 until 1969 and worked the mines down to 15.25m. A post office operated until 1975 and the last inhabitant, Lizzy Belch, moved into Cloncurry about 1982.

 

Further exploration and testing of the Kuridala ore body has occurred from 1948 up until the present with activities being undertaking by Mount Isa Mines, Broken Hill South, Enterprise Exploration, Marshall and James Boyd, Australian Selection, Kennecott Exploration, Carpentaria Exploration, Metana Minerals, A.M. Metcalfe, Dampier Mining Co Ltd, Newmont Pty Ltd, Australian Anglo American, Era South Pacific Pty Ltd, CRA Exploration Pty Ltd, BHP Minerals Ltd, Metana Minerals and Matrix Metals Ltd.

 

Source: Queensland Heritage Register.

More than $7 billion in dirty money was laundered in B.C. in 2018, hiking the cost of buying a home by about 5%, according to British Columbia’s Expert Panel on Money Laundering in Real Estate.

 

Learn more: news.gov.bc.ca/19694

MTA New York City Transit President Richard Davey, Senior Vice President of Subways Demetrius Crichlow, and local officials announce increased weekend subway service on the G, J, and M lines at the Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts station on Thursday, Jun 29, 2023. A second consist of R211 subway cars also went into service.

 

State Senator Andrew Gounardes.

 

(Marc A. Hermann / MTA)

Sylhet, Bangladesh. 04 November 2012. A boy working with her parent at Plastic recycling factory in Sylhet, Bangladesh.

The number of poor people is increasing day by day in Bangladesh, Economic and social disparities level is in the earth to sky. The poor become poorer and Rich people are richer. Nearly 60% of people live below the poverty limit in the village areas in Bangladesh. Some Poverty victim women and their family come to the big cities and do day laborer works in the small enterprises like plastic recycling factories which is harmful for health. But they have to work in these unhealthy work environments, for surviving their livelihood by earning daily wages of 100 to120 taka. (USD 1.2-1.4).

 

“Tokai”, Known as street children, A large group of child worker, they always search for saleable and recyclable Plastic Materials from dirt, garbage, roads, the dock and from pedestrian walkways. There are mid level shops where they sell their daily stocks. After that these plastics transferred to the recycle places for further process. There are some groups of people working to separate the different colors of the bottle, cutting, washing, drying and packaging. Some collect oil from destroyed bottle for their self.

 

Plastic packaging and plastic rings, Plastic bags for more plastic things,

Plastic bottles for the water you drink, But plastic causes death so stop and think!

Millions of sea birds and turtles painfully die, after eating plastic that floats on by,

Plastic thrown away and out of reach, Ends up as plastic sand on a plastic beach,

Plastic sold for consumer cash, Fills our oceans with plastic trash.

 

Recycling is the future of waste disposal. Plastic recycling is the process of recovering scrap or waste plastic and reprocessing the material into useful products, sometimes completely different in form from their original state. For instance, this could mean melting down soft drink bottles and then casting them as plastic chairs and tables. Typically a plastic is not recycled into the same type of plastic, and products made from recycled plastics are often not recyclable. Photo by Md. Akhlas Uddin/Pacific Press

 

History of the Vienna Hofburg

First residence

(further informations you can get by clicking on the link at the end of page!)

With the elevation of Austria to Archduchy in 1156 Vienna became city of residence. From the residence of the Babenberg which was located on the present site "Am Hof", unfortunately there are no more remains left. After the extinction of the Babenberg, King Ottokar II Přemysl of Bohemia (1230-1278) took over by marriage the rule in Vienna and began in 1275 with the construction of a castle within the city walls of Vienna. This castle was equipped with four towers around a rectangular court that is known today as the Schweizerhof (Swiss court). In the fight for the German crown Ottokar was defeated at the Battle of Dürnkrut (Lower Austria) by Rudolf I of Habsburg (1218-1291) and killed during the retreat.

As the old residence of the Babenberg burnt about 1276, Rudolf probably in 1296 moved to the former castle of Ottokar 1279. The descendants of Rudolf extended the castle only slightly: chapel (documentary mention in 1296), St. Augustine's Church (consecrated in 1349), reconstruction of the chapel (1423-1426) . Due to the division of the lands of the Habsburgs, Vienna lost its importance and it also lacked the financial resources to expand the castle.

Imperial residence

Under Frederick III. (1415-1493) acquired the Habsburgs the imperial title and Vienna became an imperial residence. But Friedrich and his successors used the Vienna Residence rarely and so it happened that the imperial residence temporarily orphaned. Only under Ferdinand I (1503-1564) Vienna again became the capital of the Archduchy. Under Ferdinand began a large construction: the three wings of the existing Swiss court were expanded and increased. The defensive wall in the northwest was as fourth wing with the Swiss Gate (built in 1552 probably by Pietro Ferrabosco ) rebuilt. In the southwest was a tract for Ferdinand's children (the so-called "children Stöckl (Kinderstöckl)") added. The newly constituted authorities Exchequer and Chancery were domiciled in adjacent buildings at Castle Square. There were also an art chamber in the castle, a hospital, a passage from the castle to St. Augustine's Church and a new ballroom.

First major extensions of the residence

In the area of the ​​"desolate church" built Ferdinand from 1559 a solitary residence for his son. However, the construction was delayed, and Maximilian II (1527-1576) moved after his father's death in 1564 in the old castle. He had his residence for his Spanish horses in a Hofstallgebäude (Court stables building - Stallburg) converted and from 1565 increased.

Ferdinand I decided to divide his lands to his three sons, which led to a reduction of Vienna as a residence. Moreover, resided Maximilian II, who was awarded apart from Austria above and below the Enns also Bohemia and Hungary, readily in Prague and moved also the residence there. In 1575 he decided to build a new building opposite the Swiss court for the royal household of his eldest son, Rudolf II (1552-1612). The 1577 in the style of the late Renaissance completed and in 1610 expanded building, which was significantly fitted with a turret with "welscher hood" and an astronomical clock, but was inhabited by the governor of the Emperor (Archduke Ernst of Austria). However, the name "Amalienborg Castle" comes from Amalie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (wife of Joseph I) that in 1711 there established her widow's home.

In the late 16th and early 17th Century only a few extensions were carried out: extension of a separate tract in the northeast of the castle for the treasure and art chamber (1583-1585) as well as setting up of a dance hall in the area of ​​today's Redoutensäle (1629-1631).

Under Leopold I the dance hall war rebuilt of Ludovico Burnacini 1659/1660 into a at that time modern theater ("Comedy House"). 1666 Leopold I had in the area of ​​today's castle garden a new opera house with three tiers and a capacity of 5,000 persons built.

In the 1660-ies was under Leopold I (1640-1705) between the Amalienbourg and the Schweizerhof, the so-called Leopoldine Wing (Leopoldinischer Trakt), according to the plans of architect Filiberto Lucchese an elongated Flügelbau (wing building) built. Since, however, the tract shortly after the completion burned down, it has been newly built and increased by Giovanni Pietro Tencala. Due to its architectur, this tract connects yet more to the late Renaissance. The connection with the Amalienborg Castle followed then under Leopold's son, Joseph I (1678-1711).

After completion of the Leopoldine Wing the in the southeast of the castle located Riding School was restored, the south tower of the old castle razed, the old sacristy of the castle chapel replaced by an extension. Under Charles VI. (1685-1740) the gatehouse between the Castle Yard and carbon market (Kohlmarkt) by Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt was transformed into a monumental triumphal portal as a representative signum of the imperial power. However, this construction does not exist anymore, it had to give way to the Michael tract.

Baroque redesign of the Hofburg

In the early 18th Century began an intense construction activity. The Emperor commissioned Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach with the construction of new stables outside the city walls as well as a new court library.

After the death of Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach whose son Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach took over the supervision of the stables and the Imperial Library. 1725 the palatial front of the stables was completed. Since yet during the construction period has been noted that the stables were too smal dimensioned, the other wings were not realized anymore. The with frescoes by Daniel Gran and emperor statues of Paul Strudel equipped Court Library was completed in 1737.

Opposite of the Leopoldine Wing was supposed to be built a new Reich Chancellery. 1723 Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt was commissioned with the design. 1726, however, the Reich Chancellery was withdrawn the supervision and is was transferred to the Chancery and thus to Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach, who also designed the adjacent court chamber and the front to St. Michael's Church. 1728 were finished the court chamber and the facade of the two buildings. By Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach was also planned the Michaelertrakt, the connection between the Winter Riding School and Reichskanzleitrakt (Imperial Chancellery Tract). However, since the old Burgtheater building was in the way, this was half done for a period of 150 years and was only completed in 1889-1893 by Ferdinand Kirschner.

Under Maria Theresa (1717-1780) was the at St. Michael's Square located and only as remnants existing Ballhaus (ballhouse) adapted as a court theater. Beside the Kaiser hospital therefore a new ballhouse was built, which was name giving for the Ballhausplatz. Subsequently, there were over and over again modifications and adaptations: reconstruction of the comedy hall according to the plans of Jean Nicolas Jadot into two ballrooms, the small Redoutensaal and the large Redoutensaal (ball room) (1744-1748). The transformation of the two halls (since 1760), repair of the Court Library and since 1769 the design of the Josefsplatz followed under Joseph Nicolas of Pacassi. These buildings were completed by the successor of Pacassi Franz Anton Hillebrandt. As an extension building for the Royal Library was built in the southeast the Augustinian tract.

Other structural measures under Maria Theresa: establishment of the court pharmacy into the Stallburg, relocation of the in the Stallburg accommodated art collection to the Upper Belvedere, demolition of the remaining two towers of the old castle, the construction of two stairways (the ambassadors (Botschafterstiege) and the Säulenstiege (pillar stairway).

Extensions in the 19th Century and early 20th century

Francis II (1768-1835) gave Albert Duke of Saxe-Teschen and his wife Marie Christine (daughter of Maria Theresa), the Palais Tarouca south of the Augustinian monastery. From 1800 this was remodeled by Louis Montoyer and by a wing building expanded to the today's Albertina.

1804 proclaimed Francis II the hereditary Empire of Austria and was thus as Francis I the first Austrian emperor. With the by Napoleon Bonaparte provoked abdication of the emperor in 1806 ended the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation.

1809 part of the old bastions by the castle was blown up as a consequence of the war with Napoleon and afterwards razed. Towards to the today's ring road then new outworks were layed out (the so-called Hornwerkskurtine and the Escarpen). In the early 20's of the 19th Century were created three gardens: the private Imperial Castle Garden with two by Louis von Remy planned steel/glass-constructed greenhouses, Heroes Square with boulevards and the People garden with the Theseus Temple (Pietro Nobile). At the same time arised also the new, by Luigi Cagnola in 1821 begun and 1824 by Pietro Nobile completed outer castle gate.

1846 was built a monumental memorial to Francis I in the Interior Castle Square. In the turmoil of the 1848 Revolution the Stallburg was stormed and at the outer castle square as well as the castle gate fiercely fought. In the process burned the roof of the court library. The political consequences of the revolution were the abdication of Emperor Ferdinand I (1793-1875), the dismissal of the dreaded Chancellor Clemens Lothar Prince Metternich and the coronation of Ferdinand's nephew Franz Joseph.

In the first years of the reign of Emperor Franz Joseph I (1830-1916) were converted the court stables by Leopold Mayer and expanded. As part of the expansion of the city, the city walls were razed and it emerged in place of the fort complex space for a magnificent boulevard, the Ringstrasse (Ring road). 1862, was born the idea of ​​an Imperial Forum of architect Ludwig Förster. On the surface between the Hofburg and the Imperial Stables should arise Court Museums (Art and Natural History Museum).

At the outer Castle Square (today's Heldenplatz) were in the 60-ies of the 19th Century the by Anton Dominik Fernkorn created equestrian statues of Archduke Charles (defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Aspern-Essling) and Prince Eugene of Savoy (victor over the Turks in several battles) set.

After an unsuccessful architectural competition on the design of the Heroes square area in 1869 Gottfried Semper could be won. This led to the involuntary and not frictionless collaboration with Carl Freiherr von Hasenauer. Planned was a two-wing building over the ring road away with the two flanking twin museums (Art and Natural History Museum) and the old stables as a conclusion. 1871 was started with the Erdaushebungen (soil excavations) for the museums. 1889, the Natural History Museum was opened,1891 the Museum of Fine Arts (Kunsthistorisches Museum).

On a watercolor from 1873 by Rudolf Ritter von Alt (1812 - 1905), an overall view of the Imperial Forum is shown

1888 the Old Court Theatre at St. Michael's Square was demolished as the new KK Court Theatre (today's Burgtheater) by Gottfried Semper and Carl Freiherr von Hasenauer built, was finished. The since150 years existing construction site at St. Michael's Square could be completed. The roundel got a dome, the concave curved Michaelertrakt was finalized by Ferdinand Kirschner. The once by Lorenzo Mattielli created cycle of statues on the facade of the Reich Chancellery was continued with four other "deeds of Hercules" sidewards of the drive-through arches. 1893, the Hofburg had finally its last magnificent decorative facade .

1901, the old greenhouses were demolished and replaced by an orangery with Art Nouveau elements according to plans of Friedrich Ohmann (finalization in 1910). In 1907, the Corps de Logis, which forms a closure of the new castle, completed. Since Emperor Franz Joseph I in the budding 20th Century no longer was interested in lengthy construction projects and the Crown Prince Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este (1863-1914) spoke out against the establishment of a throne hall building, but spoke for the construction of a smaller ballroom tract, the implementation of the second wing was dropped. After the assassination of Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este in Sarajevo, the First World War broke out. Franz Joseph I died in 1916. A great-nephew of Franz Joseph I, Charles I (1887-1922) succeeded to the throne, however, that he only occupied two years. The end of the First World War also meant the end of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. On 11th November 1918 the First Republic was proclaimed. As Karl in fact renounced of the businesses of government, but not the throne, he had to go into exile with his family.

The Imperial Palace in the 20th century

The interior design of the ballroom tract and the New Castle were continued despite the end of the monarchy to 1926. By the end of the monarchy, many of the buildings lost their purpose. Further on used or operated was the Riding School. The stables were used from 1921 as the Wiener Messe (Fair) exhibition grounds ("Messe palace"). In 1928, the Corps de Logis, the Museum of Ethnology, by then part of the Natural History Museum, opened. 1935 came the weapons collection (court, hunting and armour chamber) of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in the New Castle.

1933/1934 the outer castle gate by Rudolf Wondracek was transformed into a hero monument to the victims of the First World War. 1935 emerged left and right of the castle gate pylon portals with eagle sculptures of Wilhelm Frass. In March 1938, the Heroes' Square and the balcony of the Neue Burg gained notoriety after Adolf Hitler announced to the cheering crowd at the Heldenplatz the annexation of Austria to the German Reich. The Nazis were planning a redesign of the Heroes' Square to a paved parade and ceremony space. The plans were not realized since 1943 a fire pond at Heldenplatz was dredged and the place was later used for agriculture. In the Trade Fair Palace were held during the period of the Nazism propaganda events.

During the war, the Imperial Palace (Stallburg, St. Augustine's Church, Albertina, the head office of the Federal President, the current building of the Federal Chancellery) was severely damaged by bomb hits: The first President of the Second Republic, Dr. Karl Renner, moved in 1946 the Office of the President to the Leopoldine Wing (in the former living quarters of Maria Theresa and Joseph II).

During the time of occupation the seat of the Inter-Allied Commission was housed in the Neue Burg.

1946 again were held first events in the Exhibition Palace and have been set up two large exhibition halls in the main courtyard of the fair palace. In the course of the reconstruction the damages of war were eliminated and the Imperial Palace repaired, the castle stable were built again. In 1958 in the ballroom wing was set up the convention center, 1962-1966 the modern Library of the Austrian National Library housed in the Neue Burg.

For the first time appeared in 1989 the concept of a "Museum Quarter". The Museum district should include contemporary art and culture. The oversized design of Laurids and Manfred Ortner but was redimensioned several times after the resistance of a citizens' initiative. The implementation followed a decade later.

1992 the two Redoutensäle completely burned out. Yet shortly after the fire was began with the reconstruction. The roof was extended and the small ball room could be restored. The big ball room, however, was renovated and designed with paintings by Josef Mikl. In 1997 the two halls were reopened.

From 1997-2002 the Museum Quarter (including Kunsthalle Wien, Leopold Collection) was rebuilt and the old building fabric renovated.

1999 was began with the renovation of the Albertina. The for a study building, two exhibition halls and an underground storage enlarged museum was reopened in 2003. The Albertina ramp was built with an oversized shed roof by Hans Hollein.

In 2006, in the area of the boiler house yard were created additional rooms for the convention center.

(Source: Trenkler, Thomas: "The Vienna Hofburg", Vienna 2004)

www.burghauptmannschaft.at/php/detail.php?artnr=7103&...

Increasing amounts of lying snow as we walked further up the head of the Holme Valley.

We made our annual trip to London in November. We travel down by coach from Slaithwaite and stay at The Cumberland Hotel at Marble Arch. It’s actually a weekend ladies shopping trip that is run as a fundraiser for Slaithwaite Brass Band – I’m the only bloke that goes every year! We decided ( the two of us) to stay down in London until Thursday this time as we wanted to see weekday London and be able to explore a bit further afield on foot. We covered up to 16 miles a day, which is tough going on crowded pavements with hundreds of busy roads to cross. I photographed anything that looked interesting but I bent a contact in the CF card slot, fortunately I had quite a few SD cards with me and the 5D has dual slots so I was able to carry on using it. It’s currently at Lehmann’s getting fixed.

 

With it being close to Christmas the decorations are up everywhere so there was plenty of colour at night. In Hyde Park the Winter Wonderland was in full swing, we’ve never bothered going to it before but I went twice at night this time. It is massive this year, I couldn’t get over how big it is and the quality of some of the attractions. The cost and effort involved must be phenomenal – it was quite expensive though. It was very difficult to photograph, with extremes of light (LED’s) and darkness and fast moving rides into the bargain. I think I have some decent usable stuff but at the time of writing I am only part way through the editing process so I don’t know for sure.

 

We set off at around 8.15 am every day and stayed out for at least 12 hours. The weather was poor for a day and a half with drizzle and very dull grey conditions, fortunately we had some pleasant weather (and light) along the way as well. Being based at the end of Oxford Street – Europe’s busiest shopping street – meant that I did quite a bit of night shooting on there. Although I carried a tripod everywhere I only used it once and that was during the day! Because there is always a moving element in almost every shot it seemed pointless using a tripod. I would have got some shots free of movement – or I could have gone for ultra-long exposures to eliminate people and traffic but it would have been problematic I felt. In the end I wound the ISO up and hand held – fingers crossed.

 

We walked out to Camden Market and Locks but it had been raining and we were a bit early as many were only just setting up for the day. We tried to follow routes that we hadn’t used before and visit new places. We paid a fortune to get in St Pauls but you can’t use cameras. This something that I fail to see the point of, ban flash if you want but if you are going to encourage tourism why ban cameras when there is nothing in particular happening in there. It’s a rule that seems to be applied arbitrarily in cities around the world. Fortunately we could take photos from the outside of the dome, which was real reason for visiting, and we had some great light. Expensive compared with a couple of euros in some famous cathedrals. I’ve wanted to walk to Canary Wharf for a number of years and this year we did. We crisscrossed the Thames a few times and tried to follow the Thames path at other times. We covered around ten miles but it was an interesting day. It was also very quiet for the last four or five miles. We got there about 12.00 and managed to get a sandwich in a café in the shopping centre at the foot of the high rise office blocks before tens of thousands of office workers descended from above. It was mayhem, packed, with snaking queues for anywhere that sold food. We crossed to the other side of The Isle of Dogs and looked across to the O2 Arena and the cable car, unfortunately there isn’t a way across for pedestrians and it was around 3.00 pm. With darkness falling at around 4.30 we decide it was too late to bother. We made our way back to the Thames Clipper pier to check the sailing times. They sail every twenty minutes so we had a couple of glasses of wine and a rest before catching the Clipper. Sailing on the Thames was a first in 15 trips to London. The Clipper is fast and smooth, the lights had come on in the city and there was a fantastic moon rise. It was nigh on impossible to get good shots at the speed we were traveling though and there were times that I wished I could be suspended motionless above the boat. Again, hopefully I will have some usable shots.

 

We felt that the shopping streets were a little quieter, following the Paris massacre it was to be expected, I might be wrong as we were out and about at later times than previous trips. I think I have heard that footfall is down though. It was good to get into some of the quieter backstreets and conversely to be stuck in the city business district – The Square Mile- at home time. A mass exodus of people running and speed walking to bus stops and the rail and tube stations. It was difficult to move against or across the flow of bodies rushing home.

 

Whilst the Northern(manufacturing) economy is collapsing, London is a giant development site, it must be the tower crane capital of Europe at the moment. It was difficult to take a shot of any landmark free of cranes, it was easier to make the cranes a feature of the photo. It’s easy to see where the wealth is concentrated – not that there was ever any doubt about it. The morons with too much money are still driving their Lambo’s and Ferraris etc. like clowns in streets that are packed with cars , cyclists and pedestrians, accelerating viciously and noisily for 50 yards. They are just sad attention seekers. From Battersea to Canary Wharf we walked the Thames Embankment, the difference between high and low tide on the river is massive, but the water was the colour of mud – brown! Not very attractive in colour. We caught a Virgin Train from Kings Cross for £14.00 each – a bargain!. We had quite a bit of time to kill around midday at Kings Cross so I checked with security that I was OK to wander around taking photos, without fear of getting jumped by armed security, and set off to photograph the station and St Pancras International Station across the road. I haven’t even looked at the results as I type this but I’ll find out if they are any good shortly. Talking of security, following Paris, there was certainly plenty of private security at most attractions, I don’t know if it was terrorism related though, I can’t say I noticed an increased police presence on the streets. It took us three hours and five minutes from Kings Cross to being back home, not bad for a journey of 200 miles. I can’t imagine that spending countless billions on HS2 or HS3 is going to make a meaningful (cost effective) difference to our journey. Improving what we have, a little faster, would be good. There are some bumpy bits along the route for a mainline and Wakefield to Huddersfield is the equivalent of a cart track – and takes over 30 minutes – it’s only a stone’s throw.

 

Hollis Increase