WTC Montevideo

One of the most improved airlines in the region certainly is Philippine Airlines, with very ambitious plans to increase their international route network.

The carrier only recently retired their iconic Boeing 744 fleet, and added various new aircraft in the last 18 months, such as used Airbus A340s and newly delivered Airbus A330s.

One of them is pictured here. It joined PAL in April 2014, and was operating on that day service PR306 from Manila/MNL, about to touchdown on runway 25R.

This photo can also be seen here:

www.airliners.net/photo/Philippine-Airlines/Airbus-A330-3...

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

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

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

The Northern Flickers (Colaptes auratus) are increasing in numbers as we head into autumn. I love these guys and their little splash of colour to accompany the turning of the trees....

SL Marketplace

100% ORIGINAL MESH ITEM

You can take a DEMO version of product and try it on your territory before buying!

I am pleased to present you a new highly detailed island-sim as an integrated design solution. It need not off sim environment, because it is a full island.

No more mountains blocking your space to the horizon!

The unified design of a sim is created using a unique natural landscape. All Island with physics, so you can build at any place on it.

The landscape includes 4 flat platforms, a river, a waterfall, a lake, a beach place, a hills and cliffs.

The cliffs and the waterfall are presented separately, so that you can place them in any place you need.

Sim has 256 unique landscape textures, each 2048x2048 pixels in size. This creates the highest quality textures that do not blur as the camera approaches.

Sim-Island is good for sky and for ground.

This island sim is not an off sim environment – so you need at least 256x256m (sim) territory to rezz it.

The product is the best fit:

- for those who value unique complex landscapes;

- for builders;

- for setting up a skybox.

• The Island sim permissions: Copy, Modify.

• 100% original mesh items. Mesh enabled viewer required.

Please note, as for any mesh products, the increasing of the object’s size may change its land impact.

The Island item contains a rezzer – please follow the instructions:

1. Place the rezzer object on the ground or a sky platform (DO NOT OPEN THE BOX) to coordinates: X axis - 128m, Y axis - 128m. It is the center of your sim territory.

2. Click the rezzer BOX and choose ‘REZ’ from the menu.

3. Move the rezzer BOX up or down, and the Island will be moved with it.

4. Click the button "Stealth" in rezzer menu. This removes text and particles but keeps the prims tracking.

5. As your Island has been placed at the desired position, click the button "FINISH" at the rezzer menu.

Enjoy your new spectacular habitation!

In addition to the main product representing the sim reser (landscape) you get a big EXTRA!

The Island-sim set includes:

1. Rezzer of sim-Island (sim1_rezzer): only landscape

2. Rezzer of sim-Island (sim1_rezzer_with_cliffs_waterfall_plants): landscape with cliffs, waterfall, rocks, grass and sakuras. Everything is already built for those who do not like to build.

3. Set of grass and ivy

4. Set of sakuras

5. Set of cliffs

6. Waterfall

7. Flat hills - 3 grass building platforms in case you need a flat surface for buildings

• Prim count and sizes:

Island sim - 992 LI (256mx256m)

Waterfall - 35 LI (9mx14mx1)

grass building platform1 - 59 LI (34mx34mx6m)

grass building platform2 - 24 LI (27mx43mx6m)

grass building platform3 - 36 LI (42mx64mx6m)

Cliffs group (sim_cliffs)- 25 LI (18mx18mx23m)

cliff1 - 2 LI (8mx6mx18m)

cliff2 - 2 LI (8mx6mx18m)

cliff3 - 3 LI (5mx6mx17m)

sand grass1 - 1 LI (1mx0.1mx1m)

sand grass2 - 1 LI (1mx0.1mx1m)

grass big - 1 LI (5mx5mx1m)

grass small - 1 LI (3mx3mx0.5m)

sakura1: 3 LI

sakura2: 3 LI

sakura3: 11 LI

sakura4: 30 LI

Attention! The islands are sold without vegetation and objects on them.

All screenshots are made in skybox with scripted sky watter

If you will have a questions, you can write me via notecard and/or message (katoyouji resident) and I will be happy to help you!

trips within and outside of the west, with E100, trying to stretch the E6 as far as could go...but unsuccessfully. Did the best I could to recover the images but at roll 15 and 16 even with the 4% increases in first developer each time, just was exhausted. That limitation is a note to self.

“...and the hive boundaries were extended another three quallids in all directions today. Consummation rates are steadily increasing.”

“Excellent, Commander. See to it that they are sustained.

Now what do you have to report on the remaining subject of the latest batch? With the anomalies removed, I expect a normal output. The stores from our last harvest are beginning to diminish...”

“The assigned replacers are even now leading her to one of the cultivation chambers, your Greatness. The she-human's disposition recommends her as highly receptive and practical and the ideal atmosphere was one that would appease her concerns and appear, to her opinion, aesthetically pleasing. I chose to emulate the fungi desert of E'gallorsk. Combined with occasional manipulation it should create a sense of well-being and evoke a trace of Romanticism, as the humans call it, in her. Affection toward the target replacer will inevitably increase.”

“That will suffice.

On a related note, it has occurred to me that you have no experience with a “third wheel”, as the humans call it. You are liable to compromise the subject's emotional balance unless cautioned; see that you do not cause the subject to harbor too much animosity toward the extra replacer, but do exploit it as leverage to create more affection toward the other. Proportioned correctly, you will produce peak amounts of positive mental output and a minimum of the opposite. I will not have our food supply embittered, so try to take the extra replacer out as soon as possible. Preferably with a “natural disaster”, for obvious reasons.”

“Of course, O Queen. And the he-spy? Shall I leave him as he is?”

“...No. He will resist us, but put him under constant mental bombardment regardless. It will cause him to feel hopeless and isolated...I want him where he will pour affection out to a replacer of the she-spy even if he knows it IS a replacer.”

“It will be done, O Queen.”

After Reldan killed that terrible worm, I felt free. The trauma wasn't so bad once I knew it could never be repeated. I still felt kind of helpless, though. Especially after fainting for the first time in my life...embarrassing. I'm really glad Reldan's not one of those stupid male chauvinists, if he was he'd probably be gloating over how useless I've been thus far. Not anymore! I politely took my bag back from him. You have to start somewhere. I then felt a compelling urge to get away from the burned worm corpse...it reminded me of my ordeal. I turned away and started walking and a second or two later Reldan and that weird green girl he has trussed up caught up with me.

“Bad memories?” Reldan asked.

“I don't want to talk about it,” I replied, “I'm just so glad to be back with you.”

“I understand.”

Wow...he was alone with that (admittedly) attractive mutant scum and he resisted her to that point for my sake when I could have been dead?! What a great guy!

__________________________________________________________________

Hope you all enjoy! I'm really pleased with the roots despite the engineering problems they presented, and I hope to never edit that many 'shrooms again...

:D

Since the S17 schedule, American Airlines have consistently provided Boeing 787-8s on their 4 times daily flights between London Heathrow and Chicago-O'Hare, replacing the rag-bag Boeing 767-300ERs and Boeing 777-200ER/300ERs prior to the changeover.

So far, American have been reluctant to use their Boeing 787-9s into London Heathrow... They have appeared previously but fill in occasionally for the smaller Boeing 787-8.

For the S19 schedule commencing on 30th March 2019, American Airlines will utilise a mixture of Boeing 787-8/9s on their 4 times daily flights between London Heathrow and Chicago-O'Hare. The schedule change will see 2 Boeing 787-8s and 2 Boeing 787-9s operating between London Heathrow and Chicago-O'Hare each day.

From commencement of the S19 schedule, Boeing 787-8s will operate AA90/99 and AA98/91, whilst Boeing 787-9s will operate AA86/47 and AA46/87.

Currently, American operates 39 Boeing 787s, which includes 20 Boeing 787-8s and 19 Boeing 787-9s. American have 22 Boeing 787-8s and 28 Boeing 787-9s on-order.

November Eight One Nine Alpha November is one of 20 Boeing 787-8s in service with American, delivered new to the carrier on 7th April 2017 and she is powered by 2 General Electric GEnx-1B engines.

Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner N819AN on final approach into Runway 27L at London Heathrow (LHR) on AA46 from Chicago-O'Hare (ORD), Illinois.

At Thurlbear Quarrylands. Numbers have increased a lot in the last few days.

Early days post-BR of the former steam motive power depot at Carnforth (10A), in the private hands of Steamtown, under the leadership of Dr. Peter Beet, where an increasing number of steam locomotives were assembled at the shed from the last years of BR steam, and in subsequent years from industry and overseas. The railway centre was a popular attraction for enthusiasts and continued to provide facilities for visiting and home-based main line locomotives. It closed to the public as a visitor attraction after the 1997 season and was subsequently developed as the main operating base and maintenance depot of the West Coast Railway Company. Inside the former steam motive power depot on 21st June 1972, in garish purple livery is Andrew Barclay 0-4-0 saddle tank 'Jane Darbyshire' (W/No.1969 built in 1929) previously at British Gypsum's Cocklakes works at Cumwhinton and named 'J.N. Derbyshire', followed by light blue-liveried Andrew Barclay 0-4-0 saddle tank 'Toby' (W/No.2134 built in 1942) formerly with British Gypsum at Kirkby Thore and named 'W.T.T.', and both now at the Ribble Steam Railway. Welsh Highland Railway 'Russell' (Hunslet 901 built in 1906) is beyond, and in the foreground is Sentinel 4-wheel vertical boiler tank "Gasbag" (W/No.8024 built in 1923), previously with the Eastern Gas Board at Cambridge, and now in the Ribble Steam Railway's Museum at Preston. Barclay 'Jane Darbyshire' had been named 'J.N. Derbyshire' after Jobe Nightingale Derbyshire, and 'W.T.T.' after W.T. Trimble, one of the directors of the Carlisle Plaster Company, later British Gypsum. Al Andrew Barclay locos of British Gypsum in Cumberland were originally named after the directors/owners of the various original plaster manufacturing companies along the Settle-Carlisle route, that were eventually absorbed into British Gypsum.

I am indebted to Chris Beet for the historical information concerning the origins of the names of the former British Gypsum Barclays.

© Gordon Edgar - All rights reserved. Please do not use my images without my explicit permission

Today's story and sketch "by me", started at early thirty man cave time, I was having my morning cup of "Chock Full Of Nuts" the heavenly coffee, and a gooseberry moon pie, listening to Traffics Mr. Fantasy CD, when the "FAA" Flying Aliens Association emergency situation alert began screeching, the amber Lights on Bullwinkle's antlers started blinking, and then the emergency fax rolled out a high priority intergalactic emergency crash site location where to meet a team of intergalactic Seekers, the galaxies foremost flying incident investigators. They are at the scene of another spacecraft whose "CGS" Cerebral Guidance System was hacked by an ancient and long dormant curse which sucked it in with it's capture beam, the originally curse was used to capture Broom Flying Witches trying to steal the Voodoo Princess Madussa's enchanted Nubian Goats, many hundreds of years ago long before the Mojave's daytime temperatures increased to the one hundred forty degree average, but the reason for the change will have to be a story for another time. The Seekers are working on a software override for the Madussa "CGS" curse, until next time taa ta the Rod Blog.

7 February 2021: Yesterday’s numbers show slight increases in the 7-day rolling averages for hospitalisations and people testing positive for the virus. Meanwhile the number of deaths among people with COVID-19 continues to fall. In the week to 3 February on average 2,339 people tested positive each day in Belgium. The figure is up 3% on the week. Also, yesterday, the vaccination taskforce announced that the first shipment of 443,000 AstraZeneca has been delivered. As the British-Swedish vaccine will not be administered to people over 55 years old for the time being, Belgium had to slightly adapt its vaccination strategy. The vaccine will be given to people between 18 and 55 years old of following groups: healthcare workers, residents and staff of care institutions (i.e., rehabilitation centers, psychiatric institutions, etc.), high risk groups with underlying conditions and police officers. People over 55 will receive a Covid-19 vaccine by Pfizer/BioNtech or Moderna. The government claims that it will accelerate the vaccination of the more vulnerable people but I’m still unclear what it exactly means for the timing of the roll-out of the vaccination campaign in the various age groups. I guess I should no longer worry about it and continue to enjoy documenting how life unfolds during these unprecedented times. I don’t know why this street corner in disrepair caught my attention. I decided to label it as an abstract urban composition – Rembert Dodoensdreef, Ghent, Belgium

After the increasing haze and pollution in the past week or so, it finally poured down in Shanghai today afternoon. So decided promptly to head to this old apartment again, this time with a standard lens, to shoot some light trails during rush hour, but unfortunately the sky turned out quite hazy.

Jökulsárlón Ice Beach, Iceland

Jökulsárlón (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈjœːkʏlsˌaurˌloun̥], literally "glacial river lagoon") is a large glacial lake in southeast Iceland, on the edge of Vatnajökull National Park. Situated at the head of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, it developed into a lake after the glacier started receding from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. The lake has grown since then at varying rates because of melting of the glaciers. It is now 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) away from the ocean's edge and covers an area of about 18 km2 (6.9 sq mi). It recently became the deepest lake in Iceland, at over 248 metres (814 ft), as glacial retreat extended its boundaries. The size of the lake has increased fourfold since the 1970s. It is considered one of the natural wonders of Iceland.

--- wikipedia

For increased tendered work the company has recently added a couple of Solo SRs to the fleet, one is seen at Stourbridge Bus Station.

Stourbridge Bus Station - 2018.

To see the full collection: www.busphotosuk.co.uk.

For photos available for purchase: www.ebay.co.uk/usr/busphotosuk

Barnsley is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has seen an increase of 5.8%, from 231,200 in 2011 census to 244,600 in 2021 census. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is located between the cities of Sheffield, Manchester, Doncaster, Wakefield, and Leeds. The larger towns of Rotherham and Huddersfield are nearby.

Barnsley's former industries include linen, coal mining, glassmaking and textiles. These declined in the 20th century, but Barnsley's culture is rooted in its industrial heritage and it has a tradition of brass bands, originally created as social clubs by its mining communities.

The town is near to the M1 motorway and is served by Barnsley Interchange railway station on the Hallam and Penistone Lines. Barnsley has competed in the second tier of English football for most of its history, but won the FA Cup in 1912 and competed in the Premier League during the 1997–98 season.

The first reference to Barnsley occurs in 1086 in the Domesday Book, in which it is called Berneslai and has a population of around 200. The origin of the name Barnsley is subject to debate, but Barnsley Council claims that its origins lie in the Saxon word "Berne", for barn or storehouse, and "Lay", for field.

The town was in the parish of Silkstone and developed little until in the 1150s when it was given to the Pontefract Priory. The monks built a town where three roads met: the Sheffield to Wakefield, Rotherham to Huddersfield and Cheshire to Doncaster routes. The Domesday village became known as Old Barnsley, and a town grew up on the new site.

The monks erected a chapel of ease dedicated to Saint Mary, which survived until 1820, and established a market. In 1249, a Royal charter was granted to Barnsley permitting it to hold a weekly market on Wednesdays and annual four-day fair at Michaelmas. By the 1290s, three annual fairs were held. The town was the centre of the Staincross wapentake, but in the mid-16th century had only 600 inhabitants.

From the 17th century, Barnsley developed into a stop-off point on the route between Leeds, Wakefield, Sheffield and London. The traffic generated as a result of its location fuelled trade, with hostelries and related services prospering. A principal centre for linen weaving during the 18th and 19th century, Barnsley grew into an important manufacturing town.

The first passenger station to serve Barnsley was opened by the North Midland Railway in 1840. Barnsley station (latter called Cudworth railway station) was located some 2+1⁄2 miles (4 kilometres) away at Cudworth. On 1 January 1850 the Manchester and Leeds Railway opened Barnsley Exchange station, close to the town centre. On 1 May 1870 the Midland Railway opened Regent Street station, a temporary structure. A new station was opened by the MR on the Regent Street site on 23 August 1873. As it incorporated the old court house in its construction Regent Street station was renamed Barnsley Court House station.

Barnsley became a municipal borough in 1869, and a county borough in 1913. The town's boundaries were extended to absorb Ardsley and Monk Bretton in 1921 and Carlton in 1938.

Barnsley was the site of a human crush that resulted in the deaths of 16 children in 1908, at a public hall now known as The Civic, when children were rushing to watch a film in the building.

Barnsley has a long tradition of glass-making, however Barnsley is most famous for its coal mines. In 1960, there were 70 collieries within a 15-mile (24-kilometre) radius of Barnsley town centre, but the last of these closed in 1994. The National Union of Mineworkers still has its HQ in Barnsley.

George Orwell mentioned the town in The Road to Wigan Pier. He arrived in the town on 11 March 1936 and spent a number of days in the town living in the houses of the working class miners while researching for the book. He wrote very critically of the council's expenditure on the construction of Barnsley Town Hall and claimed that the money should have been spent on improving the housing and living conditions of the local miners.

The Town Hall itself is visible behind some gardens; the building is made of white stone and has an impressive clock tower. Opened on 14 December 1933, Barnsley Town Hall is the seat of local government in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley. Barnsley was created a county borough in 1913, administered independently of the West Riding of Yorkshire. In 1974, following the Local Government Act 1972, the county borough was abolished and Barnsley became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in the new county of South Yorkshire, along with nine urban districts and parts of two rural districts of the surrounding area, including many towns and villages including Penistone and Cudworth.

Elections to Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council have seen the Labour Party retain control of the council at every election. Following the latest election in 2012 the council has 53 Labour, 5 Barnsley Independent Group and 5 Conservative councillors. The borough council elects the mayor every year. On the day of the election, a parade takes place in front of the town hall in honour of the new mayor.

Barnsley is split into four constituencies, Barnsley Central, whose MP is Dan Jarvis of the Labour Party, Barnsley East, whose MP is Stephanie Peacock of the Labour Party, Penistone and Stocksbridge, whose MP is Miriam Cates of the Conservative Party, and Wentworth and Dearne, whose MP is John Healey of the Labour Party.

Synergy Stage 2 ENB

Increased Contrast and decreased saturation through Imaginator.

I did say I would reinstall,maybe sooner than I intended but not many games have the creativity of Skyrim for screenshots. So far everything is smooth a few bug fixes and lots of mod cleaning. Lol I just left Skyrim only groups only to reinstall so soon, I will probably only post Skryim images into groups that will accept any game not just Skryim (since I was in too many groups for me to keep track of) and only on Flickr, but will allow admins to invite shots if they so wish to any group.

Remastered 4/13/2011:

Increased size, rebalanced sharpening and noise reduction

My first 90 exposure HDR panorama - 10 parallel 9-exposure HDRs.

Taken with a D200, postworked in Photoshop with HDR data from Photomatix.

View Large. Our backyard visitor. Lizard. Corona California.

Because of the Corona Virus and the increase of cases here, I am staying home to avoid any contact. It limits me the amount of species I find.

Not one of my photos are to be used or reproduced in any way, shape or form. Please understand clearly these are my photographs and use of them by anyone is an infringement of my copyrights and personal artistic property!

@ All rights reserved worldwide. Use without permission is illegal!

If you are interested in any of the photos shown please contact me.

© Copyright.. You can not use

© Copyright .. Você não pode usar

© Derecho de Autor .. . No se puede usar

© Copyright .. Sie dürfen es nicht kopieren

© Copyright : "Vous ne pouvez pas utiliser cette photo"

© حقوق النشر محفوظة. لا يمكنك استخدام الصورة

© Copyright: Non utilizzare senza esplicita autorizzazione

23 December 2020: Update on The Corona Pandemic – The latest figures show a slowing down in the rate of increase in the number of people testing positive for coronavirus, still an average of 2,529 people tested positive for the coronavirus every day over the last week. The data also reported a stagnation in the number of new hospital admissions and a further fall in the number of people with the virus that are dying. It’s probably too early to claim victory but as a minimum these numbers are generating hopes that we are beginning to regain control over the third surge of the coronavirus before it started to eclipse the first and second wave. Yesterday it was also announced that travel between the UK and Belgium will resume on Wednesday under stricter conditions. The ban was brought in amid fears about a new variant of coronavirus that the authorities in the UK say is more infectious that other strains of the virus detected so far. Hoping for continued good news I’m carrying on with my daily corona walks. This lonely man with a face mask feeding the birds in a deserted city center reminded me of the pictures of the desolated landmarks we saw during the first wave of the pandemic – Korenlei, Ghent, Belgium.

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

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

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

White-tailed eagle making a pass at some carrion. The eagles are fed daily throughout the winter at this site in Białowieża Forest. This not only helps the several pairs in the area get through the winter and increases the chances of them breeding the following year, but also means that they are regular visitors to the hide. We followed strict precautions to ensure they were not disturbed, entering the hide before sunrise and leaving after sunset when the eagles had left to roost.

My second variant of BrickTracks' NPRR #1225 engine.

In this version I mainly changed the wheel arrangement from a 4-6-0 to a 2-8-0 and inverted the color scheme. Under the hood I swapped the PF L motor out for the PuP L motor, which was a minor inconvenience due to its increased length. I still have to play around with the setup for the pilot axle in real bricks, but it *should* have enough room to navigate R104 track.

I think I'll number this engine 1226.

In the late 1950s, Wolverhampton Council proposed a controversial and costly project to build a ring road around the town, to divert ‘through traffic’ away from the town centre. As with most towns in Britain, the huge increase in private car ownership was becoming a headache for the town’s planners.

As part of the town’s future road planning, it was decided that the building of the ‘Ring Road’ would also force the abandonment of the town’s trolleybus system, as the council wanted ‘no trolleybuses or trolleybus infrastructure’ to encounter the new Ring Road! This commitment would become a huge finical burden on the local rate-payers, so budgetary restraints were made where possible. Construction of the Ring Road began in 1961, but took almost three decades to complete.

Between June 1963 and March 1967, Wolverhampton Corporation Transport purchased 146 new double-deck motorbuses to replace the post-war trolleybus fleet. The financial enormity of funding the conversion program impacted on the quality of the new motorbus purchases, with savings having to be made. From 1965 – 1967, the Transport Department’s budget constraints forced them to opt for cheaper bus bodies to be fitted to the locally built Guy Arab V motorbus chassis that the council were duty-bound to purchase. Strachan (Coachbuilders) Ltd of Hamble, Hampshire became the new bus body supplier, but these budget built bus bodies for the Guy Arabs would soon prove to be sub-standard, resulting in short service lives due to structural fatigue.

On the demise of the town's last trolleybuses in March 1967, came the news that twelve high-capacity single-deck buses had been ordered. In July 1967, the ‘Transport Department’ took delivery of six AEC Swifts (708-713) and six Daimler Roadliners (714-719), all having Strachan built dual-doored bodies. This may have been seen as an extravagant purchase in lieu of the tax payers money recently spent on the trolleybus replacement fleet?

The buses appeared very modern looking, with large windows and spacious high-roofed interiors, being very similar in design to London Transport’s Strachan bodied ‘Red Arrow’ buses that had been new to the capital in 1966. The intension from the outset was to trial the concept of ‘pay-on-entry’ buses, with passengers paying the driver on boarding the bus.

The new buses were initially put to work on the No1 Tettenhall service to gauge public reaction to 'pay-on-entry, and assessing operational issues. However, after a few weeks the experiment was ended and crew-operated double-deckers reinstated to the route. Against all expectations, the costly experiment hadn’t been a success, having been met with mixed reactions from the travelling public who were not used to paying the driver on boarding, much preferring bus conductors to take their fares. It was also found that the ‘Cummins V6’ engined Daimler ‘Roadliners’ in particular, didn’t like the intense ‘stop and start’ work on this short urban service. Therefore a decision was made to redeploy these buses to rural services, such as the lengthy No17 and No31 routes to Bridgnorth in Shropshire. In this setting, the stops were fewer and the average speeds were higher, but as a cost saving measure the buses continued to be used as ‘pay-on-entry’ vehicles.

In October 1969, 708-719, along with the rest of the former Wolverhampton Corporation bus fleet, became part of the newly formed West Midlands PTE, whereupon they were renumbered 708N - 719N.

The first victim to early withdrawal was Roadliner 714N, which was lost to fire when working the No17 Bridgnorth service in November 1971. The following year, AEC Swifts 708, 711 were withdrawn and sold to Northampton Transport for further use.

The remaining buses continued to be allocated to Wolverhampton’s Bilston Garage, their duties staying much the same until the loss of the rural bus network in December 1973. The Midland Red taking over these services from WMPTE as part of a wider operational agreement between the two concerns.

Being relatively modern buses and suitable for one-man-operation, WMPTE continued to use the remaining Roadliners and Swifts, but with an eye to disposing of them when the opportunity arose as they did not fit the general fleet profile. Despite the Roadliners continuing to be mechanically troublesome, 716-719 received repaints into WMPTE livery in 1972 and 1973, and may have received body strengthen modifications in preparation? However, the AEC Swifts were never repainted out of their Wolverhampton colours.

Following the premature exit of 708N, 711N (pictured) and 714N, the next to go was Roadliner 715N in July 1973 suffering structural faults to its Strachan built body. It was sold for scrap in May 1974 still wearing WCT green and yellow.

The remaining AEC Swifts came out of service between 1973 to 1974, and the last Roadliners were finally withdrawn between the end of 1974 and January of 1975. Some of these buses found new owners, but all eventually ended up being scrapped with the exception of 719N. Today, 719(N) survives at the Transport Museum Wythall, restored into WCT livery.

The picture taken by the late Dave Everitt, show AEC Swift 711N pulling out onto Railway Drive, as it departs Victoria Square Bus Station for Cheslyn Hay in July 1970.

As for the previously mentioned ‘Ring Road’, that has further relevance to this picture, as part of its Eastern section runs right through the location where this picture was taken.

Image scanned from the original 35mm colour slide.

. . . Hoffmaster State Park used to have a Trillium Festival every spring, but increasing numbers of White Tailed Deer brought that to an end, since their population boom resulted in the deer eating all of the flowers!

Have a great spring weekend Facebook, Flickr, and 500px friends!

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To secure instant deployment, „dipteria class“ airships like the „Firefly“ could stay skybound for a month on end. The original paddlewheel-based propulsion had recently been updated with two massive 'Brickerton' engines with adjustable platinum-coated six-blade rotors, allowing for a top speed of 50 knots. Four smaller engines could, theoretically, add an additional ten knots, although their primary use was to allow for steady hovering of the vessel when in action. Nine water cannons – two of them massive with ranges of up to 250 meters, could extinguish any flame. The gargantuan water tank in the ship's hull can hold up to 400.000 liters of water, yet even this feature had been updated. A recent invention employed basic physics: Compressed air was shot out of the cannons which then condensed over the burning fire site. This not only made for less water spillage but also drastically reduced weight and power consumption, thereby increasing speed, range and duration of deployment.

To effectively and safely operate in smoke-filled dizzying altitudes, the firemen carried special breathing apparatuses and security goggles with nighttime vision. A state-of-the-art infirmary allowed for the performance of emergency operations with a high-tech ICU specialized in treating burns.

Additionally, three self-propelled service vessels, among them the blimp 'Sparkle' could be deployed to assist in the rescue of people floating on life-preservers, rafts or smaller airships.

All these brave men adhered to a simple yet catchy mission statement: „WE KICK ASH!“.

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

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

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

March Point. Padilla Bay/Fidalgo Bay.

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

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

Santa Barbara, California (Ledbetter Beach)

In 1900 the population of Galveston was slightly under 38,000 according to the June census. On September 8th this number increased as the city was filled with vacationers. Although storm warnings with the advise to seek higher ground were issued most did not heed the warnings. The "storm" was actually a hurricane packing winds estimated at 145 mph which would classify it as a Category 4 hurricane (Category 5 is currently the highest with sustained winds of greater than 157 mph). It also brought with it a 15-foot storm surge which was devastating for an island only 9 feet above sea level. The death toll estimates range between 6,000 to 12,000 with 8,000 being the number most cited in official reports. In a few hours the population decreased by about one-fifth. The 1900 Great Storm was the deadliest U.S. natural disaster in history. If you ever have the opportunity to read the hsitory of this event you will find it very interesting but also very heart-wrenching. Beginning in 1902 the Seawall was constructed followed by a grade raising the raised the city elevation by 8 feet. In September, 2000 a 10-ft tall bronze sculpture by David Moore was dedicated on the Seawall in memory of those who died in the Great Storm.

As always, your comments and faves are appreciated. Constructive criticism and suggestions are especially welcome as I believe they help to make me a better photographer. Thank you for taking the time to look at my photos.

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With the ever increasing emission zones appearing around the UK in the coming years Nu-Venture are starting to obtain vehicles with reduced emissions.

Seen here making its first appearance post repaint is 277 SN03 YBR as the rally control vehicle as part of Nu-Venture's 2017 Medway Bus Rally commemorating 20 years of service in Medway. Saturday 30th December 2017.

Insert: The new 'Cleaner air for Kent & Medway' logo being applied to emission friendly vehicles.

TransBus Dart SLF - TransBus Pointer 8.8m (Ex-Metrobus 277)

site hit realization marked as potential three pillar solution in early quarter data maps.

It's a big year for Hong Kong's flag-carrier, Cathay Pacific; this year sees the airline celebrating their 80th anniversary and are celebrating in style not just with retro-jets but a return to the Spirit of Hong Kong adorned on one of their Boeing 777-300ERs. Compare to a few years ago when Cathay Pacific was struggling.

Cathay Pacific like many airlines have somewhat benefitted with the drop in demand by the Middle East carriers who have currently reduced their flight schedules as a result of the current war in Iran. As a result of the reduced flight schedules and hesitancy in flying via the Middle East, other airlines have been increasing capacity to get passengers from point A to point B.

For Cathay Pacific, the airline has temporarily been increasing the number of flights to and from their hub in Hong Kong towards Europe, with London Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Zürich-Kloten all featuring additional flights introduced on certain days. Cathay Pacific have also gone as far as to increase seating capacity on London Heathrow flights.

One of the temporary flight increases at London Heathrow commenced from 21st March 2026; CX2251/2252 has been operating every Thursday and Saturday thus far utilising Airbus A350-900s and at time of writing, Cathay Pacific have these flights booked until 18th April 2026. Another note is CX239/256 which is usually operated by Airbus A350-900s has seen 3-class Boeing 777-300ERs utilised on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays only, with those flights available until 30th April 2026.

Currently, Cathay Pacific operates 48 Airbus A350s, which includes 30 Airbus A350-900s and 18 Airbus A350-1000s.

Lima X-Ray Bravo is one of 18 Airbus A350-1000s operated by Cathay Pacific, delivered new to the flag-carrier on 30th August 2018 and she is powered by 2 Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines.

Airbus A350-1041 B-LXB on final approach into Runway 09L at London Heathrow (LHR) on CX257 from Hong Kong-Chek Lap Kok (HKG).

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One of the several altars inside Grace Cathedral in San Francisco Nob Hill in California. Have a fantastic holiday season everyone!

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Michigan's first lighthouse was this tall white structure in 1825. Built in response to increased traffic that stemmed from the Erie Canal's completion, it's been guiding ships for nearly 200 years. Standing at 85 feet tall, its weathered many summer and winter storms along with harsh winds and waves. The Coast Guard's Port Huron Station is located next door.

Due to an increased need for capacity due to Covid, the shorter D1 between Trowbridge and Bath has been modified to a D1x, operating on a more direct route away from the low bridges and bringing double decks to the area. Formerly an Aberdeen Platinum bus, and now in unbranded Bath City blue, here 37642 pauses at the town bridge en-route for Trowbridge.

For my summer snaps to Bradford-on-Avon, as well as Bristol, Weston, Wells and Bath, please visit: southernenglandbus.smugmug.com/LATEST

The Grade I Listed Bolsover Castle, in the town of Bolsover, Derbyshire.

Built in the early 17th century, the present castle lies on the earthworks and ruins of the 12th-century medieval castle; the first structure of the present castle was built between 1612 and 1617 by Sir Charles Cavendish.

The original castle was built by the Peverel family in the 12th century and became Crown property in 1155 when William Peverel the Younger died. The Ferrers family who were Earls of Derby laid claim to the Peveril property.

When a group of barons led by King Henry II's sons – Henry the Young King, Geoffrey Duke of Brittany, and Prince Richard, later Richard the Lionheart – revolted against the king's rule, Henry built the castles of Bolsover and Peveril in Derbyshire. The garrison was increased to a force led by 20 knights and was shared with the castles of Peveril and Nottingham during the revolt.

King John ascended the throne in 1199 after his brother Richard's death. William de Ferrers maintained the claim of the Earls of Derby to the Peveril estates. He paid John for the lordship of the Peak, but the Crown retained possession of Bolsover and Peveril Castles. John finally gave them to Ferrers to secure his support in the face of country-wide rebellion. However, castellan Brian de Lisle refused to hand them over. Although Lisle and Ferrers were both John's supporters, John gave Ferrers permission to use force to take the castles. Bolsover fell to Ferrers' forces in 1217 after a siege.

The castle was returned to crown control in 1223 and they repaired the damage the Earl of Derby had caused when capturing the castle six years earlier. Under their custodianship, the castle gradually fell into a state of disrepair.

Bolsover castle was granted to George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, by King Edward VI in 1553. Following Shrewsbury's death in 1590, his son Gilbert, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury, sold the ruins of Bolsover Castle to his brother-in-law Sir Charles Cavendish, who wanted to build a new castle on the site. Working with builder and designer Robert Smythson, Cavendish's castle was designed for elegant living rather than defence and was unfinished at the time of his death.

The building of the castle was continued by Cavendish's two sons, William and John, who were influenced by the Italian-inspired work of the architect Inigo Jones. Construction was interrupted by the Civil Wars of 1642 to 1651, during which the castle was taken by the Parliamentarians, who slighted it, when it fell into a ruinous state.

William Cavendish, who was created Marquess of Newcastle in 1643 and Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1665 and by the time of his death in 1676 the castle had been restored to good order. It then passed through Margaret Bentinck, Duchess of Portland into the Bentinck family, and ultimately became one of the seats of the Earls and Dukes of Portland.

After 1883 the castle was uninhabited, and in 1945 it was given to the nation by the 7th Duke of Portland. The Ministry of Works stabilized the buildings and began opening portions to visitations by the public. The castle is now in the care of English Heritage and operated as a tourist attraction.

Information Source:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolsover_Castle

Vintage postcard, no. PC 618. Pamela Anderson as C.J. Parker in the TV series Baywatch (1992-1997).

Sexy Canadian-American actress and model Pamela Anderson (1967) is best known for the TV series Home Improvement, Baywatch and V.I.P., but the platinum blonde but naturally born brunette also appeared in a dozen of feature films and on a record 14 Playboy covers. Furthermore she is an international celebrity thanks to her rocky marriages, her animal rights activism and her changing bust sizes.

Pamela Denise Anderson was born in Ladysmith, (Vancouver Island), BC, Canada, the daughter of Barry Anderson, a furnace repairman, and Carol (née Grosco) Anderson, a waitress. She was the first Canadian baby born in Ladysmith Canada's Centennial Day in 1967, A Centennial Baby. As a child, Anderson suffered frequent sexual abuse, a fact she revealed publicly in 2014: she was molested by a female babysitter from ages 6 to 10, raped by a 25-year-old man when she was 12, and gang-raped by her boyfriend and six of his friends when she was 14. She also revealed that her father, though "loving", had been an alcoholic. Anderson attended Highland Secondary School in Comox, British Columbia. During high school, she played on the volleyball team. She graduated in 1985. In 1988, the 19-years-old Anderson moved to Vancouver and worked as a fitness instructor. In 1989, Anderson attended a BC Lions Canadian Football League game at the BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, where the stadium camera featured her on the electronic scoreboard while wearing a Labatt's Beer T-shirt. The fans cheered her and she was brought down to the football field. Because of her fame in Vancouver, she signed a commercial contract with The brewing company to be the Blue Zone girl. More advertising assignments followed. Anderson appeared as the cover girl on Playboy magazine's October 1989 issue. She moved to Los Angeles to further pursue a modelling career. Playboy subsequently chose her as Playmate of the Month in their February 1990 issue, in which she appeared in the centrefold photo. Anderson then elected to have breast implant surgery, increasing her bust size to 34D. She famously increased her bust size again, to 34DD, several years later. Anderson has since appeared in Playboy several times in the 1990s and the 2000s. Anderson's Playboy career spans 22 years, and she has appeared on 14 Playboy covers, more than any other model. Anderson was the last to pose nude in Playboy, on the magazine's January/February 2016 cover. She also became known as a lifelong animal rights and human advocate and is also an activist for environmental issues. In 2006, she posed naked in the window of Stella McCartney's store in London to protest against the use of fur for making clothes.

After Pamela Anderson moved to Los Angeles, she won a minor role as Lisa, the original ‘Tool Time girl’, on the television sitcom, Home Improvement (1991-1993), starring Tim Allen. She left the show after two seasons and won the role of lifeguard C. J. Parker on Baywatch (1992-1997), the action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. She played C.J. for five seasons making her one of the longest serving and most popular cast members. This has been her best known role to date and she later reprised her role to return in a reunion movie, Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding (Douglas Schwartz, 2003). In 1994, she was cast in her first starring film role, in the action thriller Raw Justice (David A. Prior, 1994), co-starring with Stacy Keach. She also appeared in Naked Souls (Lyndon Chubbuck, 1996), starring Brian Krause. Next she starred in the action-Science Fiction film Barb Wire (David Hogan, 1996), based on the Dark Horse comic book series of the same name. The thinly veiled futuristic remake of Casablanca was poorly received by critics, bombed at the box office and resulted for Anderson in a Golden Raspberry Award for her interpretation. In 1998, she came back as Vallery Irons in the TV series V.I.P. (1998-2002) about a bodyguard agency (V.I.P. aka Vallery Irons Protection). Blending action and humour in a fast-paced adventure series, with Anderson often poking fun at her tabloid image, the show explored the exciting and sometimes treacherous lives of the rich and famous. The series lasted through a successful four-year run. In 1999, Anderson had her breast implants surgically removed. The breaking news seemed like the end of an era.

Pamela Anderson married Tommy Lee, drummer of Mötley Crüe in 1995, after knowing him for about 4 days. They wed on a beach, with Anderson in a bikini. Anderson's mother did not know, and learned of the marriage from People magazine. A sex tape of Anderson and Tommy Lee on their honeymoon was stolen from their home in 1995 and made a huge stir on the Internet. Anderson sued the video distribution company, Internet Entertainment Group. Ultimately, the Lees entered into a confidential settlement agreement with IEG. During this time, she was known professionally as Pamela Anderson Lee. Together they have two sons, Brandon Thomas Lee and Dylan Jagger Lee. The couple divorced in 1998. In 2000, Anderson became engaged to Swedish model Marcus Schenkenberg, but they broke up in 2001. In 2004, Anderson became a naturalized citizen of the United States, while retaining her Canadian citizenship. She became engaged to the singer Kid Rock (Robert J. Ritchie); and they married in 2006. Later that year Anderson miscarried while shooting a new film, Blonde and Blonder (Dean Hamilton, 2006) with Denise Richards. Seventeen days later, Anderson filed for divorce. In 2007, Anderson married Rick Salomon in a small wedding ceremony at The Mirage, between her two nightly appearances at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Hans Klok's magic show. The couple separated later that year and Anderson requested through the courts that the marriage be annulled, citing fraud. In 2014 they remarried and also divorced again in 2015. Her film work in the new millennium consisted mainly of cameos in such comedies as Scooby-Doo (Raja Gosnell, 2002) with Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Scary Movie 3 (David Zucker, 2003), part of the franchise that parodied the horror, sci-fi, and mystery genres. In 2004, she released the book Star, co-written by Eric Shaw Quinn, about a teenager trying to become famous. Her second book, the sequel Star Struck (2005), is a thinly veiled look at her life with Tommy Lee and the trials of celebrity life. Anderson appeared in the mockumentary, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (Larry Charles, 2006), as the title character (Sacha Baron Cohen) becomes obsessed with her, and plans to abduct and marry her. She appears as herself at a book signing at the end of the film, confronted by Borat in a staged botched abduction. The film opened at No. 1 in the US box office, maintaining first place for two weeks straight. More recently she co-starred in the independent film The People Garden (Nadia Litz, 2016), a Canadian-Japanese drama starring Dree Hemingway, and for this year she’s scheduled to return in a cameo as the older C.J. in a new film version of Baywatch (Seth Gordon, 2017). The new film version stars Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Priyanka Chopra and Zac Efron and the tagline is promising: Don't worry, summer is coming. Recently, Pamela Anderson, now 49, appeared in the erotic magazine The Amorist in new pictures by photographer Rankin for a new ad campaign for an erotic lingerie brand. The Daily Mail Online commented: “Time may well be a cruel mistress, but Pamela Anderson goes some way towards proving the years have been kind in a stunning new photoshoot.”

Sources: Pamelandersonfoundation.org, Daily Mail Online, Wikipedia and IMDb.

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

The Summer Palace (Chinese: 頤和園), is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in Beijing, China. It serves as a popular tourist destination and recreational park. Mainly dominated by Longevity Hill (万寿山) and Kunming Lake (昆明湖), it covers an expanse of 2.9 square kilometers (1.1 sq mi), three-quarters of which is water.

Longevity Hill is about 60 meters (200 feet) high and has many buildings positioned in sequence. The front hill is rich with splendid halls and pavilions, while the back hill, in sharp contrast, is quiet with natural beauty. The central Kunming Lake, covering 2.2 square kilometers (540 acres), was entirely man-made and the excavated soil was used to build Longevity Hill.

In December 1998, UNESCO included the Summer Palace on its World Heritage List. It declared the Summer Palace "a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value".

The origins of the Summer Palace date back to the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty in 1153, when the fourth ruler, Wanyan Liang (r. 1150–1161), moved the Jin capital from Huining Prefecture (in present-day Acheng District, Harbin, Heilongjiang) to Yanjing (present-day Beijing). He ordered the construction of a palace in the Fragrant Hills and Jade Spring Hill in the northwest of Beijing.

Around 1271, after the Yuan dynasty established its capital in Khanbaliq (present-day Beijing), the engineer Guo Shoujing initiated a waterworks project to direct the water from Shenshan Spring (神山泉) in Baifu Village (白浮村), Changping into the Western Lake (西湖), which would later become Kunming Lake. Guo's aim was to create a water reservoir that would ensure a stable water supply for the palace.

In 1494, the Hongzhi Emperor (r. 1487–1505) of the Ming dynasty had a Yuanjing Temple (圓靜寺) built for his wet nurse, Lady Luo, in front of Jar Hill (瓮山), which was later renamed Longevity Hill. The temple fell into disrepair over the years and was abandoned, and the area around the hill became lush with vegetation. The Zhengde Emperor (r. 1505–21), who succeeded the Hongzhi Emperor, built a palace on the banks of the Western Lake and turned the area into an imperial garden. He renamed Jar Hill, "Golden Hill" (金山) and named the lake "Golden Sea" (金海). Both the Zhengde Emperor and the Wanli Emperor (r. 1572–1620) enjoyed taking boat rides on the lake. During the reign of the Tianqi Emperor (r. 1620–27), the court eunuch Wei Zhongxian took the imperial garden as his personal property.

Qing dynasty

In the early Qing dynasty, Jar Hill served as the site for horse stables in the imperial palace. Eunuchs who committed offences were sent there to weed and cut grass.

In the beginning of the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1735-1796), many imperial gardens were built in the area around present-day Beijing's Haidian District and accordingly, water consumption increased tremendously. At the time, much of the water stored in the Western Lake came from the freshwater spring on Jade Spring Hill, while a fraction came from the Wanquan River (萬泉河). Any disruption of the water flow from Jade Spring Hill would affect the capital's water transport and water supply systems.

Around 1749, the Qianlong Emperor decided to build a palace in the vicinity of Jar Hill and the Western Lake to celebrate the 60th birthday of his mother, Empress Dowager Chongqing. In the name of improving the capital's waterworks system, he ordered the Western Lake to be expanded further west to create two more lakes, Gaoshui Lake (高水湖) and Yangshui Lake (養水湖). The three lakes served not only as a reservoir for the imperial gardens, but also a source of water for the surrounding agricultural areas. The Qianlong Emperor collectively named the three lakes "Kunming Lake" after the Kunming Pool (昆明池) constructed by Emperor Wu (r. 141–187 BCE) in the Han dynasty for the training of his navy. The earth excavated from the expansion of Kunming Lake was used to enlarge Jar Hill, which was renamed "Longevity Hill". The Summer Palace, whose construction was completed in 1764 at a cost of over 4.8 million silver taels, was first named "Qingyiyuan" (清漪園; "Gardens of Clear Ripples"").

The design of the Summer Palace was based on a legend in Chinese mythology about three divine mountains in the East Sea, namely Penglai, Fangzhang (方丈) and Yingzhou (瀛洲). The three islands in Kunming Lake – Nanhu Island (南湖島), Tuancheng Island (團城島) and Zaojiantang Island (藻鑒堂島) – were built to represent the three mountains, while the lake itself was based on a blueprint of the West Lake in Hangzhou. Besides, many architectural features in the palace were also built to resemble or imitate various attractions around China. For example: the Phoenix Pier (鳳凰墩) represented Lake Tai; the Jingming Tower (景明樓) resembled Yueyang Tower, Hunan; the Wangchan Pavilion (望蟾閣) resembled Yellow Crane Tower; the shopping streets were designed to imitate those in Suzhou and Yangzhou. The centrepiece of the Summer Palace was the "Great Temple of Gratitude and Longevity" (大報恩延壽寺). There was also a Long Corridor more than 700 metres long which was furnished with artistic decorations. As the palace was not equipped with facilities for long-term staying and daily administration of state affairs, the Qianlong Emperor hardly lived there and only remained there for the day whenever he visited it.

As the Qing Empire started declining after the reign of the Daoguang Emperor (r. 1820–1850), the Summer Palace gradually became more neglected and the architectural features on the three islands were ordered to be dismantled because the costs of maintenance were too high.

In 1860, the French and British looted the Summer Palace at the end of the Second Opium War and on October 18, 1860 the British burned down the nearby Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan). The destruction of the palace was ordered by Lord Elgin, the British High Commissioner to China, and was undertaken in response to the torture and killing of two British envoys, a journalist for The Times, and their escorts. The destruction of large parts of the Summer Palace still evokes strong emotions among some people in China.

Between 1884–95, during the reign of the Guangxu Emperor (r. 1875–1908), Empress Dowager Cixi ordered 22 million silver taels, originally designated for upgrading the Qing navy (the Beiyang Fleet), to be used for reconstructing and enlarging the Summer Palace to celebrate her 60th birthday. As the funds were limited, the construction works were concentrated on the buildings in front of Longevity Hill and the dams around Kunming Lake. The Summer Palace was also given its present-day Chinese name, "Yiheyuan" (頤和園), in 1888.

In 1900, towards the end of the Boxer Rebellion, the Summer Palace suffered damaged again when the forces of the Eight-Nation Alliance destroyed the imperial gardens and seized many artifacts stored in the palace. The palace was restored two years later.

Post-Qing dynasty

In 1912, following the abdication of Puyi, the Last Emperor, the Summer Palace became the private property of the former imperial family of the Qing Empire. Two years later, the Summer Palace was opened to the public and entry tickets were sold. In 1924, after Puyi was expelled from the Forbidden City by the warlord Feng Yuxiang, the Beijing municipal government took charge of administrating the Summer Palace and turned it into a public park.

After 1949, the Summer Palace briefly housed the Central Party School of the Communist Party of China. Many of Mao Zedong's friends and key figures in the Communist Party, such as Liu Yazi and Jiang Qing, also lived there. Since 1953, many major restoration and renovation works have been done on the Summer Palace, which is now open to the public as a tourist attraction and park.

In November 1998, the Summer Palace was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Towards the end of 2006, the Chinese government also started distributing commemorative coins to celebrate the Summer Palace as a cultural relic of the world.

The entire Summer Palace is centred around Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, with the latter covering about three quarters of the area. Most of the important buildings were built along the north–south axis of Longevity Hill, which is divided into the front hill and the back hill. There are three small islands within Kunming Lake: Nanhu Island, Zaojiantang Island and Zhijingge Island. The West Dam of Kunming Lake divides the lake into two. The East Dam was constructed during the reign of the Guangxu Emperor. The attractions in the Summer Palace may be divided into six different sections or scenic areas: the Halls, Longevity Hill, Kunming Lake, the Farming and Weaving Picture Scenic Area, the Long Corridor, and the Central Axis area.

Dragon boats at Summer Palace.jpg

Front Hill

Eastern Palace Gate (东宫门): The main entrance to the Summer Palace. The two bronze lions on either side of the gate are preserved from the Qianlong Emperor's time while the Cloud Dragon Steps in front of the gate are relics from the Old Summer Palace. The three Chinese characters "Yiheyuan" on the sign above the gate were written by the Guangxu Emperor.

Hall of Benevolence and Longevity (仁寿殿): The hall where court sessions were held. It was called "Hall of Good Governance" (勤政殿) in the Qianlong Emperor's time but was given its present-day name by the Guangxu Emperor. The well north of the hall is called "Year-Prolonging Well" (延年井) while the rockery behind the hall was designed to imitate the Lion Grove Garden in Suzhou. The stalactites are relics from the Old Summer Palace.

Hall of Jade Billows (玉澜堂): Located west of the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity. It was the living quarters of the Qing emperors. The Guangxu Emperor was once confined here by Empress Dowager Cixi.

Yiyun Hall (宜芸馆): Located north of the Hall of Jade Billows. It was originally a library in the Qianlong Emperor's time, but became the living quarters of Empress Longyu in the Guangxu Emperor's time. It housed a collection of stone carvings of calligraphy written by the Qianlong Emperor.

Dehe Garden (德和园): Houses the three-storey Great Opera Hall (大戲樓), where opera performances were staged.

Hall of Joy and Longevity (乐寿堂): The living quarters of Empress Dowager Cixi.

Long Corridor (长廊): Stretches from the Hall of Joy and Longevity in the east to Shizhang Pavilion in the west. The entire corridor is 728 metres long and contains artistic decorations, including paintings of famous places in China, and scenes from Chinese mythology and folktales, The Twenty-four Filial Exemplars and the Four Great Classical Novels.

Hall of Dispelling Clouds (排云殿): Situated on the centre of the central axis of Longevity Hill. Originally the Great Temple of Gratitude and Longevity (大報恩延壽寺), it was renovated in 1892 and became a place for Empress Dowager Cixi to receive guests, host grand ceremonies, and celebrate her birthday.

Buddhist Temple at Summer Palace.jpg

Tower of Buddhist Incense (佛香阁): Located right in the centre of the front hill of Longevity Mountain. The tower was originally meant to be a nine-storey Buddhist pagoda built to resemble the Yellow Crane Tower. The Qianlong Emperor ordered the construction to be stopped just after the eighth storey was built. The tower was built on a 20-metre-tall stone base, measures three stories and 41 metres in height, and is supported by eight ironwood pillars. Empress Dowager Cixi visited the tower to offer incense and pray.

Sea of Wisdom (智慧海): Located on the peak of Longevity Hill. It was built from coloured glass and houses over 1,000 statues of Buddhist figures. It was partially damaged during the Cultural Revolution.

Stele of Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake (万寿山昆明湖碑; Wànshòushān Kūnmínghú Bēi): Located east of the Hall of Dispelling Clouds. The stele bears six Chinese characters written by the Qianlong Emperor.

Pavilion of Precious Clouds (宝云阁): Located west of the Tower of Buddhist Incense. It was originally called "Bronze Pavilion" (銅亭) and was built in 1755. The doors and windows were stolen by soldiers from the Eight-Nation Alliance in 1900. In the 1980s, they were purchased by overseas Chinese and donated back to the Summer Palace.

Stone Boat (石舫): The Stone Boat is 96 metres long. The original wooden boat was burnt in 1860 and has been replaced with a marble copy with western style paddle wheels.

Oriole-Listening Hall (听鹂馆): Located west of Longevity Hill. It used to be where Empress Dowager Cixi watched opera performancees. The hall is now converted into a restaurant specialising in Qing imperial cuisine.

Huazhongyou (画中游): Located west of Longevity Hill.

East of the Front Hill (前山东部; 前山東部): Has many pavilions and halls.

West of the Front Hill (前山西部): Has many pavilions and halls.

West of the Long Corridor (长廊西端; Chángláng Xīduān): There is a "West Four Hall" (西四廳) located north of Shizhang Pavilion. The Guangxu Emperor's Consort Zhen was confined in the hall by Empress Dowager Cixi. It used to be the west entrance into the Summer Palace during the Qianlong Emperor's time.

Back Hill

Suzhou Street (苏州街): In 1762, after returning from touring the Jiangnan region, the Qianlong Emperor ordered the construction of a shopping street resembling Shantang Street in Suzhou. The street was destroyed by the British and French in 1860 and was only restored in 1988.

Garden of Harmonious Pleasures (谐趣园): Located in the northeast corner of the Summer Palace. In 1751, when the Qianlong Emperor toured the Jiangnan region, he was so impressed with Jichang Garden in Wuxi that he ordered a Huishan Garden (惠山園) to be built in the Summer Palace and modelled after Jichang Garden. Huishan Garden was renamed "Xiequ Garden" in 1811.

Four Great Regions (四大部洲): Located on the centre of the central axis of the back hill. It was designed to resemble the Samye Monastery in Tibet, and houses statues of Bhaisajyaguru, the Buddha and Amitābha. It was destroyed by the British and French in 1860 but was restored later.

Flower Pavilion and Glass Tower (花承阁琉璃塔): Located east of the back hill. It was destroyed by the British and French in 1860; only the Glass Tower remains. During the Cultural Revolution, the Buddhist statue at the bottom of the tower was disfigured by the Red Guards.

Former Location of Gaichunyuan (赅春园遗址): Located west of the back hill. A small garden was built there during the Qianlong Emperor's time and the emperor also had his personal study room there. Gaichunyuan was mostly destroyed by the British and French in 1860.

Former Location of Qiwang Pavilion (绮望轩遗址): Located west of the back hill beside the lake. A small garden was built there during the Qianlong Emperor's time.

Eastern Dam

Zhichun Pavilion (知春亭): Located on the east bank of Kunming Lake at the south of the Hall of Jade Billows.

Wenchang Tower (文昌阁): Built to resemble a city gate. It served as an important entry point into the Summer Palace from the east and south during the Qianlong Emperor's time. The Wenchang Hall (文昌院) beside Wenchang Tower displays cultural artefacts from the Summer Palace.

Kuoru Pavilion (廓如亭): Situated in the middle of the eastern dam, east of the 17 Openings Bridge. It covered an area of 130 square metres.

Bronze Ox (铜牛): A bronze statue of an ox built in 1755.

Yelü Chucai Shrine (耶律楚材词): A shrine built by the Qianlong Emperor to commemorate Yelü Chucai, an influential statesman in the Mongol Empire. It was closed down after 2003 and its front section was converted into a souvenir shop.

Nanhu Island

17-Arch Bridge (十七孔桥): Has 17 different types of arches on it. It incorporates features of the Precious Belt Bridge in Suzhou and the Lugou Bridge in Beijing. The entire bridge is 150 metres long and eight metres wide.

Dragon King Temple (龙王庙; 龍王廟o): A temple built to worship the Dragon King.

Hanxu Hall (涵虚堂; 涵虛堂): Located at the north of Nanhu Island, directly facing the Tower of Buddhist Incense on the north bank.

Western Dam

Lake Dividing Bridge (界湖桥; 界湖橋): The bridge that separates Kunming Lake from the northern lake.

Jade Belt Bridge (玉带桥; 玉帶橋)

Binfeng Bridge (豳风桥; 豳風橋)

Jingming Tower (景明楼; 景明樓): It was destroyed by the British and French in 1860 and was restored only in 1992. It was designed to imitate Yueyang Tower.

Mirror Bridge (镜桥; 鏡橋)

White Silk Bridge (练桥; 練橋)

Willow Bridge (柳桥; 柳橋): Located most south of the western dam.

Farming and Weaving Picture Scenic Area (耕织图景区; 耕織圖景區): Built during the Qianlong Emperor's time, it was designed to bring to life a scene from the daily lives of peasants. This area was excluded from the Summer Palace after it was renovated by Empress Dowager Cixi. In 1949, the area was occupied by the People's Liberation Army and a paper-making factory was built there. In 2003, the area was incorporated back into the Summer Palace and some old buildings were restored.

from Wikipedia

A sudden and rapid increase in the wind unleashed a pollen storm that swept down the valley. Lots of pine and other vegetation had the pollen blown into the wind. Methow Valley, Wa May 19 2020

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagos,_Portugal

Lagos (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈlaɣuʃ], literally lakes, from the Latin lacobriga) is a municipality at the mouth of Bensafrim River and along the Atlantic Ocean, in the Barlavento region of the Algarve, in southern Portugal.[4]

The main town of Lagos (which includes only the parishes of Santa Maria and São Sebastião) has a population of approximately 22,000 residents, while the municipality supports a resident population of 31,048 inhabitants.[5] Typically, these numbers increase during the summer months, with the influx of visiting tourists and seasonal residents. While the majority of the population lives along the coast and works in tourism and services, the inland region is sparsely inhabited, with the majority of the people working in agriculture and forestry.

Lagos is one of the most visited cities in the Algarve and Portugal, due to its variety of tourist-friendly beaches, bars, restaurants, and hotels, renowned for its vibrant summer nightlife and parties. Yet, Lagos is also a historic centre of the Portuguese Age of Discovery, frequent home of Henry the Navigator, historical shipyard and, at one time, centre of the European slave trade[6]. In 2012, travel website TripAdvisor, classified Lagos as the number 1 travel destination, on a list of "15 destinations on the rise" worldwide.

Lagos is an ancient maritime town with more than 2000 years of history. The name Lagos comes from a Celtic origin, derived from the Celtic Lacobriga, the name of the settlement was established during the pre-Punic civilizations. It became a early settlement of the Carthaginians, who recruited Celtic tribesmen in their war against the Romans (the Punic Wars). Owing to its already important harbour, it was colonized by the Romans and integrated into the Roman province of Lusitania, becoming known as Lacobriga. Quintus Sertorius, a rebellious Roman general, helped by the Lusitanians of Lacobriga (who had been oppressed under Roman Generals and members of Lucius Cornelius Sulla party), successfully defeated the Roman army of Caecilius Metellus Pius probably at nearby Monte Molião.

With the fall of Roma, the towns of Lagos were occupied in the 6th century by the Visigoths from the Kingdom of Toledo and later by the Byzantines.

The Moors arrived in the 8th century from North Africa, renaming the settlement Zawaia (meaning lago, or lake). It became part of the much larger coastal region of al-Gharb, which eventually became known as the algarve. The Moors fortified the town and established important trade links to Northern Africa from their bases in the Iberian peninsula. In 1174, the local Wāli gave permission for the Christian peoples to construct a church dedicated to São João Baptista, which was built outside the town's walls (becoming the oldest church in the Algarve).

Kingdom

Even as King Afonso Henriques advanced to the south, the Christian Reconquista never made it into Algarve and Alentejo, and remained under Moorish control. King Sancho I, with the support of Crusader forces used Lagos as a stepping stone to attack the fortress of Alvôr.[8] Zawaia was eventually captured by King Afonso III of Portugal in 1241, but was only taken definitively in 1249. From this period on the King began self-styling himself as the "King of Portugal and the Algarve", stressing the fact that the Algarve (which had for so long been ruled by the Moors as a foreign country) had been annexed into the dominion of the Portuguese. Lagos became an independent jurisdiction under the rule of King Peter I in 1361.

King John I assembled his fleet in the harbour of Lagos, before setting sail for the siege and conquest of the city of Ceuta in 1415. This was the first step in opening the Muslim world to medieval Europe, which in fact led to the Age of Discovery with Portuguese explorers sailing across the whole world. By the 15th century, Lagos became the centre of Portuguese martime exploration, with ships ordered south to trace the shoreline of Africa in order to find routes to India. Infante Henry the Navigator, third son of King John, lived most of the time in Lagos. From here he directed expeditions to Morocco and to the western coast of Africa with caravels, lateen-rigged ships with excellent seafaring capabilities. Lagos was also the home port for Gil Eanes who was the first to sail beyond Cape Bojador in 1434, after a failed attempt in 1433 that put him out of favour with the, then considered the end of the world. The act of rounding the Cape, much like the later rounding of the Cape of Good Hope, permitted Eanes (and the navigators that followed) to advance into the African subcontinent. When, by 1443, Lançarote (then fiscal officer of the crown) had sailed as far as Arguim and brought back 275 Africans, the Portuguese had sufficient slaves to relieve the perpetual handicap of agricultural labour.[9]

Over the following decades, news of discoveries and achievements, and ships loaded with spices and goods would flow into the port of Lagos. It was also the gateway for the first African slaves into post-medieval Europe.[10] Even before Africa was opened-up to the Portuguese, the seamen of Lagos were already enthusiastic slave-catchers.[11] From the first slave markets in Lagos (the Mercado de Escravos, which opened in 1444), many Africans were dispersed throughout Europe, bringing a considerable income to the Portuguese monarchy and merchant classes, as well as cheap labour force.[10] As the major sponsor of these expeditions, Prince Henry received one-fifth of the selling price of every slave. The demand for the indentured labour force was so high that, by 1450, profit on Mauritanian slaves was 700 percent.[12] The discovery of gold by Alfonso Gonçales also increased activities in Lagos, whose residents petitioned the Infante Henry to establish a trading company to pursue gold deposits in the region.[13] This included Juan Dias (ancestor of Bartolomeu Dias who rounded the Cape of Good Hope), Gil Eanes, Lançarote de Freitas, Estevan Alfonso and Rodrigo Alvarez, who provisioned a squadron of six caravels to travel to isle of Garças in 1444, but returned with 150 Africans.[13]

Following the death of Prince Henry, and the expansion into the Atlantic and New World, the port of Lagos continued to receive shipments of goods and slaves, but its role began to decrease. Lisbon, began to prosper, with ships returning directly from the colonies of the Azores, Madeira and Brazil, while trading houses began to relocate to the capital. But, even as the wealth arrived in Lisbon and Lagos, the ostentation was widely on display in the royal residences.[14]

King Sebastian, obsessed with his plans for a great crusade against the Kingdom of Fez, assembled a huge fleet in Lagos in 1578.[15] During this ill-fated attempt he and most of Portugal's nobility were killed in the Battle of Ksar El Kebir in Morocco, eventually causing a succession crisis, that eventually resulted in the Iberian Union.

When Portugal came under Spanish rule, the Portuguese coast became a target for the English fleet. Lagos, close to the Spanish naval base of Cadiz, was attacked by Sir Francis Drake in the late 1580s, but was defended by its inhabitants, resulting in Drakes sack of Faro.[16] But, the coast was under regular attack of other pirates and corsairs, in addition to the Spanish who bombarded the Algarve during the Portuguese Restoration War (1640–1668), which led to the construction of a string of forts all along the coast. One of them was the late 17th century Ponta da Bandeira Fort in Lagos, which was completed between 1679 and 1690 (according to the stone inscription over the main door).

From 1576 to 1755, Lagos was a high-profile capital of the Algarve, until the old Portuguese town was destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami of 1755. Although some walls from the 16th century still remain, as well as the governor's castle, many of the buildings are from the 17th century.

Two well-known naval battles took place off Lagos, reflecting its strategic location: in the Battle of Lagos (1693) a French flotilla defeated a combined Anglo-Dutch force, while in the Battle of Lagos (1759) a British force defeated a French force.

Geography

Physical geography

By its geographical position (east-northeast to west-southwest orientation) and lithological diversity, the Algarve stands out as unique stratigraphic and morpho-tectonicregion.[17] A peripheral Carboniferous unit of the Variscan orogeny, it constitutes the Mesozoic and Cenozoic sedimentary layers, deposited onto two totally distinct superimposed basins.[17] Between the Middle-Upper Triassic to Hettangian, sediments evolved from continental (fluvial red sandstone) to shallow marine over the entire region, which included instances of evaporates, tholeiite fissural magmas, lava flows, volcanic ash and pyroclasts.[17]

The area of Lagos, conforms to the Middle Miocene Lagos-Portimão formation (a band that extends along the coast from Lagos to Albufeira, abutting the Serra do Caldeirão to the north) and which corresponds to marine sedimentation over relatively stable, but a minorly deformed limestone shelf platform.[17][18][19] A period of calm during the intra-Miocene (of approximately 2.4 Ma) led to generalized exposure and development of karst, that influences the present day coastline.[17][19] The conspicuous horizontal bending of this profile in the cliffs of Lagos, much like the remainder of the Lagos-Portimão formation, is formed by alternating bands of siliciclastic and calcareous lithologies.[18] The low degree of cementation in the layers causes a high degree of instability of the cliffs.[18] The littoral and cliff sands are dominated by various bivalve organisms, bryozoans, larger benthic foraminifers and Coralline algaewith minor additions of echinoids and balanids implying a shallow-water depositional system of a warm-temperate climatic regime.[18] The locality of Cerro das Mós, from where a large crocodilian (Tomistoma schlegelii) tooth was collected long ago,[20] has also produced some Odontoceti teeth. These may be dated from the Serravallian, which, constitute the oldest marine mammal occurrence in Algarve.[

Ecoregions/Protected areas

Lagos has many natural interest sites, including:

•Ponta da Piedade (English: Mercy Point)

•Grutas da Costa d'Oiro (English: Golden Coast Grottos)

•Laguna de Alvor (English: Lagoon of Alvor)

•Mata Nacional de Barão de S.João (English: National Forest of the Baron of Saint John), representing a varied flora that includes Pine (Pinaceae), Acacia (Acacia), Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus) and Strawberry trees (Arbutus unedo), with six pedestrian trails and six campsites. In the zone of Pedra Branca, is a Paleolithic menhir, called the Menhir of Pedro do Galo, accessible through the pedestrian trails, visitors can use the tables and picniking areas near the guardhouse for barbecues, while small children have access to a playground. A public sports field and 100 metre interval obstacle course was also constructed to attract activity, near the picnic area.

Beaches

•Meia Praia (Half Beach) — consisting of soft, white sand, Meia Praia is one of the largest open bays in Europe, resulting in calm seas, permitting conditions for many nautical sports, while cliffs provide sheltered coves from strong windy conditions;

•Praia Solaria (Sunny Beach);

•Praia da Batata (Potato Beach) — a small beach tucked between two small cliffs (where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean), it is known for the small music festivals that take place there during summer;

•Praia dos Estudantes (Students' Beach);

•Praia da Dona Ana (Dona Ana Beach) - probably the most frequented beach by tourists, its areal is slightly thicker than the beaches in the surrounding area and it is surrounded by striking rock formations. At high tide the beach is split by the geomorphology of the cliffs;

•Praia do Canavial (Canavial Beach);

•Praia de Camilo (Camilo Beach);

•Praia da Luz (Beach of Light) - located in the parish of Luz, the beach is bounded in the east by Rocha Negra (English: Black Rock), providing summer vactioners with a popular escape during the summer.

Human geography

The municipality of Lagos is located approximately 35 kilometers east of the Cape St. Vincent coast, along the southern coast of the Algarve. It is surrounded along its borders by the municipalities of Vila do Bispo (to the west), Aljezur (to the northwest), Monchique (to the northeast) and Portimão (to the east).

To the north of Lagos is the road to Silves, the first capital of Algarve, Monchique (spa town/mountain), Milfontes, a coastal town and port/harbour of the city of Sines, that winds through the scenic protected landscape of the Southwest Natural Park (Costa Sudoeste Alentejana e Vicentina).

Population of

Lagos

(1801 - 2011)

YearPop.±%

18019,789—

184911,012+12.5%

190013,937+26.6%

193016,210+16.3%

196017,060+5.2%

198119,700+15.5%

199121,526+9.3%

200125,398+18.0%

200929,298+15.4%

201130,755+5.0%

The municipality is composed of the following 6 parishes:

•Barão de São João

•Bensafrim - with approximately 8600 inhabitants (2001 Census), the parish was based on the Arabic settlement of Benassaharim, developing slowly until the 20th century (when even in the 1950s donkey or oxen were used as means of conveyance). Its current claim to fame is their annual fair held on the 25–26 August;

•Praia da Luz - a tourist-oriented civil parish with less than 3068 residents (2001 Census), its growth was attributed vacationers and sunseekers who flocked to its beaches throughout the summer. Popular by foreign visitors, it was notoriously identified with the disappearance of Madeleine McCann and the resulting investigation in 2007;

•Odiáxere

•Santa Maria

•São Sebastião

towns — Sister cities

Lagos is twinned with:

• Torres Vedras, district of Lisbon, Portugal

• Ribeira Grande, island of São Miguel, Azores

• Ribeira Grande de Santiago, island of Santiago, Cape Verde

• Palos de la Frontera, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain

Economy

Lagos' economy, like many coastal towns in Portugal, has always been closely linked to the sea, and fishing has been an important activity since very ancient times. Since 1960, the city has embracedtourism, which has become its most important economic activity. It has beautiful beaches, good climate, the sea, a scenic coastline, and historical patrimony.

The Marina de Lagos has 460 berths and has become an important centre for long-distance cruisers, and it is also known for its modern drawbridge.

Lagos also has plenty of cultural and night-life entertainment venues.

Architecture

Prehistoric

•Menhir of Cabeço do Rochedo (Portuguese: Menir da Cabeço do Rocheado)

Civic

•Barracks of the Guarda Fiscal of Lagos (Portuguese: Quartel e Posto da Guarda Fiscal)

•Building of the Caixa Geral de Depósitos (Portuguese: Edifício da Caixa Geral de Depositos)

•Building of the Correios, Telégrafos e Telefonos (Portuguese: Edifício dos Correios, Telégrafos e Telefones de Lagos)

•Building of the Portagem (Portuguese: Edifício Antigo da Portagem)

•District Courthouse/Palace of Justice (Portuguese: Tribunal da Comarca/Palácio da Justiça)

•District Jailhouse of Lagos/Cultural Centre of Lagos (Portuguese: Cadeia Comarcã de Lagos/Centro Cultural)

•D. Maria Bridge (Portuguese: Ponte Dona Maria)

•Fonte Coberta Dam (Portuguese: Barragem da Fonte Coberta)

•Gil Eanes Secondary/Commercial-Industrial School (Portuguese: Escola Industrial e Comercial de Lagos/Escola Secundária Gil Eanes)

•Hotel Tivolli Lagos (Portuguese: Hotel de Lagos)

•Municipal Hall of Lagos (Portuguese: Edifício dos Paços do Concelho)

•Lighthouse of Ponta da Piedade (Portuguese: Farol da Ponta da Piedade)

•Pillory of Lagos (Portuguese: Pelourinho de Lagos)

•Regional Museum of Lagos (Portuguese: Museu Regional de Lagos) - this modest regional museum is located next to the church of Santo António.,[22] housing the eclectic collection of archaeological finds from prehistory and the Neolithic, in addition to minerals, Roman mosaics, Moorish oil-lamps and pottery. The ethnographic section includes exhibits from life in the Algarve, that includes not only residential, but also military artefacts, such as swords, muskets and cannonballs, and the foral (charter) issued by King Manuel for Lagos. Religious artefacts are also prominent in the displays, that include the sacerdotal vestments worn by the canons who said Holy Mass to King Sebastian (before he left on his ill-fated conquest of Morocco), and a diptych (dating from the 16th century) with scenes from the Annunciation and Presentation of Jesus at the Temple.

•Slave Market/Customshoues of Lagos (Portuguese: Mercado de Escravos/Vedoria/Alfândega de Lagos)

Military

•Bulwark of Alcaria/Freiras (Portuguese: Baluarte da Alcaria/das Freiras)

•Bulwark of Porta dos Quartos (Portuguese: Baluarte da Porta dos Quartos)

•Bulwark of Santa Maria/Porta da Vila (Portuguese: Baluarte de Santa Maria/da Porta da Vila)

•Bulwark of São Francisco/Jogo da Bola (Portuguese: Baluarte de São Francisco/do Jogo da Bola)

•Castle of Senhora da Luz (Portuguese: Castelo da Senhora da Luz)

•Fort of Meia Praia (Portuguese: Forte da Meia Praia)

•Fort of Ponta da Bandeira (Portuguese: Forte da Ponta da Bandeira) - also known as the Forte do Pau da Bandeira, the Forte de Nossa Senhora da Penha de França or the Forte do Registo, the fort, which guarded the entrance to the harbour, was originally dedicated to the Santa Virgem Senhora da Penha de França (to which it was referred).[23] This squat rectangular fort guards the entrance to the harbour, accessed by a smalldrawbridge, to terraced spaces (that overlook the town, beach and harbour) and the small chapel (decorated with 17th century azulejos tile). Until the late 20th century, the fort was used as a service depot for military forces and housed services linked to maritime activities (such as supplies for lifeboats and nautical sports). It was restored between 1958 and 1960, and officially acquired by the municipality of Lagos in 1983m where it was converted into exhibition displays of maritime history, with astrolabes and models of caravels.

•Fort of Pinhão (Portuguese: Forte do Pinhão)

•Military Barracks of Lagos (Portuguese: Edifício Militar em Lagos/Trem de Artilharia)

•Musketeers' Workshop/Warehouse and Saddlery (Portuguese: Edifício Oficina do Espingardeiro/Armazém do Espingardeiro/Selaria)

•Regimental Warehouse/Church of São Brás (Portuguese: Armazém Regimental e Desparecido Igreja de São Brás)

•Tower of Atalaia (Portuguese: Torre da Atalaia)

•Walled/Tower Fortifications of Lagos (Portuguese: Muralhas e Torreões de Lagos)

Religious

•Chapel/Hermitage of São João Baptista (Portuguese: Capela/Ermida de São João Baptista)

•Church of Nossa Senhora do Carmo (Portuguese: Igreja da Nossa Senhora do Carmo)

•Church of Nossa Senhora da Luz (Portuguese: Igreja da Nossa Senhora da Luz)

•Church of Odiáxere (Portuguese: Igreja de Odiáxere)

•Church of Santa Maria (Portuguese: Igreja de Santa Maria/da Misericórdia)

•Church of Santo António (Portuguese: Igreja de Santo António) - its simple façade with the asymmetrical bell towers, date from 1715, and contrast sharply with the extravagantly decorated interior, which is covered in gilded wood carvings and blue-and-white 18th century azulejo tiles (talha dourada) which fill the walls of the nave, while six Baroque paintings by José Joaquim Rasquinho, representing the miracles of Saint Anthony are hung on its walls. The wooden vault was painted with a trompe-l'oeil effect, while polychrome statues of cherubs playing with animals and fishes are scattered within the interior. It was one of the few buildings to survive the Great Earthquake of 1755, reconstructed by the local commander of Regimental Infantry, who may have added the polychromatic statue of St. Anthony with military sash. Purportedly, King Sebastian attended his last mass in this church, before his ill-fated expedition to Morocco.* Convent of Nossa Senhora do Loreto (Portuguese: Convento de Nossa Senhora do Loreto)

•Church of São Sebastião (Portuguese: Igreja de São Sebastião/de Nossa Senhora da Conceição)

•Hermitage of São Pedro de Pulgão/Nossa Senhora dos Aflitos (Portuguese: Ermida de São Pedro do Pulgão/Nossa Senhora dos Aflitos)

•Ruins of the Hermitage of Santo Amaro (Portuguese: Ruinas da Ermida de São Amaro)

•Ruins of the Convent of the Trinity (Portuguese: Ruinas do Antigo Convento da Trinidade/dos Frades Trinos)

Culture

Many local traditions are celebrated in the municipality and range from gastronomy to traditional handicrafts.

In gastronomy, there are the local specialties: Dom rodrigos and morgados cookies based on local products, such as almonds, figs and eggs. Lagos is also a wine producing region and is famous for its moscatel wine, and also for a strong alcoholic spirit, the aguardente de medronho, made of berries of strawberry tree.

Notable citizens

•São Gonçalo de Lagos (c. 1370 - Torres Vedras; 15 October 1422), saint of the Order of Saint Augustine

•Soeiro da Costa (c. 1390 — c. 1472), navigator and one of the Heroic Twelve of the Lusiadas

•Gil Eanes (born 15th century - died 15th century), navigator and explorer of the 15th century

•Lançarote de Freitas (born 15th century - died 15th century), navigator and merchant during the 15th century

•Júlia Barroso (11 August 1930 - Lisboa; 23 December 1996) actress, singer and teacher

•Júlio Dantas (19 May 1876 — Lisboa; 25 May 1962), doctor, poet, journalist, screenwriter, politician and diplomat

•José Reis, first Portuguese geriatric medic

Autumn colours are increasing along the River Nith near Carronbridge in SW Scotland

Thousands rallied in London as well as other UK cities to demonstrate against a law being passed by Britain's parliament that would effectively outlaw many protests, increase penalties for certain types of demonstration such as blocking roads and give the police far greater powers to stop, search and arrest.

If the measures contained in the government's Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts (PCSC) Bill had been in place over the last hundred years they may have prevented the suffragette protests of the 1920s, the marches and rallies for greater welfare support in the 1930s, the black civil rights and anti-Vietnam protests of the 1960s, the early gay pride gatherings in the 1970s, the anti-apartheid protests of the 1980s, the occupation of key locations by the Occupy movement and the more recent climate strikes.

The PCSC bill will give the police new powers to ban demonstrations deemed likely to be too noisy or a nuisance to a neighbourhood, to stop and search people without having to prove reasonable suspicion, new powers against 'unauthorised encampments' which travellers fear may be used against their communities and it would also make it illegal for protesters to lock themselves on to objects. The lock on strategy having been used successfully by activists defending the environment and protesting Britain's arms trade.

The bill proposes to increase the maximum prison sentence for someone who destroys a memorial or statue from 3 months to 10 years and It would also mean sentences of up to 10 years for a new crime of causing "serious annoyance." The cumulative impact of the draconian new powers, if enacted, could mean that most meaningful forms of effective protest would be outlawed.

There were many activists at the London rally from communities fearing they could be disproportionately targeted as a result including those supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.

Singapore

Singapore National Day Parade 2011

All photos in this photostream are copyrighted, please do not use them without permission.

The fireworks show for the Singapore National Day Rehearsal is getting better and better. Mor colours, more patterns and duration last longer.

Singapore spending so much money on this celebration, i guess not just for the sick of the rehearsal. Two things for sure,

the show attracts more tourists to visit Singapore during this period increase the business in the travel industrial. Also, Singaporean get more chances to see the parade for the celebration of the country birthday compared to 10 years back.

One more rehearsal to the final day, be there early to get a good spot for the show....

Please note that all the contents in this photostream is copyrighted and protected under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, any usage of the images without permission will face liability for the infringement.

Some information about singapore

Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, 137 kilometres (85 mi) north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the Singapore Strait to its south. Singapore is highly urbanised but almost half of the country is covered by greenery. More land is being created for development through land reclamation.

Singapore had been a part of various local empires since it was first inhabited in the second century AD.

Modern Singapore was founded as a trading post of the East India Company by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819 with permission from the Sultanate of Johor. The British obtained full sovereignty over the island in 1824 and Singapore became one of the British Straits Settlements in 1826. Singapore was occupied by the Japanese in World War II and reverted to British rule after the war. It became internally self-governing in 1959. Singapore united with other former British territories to form Malaysia in 1963 and became a fully independent state two years later after separation from Malaysia. Since then it has had a massive increase in wealth, and is one of the Four Asian Tigers. The economy depends heavily on the industry and service sectors. Singapore is a world leader in several areas: It is the world's fourth-leading financial centre, the world's second-biggest casino gambling market, and the world's third-largest oil refining centre. The port of Singapore is one of the five busiest ports in the world, most notable for being the busiest transshipment port in the world. The country is home to more US dollar millionaire households per capita than any other country. The World Bank notes Singapore as the easiest place in the world to do business. The country has the world's third highest GDP PPP per capita of US$59,936, making Singapore one of the world's wealthiest countries.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia...

Singapore Marina Bay is a bay near Central Area in the southern part of Singapore, and lies to the east of the Downtown Core. Marina Bay is set to be a 24/7 destination with endless opportunities for people to “explore new living and lifestyle options, exchange new ideas and information for business, and be entertained by rich leisure and cultural experiences”.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

singapore river..

marina bay.

marina bay sands.

.