"The saints—consider the example of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta—constantly renewed their capacity for love of neighbour from their encounter with the Eucharistic Lord, and conversely this encounter acquired its realism and depth in their service to others. Love of God and love of neighbour are thus inseparable, they form a single commandment. But both live from the love of God who has loved us first"

 

– Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est, 18.

 

My sermon for today, the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time can be read here.

 

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in St Gertrude's, Cincinnati.

Life is "Miracle" / La vie est un "Miracle"

 

Live is " Miracle "

 

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This is a classic vintage photograph (likely a studio portrait from the late 1910s to early 1920s) showing two young Red Army soldiers from the early Soviet era, probably during or shortly after the Russian Civil War (1917–1922).The men are dressed in the distinctive winter uniforms of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA), the newly formed Bolshevik military force. Key details include:Budenovka hats — These iconic pointed woolen caps (officially called "broadcloth helmets" or шлем суконный) feature a tall, stiff spike on top and fold-down earflaps/neck flaps (currently folded up). Each has a prominent red star sewn on the front, a revolutionary symbol introduced around 1918–1919. The design drew inspiration from old Russian folklore helmets but became a hallmark of early Red Army troops, especially in winter campaigns. (The name "budenovka" became popular later, after cavalry commander Semyon Budyonny, though it was used from 1918 onward.)

Long wool greatcoats — These heavy, ankle-length overcoats in khaki/grayish tones provided warmth and were standard issue (often recycled or adapted from Imperial Russian stocks). They have high collars with red piping or tabs (visible on the collars, likely indicating infantry branch), cross-body rifle slings, and simple belts with buckles.

 

The Russian Civil War was a multi-sided civil conflict in the former Russian Empire, lasting from November 1917 to October 1922, sparked by the Bolsheviks' overthrow of the Russian Provisional Government during the October Revolution. It pitted the Red Army, led by the Bolsheviks under Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky, against the White movement, a coalition of anti-Bolshevik forces including monarchists, liberals, and moderate socialists, supported by foreign interventionists such as the United Kingdom, France, the United States, and Japan. The war also involved rival socialist groups like the Makhnovshchina and the Green armies, as well as nationalist movements across the former empire. The Bolshevik victory led to the establishment of the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and ultimately the formation of the Soviet Union.

   

A new garden but it is beginning to take shape and there is good colour - to keep Mum happy

♫ ♪ black bird ♪ ♫

Harder Hall is a historic hotel in Sebring, Florida. It is located on Little Lake Jackson, at 3300 Golfview Drive. On June 20, 1990, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

 

The hotel was designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival Style architecture popular during the period and contained 134 rooms. It had approximately 50,000 square feet (4,600 m2) square feet of rooms and halls, 35,000 square feet (3,300 m2) of public areas including a mezzanine lobby. The 4,200-square-foot (390 m2) great room and banquet room both had 22-foot (7 m) ceilings with large french doors that overlook the lake.

 

Harder Hall was named for its developers, Lewis F. Harder and Vincent Hall, both of West Palm Beach. Prior to the Wall Street Crash of 1929, Florida experienced a boom in real estate and tourism. It was during this period that many Spanish style hotels, such as Harder Hall, were built. Construction of the hotel began in 1925, prior to the end of the Florida land boom of the 1920s. The firm responsible for the construction of the building, Schultze and Weaver, were also responsible for the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida. In 1927, the classic Spanish Style hotel and golf resort, opened on the shore of Little Lake Jackson. Harder Hall was built in Sebring because the city was a stop on the Atlantic Coast Line railroad. In 1953 it was bought by Victor and David Jacobson and partners Larry Tennenbaum and Sam Levy. In 1954 Victor commissioned golf course architect Dick Wilson to transform the golf course into a championship layout. Among the major tournaments held at Harder Hall Hotel were the Haig & Haig Scotch Foursome, a PGA Tour/LPGA Tour event. Other famous guests of the hotel were Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Ali MacGraw and Mario Andretti. With head pro Ben Roman Victor started the first golf school in the world. Victor and Eva Jacobson also operated Harder Hall Golf and Tennis Camp at the hotel between 1967 and at least 1982. This was the first and last co-ed, teenage golf and tennis camp in a resort hotel ever and drew campers from all over the world. Victor operated this hotel until the 1982 when he sold it to a group of investors who went bankrupt, unable to convert their plan to convert the structure to timeshares. The building has been unoccupied ever since. Several times different groups tried their luck on the extensive renovation project but never got far. A few times this classic building barely escaped demolition, before being put on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

In 2004 the building was acquired by another investor from Florida, who in 2005 through 2006 gave the ambitious restoration project another try. This one witnessed more work done than all other previous attempts combined, but ran out of funds in 2006. Currently the half-finished project is awaiting new owners to finally finish the restoration. Harder Hall was purchased at auction by the city of Sebring in July 2007.

 

The golf course is in great condition and remains open to the public on a fee for play basis.

 

Data above originated from the following website:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harder_Hall

Akhet is an Egyptian hieroglyph that represents the sun rising over a mountain. It is translated as "horizon" or "the place in the sky where the sun rises".

Late Period

Valley of the Queens, tomb of Prince Khaemwaset QV 44

 

Egypt of Glory exhibition, Amos Rex Art Museum, Helsinki

From the collection of Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy

9.10.2020-21.3.2021

can't sleep, clown'll eat me... can't sleep, clown'll eat me...

Beamish Museum is the first regional open-air museum, in England, located at Beamish, near the town of Stanley, in County Durham, England. Beamish pioneered the concept of a living museum. By displaying duplicates or replaceable items, it was also an early example of the now commonplace practice of museums allowing visitors to touch objects.

 

The museum's guiding principle is to preserve an example of everyday life in urban and rural North East England at the climax of industrialisation in the early 20th century. Much of the restoration and interpretation is specific to the late Victorian and Edwardian eras, together with portions of countryside under the influence of Industrial Revolution from 1825. On its 350 acres (140 ha) estate it uses a mixture of translocated, original and replica buildings, a large collection of artefacts, working vehicles and equipment, as well as livestock and costumed interpreters.

 

The museum has received a number of awards since it opened to visitors in 1972 and has influenced other living museums.[citation needed] It is an educational resource, and also helps to preserve some traditional and rare north-country livestock breeds.

 

In 1958, days after starting as director of the Bowes Museum, inspired by Scandinavian folk museums, and realising the North East's traditional industries and communities were disappearing, Frank Atkinson presented a report to Durham County Council urging that a collection of items of everyday history on a large scale should begin as soon as possible, so that eventually an open air museum could be established. As well as objects, Atkinson was also aiming to preserve the region's customs and dialect. He stated the new museum should "attempt to make the history of the region live" and illustrate the way of life of ordinary people. He hoped the museum would be run by, be about and exist for the local populace, desiring them to see the museum as theirs, featuring items collected from them.

 

Fearing it was now almost too late, Atkinson adopted a policy of "unselective collecting" — "you offer it to us and we will collect it." Donations ranged in size from small items to locomotives and shops, and Atkinson initially took advantage of a surplus of space available in the 19th-century French chateau-style building housing the Bowes Museum to store items donated for the open air museum. With this space soon filled, a former British Army tank depot at Brancepeth was taken over, although in just a short time its entire complement of 22 huts and hangars had been filled, too.

 

In 1966, a working party was established to set up a museum "for the purpose of studying, collecting, preserving and exhibiting buildings, machinery, objects and information illustrating the development of industry and the way of life of the north of England", and it selected Beamish Hall, having been vacated by the National Coal Board, as a suitable location.

 

In August 1970, with Atkinson appointed as its first full-time director together with three staff members, the museum was first established by moving some of the collections into the hall. In 1971, an introductory exhibition, "Museum in the Making" opened at the hall.

 

The museum was opened to visitors on its current site for the first time in 1972, with the first translocated buildings (the railway station and colliery winding engine) being erected the following year. The first trams began operating on a short demonstration line in 1973. The Town station was formally opened in 1976, the same year the reconstruction of the colliery winding engine house was completed, and the miners' cottages were relocated. Opening of the drift mine as an exhibit followed in 1979.

 

In 1975 the museum was visited by the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and by Anne, Princess Royal, in 2002. In 2006, as the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England, The Duke of Kent visited, to open the town masonic lodge.

 

With the Co-op having opened in 1984, the town area was officially opened in 1985. The pub had opened in the same year, with Ravensworth Terrace having been reconstructed from 1980 to 1985. The newspaper branch office had also been built in the mid-1980s. Elsewhere, the farm on the west side of the site (which became Home Farm) opened in 1983. The present arrangement of visitors entering from the south was introduced in 1986.

 

At the beginning of the 1990s, further developments in the Pit Village were opened, the chapel in 1990, and the board school in 1992. The whole tram circle was in operation by 1993. Further additions to the Town came in 1994 with the opening of the sweet shop and motor garage,Beamish Museum 2014 followed by the bank in 1999. The first Georgian component of the museum arrived when Pockerley Old Hall opened in 1995, followed by the Pockerley Waggonway in 2001.

 

In the early 2000s two large modern buildings were added, to augment the museum's operations and storage capacity - the Regional Resource Centre on the west side opened in 2001, followed by the Regional Museums Store next to the railway station in 2002. Due to its proximity, the latter has been cosmetically presented as Beamish Waggon and Iron Works. Additions to display areas came in the form of the Masonic lodge (2006) and the Lamp Cabin in the Colliery (2009). In 2010, the entrance building and tea rooms were refurbished.

 

Into the 2010s, further buildings were added - the fish and chip shop (opened 2011) band hall (opened 2013) and pit pony stables (built 2013/14) in the Pit Village, plus a bakery (opened 2013) and chemist and photographers (opened 2016) being added to the town. St Helen's Church, in the Georgian landscape, opened in November 2015.

YX61ELW is an ADL Enviro 200 B39F delivered new in February 2012 and is seen at George Square in Glasgow.

This is a vignette depicting the battle of Dantooine from The Clone Wars. Also, if somebody could give me suggestions for my next Clone Wars MOC, it would be greatly appreciated :D

John is responsible for everything to do with fishing off the west and east harbour walls. On dismal days like today there aren't many people fishing but come the sunny days the wall is packed. Elly, his dog, was gorgeous but, even when she looked at the camera her eyes didn't get through her floppy coat.

Canyonlands National Park is an American national park located in southeastern Utah near the town of Moab. The park preserves a colorful landscape eroded into numerous canyons, mesas, and buttes by the Colorado River, the Green River, and their respective tributaries. Legislation creating the park was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on September 12, 1964.

 

The park is divided into four districts: the Island in the Sky, the Needles, the Maze, and the combined rivers—the Green and Colorado—which carved two large canyons into the Colorado Plateau. While these areas share a primitive desert atmosphere, each retains its own character. Author Edward Abbey, a frequent visitor, described the Canyonlands as "the most weird, wonderful, magical place on earth—there is nothing else like it anywhere."

 

In the early 1950s, Bates Wilson, then superintendent of Arches National Monument, began exploring the area to the south and west of Moab, Utah. After seeing what is now known as the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park, Wilson began advocating for the establishment of a new national park that would include the Needles. Additional explorations by Wilson and others expanded the areas proposed for inclusion into the new national park to include the confluence of Green and Colorado rivers, the Maze District, and Horseshoe Canyon.

 

In 1961, Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall was scheduled to address a conference at Grand Canyon National Park. On his flight to the conference, he flew over the Confluence (where the Colorado and Green rivers meet). The view apparently sparked Udall's interest in Wilson's proposal for a new national park in that area and Udall began promoting the establishment of Canyonlands National Park.

 

Utah Senator Frank Moss first introduced legislation into Congress to create Canyonlands National Park. His legislation attempted to satisfy both nature preservationists' and commercial developers' interests. Over the next four years, his proposal was struck down, debated, revised, and reintroduced to Congress many times before being passed and signed into creation.

 

In September, 1964, after several years of debate, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Pub.L. 88–590, which established Canyonlands National Park as a new national park. Bates Wilson became the first superintendent of the new park and is often referred to as the "Father of Canyonlands."

 

The Colorado River and Green River combine within the park, dividing it into three districts called the Island in the Sky, the Needles, and the Maze. The Colorado River flows through Cataract Canyon below its confluence with the Green River.

 

The Island in the Sky district is a broad and level mesa in the northern section of the park, between the Colorado and Green rivers. The district has many viewpoints overlooking the White Rim, a sandstone bench 1,200 feet (370 m) below the Island, and the rivers, which are another 1,000 feet (300 m) below the White Rim.

 

The Needles district is located south of the Island in the Sky, on the east side of the Colorado River. The district is named for the red and white banded rock pinnacles which are a major feature of the area. Various other naturally sculpted rock formations are also within this district, including grabens, potholes, and arches. Unlike Arches National Park, where many arches are accessible by short to moderate hikes, most of the arches in the Needles district lie in backcountry canyons, requiring long hikes or four-wheel drive trips to reach them.

 

The Ancestral Puebloans inhabited this area and some of their stone and mud dwellings are well-preserved, although the items and tools they used were mostly removed by looters. The Ancestral Puebloans also created rock art in the form of petroglyphs, most notably on Newspaper Rock along the Needles access road.

 

The Maze district is located west of the Colorado and Green rivers. The Maze is the least accessible section of the park, and one of the most remote and inaccessible areas of the United States.

 

A geographically detached section of the park located north of the Maze district, Horseshoe Canyon contains panels of rock art made by hunter-gatherers from the Late Archaic Period (2000-1000 BC) pre-dating the Ancestral Puebloans. Originally called Barrier Canyon, Horseshoe's artifacts, dwellings, pictographs, and murals are some of the oldest in America. The images depicting horses date from after 1540 AD, when the Spanish reintroduced horses to America.

 

Since the 1950s, scientists have been studying an area of 200 acres (81 ha) completely surrounded by cliffs. The cliffs have prevented cattle from ever grazing on the area's 62 acres (25 ha) of grassland. According to the scientists, the site may contain the largest undisturbed grassland in the Four Corners region. Studies have continued biannually since the mid-1990s. The area has been closed to the public since 1993 to maintain the nearly pristine environment.

 

Mammals that roam this park include black bears, coyotes, skunks, bats, elk, foxes, bobcats, badgers, ring-tailed cats, pronghorns, desert bighorn sheep, and cougars. Desert cottontails, kangaroo rats and mule deer are commonly seen by visitors.

 

At least 273 species of birds inhabit the park. A variety of hawks and eagles are found, including the Cooper's hawk, the northern goshawk, the sharp-shinned hawk, the red-tailed hawk, the golden and bald eagles, the rough-legged hawk, the Swainson's hawk, and the northern harrier. Several species of owls are found, including the great horned owl, the northern saw-whet owl, the western screech owl, and the Mexican spotted owl. Grebes, woodpeckers, ravens, herons, flycatchers, crows, bluebirds, wrens, warblers, blackbirds, orioles, goldfinches, swallows, sparrows, ducks, quail, grouse, pheasants, hummingbirds, falcons, gulls, and ospreys are some of the other birds that can be found.

 

Several reptiles can be found, including eleven species of lizards and eight species of snake (including the midget faded rattlesnake). The common kingsnake and prairie rattlesnake have been reported in the park, but not confirmed by the National Park Service.

 

The park is home to six confirmed amphibian species, including the red-spotted toad, Woodhouse's toad, American bullfrog, northern leopard frog, Great Basin spadefoot toad, and tiger salamander. The canyon tree frog was reported to be in the park in 2000, but was not confirmed during a study in 2004.

 

Canyonlands National Park contains a wide variety of plant life, including 11 cactus species,[34] 20 moss species, liverworts, grasses and wildflowers. Varieties of trees include netleaf hackberry, Russian olive, Utah juniper, pinyon pine, tamarisk, and Fremont's cottonwood. Shrubs include Mormon tea, blackbrush, four-wing saltbush, cliffrose, littleleaf mountain mahogany, and snakeweed

 

Cryptobiotic soil is the foundation of life in Canyonlands, providing nitrogen fixation and moisture for plant seeds. One footprint can destroy decades of growth.

 

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Canyonlands National Park has a cold semi-arid climate ("BSk"). The plant hardiness zones at the Island in the Sky and Needles District Visitor Centers are 7a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 4.0 °F (-15.6 °C) and 2.9 °F (-16.2 °C), respectively.

 

The National Weather Service has maintained two cooperative weather stations in the park since June 1965. Official data documents the desert climate with less than 10 inches (250 millimetres) of annual rainfall, as well as hot, mostly dry summers and cold, occasionally wet winters. Snowfall is generally light during the winter.

 

The station in The Neck region reports an average January temperature of 29.6 °F and an average July temperature of 79.3 °F. Average July temperatures range from a high of 90.8 °F (32.7 °C) to a low of 67.9 °F (19.9 °C). There are an average of 45.7 days with highs of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher and an average of 117.3 days with lows of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower. The highest recorded temperature was 105 °F (41 °C) on July 15, 2005, and the lowest recorded temperature was −13 °F (−25 °C) on February 6, 1989. Average annual precipitation is 9.33 inches (237 mm). There are an average of 59 days with measurable precipitation. The wettest year was 1984, with 13.66 in (347 mm), and the driest year was 1989, with 4.63 in (118 mm). The most precipitation in one month was 5.19 in (132 mm) in October 2006. The most precipitation in 24 hours was 1.76 in (45 mm) on April 9, 1978. Average annual snowfall is 22.8 in (58 cm). The most snowfall in one year was 47.4 in (120 cm) in 1975, and the most snowfall in one month was 27.0 in (69 cm) in January 1978.

 

The station in The Needles region reports an average January temperature of 29.7 °F and an average July temperature of 79.1 °F.[44] Average July temperatures range from a high of 95.4 °F (35.2 °C) to a low of 62.4 °F (16.9 °C). There are an average of 75.4 days with highs of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher and an average of 143.6 days with lows of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower. The highest recorded temperature was 107 °F (42 °C) on July 13, 1971, and the lowest recorded temperature was −16 °F (−27 °C) on January 16, 1971. Average annual precipitation is 8.49 in (216 mm). There are an average of 56 days with measurable precipitation. The wettest year was 1969, with 11.19 in (284 mm), and the driest year was 1989, with 4.25 in (108 mm). The most precipitation in one month was 4.43 in (113 mm) in October 1972. The most precipitation in 24 hours was 1.56 in (40 mm) on September 17, 1999. Average annual snowfall is 14.4 in (37 cm). The most snowfall in one year was 39.3 in (100 cm) in 1975, and the most snowfall in one month was 24.0 in (61 cm) in March 1985.

 

National parks in the Western US are more affected by climate change than the country as a whole, and the National Park Service has begun research into how exactly this will effect the ecosystem of Canyonlands National Park and the surrounding areas and ways to protect the park for the future. The mean annual temperature of Canyonlands National Park increased by 2.6 °F (1.4 °C) from 1916 to 2018. It is predicted that if current warming trends continue, the average highs in the park during the summer will be over 100 °F (40 °C) by 2100. In addition to warming, the region has begun to see more severe and frequent droughts which causes native grass cover to decrease and a lower flow of the Colorado River. The flows of the Upper Colorado Basin have decreased by 300,000 acre⋅ft (370,000,000 m3) per year, which has led to a decreased amount of sediment carried by the river and rockier rapids which are more frequently impassable to rafters. The area has also begun to see an earlier spring, which will lead to changes in the timing of leaves and flowers blooming and migrational patterns of wildlife that could lead to food shortages for the wildlife, as well as a longer fire season.

 

The National Park Service is currently closely monitoring the impacts of climate change in Canyonlands National Park in order to create management strategies that will best help conserve the park's landscapes and ecosystems for the long term. Although the National Park Service's original goal was to preserve landscapes as they were before European colonization, they have now switched to a more adaptive management strategy with the ultimate goal of conserving the biodiversity of the park. The NPS is collaborating with other organizations including the US Geological Survey, local indigenous tribes, and nearby universities in order to create a management plan for the national park. Right now, there is a focus on research into which native plants will be most resistant to climate change so that the park can decide on what to prioritize in conservation efforts. The Canyonlands Natural History Association has been giving money to the US Geological Survey to fund this and other climate related research. They gave $30,000 in 2019 and $61,000 in 2020.

 

A subsiding basin and nearby uplifting mountain range (the Uncompahgre) existed in the area in Pennsylvanian time. Seawater trapped in the subsiding basin created thick evaporite deposits by Mid Pennsylvanian. This, along with eroded material from the nearby mountain range, became the Paradox Formation, itself a part of the Hermosa Group. Paradox salt beds started to flow later in the Pennsylvanian and probably continued to move until the end of the Jurassic. Some scientists believe Upheaval Dome was created from Paradox salt bed movement, creating a salt dome, but more modern studies show that the meteorite theory is more likely to be correct.

 

A warm shallow sea again flooded the region near the end of the Pennsylvanian. Fossil-rich limestones, sandstones, and shales of the gray-colored Honaker Trail Formation resulted. A period of erosion then ensued, creating a break in the geologic record called an unconformity. Early in the Permian an advancing sea laid down the Halgaito Shale. Coastal lowlands later returned to the area, forming the Elephant Canyon Formation.

 

Large alluvial fans filled the basin where it met the Uncompahgre Mountains, creating the Cutler red beds of iron-rich arkose sandstone. Underwater sand bars and sand dunes on the coast inter-fingered with the red beds and later became the white-colored cliff-forming Cedar Mesa Sandstone. Brightly colored oxidized muds were then deposited, forming the Organ Rock Shale. Coastal sand dunes and marine sand bars once again became dominant, creating the White Rim Sandstone.

 

A second unconformity was created after the Permian sea retreated. Flood plains on an expansive lowland covered the eroded surface and mud built up in tidal flats, creating the Moenkopi Formation. Erosion returned, forming a third unconformity. The Chinle Formation was then laid down on top of this eroded surface.

 

Increasingly dry climates dominated the Triassic. Therefore, sand in the form of sand dunes invaded and became the Wingate Sandstone. For a time climatic conditions became wetter and streams cut channels through the sand dunes, forming the Kayenta Formation. Arid conditions returned to the region with a vengeance; a large desert spread over much of western North America and later became the Navajo Sandstone. A fourth unconformity was created by a period of erosion.

 

Mud flats returned, forming the Carmel Formation, and the Entrada Sandstone was laid down next. A long period of erosion stripped away most of the San Rafael Group in the area, along with any formations that may have been laid down in the Cretaceous period.

 

The Laramide orogeny started to uplift the Rocky Mountains 70 million years ago and with it, the Canyonlands region. Erosion intensified and when the Colorado River Canyon reached the salt beds of the Paradox Formation the overlying strata extended toward the river canyon, forming features such as The Grabens. Increased precipitation during the ice ages of the Pleistocene quickened the rate of canyon excavation along with other erosion. Similar types of erosion are ongoing, but occur at a slower rate.

 

Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It borders Colorado to its east, Wyoming to its northeast, Idaho to its north, Arizona to its south, and Nevada to its west. Utah also touches a corner of New Mexico in the southeast. Of the fifty U.S. states, Utah is the 13th-largest by area; with a population over three million, it is the 30th-most-populous and 11th-least-densely populated. Urban development is mostly concentrated in two areas: the Wasatch Front in the north-central part of the state, which is home to roughly two-thirds of the population and includes the capital city, Salt Lake City; and Washington County in the southwest, with more than 180,000 residents. Most of the western half of Utah lies in the Great Basin.

 

Utah has been inhabited for thousands of years by various indigenous groups such as the ancient Puebloans, Navajo, and Ute. The Spanish were the first Europeans to arrive in the mid-16th century, though the region's difficult geography and harsh climate made it a peripheral part of New Spain and later Mexico. Even while it was Mexican territory, many of Utah's earliest settlers were American, particularly Mormons fleeing marginalization and persecution from the United States via the Mormon Trail. Following the Mexican–American War in 1848, the region was annexed by the U.S., becoming part of the Utah Territory, which included what is now Colorado and Nevada. Disputes between the dominant Mormon community and the federal government delayed Utah's admission as a state; only after the outlawing of polygamy was it admitted in 1896 as the 45th.

 

People from Utah are known as Utahns. Slightly over half of all Utahns are Mormons, the vast majority of whom are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), which has its world headquarters in Salt Lake City; Utah is the only state where a majority of the population belongs to a single church. A 2023 paper challenged this perception (claiming only 42% of Utahns are Mormons) however most statistics still show a majority of Utah residents belong to the LDS church; estimates from the LDS church suggests 60.68% of Utah's population belongs to the church whilst some sources put the number as high as 68%. The paper replied that membership count done by the LDS Church is too high for several reasons. The LDS Church greatly influences Utahn culture, politics, and daily life, though since the 1990s the state has become more religiously diverse as well as secular.

 

Utah has a highly diversified economy, with major sectors including transportation, education, information technology and research, government services, mining, multi-level marketing, and tourism. Utah has been one of the fastest growing states since 2000, with the 2020 U.S. census confirming the fastest population growth in the nation since 2010. St. George was the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the United States from 2000 to 2005. Utah ranks among the overall best states in metrics such as healthcare, governance, education, and infrastructure. It has the 12th-highest median average income and the least income inequality of any U.S. state. Over time and influenced by climate change, droughts in Utah have been increasing in frequency and severity, putting a further strain on Utah's water security and impacting the state's economy.

 

The History of Utah is an examination of the human history and social activity within the state of Utah located in the western United States.

 

Archaeological evidence dates the earliest habitation of humans in Utah to about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. Paleolithic people lived near the Great Basin's swamps and marshes, which had an abundance of fish, birds, and small game animals. Big game, including bison, mammoths and ground sloths, also were attracted to these water sources. Over the centuries, the mega-fauna died, this population was replaced by the Desert Archaic people, who sheltered in caves near the Great Salt Lake. Relying more on gathering than the previous Utah residents, their diet was mainly composed of cattails and other salt tolerant plants such as pickleweed, burro weed and sedge. Red meat appears to have been more of a luxury, although these people used nets and the atlatl to hunt water fowl, ducks, small animals and antelope. Artifacts include nets woven with plant fibers and rabbit skin, woven sandals, gaming sticks, and animal figures made from split-twigs. About 3,500 years ago, lake levels rose and the population of Desert Archaic people appears to have dramatically decreased. The Great Basin may have been almost unoccupied for 1,000 years.

 

The Fremont culture, named from sites near the Fremont River in Utah, lived in what is now north and western Utah and parts of Nevada, Idaho and Colorado from approximately 600 to 1300 AD. These people lived in areas close to water sources that had been previously occupied by the Desert Archaic people, and may have had some relationship with them. However, their use of new technologies define them as a distinct people. Fremont technologies include:

 

use of the bow and arrow while hunting,

building pithouse shelters,

growing maize and probably beans and squash,

building above ground granaries of adobe or stone,

creating and decorating low-fired pottery ware,

producing art, including jewelry and rock art such as petroglyphs and pictographs.

 

The ancient Puebloan culture, also known as the Anasazi, occupied territory adjacent to the Fremont. The ancestral Puebloan culture centered on the present-day Four Corners area of the Southwest United States, including the San Juan River region of Utah. Archaeologists debate when this distinct culture emerged, but cultural development seems to date from about the common era, about 500 years before the Fremont appeared. It is generally accepted that the cultural peak of these people was around the 1200 CE. Ancient Puebloan culture is known for well constructed pithouses and more elaborate adobe and masonry dwellings. They were excellent craftsmen, producing turquoise jewelry and fine pottery. The Puebloan culture was based on agriculture, and the people created and cultivated fields of maize, beans, and squash and domesticated turkeys. They designed and produced elaborate field terracing and irrigation systems. They also built structures, some known as kivas, apparently designed solely for cultural and religious rituals.

 

These two later cultures were roughly contemporaneous, and appear to have established trading relationships. They also shared enough cultural traits that archaeologists believe the cultures may have common roots in the early American Southwest. However, each remained culturally distinct throughout most of their existence. These two well established cultures appear to have been severely impacted by climatic change and perhaps by the incursion of new people in about 1200 CE. Over the next two centuries, the Fremont and ancient Pueblo people may have moved into the American southwest, finding new homes and farmlands in the river drainages of Arizona, New Mexico and northern Mexico.

 

In about 1200, Shoshonean speaking peoples entered Utah territory from the west. They may have originated in southern California and moved into the desert environment due to population pressure along the coast. They were an upland people with a hunting and gathering lifestyle utilizing roots and seeds, including the pinyon nut. They were also skillful fishermen, created pottery and raised some crops. When they first arrived in Utah, they lived as small family groups with little tribal organization. Four main Shoshonean peoples inhabited Utah country. The Shoshone in the north and northeast, the Gosiutes in the northwest, the Utes in the central and eastern parts of the region and the Southern Paiutes in the southwest. Initially, there seems to have been very little conflict between these groups.

 

In the early 16th century, the San Juan River basin in Utah's southeast also saw a new people, the Díne or Navajo, part of a greater group of plains Athabaskan speakers moved into the Southwest from the Great Plains. In addition to the Navajo, this language group contained people that were later known as Apaches, including the Lipan, Jicarilla, and Mescalero Apaches.

 

Athabaskans were a hunting people who initially followed the bison, and were identified in 16th-century Spanish accounts as "dog nomads". The Athabaskans expanded their range throughout the 17th century, occupying areas the Pueblo peoples had abandoned during prior centuries. The Spanish first specifically mention the "Apachu de Nabajo" (Navaho) in the 1620s, referring to the people in the Chama valley region east of the San Juan River, and north west of Santa Fe. By the 1640s, the term Navaho was applied to these same people. Although the Navajo newcomers established a generally peaceful trading and cultural exchange with the some modern Pueblo peoples to the south, they experienced intermittent warfare with the Shoshonean peoples, particularly the Utes in eastern Utah and western Colorado.

 

At the time of European expansion, beginning with Spanish explorers traveling from Mexico, five distinct native peoples occupied territory within the Utah area: the Northern Shoshone, the Goshute, the Ute, the Paiute and the Navajo.

 

The Spanish explorer Francisco Vázquez de Coronado may have crossed into what is now southern Utah in 1540, when he was seeking the legendary Cíbola.

 

A group led by two Spanish Catholic priests—sometimes called the Domínguez–Escalante expedition—left Santa Fe in 1776, hoping to find a route to the California coast. The expedition traveled as far north as Utah Lake and encountered the native residents. All of what is now Utah was claimed by the Spanish Empire from the 1500s to 1821 as part of New Spain (later as the province Alta California); and subsequently claimed by Mexico from 1821 to 1848. However, Spain and Mexico had little permanent presence in, or control of, the region.

 

Fur trappers (also known as mountain men) including Jim Bridger, explored some regions of Utah in the early 19th century. The city of Provo was named for one such man, Étienne Provost, who visited the area in 1825. The city of Ogden, Utah is named for a brigade leader of the Hudson's Bay Company, Peter Skene Ogden who trapped in the Weber Valley. In 1846, a year before the arrival of members from the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints, the ill-fated Donner Party crossed through the Salt Lake valley late in the season, deciding not to stay the winter there but to continue forward to California, and beyond.

 

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as Mormon pioneers, first came to the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. At the time, the U.S. had already captured the Mexican territories of Alta California and New Mexico in the Mexican–American War and planned to keep them, but those territories, including the future state of Utah, officially became United States territory upon the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, February 2, 1848. The treaty was ratified by the United States Senate on March 10, 1848.

 

Upon arrival in the Salt Lake Valley, the Mormon pioneers found no permanent settlement of Indians. Other areas along the Wasatch Range were occupied at the time of settlement by the Northwestern Shoshone and adjacent areas by other bands of Shoshone such as the Gosiute. The Northwestern Shoshone lived in the valleys on the eastern shore of Great Salt Lake and in adjacent mountain valleys. Some years after arriving in the Salt Lake Valley Mormons, who went on to colonize many other areas of what is now Utah, were petitioned by Indians for recompense for land taken. The response of Heber C. Kimball, first counselor to Brigham Young, was that the land belonged to "our Father in Heaven and we expect to plow and plant it." A 1945 Supreme Court decision found that the land had been treated by the United States as public domain; no aboriginal title by the Northwestern Shoshone had been recognized by the United States or extinguished by treaty with the United States.

 

Upon arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, the Mormons had to make a place to live. They created irrigation systems, laid out farms, built houses, churches, and schools. Access to water was crucially important. Almost immediately, Brigham Young set out to identify and claim additional community sites. While it was difficult to find large areas in the Great Basin where water sources were dependable and growing seasons long enough to raise vitally important subsistence crops, satellite communities began to be formed.

 

Shortly after the first company arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, the community of Bountiful was settled to the north. In 1848, settlers moved into lands purchased from trapper Miles Goodyear in present-day Ogden. In 1849, Tooele and Provo were founded. Also that year, at the invitation of Ute chief Wakara, settlers moved into the Sanpete Valley in central Utah to establish the community of Manti. Fillmore, Utah, intended to be the capital of the new territory, was established in 1851. In 1855, missionary efforts aimed at western native cultures led to outposts in Fort Lemhi, Idaho, Las Vegas, Nevada and Elk Mountain in east-central Utah.

 

The experiences of returning members of the Mormon Battalion were also important in establishing new communities. On their journey west, the Mormon soldiers had identified dependable rivers and fertile river valleys in Colorado, Arizona and southern California. In addition, as the men traveled to rejoin their families in the Salt Lake Valley, they moved through southern Nevada and the eastern segments of southern Utah. Jefferson Hunt, a senior Mormon officer of the Battalion, actively searched for settlement sites, minerals, and other resources. His report encouraged 1851 settlement efforts in Iron County, near present-day Cedar City. These southern explorations eventually led to Mormon settlements in St. George, Utah, Las Vegas and San Bernardino, California, as well as communities in southern Arizona.

 

Prior to establishment of the Oregon and California trails and Mormon settlement, Indians native to the Salt Lake Valley and adjacent areas lived by hunting buffalo and other game, but also gathered grass seed from the bountiful grass of the area as well as roots such as those of the Indian Camas. By the time of settlement, indeed before 1840, the buffalo were gone from the valley, but hunting by settlers and grazing of cattle severely impacted the Indians in the area, and as settlement expanded into nearby river valleys and oases, indigenous tribes experienced increasing difficulty in gathering sufficient food. Brigham Young's counsel was to feed the hungry tribes, and that was done, but it was often not enough. These tensions formed the background to the Bear River massacre committed by California Militia stationed in Salt Lake City during the Civil War. The site of the massacre is just inside Preston, Idaho, but was generally thought to be within Utah at the time.

 

Statehood was petitioned for in 1849-50 using the name Deseret. The proposed State of Deseret would have been quite large, encompassing all of what is now Utah, and portions of Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, Arizona, Oregon, New Mexico and California. The name of Deseret was favored by the LDS leader Brigham Young as a symbol of industry and was derived from a reference in the Book of Mormon. The petition was rejected by Congress and Utah did not become a state until 1896, following the Utah Constitutional Convention of 1895.

 

In 1850, the Utah Territory was created with the Compromise of 1850, and Fillmore (named after President Fillmore) was designated the capital. In 1856, Salt Lake City replaced Fillmore as the territorial capital.

 

The first group of pioneers brought African slaves with them, making Utah the only place in the western United States to have African slavery. Three slaves, Green Flake, Hark Lay, and Oscar Crosby, came west with this first group in 1847. The settlers also began to purchase Indian slaves in the well-established Indian slave trade, as well as enslaving Indian prisoners of war. In 1850, 26 slaves were counted in Salt Lake County. Slavery didn't become officially recognized until 1852, when the Act in Relation to Service and the Act for the relief of Indian Slaves and Prisoners were passed. Slavery was repealed on June 19, 1862, when Congress prohibited slavery in all US territories.

 

Disputes between the Mormon inhabitants and the federal government intensified after the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' practice of polygamy became known. The polygamous practices of the Mormons, which were made public in 1854, would be one of the major reasons Utah was denied statehood until almost 50 years after the Mormons had entered the area.

 

After news of their polygamous practices spread, the members of the LDS Church were quickly viewed by some as un-American and rebellious. In 1857, after news of a possible rebellion spread, President James Buchanan sent troops on the Utah expedition to quell the growing unrest and to replace Brigham Young as territorial governor with Alfred Cumming. The expedition was also known as the Utah War.

 

As fear of invasion grew, Mormon settlers had convinced some Paiute Indians to aid in a Mormon-led attack on 120 immigrants from Arkansas under the guise of Indian aggression. The murder of these settlers became known as the Mountain Meadows massacre. The Mormon leadership had adopted a defensive posture that led to a ban on the selling of grain to outsiders in preparation for an impending war. This chafed pioneers traveling through the region, who were unable to purchase badly needed supplies. A disagreement between some of the Arkansas pioneers and the Mormons in Cedar City led to the secret planning of the massacre by a few Mormon leaders in the area. Some scholars debate the involvement of Brigham Young. Only one man, John D. Lee, was ever convicted of the murders, and he was executed at the massacre site.

 

Express riders had brought the news 1,000 miles from the Missouri River settlements to Salt Lake City within about two weeks of the army's beginning to march west. Fearing the worst as 2,500 troops (roughly 1/3rd of the army then) led by General Albert Sidney Johnston started west, Brigham Young ordered all residents of Salt Lake City and neighboring communities to prepare their homes for burning and evacuate southward to Utah Valley and southern Utah. Young also sent out a few units of the Nauvoo Legion (numbering roughly 8,000–10,000), to delay the army's advance. The majority he sent into the mountains to prepare defenses or south to prepare for a scorched earth retreat. Although some army wagon supply trains were captured and burned and herds of army horses and cattle run off no serious fighting occurred. Starting late and short on supplies, the United States Army camped during the bitter winter of 1857–58 near a burned out Fort Bridger in Wyoming. Through the negotiations between emissary Thomas L. Kane, Young, Cumming and Johnston, control of Utah territory was peacefully transferred to Cumming, who entered an eerily vacant Salt Lake City in the spring of 1858. By agreement with Young, Johnston established the army at Fort Floyd 40 miles away from Salt Lake City, to the southwest.

 

Salt Lake City was the last link of the First Transcontinental Telegraph, between Carson City, Nevada and Omaha, Nebraska completed in October 1861. Brigham Young, who had helped expedite construction, was among the first to send a message, along with Abraham Lincoln and other officials. Soon after the telegraph line was completed, the Deseret Telegraph Company built the Deseret line connecting the settlements in the territory with Salt Lake City and, by extension, the rest of the United States.

 

Because of the American Civil War, federal troops were pulled out of Utah Territory (and their fort auctioned off), leaving the territorial government in federal hands without army backing until General Patrick E. Connor arrived with the 3rd Regiment of California Volunteers in 1862. While in Utah, Connor and his troops soon became discontent with this assignment wanting to head to Virginia where the "real" fighting and glory was occurring. Connor established Fort Douglas just three miles (5 km) east of Salt Lake City and encouraged his bored and often idle soldiers to go out and explore for mineral deposits to bring more non-Mormons into the state. Minerals were discovered in Tooele County, and some miners began to come to the territory. Conner also solved the Shoshone Indian problem in Cache Valley Utah by luring the Shoshone into a midwinter confrontation on January 29, 1863. The armed conflict quickly turned into a rout, discipline among the soldiers broke down, and the Battle of Bear River is today usually referred to by historians as the Bear River Massacre. Between 200 and 400 Shoshone men, women and children were killed, as were 27 soldiers, with over 50 more soldiers wounded or suffering from frostbite.

 

Beginning in 1865, Utah's Black Hawk War developed into the deadliest conflict in the territory's history. Chief Antonga Black Hawk died in 1870, but fights continued to break out until additional federal troops were sent in to suppress the Ghost Dance of 1872. The war is unique among Indian Wars because it was a three-way conflict, with mounted Timpanogos Utes led by Antonga Black Hawk fighting federal and Utah local militia.

 

On May 10, 1869, the First transcontinental railroad was completed at Promontory Summit, north of the Great Salt Lake. The railroad brought increasing numbers of people into the state, and several influential businessmen made fortunes in the territory.

 

Main article: Latter Day Saint polygamy in the late-19th century

During the 1870s and 1880s, federal laws were passed and federal marshals assigned to enforce the laws against polygamy. In the 1890 Manifesto, the LDS Church leadership dropped its approval of polygamy citing divine revelation. When Utah applied for statehood again in 1895, it was accepted. Statehood was officially granted on January 4, 1896.

 

The Mormon issue made the situation for women the topic of nationwide controversy. In 1870 the Utah Territory, controlled by Mormons, gave women the right to vote. However, in 1887, Congress disenfranchised Utah women with the Edmunds–Tucker Act. In 1867–96, eastern activists promoted women's suffrage in Utah as an experiment, and as a way to eliminate polygamy. They were Presbyterians and other Protestants convinced that Mormonism was a non-Christian cult that grossly mistreated women. The Mormons promoted woman suffrage to counter the negative image of downtrodden Mormon women. With the 1890 Manifesto clearing the way for statehood, in 1895 Utah adopted a constitution restoring the right of women's suffrage. Congress admitted Utah as a state with that constitution in 1896.

 

Though less numerous than other intermountain states at the time, several lynching murders for alleged misdeeds occurred in Utah territory at the hand of vigilantes. Those documented include the following, with their ethnicity or national origin noted in parentheses if it was provided in the source:

 

William Torrington in Carson City (then a part of Utah territory), 1859

Thomas Coleman (Black man) in Salt Lake City, 1866

3 unidentified men at Wahsatch, winter of 1868

A Black man in Uintah, 1869

Charles A. Benson in Logan, 1873

Ah Sing (Chinese man) in Corinne, 1874

Thomas Forrest in St. George, 1880

William Harvey (Black man) in Salt Lake City, 1883

John Murphy in Park City, 1883

George Segal (Japanese man) in Ogden, 1884

Joseph Fisher in Eureka, 1886

Robert Marshall (Black man) in Castle Gate, 1925

Other lynchings in Utah territory include multiple instances of mass murder of Native American children, women, and men by White settlers including the Battle Creek massacre (1849), Provo River Massacre (1850), Nephi massacre (1853), and Circleville Massacre (1866).

 

Beginning in the early 20th century, with the establishment of such national parks as Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park, Utah began to become known for its natural beauty. Southern Utah became a popular filming spot for arid, rugged scenes, and such natural landmarks as Delicate Arch and "the Mittens" of Monument Valley are instantly recognizable to most national residents. During the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, with the construction of the Interstate highway system, accessibility to the southern scenic areas was made easier.

 

Beginning in 1939, with the establishment of Alta Ski Area, Utah has become world-renowned for its skiing. The dry, powdery snow of the Wasatch Range is considered some of the best skiing in the world. Salt Lake City won the bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics in 1995, and this has served as a great boost to the economy. The ski resorts have increased in popularity, and many of the Olympic venues scattered across the Wasatch Front continue to be used for sporting events. This also spurred the development of the light-rail system in the Salt Lake Valley, known as TRAX, and the re-construction of the freeway system around the city.

 

During the late 20th century, the state grew quickly. In the 1970s, growth was phenomenal in the suburbs. Sandy was one of the fastest-growing cities in the country at that time, and West Valley City is the state's 2nd most populous city. Today, many areas of Utah are seeing phenomenal growth. Northern Davis, southern and western Salt Lake, Summit, eastern Tooele, Utah, Wasatch, and Washington counties are all growing very quickly. Transportation and urbanization are major issues in politics as development consumes agricultural land and wilderness areas.

 

In 2012, the State of Utah passed the Utah Transfer of Public Lands Act in an attempt to gain control over a substantial portion of federal land in the state from the federal government, based on language in the Utah Enabling Act of 1894. The State does not intend to use force or assert control by limiting access in an attempt to control the disputed lands, but does intend to use a multi-step process of education, negotiation, legislation, and if necessary, litigation as part of its multi-year effort to gain state or private control over the lands after 2014.

 

Utah families, like most Americans everywhere, did their utmost to assist in the war effort. Tires, meat, butter, sugar, fats, oils, coffee, shoes, boots, gasoline, canned fruits, vegetables, and soups were rationed on a national basis. The school day was shortened and bus routes were reduced to limit the number of resources used stateside and increase what could be sent to soldiers.

 

Geneva Steel was built to increase the steel production for America during World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had proposed opening a steel mill in Utah in 1936, but the idea was shelved after a couple of months. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States entered the war and the steel plant was put into progress. In April 1944, Geneva shipped its first order, which consisted of over 600 tons of steel plate. Geneva Steel also brought thousands of job opportunities to Utah. The positions were hard to fill as many of Utah's men were overseas fighting. Women began working, filling 25 percent of the jobs.

 

As a result of Utah's and Geneva Steels contribution during the war, several Liberty Ships were named in honor of Utah including the USS Joseph Smith, USS Brigham Young, USS Provo, and the USS Peter Skene Ogden.

 

One of the sectors of the beachhead of Normandy Landings was codenamed Utah Beach, and the amphibious landings at the beach were undertaken by United States Army troops.

 

It is estimated that 1,450 soldiers from Utah were killed in the war.

The Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve is a protected area consisting of wetlands and surrounding monsoon and dry forests approximately 70 km (43 mi) east of Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia (a comfortable 1 hour drive from Darwin CBD or suburbs).

 

The Reserve lies within the Adelaide and Mary River Floodplains, which is an Important Bird Area.

 

Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve was created after the demise of an unsuccessful rice farming project which operated in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The dam was originally created as dry season water storage facility for the rice crop.

 

The reserve attracts a wide range of local and migratory water birds and other wildlife including one of the largest populations of snakes within Australia (including the Water Python and Death Adder), and includes a several raised observation platforms.

 

Saltwater Crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) and Freshwater Crocodiles (Crocodylus johnstoni) can be seen at Fogg Dam all year around.

 

Fogg Dam is open 24 hrs per day all days of the year. The only limitation is that during very heavy monsoon rain periods, water may overflow the dam wall (which serves as a road through the reserve) and limit traffic to high-clearance vehicles.

 

In some years, the dam wall may be temporarily damaged by monsoon rain overflows and be impassable for a short section.

 

The open nature of the reserve along the dam wall makes it an excellent site for birds in flight (BIF) photography.

 

The highest bird activity for BIF photography occurs later in the wet and early dry season (say March to June) when thousands of waterbirds and other water-attracted species are moving around the reserve.

 

Passerine species can be best photographed from treed areas, and the Woodlands and Monsoon Forest tracks.

 

Condor Flugdienst Airbus A320-212 D-AICL is touching ground on runway 25R in Frankfurt.

 

MSN 1437 has had its first flight on 21.02.01 with the test registration F-WWBG and was delivered to Condor Berlin on 30.03.01. It was transferred to Thomas Cook Airlines in July 2002. On 28.05.04 it was transferred to Condor. The Condor titles were applied in June 2005. From June 2010 to December 2011 "Snoopy" stickers were on display.

 

The jet is powered by 2x CFMI CFM56-5A3 turbofans and has a cabin layout with 180 Economy Class seats.

 

This is flight DE5663 from Heraklion (HER).

 

Please join my Facebook fan page:

www.facebook.com/pages/Thomas-Becker-Aviation-Photography...

 

...and there is a Plane Spotting group on Facebook you should visit:

www.facebook.com/groups/planespotting/

 

Flickr has done some major design changes (which I deeply regret). Are you missing collections in Flickr? Me, too!

But they are not lost, just hidden - you can go there by using one of the following links:

 

Special Aviation Photos

www.flickr.com/photos/thomasbecker/collections/7215762339...

 

Airlines of the World

www.flickr.com/photos/thomasbecker/collections/7215760571...

 

Aviation by Date

www.flickr.com/photos/thomasbecker/collections/7215760307...

 

Airline Alliances of the World

www.flickr.com/photos/thomasbecker/collections/7215762573...

 

I decided to sit down and think of all the things I was so lucky for or so lucky to get or had the help of friends and really there was so much More than I even realized.

 

I am going to try to make a point to Feel LUCKY For everything Rather than feel like Sometimes Im missing out! So that Missing out feeling STOPS now.

 

Here is 2012 Lucky in review!

 

1. Baklava, I wanted a Tiina Icy so bad and I kept missing them, I finally got Lucky in January and got Baklava <3 I love her she is one of my serious Keepers!

 

2. Prism, I was Longing for this girl and her rainbow hair, I probably would have cried if I didnt get her, I got her in February and she is still a total IT Girl for me <3

 

3. Down in the dumps and having such a crappy 2011 a Wonderful Wataru and his Owner Sent Kohl the most fantastic Christmas Gift <3 We sure were lucky!

 

4. I was so lucky that my Steampunk headbands were a success, we sold them successfully for several months, I Feel like the Steampunk Look has died down a bit but would still take one on commission :D

 

5. Another Wonderful Friend helped me get a Pink Mimsy, this was before the INSANE really Insane Mimsy Trend, Mimsy Deserves it these hats are wonderful but Im glad I got some before they went totally viral!

 

6. I am lucky that my Lawdeda girls were always adopted this year, you cant ask for better love and luck than that!

 

7. I got to see a Beautiful Tiina Custom in person before her girls also went Viral!

 

8. That LaViri made a beautiful Custom With Teeth for me, I know she is SOOO Busy now so I thank my Lucky Stars I got Maple when I did!

 

9. That the Most perfect Susie in all the Susie world walked into my door and my Heart this year, She became my Muse!

 

10. And With Susie's Help I finally wrote my First Book, However Getting it Published in the Format I want and not cost an arm and a leg is still in the works :/

 

11. That a doll was Named after me by a HUGE Corporation -- Hahah just kidding :P that was just a coinkydink

 

12. That I became the wayward home for Vampoodles, I do love those little bloodsuckers!

 

13. that a WONDERFUL And AMAZING Lady Helped me get Derpy at Comic Con, I will never forget that :D

 

14. That Melly Kay always surprises me with the most amazing Customs <3 I got very Lucky to be on her list this year <3333

 

15. that Tole Tole Did a Trade with me to get Sweetums, I am SOOO Lucky to have her now that Raquel is very sought after I dont think I would have that luck again!

 

16. That my Idea for Halloween Armies sold so well, THANK You to the Dear friends that got them, you are awesome!

 

17. That Melacacia helped me get a Schoolgirl Dress, this is a style that I just love, this dress is a Forever Keeper :D

 

18. Another Dear Soul and Awesome Guy hooked me up with the Pirate Sheep! I wont forget how awesome and nice that was <333 xoxo

 

19. Uli. Named after a Friend that helped me get her <3 I would not have been able to get Uli without her help xoxoxoxo Love you! You know who you are ;)

 

20. Finally getting the Yellow Lalatroop helmet for Uli <3 :D

 

21. This is a Two Parter.. 1, I have been trying to get a Pink Anemone since March, I kept missing out or had Empty Pockets, most of the Blythe I got this year were some kind of trade or a better priced commission so it was just LUCKY LUCKY LUCKY to finally get Truly <3333 and then to Top it off I FINALLY Got a Trade for the MForMonkey Lederhosen,,, There is no way I could get them on the Secondhand Market so this was Lucky as it gets!

 

22. That I got a Tiina Vampire :D I have wanted one for awhile but again never for a Price I could pay so this was a LUCKY Surprise! Thank you Tibi <3

 

23. A dear lovely Lady helped me find a little Evangelione Angel <3 that is my Last and most Special Want of the year :) WOOT!

 

To all of you that helped me, or to all of you that are still loving and friendly about this Hobby, THANK YOU < you are the Reason Blythe Still Rocks <3 Happy Holidays!

 

Now TAG show us what you are lucky for this year :D

Happy New Year!

 

You see that "1/365" up there in the title? Yes, this is my attempt at another 365 Project. Third time lucky and all that...

 

This time I am widening the horizon, and saying I will take a photo a day. Not a self portrait a day. Just a photo. Sure, there will be some selfies in there, but this way I'm taking a little of the pressure off for myself. I *will* complete it!

 

So... a new dawn, a new day, a new decade. When I think about my life now, to what it was the last decade, so much has changed. In 1999 I was living at home, just left school, going out with someone that wasn't right for me, causing havok. Here I am now, engaged, 2 kids, a house, 2 cars and my own business. That excites me for what this decade has in store.

 

I don't remember if I made any resolutions last year, but this year I want to make sure I complete this project.

 

Other things I'd like to try to achieve this year:

 

- get the business rocking

- try to be as positive as possible

- try to not get stressed out; remember the silver linings

- cook more

- don't be lazy; be inspired

- be more environmentally aware

- sort out a routine for the housework

- be happpppppyyyyyyyy!

 

Oh, almost forgot to explain why the Cilit Bang.... Jack took the kids round to his mums today, and I spent the entire time cleaning - it felt so good, I chucked out 2 bags of stuff and have 3 bags for the charity shop. I wish he'd have been out longer so I could have got more done - Christmas took it's toll on this house!

 

Anyway, I look forward to joining in with the Flickr community once again. Happy new year to one and all

.Ecko. is expanding rather well so im opening up the applications againf or the new year :) Hope to hear from you soon ♥

Applications end Jan 24th

::Application::

tinyurl.com/jznuv95

PHOTOGRAPHERS THOUGHTS …

Contrast is about light, and photography is painting with light …

When the colours of a scene are just not working, look to creating a B&W. So many times, photographing towards to sun destroys the colour, but creates good B&W.

Here was just that situation, and using my 9mm lens for field-of view, allowed me to capture the drama unfolding in the sky. Remember, getting a black and white image to work requires the image to have black & white elements …

AMBIENT LIGHT

5.30pm pm at the end of January, with light radiating in from top left

COMPOSITION ELEMENTS

B&W, Contrast, Leading lines, Vanishing point, Dramatic, Field-of-view, Scale, Graded light, Light & shade, Texture, Anchoring point (bottom right), Telling a story, Pano crop.

LOCATION

Long Jetty, Central Coast, N.S.W.

SETTINGS

1/1250th, f11 (within sweet spot range of lens), 200 ISO, Manual Exposure based on blinking highlights in viewfinder, exposure meter, and histogram, to expose correctly for the brightest element in the image, EV 0, Manual Focus, RAW, Fuji X-T2, Laowa 9mm Lens (35mm format – 14mm). Note that this is a manual lens and does not record exif data correctly ...

ENHANCEMENT (Lightroom)

Tweaked image using Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Whites, Blacks, Texture, Clarity & Dehaze, sliders, as well as brushing in some Whites & Blacks

 

These ‘Photographers Thoughts’ are posted to aid photographers to recognise compositional elements, as well as the camera settings used, so you might learn from what worked, or through my mistakes … enjoy Greg

 

Found in my house and not making me happy... No need to comment unless you have feedback on ticks or what kind of insect this is! Thanks.

 

2005

She is my favorite Poppy from the Supermodel convention. She is wearing a model life silkstone lingerie, ABS Kyori peignoir. Jewels and perfume bottles by me.

www.etsy.com/shop/IsabelleParisJewels

 

This is a scan of an original kodachrome slide. It was scanned with an Epson Pro V750, and finished up with very minor post processing work in Photoshop.

 

Clicking on the Photo will enlarge it to its full size for your screen

 

The original comes from my own slide collection, which contains both my own photos and those acquired over the past forty or so years collecting.

 

Uploading of photos in this Flickr collection is for one reason only, and that is to allow them to be enjoyed by people who find them of interest. Otherwise, much of this material would continue to remain hidden away in boxes and pages. Comments on the photos are welcomed.

 

MSN: 49393

 

TYPE/SRS: Douglas MD-82

 

REG'N: YV133T

 

OPERATOR: Aeropostal

 

LOCATION: Caracas-CCS

 

REMARKS:

This KMZ Iskra is yet another Russian camera "inspired" by another great one, the 1954 Agfa Super Isolette. The problem with Russian cameras for me isn’t that they aren’t any good, but rather it is finding one in good condition, and in the USA. I’m happy to say that this had met both of those criteria!

 

I sold this camera a couple of years ago. I had decided to rid myself of all my Russian and East German models, simplify my collection and concentrate on the ones I love best.

 

KMZ Iskra

120 6x6cm Folding Rangefinder Camera

Frame counter & Double exposure prevention

Exposure Value (EV) Interlock System

Industar-58 75/f3.5-22

4-element coated Tessar type lens

FCH-18 B, 1-1/500 sec. Leaf shutter

Cold shoe, Flash sync, Self-timer, & Tripod Socket

Made in USSR (1961-63) Type 2a

 

Sometimes we lose context in our critiques and judge these vintage cameras like they are new models on the shelf. It shouldn’t matter now what the comparisons were between them 50 to 100 years ago, or how they may compare to cameras made today. Now they are all beautiful collector items and an important part of history!

Tiny Wild Clover,is not easy to Shoot,because you have to get down to ground level for the best Angel.

 

Hot Air Ballooning Cappadocia:

 

A must do in Cappadocia is take a balloon ride in order to see the sights from a vantage point like no other. On this 1-hour flight at sunrise you will experience the changing colors and the unique landscapes that scatter the region.

Enjoy a unique hot air balloon flight over the fairy chimneys and rock cut churches. This exhilarating experience in Cappadocia is one of the best places around the world to fly with hot air balloons.

 

www.britannica.com/place/Cappadocia/media/94094/229210

  

CAPPADOCIA WORLD HERITAGE LIST :

 

www.whc.unesco.org/en/list/357

 

In a spectacular landscape, entirely sculpted by erosion, the Göreme valley and its surroundings contain rock-hewn sanctuaries that provide unique evidence of Byzantine art in the post-Iconoclastic period. Dwellings, troglodyte villages and underground towns – the remains of a traditional human habitat dating back to the 4th century – can also be seen there.

Brief synthesis

Located on the central Anatolia plateau within a volcanic landscape sculpted by erosion to form a succession of mountain ridges, valleys and pinnacles known as “fairy chimneys” or hoodoos, Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia cover the region between the cities of Nevşehir, Ürgüp and Avanos, the sites of Karain, Karlık, Yeşilöz, Soğanlı and the subterranean cities of Kaymaklı and Derinkuyu. The area is bounded on the south and east by ranges of extinct volcanoes with Erciyes Dağ (3916 m) at one end and Hasan Dağ (3253 m) at the other. The density of its rock-hewn cells, churches, troglodyte villages and subterranean cities within the rock formations make it one of the world's most striking and largest cave-dwelling complexes. Though interesting from a geological and ethnological point of view, the incomparable beauty of the decor of the Christian sanctuaries makes Cappadocia one of the leading examples of the post-iconoclastic Byzantine art period.

It is believed that the first signs of monastic activity in Cappadocia date back to the 4th century at which time small anchorite communities, acting on the teachings of Basileios the Great, Bishop of Kayseri, began inhabiting cells hewn in the rock. In later periods, in order to resist Arab invasions, they began banding together into troglodyte villages or subterranean towns such as Kaymakli or Derinkuyu which served as places of refuge.

Cappadocian monasticism was already well established in the iconoclastic period (725-842) as illustrated by the decoration of many sanctuaries which kept a strict minimum of symbols (most often sculpted or tempera painted crosses). However, after 842 many rupestral churches were dug in Cappadocia and richly decorated with brightly coloured figurative painting. Those in the Göreme Valley include Tokalı Kilise and El Nazar Kilise (10th century), St. Barbara Kilise and Saklı Kilise (11th century) and Elmalı Kilise and Karanlık Kilise (end of the 12th – beginning of the 13th century).

Criterion (i): Owing to their quality and density, the rupestral sanctuaries of Cappadocia constitute a unique artistic achievement offering irreplaceable testimony to the post-iconoclastic Byzantine art period.

Criterion (iii): The rupestral dwellings, villages, convents and churches retain the fossilized image of a province of the Byzantine Empire between the 4th century and the arrival of the Seljuk Turks (1071). Thus, they are the essential vestiges of a civilization which has disappeared.

Criterion (v): Cappadocia is an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement which has become vulnerable under the combined effects of natural erosion and, more recently, tourism.

Criterion (vii): In a spectacular landscape dramatically demonstrating erosional forces, the Göreme Valley and its surroundings provide a globally renowned and accessible display of hoodoo landforms and other erosional features, which are of great beauty, and which interact with the cultural elements of the landscape.

Integrity

Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia, having been extensively used and modified by man for centuries, is a landscape of harmony combining human interaction and settlement with dramatic natural landforms. There has been some earthquake damage to some of the cones and the pillars, but this is seen as a naturally occurring phenomenon. Overuse by tourists and some vandalism have been reported and some incompatible structures have been introduced.

The erosional processes that formed the distinctive conical rock structures will continue to create new fairy chimneys and rock pillars, however due to the rate of this process, the natural values of the property may still be threatened by unsustainable use. The cultural features, including rock-hewn churches and related cultural structures, mainly at risk of being undermined by erosion and other negative natural processes coupled with mass tourism and development pressures, can never be replaced. threats Some of the churches mentioned by early scholars such as C. Texier, H.G. Rott and Guillaume de Jerphanion are no longer extant.

Authenticity

The property meets the conditions of authenticity as its values and their attributes, including its historical setting, form, design, material and workmanship adequately reflect the cultural and natural values recognized in the inscription criteria.

Given the technical difficulties of building in this region, where it is a matter of hewing out structures within the natural rock, creating architecture by the removal of material rather than by putting it together to form the elements of a building, the underlying morphological structure and the difficulties inherent in the handling of the material inhibited the creative impulses of the builders. This conditioning of human effort by natural conditions persisted almost unchanged through successive periods and civilizations, influencing the cultural attitudes and technical skills of each succeeding generation.

Protection and management requirements

The World Heritage property Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia is subject to legal protection in accordance with both the Protection of Cultural and Natural Resources Act No. 2863 and the National Parks Act No. 2873. The entire territory between the cities of Nevşehir, Ürgüp and Avanos is designated as a National Park under the Act No. 2873. In addition, natural, archaeological, urban, and mixed archaeological and natural conservation areas, two underground towns, five troglodyte villages, and more than 200 individual rock-hewn churches, some of which contain numerous frescoes, have been entered into the register of immovable monuments and sites according to the Act No. 2863.

Legal protection, management and monitoring of the Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia fall within the scope of national and regional governmental administrations. The Nevşehir and Kayseri Regional Conservation Councils are responsible for keeping the register of monuments and sites, including carrying out all tasks related to the legal protection of monuments and listed buildings and the approval to carry out any restoration-related works. They also evaluate regional and conservation area plans prepared by the responsible national and/or local (i.e. municipal) authorities.

Studies for revision and updating of the existing land use and conservation plan (Göreme National Park Long-term Development Plan) of 1981 were completed in 2003. The major planning decisions proposed were that natural conservation areas are to be protected as they were declared in 1976. Minor adjustments in the peripheral areas of settlements and spatial developments of towns located in the natural conservation sites including Göreme, Ortahisar, Çavuşin, Ürgüp and Mustafapaşa will be strictly controlled. In other words, the Plan proposes to confine the physical growth of these towns to recently established zones. Hotel developments will take into account the set limits for room capacities. Furthermore, the plan also suggested that local authorities should be advised to review land use decisions for areas that have been reserved for tourism developments in the town plans.

Preparation of conservation area plans for the urban and/or mixed urban-archaeological conservation sites within the historic sections of Göreme are in place and provide zoning criteria and the rules and guidelines to be used in the maintenance and restoration of listed buildings and other buildings which are not registered, but which are located within the historic zones. Similar planning studies for the towns of Ortahisar and Uçhisar are in place. Once finalised, a conservation area plan for the urban conservation area in Ürgüp will be in place. All relevant plans are kept up to date on a continuing basis.

Appropriate facilities aimed at improving the understanding of the World Heritage property have been completed for the subterranean towns of Kaymaklı and Derinkuyu, and are required for Göreme and Paşabağı.

Monuments in danger due to erosion, including the El Nazar, Elmalı, and Meryemana (Virgin Mary) churches, have been listed as monuments requiring priority action. Specific measures for their protection, restoration and maintenance are required at the site level.

While conservation plans and protection measures are in place for individual sites, it is recognised by the principal parties responsible for site management that an integrated Regional Plan for the Cappadocia Cultural and Tourism Conservation and Development Area is required to protect the World Heritage values of the property. Adequate financial, political and technical support is also required to secure the management of the propert

 

whc.unesco.org/en/list/357

 

www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/world-heritage/cappadocia/

 

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cappadocia

   

These 2 Is All I Need.... IK They Got My Back #NoMatterWhat

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'Innocence' is a strongly viviparous, day blooming white lily with heavily mottled leaves. Most important is the uniquely large, pure white flower that stands high above the water on an extremely robust stalk. The pads are beautifully mottled with heavy maroon blotches on a green background.

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A tropical, white Water Lily in full bloom at midday.

Nymphaea spp. 'INNOCENCE'

Family Nymphaeaceae

Rockledge Gardens, Rockledge, Florida, USA.

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the past inside the present.

 

be careful.

Here is everything opened and I mean everything! The real trouble to build was this part. The opening doors and roof. I wanted to do doors that would not be connected to the floor because I wanted the roof to open so I can reach the interior any time I wanted to. It was hard to do since the whole mechanism is in the roof. All pneumatics and one medium PF engine to run it + a switch. But as you can see it works. The doors are connected only to the roof and they work that way.

Change is here...the slate has been cleaned...what shall I write on the board now?

-rc

/************************************************************************/

“The meaning of awe is to realize that life takes place under wide horizons, horizons that range beyond the span of an individual life or even the life of a nation, a generation, or an era. Awe enables us to perceive in the world intimations of the divine, to sense in small things the beginning of infinite significance, to sense the ultimate in the common and the simple; to feel in the rush of the passing the stillness of the eternal.”

-Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism

Ardington is a downland village, with its parish stretching from the loam rich north to the chalk downlands to the south. The ancient path of the Ridgeway runs through the southern part of the parish, along the North Wessex Downs AONB section of the route. Racing stables are beside and around the village most of which use the Downs for gallops. Being set in the Lockinge Estate, most of Ardington parish and nearby of East and West Lockinge are owned by Thomas Loyd and managed by Adkin Rural and Commercial. Local amenities include a public house - The Boar's Head, a sports club, village store, post office and tearoom, and the Loyd-Lindsay Rooms - a set of rooms which are let out to the community and on a commercial basis for weddings, parties and conferences. Local charities can use the rooms to hold events to raise money. Wikipedia

 

Architecture

The oldest part of the Church of England parish church of Holy Trinity is the chancel arch, built about 1200.[2] The Gothic Revival architect Joseph Clarke added the tower and spire in 1856.[3] Somers Clarke remodelled the remainder of the church in 1887.[4] Ardington House was built for Edward Clarke in 1721 and has three tall storeys and seven window bays in breadth, not being deep, almost rectangular. It has small wings without bays to each side (alternatively the entire front range can be described as projecting) topped by a classical triangular pediment framing a weathered mid-19th century coat of arms in stone (cartouche). Its windows and central door are faced in complementary coloured brickwork dressings to its general grey brick façade.[5][6][7] It is a Georgian Grade II* listed building and is open to the public in the summer months.

Az önhipnózis, egyrészt mint egy természetes, mélyen ellazult tudatállapot, másrészt, mint egy rendkívül lecsendesült, fókuszált figyelmi állapot rengeteg jótékony hatással bír. Tovább is megyek. Az általános jótékony hatásokon túl, ez egy olyan tudatállapot, amely képessé tesz bennünket önmagunk és magunkon keresztül az egész életünk megváltoztatására. Ez a tudatállapot a lelki "svájci bicskánk", roppant sokoldalú eszköz. Hogy mennyire? Lássuk!

1. Stresszoldó

 

A stressz lelki, fizikai hatásait mindenki ismeri, a paletta széles; közéjük tartozik az ingerültség, rosszkedvűség, izomfeszültség, hasi panaszok, vérnyomás ingadozás, fokozott verejtékezés, kedélyhullámzás, memória romlása, koncentrálási zavarok és így tovább. Egyre inkább terjed az a nézet is, hogy nagyon sok betegség kialakulásában is jelentős szerepet játszik a stressz.

 

A Wikipédia szerint:

 

"Hosszabb ideig fennálló tartós stressz hatására kialakulhat

 

Tartósan rossz közérzet

Szorongás

Pánikrohamok, esetleg pánikbetegség

Depresszió, Ingerlékenység

Soványság, elhízás

Csökkent ellenálló képesség

Menstruáció megszűnése

Hajhullás"

 

Az önhipnózis egy olyan természetes, megváltozott tudatállapot, melynek során egy rendkívül mély fizikai, érzelmi és mentális ellazulást élünk meg. Ez a szent hármas teszi lehetővé azt, hogy a testünk fellélegezzen és gyors ütemben elkezdje magát regenerálni. Egy szóval: nagyon-nagyon egészséges!

 

Az önhipnózis elsajátításakor a gyakorlók megtanulják, hogyan tudják a testüket és elméjüket gyorsan és akaratlagosan ellazítani, illetve megtanulják felismerni és tudatosan ellazítani az esetleges belső feszültségeket.

 

Az önhipnózis pusztán ezért az egy tulajdonságáért is megérdemli a helyet a kedvenc szabadidős tevékenységek között.

2. Önbizalom növelő

 

Ezt leginkább azok az emberek emelik ki, akik korábban nagyon is hadilábon álltak az önbizalommal.

 

Az önhipnózis során megtanuljuk a tudatalattink erőforrásait felismerni és felhasználni. Minél többet gyakorlunk, annál biztosabban érezzük ezt az erőt, és annál könnyebben tudjuk azt irányítani, a fejlődésünkre, illetve a céljainkra fordítani.

 

Egy idő múlva már nem lesz számunkra kérdés, hogy egy nagyszerű segítségünk van a mindennapok gondjainak leküzdésére, és fokozatosan a gondokat megtanuljuk kihívásokként értelmezni, amikhez minden eszközünk megvan, hogy megoldjuk.

 

Fokozatosan letesszük azokat a káros hiedelmeinket, miszerint kicsik és erőtlenek vagyunk a körülményekkel szemben, hiszen a belső tudatunk megadja számunkra azt a bölcsességet, amivel tisztán kezdjük látni az életünket és szerepünket.

3. Érzelmi intelligencia, empatikus képesség növekedése

 

Egyre divatosabb kifejezés manapság az érzelmi intelligencia. Mit is takar?

"Az érzelmi intelligencia (EI) az intelligencia vagy a képességek azon fajtája, ami a saját és mások érzelmeinek érzékelésével, kezelésével és pozitív befolyásolásával kapcsolatos." /Wikipédia

Ez számunkra a mindennapi életben azt jelenti, hogy az önhipnózis gyakorlásával egyre inkább tudatában leszünk érzelmeinknek, és nem csak akkor amikor már kitörtek vagy bajt okoztak. Lépésről lépésre, egyre inkább felismerjük az érzelmek valódi, mélyebben fekvő okait.

 

Egyre könnyebben észrevesszük azt, hogyan rángatnak minket ezek az érzelmek és egyre könnyebben megértjük és elfogadjuk más emberek szempontjait. Ezáltal könnyebben és tudatosabban irányítjuk az érzelmileg telített helyzeteket.

4. Problémamegoldó képesség javulása

A problémamegoldó képesség javulása egyenes következménye az érzelmi intelligencia fejlődésének. Ebben az esetben nem rohanunk vadul bele érzelmeinktől elvakítva konfliktusokba, hiszen az nem a probléma megoldását segítené csupán a feszültségek levezetését. A feszültségek kisütésének a következménye, hogy a másik fél is feszült lesz és egyre inkább a saját érzései vezérlik, mintsem a probléma mindkét fél számára való megoldásának a vágya.

 

Ugyanakkor nem is fojtjuk magunkba az érzéseket a konfliktustól való félelmünkben, vagy a "béke kedvéért", hiszen az elfojtás rengeteg negatív energiát hoz létre, ami így vagy úgy, de kihat mind a saját egészségünkre, mind a környezetünkre.

 

A két rossz megoldás helyett egyre jobban tudatában leszünk annak, hogyan hozzuk létre ezeket a negatív érzéseket, mivel hozzuk létre magunkban a feszültséget és belső tudatunk segítségével azt is elsajátítjuk, hogy hogyan lehet ezeket az érzéseket időben feloldani, transzformálni. Így energiánkat átalakítjuk, hogy inkább segítsen a probléma megoldásában, ahelyett, hogy súlyosbítaná azt.

5. Kiegyensúlyozottság, belső nyugalom erősödése

Szintén "mellékhatása" a rendszeres önhipnózis gyakorlásnak, hogy egyre nyugodtabbá válunk a hétköznapokban.

 

Mivel érzelmeink egyre jobban tudatosulnak és egyre jobban megtanuljuk ezeket az érzelmi energiákat felismerni és pozitív érzelmekké alakítani, így nem halmozódnak fel bennünk a feszültségek.

 

A nehéz helyzeteket is egyre higgadtabban tudjuk kezelni, ami ismét csak visszahat ránk, hiszen a környezetünk is csillapodik a mi hatásunkra. Ez a hatás-ellenhatás elve.

6. Öröm, felszabadultság és egyéb pozitív érzések erősödése

Ez a személyes kedvencem. Az öröm és felszabadultság érzet természetes közegünkké válik. Ez nem jelenti azt, hogy örökké rózsaszín szemüvegben röpködünk a föld felett, egyszerűen csak annyit jelent, hogy egyre több apróságban megéljük az élet szépségét. Emellett ugyanilyen tisztán megéljük a szomorúságot vagy egyéb érzelmeket, amikor azoknak jön el az ideje, de nem ragadunk bennük, nem kötjük magunkat hozzájuk, mintha minden pozitív érzelem pusztán illúzió lenne.

 

Megéljük azt, hogy az életöröm természetes állapotunk. Ez az az állapot, amikor az élet minden mozzanata jelentőséggel bír, bármily csekélynek tűnjön is. Elkezdjük észrevenni, mennyi öröm és szépség vesz minket körül, mennyi csodának vagyunk részesei.

 

Megtanultuk, hogy természetesnek vegyük, mindazt, ami minket körül vesz. Természetes, hogy van kezünk, lábunk, szeretteink vagy nap és égbolt. Mintha mindez járna nekünk, így nem is fordítunk ezekre a dolgokra különösebb figyelmet.

 

Ha visszaemlékszünk a gyerekkorunkra, akkor talán felrémlik, milyen apróságok tudtak minket elvarázsolni, mennyi örömet rejtett a pocsolyában való ugrálás (amíg valamelyik kevésbé megértő szülő véget nem vetett a röpködésnek), a homokvár építés friss sárga homokból vagy egy szarvasbogár nézegetése. Ez volt az a tudatállapot, amikor a lehetőségek még ott hemzsegtek körülöttünk, bennünk. Ehhez a tudatállapothoz térünk vissza, csak ezúttal már több megértéssel (remélhetőleg), de semmivel sem kevesebb örömmel.

7. Életcélunk, a világlátásunk tisztul

Amíg érzelmeink és a tudatalattiba száműzött energiáink nincsenek rendbe téve, úgy csetlünk-botlunk az életben, mint egy telezsúfolt, teleszemetelt, sötét lakásban. Célunk homályos, nehezen kivehető, és időnként azt vesszük észre, hogy rossz irányba megyünk, ez a cél nem is a mienk, vagy ha a mienk is volt, mégsem lettünk boldogabbak tőle. Nem beszélve a keresgélés során összetört kis lábujjakról.

 

Amikor elkezdjük az önhipnózist rendszeresen gyakorolni és a belső tudatunkkal végre kapcsolatot felvenni, akkor az olyan, mintha elemlámpát gyújtanánk. Egyszerre ugyan csak egy kis részt világít be, de ahogy elkezdjük a szobákat apránként rendbe rakni, egyre nagyobb tér szabadul fel bennük önmagunk és a számunkra fontos emberek számára. Ezzel együtt egyre tisztábbá válnak valódi, belső lelki céljaink.

 

A lelki szobánk egyre világosabb és otthonosabb lesz, így válik életünk is egyre "otthonosabbá" önmagunk és szeretteink számára.

8. Az emberi kapcsolatok javulása

Az önhipnózis önmagunk megváltoztatásának egyik leghatékonyabb módja.

 

De mit is értünk önmagunk megváltoztatásán?

 

Belső önmagunk, lelkünk már most is tökéletes. Nem szorul változtatásra.

 

Ami változtatásra szorul az a viselkedésünk, szokásaink, berögzült hiedelmeink és ezáltal az energiánk. Az, ahogyan az energiánkat használjuk, torzítjuk és kisugározzuk. Ez kihat miránk és a környezetünkre is, és ez alapvetően meghatározza az emberi kapcsolatainkat.

 

Az önhipnózis során megtanuljuk, hogyan használjuk a saját energiánkat, hogyan merevítjük káros viselkedésmódokká, szokásokká majd jellemvonásokká.

 

"Én már csak ilyen vagyok." Ismerős? Kényelmes kifogás azért, hogy ne kelljen szembenézni önmagunkkal.

 

A tudatosítás azt jelenti, hogy megtanuljuk megkülönböztetni önmagunkat és azt a sok belső, tudatalatti programot, amely a mai személyiségünket alkotja. Egyre jobban megtanuljuk a saját káros programjainkat felismerni és átírni pozitív, hasznos módon.

 

Az emberek tudat alatt a viselkedésünkön, hozzáállásunkon és lényünkön keresztül kisugárzott energiára reagálnak.

 

"Jó kisugárzása van."

 

Ez nem más, mint valaki, aki nyitott, pozitív módon, használja az energiáját. A pozitív energia pedig vonzerővel bír, ezzel nem árultam el titkot.

9. Az önismeret rendkívüli mértékben megnő

Talán nem is kell ragozni, hogy egyenes következménye a belső énünkkel való munkának, hogy egyre többet tudunk meg magunkról.

 

Aki szereti magát abban a tévhitben ringatni, hogy már mindent tud önmagáról és már semmi újat nem lehet neki ezzel kapcsolatban mondani, annak sajnos azt kell mondanom, hogy igaz a közhely, ez egy végtelen út. Minél többet ismerünk meg önmagunkból, annál inkább rádöbbenünk arra, mennyi új megismerni való vár még ránk.

 

Ez ne riasszon meg senkit. Ez egy nagyon gyümölcsöző út, ami önmagunk felé vezet. Érdekes, izgalmas és gyönyörű, mint egy nagyon érdekesen megírt könyv. Tele van csavarokkal, és a kép egyre jobban kitágul, egyre több részlet mutatkozik meg. Lassanként rájövünk, hogy sokkal többek vagyunk, mint ahogy gondoltuk.

 

Ezzel együtt a felismeréssel együtt, érdekes módon, kialakul egy csodálattal vegyes alázat saját lényünk iránt. Minél inkább rálátunk, ráérzünk belső, isteni lényünkre, annál inkább felismerjük, milyen pici dobozba próbáltuk bepréselni téves elképzeléseinkkel. Tisztelni kezdjük önmagunkat a szó legnemesebb értelmében, mert meglátjuk a lélekben a végtelent.

10. Spirituális fejlődés

Ezzel el is érkeztünk ahhoz a ponthoz, ahova tudat alatt mindannyian törekszünk.

 

Önmagunkon, belső tudatunkon keresztül nyílik ki a kapu a belső, végtelen fény felé. Ahogy elkezdjük egyre jobban beengedni a fényt önmagunkba, megértjük, mennyi érzésünk pusztán annak a következménye volt, hogy elzártuk magunkat a saját belső fényünktől, amely a végtelen fény része.

 

A belső tudat fényében világossá válik, hogy a magány, az elhagyatottság, az elveszettség mind nem más, mint "hiánybetegség". A fény hiányának betegsége. Érezni fogjuk, hogy ezt a fényt nem vette el tőlünk senki, nem vonta meg tőlünk senki, senki nem taszított minket a sötétségbe, hanem mi zártuk ki magunkból a belső energiáinkat. Burokként összezárultunk magunk körül, kizárva a fényt és a sötétben megéltük a fény hiányát, mint végtelen magányt és elhagyatottságot.

 

Belső tudatunk segít megérteni a fontos összefüggéseket az életünkben. A látszólag kívülről ránk szakadt körülmények törvényszerűségeit. Természetesen mindezt lépésről lépésre tanuljuk meg, mindenki a saját ütemében, a saját módján, a saját fejlődési szintjén. Sürgetni nincs értelme. A belső tudat mindent a mi képességeinkhez mér.

 

Ugyanakkor biztosak lehetünk benne, hogy ez a tanulás mindannyiunknak nagyon sok hasznot hoz.

 

Annyi haszontalan dolgot megtanultunk életünkben, ideje végre életünk legfontosabb leckéinek nekilátnunk.

És +1: Az önhipnózis roppant kellemes!

Az ellazulás, illetve az érzelmek feloldása, felszabadítása egyre kellemesebb élménnyé teszi az önhipnózist.

 

Javaslom napi rendszerességgel végezni (ismerem a kifogásokat, de gondoljunk arra, hogy a számunkra igazán fontos dolgokra mégis szoktunk tudni időt szakítani!), egy idő múlva már kifejezetten igényelni fogjuk!

 

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Iguana is a genus of omnivorous lizards native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The word "iguana" is derived from the original Taino name for the species, iwana. Iguanas can range from 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 1.8 m) including their tail. The two species of lizard within the genus Iguana possess a dewlap, a row of spines running down their backs to their tails, and a tiny "third eye" on their heads. This light-sensing organ is known as the parietal eye, visible as a pale scale on the top of the head, and cannot make out details, just brightness. Behind their necks are small scales which resemble spokes, known as tuberculate scales. These scales may be a variety of colors and are not always visible from close distances. They have a large round scale on their cheeks known as a subtympanic shield.

 

Iguanas have keen vision and can see shapes, shadows, colors, and movement at long distances. Their visual acuity enables them to navigate through crowded forests and to locate food. They employ visual signals to communicate with other members of the same species.

5 Ave į Šiaurę

Lokta Paper is unique in many ways. It can be preserved for very long period of time. The papers made from Lokta are non-perishable in the water, free from germs and highly resistant to insects like silverfish, paper crawlers etc. Lokta paper is also excellent for wrapping precious stones as its soft fibers do not scratch the stones. These papers are easy to dye in water with colors and are ideal in production without using any machines in entire process. The scraps of these papers are highly potential for easy recycling.

 

© Suna Cho

Laguna Beach is an affluent seaside resort city and artist community located in southern Orange County, California, United States, approximately 19 miles (31 km) southeast of the county seat of Santa Ana. Its population was 22,723 at the 2010 census.

 

Developed a single raw image in HDR style.

 

See Also

  - Morning in Laguna Beach

  - Sunset of a fine day in Laguna Beach with rocks

  - After sunset of a cloudy day in Laguna Beach with rocks

  - Night in Heisler Park

 

Raw development parameters:

 Software: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4.2

  Basic

   WB

    Tint: +2

   Tone

    Exposure: +2.17

    Contrast: +82

    Highlights: -100

    Shadows: +100

    Whites: -100

    Blacks: +39

   Presence

    Clarity: +41

    Vibrance: +70

 

loc: 33.542737,-117.786912

file: DSC02511-1-2

To view more of my images, of Cliveden, please click "here" ! Click any image to view large!

 

From the achieves, reprocessed, using Photoshop CC 2024.

 

Cliveden is an Italianate mansion and estate at Taplow, Buckinghamshire, England. Set on banks 40 metres above the River Thames, its grounds slope down to the river. The site has been home to an earl, three countesses, two dukes, a Prince of Wales and the Viscounts Astor. As home of Nancy Astor, the house was the meeting place of the Cliveden set of the 1920's and 1930's — a group of political intellectuals. Later, during the 1960's, it became the setting for key events of the notorious Profumo Affair. During the 1970's, it was occupied by Stanford University of California, which used it as an overseas campus. Today owned by the National Trust, the house is leased as a five-star hotel run by London & Regional Properties. Cliveden means "valley among cliffs" and refers to the dene (valley) which cuts through part of the estate, east of the house. Cliveden has been spelled differently over the centuries, some of the variations being Cliffden, Clifden, Cliefden and Clyveden. The 375 acres gardens and woodlands are open to the public, together with parts of the house on certain days. There have been three houses on this site: the first, built in 1666, burned down in 1795 and the second house (1824) was also destroyed by fire, in 1849. The present Grade 1 listed house was built in 1851 by the architect Charles Barry for George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 2nd Duke of Sutherland. Designed by Sir Charles Barry in 1851 to replace a house previously destroyed by fire, the present house is a blend of the English Palladian style and the Roman Cinquecento. The Victorian three-story mansion sits on a 400-foot long, 20-foot high brick terrace or viewing platform, which dates from the mid-seventeenth century. The exterior of the house is rendered in Roman cement, with terracotta additions such as balusters, capitals, keystones and finials. The roof of the mansion is meant for walking on, and there is a circular view, above the tree-line, of parts of Buckinghamshire and Berkshire including Windsor Castle to the south. Below the balustraded roofline is a Latin inscription which continues around the four sides of the house and recalls its history; it was composed by the then prime minister Gladstone. On the west front it reads: "POSITA INGENIO OPERA CONSILIO CAROLI BARRY ARCHIT A MDCCCLI", which translated reads: "The work accomplished by the brilliant plan of architect Charles Barry in 1851. The main contractor for the work was Lucas Brothers. In 1984–86 the exterior of the mansion was overhauled and a new lead roof installed by the National Trust, while interior repairs were carried out by Cliveden Hotel. he interior of the house today is very different from its original appearance in 1851–52. This is mainly due to the 1st Lord Astor who radically altered the interior layout and decoration c. 1894–95. Whereas Barry's original interior for the Sutherlands had included a square entrance-hall, a morning room and a separate stairwell, Lord Astor wanted a more impressive entrance to Cliveden so he had all three rooms knocked into one large one (the Great Hall). His aim was to make the interior as much like an Italian palazzo as possible, which would complement the exterior. The ceiling and walls were panelled in English oak, with Corinthian columns and swags of carved flowers for decoration, all by architect Frank Pearson. The staircase newel posts are ornamented with carved figures representing previous owners (e.g. Buckingham and Orkney) by W.S. Frith. Astor installed a large sixteenth-century fireplace, bought from a Burgundian chateau which was being pulled down. To the left of the fireplace is a portrait of Nancy, Lady Astor by the American portraitist John Singer Sargent. The room was and still is furnished with eighteenth-century tapestries and suits of armour. Originally the floor was covered with Minton encaustic tiles (given to the Sutherlands by the factory) but Nancy Astor had them removed in 1906 and the present flagstones laid. Above the staircase is a painted ceiling by French artist Auguste Hervieu which depicts the Sutherland's children painted as the four seasons. This is the only surviving element of Barry's 1851–2 interior and it is believed that Lord Astor considered it too beautiful to remove. The French Dining Room is so called because the eighteenth-century Rococo panelling came from the Chateau d'Asnieres near Paris, a chateau which was leased to Louis XV and his mistress Madame de Pompadour as a hunting lodge. When the panelling came up for sale in Paris in 1897, the 1st Lord Astor recognised that it would exactly fit this room at Cliveden. The gilded panelling on a turquoise ground contains carvings of hares, pheasants, hunting dogs and rifles. The console tables and buffet were made in 1900 to match the room. The main dining room of the house until the 1980s, today it is a private dining room with views over the Parterre and Thames. The second largest room on the ground floor, after the Great Hall, was the drawing room which today is used as the hotel's main dining room. This room, which has views over the Parterre and Thames, was redecorated in 1995 by Eve Stewart, with terracotta coloured walls, gilded columns and trompe-l'œil shelves of books. The ceiling is painted to resemble clouds and three Bohemian glass chandeliers hang from it. The portraits in the room include the 2nd Duke of Sutherland, the 1st Lord Astor, and Miss Mary Hornack by Sir Joshua Reynolds. Also on the ground floor is the library, panelled in cedar wood, which the Astors used to call the "cigar box", and, next door, Nancy Astor's boudoir. Upstairs are five bedrooms and on the second floor another five. The East wing was and still is guest accommodation, whereas the West wing was domestic offices but in 1994 these were converted into more bedrooms. The National Trust tour only includes the Great Hall and French Dining Room. The nearby 100-foot clock tower was added in 1861 and is the work of the architect Henry Clutton. As a functioning water tower it still provides water for the house today. It is rendered in Roman cement like the rest of the house, and features four clock faces framed by gilded surrounds and a half open staircase on its north side. It was described by the architectural critic Nicholas Pevsner as "the epitome of Victorian flamboyance and assertiveness. The tower is topped with a modern reproduction of Augustin Dumont's 19 th century winged male figure Le Génie de la Liberté (the Spirit of Liberty). The original is atop the July Column in the Place de la Bastille, Paris. This replaces two earlier versions, the first having fallen from the tower during a storm in the 1950's. The new statue is made of bronze and was created using Dumont's original mould from the 1860s found in a museum in Semur-en-Auxois, France. It measures 2.2 metres in height, is covered in two layers of 23.5 carat gold leaf and cost a total of £68,000. It is an allegorical sculpture which holds the torch of civilization in its right hand and the broken chain of slavery in its left. It was affixed to the tower in spring 2012.

 

"From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia"

 

This is dedicated to my Maternal Grandfather who didn't come back from the war, he died in France in 1916 and to those thousands upon thousands who also didn't make it back, not only in this war but in every one since. My grandmother wasleft a widow with 7 children. 1 of whom died 2 months before his father and the other 2 the following years.

  

In flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row.

That mark our place, and in the sky

The larks still bravely singing fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

 

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived,felt dawn, saw sunsets glow.

Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

In Flanders Fields.

 

Two verses taken from the poem by Lietenant Colonel John McRae. I think this is one of the most evocative poems I have ever read.

 

This is a scanned photo originally taken in 1914

THIS PAINTING IS SOLD BUT YOU TOO CAN COMMISSION MIKE TO PAINT YOUR VERY OWN ORIGINAL OF YOUR FAVOURITE VEHICLE, A SOUND INVESTMENT FROM WHOM MANY REGARD AS BRITAIN’S LEADING TRANSPORT ARTIST. JUST E-MAIL mike@transportartist.co.uk

 

Climbing to the summit at Churston ex-Great Western 4.6.0 Castle 4089”Donnington Castle” has just crossed Broadsands viaduct with a holiday train bound for Kingswear.

Most passengers would have left the train at the resort of Paignton and many more will detrain at Churston for the branch line to the little fishing town of Brixham and a few, most likely in First Class, will carry on to Kingswear for the up-market town of Dartmouth.

 

Please remember this image is my property and protected by copyright law.

 

You may download any image for personal or non-commercial use only.

 

IF YOU LIKE THIS IMAGE PLEASE DO LEAVE A COMMENT.

Galway is a small city but it’s river-canal system is very complicated and I have had great difficulty in making sense of it so when I researched the pedestrian bridge connecting the Cathedral to Millennium Park, a new children’s playground, things became confused. In 1999 a millennium footbridge across the Corrib was announced but it would appear that it was never built. Also I discovered that there is a suspension footbridge [O'Shaughnessy Bridge within the University campus] that crosses the Gaol River or the Eglington Canal. Based on various descriptions and tourist guides I assumed that it was built over a canal especially as it comes to a sudden end and I did not know that a river could do that … this is discussed below].

 

The Millennium Park & Steel Footbridge, project comprised of the development of a park incorporating three separate play areas. The three play areas involved were a skateboard area, small and large kids play area. The park was bounded on two sides by canals and is adjacent to Galway Cathedral and National University of Ireland, Galway.

 

The project also included the construction of a single span 35m long steel arch bridge over the Goal river [Note: The project consultants refer to it as the Cathedral river and that added to my confusion]. Two concrete abutments (350m3 concrete per abutment) were constructed 2-3m below river bed level which involved complex temporary works. The abutments were constructed below the existing canal level. The abutment were first sheet piled and the abutments constructed. The bridge was lifted into place in a single lift with the hand railing, etc. already installed.

 

A major distributary of the Corrib known as the Gaol River [many refer to it as the Eglington Canal] because it flows behind Galway Cathedral, which is built on land that was once the site of the 19th Century City and County Gaols. The Gaol river flowing south ends abruptly at the sluice gates of the McLaughlin Building, a former flour mill that straddled the river but which subsequently housed one of the two early sites for hydroelectric generation in the city. Until today I did not know that a distributary, or a distributary channel, is a stream that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel.

Tofino is blessed with stunning sunsets this is the first of my collection of images that frankly do not do Tofino justice

BOX DATE: 2015

MANUFACTURER: M.G.A.

DOLLS IN LINE: Cloe; Yasmin; Sasha; Jade; Raya; Cameron

RELEASES: 2015 separately sold; 2015 5 Pack

BODY TYPE: 2015; pink painted panties; articulated knees

HEAD MOLD: 2015; pierced ears

IMPORTANT NOTES: The separately sold doll has a flocked side cut. The 5 Pack doll is rooted all the way around.

 

***The doll on the right is from the 5 Pack.

 

PERSONAL FUN FACT: Obviously I'm a huge fan of this Jade, since I have both versions. I got them around the same time, during the fall of 2015. As soon as I saw leaked images of the Hello My Name Is gal, I was in love with her. It was that beautifully unique side cut and her quirky outfit that convinced me I needed this lady for my collection. Then I found out that the dolls would all be released in a 5 pack as well, with an exclusive Meygan. Naturally, the inclusion of Meygan, one of my fave characters, sealed the deal. I decided that I didn't care about the extra accessories packaged with the separately sold dolls. I would wait until the 5 Pack went on sale, and get that in order to procure Meygan. But then I realized upon further inspection that Jade, for some reason, was not the same. Yes, she has an identical facial screening and outfit. However, M.G.A. opted to give her standard rooted hair, rather than that wondrous side cut. No, this would not do. I was determined to get the separately sold lady too. I ended up ordering the 5 Pack gal first, once the set was discounted on TRU's website. I was waiting for it to arrive in the mail when I got a $5 off coupon for Toys 'R' Us. It was common sense to use it towards the separately sold Hello My Name Is doll. My sister wanted to get a book from Barnes and Noble right around that same time. The book store was near Toys 'R' Us, so this was the opportune moment to stop in and use my coupon towards Jade. So I technically had her first, since it took a little while for my 5 Pack to get delivered. I really love and appreciate both of my Jade dolls. The 5 Pack one admittedly has the lesser hairstyle. Her face is also awkwardly placed--all of her features are painted too high on her mold. I think it makes her adorable, but not as attractive as my separately sold lady. For the record, I didn't make my side cut clad lady earrings because I liked her better. Her factory earrings wouldn't fit into her ear holes, so I made my own pair instead.

The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway is a volunteer-run heritage railway which runs along the Gloucestershire/Worcestershire border of the Cotswolds, England. The GWSR has restored and reopened around 14 miles of track, operating between Cheltenham Race Course and Broadway.

This photograph was taken using Ilford XP2 super 400 ISO film and was shot with a Canon EOS 3 camera and a EF 16-35mm USM IS lens. Developed by my self using Ilford DDX developer at 1-9 at 45 minuets and temperature of 21 C. The negative was scanned using my Canon EOS-R camera and with a EF 100mm f2.8 macro lens.

Reminiscence of Tom Hank"'s Cast away"

(actually Somwhere at the coasts of Hawaii)

Febuary is a hard month for me to do

it will always have to be an Appy

and the reason is

I lost my grandpa on Valentines day and the moment he passed, a black Appy colt with a lovely spotted blanket was born, the owner refused to sell him, but we did get to nickname him.

From my understanding he was named Cupid's Remorse but that was so many years ago.

Seoul – officially the Seoul Special City – is the capital and largest metropolis of the Republic of Korea (commonly known as South Korea), forming the heart of the Seoul Capital Area, which includes the surrounding Incheon metropolis and Gyeonggi province, the world's 16th largest city. It is home to over half of all South Koreans along with 678,102 international residents.

 

Situated on the Han River, Seoul's history stretches back more than two thousand years when it was founded in 18 BCE by Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. It continued as the capital of Korea under the Joseon Dynasty. The Seoul Capital Area contains five UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Changdeok Palace, Hwaseong Fortress, Jongmyo Shrine, Namhansanseong and the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty. Seoul is surrounded by mountains, the tallest being Mt. Bukhan, the world's most visited national park per square foot. Modern landmarks include the iconic N Seoul Tower, the gold-clad 63 Building, the neofuturistic Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Lotte World, the world's second largest indoor theme park, Moonlight Rainbow Fountain, the world's longest bridge fountain and the Sevit Floating Islands. The birthplace of K-pop and the Korean Wave, Seoul received over 10 million international visitors in 2014, making it the world's 9th most visited city and 4th largest earner in tourism.

 

Today, Seoul is considered a leading and rising global city, resulting from an economic boom called the Miracle on the Han River which transformed it to the world's 4th largest metropolitan economy with a GDP of US$845.9 billion in 2014 after Tokyo, New York City and Los Angeles. In 2015, it was rated Asia's most livable city with the second highest quality of life globally by Arcadis. A world leading technology hub centered on Gangnam and Digital Media City, the Seoul Capital Area boasts 15 Fortune Global 500 companies such as Samsung, the world's largest technology company, as well as LG and Hyundai-Kia. In 2014, the city's GDP per capita (PPP) of $39,786 was comparable to that of France and Finland. Ranked sixth in the Global Power City Index and Global Financial Centres Index, the metropolis exerts a major influence in global affairs as one of the five leading hosts of global conferences.

 

Seoul is the world's most wired city and ranked first in technology readiness by PwC's Cities of Opportunity report. It is served by the KTX high-speed rail and the Seoul Subway, providing 4G LTE, WiFi and DMB inside subway cars. Seoul is connected via AREX to Incheon International Airport, rated the world's best airport nine years in a row (2005–2013) by Airports Council International. Lotte World Tower, a 556-metre supertall skyscraper with 123 floors, has been built in Seoul and become the OECD's tallest in 2016, with the world's tallest art gallery. Its Lotte Cinema houses the world's largest cinema screen. Seoul's COEX Mall is the world's largest underground shopping mall.

 

Seoul hosted the 1986 Asian Games, 1988 Summer Olympics, 2002 FIFA World Cup, the Miss Universe 1980 pageant, and the 2010 G-20 Seoul summit. A UNESCO City of Design, Seoul was named the 2010 World Design Capital.

 

ETYMOLOGY

The city has been known in the past by the names Wirye-seong (Hangul: 위례성; Hanja: 慰禮城, during the Baekje era), Hanju (Hangul: 한주; Hanja: 漢州, during the Silla era), Namgyeong (Hangul: 남경; Hanja: 南京, during the Goryeo era), Hanseong (Hangul: 한성; Hanja: 漢城, during both the Baekje and Joseon eras), Hanyang (Hangul: 한양; Hanja: 漢陽, during the Joseon era), Gyeongseong (京城, during the colonial era).

 

During Japan's annexation in Korea, "Hanseong" (Hangul: 한성; Hanja: 漢城) was renamed to "Keijō" (京城, or Template:Korean 한국, Gyeongseong) by the Imperial authorities to prevent confusion with the hanja '漢', as it also refers to the Han Chinese. In reality, the ancient name of Seoul, Hanseong (Hangul: 한성; Hanja: 漢城), originally had the meaning of "big" or "vast".

 

Its current name originated from the Korean word meaning "capital city," which is believed to be derived from the word Seorabeol (Hangul: 서라벌; Hanja: 徐羅伐), which originally referred to Gyeongju, the capital of Silla.

 

Unlike most place names in Korea, "Seoul" has no corresponding hanja (Chinese characters used in the Korean language). On January 18, 2005, Seoul government officially changed its official Chinese language name to Shou'er (simplified Chinese: 首尔; traditional Chinese: 首爾; pinyin: Shǒu'ěr) from the historic Hancheng (simplified Chinese: 汉城; traditional Chinese: 漢城; pinyin: Hànchéng), of which use is becoming less common.

 

HISTOY

Settlement of the Han River area, where present-day Seoul is located, began around 4000 BC.

 

Seoul is first recorded as Wiryeseong, the capital of Baekje (founded in 18 BC) in the northeastern Seoul area. There are several city walls remaining in the area that date from this time. Pungnaptoseong, an earthen wall just outside Seoul, is widely believed to have been at the main Wiryeseong site. As the Three Kingdoms competed for this strategic region, control passed from Baekje to Goguryeo in the 5th century, and from Goguryeo to Silla in the 6th century.

 

In the 11th century Goryeo, which succeeded Unified Silla, built a summer palace in Seoul, which was referred to as the "Southern Capital". It was only from this period that Seoul became a larger settlement. When Joseon replaced Goryeo, the capital was moved to Seoul (also known as Hanyang and later as Hanseong), where it remained until the fall of the dynasty. The Gyeongbok Palace, built in the 14th century, served as the royal residence until 1592. The other large palace, Changdeokgung, constructed in 1405, served as the main royal palace from 1611 to 1872.

 

Originally, the city was entirely surrounded by a massive circular stone wall to provide its citizens security from wild animals, thieves and attacks. The city has grown beyond those walls and although the wall no longer stands (except along Bugaksan Mountain (Hangul: 북악산; Hanja: 北岳山), north of the downtown area), the gates remain near the downtown district of Seoul, including most notably Sungnyemun (commonly known as Namdaemun) and Heunginjimun (commonly known as Dongdaemun). During the Joseon dynasty, the gates were opened and closed each day, accompanied by the ringing of large bells at the Bosingak belfry. In the late 19th century, after hundreds of years of isolation, Seoul opened its gates to foreigners and began to modernize. Seoul became the first city in East Asia to introduce electricity in the royal palace, built by the Edison Illuminating Company and a decade later Seoul also implemented electrical street lights.

 

Much of the development was due to trade with foreign countries like France and United States. For example, the Seoul Electric Company, Seoul Electric Trolley Company, and Seoul Fresh Spring Water Company were all joint Korean–American owned enterprises. In 1904, an American by the name of Angus Hamilton visited the city and said, "The streets of Seoul are magnificent, spacious, clean, admirably made and well-drained. The narrow, dirty lanes have been widened, gutters have been covered, roadways broadened. Seoul is within measurable distance of becoming the highest, most interesting and cleanest city in the East.

"After the annexation treaty in 1910, the Empire of Japan annexed Korea and renamed the city Gyeongseong ("Kyongsong" in Korean and "Keijo" in Japanese). Japanese technology was imported, the city walls were removed, some of the gates demolished. Roads became paved and Western-style buildings were constructed. The city was liberated at the end of World War II.

 

In 1945, the city was officially named Seoul, and was designated as a special city in 1949.

 

During the Korean War, Seoul changed hands between the Russian/Chinese-backed North Korean forces and the American-backed South Korean forces several times, leaving the city heavily damaged after the war. The capital was temporarily relocated to Busan. One estimate of the extensive damage states that after the war, at least 191,000 buildings, 55,000 houses, and 1,000 factories lay in ruins. In addition, a flood of refugees had entered Seoul during the war, swelling the population of the city and its metropolitan area to an estimated 1.5 million by 1955.

 

Following the war, Seoul began to focus on reconstruction and modernization. As Korea's economy started to grow rapidly from the 1960s, urbanization also accelerated and workers began to move to Seoul and other larger cities. From the 1970s, the size of Seoul administrative area greatly expanded as it annexed a number of towns and villages from several surrounding counties.

 

According to 2012 census data, the population of the Seoul area makes up around 20% of the total population of South Korea, Seoul has become the economic, political and cultural hub of the country, with several Fortune Global 500 companies, including Samsung, SK Holdings, Hyundai, POSCO and LG Group headquartered there.

 

Seoul was the host city of the 1986 Asian Games and 1988 Summer Olympics as well as one of the venues of the Football World Cup 2002.

 

GEOGRAPHY

Seoul is in the northwest of South Korea. Seoul proper comprises 605.25 km2, with a radius of approximately 15 km, roughly bisected into northern and southern halves by the Han River. The Han River and its surrounding area played an important role in Korean history. The Three Kingdoms of Korea strove to take control of this land, where the river was used as a trade route to China (via the Yellow Sea). The river is no longer actively used for navigation, because its estuary is located at the borders of the two Koreas, with civilian entry barred. Historically, the city was during the Joseon Dynasty bounded by the Seoul Fortress Wall, which stretched between the four main mountains in central Seoul: Namsan, Naksan, Bukaksan and Inwangsan. The city is bordered by eight mountains, as well as the more level lands of the Han River plain and western areas. Due to its geography and to economic development policies, Seoul is a very polycentric city. The area that was the old capital in the Joseon Dynasty, and mostly comprises Jongno District and Jung District, constitutes the historical and political center of the city. However, for example, the city's financial capital is widely considered to be in Yeouido, while its economic capital is Gangnam District.

 

CLIMATE

Seoul is either classified as a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa), using the −3 °C isotherm of the original Köppen scheme, or a humid continental climate (Köppen Dwa), using the 0 °C isotherm preferred by some climatologists. Summers are generally hot and humid, with the East Asian monsoon taking place from June until September. August, the warmest month, has average high and low temperatures of 29.6 and 22.4 °C with higher temperatures possible. Winters are often cold to freezing with average January high and low temperatures of 1.5 and −5.9 °C and are generally much drier than summers, with an average of 28 days of snow annually. Sometimes, temperatures do drop dramatically to below −10.0 °C, in odd occasions rarely as low as −15.0 °C in the mid winter period between January and February.

  

ADMINISTRATIVE DISTRICTS

Seoul is divided into 25 gu (Hangul: 구; Hanja: 區) (district). The gu vary greatly in area (from 10 to 47 km2) and population (from fewer than 140,000 to 630,000). Songpa has the most people, while Seocho has the largest area. The government of each gu handles many of the functions that are handled by city governments in other jurisdictions. Each gu is divided into "dong" (Hangul: 동; Hanja: 洞) or neighbourhoods. Some gu have only a few dong while others like Jongno District have a very large number of distinct neighbourhoods. Gu of Seoul consist of 423 administrative dongs (Hangul: 행정동) in total. Dong are also sub-divided into 13,787 tong (Hangul: 통; Hanja: 統), which are further divided into 102,796 ban in total.

 

DEMOGRAPHICS

Seoul proper is noted for its population density, which is almost twice that of New York and eight times greater than Rome. Its metropolitan area was the most densely populated in the OECD in Asia in 2012, and second worldwide after that of Paris. As of December 2013, the population was 10.14 million, in 2012, it was 10,442,426. As of the end of June 2011, 10.29 million Republic of Korea citizens lived in the city. This was a 24% decrease from the end of 2010. The population of Seoul has been dropping since the early 1990s, the reasons being the high costs of living and an aging population.

 

The number of foreigners living in Seoul is 255,501 in 2010 according to Seoul officials. As of June 2011, 281,780 foreigners were located in Seoul. Of them, 186,631 foreigners (66%) were Chinese citizens of Korean ancestry. This was an 8.84% increase from the end of 2010 and a 12.85% increase from June 2010. The next largest group was Chinese citizens who are not of Korean ethnicity; 29,901 of them resided in Seoul. The next highest group consisted of the 9,999 United States citizens who were not of Korean ancestry. The next highest group were the Republic of China (Taiwan) citizens, at 8,717.

 

The two major religions in Seoul are Christianity and Buddhism. Other religions include Muism (indigenous religion) and Confucianism. Seoul is home to one of the world's largest Christians congregations, Yoido Full Gospel Church , which has around 830,000 members. Seoul is home to the world's largest modern university founded by a Buddhist Order, Dongguk University. Other Christian faiths like The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) maintains a presence in the city.

 

ECONOMY

Seoul is the business and financial hub of South Korea. Although it accounts for only 0.6 percent of the nation's land area, 48.3 percent of South Korea's bank deposits were held in Seoul in 2003, and the city generated 23 percent of the country's GDP overall in 2012. In 2008 the Worldwide Centers of Commerce Index ranked Seoul No.9. The Global Financial Centres Index in 2015 listed Seoul as the 6th financially most competitive city in the world. The Economist Intelligence Unit ranked Seoul 15th in the list of "Overall 2025 City Competitiveness" regarding future competitiveness of cities.

 

MANUFACTURING

The traditional, labour-intensive manufacturing industries have been continuously replaced by information technology, electronics and assembly-type of industries; however, food and beverage production, as well as printing and publishing remained among the core industries. Major manufacturers are headquartered in the city, including Samsung, LG, Hyundai, Kia and SK. Notable food and beverage companies include Jinro, whose soju is the most sold alcoholic drink in the world, beating out Smirnoff vodka; top selling beer producers Hite (merged with Jinro) and Oriental Brewery. It also hosts food giants like Seoul Dairy Cooperative, Nongshim Group, Ottogi, CJ, Orion, Maeil Dairy, Namyang dairy and Lotte.

 

FINANCE

Seoul hosts large concentration of headquarters of International companies and banks, including 15 companies on fortune 500 list such as Samsung, LG and Hyundai. Most bank headquarters and the Korea Exchange are located in Yeouido (Yeoui island), which is often called "Korea's Wall Street" and has been serving as the financial center of the city since the 1980s. The Seoul international finance center & SIFC MALL, Hanhwa 63 building, the Hanhwa insurance company head office. Hanhwa is one of the three largest Korean insurance companies, along with Samsung Life and Gangnam & Kyob life insurance group.

 

COMMERCE

The largest wholesale and retail market in South Korea, the Dongdaemun Market, is located in Seoul. Myeongdong is a shopping and entertainment area in downtown Seoul with mid- to high-end stores, fashion boutiques and international brand outlets. The nearby Namdaemun Market, named after the Namdaemun Gate, is the oldest continually running market in Seoul.

 

Insadong is the cultural art market of Seoul, where traditional and modern Korean artworks, such as paintings, sculptures and calligraphy are sold. Hwanghak-dong Flea Market and Janganpyeong Antique Market also offer antique products. Some shops for local designers have opened in Samcheong-dong, where numerous small art galleries are located. Itaewon caters mainly to foreign tourists and American soldiers based in the city. The Gangnam district is one of the most affluent areas in Seoul and is noted for the fashionable and upscale Apgujeong-dong and Cheongdam-dong areas and the COEX Mall. Wholesale markets include Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market and Garak Market.

 

The Yongsan Electronics Market is the largest electronics market in Asia. Electronics markets are Gangbyeon station metro line 2 Techno mart, ENTER6 MALL & Shindorim station Technomart mall complex.

 

Times Square is one of Seoul's largest shopping malls featuring the CGV Starium, the world's largest permanent 35 mm cinema screen.

 

KOREA WORLD TRADE CENTER COMPLEX which comprises COEX mall, congress center, 3 Inter-continental hotels, Business tower (Asem tower), Residence hotel,Casino and City airport terminal was established in 1988 Seoul Olympic . 2nd World trade trade center is planning at Seoul Olympic stadium complex as MICE HUB by Seoul city. Ex-Kepco head office building was purchased by Hyundai motor group with 9billion USD to build 115-storey Hyundai GBC & hotel complex until 2021. Now ex-kepco 25-storey building is under demolition.

 

ARCHITECTURE

The traditional heart of Seoul is the old Joseon Dynasty city, now the downtown area, where most palaces, government offices, corporate headquarters, hotels, and traditional markets are located. Cheonggyecheon, a stream that runs from west to east through the valley before emptying into the Han River, was for many years covered with concrete, but was recently restored by an urban revival project in 2005. Jongno street, meaning "Bell Street," has been a principal street and one of the earliest commercial steets of the city, on which one can find Bosingak, a pavilion containing a large bell. The bell signaled the different times of the day and controlled the four major gates to the city. North of downtown is Bukhan Mountain, and to the south is the smaller Namsan. Further south are the old suburbs, Yongsan District and Mapo District. Across the Han River are the newer and wealthier areas of Gangnam District, Seocho District and surrounding neighborhoods.

 

HISTORICAL ARCHITECTURE

Seoul has many historical and cultural landmarks. In Amsa-dong Prehistoric Settlement Site, Gangdong District, neolithic remains were excavated and accidentally discovered by a flood in 1925.

 

Urban and civil planning was a key concept when Seoul was first designed to serve as a capital in the late 14th century. The Joseon Dynasty built the "Five Grand Palaces" in Seoul – Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung, Gyeongbokgung and Gyeonghuigung – all of which are located in the district of Jongno District and Jung District. Among them, Changdeokgung was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997 as an "outstanding example of Far Eastern palace architecture and garden design". The main palace, Gyeongbokgung, underwent a large-scale restoration project. The palaces are considered exemplary architecture of the Joseon period. Beside the palaces, Unhyeongung is known for being the royal residence of Regent Daewongun, the father of Emperor Gojong at the end of the Joseon Dynasty.

 

Seoul has been surrounded by walls that were built to regulate visitors from other regions and protect the city in case of an invasion. Pungnap Toseong is a flat earthen wall built at the edge of the Han River which is widely believed to be the site of Wiryeseong. Mongchon Toseong (Hangul: 몽촌토성; Hanja: 蒙村土城) is another earthen wall built during the Baekje period which is now located inside the Olympic Park. The Fortress Wall of Seoul was built early in the Joseon Dynasty for protection of the city. After many centuries of destruction and rebuilding, approximately ⅔ of the wall remains, as well as six of the original eight gates. These gates include Sungnyemun and Heunginjimun, commonly known as Namdaemun (South Great Gate) and Dongdaemun (East Great Gate). Namdaemun was the oldest wooden gate until a 2008 arson attack, and was re-opened after complete restoration in 2013. Situated near the gates are the traditional markets and largest shopping center, Namdaemun Market and Dongdaemun Market.

 

There are also many buildings constructed with international styles in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Independence Gate was built in 1897 to inspire an independent spirit. Seoul Station was opened in 1900 as Gyeongseong Station.

 

MODERN ARCHITECTURE

Various high-rise office buildings and residential buildings, like the Gangnam Finance Center, the Tower Palace, N Seoul Tower and Jongno Tower, dominate the city's skyline. A series of new high rises are under construction, including the Lotte World Tower, scheduled to be completed by 2016. As of July 2016, and excluding the still unopened Lotte World Tower, the tallest building in the city is the 279-metre-high Three International Finance Center.

 

The World Trade Center Seoul, located in Gangnam District, hosts various expositions and conferences. Also in Gangnam District is the COEX Mall, a large indoor shopping and entertainment complex. Downstream from Gangnam District is Yeouido, an island that is home to the National Assembly, major broadcasting studios, and a number of large office buildings, as well as the Korea Finance Building and the Yoido Full Gospel Church. The Olympic Stadium, Olympic Park, and Lotte World are located in Songpa District, on the south side of the Han River, upstream from Gangnam District. Two new modern landmarks of Seoul are Dongdaemun Design Plaza & Park, designed by Zaha Hadid, and the new wave-shaped Seoul City Hall, by Yoo Kerl of iArc.

 

In 2010 Seoul was designated the World Design Capital for the year.

 

CULTURE

TECHNOLOGY

Seoul has a very technologically advanced infrastructure. It has the world's highest fibre-optic broadband penetration, resulting in the world's fastest internet connections with speeds up to 1 Gbps. Seoul provides free Wi-Fi access in outdoor spaces. This 47.7 billion won ($44 million) project will give residents and visitors Internet access at 10,430 parks, streets and other public places by 2015.

 

MUSEUMS

Seoul is home to 115 museums, including four national and nine official municipal museums. Amongst the city's national museum, The National Museum of Korea is the most representative of museums in not only Seoul but all of South Korea. Since its establishment in 1945, the museum has built a collection of 220,000 artifacts. In October 2005, the museum moved to a new building in Yongsan Family Park. The National Folk Museum is situated on the grounds of the Gyeongbokgung Palace in the district of Jongno District and uses replicas of historical objects to illustrate the folk history of the Korean people. The National Palace Museum of Korea is also located on the grounds of the Gyeongbokgung Palace. Finally, the Seoul branch of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, whose main museum is located in Gwacheon, opened in 2013, in Sogyeok-dong.

 

Bukchon Hanok Village and Namsangol Hanok Village are old residential districts consisting of hanok Korean traditional houses, parks, and museums that allows visitors to experience traditional Korean culture.

 

The War Memorial, one of nine municipal museums in Seoul, offers visitors an educational and emotional experience of various wars in which Korea was involved, including Korean War themes. The Seodaemun Prison is a former prison built during the Japanese occupation, and is currently used as a historic museum.The Seoul Museum of Art and Ilmin Museum of Art have preserved the appearance of the old building that is visually unique from the neighboring tall, modern buildings. The former is operated by Seoul City Council and sits adjacent to Gyeonghuigung Palace, a Joseon dynasty royal palace. Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, is widely regarded as one of Seoul's largest private museum. For many Korean film lovers from all over the world, the Korean Film Archive is running the Korean Film Museum and Cinematheque KOFA in its main center located in Digital Media City (DMC), Sangam-dong. The Tteok & Kitchen Utensil Museum and Kimchi Field Museum provide information regarding Korean culinary history.

 

RELIGIOUS MONUMENTS

There are also religious buildings that take important roles in Korean society and politics. The Wongudan altar was a sacrificial place where Korean rulers held heavenly rituals since the Three Kingdoms period. Since the Joseon Dynasty adopted Confucianism as its national ideology in the 14th century, the state built many Confucian shrines. The descendants of the Joseon royal family still continue to hold ceremonies to commemorate ancestors at Jongmyo. It is the oldest royal Confucian shrine preserved and the ritual ceremonies continue a tradition established in the 14th century. Munmyo and Dongmyo were built during the same period. Although Buddhism was suppressed by the Joseon state, it has continued its existence. Jogyesa is the headquarters of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. Hwagyesa and Bongeunsa are also major Buddhist temples in Seoul.

 

The Myeongdong Cathedral is a landmark of the Myeongdong, Jung District and the biggest Catholic church established in 1883. It is a symbol of Catholicism in Korea. It was also a focus for political dissent in the 1980s. In this way the Roman Catholic Church has a very strong influence in Korean society.

 

There are many Protestant churches in Seoul. The most numerous are Presbyterian, but there are also many Methodist, Baptist, and Lutheran churches. Yoido Full Gospel Church is a Pentecostal church affiliated with the Assemblies of God on Yeouido in Seoul. With approximately 830,000 members (2007), it is the largest Pentecostal Christian congregation in the world, which has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records.

 

FESTIVALS

In October 2012 KBS Hall in Seoul hosted major international music festivals – First ABU TV and Radio Song Festivals within frameworks of Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union 49th General Assembly. Hi! Seoul Festival is a seasonal cultural festival held four times a year every spring, summer, autumn, and winter in Seoul, South Korea since 2003. It is based on the "Seoul Citizens' Day" held on every October since 1994 to commemorate the 600 years history of Seoul as the capital of the country. The festival is arranged under the Seoul Metropolitan Government. As of 2012, Seoul has hosted Ultra Music Festival Korea, an annual dance music festival that takes place on the 2nd weekend of June.

 

TRANSPORTATION

Seoul features one of the world's most advanced transportation infrastructures that is constantly under expansion. Its system dates back to the era of the Korean Empire, when the first streetcar lines were laid and a railroad linking Seoul and Incheon was completed. Seoul's most important streetcar line ran along Jongno until it was replaced by Line 1 of the subway system in the early 1970s. Other notable streets in downtown Seoul include Euljiro, Teheranno, Sejongno, Chungmuro, Yulgongno, and Toegyero. There are nine major subway lines stretching for more than 250 km, with one additional line planned. As of 2010, 25% of the population has a commute time of an hour or more.

 

BUS

Seoul's bus system is operated by the Seoul Metropolitan Government (S.M.G.), with four primary bus configurations available servicing most of the city. Seoul has many large intercity/express bus terminals. These buses connect Seoul with cities throughout South Korea. The Seoul Express Bus Terminal, Central City Terminal and Seoul Nambu Terminal are located in the district of Seocho District. In addition, East Seoul Bus Terminal in Gwangjin District and Sangbong Terminal in Jungnang District operate in the east of the city.

 

SUBWAY

Seoul has a comprehensive urban railway network that interconnects every district of the city and the surrounding areas. With more than 8 million passengers per day, Seoul has one of the busiest subway systems in the world. The Seoul Metropolitan Subway has 19 total lines which serve Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi province, western Gangwon province, and northern Chungnam province. In addition, in order to cope with the various modes of transport, Seoul's metropolitan government employs several mathematicians to coordinate the subway, bus, and traffic schedules into one timetable. The various lines are run by Korail, Seoul Metro, Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation, NeoTrans Co. Ltd., AREX, and Seoul Metro Line 9 Corporation.

 

TRAIN

Seoul is connected to every major city in South Korea by rail. Seoul is also linked to most major South Korean cities by the KTX high-speed train, which has a normal operation speed of more than 300 km/h. Major railroad stations include:

 

Seoul Station, Yongsan District: Gyeongbu line (KTX/Saemaul/Mugunghwa-ho), Gyeongui line (Saemaul/Commuter)

Yongsan Station, Yongsan District: Honam line (KTX/Saemaul/Mugunghwa), Jeolla/Janghang lines (Saemaul/Mugunghwa)

Yeongdeungpo Station, Yeongdeungpo District: Gyeongbu/Honam/Janghang lines (Saemaul/Mugunghwa)

Cheongnyangni Station, Dongdaemun District: Gyeongchun/Jungang/Yeongdong/Taebaek lines (Mugunghwa)

 

In addition, Suseo Station,in Gangnam District, is scheduled to open in late 2016, and offer KTX service on the newly built Suseo High Speed Railway.

 

AIRPORTS

Two international airports serve Seoul. Gimpo International Airport, formerly in Gimpo but annexed to Seoul in 1963, was for many years (since its original construction during the Korean War) the only international airport serving Seoul. Other domestic airports were also built around the time of the war, including Yeouido.

 

When it opened in March 2001, Incheon International Airport on Yeongjong island in Incheon changed the role of Gimpo Airport significantly. Incheon is now responsible for almost all international flights and some domestic flights, while Gimpo serves only domestic flights with the exception of flights to Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Osaka Kansai International Airport, Taipei Songshan Airport in Taipei, Hongqiao Airport in Shanghai, and Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing. This has led to a significant drop in flights from Gimpo Airport, though it remains one of South Korea's busiest airports.

 

Meanwhile, Incheon International Airport has become, along with Hong Kong, a major transportation center for East Asia.

 

Incheon and Gimpo are linked to Seoul by highways, and to each other by the Incheon International Airport Railroad, which is also linked to Incheon line #1. Gimpo is also linked by subway (line No. 5 and #9). The Incheon International Airport Railroad, connecting the airport directly to Seoul Station in central Seoul, was recently opened. Shuttle buses also transfer passengers between Incheon and Gimpo airports.

 

CYCLING

Cycling is becoming increasingly popular in Seoul and in the entire country. Both banks of the Han River have cycling paths that run all the way across the city along the river. In addition, Seoul introduced in 2015 a bicycle-sharing system named Ddareungi.

 

EDUCATION

UNICERSITIES

Seoul is home to the majority of South Korea's most prestigious universities, including Seoul National University, Yonsei University, Korea University, Sungkyunkwan University, Sogang University, Hanyang University, Chung-Ang University, Ewha Womans University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Hongik University, Kyung Hee University, Soongsil University, Sookmyung Women's University, Korea Military Academy, and the University of Seoul.

 

SECONDARY EDUCATION

Education from grades 1–12 is compulsory. Students spend six years in elementary school, three years in middle school, and three years in high school. Secondary schools generally require that the students wear uniforms. There is an exit exam for graduating from high school and many students proceeding to the university level are required to take the College Scholastic Ability Test that is held every November. Although there is a test for non-high school graduates, called school qualification exam, most of Koreans take the test

 

Seoul is home to various specialized schools, including three science high schools (Hansung Science High School, Sejong Science High School and Seoul Science High School), and six foreign language High Schools (Daewon Foreign Language High School, Daeil Foreign Language High School, Ewha Girls' Foreign Language High School, Hanyoung Foreign Language High School, Myungduk Foreign Language High School and Seoul Foreign Language High School). Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education comprises 235 College-Preparatory High Schools, 80 Vocational Schools, 377 Middle Schools, and 33 Special Education Schools as of 2009.

 

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Seoul is a member of the Asian Network of Major Cities 21 and the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.

 

WIKIPEDIA

This is the view of the inside of former Amtrak steam heater car #673 as it was being scrapped at Streigel's Metal Recycling in Baltimore MD on February 9, 1991. This is the cab portion which has been separated at this point from the rest of the unit and is resting on it's left side.

The 673 was originally built for the Pennsy as an E8 numbered 5810 in January 1951 by EMD. It was renumbered just prior to the Penn Central merger (2/1/1968) to 4310. On May 1, 1971 it was conveyed to Amtrak becoming their 316. Sometime in the mid 1970's it was converted to a steam heat car and renumbered 673 where it managed to outlast it's E8 and E9 siblings after the EMD F40s replaced those units.

Nikon N8008, Fujifilm 400 color negative.