Giardini Naxos is a comune in the Province of Messina on the island of Sicily in Italy. It is situated on the coast of the Ionian Sea on a bay which lies between Cape Taormina and Cape Schisò. Today it is a popular seaside-resort.Founded by Thucles the Chalcidian in 734 BC, Naxos was never a powerful city, but its temple of Apollo Archegetes, protecting deity of all the Greek colonies, gave it prominence in religious affairs. Leontini and Catania were both colonized from here. Hippocrates, tyrant of Gela, captured it in 494 BC. Its opposition to Syracuse ultimately led to its capture and destruction in 403 BC at the hands of Dionysius the tyrant, after it had supported Athens during that city's disastrous Sicilian Expedition. Though the site continued to be inhabited, most activity shifted to neighbouring Tauromenium.In 1544, following the raids by Turkish corsair, Barbarossa Kheir-ed-Din, several military buildings were constructed to protect Cape Schisò from the Barbary pirates who continued to attack and plunder the coastal villages. These were Schisò Castle which was rebuilt from an earlier 13th century castle, Schisò fort, and Vignazza Tower. The latter is a quadrangular watchtower which served to patrol the coast south of Port Schisò; if any pirate boats were sighted, the observers inside the tower could alert the villagers and neighbouring watchtowers by sending out smoke signals. Vignazza Tower is located in the Recanati area of Giardini Naxos, but is not open to the public.Prior to the early 1970s, Giardini Naxos was a quiet fishing village. Now it is a popular tourist destination, famous for its beaches, panoramic view of the bay and surrounding hills, and its small, but bustling fishing port. It attracts foreign visitors and Italians alike, many of whom own summer residences in the comune. The seafront, Via Tysandros, is lined with hotels, smaller pensions, pubs, restaurants and pizzerias.

Giardini-Naxos è un comune di 9.152 abitanti della provincia di Messina. Anticamente chiamata Nasso, dista 39 km da Messina e 40 da Catania.Nell'attuale collocazione di Giardini-Naxos, presso Capo Schisò, nel 734 a.C. dei coloni calcidesi fondarono quello che è da tutti ritenuto il primo insediamento greco in Sicilia. Alla nuova colonia venne attribuito il nome di Naxos come l'omonima isola nel Mar Egeo. Nonostante rimase un centro di modeste dimensioni mantenne il suo valore simbolico, in quanto venne eretto un altare in onore di Apollo Archegetes, questo era il punto di partenza degli ambasciatori greci in ritorno alla madrepatria. Durante la Guerra del Peloponneso Naxos si schierò con Atene, ma quando nel 403 a.C. la spedizione militare ateniese in Sicilia fallì, il tiranno siracusano Dionigi il Vecchio la fece radere al suolo e fece costruire sull'altura sovrastante Tauromenion (Taormina). Il territorio venne donato ai Siculi e gli abitanti furono venduti come schiavi. Il nome Naxos permase nel tempo anche in epoca romana e nell'Itinerario Antonino del III secolo d.C. viene citato come località per lo scambio di cavalli lungo la strada consolare in direzione Siracusa. Nel periodo bizantino sulle spoglie della colonia greca si andò a formare un piccolo centro abitato, questo diventò l'approdo strategico per la vicina Taormina. Il periodo di dominio arabo ha lasciato numerosi toponimi come quello del vicino fiume Alcantara o dello stesso Capo Schisò.

Font : Wikipedia

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrbCw69ED2s

www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1tVP6wBJIQ

And so to the 54th and final East Anglian church of the autumn.

One of the many joys of churchcrawling is not knowing what you might find inside. Even if the exterior is of a single narrative, inside it might be a different story. Or not.

You might meet no one, or a welcoming rector, vicar or warden, another photographer, or, whoever knows.

Which brings us to Aldringham. We had left the delights of Thorpness and were heading in a northerly direction. Past the golf course, empty of golfers. Passing over the heath, we come to a junction and I see a sign pointing the way to Aldringham church.

Down a long lane, lined with trees, to a row of almshouses and opposite a small church with a bellcote. It looked so unpromising, and to make it perfect, a gentle rain had begun to fall. This was clearly going to be a waste of time, either it would be locked or there would be nothing of interest to see.

Inside was a long nave with no chancel arch, or one I can recall. At the west end there was a raised section like the slope of a theatre with a few rows of seats. Above that a very fine stained glass window, and one similar at the east in the chancel.

Two ladies were busy cleaning the carpets and dusting surfaces, all ready for the decorating of the building.

They were pleased to see me, and I was told in very positive terms the greatness of the church and that is is much older than it looks.

But the church is dying, I was told. Not many locals use it, not many tourists come here either.

We talk about Thorpness: visitors leave their brains at the village sign I was told. People park anywhere and let children run everywhere and you can't say anything.

She said she doesn't go to Thorpness in the summer months due to the visitors, and the fact they don't use the local shops. Locals can't afford to live there; a story from almost all the EA coast. You can't tell visitors anything, I was told, if you do you get a mouthful back.

She doesn't like the bright lights of Thorpness and its attractions. What do you think of Aldeburgh I asked. I never go there, she said. Never.

We talked more about young people not being able to afford to live in the area, outsiders buying houses for holiday use once or twice a year, killing the local economy.

I had been inside the church for half an hour and not taken a shot, time was getting on and Jools was waiting outside, although she was reading The Book of Dust, so was alright.

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Aldringham is the posh end of Leiston these days, I suppose. It merges into the agro-industrial greyness towards Coldfair Green; as you head into it from central Leiston, you pass the Ogilvie almshouses, a name we will meet again later.

If the village is rather mundane, then the same cannot be said of St Andrew. You head out across the heath towards the fantasy holiday village of Thorpeness, which we will also come back to, and then turn southwards on a track through the forest, out into the pines and broom. Incongruously, a row of 19th century almshouses looms into view, looking for all the world as if it had been picked up from the terraces of east Ipswich and dumped here. And there, at the western end, is the delightful church of St Andrew, looking very pretty among the pine trees. I had first seen it on a dull, dark, dismal day in November 2000, and so it was a pleasure to come back on the hottest day so far of 2010 in bright sunshine. At first sight, the church is entirely Victorian, and might even be contemporary with the terrace. However, a blocked door and lancet in the south chancel wall give us a probable original date of about 1200, and a rood loft stair buttress also tells us of this former, Catholic liturgical age. A very good modern extension leads off from the north doorway.

If you had come here 150 years ago, You would have found a tall, ruined 15th century tower, like the one at Corton, 20 miles to the north. The church was painted in 1842, and you can see the tower in the third small photograph at the top of this page. But that is all gone now, for St Andrew was consolidated and completely refurbished inside and out in the mid 19th century. I think the Victorians made a pretty good job of it. The chancel priest door is blocked, and beside it on a buttress is the parish WWII memorial.

The south porch leads down into the body of the nave, and you step down into a church which is full of colour.From a historical point of view the most important survival is probably the 15th century font. This is one of the typically East Anglian fonts, of which about 160 survive in Suffolk, showing angels and evangelistic symbols on the bowl, and lions on the stem. Of all of them, this is one of the best. The seating is banked at the west end, and above it is one of two excellent, large 19th century windows. For such a small church to have two such large windows is rather unusual. This one is by Alexander Gibbs, and shows the disabled man being lowered by his friends through the roof to Christ. The inscription reads This window was placed here in grateful memory of Letitia Caroline Susannah Cannon who died November 8th 1896 aged 81 years, helpless from paralysis during 11 1/2 years. She abounded in most generous gifts to the poor, the church, the churchyard and the endowment. At the other end of the church the window depicts the feeding of the five thousand. These two unusual subjects suggest a particularly evangelical hue to the 19th century congregation here, and create a church like no other in the area. There is a fine, more modern window of St Andrew in a lancet in the south side, which the 19th century restorers here would no doubt have considered idolatrous..

There is an outstanding Art Nouveau memorial in the north-west corner of the churchyard to Letitia Cannon and her husband. I assume that the elaborate ironwork decorative fencing came from the foundry at nearby Leiston. But probably the most memorable thing about this churchyard is the collection of Ogilvie memorials on the southern side of the churchyard. A narrow avenue of box hedging led from the south porch. When I came this way in 2000, this was punctuated by scatterings of parasol mushrooms, which made a very pleasant meal later that night. Today, in the heat of summer, I had been warned to watch out for snakes in the churchyard - adders are common on this wooded heathland. I continued towards what looked like the village war memorial. Indeed, it is used as the village war memorial, but that is not all it is. It is a memorial to one of the Ogilivies, killed late on in the first war; but, as it is so much grander than the simple, pretty one set in the rood stair buttress of the church, it was here in that November that I had found the wreaths of plastic poppies were leaning. The inscription mentions Alexander Walter Ogilvie, who died on October 30th 1918, by name, but also makes reference to Lasting Remembrance of the Great Host of Heroes who made the Supreme Sacrifice 1914-1918. The names of the Aldringham dead are hidden away behind it, as if an afterthought. As I reached it, I was staggered by the massed ranks of large tomb chests on either side of it; Ogilvies to the left of me, Ogilvies to the right. It is the grandest collection of 20th century family tombs in all Suffolk, not excluding the Quilters at Bawdsey. The Ogilvies were fabulously well-to-do, and their name is all over this part of Suffolk, including those almshouses towards Leiston.

The Ogilvies lived at Sizewell Hall, and quite literally shaped the map of Suffolk; theirs was the responsibility for building Thorpeness, the jolly holiday resort on the coast a mile to the east of here, and for the land on which the Sizewell nuclear reactor was built, also a mile away. But best of all, they are thanked every wet Saturday by the divorced and separated fathers of Ipswich, who can let their temporary charges loose in the Ogilvie Room at Ipswich Museum, the biggest public collection of Victorian stuffed birds in the Kingdom. There are simply thousands of the things, including a mighty representation of Bass Rock, and all manner of exotic creatures who met their maker during a flight over the Ogilvies' substantial domain. On more than one display case it says this is the only example of this bird ever collected in Suffolk, and so we may assume that Lord Ogilvie killed an awful lot of birds to make sure that he got these few, a thought which has struck me repeatedly on my many visits to the museum. Ironically, the RSPB's huge Minsmere bird reserve now stretches north of the Ogilvies' former property.

I wandered around the Ogilvies for a while, and then headed back into the church. It was only now that I noticed a simple brass memorial on the south wall of the chancel. It remembers forty-four year old Benjamin Croft, whose name also appears on the World War I roll opposite. What makes him significant (he isn't an Ogilvie, after all) is that he was killed on 10th November 1918, the last full day of the Great War. What an awful piece of luck for him and his family. In 2000, the memorial had combined with the weather outside to infuse me with a mood of gloom, and I remembered still my feeling of sadness. But in 2010 I stepped out into the sunshine, and got chatting to people having a picnic outside the south porch. They were parishioners taking a break from the late spring tidy-up of the graveyard, and they very hospitably asked me to sit down and join them in a glass of wine. It turned out that the Rector, who I had met in the church, had told them who I was, and it was good to meet some followers of the site. They seemd a very jolly, friendly lot, and I decided that Aldringham church must be a fine place to be a member of the congregation.

In 2010, it was the height of the day. I saddled up my bike and set off in the blistering heat towards Knodishall. Back in 2000, the day was ending. I had hoped to head on to find the site of the lost church at Thorpe, and survey the outside, at least, of the 1930s church of St Mary at Thorpeness. But it was not to be, and these would have to wait for another day. The rain was falling steadily, all over Suffolk. I hauled my muddy bike up the muddy path to the almshouses, and set off across the heath, the darkness closing in. On across Coldfair Green, dissolving into the landscape, following Sizewell's mighty pylons to Saxmundham station, and then home.

Simon Knott, July 2010

www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/aldring.html

Designer: Shandong Provincial Office of the Population Census Leading Small Group, Qin Dahu, Jin Qingjin collective work (山东省人口普查领导小组办公室、亲大虎、靳庆金)

1982, March

It is the ultimate duty of every citizen to report truthfully the items of the census

Ru shi shenbao pucha xiangmu shi meige gongmin yingjinde yiwu (如实申报普查项目是每个公民应尽的义务)

Call nr.: PC-1982-002 (Private collection)

More? See: chineseposters.net

This is a book design and execution that I created for Susan Kozel's book Closer published by the MIT press.

It was a class assignment for CO

This is a book design and execution that I created for Susan Kozel's book Closer published by the MIT press.

It was an assignment in a UCLA Design | Media Arts Class. The front portion of the book is comprised of all the text and images, clearly setup into a four row system, which aligns to the four flipbooks at the very back of the book.

This is a book design and execution that I created for Susan Kozel's book Closer published by the MIT press.

It was an assignment in a UCLA Design | Media Arts Class. The front portion of the book is comprised of all the text and images, clearly setup into a four row system, which aligns to the four flipbooks at the very back of the book.

For those interested, this is our rain barrel system. We took video to explain it, haven't gotten around to editing it yet.

We have 7-55 gallon barrels all hooked together. They fill at the same time and drain together. We have one spigot to fill watering cans and a pump with another spigot for use with the hose or sprinkler.

There's an overflow as well, they're all hooked together and overflow into the downspout if they're full. We have a clear tube at the end so we can see how much water we have. The system is also easily expandable if we want to add more barrels, we think we can fit 7-10 more across the back of the garage.

One of the best things about this system is the cost. We only spent about $120 for the entire system (including deck). The deck was built with lumber we removed from the deck on our house, we wanted a smaller sized deck on the house. The barrels are food grade plastic barrels and cost us only $10 each (you want to make sure you don't get barrels that had chemicals in them). We spent about $50 on other materials, posts, PVC (we also had some of that sitting around that we used up).

chiotsrun.com/2008/07/23/precious-water/

This is a re-edit of data acquired over a year or so ago, I stacked the images with nebulosity instead of DSS and I like how it came out although it is still a little noisy, more data would fix that but it is an improvement over the last edit which I did not even upload.

Cécile Brünner, the rose, is just about done for this season. Two days of high winds are forecast and they'll probably finish her off. Maybe then she'll get pruned. There's always something going on with Cécile. She's housed the wren's nest, is part of the cottage's windbreak, and climbs up and over the shade house where, despite the "monster who ate everything" frost, she kept the houseplants safe. While she was at it, three ginkgo seedlings arrived in the mail the other day and are in there too, recovering, getting used to their new home ahead of them heading off into the "wild wood" next year.

I picked the last few buds of Cécile on their skinny little stems. They don't make the best cut flowers. But they are pretty enough for a dressing table or vanity for a day or two; then this…

Fortuitously, this little vase and it's posey are roughly the size of the wren's nest, so I know the formula: 42 turns of the focussing rail, front to back. toddkeith533 favoured the notion of a small aperture for close-up photography over stacking. So, taking his advice to enhance my inherent "efficiency", or laziness, I've stopped down to f/11 and reduced the process to just seven exposures — hybridisation, if you like. While I was at it, I turned off the overhead lighting and swapped out the flash I used on the wren's nest for the less powerful 430 EXII. The results? No exposure compensation numbers were harmed, and computer time was far, far less than for however many photos I used at f/4.

What it all amounts to is a pretty little pink thing to insert among the green doom and gloom of a frozen landscape. Even wilted and drying roses are better than that!

13th April 2010 sees Arriva Kent & Sussex 3704 (S704 VKM) loading for Downswood on route 8.

High Street, Maidstone, Kent.

35mm

This is a beautifully carved Maya stela from the collection of the Tamayo Museum in Oaxaca. The stela is carved in the Usumacinta Basin style, but there is no indication where this piece was found

Shoveling snow is hard labor, especially when the heaps grow so tall that it's hard to throw away new snow. Notice the buried cloth rack, used in the summer for drying clothes.

Photo taken on January 8, 2011, at Eik outside Tønsberg, Norway.

3801 is on the way to Thirlmere, to spend the day running for the RTM on the Hilltop Loop Line. Main South, NSW, 3rd March, 2007.

is in our thoughts on this gray rainy Vancouver day... bingewatching Wallander on Netflix:-)

part of

www.flickr.com/photos/rapidwinder/tags/horizontal/

and

www.flickr.com/photos/rapidwinder/tags/simrishamn/

and

www.flickr.com/photos/rapidwinder/tags/wallander/

and

www.flickr.com/photos/rapidwinder/tags/orange/

This is the chapel of the separatist prison in Lincoln castle. The idea was that prisoner would effectively be in solitary confinement to reflect on their crimes. The boxes mean prisoners cannot see each other, only the preacher played by Dr Ian Whitbread, who I've skillfully chopped off at the top. This picture has 1st year students in it.

Alternative title: The good doctor reveals Leicester's new "late essay" penalty.

Yercaud is a hill station in Salem District, in Tamil Nadu, India. It is located in the Shevaroys range of hills in the Eastern Ghats; the Yercaud hill area is called the Shevaroy Hills. It is situated at an altitude of 1515 metres (4970 ft) above sea level, and the highest point in Yercaud is the Servarayan temple, at 5,326 feet (1,623 m). It is so named owing to the abundance of trees categorised as a forest near the lake, the name signifying Lake Forest. As a popular tourist destination, Yercaud is also called as Jewel of the South.

This is a quick photo made of Melody's upcoming baby quilt she was reviewing on her design wall n late January 2017. Each block was to have sixteen two inch blocks. Melody finds it easier to visualize the final creation if she can see it on her design wall straight on and have the ability to rearrange items as meet her expectations of a final presentation. In this photo, the top row of five blocks have already been pieced. She was still configuring the other blocks and will piece them in between the It's Not Easy Being Green creation she has decided to hand quilt. I shot this using my Canon Powershot SX50.

This is the only place in the world where you are able to walk through the heart of a colony of nesting Mute Swans, spread over a site of some 25 acres. A visit to the Swannery is considered one of the best things to do in Dorset.

The Swannery was established by Benedictine Monks who built a monastery at Abbotsbury during the 1040s. The monks farmed the swans to produce food for their lavish Dorset banquets. St Peter’s monastery was destroyed in 1539, during the dissolution. Some of the ruins are still visible around St Nicolas’ Church in the village. Since that time, the Swannery has been under the stewardship of the Ilchester Estates. abbotsbury-tourism.co.uk/swannery/

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the "Toy Train", is a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal, India. Built between 1879 and 1881, the railway is about 78 kilometres) long. Its elevation level varies from about 100 metres at New Jalpaiguri to about 2,200 metres at Darjeeling. Four modern diesel locomotives handle most of the scheduled services; however the daily Kurseong-Darjeeling return service and the daily tourist trains from Darjeeling to Ghum (India's highest railway station) are handled by the vintage British-built B Class steam locomotives. The railway, along with the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and the Kalka-Shimla Railway, is listed as the Mountain Railways of India World Heritage Site. The headquarters of the railway is in the town of Kurseong. Operations between Siliguri and Kurseong have been temporarily suspended since 2010 following a Landslide at Tindharia.

HISTORY

A broad gauge railway connected Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Siliguri in 1878. Siliguri, at the base of the Himalayas, was connected to Darjeeling by a cart road (the present day Hill Cart Road) on which "Tonga services" (carriage services) were available. Franklin Prestage, an agent of Eastern Bengal Railway Company approached the government with a proposal of laying a steam tramway from Siliguri to Darjeeling. The proposal was accepted in 1879 following the positive report of a committee formed by Sir Ashley Eden, the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal. Construction started the same year.

Gillanders Arbuthnot & Co. constructed the railway. The stretch from Siliguri to Kurseong was opened on 23 August 1880, while the official opening of the line up to Darjeeling was on 4 July 1881. Several engineering adjustments were made later in order to ease the gradient of the rails. Despite natural calamities, such as an earthquake in 1897 and a major cyclone in 1899, the DHR continued to improve with new extension lines being built in response to growing passenger and freight traffic. However, the DHR started to face competition from bus services that started operating over the Hill Cart Road, offering a shorter journey time. During World War II, the DHR played a vital role transporting military personnel and supplies to the numerous camps around Ghum and Darjeeling.

After the independence of India, the DHR was absorbed into Indian Railways and became a part of the Northeast Frontier Railway zone in 1958. In 1962, the line was realigned at Siliguri and extended by nearly 6 km to New Jalpaiguri (NJP) to meet the new broad gauge line there. DHR remained closed for 18 months during the hostile period of Gorkhaland Movement in 1988-89.

The line closed in 2011 due to a 6.8 Magnitude earthquake. The line is currently loss-making and in 2015, Rajah Banerjee, a local tea estate owner, has called for privatisation to encourage investment, which was fiercely resisted by unions.

WORLD HERITAGE SITE

DHR was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1999, only the second railway to have this honour bestowed upon it, the first one being Semmering Railway of Austria in 1998. To be nominated as World Heritage site on the World Heritage List, the particular site or property needs to fulfill a certain set of criteria, which are expressed in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention and its corresponding Operational Guidelines. The site must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one out of ten selection criteria. The protection, management, authenticity and integrity of properties are also important considerations.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION

The DHR is justified by the following criteria:

Criterion ii The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is an outstanding example of the influence of an innovative transportation system on the social and economic development of a multi-cultural region, which was to serve as a model for similar developments in many parts of the world.

Criterion iv The development of railways in the 19th century had a profound influence on social and economic developments in many parts of the world. This process is illustrated in an exceptional and seminal fashion by the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.

AUTHENTICITY AND INTEGITY

Since 1881, the original route has been retained in a remarkable condition. Only minimal interventions of an evolutionary nature, such as the reduction of loops, have been carried out. Most of the original steam locomotives are still in use. Like Tea and the Ghurka culture, the DHR has become not only an essential feature of the landscape but also an enduring part of the identity of Darjeeling.

MANAGEMENT AND LEGAL STATUS

The DHR and all its movable and immovable assets, including the authentic railway stations, the line, and the track vehicles, belong to the Government of India entrusted to the Ministry of Railways. The Northeast Frontier Railway documented all the elements of the DHR in a comprehensive register. Apart from that, it handles the day-to-day maintenance and management. But moreover, several programs, divisions and departments of the Indian Railways are responsible for operating, maintaining and repairing the DHR. This includes technical as well as non-technical work. In principle, the only two legal protection mechanisms that apply to the conservation of the DHR are the provisions of the 1989 Railway Act and that it is a public property which is state-owned and therefore protected

THE ROUTE

The railway line basically follows the Hill Cart Road which is partially the same as National Highway 55. Usually, the track is simply on the road side. In case of landslides both track and road might be affected. As long parts of the road are flanked with buildings, the railway line often rather resembles urban tramway tracks than an overland line.

To warn residents and car drivers about the approaching train, engines are equipped with very loud horns that even drown horns of Indian trucks and buses. Trains honk almost without pause.

LOOPS AND Z-REVERSE

One of the main difficulties faced by the DHR was the steepness of the climb. Features called loops and Z-Reverses were designed as an integral part of the system at different points along the route to achieve a comfortable gradient for the stretches in between them. When the train moves forwards, reverses and then moves forward again, climbing a slope each time while doing so, it gains height along the side of the hill.

LOCOMOTIVES

CURRENT

STEAM

All the steam locomotives currently in use on the railway are of the "B" Class, a design built by Sharp, Stewart and Company and later the North British Locomotive Company, between 1889 and 1925. A total of 34 were built, but by 2005 only 12 remained on the railway and in use (or under repair).

In 2002, No. 787 was rebuilt with oil firing. This was originally installed to work on the same principle as that used on Nilgiri Mountain Railway No.37395. A diesel-powered generator was fitted to operate the oil burner and an electrically-driven feed pump, and a diesel-powered compressor was fitted to power the braking system. Additionally, the locomotive was fitted with a feedwater heater. The overall result was a dramatic change in the appearance of the locomotive. However, the trials of the locomotive were disappointing and it never entered regular service. In early 2011, it was in Tindharia Works awaiting reconversion to coal-firing.

In March 2001, No.794 was transferred to the Matheran Hill Railway to allow a "Joy Train" (steam-hauled tourist train) to be operated on that railway. It did not, however, enter service there until May 2002.

DIESEL

Four diesel locomotives are in use: Nos. 601-2, 604 and 605 of the NDM6 class transferred from the Matheran Hill Railway.

Past

In 1910 the railway purchased the third Garratt locomotive built, a D Class 0-4-0+0-4-0.

Only one DHR steam locomotive has been taken out of India, No.778 (originally No.19). After many years out of use at the Hesston Steam Railway, it was sold to an enthusiast in the UK and restored to working order. It is now based on a private railway (The Beeches Light Railway) in Oxfordshire but has run on the Ffestiniog Railway, the Launceston Steam Railway and the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway.

IN POPULAR CULTURE

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway has long been viewed with affection and enthusiasm by travellers to the region and the Earl of Ronaldshay gave the following description of a journey in the early 1920s:

"Siliguri is palpably a place of meeting... The discovery that here the metre gauge system ends and the two foot gauge of the Darjeeling-Himalayan railway begins, confirms what all these things hint at... One steps into a railway carriage which might easily be mistaken for a toy, and the whimsical idea seizes hold of one that one has accidentally stumbled into Lilliput. With a noisy fuss out of all proportion to its size the engine gives a jerk - and starts... No special mechanical device such as a rack is employed - unless, indeed, one can so describe the squat and stolid hill-man who sits perched over the forward buffers of the engine and scatters sand on the rails when the wheels of the engine lose their grip of the metals and race, with the noise of a giant spring running down when the control has been removed. Sometimes we cross our own track after completing the circuit of a cone, at others we zigzag backwards and forwards; but always we climb at a steady gradient - so steady that if one embarks in a trolley at Ghum, the highest point on the line, the initial push supplies all the energy necessary to carry one to the bottom."

The trip up to Darjeeling on railway has changed little since that time, and continues to delight travellers and rail enthusiasts, so much so that it has its own preservation and support group, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society.

Several films have portrayed the railway. Especially popular was the song Mere sapno ki rani from the film Aradhana where the protagonist Rajesh Khanna tries to woo heroine Sharmila Tagore who was riding in the train. Other notable films include Barfi!, Parineeta and Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman. The Darjeeling Limited, a film directed by Wes Anderson, features a trip by three brothers on a fictional long-distance train based loosely on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.

TELEVISION

The BBC made a series of three documentaries dealing with Indian Hill Railways, shown in February 2010. The first film covers the Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway, the second the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and the third the Kalka-Shimla Railway. The films were directed by Tarun Bhartiya, Hugo Smith and Nick Mattingly and produced by Gerry Troyna. The series won the UK Royal Television Society Award in June 2010. Wes Anderson's film The Darjeeling Limited also showcases three brothers riding the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.

WIKIPEDIA

Durga Puja, also referred to as Durgotsava or Sharadotsav is an annual Hindu festival in South Asia that celebrates worship of the Hindu goddess Durga. It refers to all the six days observed as Mahalaya, Shashthi, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Navami and Vijayadashami. The dates of Durga Puja celebrations are set according to the traditional Hindu calendar and the fortnight corresponding to the festival is called Devi Paksha, (‘Fortnight of the Goddess’). Devi Paksha is preceded by Mahalaya, the last day of the previous fortnight Pitri Paksha, (‘Fortnight of the Forefathers’), and is ended on Kojagori Lokkhi Puja (‘Worship of Goddess Lakshmi on Kojagori Full Moon Night’).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durga_Puja

Taken by Soma Adhicary.

The S206 is the top of the line, final edition * model of the 3rd generation of Subaru Imprezas.

Also based on the WRX STI, the S206 include a hand built engine with balanced internals, an upgraded, race-tuned suspension, and additional interior luxury trim.

According to the manufacturer, all S-series Subaru models' benchmark include BMW M cars, Mercedes AMGs, and Audi RSs.

In this photo is Ebbro's take on a miniature replica of the said car, finely crafted in 1:43 scale and comes in Subaru's signature World Rally Blue finish.

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(*) except for the S206 equipped with an NBR Challenge Package

Partial ice cover on Lower Galatea Lake at the beginning of July. Elevation: 2200 meter / 7200 feet.

This is a wonderfully chaotic forecourt scene, so much being packed in on the site it was at first hard to tell if the forecourt was even open! On one side of the forecourt is currently Stillmans of Sevenoaks selling second hand cars and on the other side is Sevenoaks Van Sales - not sure if they are connected but probably not. Looking at earlier Streetview shots Stillmans was previously ADG Sevenoaks and the Van Centre was back then a hand car wash site with Alba Transport Services behind. In addition Google Maps has further businesses all listed at this address, Hildenborough MOT Test Centre, PJ Motors and Motobox UK, a Motorcycle business. Perhaps strangest of all is the listing of an antiques business within the petrol station shop! In addition there is a Londis shop on site so no wonder the scene is so chaotic with all this going on.

As expected this was previously a Texaco site, we can see the date of transition as the June 2016 image on Streetview shows the shopfront still bearing the Texaco red but the rest of the forecourt changed to the colours of Harvest.

www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.2202114,0.2329372,3a,75y,183.13...

All Saints, Hilgay, Norfolk

Hilgay is one of those large, independent south-west Norfolk fen villages that feel as if they really ought to be in Cambridgeshire. The church is set away from the village centre, and you'd be unlikely to find it without a map if it wasn't for the handily named Church Street. All Saints is set about a hundred metres back from the road, and the avenue of limes that lead up to it are undoubtedly the longest in East Anglia. A local once told me it was the longest lime avenue in the world, which may also be true, although I don't suppose there are hundreds of lime avenues in Africa, Latin America and South-East Asia queuing up to compete with it.

The church appears long and apparently low, although this is in fact an illusion caused by the squatness of the tower. It appears very un-East Anglian, the nave and chancel in layered carstone and the tower in white brick. The carstone of the south aisle is not layered but ragged, and this creates a very primitive, rugged effect, like a marbled gingerbread cake. The ramshackle appearance of the tower contributes a bit as well

The large gravestone with an anchor, cross and heart on this side of the graveyard is striking, and you might think at first it is the memorial to Hilgay's most famous son, Captain Thomas Manby. Manby was the inventor of the Manby cradle, a device for rescuing sailors from stranded ships at sea (I hope you're taking notes, there will be a test at the end) but in fact it isn't. His memorial is inside the church. When I came here in 2005, this large memorial, which actually depicts the Christian virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity, still had a heart-shaped lead-plate with the name and details of the grave's inhabitant, but it won't surprise you to learn that this has long since been stripped away. The best memorial on this side of the church is a deeply cut relief of a windmill, the workers busy unloading sacks of grain.

George Street undertook the considerable restoration of All Saints in the 1860s, although the tower predates this by about seventy years, replacing one which collapsed in the 1790s. The interior is wide and open, and at first appears almost entirely 19th century. The aisle is as wide as the nave, and the aisle chapel altar is as grand and dressed as the main altar. It feels a little like two churches side by side. Just inside the door is a very rare beast, a glass-walled funeral bier. The font is a grand Victorian marble job, and matches the not quite so successful pulpit. They do seem a little out of place here, a reminder that Street's urban, sophisiticated style is sometimes a little uncomfortable in East Anglia.

There is a good set of 15th century benches with animals on some of the ends, including a rather disturbing anthropomorphic creature that I suppose must be something from a bestiary. From a century or so later comes the memorial to Henry and Ursula Hawe in the south aisle chapel.

All Saints is at first sight not the most exciting of churches, but it is full of little details and has a lovely harmonious feel, from the stations of the cross to the good late 19th century glass by Ward and Hughes, from the screen brought from the redundant St Mary Beswick in Manchester to the jaunty little gallery shoehorned under the tower which Pevsner, unaccountably, thought dull.

Captain Danby's memorial is in the south aisle chapel, and records that his is a name to be remembered as long as there is a stranded ship. Poignantly, the memorial also remembers four of his eight brothers and sisters who died in infancy. It is a fairly typical sentimental memorial of the mid-19th century, but has a striking addition that you only notice after a moment. In another hand along the bottom, someone has inscribed carefully The public should have paid this tribute. How curious! There must be a story there somewhere.

This church has a long-standing Anglo-catholic tradition, and as part of that it used to be open every day. I am afraid that this is no longer the case, and there is not even a keyholder notice now.

This is photo frame #789 ("Plain") found at the "Classical - Plain" section of the Photo Frame Show Gallery.

Use this photoframe and enrich your Flickr photos in just a few clicks, through the Photo Frame Show software (http://www.frameshow.com).

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PhotoFrameShow: Add stylish and fun frames to your digital photos, blend them with your desktop and enhance your online albums, web pages, mobile wallpapers, projects and more.

Updated 2026

This image is from my collection and was uploaded as part of an archive I created in 2017. The purpose of this archive is to make the photos easier to access, and to share with fellow collectors and photographers.

Please be aware that many of these images were scanned as early as twenty-five years ago. There can be blanks in the description & credit lines, however I always try to complete as much detail as possible. Generally speaking, items that are lacking in detail means I do not have the original, just the scan itself. I encourage you to fill in any of the blanks (via the comment field), including the credit if you know.

All images have been collected over the past 40+ years of shooting Kodachrome and digital images, slide purchases and many years of exchanging. I was fortunate enough to trade with some of the best airliner photographers around the world.

REGISTRATION : N1628M

MFR TYPE & SERIES : Curtiss C-46D-10-DU

MSN : 33060

OPERATOR : Regina Cargo

AIRPORT (WHEN KNOWN) :

DATE (WHEN KNOWN) :

PHOTOGRAPHER (WHEN KNOWN) : Not known.

REMARKS:>

In February 2017, 15898 WA13 GEU (Coco Amelia) is seen operating a 21 service from Ilfracombe towards Bideford

The most notable landmark is the village temple, known as Pura Puseh, an ancient structure dated to the 11th century, embellished with intricate stone carvings.[17] It is located in the northern part of the village, 200 metres (660 ft) off the main road.[22] The temple also has an inscription that testifies to the date of founding of Batuan in 1022 AD.[23] The temple underwent restoration in 1992. It is a five-tiered gateway tower, clearly influenced by Indian religious architecture. Its icons and decorations, however, are typically Balinese in style. Notable depictions include a Bhoma head overlooking the main gateway, the god Wisnu astride a bull, great elephants on the central stairway balustrade, and Siwa standing amongst skulls.[22] The roof of the temple is made of the fibre of chromatic black palm tree. The maintenance of the temple is done by the residents of the village. The temple is situated on the main road from Denpasar to Ubud.[23]

Wooden model of a split gate.

The entry gate to the temple appears as a split gate as if it was formed once as one gate that was split into two parts. This gate leads into a courtyard which has a garden and a galaxy of statues fixed at various locations. From the courtyard, there is another gateway spanned by an intricately carved arch with bass relief on the inset and intertwined with vines and a closed door. The entry to the sanctum is again through two gates. The sanctum is where the gods are enthroned during festival time through a special invitation to “come down into this world.” The gods invited during the festivals are venerated with deep devotion and offerings. A sign post at the temple says:[24]

Pr Puse Pr Desa

Des Adat Basua

Saka 944

The first line makes mention of two temples – The Pura Puse and the Pura Desa – the second line defines the organization responsible for the temple and the last line 'saka 944' is in Indic and is equivalent to 1022 CE[24]

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Views of the spire of the ruined church of St Andrew off Deansway in Worcester

This is above a college in Worcester.

This is all that is left of the medieval church of St Andrew in Worcester. It was demolished in 1949 after decline, disuse and decay. All that remains is this 15th century tower with its vaulted ceiling and fine series of 32 carved stone bosses.

The spire was created by local mason Nathaniel Wilkinson. It went up in the 1750s, to replace the smaller, wooden one destroyed by lightning in c.1730.

It is a Grade II* listed building.

Also known as: St Andrew's Tower COPENHAGEN STREET. Also known as: St Andrew's Church Tower ST ANDREW'S GARDENS. Church tower. C15 with spire rebuilt in 1751 by Nathaniel Wilkinson, a journey-man of Worcester. Limestone ashlar. 3-stage Perpendicular tower with slim, recessed, octagonal Gothick spire. Chamfered plinth. Diagonal off-set buttresses to first and second stages, those to first stage have engaged columnettes, with clasping pilasters to third stage. Pointed arches to east, north and south with Perpendicular moulding. 5-light pointed west window. First-stage band. To second stage a 2-light pointed window with Perpendicular tracery to head; second stage band. Third stage has 2-light pointed belfry window. Spire has one level of 2-light, then single light lucarnes. Surmounted by Corinthian capital. INTERIOR: lierne-vault over lower stage, to the east the springers of the first bay of the arcades. To south-west angle a plank door in ogeed surround. HISTORICAL NOTE: the medieval, probably C12 church was demolished after war damage. It now stands in a public garden, opened 1953 to commemorate the coronation of Elizabeth II. The original top of the spire stands in the same garden. The spire is locally known as "The Glover's Needle" due to its shape and to Worcester's association with the glove-making industry. A significant streetscape feature, forming an important landmark. It forms part of the visual context for Worcester Cathedral (qv) from the River Severn, together with Worcester Bridge, Bridge Street (qv), Gascoyne House, Brown's Restaurant and Bond House, South Quay (qqv) and grouping with Merchant's House, Quay Street (qv). NMR photographs. (The Buildings of England: Pevsner: N: Worcestershire: Harmondsworth: 1968-1985: 317-8).

Spire of Saint Andrew's Church, Worcester - Heritage Gateway

Glover's Needle

The Glover's Needle (or St Andrews Spire) is a spire-carrying tower in the city of Worcester, England.

The tower is a prominent landmark of the city, from road, rail, or the River Severn, and can be seen for miles around. It is located in St Andrews Gardens close to Worcester College of Technology. The spire used to crown the church of St Andrew but this was demolished in the late 1940s. The Glover's Needle is seated on Deansway Road, Worcester Cathedral being very close to the south and All Saints Church to the north. On the western side of the spire the pedestrian can descend into gardens that lead onto the River Severn. Across the road from the Glover's Needle is a "House of Fraser" shop which stands on the site of the old graveyard of St Andrews. At night the spire is illuminated (but not the tower below) and a blue glow is projected from inside one of the windows. The blue represents St Andrew, the colour of the Scottish flag. The blue glow and night lighting were paid for by the Rotary Club of Worcester Severn, to commemorate the millennium in 2000.

In the 15th century, Saxons built a church (called St. Andrews Church) with a tall spire but this was destroyed in a great storm of 1733. Shortly after this disaster, the spire was rebuilt. It was constructed by using the ingenious method of kite flying to carry up the stones. Worcester people took the new masterpiece to their hearts and named it the 'Glover's Needle'. This name came from the industrial glove making that was executed in Worcester. The entire structure measures approximately 245 feet. It is the tallest spire in the country to have such a narrow angle of taper. In the 1920s the slum housing which crowded round the church was demolished. The congregation of the church was thus reduced by a large degree. The church fell into decay, had an overgrown churchyard, few parishioners and a tiny parish of five acres. In the 1940s, the council accepted the Bishop of Worcester's offer of the church. They decided to demolish the church and create a garden of remembrance to replace it. However the council decided to leave the tower and spire, freestanding. Thus St Andrew's church was demolished in 1949.

As a millennium project, a clock was installed in the tower and now the hours are struck on the council bell. A recently reinstated custom is to have the council bell strike from 18:45 to 18:50 before a full meeting of the council. In the early 2000s a fence was put around the base of the spire. A few years ago, the RSPB has taken the Glover's Needle into their own hands and the actual spire is now used for special birds of prey for roosting. Live web cams have been installed in the tower.

The Glover's Needle formerly housed a set of five bells.[citation needed] These were hung full circle for proper English style change ringing. In 1870, four of the bells were sold but the tenor (heaviest bell) was retained in the old bell frame. This bell weighs 20 CWT — 1 ton. This is the so-called council bell mentioned above. It is unlikely that the Glover's Needle could sustain a ring of bells today as there is no church to buttress the swaying tower.

Case que perdido no medio das montañas do Courel, sen apenas máis ca un puñado de pedras que sexan testemuña de que estivo alí, os restos do castelo de Carbedo teñen ese atractivo que, sen embargo, outros lugares mellor conservados non conseguen.

Iso incluso cun día ben por enriba dos trinta graos e a pesares de ter un poste de media tensión a medio camiño, evidentemente borrado.

Posiblemente teña máis atractivo en inverno con neve, tal como teño visto noutras fotos, pero polo no momento de sacar esta foto era o verán o que se achegaba.

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Almost lost in the mountains of the Courel, with hardly anything else than a fistful of stones that witness what was there, the remains of the castle of Carbedo have that appeal that, however, other places don't have even when they are better preserved.

That's even in a day over thirty degrees and despite having a lightpole (or so) in the middle, which has been conveniently removed.

It's probably more appealing in winter with snow and all, as I've seen in other pictures, but at least in the moment of taking this picture it was summer coming.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush and his top aides publicly made 935 false statements about the security risk posed by Iraq in the two years following September 11, 2001, according to a study released Tuesday by two nonprofit journalism groups.

"In short, the Bush administration led the nation to war on the basis of erroneous information that it methodically propagated and that culminated in military action against Iraq on March 19, 2003," reads an overview of the examination, conducted by the Center for Public Integrity and its affiliated group, the Fund for Independence in Journalism.

According to the study, Bush and seven top officials -- including Vice President Dick Cheney, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and then-National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice -- made 935 false statements about Iraq during those two years.

The study was based on a searchable database compiled of primary sources, such as official government transcripts and speeches, and secondary sources -- mainly quotes from major media organizations. See CNN viewers' reactions to the study »

The study says Bush made 232 false statements about Iraq and former leader Saddam Hussein's possessing weapons of mass destruction, and 28 false statements about Iraq's links to al Qaeda.

Bush has consistently asserted that at the time he and other officials made the statements, the intelligence community of the U.S. and several other nations, including Britain, believed Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

He has repeatedly said that despite the intelligence flaws, removing Hussein from power was the right thing to do.

Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Press Secretary Ari Fleischer each made 109 false statements, it says. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz made 85, Rice made 56, Cheney made 48 and Scott McLellan, also a press secretary, made 14, the study says.

"It is now beyond dispute that Iraq did not possess any weapons of mass destruction or have meaningful ties to al Qaeda," the report reads, citing multiple government reports, including those by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the 9/11 Commission and the multinational Iraq Survey Group, which reported that Hussein had suspended Iraq's nuclear program in 1991 and made little effort to revive it.

The overview of the study also calls the media to task, saying most media outlets didn't do enough to investigate the claims.

"Some journalists -- indeed, even some entire news organizations -- have since acknowledged that their coverage during those prewar months was far too deferential and uncritical," the report reads. "These mea culpas notwithstanding, much of the wall-to-wall media coverage provided additional, 'independent' validation of the Bush administration's false statements about Iraq."

The quotes in the study include an August 26, 2002, statement by Cheney to the national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

"Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction," Cheney said. "There is no doubt he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us."

www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/23/bush.iraq/index.html

This is a total of nine hours' worth of data gathered on three separate nights between 9 and 14 October 2015. It incorporates the data from my previous posting except for some OIII subframes that proved to be slightly out of focus and have now been removed. I've used a Hubble style palette.

Hydrogen Alpha = 28x6minutes

Oxygen III = 35x6minutes

Sulphur II = 27x6minutes

Peter

Equipment used: Atik 460EX mono CCD, 0.75 reducer, narrowband filters, 130mm triplet APO, EQ8 mount, autoguided with 60mm F13.5 scope and a Lodestar CCD

5Pointz Aerosol Art Center, Inc. is an outdoor art exhibit space in Long Island City, New York, considered to be the world’s premiere “graffiti Mecca,” where aerosol artists from around the globe paint colorful pieces on the walls of a 200,000-square-foot factory building.

The name 5Pointz signifies the five boroughs coming together as one but, because of its reputation as an epicenter of the graffiti scene, the industrial complex has actually united aerosol artists from across the world. Legendary writers from Canada, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Japan, Brazil, and all over the United States have painted on the building walls, including Stay High 149, Tracy 168, Cope2, Part, and Tats Cru.

Over the past decade, the striking, graffiti-covered warehouse has attracted several hip-hop and R&B stars, including Doug E. Fresh, Kurtis Blow, Grandmaster Kaz, Mobb Deep, Rahzel, DJ JS-1, Boot Camp Clik, Joan Jett, and Joss Stone.

On any given day, 5Pointz visitors can expect to find prominent artists, musicians, deejays, Emcees (rappers), and B-boys (break dancers) on site, in addition to filmmakers, photographers, and entire tour buses full of admirers soaking in the more than 350 Technicolor murals.

The gallery curator is graffiti veteran Jonathan Cohen, best known by his signature tag, “Meres One.” His goal is to convert the five-story, block-long industrial complex at Jackson Avenue and Davis Street, formerly the Phun Phactory, into a graffiti art museum.

Mission Statement

5Pointz gallery curator, Meres, plans to convert the five-story, block-long industrial complex at Jackson Avenue and Davis Street into a graffiti museum. He is currently seeking a 501(c)3 certification for 5Pointz to confer tax-exempt status and allow tax-deductible donations.

In addition, he plans to open a school for aspiring aerosol artists, complete with a formalized curriculum that imparts lessons in teamwork, art history, and entrepreneurship in addition to technique.

Curator

The founder of 5Pointz Aerosol Art Center, Inc. and curator of its outdoor gallery is graffiti veteran Jonathan Cohen, best known by his signature tag, “Meres One.” The Flushing native adopted his tag in his teenage years after determining that M, R, and E were his best calligraphic letters.

Meres took an interest in graffiti at the young age of 13 after seeing an aerosol-based painted Smurf on a wall and flipping through a few graffiti books, and started the The Deadly4Mula (TD4) crew five years later. By the mid-‘90s, Meres had studied art at the Fashion Institute of Technology, sold a few paintings, and was transitioning his craft from tagging and throw-ups to piecing. He produced hundreds of aerosol art murals throughout all five New York boroughs, along the East Coast, and even in Holland.

In 2001, Meres reopened the Phun Phactory in Long Island City, New York, which had been closed for about a year and nearly destroyed by vandals and, over the next five years, transformed the industrial, 5-story, block-long complex into an outdoor art exhibit space he called 5Pointz: “The Institute of Higher Burnin’.”

By Joy Liao

Thai cooking is by far, one of my favorites. I love that it utilizes simple, fresh ingredients to create bold, aromatic flavors. While Thai fare is famous for lots of spice and heat, it's also celebrated for balanced flavors with components of sweet, sour and savory.

Aside from the popularized Pad Thai noodles and Thai curries, there is a slew of amazing dishes like Larb. Admittedly, the first time I ordered this dish, it was simply because I found the name interesting. To my dismay, a few of my dinner companions thought the name rather off-putting. Little did we know, Larb, really pronounced 'Laab,' would become one of the best discoveries we'd ever make.

The highlight of the salad is the minced chicken or pork, served with fresh herbs. The flavors are perfectly balanced with the sweetness from the sugar, a little tartness from the lime juice and heat from the chilies.

If you're looking for more heat and extra kick, replace the dried chilies with fresh Thai Bird Chilies.

Top off the salad with sprigs of fresh mint and a sprinkling of toasted rice for a nutty crunch. The salad is perfect on its own and is also great served with rice for a simple and delicious weeknight meal.

To get the recipe and shopping list on your smartphone (iPhone, BlackBerry, Android device) or PC, click here.

Larb Gai (Thai Chicken Salad)

Serves 2

1 teaspoon uncooked rice, toasted

1 tablespoon oil

1 medium shallot, finely chopped

2 dried chilis finely chopped with seeds (or 1 teaspoon chili flakes or 1 Thai Bird Chili seeded and minced)

¾ pound ground chicken

1-1/4 teaspoons fish sauce

¾ teaspoon white granulated sugar

1 lime, quartered

2 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro

¼ small red onion, thinly sliced (about ¼ cup)

2 small red cabbage leaves

2 mint sprigs, for garnish

Sliced cucumber, for garnish (optional)

Place uncooked rice in a dry pan over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes, shaking the pan back and forth to toast the rice evenly. Once the rice is no longer translucent and turns a light golden brown, transfer to a bowl.

In a medium pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add in the shallot and dried chilies and stir for 10 seconds.

Increase heat to medium-high, add the chicken and stir-fry until it is no longer pink. Add the fish sauce and sugar and stir to combine. Squeeze 2 of the quartered limes into the pan and turn off the heat. Stir in cilantro and onion.

To serve, spoon the cooked meat into 2 cabbage leaves, dividing equally, and sprinkle the toasted rice on top. Garnish each serving with mint, a wedge of lime and sliced cucumber, if desired.

While other three-year-old girls played with their Barbie dolls, Joy Liao made herself an imaginary kitchen. She'd pretend to be the butcher at the market, taking a plastic knife to her stuffed animals. (She wasn’t a troubled child, promise!) Having an insatiable appetite for all things delicious, Joy grew up in the kitchen learning about cooking from her mother. After college, she pursued an editorial/media career, and more recently, rediscovered her passion for food in the kitchens of Michelin-starred restaurants in San Francisco.

Special Fork is a recipe website for your smartphone and PC that solves the daily dinnertime dilemma: what to cook now! Our bloggers blog Monday through Friday to give you cooking inspiration. Check out our recipe database for quick ideas that take no more than 30 minutes of prep time. Join the conversation on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

I found this flower which is called hotoke no za in Japanese (literally, Buddha's seat) while I was walking today It is called 'Buddha's seat' because leaves which tuck the flowers under them are said to look like the seat where Buddha sat. The orange stamen may be seen (Best viewed in large).

Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan. The city was founded in 1833 on the west bank of the Maumee River, originally incorporated as part of Monroe County, Michigan Territory, then re-founded in 1837, after conclusion of the Toledo War, when it was incorporated in Ohio. Toledo grew quickly as a result of the Miami and Erie Canal and its position on the railway line between New York and Chicago. It has since become a city well known for its industry, particularly in glass and auto assembly, as well as for its art community, education, and local sports teams. The population of Toledo as of the 2010 Census was 287,208, while the Toledo metropolitan area had a population of 651,409.

Toledo is known as the Glass City because of its long history of innovation in all aspects of the glass industry: windows, bottles, windshields, construction materials, and glass art, which the Toledo Museum of Art has a large collection. Several large glass companies have their origins here. Owens-Illinois, Owens Corning, Libbey Glass, Pilkington North America (formerly Libbey Owens Ford), and Therma-Tru have long been a staple of Toledo's economy. Several large, Fortune 500 automotive related companies had their headquarters in Toledo. Electric AutoLite, Sheller-Globe Corporation, Champion Spark Plug, Questor, and Dana Corporation are examples of large auto parts companies that began in Toledo. Faurecia Exhaust Systems, which is a $2 billion subsidiary to France's Faurecia SA, is located in Toledo. Only Dana Corporation is still in existence as an independent entity. Toledo is home of Jeep headquarters and has 2 production facilities, one in the city and one in suburban Perrysburg.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toledo,_Ohio

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_Creative_Commons_...

This is my second time to attend the annual Web Summit in the RDS [Dublin] and I really enjoyed myself.

Other than myself the most high-profile attendee was Elon Musk, who founded PayPal, electric car maker Tesla and space exploration company SpaceX. The IDA announced the creation of 335 new jobs in Ireland by nine US and European technology companies. Enda Kenny [PM of Ireland] and the NASDAQ’s executive vice president Bruce Aust opened the NASDAQ stock market live on stage at the summit.

The Web Summit, formerly Dublin Web Summit, is a technology conference held in the RDS [Dublin] since 2010.

The event is currently Europe's biggest tech conference. The topic of the conference was centred on the Internet and related technologies. The audience is always a mix of CEOs and founders of tech start-ups together with developers, designers and CTOs from established companies.

Attendance at the two day conference has grown from 500 in 2010 to more than 10,000 this year.

St Fittick's is the ruins of a church and cemetery located in Torry a short way from the Aberdeen Harbour Extension Project taking place at Nigg Bay, I have visited it before though never archived any of my photo's of the ruins here on Flickr.

I visited the site on Saturday 26th May 2018, the sun was shining and the grounds had just been serviced hence a perfect opportunity to take some shots and create an album dedicated to this historic place.

I have gathered as much information as I can from the internet for your perusal on the history of St Fitticks.

St Fitticks

The ruin of St Fittick's Church stands in an unexpected location, in a field just off the minor road linking Nigg Bay with the south shore of Aberdeen Harbour, and running along the eastern side of the settlement of Torry. It is possible to pull off the road onto a verge obviously frequently used for parking up lorries using the docks in Aberdeen, and a gate gives access to the field.

St Fittick's is surrounded by its churchyard, which in turn is surrounded by a substantial stone wall (except on the south side where there is a fence). Access to the churchyard is via a gate in its north west corner. From here you can look across fields to the edge of Torry, and wonder how different this landscape must have looked when, according to legend, a religious foundation was established here by St Fittick in the mid 600s.

The story is that St Fittick was an Irish monk who was thrown overboard by superstitious sailors when a storm blew up off the coast here. He came ashore at Nigg Bay and established his church to give thanks for his salvation. There's an alternative view that "St Fittick" is actually the result of a confusion between the stories of two other saints, St Fiacre and St Fotin: but we are unlikely ever to know for sure.

Legend became history in the late 1100s (1199 according to some sources), when a chapel was built on the site still occupied by the ruin today, under the auspices of Arbroath Abbey. This chapel was consecrated by the Bishop of St Andrews, Bishop David de Bernham, in 1242, and seems to have gone on to serve the local community until, and for over a century after, the Reformation.

Much of the structure whose remains you can see today seems to date back to the late 1600s and early 1700s, and the bellcote carries the date of 1704. It is thought likely that some masonry from the building erected in the late 1100s may still exist within the later walls, but again it is difficult to know for sure. By the late 1700s, the church would have formed part of a group of buildings with a manse to the east, and outbuildings. The only other structure on the site today is the shell of a watchhouse in the north east corner of the churchyard, built here, probably in the early 1800s, as protection against bodysnatchers. They were a real threat until the passing of the 1832 Anatomy Act which allowed a legitimate supply of cadavers for medical education and research.

By 1832 the church was already disused, however. The growth of Torry at the beginning of the 1800s meant that a larger and more conveniently located church was needed, and St Fittick's was replaced by Nigg Kirk in 1829. Other churches followed as the population continued to grow, and the name of St Fittick was brought back into use with the building of Torry St Fittick's Church in 1898.

For today's visitor, St Fittick's Church is a fascinating, if not perhaps very attractive, place. The four standing walls have been "consolidated" to the point where the main material on show is concrete (with the exception of the inner face of the east wall. Rather more original are some of the fine collection of early gravestones in the churchyard, with a number dating back to the 1700s and 1600s. Especially interesting are those carrying "mememto mori" or symbols reminding viewers of the inevitability of death.

Torry, lying on the south bank of the River Dee, was once a Royal Burgh in its own right, having been erected a burgh of barony in 1495.

It was incorporated into Aberdeen in 1891, after the construction of the Victoria Bridge, itself made possible by the 1871 channelling of the River Dee which had previously followed an unstable course to the sea. The channelling also enabled further expansion of the harbour.

Torry is connected to the north bank of the Dee and the centre of Aberdeen by three bridges. Leading most directly to the centre of Torry, the Victoria Bridge was completed in 1887, following a ferry disaster in 1876 which claimed the lives of 32 people returning from a visit to the Bay of Nigg.

The bridge also has facilities for carrying water and gas services across the river. To the west of the Victoria Bridge lie the Queen Elizabeth Bridge of 1983, and the narrow Wellington Suspension Bridge.

The suspension bridge was designed by Captain Samuel Brown and opened in 1831, replacing the Craiglug ferry. Refurbished in 1930, the Category A listed building was closed to vehicular traffic in 1984 and to pedestrians in March 2002. Aberdeen City Council engineers have strengthened the bridge, and have reopened it as a public footbridge.

The nonfiction section of the library is divided by subject and is cataloged using the Dewey Decimal System.

000 GENERALITIES

000 Computers, Loch Ness, Bigfoot, UFOs, Aliens

020 Libraries

030 Encyclopedias & World Record Books

060 Museums

070 Newspapers

100 PHILOSOPHY

130 Ghosts, Witches & the Supernatural

150 Optical Illusions, Feelings

170 Emotions, Values, Animal Rights

200 RELIGION

220 Bible Stories

290 Mythology, World Religions

300 SOCIAL SCIENCES

300 Social Issues - immigration, racism, World Cultures

310 Almanacs

320 Government

330 Money, Working

340 Court System, Famous Trials

350 Armed Forces – Army, Navy, Air Force, etc.

360 Drugs, Environmental Issues, Titanic, Police, Firefighters

370 Schools

380 Transportation,

390 Holidays, Folktales, Fairy Tales

400 LANGUAGES

410 Sign Language

420 Dictionaries, Grammar

430 German Language

440 French Language

450 Italian Language

460 Spanish Language

490 Hieroglyphics, Japanese Language

500 SCIENCE AND MATH

500 Science Experiments, Science Sets,

510 Mathematics

520 Stars, planets, astronomy, space

530 Physical Science - force & motion, electricity,

magnetism, light

540 Chemistry, Atoms & Molecules, Rocks and Minerals

550 Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Weather, Hurricanes, Tornadoes

560 Dinosaurs, Prehistoric Animals, Fossils

570 Forests, Rain Forests, Deserts, Mountains, Oceans, Evolution

580 Plants, Flowers & Trees

590 Animals & Insects

592 Worms, Invertebrates

593 Corals, Sea Invertebrates

594 Seashells, Snails, Octopus

595 Insects, Spiders

597 Fish, Frogs, Toads, Reptiles, Amphibians, Snakes

598 Birds

599 Mammals of the Land and Ocean, Whales

600 PEOPLE USING SCIENCE and TECHNOLOGY

600 Inventions

610 Human body, Health

620 Rockets, Trains, Cars, Trucks

630 Farming, Farm Animals, Cats, Dogs, Pets, Horses

640 Cookbooks, Sewing

650 Secret Codes

660 How Food is made

670 Paper Making

680 Woodworking

690 Building

700 ARTS and RECREATION

710 Art Appreciation, History of Art

720 Houses, Buildings

730 Origami, Paper Crafts

740 Drawing, Crafts,

750 Painting

760 Printing

770 Photography

780 Music

790 Sports, Games, Magic, I Spy, Camping, Fishing, Racing, Hunting

800 LITERATURE

810 Poetry, Plays, Jokes & Riddles

820 Shakespeare

860 Poetry in Spanish

890 Japanese Poetry, Haiku

900 GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

910 Explorers, Atlases

920 Flags, People (Biography)

930 Archeology, Ancient Civilizations

940 Knights, Castles, World War I & II, European Countries

950 Asian & Middle Eastern Countries

960 African Countries

970 North & Central American Countries, Native American Tribes, American History, States

980 South American Countries

990 Pacific Islands, Australia, Hawaii, Arctic, Antarctica

Depicted is my Wife's older Sister outside the Guest House (a house which took paying Guests on a Bed and Breakfast and also tea (late afternoon meal basis) these was called at the time Boarding Houses or more commonly "Digs" which is thought to have derived from the fact that the families staying there was kind of digging into the sands at that location for their week or two weeks stay at the seaside in this case the exceptionally busy holiday resort of "Blackpool" located on the Fylde Coast of the County (province) of Lancashire in the North West of England.

= In those days "Blackpool" claimed to have it all - and to a very large extent it really did !!! !!! !!!

= All of the top shows and Films of the Day and always the top Artists and Performers - many Theatres one of which (The Opera House) still is the largest in the United Kingdom.

= One of the many routines which holidaymakers did in those far off days was after arrival on the previous day was the very first thing after breakfast on the Sunday morning after arrival was to attend Church and then was to go around to the many theatre booking offices and if they could get a seat (even if they was not able to sit together as a group) before they returned home then the holidaymakers was always delighted !!! !!! !!!

= There was many jewels in "Blackpool's" crown The highest fastest Roller Coaster !!!)- a dedicated Amusement Park called The Pleasure Beach (full of similar thrill rides) - a 512 Feet (156.0576) high tower modeled on the Eiffel Tower in Paris - The finest sprung dance floor in the Best Ballroom in Europe (so Claimed - and still is !!!) - THREE PIERS jutting out into the Irish Sea - Miles of Golden Sand - and numerous Amousment Arcades - and a so called "Golden Mile" which in reality was realy an area along the prommenade where Gypsies told Fortunes and many stall holders provided symplistic entertainment in the form of This way to see the Bearded Lady or the Tattooed Lady or the Strongest Man in the World (lightgweight weights ??? !!!) the Flea Circus and of course several kind of gambling stalls run by Card Sharks with whom the possibility of ever wining anyhthing was extreamly slim !!! and other stalls with win a gold fish (via various methods) and Darts and Coconut Shys and Hook a Duck (plastic not real) to win a fluffy toy or other prize suitable for a small child - plus a Ghost Train and a multitude of stalls all selling various forms of food (mainly British in those days) like local Shell Seafood gathered from nearby shores.

= Whilst The Golden Mile area of the "Blackpool Seafront" added much colour to the general seaside scene it was removed entirely a few years ago in an attempt to give the "Blackpool" seafront/prommenade a smarter air/appearance.

= Other attractions was (and still is) the Tram (Streetcar) service which runs from Squires Gate/Starrgate a distance of 8.21 miles (13.21 kilometres) to the Northern Terminus at Fleetwood Ferry located on the seafront at the Fishing Port/Resort of "Fleetwood".

= All of the original Trams/Streetcasrs have now been replaced along with the Track and power system with a fleet of 18 new very sleek Trams/Streetcars that cost 2 million £ pounds sterling each - However a selection of some of the very earliest and others from the 1950's have been preserved and run quite regularly on a Heritage track located at the side of the shiny new one.

= For the modern Holiday Maker "Blackpool" has many up to date attractions Pubs and Clubs to suit all tastes - However such was a long way from the minds of the Tens of Thousands of Holiday Making Families who came for Fun and to let the exceptionally salty sea breeze blow the Mill Dust out of their Lungs on their Wakes Weeks Holidays of the 1950's and before from 1845 and some even from the late 1700's - Which my Wife's Family was doing in these Happy Snappy Holiday photograps which was taken by a Photographer who visited every year that they stayed at the above Charnley Road Location !!! !!! !!!

This is T2, the Karori Sanctuary Trust's resident male takahe. The resident female has a more interesting name - Puffin. Oh, well, what can you do? Puffin was evidently incubating an egg, so I did not get to see her. Alas, the egg was eventually abandoned as it was likely infertile.

The takahe is an endangered flightless bird. In fact, the North Island Takahe is extinct. T2 is a South Island Takahe. Males grow to be about 6 lbs (2.7kg). The South Island Takahes were thought to be extinct until a group of them were discovered in Fjordland in 1948. There are a number of predator-free islands and zones where they are being cared for.

I encountered T2 at Zealandia, formerly known as the Karori Sanctuary Trust. He was busy stripping seeds off the grasses. Zealandia is just outside of Wellington proper - amazing to think a busy city is just a few kilometers away! It's a wonderful place to see a profusion of native New Zealand birds and other critters.

www.visitzealandia.com/

The Grand Opera House is a theatre in Belfast, Northern Ireland, designed by the most prolific theatre architect of the period, Frank Matcham. It opened on 23 December 1895.

According to the Theatres Trust the "magnificent auditorium is probably the best surviving example in the United Kingdom of the oriental style applied to theatre architecture".

In 1995 the running of the theatre was taken over by the Grand Opera House Trust. An extensive renovation was undertaken in 2006 with the notable addition of The Baby Grand performance space together with extended foyers, extended stage wings and artist accommodation and access for customers with disabilities. The theatre now also has a restaurant on the third floor called "The Hippodrome", on the ground floor a daytime bistro called "Luciano's" as well as space for corporate meetings and functions. The extension's striking, modern appearance caused a certain amount of controversy and mixed reviews as some felt that it was not in keeping with the original theatre however it improved facilities have been warmly received. The building is intended to host smaller musical, dramatic and comedy performances as well as a host of educational events. The theatre reopened with a Gala event on the 21 October 2006. The capacity is 1,063.

It was renamed the Palace of Varieties in 1904, although it reverted to its original name in 1909. Variety programmes dominated in the 1920s and 1930s and the theatre saw performances by Gracie Fields, Will Fyffe and Harry Lauder. It became a repertory theatre during World War II and at the celebrations to mark the end of the war, Eisenhower, Montgomery and Alanbrooke attended gala performances at the theatre. The Grand Opera House was acquired by the Rank Organisation, which led to its use as a cinema between 1949 and 1972, after which it was almost demolished, only to open again in 1980.

Despite The Troubles, the theatre was listed in the 1970s and has been restored extensively since. The building had been damaged by bombs on several occasions usually when the nearby Europa Hotel had been targeted. It was very badly damaged by bomb blasts in 1991 and 1993. The theatre continued to thrive, however, hosting musicals, plays, pantomimes and live music.

Olympus E-1 with M42 Helios 44M-6

This image is part of set

Tara Motilor - Alba make sure you check the entire set.

Images taken by Moscu Dragos, www.xposure.ro.

(c) 2009 Moscu Dragos

Toate fotografiile sunt protejate de legea nr 8 din 26.03.2006 privind drepturile de autor si drepturile conexe si nu pot fi reproduse fara un acord scris.

Pentru dreptul de publicare va rog sa ma contactati.

All photographs are copyrighted and can't be used without my written permission.

If you want to buy the publishing rights for my images please contact me

Todas fotografías son registradas en el registro de la propiedad literaria y no pueden ser utilizadas sin mi permiso escrito. Si usted quiere comprar los derechos editoriales para mis imágenes por favor me contactan

Toutes photographies sont déposé et ne peuvent pas être utilisées sans ma permission écrite. Si vous voulez acheter les droits d'édition pour mes images me contactent s'il vous plaît

Alle Fotografien sind urheberrechtlich geschützt und können ohne meine geschriebene Erlaubnis nicht benutzt werden. Wenn Sie die Veröffentlichungsrechte für meine Bildnisse bitte kaufen wollen, kontaktieren Sie mich

Tutte le fotografie sono copyrighted e non potere essere usate senza il mio permesso scritto. Se lei vuole comprare i diritti di pubblicazione per le mie immagini mi contattano per favore

email: dragos@xposure.ro mobile: 004-0721518396

Images taken by Moscu Dragos, www.xposure.ro.

The John Muir National Historic Site is located in Martinez, in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. It preserves the Italianate Victorian mansion where the naturalist and writer John Muir lived, as well as a nearby 325 acres (132 ha) tract of native oak woodlands and grasslands historically owned by the Muir family. The main site is on the edge of town, in the shadow of State Route 4, also known as the "John Muir Parkway".

John Muir’s home was among the grandest of its time, and costing $20,000 to build, an extravagant amount in its day. An article in the Martinez Gazette, written while the house was being constructed, said “with but one or two exceptions, it will be the finest and most complete private residence in the county.”

The house, completed in 1882, was built for Dr. John and Louisiana Strentzel, Muir’s parents-in-law. The Strentzels gave their original house to John and his bride Louie as a wedding gift. When Dr. Strentzel died in 1890, the Muirs moved into this house.

The seventeen-room home is in the Italianate style of late Victorian architecture, and is constructed mostly of redwood. The architects were Wolfe and Son of San Francisco. The home incorporates key features of the Italianate style, including: a rectangular, symmetrical shape, wide eaves with brackets and cornices, a porch with balustrades, a square cupola and high, double-paned windows with hood moldings.

The interior of the 10,000 square-foot house with 12-foot-high ceilings has retained many of its original features, including the Douglas fir floor and black walnut staircase banister. Note the crack in the transom over the front door, which occurred during the Port Chicago explosion of World War II. Phone service was installed in 1884 by Dr. Strentzel, and the house was one of the first in the area to have it (the phone in the downstairs hallway is not original).

The house suffered some damage during the 1906 earthquake, including two of the Italian marble fireplaces. Muir replaced the east parlor’s damaged fireplace with a large, Mission style brick one. He described it in a letter to a friend, “In particular I've built a big fireplace, almost suitable for mountaineers, into which I roll a jolly pair of logs two feet in diameter and pile a half dozen smaller ones between and back of them making fires that flame and roar and radiate sunny heat like those we built on the frosty Coyote Meadows above the canyon of the Kern.” (January 7, 1907)

Furnishings in the home are from the period, but did not belong to the Muirs or Strentzels. An exception is John Muir’s original desk in his “scribble den,” where he penned most of his published works, including his books—writings that paved the way to preserving our nation’s most beautiful natural lands, or “wild places.”

Upstairs, the small balcony at the end of the hall is where Muir slept on many clear nights, seeming to prefer having the stars over his head to a roof.

When John Muir died in 1914 (nine years after his wife), his grown daughters Wanda and Helen sold the house. It remained in the hands of private owners until local citizens (including those who established the John Muir Association) worked for the historic structure’s establishment as a public treasure. The National Park Service bought the house in 1964, along with nine acres of the Muir’s fruit ranch. In 1993, NPS bought an additional 326 acres, known as Mt. Wanda.

Next to Alhambra Creek, about a mile from the house, Muir was buried next to his wife on what was once part of the original 2,600-acre ranch.

The grounds of the 9 acre main site contain grapevines and an orchard with many types of fruit trees as well as many mature exotic trees from around the world that were growing at the time Muir lived. Also to be found are exhibits and machinery of ranch life in the late 1800's.

A 'must see' on the same property is the preserved Vincente Martinez Adobe home built in 1849.

While living here, Muir realized many of his greatest accomplishments, co-founding and serving as the first president of the Sierra Club, in the wake of his battle to prevent Yosemite National Park's Hetch Hetchy Valley from being dammed, playing a prominent role in the creation of several national parks, writing hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles and several books expounding on the virtues of conservation and the natural world, and laying the foundations for the creation of the National Park Service in 1916.

The park's museum collection includes historic documents and artifacts that relate to the writing, travels, political activities and daily life of John Muir and his family in Martinez. Significant portions of the collections include over 1,000 plant specimens collected by Muir during his many travels, photographs of his travel, correspondence to and from Muir, books from his personal library, and first editions of his published works. Many of Muir's original items were graciously donated by Muir family members.

The collection also includes Victorian era furnishings, clothing, household goods, farm implements, books and textiles that are not unique to Muir or his home; however, these pieces allow us to interpret the day-to-day life on the Martinez fruit ranch. The collections are displayed in the home, carriage house and through exhibitions in the Visitor Center.

The Muir house was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1960.

It became a National Historic Site in 1964, is California Historical Landmark no. 312, and National Historic Landmark, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1988 nearby Mount Wanda Nature Preserve was added to the Historic Site.

Diamond Head Lighthouse is a United States Coast Guard facility located on Diamond Head in Honolulu, on the island of Oʻahu in the State of Hawaiʻi.

The lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

The Diamond Head Lighthouse was featured on a United States postage stamp in June 2007

Mola is the Kuna Indian word for blouse, but the term mola has come to mean the elaborate embroidered panels that make up the front and back of a Kuna woman's blouse. The Kuna Indians are the native people who live on small coral islands in the San Blas Archipelago along the Atlantic coast of Panama and Colombia. Molas are collected as folk art and can be viewed at some of the finest museums in the world like the Smithsonian in Washington, DC.

Mola es la palabra indígena Kuna de la blusa, pero mola término ha llegado a decir de los paneles elaborados bordados que conforman la parte delantera y trasera de la blusa de la mujer Kuna. Los indios Kuna son los nativos que viven en pequeñas islas de coral en el Archipiélago de San Blas en la costa atlántica de Panamá y Colombia. Molas se recogen como el arte popular y puede ser visto en algunos de los mejores museos del mundo, como el Smithsonian en Washington, DC.

This is Michelle. She is a barrista. I met her while waiting for a business meeting. There weren't too many people so I decided to talk to her. She has been on the job for only 2 months and she started with zero knowledge. The owner of the shop is her uncle who also happened to design the interiors of the café. She has come to love the job that she wants to have her own coffee shop someday. She has big ambitions. I told her I will drop by again since I have clients around the area.

This picture is #6 in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page

Lier is a Belgian city located in the province of Antwerp. The city is said to have been founded in the 11th century. In 1212, the Duke of Brabant Henri I granted an urban charter to the inhabitants. The fourteenth century was a period of prosperity for the city: construction of a cloth hall in 1367, a belfry in 1369 and a second rampart in 1389. The prosperity of the city was based on the drapery industry and on the existence of a cattle market, which had been granted to it by the Dukes of Brabant.