This is an old thing, but a long while ago, I made this set of pictures in honor of the mesh tails made by Azaiya in SL, or more specifically, each colors.

So I went and took pictures with all of them, with a style to fit each tail, along with my personal custom colored tail that I used the most from her.

It's old, but still, thanks a lot Azaiya for your wonderful tail. I had a hard time finding a better mesh tail than this one, because it was that good.

(Best viewed in full size :P)

De Bovenste Plasmolen is een midden- en bovenslag watermolen te Plasmolen, in de Nederlandse gemeente Mook en Middelaar. Deze korenmolen is in 1725 gebouwd als papiermolen. De molen maakt gebruik van water uit plaatselijke bronnen.

In 1944 is de Bovenste Plasmolen door oorlogshandelingen beschadigd. Hierbij is de toenmalige molenaar Fons Verouden door een granaatscherf geraakt en om het leven gekomen. Na zijn dood heeft het ruim 50 jaar geduurd voordat de molen hersteld werd. In 1995 werd hiertoe de Stichting Bovenste Plasmolen 1725 opgericht, die ervoor heeft gezorgd dat de molen in 1999 is hersteld.

De Bovenste Plasmolen is bijzonder omdat hij water uit twee molenvijvers op verschillende hoogte kan betrekken, waarbij het water uit de bovenste vijver (gevoed door de Beek van het Groene Water) bovenlangs wordt gevoerd, terwijl het water uit de onderste vijver (gevoed door de bron De Helskuil) vanaf het midden van het waterrad wordt aangevoerd.

De Bovenste Plasmolen is maalvaardig en is tijdens de zomermaanden op gezette tijden voor het publiek geopend.

This is a photograph from the Le Chéíle 'Leixlip 5KM' Road Race, Jog, and Fun Run was held in Leixlip, Co. Kildare, Ireland on Saturday May 4th 2013 at 11:00. This race has steadily grown in stature over the past number of years and now is a well known fixture in the racing calendar in May annually. This was a big aattendance at the race which finished with the last 700 meters on the beautiful new tartan track belonging to Le Cheile AC at the Leixlip Amenities center. As always This was a great race with a great atmosphere. The weather was reasonably good (except for a head wind at a few places on the course). Good race times were reported by many participants. Congratulations to Kevin Roche and all of Le Chéíle AC for their huge volunteer work that goes into making this race the growing success that it is. As always the post race refreshments were awesome with some fabulous treats available for everyone. This year Lidl and Applegreen were title sponsors with support for prizes from Runworx. There was great support from local Kildare clubs and club of the day must go to Sliabh Buidhe Rovers AC of Ferns in Wexford who brought over 30 athletes up on a club day out for the race. The race was supported by FIT Magazine. Junior races for children aged between 7 - 16 years old took place on the track at 10:30 before the main race at 11:00. The race was AAI Permit Approved with a certified course measurement.

Reading on a Smartphone or tablet? Don't forget to scroll down further to read more about this race and see important Internet links to other information about the race! You can also find out how to access and download these photographs.

Overall Race Summary

RESULTS: The chip timing was provided by Red Tag Timing and the results are available here [www.redtagtiming.com/results/LeCheile5km_2014.pdf]

Participants: Approximately 320 people took part in both events with runners, joggers, walkers, and families involved.

Weather: This was a nice bright mild morning with a headwind at the 1st and final KM of the race.

Course: The race starts on the road outside the amenities center. There is a signifcant climb up the motorway overpass at 1KM. The stretch from here to 4KM is reasonably flat. There is a final

long drag up to Louisia Bridge and the race finishes with almost 700M on the new athletics track built by the club.

Refreshments: The refreshments after the Le Cheile 5KM have now gained legendary status. Outstanding.

Location Map: Start/finish area on Google StreetView [goo.gl/maps/ykhbT]

Some Useful Links

The Internet Homepage of Le Cheile Athletic Club [www.lecheileac.com/]

The Le Cheile Leixlip 5KM Event Page on Facebook [www.facebook.com/groups/198725250155741/]

Google StreetView of the Race HeadQuarters: goo.gl/maps/ykhbT

A Youtube Video of the 5KM Route for 2013: www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fFFem...

A GARMIN GPS Trace of the 5KM Route for 2013: connect.garmin.com/activity/305379628

Our Flickr set from the 2013 Le Cheile 5KM: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157633416311738/ (2013)

Our Flickr Set from the 2012 Le Cheile 5KM: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157629605644270/ (2012)

Our Flickr Set from the 2012 Le Cheile 5KM: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157626541539991/ (2011)

Our Flickr Set from the 2012 Le Cheile 5KM: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157624016827268/ (2010)

Can I use these photographs directly from Flickr on my social media account(s)?

Yes - of course you can! Flickr provides several ways to share this and other photographs in this Flickr set. You can share to: email, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Tumblr, LiveJournal, and Wordpress and Blogger blog sites. Your mobile, tablet, or desktop device will also offer you several different options for sharing this photo page on your social media outlets.

We take these photographs as a hobby and as a contribution to the running community in Ireland. Our only "cost" is our request that if you are using these images: (1) on social media sites such as Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Twitter,LinkedIn, Google+, etc or (2) other websites, blogs, web multimedia, commercial/promotional material that you must provide a link back to our Flickr page to attribute us.

This also extends the use of these images for Facebook profile pictures. In these cases please make a separate wall or blog post with a link to our Flickr page. If you do not know how this should be done for Facebook or other social media please email us and we will be happy to help suggest how to link to us.

I want to download these pictures to my computer or device?

You can download the photographic image here direct to your computer or device. This version is the low resolution web-quality image. How to download will vary slight from device to device and from browser to browser. However - look for a symbol with three dots 'ooo' or the link to 'View/Download' all sizes. When you click on either of these you will be presented with the option to download the image. Remember just doing a right-click and "save target as" will not work on Flickr.

I want get full resolution, print-quality, copies of these photographs?

If you just need these photographs for online usage then they can be used directly once you respect their Creative Commons license and provide a link back to our Flickr set if you use them. For offline usage and printing all of the photographs posted here on this Flickr set are available free, at no cost, at full image resolution.

Please email petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com with the links to the photographs you would like to obtain a full resolution copy of. We also ask race organisers, media, etc to ask for permission before use of our images for flyers, posters, etc. We reserve the right to refuse a request.

In summary please remember when requesting photographs from us - If you are using the photographs online all we ask is for you to provide a link back to our Flickr set or Flickr pages. You will find the link above clearly outlined in the description text which accompanies this photograph. Taking these photographs and preparing them for online posting does take a significant effort and time. We are not posting photographs to Flickr for commercial reasons. If you really like what we do please spread the link around your social media, send us an email, leave a comment beside the photographs, send us a Flickr email, etc. If you are using the photographs in newspapers or magazines we ask that you mention where the original photograph came from.

I would like to contribute something for your photograph(s)?

Many people offer payment for our photographs. As stated above we do not charge for these photographs. We take these photographs as our contribution to the running community in Ireland. If you feel that the photograph(s) you request are good enough that you would consider paying for their purchase from other photographic providers or in other circumstances we would suggest that you can provide a donation to any of the great charities in Ireland who do work for Cancer Care or Cancer Research in Ireland.

We use Creative Commons Licensing for these photographs

We use the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License for all our photographs here in this photograph set. What does this mean in reality?

The explaination is very simple.

Attribution- anyone using our photographs gives us an appropriate credit for it. This ensures that people aren't taking our photographs and passing them off as their own. This usually just mean putting a link to our photographs somewhere on your website, blog, or Facebook where other people can see it.

ShareAlike – anyone can use these photographs, and make changes if they like, or incorporate them into a bigger project, but they must make those changes available back to the community under the same terms.

Creative Commons aims to encourage creative sharing. See some examples of Creative Commons photographs on Flickr: www.flickr.com/creativecommons/

I ran in the race - but my photograph doesn't appear here in your Flickr set! What gives?

As mentioned above we take these photographs as a hobby and as a voluntary contribution to the running community in Ireland. Very often we have actually ran in the same race and then switched to photographer mode after we finished the race. Consequently, we feel that we have no obligations to capture a photograph of every participant in the race. However, we do try our very best to capture as many participants as possible. But this is sometimes not possible for a variety of reasons:

     ►You were hidden behind another participant as you passed our camera

     ►Weather or lighting conditions meant that we had some photographs with blurry content which we did not upload to our Flickr set

     ►There were too many people - some races attract thousands of participants and as amateur photographs we cannot hope to capture photographs of everyone

     ►We simply missed you - sorry about that - we did our best!

You can email us petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com to enquire if we have a photograph of you which didn't make the final Flickr selection for the race. But we cannot promise that there will be photograph there. As alternatives we advise you to contact the race organisers to enquire if there were (1) other photographs taking photographs at the race event or if (2) there were professional commercial sports photographers taking photographs which might have some photographs of you available for purchase. You might find some links for further information above.

Don't like your photograph here?

That's OK! We understand!

If, for any reason, you are not happy or comfortable with your picture appearing here in this photoset on Flickr then please email us at petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com and we will remove it as soon as possible. We give careful consideration to each photograph before uploading.

I want to tell people about these great photographs!

Great! Thank you! The best link to spread the word around is probably http://www.flickr.com/peterm7/sets

The Green-and-white Hummingbird cam is a collaboration between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Inkaterra Asociación. Very little has been published about this small species of hummingbird endemic to the eastern Andean slopes of central Peru.

Watch live anytime at allaboutbirds.org/gwhummers

Green-and-white Hummingbirds are locally common through their range and inhabit the canopy of humid forests, forest borders, clearings, and second growth. Its breeding biology is thought to be similar to other Amazilia hummingbirds, with an incubation period of 15-16 days followed by fledging at 18-22 days. Only the female adult cares for the nestlings, and she feeds them a steady diet of insects and nectar gathered from nearby the nest site.

Unfortunately, rates of nest predation for open-cup nesters in the tropics are very high—only around 18% survive to fledge. Eggs hatched around December 3 or 4, and if the chicks make it, they should fledge around 22-25 December, 2016.

The cam situated on the expansive grounds of the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel in Aguas Calientes, Peru, near Machu Picchu. The hotel sits on 12 acres of protected cloud forest where 214 species of birds – including such rarities as the Golden-headed Quetzal and the Andean Cock-of-the-rock – have been seen. In addition to the avifauna, the hotel hosts the world’s largest native orchid collection (372 species) and the Andean Bear Rescue Center, where 5 endangered Andean Bears are being rehabilitated following bouts in captivity.

The hummingbird nest is near the Rescue Center, and from time to time you may see a bear walking by in the background. The “tick”-ing that you hear on the audio is the sound of the electric fence surrounding the Rescue Center.

Inkaterra Asociación (www.inkaterra.com/inkaterra-as...) is a non-profit institution that started research in 1978 to promote the conservation of Peru’s biodiversity and cultural resources. Committed to sustainable development, its core objectives are the encouragement of scientific research and the promotion of responsible business models to benefit local communities.

Determined to improve the quality of life for every living being, ITA has been able to protect over 15,000 hectares of Amazon rainforest in the low basin of Madre de Dios river (capturing 3,400,000 tons of carbon emissions), as well as ecosystems in Cuzco’s cloud forests. These activities are supported by partnerships with National Geographic Society, Global Environment Facility (United Nations), Conservation International, World Bank, International Game Fish Association, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and other influential organizations.

As intended by the founder of Inkaterra Hotels, José Koechlin von Stein, ITA’s research program is self-funded through its ecotourism activities, which have provided 21 new species for science among orchids, amphibians, insects and liana. An Andean (Spectacled) Bear conservation program in Machu Picchu; bird and orchid studies; and a marine reserve at Cabo Blanco (Northern Peru) stand out among ITA’s current projects.

This is the Apponale Tower in Riva del Garda. It has nice views of the town.

It has 165 steps (didn't count them), but I went all the way up to the top of it.

Thought entry was free (got confused with a under 16 and over 65). Which means from 16 to under 65 you have to pay €1 to go up it.

As you can see it has stunning views of Riva del Garda.

In Italian is it La Torre Apponale.

The Apponale Tower

Riva from above. Climbing the Apponale Tower. A really special view of a really special place.

Each of the 165 steps leading to the top of the Torre Apponale brings you closer to the sky. The tower, challenging the massive body of the fortress, reveals the geometric designs of the squares below. Climbing the tower you will experience the thrill of entering its interior, the excitement of the ascent, the dizzying emotion of reaching the summit, the surprisingly breath-taking view.

The Apponale Tower is first mentioned in the archives of the town in 1273 , and it certainly pre-dates this. L. A. Banuffaldi claims that it was the "keep of a fortification that defended the port". It is so named because it faces towards the 'Ponale' , south west of the port.

It is 34 metres high, and the town's bell, called the 'Ranga' which was cast in 1532.

Right on the top is a weather-vane, with an image of an angel with a trumpet, known as Anzolim de la tor, which has become the symbol of Riva.

(Taken from the sign outside the tower)

I've now gone around the outside rim at the top of the tower (near the columned barrier). Views all around the tower. Amazing.

View of Piazza Catena from the tower. Can also see Hotel Europa from up here.

View of the rooftops.

Is Selena prettier than Miley and Demi? vote here:

www.pollsb.com/polls/poll/2037586/selena-gomez

Stromboli is a small island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the north coast of Sicily, containing one of the three active volcanoes in Italy. It is one of the eight Aeolian Islands, a volcanic arc north of Sicily. This name is derived from the Ancient Greek name Strongulē which was given to it because of its round swelling form. The island's population is between 400 and 850. The volcano has erupted many times and is constantly active with minor eruptions, often visible from many points on the island and from the surrounding sea, giving rise to the island's nickname "Lighthouse of the Mediterranean". The most recent major eruption was on 13 April 2009. Stromboli stands 926 m (3,034 ft) above sea level, and over 2,700 m (8,860 ft) on average above the sea floor.There are three active craters at the peak. A significant geological feature of the volcano is the Sciara del Fuoco ("Stream of fire"), a big horseshoe-shaped depression generated in the last 13,000 years by several collapses on the northwestern side of the cone. Two kilometers to the northeast lies Strombolicchio, the volcanic plug remnant of the original volcano.Mt. Stromboli has been in almost continuous eruption for the past 2,000 years. A pattern of eruption is maintained in which explosions occur at the summit craters, with mild to moderate eruptions of incandescent volcanic bombs, at intervals ranging from minutes to hours. This Strombolian eruption, as it is known, is also observed at other volcanoes worldwide. Eruptions from the summit craters typically result in a few short, mild, but energetic bursts, ranging up to a few hundred meters in height, containing ash, incandescent lava fragments and stone blocks. Mt. Stromboli's activity is almost exclusively explosive, but lava flows do occur at times when volcanic activity is high: an effusive eruption occurred in 2002, the first in 17 years, and again in 2003, 2007, and 2013-14.The two villages San Bartolo and San Vincenzo lie in the northeast while the smaller village Ginostra lies in the southwest. Administratively, they are one of the frazione of Lipari.In the early 1900s a few thousand people inhabited the island, but after several emigrations the population numbered a few hundred by the mid-1950s.

Stromboli è un'isola dell'Italia appartenente all'arcipelago delle isole Eolie, in Sicilia. Si tratta di un vulcano attivo facente parte dell'Arco Eoliano. Posta nel bacino Tirreno del mare Mediterraneo occidentale, l'isola è la più settentrionale delle Eolie e si estende su una superficie di 12,2 km².L'edificio vulcanico è alto 926 m s.l.m. e raggiunge una profondità compresa tra 1300 m e 2400 m al di sotto del livello del mare. Stromboli ha una persistente attività esplosiva ed è uno dei vulcani più attivi del mondo. A poche centinaia di metri a nord-est dell'isola di Stromboli si trova il neck di Strombolicchio, residuo di un antico camino vulcanico. L'isolotto ospita un faro della Marina, disabitato e automatizzato.Lo Stromboli è un vulcano esplosivo e le sue eruzioni avvengono con una frequenza media di circa una ogni ora. La sua attività "ordinaria" ha luogo ad una quota di 750 m s.l.m. dalle diverse bocche eruttive presenti nell'area craterica e allineate in direzione NE-SW. Tale attività consiste in esplosioni intermittenti di media energia, della durata di pochi secondi ad intervalli di 10–20 minuti, durante le quali vengono emesse piccole quantità di bombe scoriacee incandescenti, lapilli, cenere e blocchi, con velocità di uscita compresa tra 20 a 120 metri al secondo ed altezze comprese tra poche decine fino ad alcune centinaia di metri. L'attività eruttiva è associata ad un degassamento pressoché continuo dall'area craterica, il cui volume stimato è di 6000-12000 t/gi, e che consiste principalmente di H2O (3200-6300 t/g), CO2 (2900-5800 t/g), SO2 (400-800 t/g) e quantità minori di HCl e HF.Periodi di totale inattività, senza lanci di materiale, sono piuttosto rari. Il più lungo tra quelli registrati si è protratto per circa due anni, dal 1908 al 1910. Periodi di prolungata quiescenza, della durata di qualche mese, sono stati registrati più volte.

L'attività normale può essere periodicamente interrotta da esplosioni di maggiore energia, dette "esplosioni maggiori". Questi eventi consistono di brevi ma violente esplosioni, durante le quali vengono prodotti lanci balistici di blocchi e bombe di dimensioni anche metriche a distanze di alcune centinaia di metri, associati a piogge di lapilli e cenere; la distribuzione dei prodotti è solitamente confinata all'interno dell'area craterica. Sono distribuite non omogeneamente nel tempo, ma si tratta mediamente di 2,1 eventi ogni anno.

Le eruzioni stromboliane più violente mai accadute in tempi storici risalgono al 1919 e al 1930, ed entrambe (pare) furono causate da grandi infiltrazioni d'acqua marina nel camino vulcanico: il magma, a contatto con l'acqua, avrebbe causato violente esplosioni con grande emissione di vapori e scorie, accompagnate da violenti terremoti. Per la prima e finora unica volta nella storia del vulcano, delle colate laviche si riversarono anche al di fuori della Sciara del Fuoco, arrivando a lambire i centri abitati (Piscità fu sfiorata ad appena 20 metri), causando ingenti danni e numerose vittime, e causando un piccolo tsunami che generò un'onda di 2–3 m che arrivò a far danni fino a Capo Vaticano, in Calabria.I parossismi rappresentano le manifestazioni più energetiche del vulcano di Stromboli; consistono in violente ed improvvise esplosioni "tipo cannonata", durante le quali avviene l'emissione sostenuta di scorie incandescenti, ceneri, bombe e blocchi litici a distanze considerevoli, fino ad interessare le zone abitate dell'isola. Tali esplosioni possono produrre nubi convettive che raggiungono quote di 10 km. Durante i parossismi sono emessi volumi sensibilmente maggiori di materiali rispetto alle eruzioni normali e a quelle maggiori e frequentemente possono avvenire profonde modificazioni dell'area craterica. L'ultimo evento parossistico è avvenuto il 15 marzo 2007 all'interno dell'eruzione di febbraio-aprile 2007.Il 27 febbraio 2007, con un'iniziale effusione di lava dal cratere di NE, durata alcune ore e seguita dall'apertura di una bocca effusiva nella Sciara del Fuoco, a quota 400 m s.l.m. circa. Il 9 marzo 2007 si è aperta una seconda bocca sempre sulla Sciara del Fuoco, ma posizionata a circa 500 m s.l.m.; l'attività di questa bocca è stata comunque breve (circa 24 ore). Il 2 aprile 2007 è infine terminata anche l'effusione di lava dalla bocca di quota 400 m s.l.m. Il 4 maggio 2009 il vulcano ha ripreso l'attività eruttiva.

Nell'ultimo secolo sono riportati circa 26 episodi durante i quali si sono avute emissioni laviche. I prodotti emessi sono rappresentati principalmente da colate di spessore variabile; la morfologia del vulcano obbliga le colate di lava a riversarsi sul versante nord-occidentale, dove sono confinate all'interno della Sciara di Fuoco e quindi non rappresentano un pericolo per la popolazione dell'isola. Le colate fuoriescono generalmente attraverso fratture eruttive nella zona craterica o all'interno della Sciara del Fuoco, ma possono generarsi anche per tracimazione dal bordo craterico.La storia geologica dell'isola di Stromboli comincia circa 200.000 anni fa, quando un primo vulcano attivo di grandi dimensioni emerge dal mare, in posizione NE rispetto all'isola; di questo vulcano antico rimane soltanto il condotto solidificato (neck) rappresentato da Strombolicchio (vedi sotto).Il vero e proprio vulcano di Stromboli emerge dal mare circa 160.000 anni fa. Inizialmente i centri di emissione sono nella parte meridionale dell'isola, dove affiorano le unità più antiche appartenenti ai complessi del Paleostromboli I e II.Circa 35.000 anni fa il centro di emissione migra leggermente verso nord e le emissioni di lava e i depositi piroclastici legati a eruzioni esplosive danno origine ad un cono che raggiunge quota 700 m s.l.m. (Paleostromboli III).Le fasi successive della storia di Stromboli vedono la formazione ed il collasso calderico di vari edifici vulcanici. In particolare, a circa 34.600 anni fa risale il complesso eruttivo di Scari, osservabile presso Scari e a sud del paese sotto forma di spesse sequenze di bombe vulcaniche, lapilli e lahar. Mentre successivo (circa 26.000 anni fa) è il complesso del Vancori, caratterizzato da depositi piroclastici e basalti shoshonitici. In questa fase, la cima del vulcano era occupata probabilmente da una grande caldera. Il ciclo Scari-Vancori si conclude con il collasso laterale (una grande frana) del settore occidentale e nordoccidentale dell'edificio vulcanico.La fase successiva, a partire da circa 13.800 anni fa, vede la ricostruzione dell'edificio nel settore nordoccidentale. Il nuovo centro eruttivo, detto Neostromboli, è ubicato a nord del costone dei Vancori. Contemporaneamente, alcuni centri eruttivi secondari danno origine al "Timpone del Fuoco" presso Ginostra, alle lave di San Bartolo e di San Vincenzo.All'incirca tra 10000 e 5000 anni fa il settore nordoccidentale subisce nuovi collassi laterali (frane), lasciando una profonda depressione a forma di ferro di cavallo che si estende dalla cima fino ad una profondità di circa 2.000 m sotto il livello del mare: la Sciara del Fuoco. Lentamente la depressione viene riempita da materiale piroclastico e colate di lava. Il centro eruttivo attuale è rappresentato da un grande cono piroclastico che si trova nella parte sommitale della Sciara del Fuoco, a quota inferiore rispetto al Pizzo Sopra la Fossa, ed è caratterizzato, come detto sopra, dalla presenza di tre crateri allineati parallelamente alla Sciara, in direzione NE-SW.

Stromboli è nota, frequentata ed abitata fin dall'antichità remota, e la sua economia si è sempre fondata sulle produzioni agricole tipicamente mediterranee: olivo, vite (malvasia coltivato basso in giardini terrazzati), fichi - e poi sulla pesca e sulla marineria. Fino al XIX secolo questa economia fu fiorente e Stromboli arrivò a contare circa 2700 abitanti, precisamente nel 1891, secondo i dati ufficiali a disposizione (fonte Mastriani e ISTAT ).Il peggioramento delle condizioni economiche seguito all'unità d'Italia, il ripetersi di eruzioni e terremoti (in particolare l'eruzione del 1930) e infine l'attacco della peronospora che negli anni trenta sterminò la più redditizia coltura locale, quella della vite, fecero sì che una grandissima maggioranza degli strombolani prendesse la via dell'emigrazione, soprattutto verso l'Australia e l'America e l'isola rischiò seriamente di restare abbandonata.Venne riscoperta dopo la guerra da Roberto Rossellini che, con il film del 1949 Stromboli terra di Dio (con protagonista femminile la giovane Ingrid Bergman), portò l'isola e la sua straordinarietà all'attenzione del pubblico.Il vulcano è chiamato dai suoi abitanti (gli stombolani) Struògnoli, o anche Iddu (Lui in siciliano), in riferimento alla natura divina che un tempo era attribuita ai fenomeni naturali incontrollabili.Il nome proviene dal greco antico Στρογγύλη (rotondo) per via della sua forma. In siciliano strummulu significa trottola.Stromboli dà il nome a un tipo di vulcani caratterizzati da un'attività vulcanica effusiva detta Stromboliana.I principali borghi abitati sono San Vincenzo (o semplicemente il paese di Stromboli, anticamente era borgo degli agricoltori) con l'approdo storico di Scari, Piscità e Ficogrande, che anticamente era il borgo degli armatori.A sudovest, raggiungibile solo via mare, c'è Ginostra dove d'inverno restano circa 30 o 40 abitanti e dove l'unico mezzo di trasporto è il mulo.A Stromboli c'è una scuola elementare e media per i pochi ragazzi abitanti dell'isola. Dopo le scuole solitamente i ragazzi vanno a Lipari dove sono presenti alcune scuole secondarie di secondo grado.Da Napoli, Lipari, Milazzo e Messina Stromboli è raggiungibile col traghetto e, d'estate, anche in aliscafo da Messina, Reggio Calabria, Vibo Valentia e Tropea.Il flusso turistico verso l'isola, che costituisce la principale risorsa economica di Stromboli, fino agli anni settanta fu rappresentato soprattutto da persone alla ricerca di un ambiente particolare, naturale ed integro e non privo di scomodità come mancanza di elettricità, scarsità d'acqua. Nei decenni successivi le scomodità sono molto diminuite e il turismo è molto cresciuto, anche se resta limitato prevalentemente ai mesi centrali estivi.L'isola è meta di turisti in cerca di tranquillità: anche per questo nei locali dell'isola è vietato diffondere musica oltre le due di notte.Giornalmente, inoltre, si organizzano escursioni al vulcano con guide esperte, che portano ad oltre 900 metri sul livello del mare. Tramite imbarcazioni è inoltre possibile raggiungere nelle ore notturne la vicina e movimentata Panarea, lo scoglio di Strombolicchio e Ginostra, caratteristica località sull'isola di Stromboli dove l'unico mezzo di trasporto sono i muli (ne sono presenti una decina in tutto) e che è irraggiungibile per via terrestre dall'altra parte abitata dell'isola.Stromboli è anche meta, seppur in misura minore, di molti giovani, che si recano nei locali e nelle feste sulla spiaggia periodicamente organizzate nella stagione estiva.Caratteristica dell'isola, oltre alle stradine strette percorribili solo dal motocarro e dai motorini elettrici, che i turisti affittano sull'isola stessa, è la mancata illuminazione notturna nelle strade, che il Comune a cui l'isola fa riferimento, ovvero quello di Lipari, vuol mantenere come importante attrattiva turistica. Dall'Osservatorio, infine, si può vedere la lava del vulcano, l'unico delle Isole Eolie perennemente in attività e il cielo stellato evidenziato dalla mancanza di illuminazione.Durante la stagione turistica partono imbarcazioni per permettere ai turisti di fare il bagno presso lo scoglio di Strombolicchio.

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Saviour, He can move the mountains,

My God is Mighty to save,

He is Mighty to save.

Now I surrender.

I have had a very good day. I went to Church today and we sang this song above, and something just took over me. I closed my eyes and listened to the words and repeated them in my head, and i can feel something breaking apart, some sort of metaphoric wall between me and God that i've put up. There are things i need to change about myself. For the better. I am starting this week, i am minimizing flickr. I'll be on Wednesday night and i'll upload monday, tuesday and wednesday. Then Thursday and Friday on Friday adn then the weekend will be normal. I am NOT stopping my 365. I say that a lot, but i'm not. I've signed the contract, i'm running the race. I'm ready to learn. I'm ready to live for God.

The Palace of Mysore (also known as the Amba Vilas Palace) is a historical palace in the city of Mysore in Karnataka, southern India. It is the official residence and seat of the Wodeyars — the Maharajas of Mysore, the former royal family of Mysore, who ruled the princely state of Mysore from 1350 to 1950. The palace houses two durbar halls (ceremonial meeting halls of the royal court) and incorporates a mesmerizing and gigantic array of courtyards, gardens, and buildings. The palace is in the central region of inner Mysore, facing the Chamundi Hills eastward.

Mysore is commonly described as the City of Palaces. There are about seven palaces inclusive of this; however, Mysore Palace refers specifically to the one within the Old Fort. Built by the Maharaja Rajarshi His highness Krishnarajendra Wadiyar IV, Mysore Palace is now one of the most famous tourist attractions in India, after the Taj Mahal, and has more than 6 million visitors annually.

THE ROYAL LINEAGE

Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar was Maharaja from 1799 to 1868. After the fall of Tipu Sultan he made Mysore his capital in May 1799 and focused on education, religious sites and donating jewels to temples including Melkote. Chamaraja Wadiyar was coronated on September 23, 1868, at the age of five. He was anointed king on the date fixed by the Governor General. He is credited with founding India's first democratic institutions with the Mysore representative assembly in 1881. Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar was Maharaja from 1895 to 1940 He was also called the Saint King by Mahatma Gandhi. Assisted by dewans Sir M Visvesvaraya and Sir Mirza Ismail, he changed Mysore by adding Asia's first hydro electric project at Shivanasamudra, the KRS dam and the University of Mysore in 1916. Jayachamaraja Wadiyar was the twenty fifth and the last king, reining from 1940 to 1950, when he agreed to merge the state with the union of India. A musicologist and a philanthropist, he was named Raj Parmukh of Mysore from Jan 26, 1950, a post he held for six years. The present Maharaja is Yaduveera, who was adopted by his aunt.

MYSORE

King Yaduraya first built a palace inside the Old Fort in Mysore in the 14th century, which was demolished and constructed multiple times. The regent of Mysore, Her Majesty Maharani Vani Vilas Sannidhna, and her son, the Maharaja of Mysore His Highness Rajarshi Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, commissioned the British architect Lord Henry Irwin to build a new palace to replace the old one which had been turned into ashes by fire. Meanwhile, the royal family stayed in the nearby Jaganmohan Palace.

Construction of the current palace was commissioned in 1897, completed in 1912, and expanded around 1940 (including the addition of the present Public Durbar Hall wing) during the reign of His Highness Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, the last Maharaja of Mysore Kingdom. The construction was completed in 1912, but the fort continued to be beautified and its inhabitants were slowly moved to the newer extension built off the palace.

Apart from the leonine Ambavilas Palace and Jaganmohan Palace (which, later, His Highness Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar used as his art gallery and it remains an art gallery), the city has several other grand palaces like Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion (now the office of the district commissioner), Rajendra Vilas Mansion (now a private hotel atop Chamundi Hills), Lalitha Mahal Palace (now a five-star hotel), Laxmi Vilas Mansion, Cheluvamba Vilas Palace (the palace which His Highness Maharaja Sri Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar donated to the newly born Govt. of India; now the headquarters of Central Food Technological Research Institute, a national research institute), and Krishnarajendra Vilas Palace (now Krishna Rajendra Hospital). Besides there are buildings a century old or more, like Crowfard Hall (now the headquarters of the University of Mysore), Oriental Research Institute building, Corporation Complex of Mysore City Corporation, et cetera. In all the above palaces, the royal family holds blocks held by the kings traditionally. However, the Bangalore Palace and Ambavilas are entirely under the possession of the royal family. Despite this, the state government of Karnataka has its tourism department authorized the supervision Mysore Palace. Bangalore Palace remains entirely a private property of the princess.

ARCHITECTURE

The architectural style domes of the palace is commonly described as Indo-Saracenic and blends Hindu, Muslim, Rajput, and Gothic styles. It is a three-stone structure with marble domes and a 145 ft five-story tower. The palace is surrounded by a large garden. The entrance gate and arch hold the emblem and coat of arms of the kingdom of Mysore, around which is written the kingdom's motto in Sanskrit: "न बिभॆति

The palace has three entrances: the East Gate (the front gate, opened only during the Dasara and for VVIPs), the South Entrance (for public), and the West Entrance (usually opened only during the Dasara). In addition, there are numerous secret tunnels from the palace cellar leading to Srirangapatna, other palaces, and confidential areas.

The three-story stone building of fine gray granite with deep pink marble domes has a facade with several expansive arches and two smaller ones flanking the central arch, which is supported by tall pillars. Above the central arch is a sculpture of Gajalakshmi, the goddess of wealth, prosperity, good luck and abundance with her elephants. There are three major exclusive temple buildings within the Old Fort, and about 18 inside the palace heart building. The Maharajas of Mysore were devotees of Goddess Chamundi, which is why the place faces Chamundi Hills. Besides, head of the Parakala Mutt stays the spiritual rajguru (royal teacher and guide) as a reason of which the palace is built next to an even older Parakala Mutt headquarters.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Every autumn, the palace is the venue for the famous Mysore Dasara festival, during which leading artists perform on a stage set up in the palace grounds. On the tenth day of the festival Vijaya Dashami, a parade with caparisoned elephants and floats originate from the palace grounds.

Dasara is the most extravagant festival of Mysore. It is celebrated in September and October of each year. The festival celebrates and commemorates the victory of the great Goddess Durga, also called Chamundeshwari, after she slew the demon Mahishasura, thereby symbolizing the triumph of good over evil according to Hindu mythology.

This festival has been celebrated by the Wodeyars at Srirangapatna since 1610, and in Mysore with great pomp since 1799. The tradition is still carried on, although the scale of the celebrations has diminished. The Dashera festivities have become an integral part of the culture and life in Mysore. To celebrate this festival, the Palace of Mysore is illuminated with more than 96,000 lights during the two-month period.

UNIQUE ROOMS

The palace is an excellent combination of Indo-Saracenic architecture and features a number of unique rooms.

AMBAVILASA

This room was used by the king as a hall for private audiences. Entry to this opulent hall is through an elegantly carved rosewood doorway inlaid with ivory that opens into a shrine dedicated to Ganesha. The central nave of the hall has ornately gilded columns, stained glass ceilings, decorative steel grills, and chandeliers with fine floral motifs, mirrored in the pietra dura mosaic floor embellished with semi-precious stones. This is where the king would confer with his ministers. It was the chamber in which he gave audience to people deserving special attention.

GOMBE THOTTI (Doll’s Pavilion)

Entry to the palace is through the Gombe Thotti, or Doll’s Pavilion, a gallery of traditional dolls from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The pavilion also houses a fine collection of Indian and European sculpture and ceremonial objects, including a wooden elephant howdah (frame to carry passengers) decorated with 84 kilograms of gold.

Kalyana Mantapa

The Kalyana Mantapa, or marriage hall, is a grand, octagonal-shaped pavilion with a multi-hued stained glass ceiling with peacock motifs arranged in geometrical patterns. The entire structure was wrought in Glasgow, Scotland.

The floor also displays a peacock mosaic, designed with tiles from England. Oil paintings illustrating the royal procession and Dasara celebrations of bygone years are displayed on the walls.

Other rooms

The palace houses several rooms of importance. These include:

The Diwan-e-aam, a public durbar where the general population could meet the king at scheduled times to submit petitions.

An armory which contains arms used by the members of the royal family. It contains lances, cutlasses, and other 14th century weapons as well as those used in the early twentieth century, such as pistols.

TEMPLES

The palace complex includes twelve Hindu temples. The oldest was built in the 14th century, while the most recent was built in 1953.

Some of the famous temples are:

- Someshvara Temple, dedicated to God Lord Shiva

- Lakshmiramana Temple, dedicated to God Lord Vishnu

- Shwetha Varahaswamy Temple, dedicated to

Lord Varahaswamy, one of the 10 incarnations of lord Vishnu

- Sri Prasanna krishna Swami Temple

- Sri Bhuvaneshwari Temple

- Kodi Someshwaraswami Temple

- Sri Gayatri Temple

- Sri Trineshwara temple

VISITORS INFORMATION

The palace is ten minutes from the city central railway station and from the suburb bus-stand; right behind city bus-stand, and twenty minutes (less four miles) from Mysore Airport. The domestic airport is directly connected to the international airports of Bangalore (Kempegowda International Airport), Chennai (Chennai International Airport), Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum International Airport), Hyderabad (Rajiv Gandhi International Airport), and Bombay (Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport). The city is connected through the state highway SH-17.

- Palace light illumination on Sundays and all public holidays between 7 and 7:45 in the evening.

- Sound and light programs are arranged on all days between 7 and 7:45, except on Sundays and public holidays.

The scenes of every detail in and around the palace attract one's attention. However, the authorities have prohibited photography inside the main palace complex.

The Old Fort of the palace stands open from morning 10 to night 8 and is free of cost. Entry to the palace buildings is between 11 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon, under tight security. Two squads, one police and one paramilitary, stand guard during the day, and two more during night. Children below seven are free to enter the palace, while those between seven and twelve are charged rupees 25 per head. For adults, tickets are available for Rs. 40. Price of admission for foreign tourists is INR 200. Footwear is removed before entering the palace complexes.

A major issue for visitors is the frequent extortion of bribes from visitors and tourists from corrupt Police and Palace Guards. Several scams have been reported which include guards who "befriend" visitors while offering to take them to a "secret room" where they extort money from tourists. Guards frequently requests bribes for taking photos, or try and intimidate visitors into providing money or foreign currency. Visitors have reported other scams perpetrated by corrupt officials which include demands to produce tickets and further requesting bribes.

ACQUISITION

Currently, a major portion of the palace is under the control of the Government of Karnataka, acquired by passing the Mysore Palace Acquisition Act. Only a small portion of the palace, towards the West Gate, is under the possession of Princess Pramodadevi Wadiyar. In fact, the High Court of Karnataka had passed judgment in favor of the late prince H.H. Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar that the palace belongs to the royal family. However, the Government of Karnataka moved Supreme Court after its defeat in the High Court. The case is still pending. Only the prince did not survive to continue fighting against the government, who demised on the 10th of December, 2013.

WIKIPEDIA

Greenish Warbler

The greenish warbler (Phylloscopus trochiloides) is a widespread leaf warbler with a breeding range in northeastern Europe and temperate to subtropical continental Asia. This warbler is strongly migratory and winters in India. It is not uncommon as a spring or early autumn vagrant in Western Europe and is annually seen in Great Britain. In Central Europe large numbers of vagrant birds are encountered in some years; some of these may stay to breed, as a handful of pairs does each year in Germany.

Like all leaf warblers, it was formerly placed in the "Old World warbler" assemblage, but now belongs to the new leaf-warbler family Phylloscopidae. The genus name Phylloscopus is from Ancient Greek phullon, "leaf", and skopos, "seeker" (from skopeo, "to watch"). The specific trochiloides is from Ancient Greek trokhalos, "bowed", and -oides "resembling", from the similarity to the willow warbler, P. trochilus.

This is a typical leaf warbler in appearance, grayish-green above and off-white below. The single wing bar found in the southern and western populations distinguishes them from most similar species (except Arctic warbler P. borealis). It is slightly smaller than that species and has a thinner bill, without a dark tip to the lower mandible. A latitude-based analysis of wintering birds indicated that more northerly P. trochiloides are smaller, i.e. this species does not seem to follow Bergmann's rule.

Its song is a high jerky trill, in some populations containing a sequence of down- and more rarely up slurred notes.

It breeds in lowland deciduous or mixed forest; non-breeding birds in the warmer parts of its range may move to montane habitat in summer. Individuals from southeast of the Himalayas are for example quite often seen in Bhutan during the hot months, typically in humid Bhutan Fir (Abies densa) forest up to about 3,800 meters ASL or more, but they do not breed there and return again to the adjacent subtropical lowlands in winter.

The nest is on the ground in low shrub. Like its relatives, this small passerine is insectivorous.

It has a number of subspecies, of which P. t . viridianus is the most familiar in Europe. As it seems, it is a ring species, with populations diverging east- and westwards of the Tibetan Plateau, later meeting on the northern side. Their relationships are therefore fairly confusing:

Eastern group: greenish warblers

Phylloscopus trochiloides trochiloides: greenish warbler

Southern rim of the Himalaya eastwards from Nepal into W China.

Dusky greyish green above, often traces of second wing bar.

Phylloscopus trochiloides obscuratus: dull-green warbler

Intermediate between trochiloides and two-barred warbler.

Gansu and surroundings, China.

Western group: green warblers

Phylloscopus trochiloides viridanus: western greenish warbler

Breeds Western Siberia to north-east Europe; at east of range south to NW India.

Dull green above, with yellowish supercilium, throat, breast and faint wing bar.

The groups' origin lies probably in the Himalayan region, where trochiloides is found. This taxon is close to the parapatric obscuratus, and to plumbeitarsus which is geographically separated from obscuratus; they all can (and in the case of the former two do naturally) hybridize. P. t. plumbeitarsus is often split as distinct species, as it does not hybridize with viridianus in the narrow zone in the western Sayan Mountains where their ranges overlap.

But phylogenetically, the western taxa are even more distinct. However, there is some gene flow between trochiloides and viridianus also, with their hybrids being especially common in Baltistan; they were once considered another subspecies ludlowi. The green warbler P. nitidus, now by many considered a distinct species, is a mountain isolate that diverged from ancestral viridianus.

Song structure differs mainly between greenish warbler and two-barred warbler, which was formerly considered conspecific. The former has a fairly uniform, long, and warbling song. Around the Himalayas, song structure is similar, but songs are generally shorter. Two-barred warbler, on the other hand, has a long song that can be clearly divided into a warbling part, followed by series of up- and down slurred notes. The songs of obscuratus, and, interestingly, "ludlowi", are short, but contain the downslur elements too; in the latter, they uniquely appear at the start of the song.

Haeinsa (해인사, 海印寺: Temple of the Ocean Mudra) is a head temple of the Jogye Order (대한불교조계종, 大韓佛敎 曹溪宗) of Korean Buddhism in the Gaya Mountains (가야산, 伽倻山), South Gyeongsang Province South Korea. Haeinsa is most notable for being the home of the Tripitaka Koreana, the whole of the Buddhist Scriptures carved onto 81,350 wooden printing blocks, which it has housed since 1398.

Haeinsa is one of the Three Jewel Temples of Korea, and represents Dharma or the Buddha’s teachings. It is still an active Seon (선, 禪) practice center in modern times, and was the home temple of the influential Rev. Seongcheol (성철, 性徹), who died in 1993.

HISTORY

The temple was first built in 802. Legend says that two Korean monks returned from China, Suneung and Ijeong, and healed King Aejang's (애장왕, 哀莊王) wife of her illness. In gratitude of the Buddha's mercy, the king ordered the construction of the temple.[1] Another account, by Choe Chi-Won in 900 states that Suneung and his disciple Ijeong, gained the support of a queen dowager who converted to Buddhism and then helped to finance the construction of the temple.

The temple complex was renovated in the 10th century, 1488, 1622, and 1644. Huirang, the temple abbot enjoyed the patronage of Taejo of Goryeo during that king’s reign. Haeinsa was burned down in a fire in 1817 and was rebuilt in 1818. Another renovation in 1964 uncovered a royal robe of King Gwanghaegun, who was responsible for the 1622 renovation, and an inscription on a ridge beam.

The main hall, Daejeokkwangjeon (대적광전, 大寂光殿: Hall of Great Silence and Light), is unusual because it is dedicated to Vairocana where most other Korean temples house Shakyamuni (Kr. Seokgamoni) in their main halls.

The Temple of Haeinsa and the Depositories for the "Tripitaka Koreana" Woodblocks, were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1995. The UNESCO committee noted that the buildings housing the Tripitaka Koreana are unique because no other historical structure was specifically dedicated to the preservation of artifacts and the techniques used were particularly ingenious.

The temple also holds several official treasures including a realistic wooden carving of a monk and interesting Buddhist paintings, stone pagodas, and lanterns.

CRISIS

After independence, when the Korean War broke out, Haeinsa encountered a crisis. In September 1951, after the Battle of Inchon, South Korea turned the war around but then North Korea did not retreat so the remnants of one thousand North Korean soldiers around Haeinsa enacted guerrilla war. UN forces were ordered to bomb Haeinsa with four bombers. However, at that time Kim Young Hwan, Leader of Air Force pilots worried about the loss of Haeinsa Tripitaka Koreana and did not obey the command. Due to his lack of action, Haeinsa weathered the crisis and did not experience the bombing. Haeinsa gongdeokbi honors him with the landscaped grounds of Haeinsa.

JANGGYEONG PANJEON

The storage halls known as the Janggyeong Panjeon complex are the depository for the Tripitaka Koreana woodblocks at Haeinsa and were also designated by the Korean government as a national treasure of Korea on December 20, 1962. They are some of the largest wooden storage facilities in the world. Remarkably, the halls were untouched during the Japanese invasion of Korea and were spared from the 1818 fire that burned most of the temple complex down. All told, the storage halls have survived seven serious fires and one near-bombing during the Korean War when a pilot disobeyed orders because he remembered that the temple held priceless treasures.

Janggyeong Panjeon complex is the oldest part of the temple and houses the 81,258 wooden printing blocks from the Tripitaka Koreana. Although the exact construction date of the hall that houses the Tripitaka Koreana is uncertain, it is believed that King Sejo expanded and renovated it in 1457. The complex is made up of four halls arranged in a rectangle and the style is very plain because of its use as a storage facility. The northern hall is called Beopbojeon (Hall of Dharma) and the southern hall is called Sudarajang (Hall of Sutras). These two main halls are 60.44 meters in length, 8.73 meters in width, and 7.8 meters in height. Both have fifteen rooms with two adjoining rooms. Additionally, there are two small halls on the east and west which house two small libraries.

Several ingenious preservation techniques are utilized to preserve the wooden printing blocks. The architects also utilized nature to help preserve the Tripitaka. The storage complex was built at the highest point of the temple and is 655 meters above sea level. Janggyeong Panjeon faces southwest to avoid damp southeasterly winds from the valley below and is blocked from the cold north wind by mountain peaks. Different sized windows on the north and south sides of both main halls are used for ventilation, utilizing principles of hydrodynamics. The windows were installed in every hall to maximize ventilation and regulate temperature. The clay floors were filled with charcoal, calcium oxide, salt, lime, and sand, which reduce humidity when it rains by absorbing excess moisture which is then retained during the dry winter months. The roof is also made with clay and the bracketing and wood rafters prevent sudden changes in temperature. Additionally, no part of the complex is exposed to sun. Apparently, animals, insects, and birds avoid the complex but the reason for this is unknown. These sophisticated preservation measures are widely credited as the reason the woodblocks have survived in such fantastic condition to this day.

In 1970, a modern storage complex was built utilizing modern preservation techniques but when test woodblocks were found to have mildewed, the intended move was canceled and the woodblocks remained at Haeinsa.

Jaisalmer Fort is one of the largest fortifications in the world. It is situated in the city of Jaisalmer, in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is a World Heritage Site. It was built in 1156 AD by the Rajput ruler Rawal Jaisal (whose son was Shalivahan II. Manj & Bhati Rajputs are the descendants of him.), from whom it derives it name. The fort stands proudly amidst the golden stretches of the great Thar Desert, on Trikuta Hill, and has been the scene of many battles. Its massive yellow sandstone walls are a tawny lion colour during the day, fading to honey-gold as the sun sets, thereby camouflaging the fort in the yellow desert. For this reason, it is also known as the Sonar Quila or Golden Fort. The fort is located in the very heart the city, and is one of the most notable monuments in the locality.

HISTORY

During medieval times, the city played a major role in trade with Persia, Arabia, Egypt and Africa. The fort contains 3 layers of walls. The outer or the lower layer is made out of solid stone blocks and it reinforces the loose rubble of Trikuta Hill. The second, or middle, wall snakes around the fort. From the innermost, or third, wall, the Rajput warriors once hurled boiling oil and water as well as massive blocks of rock at their enemies, who would become entrapped between the second and third walls. This defences of the fort include 99 bastions, of which 92 were built between the period of 1633-47.

Ala-ud-din Khilji attacked and captured the fort in the 13th century and managed to hold it for 9 years. During the siege of the fort the Rajput women committed Jauhar. The second battle at the fort happened in 1541, when Mughal emperor Humayun attacked the fort city.

With the advent of British rule, the emergence of maritime trade and the growth of the port of Bombay led to the gradual economic decline of Jaisalmer. After independence and the Partition of India, the ancient trade route was totally closed, thus sealing the fate of the city. Nonetheless, the continued strategic importance of Jaisalmer was demonstrated during the 1965 and 1971 wars between India and Pakistan. Although at one point the entire population of Jaisalmer lived within the fort, it today has a resident population of about 4,000 people who are largely from the Brahmin and Daroga communities. They are mostly descendants of the workforce of the Bhati rulers of Jaisalmer which was permitted to reside within the fort's premises. With an increase in population, people gradually relocated to the foot of the Trikuta Hill and the town of Jaisalmer spread out from the fort.

MAJOR ATTRACTIONS

Raj Mahal (Royal palace)

Laxminath temple

4 massive gateways

Merchant Havelis. These are large houses often built by wealthy merchants in Rajasthani towns and cities in North India, with beautiful, ornate sandstone carvings. Some havelis are many hundreds of years old. In Jaisalmer there are many elaborate havelis carved from yellow sandstone. Some of these have many floors and countless rooms, with decorated windows, archways, doors and balconies. Some havelis are today museums but most in Jaisalmer are still lived in by the families that built them. Among these is the Vyas haveli which was built in the 15th century, which is still occupied by the descendants of the original builders. Another example is the Shree Nath Palace which was once inhabited by the prime minister of Jaisalmer. Some of the doors and ceilings are wonderful examples of old carved wood from many hundreds of years ago.

The fort has an ingenious drainage system called the ghut nali which allows for the easy drainage of rainwater away from the fort in all four directions of the fort. Over the years, haphazard construction activities and building of new roads has greatly reduced its effectiveness.

The fort has numerous eateries, including Italian, French, and native cuisines. The famous Indian film director Satyajit Ray wrote the Sonar Kella (The Golden Fortress), a detective novel, based on the fort and he later filmed it here. The film became a classic and a large number of tourists from Bengal and around the world visit the fort annually to experience for themselves the world that Ray portrayed in the movie.

THREATS TO THE FORT

The Jaisalmer Fort today faces manifold threats that are a result of the increasing population pressure on it. Water seepage, inadequate civic amenities, derelict houses and seismic activity around the Trikuta Hill are some of the major concerns impacting the Fort. Unlike most other forts, the Jaisalmer Fort has been built over a weak sedimentary rock foothill which makes its foundations especially vulnerable to seepage. Over the years this has led to the collapse of significant portions of the Fort such as the Queen’s Palace or Rani Ka Mahal and parts of the outer boundary wall and the lower pitching walls.

The World Monuments Fund included the Fort in its 1996 World Monuments Watch and again in the 1998 and 2000 reports due to the threats posed to it by an increase in its resident population and the increasing numbers of tourists who visit it every year. The Fort is one of Rajasthan's most popular tourist attractions with as many as five to six hundred thousand tourists visiting it annually. As a result, it is abuzz with commercial activities and has seen a phenomenal growth in both human and vehicular traffic.

Major restoration work has been undertaken by the World Monuments Fund and UK based charity Jaisalmer in Jeopardy. According to former INTACH chairman S.K. Misra, American Express has provided more than $1 million for the conservation of Jaisalmer Fort. The absence of coordinated action among the various government departments responsible for civic amenities, the local municipality and the Archaeological Survey that is responsible for the upkeep of the fort is a major impediment in its maintenance and restoration.

WIKIPEDIA

Swanage is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is situated at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck, about 10 km south of Poole and 40 km east of Dorchester. The parish has a population of 10,124 (2001). Nearby are Ballard Down and Old Harry Rocks, with Studland Bay and Poole Harbour to the north. Within the parish are Durlston Bay and Durlston Country Park to the south of the town. The parish also includes the areas of Herston, just to the west of the town, and Durlston, just to the south. During the peak summer season many people are drawn by the town's beautiful setting, the beach and other attractions. The town has many hotels and guest rooms though the number ( particularly of hotels ) has reduced slightly in recent years. Besides the beach, there are other local attractions including the restored Swanage steam railway and the Victorian pier. The town may also be used a base from which to visit other nearby areas of interest, such as Corfe Castle. Swanage's Victorian pier is over 100 years old and is one of two built, although it is the only one that survives complete today. The pier extends into the southern end of Swanage Bay near Swanage. The original Swanage Pier was built between 1859 and 1861 for use primarily by the local stone quarrying industry, and included a tramway which ran the length of the pier and some way along the seafront. The old tracks can be seen to this day, inset into the seafront walkways.

The town, originally a small port and fishing village flourished in the Victorian era, when it first became a significant quarrying port and later a seaside resort for the rich of the day. Today the town remains a popular tourist resort, this being the town's primary industry, with many thousands of visitors coming to the town during the peak summer season, drawn by the bay's sandy beaches and other attractions. During its history the bay was listed variously as Swanawic, Swanwich, Sandwich, and only in more recent history as Swanage.

The Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site ~ this wonderful coast line which stretches from Orcombe Point in East Devon to The Old Harry Rocks near Swanage, is a beautiful part of this area. Swanage Tourist Information Centre (T.I.C.) is an excellent point of reference for all visitors to the area and our friendly staff will be delighted to help you plan your holiday and find out more about the area. By carefully assessing your requirements and interests the staff will ensure you have the very best information to make your holiday a real success.

While fishing is likely the town's oldest industry, quarrying has been important to the town and the local area since at least the 1st century AD. During the time of the Roman occupation this industry grew, with the distinctive Purbeck marble being used for decorative purposes in buildings as far away as London. When the Romans left Britain, quarrying largely ceased until the 12th century. The town is first mentioned in historical texts in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of 877 AD. It is stated as being the scene of a great naval victory by King Alfred over the Danes: ~ This year came the Danish army into Exeter from Wareham; while the navy sailed west about, until they met with a great mist at sea, and there perished 120 ships at Swanwich. A hundred Danish ships which had survived the battle, were driven by a storm onto Peveril Point, a shallow rocky reef outcropping from the southern end of Swanage bay. In the 12th century demand for Purbeck Marble grew once again. While Purbeck marble is not suited to external use, as it does not weather well, it is however strong and suitably decorative for use as internal columns. As such the stone was used in the construction of many large churches and cathedrals being built as the time.

In contrast to the decorative Purbeck marble, Purbeck limestone, or more commonly 'Purbeck stone', has been used in construction locally since the early days of quarrying in Purbeck. Its use is less well documented as it was taken for granted as the default construction materials in the area. However, the arrival of more modern quarrying techniques in the 17th century resulted in an increase in production. The Great Fire of London in 1666 led to a period of large scale reconstruction in the city, and Purbeck stone was extensively used for paving. It was in this time that stone first started being loaded on ships directly from the Swanage seafront; before this time quarried stone had been first transported to Poole for shipping. The idea that Swanage could become a tourist destination was first encouraged by a local MP William Morton Pitt in the early 19th century, who converted a mansion in the town into a luxury hotel. The hotel is noted for having been visited in 1833 by the ( then ) Princess Victoria, later to become queen. The building was later renamed the Royal Victoria Hotel, now the building has been converted into flats and a bar and nightclub in the left and right wings respectively.

The main bus services are provided by Wilts & Dorset. Numbers 40 and 44 which run between Swanage and Poole, and the number 50 which runs between Swanage and Bournemouth via the chain ferry between Studland and Sandbanks. Double-deck open top buses are used on the Poole/Bournemouth to Swanage routes in the summer months. The buses on these routes are branded as Purbeck Breezers. Swanage has a heritage restored steam railway which operates for most of the year, though at the moment this only goes as far as Norden. Recent developments on the railway have seen the physical connection between the Swanage Railway and the mainline restored. The first passenger service in more than 40 years from London Victoria and returning to London Waterloo took place on 1 April 2009. It is hoped that regular passenger services connecting to the mainline will begin in the future. Limited ferry services also run between Poole Quay and Swanage Pier. These are used by Swanage residents for shopping trips to Poole's large shopping centre, and also by tourists in Poole for day trips into Swanage. The nearest mainline railway station to Swanage is Wareham, where connections can be made for South West Trains services westward to Dorchester South and Weymouth. Services also travel eastwards towards Poole, Bournemouth, Southampton Central and London Waterloo. Services to and from Weymouth and London Waterloo can be either fast or stopping services.

QUEENS TEMPLE.

Stowe House & Stowe Landscape Gardens is a grade one listed country house located in Stowe, Buckinghamshire.

It is also the home of Stowe School which is a private boarding school which is now owned by the Stowe House Preservation Trust who have spent more than £25m on the restoration of the house.

The 250 acres of grade one landscape gardens is a significant example of the English garden style along with the park land which is now owned & cared for by the National Trust.

The gardens & park land is open to the public 365 days a year! National Trust members have free access to the gardens & park land however, there is a small fee to enter the historic country house for guided tours.

The Path of Virtue leads us to Queen's Temple (1742) also called Lady's Temple back then. This was designed for Lady Cobham to entertain her friends & then in 1772-4 it was remodelled to its current neo-classical form. The temple was renamed in honour of Queen Charlotte.

Yogasanjivani is 6 years old origination. It was founded by Surender Choudhary in 2004. The vision of Yogasanjivani is to spread yoga knowledge among people.

Becouse of the effectively & simplicity Yogasanjivani has become part of day-to-day life of many people. You can also bring change in your physical, mental and social life with medium of Yogasanjivani.

Yogasanjivani has come out with special program for women & children. As part of these special program yoga, pranayama, meditation, laughing exercise & mentally relief has been main goal of Yogasanjivani. Yogasanjivani has been specially program keeping in mind or day joyful life.

Operation AVRO is a forcewide initiative that delivers a surge of extra resources and specialist officers to a different district within Greater Manchester each month.

This month saw the operation return to Salford.

The operation targets crimes that members of the public in that district have told us give them the most concern.

Members of the press and key partners, including local representatives, are invited to attend Operation AVRO deployments to see results first-hand and conduct important multi-agency work, such as welfare visits.

More details on AVRO can be found by visiting gmp.police.uk and following us on social media.

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

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

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

You can access many of our services online at www.gmp.police.uk

The Pashupatinath Temple (Nepali: पशुपतिनाथ मन्दिर) is a famous, sacred Hindu temple dedicated to Pashupatinath and is located on the banks of the Bagmati River 5 kilometres north-east of Kathmandu Valley in the eastern city of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. This temple is considered one of the sacred temples of Hindu faith. The temple serves as the seat of the national deity, Lord Pashupatinath. This temple complex is on UNESCO World Heritage Sites's list Since 1979. This "extensive Hindu temple precinct" is a "sprawling collection of temples, ashrams, images and inscriptions raised over the centuries along the banks of the sacred Bagmati river" and is included as one of the seven monument groups in UNESCO's designation of Kathmandu Valley as a cultural heritage site. One of the major Festivals of the temple is Maha Shivaratri on which day over 700,000 devotees visit here.

The twelve Jyotirlinga (in India) are the body and the Jyotirlinga at Pashupatinath in Kathmandu (Nepal) is the head over this body.

The temple is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams (Holy Abodes of Shiva) on the continent. Kotirudra Samhita, Chapter 11 on the Shivalingas of the North, in Shiva Purana mentions this Shivalinga as the bestower of all wishes.

HISTORY

The temple was erected anew in the 15th century by Lichhavi King Shupuspa after the previous building had been consumed by termites. Countless further temples have been erected around this two -storied temple. These include the Vaishnav temple complex with a Ram temple from the 14th century and the Guhyeshwari Temple mentioned in an 11th-century manuscript.

LEGEND ABOUT THE TEMPLE ORIGIN

Pashupatinath Temple is the oldest Hindu temple in Kathmandu. It is not known for certain when Pashupatinath Temple was founded. But according to Nepal Mahatmaya and Himvatkhanda, the deity here gained great fame there as Pashupati, the Lord of all Pashus, which are living as well as non-living beings. Pashupatinath Temple's existence dates back to 400 A.D. The richly-ornamented pagoda houses the sacred linga or holy symbol of Lord Shiva. There are many legends describing as to how the temple of Lord Pashupatinath came to existence here. Some of them are narrated below:

THE COW LEGEND

Legend says that Lord Shiva once took the form of an antelope and sported unknown in the forest on Bagmati river's east bank. The gods later caught up with him, and grabbing him by the horn, forced him to resume his divine form. The broken horn was worshipped as a linga but overtime it was buried and lost. Centuries later an astonished herdsmen found one of his cows showering the earth with milk. Digging deep at the site, he discovered the divine linga of Pashupatinath.

THE LINCHCHAVI LEGEND

According to Gopalraj Vamsavali, the oldest ever chronicle in Nepal, this temple was built by Supuspa Deva, a Linchchhavi King, who according to the stone inscription erected by Jayadeva 11 in the courtyard of Pashupatinath in 753 AD, happened to be the ruler 39 generations before Manadeva (464-505 AD).

THE DEVALAYA LEGEND

Another chronicle states that Pashupatinath Temple was in the form of Linga shaped Devalaya before Supuspa Deva constructed a five storey temple of Pashupatinath in this place. As the time passed, the need for repairing and renovating this temple arose. It is learnt that this temple was reconstructed by a medieval King named Shivadeva (1099-1126 AD). It was renovated by Ananta Malla adding a roof to it. Thousands of pilgrims from all over the world come to pay homage to this temple, that is also known as 'The Temple of Living Beings'.

OTHER BELIEFS

There are several complex stories involving the origins of Pashupatinath. One story goes, in brief, that Shiva and Parvati came to the Kathmandu Valley and rested by the Bagmati while on a journey. Shiva was so impressed by its beauty and the surrounding forest that he and Parvati changed themselves into deers and walked into the forest. Many spots in the Kathmandu Valley are identified as places where Shiva went during his time as a deer. After a while the people and gods began to search for Shiva. Finally, after various complications, they found him in the forest, but he refused to leave. More complications ensued, but ultimately Shiva announced that, since he had lived by the Bagmati in a deer's form, he would now be known as Pashupatinath, Lord of all animals. It is said that whoever came here and beheld the lingam that appeared there would not be reborn as an animal.

FINDING OF SHIVA LINGA AT PASHIPATINATH TEMPLE

It is said that the wish-fulfilling cow Kamadhenu took shelter in a cave on the Chandravan mountain. Everyday Kamadhenu went down to the place the lingam was sunken into the soil and poured her milk on top of the soil. After ten thousand years some people saw Kamadhenu pouring milk on that same spot everyday, and started to wonder what that would be. So they removed the soil and found the beautiful shining lingam and started worshiping it.

TEMPLE COMPLEX

The area of Pashupatinath encompasses 264 hectare of land including 518 temples and monuments. Main pagoda style temple is located in the fortified courtyard within the complex guarded by Nepal Police and has a police outpost post along with living quarter within. In front of the western door there is a huge statue Nandi bull, in bronze. Along with many temples and shrines of both Vaishnav and saiva tradition.

TEMPLES AND SHRINES IN THE INNER COURTYARD

Vasuki nath temple

Unmatta Bhairav temple

Surya narayan temple

Kirti mukh bhairav shrine

Budanil kantha shrine

Hanuman shrine

184 shivaling shrine

TEMPLES AND SHRINES IN THE OUTER COMPLEX

Ram mandir

Virat swaroop temple

12 jyotirlingha and Pandra Shivalaya

Guhyeshwari Temple

MAIN TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE

This main temple is built in the Nepalese pagoda style of architecture. All the features of pagoda style is founded here like cubic constructions, beautifully carved wooden rafters on which they rest (tundal). The two level roofs are of copper with gold covering. The temple resides on a square base platform with a height of 23m 7 cm from base to pinnacle. It has four main doors, all covered with silver sheets. This temple has a gold pinnacle (Gajur). Inside are two Garbhagrihas, outer and inner. The inner garbhagriha or sanctum sanctorum is where the idol is placed and outer sanctum is an open corridor like space.

THE DEITY

The sacro sanctum, or the main idol is a stone Mukhalinga with a silver yoni base bound with silver serpent. The lingam is one metre high and has faces in four directions. These faces represents various ascepts of Shiva; Sadyojata (also known as Barun), Vamdeva (also known as Ardha nareshwor), Tatpurusha, Aghor & Ishana (imaginative). Facing West, North, East, South and Zenith respectively representing five primary elements namely earth, water, air, light and ether. Each face has tiny protruding hands holding rudraksha mala on right hand and a kamandalu on the other.Unlike other shiva lingams in India and Nepal this pashupati shiva lingam is always Dressed in its golden vastra except during abhishakam, so pouring milk and ganga jal is only possible during abhishakam through the main priests.

PRIESTS

Daily rituals of Pashupatinath are carried out by two sets of priests ;one being the Bhatt priests and other Bhandari. Bhatta or Bhatt are the one who performs the daily ritual and can touch the lingam, where as Bhadaris are the helper and temple care taker priests but are not qualified perform pooja rituals or to touch the deity.

Bhatta or Bhat are highly educated Vedic bhramin Scholars from Brahmin family from South Indian State Karnataka.Unlike other Hindu temples priesthood of Pashupatinath is not hereditary. Priests are selected from a group of scholars educated by Shri Shankaracharya Dakshinamnaya Peeth Sringeri on Rig Vedic Recitation, initiated in Pashupata Yoga by Kashi Math,Shiva Āgama and learned Recitation of Samaveda from Haridwar.After qualifying and fulfilling all those criteria they will be selected for Priesthood by Raj Guru of Pashupatinath Temple undergoing strict examination on Vedas and Shiva Agamas and then the qualifies are sent to Kathmandu for performing Puja and Daily Worship of Lord Shri Pashupatinath This tradition is reported to have started by the request of Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century, who sought to unify the different states of Bharatam (Unified India) by encouraging cultural exchange. This procedure is also followed in other temples around Bharata-varsa which were sanctified by Adi Shankaracharya. The unique feature of this temple is that only 4 Bhatta priests can touch the deity.Current Bhatt priests of the temple are;

Ganesh Bhat (15th head priest of the Pashupatinath Temple aka Mool Bhat) from Udupi.

Ram Karanth Bhat from Mangaluru.

Girish Bhat from Sirsi.

Narayan Bhat(Recently appointed) from Bhatkal

Raghavendra Bhat (Priest for Vasuki Nath temple only)

Bhandaris or Rajbhandari are the treasurers, temple caretakers, and assistant priest of the temple.

These Bhandaris are the descendants of helper priests brought up by early Bhatts, but were allowed to settle in Kathmandu valley and later assimilated in existing Newar caste of Rajbhandari - a high-caste Chathariya/Kshatriya clan of Kashyapa gotra. Their main function is to help the Bhatta priest and perform maintenance of the inner Garbhagriha. They can have little or no Vedic knowledge but still qualify as assistant priests if they belong from the same family lineage and undergo some basic criteria like caste, gotra, lineage purity, educational qualification, etc. They work in set of four and change in every full moon day. There are a total of 108 Bhandaris.

ENTRY AND DARSHAN

Temple courtyard has 4 entrances in all directions.The western entrance is the main entrance to the temple courtyard and rest three entrances are only opened during big festival . Temple security (Armed Police Force Nepal) is selective regarding who is allowed entry into the inner courtyard . Practicing Hindus and buddhist of Indian and Tibetan descendent are only allowed into temple courtiyard . Practicing Hindus of western descent are not allowed into the temple complex along with other non Hindu Visitors. Sikh and Jain groups are allowed into the temple compound if they are of Indian ancestry. Others can look at the main temple from adjacent side of the river and has to pay a nominal fee of $10 (1000 Nepali rupee) for visiting hundreds of small temples in the external premises of the temple complex . The inner temple courtyard remains open from 4 am to 7 pm for the devotee but the Inner Pashupatinath Temple where the Lingam of lord Pashupatinath is established is open from 5am to 12 pm for the morning ritual and viewing and from 5pm to 7 pm for evening ritual. Unlike many other Saiva temples devotees are not allowed to enter in the inner-most Garbhagriha but are allowed to view from the exterior premises of the outer Garbhagriha.

FESTIVALS

There are many festivals throughout the year .Thousands of people attend these festival.The most important festival is the Maha Shiva Ratri .Bala chaturthi and Teej.

CONTROVERSY OF 2009

In January 2009, after the forced resignation by the chief priest of Pashupatinath temple, the Maoist-led government of Nepal "hand picked" Nepalese priests to lead the temple, thus bypassing the temple's long-standing requirements. This appointment was contested by the Bhandaris of the temple, stating that they were not against the appointment of Nepalese priests but against the appointment without proper procedure. After the appointment was challenged in a civil court, the appointment was overruled by Supreme Court of Nepal.However, the government did not heed the ruling and stood by its decision. This led to public outrage and protests over a lack of transparency. The paramilitary group of the CPN (Maoist), called YCL, attacked the protesters, leading to over a dozen injuries. Lawmakers and activists from opposition parties joined protests, declaring their support for the Bhatta and other pro-Bhatta protesters. After long dissatisfaction and protest by Hindus both in and outside Nepal, the government was forced to reverse its decision that had been declared illegal by the Supreme Court of Nepal and reinstate Bhatta priests.

2015 EARTHQUAKE

The main temple complex of Pashupatinath and the sanctum sanctorum was left untouched but some of the outer buildings in the World Heritage Site were damaged by the April 2015 Nepal earthquake.

WIKIPEDIA

Taken at Doi Inthanon, Chiangmai, Thailand (Elevation: 2,565 m or 8,415 ft).

Doi Inthanon (Thai: ดอยอินทนนท์) is the highest mountain in Thailand. It is located in Mae Chaem District, Chiang Mai Province. This mountain is an ultra prominent peak and was also known in the past as Doi Luang (meaning big mountain) or Doi Ang Ka, meaning the crow's pond top. Near the mountain's base was a pond where many crows gathered. The name Doi Inthanon was given in honour of the king Inthawichayanon, one of the last kings of Chiang Mai, who was concerned about the forests in the north and tried to preserve them. He ordered that after his death his remains shall be placed at Doi Luang, which was then renamed.

For video, please visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p5w0zd3c2g&feature=share&...

The Songkran Festival is a three day event to celebrate the traditional Thai New Year. The festival is celebrated throughout the country, but more-so in Chiang Mai than anywhere else, so this is the place to be if you want to participate to the max.

The most popular aspect of this celebration is the water fights. This is for everyone who wants to have lots of fun while partaking in a traditional thai festivity.

While the action was taking place everywhere, the main activities were around the moat area, which surrounds the old city. Families and friends pile into the back of pick-up trucks or whatever they have and head for the moat.

Most of the Tuk-Tuks had removed their roofs and had their own water barrel to make them more desirable for cruising the moat area during the festivities.

Water stations were set up all over for people to fill their buckets and squirt guns. Many of the bars around the moat kept tubs out filled with ice-water. This was more fun for the shooter since it got a noticeable reaction from the recipient.

Those riding in the pickup truck beds and open vehicles were especially enjoying the event. Most all of them had big water barrels with them so they could return fire and they seemed to be the favorite targets of the crowd.

Catalog #: 09_00209

Title: Capt. Forrest Blalock Special Collection Photo Picture is signed, ""To my good friend, Major Blalock. From. Chesty {illegible} Lt. Colonel, ""Air Corps, 1 May 44

Date: 4/1/1944

Additional Information: Signed Portrait,

Tags: Capt. Forrest Blalock Special Collection Photo Picture is signed, ""To my good friend, Major Blalock. From. Chesty {illegible} Lt. Colonel, ""Air Corps, 1 May 44, 16163

Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive

Spring is knocking at the #EP door.

instagram.com/europeanparliament

This photo is copyright free, but must be credited: "© European Union 2013 - European Parliament". (Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons license). For HR files please contact: webcom-flickr(AT)europarl.europa.eu

is all we ever need...

More magnificent here

Ryde is a British seaside town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. The town grew in size as a seaside resort after the villages of Upper Ryde and Lower Ryde were merged in the 19th century. The influence of this era is still strongly visible in the town's central and seafront architecture.

As a resort, the town is noted for its expansive sands, which are revealed at low tide, making its pier necessary on the wide beach for a regular passenger service. Ryde Pier is a listed structure, and the fourth longest pier in the United Kingdom, as well as the oldest.

This is the "Great House" at the Shirley Plantation along the James River in Charles City County near Richmond, Virginia. Construction of the Great House began about 1723. This view is along the footpath through the front courtyard, with the kitchen building at the right. Shirley Plantation is still owned by the family that established a farming business here in 1638, making it the oldest family-owned business in North America. Shirley Plantation history

This stop at Shirley Plantation was part of a visit with my flickr contact John H. Bowman and his wife

Ruth Ann in late-April, 2012.

Terra is a striking circular knit and a great easy lace project. Here Jennifer wears Terra as a layering piece for day, adding a splash of color and extra warmth to a stylish and casual winter outfit.

Terra is one of the patterns available in our Wraps Organica collection.

LATEST NEWS: Also visit our website to subscribe to our newsletter, follow us on twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

More of Jennifer's Outfits: www.flickr.com/photos/stitchdiva/sets/72157606903485107/

Lauren is the niece of Denny, one of our group's ace photographers. I had never met or seen her prior to this shoot but within about 3.2 seconds of meeting her I knew it would be a great shoot.

Lauren is extremely sweet, intelligent, fun, creative, adventurous, and absolutely lovely to shoot with. She is one of those people that you can't help but love to be around.

We did this shoot at Mirror Lake, about 20 miles from Anchorage, Alaska, on a nippy day in late September 2009. Lauren has an incredibly busy schedule but I sure hope to have the chance to shoot with her again.

The European green woodpecker is a member of the woodpecker family Picidae. There are four subspecies and it occurs in most parts of Europe and in western Asia. Wikipedia

SM City Cebu is a large shopping mall located in Cebu City, Philippines. It is the 4th shopping mall owned and developed by SM Prime Holdings, the country's largest shopping mall owner and developer. It is the company's first shopping mall outside Metro Manila and the 4th largest shopping mall in the Philippines. It has a land area of 11.8 hectares and a gross floor area of 268,611 m2 ( 2,891,300 sq ft ), becoming part of the world's 15 largest shopping malls and making it the 11th largest shopping mall in the world in 2009.

On an average day, more than 100,000 people visit SM City Cebu, with the figure increasing to 140,000 to 150,000 on weekends. Due to Cebu City's position as a transshipment point for the Visayas and Mindanao, and SM City Cebu's location close to the city's port area, the mall attracts a significant number of transient shoppers.

SM City Cebu proves that variety is the spice of life. You can find an array of exciting food choices, from fast food chains to elegant fine dining restaurants. You can also experience retail heaven with its many shops such as Oxygen, Penshoppe, Mango, Topshop, Promod, People Are People, The Body Shop, National Bookstore, Ace Hardware, Toy Kingdom, Toby’s Sport and much more.

The mall first opened in November 1993, and was seen as catering to the low and middle class of shoppers, in contrast to its upmarket competitor, Ayala Centre Cebu which opened a few months later. An expansion wing that particularly targeted upper class customers was added in 2007. As of 2009, the mall has undergone major renovations. Expansion plans with a hotel and convention centre are being developed. More shops are being proposed in 2012.

SM City Cebu is a four-level complex featuring eight cinemas with a total seating capacity of 8,848, a food court, a fully computerized bowling centre, 8,000-square meter amusement centre, and a 2,000-square meter trade hall. Before the addition of the North wing, it had a car park capacity of 1,629.

The North wing expansion, opened in 2007, features two floors of retail stores, restaurants, and cafes. It houses more than 200 tenants and caters to a more upscale clientele. The expansion also added three levels of covered parking, and a one level of roof deck parking.

SM City Cebu, opened on November 27, 1993 with an area of 161,562 m2 (1,739,040 sq ft ). Initially To attract shoppers, Manila-based movie and television stars and entertainers performed free concerts at the mall. Free jeepney rides to the mall were offered to fulfil the lack of available public transportation.

Construction on SM City Cebu's expansion building, dubbed the North wing, began in March 2006. The expansion, which was developed at a cost of Peso’s 1.3 billion ( US$30.5 million ), was built on the parking lot to the north of the existing building, temporarily decreasing the number of parking spaces by more than 30%. The North wing was started in April 2007, and opened in November 2007, featuring spacious hallways catering to the leisure market and upper class customers, while the existing mall, re dubbed as the South wing, is targeted for those who love the hustle and bustle. It increased the total gross floor area of SM City Cebu by 107,049 m2 ( 1,152,270 sq ft ), for a total of 268,611 m2

( 2,891,300 sq ft ).

IMAX ~ In early 2008, SM Prime Holdings signed a deal with IMAX Corporation for the opening of additional IMAX theatres, following the success of the country's first IMAX theatre at SM Mall of Asia. The IMAX theatre planned for SM City Cebu will replace cinema four screens. It will feature clearer picture quality due to its use of a digital projector rather than a film projector. A budget of Peso’s100-million ( $2.4 million ) was allotted for the renovation and was opened to the public last July 9, 2010 with James Cameron's Avatar in 3D

Unsurprisingly this is in York and somewhere I've been keen to visit since purchasing some excellent cans from them during lockdowns when the pubs were shut. Along with Magic Rock and Vocation these three Yorkshire breweries are taking beer brewing in many different directions. Craft beer is Brew York's prime product but they also brew some marvellous cask ales. After going up the stairs we were met with a wall of I think twenty seven craft taps and two hand pumps out of use. Although I was happy to drink the craft I was looking forward to their real ale. This was the beer hall with lots of benches and Yuzu Street Food offering Japanese and Korean dishes. Thankfully I was directed to a downstairs Tap Room with three hand pumps where I ordered my Korean vegan bao buns with asian pickles.

brewyork.co.uk/venues/venue-york/

www.yuzustreetfood.com/york-menu

whatpub.com/pubs/YOR/556/brew-york-tap-room-york

Kathmandu Durbar Square (Nepali: वसन्तपुर दरवार क्षेत्र, Basantapur Darbar Kshetra) in front of the old royal palace of the former Kathmandu Kingdom is one of three Durbar (royal palace) Squares in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Several buildings in the Square collapsed due to a major earthquake on 25 April 2015. Durbar Square was surrounded with spectacular architecture and vividly showcases the skills of the Newar artists and craftsmen over several centuries. The Royal Palace was originally at Dattaraya square and was later moved to the Durbar square.

The Kathmandu Durbar Square held the palaces of the Malla and Shah kings who ruled over the city. Along with these palaces, the square surrounds quadrangles, revealing courtyards and temples. It is known as Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square, a name derived from a statue of Hanuman, the monkey devotee of Lord Ram, at the entrance of the palace.

CONTENTS

HISTORY AND CONSTRUCTION

The preference for the construction of royal palaces at this site dates back to as early as the Licchavi period in the third century. Even though the present palaces and temples have undergone repeated and extensive renovations and nothing physical remains from that period. Names like Gunapo and Gupo, which are the names referred to the palaces in the square in early scriptures, imply that the palaces were built by Gunakamadev, a King ruling late in the tenth-century. When Kathmandu City became independent under the rule of King Ratna Malla (1484–1520), the palaces in the square became the Royal Palaces for its Malla Kings. When Prithvi Narayan Shah invaded the Kathmandu Valley in 1769, he favored the Kathmandu Durbar Square for his palace. Other subsequent Shah kings continued to rule from the square until 1896 when they moved to the Narayan Hiti Palace.

The square is still the center of important royal events like the coronation of King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah in 1975 and King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah in 2001.

Though there are no written archives stating the history of Kathmandu Durbar Square, construction of the palace in the square is credited to Sankharadev (1069–1083). As the first king of the independent Kathmandu City, Ratna Malla is said to have built the Taleju temple in the Northern side of the palace in 1501. For this to be true then the temple would have had to have been built in the vihara style as part of the palace premise surrounding the Mul Chok courtyard for no evidence of a separate structure that would match this temple can be found within the square.

Construction of the Karnel Chok is not clearly stated in any historical inscriptions; although, it is probably the oldest among all the courtyards in the square. The Bhagavati Temple, originally known as a Narayan Temple, rises above the mansions surrounding it and was added during the time of Jagajaya Malla in the early eighteenth century. The Narayan idol within the temple was stolen so Prithvi Narayan Shah replaced it with an image of Bhagavati, completely transforming the name of the temple.

The oldest temples in the square are those built by Mahendra Malla (1560–1574). They are the temples of Jagannath, Kotilingeswara Mahadev, Mahendreswara, and the Taleju Temple. This three-roofed Taleju Temple was established in 1564, in a typical Newari architectural style and is elevated on platforms that form a pyramid-like structure. It is said that Mahendra Malla, when he was residing in Bhaktapur, was highly devoted to the Taleju Temple there; the Goddess being pleased with his devotion gave him a vision asking him to build a temple for her in the Kathmandu Durbar Square. With a help of a hermit, he designed the temple to give it its present form and the Goddess entered the temple in the form of a bee.

His successors Sadasiva (1575–1581), his son, Shiva Simha (1578–1619), and his grandson, Laksmi Narsingha (1619–1641), do not seem to have made any major additions to the square. During this period of three generations the only constructions to have occurred were the establishment of Degutale Temple dedicated to Goddess Mother Taleju by Shiva Simha and some enhancement in the royal palace by Laksminar Simha.

UNDER PRATAP MALLA

In the time of Pratap Malla, son of Laksminar Simha, the square was extensively developed. He was an intellectual, a pious devotee, and especially interested in arts. He called himself a Kavindra, king of poets, and boasted that he was learned in fifteen different languages. A passionate builder, following his coronation as a king, he immediately began enlargements to his royal palace, and rebuilt some old temples and constructed new temples, shrines and stupas around his kingdom.During the construction of his palace, he added a small entrance in the traditional, low and narrow Newari style. The door was elaborately decorated with carvings and paintings of deities and auspicious sings and was later transferred to the entrance of Mohan Chok. In front of the entrance he placed the statue of Hanuman thinking that Hanuman would strengthen his army and protect his home. The entrance leads to Nasal Chok, the courtyard where most royal events such as coronation, performances, and yagyas, holy fire rituals, take place. It was named after Nasadya, the God of Dance, and during the time of Pratap Malla the sacred mask dance dramas performed in Nasal Chok were widely famed. In one of these dramas, it is said that Pratap Malla himself played the role of Lord Vishnu and that the spirit of the Lord remained in the king's body even after the play. After consulting his Tantric leaders, he ordered a stone image of Lord Vishnu in his incarnation as Nara Simha, the half-lion and half-human form, and then transferred the spirit into the stone. This fine image of Nara Simha made in 1673 still stands in the Nasal Chok. In 1650, he commissioned for the construction of Mohan Chok in the palace. This chok remained the royal residential courtyard for many years and is believed to store a great amount of treasure under its surface. Pratap Malla also built Sundari Chok about this time. He placed a slab engraved with lines in fifteen languages and proclaimed that he who can understand the inscription would produce the flow of milk instead of water from Tutedhara, a fountain set in the outer walls of Mohan Chok. However elaborate his constructions may have been, they were not simply intended to emphasize his luxuries but also his and the importance of others' devotion towards deities. He made extensive donations to temples and had the older ones renovated. Next to the palace, he built a Krishna temple, the Vamsagopala, in an octagonal shape in 1649. He dedicated this temple to his two Indian wives, Rupamati and Rajamati, as both had died during the year it was built. In Mohan Chok, he erected a three roofed Agamachem temple and a unique temple with five superimposing roofs. After completely restoring the Mul Chok, he donated to the adjoining Taleju Temple. To the main temple of Taleju, he donated metal doors in 1670. He rebuilt the Degutale Temple built by his grandfather, Siva Simha, and the Taleju Temple in the palace square. As a substitute to the Indreswara Mahadeva Temple in the distant village of Panauti he built a Shiva temple, Indrapura, near his palace in the square. He carved hymns on the walls of the Jagannath Temple as prayers to Taleju in the form of Kali.

At the southern end of the square, near Kasthamandap at Maru, which was the main city crossroads for early traders, he built another pavilion named Kavindrapura, the mansion of the king of poets. In this mansion he set an idol of dancing Shiva, Nasadyo, which today is highly worshipped by dancers in the Valley.

In the process of beautifying his palace, he added fountains, ponds, and baths. In Sundari Chok, he established a low bath with a golden fountain. He built a small pond, the Naga Pokhari, in the palace adorned with Nagakastha, a wooden serpent, which is said he had ordered stolen from the royal pond in the Bhaktapur Durbar Square. He restored the Licchavi stone sculptures such as the Jalasayana Narayana, the Kaliyadamana, and the Kala Bhairav. An idol of Jalasayana Narayana was placed in a newly created pond in the Bhandarkhal garden in the eastern wing of the palace. As a substitute to the idol of Jalasayana Narayana in Buddhanilkantha, he channeled water from Buddhanilkantha to the pond in Bhandarkhal due bestow authenticity. The Kalyadana, a manifestation of Lord Krishna destroying Kaliya, a water serpent, is placed in Kalindi Chok, which is adjacent to the Mohan Chok. The approximately ten-feet-high image of terrifyingly portrayed Kal Bhairav is placed near the Jagannath Temple. This image is the focus of worship in the chok especially during Durga Puja.

With the death of Pratap Malla in 1674, the overall emphasis on the importance of the square came to a halt. His successors retained relatively insignificant power and the prevailing ministers took control of most of the royal rule. The ministers encountered little influence under these kings and, increasingly, interest of the arts and additions to the square was lost on them. They focused less on culture than Pratap Malla during the three decades that followed his death, steering the city and country more towards the arenas of politics and power, with only a few minor constructions made in the square. These projects included Parthivendra Malla building a temple referred to as Trailokya Mohan or Dasavatara, dedicated to Lord Vishnu in 1679. A large statue of Garuda, the mount of Lord Vishnu, was added in front of it a decade later. Parthivendra Malla added a pillar with image of his family in front of the Taleju Temple.

Around 1692, Radhilasmi, the widowed queen of Pratap Malla, erected the tall temples of Shiva known as Maju Deval near the Garuda image in the square. This temple stands on nine stepped platforms and is one of the tallest buildings in the square. Then her son, Bhupalendra Malla, took the throne and banished the widowed queen to the hills. His death came early at the age of twenty one and his widowed queen, Bhuvanalaksmi, built a temple in the square known as Kageswara Mahadev. The temple was built in the Newari style and acted as a substitute for worship of a distant temple in the hills. After the earthquake in 1934, the temple was restored with a dome roof, which was alien to the Newari architecture.

Jayaprakash Malla, the last Malla king to rule Kathmandu, built a temple for Kumari and Durga in her virginal state. The temple was named Kumari Bahal and was structured like a typical Newari vihara. In his house resides the Kumari, a girl who is revered as the living goddess. He also made a chariot for Kumari and in the courtyard had detailed terra cotta tiles of that time laid down.

UNDER THE SHAH DYNASTY

During the Shah dynasty that followed, the Kathmandu Durbar Square saw a number of changes. Two of the most unique temples in the square were built during this time. One is the Nautale, a nine-storied building known as Basantapur Durbar. It has four roofs and stands at the end of Nasal Chok at the East side of the palace. It is said that this building was set as a pleasure house. The lower three stories were made in the Newari farmhouse style. The upper floors have Newari style windows, sanjhya and tikijhya, and some of them are slightly projected from the wall. The other temple is annexed to the Vasantapur Durbar and has four-stories. This building was initially known as Vilasamandira, or Lohom Chok, but is now commonly known as Basantapur or Tejarat Chok. The lower floors of the Basantapur Chok display extensive woodcarvings and the roofs are made in popular the Mughal style. Archives state that Prthivi Narayan Shah built these two buildings in 1770.

Rana Bahadur Shah was enthroned at the age of two. Bahadur Shah, the second son of Prithvi Narayan Shah, ruled as a regent for his young nephew Rana Bahadur Shah for a close to a decade from 1785 to 1794 and built a temple of Shiva Parvati in the square. This one roofed temple is designed in the Newari style and is remarkably similar to previous temples built by the Mallas. It is rectangular in shape, and enshrines the Navadurga, a group of goddesses, on the ground floor. It has a wooden image of Shiva and Parvati at the window of the upper floor, looking out at the passersby in the square. Another significant donation made during the time of Rana Bahadur Shah is the metal-plated head of Swet Bhairav near the Degutale Temple. It was donated during the festival of Indra Jatra in 1795, and continues to play a major role during the festival every year. This approximately twelve feet high face of Bhairav is concealed behind a latticed wooden screen for the rest of the year. The following this donation Rana Bahadur donated a huge bronze bell as an offering to the Goddess Taleju. Together with the beating of the huge drums donated by his son Girvan Yudha, the bell was rung every day during the daily ritual worship to the goddess. Later these instruments were also used as an alarm system. However, after the death of his beloved third wife Kanimati Devi due to smallpox, Rana Bahadur Shah turned mad with grief and had many images of gods and goddesses smashed including the Taleju statue and bell, and Sitala, the goddess of smallpox.

In 1908, a palace, Gaddi Durbar, was built using European architectural designs. The Rana Prime Ministers who had taken over the power but not the throne of the country from the Shahs Kings from 1846 to 1951 were highly influenced by European styles. The Gaddi Durbar is covered in white plaster, has Greek columns and adjoins a large audience hall, all foreign features to Nepali architecture. The balconies of this durbar were reserved for the royal family during festivals to view the square below.

Some of the parts of the square like the Hatti Chok near the Kumari Bahal in the southern section of the square were removed during restoration after the devastating earthquake in 1934. While building the New Road, the southeastern part of the palace was cleared away, leaving only fragments in places as reminders of their past. Though decreased from its original size and attractiveness from its earlier seventeenth-century architecture, the Kathmandu Durbar Square still displays an ancient surrounding that spans abound five acres of land. It has palaces, temples, quadrangles, courtyards, ponds, and images that were brought together over three centuries of the Malla, the Shah, and the Rana dynasties. It was destroyed in the April 2015 Nepal earthquake.

VISITING

Kathmandu's Durbar Square is the site of the Hanuman Dhoka Palace Complex, which was the royal Nepalese residence until the 19th century and where important ceremonies, such as the coronation of the Nepalese monarch, took place. The palace is decorated with elaborately-carved wooden windows and panels and houses the King Tribhuwan Memorial Museum and the Mahendra Museum. It is possible to visit the state rooms inside the palace.

Time and again the temples and the palaces in the square have gone through reconstruction after being damaged by natural causes or neglect. Presently there are less than ten quadrangles in the square. The temples are being preserved as national heritage sites and the palace is being used as a museum. Only a few parts of the palace are open for visitors and the Taleju temples are only open for people of Hindu and Buddhist faiths.

At the southern end of Durbar Square is one of the most curious attractions in Nepal, the Kumari Chok. This gilded cage contains the Raj Kumari, a girl chosen through an ancient and mystical selection process to become the human incarnation of the Hindu mother goddess, Durga. She is worshiped during religious festivals and makes public appearances at other times for a fee paid to her guards.

WIKIPEDIA

Pinkas synagogue in Prague

The synagogue and the name Pinkas is first mentioned in 1492. It is probable that a prayer house or synagogue already existed at this point. Excavations between 1968 and 1990 have given rise to this presumption, but further evidence must follow.

The synagogue in today's street Široká ulice was the property of the Horovsky family. Isaiah Horovsky the synagogue in 1519 passed on to Aron Meschullam Horovsky who had the synagogue rebuilt in 1535. Horovsky was a grandnephew of the original founder of the synagogue, a certain rabbi of Pinkas. In the historical records there are quarrels between the "rebellious" family of the Pinkas with the long-established of the Old-New-Synagogue suspected who for this reason in 1472 on a wasteland near the church of Saint Valentin founded a synagogue. Parts of this old synagogue have survived. Between 1607 and 1625, occurred an extension of a Renaissance meeting room with cross vaults, with flat stone ribs and domed windows decorated with a lisene on the outside. There also arose the nave of the women and a gallery open with arcades into the hall of the main prayer room. The architect of the reconstruction, Judah Goldschmied de Herz, is buried in the adjoining old Jewish cemetery. On his tomb stands: "On Tuesday, the 2nd Tischri 5386 (1625). Here rests the wise and skillful man Judah Goldschmied de Herz. He was always cautious and did his prayers godly, he nursed himself by his handwork, and according to his plans the whole construction of the Pinkas Synagoge and a part of the Maisl Synagogue was carried out. Glory be to him".

An idea of the size of the prayer room in the Pinkas Synagoge gives the number of seats. In its lower part there were 177, in the female part 100, and in the gallery, which was intended exclusively for women, 143 seats. The Pinkas Synagoge over the centuries over and over again became a victim of floods (most recently in 2002). As a result of flood catastrophes in the 17th and 18th century, She sank deeper and deeper into the ground and had to be renovated again and again.

At each renovation, original decorations were lost and modifications were made. Up until the 19th century, in the Pinkas Synagoge souvenirs of the Jew Schlomo Molcho who had been burned on the pyre in Spain in 1432 were kept, who held on to his Jewish faith and was therefore burned.

In the years 1922-1925, the foundation walls of the medieval synagogue were exposed, in the years 1950 - 1953 also the original plaster; a ritual bath, a mikwe, was found in the seventies and further renovations were carried out later.

In 1960 a memorial for the Jewish victims of Nazifascism coming from Bohemia and Moravia was founded here. 77,297 names were recorded on the walls of the main nave as well as of the adjoining premises. The names of the Prague Jews are recorded in the main nave. The names, the date of birth and the date of the deportation to the east are named in alphabetical order. In the neighboring rooms are the names of the Jews from other communities of Bohemia and Moravia. On the wall where the Thora shrine once stood one reads the names of the concentration and extermination camps in which those people were killed. Source: 636)

Pinkas-Synagoge in Prag

Die Synagoge und der Name Pinkas wird erstmals im Jahr 1492 erwähnt. Es ist wahrscheinlich, daß es an dieser Stelle bereits vorher ein Bethaus oder eine Synagoge gab. Ausgrabungen zwischen 1968 und 1990 haben zu dieser Vermutung Anlass gegeben, weitere Belege müssen jedoch folgen.

Die Synagoge in der heutigen Široká ulice war Eigentum der Familie Horovsky. Jesaja Horovsky vererbte die Synagoge im Jahr 1519 an Aron Meschullam Horovsky, der die Synagoge im Jahr 1535 umbauen ließ. Horovsky war ein Urneffe des ursprünglichen Gründers der Synagoge, eines gewissen Rabbiners Pinkas. In den historischen Unterlagen werden Streitigkeiten zwischen der „rebellischen“ Familie der Pinkas mit den Alteingesessenen der Alt-Neu-Synagoge vermutet, die deswegen im Jahre 1472 auf einer Brachstelle unweit der Kirche des hl. Valentin eine Synagoge gründeten. Von dieser alten Synagoge sind Teile erhalten geblieben. Zwischen 1607 und 1625 kam es zum Anbau eines Renaissance-Sitzungssaales mit Kreuzgewölben, mit flachen steinernen Rippen und Kuppelfenstern, die außen mit einer Lisene geschmückt sind. Es entstand auch das Frauenschiff und eine mit Arkaden in den Saal des Hauptbetraumes geöffnete Galerie. Der Architekt des Umbaues, Juda Goldschmied de Herz, ist auf dem nebenan liegenden alten jüdischen Friedhof bestattet. Auf seinem Grabmal steht: „Am Dienstag, den 2. Tischri 5386 (1625). Hier ruht der weise und geschickte Mann Juda Goldschmied de Herz. Er war immer vorsichtig und verrichtete gottesfürchtig seine Gebete, er nährte sich durch seiner Hände Arbeit und nach seinen Plänen wurde der ganze Bau der Pinkassynagoge und eines Teils der Maislsynagoge durchgeführt. Er sei gepriesen.“

Von der Größe des Betsaals in der Pinkassynagoge zeugte die Zahl der Sitze. In seinem unteren Teil befanden sich 177, im Frauenteil 100, und auf der Galerie, die ausschließlich für Frauen bestimmt war, 143 Sitze. Die Pinkassynagoge wurde im Laufe der Jahrhunderte immer wieder Opfer von Überschwemmungen (zuletzt 2002). Als Folge von Hochwasserkatastrophen im 17. und 18. Jhdt. sank sie immer tiefer in den Boden ein und musste immer wieder renoviert werden.

Bei jeder Renovierung gingen ursprüngliche Verzierungen verloren, wurden Änderungen vorgenommen. Bis ins 19. Jahrhundert hinein wurden in der Pinkassynagoge Andenken an den 1432 in Spanien auf dem Scheiterhaufen verbrannten Juden Schlomo Molcho aufbewahrt, der an seinem jüdischen Glauben festhielt und deswegen verbrannt wurde.

In den Jahren 1922 – 1925 wurden die Grundmauern der mittelalterlichen Synagoge freigelegt, in den Jahren 1950 – 1953 auch der ursprüngliche Putz; in den siebziger Jahren wurde ein rituelles Bad, eine Mikwe, gefunden, später wurden weitere Renovierungsarbeiten durchgeführt.

Im Jahr 1960 wurde hier eine Gedenkstätte für die aus Böhmen und Mähren stammenden jüdischen Opfer des Nazifaschismus gegründet. 77.297 Namen wurden an den Wänden des Hauptschiffes als auch der anliegenden Räumlichkeiten verzeichnet. Im Hauptschiff sind die Namen der Prager Juden festgehalten. In alphabetischer Reihenfolge werden die Namen genannt, das Geburtsdatum und das Datum der =>Deportation in den Osten. In den Nachbarräumen stehen die Namen der Juden aus anderen Gemeinden Böhmens und Mährens. An der Wand, an der einst der Thoraschrein gestanden hat, liest man die Namen der Konzentrations- und Vernichtungslager, in denen diese Menschen ums Leben kamen. Quelle: 636)

www.ghetto-theresienstadt.info/pages/p/pinkas.htm

This is a commission for Benjamin Ensor of the band Mungus:

www.myspace.com/mungusband

Its been such a pleasure working him on this project. He asked me to create a Jules Verne inspired clockwork Lovecraftian beast... and other than that for a theme, he gave me permission to do whatever I wanted... so here it is, 16 inch tentacles and all! XD

not sure what else to say... oh yeah, before anyone freaks out about it, the tentacles don't interfere with the strings, I just posed them there for these pictures. The metal work also isn't as heavy as it looks.

This is the next submission for the A to Z Project.

So, this is my project of the last months, after I started painting and playing w40k back in november last year.

After building my first veterans and terminator squads, I thought about converting something and to learn the handling with green stuff (I love to have some unique heroes in my army).

After hours of choosing parts and rearranging the pose and changing details, I was happy with the result, modeled and casted the tabard and all purity seals completely out of greenstuff.

Usualy the chaplains wear black armour, but to fit him to my existing terminators i've painted him graveyard earth and applied some layers of badab black wash, to make him outstanding with a little bit darker armour then the squad.

The base is build from some sprue left overs, skulls and the stone is actually bark mulch painted chaos black and dry brushed over with codex grey and skull white.

more photos of him, maybe with the squad, will come when my camera is repaired.

tips and tricks to improve my painting skills are allways welcome, I'm still beginner in these things.

The lionfish team practices dissecting lionfish with CEI researchers.

As is evident, I'm far behind in posting photos here. This batch is all from May 2022. Only almost 6 months late. But I will get caught up, some day.

Most of this batch exhibits many of my perfect shoes, perfectly or nearly perfectly worn as I like them. The warm weather also has me often wearing rubber footwear of various styles. Over the summer I added to my collection of rubber footwear of various makes. More of those photos will soon come.

Back in the late 1960s, I used to purchase a pair of "camp" moccasins most summers. By fall, they would be worn out. For some years I got pairs with rubber soles, almost like todays boat shoes. But one year I got a pair of actual moccasins with two layers of thin soft leather soles.

I recall the outer sole developed holes part way through that first summer. But they were quite comfortable, so I kept wearing them. At some point the right shoe wore through the inner sole. I still wore them around as the years went by, and eventually the stitching failed on the right shoe toe part of the sole, which now sometimes dangles and folds under as I walk.

I don't wear them too much, but they are still comfortable shoes.

Jalakantesvara Temple (Tamil: ஜலகண்டேஸ்வரர் கோவில்) is an temple dedicated to Lord Shiva which is located in the Vellore Fort, Tamil Nadu State, India. The temple of the Vijaynagar period stands inside the Vellore Fort, which is under the control of the Archaeological Survey of India, along with the St. John's Church, Tippu Mahal, Hyder Mahal, Candy Mahal, Badhusha Mahal and the Begum Mahal.

HISTORY

According to legend, there used to a giant ant-hill at the location where the sanctum sanctorum of temple now stands. This ant-hill was surrounded by stagnant water, as a result of collection of rain water, and at some time a Shiva Lingam was placed in this water around the ant hill and worshiped. Chinna Bommi Nayaka, a Vijayanagar chieftain, who was controlling the fort had a dream where the Lord Shiva asked him to build a temple at that location. Nayaka, proceeded to demolish the anthill and build the temple in 1550 AD, and since the Lingam was surrounded by water (called Jalam in Tamil) the deity was called as Jalakandeswarar (translated as "Lord Siva residing in the water"). The temple was built during the reign of the Vijayanagaram king Sadasivadeva Maharaya (1540 - 1572 AD). The temple also has the statue of Sri Akhilandeshwari Amma, the consort of Jalakandeswarar.

ARCHITECTURE

The Jalakantesvara Temple is a fine example of Vijayanagaram Architecture. The temple has exquisite carvings on its gopuram (tower), richly carved stone pillars, large wooden gates and stunning monoliths and sculptures. These Vijayanagara sculptures are similar to the ones present in Soundararajaperumal Temple, Thadikombu, Krishnapuram Venkatachalapathy temple, Srivilliputhur Divya Desam and Alagar Koyil. The Gopuram of the tower is iver 100 ft. in height. The temple also has a Mandapam, with the hall supported by carved stone pillars of dragons, horses and yalis (lion like creature).

The temple itself built in middle of a water tank (called Agazhi in Tamil), and there is water surround the temple like a garland. The circumference of the water tank is 8000 ft. The wedding hall (Kalyana Mantapam) inside the temple has a 2 faced sculpture, that of a bull and an elephant. The water user for bathing the deity (abishekam) is drawn from an ancient well called the Ganga Gouri Thhertam, within the temple.

SPECIALTY

Behind the Nandi statue, there is an earthen lamp, which is said to revolve when some people place their hands on it. The revolving is said to indicate that their wishes have been granted. Some devotees of the temple worship the golden and silver lizard sculptures and the snake sculptures in order to get relief from 'sarpa dosham'.

MUTILATION

The temple was mutilated during the Muslim invasion and capture of Vellore Fort. Following the desecration of the temple during Muslim invasion and rule, worship in the temple was stopped. An Islamic structure was also built to serve as a makeshift mosque, after destroying an Amman (Nagalamman) Temple, which stood on that site. The temple was being used as an arsenal for nearly 400 years. On the fears of desecration, the main deity was moved away to the Jalakanda Vinayakar Temple in Sathuvacheri for safe keeping. The temple was vacant for nearly 400 years. In 1921, the Vellore Fort was handed over to the Archaeological Survey of India for maintenance. At that time, the temple was not used for worship, and the ASI was keen to maintain this status quo. However, in 1981, the deity was smuggled inside the fort and re-installed inside the temple, and worship re-instated.

RE-CONSECRATION 1981

Several attempts had been made in the 20th century, to re-instate the main deity inside the Jalakantesvara Temple. However, the Archaeological Survey of India wanted to maintain the status quo, an did want the temple to be used for worship. However, on 16 March 1981, the deity was removed from the Jalakanda Vinayakar Temple in Sathuvacheri and secretly smuggled inside the fort, hiding it inside a closed truck, and stealthily installed in the early morning hours.

According to AK Seshadhri, author of the book 'Vellore Fort and the Temple through the Ages', "The staff of ASI could do nothing to prevent the forcible action of the mob, except watch the happenings and complain the incident to the police and the district collector. The district authorities took no action, saying that this is a sensitive religious matter and therefore any preventive action would lead to a law and order problem…"

Consequently, the first kumbabishekam after re-consecration was held in 1982, followed by 1997 and 2011. For the third kumbabishekam in 2011, a special gold plated car are made at a cost of INR 30 million, and used nearly 7 kg Gold.

In 2006, the 25th anniversary of the re-consecration of the Jalakantesvara Temple was celebrated by taking out the deity in a grand procession passing through Long Bazaar, Saidapet, Kagitha Pattarai and Main Bazaar of Vellore.

GOVERNMENT TAKE OVER

On Saturday, 22 June 2013, the Department of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments, Government of Tamil Nadu took over the administration of the Jalakantesvara Temple, at the Vellore Fort, following government order dated 18 June 2013, asking the Assistant Commissioner of Vellore to take over the temple and assume charge as the 'Fit Person' (Thakkar) of the temple. Previously the temple was managed by a private trust called Sri Jalakanteswarar Dharma Sthabanam. The private trust had opposed the takeover, by approaching the Madras High Court. However, nearly 10 years of legal proceedings resulted in the court ruling in favor of the Government of Tamil Nadu. However, the temple structure is owned and maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India, with only the administration taken over by the government.

WIKIPEDIA

Pontefract Castle

Pontefract (or Pomfret) Castle is a castle ruin in the town of Pontefract, in West Yorkshire, England. King Richard II is thought to have died there. It was the site of a series of famous sieges during the 17th-century English Civil War.

History

Model reconstructing Pontefract Castle

The castle, on a rock to the east of the town above All Saints' Church, was constructed in approximately 1070 by Ilbert de Lacy. on land which had been granted to him by William the Conqueror as a reward for his support during the Norman Conquest. There is, however, evidence of earlier occupation of the site. Initially the castle was a wooden structure which was replaced with stone over time. The Domesday Survey of 1086 recorded "Ilbert's Castle" which probably referred to Pontefract Castle.

Robert de Lacy failed to support King Henry I during his power struggle with his brother, and the King confiscated the castle from the family during the 12th century. Roger de Lacy paid King Richard I 3,000 marks for the Honour of Pontefract, but the King retained possession of the castle. His successor, King John gave Lacy the castle in 1199, the year he ascended the throne. Roger died in 1213 and was succeeded by his eldest son, John. However, the King took possession of Castle Donington and Pontefract Castle. The de Lacys lived in the castle until the early 14th century. It was under the tenure of the de Lacys that the magnificent multilobate donjon was built.

In 1311 the castle passed by marriage to the estates of the House of Lancaster. Thomas, Earl of Lancaster (circa 1278–1322) was beheaded outside the castle walls six days after his defeat at the Battle of Boroughbridge, a sentence placed on him by King Edward II himself in the great hall. This resulted in the earl becoming a martyr with his tomb at Pontefract Priory becoming a shrine.It next went to Henry, Duke of Lancaster and subsequently to John of Gaunt, third son of King Edward III. He made the castle his personal residence, spending vast amounts of money improving it.

Richard II

The ruins of Pontefract Castle's keep

In the closing years of the 14th century, Richard II banished John of Gaunt’s son Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Hereford, from England. Following the death of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, in 1399, Richard II seized much of the property due to Bolingbroke. Richard then shared some of the seized property around among his favourites. The castle at Pontefract was among such properties which was under threat. These events aroused Bolingbroke to return to England to claim his rights to the Duchy of Lancaster and the properties of his father. Shakespeare's play Richard II (Act 2, scene 1, 277) relates Bolingbroke’s homecoming in the words of Northumberland in the speech of the eight tall ships:-

Richard III

Richard III had two relatives of Elizabeth Woodville beheaded at Pontefract Castle on 25 June, 1483 - her son, Sir Richard Grey, and her brother, Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers.

Tudor Era

In 1536, the castle's guardian, Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy de Darcy handed over the castle to the leaders of the Pilgrimage of Grace, a Catholic rebellion from northern England against the rule of King Henry VIII. Lord Darcy was executed for this alleged "surrender," which the king viewed as an act of treason.

In 1541, during a royal tour of the provinces, it was alleged that King Henry's fifth wife, Queen Catherine Howard, committed her first act of adultery with Sir Thomas Culpeper at Pontefract Castle, a crime for which she was apprehended and executed without trial. Mary, Queen of Scots was lodged at the castle on 28 January 1569, travelling between Wetherby and Rotherham.

Royalist stronghold

The garrison handed over the castle to John Lambert on 24 March 1649. On his way south to London, King James rode from Grimston Park to view Pontefract Castle on 19 April 1603 and stayed the night at the Bear Inn at Doncaster.

Royalists controlled Pontefract Castle at the start of the English Civil War. The first of three sieges began in December 1644 and continued until the following March when Marmaduke Langdale, 1st Baron Langdale of Holme arrived with Royalist reinforcements and the Parliamentarian army retreated. During the siege, mining and artillery caused damage and the Piper Tower collapsed as a result. The second siege began on 21 March 1645, shortly after the end of the first siege, and the garrison surrendered in July after hearing the news of Charles I's defeat at the Battle of Naseby. Parliament garrisoned the castle until June 1648 when Royalists sneaked into the castle and took control. Pontefract Castle was an important base for the Royalists, and raiding parties harried Parliamentarians in the area.

Oliver Cromwell led the final siege of Pontefract Castle in November 1648. Charles I was executed in January, and Pontefract's garrison came to an agreement and Colonel Morrice handed over the castle to Major General John Lambert on 24 March 1649. Following requests from the townspeople, the grand jury at York, and Major General Lambert, on 27 March Parliament gave orders that Pontefract Castle should be "totally demolished & levelled to the ground" and materials from the castle would be sold off. Piecemeal dismantling after the main organised activity of slighting may have further contributed to the castle's ruined state.

It is still possible to visit the castle's 11th-century cellars, which were used to store military equipment during the civil war.

Preservation

The ruins of St Clement's Chapel within the castle

Little survives of what "must have been one of the most impressive castles in Yorkshire" other than parts of the curtain wall and excavated and tidied inner walls. It had inner and outer baileys. Parts of a 12th-century wall and the Piper Tower's postern gate and the foundations of a chapel are the oldest remains. The ruins of the Round Tower or keep are on the 11th-century mound. The Great Gate flanked by 14th-century semi-circular towers had inner and outer barbicans. Chambers excavated into the rock in the inner bailey possibly indicate the site of the old hall and the North Bailey gate is marked by the remains of a rectangular tower.

The castle has several unusual features. The donjon has a rare Quatrefoil design. Other examples of this type of Keep are Clifford's Tower, York and at the Château d'Étampes in France. Pontefract also has an torre albarrana, a fortification almost unknown outside the Iberian Peninsula. Known as the Swillington Tower, the detached tower was attached to the north wall by a bridge. Its purpose was to increase the defender's range of flanking fire.

Wakefield Council, who own the site, commissioned William Anelay Ltd to begin repairs on the castle in September 2015, but work stopped in November 2016 when Anelay went into administration. The Council then engaged Heritage Building & Conservation (North) Ltd, who began work on the site in March 2017. A new visitor centre and cafe were opened in July 2017; but in April 2018 the council announced that they had terminated the contract with HB&C (North) Ltd, as no work had been done since mid-March, and they had not had any reassurances that the work would restart. On Yorkshire Day 2019, the restoration was completed, and the castle was removed from Historic England's "Heritage At Risk" list.

This is the first of 21 photos taken during the course of Monday, 26 January A.D. 2026 ... which happens to be my birthday. Hence, I've titled this photo session "I Don't Look a Day Over 75!".

(You may disagree with me, convinced I look a whole lot older than 75. But this very day being my 75th birthday, I'm able to truthfully say I'm NOT a day OVER 75 in these photos..)

_________________

NOTE: These 21 photos are the follow-up to the 6 photos I posted to my Flickr photostream yesterday.

The Shwedagon Pagoda is a 99 metres gilded pagoda and stupa located in Yangon, Burma. The pagoda lies to the west of Kandawgyi Lake, on Singuttara Hill, thus dominating the skyline of the city. It is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda for the Burmese with relics of the past four Buddhas enshrined within: the staff of Kakusandha, the water filter of Koṇāgamana, a piece of the robe of Kassapa and eight strands of hair from Gautama, the historical Buddha. Uppatasanti Pagoda is an exact replica of Shwedagon Pagoda in Naypyidaw, the new capital of Burma.

According to legend, the Shwedagon Pagoda has existed for more than 2,600 years, making it the oldest historical pagoda in Burma and the world. According to tradition, two merchant brothers, Taphussa and Bhallika, from the land of Ramanya, met the Lord Gautama Buddha during his lifetime and received eight of the Buddha's hairs in 588 BCE. The brothers traveled back to their homeland in Burma and, with the help of the local ruler, King Okkalapa of Burma, found Singuttara Hill, where relics of other Buddhas preceding Gautama Buddha had been enshrined.

According to some historians and archaeologists, however, the pagoda was built by the Mon people between the 6th and 10th centuries CE.

There are four entrances to the Paya that lead up a flight of steps to the platform on Singuttara Hill. The eastern and southern approaches have vendors selling books, good luck charms, Buddha images, candles, gold leaf, incense sticks, prayer flags, streamers, miniature umbrellas and flowers. A pair of giant leogryphs called chinthe (mythical lions) guard the entrances and the image in the shrine at the top of the steps from the south is that of the second Buddha, Konagamana. The base or plinth of the stupa is made of bricks covered with gold plates.

Above the base are terraces that only monks and men can access. Next is the bell-shaped part of the stupa. Above that is the turban, then the inverted almsbowl, inverted and upright lotus petals, the banana bud, and then the crown. The crown or umbrella (hti) is tipped with 5,448 diamonds and 2,317 rubies. Immediately before the diamond bud is a flag-shaped vane. The very top, the diamond bud is tipped with a 76 carat (15 g) diamond.

The gold seen on the stupa is made of genuine gold plates, covering the brick structure and attached by traditional rivets. Myanmar people all over the country, as well as monarchs in its history, have donated gold to the pagoda to maintain it. The practice continues to this day after being started in the 15th century by the Mon Queen Shin Sawbu, who gave her weight in gold.

this is a michael jackson shirt i made for a friend of mine!

History,,

Pipila is the nickname of a local hero of the city of Guanajuato in Mexico. His real name was Juan José de los Reyes Martínez (1782-1863). The name is also given to a monument built in his honor in the same city.

Pípila was, as the story goes, a young man born with defects both mental and physical. His physical deformities caused him to walk in a fashion not unlike the hen turkey—which brought about his nickname. Pípila was a miner, became famous for an act of heroism near the very beginning of the Mexican War of Independence, on 28 September 1810. With a long, flat stone tied to his back to protect him from the muskets of the Spanish troops, Pípila carried tar and a torch to the door of the Alhóndiga and set it on fire. The insurgents–who far outnumbered the Spanish in the warehouse–stormed inside and killed all the soldiers and the civil Spanish refugees.

The monument ..

The stone monument of a muscular man, holding aloft a flaming torch, towers on a hill at the edge of the city. Visitors can ride on a funicular to and from the monument, or they can walk up one of several steep stairways to the top.

The mosaic, in First Style, is framed by a mixture of plants, kraters, drinking cups, flying cupids, birds and small animals. It depicts several species of edible fish found in the Mediterranean, while in the lower right corner and in the centre of the left-hand side, there is a coastal landscape over which a kingfisher hovers ready to dive. Around the central scene, which features a fight between an octopus and a lobster, numerous types of fish are arranged uniformly over the entire surface, including a prawn, a bass, a murex shell, a moray eel, a scorpion fish, a gilthead and a ray. The theme, known from other copies (Aquileia, Palestrina, Rome, Palermo and Susa), of which one, from House VIII, 2, 16 in Pompeii housed in the Archaeological Museum of Naples, derives from a late Hellenistic model, probably an Alexandrian painting from the first half of the second century BC. The depiction of marine fauna, which was already widely used on Attic and especially Italiot red figure “fish-plates”, developed considerably during the Hellenistic period both from a naturalistic perspective and in terms of a literary-gastronomic trend popular among the Hellenistic courts. This mosaic also reflects the diffusion of Hellenistic culture in Samnite Pompeii, probably influenced indirectly by the Roman holiday villas which dotted the entire Bay of Naples. Originally positioned in the triclinium of the famous House of the Faun, the mosaic was made by a skilled workshop capable of using thousands of small polychrome mosaic tessarae to the best possible effect to obtain an exceptionally harmonious and balanced composition. It reflected the desire to portray the delicacies of the sea which, together with the delicacies from dry land exemplified by the objects in the frame, were customarily offered to his guests the master of the domus. (Naples National Archaeological Museum)

and the final prize is for the orange elephant in the room. The Colossal Fossil.

Make America Colossal

The time has come to both award the Colossal Fossil and to finally call out those who deserve it the most!

While we have had some strong contenders (shout out to the Australian bullies), there seems to be only one clear choice. Only one who has been the absolute, hands-down, uncontested worst – the US administration.

Not really that much of a surprise, is it?

I am sure you all remember it well. When Donald Trump announced on June 1st that he intended to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement, he isolated himself on the global stage, turning his back on the rest of the world. Now that Syria has ratified, the Trump administration is completely, 100% alone in its rejection of this vital global agreement.

Super sad!

Let’s just remember that the US is still in the Paris Agreement for at least a few more years. But there is no doubt about the administration’s position on climate action. They’re attacking domestic climate policies such as the Clean Power Plan and fuel efficiency standards.

They’re propping up dirty energy by proposing a bailout for coal. They’re attempting to censor science, deleting any mention of climate change from documents and websites and issuing gag orders to government scientists. Last but not least, they sent fossil fuel cronies to represent the U.S. at COP. In other words, they are acting in direct opposition to the spirit of the Paris Agreement.

The Trump team tried to bring their backwards agenda to Bonn. The US administration’s only official side event was to promote fossil fuels. But the world was there to send them a message: You can’t sell coal at a conference to stop climate change!

Prompted by a journalist’s question, two of the four panelists explicitly said they disagree with Trump’s effort to pull out of the Paris Agreement. When even your fossil-fuel-funded panelists don’t agree with your decision, you know you’re on the wrong side of history. (As if there was any doubt before.)

But there is a ray of light. US mayors, governors, business leaders, university presidents, and committed individuals from all fifty states and every walk of life are standing by the Paris Agreement and with the world against the climate crisis. More than 100 of them came to Bonn and camped out in the funny looking igloos outside the Bula Zone to showcase their commitments, and many others mobilized for a Day of Action across the US to send the message that they are still in, too. They all give us hope.

Trump may have abandoned the world, but the rest of us haven’t. As young people from across the globe sang when they disrupted the US fossil fuels event on Monday: “We the people of the world unite, and we are here to stay.”

Unfortunately, this ray of hope does not replace the need for action from the U.S. federal government. All their bad behavior at home and here at COP should be widely and loudly condemned, they are truly deserving of the Colossal Fossil – the undisputed best of the worst.

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Seems like the clouds are trying to overpower the sun which is setting. The day ends with an anticipation of a brighter tomorrow , tomorrow is good? Good for me? Good for you?

I lay down in the night gazing at the stars, thinking what went wrong? and what can be undone. Dont want this night to end, Don't want to anticipate if tomorrow is good? Good for me? Good for you?

This papercraft is Joy, the protagonist of the 2015 Disney/Pixar film Inside Out, one of the five emotions inside the mind of Riley Andersen, the paper model is created by Kfenix. The size of finished model is about 450 (H) x 193 (W) x 141 (D) mm. There is also a simple version Joy paper toy on...

www.papercraftsquare.com/disney-inside-out-joy-free-paper...

This is a photo of a photo. It was taken by Brian J Andrews, OAM for the Coalfields Local History Association, formerly the Coalfields Heritage Group.

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